EP3033973B1

EP3033973B1 - Furniture item with incorporated bed

Info

Publication number: EP3033973B1
Application number: EP15199693.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gianfranco Pessotto
Original assignee: Pessottoreti Sas
Current assignee: Pessottoreti Sas
Priority date: 2014-12-17
Filing date: 2015-12-12
Publication date: 2020-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-12
Also published as: EP3033973A1

Description

The present invention relates to a furniture item with incorporated bed, in particular a lowerable bed being extractable from the inside of the furniture item through rotation.
E.g. from WO 2013 190449 a cabinet is known comprising a bed that is lowerable, by means of rotation about a horizontal axis, while when it is raised it disappears inside the cabinet. To the bed there is fixed a panel forming the front wall of the cabinet when the bed is vertical.
These types of furniture can be of two types. In the first type (see EP2404528 ) the panel is smaller than the front perimeter of the cabinet, and with the bed vertical it ends up inside the cabinet, flush with the perimeter frame of the cabinet. In the second type the panel is larger than the front perimeter of the cabinet, and with the bed vertical it ends up overlapped to the perimeter frame. We refer here to the second type.
To allow the descent and forward rotation of the panel, it is evident that a system must be devised to prevent the interference between the panel and the frame. Some models have very complex mechanics that move forward the whole panel along with the bedspring, indeed shifting also the rotation axis of the bed. For double-beds or with wide-occupant spaces the weight to be moved and supported is prohibitive, and limits the size of the bed. Other models (see fig. 6) divide the panel into two independent parts: a bigger top panel 100, which is fixed to a bed 108, and a lower smaller panel 102, hinged at the bottom of the cabinet and lowerable outwards. The small panel 102 can arrange itself horizontal, parallel and under the bed 108, when the bed 108 is lowered. The drawback is the necessary presence under the bottom of the cabinet of a (bulky and expensive) drawer 106, which, despite being recycled as a storage unit, actually serves to raise the cabinet to keep the bed 108 horizontal. In addition, not only the small panel 102 functions as a tilting scoop which discharges into the cabinet dust and dirt, but when it is horizontal it begins to move towards the vertical position only after the bed 108 has been raised by about 45°. This delay may be dangerous or increase the collected dust.
Therefore an improved technical solution is desired that solves at least one of these problems, and to such solution the concept of the invention is addressed, as defined in the appended claims, in which the dependent ones define advantageous variants.
US 1 001 214 discloses a lowerable bed with a movable bottom panel.
It is therefore proposed a furniture item to be laid on ground, comprising the features of claim 1.
The terms "horizontal", "vertical", "on ground", "inferiorly", "lower" and "bottom" are to be intended for the furniture item as normally in use.
The aforementioned furniture item is advantageous e.g. because it allows getting rid of the known drawer unit under the compartment and/or limiting the entry of dirt inside the compartment when the platform is horizontal. Furthermore, the upper edge of the second panel, when inclined with respect to the bottom plane, can serve as support for the platform in the horizontal position. Since the second panel remains inclined and not horizontal, it can return vertical in less time, to the benefit of security because the risk that it may tighten accidentally something or someone decreases.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanism is structured to constrain rigidly the platform and the second panel to each other (namely it synchronizes the movement of the platform and that of the second panel), so that a displacement of the platform always corresponds, and preferably in a continuous manner, in the two displacement directions for closing and opening, to a displacement of the second panel. The advantage is that jerks or delays are avoided in the movement of second panel, the control and safety of the furniture item improves because by acting on the platform a user operates and controls also the second panel, and there is certainty for the opening and closing of the second panel. Note that this feature, with the related advantages, is exploitable also in furniture models wherein the second panel lowers until it is horizontal.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanism is adapted to tilt the second panel by an angle such that the first panel, when it is horizontal, touches the second panel's free end (the upper end, the one receding from the compartment). In this way the second panel not only can support the first panel, but the residual opening of the compartment is further closed thereby restricting the entry of foreign objects.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanism comprises a rigid arm for coupling the platform to the second panel. By means of the rigid arm one can thus easily transfer the motion of the platform to the second panel to change the inclination thereof.
According to a preferred embodiment, the rigid arm is mounted (e.g. hinged) in a guided manner and slidingly on the second panel and/or on the platform, or the rigid arm is connected to the second panel and/or to the platform not at a fixed point but through a movable connection (e.g. hinging) point. The advantage is that a shorter, less bulky, arm can be used and/or to create more easily synchronized movements between the second panel and the platform.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanism comprises two or more rigid arms, movably connected (e.g. hinged or in telescopic manner) to each other, for coupling the platform to the second panel via a kinematic chain. Each arm can have the characteristics defined for the single arm. In particular, a first rigid arm is connected (e.g. hinged) to a second rigid arm to form a kinematic chain or a lever mechanism or a series of levers articulated to each other between the platform and the second panel. The advantage is being able to design the mechanism with more degrees of freedom, e.g. to avoid that the mechanism protrudes from the compartment and/or to program both the force that transfers from the second platform to the second panel and the motion of the point that applies such a force.
According to a preferred embodiment, a rigid arm

