WO2005037021A2

WO2005037021A2 - Mechanisms for furniture combination bed and desk

Info

Publication number: WO2005037021A2
Application number: PCT/IB2004/003185
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan Carlos Monestier; Alejandro Monestier
Original assignee: Safadi, Adam
Priority date: 2003-09-30
Filing date: 2004-09-30
Publication date: 2005-04-28
Also published as: WO2005037021A3

Abstract

A set of hardware is disclosed that- when adequately fixed with normal hardware accessories to properly built carpentry parts- allows the movement behavior of bed and desk thus completing the furniture whose main original principle is described in Combination Furniture as per PCT/IB02/03666 shown here as Figure 1, that also shows the hardware parts place identified with letters A, B and C, allowing all operations to be accomplished in a remarkably simple way.

Description

T MECHANISMS FOR FURNITURE COMBINATION BED AND DESK

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a specific hardware applicable for a Combination Bed and Desk Furniture, that has been the object of International Application

PCT/IB02/03666.

To indicate the place where these hardware components are applied in the transformable furniture, Figure 1 reproduce the Figure 6 of PCT/IB02/0366 in which bed and desk heads show forms adapted for the use of the now disclosed hardware.

In said Figure 1 , the original reference numbers are used for constitutive parts, and it can be seen that furniture unit has three main carpentry components: -) a "fixed body" (1 , 2) (that can be a mere support adequate for the mechanisms)

-) a desk (3)

-) a bed (4)

Hardware parts now proposed are placed at positions indicated by A, B and C, working on, and linking, the three indicated components.

This hardware includes the totality of the special furniture items to be fixed to the three components, making possible the adequate functioning for the conversion of furniture unit: they give the necessary balancing force, also they guide the furniture unit principal parts in their movement, and finally supply the necessary locking of movable parts for the use position as desk.

The articulated system that has been disclosed in PCT/IB02/03666 evolved to

"Main mechanism" now included as part of this hardware. BACKGROUND ART

The antecedent is the spring based mechanism for guiding and balancing appearing in Figure 7 of PCT/IB02/03666, here included as Figure 2. The now disclosed hardware includes an evolution of this, now named "Main Mechanism" that appears in Figure 3. The arm is now pushed by a gas spring, which works in compression, replacing the traction wire springs the former design had.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Metal (or other suitable material) built hardware, consist of the following three groups whose location is indicated in Fig. 1. A) "Main mechanism" B) "Articulation" C) "Lock" Components of one side are shown, the other side being symmetrical. B) and C) being reversible, they in fact can be used in pairs for each furniture unit . A) "Main mechanism" (Fig 3, 4 and 5)

The three principal furniture unit components are linked by "Main mechanism" (A) that occupy the reduced clearance of some 40 mm between the flat inner face of "fixed body" side and the outer flat face of bed head. Two symmetrical units are used (left and right), reference being made here to a single side by simplicity.

(Figure 3) shows the main mechanism. Flange (17) is fixed to inner face of sides of the "fixed body" and the trunnion (6) serves as pivot to the bed, due to the head of the bed having a perforation that receives said trunnion (6). The connecting rod (9) made of a steel flat bar (or other mechanical equivalent) pivotally articulates with flange at (10). Part (19) fixed to desk, receive from connecting rod (9), that has a characteristic length next to 500 mm for normal furniture, the necessary force provided by gas spring (20) to balance the weight of moving parts by means of the hook (19a) at its end, and at the same time provides the necessary guide needed by the desk movement. Said 500 mm length is imposed by the arrangement of this furniture, by the convenient raising stroke of the table of about 700 mm when the arm, pertaining to bed, sweeps 90° from down to up position. If those parameters are varied by design, said length must vary. The hook (19a) at end of connecting rod, allows the assembly of furniture in a simple and safe way. In fact, as the last step of assembly, with the gas spring already installed in its natural full extended condition, it is easy to pull the arm until the hook enters the slot in part (19), and when releasing it, the connection is completed; and because of effort directions, no further additions are required for the permanent work of this joint as a pivot. In this way, the complications and risks implied when direct gas spring installation is done, are solved in a simple and safe way, obtaining the necessary pre compression or, otherwise stated, leaving the necessary gas spring over travel at the end of the normal movement,. Gas spring (20) apply its push in the pin (12) pertaining to arm (9) that can have more than one pin (9) (or same pin can be installed in different places) to obtain the different leverage for the sake of varying the balancing force to adapt to requirements.

This design, with the adequate components dimensioning, makes possible to match the gas spring action to gravity forces of suspended parts at all points during its movement.

The gas spring stands in a support (18) constructed with a lathe turned part held in a plate fixed to side panel by means of screws, or otherwise a "Low support" can be used (18a). Figure 4 shows an option of an adjustable connecting rod (9) built with stamped steel sheet that can replace the explained flat bar connecting rod. With its use, the adjustment of force can be achieved without the need of disassembly for the purpose of change pin position. In this connecting rod, displacement of the pin can be made with continuity, meaning without using only available pin position places. It has two main parts: the connecting rod itself (28) and a displaceable pin support (29) where the gas spring pin is lodged. A screw, (30) has his head lodged in a part that is solid with the connecting rod in such a way that it can turn but not displace. This screw (30) drives a nut solid to the pin support (29), so the turning of the screw displaces and holds the pin support.

