GB2276817A

GB2276817A - Stacking/nesting beds

Info

Publication number: GB2276817A
Application number: GB9406780A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Cribb
Original assignee: Silentnight Holdings PLC
Current assignee: Silentnight Holdings PLC
Priority date: 1993-04-06
Filing date: 1994-04-06
Publication date: 1994-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 2014-04-06
Also published as: GB9406780D0; IE940298A1; GB2276817B; IE79074B1

Abstract

A visitor bed comprises a main bed 10 adapted to be mounted on a floor-standing secondary bed 20. Each bed has a mattress-supporting platform 13 and at least the secondary bed has mounting locations 119 to the side of the mattress for legs 18 of the main bed. The weight of the main bed may be taken by engagement of the frames of the two beds, or the legs of the main bed may engage the tops of the legs of the secondary bed. The legs are preferably tapered. <IMAGE>

Description

A VISITOR BED This invention relates to a visitor bed which is a bed unit in which a secondary bed for occasional use is stored under a main bed when not in use.

A conventional visitor bed comprises a floor-standing main bed with a storage space therebelow for the secondary bed. In order that it can be accommodated below the main bed the secondary bed has to be slightly shorter than the main bed. Accordingly, when the two beds are disposed side-by-side they are not of matching length.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a visitor bed comprising a main bed adapted to be mounted on a floor-standing secondary bed each bed having a mattress-supporting platform and at least the secondary bed having mounting locations to the side of the mattress for legs of the main bed.

Preferably, each platform forms part of a frame with upstanding side walls and the mounting locations are provided by the frame corners and the adjacent mattress corners. The mattress of each bed may be a standard single mattress.

The legs of the main bed may be adapted to rest on the upper ends of legs of the secondary bed so that the weight of the upper, main bed is taken directly by the legs of the lower, secondary bed.

Alternatively, the frame of the main bed may be adapted to rest on the frame of the secondary bed.

In order to facilitate entry into the mounting locations the legs of at least the main bed may be tapered.

The main bed may be provided with lifting handles or, if the two beds are of sufficiently like construction as to be interchangeable, both beds may be provided with lifting handles.

The legs of the secondary bed maybe of square section while the legs of the main bed are of reduced square section to facilitate mounting of the main bed on the secondary bed.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above of one embodiment of visitor bed in accordance with the invention with the two beds vertically separated and the upper bed partially broken away to illustrate the construction; Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates one method of mounting the beds; Fig. 3 diagrammatically illustrates an alternative method of mounting the beds; Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a second embodiment of visitor bed according to the invention, and Fig. 5 is a section on line V-V of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated visitor bed generally indicated by reference numeral 1 comprises a main bed 10 mounted on a secondary bed 20. It will be appreciated that in the assembled condition shown in part of Fig. 2 and in Fig. 3 the secondary bed 20 provides a base for the main bed 10 with the upper bed being located on the lower bed in the manner to be described.

The main bed 10 comprises a rectangular frame 11 including side walls 12 and a platform 13 supporting a standard single mattress 14 contacting or closely adjacent to the side walls 12. The platform 13 comprises a fibre board sheet 30 laid on spaced transverse members 15 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 1) supported by side blocks 16.

Side rails 17 support the edges of the fibre board sheet 14. Tapered corner blocks 18 of square section at their upper ends are mounted in the frame corners to provide corner legs for the bed 10. The mattress 14 has conventionally rounded corners and the frame 11 at its corners is larger than the mattress 14 so as to provide a circumferential clearance between the side walls 12 and the corners of the mattress 14. In this way mounting locations 19 are provided at the internal corners of the frame 11 above the legs 18. Lifting handles L, which may be apertures or plastics inserts, are provided at opposite ends of the bed 10 in the outer surfaces of the side walls 12.

The secondary bed 110 is of closely similar construction to the main bed 10 and corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals increased by 100. The legs 118 of the secondary bed 110 are not tapered, i.e. they are of square section throughout their length.

