GB2254780A - Transformable seat and table unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A transformable seat and table unit comprises a seat base (2) and a moveable combined seat back and table member (40) pivotably fastened thereto. The pivot axis is horizontal and transverse to the seat base. The moveable member (40) is pivotable between two positions, providing in a first position a seat back extending upwardly from the rear of the seat base (2) and in a second position a table spaced above and offset horizontally towards the front of the seat base (2). The moveable member (40) comprises balance means (69) to reduce the force required to pivot the combined seat back and table (54) between the first and second positions. The ease of operation and safety of operation are both thus enhanced, particularly if the moveable member is heavy as in, for example, a park bench or an item of outdoor furniture. <IMAGE>

Description

TRANSFORMABLE SEAT AND TABLE UNIT This invention relates to a transformable seat and table unit in which a moveable seat back and table member is pivotably fastened to a seat base for pivoting about a pivot axis between two positions, the moveable member providing in a first position a seat back extending from the rear of the seat base and in a second position a table spaced above and offset with respect to the seat base.

A transformable seat and table unit of this type is known from patent application GB 2061096A. This application discloses a unit having a seat base and a moveable member comprising two side arms each pivotably fastened at one end to a respective side of the base, the arms extending perpendicular to the pivot axis, and carrying at their other end, spaced from and parallel to the pivot axis, a combined seat back and table element extending between the arms. The pivoting of the moveable member is limited by stops attached to each side of the seat base against which the side arms abut. Similar units differing only in details of construction are disclosed in US patents 2,900,009, 1,890,129, 2,557,595, and 4,491,363 and in patent application GB 2160767A.

The invention provides a transformable seat and table unit characterised in that the moveable member comprises balance means for reducing substantially the force required to move the moveable member between the first and second positions.

The invention further provides a transformable seat and table unit characterised in that the moveable member comprises balance means and in that the centre of mass of the moveable member lies near to or on the pivot axis between the pivot axis and the combined seat back and table element.

A transformable seat and table unit embodying the invention is thus much more easily converted from a seat with a back to a seat and table and vice versa than prior art units. To convert all such units it is necessary to pivot the moveable member, which entails raising the seat back and table portion of the moveable member from, for example, its first, seat back, position to a point of maximum height where it is substantially vertically above the pivot axis and then to lower it into its second, table, position. The same raising and lowering is necessary in moving the moveable member back again. In prior art units if the moveable member is heavy or the operator of the seat not strong, it is both difficult to raise the moveable member and to lower it under control to its new position.

Embodiments of the invention provide means for reducing the weight it is necessary to raise and lower, thus advantageously reducing the strength required to operate the unit. This also advantageously enhances the safety of the unit compared with prior art units in which it is necessary carefully to control the descent of the moveable member while avoiding catching hands or fingers or the like beneath it.

A further advantage is the removal of the risk inherent in prior art units of the unit toppling forwards when the weight of the moveable member is moved forwards to the table position, particularly if the moveable member is moved or falls rapidly. In a unit embodying the invention, motion of the balanced moveable member is easier to control and may apply greatly reduced lateral forces to the seat base.

The invention is particularly advantageous when embodied in units in which the moveable member is heavy, as for example in outdoor, or park, seats and benches. A park bench is usually very strongly constructed for longevity and typically comprises cast iron frames at each side supporting a slatted hardwood seat, and a moveable member having cast iron arms or frames at each side supporting a slatted hardwood combined seat back and table. The moveable member may therefore be very heavy and so the improvements provided by the invention in ease of use and particularly in safety, since the unit may commonly be operated by the public, are particularly advantageous. In addition a bench may be long enough to provide seats for several people thus further increasing the weight of the moveable member.

Preferably the balance means of the invention comprises a balance weight on a portion of a side arm of the moveable member spaced from the pivot axis opposite to the combined seat back and table.

