WO2007087807A1

WO2007087807A1 - A furniture leg with light

Info

Publication number: WO2007087807A1
Application number: PCT/DK2007/000050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans Erik Schmidt
Original assignee: Quilts Of Denmark A/S
Priority date: 2006-02-03
Filing date: 2007-02-01
Publication date: 2007-08-09
Also published as: DK200600150A; EP1983861A1; DK176565B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a furniture leg with light for a piece of furniture designed to stand on a floor. The furniture leg, oriented like in its mounted state on the piece of furniture comprises at least one disc of a transparent material mounted underneath the furniture leg and a light source also arranged underneath the furniture leg to the effect that the light source is entirely or partially upwardly shielded by the furniture leg and is able to emit light out through the disc in directions across the floor. The invention further relates to a piece of furniture designed to stand on a floor with a furniture leg in accordance with the above. The invention further relates to a method of illuminating a floor area around a piece of furniture with furniture legs, wherein a disc of a transparent material is mounted underneath a furniture leg, and a light source is also arranged underneath the furniture leg to the effect that the light source is completely or partially upwardly shielded, but emits light out through the disc across the floor.

Description

A furniture leg with light

The invention relates to a piece of furniture designed to stand on a floor on furniture legs, said piece of furniture being equipped with light. The invention further relates to a method of illuminating a floor area around a piece of furniture.

Background

Proper illumination is of great importance to the well-being and functionality of individuals, and the way in which the light hits, its intensity and composition influences human beings unconsciously as well as consciously. Therefore lamps and light sources for numerous specialised purposes, positions and situations have been developed, and thus also lamps or lights for being arranged on or illuminating furniture.

In the context of illumination in bedrooms and around beds there is often, apart from an overall illumination of the room, also a need for or a desire to have light in the immediate vicinity of the bed, which is suitable eg for reading in bed. Moreover, it is often necessary to have night illumination in the room, on the one hand in the shape of a night light to provide small children in particular with a sufficient sense of comfort to fall asleep or merely being alone in bed and, on the other, in the form of guide lights. The latter type of light is practical when it comes to enabling getting ones bearings in a room at night if one has to get up and out of bed, eg for going to the bathroom, comforting crying children, stretching ones legs or the like. To these ends, numerous bedside lamps have been developed for being arranged in various places, preferably on the bed or in the immediate vicinity thereof. However, the known kinds of illumination are associated with a number of different drawbacks. In case of usual bedside lamps arranged on the wall, on the bed or the like, the individual is exposed to the same amount of light in the bed as in the room, and thus, the light must be switched off in order not to disturb when one goes to sleep or is asleep. On the other hand, the light has to be turned on in order to enable one to get one's bearings, which may be an extremely difficult task when half asleep and in the dark. Likewise, it is necessary to have a number of switches for the same light if it is used to guide one to one's bed when one enters the room.

Moreover, different lamps are known for providing nightly illumination which are laid on the floor underneath the bed or are attached underneath the bed. However, they are disadvantageous on the one hand by requiring a certain space and adding to the difficulties of cleaning and, on the other, being inherently prevented from beaming in all directions as they are, to a certain extent, covered by the bed. Other lamps that are placed extremely on the bed instead, eg on the bed legs, are, on the other hand, problematic in, partly, being exposed to impacts and, partly, again illuminating the room so much as to constitute a nuisance to a person falling asleep or being asleep in the bed.

Object and description of the invention

It is the object of the invention to provide ideal illumination primary for sleeping quarters that is able to provide optimal guide lights without being a nuisance to a person in bed and being thus able to obviate the above- mentioned problems.

Thus, the present invention relates to a furniture leg with light for a piece of furniture designed to stand on a floor, said furniture leg, oriented like in its mounted state on the piece of furniture, comprising at least one disc at least partially made of a transparent material mounted underneath the furniture leg and at least one light source also arranged underneath the furniture leg to the effect that the light source is entirely or partially upwardly shielded by the furniture leg and is able to emit light out through the disc in directions across the floor.

