EP0311367A1

EP0311367A1 - Article of furniture

Info

Publication number: EP0311367A1
Application number: EP88309263A
Authority: EP
Inventors: George Stanley Moore; Clive Branthwaite; John Ruric Bonham-Carter
Original assignee: AFRICAN CHALLENGE ACCEPTANCES CC
Current assignee: AFRICAN CHALLENGE ACCEPTANCES CC
Priority date: 1987-10-06
Filing date: 1988-10-05
Publication date: 1989-04-12
Also published as: JPH01121008A

Abstract

An article of furniture in the form a seat includes upper and lower seat members (2) (3) with an auxiliary surface (17) releasably supportable relative to the upper seat member (2) and having a first position in which it is substantially parallel to the upper seat member and adjacent thereto and the second position in which it extends from the upper seat member (2) in the form of a backrest thereto.

Description

THIS INVENTION relates to an article of furniture having the basic form of a seat.
An object of the invention is to provide a seat having a number of different uses and which is preferably collapsible.
According to the invention an article of furniture comprises a seat with support means therefor and an auxiliary surface releasably supportable relative to the seat in a first position substantially parallel to the seat and in a second position in which it forms a backrest for the seat.
Further according to the invention the seat comprises an upper and a lower seat member the upper and lower members being parallel and vertically spaced and horizontally adjacent each other in use.
Still further according to the invention the auxiliary surface is located at the end of the upper seat member furthest from the lower seat member and corresponding to one end of the article of furniture, and the first position of the auxiliary surface is on the upper seat member and parallel therewith.
Still further according to the invention the auxiliary surface is removable from the upper seat member and is locatable in the back rest position by way of a projecting formation at the operative bottom edge thereof which is locatable in a formation in the upper seat member with the near side thereof resting against a support member secured to the upper seat member.
Still further according to the invention the support member is movable between an upstanding position with respect to the upper seat member and a folded position in which it is folded adjacent the upper seat member.
Still further according to the invention the support means for seat comprises a pair of planar frames hinged together to be movable between a folded position in which they are generally parallel and an unfolded position in which they provide a pair of legs having an X shaped configuration in end elevation.
Still further according to the invention the frames each have generally parallel lower and upper members with the lower members being adapted for location on a support surface, the upper member of the one member being pivotally mounted to the upper seat member and releasably engageable by clips on the lower seat member and the other member being pivotably mounted to the lower seat member and releasably engageable by clips on the upper seat member.
An embodiment of the invention described by way of example only, follows with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of a side of an article of furniture in a folded condition;
Fig. 2 is a view of the other side of the article of furniture in a folded condition;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the article in an erected condition;
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the article in an erected condition; and
Figs. 5 & 6 are plan and side views of the auxiliary surface part of the article.

