Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C1/00—Chairs adapted for special purposes
  • A47C1/12—Theatre, auditorium or similar chairs
  • A47C1/126—Theatre, auditorium or similar chairs stowable in floor or wall
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H3/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for public or similar purposes; Institutions, e.g. infirmaries or prisons
  • E04H3/10—Buildings or groups of buildings for public or similar purposes; Institutions, e.g. infirmaries or prisons for meetings, entertainments, or sports
  • E04H3/12—Tribunes, grandstands or terraces for spectators
  • E04H3/123—Telescopic grandstands

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a telescopic grandstand, comprising at least a first platform and at least a second platform, in which the first platform is displaceable with respect to the second platform between a retracted position, in which the first platform is situated virtually completely underneath the second platform, and an extended position, in which the first platform extends virtually completely next to the second platform, and comprising at least one folding seat, comprising a base which is attached to the first platform and a seat leg which is attached to the base so as to be pivotable between a folded-out position, in which the seat is folded out, and a folded- down position, in which the seat is folded down, in which the seat is in the folded- down position in the retracted position of the first platform and extends virtually completely between the first and the second platform, and the seat is situated in the folded-out position in the extended position of the first platform, and comprising a spring which is fitted between the base and the seat leg and which exerts a force on the seat leg to move the seat leg to the folded-out position, in which the
• telescopic grandstands may be grandstands which are arranged in a space in which, depending on the use of the space, the floor is to be cleared to enable performances where the audience is standing, or tables and seats are to be placed on the floor, or sports activities are to take place on the floor, or an all-seating grandstand is desired which takes up the entire floor, for example for performances where the audience is to be seated, etc.
• such telescopic grandstands may also be readily transportable all-seating grandstands which will be pulled in to form a compact shape for transportation and will be pulled out in situ when an event is scheduled.
• folding seats are provided on the platforms of said telescopic grandstands which, in the extended position and in the retracted position of the grandstand, each extend between two platforms.
• these folding seats usually have to be folded out by hand and have to be folded down by hand when the grandstand is being retracted.
• the manual folding out and folding down of these seats is a very time-consuming and labour-intensive operation.
• US 4,155,202 A, EP 0 369 094 Al and ES 2 200 650 Al disclose more complicated solutions for telescopic grandstands, in which the seats are folded out and down automatically when the platforms of the grandstand are being retracted and extended. In this case, the seats are fitted to the platforms not by their seat part, but by their seat legs, so that the seat height is determined by the seats and no longer by the intermediate distance between the platforms.
• the embodiments described are very complicated solutions which are difficult to realize in practice, require a plurality of adapted (complicated) parts, result in significant wear to the parts and are certainly not a viable option from a commercial point of view.
• the seats are damaged during retraction of the platforms (US 4,155,202 A first embodiment and ES 2 200 650 Al), or, or in addition, the top side of the seat is always pushed under pressure against the bottom side of the platform situated above it in the closed position (US 4,155,202 A first embodiment), quickly leading to wear as a result of fatigue of the parts, or, or in addition, the guide leads to torsion on the platform situated above it (US 4,155,202 A second embodiment) which is difficult to control when the grandstand is being extended and retracted.
• JP 2003259930 A discloses a simpler way of automatically folding the seats of a telescopic grandstand out and down without damaging the seats. However, this requires a separate drive for each seat, which is very expensive and thus not commercially viable.
• a telescopic grandstand comprising at least a first platform and at least a second platform, in which the first platform is displaceable with respect to the second platform between a retracted position, in which the first platform is situated virtually completely underneath the second platform, and an extended position, in which the first platform extends virtually completely next to the second platform in a stepped manner, and comprising at least one folding seat, comprising a base which is attached to the first platform and a seat leg which is pivotably attached to the base so as to be pivotable between a folded-out position, in which the seat is folded out, and a folded-down position, in which the seat is folded down, in which the seat is in the folded-down position in the retracted position of the first platform and extends virtually completely between the first and the second platform and the seat is in the folded-out position in the extended position of the first platform, and comprising a spring which is fitted between the base and the seat leg and which exerts a force on the seat leg to move the seat leg to the
• Said guide means of a telescopic grandstand according to the invention can also serve as guide means for guiding the different platforms with respect to one another during retracting and extending thereof, so that it is no longer necessary to provide separate guide means for this purpose.
