US20100269254A1

US20100269254A1 - Fold Down Loft Bed with Modular Furniture

Info

Publication number: US20100269254A1
Application number: US12/833,106
Authority: US
Inventors: James Sanders, JR.
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-31
Filing date: 2010-07-09
Publication date: 2010-10-28

Abstract

A loft bed includes a framework including head and foot portions, each having front and back upstanding posts. Each front post defines a pin guide channel. A pair of pins is attached to respective end rails of an upper bed frame for receipt in the pin guide channels. Rocker arms are pivotally coupled at lower ends to the head and foot portions and at upper ends to bed frame end rails. The upper bed frame is movable between a sleep configuration to a folded configuration when each the rocker arms are pivotally moved from a rearward configuration in which end rail pins are not received in the pin guide channels to a forward position in which the end rail pins are received therein. Safety doors are movable between closed and open configurations for selectively preventing or allowing receipt of end rails pins in respective guide channels.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This continuation-in-part application claims the benefit of non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/328,534, filed Dec. 4, 2008, which claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/085,104 filed on Jul. 31, 2008, titled Fold Down Loft Bed With Modular Furniture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to furniture and, more particularly, to a fold down loft bed having modular furniture in some embodiments.
Loft beds are popular in that the bed is positioned at a heightened position that enables the space below it to be used for other purposes such as storage or to enable the use of other furniture. A loft bed may provide desirable options in that furniture such as a dresser or a desk may be positioned below a bed frame or even be attached thereto. However, like with a traditional bunk bed, it is difficult to change the sheets of an upper bed without moving the entire bed frame away from the wall, by standing on a chair, or even climbing atop the bunk itself.
Various devices have been proposed in the art for making it easier to change the sheets of an upper bunk of a bunk bed. Other devices have been proposed for providing a bunk bed with furniture positioned beneath an upper bunk. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a loft bed that may be lowered safely and securely and that provides multiple modular furniture options positioned below the upper bunk.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a loft bed that safely folds down for easy access while changing its sheets. Further, it would be desirable to have a loft bed is easily moved and securely held into a folded configuration and that is easily urged back into a horizontal sleep configuration. In addition, it would be desirable to have a loft bed that is adaptable to multiple furniture configurations positioned relative to the bed framework beneath the bunk.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A fold down loft bed according to the present invention includes a framework including a head portion and a foot portion, each of the head and foot portions having front and back upstanding posts and a plurality of connector members extending between respective front and back upstanding posts. The framework includes a back portion interconnecting the head and foot portions, wherein the head and foot portions each includes a respective connector member having an interior surface defining a roller guide channel, each the roller guide channel extending substantially between respective front and back upstanding posts of the head and foot portions. Each front upstanding post includes an interior surface defining a pin guide channel extending vertically therealong between upper and lower guide channel ends. An upper bed frame includes opposed end rails with opposed side rails extending between respective ends of respective end rails.
A pair of rollers are attached to respective end rails of the upper bed frame and extending outwardly therefrom, the pair of rollers having a configuration complementary to a configuration of respective roller guide channels for receipt and relative movement therein. A pair of pins are attached to respective end rails of the upper bed frame and extending outwardly therefrom, the pair of pins having a configuration complementary to a configuration of respective pin guide channels for receipt and relative movement therein. The bed frame is movable between a sleep configuration when the rollers are positioned in respective roller guide channels adjacent respective back upstanding posts and respective pins are positioned in respective pin guide channels adjacent respective upper ends thereof and a folded configuration when the rollers are positioned in respective roller guide channels adjacent respective front upstanding posts and respective pins are positioned in respective pin guide channels adjacent respective lower ends thereof.
In another embodiment of the invention, a loft bed may include a rocker arm pivotally coupled to each of the head and foot portions and at least one upper end connected to each of the end rails of the upper bed frame. The rocker arms are movable between rearward and forward configurations. The upper bed frame is movable between a sleep configuration to a folded configuration when each the rocker arm is pivotally moved from a rearward configuration in which the end rail pins (described above) are not received in the pin guide channels (described above) to a forward position in which the end rail pins are received in the pin guide channels. The loft bed includes a safety door positioned on each front surface of respective front posts that is movable between a closed configuration preventing end rail pins from engaging pin guide channels and an open configuration enabling receipt therein.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a foldable loft bed in which an upper bed frame may be moved between a sleep configuration and selected fold out configurations.
Another object of this invention is to provide a loft bed, as aforesaid, in which the upper bed frame is laterally and vertically slidable in respective framework guide channels for movement between selectable configurations.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a loft bed, as aforesaid, that may be configured into selected modular furniture configurations.
A further object of this invention is to provide a loft bed, as aforesaid, having safety doors movably positioned relative to guide channels for selectively preventing or enabling movement of an upper bed frame between use and folded configurations.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a loft bed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1 b is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the loft bed as in FIG. 1 a with the upper bunk in a folded out configuration;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the loft bed as in FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 a is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 b is another isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 a is another isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 b is another isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a loft bed having a lower bunk according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 a is a sectional view taken along line 8 a-8 a of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 b is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 8 a;