In this embodiment an article of furniture 1 is in the form a foldable seat.
The seat comprises upper and lower seat members 2 and 3 which are planar and which are made from wood.
The upper and lower seat members 2 and 3 are supported by a support 4 such that in use they are parallel to each other but vertically spaced from each other. Furthermore they do not overlap so that in plan (see Fig. 4) they are in an end to end relationship.
The lower seat member 3 has an elongated trapezoidal configuration with the base of the trapezoid forming the one end 5 of the seat and hence being furthest from the upper seat member 2.
The upper seat member 2 is generally square in plan. Along its edge 6 adjacent the lower seat member 3 it has an upwardly projecting rim 7 adapted to prevent articles rolling off the upper surface thereof. Extending downwardly from the lower side 8 of the upper seat member and towards the lower seat member 3 is a wooden member 9 having a channel 10 at the base thereof for the location of drawing instruments such as pencils.
In the edge 11 of the upper seat member 2 furthest from the lower seat member 3 (i.e. the edge 11 forming the opposite end of the seat) is a centrally rectangular rebate 12. Projecting through this rebate from the lower side 8 of the upper seat member 2 is an inverted U-shaped support member 13. This support member 13 is pivotally mounted by transverse extensions 15 to the ends of its limbs to the lower surface 8 of the upper seat member 2. It is pivotable between a position in which it lies substantially adjacent the upper surface of the upper seat member 2 and a functional position in which it projects upwardly therefrom as shown in Fig. 1.
The support member 13 serves to support the rear surface 16 of an auxiliary surface member 17 in the form of a drawing surface. The auxiliary surface member 17 is planar and is shown in a somewhat truncated form in Fig. 3. It is generally square and has a rectangular projection 18 projecting from its lower edge 19. This rectangular projection 18 is locatable in the recess 12 as shown in Fig. 3 in which position it provides a backrest to the seat and particularly to the upper seat portion 2. It can however be removed from the recess and laid flat against the upper seat member 2 in a second position in which case the projection 18 will project rearwardly through the support member 13.
The upper seat member 2 additionally includes a rectangular aperture 20 therein to provide a hand grip.
The support means 4 for the article of furniture is made from tubular steel and comprises a pair of similar loop like frameworks 21 and 22.
The frameworks 21 and 22 each comprise an elongated lower member 23 for location on a surface such as a floor and a pair of upper members 24 and 25 generally parallel thereto but spaced therefrom. The upper members 24 and 25 are parallel to each other but spaced from each other by a connecting member 26 with the member 24 being closer to the lower member 23 than is the member 25. The member 24 is thus adapted to support the lower seat member 3 whereas the members 25 are adapted to support the upper seat member 2. The frames 21 and 22 include end members 27 and 28 which connect the upper and lower members 24 and 23 together. These end members are pivotally connected together by pivots 29 which allow the frame members 21 and 22 to pivot with respect to each other between a folded position in which they are substantially parallel and adjacent each other as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and an erected position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which the end members form an X shape in end elevation.
The frames 21 and 22 are pivotally mounted to the seat members 2 and 3, the one frame 21 being pivotally connected by its upper member 24 to the lower seat member 3 and having its upper member 25 engageable in clips 30 of the upper seat member, and the upper member 25 of the frame 22 being pivotally mounted to the lower side 8 of the upper seat member 2 and having the upper member 24 thereof engageable in clips 31 on the lower side of the lower seat member 3.
The clips are simply receiving formations of a generally channel shaped cross section such as they restrain movement of the upper members of the two frames 21 and 22 away from each other when a load is placed on either of the seat members 2 and 3.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, further details of an embodiment of a locking system for the auxillary member is shown. Fig. 5 shows the upright posts 40 of the support member 13 of Figures 1 to 4, with a lower cross strut 41 just above the level of the upper seat member 3 shown in cross section in Fig. 6. The projection 18 of the auxiliary member 17 has an arcuate cross section groove 42 therein at a position which enables it to be engaged partially around the cross strut 41 with the member 17 lying in a flat position resting on the upper seat member, where it forms a drawing surface for persons seated on the lower seat member 2.
In this position the auxiliary member is locked unless the member is raised to free the channel of the cross strut 41, as is indicated in dotted lines 43 of Fig. 6. The auxiliary member is raised to be located in the backrest or inclined position as described with reference to Fig. 1.
It is considered that the board provides a simple but effective multi-purpose seat arrangement which enables different drawing positions for a drawing surface, as well as the location of a backrest.

Claims

1. An article of furniture (1) comprising a seat (2) (3) with support means (4) therefor and an auxiliary surface (17) releasably supportable relative to the seat (2) (3) in a first position substantially parallel to the seat (2) (3) and in a second position in which it forms a backrest for the seat (2) (3).

2. An article as claimed in claim 1 in which the seat comprises an upper (2) and a lower (3) seat member the upper and lower members (2) (3) being parallel and vertically spaced and horizontally adjacent each other in use.

3. An article as claimed in claim 2 in which the auxiliary surface (17) is located at the end of the upper seat member (2) furthest from the lower seat member (3) and corresponding to an end of the article of furniture, and the first position of the auxiliary surface (17) is on the upper seat member (2) and parallel therewith.

4. An article as claimed in claim 3 in which the auxiliary surface (17) is removable from the upper seat member (2) and is locatable in the back rest position by way of a projecting formation (18) at the operative bottom edge thereof and which is locatable in a formation (12) in the upper seat member (2) with the near side thereof resting against a support member (13) secured to the upper seat member.

5. An article as claimed in claim 4 in which the support member (13) is movable between an upstanding position with respect to the upper seat member (2) and a folded position in which it is folded adjacent the upper seat member (2).

6. An article as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the support means (4) for seat comprises a pair of planar frames (21) (22) hinged together to be movable between a folded position in which they are generally parallel and an unfolded position in which they provide a pair of legs having an X shaped configuration in end elevation.

7. An article as claimed in claim 6 read with any one of claims 2 to 5 in which the frames (21) (22) each have generally parallel lower (23) and upper members (24) (25) with the lower members (23) being adapted for location on a support surface, the upper member (25) of the one member being pivotally mounted to the upper seat member (2) and releasably engageable by clips (31) on the lower seat member (3) and the other member (24) being pivotably mounted to the lower seat member (3) and releasably engageable by clips (30) on the upper seat member.