EP1725143B1

EP1725143B1 - Sofa-bed with innovative elements for assembly and position adjustment

Info

Publication number: EP1725143B1
Application number: EP05726573A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Patella
Original assignee: Gruppo Industriale Styling
Current assignee: Gruppo Industriale Styling
Priority date: 2004-03-18
Filing date: 2005-02-28
Publication date: 2008-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-28
Also published as: US20080148478A1; WO2005087052A1; UA85408C2; ATE407595T1; CN1917795A; EP1725143A1; CA2560077A1; DE602005009670D1; PL1725143T3; ITBA20040010A1

Abstract

Sofabed with innovative position adjustment mechanism and a fast assembly process, comprising padding elements, a base structure ( 1 ) a plurality of mutually hinged frames ( 2 ) supported by said base structure and supporting said padding elements, and a kinematic mechanism ( 3 ) to change the frames positions; moreover, the base structure comprises two identical elements, named "small legs" ( 4 ), a spacer ( 5 ), and is characterised by a "hinge" plate ( 6 ) consisting of two flat surfaces, fixed on the small leg ( 4 ), which consists of two flat surfaces with an almost rectangular hole ( 7 ); said hole is tapered on one side ( 8 ) to lodge the spacer ( 5 ). This assembly procedure removes the clearance in the coupling between the hinge ( 6 ) and the spacer ( 5 ) and obtains a perfect perpendicularity between the spacer and the "small leg" ( 4 ). According to a subsequent aim the base structure assembly is realised by only two bolts.

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a convertible sofa bed provided with an innovative position adjustment mechanism to provide for a fast assembly process.
In the state of the technique there are already some realizations of convertible sofa beds. They normally comprise (Fig. 1) padding elements, a base structure (1), and a kinematic mechanism (3) to change the frames positions; the required features of said sofa beds are an easy assembly process, an easy conversion from bed configuration to a sofa configuration and vice versa, and also to be comfortable.
The applicant, in this field for many years, has already patented ( EP 1020142 ) a sofa bed characterised by a kinematic mechanism that allows the front legs wheels to stay close to the ground in both positions, a mechanism which blocks the relative rotation between the seat frame and the back frame and a simplified assembly process.
Notwithstanding the remarkable inventive step in this technical field, this invention is still characterised by some drawbacks. First of all, the machining tolerances cannot ensure a good coupling between the base structure and the frames (seat and back). Moreover, though very simple, the assembly process needs several bolts and, consequently, a long assembly time.

Disclosure of the invention

The invention relates to a sofa which comprises padded elements, a base structure (1) a plurality of frames (2), mutually hinged and supported by said base structure and supporting said padded elements, and a kinematic mechanism (3) allowing the frames to shift and stop in desired positions; moreover the base structure comprises two identical side elements, in the form of "small legs" (4) and a cross-beam or spacer (5) connecting said side elements, and further having connecting "hinge" plates (6), fixed on each small leg (4), and each consisting of two flat surfaces with an almost rectangular hole (7); said hole is tapered on one side (8) to lodge a respective end of the spacer (5). This assembly procedure removes the clearance in the coupling between the hinge (6) and the spacer (5) and obtains a perfect perpendicularity between the spacer and the "small leg" (4).
According to a subsequent aim the base structure assembly is realized by two bolts only.
These and other advantages will be pointed out in the detailed description of the invention that will refer to the figures of tables 1/5 , 2/5, 3/5, 4/5 and 5/5, in which a preferred and not restrictive embodiment is shown.

Way of carrying out the invention

With reference to the above mentioned tables:

Fig. 1 is the sofa structure according to the invention;
Fig. 2 shows the base structure ;
Figs. 3 and 4 show a detail of the plate called "hinge", respectively;
Fig. 5 shows the hinge between plate and frame;
Fig. 6 shows the detail of the shaped pin;
Fig. 7 shows the coupling between cam and roll;
Fig. 8 shows the front leg of the structure;
Fig. 9 shows the fastening of the front leg;
Fig. 10 shows a detail of the second fixation plate.

