EP0625328A1

EP0625328A1 - Improvements in or relating to articles of furniture

Info

Publication number: EP0625328A1
Application number: EP94303438A
Authority: EP
Inventors: William Edwin Gordon Ellis
Original assignee: Gordon Ellis and Co
Current assignee: Gordon Ellis and Co
Priority date: 1993-05-18
Filing date: 1994-05-13
Publication date: 1994-11-23
Also published as: GB9310179D0

Abstract

A commode comprises a hollow main body (12) moulded from a plastics material and defining a seating portion (16) on its top with a recess (14) in the seating portion (16) adapted to receive a chamber pot. The body (12) is of sufficient strength to support the users body weight and includes means (26,34) by which the body (12) can be supported on legs (30,32) to form an article of furniture.

Description

This invention relates to articles of furniture and parts and fittings thereof and especially but not exclusively to commodes.
Commodes are articles of furniture intended to support and often conceal a chamber pot. It is often intended that they closely resemble normal articles of furniture and consequently the basis of their manufacture resembles that employed for normal articles of furniture, for example, they have wooden frames and upholstered portions. Wooden frames are often disadvantageous in such applications as they can give rise to hygiene problems. If, for example, urine is absorbed into the wood. Additionally, it is often difficult to conceal the fact that the article of furniture used as a commode.
A further disadvantage is that as a result of the compromise in design between a functional commode and an article of furniture a hygienic and efficient commode cannot readily be achieved as a result of design compromises leading to a more aesthetic appearance. Additional difficulties have been encountered when it is desired to give the commode, for example in the form of a chair, an upholstered finish.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or mitigate these and other disadvantages.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a commode comprising a main body formed as a hollow member from a mouldable material, the body defining a recess adapted to receive a chamber pot, being of sufficient strength to support a user's weight, defining a seating portion around said recess and including means for engaging support means on which the body is supported.
The main body may be hollow formed by moulding, preferably by rotational moulding. The body is preferably formed of a suitable plastics material.
Preferably the seating portion slopes downwardly towards said recess and defines a first surface in the form of a lip extending around the outer edge of the main body and a second sloping surface extends to the recess at least part way around the recess, the first surface extending directly to the recess at the front of the recess and a third sloping surface extending between the second sloping surface and the first surface at the rear region of the seating portion.
Preferably a fourth sloping surface extends between the first and second suraces at front regions of the seating portion on opposite sides of the recess and is less steep than the second sloping surface.
Preferably, the fourth sloping surface is provided at front regions of the seating portion, preferably on opposite sides of the recess.
Preferably the means for engaging support means are provided in a side wall extending at least part way around the seating portion and depending downwardly therefrom and comprise threaded bosses moulded into the side wall and adapted to receive bolts by which legs can be secured to the main body.
Alternatively the side wall may be provided with rail engaging means adapted to engage a suitable rail on a support structure for supporting the main body. Preferably, the rail engaging means is in the form of at least first and second overhanging members adapted to engage first and second oppositely arranged rails on the support structure. The support structure may be in the form of a suitable stool or chair.
Suitable upholstery may be attached to the commode by attaching means. Preferably, the attaching means are in the form of staples to be inserted into the main body.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an article of furniture comprising assembling a plurality of components some of which are formed from plastics material and attaching to some or all of the plastics material components suitable upholstery by staples.
Preferably, the plastics material components are formed by a rotational moulding operation. Alternatively, they may be formed by injection, vacuum or blow moulding techniques. Preferably the plastics materials is polyethylene.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a commode;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the commode shown in Fig. 1 having support means attached thereto;
Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the commode supported by alternative support means; and
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a chair manufactured from the commode shown in Fig. 1 and to which upholstery has been attached.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a commode 10 which comprises a main body 12 defining a recess 14 having a base 15. The main body 12 is provided with a seating portion 16 which slopes downwardly towards the recess 14. The main body 12 is also provided with a side wall 18 which depends from the seating portion 16 and extends all the way round the recess 14. The recess has a rear vertical wall 17 extending between the seating portion 16 and the base 15 of the recess. The commode 10 is formed in one piece from plastics material, for example polyethylene, by rotational moulding and is of sufficient thickness to enable it to support the user's weight. The contouring of the upper face by sloping surfaces increases rigidity.
The seating portion 16 includes a lip 20 which extends around the edge of the seating portion 16 being generally horizontal at the sides and back of the seating portion and downwardly sloping towards the recess at the front where it terminates at the wall of the recess. A second sloping surface 22 extends outwardly from the recess 14 towards the lip 20. Towards the rear of the commode, the second sloping surface 22 merges into a third sloping surface 23 extending to the lip 20. Towards a front region of the seating portion 16, the second sloping surface 22 merges into fourth sloping surface 24 arranged between the lip 20 and the second sloping surface 22, at the two front corners of the seating portion 16. The slopes of the surfaces are arranged such that and liquid on the surfaces tends to run down the sloping surfaces into the recess.
The lip 20 defines a flange to receive an upholstered lid (not shown) which can cover the commode when it is not in use.
The side wall 18 of the main body 12 is provided with a pair of threaded metal bosses 26 at each corner region, the bosses having been moulded into the wall of the main body 12 during its manufacture threaded bosses 26 are adapted to receive a bolt 28 of a support means in the form of a leg 30. (See Fig. 2). Thus, as can be seen from Fig. 2, the commode 10 can be formed as a stool or a chair when supported by legs 30.
Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown an alternative manner of supporting the commode 10 on legs 30. In Fig. 3, the legs 30 are in the form of a frame 31 into which the commode 10 is inserted. The frame may be part of a standard item of furniture, for example a dining chair or an occasional chair. Two pairs of opposing rails 32 extend around the top of the frame. Corresponding downwardly directed surfaces 34 are provided on the main body of the commode 10 by providing an undercut 35 in the walls 18 and are adapted to engage the rails 32 whereby the commode 10 can be temporarily supported on the frame. On removal of the commode the chair can revert to its normal appearance and use.
As the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is intended to temporarily replace the upholstered seat of a chair it need not be fitted with an upholstered lid so that the lip 20 of the embodiment of Fig. 1 can be omitted.
Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown diagramatically a chair 40 manufactured with the commode 10 as an integral component thereof. The chair comprises the commode 10 which is supported by the legs 30 and has a back rest 42. Suitable upholstery 44 is affixed to the chair 40 by being attached to the back rest and the commode by staples 41. The staples are directly inserted into the commode 10 and passed through the material of the upholstery 44 and the main body 12.
Any article of upholstered furniture can be manufactured using this technique of stapling upholstery to plastics material components, especially but not exclusively rotationally moulded plastics material components.
The commode 10 is particularly suitable for use with a chamber pot as described in co-pending U.K. Patent Application No. 9223222.2.
Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the overall shape of the main body 12, and of the recess 14 can be varied.

