GB2049410A - Base element for furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding furniture leg comprising a box-like body 13 attached to the furniture article 6, and from which protrudes a pair of coaxial studs 111 to pivotally support a leg member 2 which is thus movable between the transportation position, as shown, and through approximately 90 DEG clockwise to the operative position. The leg member 2 has side walls 21 on opposite sides of the body 13 and having respective apertures 211 into which said studs 111 are located. The leg member is lockable in its two positions by means of projections 112 formed on the body 13 and which, in the position shown, locate in semi-circular recesses 213 in the leg walls 21. As the leg is rotated clockwise the projections 112 rides up ramps in side walls 21, the side walls 21 being forced apart during this process against their resilience, and then drop into apertures 212 in walls 21 to thereby lock the leg member in the operative position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Base element for furniture The invention relates to a base element for furniture and the like, which element is of the type comprising at least one foot holder secured below the body of the furniture and a foot part associated with the foot holder and preferably having a fine adjustment, the foot holder and foot part being adapted to be moved from a transportation position into an operative position, preferably by being moved through at least 90 degrees.

German Patent Application P 29 01 278.0 discloses a foot-like furniture base whereby force applied downwardly through the furniture body can be absorbed. The known arrangement comprises slide members which are arranged in pairs below the body and in which openings are formed. A swingable load-bearing side part is sunk between the slide members, and stud plates provided with hinge elements are arranged on the narrow end faces of this side part, said stud plates having stud-like projections which engage in the openings in the slide members to hold the side part in the position into which it has been swung.

This furniture can be used only in its paired arrangement. Its swinging mechanism involves displacement of studs in guide slots, the end of each of which determines the completion of the swinging operation, The present invention seeks to create greater versatility in the sense that a swingable furniture base of the known kind can also be used as a single piece. Furthermore, a different form of swinging mechanism is provided.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a base element for furniture and the like, which element consists of at least one foot holder secured below the body of the furniture and a foot part associated with the foot holder, the foot part being pivotable from a transportation position into an operative position, the foot holder comprising a box-shaped retaining means which is provided, on each of two opposite walls, with a respective protruding stud, the two studs protruding coaxially in the opposite direction to each other, said retaining means further including at least one latching projection protruding from one of said walls, and the foot part comprising a pair of side walls each being provided with a respective aperture through which a respective one of said studs protrudes, said side walls being attached together in such a way that they may be forced apart against their own resilience in the area of the retaining means, and wherein at least one of said side walls is provided with latching openings into which said latching projection may latch by virtue of said resilience, the position of said latching openings defining the transportation position and the operative position of the foot part.

It has been found advantageous if the latching holding means for use in transportation is formed by latching springs formed on the free end of the foot holder, which springs engage in recesses in the foot part to define the transportation position for transportation. The latching springs can be formed on one or both sides of the foot part.

In a preferred embodiment, side walls of the foot part each have a rounded corner zone, which permits movement in the direction of pivoting, said walls each having a latching orifice which is open at its outer end and is disposed at the apex of each rounded corner zone and which, in the opportunity disposed corner zone of each side wall, lies a closed latching orifice which limits the swinging movement.

Advantageously, in the zone between the open and closed latching orifices, the inner faces of the or each side wall is formed as a run-up surface for a respective latching projection on the foot holder, the arrangement being such that, starting from the open latching orifice, the wall-thickness of the side wall increases from almost zero to its full dimension in the zone of the closed latching orifice, and the latching projections on the foot holder, by overcoming the increasing resilient resistance offered by the side walls, can be latched into its respective closed latching orifice to thereby lock the foot part in its operative position. The latching projections and the latching orifices can be provided on one or both sides of the foot part and in the side walls of the foot holder.

In an advantageous combined arrangement, two complete base elements can be firmly interconnected by a side part which bears longitudinally against the lower face of the furniture body and carries this body. The base elements can be connected to the load-bearing side part by a stud connection, for example. However, any other type of suitable connection can be used. The same applies as regards the method of connecting the foot holder of each socket element to the lower face of the furniture body. Here again, stud connections or other connecting means can be provided.