FIG. 8 c is another isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 8 a;

FIG. 9 a is a perspective view of the upper bed frame as in FIG. 1 a removed from the framework;

FIG. 9 b is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 9 a;

FIG. 10 a is a perspective view as in FIG. 1 a with portion thereof fragmented for clarity;

FIG. 10 b is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 10 a;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a loft bed according to another embodiment of the present invention with the upper bed frame in a sleep configuration;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the loft bed as in FIG. 11 with the upper frame bed in a folded down configuration;

FIG. 13 a is an isolated view on an enlarged scale take from FIG. 12;

FIG. 13 b is another isolated view on an enlarged scale take from FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 a is another isolated view on an enlarged scale take from FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 b is another isolated view on an enlarged scale take from FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fold down loft bed according to another embodiment of the present invention with an upper bed frame in a sleep/use configuration;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a fold down loft bed as in FIG. 15 with an upper bed frame in a folded down configuration;

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the loft bed as in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 15;

FIG. 19 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a rocker arm removed from the loft bed of FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 17;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a fold down loft bed according to yet another embodiment of the present invention with an upper bed frame in a sleep/use configuration;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a fold down loft bed as in FIG. 21 with an upper bed frame in a folded down configuration;

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of the loft bed of FIG. 22; and

FIG. 25 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 24.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A folded loft bed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 b of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, the folded loft bed 10 includes a framework having a head portion 20 and a foot portion 30 (FIG. 1 a), these portions being interconnected by a back portion 40. The head and foot portion each includes a front 22 and back 24 upstanding post and a plurality of connecting members extending between respective back and front posts. The connector members 26 provide strength and stability to the framework and also may be used as ladder rungs, as will become apparent later. Preferably, the upstanding posts 22, 24 are positioned vertically and the connector members 26 are positioned horizontally relative to the posts.
Both the head portion 20 and the foot portion 30 include a special connector member 26 that includes an interior surface defining a roller guide channel 50 (FIGS. 8 b, 10 b). Each roller guide channel 50 extends substantially between respective front 22 and back 24 posts. Further, each front upstanding post 22 includes an interior surface defining a pin guide channel 54 extending therealong between upper and lower guide channel ends (FIGS. 1 a, 1 b). Each front upstanding post 22 further defines a plurality of spaced apart notches 58 in communication with respective pin guide channels 54, as will be further described below.
The loft bed 10 further includes an upper bunk having an upper bed frame 60 having opposed end rails 62 and opposed side rails 64 extending between respective end rails 62 (FIGS. 1 a, 9 a). A roller 52 is attached to an outer surface of each end rail 62 and extends outwardly therefrom, each roller 52 being positioned generally adjacent the framework back portion 40 (FIG. 9 a). Each roller 52 includes a configuration that is complementary to respective roller guide channels 50 such that it is received therein and movable therealong (FIG. 8 b), as will be described in more detail below. A pin 56 is fixedly attached to the outer surface of each end rail 62 and extends outwardly therefrom (FIG. 9 a). Each pin 56 is configured to be received in respective pin guide channels 54 for relative movement therein (FIG. 8 c), as will be described in more detail below. The pins 56 may be selectively nested in the notches 58. A safety rail 66 is attached to a side rail 64 of the upper bed frame 60 opposite the back portion 40 of the framework (FIG. 1 a).
The upper bed frame 60 is movable between a sleep configuration (also referred to as a use configuration) and multiple selected fold down configurations in that the rollers 52 and pins 56 are movable in the roller guide channels 50 and pin guide channels 54, respectively. More particularly, a user may urge the bed frame 60 in a forward direction from its normal “sleep” or “rest” configuration (FIG. 1). At first, the pins 56 are urged out of the first notch, the rollers 52 are urged forward along respective roller guide channels 50, and the pins 56 are urged downwardly along respective pin guide channels 54. Accordingly, the bed frame 60 may be folded out and down as shown in FIG. 2. The pins 56 may be secured in selected notches 58 such that the bed is stable in whatever folded configuration is desired.
Each upstanding post 22, 24 defines a hollow interior space. The loft bed 10 includes a recoil assembly for assisting with movement of the upper bed frame 60 from an extended/folded out configuration back to a “sleep” configuration. More particularly, the recoil assembly includes a spring 70 attached the back portion 40 of the framework (FIG. 4). The recoil assembly includes a first cable 72 having a first end 74 coupled to one end of the spring 70 (FIG. 5 a) and extending through the interior space of a respective upstanding post. The first cable 72 includes a second end 74 coupled to a respective pin 56 of the upper bed frame 60 (FIG. 5 b). The spring 70 is movable between a recoiled configuration (also referred to as an “at rest” configuration) when the bed frame 60 is at a “sleep” configuration (FIG. 1 a). The spring 70 is movable between a recoiled configuration (FIG. 1 a). The spring 70 is at an extended or stretched configuration when the bed frame 60 is moved to a folded down configuration (FIG. 2). The spring 70 biases the bed frame 60 toward the sleep configuration. As shown in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, guide members 78 are positioned within the hollow interiors of back portion connector members and upstanding posts to guide the first 72 and second 74 cables that extend between the spring 70 (FIG. 4) and the bed frame pins 56 (FIG. 5 b).
