Seating System

The present application claims the filing benefits of Great Britain Patent Application No. GB2409627.3, filed on Jul. 3, 2024, and Great Britain Patent Application No. GB2404905.8, filed on Apr. 5, 2024, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present specification relates to a seating system with or without armrests, particularly a system for providing seating in venues such as stadiums and arenas.

There are many venues where large numbers of people are to be provided with seating and armrests; some examples include stadiums, arenas, concert halls and cinemas. Very often, rows of seating are provided in a staged or stepped manner, so that the people making up an audience can all view an area of interest such as a playing field, stage or screen.

Typically, the rows of seating are different lengths or shapes, dependant on the geometry of the arena or stadium.

A known way of providing seating for such locations is to arrange several seats in a gang. Referring to, the modular seating unithere has three armrest standardswhich incorporate arm rests. Between each neighbouring pair of armrest standards, a backrestand a seatare located. Different widths of backrest and seat may be used with the armrest standards, with the armrest standards spaced appropriately, in order that the seating fills rows of varying length without leaving gaps. It should also be noted that the only means of lengthening or shortening the seating row is to use different widths of backrest or seats or combinations thereof, there is no other means of adjustment, and this would result in having to reposition all the standards. The resulting position of the armrest will thus be equidistant from the centre line of each seat with consistent gaps. The armrest standards are here shown fixed to the floor, though they may alternatively be fixed to an upright riser and somewhat cantilevered.

A disadvantage of such a system is that each armrest standard must be positioned with a high degree of accuracy, otherwise there can be problems fitting the backrests and seats. This is not always easy as reinforcement bar inside concrete can make fixing in the required position difficult. Another disadvantage is that it is usually desired that the armrest standards are attached to riser as opposed to the floor this makes general cleaning much easier as the row can be conveniently swept. However, risers are often populated with ventilation (air conditioning) apertures which makes anchoring armrest standards in specific positions impossible without customised (cranked) armrest stanchions.

Another system attempts to solve these problems by employing a rail or beam attached supported by brackets or standards which are secured to a riser or the floor respectively, and seat modules are attached to the rail, each seat module comprising a pair of support members with a backrest and seat attached between the support members. Such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,858 (Camatic). This alleviates some of the difficulty in precisely locating each seat, as independent seat modules only ganged together by their attachment to the seating rail or beam can be moved and can be moved and spaced equidistantly along the beam, but in order to fill a row with seats the spaces between the seats will randomly vary. This system works very well when the seats do not require armrests but when armrests are required, they must either be separately mounted to the rail and completely independent of the seats or they must be attached to one side of each seat and a system of spacing shims used to centralise the armrest in the randomly sized resulting gaps. Seat modules of different widths could be used to solve this problem (centralize the armrest), but this would result in a proliferation of different seat module widths and is counter to the system claims of randomly spacing seats on a beam. It also requires that a number of individual seat modules must have an armrest attached to the opposite side to complete the row.

Referring to, another seating systemgroups of several seatstogether on a support beam, with the support beambeing integrally attached to a number of standards. This reduces the number of standards which must be precisely located compared to the traditional gang system, but each group of seats is bulky and the groups of seats result in double armrests between groups and that these spaces are thus completely different to the spaces between the seats in groups and some spaces get double arms and most get single arms.

Advancements in technology have ushered in a new era for stadiums and arenas, where the integration of data and power connections has become essential for various functionalities such as heating, cooling, Wi-Fi connectivity, device charging (either e.g., a USB connector, or inductive charging), LED lighting, and immersive audio-visual experiences. Traditionally, addressing these requirements has been a complex task, often involving the utilization of separate flexible conduits to bridge gaps between proprietary ducting systems affixed to the riser or wall behind seating rows or directly to the seating rows.

Typical solutions, while functional, exhibit several drawbacks. These conventional methods are challenging to install, vulnerable to tampering, resistant to reconfiguration, and obstructive to routine maintenance tasks like cleaning or the replacement/servicing of electronic components. Furthermore, skilled electricians are often required to navigate the complex routing of cables through conduits, especially when dealing with pre-fitted bulky connection hardware. This complexity further complicates the coordination of the seating assembly process.

An object of the present invention is to provide a seating system with armrests that is convenient to install, which allows the length of the row to be adjusted and efficiently filled with seats and that the resulting armrest positions are equidistantly spaced from the seat centre lines with equal spaces between arms and the seat and backrest components.

