EP1267666B1

EP1267666B1 - A small table having a height-adjustable top

Info

Publication number: EP1267666B1
Application number: EP01919756A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Donato D'urbino; Paolo Lomazzi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-28
Filing date: 2001-03-23
Publication date: 2004-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-23
Also published as: ITFI20000081A1; EP1267666A1; DE60106886T2; DE60106886D1; ITFI20000081A0; WO2001072171A1; ATE281095T1; AU4681401A; IT1314598B1

Abstract

Three legs (16) are articulated in an intermediate position on a centerpiece (12) by means of a respective pin (14); a central vertical guide means (5, 7) is provided between said centerpiece (12) and the top (1) of the table, to permit, with the rotation of the table (1) and of the shaft (5), vertical displacements of the top (1) of the table relative to said centerpiece (12) by means of cords (24) which control a simultaneous variation in the angular position of said legs (16) about the respective hinge pin (14).

Description

The present invention relates to a small furnishing table which is height-adjustable by simple means that are easy to control, economical and aesthetically attractive.

Substantially, the small table in question comprises:

at least three legs, each articulated in an intermediate position on a centerpiece by means of a pin;
a central vertical guide means between said centerpiece and the top of the table, to permit vertical displacements of the top of the table relative to said centerpiece;
and means for controlling a simultaneous variation in the angular position of said legs about the respective hinge pin.

In practice, the top of the table is supported by its own lower surface on the upper ends of said three legs, which can slide relative to said lower surface of the top.

In an advantageous embodiment, the top of the table is rotatable about a vertical axis defined by said guide means, which in practice are telescopically extended.

In order to control the simultaneous variation in the angular position of the legs, traction members may be provided in the form of cords or the like, which are anchored to the upper parts of the individual legs and which are drawn in for winding-up and released for unwinding by means of a single member functioning as a winding-up drum positioned below the top of the table and can be designed as a shaft solidly fixed to the rotatable top of the table and forming part of said telescopic guide means.

In a possible embodiment, the telescopic guide member comprises a prismatic shaft which can slide loosely but is angularly secured relative to a tubular column capable of rotating relative to the centerpiece and being locked relative thereto by means of a peg or the like; the shaft forms a drum for the winding-up of the cords which control the variation in the inclination of the legs.

The shaft-like guide member is engaged centrally to the top of the table with a body which may have a receiving profile, for example of frustum shape, capable of facilitating the winding-up of the cords on the shaft.

At the upper ends of the legs, rotating endpieces may be provided having the purpose of facilitating the sliding of said ends relative to the lower surface of the top of the table.

The invention will be better understood by following the description and the attached drawing, which shows a practical, non-limiting example of said invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a small table in the lowered position;

Fig. 2 shows a lateral view along the line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is analogous to Fig. 2, but shows the small table in a raised position;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail of a possible embodiment of the upper end of a leg;

Figs. 5 and 6 show a section along the line V-V in Fig. 3, enlarged, and in particular of said Fig. 3;

Figs. 7 and 8 show an alternative embodiment in vertical section and in section along the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7; and

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show a modified solution in a lateral view in two different inclinations of a leg and in section along the line XI-XI in Fig. 9.

According to what is shown in the attached drawing, 1 designates the top of a table, which may advantageously be circular and which may be made from any appropriate material and, in particular, transparent material. At the center of the table and below it is fitted a plate 3 from which emerges a vertical shaft 5, which is capable of sliding axially and rotating relative to a tubular seating 7 which is supported by all of the legs in the manner indicated below. 9 designates a locking member or at least braking member for engaging the shaft 5 on the tubular seating 7, for example by a set-screw means or a radial tightening means including lugs or flexible appendages which are extended from the tubular seating 7. The tubular seating 7 passes axially through an annular centerpiece 12 designed to link the legs. From said annular centerpiece 12 extend three radial pins 14 distributed at 120° from one another or other angular positions regularly distributed about the axis of the

group

5, 7, which pins are preferably coplanar and therefore lie in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the

