US3239270A

US3239270A - Convertible furniture

Info

Publication number: US3239270A
Application number: US314691A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald S Milne
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-08
Filing date: 1963-10-08
Publication date: 1966-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-08

Description

March 8, 1966 5. MILNE 3,239,270

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Filed Oct. 8, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. DONALD S. MILNE AGENT March 8, 1966 D. s. MILNE 3,239,270

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Filed Oct. 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. DONALD S. MILNE AGENT March 8, 1966 D. s. MILNE CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v Filed Oct. 8, 1963 INVENTOR. DONALD S. MILNE AGENT March 8, 1966 D. MILNE CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 8, 1963 FIG. 7

FIG. 8

IN ENTOR. DONALD S. MILNE AGENT March 8, 1966 D. s. MILNE CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 8, 1963 INVENTOR DONALD S. MILNE AGENT United States Patent 3,239,270 CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Donald S. Milne, Bronxville, N.Y., assignor of twenty-five percent to David Avstreih, Mount Vernon, N.Y. Filed Oct. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 314,691 9 tClaims. (Cl. 297-113) This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 239,186, filed November 21, 1962, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to convertible furniture, and more particularly to a piece of furniture, such as a chair or table, which may be converted into a crib bed.

Convertible pieces of furniture serve multiple purposes and have, therefore, een used in all situations where space or storage problems are encountered in meeting furniture needs. Multiple-purpose furniture is particularly useful in small apartments or homes, hotels and motels. Furniture convertible into a sleeping or play- .ing facility for small children, such as a crib bed, playpen or youth bed, is adapted to serve regularly for its designed purpose in one position, thus fulfilling the needs of a living room, for instance, while being readily convertible to a small childs need when the latter arises on occasion.

Thus, in hotels or motels, the present invention provides a handsome and sturdy lounge chair or coffee table for use at all times. When it is not needed as a crib for guests with small children, it remains in the room as an attractive and comfortable easy chair. It therefore does not take up valuable storage space and the time required for an employee to fetch a conventional crib from storage, carry it to the guests room and set it up for use is saved. Having a crib readily available is also a convenience which would be appreciated by guests arriving with cranky over-tired children.

Of course, the chair-crib of the present invention is useful in any situation when a crib is not needed all the time and particularly when it would seem extravagant and inconvenient to purchase and store a conventional crib for the rare occasions it would be used, yet would be a welcome convenience when the occasions did arise. For example, this chair-crib is well suited for use by grandparents to have for use as a crib when small grand children visit and to be able to use as a living-room chair between visits.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a multi-purpose piece of furniture which, in one position, is an attractive lounge chair, table or the like and, in a second position, is converted into a sturdy, safe and comfortable crib or youth bed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel pivot means for connecting a crib side to a base frame into which it may be folded in the one position.

The above and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the invention by pivotally mounting two side panels and two end panels on a rectangular base frame. A support structure, such as legs, are attached to the base frame to support it horizontally on a floor. The base frame has four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber and pivot means connects each of the side and end panels .to respective ones of the base frame side walls, the pair of side panels and the pair of end panels being pivoted to opposite side walls, respectively. The pivot means for the side panels maintain the same in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed in the nesting chamber and permit pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of a crib bed. The pivot means for the end panels maintain the same in a first operating position, for instance as a back rest and seat of a chair, respectively, or as a table top, and permit pivoting of the end panels in a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed. Latch means is provided for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, the side panels are of identical size and their pivot means each includes a hinge with a first hinge plate attached to said one side panel, a second hinge plate attached to said one side wall and a fulcrum pin joining the two hinge plates, the fulcrum pin of the first pivot means being vertically spaced from the fulcrum pin of the second pivot means, and the first hinge plate of the first pivot means is longer than the first hinge plate of the second pivot means by the same distance as the vertical distance between the fulcrum pins.

