GB2326588A - Stackable furniture - Google Patents

Description

Furniture This Invention relates to Items of furniture, such as Chairs, Tables and Stools.

It is well known, to have chairs of identical structure which are designed so that they can be stacked to occupy a minimum of storage space. Another method of saving storage space is to have foldable chairs, which can then be stacked in parallel, or hung on a wall etc. However, such chairs are not designed such that when two or more are stacked together, they provide a further chair.

This invention aims to provide a system whereby two or more items of furniture can inter-engaged to form a further item of furniture. Although especially suitable for chairs, the invention can be applied to other items of furniture such as stools and tables.

This invention relates to an item of furniture comprising a plurality of inter-engaging furniture units wherein each of said furniture units when disengaged from the other units is itself a free standing piece of furniture.

More particularly, said item of furniture is a chair and each said furniture unit also comprises a chair.

In one particular embodiment of the invention, said item of furniture is a chair having a seat member and a support structure for supporting said seat member above a support surface, said chair comprising first and second inter-engaging units, each said unit itself forming a chair and having a respective seat section and respective support section for supporting said respective seat section above a support surface, wherein when said two units are inter-engaged their respective seat sections and support sections co-operate to form said seat member and support structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention each said unit comprises a seat back supported by its respective support section.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention said first unit is inter-engaged from behind by said second unit, such that the seat back on said second unit is behind said seat unit on first unit and said seat section of said second unit is located above said seat section of said first unit. In such an arrangement each said seat section is supported on its respective supporting section by at least one bracket, said bracket of said first unit extending upwards from its respective seat section, and said brackets of said second unit extending downward from its respective seat section.

Advantageously each said support section comprises two spaced apart support elements connected by at least one tie-bar, the tie-bars co-operating in the interengaged position to give the appearance of a single tie bar, said support elements cooperating in the inter-engaged position to give the appearance of a single support section. In the inter-engaged position, said seat backs co-operate to give-the appearance of as single seat back and said seat sections co-operate to give the appearance of a single seat member.

In an especially advantageous arrangement said support sections have co-operating magnetic means to secure said units together. Said co-operating magnetic means can comprise co-operating elongated magnetic strips extending along their respective support elements.

Although the parts of each chair can be manufactured in different ways a particularly strong and lightweight design is achieved by forming each support element as a hollow extruded tube. This also facilitates the easy fittment of all chair components, including tie bars, joint reinforcing inserts, seat support brackets, seat backs, and rnagnetic cooperating strips.

Advantageously chairs are designed to take advantage of latest adhesive technology, replacing all conventional fixings with bonded joints.

Each chair may have further features added such as armrests.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred chair with the two inter-engaging units in their fully engaged position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the chair of figure 1 wherein the inter-engaging units are shown in the initial stages of separation.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the inter-engaging units of figure 2 prior to complete disengagement.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the inter-engaging units of figures 1 to 3 totally disengaged to form individual chairs.

Figure 5 shows the cross sectional view of a tie bar on one of the separated chairs.

Figure 6 shows the cross sectional view of a tie bar on the other of the separated chairs.

Figure 7 shows the cross sectional view through the base and side niembers of the support elements.

.t . . ' Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of chair according to the invention which comprises a seat member 1 supported by a support structure 2. The chair comprises p first and second inter-engaging units 3 and 4 which when disengaged as shown in figure 4 each form a respective chair, each chair having it's own seat section 5 and 6 supported by respective support sections 7 and 8. Each chair 3 and 4 has a respective seat back 9,10 supported by the respective support sections 7, 8.

Each support section 7, 8 comprises spaced apart support elements 11, 12 and 13, 14 respectively. Each support element comprises a horizontal base member 15, 16 and 17, 18 connected to a respective upwardly and backwardly extending side member 19, 20and21, 22.