Hereby an optimal nightly illumination is accomplished when the furniture leg is mounted on a piece of furniture. On the one hand, the illumination may serve to have a calming effect on children without disturbing their sleep and their falling asleep, the floor area of the room being illuminated, but in such a way that a person in bed is unable to see the illumination. At the same time the light is advantageous in being an optimal guide light, the floor face being illuminated, and likewise, the most protruding elements and objects, if any, on the floor are illuminated. Albeit the light according to the invention is arranged freely exposed and is able to beam freely in approximately all directions, 360 degrees around, the light is also encapsulated by material and hence constitutes a robust lamp which is not easily damaged. When the light is arranged in accordance with the invention, the light is provided integrally with the piece of furniture, whereby the advantageous aspect is provided that additional equipment underneath the furniture is avoided, which is an advantage in that it considerably facilitates cleaning underneath the piece of furniture. At the same time the area underneath the piece of furniture is illuminated, whereby dust and dirt is more apparent which means that cleaning underneath the piece of furniture can be performed better and more thoroughly.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the at least one light source emits light approximately 360 degrees around the furniture leg. Hereby it is accomplished that the entire floor area around each furniture leg is illuminated and it is thus possible to get one's bearings to all sides. Yet an embodiment of the invention relates to a furniture leg in accordance with the above, wherein the at least one disc is made of plexi-glass or glass. Such materials are advantageous in being inexpensive and in being able to carry much weight from the piece of furniture.

According to yet an embodiment the at least one light source is arranged completely or partially in a cavity in the at least one disc.

A further embodiment further comprises a sensor arranged underneath the at least one disc, which sensor measures changes in load, and said measurements being used to regulate the light intensity of the at least one light source. This is advantageous in that it is thereby possible to simply and expediently regulate the illumination to the current need without a user having to find a switch.

Yet an embodiment describes a furniture leg in accordance with the above and further comprising at least one layer of heat insulating or reflecting material arranged underneath the at least one transparent plate. Hereby it is ensured that the floor, on which the furniture leg is arranged, is not damaged by any heat developing from the light sources. At the same time such heat- insulating or reflecting material layer is not visible when arranged as described above, and the visual effect of the illumination in the furniture legs will thus not be disturbed.

One embodiment further relates to a furniture leg, wherein the at least one light source emits UV-light. This is advantageous in that UV-light kills bacteria and dust mites. Dust mites are found in large numbers in particular in bed environments and consequently illumination with UV-lights precisely underneath the bed is able to limit the issue of allergy provoked by dust mites. Yet an embodiment relates to a furniture leg for being mounted on a bed. This is advantageous in particular because, precisely in bedrooms, there is often a need to get one's bearings in an otherwise dark room, it is often cumbersome to find lamp switches while, otherwise, one does not wish to be disturbed by light.

The present invention also relates to a piece of furniture with light designed to stand on a floor, said piece of furniture comprising at least one furniture leg according to one or more of the above-mentioned elements. The advantages thereof are as mentioned above.

The present invention further relates to a method of illuminating a floor area around a piece of furniture with at least one furniture leg, wherein at least one disc of an at least partially transparent material is mounted underneath the at least one furniture leg, and at least one light source is arranged underneath the at least one furniture leg to the effect that the light source is completely or partially shielded upwardly of the furniture leg and is able to emit light out through the disc in directions across the floor. The advantages of this are as mentioned above in respect of a furniture leg with light.

Finally the invention comprises a method of illuminating a floor area as described above and further comprising arrangement of at least one sensor underneath the at least one disc, measurement in changes in load by means of the at least one sensor, which measurements are used to regulate the light intensity of the at least one light source.

Brief description of drawings

In the following the invention will be described with reference to the figures, wherein Figure 1 shows a bed with light in the bed legs in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a light source in a furniture leg, seen from the side and from below;

Figures 3-4 show different kinds of mounting of a light source in a furniture leg; and

Figure 5 shows a light source in a furniture leg with a general guide light and directionally specific guide light.

