[0001] The invention refers to seats for furnishing spaces intended to accommodate a large
public, such as stadiums and the like.
[0002] At present these spaces are generally formed with concrete gradines or bleachers,
upon which seats made of plastic or metal are fixed to provide more comfortable seating.
[0003] Known to the art are seats of plastic material which comprise a rigid seating portion
and a backrest or back portion, in a single piece, with the seating surface of the
seat and the resting surface of the backrest preferably anatomically shaped. For safety
reasons, and to avoid dangerous breakage in the event of vandalism, the seats must
fulfil various requirements. For example they must be firmly fixed to the base, generally
of concrete, and the backrest must be strong and firmly joined to the seating portion.
This is generally achieved by making the backrest "box-shaped" by means of a plurality
of stiffening rear walls transverse to the supporting surface.
[0004] The prior art one-piece seats with backrest have the drawback of occupying a large
amount of space for transport and storage, and this adversely affects costs.
[0005] An object of the present application is to provide a one-piece seat with backrest
which complies with all safety regulations and nevertheless requires little space
for storage and transport in batches.
[0006] This object has been achieved with a seat as defined in claim 1.
[0007] Further characteristics can be read in the dependent claims.
[0008] In other words, the one-piece seat of the invention has an integral seating portion
and backrest and the backrest has a hollow shape open at the bottom and tapering in
vertical section and in a front view, so as to be stackable with other seats according
to the invention. The backrest preferably has an inner stop wall, near the upper end
thereof, to prevent the backrest of a seat from penetrating too far inside the backrest
of a seat above it stacked therewith.
[0009] The new seat fulfils the objects stated above. In particular it reduces the space
necessary for storage and transport. Moreover, it can be made with the positive qualities
of the prior art seats, that is to say strength, self-cleaning and self-drying in
the event of rain, and comfort of seating.
[0010] An exemplary unrestrictive embodiment of the invention will be described below with
reference to the attached drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective front view of the seat of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front view in which the dashed line shows a concrete structure to which
the seat is applied, broken off,
Figure 3 is a side view from the left in Figure 2, with the base structure again illustrated
broken off and with a dashed line,
Figure 4 is a top view,
Figure 5 is a vertical section, along the plane 5-5 in Figure 2, and shows a plurality
of identical seats according to the invention piled one on top of the other.
[0011] With reference to the figures, a seat according to the invention is designated as
a whole with reference numeral 10 in the drawings and comprises a seating portion,
or seat pan, 12, and a back portion, or backrest 14, rigidly integral with each other.
[0012] The seat pan 12 is preferably shaped, in a per se known manner, with supporting side
walls 15 and an anatomical seating surface 16, and ends at the front with an edge
18 defined by a bottom ledge 19. The side walls are for resting on a base structure
S, on which the seat is fixed, and the edge 18 is intended to project from said structure.
[0013] The base structure S, drawn with a dashed line, is generally a concrete structure
in steps, for example, but not necessarily, of a stadium; the same seat can also be
installed on metal supporting structures such as benches, consoles, etc.
[0014] The backrest 14 has a supporting or front wall, 21, generally anatomically shaped,
and a rear wall 22, connected by side walls 24, 24. The backrest, according to the
invention, has a tapered shape in a front view, narrowing from the seat pan upwards,
and a tapered shape in a side view, or better in a vertical median section, narrowing
from the seat pan upwards.
[0015] The tapered shape in a front view is preferably symmetrical with respect to a median
plane and defined by the gently curved walls 24.
[0016] The tapered shape in side view is defined by the anatomical front wall 21 and by
the inclined rear wall 22; a preferred inclination for the wall 22 is about 6° with
respect to the vertical (angle α in Figure 3).
[0017] The backrest is internally hollow. An abutment or stop wall 26, shown for example
in Figure 5, is advantageously formed near the upper wall 25 inside the cavity 27
of the backrest. The abutment wall 26 can extend for the entire distance between the
front wall and the rear wall of the backrest or only for a portion thereof; it can
extend for the entire distance between the side walls 24 of the backrest or only for
a portion of said distance.
[0018] The seats 10 described are stackable one on the other as shown in Figure 5. In said
figure three seats according to the invention are shown stacked on one another and
designated with reference numerals 10a, 10b and 10c. The wall 26 prevents the backrest
of one seat from being inserted too deeply, or incorrectly, inside the backrest of
another seat and thus prevents the seats 10, 10a and 10b from turning out to be stuck
together at the time of use.
[0019] With this application it is intended to include all those variants on what is described
and claimed which are accessible to a person skilled in the art who has read this
text.
1. A one piece seat with backrest, for application to a basic structure (S) of a place
for public use, such as a stadium or the like, said seat comprising a seating portion
(12) and a backrest portion (14) rigidly integral with each other, characterized in that said backrest portion has an at least partially hollow configuration, open at the
bottom, with tapered walls that are wider at the base and narrower toward the top,
so as to allow a stacking arrangement of a plurality of seats one on top of the other.
2. A seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the backrest has a tapered shape in a vertical median sectional view.
3. A seat according to claim 2, characterized in that the backrest has a rear wall inclined by about 6° with respect to a vertical plane.
4. A seat according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an abutment wall (26) inside the cavity of the back rest, near the upper
end thereof.