An alternative object of the present invention is to provide a seating system which allows data and/or power cabling to be conveniently installed, and particularly to be installed in a secure, flexible, convenient manner which can accommodate different seating gaps.

According to the present invention, there is provided a seating system according to any of independent claims.

In this specification an apparatus/method/product “comprising” certain features is intended to be interpreted as meaning that it includes those features, but that it does not exclude the presence of other features.

Referring to, a support beamis secured to a riser (not shown) by brackets. The support beamhas a profiled cross-section, so that each armrest assemblymay be conveniently secured to this profile by means of a clamping section at the bottom of each armrest. The positions of the armrest assemblies will be determined by the size (width) of the seats required in the row but critically the size of row can be expanded or contracted by means of free play adjustment which is described in more detail below.

Referring to, each neighbouring pair of armrest assemblysupports a seatand a back rest. The armrest assemblies(or other structure or stanchion that supports the seat and/or back rest at the rail or support, such as a structure that provides for mounting of the seat and/or back rest without providing an arm rest) are first spaced appropriately to receive the seatand back rest, and adjustments can be made to the position of the armrest assemblyto achieve this before each armrestis firmly secured to the support beam.

Referring also to, the seatincludes a tang, while the armrest assemblyincludes a pivot. The pivotincludes a cavity, the cavity being distributed between the pivot bodyand a pivot cap, the shape of the cavity corresponding to the shape of the tang. The tangof the seatis secured in the pivotby lowering the tanginto the pivot body, and placing the pivot capon the pivot bodyand securing the pivot capwith screws, so that the tangis secured and constrained relative to the pivot; the shape of the tangand the cavity correspond, and is chosen to prevent relative movement or rotation between the tangand pivot. Ideally, the position of the tang in the pivot cap can be displaced along the longitudinal axis of the beam(i.e., the direction marked by arrow a by some distance); that is, the connection between the armrest and the backrest and seat has some free play adjustment in this direction. A useful amount or range of free play adjustment is plus or minus 12.5 mm, i.e., 25 mm in total. When the armrest and seat/backrest have been positioned satisfactorily, the pivot capis screwed to the pivot bodyusing screwsto grip the tang and secure the relative position of the seat/backrest to the armrest. Free play adjustment of the tang and pivot and subsequent fixing of the position could be further enhanced by other adjustable means, such as packing means in the pivot, or alternatively providing the tang with a screw thread on the tang shaft so that its extension from the seatcan be adjusted.

The armrest assemblymay include an armrestwhich is pivotally joined or alternatively could be in a fixed position.

Referring particularly to, the back restincludes a flangeon each side, project forwards and angled at substantially 90 degrees to the plane of the back rest. The flange includes two holes which correspond to threaded holes on the armrest assembly, so that the flangecan be attached to the armrest assemblyby screws. This securely fixes the back restbetween a pair of armrest assembly. The flangealso has elongate holeswhich secures the backrestto the flange, the elongate holesaccommodating the free play parallel to the beam (in the direction marked with arrow a) of the armrest to the seat and backrest.

Referring to, after the support beamhas been populated with armrest assemblies, seatsand back restsmay be installed between each armrest assembly. Of course, the components of the seating can also be installed in a different order if more convenient, for example an armrest assemblycan be installed next to a completed seat unit and the back restand seatadded sequentially, or the side assembliesand back restsinstalled first followed by the seat, or some other permutation of assembly order. If at a later date an additional seat were required to be added or taken away from the row; adjustments can be made using the free play adjustment provided for inandin combination with a change (reduction, addition or substitution) of one set of seat and backrest partsandto re-configure the seating row.

Referring to, a series of armrest assembliesare distributed along a support beam, with seatsand back restssecured between each neighbouring pair of armrest assembliesas previously described. Seatsand back restsof different widths may be provided to span each gap d between each adjacent pair of armrest assemblies, in this example the seatsand back restsare either 21 inches (533 mm) or 22 inches (559 mm) as labelled. Each seat, back restand adjacent pair of armrest assembliespermit a range of free play of plus or minus 0.5 inches (12-13 mm). For example, the seat′ and back rest′ have a width of 21 inches (533 mm), while the distance between the side assemblies′,″ may be between 20.5 inches (520 mm) and 21.5 inches (546 mm), and the seat″ and back rest″ have a width of 22 inches (559 mm), while the distance between the side assemblies″,″ may be between 21.5 inches (546 mm) and 22.5 inches 572 mm.

