US3722205A

US3722205A - Furniture structure

Info

Publication number: US3722205A
Application number: US00124859A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Meyer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-03-16
Filing date: 1971-03-16
Publication date: 1973-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-27

Abstract

An improved article of furniture with four uprights adjustably supporting near their upper ends a bed frame and supporting below the bed frame a table surface carrying benches adjacent the table surface with the uprights capable of supporting any load and each including tripod arranged legs secured together at a connecting point at their upper ends and spread apart at their lower ends with connecting members limiting the spreading movement of the legs.

Description

United States Patent [191 Meyer 1 Mar. 27, 1973 FURNITURE STRUCTURE [76] Inventor: Theodore H. Meyer, 417 Summit St., Barrington, [11. 60010 [22] Filed: Mar. 16, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 124,859

[52] US. Cl 8, 5/9

[51 Int. Cl. ..A47c 17/40, A47c 7/03 [58] Field of Search ..5/289, 127, 129, 130; 182/118, 182/1 19 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,362,567 11/1944 La Rue ..297/l84 X 3,338,648 9/1967 Bannister...

9/1882 French ..5/l3OX Vincent ..5/ l 30 Droeger et al ..l82/l 18 X Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson ABSTRACT An improved article of furniture with four uprights adjustably supporting near their upper ends a bed frame and supporting below the bed frame a table surface carrying benches adjacent the table surface with the uprights capable of supporting any load and each ineluding tripod arranged legs secured together at a connecting point at their upper ends and spread apart at their lower ends with connecting members limiting the spreading movement of the legs.

1 1 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATEY-1TEDMAR27|975 722,205

SHEET 2 [IF 2 INVENTOR THEODORE H. MEYER BY wwomms FURNITURE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improved article of furniture and particularly combined bed and desk or table having a unique construction for stability and for use in a room area of limited size.

In homes and apartments two basic pieces of furniture are a bed and a table. In areas of limited space, or in order to save space, the present invention contemplates combining such units with a unique extremely stable support in such a manner that the two units can be embodied in the same space formerly'required by I one. Such a construction is very desirable in small apartments, college rooming houses, childrens rooms in homes and like uses wherein it is advantageous to save floor space. In pieces of furniture which have been heretofore available and have combined functions, it has been necessary toyield some functionality of one of the pieces in order to effect the combination making one piece less desirable or the stability and strength of the piece has been reduced. It is conventionally necessary to compromise on the features of a piece of furniture in order to combine its function with another. The present structure does not sacrifice features and the combination enhances the operation of the units.

I have discovered an improved and unique support structure which is capable of providing a vertical support unit for mounting and carrying any type of horizontal load member which is particularly well suited for use in a combination which provides a combined bed and desk or table unit.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved vertical support structure providing features of stability, inexpensive construction, light weight, ease of packaging, susceptibility to mass production manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combined table and bed unit which performs the function of both and requires only the floor space of a single unit wherein the structure is such that the combined features each contribute to the usefulness of the other.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent with the disclosure of the preferred embodiments thereof in the claims, specification and drawings, in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the article of furniture includes four quadrilaterally positioned

upright support units

12, 13, 14 and 15. Each of the upright supports are substantially identically constructed and are positioned so that they coact with each other for vertical support and lateral stability.

Mounted on the upright supports is a horizontally disposed bed frame 10. This bed frame is at an elevated position so as to be spaced above a horizontally disposed working surface 11 which is also mounted between said upright supports 12, 13, 14 and 15.

The working surface 11 functions as a tabletop or a desk surface for performing the functions thereof and in an instance where the unit is employed in a small apartment or a students room, the table 11 may function both as a table and a desk. The bed frame 10 is mounted a sufficient distance above the tabletop 11 so as to provide a working area. With a conventional 8 foot ceiling, this will still provide adequate sleeping room above the bed. The table also provides an overnight storage place for clothes and the like, and the bed occupant may reach down to the tabletop. The bed frame may be a rectangular steel frame with a spring mounted on the frame and accommodates a mattress and bedding. An optimum height for the table 11 is 30 inches from the floor F with the bed frame being positioned approximately 5-% feet from the floor by leaving a 2-% feet work space above the table 11. Variations in these elevations may be employed and the table 11 may be positioned between 16 inches and 36 inches from the floor and the bed at an elevation of 4 to 6-% feet with at least 2- feet between them. Positioned at the ends of the table 11 are benches such as 16, which are also mounted on the upright supports. The drawings illustrate a bench only at one end of the table 11, but a similar bench could be positioned at the other end, and additional benches at the sides if desired. The presence of the bed above in no way detracts from the use of the table, and the lower surface of the bed reflects light downwardly arching in a uniform distribution of reflected light such as from a lamp on the table.