Support elements 11, 12 are interconnected by tie bars 23, 24 and support elements 13, 14 are interconnected by tie bars 25, 26. Each tie bar 23,24 has the cross sectional shape shown in figure 5 where the flat surface 27 is facing downwards, while each tie bar 25, 26 has the cross sectional shape shown in figure 6 with the flat surface 28 facing upwards.

Seat section 5 is supported on support section 7 by a pair of brackets 30, 31 attached to support elements 11, 12 respectively the arrangement being such that seat section 5 is attached to the lower part of brackets 30,31.

Seat section 6 is supported on support section 8 by a pair of brackets 32,33 attached to support elements 14, 13 respectively, the arrangement being such that seat section 6 is attached to the upper part of brackets 32,33.

Seat section 5 has a flat lower surface, and seat section 6 has a flat upper surface.

Figure 7 shows a cross sectional view through the base and or side members of each support element. It will be seen that each member has a longitudinal extending groove 34. In the side members 19,20,21,22 this groove 34 receives a magnetic strip 35.

However the magnetic strips of side members 19,20 face forwardly of chair 3 whilst the magnetic strip 35 of members 21,22 face backwardly of chair 4.

The grooves 34 of base members 15 and 16 have their grooves facing downwardly whilst base members 17,18 have their grooves facing upwardly. The grooves 34 in base members of chair 3 have located therein one or more projecting feet which will engage in the grooves of base members 17,18 of chair 4.

Seat back 9 is rebated into the front of side members 11, 12 and seat back 10 is rebated into the back of side members 13,14.

Going backwards from figure 4 to figure 1 shows how chairs 3 and 4 are engaged to form a single chair. It should be noted that in the engaged position the projecting feet of base members 15,16 engage in the grooves of base members 17,18 and that the magnetic strips 35 on side members 19,20, engages magnetic strip 35 on side members 21,22, this inter-engagement giving the appearance of a single support structure.

Similarly the flat surface of the tie bars and the flat surface of the seat members on chairs 3 and 4 fit flush together to give the appearance of a single seat member and single tie bars. Furthermore the seat backs fit flush together to give the appearance of a single seat back.

Seat members 5 and 6 are each comprised of replaceable inset 37,38 respectively so as to enable the easy use of different designs and materials.

At the corner join of each support side member with its respective base member a reinforcing angled insert is inserted into the hollow cavity 40 of the members to provide additional strength.

Claims (10)

1. An item of furniture comprising a plurality of inter-engaging units in which each of the units is itself a free standing piece of furniture.

2. A multiple furniture unit which appears to be visually, structurally, and functionally as one unit, but is in reality as is described in claim one a combined furniture unit in which its component parts are each visually, structurally and functionally independent.

3. Furniture described in claims one and two above of a domestic or contract nature such as chairs, stools and tables.

4. A particular embodiment of the invention, in the form of two chairs which inter-engage to form a single chair, the form of each chair unit is such that when it is separated it is a complete individual piece of furniture.

5. In a preferred embodiment of the invention (for clarification we will call the first chair the front chair and the second chair the rear chair as the second chair engages into the first chair from the rear.) the first chairs ground support structure is the lower of the two chairs, its tie bars are the lower of the two chairs, its spaced apart support elements are at the front of the two chairs, its seat section is the lower of the two chairs, and its seat back is at the front of the two chairs, conversely the rear chairs ground support structure and tie bars are the upper sections of the two chairs, its spaced apart support elements are at the rear of the two chairs, its seat section is uppermost on the two chairs, and its seat back is at the rear on the two chairs.

6. The extension of the invention to cover multiple units of at least 5, possible up to 10 or more.

7. The adaption of multiple unit chairs or other furniture units to themselves stack together for compact storage.

8. Construction in claim 5 above adapted to stools and tables.

9. Furniture constructed under this invention and made in metal, polymeric materials, material of wood or fabric, or suitable materials which may be evolved in the future.

10. The inter engaging furniture units as illustrated by the chairs in the accompanying drawings.