WO2003043462A1

WO2003043462A1 - A sofa table with adjustable height

Info

Publication number: WO2003043462A1
Application number: PCT/SG2002/000253
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lean Sen Lor
Original assignee: Green Continental Furniture Sdn Bhd
Priority date: 2001-11-23
Filing date: 2002-10-29
Publication date: 2003-05-30
Also published as: CN100563502C; AU2002347751A1; MY128770A; US20080060562A1; CN1607916A; US20040211344A1

Abstract

A height adjustable sofa table comprising upper flat table top (1,2) with all or a portion that can be raised in an upward direction laterally using a height adjustable or extendable telescopic means (6). The underscarriage includes an inclined extendable telescopic means pivoted to the table top (8) and the bottom (7) of the side leg means to enable sliding upwards and downwards movement .Height controller (139 or loking mans is integrated into the extendable strut to lock the table top at the desired height levet within its range of adjustment. A releaseable angled finger lever (16,17) utilised to engage and disengage the locking mechanism is connected to the strut.

Description

A sofa table with adjustable height

Field of invention

The present invention relates generally to a sofa table and more particularly to a sofa table having a having a top, part or all of which is adjustable as to height. In particular, this invention allows a sofa table to be used as dining table or writing table while sitting on an ordinary sofa.

Background of invention

The limited space available in many town houses as well as apartment imposes to take the greatest advantage of the available space. In particular, it is desirable to use the same sofa table for dining in additional to serving its originally intended purpose like repository for books, magazines and the like. Sofa table is also used to place food and beverages either while watching television or receiving guests, it is known that conventional sofa table usually has a top at the same level as the sofa, therefore it is necessary to bend over to reach the dish, it is not only clumsy and not ergonomic but could also be a difficult task for people with physical limitations to reach a level so much lower than that to which one is used to.

It is the intention of this invention to address the above- mentioned limitation of a sofa table. Therefore, when it is needed, a part of the table top of the sofa table can be raised and converted to -suit the needed height, for example one can enjoy a meal on the raised portion of the sofa table while sitting on the same sofa. Books, magazines and other stuffs that are placed on the sofa table can be left alone untouched on the other portion of the sofa table. Upon completion of the meal, the raised portion of the table top can again be reposition back to its original place, the sofa table can be easily and swiftly transformed back to an ordinary sofa table.

Summary of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable means to a sofa table that enables users to elevate the height of a portion of the sofa table and transform the sofa table into a table with higher top.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable mechanism to enable a portion of the sofa table to be raised to the desired height. It is a further object of the present invention to provide the necessary mechanism to engage and disengage the locking mechanism so that the sofa table can conveniently and shiftily be adjusted to a desired height. It is also paramount important to ensure that the elevated sofa table is well supported and balanced in weight due to the variation in the gravity level for different portions of the table, in order to avoid the table being toppled.

According to one aspect of the invention, a sofa table includes a horizontal table top supported by plurality of side support members or leg means at each end of said horizontal table top, at least a portion or the whole of the table top being a height adjustable part. The table top portions and all its supporting members can be at any size or length joined rigidly by connection means to each other to form the sofa table. All parts could be of any materials, could be of plain or incorporated with any external design or crafting in order to improving its appearance for the purpose to attract buyer. In one embodiment of the invention, a height adjustable or extendable telescopic means with at least one end pivotally connected to the adjustable portion of the said table top, another end pivotally connected to the supporting member of the stationary table portion leg means at the lower part of the said sofa table, acting like an inclined strut supporting load from the said adjustable portion of the table top. The design and placement of the extendable telescopic means is essential in order to provide stability to the sofa table. In general, the pivoting location is best at proximity whereby the said means can provide the best equilibrium support to the table top at any height. If more than one of such telescopic adjustable means are needed to support heavy duty sofa table, these adjustable means can be pivoted at equidistance to share the load so that the table will be at all time in equilibrium state. In another aspect of the invention, the extendable telescopic means can be operated either mechanically or electrically, for example those mechanism or system that could provide upward and downward movements like piston and cushion, pneumatic cylinder, tube and rod, threaded cylindrical rod are all could be used. For the mechanism that is electrically operated, an on board battery is needed in order to supply the necessary power. However, the latter design is not so favorable as motor as well as the battery have to be periodically serviced, therefore this indirectly will add extra burden to the cost.