is connected on one side to the second panel and on the other side to another arm connected to the platform, and
is rotatably mounted, preferably with respect to a fulcrum placed in its central part, to rotate as a result of the force impressed upon it by the other arm.

This configuration has several advantages. It creates a very fluid movement for the second panel, the rotatably mounted arm acts as a mechanically-advantageous lever to move the second panel (therefore the mechanism is easy and convenient to operate), and allows to completely hide the mechanism inside the compartment of the furniture item.
Note that the structure of the mechanism utilizing one or more rigid arms as described herein, with the related advantages, can be used also in furniture models wherein the second panel lowers until is horizontal.
The invention is also directed to a method for moving a panel belonging to a furniture item, the furniture item being made to be laid on the ground and comprising the feature of claim 11.
The method has the same advantages of the furniture item defined above, which item implements the method. As variants of the method one may:

choose the angle between 10 and 75 degrees, preferably about 45 degrees; and/or
rigidly constrain the platform and the second panel to each other so that a displacement of the platform always corresponds in a continuous manner, in the two displacement directions for the closing and the opening, to a displacement of the second panel; and/or
tilt the second panel by an angle such that the first panel, when it is horizontal, touches the free end of the second panel.

The advantages of the invention will be better clarified by the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, illustrated in the attached drawing wherein:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cabinet according to the invention;
fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the circle C1 of fig. 1, with some components omitted and in transparency, for greater clarity;
fig. 3 shows a side view of the cabinet of fig. 1 when the bed is raised and vertical;
fig. 4 shows a side view of the cabinet of fig. 1 when the bed is lowered and horizontal;
fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the circle C2 of fig. 4;
fig. 6 shows a known liftable bed.