• the guiding curve is arranged in such a manner that the pivoting movement of the seat leg only starts during extension of the first platform when the first guide means have been guided virtually completely through the guiding curve.
• the folding out of the seats preferably starts as late as possible when the respective platforms of the telescopic grandstand are being extended and the folding down preferably takes place as early as possible when the respective platforms of the telescopic grandstand are being retracted.
• the first guide means of a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention preferably comprise one or more guide wheels. By means of such guide wheels, it is possible to reduce friction between the various guide means during guiding.
• the first guide means are preferably attached to the seat leg by means of a spacer which extends at right angles to the seat leg. By providing such a spacer, it is easier to ensure that none of the parts of the seat hit the platform situated above it when said seat is being folded out or down.
• the seat leg and the spacer form additional guide means and the second platform is provided with a guide wheel at its front end for guiding the seat leg and the spacer when these come near this guide wheel when the first platform is being retracted or extended.
• the second guide means of a telescopic grandstand preferably comprise a panel in which said guiding curve is provided as a recess.
• a recess may be punched into a panel as a slot, the first guide means then for example comprising a bar which is inserted into this slot, or a wheel which can be displaced in this slot in a rolling manner and is contained between the edges of the slot.
• the recess may also be provided as a recess in the edge of the panel, the first guide means being pushed against the edge of this recess in order to be guided. In this way, it is easier to replace the various parts in case of a failure. With such a recess in the edge of the panel, it is also possible to make the space between the different platforms more compact.
• the guiding curve of a telescopic grandstand preferably extends, viewed along the direction of extension or retraction of the first platform, away from the front side of the second platform, parallel to the second platform and preferably has a curved shape towards the front side of the second platform, in such a manner that the first guide means which are guided by this guiding curve are guided away from the front side, virtually parallel to this second platform and are guided closer to this second platform towards the front side of the second platform.
• That part of the guiding curve which extends parallel to the second platform extends along more than half of the length of the guiding curve.
• That part of the guiding curve which has a curved shape preferably extends along less than half of the length of the guiding curve. More specifically in this case, towards the front side of the second platform, the first guide means can initially be guided closer to said second platform and can then be guided further away from said second platform.
• a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention furthermore preferably comprises a locking system for locking the folding seat in its folded-out position.
• the guiding curve has a cavity at the location of the front side of the second platform which forms part of the locking system and the first guide means, the spacer and the guide wheel at the front side of the second platform form part of the locking system, in which the cavity, the first guide means, the spacer and the guide wheel at the front side of the second platform are designed in such a manner that, when the first platform is being extended and the seat folds out, at the end of the guiding of the first guide means along the guiding curve, the first guide means are pulled into the cavity due to the fact that the spacer is guided by the guide wheel and the first guide means are pulled out of the cavity when the first platform is being retracted and the seat folds down, at the start of the guiding of the first guide means along the guiding curve, as a result of the spacer being guided by the guide wheel.
• a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention furthermore preferably comprises a push chain as drive means for driving the extending and retracting movement of the first platform.
• a push chain as drive means for driving the extending and retracting movement of the first platform.
• drum motors are usually used to drive the extending and retracting movement of the platforms.
• the platforms slip on the floor. It is therefore not possible to use these to mechanically fold the seats out and down.
• the problem of slipping is solved by using a push chain.
• a drive system as described in EP 0 369 094 Al could for example also be used to achieve a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention.
• a telescopic grandstand according to the invention furthermore preferably also comprises support members which, in the extended position of the first platform, support the front side of the second platform.
• a more specific embodiment of a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention comprises several of said folding seats on the first platform, in which said first guide means are connected to the seat legs of several of said folding seats, so that the same guide members are used to fold out and fold down several seats at once.
• the second guide means may in this case comprise two panels with an identical guiding curve which are arranged on either side of the folding seats which are connected to the first guide means.
• the spring of a telescopic grandstand according to the invention is preferably a torsion spring.
