WO1991013573A1

WO1991013573A1 - Collapsible booth assembly

Info

Publication number: WO1991013573A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/001603
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard L. Burke
Original assignee: Sportec International, Inc.
Priority date: 1990-03-09
Filing date: 1991-03-08
Publication date: 1991-09-19
Also published as: AU7489991A

Abstract

A collapsible booth capable of being supported by a chair (10), having a container assembly (42) positionable adjacent a chair, a booth assembly (76) collapsible into the container assembly (42), having a top frame (78) and collapsible booth walls (80) supported on the top frame (78), and means for removably attaching the top frame (78) to a chair (10); the attached top frame (78) supporting the booth walls (80) in elevated position above the ground to form an enclosure.

Description

COLLAPSIBLE BOOTH ASSEMBLY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the sporting goods industry, and more particularly to a collapsible changing booth which is supported by a chair, such as a chair used by an umpire at a tennis match.

BACKGROUND ART

Tennis is played in intervals, more particularly, games, sets and, eventually, matches. In between certain intervals, players are allowed a very short period (typically 90 seconds) to rest, fix equipment and, quite often, adjust or change their clothing. In major tournaments, the rest periods are exactingly timed to comply with the scheduling requirements of television stations broadcasting the match. A problem exists, however, in that the rest period is usually too short to allow players to return to the clubhouse to adjust or change their clothing. As a result, players wishing to adjust or change their clothing are forced to do so on the tennis court, typically in front of grand stands full of people and perhaps a national television audience.

It has become common practice for male players to publicly remove and replace their sweaty shirts a number of times during long matches. Women players, due primarily to tournament rules and societal norms, do not have the opportunity to do this. Particularly troublesome for players of both sexes are ripped shorts and the need to adjust undergarments.

Therefore, there exists a need for means adjacent tennis courts for affording privacy to players. It is also important that such means do not interfere with viewing of the court by spectators or the television audience. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a collapsible booth capable of being supported by a chair, such as an umpire's chair.

A container assembly is positionable adjacent the chair. The container assembly preferably has a pair of parallel side members and a front member disposed between the side members. A booth assembly is collapsible into the container assembly. The booth assembly preferably has a square shaped top frame made of rigid material and collapsible booth walls made of cloth-like material supported on the top frame. The lower edges of the booth walls are preferably connected to the container assembly.

Means for removably attaching the top frame to the chair are provided. For example, the attaching means may include a pair of supporting posts attached to the bench portion of the chair and a pair of mounting posts extending the top frame and which fit over the supporting posts thereby maintaining the top frame in an elevated position above the ground. The elevated top frame will support the booth walls in elevated position to form the enclosure.

Although it is not necessary, it is preferred that the container assembly be slidable to and from beneath the chair. To accomplish this, a guide bar is provided on the outside surfaces of the side members and the chair has a restraining ring surrounding the guide bar to control the direction of the movement of the container assembly. Wheels are preferably provided on the bottom of the container assembly to enhance sliding. In operation, while the tennis match is being played, the booth assembly is collapsed into a container assembly, which in turn is stored beneath the chair in the area between the chair legs. Once play stops, the enclosure is formed by sliding the container assembly between the rear legs of the chair, and grasping and raising the top frame to the level approximating the bench portion. The top frame is attached to the bench portion, such as by placing the mounting post over the supporting post, and the enclosure will be formed. An opening is provided in one of the booth walls to act as an entrance to and exit from the enclosure. Once the player has left the enclosure and the match is to resume, the top frame is disattached from the chair and lowered into the container assembly. The booth wall material will gather in the container assembly and will act as a resting mass for the top frame. The container assembly and collapsed booth assembly may then be slid back underneath the chair.

As can be seen, the present invention provides a means of affording privacy to a tennis player during a match without obstructing the view of spectators or a television camera. Furthermore, the device is quick to assemble, easy to use, and sturdy so that the player inside the booth does not have to worry about the embarrassment of the booth collapsing around him or her.

Additional advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a pers^pective view of one embodiment of the present invention in assembled mode;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention in collapsed mode; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame work of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the top frame of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the container tray is withdrawn from beneath the chair; and

