It is known to provide chairs, especially stackable chairs as described in the Mauser office brochure entitled "Mahrzweckstuhle Serie 570" (Multipurpose Chair Series 570) of Mauser Office GmbH, Korbach, Germany, in which the chairs are described for auditoriums and the like which can be aligned in rows and connected together by coupling means between adjacent chairs. These chairs can be fitted with so-called lecture desks, i.e. a table carried by a mounting or holding mechanism enabling the table to be releasably attached to the chair so that the table is disposed just forwardly of the user and, ordinarily, on one side of the chair.
The lecture desk can be swung from a more or less horizontal position of use in which it is locked above the seating surface and forwardly of the user, into a substantially folded position alongside the seating service. The holding mechanism can, if desired, be attached to an armrest of the chair.
For assembling the chairs into rows for use in an auditorium or the like, the stackable chairs are removed from the stack, positioned side by side and connected together by appropriate coupling means. When the chairs are taken up from the rows, they can be stacked in a nested state so that space is conserved.
The coupling systems used for interconnecting the chairs in rows, are available in various configurations. For example, German patent 39 33 817 discloses a coupling system in which a stirrup is provided on the underside of the seating surface of one chair and hooks into a stirrup of the underside of an adjoining chair when these stirrups are extended toward one another. The free ends of the stirrups are formed with mutually-engaging hooks, A problem with this arrangement is that whether the chair is provided with or without an armrest, the lecture desk must be configured differently and different configurations of the couplings may have to be used.
Earlier desk systems have not proved to be effective for chairs which could be provided with or without armrests, are adapted to be coupled together or to be free-standing, or are especially configured for assembly in rows.