WO2025196136A1

WO2025196136A1 - Furniture

Info

Publication number: WO2025196136A1
Application number: PCT/EP2025/057529
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roger Nilsson
Original assignee: Inter Ikea Systems BV
Current assignee: Inter Ikea Systems BV
Priority date: 2024-03-19
Filing date: 2025-03-19
Publication date: 2025-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2026-09-19
Also published as: WO2025198511A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a piece of furniture 1, 3 comprising a first construction element (5) and a second construction element (7) interconnected by a rod 9, the ends (13) of which are fixedly connected to the first and second construction elements 5, 7, respectively. The rod (9) is formed by a plurality of layers of glued, rolled paper having a hollow core (15) and an outer cross section with a largest dimension Dmax of less than 75 mm. A dowel (17) is inserted in the hollow core (15) at one end (13) of the rod 9, and the end (13) of the rod (9) is connected to an opening (19) in the first or second construction element, such that the dowel (17) is at least partly located inside the opening (19).

Description

FURNITURE

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to a piece of furniture comprising a first construction element and a second construction element interconnected by a rod, the ends of which are fixedly connected to the first and second construction elements, respectively.

Pieces of furniture thus configured have been common for decades and include, but are not limited to, baby cots and bed headboards, for instance. Using a number of such rods allows interconnecting two construction elements in a lightweight manner that is aesthetically pleasing and allows passage of light therebetween.

The required strength of the material used for the rods is rather demanding, especially if the rods are long and slender. This may render the product as a whole expensive if the rods are made of wood, for instance.

One object of the present disclosure is therefore to provide a piece of furniture of this type in a more cost-effective manner.

This object is achieved by a piece of furniture as defined in claim 1 . More particularly, in a piece of furniture according to the initially mentioned kind, the rod is formed by a plurality of layers of glued, rolled paper having a hollow core and an outer cross section with largest dimension of less than 75 mm. A dowel is inserted in the hollow core at an end of the rod, and the end of the rod is connected to an opening in the first construction element. The dowel is at least partly located inside said opening.

This configuration allows rods of this kind to be produced at a fraction of the cost for a corresponding solid wood rod. The rods have a predictable, uniform, and sufficient stiffness along their entire length and the inserted dowels prevent that the rods become deformed when fitted in the openings of the construction elements. The connection between the rod and the construction element becomes significantly stronger with the help of the dowel. This allows the production of a piece of furniture at considerably lower cost.

The end of the rod may be inserted into the opening of the construction element, and the rear end of the dowel may extend out of the exit of the opening. This makes the rod stronger at a position where it is subjected to significant stress if the rod is pushed in a direction perpendicular to its elongate direction.

Alternatively, the end of the rod may be inserted into the opening, the rear end of the dowel extending out of the exit of the opening, and the front end of the dowel extending out of the hollow core of the rod.

In another version, the dowel may be formed integrally with the construction element, the opening in the construction element being mating correspondingly with the rod, such that the dowel is inserted into the hollow core of the rod when the end of the rod is inserted into the opening.

In yet another version, the end of the rod may be located outside the opening, the rear end of the dowel extending out of the exit of the opening and into the hollow core of the rod.

Both ends of the rod may comprise a dowel inserted in the hollow core of the rod, wherein each end of the rod is inserted into a respective opening in the first and second construction element respectively, and wherein the respective dowel is at least partly located inside the respective opening. It is thus possible to connect both ends of the rod to its respective construction elements as outlined above.

The largest outer dimension, such as a circular outer cross section diameter, of the rod may be a maximum of 50 mm, such as in the range 7.5-25 mm.

The largest inner dimension, such as a circular inner diameter, of the hollow core may be a maximum of 65 mm, such as a maximum of 40 mm, for example in the range 5-20 mm.

The material thickness of the hollow rod may be 1-8 mm, such as 1.5-6 mm.

The outer cross-section of the rod may have the shape of a circle, an oval, an ellipse, or a convex polygon.