The preferred hinge for one of the side panels consists of a first hinge plate, a second hinge plate, and a fulcrum pin pivotally joining the two hinge plates, the second hinge plate fitting into a cut-out defined by the first hinge plate, the two hinge plates forming an angle in a first pivotal position and being in the same plane in a second pivotal position.

The above and other objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of two specific embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a chair convertible to a crib bed;

FIG. 2 is the same view of the chair of FIG. 1 converted into a crib;

FIG. 3 is a section of FIG. 1 along line III-III;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the chair of FIG. 1, seen fro-m behind;

FIG. 5 is the same view of the chair of FIG. 4 converted into a crib;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the chair of FIG. I converted into a youth bed;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a table convertible into a crib bed;

FIG. 8 is the same view of the table of FIG. 7 converted into a crib;

FIG. 9 is a section along line IX-IX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a detail of the chair of FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a first pivot means connecting a side panel of the chair or table to the base frame; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a second pivot means connecting the second side panel of the chair or table to the base frame.

Referring now to the drawing and first to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6, there is shown a lounge chair which may be converted into a crib bed, a play pen or a youth bed. The chair comprises a rectangular horizontal base frame 1 and a support structure 2 attached to the base frame and adapted to support the same horizontally on a floor. The base frame has four vertical side walls constituted by pairs of

opposite walls

3, 3 and 4, 4, and a bottom 5 which may be a plywood or composition board, or the like. The illustrated support structure consists of a pair of

front legs

6, 6 and a pair of

back legs

7, 7 bolted to the

opposite side Walls

3, 3, respectively. An arm rest 8 connects upper extensions of the support legs.

To constitute the sides of a crib bed into which the chair may be converted, two

side panels

9 and 10 are pivotally connected to the insides of

vertical frame walls

3, 3. As is conventional in cribs, the side panels are not solid but consist of a plurality of parallel slats 11 fastened to, and extending between,

parallel end bars

12, 12. A first pivot means connects side panel 9 to one frame side wall 3 and a second pivot means connects the second side panel to an opposite frame side wall 3, the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position, best illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein they are superposed in the nesting chamber defined by the side walls and bottom of the base frame.

The preferred pivot means of the present invention, which permit pivoting of the

side panels

9 and 10 into a second, vertical position wherein they constitute sides of a crib (see FIGS. 2 and 5), is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Referring to FIG. 11 illustrating the first pivot means, the first position of the hinge is shown in full lines while the second position of the hinge is indicated in broken lines, arrow 13 showing the direction of movement of one of the hinge plates forming part of the first pivot means.

As illustrated, this pivot means consists of a first hinge plate 14 which is profiled and includes a perpendicularly extending portion 14', and a second hinge plate 15 fitting into a cut-out defined by the first hinge plate. The two hinge plates are pivotally joined by a pin 16 so that, in a first position, the two hinge plates are perpendicular to each other, with the second hinge plate being parallel to the portion 14' of the first hinge plate. In a second position, the second hinge plate 15 fits into the cut-out of, and lies in the same plane as, the first hinge plate 14.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first hinge plate portion 14' is screwed to an end bar 12 of the side panel 9 while the second hinge plate 15 is screwed to the inside of vertical frame side wall 3, a plurality of such hinges being attached along the length of the end bar.

Referring to FIG. 12, the second pivot means comprises a plurality of hinges attached to the end bars of side panel 10, each hinge consisting of a first hinge plate 17 which is profiled and includes a perpendicularly ex tending portion 17', and a second hinge plate 18. The two hinge plates are pivotally joined along adjacent edges by a pin 19 so that, in a first position indicated in full lines, the two hinge plates are perpendicular to each other. When the first hinge plate 17 is moved in the direction of arrow 20 into a second position, it is in the same plane as the second hinge plate 18, as shown in broken lines.

