EP0878148A1 - Zusammenklappbares gestell für möbel - Google Patents

Zusammenklappbares gestell für möbel Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0878148A1
EP0878148A1 EP98303708A EP98303708A EP0878148A1 EP 0878148 A1 EP0878148 A1 EP 0878148A1 EP 98303708 A EP98303708 A EP 98303708A EP 98303708 A EP98303708 A EP 98303708A EP 0878148 A1 EP0878148 A1 EP 0878148A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
frame
erected
complementary
collapsible
transverse
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP98303708A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Alan Douglas Howarth
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Guilbert UK Ltd
Original Assignee
Guilbert UK Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Guilbert UK Ltd filed Critical Guilbert UK Ltd
Publication of EP0878148A1 publication Critical patent/EP0878148A1/de
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B13/00—Details of tables or desks
    • A47B13/003—Connecting table tops to underframes
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B3/00—Folding or stowable tables
    • A47B3/06—Folding or stowable tables with separable parts

Definitions

  • THIS INVENTION relates to a collapsible frame for an item of furniture, and to an item of furniture incorporating such a frame.
  • the invention is particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with tables or desks for office spaces, training facilities, conference halls or the like where there is a need for such tables or desks which can be readily moved about and rearranged, transported from one location to another, stored compactly when not required and so on. It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible frame for an item of furniture which is simple in construction and can readily be manipulated by unskilled personnel and which can nevertheless be made to be robust and to be stable in its erected position, yet easily collapsed or demounted.
  • a collapsible frame for an item of furniture or the like, the frame providing, in its erected condition, four legs disposed substantially at the comers of a rectangle, the frame comprising four frame units each including a transverse member carrying at either end a respective pivot formation pivotally engaged with a complementary pivot formation of the adjoining frame unit for pivoting about the axis of a respective said leg, at least one said pivot formation comprising a hollow tubular member defining a circular cross-section recess and the complementary pivot formation comprising a member of complementary circular external cross-section received as a sliding rotational fit in said hollow tubular member.
  • a table or like item of furniture comprising a slab-like top supported upon an erected frame in accordance with the preceding paragraph, wherein at least two of said frame units include transverse frame members which extend horizontally close to and below the underside of said top and wherein said top includes portions which extend downwardly, past the upper edges of said transverse frame members and closely adjacent the latter, to locate the top reliably on said frame whilst allowing the top to be lifted from the frame prior to folding or lozenging the frame into a stowed condition.
  • the frame comprises two side frame units of the form indicated at 10 in Figure 4 and two end frame units each of the form indicated at 12 in Figure 4.
  • Each side frame unit comprises two parallel spaced-apart hollow tubular cylindrical legs 14 extending parallel with one another and secured, for example by welding, at their upper ends, to a transverse member 16 in such a way as to leave the upper ends of the tubular legs 14 open and unobstructed.
  • Each end frame member 12 likewise comprises two hollow tubular insert members 15 connected at their one ends, for example by welding, to a respective transverse member 18.
  • the two side frame units 10 are arranged with their legs 14 vertical and with their transverse members 16 spaced apart and parallel with one another and the two side frame units 10 are held together at their ends by respective end frame units 12, so that the legs 14 lie at respective corners of a rectangle.
  • the respective end frame unit 12 has its two insert members 15 inserted snugly within the respective legs 14 of the two side frame units at the respective end of the frame.
  • the insert members 15 have external diameters slightly less than the internal diameters of legs 14 so that the insert members 15 are a close sliding and rotating fit within the upper ends of the legs 14.
  • notches or cut outs 20 are formed in the walls of the tubular legs 14.
  • these notches or cut-outs 20 receive the transverse members 18 of the end frame units 12 when the insert members 15 of the latter are fully inserted in the legs 14 at the respective end of the frame and thereby brace the frame so that the transverse members 18 extend perpendicular to the transverse member 16 and prevent the frame from lozenging when these end frame units are fully inserted.
  • This arrangement also allows the transverse members 16 and 18 to lie substantially in the same horizontal plane in the fully assembled condition shown in Figure 1.
  • the frame may be moved to the lozenged or folded position shown in Figure 3 simply by lifting the end frame units 12 slightly, sufficiently for the transverse members 18 to clear the cut outs 20, before swinging the end frame units 12 around to bring the frame into the position shown in Figure 3.
  • the tubular insert members 12 rotate smoothly within the tubular legs 14, the insert members 15 acting as journals rotating within bearings provided by the internal surfaces of the legs 14.
  • the frame can be completely disassembled simply by lifting the end frame units 12 fully from the side frame units.
  • insert members 15 are illustrated as being shorter than the legs 14, the insert members 15 may, if desired, be of the same length as the legs 14. Shortening of the members 15 relative to legs 14, however, allows a saving in weight, material and cost. Similarly, it will be appreciated that whilst the insert members are described as being hollow they could, of course, be solid, although this would increase the weight of end frame units 12.
  • legs 14 and insert members 15 have been described as being cylindrical, they could of course, be downwardly tapered, to assume a frusto-conical form, with the insert members 15 being correspondingly tapered, allowing the insert members 15 to be lowered into close engagement with the legs 14.
  • the frame described may support a table top, (or other structure of any desired configuration), which preferably is arranged so that it can simply be lifted off the frame when it is desired to dismantle the table and conversely simply to be dropped into place, on the assembled frame, as the last stage in assembly of the table.
  • the table top preferably has retaining formations on its underside which cooperate with complementary retaining formations on the upper part of the frame to prevent lateral displacement of the table top on the frame.
  • the retaining formations on the table top may simply comprise blocks or like portions which lie closely adjacent the transverse members 16, 18 of the frame and extend downwardly past the upper edges of the transverse members 16, 18, on the inner sides or the outer sides of the transverse members.
  • Figures 5 and 6 show a table top 26 for the frame of Figures 1 to 4, which comprises a flat rectangular slab having, on its underside, blocks 28 which are disposed inwardly from the adjoining edge faces of the table top such that, in the assembled table, said blocks 28 fit snugly within the rectangular space bounded by the transverse members 16, 18 of the assembled frame, and lie against the inner sides of members 16, 18.
  • the blocks 28, in addition to preventing lateral displacement of the table top on the frame, provide additional bracing against unintended lozenging of the frame.
  • the blocks 28, or selected blocks 28, are of such a depth that in the assembled table the lower faces of these blocks are flush with the lower edges of the members, and such blocks carry turnbuckles 30 on their undersides, which turnbuckles are pivotable, about respective vertical axes, on respective screws or bolts so that they can be swung between positions parallel with, and spaced from, the adjoining frame members 16 or 18, such that the table top can be lifted from or lowered onto, the frame, and positions in which they extend at right angles to the adjoining frame members 16 or 18, beneath the latter, to retain the table top 26 on the frame. It will be understood that the blocks 28 locate the table top reliably against translation or rotation on the assembled frame.
  • the frame and table top shown preferably forms part of a modular system comprising side units and end units of different lengths, so that the same pair of side frame units can, with end frame units of different lengths, form frames of different sizes and the same pair of end frame units can, with side frame units of different lengths, form frames of different sizes.
  • the modular system also comprises table tops of various different sizes and the dimensions of the latter are conveniently such that the lengths of the sides of the various tables stand in a predefined relation to one another, for example are integral multiples of a basic dimension, allowing assembled tables to be arranged table edge to table edge in such a way as to allow a large selection of composite tables to be formed, each comprising a plurality of individual such tables and having a different composite table surface formed by the aggregate of the table tops of the constituent individual tables.
  • the modular system may include table tops of semicircular or quarter-circular shape and of other non-rectangular shapes.
EP98303708A 1997-05-16 1998-05-12 Zusammenklappbares gestell für möbel Ceased EP0878148A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9710041 1997-05-16
GBGB9710041.6A GB9710041D0 (en) 1997-05-16 1997-05-16 Improvements in or relating to furniture

