US2675859A - Convertible table and bench - Google Patents

Description

April 5 1954 P. J. ABLER' Q 2,675,859

' CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND BENCH Filed July '7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l I IN VEN TOR.

. v PETER J ABLE/P IOA loJ ATTORNEYS.

dw1dm undmam n1 April 0, 1954 P. J.v ABLER 2,675,859

CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND BENCH Filed July 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PETER J ABLER ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1954 5 CONVE RT-IBLE [TABLE AND Y'BENCH PeterJfAbler, Hollydale Calif.

=-qAPplioationJnly 7,,1951; Sei-ial='No'. 235 601 S'CIaimS." (01.!155e-J24) I 1 V hep esent, inventio e at s to furnitur an its general object is" to provide ayconvertible articlebf furniture which giszselectively useable as eithera combinedbench and table unit -or as a back=supporting -type bench.

*Gombined bench---and* table units of 1 the type employing asingle -frame-to support atable and a benchtherefor in fixed relationare utilizederitensively in pulsa -gardens, patios; and-'the like. Although these units provide a v rigid ..struoture which" is economicaleofeconstruction; it'is. aewell known factfzthat theibenchmember. thereof becomes quitecuncomfortablewhen occnpiedioryany extended:.periodmfutime; f This discomfortxismrimerily auseiby theiiact.thatzsuchbenchesgenera1 ,-;d0;;.-n.. t in lud zaeback; r st. ,lT FI- QKL-O a. b ck e t. ism essitat de ap aot allmatt by the obstaclegtoingress and egresssuch'an element, would, create, the conventional combined benchandtable unit generally being designed .to accommodate a a plurality .of persons .sitting in side-rbyiside relationship.

'.,Another,ffactor .contributing to [the uncomfortable. naturev oftthe bench member, ofthec'onventionalwben'ohand table unit is the horizontal disposition of ,theseating surface thereof with respect tothe ground. ,,Such an, arran ement is requiredinorderithatithetorso of an occupanti's body bedisposed substantiallyhormalitogthe surface; of. i the table top )Z'fln view, gof .ithe'se ,IdisaTd-.

vanta e aZpB O W1 ..bbi o l owocouprine 116 e c esiorimoregthan.a.eomparatwelvish it.period of time. Instead, it suohiis available, he'jwfill soon, seek lbench or chailx: avin .acbeck arre which'lbench, :or chair ,Will also, perferabl-y ,;be formed with aseatwhieh slopes'downwardlyimm i s front end. v

"Infthe'light "of p the foregoing vremarks, itjis a major O ject, of they resent; inventionl to ip mt a; novel convertible article or jfurniture, which incorporates the desirable featuresjof both a combined? bench anditable' unit and (or. ai ba ckesupporting type ibench.

It is another iobje'ct of' -the i present; invention to --provide--'an;';artic1e "of furniture t'of this type which is "of simple 1 construction andv economical to-mami'facture. I a

-Itis a "furtherj'ob'j ectof therpmsent" invention to provide a convertible article of ffurniture or this-type which is extremely rigi'd andsturdy-both as a combined-bench and table unit andas-a',-*baokpporting type-amen.

I It I is yet another objector-thepresent invenfrom-a combinewbenchend table unit to aback supportingztype zbenchzand- Vice versa, without the use;1of;any;.t0o1s andiwithout the addition or subtraction of any parts.

1 Other ;:objeots;.; and advantages 0f t e pr invention will beqapparent-irom the following detailed description; taken 1 in conjunction with theaocompanying .drawings wherein: 5; Figure l v is;-a broken front view -of.-.a preferred embodiment of I the .novel 1 convertible article -.of-

r} furniture -,of the present invention, gthe ..parts thereof -being arranged so as toflform a combined bench, and table, unit;

eEigur ;-2-,is a sidewiew of said. article .taken along line .212 of Figures-'1; ,zEigurea- 'is aiside viewoftlsaid article partly inn-section, taken-c-a1QIlg'1ine"3-3 .of Figure 1;

.F-igure14 islaesiderviewof said article,,par.t1y incsection, taken from. thesame point as Figure 3...a f.ter the;parts. of saidiartiolel have been rearranged so, as to form. aback-supporting ctype bench I gFigure 5 g is v a ,Iragmentary, perspective view showinga detail of construction of. said. article;

. 'Figure 1611 isflanlv enlarged.fragmentaryside view showing a'j'latch utilize'dgirr the construction of.

said rtic jj 'Fi ureWjis an enlar ed fra m n ry V wv of e 'htakena1Q e1in 'F eure'G;

Eiguref'i} is;a side. view of a seoond'em'bodiment of tl eipre'sent invention; and

Figure 9'. is aperspective' view showing a manner whereby a pair of the articles of furnitureof, the -present invention"may. be arranged for use.