As will be clear from a consideration of FIG. 3, the two

side panels

9 and 10 are superposed in the nesting chamber i.e. the pivot means of side panel 10' is necessarily vertically spaced from the plane of the pivot means of side panel 9. If conventional hinges were used for pivotally mounting both panels, the upper end bar of panel 10 would be similarly above the upper end bar of panel 9 when the two panels are pivoted into the second, vertical position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5. This inconvenience has been avoided in accordance with this invention by the use of the special hinge shown in FIG. 11. The width of the

side panels

9 and 10 being equal, the upper end bars thereof will lie in the same horizontal plane parallel to the base frame when the panels are in their vertical position when the first hinge plates 14 of the first pivot means is longer than the first hinge plates 17 of the second pivot means by the same distance as the vertical distance between fulcrum 16 of the first pivot means and fulcrum 19 of the second pivot means.

The convertible chair also includes two end panels pivotally connected to the upper edges of opposite

vertical side walls

4, 4, and constituting ends of a crib when pivoted into a second, vertical position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. A third pivot means connects end panel 21 to one frame side wall 4 and a fourth pivot means connects the second panel 22 to an opposite frame side wall 4, the third and fourth pivot means maintaining the

end panels

21 and 22 in a first operating position, wherein the piece of furniture is a chair, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, and permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position (FIGS. 2 and 5) wherein they constitute crib ends.

End panel 21 constitutes the back rest of the chair in the first operating position and is provided with a molding 21' along its top edge to reinforce the panel and also to make it easier to grip. In the first operating position, the back rest may be maintained at a desired angle in respect to the base frame 1 by providing two

pins

23, 23 extending laterally from panel 21 and engaging profiled clips or stops 24, 24 screwed to the top edges of vertical side walls 3, 3 (FIG. 10). When pins 23 engage within the recesses defined by clips 24, the lower end of the back rest 21 will be held in position.

The third pivot means is constituted by a back rest support 25, which is a rectangular frame, and hinges 26 and 27 respectively pivoting one side of support frame to the upper edge of one side wall 4 of the base frame and an opposite support frame side to the back rest. Conventional butt hinges may be used for hinge 26 and any conventional pivoting connection may be used for pivotally joining the support frame 25 to the back rest The second end panel 22 constitutes the seat of the chair in the first operating position and since it is conventional and convenient in easy chairs of the illustrated type to have the seat downwardly inclined from front to back, a front ledge 28 is provided on one of the side walls 4 for the pivotal support of panel 22. A fourth means constituted by a continuous hinge 29 mounts the panel 22 on ledge 28, the hinge 29 extending parallel to, but somewhat spaced from, the front edge of the panel 22.

When the chair of FIG. 1 has been converted into the crib of FIG. 2, the crib sides and ends are held together by tightening suitable latch means provided thereon, the illustrated latch means being conventional claw bolts 30.

A pair of

like cushions

31, 31 are supported respectively by

end panels

21 and 22 when they form the back rest and the seat of the chair. These cushions are used as mattresses when the chair has been converted into a crib, at which time the cushions are supported on the bottom 5 in the nesting chamber defined by the vertical side walls of base frame 1. A small cushion 32 is placed on top of back rest cushion 31 and this may be used as a head rest in the crib, if desired.

The chair is converted into a crib in the following manner:

First, the cushions are moved from the seat and back rest. Then, the seat panel 22 is lifted to a vertical or upright position and held in this position while the back rest is grasped at the center of molding 21, moved slightly forwardly to disengage pin 23 from the recess of clip 24, and moved back into upright position by pivoting support frame 25 about hinge 26 while simultaneously swinging panel 21 about the fulcrum of hinge 27. With the two end panels in upright position, panel 10 is raised up and clamped to the end panels by the latch means at the corners of the panels, and finally panel 9 is similarly raised and clamped into position. The two cushions 31 are now placed into the nesting chamber on the bottom of the base frame 1, with cushion 32 used as a head bumper, if desired, and the crib is ready for use. The conversion back to the chair simply reverses this procedure, as will be obvious from the above description.

With or without the cushions, the crib may also be used as a play pen, as will be obvious to parents of small children.