In this manner, by selecting different seat widths in combination with the range of free play adjustment inand, rows of seat units can be fitted in differing row lengths and the spacing between the seats and the armrests can be constant without leaving gaps between seats units.

However, as discussed in relation to, since some free play adjustment can be included between the armrests on the one hand and the seats and backrests on the other hand, this provides an important flexibility in the fitting and location of the seats on a beam. Referring to, if each seat has a range free play adjustment δ, the total range of free play adjustment over the whole row of seats in multiplied by the number of pivots of the seats. A typical range free play adjustment provided by the pivot and tang of the armrest and seat is plus or minus 12.5 mm, and therefore over eight seats as shown inwould be plus or minus 20 cm. This allows a degree of freedom for the designers of the seating, and the fitters when they come to install the seats. This may mean that the number of different seat widths provided can be reduced, or even a single seat width provided, while allow for a good justification (i.e., alignment) of the outmost seats of the row with respect to the other rows, and an even distribution of seats through each row. It also means that if the beam is not installed correctly, or if difficulties are found installing an armrest at a particular location, adjustments can be made through the whole row to achieve an acceptable result.

Of course, plus or minus 12.5 mm is just a typical range free play adjustment provided between each of the armrests on the one hand and the seats and backrests on the other hand. The plus or minus range free play adjustment could be within a range of 5 mm to 20 mm, or more ideally within a range of 10 mm to 15 mm. Also, such range free play adjustment does not have be provided on each side or a seat/backrest and the armrests, or between every pivot and seat/backrest, this will depend on the range free play adjustment required, and the arrangement on a beam will be able to accommodate any combination of such free play adjustment.

It should be appreciated that the provision of such range free play adjustment in the direction of the beam allows a freedom and flexibility which is not provided by adding adjustability to a standard non-beam system such as. In such existing systems, the standards supporting a gang of seats, or armrests are fixed directly to the floor or a riser and would only provide a range of adjustment with respect to the fixed standard or armrests. When provided on a rail or beam, the range free play adjustment provided between each the armrests on the one hand and the seats and backrests on the other hand multiplies the range free play adjustment across the entire row.

This also interacts with the customisations and flexibility of the electrical and data system described below—after installation of a beam during an earlier stage of the building, armrests, seats and their associated electrical and data connections systems can be fitted in a flexible manner, and changes can be easily made at a late stage of installation, or even adjusted or changed after installation.

Referring to, four rows,,,of seat unitsare arranged on four beams. Each beam, and consequently each row,,,, includes a straight section in region a, and another straight section in region b, the straight section in region a being set at an approximately 15 degree angle to the straight section in region b, so that each beamincludes a bend where the regions a and b meet. It will be seen that each row of seat unitsin the situation will have one or two seat units′ which are secured to the beamwhere it curves.

In a similar manner to that described in, the seatsand back restsare either 21 inches (533 mm) or 22 inches (559 mm) as labelled so as to fully populate each support beam.

As well as accommodating some variation of width as previously discussed, the adjacent armrest assemblies, seatand bracketsmaking up a seat unithave some angular range free play adjustment, for example each coupling of one side assemblyand a seatand bracketshave an angular range free play adjustment of +/−7.5 degrees from an alignment where the seat unitis secured to a straight section of support beam. A seat unitin this example can therefore be secured to a support beamwhich describes a 15 degree bend. However, a plus or minus angular range free play adjustment of plus or minus 5 degree to plus or minus 10 degree could be provided between the armrest assembly and the seat and/or backrest (or between the beam and the armrest).

In this manner, support beamsmay be installed in an arena or other venue to follow the curvature and shape of the arena, and seat unitscan be conveniently installed on the support beamsso that each row defined by each support beamcan be completely and snugly filled with seat unitswithout leaving any gaps or requiring awkward spacing. If necessary, for example if the support beamhas been fitted with a poor tolerance, or changes in its position had to be made during installation, different width seatsand bracketscan be easily substituted to properly fill the row. Bends in the support beamcan also be easily accommodated, and bends can be used to increase the row length and reduce the number of seat/backrest widths required. Further, the support beamcan be fitted at an early stage of the building of the arena, and the seat unitsfitted at a convenient later time, for example at a late stage of the building of the arena. The system thus provides a rail seating system where the seats are truly ganged together, but which is flexible and versatile and the resulting armrest positions are all consistently positioned relative to the seats and backrests.