The paper forming the rod may have a surface weight of 80-450 g/m², such as 100- 300 g/m².

The dowel may be made from wood, such as solid wood, such as chosen from a group including beech, spruce, oak, birch, aspen, bamboo and pine, or a fibrous wood material, such as particle board or fibre board, such as MDF or HDF. Alternatively, it may be made of metal or plastic. The dowel may be attached to the hollow core of the rod by means of an adhesive and/or by means of a press fit connection.

The rod may be attached to the construction element by means of an adhesive and/or by means of a press fit connection.

The piece of furniture may be a baby cot, the first and second construction elements being upper and lower horizontal bars, and a plurality of rods being provided extending vertically from the upper to the lower bar to form an enclosure.

Alternatively, the piece of furniture may be a headboard for a bed, a sofa, a chair, a bookshelf, or a shoe rack.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig 1 illustrates a rod interconnecting two construction elements.

Fig 2A illustrates a rod according to the present disclosure, and fig 2B shows the enlarged portion A of fig 2A.

Figs 3A-3D illustrate production of a rod such as shown in fig 2A.

Figs 4-7 illustrate in cross section different ways of connecting a rod to a construction element.

Fig 8 shows a piece of furniture in the form of a baby cot.

Fig 9 shows a piece of furniture in the form of a bed with a headboard.

Detailed description

The present disclosure relates to furniture. Specifically, with reference to fig 1 , a piece of furniture is considered, which comprises a first construction element 5 and a second construction element 7 interconnected by a rod 9, the ends of which are fixedly connected to the first and second construction elements 5, 7, respectively. Typically, the construction elements 5, 7 may be referred to as boards, or bars or beams depending on their use, and will usually be made of wood or a fibre-based material such as particle board, HDF or MDF. As alternative, the construction elements could be made of other materials, such as plastic or metal.

In known pieces of furniture, such rods 9 have typically been made of thin, slender pieces of wood formed by turning. Pieces of furniture employing a plurality of such rods include for instance baby cots, as will be illustrated in fig 8, and headboards for beds, as will be discussed and illustrated with reference to fig 9. Many other furniture applications exist.

The demands of the material used for such rods are rather high compared to other used components. The solid wood suitable for such components must be substantially free from knots and other irregularities, and the wood fibres should be aligned with the elongate direction of the rod to a high extent. Otherwise, due to the thin and long shape of the rod, the probability of the rod breaking even under a moderate load is high. Due to the required high grade of the wood used for the rod, it becomes a comparatively expensive component. The present disclosure presents a more cost-effective, alternative rod.

This rod 9 is illustrated in figs 2A and 2B, where the latter shows an enlarged portion A of one end 13 of the rod 9. The rod 9 is formed by a plurality of layers of glued, rolled paper and has a hollow core 15, as seen in fig 2B. As the rod 9 is formed by rolling paper, its outer shape in cross section may be rounded, typically being circular, although other possible shapes include polygonal, oval, or elliptic, for instance, depending on the shape on the tool that the paper is rolled on. It is also possible to form a circular rod and after the forming of the rod, but preferably before the glue has hardened, the rod may be pressed to become, e.g., oval, or elliptic. Typically, the largest outer dimension Dmax, such as an outer diameter, of the rod 9 is a maximum of 75 mm, such as a maximum of 50 mm, for example in the range 7.5-25 mm, and the largest inner dimension Di, such as an inner diameter, of the hollow core 15 is a maximum of 65 mm, such as a maximum of 40 mm, for example in the range 5-20 mm. The material thickness Mt of the rod 9 may be 1-8 mm, preferably 1.5-6 mm. The production process will be discussed in greater detail.

As also seen in fig 2B, a dowel 17 is inserted in the hollow core 15 of the rod 9, at at least one end 13 thereof. This makes the rod 9 significantly stiffer at its end and also prevents it from being deformed, which makes the connection between the end 13 of the rod 9 and a construction element 5, 7 stronger and more reliable. Several different options are possible for rod/dowel/construction element connections as will be discussed.