telescopic group

5, 7. A respective leg 16 can oscillate about each of the pins 14; the various legs are designated 16A, 16B and 16C. Each leg 16 terminates at the bottom in an end 18 which is advantageously hemispherical or otherwise developed with a surface which permits regular support on the floor P at different inclinations that the leg may assume. At the upper end of each of the legs 16 an endpiece 20 is provided, which may also be shaped with spherical surfaces or otherwise with surfaces which permit a regular contact with the lower surface of the top 1, which is supported by three points constituted by the endpieces 20 of the three legs. Preferably, the endpieces 20 - according to a possible embodiment briefly indicated in Fig. 4 - are developed as a centerpiece which is capable of rotating either about a point or about an axis which may coincide with the axis of the respective leg 16, which is specifically shown in Fig. 4; the assembly in this case may provide for the presence of a journal pin supported by at least one rolling bearing which may be, for example, a needle bearing 22 or any other suitable arrangement for the purposes explained below.

The shaft 5 is developed with a diametral dimension sufficient also to form a drum for the winding-up and unwinding of three cords 24, each of which is anchored at 24A in the vicinity of the upper end of a respective leg, while the three cords are wound up and engaged by their opposite ends to the shaft 5 functioning as a winding-up and unwinding drum. Therefore, by rotation of the shaft 5 - which may be rotated through the agency of the top 1 of the small table about the axis defined by the telescopic group 5, 7 - the three cords 24 or other equivalent flexible members are simultaneously drawn to be wound up on the shaft 5 or released to be unwound from the shaft 5, depending on the direction of rotation whereby the top 1 of the table may be controlled, following unlocking of the clamping device 9 of the shaft 5 relative to the tubular seating 7. It is clear from a comparison between Figs. 2 and 3 that, by rotating the top 1 of the small table in one direction or the other, it is possible to vary the extent of the unwinding of the cords 24 and thereby possible to vary the inclination of the

legs

16A, 16B, 16C in a simultaneous manner identical for all three legs, about the respective journal pins 14; this makes it possible to vary the height of the top 1 relative to the floor. The rotation of the top 1 may be facilitated by the rotation that may be undergone by the upper ends 20 of the legs, as indicated in Fig. 4.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the mechanical group extending between the top of the table and the centerpiece on which the legs are articulated. The centerpiece is formed by the lower part 103 (equivalent to the centerpiece 12 in the initial example) of a body 101, from which the pins 105 of the legs 17 extend, and by an upper part 109 which is capabie of being rotated relative to the lower part 103 about the vertical axis of rotation of the top 112 of the table; in practice, the part 109 has an axial appendage 109A received in a through axial seating of the part 103 and prevented from axial movements by a ring nut 114. A peg 116, slidingly received in a hole 118 in the upper part 109, may be caused to penetrate into one or other of blind holes 120 made circumferentially in the lower part 103, in order to engage the two

parts

103, 109 rotationally after the top 112 of the table has reached the desired level. Solidly fixed to the upper part 109 of the centerpiece 101 is a tubular column 122 which loosely receives a shaft 124 solidly fixed to the top 112 (functionally equivalent to the member 5). The shaft 124 is hexagonal and capable of sliding but angularly linked to the column 122 (functionally equivalent to the member 7), being engaged in a hexagonal through seating 126 of a plug 128 fitted to the top of the column 122. The shaft 124 is engaged in a centerpiece 130 fitted to the center of the lower surface of the top 112. The shaft 124 has a cylindrical section 124A, on which the cords 132 (equivalent to the cords 24) can be wound up and unwound, each of said cords being anchored at one end to the upper end of one of the legs 107 and at the other end, at 134, to the centerpiece 130 at 136. The centerpiece 130 - which may be in two

parts

130A and 130B, linked by screws 138 - has a receiving profile 130C, for example a frustoconical profile, for guiding the cords 132 to the cylindrical section 124A for them to be wound up thereon when it is desired to cause the raising of the top 112 of the table by exerting a rotational action thereon. The peg 116, when it is caused to penetrate into one or other of the blind holes 120, prevents incidental rotation of the top 112 of the table and consequent changes in level.