As already mentioned, the main purpose of the invention is to reduce as much as possible the clearance of the sofa base structure (1). Fig. 2 shows the sofa base structure that supports the hinged frames in the bed and sofa configurations, and comprises two identical elements, called "small legs" (4), and a spacer (5). Such a spacer is a rectangular pipe, which constrains and lets the two "small legs" be parallel to each other. In Fig. 3 is shown the connecting plate (6) which allows the assembly between "small leg" and spacer. Said plate consists of two parallel, distanced surfaces and, due to its function, it is called a "hinge". One hinge is fixed on each "small leg" and has an almost rectangular hole (7), with tapered sides (8). As observed in Fig. 4, when tightening the bolt (9), the spacer (5) is forced in the tapering (8) of the holes (7). Therefore, thanks to this assembly process, three important conditions are matched: the clearance elimination in the coupling between hinge (6) and spacer (5); the perfect perpendicularity between spacer (5) and small leg (4); the assembly of the sofa base structure by means of two bolts only (one for each leg).
Another function of the plate called "hinge" (6) is to articulate a frame (10) around a hole (11), as shown in Fig. 5. The frame rotates, moving from a horizontal position to a second desired position defined by a blocking element. The desired position is defined by the holes on the frame, meaning that to change inclination one should change the hole. The rotation axis and the block element are realized by a shaped pin (12), whose one end (12'), engaged into a hole of the frame, works as a rotation axis; while another pin portion (12") works as a blocking element for the frame. A return spring moves the pin: loosing the spring tension, the pin is inserted in both holes of the two parallel "hinge" plates (6). By a simple movement and without any tool, the frame (10) can be disengaged and fixed using another hole, obtaining a different inclination of the sofa back.
On the free front end of each "small leg" (4) there is a roller (13) whose cross section is complementary to the profile of a cam (14) to lodge it when the mechanism is in the sofa configuration, as shown in Fig. 7. The roller has a central groove (13'), few millimetres wide, in which the cam is lodged. This allows the self-centring of the cam and the roll, preventing bad functioning due to misalignment. A second element (15) is connected to the cam (14). It is named "front leg" and can rotate around an axis up to a certain interval, as shown in Fig. 8. Like with the sofa seat, also the front leg (15) should be fixed to a certain angle. The desired position is obtained by an additional plate (16), which is fixed by a single bolt and has two block elements: the first one (18) realized on the leg, the second one realized on the cam. By means of these block elements, the plate keeps the leg in the desired position. The block elements can be realized by pins, either inserted in complementary holes or working on the external profile of the leg (15) or the cam (14). In Fig. 9, an embodiment of the described plate is shown. A further functional feature of the fixing plate is a portion (20) at 90 degrees to the fixed one, having a number of holes, to be used to fix the panels of different sofa models.
As mentioned, a further aim of the invention is the reduction of the number of bolts in the sofa assembly procedure. The known art requires fourteen bolts, the present invention only six. In fact, each side of the frame has three bolts: the first one to fix the spacer (5) to the "small leg" (4), the second to fix the cam (14) to the frame and the third one to fix the back leg (21) to the seat frame (2).

Claims

Sofa bed provided with a position adjustment mechanism to provide for a fast assembly process and comprising padded elements, a base structure (1),a mutually hinged number of frames (2), supported by said base structure and supporting said padded elements; and a kinematic mechanism (3) to allow different frame positions; moreover, the base structure comprises two identical side elements in the form of small legs (4), and a cross-beam or spacer (5), connecting said side elements characterised by a connecting hinge plate (6), fixed on each small leg (4), said hinge plate consisting of two flat surfaces with aligned, almost rectangular holes (7); said holes being tapered on one side (8) to lodge one end of the spacer (5).
Sofa bed according to claim 1, wherein said spacer (5) is forced against the tapering (8) of the holes (7) by only one bolt.
Sofa bed according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said connecting hinge plate has a pin (12), which allows the articulation of frame (10) around a hole (11) and a frame stop; said pin having an end (12') engaged in a hole (11) of the frame (10) to work as a rotation axis, and a portion (12") that works as a blocking element for the frame (10).
Sofa bed according to claim 3, wherein said pin (12) is forced by a return spring: loosing the spring tension, the pin is inserted in both holes of the two connecting hinge plates (6); without using any tool so that upon overcoming the spring preload, the frame (10) can be disengaged and fixed to another hole, obtaining a different inclination of the sofa back.
Sofa bed according to one of the claims from 1 to 4, wherein, on the free end of the small leg (4), there is a roller (13) which has a cross section complementary to the profile of a cam (14); whereby in the sofa configuration, the two sections are mutually engaged; said roller (13) having a central groove (13'), a few millimetres wide, into which the cam is lodged.
Sofa bed according to one of the previous claims, wherein a front leg (15) can rotate around an axis for a certain interval.
Sofa bed according to claim 6, wherein the desired position of said front leg (15) is realized by a further plate (16), fixed by a single bolt and having two blocking elements: the first one (18) realized on the leg, the second one realized on the cam.
Sofa bed according to claim 7, wherein said blocking elements can be realized by pins, either inserted in complementary holes or working on the external profile of the leg (15) or the cam (14).
Sofa bed according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said fixing plate (16) has a portion (20) perpendicular to the fixed one on the front leg (15), having a number of holes, to be used to attach panels of different sofa models.
Sofa bed according to one of the previous claims, wherein it needs only six bolts for the whole assembly procedure and, wherein each structure side has three bolts: the first one to fix the spacer (5) to the small leg (4), the second to fix the cam (14) to the frame and the third one to fix a back leg (21) to the seat frame (2).