Figure 4, shows the design of the adjustable connecting rod when build with stamped steel sheet and welded parts. It can be observed that the direction and efforts applied by the gas spring, have a range that makes that the pin support (29) always bear on (28), thus no guides are required. Many solutions are possible, adapted to other materials and manufacturing methods, which, if they maintain the basic mechanical concept, must be considered mere developments of the same invention. Figure 5 shows the gas spring "Low support" (18a, in Figure 3) designed for this application. It is apt to transfer the high force of the gas spring exerted parallel at a distance of about 12 mm to the inner face of the side plate, with little direction variation. Low support is constructed in a single stamped piece of steel sheet, of thickness about 2 mm. The perforations of support faces permit to hold it to the adjacent plate by means of fixing screws that pass both sides of the U section. In this way, the screws are held by the support that avoids the screws tilting, thus considerably reducing the stresses on the supporting plate material.

B) Articulation, Figure 6 Between the bed head (7a) and the desk head (7b) an "Articulation" has been adopted that is explained in reference to Figure 6.

It is based on using as a pivot a cylindrical pin (21) that can turn in a perforation made in the bed head next to a salient right angle that allows therefore the necessary turn of 90°. Thin plate pieces (22) of form dictated by aesthetic hold this pin by means of screws and in turn pieces (22) are held by other two pins (23) that lodge ϊn holes in table heads, forming all this arrangement the articulation between the carpentry plates that come to be positioned in the same plane, This arrangement configure the articulation between the carpentry boards, and it is obtained that heads of the bed bear on the heads of the table, and these at its turn directly transmit weight to the floor, obtaining a very convenient solid feeling and behavior.

C) Lock Figure 7

"Lock" has its body (24) fixed to the bed head, and when rod (26) is displaced by hand along its axis, its end introduces in a hole (28) located in the side of the "fixed body" of the furniture, the turning or movement of the moving parts thus being impeded. The use of a lock in each side, contributes to safety and firmness to the furniture in the position desk.

This lock has friction retention by means of the steel ball (25) that receives the push of the spring (26), and its construction is made with parts that are shown in the figure. Its design is made with a minimum number of parts with a simple idea that do not justify a detailed description that will put limits to the varied ways of execution easily developable that do not affect the invention. In the bed position, a lock is not necessary by the tendency of the furniture to remain in such position when weight plus load attain certain value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 : View of the furniture in perspective, showing locations A), B) and C).

Figure 2: Mechanism disclosed in the Application PCT/IB02/03666.

Figure 3: "Main mechanism"

Figure 4: "Adjustable connecting rod"

Figure 5: "Lower support"

Figure 6: "Articulation"

Figure 7: "Lock" BEST WAY TO CONSTRUCT THE INVENTION

Nature of the invention allows the application of current technologies.

Claims

CLAIMS 5 1.- "Mechanisms for combination bed and desk" composed of hardware apt for the construction of a furniture combined bed and desk according to Application PCT/IB02/03666, made in metal or another resistant material, with the function of linking the three main components of the furniture I) "fixed body", II) bed and III)

10 desk, this hardware characterized by containing "Main Mechanism" for guiding components, made up by a flange to be fixed to the inner face of the furniture body, which support a screwed pin that goes in perforations of the bed heads thus serving as pivots, and also in said flange articulates a connecting rod, of a characteristic length next to 500 mm, having a form of hook in its end that easies

15 the assembly, applies to an element fixed to moving desk the necessary balancing force supplied by a gas spring on a pin located in said connecting rod blade in fixed or continuously adjustable locations for the sake of force adjustment, said gas spring bearing on an adequate support fixed by screws to the mentioned inner face of "fixed body"; and also being a function of the 0 connecting rod to maintain the desk in horizontal position during the movement, the whole explained mechanism occupying a reduced clearance of about 40 mm between the internal flat face of "fixed body" and the external face of the bed head. 5 2.- "Mechanisms for combination bed and desk" that contains one or more hardware "Articulation", destined to articulate bed and desk between them, characterized by being constructed in metal or another resistant material, having a cylindrical pin in which the bed head that has a hole where said pin pivots, whose pin is fixed by screws to a pair of pieces of steel sheet applied on the

30 boards that are also fixed in other two points to the desk heads, each of these points eventually constructed the same way that the pivot pin, then the heads are superposed, thus giving firmness by the direct bearing that make easy the transfer of weight of bed and load to the floor.

35 3.- "Mechanisms for combination bed and desk" that contain one or more mechanisms "Lock", characterized by being built in metal or another resistant material as a frontal mounting lock, that fixed to the bed head, when rod is displaced along its axis by hand, his end introduces itself in a hole suitable located in the side of the "fixed body" thus blocking the movement. 0 4.- "Mechanisms for combination bed and desk" that contain one or more part

' "Support" for gas springs, characterized by its construction in basically a U form in a stamped single thin steel sheet piece (or another resistant material) permitting an adequate transfer of the high force of a gas spring that is exerted at 5 short distance and parallel to the carpentry plate body side in which it is supported, and that has in its wings perforations that allow to put fixing screws that, when passing trough both faces of the support, are guided for the support itself avoiding the tilting of the screws, thus diminishing the stress on the material of the plate in which the screws are screwed.

5.- "Mechanism for combination bed and desk" according to Claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized for including all the parts of the necessary specific hardware elements for linking the normally crafted furniture constituent parts of carpentry to complete the construction of the combination bed and desk furniture unit.