WO2000059347A1

WO2000059347A1 - Columnar holding furniture

Info

Publication number: WO2000059347A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/009037
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kevin J. Mello
Original assignee: Mello Kevin J
Priority date: 1999-04-07
Filing date: 2000-04-05
Publication date: 2000-10-12
Also published as: AU4199800A

Abstract

Columnar holding furniture has a column (1) with vertically undulant walls (11, 12) that are cylindrical intermediate a vertically supportive base (2) proximate a bottom portion (14) and an illuminator (3) at a top portion (18). The bottom portion (14) is preferably broad to provide vertical rigidity while also resembling architecturally pillar-base structure. Coordinately, the top portion (18) is preferably broad to provide wide-area light diffusion while also resembling architecturally pillar-top structure. The column has at least one vertical recess (6, 24) with a plurality of disk rails (7) juxtaposed successively intermediate a top (18) and a bottom (14) portion of the vertical recess (6, 24). Materials for the wall are preferably low-weight plastic foam that is suitable composed or coated to provide a marble appearance, but can be actual marble, concrete, wood or other heavy material. Electrical light line (5) can be positioned in or on the column (1) for ease of access to ceiling, wall or floor outlets. A plurality of vertical recesses (6, 24) can be provided for access from or more sides. Table (25, 26) platforms can be positioned about one column (1) or between columns (1) to support computer equipment or an entertainment center.

Description

COLUMNAR HOLDING FURNITURE

Background of the Invention This invention relates to columnar holding furniture, and more particularly illuminated light-column furniture for holding CD's, video disks and other entertainment items.

Wide use of compact disks (CD'S) and video disks currently is prompting economic demand for furniture to hold them. Consequently, there is different but related furniture such as described in the following patent documents. U.S. Patent No. Des. 393, 173, issued to Harris on April 7, 1998, illustrated a CD storage rack having a truncate pyramidal shaped support for disk rails. U.S. Patent No. 5,584,398, issued to Lin on December 17, 1996, described a CD storage rack and lamp assembly having four sets of connecting rods with a lamp on top of a covering. U.S. Patent No. Des. 364,512, issued to Stravitz, on November 28, 1995, illustrated a rectangular CD storage tower. U.S. Patent No. 5,460,275, issued to Ladwig, on October 24, 1995, described a sparkling CD/cassette holder having rear lighting that illuminated CD and cassette cases with a sparkling effect in addition to providing lighting for identifying them for use. U.S. Patent No. 5,365,417, issued to Chen on November 15, 1994, described a CD rack with oppositely juxtaposed ribs below a lamp shade. U.S. Patent No. Des. 357,331, issued to Yeh on April 11, 1995, illustrated a combination cylindrical CD holder and inverted lamp shade. U.S. Patent No. Des. 352,415, issued to Koziol on November 15, 1994, illustrated a tall rectangular CD storage device. U.S. Patent No. Des. 342, 172, issued to Schonhofen on December 14, 1993, illustrated a short rack with CD shelves on opposite sides of regular shelves. U.S. Patent No. 5,195,642, issued to Dardashti on March 23, 1993, described a display or storage unit for holding compact disk cases, tapes and cassettes in modular cylindrical units. Summary of the Invention Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide columnar furniture which:

Illuminates a room and a columnar container of CDs selectively; Has vertically undulant walls for high structural integrity of low-weight and low-strength material that conversely has rigid, high-strength and solidarity furniture aesthetics;

Has a broad base to prevent tipping and a broad top portion for diffusing light selectively; Can be rotated on a base for use selectively in corners, against walls or at interior portions of rooms;

Can be used singularly for pillar support within or modularly at sides of computer equipment and entertainment centers;

Provides wide selection of room-lighting and container-lighting options in combination with low handling weight, low cost, high structural integrity, high rigidity and coincidentally desirable aesthetics.

This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with columnar furniture having a column with vertically undulant walls that are cylindrical intermediate a vertically supportive base proximate a floor portion and a top portion which may be illuminated. The floor portion is preferably broad to provide vertical rigidity while also resembling architecturally pillar-base structure. Coordinately, the top portion is preferably broad to provide wide-area light diffusion while also resembling architecturally pillar-top structure. The column has at least one vertical recess with a plurality of disk rails juxtaposed successively intermediate a top and a bottom portion of the vertical recess. Material for the walls is preferably low-weight plastic foam that is suitably composed or coated to provide a marble appearance, but can be actual marble, concrete, wood or other heavy material. Electrical light cords can be positioned in or on the column for ease of access to ceiling, wall or floor outlets. A plurality of vertical recesses can be provided for access from one or more sides. Table platforms can be positioned about one column or between columns to support computer equipment such as an entertainment center.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an illuminated CD-holding column;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the column through section line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a column having a plurality of storage recesses; FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a column having a plurality of sizes and shapes of storage recesses;