The details of construction of the upright supports are best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Inasmuch as each of the four upright supports are the same, the upright 14 need only be described in detail.

The upright FIG. 5 includes three

legs

17, 18 and 19 which are situated in tripod form. Corresponding legs are foundin each of the four

uprights

12, 13, I4 and 15, and the legs are there identified by the same numbers with a letter suffix. For example, the legs for the upright 14 are shown at 17a, 18a and 19a.

The legs are connected to each other at their upper ends at a connecting point by through bolt 20. This bolt extends through holes drilled through each of the legs.

In the form of structure illustrated, the bed frame is supported by a chain 21 which is looped around the top of the outboard leg 19 and hangs downwardly to eonnect to the bed frame by being looped around a short projecting leg 22. Various forms of arrangements may be used to connect to the bed frame such as providing notches in the metal, but with the present arrangement with the formation of a simple loop in the chain 22 and g are spread apart at theirlower ends. They are positioned so that they extend vertically parallel with respect to a vertical plane P extending down through the center of the bed, FIG. 2. With this construction, lateral force in the direction of the arrow 29, FIG. 2, is not supported by the upright 14 but is carried by the upright 15 because of the outboard leg 19. Similarly, a force in the direction of the arrowv 30 is not carried by the upright 15, but is instead carried by the upright 14 because of the angularly extending outboard leg'19a. It

has been discovered that-the

inboard legs

17 and 18 can be maintained with their inner surfaces in a vertical plane to take up a minimum of space with a vertically aligned load and yet complete lateral stability from horizontal forces is obtained by the coaction of the opposed uprights.

Thus, the

legs

17 and 18, FIG. diverge apart at their lower ends, but are in a vertical plane with respect to a vertical plane passing between the upright and the opposed upright 14. The outboard leg 19 extends angularly outwardly and is located in a position with the plane bisecting the angle between the two

inboard legs

17 and 18. The legs are maintained in their predetermined spread position with a horizontal tieing member 24 secured to each of the

legs

17 and 18. A second tieing member 25 is secured at its inner end to the first tieing member 24 and at its outer end to the outboard leg 19 and holds it in its predetermined spread position.

The horizontal tieing member 24 may beprovided with an extension 24 which provides a support for the bench 16, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3. At the other upright, a similar tieing member 240 supports the other end of the bench l6.

It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the opposing uprights are constructed'with the

inboard legs

18 and 18a in a vertical plane with respect to the vertical loads, i.e., the

table 11 and the bed 10, so as to provide equal width between them for the upper and lower load.

For an individual ascending into the bed, ladder rungs 29 may beattached to the legs as shown for the upright 12, FIGS. 1 and 2.

The unit piece of furniture may be provided with additional pertinences such as

cabinets

26 and 28, FIGS. 1 and 2. For a cabinet 26, table support cro'ss pieces 23 and 23a may be provided with extensions, such as shown at 23' in FIG. 5, for carrying the cabinet 26.

For the cabinet 28, support pieces 27b and 270 may be provided. The support piece 270 is connected to the outer surface of the

legs

17c and 180. The support 27b may be connected to the outer surface of the legs 17b and 18b. Again, inasmuch as the legs extend in a vertical plane relative to the loads, the support pieces may be readily connected.

The entire unit is contained within a space'only' slightly larger than the bed and substantially the same size as would be required in any event for the table and its associated bench. When placed on a floor or carpet, the unit becomes immediately stable and does not sway or yield during use. The uprights may be formed of any material, but two by two wood pieces are very suitable for the purpose. It will be observed that all of the uprights and support pieces may be formed of the same size two by two wood and that the parts are all straight so that they can easily be manufactured and created for economy and simplicity of shipping. Further, this with either a single or a double bed.

