US3340827A

US3340827A - Combination credenza and table

Info

Publication number: US3340827A
Application number: US548341A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sims Antonina
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-04-04
Filing date: 1966-04-04
Publication date: 1967-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-12

Description

' Sept. 12, 1967 A. SIMS I COMBINATION CREDENZA AND TABLE Filed April'4, 1966 Qv Rs mm WN 1m N A 9 B M 8'" 2A I v L Q United States Patent 3,340,827 COMBINATION CREDENZA AND TABLE Antonina Sims, 31 49th Ave., Lachine, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 548,341 2 Claims. (Cl. 108-77) The present invention relates to an article of furniture and, more particularly, to a credenza, or sideboard, and has for its general object the provision of such a piece of furniture which can be readily converted into a table.

In modern homes and apartments, space is usually limited and dining-rooms are absent. Collapsible tables are generally used in the living-room so as to take up a minimum of space when collapsed and not in use as a table. However, the collapsed table cannot serve as storage means, except the table top.

In accordance with the invention, a credenza or piece of furniture including a hollow body serving as storage means, is provided with a slidable top and an additional panel which are so arranged that they can form a table top of approximately double the area of the top surface of the credenza itself.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a credenza, or sideboard, which can be easily converted into a table and vice versa by a simple manipulation of the top panels.

The foregoing and other important objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the credenza or sideboard in collapsed condition, when used as a sideboard;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the credenza converted as a dining table;

FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective View of the piece of furniture in the collapsed position corresponding to that of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-section taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout.

The piece of furniture in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated body serving as storage and adapted to be supported on the floor and provided with a first slidable top panel and a second panel hinged to the first panel. The first panel is slidable between a first retracted position in register with the top of the body, and an advanced position protruding from one side face of the body.

The second panel is hinged to the trailing edge of the first panel for pivotal movement in a vertical plane between a position hanging down along the opposite side of the body when the first panel is in retracted position, and a second position forming an extension of the first panel in the advanced position of the latter.

The elongated body is generally indicated at 1 and can take the form of a credenza, cupboard or sideboard, or the like. For instance, it is provided with doors 2 and drawers 3 at the front side face thereof. It has exposed end walls 4 and a back wall 5 adapted to be positioned close to a room wall. The body 1 is preferably supported on the floor by means of legs 6.

A first panel 7, of rectangular shape, closes, when in retracted position, the open top of the body I. Said first panel 7 is provided with dovetailed grooves 8 near the two ends thereof and parallel to said ends, said grooves opening at the rear longitudinal edge 9 of panel 7 and terminating short of the front longitudinal edge 10 of panel 7.

A guide block 11, also of dovetailed cross-section, slidably engages each groove 8. The guide blocks 11 are se- 'ice cured to and are supported by a bar 12 secured to body 1 and running longitudinally thereof inwardly from front face of the body 1 and just underneath the panel 7.

A second longitudinally extending bar 13 is also secured to body 1 adjacent the back 5 of the body so as to support panel 7.

In its retracted position, panel 7 registers with the top of body 1; that is, its front edge 10 is preferably flush with the front side face of body 1 while its rear edge 9 protrudes slightly backwardly from the back 5 of body 1.

In this position, the guide blocks 11 abut against the front end of grooves 8. Panel 7 is thus arranged to be slidably moved forwardly of body 1 so as to protrude from the front face thereof until a stop 14 protruding within the respective grooves 8, abuts against the guide block 11 to define the limit advanced position of the panel 7.

A second panel 15, also of rectangular shape and having the same length as the first panel 7, is hinged to the latter by means of hinges 16 so disposed at the underfaces of both

panels

7 and 15 and along the rear edge 9 of panel 7 and the leading edge 17 of panel 15; the hinges 16 allow pivotal vertical movement of the second panel 15 between a free hanging vertical position and a horizontal position in which the second panel 15 forms an extension of first panel 7 with the rear edge 9 of panel 7 abutting the leading edge 17 of panel 15.

In the retracted position of panel 7, the hinges 16 protrude from the back 5 of body 1 and therefore the second panel 15 is allowed to hang freely vertically along the back 5 of body 1, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

To convert the credenza into a table, the second panel 15 is simply lifted so as to pivot the same and bring it in the same plane as first panel 7. Then, the second panel 15 is pushed forwardly of the body 1 so as to cause forward sliding of first panel 7 until stops 14 abut against guide blocks 11.

During this sliding movement, the second panel 15 automatically engages the top of the body and becomes sup ported by the latter. In the limit position shown in FIG- URE 2, the first panel protrudes from the front of the body While the second panel 15 protrudes from the back of the body.