As shown in FIG. 6, the chair may also be converted into a youth bed without side and end panels. In this case, the cushions also are removed from the seat and back rest but, instead of raising the end panels into upright position, they are laid down flat on top of the nested

side panels

9 and 10. For this purpose, the seat panel 22 is lifted slightly while the back rest 21 is swung about the fulcrum of hinge 27 as the support frame 25. is pivoted downwardly to rest on side panel 10 and.

end panel 21 is also swung into horizontal position overlying support frame 25. Seat or end panel 22 is then replaced again into its original, generally horizontal position, the panel 22 now resting on horizontally positioned panel 2. The

cushions

31 and 32 are now placed on the superposed

panels

21, 22 to form the mattress of the youth bed.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 shows a convertible coffee table or luggage rack which may be converted into a crib bed, a play pen or a youth bed in a manner quite similar to that of the first-described embodiment. This piece of furniture, too, comprises a rectangular horizontal base frame 100 and a support structure 101 constituted by four legs. The base frame being substantially the same as that of the above-described embodiment, a further description thereof is not necessary, except for the upwardly extending ledges 128 provided at each one of the frame side walls, similarly to ledge 28. A pair of

like end panels

122, 122 are pivoted to two opposite ledges 128 in the same manner as panel 22 is hinged to ledge 28. In a first operating position, the two end panels form a table top or support surface of a luggage rack, as seen in FIG. 7, the inner edges of the end panels being supported on the ledges 128 on the two other side walls of the base frame.

As clearly seen in FIG. 9, side panels 109 and 110 are identical in structure and mounting to that of

panels

9 and 10 so that neither one need be described again. Arranged within the space defined between panel 110 and

panels

122, 122 are two

cushions

131, 131, the ledges 128 providing sufiicient space for the thickness of the cushions.

Conversion of the table into the crib of FIG. 8 is believed to be obvious from the foregoing description. The two end panels are simply lifted into upright position, the cushions are removed, the side panels are raised in the same manner as in the chair, the panels are clamped together and the cushions are replaced in the bottom of the base frame.

It will be obvious from the above description of two embodiments of the present invention that I have provided a multi-purpose piece of furniture which not only constitutes a handsome lounge chair, coffee table or luggage rack styled to go with any living room decor but is readily convertible in a minute into a chlids sturdy crib, a play pen or a youth bed. This convertible piece of furniture will be particularly useful to those who have space and storage problems, such as small-apartment dwellers, motels or hotels, as well as for those who need childrens facilities only on occasions, such as grandparents.

It will also be obvious that, in addition to chairs or tables, the convertible piece of furniture of this invention may serve other purposes, such as chests serving as supporting structure for the base frame, and others.

Thus, while I have described the invention in connection with certain now preferred embodiments, it will be understood that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A piece of furniture convertible to a crib bed having a bottom, two sides and two ends comprising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side Walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontlly on a floor; two side panels having a height exceeding half the width of the nesting chamber; first pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls; second pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting the second side panel to an opposite one of the side walls, the pivoting axes of said first and second pivoting means lying in vertically superposed planes; the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed but fully within the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute the sides of the crib bed; two end panels; third pivot means connecting one of the end panels to a third one of the vertical side walls; fourth pivot means connecting the second end panel to the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; the third and fourth pivot means maintaining the end panels in a first operating position and said latter pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute the ends of the crib bed; and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof, the bottom of the nesting chamber forming the bottom of the crib bed in said second position of the side and end panels, and the side walls of the nesting chamber being substantially coextensive in length with the lengths of the panels connected thereto.

