Reverse fold tier catches for stadium seating

Abstract

A tier locking assembly for allowing highest-to-lowest tier retract in a telescopic seating assembly that includes a plurality of seating tiers with seating platforms supported by movable supports structures that move relative to one another along a first direction. The tier locking system has a tier catch attached to a lower tier that automatically engages a catch plate of an adjacent higher tier to prevent that higher tier from retracting over the lower tier.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tier locking system for allowing highest-to-lowest tier retract in a telescopic seating assembly that includes a plurality of seating tiers with seating platforms supported by movable supports structures that move relative to one another along a first direction, the tier locking system comprising:
 a first tier catch having a substantially vertical tier catch body, a strike plate and a pivot tab extending from one side of the tier catch body, and a cam follower extending from an opposite side of the tier catch body, wherein the tier catch is pivotally attached to a first support structure;   a first catch plate having a substantially vertical body attached to a second support structure and a substantially horizontal lock arm extending over the first support structure in the path of the strike plate of the first tier catch in the first direction; and   a second catch plate having a substantially vertical body attached to a third support structure, a substantially horizontal lock arm extending over the second support structure, and a cam arm extending from the lock arm in the path of the cam follower in the first direction;   wherein the interaction of the cam arm and the cam follower caused by movement of the first support structure relative to the second support structure in a horizontal direction acts to pivot the tier catch about its pivot axis.