• the object of the present invention is therefore furthermore achieved by providing a method for adapting a telescopic grandstand comprising at least a first platform and at least a second platform, in which the first platform is displaceable with respect to the second platform between a retracted position, in which the first platform is situated virtually completely underneath the second platform in a stepped manner, and an extended position, in which the first platform extends virtually completely next to the second platform, to form a telescopic grandstand according to the invention as described above, comprising providing at least one folding seat, comprising a base which is attached to the first platform and a seat leg which is attached to the base so as to be able to pivot between a folded-out position, in which the seat is folded out and a folded-down position, in which the seat is folded down, comprising providing a spring between the seat leg and the base which exert
• the invention allows the use of existing folding seats which can then be provided with the further necessary means to be able to form part of a grandstand according to the present invention. It is no longer necessary to provide modified seats, as is the case with telescopic grandstands comprising automatic folding seats according to the above-described state of the art.
• the object of the present invention is in addition also achieved by providing a method for adapting a telescopic grandstand, comprising at least a first platform and at least a second platform, in which the first platform is displaceable with respect to the second platform between a retracted position, in which the first platform is situated virtually completely underneath the second platform, and an extended position, in which the first platform extends virtually completely next to the second platform in a stepped manner, and comprising at least one folding seat, comprising a base which is attached to the first platform and a seat leg which is attached to the base so as to be able to pivot between a folded-out position, in which the seat is folded out and a folded-down position, in which the seat is folded down, to form a telescopic grandstand according to the invention as described above, comprising providing a spring between the seat leg and the base which exerts a force on the seat leg to move the seat leg into the folded-out position, comprising providing a guiding curve of a telescopic grandstand according to the invention as second
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a telescopic grandstand according to the present invention with two platforms and one folding seat on the first platform, in the retracted position, with the seat in the folded-down position;
• FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the telescopic grandstand from Fig. 1 in the extended position, with the seat in folded-out position;
• FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the telescopic grandstand from Fig. 1 in the retracted position, with the folding seat in side view in the folded-down position;
• FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the telescopic grandstand from Fig. 1 in a partly extended position, with the folding seat in side view and in a partly folded-out position;
• FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the telescopic grandstand from Fig. 1 in an extended position, with the folding seat in side view and in the folded-out position,
• FIG. 6 shows the seat from the telescopic grandstand in Fig. 1 , with the first and the second guide means of this grandstand, in side view in the folded- down position;
• - Fig. 7 shows the seat from the telescopic grandstand in Fig. 1 , with the first and the second guide means of this grandstand, in top view in the folded- down position
• - Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the seat from the telescopic grandstand in Fig. 1, with the first and the second guide means of this grandstand, in the folded-out position;
• FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the seat from the telescopic grandstand in Fig. 1, with the first and the second guide means of this grandstand, in the folded-down position.
• the telescopic grandstands (1) in the figures have in each case been shown with only two platforms (2, 3), with in each case only one single folding seat (4, 5, 6, 7) arranged on the bottom platform (the first platform (2)).
• a grandstand (1) can be produced with many more platforms (2, 3) (as with the existing grandstands) which, in a retracted position, extend substantially one above the other and, in an extended position* extend substantially in a stepped manner with respect to each other.
• the various platforms (2, 3) could of course also be designed to be selectively extendable and retractable, so that it is possible to selectively choose which platforms (2, 3) are to be extended and/or retracted.
• Each of the platforms (2, 3) may furthermore also be provided with several folding seats (4, 5, 6, 7) which are then preferably arranged in a row on each platform (2, 3) (likewise as is the case with existing grandstands).
• the extending and retracting movement of the platforms (2, 3) of such a telescopic grandstand (1) is driven by means of a push chain, such as has already been described for example in EP 2 345 780 Al.
• support members (13) are in each case arranged between the various platforms (2, 3) and support the front side of the upper platform (3) in the extended position of the lower platforms (2).
• the base (4) of the illustrated folding seat (4, 5, 6, 7) is attached to the first platform (2).
• the seat leg (5) of this seat (4, 5, 6, 7) is pivotably attached to the base (4).
• the seat (4) is displaceable between a folded-out position, which is illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 8, and a folded-down position, which is illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 6, 7 and 9.