In order that the invention may be better understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure lisa side view of one embodiment of a base element in accordance with the present invention in the transportation position; Figure 2 is a side view of a base element similar to that of Figure 1 swung through 90" into the operating position; Figure 3 shows a combination of two base elements with a side part which interconnects them; and Figure 4 is a sectional view of part of the hinge joint used in the base elements of Figures 1, 2 and 3..

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a base element 5 consisting of a foot holder 1 and a foot part 2. The foot holder 1 consists of a base plate 113 from which stud elements 114 project upwardly.

Integrally formed with the base plate 113 is a box-like retaining means 13 which is disposed on the opposite side of the base plate 113 to the stud elements 114 and which is equipped with a pair of outwardly projecting shaft stubs 111,121 respectively projecting in opposite directions from approximately the middle of each of its broad sides 11, 12.

Latching projections 112, 122 also extend from the broad sides 11, 12 of the box-shaped holder 13. The shaft stubs 111, 121 engage in respective openings 211,221 in side walls 21,22 of the foot part 2, which side walls enclose the box-shaped retaining means 13 of the foot holder 1 on both sides. The visible latching projection 112 is engageable in a latching orifice 213 open at its outer end. Near the latching orifice 213, the corner zone 214 of the side wall 21 is rounded in such manner that the orifice 213 has a substantially semicircular cross section.

In Figure 1,the box-shaped retaining means 13 projects downwardly beyond the side walls 21,22.

Its lower surface 115 acts as a slide surface for the furniture body during transportation. Visible in the foot part 2 are latching recesses 4 into which are engageable respective latching springs 3, formed integrally at the free end 113 of the foot holder.

A fine adjustment means 23, which may take the form of a screw-threaded element, is provided at the free end of the foot part 2. The foot holder 1 with the associated foot part 2 is connected by the stud elements 114 to the lower face of the furniture body 6 in such manner that the foot holder 1 extends belowthe side-wall 7 of the item of furniture to provide an additional hold.

Figure 2 shows the operating position of the base element 5 after the foot part 2 has been swung through 90" relative to the fixed foot holder 1. This Figure shows the other broad side of the base elementS, the latching projection 122 now being engaged in the latching orifice 222, corresponding to the position into which the foot part has been swung. The latching orifice 223 is empty following this swinging operation. The box-shaped retaining means 13 associated with the foot holder 1 is hidden between the side walls 21, 22. The remaining parts carry reference numerals corresponding to those in Figure 1, and Figure 2 shows the broad side of the base element 5 that is hidden in Figure 1.

A gap-closing element 8 may be suspended in front of the base element 5 and can be connected thereto by means of the usual commercially avail able connecting devices. The gap-covering element 8 has a sealing means 81 at its lower end.

In contrast to the Figure 1 arrangement, that of Figure 2 incorporates the special feature of a foot part divided into separate segments 9. Here, separation marks are provided on the foot part and these can be removed individually or in a number of sections for the purpose of adjusting the height of the base elementS. It will be clear that the height adjusting means 23 can be fitted in its seating again each time one or more of the sections 9 has or have been removed.

In Figure 3 parts that are similar to those shown in the other Figures have been allotted the same reference numerals as in those Figures. Figure 3 shows two base elements 5 with an interconnecting side part 17, which are shown as being firmly linked to the base elements 5 by means of stud elements 71. Thus, the swinging movements of the two base elements 5, which are interconnected by the side part 17, take place in unison.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of part of each of the hinge zones of Figures 1,2 and 3 and shows the mounting of the shaft stub 111, 112 in the associated openings 211,221. The drawing also shows part of the line of a run-up surface 215,225 formed around the rounded corner zone 214,224 of the respective side walls. Each run-up surface 215, 225 comprises a ramp which is at its lowest at the right, when seen in Figure 4, but increases to the full thickness of the respective side wall 21, 22 at the left.

The operation of swinging the base element from the transportation position into the operating position will now be described.