Fig. 6 is a partial top view of the guide bar assembly of one embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention in an assembled, operational mode; and Fig. 2 illustrates the same embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention in a collapsed, stored mode.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, an umpire's chair 10 has a bench portion 12 including a seat 14 and a vertically oriented back rest 16 along the rear of the seat 14. The chair 10 has a first front leg 18, a second front leg 20, a first rear leg 22 and a second rear leg 24, all extending downwardly from the bench portion to elevate the seat 14 and back rest 16 above the ground. Each rear leg 20, 24 has an angularly disposed upper leg portion 26 and a more vertically oriented lower leg portion 28 extending downwardly from the upper leg portion 26. The chair 10, therefore, encompasses greater surface area around its base than it does at its seat 14. The chair 10 may also have rungs 30 at its front side for allowing a person to climb into the seat 14, a first set of supporting braces 32 at the point where the upper leg portion 26 meets the lower leg portion 28 for providing support to the legs 18, 20, 22, 24, a shelf 34 upon which players may store equipment and other things, and rollers 36 upon which the chair 10 may be rolled. A pair of lower support braces 38, 40 are provided approximate the base of the chair 10. A first lower support brace 38 is attached at a first end to the first front leg 18 and at its opposite end to the first rear leg 22. The second lower support brace 40 is attached at a first end to the second front leg 20 and at its opposite end to the second rear leg 24, as seen in Fig. 3.

A container assembly 42 is positionable underneath the chair 10 and can be slid out from under the chair 10 between the chair rear legs 22, 24. The container assembly 42, shown in Fig. 3, preferably comprises a vertically oriented first side member 44, a vertically oriented second side member 46 opposite the first side member 44, and a front member 48 disposed between the front edges 50 of the side members 44, 46. The rear edges 51 of the side members 44, 46 are preferably rounded to allow the chair 10 to be tilted backwards onto the rollers 36. The length of the front side member 48 should be slightly less than the distance between the first and second lower support braces 38, 40, and the length of the side members 44, 46 should be approximately the same length as the lower support braces 38, 40. In this manner, as can best been seen in Fig. 2, the container assembly 42 occupies roughly the entire area at the base of the chair 10 between the legs 18, 20, 22, 24. A floor 52, such as a canvas mat, may also be provided and attached along its edges to the side members 44, 46 and front member 48. The container assembly 42 is held above the ground by a pair of front wheels 54, 56, one such wheel attached to the front edge 50 of each side member 44, 46, and a pair of rear wheels 58, 60, one attached to the rear edge 51 of each side members 44, 46. Hand openings 60 may be provided on the side members 44, 46 for allowing the container assembly 42 to be easily grasped. A bracket 64 for receiving the front wheels 54, 56 may be provided on the front legs 18, 20.

Means for controlling the sliding of the container assembly 42 are also provided as shown in Fig. 6. A first horizontally oriented guide bar 66 is held onto the outside surface of the first sidewall 44 by a front collar 68 adjacent the front edge 50 of the side member 44 and a rear collar 70 adjacent the rear edge of the side member 44. A first restraining ring 72 is provided on the inside surface of the first rear leg 22 and surrounds the guide bar 66 intermediate the front collar 68 and rear collar 70. A second restraining ring 73 also surrounding the guide bar 66 may be provided on the first lower support brace 38 approximately 10-12 inches from the first restraining ring 72, if desired. Similarly, a second horizontally oriented guide bar 74 is held onto the outside surface of the second side member 46 by a front collar adjacent the front edge 50 of the second side member 46 and a rear collar 70 adjacent the rear edge 51 of the second side member 46. A first restraining ring 72 may be provided on the inside surface of the second rear leg 24 and surrounds the second guide bar 74 intermediate the front collar and rear collar 70. A second restraining ring 73 may be provided approximately 10-12 inches from the first restraining ring 72 along the second lower support brace 38, if desired. In this manner, the container assembly 42 may be rolled to and from beneath the chair 10 along the wheels 54, 56, 58, 60 until the front collars 68 are stopped by the restraining rings 72. The gliding of the guide bars 66, 74 through the restraining rings 72, 73 provide smooth movement of the container assembly 42 through a predetermined path.

Ball bearings may be provided in the restraining rings 72, 74 through the restraining rings 72, 73.

A booth assembly 76 is collapsible into the container assembly 42, such as seen in Figs. 2 and 5. The booth assembly 76 has an approximately square top frame 78 made of piping or other rigid material. The top frame 78 is of a size capable of sitting securely within the container assembly 42. An enclosure is provided, preferably having booth walls 80 made of a cloth-like material, such as canvas, attached along the upper edges to the top frame 78, such as by grommets, and along the bottom edges to the side members 44, 46 and front member 48 of the container assembly 42. A slit or other opening 82 may be provided in one booth wall 80 to provide an entrance to and exit from the enclosure, and hook and loop attachment 84 means may be provided adjacent the opening 82 to temporarily seal the opening 82. A roof portion 86 is preferably provided to complete the enclosure. The roof portion 86 can be made of heavy duty cloth-like material, such as canvas, and has side flaps 88 extending over the upper edges of the booth walls 80. As can be seen in Figs. 1 and 4, this will allow the roof portion 86 to assume a cap-like structure surrounding the top frame 78.

