GB2281508A - Foldable wall type seat or table - Google Patents

Abstract

A foldable support for a table or seat is designed to be secured to a vertical surface such as a wall or the front of a bar, and to fold flat against the surface when not in use. To this end, the support comprises an upper support strut 30 for supporting the table or seat, this strut having one end pivotally connected to the surface via a bracket. The other end of the upper support strut is pivotally connected to a pair of telescopically and pivotally interconnected support struts 36, 38, which when telescoped together form a rigid bracing member whose lower end is pivotally connected to the surface or the floor. When the upper support strut is lifted, the telescopically interconnected struts move longitudinally apart to a point where they can pivot with respect to each other, enabling the table or seat to be folded flat against the surface. The telescoping is via a pin and slot connection 52, 54, and the strut is locked via a locking tongue 56. <IMAGE>

Description

FOLDABLE FURNITURE This invention relates to foldable furniture, and is more particularly but not exclusively concerned with foldable tables and seats which can be secured to, and which can be folded against, a substantially vertical surface such as a wall or the front of a bar or counter.

In many public places such as bars, caffs, fast-food restaurants, station buffets, waiting rooms and the like, it is desirable to provide at least some tables or seats which can be folded away when not in use, to facilitate cleaning, and/or when the place is particularly crowded, to create more space. To achieve the goal of creating more space, such tables and seats should fold flat against the surface to which they are secured. However, they should also be extremely robust, and not readily removable from the surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide foldable furniture which meets these requirements.

According to the the present invention, there is provided a foldable support for a table or seat, said support being adapted to be secured to a substantially vertical surface so as to support a table or seat extending substantially horizontally from said surface and comprising: an upper securing member adapted to be secured to the surface; a first support strut for supporting said table or seat, said first support strut being pivotally connected to the upper securing member so as to pivot in a substantially vertical plane substantially perpendicular to said surface between a position in which it extends at least slightly upwardly from the upper securing member to a position in which it hangs substantially vertically downwardly from the upper securing member;; a lower securing member adapted to be secured to said surface at a predetermined distance substantially vertically beneath the upper securing member; and a pair of telescopically and pivotally interconnected support struts which when telescoped together form a substantially rigid elongate bracing member having one end pivotally connected to the lower securing member and the other end pivotally connected to the first support strut towards the end thereof remote from the upper securing member, so as to support the first support strut, and the table or seat supported thereby, in a substantially horizontally extending position, and which when telescopically extended by lifting the first support strut, can pivot with respect to each other such that the lower one extends substantially vertically upwardly from the lower securing member, the upper one extends substantially vertically downwardly from the top of the lower one, and the first support strut also extends substantially vertically downwardly from the upper securing member.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper and lower securing members are rigidly joined together by an elongate plate member.

Advantageously, at least one of said pair of interconnected support struts is made from channel-section steel, while the other is made of channel-section or hollow rectangular-section steel, the channel section of said one strut being dimensioned such that the other strut, which is preferably the lower one, fits slidably within it. In this case, the telescopic and pivotal interconnection between the upper and lower struts preferably comprises a pin extending perpendicularly between and projecting outwardly from the side walls of the section of one of the struts, preferably the lower one, said pin engaging in longitudinally extending and aligned slots in the side walls of the section of the other strut.

Conveniently, the end of one of said pair of interconnected support struts connected to the other support strut of the pair is provided with a locking clip which is secured to the base of its section and extends parallel thereto to receive the base of the section of the adjacent end of the other support strut when the pair of interconnected support struts are telescoped together, whereby to lock said pair of interconnected support struts together to form said rigid bracing member.

Said first support strut may also be made from channel-section or hollow rectangular-section steel.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a foldable support in accordance with the present invention for a bar seat, shown in its unfolded state; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the foldable support of Figure 1 in its folded state; and Figure 3 is a front view of the folded support of Figure 2.

