US1354911A - Folding seat - Google Patents

Description

N. LITCHH ELD.

FOLDING SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 2, 1920.

Patented Oct 5, 1920. 2 $HEETS-SHEET I- F 1 g. l-

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FOLDING SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-2,1920.

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NORMAN LITCHFIELD, OF PELI-IAM MANOR, NEW YORK, ASS-IGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING SEAT.

Application filed. January 2, 1920.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, NORMAN LITOHFIELD, residing at Pelham Manor, county of Westchester, State of New York, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Seats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious-that various modifications thereof within the scope .of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a car illustrating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing seats unfolded in position inside the doorway;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view through one of the hinges and a fragment of the seat showing relative positions of lower seatsupporting cross-rail and hinge when seats are unfolded;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of the doorway partition with companion seats in folded position on the seat-supporting crossrails, looking in the direction indicated by arrow 4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. a looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, showing the seats locked in folded position;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view showing the seat locking mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, showing cam arrangement on the lower seat-supporting rail, and seat hinges; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the seats folded and raised to clear the lockon the upper seat-supporting rail.

One object of my invention is to provide a seat adapted to be folded into position within the doorway partitions commonly used'to divide wide door openings in cars.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Serial No. 348,810.

Another object is to provide hinge mechanlsm adapted to permit the shifting of the seats bodily from their locked folded position to folded released position, and to prevent shifting thereof when in folded or unfolded position.

Astill further object is to provide simple locking mechanism, efficient in operation, and economical to apply. Other objects and advantages will appear 1n connection with a detailed description of the drawings in which 9 represents the doorway partition framed out of stanchions connected by a plurality of seat-supporting cross-rails comprising upper or locking-rail 11 and lower or cam-rail 12, which rails are utilized in this invention to support seats 13 l4 in folded or unfolded positions.

Hinges 15-16 of any suitable material are fitted to one end of the seat and shaped to embrace cam-rail 12 and cams 17 thereon for purposes hereinafter described. A handle 18 is secured to the opposite end of the seat and recessed as at 19 to provide a lip 20 for engagement with a supporting bracket 21 secured to locking-rail 11. In the folded position of the seat the handle 18 engages bracket 21 through the medium of lip 20 and hook-like projection 22' on the bracket. The handle is flanged as at 23 to provide additional gripping means for lifting the seat bodily in its folded position to clear projection 22 on the supporting bracket 21 as shown in Fig. 8. In this position of the seat the lip 20 on handle 18 is clear of hook 22 and the seat released, permitting same to drop to unfolded position shown in Fig. 2, the handle 18 with adjacent margin of the seat sweeping along the path indicated by arrows in Fig. 8 and broken line in Fig. 2. The same path is traversed in the process of folding the seat whereupon the folded seat may be dropped into locked position as indicated' in Fig. 5 in which hook 22 is shown in the path of lip 20 of the seat handle, effectually locking the seat'until the seat is released by raising as above described. The handle is secured to the seat in any suitable manner, an approved fastening being shown in the drawings in the form of countersunk bolts and screws respectively designated 24 and 25. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6. and 8, the seat adjacent the handle iscut out to provide a receiving pocket for the hand of the operator and the locking hook 22 on the supporting bracket, as indicated in the drawings at 26.

The .hinges 15-16 are so shaped and proportioned that they will permit bodily shifting of the seat from locked position shown in Fig. 5 to folded released position indicated in Fig. 8. The hinges embrace cam-rail 12 and cam pieces 17 eccentrically arranged on said rail to serve as fillers for the hinges to snugly hold the seat against movement in one direction at that point when same is'in folded position, and prevent longitudinal shifting of the seat when in the unfolded position indicated in Fig. 3. v

Flanking the door-opening are supports 27 positioned in such relation to the cammed seat-supporting rail 12 of partition 9 that when the seat is projected under the influence of cams 17 during the unfolding operation it. will rest with its free edge on the adjacent support. It will be noted that the cams 17 function to'force the seats supported thereon outwardly from the rail 12 a distance at least as great as the depth of vsaid cams thereby permitting supports 27 to be spaced a greater distance from the partition 9, and the door-opening correspondingly widened. This operation is brought about by the engagement between cam face 28 and adjacent end 29 of the seat and results from the riding of the seat at said end upon the cams during its unfolding movement to complete open position as shown in. Fig. 2. Ample clearance is provided in the hinges to permit the seat to be shifted upwardly to an extent sufficient to allow lip 20 of handle 18 to clear hook 22 of the supporting bracket 21 on the locking-rail. The hinges are shaped to provide this clearance between the inner face of wall 30 thereof and the bottom of cam-rail 12 as indicated at 81 in Fig. 5 showing the seats in locked folded position and in condition to be raised to the released position illustrated in Fig. 8. The hinge space between seat end 29 and wall 30 must be sufficient to accommodate the cam-rail 12 and provide the necessary clearance, but not greater than is sufficient to snugly receive the cam-rail over its major axis when seat is in the unfolded position shown in Fig. 3. This is designed so that the seat may be shifted to unlock when folded as shown in Fig. 8 and prevented from shifting when in unfolded position. In its locked folded position, the seat is preferably supported from the bracket 21 on the locking-rail so that the weight of the seat may be utilized to prevent chattering of the handle 18 against said bracket.. To prevent this chattering tendency at the hinge'end of the seat when in locked folded position, the distance between opposing walls 32 of the hinge is not greater than is necessary to snugly receive the cam-rail 12 over its inaj or az'iis. The seats may be prevented from creeping on the cam-rail 12 by any suitable stop 33 on said rail."