It is highly desirable that modern seating is provided with power and data connection. Power may be used to heat and cool seats, power speakers and immersive devices, providing LED lighting, allow device charging, and other uses. Data cabling may be used to provide internet connections and Wi-Fi capability.

In the context of seating systems employing support rails, it is advantageous to route cables through or along the seating rail. Although this resolves the issue of securely passing wires along the seating row, a new challenge arises—ensuring the cables can exit the seating rail at specified locations to bridge gaps, such as entering armrests where device chargers, control switches, and electronic controllers can be conveniently located. Subsequently, these cables must navigate further, exiting the armrests and entering the seat and/or backrests for components like heater pads, cooling systems, and immersive devices.

Referring to, a convenient way to provide power and data transmission capabilities is shown. A power input(typically mains power such as 110V or 220V AC) is supplied to each row via an isolator boxsituated at one end of the row which allows the complete shut off of all power to the entire row at a single point. The isolator boxthen supplies, via a power cable, a junction or junction boxwhich includes power transformer means.

The junction boxsupplies mains power via power cableto further junction boxes (not here shown) supplying other groups of seats in the row, each chair is provided with a 12V DC power cables. Several power cablesextend from a power distribution box, each individual cable suppling either one seat. Each 12V DC power cablestypically comprises a twisted pair of cables.

The junction boxsupplies data connectivity via data cablesto each seatof a group of seats that the junction box serves.

The data cables(e.g., a CAT5E data cable) lead from a connection in the data distribution boxto each chair via connectors, each cable being the appropriate length, the data cables ideally being daisy chained in series via each chair connection.

Referring to, the mains power cable, data cable, and 12V DC power cables, run along three respective channels provided in the lower portion of the support beam. The channels are ideally generally circular in cross section with one side being open, so that the cables may be securely pressed into them. An extruded cliphaving a partial circle or major segment cross section may be used to gather up and secure the comparatively thin DC cable pairs(several such cable pairsmay be located in a single channel). The extruded clipalso includes two horns in the section profile by which means the extruded clip fits flush and secure and can be removed if necessary. The cables may have a length sufficient to allow for lateral adjustment of the ends of the cables (as the armrest assemblies are laterally adjusted relative to the seat and backrest), and the support beam may have sufficient space to allow for coiling or contraction of the cables within the support beam when the armrest assemblies are adjusted to reduce the gap between adjacent armrest assemblies.

Referring to, the armrest assemblyincludes a profile which engages with the support beam, the engagement being secured with an armrest assembly securement cap. Referring also to, the DC power cableleaves the support beamcompletely encompassed by the armrest assemblyand (when fitted) the end cap, and attaches to the DC armrest power loomusing a plug-and-play connector. The DC armrest power loom includes backrest heater pad cablesconnected via backrest heater connectorsand PCB controller, USB charging outlet and cable, a switch and cable. However, alternative and additional power cabling and functionality may be provided, including seat cooling, and lighting.

After the plug-and-play connectorhas been made, the cabling is enclosed by fitting an end cap, which completely covers the region of the support beamwhere the cabling leaves the support beam channels and prevents people from tugging or trying to damage the cabling. The armrest and/or armrest support may of course take different shapes and designs, the key thing is that the connection between the cabling extending from the support beam and the cables in the armrest are covered and secure after the connections have been made.

The 12V DC power is provided by separate twin cables extending from a transformer in a junction or junction box to one or more seats, supplied by the transformer, depending on the load required for each seat—or, if the load for each seat is sufficiently small, a single twin cable extending from the transformer could supply all the seat associated with that transformed.

Referring to, the arrangement of the mains AC current is also dictated by the load requirements of the seat. This example shows a seating arrangement where the power draw for each seat is low, for example where the seat only supplies USB charging and LED lighting to each arm/seat. Here, each power distribution boxsupplies six seats, so the mains AC cable can be joined in a daisy chain arrangement with quick connectors to each power distribution box.

Referring to, this example shows a seating arrangement where the power draw for each seat is high, for example where each seat includes a heating pad in addition to USB charging. Here, each power distribution boxsupplies a single seat; the mains AC cable is still joined in a daisy chain arrangement with quick connectors to each power distribution box, but more power distribution boxesare supplied.