Fig 3A-3D schematically illustrates steps in producing a rod 9 for a piece of furniture according to the present disclosure. Beginning with a roll of paper 31 illustrated in fig 3A, paper sheets (37 cf. fig 3B) are formed by cutting the web 33 of the paper roll 31 . The paper may be for instance a paper with a surface weight of 80-450 g/m², such as 100-300g/m². The paper may for example be a kraftliner type of paper, a kraftpaper or another suitable paper. The paper may be made from 100% virgin (non-recycled) fibre. Several other alternatives exist, including kraftliner with recycled fibre, such as 20-50% recycled fibre for instance.

As shown in fig 3B, the sheets 37 are covered with a layer of adhesive 39. Different adhesives are possible in this context, e.g. a silicate-based adhesive such as COLLOSIL, available from Wdllner GmbH. A lignin-based glue may be an alternative. Other alternatives include Polyurethane, Pll, glue for instance.

The sheet 37 with the applied adhesive 39 is then rolled, as illustrated in fig 3C, on a long pin 41 with a cross sectional dimension and shape corresponding to the desired inner dimension and shape of hollow core 15 of the rod 9. In an alternative embodiment more than one rod 9, such as 2-3 pieces, may be cut from the tube formed on the pin 41 if the pin 41 has a suitable length. The pin 41 need not be circular in cross section, but may have different cross-sections as will be discussed.

The pin 41 is then removed and dowels 17 are inserted in the ends of the rod 9 as illustrated in fig 3D. The dowels may be made from wood, such as solid wood, e.g. beech, spruce, oak, birch, aspen, bamboo, and pine, or from a fibrous wood material, such as particle board or fibre board, such as MDF or HDF. According to alternative embodiments, the dowels may be made from metal or plastic. The production process as a whole is well suited for automation. The dowels 17 may be glued to the hollow core 15 and/or the dowels 17 may be attached in the hollow core 15 by means of press fit.

Returning to fig 3A it is noted that paper production tends to orient fibers to a greater extent in the direction indicated, i.e. in a direction 35 perpendicular to an axis of the paper roll 31 . This direction 35 coincides with the machine direction of the paper machine in which the paper was produced. As illustrated in fig 3C, paper may be rolled on the pin 41 in a direction 43 being perpendicular to the direction 35 in which the paper was rolled on the paper roll 31. This means that a substantial proportion of the fibers in the rod 9 will be oriented along the longitudinal direction thereof, which improves the stiffness of the rod 9. If a rod with an outer cross section other than circular is desired, then the pin 41 could be given a different cross section than circular. For example, the pin 41 could be given, in contrast to the circular shape shown in Figs. 3B and 3C, an oval shape, a drop shape or a polygonal shape, to provide a cross piece having a non-circular shape. Also in the case of the pin 41 having a polygonal shape, such as a triangular shape or a square shape, the resulting cross piece would have a somewhat rounded outer shape, such as a square shape with rounded comers, due to the winding of the glued paper in several layers on the pin. In accordance with an alternative embodiment it is also possible to use, as alternative to or in combination with the pin 41 , a cylindrical cavity into which the sheet of paper is introduced through a slot extending along the length of the cylindrical cavity and rolled to form the tube supported by the periphery of the cavity.

Figs 4-7 illustrate different options for connecting an end 13 of a rod 9 to a construction element 5.