The foldable support shown in the drawings is indicated generally at 10, and comprises an elongate back plate 12, typically just over 60 cms long, adapted to be secured to the generally vertically extending front surface 14 of a bar or counter 16, so as to extend generally vertically down the surface. To this end, the plate 12 is provided near its upper end 18 with a pair of welded-on or integrally formed upper securing lugs 20 which extend generally horizontally in opposite directions, and at its lower end 22 with a pair of welded-on or integrally formed lower securing lugs 24 which also extend generally horizontally in opposite directions. The lugs 20, 24 all lie substantially in the plane of the plate 12, and have fixing holes 26 by which the plate can be securely screwed to the surface 14.

The upper end 18 of the plate 12 is bent through 900, so that a portion 18a of the upper end projects horizontally outwardly from the surface 14, this portion 18a having two integrally formed or welded-on lugs 28 projecting vertically downwardly from each of its sides (in the latter case, the lugs 28 can form part of a U-shaped member welded to the portion 18a). A first channel-section support strut 30 is pivotally connected between the lugs 28 by means of a pin 32, so as to be capable of pivoting in a vertical plane between a position in which it extends upwardly at a slight angle to a position in which it hangs down vertically. The channel section of the strut 30 faces downwardly when the strut is in its horizontal position, and a seat 34 is secured to its upper surface (constituted by the base of its channel section).

The strut 30 and its seat 34 are rigidly supported in the horizontal position by a pair of telescopically and pivotally interconnected channel-section struts 36, 38, which when telescoped together behave as a single rigid elongate bracing member. The upper end of this bracing member, which is constituted by the upper end 40 of the upper strut 36, it pivotally connected to the strut 30 by a hinge 41 welded to the underside of the latter strut towards its free end 42, while the lower end of this bracing member, constituted by the lower end 44 of the lower strut 38, is pivotally connected to the lower end 22 of the plate 12. This lower pivotal connection is effected between a pair of lugs 46, which project horizontally from respective sides of the lower end 22 of the plate 12, and which project parallel to each other and perpendicularly outwardly from the surface 14. The lugs 46 form part of a U-shaped member whose base is welded to the lower end 22 of the plate 12.

The dimensions of the respective channel sections of the struts 36, 38 are selected such that the upper end 48 of the lower strut 38 fits slidably within the channel section of the lower end 50 of the upper strut 36. The struts 36, 38 are pivotally secured together by a pin 52, which extends perpendicularly between and projects outwardly from the side walls of the channel section of the lower strut 38 near its upper end 48, and engages in respective aligned longitudinally extending slots 54 provided in the side walls of the channel section of the upper strut 36 nears its lower end 50.

When the struts 36, 38 are telescoped together as shown in Figure 1, the upper strut 36 is effectively supported by the engagement of the pin 52 with the respective upper ends of the slots 54: it is this engagement which defines the maximum extent to which the struts can telescope together, and so defines their combined minimum length. However, the struts 36, 38 are prevented from pivoting with respect to each other, and thus effectively locked together to form the aforementioned bracing member, by a locking clip 56.

The clip 56 is welded to the outside of the base of the channel section of the lower strut 38 adjacent its upper end 48, and projects parallel thereto towards the upper strut 36, so defining with the base a narrow gap which receives and grips the base of the channel section of the upper strut 36 at its lower end 50.

Lifting the free end 42 of the support strut 30 causes the struts 36, 38 to move apart telescopically, this movement being guided by the engagement of the pin 52 ' in the slots 54, until the pin engages the respective lower ends of the slots. At this point, the lower end 50 of the upper strut 36 is clear of the locking clip 56, and the struts 36, 38 can pivot with respect to each other. The support strut 30 and the seat 34 can therefore be folded downwardly to the position shown in Figure 2, in which all three struts 30, 36, 38 extend vertically, with the strut 38 again being received within the channel section of the strut 36, but this time with the channel section of the former facing into the channel section of the latter.

