GB2171000A

GB2171000A - An item of furniture

Info

Publication number: GB2171000A
Application number: GB08504174A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Marshall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-02-19
Filing date: 1985-02-19
Publication date: 1986-08-20
Also published as: GB8504174D0

Abstract

An item of furniture in the form of a table is provided with a supporting framework (14,15,16,17,18,19) shaped to represent the body of a butterfly, and the table top is formed as two wings (25) mounted to the support structure in such a way that they can turn between a first position in which the two wings are generally coplanar with one another and parallel to a surface on which the support is standing, and a second position in which the wings (25) are inclined each at an angle above the horizontal position of use. Rear legs (18) of the support frame may be interlinked with the wings constituting the table top (25) in such a way that the body (12) of the butterfly is inclined to the horizontal as the wings (25) are folded upwardly to their rest position and moved back to the horizontal position when the wings (25) are displaced to the horizontal position of use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An item of furniture The present invention relates to an item of furniture, and particularly to an item of furniture shaped specifically to represent a nonfurniture form.

The present invention relates specifically, but not exclusively, to items of furniture usable as tables or desks, and which have a novelty value by virtue of a specific form and construction thereof.

Conventional tables are formed either with a single rigid platform or table top, or may be provided with folding leaves which drop down to a lowered position to minimize the bulk of the table when not in use. It is also known to construct expanding tables which have a centre section which can be removed and stored, perhaps under the table top, when the table top is reduced to its smallest extent by means of a collapsing frame, and which can be positioned within the two movable parts of the table top when the table is extended for increasing its seating capacity.Although tables are often formed to a high standard of craftsmanship there is rarely very much artistic or aesthetic merit therein, and the present invention seeks to provide an item of furniture usable as a table which has artistic or aesthetic value when not in use, and which can serve as an objet d'art when not in its use position.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, an item of furniture has a generally planar support surface member carried on a sub-frame, in which the support surface member is formed in two parts each of which is pivotally movable between a first position in which it is generally co-planaar with the other part, and a second position in which it lies in a plane inclined upwardly away from the pivot axis of that part. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the said two parts of the support surface member are each pivotally connected to a central body to turn about substantially the same axis between the said first and second positions thereof.

Conveniently, but not essentially, the said central body may itself be pivotally connected to the subframe for turning movement about an axis substantially orthogonal to that of the or each said axis about which the said support surface parts are turnable.

In the use position, the, the two support surface parts are lowered to a co-planar arrangement where, conveniently, they both extend horizontally with respect to a horizontal surface on which the sub-frame is carried. In this orientation the furniture item can be used as a conventional table, occasional table, coffee table or the like.

Preferably the turning movement of the said body in at least one direction about its pivot axis is limited by at least one abutment on the sub-frame. The said abutment on the subframe may be in the form of a transverse rail extending between two legs of the sub-frame in a direction generally parallel to the said pivot axis of the body on the sub-frame.

Each of the said two parts of the support surface member may include or be attached to means defining an abutment member engageable with at least one cooperating abutment member on the sub-frame to limit the turning movement of the associated said part of the support surface member in at least one direction of turning movement about the said common axis.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the pivotal attachment of each said part of the support surface member to the body of the furniture item is effected by means of brackets having a loop portion surrounding a part of the body. In this preferred embodiment of the invention the said two support surface members are formed in the shape of butterfly wings.

The said sub-frame may be composed of ground-engaging legs joined at the upper ends by generally parallel frame rails. In the preferred embodiment the sub-frame has six such legs, and these are arranged in pairs with the middle pair of legs being spaced wider apart at the foot than the spacing of the other two pairs.

Many different constructional arrangements are possible. For example each part of the support surface member may be individually attached by a hinge, such as a piano hinge, to the body whilst the transverse pivotal attachment of the body to the sub-frame may be formed at a lower level than this. When the two parts of the support surface member are raised to their second position they may be retained in this position by a suitable counterbalancing arrangement, but preferably they are retained in position by engagement between their undersurface and the upper rail of the sub-frame, the weight of the body together with the said two parts of the support surface member being sufficient to retain these parts in their said second position once moved thereto; when the said two parts of the support surface member are lowered to their first position, however, the abutments on the brackets contact the lower surface of the same top rail of the sub-frame and the weight of the said two surface member parts, which are now extended well beyond the pivot axis, is sufficient to retain these in the said first position.

Conveniently the circumferential grooves which receive the bracket loops have metal lined bearing surfaces so that the construction can be formed with close tolerances and little or no play.

An embodiment as defined above will have the approximate, stylised, features of a but terfly, and a butterfly table formed as an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for use as a nursery table, and occasional table, or as a table for any purpose, when the "wings" constituted by the said two parts of the support surface member are lowered, and which constitutes an objet d'art purely as a decoration when the "wings" are raised and the table is not in use.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a butterfly table formed as an embodiment of the invention, viewed from above and one side in an orientation with the wings raised; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, with the wings lowered; and Figure 3 is a section taken on the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the embodiment shown comprises a table formed in the shape of a stylised butterfly, generally indicated with the reference numeral 11, having a body 12 made from timber and turned to a generally cylindrical form with a narrower tail portion 12a at the rear end and a groove 12b defining a neck separating the body from a head 1 2c which is provided with two antennae 12d which serve purely an aesthetic purpose.

The main cylindrical portion of the body 12 is pivotally connected by a pivot 13 to a subframe 14 which is constructed in the form of two side frames joined by the pivot pin 13.