In the drawings equal reference numerals designate equal parts.
A cabinet 10 resting on a ground plane T comprises a box-shaped compartment 14 and an associated bed 20.
The compartment 14 may be formed e.g. by a parallelepiped closet or cabinet, which comprises two side walls 72, a bottom 96, a ceiling 74 and a back wall 76 which together delimit the compartment 14. Inside the compartment 14 is mounted a platform, which serves to support a person while resting, and may comprise a perimeter (e.g. rectangular) frame 18, with a bedspring or slats in the center thereof.
The compartment 14 has as a movable front wall a movable top panel 16 internally coupled to the platform of the bed 20, both lowerable together through a rotation about a horizontal axis X thanks to the pivoting of an inner plate 98 fixed inside the compartment 14. The platform is rotatably mounted about the X axis near a short side of its, and usually has the function of supporting a mattress MT (shown in dashed lines only in fig. 4).
Fig. 3 and fig. 4 show the two configurations of the platform, raised and lowered respectively.
The compartment 14 is covered, when the bed 20 is vertical, by a bigger rectangular panel, the panel 16, and a rectangular panel 26 of smaller dimensions. The platform can in fact remain vertical and hidden inside the compartment 14 ('closed' position, see fig. 3) or can be lowered to get out of the compartment 14 and be arranged horizontally ('open' position, see fig. 4), so that a person can sleep on it.
The panel 16 is integral with the platform or frame 18: it is fixed with respect to the platform, and always remains parallel - and at a certain distance - with respect to it. Therefore in the 'closed' position the panel 16 forms the main part of the closing vertical wall of the compartment 14. In the 'open' position the panel 16 positions itself approximately horizontal, staying under the platform.
The panel 26 is instead movable with respect to the compartment 14, in particular is hinged on its long side to the bottom 96 or to the walls 72 about a horizontal axis Y (located below X). In the 'closed' position the panel 26 is coplanar and adjacent to the panel 16 forming a continuous front surface of the cabinet 10 resting on the edges of the compartment 14 (see fig. 3). In the 'open' position the panel 26 tilts forward with respect to the compartment 14 by rotating about the axis Y. The result is that the panel 26 moves to allow the platform to lower without hitting the edges of the compartment 14.
The cabinet 10 comprises a mechanism M that, when the platform is lowered, is adapted to tilt the panel 26 away from the compartment 14. The end of the platform nearest to the X axis is connected to an arm 40, either through direct hinging or via a bracket 30, fixed on the platform, which has a hinging point P1 with the arm 40. The arm 40 is hinged at a point P2, e.g. at an end of its, at the end of or at a second arm 50 that is mounted as a rocker-arm and is hinged to the compartment 14 at a point P3. The arm 50 can swing about an axis Z, which nearly passes through its center. The arm 50 is hinged, at its end opposite to point P2, to a slider 56, e.g. a wheel, about an horizontal axis W at a point P4. The slider 56 can translate linearly (direction F) back and forth on a linear guide 58 coupled to the inner surface of the panel 26. The slider 56 and/or the guide 58 is optional, since the end of or the arm 50 may couple directly in a sliding manner with the guide 58, e.g. through a shaping of the arm 50 complementary to a groove obtained in the panel 26. The swing of the arm 50 entails the swing of the panel 26 by an angle β, wherein the amplitude of the angle β is that between the vertical and the half-line lying in the plane of the panel 26. For example. 30 ° < β <60 °, or β = 45 °.
The axes X, Z, Y and W are preferably parallel to each other.

OPERATION

When the platform is raised (fig. 3) the arm 40 is pushed downward by the platform. The point P2 is maximally down (maximally close to the bottom wall) while the point P4 is maximally up (maximally away from the bottom 96). Therefore the slider 56 is at the end of the stroke in the guide 58, at the upper end, and the panel 26 is held vertical.
When the platform is lowered and set horizontal (fig. 4) it raises the arm 40, which pulls the point P2 up. The arm 50 rotates about the axis Z and the point P4 lowers correspondingly, pushing the slider 56 along the guide 58 towards the axis Y. Thus, the panel 26 is pushed toward the outside of the compartment 14 and tilts by the acute angle β (fig. 4). It can be seen that the benefits of the cabinet 10 are e.g. that

the panel 26 tilts as it is enough for the movement of the platform, thereby limiting the dust and dirt which enters the compartment 14;
the axis X and the axis Y, unlike in fig. 6, may have any distance, being sufficient to adapt the length of the organs of motion transmission, in the example the arms 40, 50, between the platform and the slider 56;
one can do without the drawer 106, unlike FIG. 6;
one can adjust the final inclination of the panel 26 by sizing the mechanism M, e.g. to exploit the panel 26 as a support for the panel 16 (point R in fig. 5). It is sufficient for example to design the lengths of the arms 40, 50;
there is synchronous motion between the platform 18 and the panel 26, so any danger of crushing objects in front the panel 26 is avoided;
the panel 26 always assumes the same inclined position, in repeatable way;
the mechanism M matches precisely and in continuous manner a rotation angle of the platform 18 with an angle of rotation of the panel 26.

The panel 26 can be moved even with only one arm 99 (see dotted line in fig. 5) connected to the platform at a suitable point, but in this case the arm would protrude from the compartment and for aesthetic or security reasons it is preferred to avoid it.
The platform can be assisted by a gas spring 80 (see. fig. 2 and 4) placed e.g. between the frame 18 and the plate 98.