While the unique coacting construction of the uprights is particularly well suited in the combination shown for an article of furniture, it is to be understood that they may be employed for other uses. The combination of two opposed uprights, such as illustrated in FIG. 5, may well be employed in pairs for various vertical support functions. It is essential that two be used in opposition to each other so that the cross forces in either directionare supported by one of the outboard legs, and they thusly act together. The inboard legs, of course, will provide lateral support for loads normal to a plane extending across through the two uprights. I

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided an improved support which meets the objectives and advantages above set forth and which obtains an article of furniture which operates to provide a multitude of functions in a single room within limited floorspace.

' I claim as my invention:

1. A support structure for furniture comprising in combination,

quadrilaterally positioned upright vertical supports each having a pair of inboard legs and an outboard leg positioned outwardly of said pair with said legs being tripod arranged and interconnected at an upper connection point and separated at their lower ends to engage a floor surface at spaced locations, 1

an upper furniture member having a rigid frame and suspended on thesupport units,

a lower furniture member supported between said support units, means securing the lower furniture member to said support units so that their lateral positions are determined,

and means connecting the rigid frame of the upper furniture member to the support units yieldable in horizontal directions so that the support units can move at their upper ends to assume an upright positionand the legs of the units fully engage a floor surface.

2. A support structure constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein said inboard legs are parallel to a vertical plane passing midway between them.

3. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for connecting the upper furniture member'includes flexible suspension chains between the upper furniture member and each of the support units.

4. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 3 wherein said chains are adjustably conwith claim 1 wherein said lower furniture member is a 1 desk.

7. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 6 and including seats supported on said support units for the desk.

8. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means connecting the upper furniture member are in the form of downwardly extending suspension units connected between the upper end of the support units and the upper furniture member.

9. A support structure for furniture comprising in the legs of each of the support units so that the support units can shift vertically in their upright positions with the lower ends of the legs firmly engaging a floor surface.

10. An article of furniture constructed in accordance with claim 1 and including a horizontal tying member connected between the inboard legs of each of the ver tical supports and projecting outwardly of one of the legs, and a bench member mounted on the tying members where they project outwardly of the leg 1 1. An article of furniture constructed in accordance with. claim 1 and including a first horizontal tying member extending between. the inboard legs of each of the vertical supports limiting their separation, and a second tying member extending between the first tying member and the outboard leg limiting its outward movement.

Claims

1. A support structure for furniture comprising in combination, quadrilaterally positioned upright vertical supports each having a pair of inboard legs and an outboard leg positioned outwardly of said pair with said legs being tripod arranged and interconnected at an upper connection point and separated at their lower ends to engage a floor surface at spaced locations, an upper furniture member having a rigid frame and suspended on the support units, a lower furniture member supported between said support units, means securing the lower furniture member to said support units so that their lateral positions are determined, and means connecting the rigid frame of the upper furniture member to the support units yieldable in horizontal directions so that the support units can move at their upper ends to assume an upright position and the legs of the units fully engage a floor surface.

3. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for connecting the upper furniture member includes flexible suspension chains between the upper furniture member and each of the support units.

4. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 3 wherein said chains are adjustably connectible to the upper furniture member for controlling its elevation.

5. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 1 wherein the upper furniture member is a bed.

6. A support structure for furniture in accordance with claim 1 wherein said lower furniture member is a desk.

9. A support structure for furniture comprising in combination, a plurality of spaced vertical support units each having tripod arranged legs interconnected at an upper location with the lower ends spread and engaging a floor surface, an upper furniture member suspended from the support units on vertically downwardly extending horizontally yieldable suspension members, and a lower furniture member secured to only one of the legs of each of the support units so that the support units can shift vertically in their upright positions with the lower ends of the legs firmly engaging a floor surface.

10. An article of furniture constructed in accordance with claim 1 and including a horizontal tying member connected between the inboard legs of each of the vertical supports and projecting outwardly of one of the legs, and a bench member mounted on the tying members where they project outwardly of the leg.

11. An article of furniture constructed in accordance with claim 1 and including a first horizontal tying member extending between the inboard legs of each of the vertical supports limiting their separation, and a second tying member extending between the first tying member and the outboard leg limiting its outward movement.