In fig 4, a rod 9 as illustrated in fig 2A, with a dowel 17 inserted therein, is inserted into an opening 19, of the construction element 5, typically in a hole 19 drilled therein. The end 13 of the rod 9 may be attached inside the opening 19 by being glued therein, and/or by means of press fit. Inserted in the opening 19, the construction element 5 surrounds the end 13 of the rod 9. Typically, the front end of the rod 9, i.e typically a front end 16 of the dowel 17, may be inserted to a depth Dp of 7-60 mm, such as 10-30 mm, into the construction element 5 opening 19. The bending stiffness of the rod 9 is improved by means of the dowel 17. There may be provided a tight press fit of the rod end 13 as the dowel 17 prevents the hollow core 15 of the rod 9 from collapsing. Thus, a strong connection between the rod 9 and the construction element 5 can be provided. In the embodiment of fig 4, a front end 16 of the dowel 17 is flush with the end 13 of the rod 9. It would however be possible to insert the dowel 17 further into the rod.

A rear end 18 of the dowel 17 extends out of the exit of the opening 19. Thereby the dowel 17 reinforces the rod 9 on both sides of the exit of the opening 19, thereby providing extra strength to the rod 9 in the area of the exit. Front and rear refers to the direction in which the dowel 17 enters the opening 19. In fig 5 a first alternative connection option is disclosed. In this embodiment, the end 13 of the rod 9 is located outside the exit of the opening 19 in the construction element 5. Instead, the opening 19 or hole is adapted to the width of the dowel 17. The dowel 17 is mounted in the opening 19 where it may be glued and/or attached by means of press fit. The rear end 18 of the dowel 17 extends out of the exit of the opening 19 and into the hollow core 15 of the rod 9. The end 13 of the rod 9 may rest on the construction element 5 surface. In this embodiment the dowel 17 provides both the connection element connecting the rod 9 to the construction element 5, and also the dowel 17 reinforces the rod 9 as the rear end 18 of the dowel 17 extends out of the exit of the opening 19 and into the hollow core 15. The opening 19 may have a comparatively smaller diameter weakening the construction element 5 to a lesser extent. The dowel 17 may be inserted into the construction element 5 substantially to a similar depth Dp as in fig 4.

In the case of figs 4 and 5 as well as fig 7 to be described, the dowel 17 may typically be pre-fitted in the rod 9 before the rod is connected to a construction element. In figs 6A and 6B however, a second alternative connection option is disclosed. In this case, the dowel 17’ is formed integrally with the construction element 5. This may be accomplished with a machining tool that drills a ring-shaped hole 19’ in the construction element 5 such that a dowel 17’ is formed in the centre thereof. Therefore, the opening 19’ in the construction element 5 is capable of mating with the rod 9. The dowel 17’ is inserted in the hollow core 15 of the rod 9 as the end 13 of the rod 9 is inserted into the opening 19’ as shown in fig 6B. The dowel 17’ reinforces the rod 9 as the dowel 17’ extends into the hollow core 15 to a position adjacent to the exit of the opening 19’.

In fig 7, a third alternative connection option is disclosed, which can be said to be a hybrid version between the versions of figs 4 and 5. Thus, the end 13 of the rod 9 is inserted into the opening 19, the rear end 18 of the dowel 17 extending out of the exit of the opening 19, the front end 16 of the dowel 17 extending out of the hollow core 15 of the rod 9 beyond the end 13 thereof. The opening 19 may thus have an inner section with a first diameter corresponding to the diameter of the dowel 17 and a second diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the rod 9. This means the dowel 17 may be directly attached, by e.g. glue and/or press fit, to the opening 19 which may provide extra strength compared to only attaching, by glue and/or press fit, the end 13 to the opening 19. Furthermore, a rear end 18 of the dowel 17 extends out of the exit of the opening 19. Thereby the dowel 17 reinforces the rod 9 on both sides of the exit of the opening 19, According to a further alternative embodiment the dowel 17 may first be attached to the construction element 5, and the rod 9 may then be thread on the dowel 17 to be aligned with the opening 19. This is an alternative to the solution of fig 3D where the dowels are inserted in the rod 9 during its production as a component.

Figs 8 and 9 illustrate examples of pieces of furniture produced in this way. Fig 8 shows a baby cot 1 , where the first and second construction elements are upper and lower horizontal bars 5, 7. A plurality of rods 9 are provided, extending vertically from the upper 5 to the lower 7 bar to form side panels of an enclosure of the baby cot. Fig 9 shows a piece of furniture formed in a similar way, but to form a headboard 3 for a bed.