Claims

Furniture item (10) to be laid on ground (T), comprising
- a parallelepiped compartment (14) comprising two side walls (72), a bottom (96), a ceiling (74) and a back wall (76) which together delimit the compartment (14);

- a platform which can be lowered through rotation about a horizontal axis (X) passing inside the compartment (14), so that the platform can be either horizontal and parallel to said bottom (96), to sleep thereon, or vertical, concealed inside the compartment (14);

- a first panel (16) integral with the platform and adapted to overlap the perimeter of the compartment (14) to partially close the compartment (14) when the platform is vertical;

- a second panel (26) that - in use -
is placed inferiorly to the first panel (16) and movably connected to the bottom (96) of the compartment (14) for (i) overlapping the perimeter of the compartment (14) and close it partially when the platform is vertical and (ii) lowering as the platform becomes horizontal; and

- a mechanism (M) for coupling the platform and the second panel (26), so that the displacement of the platform from vertical to horizontal causes the second panel (26) to sweep an acute angle (β),
characterized in that
the mechanism (M) is adapted to tilt the second panel (26) by the acute angle (β) such that the first panel (16), when it is horizontal, touches the free end of the second panel (26).
Furniture item according to claim 1, wherein the angle is selected between 10° and 75°, preferably about 45°.
Furniture item according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mechanism is structured to rigidly constraint the platform and the second panel (26) to each other so that a displacement of the platform always corresponds in a continuous way, in the two displacement directions of closing and opening, to a displacement of the second panel (26).
Furniture item according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanism comprises a rigid arm (40; 99) for coupling the platform to the second panel (26).
Furniture item according to claim 4, wherein the rigid arm (40) is mounted slidably and in guided manner on the second panel (26) and/or on the platform.
Furniture item according to claim 4, wherein the rigid arm (40) is connected to the second panel (26) and/or to the platform through a movable connection point.
Furniture item according to claim 4 or 5 or 6, wherein the mechanism comprises two or more rigid arms (40, 50), connected to each other to movably couple the platform to the second panel (26) via a kinematic chain.
Furniture item according to claim 7, wherein one rigid arm (50)
- is connected on one side (P4) to the second panel (26) and on the other side (P2) to another rigid arm (40) connected to the platform, and

- is rotatably mounted (Z) to rotate as a result of the force imparted upon it by the other rigid arm (40).
Furniture item according to claim 8, wherein the rigid arms (40, 50) are hinged to each other at one end and the rotatably mounted arm (50) is hinged to the compartment (14).
Furniture item according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second panel (26) is hinged to said bottom (96).
Method for moving a panel (26) belonging to a furniture item (10), the item being made to be laid on ground and comprising
- a parallelepiped compartment (14) comprising two side walls (72), a bottom (96), a ceiling (74) and a back wall (76) which together delimit the compartment (14) ;

- a platform lowerable through rotation about a horizontal axis (X) passing inside the compartment (14), so that the platform can be either horizontal and parallel to said bottom (96), to sleep on it, or vertical, concealed inside the compartment (14);

- a first panel (16) integral with the platform adapted to overlap the perimeter of the compartment (14) to partially close the compartment (14) when the platform is vertical;

- a second panel (26) that is placed - in use - inferiorly to the first panel (16) and movably connected to the bottom (96) of the compartment (14) for (i) overlapping the perimeter of the compartment (14) and close it partially when the platform is vertical and (ii) lowering down while the platform becomes horizontal,
wherein the method comprises the step of
coupling the platform and the second panel (26) so that moving the platform from vertical to horizontal causes the second panel (26) to sweep an acute angle (β), wherein the second panel (26) is tilted by the acute angle (β) such that the first panel (16), when it is horizontal, touches the free end of the second panel (26).
Method according to claim 11, wherein said angle is between 10° and 75°, preferably about 45°.
Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the platform and the second panel (26) are rigidly constrained to each other so that a displacement of the platform always corresponds in continuous manner, in the two displacement directions for the closing and the opening, to a displacement of the second panel (26).