Preferably, the moveable member is not precisely balanced, the combined seat back and table exerting under the influence of gravity a greater moment about the pivot axis than the balancing portion of the moveable member. When the moveable member is resting in either the first or second position it may be held there only by its own weight and so if it were precisely balanced it would require only a very small force to move it. To prevent this happening accidentally it is therefore advantageous that the moveable member is not precisely balanced. The moveable member may however be precisely balanced and a latch used to retain it in the first and second positions.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a transformable bench seat and table unit according to the invention, shown positioned as a bench seat with a back; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the unit of Figure 1 positioned as a bench seat and table; Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the bench seat support of the unit of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows a plan view of the bench seat support of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a side elevation of a J-shaped side arm or frame of the'moveable meeker of the unit of Figures 1 and 2 shown in the second, table, position as in Figure 2; Figure 6 shows a front elevation of the J-frame of figure 5, and;; Figure 7 shows a plan view of~the J-frame of Figures 5 and 6.

The traffsformable seat and table unit of the embodiment is a bunch unit for seting up to three people and suitable for use outdoors or particularly in a public park. The seat base 2 comprises two laterally spaced cast iron support frames 4, 6, supporting respective ends of a bench seat 8 formed from five parallel rectangular section wooden slats, preferably made of teak.

Each support frame has two spaced legs 10, 12 each having a horizontal flange 15, 16 at its foot, in which holes 17 are formed through which fasteners may be passed to fasten the frame and thus the bench to the ground. The upper portion of each support frame 4, 6 comprises a cross-piece 18 with a flange 19 extending horizontally therefrom. Each cross-piece 18 contains a row of rectangular sockets 20 for receiving and supporting the ends of the wooden slats of the seat 8. The slats rest at each end on a respective flange 19, each flange comprising a row of holes 21 through which screws, preferably being clutch head screws, are screwed into the slats to fasten the slats in place. The row of sockets 20 and the flange 19 are curved downwards at the front of the seat and upwards at the rear of the seat to improve comfort.

Each support frame 4, 6 comprises a horizontal crossbar 22 and a vertical brace 24 supporting a further rectangular socket 26 approximately in the centre of the support frame for receiving an end of a further wooden slat 28. The further slat 28 extends beneath and parallel to the bench seat 8 between the support frames 4, 6 to brace the structure of the seat.

The moveable member 40 of the convertible seat and table unit comprises two cast iron J-shaped arms or frames 42, 44 which are rotatably fastened at one end 46 of each J-frame to respective support frames 4, 6 of the base 2 at pivots 48, 50. The opposite ends of the moveable J-frames 42, 44 comprise cross-pieces 52 each having a straight row of four rectangular sockets 53 for receiving and supporting the ends of four parallel wooden slats which form a combined seat back and and table 54. The four slats lie in a flat plane to provide a flat table surface in the table position of the transformable unit. The slats of the seat back and table 54 are parallel to those of the bench seat 8 and are fastened to the cross-pieces 52 by clutch-head screws screwed into the wooden slats through holes 56 in flanges 57 extending from the cross-pieces.

The moveable member 40 of the transformable unit is stable in two positions, in a first position providing a seat back as shown in Figure 1 and in a second position a table as shown in Figure 2.

In the first position the lower ends of the cross-pieces 52 of the J-frames 44, 46 rest on the upper ends of the rear legs 10 of the suport frames 4, 6, the combined seat back and table 54 extending upwardly at an angle from the rear of the bench seat 8.

In the second, table, position the moveable member 40 is supported by the abutment of two pegs 58 extending from respective support frames 4, 6, against the ends 60 of rectangular section, curved slots 62 formed on the inner faces of the respective J-frames.

The moveable member 40 can be moved by hand between its two positions by rotation around the pivots 48, 50. Each pivot comprises a stub axle located in and extending from a hole 64 formed in a tab 66 extending vertically from the cross-piece 18 of each support frame 4, 6 and braced by a web 67, the axles being received in bushed holes 68 at the ends 46 of each J-frame.

