US2888305A

US2888305A - Extendable supported platform article of furniture

Info

Publication number: US2888305A
Application number: US670408A
Authority: US
Inventors: George W Perry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-07-08
Filing date: 1957-07-08
Publication date: 1959-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-26

Description

May 26, 1959 G. w. PERRY EXTENDABLE SUPPORTED PLATFORM ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed July 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L2 WW2;

United States Patent EXTENDABLE SUPPORTED PLATFORM ARTICLE OF FURNITURE George W. Perry, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 8, 1957, Serial No. 670,408

3 Claims. (Cl. 311-41) This invention relates to a new and improved basic article of furniture which may function as a table, bench, platform or raised base. More particularly, the invention is directed to improvements in extendable articles of furniture and specifically to an improved, extendable platform having a plurality of members interleaved in telescopic arrangement with suitable bracing and support members so designed and assembled as to provide a flat, even top surface.

It is well-known that modern, functional furniture has become verypopular. Such furniture is often so designed as to provide basic units, such as for example sectional seats and sofas, so that combination of a plurality of such units may afiord either individual seats or enlarged sofas and the like. So, also, tables which may be enlarged by extending the same and then inserting additional boards have been known and used for some time. However, to my knowledge no basic unit has been provided which comprises a self-contained, extendable platform unit which may be combined with other such units or modified to afford articles of furniture such as benches, tables, coffee tables, end tables, bookcase bases or the like, said units capable of being readily adjusted to aiford any desired size by merely extending or retracting the platform portion thereof.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide a basic article of furniture as indicated hereinabove.

Another object is to afford a furniture unit having a platform which may be readily extended or retracted as desired. An object relating thereto is to provide a platform composed of a number of interleaved members which may be readily extended or retracted in telescopic relationship.

Still another object is to provide an article of furniture having an extendable platform which is suitably braced and supported so as to afford a rigid support member throughout its length, even when it is fully extended.

Another object is to so design and assemble the bracing and supporting members of said platform, that no portion thereof protrudes above the surface of the inter- I leaved members.

Still a further object is to alford an extendable platform of the type indicated which may be readily mounted on support members, such as legs, of varying heights and design so that said supported platform may be used either as a low or high table, as a bench or as a base for other articles of furniture in accordance with the dimensions and type of platform support selected.

Yet another object is to afliord an article of furniture in which the functional extendable members and the assembly thereof comprises an important part of the modernistic functional design motif of the furniture itself.

Yet a further object is to afford a basic furniture unit of the character described which is attractive, sturdy,

yet inexpensive.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, i-ts mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a telescopically extendable furniture unit embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of said unit mounted on legs to afford a table;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 33 in Fig. 1 of the drawings and viewed in the direction indicated;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view with central portions of the platform removed to facilitate illustration of the same; i

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the plane of line S5 in Fig. 1 of the drawings;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the bracing members illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modification of the bracing means.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a table comprising a platform 11 mounted on a plurality of legs such as 12. The legs 12 may be of any conventional type but in the embodiment chosen for illustration here comprise an L-shaped bracket 14 supported on a pair of legs.

such as 16 formed by bending a length of metal tubing. One such leg may be attached at each corner of the bottom surface of the platform 11 by any conventional means as for example screws or rivets such as 18. It should, of course, be understood that legs of other designs and constructions may be substituted for the ones here chosen for illustration and also that other forms of supports may be utilized dependingupon the type of article of furniture which it is desired to provide.

Turning now to a more detailed description of the platform, which embodies the novel features of this invention, it will be noted that the platform comprises a pair of

sections

20 and 22, each of which in turn comprise a plurality of strips or slats such as 24. The slats 24 of each section are spaced apart in staggered relationship so that they are interleaved with each other. Thus, the sections may be extended or retracted with respect to each other in telescopic relationship.

Spacing blocks such as 26 may be arranged one between each strip 24 at the outer-end portion of each section as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings. The spacing blocks and the outer ends of the slats of each section may then be securely bound together by means of a plurality of tie-rods such as 28 extending through aligned apertures in the spacing blocks and the adjacent strips as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The tie-rods 28 may actually comprise headed bolts each having a head 30 formed at one end and with the other end screwasaasos threaded as at 32 so that a nut 34 may be threaded thereon to secure the assembly. As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawin s the outermost slats 24 may be undercut so that the ends of the tie-rod 28 are hidden from view. Plugs such as 36 may be inserted in the undercut openings to hide the nut 34 and bolt head 3t) completely from view.

Thus it will be noted that the outer ends of each table section are secured together by means completely hidden from view so that the appearance of the unit is in no way impaired. It should also be noted that the width of the spacing blocks 26 i somewhat greater than the width of the slats 24. This, of course, provides spacing between the individual slats the width of which is somewhat in excess of the width of the slats of the other section which are positioned to slide in aid spaces. Thus, the sections are free to slide in telescopic relationship one with the other without interference or binding from the adjacent edges of the slats of the other section. The free-sliding relationship obviously facilitates ready extension or retraction of the unit.

To support and connect each of the opposite free ends of the slats of each section 2% and 22 novel means is provided which will now be described in detail. Attention is direction to Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings in which it will be noted that metal cross plates such as 38 are secured across the bottom surfaces of the outer ends of the slats 24 of each

section

20 and 22. Any suitable securing means such as wood screws 46 may be used. These screw may be threaded through aligned openings such as 42 in the cross strip 3% and then into the central portion of the slats 24.