The channel section struts 30, 36, 38 are all made of mild steel, by virtue of which the support 10 is extremely robust, and extremely rigid when locked in the open condition of Figure 1. The channel section construction also has the result that the support is very flat and compact when in the folded condition of Figure 2, by virtue of the fact that the strut 38 is received within the channel section of the strut 36.

This result cam be enhanced if desired by arranging for the folded-together struts 36, 38 to be received within the channel section of the strut 30 when the support 10 is in the folded condition.

Many modifications can be made to the described embodiment of the invention. For example, the locking clip 56 can be welded to the inside of the base of the channel section of the upper strut 36 at its lower end 48, so as to receive and grip the base of the channel section of the lower strut 38 at its upper end 50.

Similarly, the pin 52 and the slots 54 can be interchanged, so that the former is provided on the upper strut 36 while the latter are on the lower strut 38.Also, the strut 30 and/or the strut 38 can be of rectangular hollow section rather than channel section.

To facilitate securing the support 10 to surfaces which are a little inclined to the vertical, the middle part of the plate 12 can be omitted, so that the distance between the upper securing lugs 20 and the lower securing lugs 24 is no longer fixed, and can therefore be varied to suit the inclination of the surface to the vertical.

Additionally, many applications of the folding support 10, other than to folding bar seats, are possible. In addition to the applications mentioned in the introduction, use in amusement arcades, launderettes, sports stadiums and other public places is possible. And in folding table applications, two or even three of the supports 10 can be used to support a single table surface. Finally, the support 10 can also be used for supporting folding shelves or work benches or the like.

Claims (9)

1. A foldable support for a table or seat, said support being adapted to be secured to a substantially vertical surface so as to support a table or seat extending substantially horizontally from said surface and comprising: an upper securing member adapted to be secured to the surface; a first support strut for supporting said table or seat, said first support strut being pivotally connected to the upper securing member so as to pivot in a substantially vertical plane substantially perpendicular to said surface between a position in which it extends at least slightly upwardly from the upper securing member to a position in which it hangs substantially vertically downwardly from the upper securing member; a lower securing member adapted to be secured to said surface or to the floor at a predetermined distance substantially vertically beneath the upper securing member; and a pair of telescopically and pivotally interconnected support struts which when telescoped together form a substantially rigid elongate bracing member having one end pivotally connected to the lower securing member and the other end pivotally connected to the first support strut towards the end thereof remote from the upper securing member, so as to support the first support strut, and the table or seat supported thereby, in a substantially horizontally extending position, and which when telescopically extended by lifting the first support strut, can pivot with respect to each other such that the lower one extends substantially vertically upwardly from the lower securing member, the upper one extends substantially vertically downwardly from the top of the lower one, and the first support strut also extends substantially vertically downwardly from the upper securing member.

2. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower securing members are rigidly joined together by an elongate plate member.

3. A support as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of said pair of interconnected support struts is made from channel-section steel, while the other is made of channel-section or hollow rectangular-section steel, the channel section of said one strut being dimensioned such that the other strut fits slidably within it.

4. A support as claimed in claim 3, wherein said other strut is the lower one.

5. A support as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the telescopic and pivotal interconnection between the upper and lower struts comprises a pin extending perpendicularly between and projecting outwardly from the side walls of the section of one of the struts, said pin engaging in longitudinally extending and aligned slots in the side walls of the section of the other strut.

6. A support as claimed in claim 5 when dependent from claim 4, wherein said pin is supported in the side walls of the lower strut.

7. A support as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the end of one of said pair of interconnected support struts connected to the other support strut of the pair is provided with a locking clip which is secured to the base of its section and extends parallel thereto to receive the base of the section of the adjacent end of the other support strut when the pair of interconnected support struts are telescoped together, whereby to lock said pair of interconnected support struts together to form said rigid bracing member.

8. A support as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said first support strut is made from channel-section or hollow rectangular-section steel.

9. A foldable support for a table or seat, said support being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.