Description of embodiments

Figure 1 shows a bed 100 with integral illumination in accordance with the invention. On each of the bed legs 101 , at the bottom right above floor level 104, a light source 102 is arranged. The foot 103 as such of the bed leg 101 is constructed of a metal or wooden disc 201 , underneath which a plastic- glass plate 202 is arranged that accommodates a light emitting diode 102. This is shown in greater detail in Figure 2. The plastic-glass plate 202 has a smaller diameter than the metal disc 201 , which means that the plastic-glass plate 2002 is not immediately visible (is covered by the metal disc); and that it seems as if the bed 100 hovers above the ground 104. This effect is enhanced by the light as illustrated in Figure 1. This type of illumination is advantageous in particular in providing a light around the piece of furniture, but only at a relatively low height above floor level 104. This means that the bed and the floor surrounding it is well lit and clearly visible to a person present there around at a distance from the furniture, but that, at the same time, the light cannot be seen when one is in bed. Thus, the illumination will not disturb a person in the bed, and therefore it is unnecessary to turn off the light in order to be able to fall asleep. At the same time, the individual will, when sitting up in bed, experience that the floor and any objects situated on the floor within a certain distance from the bed (depending on the light intensity used) are well lit, meaning that the individual may, without first having to find a light switch, get his bearings, find his slippers, the way to the door, the child's bed, etc., without problems. Moreover the arrangement of the light in the bed feet is advantageous in preventing that the person bumps against the bed legs which otherwise often causes injury to and pain in feet and toes.

A further configuration of the illumination in accordance with the invention will appear from Figure 2, where a single bed leg 101 is seen on the one hand from the side, to the left, and from below, to the right in the figure. As mentioned above, underneath the bed leg, a plate or disc 202 is mounted that has a slightly smaller dimension 203 than the extremity of the bed foot 103 above and with a relatively small height 204, in the range of 5-30 mm. The disc 202 is made of plastic-glass or some other material which is, to a certain extent, transparent. The disc could also be made of glass. One or more light sources 102 are also mounted either right above the disc in a cavity in the bottom face of the bed foot 103, or completely or partially embedded in the disc 203, whereby the light flows out through the disc and onto the floor around the leg. According to one embodiment the light source beams out through the majority of 360 degrees around the bed leg, through the transparent material. Upwardly, the light source is shielded by the bed leg. The light source or light sources are preferably arranged releasably in the bed leg or the disc, to the effect that they can be exchanged as needed, but they may also be moulded integrally in the disc 203. The disc of the transparent material may also be configured as a ring with the light source arranged more or less within the cavity. Thereby the light source can be exchanged if necessary without first having to dismount the disc. According to yet an embodiment a pressure sensor 205 is arranged somewhere on the bottom face of the transparent plate 202 and thus between the piece of furniture 100 and the floor 104. This sensor 205 records changes in the load on the bed 100 and is thus able to register whether a person is lying in the bed or not, or whether the load changes, corresponding to a person now sitting up in bed. This information is used to regulate and control the illumination to the effect that the light is switched on or adjusted as soon as the person sits up or gets out of bed and is correspondingly switched off or dimmed when the person is back in lying position.

The power supply 206 to the light sources and the wires for pressure sensors, if any, in the furniture legs are conveyed either within the legs, if they are hollow, or along the legs 101 , upwards underneath the bed 100. Here the wires 206 may collect and be taken eg directly to a switch or taken to a motor for setting the backrest of the bed, etc.

The configuration as such of the furniture leg and the way in which it is mounted on the piece of furniture is of no consequence to the invention. The illumination according to the present invention is also not limited to beds and legs thereof, but may just as well be used on other types of furniture or objects and in other rooms than bedrooms, such as underneath door frames, on table legs, in sanitary rooms, etc.

The plastic-glass disc 202 can be mounted on the table leg 101 in different ways and two embodiments are outlined in Figures 3 and 4, both of which embodiments are advantageous in that the disc 202 is easily dismounted in case eg a light source 102 is to be exchanged. In Figure 3, the transparent disc 202 is quite simply screwed into the underside 301 of the table leg 101 by means of a number of screws 302. Likewise the disc 202 may be configured with thread 401 and screwed into a mating thread in the bed leg.