Guide blocks 11 engaging the dovetailed grooves 8, maintain the two panels in flat horizontal position.

To collapse the table, it is only necessary to exert a rearward pull on the second panel to thereby retract the first panel and, when the latter is in fully retracted position with the guide blocks 11 engaging the front end of grooves 8, the second panel 15 is allowed to drop alongside the back 5 of body 1. Then, the credenza can be moved back along a wall.

Panels

7 and 15 may have a length greater than the length of body 1 so as to protrude therefrom at both ends, or, as shown in the drawings, these panels may be slightly shorter than the length of body 1 so that their ends will fit the end walls 4 of body 1, said end walls having their top edge 18 flush with the top of the panel 7 and with the top of

panels

7 and 15 when both panels are in tableforming position.-

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising an elongated body having front and back faces, a first top panel co-extensive with said body and supported by the latter at the level of a conventional table top, the underside of said first top panel having spaced parallel dovetailed grooves running perpendicular to the long axis of said body, a bar secured to said body longitudinally thereof extending just underneath said first top panel, dovetailed guiding blocks secured on top of said bar and slidably engaging said grooves respectively for guiding said top panel for movement in its own plane transversely of the longitudinal axis of said body between a retracted position in which said top panel registers with said body and an advanced position in which said top panel protrudes from the front face of said body, said guiding blocks also retaining said panel on said body, said grooves terminating short of the front edge of said first top panel and extending towards the rear edge of said first top panel, abutting members secured to said first top panel near the rear edge of the latter and extending within said grooves, said guiding blocks abutting against the ends of said grooves in the retracted position of said first top panel to determine said retracted position and abutting against said abutment members in the advanced position of said first top panel to determine said advanced position, and a second panel hinged along an edge thereof to the rear edge of said first top panel for 4 pivotal movement in a vertical plane between a horizontal position and a vertical position, said second panel in its horizontal position forming an extension of said first top panel and supported by said body when said first top panel is in advanced position, said second panel allowed to take its vertical position along the back face of said body in the retracted position of said first top panel.

2. An article as claimed in claim 1, further including a second bar extending longitudinally of said body and secured thereto, just underneath said top panel and at the back of said body, to support said first top panel in the retracted position of the same and to support said second top panel in the advanced position of first top panel and in the horizontal position of said second panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 689,407 12/1901 Organ 10877 1,891,986 12/1932 Hutton 10877 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING FRONT AND BACK FACES, A FIRST TOP PANEL CO-EXTENSIVE WITH SAID BODY AND SUPPORTED BY THE LATTER AT THE LEVEL OF A CONVENTIONAL TABLE TOP, THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL HAVING SPACED PARALLEL DOVETAILED GROOVES RUNNING PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONG AXIS OF SAID BODY, A BAR SECURED TO SAID BODY LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF EXTENDING JUST UNDERNEATH SAID FIRST TOP PANEL, DOVETAILED GUIDING BLOCKS SECURED ON TOP OF SAID BAR AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID GROOVES RESPECTIVELY FOR GUIDING SAID TOP PANEL FOR MOVEMENT IN ITS OWN PLANE TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BODY BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOP PANEL REGISTERS WITH SAID BODY AND AN ADVANCE POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOP PANEL PROTRUDES FROM THE FRONT FACE OF SAID BODY, SAID GUIDING BLOCKS ALSO RETAINING SAID PANEL ON SAID BODY, SAID GROOVES TERMINATING SHORT OF THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL AND EXTENDING TOWARDS THE REAR EDGE OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL, ABUTTING MEMBERS SECURED TO SAID FIRST TOP PANEL NEAR THE REAR EDGE OF THE LATTER AND EXTENDING WITHIN SAID GROOVES, SAID GUIDING BLOCKS ABUTTING AGAINST THE ENDS OF SAID GROOVES IN THE RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL TO DETERMINE SAID RETRACTED POSITION AND ABUTTING AGAINST SAID ABUTMENT MEMBERS IN THE ADVANCED POSITION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL TO DETERMINE SAID ADVANCED POSITION, AND A SECOND PANEL HINGED ALONG AN EDGE THEREOF TO THE REAR EDGE OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL POSITION AND A VERTICAL POSITION, SAID SECOND PANEL IN ITS HORIZONTAL POSITION FORMING AN EXTENSION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL AND SUPPORTED BY SAID BODY WHEN SAID FIRST TOP PANEL IS IN ADVANCED POSITION, SAID SECOND PANEL ALLOWED TO TAKE ITS VERTICAL POSITION ALONG THE BACK FACE OF SAID BODY IN THE RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL.