GB2061096A

GB2061096A - Backrest convertible to a table

Info

Publication number: GB2061096A
Application number: GB8017807A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bremshey AG
Current assignee: Bremshey AG
Priority date: 1979-09-06
Filing date: 1980-05-30
Publication date: 1981-05-13
Also published as: IT1131205B; BE883554A; IT8022436A0; DE7925318U1; FR2464678A1; DE2936057A1

Abstract

An item of furniture comprising a seat portion (1) and a further portion (2), the further portion (2) being connected to the seat portion (1) but being displaceable relative thereto so as to form a backrest portion in a first position or a table located forwardly of the seat portion in a second position, wherein the seat portion comprises the side members (3), support arms (4) each being pivotally (5) mounted at one of their ends on one of said side members (3), the other end of each support arm being connected to the further portion (2). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An item of furniture The present invention relates to an article of furni ture and more particularly relates to a seat having a back portion which can be converted into a table.

Articles of furniture of this type are known. In the case of one such known article of furniture, the seat and table position is obtained by pivoting the back support portion of the seat. To allow this to be done, the back portion is secured to or directly mounted on two support posts. It is mounted to pivot about a pivotal axis and is supported, in its turned-over posi tion of use as a table, by means of two pairs of sup ports on each side. Such an article of furniture does provide a seat in conjunction with a table, but is not particularly successful, the seat portion must be straddled to enable a person to sit at the table because the seat and table extend laterally trans versely to one another.

In contrast to this, the present invention seeks to provide an item of furniture of the above type which can be used as a combined seat and table or simply as a seat in which, in the seat and table arrangement, a user may still sit comfortably on the seat.

According to the present invention, there is pro vided an item of furniture comprising a seat portion and a further portion, the further portion being con nected to the seat portion but being displaceable relative thereto so as to form a backrest portion in a first position or a table located forwardly at the seat portion in a second position, wherein the seat por tion comprises the side members, support arms each being pivotably mounted at one of their ends on one of said side members, the other end of each support arm being connected to the further portion.

In this manner, there is provided an item of furni turn which consist of a minimal number of parts but which can be readily converted from a seat to a combined seat and table and vice versa in a simple manner. To convert the item from a seat to a com bined seat and table, the back portion of the seat is simply pivoted from the rear of the item, over the seat surface, into the area disposed forwardly of the seat where it forms a raised table surface. The table surface does not restrict the normal seating position or necessitate the adoption of any unconventional seating position such as straddling ofthe seat or the user being seated sideways with respect to the table.

Preferably, the support arms are substantially U-shaped such that, when the item of furniture is in its position of use as a seat having a backrest, said support arms form arm rest portions and, when the item of furniture is in its position of use as a seat and table, said support arms form ground engagement members for said table.

Desirably, the further portion, when acting as a backrest, is supported on stop members extending rearwardly from the seat portion.

Advantageously, further stop members are associated with the support arms for limiting their pivotal movement when said further portion is being displaced relative to said seat portion.

Further preferably, at least one support foot is associated with the support arms.

In such a case, in one embodiment, it is preferred if the support foot is pivotably mounted on a side member forming part of said seat portion, said support foot comprising a rod guided on the U-shaped support arm, and desirably the support foot is guided in the lower shank of the U-shaped support arm.

Alternatively, it is desirable if the support foot is pivotally mounted so as to fold onto the support arm.

In a further embodiment, it is preferred if the support foot is supported, in a spring-biassed manner, on a stationary stop member and is guided so to be displaceable on or in the support arm. The foot may also be rotatably guided in or on the support arm.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an item of furniture in accordance with the present invention, in the form of a seat having a back portion; Fig. 2 shows the item of furniture shown in Fig. 1 in which the back portion has been displaced to form a table; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of modified item of furniture in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 shows a further modified item of furniture similar two that shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows a side view of a further embodiment of an item of furniture in a first position of use; and Fig. 6 shows a side view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 in a second position of use.

In all of the embodiments shown, the item offurniture comprises a seat portion which may take the shape of a chair, a bench, an ottoman or a couch.

The seat portion surface 1 may be upholstered or un-upholstered. The item further includes a back support portion 2. The seat portion of which the surface 1 forms part may be in the form of a frame of suitable material. The frame includes side members 3 which may be in the form of plates having feet portions. The frame may also define a chest 3a to which access may be had by forming the seat surface 1 as a flap or lid.

The back portion 2, similarly to the seat surface 1, may also be upholstered or un-upholstered and is connected by support arms 4 to the lower frame 3 of the item of furniture. One end of each support arm 4 is rigidly or rotatably mounted on the back portion 2 and the other end is pivotably connected, by means of pivots 5 to the side members 3. This arrangement permits the back portion 2 of the item of furniture to be pivoted when desired, from the rear R of the seat surface 1 into the position shown in Fig. 2 or in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 3 wherein it is located at the front V of the article.

In this position, the back portion 2 extends sub stantially horizontally with its rear face 2a facing upwardly so as to form a table associated with the seat surface 1. As may also be seen, the association of the table with the seat surface 1 is such that a person can sit comfortably on the seat portion 1 and utilise the table surface 2a without hindrance or inconvenience. If the table is no longer required, the back 2 is simply rotated or pivoted from its position shown in Fig. 2 so that it passes over the seat surface 1 into its original position shown in Fig. 1. In this latter position, the back portion 2 rests with its lower edge 2b located on stop members 6 formed on the frame 3.In its position in which it acts as a back portion, the member 2 may also be maintained in position by stop members 6' (Fig. 3) which limitthe pivotal movement of the support arms 4 in a rearward direction. Fixed stop members 7 shown in Fig.