; Referring to-thedrawings, and particularly to Figures i to 3 thereof, the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention broadlycomprises a pair of longitudinally spaced vertical I-ramea; generally;-'-;designated 'liigand'lfla; arectangular table member; generally designated l2, mounted by the upperportionof the framemand a rectangular seat, generally"designated I4; also mounted by" the frames. As shown arranged inthese three figures,- the foregoing parts form combined bench and table unit: When arranged as-Shown in' Figure i," however, these-same parts form a back snpporting type bench,-the table member l 2 then constituting a vertically inclined-back rest" for t'he -slopingseat 14.

- As' shown clearly:in"F-igures 1- and 2', the'"frames' f0 andi lla are identical andwi1l= preferably be or this leneth'iofitubing are wel'ded, as-indicated-at 3 34 and 36, whereby the various elements and d1- agonals constitute an integral structure. Although it is not essential that steel tubing be utilized in forming the frames, such material has been found very satisfactory because of its favorable strength-to-weight ratio. Of course these frames may also be formed of wood or con- Crete.

The table member I2 may be formed of any suitable material such as wood, metal or plastic, and its exact dimensions may vary in accordance with the number of persons to be accommodated. Thus, this table member may be of considerable length whereby a large number of persons may be accommodated, or it may be made of such length as to accommodate only a single person. Of course, if the table member is to be of considerable length, it may be necessary to employ more than two frames in order to obtain a rigid structure. The seat I4 may be formed of the same material as the table member I2 and will preferably be of the same length as this member but of less width.

It is contemplated that the table member I2 be pivotally mounted by the frames It and Illa whereby it may be rotated about a longitudinal axis from its position of Figure 3 to that of Figure 4. To this end, as shown particularly in Figure 5, a short horizontally disposed sleeve 38 may be rigidly affixed, as by welding, to each of the frames at the juncture of the top element 26 and the main diagonal 28. Also, there is shown rigidly secured to the under side of the table member I2 adjacent each of the frames, generally L-shaped cross braces 44 and 40a. These crossbraces include an integral bracket 42 near their mid-portion, which brackets and the depending portion 44 of the cross-braces adjacent thereto are formed with aligned holes 46 and 48, respectively. A pivot pin or bolt 59 is used to connect the cross-braces 40 and 40a to the sleeves 38 and 38a; a nut 52 being used to secure this bolt 50 in place. By this arrangement the table mem-' ber I2 is pivotally mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis extending through the bolts 50.

The seat I4 is preferably mounted upon a pair of generally U-shaped tubular supports, generally designated 54' and 54a, which supports are pivot ally secured attheir lower ends to the frames Ill and Illa. These supports are shown rigidly attached to the under side of the seat I4 by means of bolts 56 extending through an ear 58 formed, at the upper end of one of the legs of the supports, and by welding 68 joining the upper end of the other leg of the supports to cross-bars 62 and 62a; the latter being secured to the under side of the seat adjacent the frames II} and Iila. The lower end of each of the supports 54 and 54a are formed with integral bifurcations 64 and 64a which include aligned holes 66. These bifurcations are adapted to straddle upstanding lugs 68 and. tea rigidly attached, as by welding, to the base elements 22 and 22a of the two frames. Each ofthe lugs is formed with a hole I whereby a pin I2 may be utilized to pivotally interconnect the bifurcations, and the lugs. Accordingly, it will be seen that the seat I4 is mounted for movement along an are having a radius equal to the lengthof the supports 54 and 54a. Preferably, in order to restrain movement of the seat in a direction normal to the frames, the under side of theseat will mount a pair of guides 74 and I5, and l4a and 15a arranged to straddle the subdiagonals 30 and 30a of the frames.

The present invention contemplates novel.

. pivotally interconnected ends.

means for rigidly maintaining the table member I2 and the seat I4 in their proper relative positions, both when arranged to form a combined bench and table unit and when arranged to form a back-supporting type bench. It is another feature of this invention that movement of the table member I2 from its horizontally disposed position of Figure 3 to its vertically inclined position of Figure 4 may simultaneously effect movement of the seat I4 from its horizontally disposed position of Figure 3 to its sloping position of Figure 4.