Further examples of furniture using the above described rod 9 include sofas, in which the armrest could be made from a plurality of rods 9, pin chairs in which the backrest may be made from a plurality of rods 9, bookshelves in which the side structures may be made from rods 9, and shoe racks, in which the holding rods are made from rods 9.

The present disclosure is not restricted to the above described examples and may be varied and altered in different ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A piece of furniture (1 , 3) comprising a first construction element (5) and a second construction element (7) interconnected by a rod (9), the ends (13) of which are fixedly connected to the first and second construction elements (5, 7), respectively, characterized by the rod (9) being formed by a plurality of layers of glued, rolled paper, the rod (9) having a hollow core (15) and an outer cross section with a largest dimension (Dmax) of less than 75 mm, a dowel (17) at least partly inserted into the hollow core (15) of at least one of said ends (13) of the rod (9), said at least one end (13) of the rod (9) being connected to an opening (19, 19’) in the first construction element (5), wherein said dowel (17) being at least partly located inside said opening (19, 19’).

2. Piece of furniture according to claim 1 , wherein the end (13) of the rod (9) is inserted into the opening (19), the rear end (18) of the dowel (17) extending out of the exit of the opening (19).

3. Piece of furniture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the end (13) of the rod (9) is inserted into the opening (19), the rear end (18) of the dowel (17) extending out of the exit of the opening (19), the front end (16) of the dowel (17) extending out of the hollow core (15) of the rod (9).

4. Piece of furniture according to claim 1 , wherein the dowel (17’) is formed integrally with the construction element (5), the opening (19') in the construction element (5) being mating correspondingly with the rod (9), such that the dowel

(17’) is inserted into the hollow core (15) of the rod (9) when the end (13) of the rod (9) is inserted into the opening (19').

5. Piece of furniture according to claim 1 , wherein the end (13) of the rod (9) is located outside the opening (19), the rear end (18) of the dowel (17) extending out of the exit of the opening (19).

6. Piece of furniture according to any of claims 1-5, wherein both ends (13) of the rod (9) comprise a dowel (17) inserted in the hollow core (15) of the rod (9), wherein each end (13) of the rod (9) is inserted into a respective opening (19, 19’) in the first and second construction element (5, 7) respectively, wherein the respective dowel (17) is at least partly located inside the respective opening (19, 19’).

7. Piece of furniture according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the largest outer dimension (Dmax), such as a circular outer cross section diameter, of the rod (9) is a maximum of 50 mm, such as in the range 7.5-25 mm, and/or wherein the largest inner dimension (Di), such as a circular inner diameter, of the hollow core (15) is a maximum of 65 mm, such as a maximum of 40 mm, for example in the range 5-20 mm, and/or wherein the material thickness (Mt) of the rod (9) is 1 - 8 mm, such as 1.5 - 6 mm, and/or wherein the outer cross-section of the rod (9) has the shape of a circle, an oval, an ellipse, or a convex polygon, and/or wherein the paper forming the rod (9) has a surface weight of 80-450 g/m², such as 100-300 g/m².

8. Piece of furniture according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said dowel (17) is made from wood, such as solid wood, such as chosen from a group including beech, spruce, oak, birch, aspen, bamboo and pine, or a fibrous wood material, such as particle board or fibre board, such as MDF or HDF, or metal or plastic.

9. Piece of furniture according to any of claims 1-8, wherein the piece of furniture is a baby cot (1 ), the first and second construction elements (5, 7) are upper and lower horizontal bars, and a plurality of rods (9) are provided extending vertically from the upper (5) to the lower (7) bar to form an enclosure.

10. Piece of furniture according to any of claims 1-8, wherein the piece of furniture is a headboard (3) for a bed, or is a sofa, a chair, a bookshelf, or a shoe rack.