Further, the loft bed 10 includes one or more pieces of modular furniture 80 selectively coupled to the framework. Although not inclusive, the modular furniture may include one of the dresser, a desk, a countertop, or a bookshelf. Each piece of modular furniture includes one or more flanges 82 configured to rest upon respective connector members 26 of the back portion 40 of the framework (FIG. 4). The flanges may be attached using appropriate fasteners. The loft bed 10 may also include a lower bed frame 84 mounted to the head and foot portions of the framework (FIG. 7).
Another embodiment of the loft bed 10′ is shown in FIGS. 11 to 14 b and includes a construction substantially as disclosed previously except as specifically pointed out below. Primed reference numerals will be used for the same or substantially similar constructive elements, new reference numerals being used for new or additional structures. The loft bed 10′ according to this embodiment includes an auxiliary connector member 27 extending downwardly from a respective back post 24 to a respective front post 22 (FIGS. 11, 12). Each auxiliary connector member 27 is positioned near an upper end of the head 20′ and foot 30′ portions of the framework, respectively. An inner surface of each auxiliary connector member 27 defines a respective roller guide channel 50′ for engagement with respective rollers, as described previously. In other words, the auxiliary connector members 27 are positioned so that the upper bed frame 60′ may be moved downwardly more easily from a sleep configuration (FIG. 11) to a folded-out configuration (FIG. 12). Having the auxiliary connector member 27 reaching a lower configuration also assists persons having a shorter stature to reach the bed frame 60′ at the folded-out configuration (FIG. 12). Inner surfaces of respective front posts 22 may define pin guide channels 54′ having a modified configuration compared to the configuration previously described. It is understood that the auxiliary connector member 27 may simply be one of the aforementioned connector members 26 but situated in a downward configuration, as described. In addition, this embodiment may include an auxiliary safety rail 66′ that extends between respective front posts 22′ of the head 20′ and foot 30′ portions of the framework.
Further, each front post 22 defines a hollow interior space. The recoil assembly is positioned substantially within one or both front posts 22. More particularly, the spring 70′ is positioned in the interior space of the front post 22′ and includes a first end attached to a securing pin 71 or to the bottom of the post itself (FIG. 14 b), preferably adjacent to a lower end of the front post 22. The recoil assembly includes a first cable 72′ having its first end 74′ coupled to an upper end of the spring 70′ (FIG. 14 a) and extending through the interior space of the front post 22. As best shown in FIGS. 13 a and 13 b, the first cable 72′ may extend about a pulley or other suitable guide member 78′ situated near an upper end of the front post 22 and then attached at a second end 76′ thereof to a respective bed frame pin 56′.
When the upper bed frame 60′ is pulled forward and downward by a user (e.g. movement from a sleep configuration to a fold out configuration), the rollers 52′ roll forward along the roller channels 50′ in the downwardly situated auxiliary connector member 27. In addition, the guide pins 56′ move along the pin guide channels 54′. The bed frame may be positioned at a selected position for a user to access the bed frame, such as to change the sheets. As described above, as the upper bed frame 60′ is moved downwardly, the first cable 72′ of the recoil assembly will urge the spring 70′ to expand and thus bias the spring 70′. Consequently, the spring 70′ will urge the bed frame to move back to the sleep configuration once released by a user to do so.
A loft bed 90 according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 15 to 21 and includes a construction that is substantially similar to the loft bed 10 described above except as specifically described below. Reference numerals used to describe prior embodiments are used below to denote like elements whereas new reference numerals are used to denote new or changed elements. The loft bed 90 according to this embodiment includes a pair of safety shields 94, a pair of safety doors 92, and a pair of rocker arms 110. Each individual one of these pairs of structures is situated along a respective head portion 20 and foot portion 30 of the bed framework as will be described in detail below.
Each safety door 92 is pivotally coupled to respective front upstanding posts 22 and is movable between a closed configuration (FIG. 15) covering a respective pin guide channel 54 and an open configuration (FIG. 16) revealing a respective pin guide channel 54. When the safety door 92 is at the closed configuration, the upper bed frame is unable to be rotated downwardly. More particularly, when a safety door 92 is at the closed configuration, respective end rail pins 56 are unable to be received into respective guide channels 54. Conversely, when a safety door 92 is at the open configuration, respective end rail pins 56 are able to be received in respective guide channels 54 and the upper bed frame may be rotated downwardly as described previously and now shown in FIG. 16. It is understood that the safety door 92 refers in its broadest interpretation to any means for preventing end rail pins 56 from engaging guide channels 54 before manually moving such blocking means.
FIG. 15 shows a safety shield 94 mounted to a foot end 20 of the loft bed 90. Then FIG. 17 shows that each safety shield 94 actually includes an inside section 96 and an outside section 108 mounted to respective inside and outside areas of the head portion 20. Each inside section 96 defines a rocker arm guide channel 102 (as compared to the roller guide channel 50 described previously), the rocker arm guide channels being described in more detail below. It is understood that the foot portion 30 of the loft bed 90 also includes a safety shield 94 although it has been removed from the drawings for clarity. It is further understood that each safety shield outside section 108 is mounted to an outside area of respective head 20 and foot 30 portions so that casual access between inside and outside sections is not possible, such as by children.