Means for attaching the booth assembly 76 to the bench portion 12 of the umpire's chair 10 are provided. In a first embodiment, such as shown in Figs. 1-4, a pair of supporting posts 90, such as piping of a first diameter, extend at a slight upward angle from the back rest 16 of the bench portion 12. The supporting posts 90 are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of the top frame 78. A pair of mounting posts 92, preferably piping of a diameter slightly larger than that of the supporting post 90, are spaced apart a distance equal to that of the supporting post 90 and extend from the top frame 78 towards the bench portion 12 and the supporting posts 90. The top frame 78 can be connected to the chair 10 by telescopically placing the mounting posts 92 over the supporting post 90. This will maintain the top frame 78 and roof portion 86 at approximately the height of the bench portion 12, and the booth walls 80 will be extended to form an enclosure between the roof portion 86 and the container assembly 42.

Alternatively, the means for removably attaching the booth assembly 76 to the umpire's chair 10 may take another form. For example, the attaching means may comprise a pair of hooking members, each of which may be placed over the back rest 16 or at some other portion of the bench 12. The weight of the top frame 78 will act to hold the hooking members in place, and the booth walls 80 will form the enclosure. Any other means of removably attaching the top frame 78 to the bench 12 may also be used.

In operation, while the match is actually being played, the booth assembly 76 may be stored collapsed in the container assembly 42, which in turn is stored beneath the umpire's chair 10, as shown in Fig. 2. The bulk of the gathered booth wall 80 material will provide a resting mass for the top frame 78, and the roof portion 86 will provide a cap over the booth wall 80 material to form a neat appearing package. Furthermore, mounting post brackets 94 may be provided on the front member 48 of the container assembly 42 if desired for supporting the mounting posts 92. In this mode, the booth assembly 76 is practically unnoticeable and does not interfere with viewing of the event.

At the beginning of a rest period, the container assembly 42 may be rolled out from beneath the chair 10, as shown in Fig. 5, and the top frame 78 is grasped and lifted until it is raised to the level of the supporting post 90. As the top frame 78 is raised, the booth walls 80 unfold from the container assembly 42. The mounting posts 92 are then securely placed over the supporting posts 90, and the enclosure is formed and ready for use, as illustrated in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the attachment of the top frame 78 to the bench 12 and the presence of the container assembly 42 provide a frame work around which the booth wall 80 material may be held in relatively stable position. The player, at this point, may enter the enclosure for privacy. Once the player leaves the enclosure, the booth assembly 76 is quickly collapsed by disconnecting the mounting posts 92 from the supporting posts 90 and lowering the top frame 78 towards the container assembly 42. As the top frame 78 is lowered, the booth walls 80 will fold into the container assembly 42. Once the top frame 78 and roof portion 86 are securely atop the gathered booth wall 80 material in the container assembly 42, such as shown in Fig. 5, the container assembly 42 may be rolled back beneath the chair 10. The floor 52 of the container assembly 42 will prevent the booth walls from being damaged. This procedure may be repeated during each rest period or upon request by the player, as desired.

While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as previously described and as defined in the claims. For example, a portable container assembly may be permanently positioned adjacent the rear of the chair should sufficient space be allowed. Therefore, the container assembly and booth assembly may be sold without the chair, and could be attached to a standard umpire's chair using hooking means. Also, other collapsible material besides cloth-like material may be used in forming the booth sidewalls, such as collapsible Venetian blind-type slat assemblies. Also, while the embodiments herein speak of an umpire's chair, it should be understood that the present invention could be used with other chairs as well.

While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention but rather as an application of preferred embodiments thereof.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS;

1. A collapsible booth capable of being supported by a chair, comprising: a) a container assembly positionable adjacent a chair; b) a booth assembly collapsible into said container assembly, comprising: i) a top frame; and ii) collapsible booth walls supported on said top frame; and c) means for removably attaching said top frame to a chair; said attached top frame supporting said booth walls in elevated position above the ground to form an enclosure.

2. The booth of Claim 1, wherein said container assembly is slidable to and from beneath the chair.

3. The booth of Claim 2, wherein said container assembly further comprises means for controlling the direction of the sliding of said container assembly.

4. The booth of Claim 2, wherein said container assembly has wheels on which to slide.

5. The booth of Claim 1, wherein said container assembly comprises a pair of parallel side members having forward and rearward edges, and a front member between said forward edges.

6. The booth of Claim 1, wherein the chair has a pair of supporting posts extending from its rear; and wherein said means for removably attaching said top frame to the chair comprises a pair of mounting posts extending from said top frame and attachable to said supporting posts to maintain said top frame in elevated position.

