US2865433A - Combination stadium seat and article carrier - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 23, 1958 s. T. WARNER COMBINATION STADIUM SEAT AND ARTICLE CARRIER Filed Sept. 6, 1955 8 28 INVENTOR, 577/027 z wfi/A/Ee faeA/fi United States Patent 2,865,433 COMBINATION STADIUM SEAT AND ARTICLE CARRIER Stuart T. Warner, Altadeua, Calif. Application September 6, 1955, Serial No. 532,647

3 Clairns. (Cl. 155 -133) to provide a soft cushioned seating surface and at the same time a readily accessible container adapted to carry thermos bottles and the like.

The conventional stadium or grandstand seat is a hard unyielding surface formed by an elongated board or slab of concrete usually some seventeen to eighteen inches in width and aboutsixteen to seventeen inches high. It isgenerally spaced from the underlying floor of the stadium. Such stadium and grandstand seats while hard and durable are not comfortable, particularly after the fourth or fifth inning in a baseball game or after the first halfin a football game. Their hardness does not contribute to human comfort and makes extremely desirable the provision of resilient cushions. The unit constructed in accordance with the present invention provides the human comfort for the user lacking in the conventional stadium or grandstand seat and additionally incorporates as an integral part means by which liquid refreshments can be transported. The bottle carrying facilities are so arranged that with the seat cushions positioned upon the stadium seat an open-topped container is positioned forward of the seat proper and rearwardly of the legs of the person occupying the seat so that the contents can easily be reached.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved stadium cushion unit.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved combination stadium cushion and bottle carrier unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unit incorporating a plurality of resilient cushions adapted to be positioned upon an unyielding stadium seat and also a container readily available to the user and from which liquid refreshments can be obtained.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached draw ing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing:

In Figure l a unit constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown positioned in operative relationship upon a stadium seat;

Figure 2 is a vertical section upon the line 2-2 in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the unit removed from the stadium seat and assembled in carrying relationship.

Referring again to the drawing, the unit constructed in accordance with the present invention is seen to comprise a pair of cushions indicated by the reference char- 2,865,433 Patented Dec. 23, 1958acters 11 and 12 and a receptacle orcontainer unit 13 which is attached to cushion 11. The unit is adapted in place by its to be opened up and positioned upon a horizontal seat,

indicated by.the reference character S which in the drawing is shown supported by legs at'a suitable height above the ground or floor. Eachcushion 11 and 12 comprises aresilient pad 14 and. top andbottom surfaces 16 and 17 secured together at seams around their peripheries. The seam may be inturned as at 18 or external as at 19. In the latter event a protective. binding is secured along the scam in a conventional manner. The pocket or chamber formed by thecovers 16 and 17jprovides a closely fitting receptacle or chamber for the resilient pad which may be of foam rubber, kapoc, horse hair or other suitable material. Upon their opposite ends each of the cushionsll and 12 areprovided with snap ele:ments 20 adapted to interengage selectively so thatthe cushions may extend in flat aligned relationship, as illustrated in Figure l, or placed in side-by-side relationship as illustrated in Figure 3 in which case all foursets of snaps interengage.

Cushion 11 is provided with a pair ofresilient straps 21 carryingconventional springlatches 22 at their free ends and connected byrings 23 at their opposite ends to theundersurface 17 of the cushion. Cooperating freely pivoted rings 24fare carried by the cushion 11 at two of its corners and'are adapted to engage thelatches 22 withstraps 21 .extendedjunder the seat S and in order to retain the cushion 11 in place in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.Adjacent cushion 12 is retained connection lthrough thesnaps 20 with cushion 11. p v u Container orreceptaclejunit 13 is seen to have a width slightly less than the length of cushion 11. The receptacle comprises aback wall orsurface 26, a front wall orsurface 27, acollapsible side wall 28 which extends around three sides of the front andbackwalls 26 and 27, and acover 29 which overlies botlrthe back wall and the frontwall and forms'aidisplaceable closure for the interior of the bag! As is seen most clearly in Figure 2,back wall 26 andcover 29 extend outwardly beyond the limits of thefront wall 27 and theside wall 28 and are connected atseam 19 of the cushionll. They are also interconnected by aseam 31 at a point spaced from theseam 19 to provide a pocket which seats a rigid plate or strip 32 in fixed position between the cushion 11 and thecontainer 13. This strip forms the rigid back for a handle grip 33 which is attached thereto bysuitable connector clasps 34 of conventional type which extend through thecover 29 and into the insert. As is seen clearly in Figures 1, 2. and 3 thecover 29 hangs freely from theseam 31 by which it is attached to theback 26 and is of sufficient length as to extend part way down the front of thefront wall 27. At its lower ends it carries a pair of spacedrings 36, similar torings 23 and 24, which also are adapted to be engaged by thelatches 22 with the bag in assembled relation and with thestraps 21 extended under thecontainer 13 and upwardly along thefront wall 27 in the manner shown clearly in Figure 3.