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0878148A1 true EP0878148A1 (de) 1998-11-18

Family

ID=10812474

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98303708A Ceased EP0878148A1 (de) 1997-05-16 1998-05-12 Zusammenklappbares gestell für möbel

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0878148A1 (de)
GB (1) GB9710041D0 (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7419051B2 (en) 2004-10-29 2008-09-02 Ped Invest A/S Side-flexing conveyor belt

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2615771A (en) * 1951-07-10 1952-10-28 Philip C Curtis Knockdown table
FR1567787A (de) * 1967-06-06 1969-05-16
DE2404273A1 (de) * 1974-01-30 1975-08-07 Rido Busse Untergestell fuer platten
DE4114991A1 (de) * 1991-05-08 1992-11-12 Jens Grosshans Untergestell fuer plattenelemente

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2615771A (en) * 1951-07-10 1952-10-28 Philip C Curtis Knockdown table
FR1567787A (de) * 1967-06-06 1969-05-16
DE2404273A1 (de) * 1974-01-30 1975-08-07 Rido Busse Untergestell fuer platten
DE4114991A1 (de) * 1991-05-08 1992-11-12 Jens Grosshans Untergestell fuer plattenelemente

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7419051B2 (en) 2004-10-29 2008-09-02 Ped Invest A/S Side-flexing conveyor belt
US7661524B2 (en) 2004-10-29 2010-02-16 Ped Invest A/S Side-flexing conveyor belt
US7828136B2 (en) 2004-10-29 2010-11-09 Uni-Chains A/S Side-flexing conveyor belt

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9710041D0 (en) 1997-07-09

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