To this end there may be provided pivotally interconnected levers 1?, I9, 19a, and SI, 8Ia shown disposed between the table member, the seat and the frames. The upper levers T1 are each pivotally connected at their topmost end to the forward portion of the cross-braces 40 and 49a, as by pins IS. The lower levers 79 are pivotally connected at their lowermost ends to the main diagonals 28 of the frames II] and Illa, as by pins 18. These upper and lower levers are pivotally interconnected at their opposite ends by pins 80. The short levers M are each pivotally connected at their rear end to the intermediate portion of the lower levers by pins 82, and at their front ends to the rear portion of the seat cross-bars B2 and 62a by pins 84.

Referring again to Figure 3, at such time as the table member I2 and the seat I4 are disposed so as to form a combined bench and table unit, it is contemplated that the upper and lower levers be locked against relative rotation about their By this means these two levers will constitute a rigid support extending between the forward portion of the table member and the base of the two frames whereby the table member will be restrained against pivotal movement with respect thereto. It is further contemplated that when it is decided to move the table member to its vertically inclined position of Figure 4, the upper and lower levers be freed for relative rotation about the pins 89. At this time the front of the table member may be moved downwardly until the under side of its cross-braces 40 and 40a abut the front surface of the main diagonals 28 of the frames.

In order to releasably lock the upper and lower levers against relative rotation about the pins 80, there may be provided a latch member, generally designated 86. The preferred form of latch 86 is shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7, and comprises a generally circular boss 88 having an elongated handle 90 integrally formed therewith. The boss 88 is eccentrically pivotally mounted adjacent the lower end of the upper lever 11 by means of a stud bolt 92, which bolt is shown as having its threaded end secured within a bore 94 formed in the boss. To engage the latch 86 so as to lock the levers against relative movement, these levers Will first be aligned as shown in Figure 3. Thereafter, the handle 90 may be rotated in a clockwise direction about the axis of the bolt 92 from the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 6 to the solid line position of this figure. This action will bring the convex lower surface 96 of the boss into abutting relationship with a concave recess 98 formed at the upper extremity of the lower lever 19. With the latch 86 so disposed the upper and lower levers are positively interlocked. To disengage the latch whereby the levers will be freed for relative movement, it is only necessary to lift the handle 90 so as to rotate the bosscounterclockwise about the axis of the 5 thflltifl oasfimdigatfid .by 33116 :arrowein ii igureifi. .suchzactionewilkzwithdrawrthe vboss :suriace: 96 zftomothe recessqflaso ;that; the. lower never-.119 may; bejrpivotally. movedezrvelativento.-.the .upper leycnras; :indicateclrby;.the.;dotted; lines; and... the array/Jim Figure 6. .z;"It: hQl11d. bemotedzthat althoilghitheipreferred t peset latch shownin itheedrawin s-is:..rc.commendedr-i-mricus other; forms-inf iatching. novices mambentilized.withoutcrlepartingiromthe scope of thepresenteinvention. :ltshouldalsobemoted thatathertypemf .:latch.I-.86 described above, a1- :thou hzshown;.in- Figures. 6 and? incomunctio with anlyioneset onleyersjll and i lI;a Q.ib xsedw th theother. set; ilevers .1 'iaeand. 19a. Li As. .ct' f.orth:h reinaboye. he upper; ans-lowe asers .1 and 19:;Whe 1inter1ocked.by...the s atc :86 .i lri id nsupportthe. tableimemb l 12 intits sc otal-1y .1 idisposed :Hn sition. ..of Fi ures. 1 1 thr u hfi Atzthisitimezthe h rt-l ve 8| 1 nerates. 1: h j levers 311.; and if! 9 to ri idly m intain. heseat. 1.41pm: a hor zontal y. i os msi on ;.T1Z i :relatiomh n. is:.c ar, y..shwn i .zEisu Shared r ierri s theret it1wi11 be s that: movement of t eseat toward; aw y .imm th .-;;ta erme r.m y7,-ta ..p ae so Ions fi e iihQlBi/Brs, '11: anti-1 9. are interlocked. withthe lat9h86.;;disen ased; .-howev r.. a t table.