The outer marginal edges of the cross plate 33 are slidingly positioned in channels such as 44, a shown in Figs. and 6 of the drawings. Each of the outermost slats 24 of each

section

20 and 22 has one such channel 44 mounted longitudinally at the bottom thereof. These channels may in turn each be secured by a plurality of wood screws such as 46 threaded through aligned opening such as 48 formed through the top leg of each channel. The wood screws 46, of course, penetrate into the strips 24, again as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. It will thus be noted that the outer or free ends of the slats of one section are secured together by the cross plate 38 with the marginal ends of said cros plate 38 then supported in a pair of the channels 44 positioned in the outermost slats of the other section. The plate is free to slide in said channels. Thus it will be readily perceived that each section is secured, braced and supported by mean substantially hidden from view and with no portion thereof protruding from any of the outer visible surfaces, including the top surface of the platform.

The above-described bracing structure may in and of itself be sufiicient to afford the necessary rigidity required of such a structure. However, to augment the bracing means thereby increasing the sturdiness and rigidity of the structure as well a for the purpose of insuring a freesliding relationship between the sections of the platform, additional support means may be provided as disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. This means comprises a tongue such as 50 which may be formed at a polsintermediate the width of the cross plate 38 by strhtin out and bending a central portion of the cross plate The outer marginal edge of the tongue 5% is designed to slidingly fit into another inner channel 52 which in turn is mounted in recessed relationship in the bottom of one of the slats 24 adjacent the outermost slat, again as shown in 5 of the drawings. This channel 52 may be secured to the slat 24 in the same manner as the other channels as by means of wood screws 5 threaded through a suitable Opening in the upper leg of the CilLEiu nel 52 and into the slat 24. Of course, it should be understood that tongue 56 may be formed at any point intermediate the width thereof so that said tongue may be positioned below any of the slats 24, whether ad- 6 jacent the outermost one or spaced therefrom. Obviously a corresponding channel 52 must be provided in the slat selected for alignment with the tongue.

In order to achieve more complete concealment of the bracing and supporting means, the structure may be slightly modified as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. In this embodiment similar parts are designated by like numerals with the added sufi'ix a.

In this embodiment the outer channels .4a are completely recessed into the bottom of the slats 24a so that the bottom surface of each channel is flush with the bottom surface of the slat. The outer marginal edges of the cross plate 38a are bent upwardly as at 56 to afford an inverted L with a horizontal outer tongue member 58 adapted to fit in sliding relationship in the groove of channel 44a. Thus, the bracing means being completely flush or even with the bottom surface of the slats is fully concealed so that the appearance of the furniture unit is in no way adversely affected by the structural supporting and bracing elements of the device.

From the foregoing description and drawings it should be readily apparent that I have provided a novel furniture unit which may be readily extended or retracted as desired. The unit is so designed that by varying the mounting or supporting means the use thereof may be varied accordingly. Similarly by combining several of the units again the function may be varied. Thus, for example, the number of salts may be increased to thereby increase the over-all width of the platform, or two or more units may be positioned adjacent each other to provide a broadened platform. The platform of the unit comprises a plurality of sections each composed of a plurality of slats positioned in interleaved sliding relationship so that one unit may be telescoped with respect to the other. The individual slats of each unit are suitably braced and connected to afford a sturdy, rigid structure. The bracing and supporting means are so designed that the same is fully concealed with no parts thereof protruding from any visible surfaces of the platform.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a leg-supported platform article of furniture, an extendable unencumbered smooth planar platform com prising two sets of slats arranged in interleaved telescopic relationship one set with the other, a plurality of legs mounting said platform in spaced relationship with a supporting surface, a plurality of means securing together the outer ends of the slats of each set, a pair of crossplates, one secured transversely across only the bottom of the free ends of the slats of each of said sets, at least one of the marginal edges of each of said cross-plates protruding beyond the outermost slat of the set to which the same is attached, and an elongated channel secured to the bottom of the adjacent slat of the other set, said marginal edge of said cross-plate slidably positioned in said elongated channel.

2. The platform article of furniture of claim 1 in which said means comprises a plurality of spacing blocks positioned one between each pair of adjacent slats, a plurality of elongated headed tie bolts threaded through aligned openings in said slats and spacing blocks and cooperating nuts threaded on the free end of said tie bolts.

3. In the platform article of furniture of claim 1, a tongue struck from said cross-plate at a point intermediate the width thereof, saidtongue formed with a horizontally disposed outer end portion, and an aux- 6 iliary elongated channel secured to the bottom of one of 204,237 Miller May 28, 1878 said aligned intermediately-positioned slats, said outer end 718,714 Larson J an. 20, 1903 portion of the tongue slidably positioned in said auxiliary 812,301 Schwedt Feb. 13, 1906 channel. 962,691 Andersen June 28, 1910 5 1,267,618 Andersen May 28, 1918 References Cited in the file of this patent 1,312,994 Leonard Aug 12 1919 UNITED STATES PATENTS ,7 68 Harding Aug. 26, 1930 123,372 Wales Feb. 6, 1872 2,12 ,1 Starnck June 7, 1938