The mounting locations 119 in the secondary bed 110 receive the tapered legs 18 of the main bed 10. The legs 18 are tapered on their inwardly facing surfaces so that their mutually perpendicular outer surfaces engage the corresponding corner surfaces in the frame 11.

The legs 18 may rest on the upper surfaces of the lower legs 118 as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2 so that the load of the main bed 10 is taken directly by the legs 118 of the secondary bed 110. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 3, the frame 11 of the main bed 10 may rest on the frame 111 of the secondary bed 110 so that the weight of the upper bed is transferred to the lower bed through the frames 11 and 111 and a clearance can be provided between the upper legs 18 and the lower legs 118.

In normal use, the main bed is mounted on the secondary bed in the manner illustrated and described. If the secondary bed is required for use the main bed is lifted away from the secondary bed and placed on the floor so enabling the secondary bed to serve as an additional single bed. The main and secondary beds may be positioned alongside each other and preferably have the same height, length and width dimensions so as to be of matching appearance.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the legs 118 of the secondary bed 110 may be tapered in the same way as the legs 18 and the secondary bed 110 may be provided with lifting handles L in the same way as the main bed 10 thereby enabling the two beds to be fully interchangeable. Alternatively, the legs of the main bed or both beds may be in the form of a square section block cut across the diagonal to produce a triangular leg in section. The legs of the main and/or secondary beds may be fitted with castors or glides.Furthermore, the upstanding side walls 12, 112 of at least the secondary bed 110 and preferably of both beds if they are to be interchangeable may be omitted so that the mounting locations for the legs of the upper bed are defined primarily by the mattress corners and the upper ends of the legs of the secondary bed. In this case the stability of the mounting may be enhanced by providing mating male and female formations on the interengaging ends of the legs. The legs of the lower, secondary bed may be omitted and the frame, preferably with corner blocks, may be extended downwardly to floor level with castors or glides being provided in the corner blocks.

In the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, parts corresponding to those of Figs. 1 to 3 are increased by 200 and are not further described except for the purpose of explaining the modifications. The corner blocks 218 and 318 providing the corner legs do not extend below the lower edge of the frame 211 and 311 and are of square section throughout their length rather than being tapered at their lower ends. The lower ends or feet of the corner legs are provided by glides 231 (in the case of the upper bed) and castor wheels 331 in the case of the lower bed) although it will be appreciated that this arrangement may be reversed or both beds may have either glides or castor wheels. As in the previous design there is a clearance between the corners of the bed frames and the respective mattresses for receiving the feet (glides 231 or, if the arrangement is reversed, castor wheels 331) in order to ensure proper location of the upper bed on the lower bed.

In a further modification, the lifting handles L at the ends of the upper bed 10 are replaced by recesses 232 in the lower edge of the frame 212. It will be appreciated that similar handles may be provided in the frame of the lower bed if required. It will be appreciated that the lower edge of the frame 212 between the recesses 232 shown in Fig.

1 may be removed so that their is in effect a single recess of constant height extending across almost the full width of the bed at each end thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A visitor bed comprising a main bed adapted to be mounted on a floor-standing secondary bed each bed having a mattress-supporting platform and at least the secondary bed having mounting locations to the side of the mattress for legs of the main bed.

2. A bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the platform is part of a frame with upstanding side walls and the mounting locations are provided by the frame corners and the adjacent mattress corners.

3. A bed as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the legs of the main bed rest on the upper ends of legs of the secondary bed.

4. A bed as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame of the main bed is adapted to rest on the frame of the secondary bed.

5. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the legs of at least the main bed are tapered.

6. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the main bed is provided with lifting handles.

7. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the legs of the secondary bed are of square section while the legs of the main bed are of reduced square section to facilitate insertion thereof into the mounting locations.

8. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the main and secondary beds are of sufficiently like construction as to be interchangeable.

9. A visitor bed substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.