US20200146441A1

US20200146441A1 - Article of furniture

Info

Publication number: US20200146441A1
Application number: US16/186,140
Authority: US
Inventors: David J. Powell
Original assignee: Assa Group Inc D/b/a Enwork
Current assignee: Assa Group Inc D/b/a Enwork
Priority date: 2018-11-09
Filing date: 2018-11-09
Publication date: 2020-05-14

Abstract

An article of furniture for placement atop a floor surface includes an upper body section having a center of gravity. The article of furniture further includes a leg supporting the upper body section from below. The leg is positioned below the upper body section wherein the leg is not positioned below the center of gravity of the upper body section, and the leg is secured to the floor surface by a fastener.

Description

FIELD OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to an article of furniture; and, in particular, to an article of furniture with modern and minimalist design for enhancing the interior feel of a living and/or office space.

BACKGROUND

Furniture, and especially tables, have legs which support a table-top of the table at a desired height above the floor. Traditionally, the tables have been designed with one or more pairs of legs, such as having four legs with each leg being positioned at a corner of the table-top. Other table designs are known which may employ three or even only two legs for supporting the table-top. The purpose of providing multiple legs has generally been to provide stability to the table-top, which is traditionally accomplished by providing a sufficient number of leg that are positioned top optimally support the center of gravity of the table-top. However, such table designs have been known and implemented for centuries now, and they have become boring and unexciting for many consumers.
These days, there are consumers looking for minimalist, aesthetic, and bold designs for furniture, like tables, to enhance the interior feel of their living and work spaces. Generally, in addition to the design requirement to supply furniture with a minimalist and aesthetic appearance, the article of furniture should also be comfortable, easy to use, structurally sound, and have high quality construction. In particular, there is a need to provide a table which is structurally solid, yet at the same time provides an exciting design choice for consumers. The present invention proposes a design for an article of furniture, and in particular, for an article of furniture having a planar top surface which is modern and minimalist for enhancing the feel of a living and/or office space.
SUMMARY
In an aspect, an article of furniture positioned on a floor surface is provided. The article of furniture comprises an upper body section having a center of gravity. The article of furniture further comprises a leg supporting the upper body section from below. The leg is positioned below the upper body section wherein the leg is not positioned below the center of gravity of the upper body section, and the leg is secured to the floor surface by a fastener.
In one or more embodiments, the leg includes a section that is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.
In one or more embodiments, the leg is secured to the floor surface by a threaded fastener.
In one or more embodiments, two or more legs are provided.
In one or more embodiments, the upper body section includes a planar top surface.
In one or more embodiments, only a single leg is provided.
In one or more embodiments, the leg is oriented at a substantially perpendicular angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.
In one or more embodiments, the upper body section includes an enclosable cabinet.
In one or more embodiments, the upper body section includes a drawer.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagrammatic bottom planar view of an article of furniture, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic front elevation view of the article of furniture of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagrammatic side elevation view of the article of furniture of FIG. 1 including a fastener, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagrammatic bottom planar view of the article of furniture of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic front elevation of an alternate embodiment hereof in which the article of furniture is a credenza.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, systems, apparatuses and methods are shown in block diagram form only in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.
Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
The embodiments are described herein for illustrative purposes and are subject to many variations. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present disclosure. Further, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any heading utilized within this description is for convenience only and has no legal or limiting effect.
The present disclosure relates to an article of furniture, and in particular, to provide a versatile, rigid, and rugged article of furniture preferably having a planar upper surface. The present disclosure also provides novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes a limited number of embodiments of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate different views of an article of furniture (generally referred by the numeral 100), in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiments, the article of furniture 100 has been shown as a table; and, hereinafter, sometimes, the terms “article of furniture” and simply “table” have been interchangeably used without any limitations. Further, it shall be appreciated that although the present disclosure has been described in terms of the article of furniture 100 as being a table, other embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented for design of other types of articles of furniture including, but not limited to, a chair, a stand, a bench, a desk, a cabinet, a credenza, or the like, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure, as would be clear to a person skilled in the art from the description in the subsequent paragraphs.
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, as illustrated, the article of furniture 100, generally, includes an upper body section 102, and a leg 104 supporting the upper body section 102 from below. The upper body section 102 has a center of gravity (designated approximately by the numeral 106), which, in most cases, may generally be a geometric center thereof. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the leg 104 is fixedly attached to the upper body section 102. In particular, the leg 104 is positioned below the upper body section 102. As illustrated, the leg 104 is secured to an under face of the upper body section 102. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the leg 104 is not positioned below the center of gravity 106 of the upper body section 102, but may be positioned at an off-set from the center of gravity 106, for instance, closer towards an edge, or one of the edges, of the upper body section 102.