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view of a top portion of a column; FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway top view of a column having a diffuser plate; FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a column looking down from section line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view of a bottom portion of a column; FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway top view of a column having an illuminator housing that is cubical;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the FIG. 9 illustration;

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway top view of a column having an illuminator housing that is cubical;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the FIG. 11 illustration;

FIG. 13 is a top view of a brightness controller that can be remote or positioned in an electrical line for the column;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a remote receiver cell; FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway top view of a column having optional structure for a top of a column;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of a column supporting a table;

FIG. 17 is a cutaway portion of a back of a column showing a dimmer switch; FIG. 18 is a cutaway portion of a front of a column showing a storage recess having CD's on disk rails and diskette tapes on disk-rail shelves;

FIG. 19 is a top view of an end portion of a plurality of columns supporting an entertainment center on shelves; and

FIG. 20 is a front elevation view of a plurality of columns supporting an entertainment center on shelves.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:

1. Holding column 17. Top rectangular section

2. Base 18. Top round section

3. Illuminator 19. Top-attachment bay

4. Electric light 20. Top cylindrical portion

5. Electric line 21. Remote controller

6. Storage recess 22. Brightness controller

7. Disk rails 23. Remote receiver cell

8. Illuminator plate 24. Video tape storage recess

9. Rectangular surfaces 25. Table

10. Circumferential surface 26. Shelf

11. Undulation peaks 27. Dimmer

12. Undulation valleys 28. Rail shelf

13. Bottom rectangular portion 29. Video cassette

14. Bottom round portion 30. CD's

15. Bottom-attachment bay 31. Buffer plate

16. Bottom cylindrical portion 32. Caster

Referring first to FIGS. 1-8, a holding column 1 has an undulant wall that is circumferential intermediate a base 2 proximate a bottom portion and an illuminator 3 proximate a top portion. The base 2 has predetermined broadness for vertical support of the column 1. The illuminator 3 has predetermined broadness for illuminating a predetermined area with an electric light 4 having an electric line 5. At least one storage recess 6 in the column 1 has a plurality of disk rails 7 juxtaposed vertically for containing a predetermined size range of disks intermediate a bottom portion and a top portion of the storage recess 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5-6, 9-12 and 15-16, the illuminator 3 can have such illuminator structures as an illuminator plate 8 depicted in FIGS. 1, 5-6 and 15, a plurality of rectangular surfaces 9 depicted in FIGS. 9-10 and a circumferential surface 10 depicted in FIGS. 11-12 for transmitting light from the electric light 4 with preferably a predetermined diffusion of light. The illuminator plate 8 provides covering protection while the rectangular surfaces 9 and the circumferential surface 10 provide walled protection of a lighting portion of the column 1 and the electric light 4. Undulation of the undulant wall of the column 1 can be proportioned as desired for particular materials, size and proportion of column diameter to column height. Preferably, the column 1 is constructed of a low-density foamed material with structural integrity per volume provided by vertically linear undulance of the undulant wall. The undulance has vertically linear undulation peaks 11 that preferably are approximately one-quarter inch wide and are separated approximately one-and-one-half inches apart circumferentially. The undulation peaks 11 rise above vertically linear undulation valleys 12 that are approximately one-quarter inch deep arcuately in proportion to a column 1 having a height of approximately five feet and having a diameter of approximately ten inches.

Optionally to low-density foamed material, the column 1 also can be made of cemented material such as concrete, natural rock such as marble that it is intended to resemble and wood.

Referring further to FIGS. 1-8, the base 2 has a bottom rectangular portion 13 with optional height-adjustment feet that rests on a desired surface and a bottom round portion 14 which extends vertically upward from the bottom rectangular portion 13 of the base 2. The base 2 has a bottom-attachment bay 15 into which a bottom cylindrical portion 16 of the column 1 is fitted for attachment of the column 1 to the base 2. The bottom cylindrical portion 16 is rotatable in the bottom-attachment bay 15 for positioning the storage recesses 6 circumferentially . Oppositely disposed at the top of the column 1, a top rectangular section 17 can be extended upwardly from a top round section 18 as depicted in FIGS. 1, 5, 9-10 and 15. The top portion of the column 1 has a top-attachment bay 19 into which a top cylindrical portion 20 of the column 1 is fitted for attachment of the top portion of the column 1 to the column 1. Optionally, the illuminator 3 can have a circumferential surface 10 extended directly from the top round section 18 as depicted in FIGS. 11-12. Aesthetic features can be added as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5 and 13-14, the electric light 4 of the illuminator 3 can have a remote controller 21 of current to the illuminator 3 that optionally can be a brightness controller 22 in the electric line 5. For the remote controller

21, a remote receiver cell 23 in electrical communication with the electric light

4 is positioned proximate the illuminator 3.