A rocker arm 110 is operatively situated at the head 20 and foot 30 portions of the framework for smoothly moving the upper bed frame between sleep and folded down configurations. The rocker arms 110 are positioned between inside and outside sections of respective safety shields 94. It should be appreciated that use of one or more rocker arms 110 is a different means for moving the upper bed frame than the use of rollers and roller guide channels described previously. Specifically, each rocker arm 110 includes a lower end 112 pivotally coupled, such as with a lower pin 114, to a lower end of a respective upstanding back post 24 or to other of the framework adjacent the back post lower end (FIG. 17). An upper end 116 of each rocker arm 110 includes a flange, such as an upper pin 118, that is slidably positioned in a respective rocker arm guide channel 102 for movement between rearward 104 and forward 106 ends thereof. Each rocker arm guide channel 102 extends substantially between an interior section rear edge 98 and an interior section front edge 100 and has a downwardly sloped generally arcuate configuration as it extends from the back of a respective safety shield 94 toward the front thereof. As shown in the drawings, the rearward end 104 of a respective rocker arm guide channel 102 is adjacent a back upstanding post 24 and a forward end 106 of a respective rocker arm guide channel is adjacent a front upstanding post 22. Each upper pin 118 extends through a respective rocker arm guide channel 102 and is operatively coupled to a respective upper bed frame recess 120 (FIGS. 17 and 19). Each rocker arm 110 is pivotally movable about the lower end pin 114 between a generally vertical configuration at which the upper bed frame is at the sleep/use configuration and a forward configuration at which the rocker arm 110 is generally adjacent respective front upstanding posts and the upper bed frame is at one or more of the folded down configurations. The rocker arm vertical configuration may also be referred to as a rocker arm rearward position.
The loft bed 90 according to the invention shown in FIGS. 15 to 21 may include multiple safety rails 66 extending between upper ends of the framework posts (FIGS. 15-17). The safety rails 66 are configured to inhibit a child from accidentally falling off of the upper bed frame. In addition, the bed framework may include one or more stiffening members 122 (FIG. 21). Preferably, each stiffening member 122 includes a generally linear elongate configuration that is mounted to a respective upstanding back post 24, each stiffening member being positioned to minimize or prevent wobbling of the rocker arms and upper bed frame as well as to enhance the overall strength and rigidity of the framework. However, other devices for providing rigidity and minimizing wobble may also be used, such as appropriately positioned clamps.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 15-21 is used as follows. The upper bed frame 60 is movable between a sleep configuration (also referred to as a use configuration) and multiple selected fold down configurations in that the rocker arm 110 is pivotally movable as described above. More particularly, the upper end 116 of each rocker arm 110 may be urged forward along respective rocker arm guide channels 102 when the upper bed frame is urged forward from its sleep/use configuration toward a folded configuration. As the upper bed frame is urged forward, respective end rail pins 56 are received into respective guide channels 54 so long as respective safety doors 92 are at an open configurations. Otherwise, the end rail pins 56 are prevented from movement into the guide channels 54 as described above. When sufficiently urged forward, sheets may be conveniently changed from the upper bed frame.
Yet another embodiment of the loft bed 130 is shown in FIGS. 22 to 25 and includes a construction substantially similar to that described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 21 except as specifically noted below. According to this embodiment, the loft bed 130 includes opposed modified rocker arms 132 (which may also referred to as mounting arms), each having a generally V-shaped configuration pivotally mounted at its vertex to respective connecting members 26 of the head 20 and foot 30 portions of the framework generally adjacent the upper bed frame 60, such as with a lower end pin 134 (FIGS. 24-25). The vertex of the mounting arms may also be referred to as the rocker arm lower end and is coupled to respective connecting members at a point displaced from respective back posts 24 although not necessarily at a midpoint between front 22 and back 24 posts. Distal ends of the mounting arms are fixedly attached to front and rear points of the upper bed frame such that the upper bed frame may be supported by respective mounting arms 132. The mounting arms 132 may be fixedly attached to the upper end frame end rails. Accordingly, when the safety doors 92 are at an open configuration, as described above, and the upper bed frame is urged forward, the mounting arms 132 may pivot forward about each lower pin axis to move the upper bed frame between a sleep/use configuration (FIG. 22) and a folded configuration (FIG. 23) where sheets may be changed conveniently. However, it is understood that when the safety doors 92 are at the closed configuration, the upper bed frame is prevented from pivoting forward to the folded configuration.
In addition, this embodiment of the loft bed 130 may include one or more lifting and rotational devices 136. More particularly, each lifting device 136 may be a gas spring device for controlling the speed of ascent or descent of the upper bed frame between sleep/use and folded configurations. Preferably, a lower end of each lifting device 136 is mounted to a connecting member of the framework and an upper end of each lifting device is mounted to a respective mounting arm 132. As shown in FIGS. 22 to 24, each lifting device 136 includes an inner rod that is received into an outer housing as the mounting arms 132 are rotated forward. It is understood that the lifting device may be included with either of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 15 to 25.
It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A fold down loft bed, comprising:

a framework including:

a head portion and a foot portion, each of said head and foot portions having front and back upstanding posts and a plurality of connector members extending between respective front and back up standing posts;

a back portion interconnecting said head and foot portions;

wherein each front upstanding post includes an interior surface defining a pin guide channel extending vertically therealong between upper and lower guide channel ends;

an upper bed frame having opposed end rails and opposed side rails extending between ends of respective end rails;

a rocker arm having a lower end pivotally coupled to each of said head and foot portions and at least one upper end connected to each of said end rails of said upper bed frame;

a pin attached to each end rail of said upper bed frame and extending outwardly therefrom, said pins having a configuration complementary to a configuration of respective pin guide channels for receipt and relative movement therein;

wherein said bed frame is movable between a sleep configuration to a folded configuration when each said rocker arm is pivotally moved from a rearward position in which said end rail pins are not received in said pin guide channels to a forward position in which said end rail pins are received in said pin guide channels.

2. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, wherein:

each of said head and foot portions includes a safety shield interior section extending substantially between front and back posts of said head and foot portions, each safety shield interior section defining a rocker arm guide channel extending substantially from a safety shield interior section rear edge to a safety shield interior section front edge;

said lower end of said of each rocker arm is pivotally coupled to respective lower ends of said back upstanding posts; and

said upper end of each said rocker arm includes a flange that operatively extends through a respective rocker arm guide channel and is coupled to a respective end rail of said upper bed frame.