In the present embodiments, the upper body section 102 has a planar top surface 114, which is shown in the form of a table-top in FIGS. 1-4. In the illustrated embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4 the planar top surface 114 is shown as a circular-shaped planar sheet. However, it may be understood that the planar top surface 114 may have any other suitable shape, including, but not limited to, square, rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal, octagonal, or any other polygonal shape without any limitations. The planar top surface 114 may be made of any suitable material, like glass, wood, plywood, etc. depending on the preference of the designer/consumer and its application. Further, the planar top surface 114 may have suitable thickness, for example, depending on the weight it may have to carry based on its application. In some examples, the planar top surface 114 may be a rugged top member reinforced by a plurality of parallel, spaced-apart box channel members running the length thereof to enhance strength, and further adding a design feature therein.
In the illustrated embodiments, the article of furniture 100 has been shown provided with a single leg 104. In some embodiments, the article of furniture 100 may be provided with more than one leg 104, i.e. two or more legs, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Generally, the leg 104 can include a supporting member 108 and an extension member 110 to support the planar top surface 114 above the ground at a height. In some examples, with structures in which the planar top surface 114 is of sufficient thickness, the supporting member 108 may be omitted, if desired. In the preferred embodiments, the supporting member 108 and the extension member 110 may be a unitary structure, i.e. the supporting member 108 and the extension member 110 may be formed integral with each other. In other examples, the supporting member 108 may be formed separate from the extension member 110, which are assembled together by any known joining techniques known in the art, including, but not limited to, use of fastening members like screws, nuts and bolts, etc.; adhesives like glue and the like, or some fitting joints.
The leg 104, including the supporting member 108 and the extension member 110, can be made using any suitable materials, such as wood, metal, polymers, combinations thereof, and so forth. Advantageously, the leg 104 is made or carved out from solid wood, plywood, or the like. In some examples, the leg 104 may be carved with some design features therein. In other examples, the leg 104 may itself be carved in the shape of a feature. The article of furniture 100 of the present disclosure provides contours which are distinct in design from conventional tables, or other supporting and frame structures. In particular, there is a unity of form of the planar top surface 114, the supporting member 108, and the extension member 110 which is quite distinct from conventional tables, as better shown in FIGS. 3-4. As illustrated, the area where the extension member 110 meets the supporting member 108, multiple grooves, in the form of straight or curved lines, may be formed or carved which enhance the aesthetics of the article of furniture 100.
In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a section of the leg 104, i.e. the extension member 110, is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the upper body section 102 and the floor surface E That is, the extension member 110 may be disposed in an inclined position. The inclination direction of the extension member 110 may generally be towards an opposite side of the edge toward which the leg 104 is fixed to the upper body section 102. Such inclined configuration of the extension member 110 may help to somewhat compensate from the possible loss in balance for the article of furniture 100 due to an off-set location of support provided by the leg 104, from the position of the center of gravity 106 of the upper body section 102. Such design may also increase the aesthetic appeal of the article of furniture 100 of the present disclosure, making it bolder and exciting compared to conventional articles of furniture 100. Although not shown, the leg 104 can be oriented at a substantially perpendicular angle with respect to the upper body section 102 and the floor surface F.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the article of furniture 100 is positioned on the floor surface, the leg 104 is secured to the floor surface F by a fastener, such as a fastener 112 (as shown in FIGS. 3-4). Importantly, part of the aesthetic appeal of the article of furniture 100 is the offset and unbalanced positioning of the leg 104, which in some embodiments can give the illusion that the upper body section 102 may be floating or inexplicably supported by the off-set leg 104. In particular, the leg 104 is secured to the floor surface by a threaded fastener 112. In the drawings, the fastener 112 is shown to be in the form of a bolt arranged at a lower section of the leg 104 (i.e., in particular, a lower section of the extension member 110). As may be understood, the fastener 112 may pass through a portion of the leg 104, in particular, the lower section of the leg 104, and is securely engaged with the floor surface to be fixedly coupled thereto. Such secure arrangement, as achieved by use of the fastener 112, ensures that the upper section 102 does not topple over due to possible loss in balance because of the weight of the upper body section 102, since the leg 104 is fixed and supporting the upper body section 102 off-set from the center of gravity 106. Preferably the fastener 112 is a bolt and the article of furniture 100 is bolted to the floor surface. However, it may be appreciated that the article of furniture 100 does not necessarily need to be bolted down since the rigidity of the article of furniture 100 is not dependent on bolting the leg 104 to the floor surface. Furthermore, any other suitable means of securing the leg 104 to the floor surface F can be utilized, such as by the use of brackets or by using a nut to secure the leg 104 to a bolt that is fixedly secured into the floor surface F.
In one or more examples, the upper body section 102 can includes a drawer (not shown). In other examples, such as shown in FIG. 5, the upper body section 102 can include an enclosable cabinet. It may be appreciated that such drawer and/or enclosable cabinet can be used for storing of various types of items in the article of furniture 100, such as items of regular use required by the owner of the article of furniture 100 of the present disclosure. The article of furniture 100 may also include slots or grooves to place one or more small items therein. The article of furniture 100 may also be provided with various ornamental accessories, like paint, to further enhance the aesthetics thereof.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. An article of furniture positioned on a floor surface, the article of furniture comprising:

an upper body section having a center of gravity; and

a leg supporting the upper body section from below, the leg being positioned below the upper body section wherein the leg is not positioned below the center of gravity of the upper body section, and the leg is secured to the floor surface by a fastener;

wherein the leg is fixedly secured to the upper body section.

2. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein the leg includes a section that is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.

3. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein the leg is secured to the floor surface by a threaded fastener.

4. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein two or more legs are provided.

5. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein the upper body section includes a planar top surface.

6. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein only a single leg is provided.

7. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein the leg is oriented at a substantially perpendicular angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.

8. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein two or more legs are provided.

9. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein the upper body section includes a planar top surface.

10. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein only a single leg is provided.

11. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein the leg is secured to the floor surface by a threaded fastener.

12. (canceled)

13. An article of furniture positioned on a floor surface, the article of furniture comprising:

an upper body section having a center of gravity; and

wherein the upper body section includes an enclosable cabinet.

14. (canceled)

15. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein the upper body section includes an enclosable cabinet.

16-19. (canceled)

20. An article of furniture positioned on a floor surface, the article of furniture comprising:

an upper body section having a center of gravity; and

a leg supporting the upper body section from below, the leg being positioned below the upper body section wherein the leg is not positioned below the center of gravity of the upper body section, and the leg is secured directly to the floor surface by a fastener which passes through a portion of the leg

21. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein the leg includes a section that is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.

22. The article of furniture of claim 20 wherein the leg is oriented at a substantially perpendicular angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.

23. The article of furniture of claim 13 wherein the leg includes a section that is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the upper body section and the floor surface.

24. The article of furniture of claim 13 wherein the leg is secured to the floor surface by a threaded fastener.

25. The article of furniture of claim 13 wherein two or more legs are provided.

26. The article of furniture of claim 13 wherein only a single leg is provided.