Referring further to FIGS. 1-4, in addition to having more than one storage recesses 6, the column 1 also can have a plurality of sizes and shapes of storage recesses 6, such as represented by a video tape storage recess 24 in FIG. 4, for predetermined sizes and shapes of compact disks and video tapes.

Referring to FIG. 16, a table 25 can be positioned as desired about the column 1. Referring to FIG. 17, a dimmer 27 for the electric light 4 can be positioned on a back side of the column 1 with electrical access to the electric line 5 as shown further in FIGS. 1-2.

Referring to FIG. 18, rail shelves 28 can be positioned on the disk rails 7 to hold video cassettes 20 and other entertainment items in portions of the storage recess 6 that are not employed to hold CD's 30. Referring to FIG. 19-20, at least one shelf 26 sized and shaped to contain entertainment-center components can be positioned between two upright columns 1.

Referring further to FIGS. 1 and 7-8, the column 1 can but need not be positioned on buffer plates 31 that can have height adjustment or on rollers such as casters 32. Casters provide variable-direction positioning in addition to limited mobility. Variable-direction positioning for a non-mobile column 1 can be provided optionally by rotation of the bottom cylindrical portion 16 in the bottom-attachment bay 15 when the electric line 5 is positioned vertically in an arcuate slot as shown in FIG. 7.

Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, all improvements and modifications to this invention within the scope or equivalents of the claims are included as part of this invention.

Claims

Claims Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. Columnar holding furniture comprising: a column with an undulant wall that is cylindrical intermediate a base proximate a bottom portion and a top portion of the column; the base having predetermined broadness for vertical support of the column; and at least one storage recess in the column.

2. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 and further comprising: an illuminator proximate the top portion of the column; an electric light proximate the illuminator on the column; and a plurality of horizontal disk rails juxtaposed vertically in the storage recess for containing a predetermined size range of disks on the disk rails intermediate a bottom portion and a top portion of the storage recess.

3. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 2 wherein: the illuminator has predetermined broadness for illuminating a predetermined area with select brightness.

4. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the column is constructed of a low-density foamed material with structural integrity per volume provided by undulatory structure of the undulant wall.

5. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the undulatory structure has vertically linear undulation peaks that are approximately one-quarter inch wide and are separated approximately one- and-one-half inches apart circumferentially; and the undulation peaks rise above vertically linear undulation valleys that are approximately one-quarter inch deep in proportion to a column having a height of approximately five feet and having a diameter of approximately ten inches.

6. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the column is constructed of a cemented material with structural integrity per volume provided by vertically linear undulatory structure of the undulant wall.

7. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the column is constructed of a natural rock material with structural integrity per volume provided by vertically linear undulatory structure of the undulant wall.

8. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the column is constructed of wood with structural integrity provided by vertical undulance of the vertically undulant wall.

9. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 3 wherein: the base has a bottom rectangular portion that rests on a desired surface and a bottom round portion of the base extended vertically upward from the bottom rectangular portion of the base; and the base has a bottom-attachment bay into which a cylindrical bottom portion of the column is fitted for attachment of the column to the base.

10. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 9 wherein: the bottom cylindrical portion of the column is rotatable in the bottom-attachment bay for positioning the storage recess circumferentially.

11. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 9 wherein: the top portion of the column has a top rectangular section extended upwardly from a top round section; the top portion of the column has a top-attachment bay into which a top cylindrical portion of the column is fitted for attachment of the top portion of the column to the column; and the illuminator is extended upwardly from the top rectangular section of the column.

12. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 11 wherein: the illuminator has an illuminator plate with predetermined light transmission.

13. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 12 wherein: the illuminator plate is sized, shaped and positioned to cover the top portion of the column.

14. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 11 wherein: the illuminator has an illuminator housing with predetermined light transmission.

15. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 14 wherein: the illuminator housing is cubical with a plurality of rectangular surfaces for transmitting light from the electric light.

16. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 14 wherein: the illuminator housing is cylindrical with a circumferential surface for transmitting light from the electric light.

17. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 11 and further comprising: a brightness controller in electrical communication with the electric light.

18. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 3 and further comprising: a remote controller of current to the illuminator.

19. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the at least one storage recess is a plurality of storage recesses.

20. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 19 wherein: the plurality of storage recesses have a plurality of predetermined sizes and shapes.

21. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 and further comprising: a table positioned about the column.

22. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the column is positioned uprightly at a predetermined distance from a second upright column; and at least one shelf is positioned intermediate the column and the second upright column.

23. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 wherein: the at least one shelf is a plurality of entertainment-center shelves.

24. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 3 wherein: the illuminator is a diffuser of light for transmitting predetermined quantity of light.

25. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 3 wherein: the illuminator is a diffuser of light for transmitting a predetermined quality of light.

26. Columnar holding furniture as described in claim 1 and further comprising: at least one rail shelf that is sized, shaped and structured to fit on two oppositely disposed disk rails for holing entertainment items.