In another embodiment of the invention, a height controller or locking means is incorporated unto the height adjustable telescopic means to allow the adjustable portion of the sofa table to be locked at any desired level within the range of the allowable height. The controller or locking means consist a spring, either a gripper or a stopper to lock movements of the adjustable tube. In another embodiment of the invention, an angled finger lever control fixture loaded with spring is pivoted in at a corner of the bottom side of the adjustable table top to engage and disengage the height controller or locking means along the height adjustable telescopic means.

In another embodiments of the invention, in order to provide further stability as well as enhance the smooth upward and downward movements for the adjustable portion of the table top, the leg means of the said portion of the table top is engaged in sliding grooves within the said stationary side leg means of the table top. The incorporation of roller and railing system could be included to further assist smoother sliding movements. Extra members incorporated unto the stationary portion of the table are also intended to counterbalance those extra moment of force created by the extended table top portion to avoid the said table from being toppled.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the table in its normal position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the table.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the table in its height-adjusted position.

Fig 4, is a detail of the adjustable telescopic means.

FIG 5 is a detail of the mechanism involved when it is in the un-locking mode, whereby the movable top is released to be freely adjusted for the desired height. FIG 6 is a detail of the mechanism involved when it is in the locking mode, whereby the movable top is locked at the desired height.

Detail Description of embodiments

Briefly, the present invention comprises a sofa table having a top or a portion of that top which can be elevated and to be used as support for eating and writing. FIG. 1 illustrates the flat horizontal top of the table comprising of two more top pieces, (1) and (2), split along the line of (3). One or both of the portions can be elevated to a higher level with the attachment of an adjustable means at the bottom of these table top. The pieces (1) and (2) can be of arbitrary formed or combined as a single piece to accommodate the final design preference and requirements. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the table top is supported by plurality of leg means (4) and (5) or side supporting members at each end of table top. Height adjustable or extendable telescopic means (β) with at least one end pivotally connected to the said adjustable portion of the said table top at a location shown in (8) , another end pivotally connected to the supporting member with location pointed at (7) unto the leg means of the stationary portion at the lower part of the said sofa table, acting like an inclined strut supporting load from the adjustable portion of the table top. The height adjustable or extendable telescopic means (6) pivoting location on the adjustable portion of the said table top is best at a proximity whereby the said means (6) can provide the best equilibrium support to the table top at any height, more than one of such means can be pivoted at equidistance to share the load if stronger support for the said table top is required. The pivoting locations for both ends of the telescopic means is critical because these will determine the balancing performance of the table, if the adjustable portion of the table top is extended too far away from the center axis of the table, it is more susceptible from being toppled due to moment of force; if weights or downward pressure caused by objects placed on the table top are not equally spread out.

In another words, any moments of force born by the left side has to be equilibrated by collective weights of the right side in order to ensure a well-balanced table. The extendable telescopic means (6) can be operated either mechanically or electrically, for example those mechanism or system that could provide upward and downward movements like piston and cushion, pneumatic cylinder, tube and rod, threaded cylindrical rod are all could be used. For the mechanism that is electrically operated, an on board battery is needed in order to supply the power needed to the extendable means. However, the latter design is not so favorable as motor as well as the battery have to be periodically serviced, therefore indirectly will add extra burden to the cost.

Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the adjusted sofa table, the adjustable portion of the sofa table is slidably engaged in sliding grooves (9) within the stationary side of the leg means; this is to improve the slidability of the adjustable portion of the sofa table as well as to provide extra balance and support to the said sofa table. In addition, the sliding design could also include the utilization of roller and railing system in order to further assist a smoother sliding upwards and downward movements of the said adjustable portion of the sofa table. In addition, extra members incorporated unto this side of the table are also intended to counterbalance those extra moment of force created by the extended table top portion to avoid the said table from being toppled. Fig 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, it shows the details of the adjustable telescopic extension means and all its components. The telescopic extension (6) itself consisting of two part; a stationary tube (10) or rod that is pivotally connected to the supporting member or leg means (4,5) of the stationary portion at the lower part of the sofa table; the other movable tube (11) or outer tube that is slide over the stationary tube (10), this tube is responsible for the height adjustment of the sofa table. The tube can be made of any material that is strong enough to provide a rigid structural support to the table top. One end of the movable is tapered (12) to allow the attachment of height controlling fixture (13) . The height controller fixture (13) consists of a spring (14), a cylindrical tapered portion (12), and a stopper or gripper (15) . The height controller (13) or locking means is incorporated unto the height adjustable telescopic means (6) to allow the adjustable portion of the sofa table to be locked at any desired level within the range of the allowable height .

Figure 4 also detail another embodiment of the invention, an angled finger lever control fixture (16) , loaded with spring, is pivoted in at a corner of the bottom side of the adjustable table top at a location pointed in (8), to engage and disengage the height controller (13) or locking means along the height adjustable telescopic means (6) .

