US2169752A - Furniture - Google Patents

Description

All@ 15 1939- A. s. WRIGHT 2,169,752

FURNITURE Filed Dec. 10, 1937 j] y y 1 I d ff l @3;

l /z /4/ f 1f /fl a l INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

Patented T15', 1939 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNITURE Y AAndrew S. Wright, SpringieldQMass. 'i yApplication December 1o, 1937, seriai No. 179,128 f 1 claim. (c1. 211-149) This invention relates to improvements in furl The base may be formed in several ways but, in niture and is directed more particularly to animthe form'shown, it consists of a pair of elongated proved table-like device which has vparts adapted parts 6 spaced apart and having connectors such to move into and out of supporting position. as 8 and I0 extending between their opposite ends.

5 One of the principal objects of the invention The uprights 2 then extend upwardly from the is the pro-vision of a piece of furniture which incentral portions of parts 6 and while they are cludes one or more pivoted supporting members preferably secured thereto, they may be removadapted to move between a horizontal position able for knock-down purposes as by having their and a relatively vertical position. Thus, when lower ends t into sockets provided in the parts 6.

10' the member is in its horizontal position, the de- One or more panels or supporting members l2 l0 vice is adapted to function in the same manner arepivoted between the uprights 2 as by dowels as a table o-r tray-stand while when the supportor pins I4. It Will be noted that the'pivots 'I4 ing member is in its other position, the device are not in the exact center of the-ends of the may be used for various other purposes, such as panels.

l5 a fire-screen or the like.. That is to say,y the distance between the pins 15" Still another object of the invention is the and the lower side of each panel is greater than provision of .a piece of furniture which is decorthe distancebetween the pins and the upper side ative soas to be an asset to the appearance of of the panel. Thus, as will be obvious,v one side a room and which,"at the same time, is simple of each panel (the lower side with reference to in form so as to be economical to manufacture. Fig. l and the right-hand side with reference 20 It is still another object of the invention to to Fig. 3) will be more or less heavier than its provide a device of the class about to be deopposite side and the reason for this will now be scribed wherein there is a supporting member described.

Which is .arranged to be normally in a vertical What I call a connector member I6 is hinged,

position but which is piVOted in Such a Way as t0 as at i5, to the panels I2. Where there are two 25 be capable of being moved to a horizontal suppanels, as shown, the upper end of the member porting position, only to automatically assume its IB is hinged at l5 to the marginal edge portion vertical position when released in a manner of the lighter side of the upper panel and an inwhich will appear. termediate portion thereof is hinged to the mar- Various other objects and advantages of the inginal edge portion of the lighter side of the 30 vention will become more apparent after a readlower panel, ing of the following description and reference It will be apparent that the panels 2 being, as Will be had to the accompanying draWng.Whe1` stated, heavier on one side than on the other, inwill naturally, if unrestrained, swing on their Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the device pivots to the vertical position shown in Fig. 1. 35 of the invention with supporting members in ver- In this vertical position, as I have suggested above,

tical position; the device may be conveniently used as a fire Fig. 2 iS a Similar View Showing the Supporting screen or the like, the panels 2 presenting a relamembers in horizontal position; tively unbroken vertical surface. For this reason,

40 Fig. 3 is an end elevational view showing the I nd it suitable to ornament the upper surfaces 40 supporting members in horizontal position; and of panels 2 as Fig. 1 indicates.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on a large scale to However, as also suggested above, the panels explain certain features of construction. 2 are adapted to be swung to `and maintained in Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the horizontal supporting position shown in Figs.

the invention will be fully described. 2 and 3. While in the position, the device may 45 A frame member is provided and while it may be readily moved from place to place and used as vary in form it preferably includes a pair of atable-like device fromwhich to serve such things spaced uprights 2 extending upwardly from a as tea, cookies, etc. base and having a spacer bar 4 connecting them For this reason, it is, of course, necessary to adjacent their upper ends. The material of provide some means for preventing the ol-cen- 50 which these parts are made may vary but wood tered panels from collapsing to their normal verhas been found to be preferable as it is not obtical position. Accordingly, I provide a releasable jectionably costly, is light in weight yet suitably connection between the panels and the frame rigid, and is readily decorated, as may be desirmember which is adapted to maintain the panels able.' 2 horizontal when desired. 55

30% with a foot, hand or the like.

' Accordingly, I provide means whereby the con nector I6 above described may releasably engage the frame. Such means may likewise vary in form but preferably includes a projection or outwardly-extending pin I8 on the rod 8 and a suitable aperture 20 in the lower end portion of member I6 for receiving the pin I 8.

The panels 2 are so spaced, the connector I 6 of such length, and the releasable-engaging means so located that by merely pressing on the heavier side (the right-hand side in Fig. 3) of the panel 2 the same is swung on its pivots I4 to a horizontal position and the connector I6 is carried outwardly thereby so as to gravitate to a position at right angles to the panel. In this position the pin IB automatically receives the hole 20 as the connector, being made of relatively thin material,

has a somewhat yieldable and free lower end portion, as shown in Fig. 3, and as the said pin IB and hole 20 are so spaced and located relative to one another that they automatically engage each other when the parts are inthe position shown in Fig. 3.

Thus the connector I6 is held in` the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 so that the panels 2 are releasably maintained in supporting position.

On the other hand, the arrangement is such that whenit is desired to have the panels assume their normal or vertical position, one may, by merely urging the member I6 outwardly, as It will be obvious thatv the weighted panels then swing to a vertical position with the connector following thelm to lie adjacent the bottom of the panels.

It will be seen that the arrangement is' such that when the panels are in vertical position,

the decorated sides of the panels are outermost and the hinged connector is more or less hidden from view. This makes for an attractive fire screen or the like, while, at the same time, the device may be readily set up in, or knocked down from a supporting position.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A fireplace screen comprising in combination, a vertical frame member having a substantially horizontal base, a pair of leaf members within said frame member, pivotal connections between said frame member and opposite ends of said leaf members whereby-said leaf members are swingable between a vertical position and a horizontal position, a vertically-disposed connecting member of a certain length having its upper end portion hinged to the upper one of said leaf members adjacent a side edge thereof and its intermediate portion hinged tothe lower one of said leaf members adjacent a side edge thereof and its lower end portion extending freely downwardly therefrom, said connecting member being movable with said leaf members between a position substantially in parallelism with and closely adjacent the under surfaces of said leaf members when the same are in vertical position` and a position substantially at right angles to said leaf members when the same are in horizontal position, the lower end 'portion of said connecting member being relatively yieldable and said base and the lower end portion being provided with engageable parts which are adapted to be urged into releasable engagement when said leaf members are swung to horizontal position.

ANDREW S. WRIGHT.

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