After the furniture body has been brought to the place where it is to be used -the surface 115 of the box-like retaining means 13 serving as a slide surface - the latching springs 3, formed integrally with the foot holder 1, are pressed out of the recess 4 in the foot part 2. At the same time, swinging movement is begun by sliding the latching projections 112, 122 out of the associates orifices 213, 223 respectively and by causing them to ride up the surface 215, 225 respectively towards the latching orifices 212,222 respectively. This movement procreeds with the aid of the shaft stubs 111, 121 of the foot holder 1, which stubs engage in respective openings 211,221 formed in the side walls 21,22 of the foot part.As the projections ride up the ramp surfaces 215,225, the side walls 21,22 of the foot part 2 are forced outwards, but during all such movement the shaft stubs 111, 121 remain in their mountings. Just before the latching orifices 212,222 are reached, the side walls 21,22 attain theirfull wall-thickness in the zone of the run-up surfaces 215, 225. Further, swinging movement causes the latching projections 112, 122 to drop into the orifices 212, 222 by virtue of the inwards spring bias due to the side walls 21,22 pressing towards one another. The swinging movement of the projections 112, 122 is thus halted, and the foot part 2 securely locked in position.Any unevenness of the floor can then be taken up with the aid of the fine-adjusting means 23, for example, said means 23 being so designed that the adjusting mechanism can be actuated both from the exterior and by reaching through the furniture body 6 and the base element 5.

An advantage of the above described base element is regarded as being that the swinging movement from the transportation position into the operative position is achieved by mounting the foot part on the foot holder by means of a shaft bearing.

This simple rotary movement prevents difficulties such as can occur in the prior art systems. A futher advantage is that the new base element can be arranged below a furniture body as a single foot in precisely the same way as can a two-part foot element having a load-bearing side part forming connecting means between two base elements.

Finally, the easy latching of the foot part of new base element, that is swingably mounted on the foot holder, must be regarded as advantageous.

Claims (8)

1. A base element for furniture and the like, which element consists of at least one foot holder secured below the body of the furniture and a foot part associated with the foot holder, the foot part being pivotable from the transportation position into an operative position, the foot holder comprising a box-shaped retaining means which is provided, on each of two opposite walls, with a respective protruding stud, the two studs protruding coaxially in the opposite direction to each other, said retaining means further including at least one latching projection protruding from one of said walls, and the foot part comprising a pair of side walls each being provided with a respective aperture through which a respective one of said studs protrudes, said side walls being attached together in such a way that they may be forced apart against their own resilience in the area of the retaining means, and wherein at least one of said side walls is provided with latching openings into which said latching projection may latch by virtue of said resilience, the position of said latching openings defining the transportation position and the operative position of the foot part.

2. A base element according to Claim 1, further including the latching retaining means to keep the foot part in the transportation position said retaining means being formed by latching springs which are formed on the free end of the foot holder and which, in the transportation position, engage in recesses in the foot part.

3. A base element according to claim 1 wherein two latching projections are provided respectively mounted on said opposite walls of the box-shaped retaining means, and wherein both of the side walls of the foot part are provided with latching openings, the arrangement being such that each of said latching projections is selectively engageable in the latching openings on one of said side walls to define the transportation position and operative position of the foot part.

4. A base element according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the side walls of the foot part each have a rounded corner zone which facilitates the pivoting movement, and wherein one of said latching openings takes the form of a latching orifice open towards the outside and formed at the apex of at least one of the rounded corner zones, the orifice being positioned such as to engage said latching projection in the transportation portion of the foot part.

5. A base element according to any one of claims 1,3 or 4 wherein the other of said latching openings takes the form of a closed latching orifice, which limits pivotal movement of the foot part and defines said operative position thereof.

6. A base element according to claims 4 and 5 wherein, in the zone between the open and closed latching orifices, the inner faces of the or each side wall is formed as a run-up surface for a respective latching projection, the arrangement being such that, starting from the open latching orifice, the wall-thickness of the side walls increases from almost zero to its full dimension in the zone of the closed latching orifice so that, as the foot part is pivoted about said studs, the or each latching projection, by overcoming the increasing resilient resistance offered by the side walls of the foot part, can be latched into its respective closed latching orifice to thereby lock the foot part in its operative position.

7. A base element for furniture, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A base element assembly comprising a pair of base elements according to any one of the preceding claims interconnected by a side part, which side part bears longitudinally against the lower face of the furniture body and carries this body.