WO2003105630A1

WO2003105630A1 - Furniture item for ironing

Info

Publication number: WO2003105630A1
Application number: PCT/FR2003/001680
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Claude Boinard
Original assignee: Jean-Claude Boinard
Priority date: 2002-06-14
Filing date: 2003-06-04
Publication date: 2003-12-24
Also published as: FR2840785B1; AU2003255639A1; FR2840785A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a device comprising a support structure (S) whereof the upper part delimits a volume opening upwards, a lid (5) forming the top surface of the furniture item articulated on the support structure (S) so as to be pivoted between an open position and a closed position, a folding ironing board, adapted to be housed, in folded state, when the lid is closed, in said volume, and linked to said support structure (S) via guide means (16) enabling its vertical translational displacement, transmission means between said lid (5) and said board, designed such that when the lid is pivoted from the closed position to the open position, the board is displaced upwards in translation, to be brought into a position located above the support structure (S), wherein it can be easily unfolded. The invention is particularly useful for making furniture items integrated as kitchen components.

Description

IRONING FURNITURE

The present invention relates to an ironing cabinet. It applies more particularly, but not exclusively, to furniture which can be integrated into kitchen elements.

In general, the linen is ironed using what is commonly called an ironing board, this table comprising a tray mounted on a base in the form of double scissors. One of the upper ends of this base is fixed under the tray by means of a hinge and the other upper end is fixed in a device for holding the tray together so as to adjust the height of the table top at its convenience.

In addition to an ironing board, ironing also requires a place to store the ironing board and iron, a laundry bin, a place to put the ironed laundry, an electrical outlet possibly with an extension cord or even water. .

Patents such as patent FR 2 520 020 propose a table to be fixed on a wall whose vertical storage is hidden in a cupboard.

Other patents relate to a table stored in a drawer which is deployed by means of a sliding system.

^Q UILLE DE REM However, these storage and use systems are fixed: they cannot be moved. However, it may turn out that the storage place for the ironing board offers little space for its deployment.

The invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks by proposing a compact, integrable system comprising all the equipment and the storage space necessary for ironing.

To this end, it offers an ironing unit comprising: - a support structure, the upper part of which delimits a volume open upwards.

- a cover constituting the top of the hinged piece of furniture on the support structure so as to be able to switch between an open position and a closed position, - a folding ironing board, capable of being housed, in the folded state, in the closed position of the cover , in the abovementioned volume, and connected to said support structure by means of guide means allowing it to effect a displacement in vertical translation,

- Transmission means between said cover and said table, designed so that the tilting of the cover from the closed position to the open position causes the table to move in translation upward, to bring it into a position located above the support structure, position in which it can be unfolded easily.

Said support structure may constitute the body of the ironing unit. It may include:

- either a door mounted on a hinge, or a drawer fitted with a front and sliding along slides to open and constitute a laundry bin; the opening of this door or this drawer which can allow access to other devices such as: o a shelf mounted on a slide to store the iron or an ironing unit, o an electrical outlet, - castors for moving around.

The cover in the open position can be kept in the horizontal position to place the ironed laundry.

The tray of said ironing board may include three parts: a central tray and two side trays hinged with hinges.

The central tray rests on a mechanism carried by a horizontal panel on which the cover closes.

Advantageously, the fixing of the mechanism under the central plate of the ironing table and not under one of the side plates allows ironing to balance the loads.

Said mechanism may include two U-shaped forks hinged relative to each other at the center of their respective arms so as to form an X.

The ends of the first fork are secured to the central plate by means of articulations and its central part allows the table to be guided. The ends of the second fork are secured to the horizontal panel by means of articulations and its central part by engaging in a notching device makes it possible to adjust the height of the plate relative to the horizontal panel.

A handle to be actuated may be provided to release the mechanism from the notching device in order to fold the table or change the height. Said hinges connecting together the plates of the ironing board can fulfill a triple role of pivoting, guiding and support in the open position so as to securely ensure the arrangement of the parts of the table in a horizontal position.

Advantageously, the function of guiding the articulations of the two lateral plates relative to the central plate can be ensured by hinges comprising a male square penetrating into a female profile with support at 45 °. This device can also serve as a support in the open position, this support can be reinforced for example by longitudinal members located under the central plate along a longitudinal axis and projecting or by a transverse longitudinal member secured to the central plate.

The tray may include at one end a grid hinged at one of its edges which can be deployed parallel to the tray to form an iron rest. ~% S. yta 'PΛ Ç && _ _, ϋ, $ "

The back of the cabinet can be used as a trolley and have storage for bottles. To this end, it may include in a cavity hinged panels which, fixed in a horizontal position, will act as a tray and a bottle rack.