2. A lounge chair convertible to a crib bed, comprising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontally on a floor; two side panels; first pivot means connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls; second pivot means connecting the second. side panel to an opposite one of the side walls; the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed in the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of the crib bed; two end panels; one of the end panels forming a back rest of the chair in a first operating position and the second end panel forming a chair seat in the first operating position; a third pivot means connecting the one end panel to a third one of the vertical side walls of the base frame, the third pivot means including a back rest support hinged to the third side wall and hinge means fastening the one end panel to the support; stop means holding the one end panel in said first operating position at a desired angle in respect to the base frame; fourth pivot means connecting the second end panel to the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; the third and fourth pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed; and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

3. The lounge chair of claim 2, further comprising a ledge on the fourth side wall, the fourth pivot means fastening the second end panel to the ledge.

4. A table convertible to a crib bed, comprising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontally on a floor; two side panels; first pivot means connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls; second pivot means connecting the second side panel to an opposite one of the side walls; the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed in the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of the crib bed; two end panels; the two end panels being of like size and forming a table top in a first operating position; like upwardly projecting ledges on the base frame side walls; third and fourth pivot means connecting the two like end panels to respective ones of opposite ledges, and said latter pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed;

and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

5. The convertible lounge chair of claim 2, wherein the first pivot means consists of a first hinge plate including a perpendicularly extending portion fastened to the one side panel, a second hinge plate fastened to the one side wall, and a fulcrum pin joining the two hinge plates, the second hinge plate fitting into a cutout defined by the first hinge plate.

6. The convertible table of claim 4, wherein the first pivot means consists of a first hinge plate including a perpendicularly extending portion fastened to the one side panel, a second hinge palte fastened to the one side wall, and a fulcrum pin joining the two hinge plates, the second hinge plate fitting into a cutout defined by the first hinge plate.

7. A piece of furniture convertible to a crib bed, comprising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontally on a floor; two side panels of identical size and each having a height exceeding half the width of the nesting chamber; first pivot means inside the nesting chamber and connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls; second pivot means inside the nesting chamber and connecting the second side panel to an opposite one of the side walls; the first and second pivot means each including a hinge with a first plate attached to said one side panel, a second hinge plate attached to said one side wall and a fulcrum pin joining the two hinge plates, the fulcrum pin of the first pivot means being vertically spaced from the fulcrum pin of the second pivot means, and the first hinge plate of the first pivot means being longer than the first hinge plate of the second pivot means by the same distance as the vertical distance between the fulcrum pins, the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed but fully within the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of the crib bed; two end panels; third pivot means connecting one of the end panels to a third one of the vertical side walls; fourth pivot means connecting the second end panel to the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; the third and fourth pivot means maintaining the end panels in a first operating position and said latter pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed; and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

8. A piece of furniture convertible to a crib bed, comprising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamher; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontally on a floor; two side panels having a height exceeding half the width of the nesting chamber; first pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls, the first pivot means consisting of a first hinge plate including a perpendicularly extending portion fastened to the one side panel, a second hinge plate fastened to the one side wall, and a fulcrum pin joining the two hinge plates, the second hinge plate fitting into a cutout defined by the first hinge plate; second pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting the second side panel to an opposite one of the side walls; the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed but fully within the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of the crib bed; two end panels; third pivot means connecting one of the end panels to a third one of the vertical side walls; fourth pivot means connecting the second end panel to the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; the third and fourth pivot means maintaining the end panels in a first operating position and said latter pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed; and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