• the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) is situated entirely between the first platform (2) and the second platform (3), as can clearly be seen in Figs. 1 and 3.
• the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) comprises a seat part (6) and a backrest (7) which may, for example, be designed analogously to existing seats (4, 5, 6, 7) of this kind for grandstands (1).
• the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) When extending the first platform (2), in which case said platform (2) moves from a position underneath the second platform (3) to a position virtually in front of the second platform (3) in a stepped manner, the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) will automatically fold out, as is illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5. Conversely, when retracting the first platform (2), in which case said platform (2) moves from the position virtually in front of the second platform (3) in a stepped manner to the position underneath the second platform (3), the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) will automatically fold down.
• the underside of the second platform (3) is fitted with a metal panel (8), in which a recess is provided at the bottom which forms a guiding curve (16), as can clearly be seen in Figs. 4-6 and 8-9.
• this metal panel (8) extends substantially at right angles to the second platform (3) from the rear of the platform (3) to the front of the platform (3).
• the seat leg (5) is again provided with a spacer (10) which extends virtually at right angles to the seat leg (5), as can clearly be seen in Figs. 3-6 and 8-9.
• the spacer (10) is of a panel-shaped design (as can be seen in Figs.
• a guide wheel (9) is fitted (see Figs. 7 and 9) which is fitted against the guiding curve (16) in a guiding manner, so that the movement of the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) is at least partly guided when the first platform (2) is being retracted or extended due to the fact that this guide wheel (9) is guided by means of the guiding curve (8).
• a torsion spring (11) is fitted between the seat leg (5) and the base (4) of the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) (see Fig.
• the guiding curve (16) extends away from the front side of the second platform (3), virtually parallel to the second platform (3), so that the seat (4, 5, 6, 7), while retracting and extending, remains virtually stationary along more than half of the extending and retracting movement of the first platform (2).
• Said guiding curve (16) has a curved shape towards the front side of the second platform (3), in which case the guide wheel (9) first moves closer towards the second platform (3) and then moves further away from it. This curved shape initiates the pivoting movement of the seat leg (5).
• the guiding curve (16) is furthermore provided with a cavity (12), into which and from which the guide wheel (9) is pulled to lock or unlock the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) in the folded-out position.
• the second platform (3) is furthermore provided with a guide wheel (15) for guiding the seat leg (5) of the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) when said seat leg (5) comes near the front side of the second platform (3) when the first platform (2) is being retracted or extended.
• the guide wheel (9) at the end of the spacer (10) is guided by the guiding curve (16) when the first platform (2) is being extended, so that the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) initially stays folded down for more than half of the sliding movement. Only when the guide wheel (9) reaches the curved part of the guiding curve (i.e. when the seat part (6) and the backrest (7) have virtually passed the front side of the second platform (3)), will the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) start to fold out, as is illustrated in Fig. 4, due to the seat leg (5) being pushed up on account of the torsion spring (11), and this upward movement now becomes possible since the guide wheel
• the guide wheel (9) on the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) is first pulled out of the cavity (12) in the guiding curve (16) as a result of the fact that the spacer (10) is guided by the guide wheel (15) on the front side of the second platform (3).
• the guide wheel (15) on the front side of this second platform (3) initially further guides the tilting movement of the seat leg (5) until the guide wheel (9) on the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) assumes guidance and the movement is then guided by this guide wheel (9) being guided on the seat (4, 5, 6, 7) along the guiding curve (16).
• a telescopic grandstand such as for example described in EP 2 345 780 Al, can easily be converted into a telescopic grandstand (1) according to the present invention, for example, by providing the platforms (2, 3) with rows of seats (4, 5, 6, 7) as described above and by providing the front side of the upper platform (3) with a guide wheel (15) and the bottom side with a panel (8) with a guiding curve (16).

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)
• Passenger Equipment (AREA)

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Cited By (2)

Citations (9)

• 2011
  • 2011-11-10 BE BE2011/0655A patent/BE1020294A3/nl active
• 2012
  • 2012-11-08 WO PCT/IB2012/002280 patent/WO2013068820A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (9)

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