In so far as this invention is concerned the type of door used to close dooropening 341 may be of the folding variety as indicated at 35 in Figs. 1 and 2, or the door may be of the sliding type commonly employed in cars having wide door-openings. This for the reason that the movement of the door is-not controlled or influenced by seat movement but is operated by mechanism forming no part of the seat arrangement. The seats are so mounted that either one of the pair may be operated without disturbing the seat opposite.

What I claim is:

1. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide stanchions and connecting seat-supporting cross rails spaced apart, and a seat section adapted to be folded in position between said rails and stanehions.

2. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide stanehions and connecting seat-supporting cross-rails spaced apart, and seat sections adapted to be supported in position by both of said rails.

3. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition flivicing said opening and framed to provide seat-supporting members, a seat-supporting member flanking said door-opening, and a seat section hinged to said partition and adapted to be supported at both ends upon said supporting members in both folded and unfolded positions.

4. The combination in'a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seat-sup porting cross-rails, seat locking means on one of said rails, and a seat mounted on said partition and shiftaol 2 into engagement with said locking means.

5. The combination. in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide upper and lower seat-supporting cross-rails, seat locking means on the upper cross-rail, and a seat mounted on said partition and shiftable into engagement with said locking means.

6. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide upper and lower seat-supporting cross-rails, seat looking means on the upper cross-rail, seat sections mounted on the lower cross-rail and shiftable into engagement with said locking means.

7. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide upper and lower seat-supporting cross-rails, seat look ing means on the upper cross-rail, hinge mechanism on the lower cross-rail adapted to support a seat section, and a seat section in folded position between said rails, said hinge mechanism being adapted to permit bodily shifting of the seat for engagement with said locking means.

8. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide a plurality of seat-supporting cross-rails, locking means on one of said rails, seat sections supported on said partition, and hinge mechanism on the other of said rails adapted to permit bodily shifting of said seats into and out of engagement with said locking means.

9. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seat-supporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails, seat locking means, hinge mechanism on one of said rails shaped to permit lengthwise shifting of the seats into and out of engagement with said locking mechanism, and cam elements forming part of the hinge mechanism adapted to prevent swinging of the hinge end of the seats with respect to said adjacent supporting-rail when seats are in folded position.

10. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition framed to provide seat-supporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails, seat locking means, hinge mechanism on one of said railsshaped to permit lengthwise shifting of the seats into and out of engagement with said locking mechanism, and cam elements adapted to prevent swinging of the hinge end of the seats with respect to said adjacent supporting-rail when seats are in folded position and longitudinal shifting of said seats when in unfolded position.

11. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seatsupporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails, seat locking means, hinge mechanism on one of said rails shaped to permit lengthwise shifting of the seats into and out of engagement with said locking mechanism, and cam elements forming part of the hinge mechanism adapted to prevent swinging of the hinge end of the seats with respect to said adjacent supporting-rail when seats are in folded position, said cam elements being operable upon unfolding movement of said seats to force same outwardly from the rail.

12. The combination in a car having a dooropening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seat-supporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails and carrying latch mechanism, seat-locking means on one of said rails, and hinge mechanism on the other of said rails shaped to permit shifting of the latch mechanism into and out of engagement with said locking means.

13. The combination in a car having a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seat-supporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails and carrying latch mechanism, seat-locking means on one of said rails, and hinge mechanism eccentrically mounted on the other of said rails adapted to permit shifting of the latch mechanism into and out of engagement with said locking means and prevent swinging of the hinge end of the seats with respect to said adjacent supporting-rail when seats are in locked folded position.

14. The combination in a car provided with a door-opening, of a partition dividing said opening and framed to provide seatsupporting cross-rails, seats foldable into position between said rails and carrying latch mechanism, seat-locking means on one of said rails, and hinge mechanism eccentrically mounted on the other of said rails adapted to permit shifting of the latch mechanism into and out of engagement with said locking means and prevent swinging of the hinge end of the seats with respect to said adjacent supporting-rail when seats are in folded position, said hinge mechanism being operable upon unfolding movement of said seats to force same outwardly from the rail.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

NORMAN LITGHFIELD.

Witnesses:

OSCAR HooHBERe, JOSEPHINE MITCHELL.

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