9. A piece of furniture convertible to a crib bed, com prising a rectangular horizontal base frame having four vertical side walls and a bottom defining a nesting chamber; a support structure attached to the base frame and adapted to support the base frame horizontally on a floor; two side panels having a height exceeding half the width of the nesting chamber; first pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting one of the side panels to one of the side walls; second pivot means inside said nesting chamber and connecting the second side panel to an opposite one of the side walls; the first and second pivot means maintaining the side panels in a first, horizontal position wherein they are superposed but fully within the nesting chamber, and said pivot means permitting pivoting of the side panels into a second, vertical position wherein the side panels constitute sides of the crib bed; two end panels; third pivot means connecting one of the end panels to a third one of the vertical side walls; fourth pivot means connecting the second end panel to the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; the third and fourth pivot means maintaining the end panels in a first operating position wherein said end panels form a flat top, said flat top extending over said nesting chamber, and said latter pivot means permitting pivoting of the end panels into a second, vertical position wherein the end panels constitute ends of the crib bed; and latch means for holding the crib sides and ends together in the second, vertical positions thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 526,081 9/1894 Mackie 5-99 751,813 2/1904 Smith 297-10 837,278 12/1906 Bogardus 599 1,164,243 12/1915 Wasserman 593 1,340,467 5/1920 Tifi'en 297-10 1,388,895 8/ 1921 Russo 297-10 1,539,443 5/ 1925 Talmage 297-10 2,095,173 10/1937 Deckert 16-162 2,545,891 3/1951 Mehr et al. 5-3 2,570,609 10/1951 Taylor 53 2,620,856 12/1952 Gardner 297- 2,711,544 6/1955 Bystrom 5-2 2,783,477 3/ 1957 Tittsworth 5-2 2,814,051 11/1957 Lee et al. 5177 X 2,989,772 6/1961 Parsons 16-162 FOREIGN PATENTS 75,706 11/ 1929 Sweden. 84,343 9/1935 Sweden.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner,

Claims

1. A PIECE OF FURNITURE CONVERTIBLE TO A CRIB BED HAVING A BOTTOM, TWO SIDES AND TWO ENDS COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR HORIZONTAL BASE FRAME HAVING FOUR VERTICAL SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM DEFINING A NESTING CHAMBER; A SUPPORT STRUCTURE ATTACHED TO THE BASE FRAME AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE BASE FRAME HORIZONTALLY ON A FLOOR; TWO SIDE PANELS HAVING A HEIGHT EXCEEDING HALF THE WIDTH OF THE NESTING CHAMBER; FIRST PIVOT MEANS INSIDE SAID NESTING CHAMBER AND CONNECTING ONE OF THE SIDE PANELS TO ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS; SECOND PIVOT MEANS INSIDE SAID NESTING CHAMBER AND CONNECTING THE SECOND SIDE PANEL TO AN OPPOSITE ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS, THE PIVOTING AXES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PIVOTING MEANS LYING IN VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED PLANES; THE FIRST AND SECOND PIVOT MEANS MAINTAINING THE SIDE PANELS IN A FIRST, HORZONTAL POSITION WHEREIN THEY ARE SUPERPOSED BUT FULLY WITHIN THE NESTING CHAMBER, AND SAID PIVOT MEANS PERMITTING PIVOTING OF THE SIDE PANELS INTO A SECOND, VERTICAL POSITION WHEREIN THE SIDE PANELS CONSTITUTE THE SIDES OF THE CRIB BED; TWO END PANELS; THIRD PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF THE END PANELS TO A THIRD ONE OF THE VERTICAL SIDE WALLS; FOURTH PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING THE SECOND END PANEL TO THE FOURTH SIDE WALL OPPOSITE TO THE THIRD SIDE WALL; THE THIRD AND FOURTH PIVOT MEANS MAINTAINING THE END PANELS IN A FIRST OPERATING POSITION AND SAID LATTER PIVOT MEANS PERMITTING PIVOTING OF THE END PANELS INTO A SECOND, VERTICAL POSITION WHEREIN THE END PANELS CONSTITUTE THE ENDS OF THE CRIB BED; AND LATCH MEANS FOR HOLDING THE CRIB SIDES AND ENDS TOGETHER IN THE SECOND, VERTICAL POSITIONS THEREOF, THE BOTTOM OF THE NESTING CHAMBER FORMING THE BOTTOM OF THE CRIB BED IN SAID SECOND POSITION OF THE SIDE AND END PANELS, AND THE SIDE WALLS OF THE NESTING CHAMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE IN LENGTH WITH THE LENGTH OF THE PANELS CONNECTED THERETO.