. .11 IJiVQted.;tQ.;its lyertically inclinedposition .Eieureactheaseate 4.1w:.vi tu .of.. i te nnnection i h.-the=. 0w r.lathroush th short-clev r; "1213 5 1 Ib i mult l e s ygm r to its s o napo nonsh w n this figu .s me.thQ a -Inemb rlZ and thesea '4 have assume th. espective position of. Figure 4, w lliben -id .ma ta ned t ere nby virtu of their interconnectionthroughthelevers I1, 4 an 8 .:irheereas nion h sw ll. ec m an parent; if it -is 'realized that Once the seat hi has been moyed ;-1rear.ward1y .to its. s1oping ;.position of 1 Figure; 4,,; its.: center, of gravity will lie some dist ncer; th t-rearofthe pivot; pinyiz. Thus. -the seat ill beactecl uponby a counterclockwise com onen o iorcerwith r s t to [t e p votp T12. -This component of. force a will be transferred .tozths lower; l v r; 9yby' a so h hort. lev .8- l ;so as-,-to;tend;to cause counterclockwise rotion;oiijtheelower lever about its-,pivot pin-.18.

By; virtue :of, its pivotalinterconnection; with i the .lowenleuer, the; upper lever will thus. beacted i l-R 1 ,by a; downwardly directecl force. This .downwardly;.directed force when transferredby the pperleyer-to the front portionofthe, crossbr taces; 4,0,-;Icy-means of; pin 16 serves to maintain the under side thereon in engagement with the .f -rontg-ofi;the-fixedirame diagona1;28. By this arrangementthetable member 12 and the seat ..|-4',wi11be maintained il -proper position to form a.;back;supportingtype-bench until such time as .-it-becomes desirab1e to rearrange them so asto form-a combined. bench andtable unit. At this time, as thatable' member is pivoted counterclook; about pivot bolt 50-to a horizontal position,

the,zseat idlwill be simultaneously urged to a horizontal position. The. latch 8.6 may then. be latched .as described previously hereinbefore.

v. fiefer fiing .now to.F igure 8, .there.. is shown a. .sideyiew-of a second embodimentof the present invention, the major: componentsotwhich. are of wooden; construction, .These components include a; pair of longitudinally spaced frames, generally designated. I100 (only 3.0118,; of,-which; is shown) -a table-memb r. enera ly; .desi natedi 02;: pivotal y mounted-.aby; the-.upperportion ofpthe, frames-{as by; atehingel 03 ;;-and;a :seat,..genera1ly.designated .104 ;-also mounted bydzhe:framesionpivotakmovementqirom .aihorizontal to .aeslopingxpomtionz Themablea member; in: isz-shownzinnrEigure;18am solid lineszxiisposedm;.a';horizontal:nositiomsocas to form the table portiomo iaacombinedsbenqhtand table:.-.unit;;and .is shown: imdotte'dzlimas. edisposed in atvertically inclinedmosition; sores .tozform the backrestof a.backesupportina'tYpejoeneh; hikewise;.the.seat i M: shownrimsolidi linesdisnosed morizontalmortion andring dottedzlin sm r posed .;.ini.a-;;;slopinezpositiom. o-corre nondr iwith theetwozpositionsmofitheztahle member.

.this embodimentrsofgthe ;;im ntion.-r.mov ments ofcthestable member -;l.zfi2uand;thersea H 4 are.zinde enrlent.zinasmuchiasthey;are ute connected. :.Thus.ithe.t b1e:mem r;m y; id1y;:maintai=ned;in its horizontal eDQSiflL. means 50f; assinslejever l lit/dispo e betwes. undergsideg. thereof and: the:.lower.:.:por i.on frame:v 100. ziPreferabltnithis -:1.ev.er-. will be. ally;attachedgataits zlowerzendgto theameybif means of; apimfliii:and-willhe release. .nsecumab1e: .to..the icrossezbrace .1 I 0:.ofgthetabl smem fir as .-by.:a..removab1e..;pin :l I 2. zalnioritrler; to. free-the tablep. ior. rotation torits YEIti-Qfil13'gi1fl0lill8d1$13951- tion; it;:is-.,.on1y necessary;-.zto,releasexthe im end ofsxthe; lever :4 06. -by. withdrawin p.1 H2 whereby thiSglGVBl'ylIlEWrsbfi piycted to. aid t rear entire-frame i M; aseinoicatcdebxth .otted arrow. '1 The table;member may; then herniated eIockWisenntiL -1- its -;under.--;side.rabht .theeriron of theframesdiagonal: |:0.l..-;.Th.e v6.1;)313ab fli p -l l 2 may. be; insertedgthlioughj olerii formed in the .upper. portion'of therearfmme m mber SO 2.52.1301 support ether upper :endxof itherlfiv r 1.1.0 thereon. The seat isjshownjzsecuredat itsjillflnt portion tothe. upper .endof. asupport I M, which support ispivotally; secured atgit lowercendzto the base of-theiframe.tflmashy support 114 i may he. ,-:rigid1y;:maintained in:.:it