This embodiment is advantageous in enabling adjustment of the length of the individual furniture leg in a simple manner, whereby the piece of furniture can be adapted to an uneven or sloping floor 104.

As mentioned above, the disc 202 is made of a material which is transparent to light, eg plastic-glass or clear glass. Likewise, the disc can be coloured to obtain illumination with specific wavelengths.

In the same manner, the light sources 102 used may be selected in response to specific wishes in respect of light composition (colour of the light, 'hard' or 'soft' light) and/or intensity. A light source with minimal development of heat is advantageous in that it does not damage the floor 104 or the surface on which the bed leg 101 is standing. For the same reason, a material layer 303 having light-reflective or insulating properties is arranged underneath the transparent plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, to the effect that the light is either reflected off the floor or to the effect that the heat from the light does not reach the floor 104.

According to one embodiment, UV-light is used which is advantageous in having the effect of killing bacteria. Likewise it is believed that UV-light also considerably deteriorates the conditions of life of dust mites. Allergy to dust mites is a widespread kind of allergy that afflicts about 10-15 percent of the adult population. Dust mites are found in particular in large numbers in bed linen and mattresses and in warm and humid conditions. Illumination with UV-light across the floor underneath the bed may therefore considerably reduce the number of dust mites and hence reduce both the risk of developing dust mite allergy and alleviating the discomforts if one has already got the allergy.

Figure 5 illustrates yet an embodiment of the illumination where the general light 505 around the entire bed leg 101 as described above is supplemented with a further light source 501 that emits light primarily focused in a specific direction (but still across the floor 104) and which can be directed individually as needed. This is accomplished by mounting of an additional light source 501 underneath the furniture leg, which is shielded except from a limited angular section 502. The angular section can be set by turning the plate in which the additional light source is mounted along with the light source 501 as illustrated by the arrow 503. Alternatively the additional light source 501 may sit approximately centrally and only the shielding surrounding it is turned and along with it the direction of the light emitted from the additional light source. The directionally specific light may be set eg to be advantageous in leading the way from the piece of the furniture and to eg the door of the room, to the effect that, in addition to the overall illumination 505 of the floor 104 and objects around the piece of furniture 100 and the furniture legs 101 themselves, a pointer is accomplished that reaches further into the room.

It will be understood that the invention as taught in the present description and figures can be modified or changed while continuing to be comprised by the scope of protection of the following claims.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A furniture leg with light for a piece of furniture designed to stand on a floor, which furniture leg, oriented like in its mounted state on the piece of furniture, characterised in comprising at least one disc at least partially made of a transparent material mounted underneath the furniture leg and at least one light source also arranged underneath the furniture leg to the effect that the light source is entirely or partially upwardly shielded by the furniture leg and is able to emit light out through the disc in directions across the floor.

2. A furniture leg according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source emits light approximately 360 degrees around the furniture leg.

3. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-2, wherein the at least one disc is made of plexi-glass or glass.

4. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-3, wherein the at least one light source is arranged completely or partially in a cavity in the at least one disc.

5. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-4, further comprising a sensor arranged underneath the at least one disc, said sensor measuring the changes in load, and said measurements being used to regulate the light intensity of the at least one light source.

6. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-5, further comprising at least one layer of heat-insulating material arranged underneath the at least one transparent plate.

7. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-6, further comprising at least one layer of reflecting material arranged underneath the at least one transparent plate.

8. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one light source emits UV-light.

9. A furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1-7 for being mounted on a bed.

10. A piece of furniture with light designed to stand on a floor, characterised in comprising at least one furniture leg according to one or more of claims 1- 9.

11. A method of illuminating a floor area around a piece of furniture with at least one furniture leg, wherein at least one disc of an at least partially transparent material is mounted underneath the at least one furniture leg, and at least one light source is arranged underneath the at least one furniture leg to the effect that the light source is completely or partially shielded upwardly by the furniture leg and is able to emit light out through the disc in directions across the floor.

12. A method of illuminating a floor area in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising arrangement of at least one sensor underneath the at least one disc, measurement of changes in load by means of the at least one sensor, which measurements are used to regulate the light intensity of the at least one light source.