Folding seat and table unit

Claim 2

In a folding seat and table unit of the type having a plurality of seats and a table connected together into an articulated unit, said table being adapted to extending and retracting, the improvement comprising: (a) a plurality of substantially vertical legs on said table; (b) at least one seat; (c) connecting means for connecting said at least one seat to a corresponding one of said legs; (d) folding and unfolding means on said connecting means for pivoting said seat between an unfolded position and a folded position about the axis of said one of said legs; (e) pivot means on said means for connecting for rotating said seat from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position during motion by said folding and unfolding means from said first position to said second position; and (f) unfolding framework means on said table for moving at least some of said legs closer to some others thereof while maintaining all of said legs substantially vertical and parallel.

Claim 3

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 1 further comprising an unfolding framework in said table connected to said folding and unfolding means operative to move said seats between their folded and their unfolded positions simultaneously and in relation with the movements for extending and retracting the table.

Claim 4

A folding seat and table unit, in accordance with claim 1 wherein said unfolding framework means comprises a horizontal row of upright supporting structures, each one of which is joined to its adjacent structures by means of articulated scissor-like members, some of whose ends comprise a coupling in said upright structures, where said coupling is capable of sliding within guides said supporting structures and scissor-like members forming an articulated and inseparable body that can be withdrawn into its open position for use, or retracted when not in use, so as to adopt a small and compact volume.

Claim 5

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 3, further comprising rocker arms, each rocker arm being positioned by a sliding foot on the end of the respective articulated scissor member, said rocker arms being operative to lock the sliding foot on the scissor member with respect to the preceding one, or allow it to be freely displaced, so as thus to enable the framework to be folded and unfolded in cascade fashion.

Claim 6

A folding seat and table unit in full accordance with claim 3 inter-related sliding feet of respective scissor members may be directly linked to one another in order for the different scissor members to be inter-related, so that both during the folding as well as during the unfolding motion, there is a simultaneous movement of the different parts comprising the framework.

Claim 7

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 3 further comprising some of said scissor members having mechanical means for engagement with said seating means, operative to obtain simultaneous and co-related movements during the folding and unfolding of the framework, among the parts comprising the seating means in order for these too to move from the open to the folded position, and vice-versa.

Claim 8

A folding seat and table unit in full accordance with claim 1 wherein said unfolding framework means comprises a plurality of pairs of feet which are joined adjacently to one another by means of extendable and retractable telescopic stringer members, a foldable table-top on said framework means, said framework means and top forming an articulated and inseparable unit that can be folded by means of clustering the pairs of feet on the framework, so that they are drawn towards one another when the telescopic joining members are retracted and means for simultaneously folding the table-top and the seats in conjunction with the feet in a single and simultaneous folding motion of the whole assembly as a single unit, said seats being folded away inside the framework, where they become accommodated between said legs in an operation that may be simultaneous with and dependent upon the folding motion of the frame.

Claim 9

A folding seat and table unit, in accordance with claim 7 further comprising said seat being linked to an outside support, rotating sleeves on said outside support attached to a holding arm, a helical slot in one of said sleeves, a fitted actuating pin in said helical slot adapted to upward and downward travel, which is slidingly attached to a leg in the vertical plane, a straight slot in said leg said actuating pin also passing through said straight slot so that in the course of upward and downward motions said actuating pin exerts a sideways thrust against the helical slot causing said sleeve members to revolve together with the holding arm and the seat so as to make said seat move from its open or seating position, to the withdrawn or concealed position, and vice-versa, where such movement of said seat takes place along the line of the arc of a circle, said seat being connected to a telescopic tubular member on said holding arm, a helical slot in said tubular member a linkage from said holding arm to said tubular member said linkage being operative as the result of the rotation of the holding arm with respect to the support, to cause the tubular member to travel axially in one or other direction, which motion makes said tubular member rotate due to the linkage it has by virtue of the helical slot with holding arm, so that whenever there is an upward or downward motion of said fitted actuating pin accommodated in the helical slot in said sleeve the seat is made to move and describe an arc, and it at the same time is made to tip and move in the radial direction during the course of its automatic motion from the folded to the open or seating position and vice-versa.

Claim 10

A folding seat and table unit in accordance with claim 8 wherein said linkage comprises a connecting piece 14, one of whose ends is flexibly attached to the leg (support), whilst the other is slidingly linked to a longitudinal slot in the holding arm, said other end going through an annular slot in the tubular member in an eccentric arrangement that allows there to be a pull or a thrust exerted whilst the holding arm is in rotation about the leg.

Claim 11

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 8 further comprising a triangular expansion configuration at the lower end of said helical slot in said sleeve, and wherein said fitted pin is accommodated whilst the seat is in the unfolded or seating position.

Claim 12

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 10 wherein the expansion at the termination of the helical slot in the sleeves on the leg, contains means for allowing play for the pin in the vertical direction, said sleeved being operative to descend under the weight of a person, said seat being supported upon the floor through its own leg.

Claim 13

A folding seat and table unit, in full accordance with claim 11 further comprising a rectilinear portion in the helical groove which comprises the linkage between the tubular member 4 and the holding arm 3 said rectilinear portion in the axial direction at that one of the ends of said helical groove which is in use when the seat is in the open or seating position.

Claim 14

The apparatus recited in claim 1 further comprising: (a) a back rest pivotally connected to said seat; and (b) erecting and folding means for erecting said back rest when said seat is in its unfolded position and for folding it toward said seat when said seat moves a predetermined distance from its unfolded position toward its folded position.

Claim 15

A folding seat and table unit in accordance with claim 9 further comprising a vertical leg below the centre of said seat, said vertical leg being connected to said holding arm through the helical slot in said tubular member, a back rest hingeably attached to said seat, linkage means between said vertical leg and said back rest for folding said back rest during folding of said seat and unfolding said back rest during unfolding of said seat.