3 which correspond generally to the stop members 6', may be formed on the side members 3 for limiting the forward pivotal movement of the back portion 2 into its position of use as a table. If the support arms 4 are made substantially U-shaped, as is the case in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2, no stop members corresponding to the stop members 7 for limiting the movement of the back portion 2 into its position of use as a table are necessary because the shanks 4a, 4b and 4c of the U-shaped support arms 4 form runners which are supported on the ground.

The U-shaped design of the support arms 4 provides a simple, stress-resistant table support. Moreover, the shanks 4a, 4b, 4e of the support arms 4 form arm rests in the position of the item shown in Fig. 1. In an embodiment in which the seat portion is in the form of a bench or ottoman, suitable carrying grips or, as shown, grip recesses 8 may be provided on each side of the frame member 3. As shown in chaindotted lines in Fig. 2, the back portion 2 may, if a pivotable connection 9 between it and its support arms 4 is provided, be inclined for use as a desk. The back portion may be secured in a particular inclined position by means of a suitable locking arrangement 10. In order to adapt the height of the table or desk relative to the height of the seat, the shanks 4a may be made telescopic.Furthermore, the invention also includes the possibility of forming the back portion 2 in two or more parts. In such an embodiment, one or more back parts remain behind the seat portion 1 as a support as shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 2, whilst the remaining part or parts ofthe back portion are pivoted forwardly to act as a table.

In order to increase the stability of the item of furniture when the back portion 2 forms a table, a support foot 11, as shown in Figs. 4to 6, may be associated with at least one ofthe support arms 4. In the embodiments shown, a support foot 11 is associated with each support arm 4. The support feet 11 may, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, comprise a pair of rods which are pivotably mounted about pivot points 12 formed on the side portions 3 of the frame and are displace able on or in guides 13 formed on or in the shanks 4a. If desired, the rods may also be rotatable.The pivots 12 are spaced from the pivots 5 for the sup port arms 4, the pair of support feet 11 are automati callydisplaced on or in the guides 13 due to the forward or backward movement of the back portion 2 and/or imdependent upon the position of the table in the supporting position shown in Fig. 6. From the support position shown in Fig. 6 the pair of support feet 11 may be pivoted, without manual intervention, back into the position shown in Fig. 5 in which they are not an impediment when the shanks 4a, 46 are used as arm rests. The free end 1 lea of the support foot 1 2 may be so formed as to lowerable in the position shown in Fig. 5, entirely into the guides 13 which may be formed as turntables or slots.Alternatively, the free end 1 lea may be formed as a spherical stop member.

The support feet 11 may be positively held against a stop 12' formed on the item of furniture buy a spring 15 acting in the direction of arrow 14. The support feet 11 would then be drawn against the direction 14 of the arrow by the spring 15 when the table or back 2 is returned into the position shown in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, there is thus provided automatic insertion an expulsion of the support feet 11 in dependence upon the use of the item of furniture.

The support feet 11 may also be concealed in the bottom shanks 4b of the U either in association with an automatic insertion and expulsion mechanism or without such mechanism. In the latter case, the slide-like support feet 11 can be withdrawn and reinserted manually. However, the support feet 11 may, for example, merely be pivotally mounted at 16 at one oftheir ends on the support arms 4 and/or on the back portion 2, as is shown in Fig. 4 and may automatically or manually be brought out of a position in which they extend parallel to the support arms 4 into their table support position. If the support feet 11 have a U-shaped section corresponding to that of the support arms 4, the feet 11, when not in use, may be folded over the support arms 4 and may, if desired, be detachably secured thereto by any suitable means.

Claims

1. An item of furniture comprising a seat portion and a further portion, the further portion being connected to the seat portion but being displaceable relative thereto so as to form a backrest portion in a first position or a table located forwardly of the seat portion in a second position, wherein the seat portion comprises the side members, support arms each being pivotably mounted at one of their ends on one of said side members, the other end of each support arm being connected to the further portion.

2. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the support arms are substantially U-shaped such that, when the item of furniture is in its position of use as a seat having a backrest, said support arms form arm rest portions and, when the item offurniture is in its position of use as a seat and table, said support arms form ground engagement members for said table.

3. An item offurniture as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the further portion, when acting as a back rest, is supported on stop members extending rearwardly from the seat portion.

4. An item offurniture as claimed in Claim 1, wherein further stop members are associated with the support arms for limiting their pivotal movement when said further portion is being displaced relative to said seat portion.

5. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one support foot is associated with the support arms.

6. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 5 when appendent to claim 2 wherein the support foot is pivotally mounted on a side member forming part of said seat portion, said support foot comprising a rod guided on the U-shaped support arm.

7. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the support foot is guided in the lower shank of the U-shaped support arm.

8. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the support foot is pivotally mounted so as to fold onto the support arm.

9. An item of furniture as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the support foot is supported, in a springbiassed manner on a stationary stop member and is guided so to be displaceable on or in the support arm.

10. An item of furniture as claimed in claim 9 wherein the support foot is guided so as to be rotatable on or in the support arm.

11. An item of furniture constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs.

1 and 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4 or Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.