3. The fold down loft bed as in claim 2, wherein each rocker arm guide channel includes opposed rearward and forward ends and includes a configuration that slopes downwardly from said rearward end toward said forward end.

4. The fold down loft bed as in claim 2, further comprising a safety shield outside section mounted to each of said head and foot portions of said framework and that extends substantially between respective front and back upstanding posts, said rocker arms being positioned between said safety shield inside and outside sections.

5. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising a safety door coupled to respective front upstanding posts and selectively movable between a closed configuration covering a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is not receivable therein and an open configuration revealing a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is receivable therein.

6. The fold down loft bed as in claim 2, further comprising a safety door coupled to respective front upstanding posts and selectively movable between a closed configuration covering a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is not receivable therein and an open configuration revealing a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is receivable therein.

7. The fold down loft bed as in claim 4, further comprising a safety door coupled to respective front upstanding posts and selectively movable between a closed configuration covering a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is not receivable therein and an open configuration revealing a respective pin guide channel such that a respective end rail pin is receivable therein.

8. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, wherein each end rail pin is positioned adjacent a respective front end of each said end rail.

9. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising at least one furniture piece mounted to said framework beneath said upper bed frame, said at least one furniture piece having a flange configured to rest upon a connector member of said back portion of said framework.

10. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising a lifting device attached at one end to said framework and at an opposed end to said upper bed frame to control the speed at which said upper bed frame is moved between sleep and folded configurations.

11. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising a lifting device attached at one end to said framework and at an opposed end to said upper bed frame to control the speed at which said upper bed frame is moved between sleep and folded configurations.

12. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising a stiffening member attached to at least one back post and configured to prevent unintended movement of said rocker arms.

13. The fold down loft bed as in claim 2, further comprising a stiffening member attached to at least one back post and configured to prevent unintended movement of said rocker arms.

14. The fold down loft bed as in claim 1, further comprising a guard rail extending between upper ends of respective front upstanding posts.

15. A fold down loft bed, comprising:

a framework including:

a head portion and a foot portion, each of said head and foot portions having front and back upstanding posts and a plurality of connector members extending between respective front and back upstanding posts;

a back portion interconnecting said head and foot portions;

a pair of rocker arms having a lower end pivotally coupled respective head and foot portions and at least one upper end connected to each of said end rails of said upper bed frame, wherein each rocker arm is movable between a rearward configuration generally adjacent a respective back post and a forward configuration generally adjacent a respective front post;

a safety door coupled to respective front upstanding posts and selectively movable between a closed configuration situated so as to prevent said upper bed frame from moving adjacent a respective front post and an open configuration enabling said upper bed frame to move adjacent a respective front post when said rocker arm is moved from said rearward configuration to said forward configuration; and

wherein said upper bed frame is movable between a sleep configuration when each said rocker arm is at said rearward configuration to a folded configuration when said rocker arm is moved to said forward configuration and said safety door is at said open configuration.

16. The fold down loft bed as in claim 15, wherein each said rocker arm includes a generally V-shaped configuration in which said rocker arm lower end is pivotally coupled to a particular connector member of one of said head and foot portions of said framework generally adjacent said upper bed frame and said rocker arm upper end is a pair of legs having distal ends fixedly attached to opposite ends of respective end rails of said upper bed frame.

17. The fold down loft bed as in claim 16, wherein said rocker arm lower end is pivotally coupled to said connecting member at a point displaced from said back post.

18. The fold down loft bed as in claim 16, further comprising a lifting device attached at one end to said framework and at an opposed end to said upper bed frame, said lifting device being configured to control the speed at which said upper bed frame is moved between sleep and folded configurations.

19. The fold down loft bed as in claim 15, wherein:

each front upstanding post includes an interior surface defining a pin guide channel extending vertically therealong between upper and lower guide channel ends;

said loft bed further includes a pin attached to each end rail of said upper bed frame and extending outwardly therefrom, said pins having a configuration complementary to a configuration of respective pin guide channels for receipt and relative movement therein;

20. The fold down loft bed as in claim 15, further comprising a stiffening member attached to at least one back post and configured to prevent unintended movement of said rocker arms.