Claims

A commode characterised in that it comprises a main body (12) formed as a hollow member from a mouldable material, the body (12) defining a recess (14) adapted to receive a chamber pot, being of sufficient strength to support a user's weight, defining a seating portion (16) around said recess (14) and including means (26,34) for engaging support means (30,32) on which the body (12) is supported.
A commode as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the main body (12) is formed by rotational moulding from a suitable plastics material.
A commode as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the seating portion (16) slopes downwardly towards said recess and defines a first surface in the form of a lip (20) extending around the outer edge of the main body and a second sloping surface (22) extending to the recess (14) at least part way around the recess, the first surface (20) extending directly to the recess (14) at the front of the recess and a third sloping surface (23) extending between the second sloping surface (22) and the first surace (20) at the rear region of the seating portion (16).
A commode as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that a fourth sloping surface (24) extends between the first and second surfaces (20,22) at front regions of the seating portion (16) on opposite sides of the recess (14) and is less steep than the second sloping surface.
A commode as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the means (26) for engaging support means (30) are provided in a side wall (18) extending at least part way around the seating portion (16) and depending downwardly therefrom and comprise threaded bosses moulded into the side wall (18) and adapted to receive bolts (28) by which legs (30) can be secured to the main body (12).
A commode as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the side wall (18) is provided with rail engaging means adapted to engage a suitable rail (32) on a support structure (31) for supporting the main body (12) the rail engaging means being in the form of at least first and second overhanging members (34) adapted to engage first and second oppositely arranged rails (32) on the support structure.
A commode as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that upholstery (44) is attached to the commode by staples (41) inserted directly into the main body (16).
A method of manufacturing an article of furniture said method comprising assembling a plurality of components (10,30) some of which are formed from plastics material and attaching to some or all of the plastics material components suitable upholstery (44) by staples (41).
A method as claimed in Claim 8, characterised in that the plastics material components (10) are formed by a rotational, injection, vacuum or blow moulding technique.