Other storage could be envisaged such as a hidden drawer in the bottom of the piece of furniture and opening for example on the side.

The furniture according to the invention may have other accessories such as an extractable rod terminated by a hook for hanging the wire of the iron or even a support for hangers which may for example consist of a bracket surmounted by a completed arm. by a stopper which folds in part and is stored inside the cover. This opening can be carried out according to the following device: The cover is secured to an element, for example a cable, to the central arm of a third fork in the shape of an inverted U, the ends of which are fixed by an articulation under the central plate. of the table.

Said central arm is in contact with the horizontal panel of the cabinet on which the table mechanism rests.

When the lid is opened, the rear upright of the latter abuts against the rear of the cabinet and the cable is stretched and pulls the fork so as to bring it to a vertical position, thereby leveraging the straightening. of the mechanism and the elevation of the folded table on the central tray above its storage.

The table can then be adjusted in height and then unfolded according to its hinges.

An embodiment of the invention will be described below, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures la, lb, le, Id are perspective representations of the installation of the ironing station of a piece of furniture according to the invention;

Figures 2a, 2b are perspective representations of the rear of an ironing cabinet according to the invention;

Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are side and front representations of the hinges connecting two plates of the ironing board of an ironing cabinet according to the invention;

. Figure 4 is a perspective representation of the ironing board mechanism of an ironing cabinet according to the invention; Figure 5 is a perspective representation of the notching device of the ironing board of an ironing cabinet according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of the ironing board of an ironing cabinet according to the invention.

The furniture according to the invention comprises a support structure S of generally parallelepiped shape, the upper part of which delimits a volume open upwards. Its base is carried by castors.

It comprises :

- A front face 1 consisting of a panel representing a drawer 2 and a cupboard door 3. This cupboard door in fact constitutes the front face of a large drawer. In this drawer is mounted a sliding shelf 4 located at mid-height, the slides of which are mounted on the interior lateral faces of the cabinet. - A cover 5 hinged on one side so as to deploy it towards the rear, this cover is bordered by a rear upright 6 and .latral uprights 7, 8 the cutting of which is complementary to that of the lateral sides FL of the cabinet so to reconstruct a rectangular panel. This cover in the closed position constitutes the upper panel 9 of the cabinet. This panel is bordered by a rim 10 to prevent the falling of objects which would be placed there. It also has a handle 11 located near its front edge in order to be able to reopen. - An ironing board comprising a tray consisting of three trays: a central tray 13 and two side trays 12, 14 articulated using hinges, C ₂ filling one. triple pivoting role, guidance and support in the open position so as to ensure securely the arrangement of the various table tops in a horizontal position: o The side table 12 being articulated on one of the edges of the central table 13 and located towards the rear of the cabinet and constituting the front of the ironing table and presenting a profiled end, o The other lateral plate 14 being articulated on the other edge of the central plate 13 and oriented towards the front of the piece of furniture, o An articulated grid 15, integral with the second lateral plate 14 is positioned parallel to said plate and is held in the open (unfolded) position by two hooks so as to serve as an iron rest.

The central plate 13 of the table rests on a mechanism 16 resting itself on a horizontal panel 17 constituting the top of the cabinet. This mechanism 16 comprises two U-shaped forks 18, 19 articulated relative to each other at the center of their respective parallel arms so as to form an X.

These forks are each integral with the central plate 13 of the ironing board and the horizontal panel 17 by means of an articulation and a guide system for guiding in vertical translation so that the plate of the table remains parallel.

The ends of the first fork 18 are integral with the horizontal panel 17 by means of articulations comprising two stirrups 20a, 20b fixed on the horizontal panel 17, each of these stirrups comprising an axis for the articulation of the fork 18 with respect to horizontal panel 17.

The central part of the fork 18 provides a first guide by engaging in one of the equidistant notches of a notched slide 21 thus making it possible to block the plate at a chosen height of the horizontal panel 17. The ends of the second fork 19 are integral with the central plate 13 by means of two articulations whose common axis 22 is integral a handle 23 making it possible to separate the central part of the first fork in said notch.

The central part of the fork 19 rests on the horizontal panel 17 and provides a second guide by means of two bridges 24a, 24b arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ironing board.

The guiding function is provided by the hinges, C ₂ comprising a male square M penetrating into a female profile F with support at 45 ° as illustrated in FIGS. 3 a and 3 c.

