| Adjustable gaming stool with releasable locking assembly -> Monitor Keywords |
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Adjustable gaming stool with releasable locking assemblyAdjustable gaming stool with releasable locking assembly description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060082203, Adjustable gaming stool with releasable locking assembly. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/620,623 filed Oct. 20, 2004, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This disclosure relates generally to gaming stools for associated gaming machines and more particularly to an adjustable gaming stool having a releasable locking assembly which enables the stool to be locked in a relatively lower position to permit a gaming machine technician to easily access the associated gaming machine without the necessity of removing the gaming stool from its assembled position with the gaming machine. [0003] It is well known that gaming stools, chairs and seats at casinos are mounted on support posts at one end of elongated, generally heavy, flat sled-type bases which are releasably connected at an end spaced from the support post for the stools in juxtaposition with the base of an associated gaming machine. This arrangement for gaming stools and seats with an associated gaming machine in casinos is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,840,343; 5,678,886 and 5,762,617. [0004] Further, it is also known in the art that gaming stools, chairs and seats used in casinos can be mounted on telescopically arranged support members in which the respective members can be releasably locked together as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,373,079; 5,911,191; 6,079,786 and 6,138,973. Adjustable and variable length telescopic members for supports, pillars and columns are also well known in the art as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 314,831; 4,693,442; 5,284,312 and 6,079,786. [0005] Most of these gaming stools are provided with some form of self-adjusting devices such as spring acting members or gas cylinders which initially hold the seat section of the stool at its highest position. These self-adjusting devices yield to the weight of a person when seated on such stools, and then when the person leaves the stool, the self-adjusting device returns the seating section of the gaming stool to its initial position. Self-adjusting devices of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,886 and 5,911,191. [0006] Since all gaming machines require servicing for various reasons, during the servicing of the gaming machines, it has been found that the seating sections of the associated gaming stools for the gaming machine interfere with the servicing because of the height of the seating section. While the gaming stool and the heavy sled base can be disconnected from the associated gaming machine for cleaning or other purposes, such as the repairing or servicing of the associated gaming machine, this requires the use of tools and personnel strong and capable enough to handle removal of the relatively heavy combined weight of the gaming chair and the sled base. Heretofore, during the repair and servicing of the associated gaming machine, to avoid removing the combined gaming stool and heavy sled base, removable weights or other holding devices have been used to reduce the height of the seating sections of the gaming stool so such repair and servicing on the associated gaming machine can be made. [0007] By utilizing the self-adjusting devices on a gaming stool, the present invention enables the seating section of a gaming stool to be lowered and releasably locked in the lowered position when repair or servicing is in progress, and then when such repair and servicing is completed, it can be released to enable the seating section to return to the self adjusting operation, as before, until it needs to be releasably locked in the lower position again for further repair and servicing or for any other reason. This is achieved by the co-action of the self-adjusting device such as a plunger and gas cylinder device and an operatively associated inter-engaging support assembly with an improved releasable locking means formed thereon. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] Accordingly, it is one aspect of the present invention to provide a stool having a seating section, which stool is adapted to facilitate the servicing of an associated machine, comprising a support assembly having an upper member and a lower member disposed for operative engagement with each other, the upper member is affixed at its upper end to the seating section and has its lower end normally disposed in freely movable relation to the lower member, yieldable means on said support assembly is operative in assembled position to expand the support assembly to normally maintain said seating section of the gaming stool at a predetermined height and self-adjusting under the application of a force, such as the weight of a person to the seating section, to enable said seating section to be moved to a lower position and when the force is released to return the seating section to the initial predetermined height, and an inter-engaging locking assembly formed on said upper member and said lower member to enable the seating section of the gaming stool to be releasably locked at a desired lower height and when released to return the seating section to normal self-adjustment of the seating section during further use of the stool. [0009] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a gaming stool for servicing an associated gaming machine having a seating section, means for allowing the seating section to adjust from an initial height to a lower height during use of the gaming stool, a support assembly connected to said seating section and having an inter-engaging upper member and lower member disposed for sliding movement relative to each other during normally operative use of the gaming stool, a locking assembly formed between said inter-engaging upper member and lower member, including a cut-away section in the wall means defining the lower member, a shaped cut-in section in said wall means having a transverse opening in communication with the cut-away section in the wall means, and an enlarged gear-shaped latching member on the inner wall of the upper member operable on rotation of said gaming stool to enter said transverse opening for releasable engagement with the cut-in section in said wall means to hold the seat section at a predetermined lower position until the gaming stool is moved and rotated to release the enlarged gear-shaped latching member from releasable locking engagement with the cut-in section in the lower member and to allow the seating section to return to normal self-adjusting seating operation. [0010] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a gaming stool for servicing an associated gaming machine, in which the support assembly comprises self-adjusting means for normally maintaining and returning the seating section of the gaming stool to a predetermined height which is operatively associated with a locking assembly on the supporting assembly to releasably lock the seating section of the gaming stool at desired lower height for servicing the associated gaming machine. [0011] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a gaming stool for servicing an associated gaming machine, in which the enlarged gear-shaped member on the inner side of the wall of the upper member of the support assembly is a generally rotatable gear-shaped wheel adaptable to slide into the entrance opening for the cut-in section on the lower member of the support assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a gaming stool which includes and to which the present invention is particularly applicable, [0013] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the seat of the gaming stool shown in FIG. 1 showing the connecting plate and the upper member of the support assembly, [0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the gaming stool showing the support assembly in accordance with the present invention, [0015] FIG. 4 is a top plan view through the connecting plate for the gaming stool shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, [0016] FIG. 5 is a side view of the support assembly showing the locking assembly in dotted and phantomized form, [0017] FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing the rotatable gear-shaped wheel-like member of the locking assembly on the inner wall of the upper member, the enlarged vertical cut-away section and a section of the arcuate portion of the wall on the lower member, [0018] FIG. 7 is a side view of the lower member of the support assembly showing the enlarged vertically disposed cut-away section, the shaped cut-in section in the wall of the lower member and the transverse opening in the wall to provide communication between the cut-in section and the cut-away section of the locking assembly, [0019] FIG. 8 is a cross-section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7, and [0020] FIG. 9 is a cross-section taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 7. 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