EP0878160A2

EP0878160A2 - An item of furniture for a bathroom

Info

Publication number: EP0878160A2
Application number: EP98830289A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pio Molinari Tosatti
Original assignee: Arch MOLINARI TOSATTI Pio
Current assignee: Arch MOLINARI TOSATTI Pio
Priority date: 1997-05-16
Filing date: 1998-05-14
Publication date: 1998-11-18
Also published as: EP0878160A3; ITMO970017U1; IT243154Y1

Abstract

The item of furniture (1) is for use in a bathroom or toilet to cover sanitary appliances, in particular a water closet or a bidet (1), and comprises an upper part (2) having four legs (4a, 4b) which are vertical and made reciprocally solid, which upper part (2) also comprises a bank of shelves (8) composed of one or more shelves arranged one above another. The upper part (2) is removably connected to a lower part (3), which can be inserted below the bank of shelves (8) and which is conformed so as to afford an inferior free space which can receive the water closet or bidet (11).

Description

The invention relates to an item of furniture for a room with toilet facilities.

Specifically, though not exclusively, the invention is usefully employed in a household bathroom having normal hygienic facilities, such as a water closet and/or a bidet.

The main aim of the present invention is to provide an item which can rationally exploit the amount of space available in a small room with hygienic facilities.

An advantage of the invention is that it is simply constructed and economical. A further advantage is that the item of furniture of the invention is configured such that when not in use, the sanitary appliance can be covered.

A further advantage is that the item can also be used as a bank of shelves as well as a stool.

The above aims and advantages are all attained by the present invention, as it is characterised in the appended claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example in the accompanying figures of the drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the item of furniture, situated in proximity of a bidet, wherein the lower part (stool) is separated from the upper part (shelves);

figure 2 shows a sectioned view of the embodiment of figure 1 according to a median vertical plane, in a configuration where the lower part is situated below the upper part and is so positioned as to cover the bidet.

With reference to the above-mentioned figures, 1 denotes in its entirety an item of furniture destined to be used in a bathroom having sanitary appliances, in particular quite low appliances, such as a water closet and/or bidet.

In the illustrated example, the item of furniture 1 comprises two parts: a first or upper part 2, which functions principally as a shelf or bank of shelves, and a second or lower part 3, which functions mainly as a stool, and which can be removably united to the upper part 2. In figure 1 the two parts, upper 2 and lower 3, are shown separated from one another, while in figure 2 the two parts are shown united. The two

parts

2 and 3 can also advantageously be used separately, as single items of furniture.

The upper part 2 comprises four legs, two front 4a and two back 4b, preferably vertical and straight, resting on casters 5. The

legs

4a, 4b, are arranged at corners of a rectangle. The two front legs 4a are connected to the two back legs 4b by means of two crossbars 6.

The distance between the two back legs 4b (equal to the distance between the two front legs 4a) is greater than the lateral mass of the appliance to be covered, i.e. a water closet or a bidet, such as may normally be found in a home, so that the item of furniture can be positioned above the appliance and be moved in a horizontal direction, without having to lift the item of furniture itself from the ground.

The upper part 2 is provided with four vertical panels 7, arranged in an x-configuration, which are anchored to the

legs

4a, 4b and which support at least one shelf 8. A container 9, superiorly open, is fixed to the rear "V" of the X configuration of the panels 7.

In the illustrated example the at least one shelf 8 is in fact three horizontal shelves, positioned one above another, vertically distanced, usable as rest surfaces or as supports for drawers, cupboards, bathroom accessories, and so on.

The first shelf 10, the lowest, is set at a height which is greater than the height of the sanitary appliance. In the figures a bidet 11 is shown to represent the bathroom appliance, although another appliance could equally have been used, such as a water closet - the item of furniture of the invention could be used with any appliance of a suitable height.

The special dimensions and conformation of the upper part 2 of the item of furniture 1, together with the fact that it can be moved on casters 5, means that said upper part 2 can easily be arranged around the appliance (for example, the bidet 11 of the figures) without its having to be lifted; the shelves 8 will be positioned vertically above the appliance and the appliance will be situated in the space comprised internally of the

legs

4a, 4b of the upper part 2 of the item of furniture.