7. The booth of Claim 1, wherein said means for removably attaching said top frame to a chair comprises hooking means extending from said top frame and attachable to the chair to maintain said top frame in elevated position.

8. The booth of Claim 1, wherein said booth walls are comprised of cloth-like material.

9. The booth of Claim 1, and further comprising a roof portion provided over said top frame.

10. The booth of Claim 9, wherein said roof portion has side flaps extending over said top frame and around the upper edges of said booth walls.

11. The booth of Claim 1, said booth walls have an opening to allow entrance to and exit from the enclosure.

12. The booth of Claim 11, and further comprising hook and loop attachment means adjacent said booth wall opening for temporarily sealing the booth wall opening.

13. The booth of Claim 1, wherein booth walls have lower edges attached to said container assembly.

14. The booth of Claim 1, wherein said booth walls gather in said container assembly when collapsed to form a resting mass for said top frame.

15. An apparatus, comprising: a) a chair having a seat, a back rest and a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs for elevating said seat and back rest above the ground; b) a container assembly positionable adjacent said chair; c) a booth assembly collapsible into said container assembly, comprising; i) a top frame; and ii) collapsible booth walls supported on 5 said top frame; and d) means for removably attaching said top frame to said chair; said attached top frame supporting said booth walls in elevated position above the ground to form an enclosure.

10

16. The apparatus of Claim 15, and further comprising means for controllably sliding said container assembly to and from beneath said chair.

15 17. The apparatus of Claim 16, and further comprising means for controlling the direction of the sliding of said container assembly.

18. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said

20 container assembly comprises a pair of parallel side members having forward and rearward edges, and a front member between said forward edges.

19. The apparatus of Claim 18, wherein said

25 container assembly has a wheel at the forward edge of each side member and at the rearward edge of each side member, said container assembly slidable on said wheels.

20. The apparatus of Claim 16, wherein said means 30 for controllably sliding said container assembly to and from beneath said chair is a guide bar assembly comprising: a) a guide bar; b) a first collar adjacent said forward edge 35 of a first side member for holding a first end of said guide bar; c) a second collar adjacent said rearward edge of said first side for holding a second end of said guide bar, said guide bar held by said collars in a horizontal orientation; and d) a first restraining ring attached to said chair and surrounding said guide bar intermediate said first and second collars, said guide bar controllably slidable through said first restraining ring.

21. The apparatus of Claim 20, wherein said chair has a bracing between a front chair leg and said rear chair leg having said first restraining ring, and further comprising a second restraining ring attached to said bracing and surrounding said guide bar intermediate said first and second collars, said guide bar controllably slidable through said first and restraining ring.

22. The apparatus of Claim 20, and further comprising a second guide bar assembly provided on said second side member.

23. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said means for removably attaching said top frame to said chair comprises: a) a pair of supporting posts extending from the rear surface of said chair approximate said back rest; b) a pair of mounting posts extending from said top frame and attachable to said supporting posts to maintain said top frame in elevated position.

24. The apparatus of Claim 23, wherein said mounting post is a pipe having an opening capable of fitting around said supporting post to attach said mounting post to said supporting post.

25. The apparatus of Claim 24, wherein said supporting post is a pipe having an open end and said mounting post is capable of fitting within said supporting post to attach said mounting post to said supporting post.

26. The apparatus of Claim 24, wherein said means for removably attaching said top frame to the chair comprises hooking means extending from said top frame and attachable to the chair to maintain said top frame in elevated position.

27. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said booth walls are comprised of cloth-like material.

28. The apparatus of Claim 15, and further comprising a roof portion provided over said top frame.

29. The apparatus of Claim 28, wherein said roof portion has side flaps extending over said top frame and around the upper edges of said booth walls.

30. The apparatus of Claim 15, said booth walls have an opening to allow entrance to and exit from the enclosure.

31. The apparatus of Claim 30, and further comprising hook and loop attachment means adjacent said booth wall opening for temporarily sealing the booth wall opening.

32. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said booth walls have lower edges attached to said container assembly.

33. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said booth walls gather in said container assembly when collapsed to form a resting mass for said top frame.

34. The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein said container assembly has a floor upon which said booth assembly is collapsed.

35. The apparatus of Claim 20, wherein said first restraining ring is provided on the inner portion of a chair rear leg.

36. The apparatus of Claim 20, wherein said chair comprises at least one lower support bracing between a front leg and a rear leg, and wherein said first restraining ring is provided on said lower support bracing.

37. The apparatus of Claim 35, wherein said chair comprises at least one lower support bracing between a front leg and a rear leg, and further comprising a second restraining ring provided on said lower support bracing surrounding said guide bar.