Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Plural related horizontal surfaces – Foldable component
Patent
1992-03-11
1994-05-17
Chen, Jose V.
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Plural related horizontal surfaces
Foldable component
108 66, A47B 300
Patent
active
053118260
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a furnishing element with foldable panels, which can be opened to form a structure having an extended upper panel.
In many domestic, office and similar furnishing situations, there is a requirement for a furnishing element which can be reduced to a small overall size while at the same time is able to be extended to form a larger-sized structure in the case of need, to provide in particular a sufficiently extended top resting panel.
A further requirement of furnishing elements of this kind is to provide a top panel shape which can be varied according to the practical and aesthetic requirements of its use.
In the household, office and similar furnishing fields there is widespread use of tables or structures generally in the form of modular sectors which when not in use are of small overall size but which when necessary can be extended to offer a larger-sized panel.
The known designs, which comprise withdrawable, hanging or rotatable panels, do not however allow these panels to be further opened out once the overall movable panel has attained the horizontal position.
EP-A-0 257 370 discolses a folding table comprising a plurality of mutually-articulated panels which can be unfolded in an arc of a circle about the central vertical axis of the table, from a folded configuration in which the structure is flattened in a meridian plane with respect to the above axis. This structure does not allow any use of the table in folded position, or in a partially unfolded position, owing to the particular mutual articulation of the panels folded one against the other like a bellows. Moreover, this structure does not allow to obtain different furniture, providing a useful function also when folded or partially unfolded, associating similar elements.
There is therefore a requirement for a furnishing element with foldable panels which can be combined with any type of furniture unit or also with itself to thus represent a sectional unit, which can be folded into a compact form, in which configuration it still possesses special aesthetic characteristics, and can also be extended when necessary and to the extent required, even in the case in which several similar elements are combined.
These results are obtained by the present invention, which provides a furnishing element with foldable panels, comprising a support base to the top of which is connected, by hinge means, at least one primary movable panel rotatable from a substantially vertical rest position to a horizontal position, and carrying by a hinge connection at least one secondary movable panel which when the primary movable panel has attained its horizontal position can be rotated from a folded position in which it rests against the primary movable panel to a horizontal extended position coplanar with the primary movable panel, means being provided for supporting the movable panel or panels in the horizontal position wherein, in one embodiment, the primary movable panel hinged to the base carries, hinge-connected and articulated about an axis of rotation substantially transverse to the axis of rotation of the primary movable panel, two lateral secondary movable panels having an overall extension and shape equal to that of the primary movable panel to which they are connected, said furnishing elements being connected together to form a single structure comprising movable panels rotatable in several directions forming substantially a table.
When in their horizontally-lying extended position, the movable panels lie at the same height to define a single resting panel.
In a particular embodiment, the base comprises an upper fixed panel to which one or more primary movable panels are hinge-connected and rotatable from a rest position to a horizontally-lying raised position.
According to this embodiment, the furnishing element comprises at least one primary movable panel hinge-connected to the base panel, which primary movable panel carries, hinge-connected thereto, at least one secondary movable panel rotatable from a folded position, in which it res
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