The lower part 3 of the item of furniture 1 comprises a horizontal upper surface 12 which is made solid to two flat vertical lateral walls 13 which are parallel to one another. The upper surface 12 can be used as a stool. The lower part 3 also comprises a U-shaped vertical wall 14, the straight sections of the U being located side-by-side to and internal of the lateral walls 13. The lower part can be slidable on three casters 15. The height of the upper surface 12 from the ground is greater than the maximum height of the sanitary appliance, and is lower than the height of the first shelf 10 of the upper part 2 of the item of furniture 1. The distance between the two parallel sections of the U of the vertical wall is greater than the lateral mass of bathroom appliance. The width of the lower part 3 is smaller than the distance between the two front legs 4a of the upper part 2.

The U-shaped vertical wall 14 is made solid to a U-shaped rib 16 arranged immediately above the casters 15 and at a short distance from the ground. The rib 16 is of dimensions such as to embrace the surface of the normally-narrower base of the appliance.

The upper part 3 can be removably united to the lower part 2 by means of a pin 17 provided with a knob 18. The pin 17 can be inserted or removed in or from holes afforded in the upper and

lower parts

2 and 3 of the item of furniture 1. The aforementioned lower part 3 is conformed in such a way as to be removable from and insertable below the upper part 2; it is also conformed in such a way as to cover the sanitary appliance, as illustrated in figure 2.

The upper part 2 has two panels 19 situated on opposite sides thereof; the panels 19 are parallel and fixed to the lower shelf 10, and project inferiorly from the shelf and laterally contain the lower part 3. The distance between the internal surfaces of the two panels 19 is about the same as the distance between the external surfaces of the walls 13. During insertion and extraction of the lower part 3 with respect to the upper part 2, which is done with no lifting of either the upper 2 or the lower part 3, the panels 19 function as sliding guides for the lower part 3.

The upper part 2 normally occupies the vertical space above a sanitary appliance (for example a bidet 11). The lower part 3, which can be used as a stool, when not in use can be stored below the upper part 2, in a position in which it covers the appliance (see figure 2). When so desired, the lower part 3 can be pulled out from below the upper part 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow 20, after having disengaged the pin 17 (see figure 1). When the appliance is to be used, the whole item of furniture can be moved (in the direction indicated by the arrow 20 of figure 1) on its own castors 5 and repositioned, say, above another appliance, if there are two in the bathroom. After using the sanitary appliance, the item 1 can be replaced in its original position.

Claims

An item of furniture (1), comprising a plurality of vertical legs (4a, 4b), made solid one to another and bearing a bank of shelves (8) composed of one or more shelves arranged one above another, characterised in that below said bank of shelves (8) a space is afforded having a function of receiving a sanitary appliance (11) therein.
The item of furniture of claim 1, wherein a distance between at least two of said legs (4b) is such as to enable said item of furniture to be positioned above said sanitary appliance (11) by displacing the item of furniture in a horizontal direction.
The item of furniture of claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the legs (4a, 4b) are provided with casters (5).
The item of furniture of any one of the preceding claims, comprising a lower part (3), preferably slidable on casters (15), which is removably united with an upper part (2) of the item of furniture and which can be inserted below said bank of shelves (8), and which is conformed and arranged in such a way as to cover the appliance (11).
The item of furniture of claim 4, characterised in that said lower part (3) comprises a flat upper surface (12) which can be used as a stool and which is arranged below, parallel to and at a short distance from said bank of shelves (8).
The item of furniture of claim 5, comprising a pin (17) engaged removably in two holes, one of which holes is made in the flat upper surface (12) and another of which holes is made in the bank of shelves (8).
The item of furniture of any one of the preceding claims from 4 to 6, characterised in that said lower part (3) comprises a U-shaped lateral wall (14), which is made solid to the flat upper surface (12) and is situated there-below.
The item of furniture of any one of claims from 4 to 7, comprising sliding guides, solidly constrained to the bank of shelves (8), for guiding said lower part (3) into and out of said space comprised below said upper part (2), which sliding guides preferably comprise two panels (19), parallel one to another and situated at opposite sides of said upper part (2).