The working principle of mechanism that enables the height adjusting is described in fig 5-6; the adjustable portion of the said sofa table can be raised when the finger lever (16) is pressed against the adjustable portion of table top, the downward movement of the other end of the said lever (17) subsequently push the inner tube (18) in the downwards direction, a spring (14) that is located in the other end of the said movable tube thus compressed by the downward pressure, the stopper (15) that is situated at the end of the said oveable tube is pushed outside the cylindrical tube and the locking mechanism hence is released or disengaged, therefore enable the outer moveable tube (11) to slide up and down the inner stationary tube or rod (10) .

Once the finger lever (17) is released, the downward force is withdrawn, thus causing the initially compressed spring (14) to push back the outer movable tube (11) in the opposite direction and subsequently cause the stopper (15) to withdraw back into the cylindrical tube and grip tightly unto the inner stationary tube (10) and lock the said table top at the new distance. Other design of the locking mechanism or system can also be used but the working principals are almost similar; for example the locking mechanism utilizing hand gripper that is to be used as stopping means.

Preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention have now been described in detail. It is to be noted, however, that this description of these specific embodiments is merely illustrative of the principles underlying the inventive concept. It is therefore contemplated that various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, be apparent to persons skilled in the art. For instance, it is obvious the one skilled in the art of the present invention that alternate embodiments of the present sofa table can include different shape and means of extendable mechanism.

Claims

1. A height adjustable sofa table comprising:

A horizontal table top supported by plurality of side support members or leg means at each end of said horizontal table top, at least a portion of said table top being a height adjustable part;

Height adjustable or extendable telescopic means with at least one end pivotally connected to the said adjustable portion of the said table top, another end pivotally connected , to the supporting member of the stationary table portion leg means at the lower part of the said sofa table, acting like an inclined strut to support load from the said adjustable portion of the table top;

Height controller or locking means incorporated unto the said height adjustable telescopic means to hold the said adjustable portion of the said table top at any desired level within the range of the allowable height;

Said leg means of said adjustable portion of the said table top being slidably engaged in sliding grooves within the said stationary side leg means to provide extra balance and support to the said sofa table; and

A lever control fixture loaded with spring pivoted at a corner of the bottom side of the said table top to engage and release the said height controller or locking means along the said height adjustable telescopic means.

2. A height adjustable sofa table according to claim 1, in which the said height adjustable or extendable telescopic means pivoting location on the adjustable portion of the said table top is best at a proximity whereby the said means can provide the best equilibrium support to the table top at any height, more than one of such means can be pivoted at equidistance to share the load if stronger support for the said table top is required.

3. A height adjustable or extendable telescopic means of said sofa table according to claim 2, in which the said height adjustable or extendable telescopic means can be operated either mechanically or electrically, for example those mechanism or system that could provide upward and downward movements like piston and cushion, pneumatic cylinder, tube and rod, motor driven threaded cylindrical rod are all could be used.

4. A mechanically height adjustable or extendable telescopic means of said sofa table according to claim 3, in which the said means comprises of telescopic extension means, height controller or locking means and control fixture.

5. A height adjustable sofa table according to claim 1 to 4, wherein the said adjustable portion of the said sofa table can be raised when the finger lever is pressed against the bottom part of the said adjustable portion of the said table top, the downward movement of the other end of the said lever subsequently push the inner moveable tube of the telescopic means in the downwards direction, a spring located in the narrow end of the said moveable tube thus compressed by the downward pressure, the stopper or gripper that is connected at the end of the said moveable tube is pushed outside the cylindrical socket and the locking mechanism hence is released or disengaged, therefore enable the moveable tube to slide up and down the inner stationary supporting rod and once the finger lever is released, the downward force is withdrawn, the compression stress on the initially compressed spring pushed back the said movable tube in the opposite direction and subsequently cause the stopper or gripper to slide back and grip tightly unto the inner stationary tube and lock the said table top at the new distance.

6. A table according to claim 1, wherein the said leg means consists of roller and railing system or any equivalent in order to further assist smoother sliding upwards and downward movements of the said adjustable portion of the sofa table.

7. The height adjustable sofa table according to claim 1 to 6, wherein the connection means for connecting all said various components and members could comprise of nuts and bolts assemblies, fasteners, screws, snaps, clips or other such equivalents that could be used to secure one members to another.

8. A height adjustable or extendabe telescopic means that is electrically operated according to claim 3, wherein the power that is needed to raise the table top can be supplied from a battery operated motor.