Modular seating assembly

• US 3,885,766 A
• Filed: 12/26/1973
• Issued: 05/27/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Krueger Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Richard J. Resch, Robert J. Bomber
• Inventors: Resch, Richard J., Bomber, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
• Application Number:
  US05/427,620
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 248/188.1,228,74,DIG.6,68 297/232,118 108/88,150 403/384,404,405,408
• US Class Current: 248/188.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/12 Theatre, auditorium, or similar chairs seats detachably mounted on stadium benches A47C1/16

Abstract

A modular furniture assembly includes clamps which are used to secure seats or tables at any point on a horizontal supporting beam. The clamps are also employed to secure two spaced horizontal beams together to secure the adjacent ends of two beams in unified assembly or to connect ganging bars to two parallel spaced horizontal beams. The clamps include a clamping plate and a channel member. The channel members have four threaded bosses which are arranged around the inside of the channel and have inwardly converging surfaces to receive the beam in a press fit within the bosses. The clamping plate is provided with apertures for receiving bolts which are threaded into the bosses to securely clamp furniture elements such as seats or table tops to the beams at any location along the beams. Thus the seats, legs and table tops can be arranged at any desired location on the horizontal beams without the need for a plurality of predrilled holes in the beams which would limit the possible arrangements and positions of the furniture elements on the beam.

Claims

1. In combination, a horizontally disposed support beam having a rectangular cross section and opposed parallel sides, and a clamp for fastening furniture elements to said support beam, said clamp comprising a channel member including spaced wall portions interconnected by a web, said wall portions including spaced discontinuous surfaces converging toward each other within said channel and toward said web, said converging surfaces being engageable in a friction fit with said opposed sides of said beam, threaded apertures in said channel member wall portions, said clamp including a clamping plate with openings arranged at a spacing greater than the width of said beam and bolts extending through said openings into said threaded apertures and located adjacent the sides of said beam to urge said beam between said converging surfaces against the frictional contact of said beam and said converging surfaces into abutment with said web.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said wall portions include bosses within said channel, said bosses having said threaded apertures.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein there are four of said bosses and said converging surfaces are on said bosses to provide a four point contact with said beam.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said clamping plate comprises a spider and including one of a table top and seat shell fixed to said spider.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said channel member is fixed to a base and is upwardly open to receive said beam.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said channel member has a ganging bar fixed thereto.

7. In a modular furniture supporting structure including a horizontal beam and at least two bases each having a lower foot portion for supporting the base and having an upper yoke portion with a yoke bottom for supporting the beam, and furniture mounting spiders having bolt apertures the improvement wherein each yoke portion has threaded bosses with inwardly tapered surfaces to frictionally engage the side faces of said beam, and bolts threadably received in said bosses and located on the sides of said beam, said bolts extending through said spider apertures and securing said Spider to said yoke and clamping said beam against said yoke bottom.

8. In combination, a horizontally disposed support beam having a rectangular cross section and opposed parallel sides, a furniture leg assembly and a clamp for fastening furniture elements to said support beam, said clamp being fastened to said leg assembly and comprising an upwardly open channel member including spaced wall portions interconnected by a web, said wall portions including surfaces converging toward each other within said channel and toward said web, to form a tapered throat in said channel located inwardly of said spaced wall portions, said converging surface engageable in a friction fit with said beam intermediate the depth of the channel, threaded apertures in said channel member wall portions within said channel, said clamp including a clamping plate having apertures for fastening to one of a seat and table and with openings arranged at a spacing greater than the width of said beam and bolts extending through said openings into said threaded apertures and located adjacent the sides of said beam to secure said beams in said channel member.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein said wall portions include bosses within said channel, said bosses having said converging surfaces forming said tapered throat.