The hinges connecting the side plates 12, 14 to the central plate 13 are different (Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d). In fact, to allow the three trays to be superimposed, the hinge Ci of the first lateral plate 12 is single-hinged (Figures 3a, 3b); in this example, the rotation is ensured by a rectangular piece P connecting the edges of the two plates by hinges and articulated along a transverse axis in its middle. The hinge C ₂ of the second side plate 14 comprises two parallelepipedal intermediate arms B comprising a female end F and a male end M s' inserted respectively in a male square M and in a female profile F, these arms allowing the second plate to overlap on the first which is already folded over the central plate (Figures 3 c, 3 d).

Furthermore, the pressure exerted on the hinges Ci, C ₂ , when using the table, requires a reinforcement of the support in the open position which can be carried out in several ways. This support is already provided in part by the configuration of the hinges Ci, C ₂ and two other means are described in this example:

- On the side of the front of the cabinet, the support is reinforced by a transverse spar 25, integral with the lateral edge of the central plate 13, which extends so as to support the junction of the second lateral plate

14 and the central plate 13. - On the side of the rear face, the support is reinforced by two beams 26a, 26b located under the central plate 13 along a longitudinal axis and projecting from this plate. It should be noted that the use of the side members makes it possible to consolidate the central plate 13.

A third transverse fork 27 in the shape of an inverted U is integral with the central plate 13 by two articulations 28a, 28b. Its central part is in contact with the horizontal panel 17 of the cabinet. It is connected at its central branch by a metal cable 29 connected at its other end to the inside of the cover 5 and more precisely to the rear upright 6 of the cover. This cable can for example be riveted. This device allows the table to be raised when the lid is opened.

In addition, other arrangements can be envisaged: - The rear 30 of the piece of furniture comprises a rectangular cavity 31 in which is housed a rectangular panel 32 articulated at its upper edge and bordered by a metal grid 33, the height is such that it does not exceed the cavity. This panel 32 can be brought to the horizontal and maintained by means of a bracket 34 which is fixed by a hinge to the bottom of the cavity and pivots to be placed eg endicularly to said bottom of the cavity and under the panel 32. On a edge of this panel is fixed a rod 35 connected to a grid 36 via, for example, an axis so as to allow rotation of the rod when the panel 32 is placed horizontally, the grid 36 also and, once in position, it constitutes a bottle rack, the bottles resting on the lower edge of the cavity 31. - The bottom of the cabinet can contain a drawer 37 whose opening is located on the side. An external electrical outlet 38 is located in the upper part of one of the lateral sides, in this case the right side and in a portion close to the front face.

An interior electrical outlet 39 is located just on the other side of the wall. They are connected to an electric extension 40 which can exit through a cut in the back of the cabinet.

The extension hose reel is also fixed inside the cabinet.

The connectors and the reel are each hidden in a box.

The furniture according to the invention may have other accessories such as an extractable rod 41 terminated by a hook for hanging the wire of the iron or even a support for hangers which may for example consist of a bracket 42 surmounted by a arm 43 terminated by a stop 44 which partially folds back and is stored inside the cover 5.

The bracket 42 is articulated at its base and the articulation comprises two degrees of freedom: a first degree of transverse translation along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the cover and a second degree of rotation around a transverse axis and parallel to the plate.

The first degree makes it possible to make the mast of the stem integral with the interior of the cover by penetration into an appropriate orifice. The second degree of freedom allows the bracket to be housed in the bottom of the cover 5.

The end of the bracket is terminated by a horizontal arm 43 which is extracted from the mast of the bracket along its main axis in a helical movement allowing, at the end of the stroke, to position the arm at the desired height and which is directed outside the cabinet. The extractable rod 41 is guided in a cylindrical upright secured to the horizontal panel 17 forming at its end a hook for supporting an electric cable.

Finally, the fleece and the protective cover of the ironing board are installed and do not need to be removed each time the furniture is stored.

The operation of the furniture according to the invention is as follows:

Initially, the cabinet according to the invention engages in the embedding of a kitchen cabinet. To use it, the piece of furniture is rolled out of its storage then the cover 5 is opened with the handle 11 until its rear upright 6 comes into abutment with the rear 30 of the ironing piece of furniture. When opening, a tension is applied to the cable 29 which pulls the transverse fork 27. This fork leverages by resting on the horizontal panel 17 forcing the mechanism 16 to raise the plate above its storage in order to be able to release by hand without injury. Then the user grabs it and places it at the desired height. To do this, the mechanism follows the movement: the central part of the second fork 19 slides in the bridges 24a, 24b while approaching the center of the panel 17 and the central part of the first fork 18 engages in a notch of the device notched when the tray is released once the desired height is reached to lock it in position.

The lateral plate 14 is unfolded according to the hinge C ₂ then the lateral plate 12 according to the other hinge Ci.