is insertable; through .alignedrholes; igrmed -in .thezsupport'. and: in the gtransverse. diagon .28 of z the .2 frame. ffiTo-iif nee .;.the.- seat for :motzcmen to its sloping positi0n,=.it; isonly necessa y tQsr move thepin U 8;whereby;the seat-maybe nivotled rearwardly :untilziits. ;.11nder:side.; rest-81;: unon thenpper snrface-..=of-;the.:frameidia onal 1.20.. :1 wi11;.;be 1. evident; that bothi .thatable; members 1.0. 2 and: theseat L04 will. remain theindottedrline positions ;11nder:..the. influence .;:.of; gravity.

.Referring .-now.* to Figure: 9, ';th er e;, ;.shown-.;a pairv of z the convertible anticlesr ofz? furniture, of the. present; irnzentio-n disposed ;in .backrtoeback relationship. :zWhenzutilized in: this,;-mam1e1t;;the persons occupying the; two-.-..seats: may place; each other so; as: to facilitate conversation. whi1,e.;ii ing. for; example, orwhile .playinacards. ,;Thereafter; if iitzshouldbecome desirablato witness a vsport,television.program,.:orsomenthcr: form ofaentertainment the, two bench; and..tab.1es:. may be disposed end toeend:andmonvertedjnto ha ksupporting type ibenches.

It .will,2.:be..-apparent :that theqzaforedescrihe invention ,permitsatthe.;;construction: of. single article; of furniture.aewhich will ;embody the raidvantages :of :both: a :oombined ;-.bench.; and 2178:1 1 unit. and. .a...=back+supporting: :tnpmbench. .xaAC- cordinglyxthereris': made: possible; azconsiderable saving of space. rFIhiszlatten:ieatureiiwillzzberesw pecially important wheresuch an article of furniture is 5 desiredw for: .a;;private garden or patio. Moreover,- a convertible article of: furniture built :in accordance .with thepresentteachings "Willfib .conmactrand:attractiyminzsagppeatance.

Various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the forgoing description without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a frame; a table member having a generally flat upper surface pivotally mounted on the upper portion of said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a seat carried by said frame; means disposed between said table member and said frame for selectively locking said table member against rotation about said axis whereby it may be maintained either with its upper surface in a substantially horizontally disposed position so that said table member may form the table component of a combined bench and table unit, or with said surface in a vertically inclined position whereby said table member may form the back rest component of a back-supporting type bench; and means carried by said frame for selectively maintaining said seat in either a substantially horizontal position whereby it may cooperate with said table member to form the bench component of a combined bench and table unit, or in a position sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member whereby said seat may cooperate with said table member to form the seat component of a back-supporting type bench.

2. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a

pair of spaced upright frames; an elongate table member having a generally flat upper surface, said table member being pivotally mounted by the upper portion of said frames for rotation about a longitudinal axis; a first lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said table member at a point spaced transversely of said axis; a second lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to a lower portion of one of said frames, said levers being pivotally interconnected at their other ends; a latch carried by one of said levers, said latch including a convex portion selectively insertable within a concave surface formed in the other said lever so as to rigidly interlock said levers whereby said table member may be supported with its upper surface in a substantially horizontally disposed position, said levers when not interlocked allowing said table member to be rotated about said axis until its under side abuts parallel vertically inclined surfaces formed on said frames; a seat mounted by the upper portion of a pair of supports, each of said supports being pivotally secured at its lower portion to one of said frames whereby said seat is adapted for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis parallel to said other longitudinal axis; and a lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said seat and at its other end to one of the other said levers whereby rotation of said table member so as to move its upper surface from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a vertically inclined position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a position sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member.

3. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a pair of spaced upright frames; an elongate table member having a generally fiat upper surface,

said table member being pivotally mounted on the upper portion of said frames for rotation about a longitudinal axis; a first lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said table member at a point spaced transversely of said axis; a second lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to a lower portion of one of said frames, said levers being pivotally interconnected at their other ends; a latch, said latch being formed with a boss eccentrically pivotally mounted to one of said levers whereby a convex portion of said boss may be selectively inserted within a concave surface formed in the other of said lever adjacent the end thereof pivotally interconnected to the latch-carrying lever so as to rigidly interlock said levers whereby said table member may be supported with its upper surface in a substantially horizontally disposed position, said levers when not interlocked allowing said table member to be rotated about said axis until its under side abuts parallel vertically inclined surfaces formed on said frames; a seat carried by the upper portion of a pair of supports, each of said supports being pivotally secured at its lower portion to one of said frames whereby said seat is adapted for pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis parallel to said other longitudinal axis; and a lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said seat and at its other end to one of the other said levers whereby rotation of said table member so as to move its upper surface from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a vertically inclined position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a postion sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member.

4. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a frame having a vertically inclined portion; a table member having a generally fiat upper surface pivotally mounted by the upper portion of said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a seat carried by said frame; a first lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said table member at a point spaced from said axis; a second lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said frame, said levers being pivotally interconnected at their other ends; and, a latch carried by one of said levers, said latch including a convex surface selectively insertable within a concave surface formed in the other lever so as to rigidly interlock said levers whereby said table member will be maintained with its upper surface in a substantially horizontal disposed position so that said table member may form the table component of a combined bench and table unit, said levers when not interlocked allowing said table member to be rotated about said axis until said surface assumes a vertically inclined position wherein the underside of said table member abuts the vertically inclined portion of said frame whereby said table member may cooperate with said seat to form the back rest component of a back-supporting type bench.

5. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a frame; a table member having a generally flat upper surface pivotally mounted on the upper portion of said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a seat carried by said frame for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said other horizontal axis; means disposed be- 9 i tween said frame and said table member for selectively locking said table member in a horizontally disposed position; means carried by said aemsuo frame for selectively maintaining said seat in either a horizontally disposed position, or in a position sloping downwardly in a direction to:- ward said table member; and, means intercon necting said table member and said seat whereby rotation of said table member from its horizontally disposed position to a downwardly sloping position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from its horizontally disposed position to its downwardly sloping position.

6. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a

frame having a vertically inclined portion; a

table member having a generally flat upper surface pivotally mounted on th upper portion of" said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a seat carried by said frame for pivotal move- 1 ment about a horizontal axis parallel to said other horizontal axis; and, a plurality of pivotally interconnected levers attached to said frame and disposed between said table member and said seat whereby rotation of said table member from a substantially horizontal position to a ver: tically inclined position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from a substantially horizontal position to a position sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member, the underside of said table member abutting the vertically inclined portion of said frame when said table member is disposed in its vertically inclined position.

'7; Av convertiblearticle of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a frame having a vertically inclined portion; a table member having a generally flat upper surface pivotally mounted on the upper portion of said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a first lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said table member at a point spaced from said axis; a second lever pivotally'connected at one of its ends to said frame, said levers bein pivotally intercomiected at their other ends;.'a latch carried by one or said levers, said latch including a convex surface selectively insertable within a concave surface formed in the other said lever so as to rigidly interlock said leyers whereby said table member will be supp td with its upper surface in a substantially hurlzontally disposed position, said levers when not verticallyinclined portion of said frame; a seat carried by said frame for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said other horizontal axis; and a lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said seat and at its other end to one of the other said levers whereby rotation of said table member so as to move its upper surface from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a vertically inclined position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a position sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member.

8. A convertible article of furniture useable as either a combined bench and table unit or as a back-supporting type bench, comprising: a frame formed with vertically inclined diagonals; a. table member having; a generally fiat upper surface pivotally mounted on the upper] portion of said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis; a first lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said table member at a point spaced from said axis; a second lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said frame, said levers being pivotally interconnected at their other ends; a latch, said latch being formed with a boss eccentrically pivotally mounted to one of said levers whereby a convex portion of said boss may be selectively inserted within a concave surface formed in the other said lever so as to rigidly interlock said levers whereby said table member will be supported with its upper surface in a substantially horizontally disposed position, said levers when not interlocked allowing said table member to be rotated about said axis until said surface assumes a vertically inclined position wherein the underside of said table member abuts the diagonals of said frame; a seat carried by said frame for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said other horizontal axis; and a lever pivotally connected at one of its ends to said seat and at its other end to one of the other said levers whereby rotation of said table member so as to move its upper surface from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a vertically inclined position will effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said seat from a substantially horizontally disposed position to a position sloping downwardly in a direction toward said table member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,494,900 Rosenbaum Jan. 17, 1950 2,561,703 Koenig July 24, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 982,637 7 France Jan. 31, 1951

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