Referring to, in the arrangement ofthe junction boxsupplies six seatswith 12V DC cabling, each cable extends from the junction box, along the support beam(not here shown), to the armrest. The cables to each seat run in parallel in both directions, ideally within the same channel or port of the support beam, in an overlapping manner (topologically, this can be considered a star configuration, with several separate cables originating from a point in the junction box, each radiating to a seat).

Referring to, the data cablealso extends in both directions from the data distribution box, and runs through a channel in the support beamas previously described. The data cablecan also be connected in series (or ‘daisy-chained’), so the combination of armrest j boxes and a single enclosure can supply a multiplicity of armrests. Thoughshows the series connection in a simplified way, more specifically a length of data cableextends from one armrest junction box to the next armrest junction box, where it connects to the armrest data cable loom with a plug and play connector (not shown), this armrest data cable loom forming a loop and returning to the armrest junction box to connect to the length of power cablefor the next seat.

In addition to the isolator boxand junction boxes, a row controller box could be included between the isolator boxand the junction boxesto control the distribution of power to the junction boxesif necessary could vary. Other enclosures, such as wireless transmitters, LED controller boxes, etc., could also be included.

The topologies described here are a series (daisy-chained) for the data cables, a series (daisy-chained) network for the 12V DC power cable or alternatively a star network (though arranged in a straight overlapping configuration) for lower load 12V DC application, and a simple daisy chained connection from junction box to junction box for the mains voltage power. However, other topologies could be accommodated in the system, housed in the channels or ports of the extruded support beam. For instance, a backbone or bus line could be disposed in the support beam port; similarly a ring line (whether or not the return line is included in the same port) could be disposed, or some other topology. Further, all the cables disposed in the support beam can then be routed to each chair in a safe and enclosed way through the armrest junction box, and attached to the respective looms with plug and play connections, meaning that the work does not need to be carried out by qualified electricians.

The armrestand armrest assemblycould be provided as a single integrated unit; it will also be realised that the sockets or other connection means with the data cablesand DC power cablecould be provided with equivalent components, and the end cap could be integrated. The data cable could provide connectivity through wireless means, and need not extend all or part way through the armrest assemblyand armrest.

Providing armrest assemblies that are separate from the seats (and backs) allows a standardised and uniform connection method for the provision of power and data to each seat. Power or data cables are simply pressed or stripped into the channels or ports of the support beam and can enter the enclosures at any point along the length of the enclosure and be connected to electronic devices contained without removing the modular connectors. The armrest assembly (also structural support) is a single integrated unit or module that is electrically connected to a power supply and that includes one or more electronic accessories that provide for various seat functions, such as, for example, seat and backrest heating (via a heating device disposed at the seat and at the backrest), seat and backrest cooling (via a cooling device disposed at the seat and at the backrest), USB charging, lighting, and controls (e.g., switches, buttons, etc., for controlling the heating, cooling, lighting, etc.). The seating system and electronics assembly or module allows power and data to be brought up at intervals along the rail rather than being brought up from the back, or strapped to a rail, so that the power and data cables are hidden and users cannot maliciously pick at or damage the cables.

Typically, a maximum row length of 28 seat places is mandated for safety reasons. This system can supply power, data or other cabling requirements to such row lengths or to shorter row lengths, and further can accommodate different seat widths by choosing particular cable section lengths. Other modular cables that are not required for connection can remain securely in place simply bypassing other armrest J boxes or enclosures. As the cables are modular and fitted with pre-fitted plug and play connectors, the whole system can be conveniently installed, requiring an electrician only when the mains power is finally connected to the system. Optionally, a field installed module and cables may be provided that is installed to existing seat assemblies.

Armrest positions are determined by the seating row layout. Armrests are factory fitted with all electrical components required for devise charging, switching, controllers and looms. Armrest styles can vary in shape and design but include a junction box which fully encapsulates the seating rail, allowing cables secured in the rail ports to enter the junction box for making connections with the armrest and or seat and backrest electrical connections. Although shown and described as being part of the armrest assembly, the electronics unit or module may be implemented at seats that do not have armrests, such as part of a divider or structure or stanchion that is disposed at the rail between adjacent seats to provide for mounting the seats and backrests at the rail. The Junction box also serves as a cable route though the armrest through which cables can be passed from the seat and backrests into the junction box. The Junction box cover cap allows for convenient closure and servicing.