The moveable member is partially balanced for rotation about the pivots 48, 50 by counterweight portions 69 of the J-frames 42, 44, which comprise flanges 70 cast as part of the J-frames on the portion of each J-frame on the opposite side of the pivot axis from the combined seat back and table. The mass of the counterweight portions 69 reduces considerably the force required to rotate the moveable member 40 between the first and second positions but it is preferable that the moveable member is not precisely balanced. It is necessary to raise the centre of mass of the combined seat back and table 54 to move it between the first and second positions and so the weight of the combined seat and table 54 and of the associated cross-pieces 52 of the J-frames 42, 44 can hold the moveable member 40 firmly in the first or second position without the need for any latching system.It is therefore advantageous that the moment of the combined seat and table portion of the moveable member about the pivot axis under the influence of gravity is of greater magnitude than the opposite moment exerted by the counterbalance portion 69. It is possible to balance the moveable member precisely so that minimum force is required to rotate it, but then a latch mechanism would be necessary to hold it in the first and second positions.

The design of the convertible seat and table unit of the invention also significantly enhances the safety of use of the unit. Due to its robust construction the moveable member 40 is of consdierable weight and so the reduction provided by the invention in the force required to lift the moveable member from one position and to control its descent to the other leads to improved ease of use and a greatly reduced risk of injury to an operator of the unit.

The shape of the J-frames 42, 44 further enhances the safety of operation of the bench. A portion 72 of each J-frame is in the shape of a substantially semicircular arc centred on the pivot axis. When the J-frame is rotated about the pivot this portion only moves circumferentially and so it is difficult for anyone to trap fingers or the like between this portion of the J-frame as it moves and the adjacent support frame 4, 6. The clearance between the J-frame and the adjacent support frame can be made as small as possible to further reduce this risk.

The radial portion 74 of each J-frame linking the semicircular portion to the pivot could however entrap fingers or the like as it moves. The risk of this is minimised in the embodiment by ensuring that the portion of each support frame 4, 6 across which the radial portion of the corresponding J-frame moves is a flat surface containing no holes in which fingers or the like might be caught.

Claims (9)

1. A transformable seat and table unit comprising a moveable seat back and table member pivotably fastened to a seat base for pivoting about a pivot axis between two positions, the moveable member providing in a first position a seat back extending from the rear of the seat base and in a second position a table spaced above and offset with respect to the seat base, characterised in that the moveable member comprises balance means for reducing substantially the force required to move the moveable member between the first and second positions.

2. A unit according to claim 1 in which the moveable member comprises a side arm pivotably fastened to the base and a combined seat back and table element supported by the side arm, substantially parallel to and spaced from the pivot axis, characterised in that a portion of the side arm spaced from the pivot axis opposite the seat back and table element comprises a mass for substantially balancing the mass of the seat back and table element.

3. A unit according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the moment applied to the moveable member by the weight of the portion thereof to the side of the pivot axis including the combined seat back and table is greater in magnitude than that applied by the weight of the portion of the moveable member on the opposite side of the pivot axis and comprising the balance means.

4. A unit according to claim 2 or claim 3 characterised in that the side arm comprises a first portion extending from the combined seat back and table and forming a substantially horizontal seat arm when the moveable member is in the first, seat back, position, and a second portion substantially in the shape of a semicircle centred on the pivot axis and, with the moveable member in the first position, extending forwards and downwards from the front of the first portion in front of and below the pivot axis.

5. A unit according to claim 4 characterised in that the side arm comprises an arcuate arm portion extending from the end of the second, semicircular, portion and pivotably fastened at its end to the seat base, the arcuate portion being in all positions of the moveable member adjacent a flat portion of the side of the seat base.

6. A unit according to claim 4 or claim 5 characterised in that the movement of the moveable member is limited in the second, table, position by the abutment of a peg extending from the side of the seat base against the end of a slot formed in the semicircular portion of the side arm in the face of the side arm adjacent the seat base, the slot being formed along the arc of a circle centred on the pivot axis.

7. A transformable seat and table unit comprising a moveable seat back and table member pivotably fastened to a seat base for pivoting about a pivot axis between two positions, a combined seat back and table element of the moveable member providing in a first position a seat back extending from the rear of the seat base and in a second position a table spaced above and offset with respect to the seat base, characterised in that the moveable member comprises balance means and in that the centre of mass of the moveable member lies near to or on the pivot axis between the pivot axis and the combined seat back and table element.

8. A unit according to claim 7 characterised in that the centre of mass of the moveable member lies substantially adjacent the pivot axis.

9. A transformable seat and table unit as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.