Each side frame comprises an upper rail 15 joined at the front to a leg 16, at an intermediate point to a leg 17 and at the rear to a leg 18. The front and rear legs 16, 18 may, in fact, be constituted by continuations of the rail 15, merely being curved at its front and rear ends to form downwardly projecting limbs constituting the legs 16, 18. By contrast, the middle leg 17 is attached to the rail 15, for example by welding, and at the point of attachment is reinforced by a fish plate 20 which, as well as constituting a reinforcement for the leg 17, also acts as a mounting for the pivot pin 13 carrying the body 12.The legs 16, 17 and 18 are curved generally to represent an insect's legs, and the legs of the middle pair 17 are shaped to extend at the foot further out from the side frames than the front and rear legs 16, 18; likewise, the rear legs 18 are more closely spaced than the front legs 16. Further, the rear legs 18 are spanned by a transverse rail 19 which also serves as an abutment stop contacting the undersurface of the tail portion 12a of the body 12 to limit the pivotal movement of the body 12 about the pivot 13.

As can be seen from the drawings, the pivot 13 passes through the body 12 somewhat forwardly of the centre of gravity thereof so that the tendency for the body 12 is to rotate in such a direction that the tail 12a falls. Although the body 12 can turn about the pivot 13 to lower the head 12c and raise the tail end 12a, this movement must be made deliberately; there is a cross-rail 30 to limit this movement.

The cylindrical portion of the body 12 has two circumferential grooves 21, 22 which are each lined in the bottom cylindrical surface with metal bearing members 23, 24. Each of the grooves 21, 22 receives a pair of loops constituting part of a bracket by which the wings 25 of the butterfly are attached to the body pivotally. In detail, the rear groove 21 receives two loops 26, 27 forming parts of brackets 28, 29 respectively, and the groove 22 receives two loops 30, 31 forming part of brackets 32, 33 respectively.

As can be seen in more detail in Fig. 3 where the loop 26 and associated bracket 28 are shown in more detail. As can be seen from Fig. 3 the loops 26 in fact is composed of two parts 26a and 26b the latter of which is in fact a continuation of a linear bracket 28.

The loop portion 26b has a lug 26c and the loop portion 26a has a lug 26d parallel thereto and a lug 26e parallel to the linear bracket 28. The two lugs 26c and 26d are bolted together and the lug 26e is bolted to the bracket 28 so that the two arcuate loop portions 26a and 26b together define a circular ring lock which, upon assembly, is fitted into the groove 21 in such a way that the joint lugs 26c, 26d engage under the top rail 15 of one side frame of the sub-frame and the lug 26e and the bracket 28 engage over the top rail 15 of the other side frame.The loop 27 and bracket 29 are formed in the same way with the bracket 29 extending in the opposite direction from the bracket 28 so that the two wings 25 are held in a horizontal position by the engagement of the lugs 26c, 26d under the rail 15 and corresponding engagements under the other rail 15 by lugs of the loop 27 whilst counter torque is applied to the sub-frame by the engagement on the top of the two side rails 1 5 of the lug 26e of the loop 26 and a corresponding lug of the loop 27. The loops 30, 31 and brackets 32, 33 housed in the groove 22 are of similar construction.

As will be appreciated from the above description, when the two wings 25 are in their first or lowered position they extend horizontally and co-planar with one another and are locked in position by the inter-engagement of the lugs described with the top rails 1 5 of the side frames. When the wings 25 are raised, on the other hand, to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the tail portion 12a of the body 12 is able to fall to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 engaging the cross strut 19. In this position the brackets 28 and 29 are still in contact with the top rails 15 of the side frames, but now at a position spaced from the loops 26, 27 so as to apply a sufficient force to the wings 25 to retain these in position against the turning moment tending to cause the wings to lower. The weight of the wings and the body is now taken not only by the pivot 13, but also by these two contacting points of the side frames 15 with the brackets 28 and 29.

Claims

1. An item of furniture having a generally planar support surface member carried on a sub-frame, in which the said support surface member is formed in two parts each of which is pivotally movable between a first position in which it is generally coplanar with the other part, and a second position in which it lies in a plane inclined upwardly away from the pivot axis of that part.

2. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 1, in which the said two parts of the support surface member are each pivotally connected to a central body to turn about substantially the same axis between the said first and second positions thereof.

3. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 2, in which the said central body is itself pivotally connected to the sub-frame for turning movement about an axis substantially orthogonal to that of the or each said axis about which the said support surface parts are turnable.

4. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which the turning movement of the said body in at least one direction about its pivot axis is limited by at least one abutment on the sub-frame.

5. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 4, in which the said abutment on the sub-frame is in the form of a transverse rail extending between two legs of the sub-frame in a direction generally parallel to the said pivot axis of the body on the sub-frame.

6. A furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 5, in which each of the said two parts of the support surface member includes or is attached to means defining an abutment member engageable with at least one cooperating abutment member on the sub-frame to limit the turning movement of the associated said part of the support surface member in at least one direction of turning movement about the said common axis.

7. A furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 6, in which the pivotal attachment of each said part of the support surface member to the body of the furniture item is effected by means of brackets having a loop portion surrounding a part of the body.

8. A furniture item as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the said two parts of the support surface member are formed in the shape of butterfly wings to constitute a table.

9. A furniture item as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the said sub-frame is composed of ground-engaging legs joined at the upper ends by generally parallel frame rails.

10. A furniture item as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the sub-frame has six legs.

11. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 10, in which the said legs are arranged in pairs and the middle pair of legs are spaced wider apart at the foot than the legs of the other two pairs.

12. A furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 7 to 11, in which the body has circumferential grooves for receiving the said bracket loops, such that the outer cylindrical surface of the bracket loops is substantially flush with the outer surface of the body.

13. A furniture item as claimed in Claim 12, in which the said circumferential grooves have metal lined bearing surfaces.

14. A furniture item formed as a table to represent a butterfly.

15. A butterfly table substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.