US2224846A - Box - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 17, 1940. A. ANDERscHlTZ BOX Filed May l2, 19.38

xmlns Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES BOX Andreas Anderschitz, Vienna, Germany, assigner to the firm Union Gesellschaft fr Metallindustrie, Sils, van de Loo & Co., Frondenberg- Ruhr, Germany Application May 12, 193s, serial No. 207,430

In Germany April 1, 1938 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a travelling or weekend box. K

It is the object of the invention to provide a box serving to receive bathing articles, services and similar articles used for week-end parties inv its collapsed position and adapted to be changed to a couch or deck-chair.

With this object in View the box comprises side walls consisting of a plurality of so-called lazy tongs, i. e. a series of two-armed levers hingedly connected in pairs in the form of scissors or shears the ends of which are hingedly connected with further scissors of the same kind to form many successive parallelograms of variable side angles which can be adjusted to provide a structure of variable length, being very short in a collapsed condition but having a considerable length when stretched. The said side walls are held in a parallel spaced relationship by cross bars. A flexible strip secured to the cross bars is provided to be maintained in a stretched condition in the stretched position of the lazy tong arrangement and to be embraced in the collapsed condition thereof by a cover comprising the space of the box between the side walls and adapted to be attached or locked at its free end like a box cover by means of a lock, advantageously a tension lock or the like.

According to a further feature of the invention the cover comprising the inner space of the box is adapted to be set up as a protective screen or canopy top projecting over the head portion of the couch and protecting the head of the user from sunv and wind. 7

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example and diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention, viz:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the box in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the box shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section of the box, in a partly opened position.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the box stretched in the form of a bed or couch.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, showing a hinge of the structure.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, it will be seen that the whole box consists of walls which can be collapsed or folded together. Thus, for instance, the side walls of the box are formed of lazy tongs held in a parallel spaced relationship by cross bars 2, 3. These side walls I in their stretched position, Fig. 4, form the stretching members for the flexible strip or covering cloth 4 which is secured at one end to the cross bar 3 arid at its opposite end to Aa cross bar 5 of a headframe 6. The head frame 6 is hingedly connected at 1 tothe arm of the lazy tong associated with the cross bar 2, and further supported by the arm 8 thereof, so as to stretch the cloth 4. In order to release the head frame 6 from its stretched position, catches 9 or locking bolts or the like are provided at the arms 8 of the lazy tong and adapted to engage corresponding recesses I of the head frame 6 in the stretched position of the lazy ton-gs only. A foot frame I2, consisting at both sides of two hinged arms or slewing brackets, is hingedly connected to the arms II, the cross bar I3 of the foot frame I2 being connected with the cross bar 3 of the side wall by a further flexible strip or cloth covering I4 and thereby forming a lower extension of the bed surface as known from collapsible deck-chairs.

The ottoman or fauteuil chaise thus set up may be collapsed after release of the catcher 9, by withdrawing or pushing together the lazy tongs I in the known manner in their longitudinal direction and swinging them towards the head frame 6 in a manner as to form closed side walls. In order that the hinged arms of the foot frame I2 may bear tightly on the exterior arms of the side walls, said hinged arms are lhingedly connected to projecting bearing brackets I of the arm II which permit the two hinged arms I2 ofthe vfoot frame on each side of the box to be folded down side by side tightly and directly on the last arm of the lazy tong, as shown in Fig. 3.

The collapsed bed is now enveloped by a cover I6 forming the wall of the box and being reinforced or stiffened at its margin by hingedlyv jointed bars I'I, I3, I9, 20 and 2I which are enveloped by the cover cloth and held in an upright position with respect to the cover surface by means of the bars I1 directly jointed to the head frame E at 22. The cover I6 is reinforced by transversely arranged bars or plates 23 andv 24 secured to it and forming at the same time the bottom and cover stiffening bars of the box. The hinges 25 of the interconnected bars I'I-2I are bridged at the inner cover surface by means of the tension straps 26 limiting the free hingemovement of the hinges 25 in one direction. Thus, the box cover can be used as a sun screen. To this end, the .whole cover I6 is upwardly swung, with the bed set up, over the head frame 6 to such a degree that it takes up the position shown in Fig. 4 in which it is held by straps 21 secured to the head frame 6 and the bars II. The straps 26 provided at the hinges 25 then hold the cover I6 over the bed with its outer surface downwardly directed, in the form of a screen.