Container 13 is given a fixed width at its bottom by the provision of a rigid bottom wall 37 upon its interior as shown in Figure 2. Supportingbuttons 38 upon its underside contact a supporting surface and prevent scuffing. The marginal edges of thecontainer 13, including the boundaries of thecover 29. are preferably enclosed in a binding 39 for purposes of protection and appearance.

Considerable latitude is possible in the selection of the material from which the walls of the cushions and the container are made.

In a preferred form, however, these accordance with. the present, invention. is believed to..be.

clean. During .transit theunit:.will'.1be-.re1ated as illus.-. trated in.Fig'ure 3withtheQcdshions 11 and 12 extended in side-by-side relationship. and so secured by the snaps- 20. The straps21extend downwardly and under-the container'13 and then upwardly untilthe latches 22.en-.

gage therings 36 at. the lower extremities of thecover 29 to hold thecontainer 13 against the two cushions. The. handle 33 is then positioned ontop and the unit can be carriedmuchinthemanner of a briefcase.

Upon reaching the. stadium. and it being desired to position. the. unit, thelatches 22 are unhooked from therings 36, thesnaps 20..along the. left side of the cushions 11 and-12am separated,.and thecushion 12 is. extended out. at the. right. of cushion. 11 as viewed in Figure 1. If it is desired, however,, the, snaps at the righthandside of cushion r11 couldfbe' disconnected and thecushion 12 extended atits left. Thest'raps- 21- are then pulled rearwardly, downwardly and/forwardly under the stadium.

seat S. and secured to therings 24 thereby positioning the cushion 11 securely with respect to. the seat and so the cushionlZ. through its interconnection withv the cushion 11. Withthe cushion. .11 so secured, thecontainer 13 hangs downwardly in front of the stadium seat, in the manner clearly illustratedinFigures 1 and 2, thecover 29 extending over the open top of the container. Access to theinterior of the receptacle may be gained simply by lifting the cover. 29. The removal of the unit isthe. reverse operation from that just described-v While the particular: deviceherein shown and disclosed inid'etail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages herein'beforestated, it. is. to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiments. of'theinvention. and that no limitations are'intended to the details of construction or designherein. shown otherthan as defined in the appended claims.

Ifclaim:v

1. In a stadium. cushionfunit, a pair. of flat resilient cushions, means to secure said cushions in flat side-byside folded relationship and in extended coplanar relationship, a collapsible bag open along one of its ends and secured to the forward edge of one of said cushions, a cover overlying and hinged to the open end of said bag, and securing means secured to one of said cushions and adapted to hold said cushions folded together against one side of said bag,- and cooperating securing means on said cover separably engageable with the securing means on said cushion for retaining said cover closed and said cushions folded'compactly against said bag.

2. In a compactly folding stadium cushion unit, a pair of cushions provided with snaps along their opposite sides, the snaps onsaidindividual cushions being engageable with the snaps on either side of one another when said unit is unfolded, a collapsible open-topped bag secured to one of said cushions along the edge thereof, a handle grip secured ,to soid unit adjacent theconnection between said. one cushion and said'bag whereby said cushion and said, bag hang in side-by-side relationship when said. unit. is folded forwcarrying, and a strap,

secured, to saidone cushion of a sufficient length to extend under a conventional stadium seat, and cooperating securing means on said cushion adapted to engage the end of said strap to clamp said cushion in place on said seat.

3. The construction recited in claim 2 characterized,

inthat said bag includes a cover for the open top thereof provided with securing means selectively engageable with.

the said first mentioned securingmeans to hold said unit compactly folded when not in use.

References Cited. in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 679,915 Rudolf "Aug. 6,. 1901. 1,947,718 L'abadie et al. Feb. 20,1934 1,955,040 Wittcoif ..Apr. 17, 1934 2,484,454 Heifner Oct. 11, 1949. 2,740,466' Priest- Apr. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 11,624 Great Britain 1913

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