The grid 15 is also placed horizontally and held in position by two hooks.

The drawer-holder 3 is open to take out the clothes to be ironed and the shelf 4 is pulled to take out the iron or the ironing center. The mast of the bracket 42 is placed vertically and the horizontal arm 43 is extracted and directed externally to the piece of furniture to act as a support for hangers.

The extractable rod 41 is also deployed and the cable of the iron is fixed in its hook-shaped end.

It remains to connect the electrical extension 40 to an outlet supplied with electricity and the iron to one of the electrical outlets 38, 39 located on the cabinet.

Claims

claims

1. Ironing cabinet comprising a support structure (S), the upper part of which delimits an open volume upwards and a folding ironing board capable of being housed, in the folded state, in the abovementioned volume, and connected to said structure support (S) by means of guide means (16) allowing it to perform a displacement in vertical translation, characterized in that it comprises:

- a cover (5) constituting the top of the cabinet articulated on the support structure (S) so as to be able to switch between an open position and a closed position,

- transmission means between said cover (5) and said table, designed so that the tilting of the cover from the closed position to the open position causes the table to move in translation upward, to bring it into a position located above the support structure (S), position in which it can be unfolded easily and, conversely, the tilting of the cover from the open position to the closed position causes the table to translate once folded down in a position where it is housed in the above volume.

2. Ironing furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a drawer (3) equipped with a front and sliding along slides to open and constitute a laundry bin; this opening allows access to other devices such as:

- a shelf (4) mounted on a slide to store the iron or an ironing unit,

- an electrical outlet (39).

3. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the table of the ironing board comprises three parts: a central plate (13) and two side plates (12, 14) articulated by means of hinges (Ci, C ₂ ).

4. Ironing cabinet according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said guide means comprise a mechanism (16) on which rests said central plate (13) of the ironing board, this mechanism being carried by a horizontal panel ( 17) on which the cover closes.

5. Ironing cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that said mechanism (16) comprises two forks (18, 19) articulated relative to each other at the center of their respective parallel arms so as to form an X , these forks each being integral with the central plate (13) of the ironing board and the horizontal panel (17) by means of a hinge (20a, 20b, 22) for their ends and a slide system ( 21, 24a, 24b) for their central parts.

6. Ironing cabinet according to claim 5, characterized in that said sliding system consists of a notching device (21) articulated along a transverse axis, located in the center of the central plate and integral with a lever (23) allowing disconnect the central part of the fork from the notches of the notching device, the locking of the central part of the fork in said notches being effected by means of a return spring.

7. Ironing cabinet according to claim 5, characterized in that said slide system consists of two bridges (24a, 24b) arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ironing board.

8. Ironing cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that said hinges (Ci, C ₂ ) have a triple role of pivoting, guidance and support in the open position so as to securely ensure the arrangement of the parts of the table in position horizontal.

9. Ironing cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that said hinges (Ci, C ₂ ) comprise a male square (M) penetrating into a female profile (F) with support at 45 °.

10. Ironing cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that said hinges connecting the side plates to the central plate are of two types: a hinge (Ci) with simple articulation and a hinge (C ₂ ) comprising two intermediate arms (B) allowing the second plate (14) to be superimposed on the first (12) already folded over the central plate (13).

11. Ironing cabinet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support in the open position is reinforced by a transverse spar (25) secured to the central plate and / or by spars (26a, 26b) located under the plate central (13) along a longitudinal axis and projecting from said central plate.

12. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that said board of the ironing board comprises a grid (15) articulated at one of its edges which can be deployed parallel to the board in order to constitute an iron rest .

13. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear (30) of said cabinet comprises a cavity (31) in which are located panels and / or articulated grids (32, 36) relative said piece of furniture and / or one with respect to the other and which, fixed in a horizontal position, act as a tray or a bottle rack.

14. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmission means comprise a third fork (27) in the shape of an inverted U, the ends of which are fixed under the central plate (13) of the ironing board, the arm central of said fork (27) resting on the horizontal panel (17) being connected to the cover (5) by a cable (29) so that, when the cover (5) is opened, the table top ironing rises to a minimum height so that it can be unfolded easily.

15. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an extractable rod (41) guided in a cylindrical upright secured to the horizontal panel and forming at its end a hook for supporting an electric cable.

16. Ironing cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a bracket (42) terminated by a horizontal arm (43) which is extracted from the mast of the bracket along its main axis in a helical movement allowing at the end stroke to position the arm at the desired height and directed outside the cabinet, said bracket being articulated at its foot and said articulation comprising two degrees of freedom: a first degree of transverse translation along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the cover and a second degree of rotation about a transverse axis and parallel to the plate.