Before collapsing or folding together the bed, the cover I6 is swung back over the head frame 6, so that the bed is clear for collapsing. `In a collapsed state of the bed the cover is put over the side walls formed by the tongs or shears in such a manner that it embraces by its bars I'I the head frame 6, by its bars I8 the hinges of the side wall I, by its bars I9 the foot frame I2, and

by its bars 20 the opposite hinges of the side walls l I. In this manner a box is formed in the bottom of which the stretchable cloth is positioned (Fig. 3) and which offers suflicient space to receive the articles used in week-end trips. Moreover, since the end of the cover is somewhat spaced or recessed from the cross bar 5, there remains a gap 28 which represents the opening of a pocket 29 formed by the cover I 6 and the stretchable cloth. In order to close the box, the portion of the cover containing the head frame 6 is swung down and then the short portion of the cover stiffened by the rods 2I is swung over, whereby the pocket is also closed. This portion of the cover is; locked by locks 30 secured to the outside of the rods I7 and 2I. A handle 3| is secured to the plate 24 and metal buttons 32 are provided which serve to protect the cover and to secure the plates 23 and 24 tothe cover cloth. The hinges 25 of the bars II-ZI are recessed adjacent to the straps 26 in such a manner that the cover cloth is prevented from being catched and injured when the bars are swung in their hinges through While I have herein shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, I Wish it to be understood that I do not conne myself to all the precise details herein set forth by Way of illustration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim- 1. A travelling box, formed of two side walls each comprising a system of levers interconnected lazy tong fashion, cross bars connecting the ends of said side walls in a parallel relationship, end members, a exible cover pivotally connected to said side walls at one end and adapted to envelope the edges of said side Walls in collapsed position and to serve in extended position as a protective screen, and means adapted to lock said cover at its free end.

2. A travelling box, formed of two side walls `of variable length each comprising a system of levers hingedly connected with each other to form two zig-zag lines symmetrically crossing each other, cross bars connecting the ends of said lever systems in spaced relation, a flexible strip connected to said cross bars, a cover pivotally connected to one end of said side walls and adapted to be set up in the form of a protective screen, and means adapted to lock said cover at its free end in its closed position, whereby the box can be either closed as a travelling box or opened and stretched, by stretching said systems of levers and said flexible strip to form a couch, the said crossing levers forming the feet of said couch.

3. A travelling box, formed of two side walls each comprising a system of levers interconnected lazy tongue-fashion, cross bars connecting the ends of said side walls in a parallel relationship, a flexible strip the opposite ends of which are connected to said cross bars, a cover hingeclly connected to said side walls at one end and enveloping the space of the box between said side walls, and means adapted to lock said cover at its free end, said strip adapted to be stretched to form a bed in the stretched position of said side walls and to be enclosed in the hollow space formed by said cover in the collapsed position of the box, and means adapted to lock said lever systems in their stretched position against the action of said stretched strip tending to collapse said lever systems.

4. A travelling box according to claim 2, further comprising a foot frame adapted to form an extension of said flexible strip and including a plurality of hingedly interconnected levers hinged to each side wall lever system, said foot frame levers adapted to form an extension of said exible strip in their stretched positions and to form an extension of the side walls of the box in their collapsed positions.

5. A travelling box according to claim 2, further comprising a head frame across one end of said Wall lever systems and hingedly interconnected rods at the margins of said cover held in an edgewise position relative to said cover surface by hinge-connection to said frame, strips across said cover to stiften the middle portion thereof, and straps at the inner sides of the hinges of said rods adapted to limit the hinge motion in one direction and to hold said cover in a freely overhanging position when set up as a protective screen.

ANDREAS ANDERSCHITZ.

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