Other means may be provided for the same purpose of varying the inclination of the legs relative to the floor.

Figs. 9 to 11 show an alternative embodiment relative to the solution shown in Fig. 4, to facilitate further the rolling sliding of the endpieces 20 relative to the lower surface of the top 1, and also with a view to avoiding the formation of visible scratchings in the event that the top is transparent. In this alternative embodiment, the endpiece 200 (corresponding to the endpiece 20) is however solidly fixed to the

leg

16, 16A and has a seating 220 into which a shaped support 222 is inserted and engaged to form an outer trim 224 and a seating for a transverse pin 226; this pin 226 forms part of an assembly oscillating about the pin 226 and forming a journal 227 on which are mounted one or two rollers 228, both free to rotate independently about their common axis 230; this axis 230 of the rollers 228 is skewed relative to the axis of the pin 226 and lies in a geometrical plane orthogonal to the axis of the pin 226; also located in said geometrical plane is the axis of the

leg

16, 16A. The top of the table bears on the two rollers 228 of the three legs.

With this arrangement, when the inclination of the legs 16 is varied relative to the top 10, the support 222 varies its own inclination about the axis of the pin 226 and the two rollers 228 both roll smoothly along the lower surface of the top 10, without sliding.

It is understood that the drawing shows only an example of embodiment, given solely by way of a practical demonstration of the invention, it being possible for the invention to be varied in its shapes and configuration without thereby departing from the scope of the idea underlying said invention. The presence of any reference numbers in the appended claims serves the purpose of facilitating reading of the claims with reference to the description and to the drawing, and does not restrict the scope of protection represented by the claims.

Claims

A small table having a height-adjustable top, characterized in that it comprises: at least three legs (16), each articulated in an intermediate position on a centerpiece (12) by means of a pin (14); a central vertical guide means (5; 7) between said centerpiece (12) and the top (1) of the table, to permit vertical displacements of the top (1) of the table relative to said centerpiece (12); and means for controlling a simultaneous variation in the angular position of said legs (16) about the respective hinge pin (14).
Small table as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said top (1) of the table is supported on the upper ends (20) of said at least three legs (16), which can slide relative to the lower surface (1A) of said top (1).
Small table as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the top (1) of the table is rotatable about a vertical axis defined by said guide means (5; 7), which are telescopically extended.
Small table as claimed at least in claim 3, characterized in that said means for controlling the simultaneous variation in the angular position of the legs (16) comprise traction members in the form of cords (24) or the like, which are anchored to the upper parts of the individual legs (16) and which are drawn in to wind up on, and released to unwind from, a member (5; 124) functioning as a winding-up drum positioned below the top of the table.
Small table as claimed in claim 3 and 4, characterized in that said member (5) is extended as a shaft (5; 124) solidly fixed to the rotatable top (1) of the table and forming part of said telescopic guide means (5, 7; 124; 122).
Small table as claimed at least in claim 5, characterized in that said centerpiece (12) is combined with an outer tubular element (7) forming the tubular seating of the telescopic guide means (5, 7).
Small table as claimed at least in claim 5, characterized in that said telescopic guide member (124) comprises a prismatic shaft (124) which can slide loosely but is angularly secured relative to a tubular column (122; 126) capable of rotating relative to the centerpiece (103) and being locked relative thereto by means of a peg (116) or the like; said shaft (124) forming a drum (124A) for the winding-up of the cords (132) in order to vary the inclination of the legs (16; 107).
Small table as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shaft-like guide member (5; 124) is engaged centrally to the top of the table with a body (130) having a receiving profile (130B), for example of frustum shape, to facilitate the winding-up of the cords (24; 132) on said shaft.
Small table as claimed at least in claim 3, characterized in that rotating endpieces (20) are provided at the upper ends of the legs (16; 107) to facilitate sliding relative to the lower surface of the top of the table.
Small table as claimed at least in claim 3, characterized in that each of the upper endpieces (200) of the legs (16) has a seating (220) for a support (222) on which oscillates a pin (226) which in turn is solidly fixed to a journal (227) for one or two rollers (228) on which the top (1) of the table bears.