WO1993012692A1

WO1993012692A1 - Knock down furniture

Info

Publication number: WO1993012692A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1992/000003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Clarence Charles Hoyle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-12-21
Filing date: 1992-12-17
Publication date: 1993-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 1994-06-21
Also published as: AU3174393A

Abstract

A knock down picnic table and pair of seats has a table top supported on a pair of frames. The frames are forced against a pair of abutments by a pair of keys. Racking is prevented by the provision of a spine fixed to the underside of the table top. A pair of seats are also supported on the frames and the keys extend from the table top to the seats to lock the frames against the abutments on the seats. The table and seats knock down to an orderly stack for transport in the boot of a car. The keys allow high rigidity despite high seat loading.

Description

KNOCK DOWN FURNITURE

^• TECHNICAL FIELD This invention concerns knock down furniture.

BACKGROUND ART Outdoor furniture such as is used in barbecue and pool areas is sometimes made of foldable construction so as to be stowable for seasonal reasons. Work benches are sometimes made to fold flat in order to be hung on a wall when not required. True knock down furniture, where the components form a stack of separate parts is rare.

The design of such furniture is difficult and public acceptance of the result is uncertain. Picnic tables tend to be of solid construction with a table top stapled to a pair of A-frames. A pair of narrow elongated seats are fixed to the A-frames alongside the table. Such tables are seldom moved, never taken to a picnic in a vehicle and generally weather to a silver colour where they stand.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

This invention provides a knock down item of furniture comprising a tie member which in the assembled item, constitutes the main useable surface, a pair of ground- engaging supports, a tie abutment for each support which defines the working positions of the supports, a removable key capable upon insertion between the tie member and each support, of forcing the supports against the abutments, rendering the structure rigid, and upon key removal allowing disassembly of the components. The item may be a table, work bench or the like. The supports may be of sheet material with parallel or tapered upright sides but more usually the supports will be of inverted U-shape or A-frames made of 75x50, 100x50 or 100x25 timber stock.

The supports may bear one or more additional tie members at a lower level than the main useable surface, such as seats, each with an abutment against which the supports are clampable by one or more removable keys.

There may be an upper pair of keys and a lower pair of keys but with this arrangement diagonal bracing or its mechanical equivalent is necessary otherwise the structure tends to rack. Instead a pair of long reach keys are preferred.

The effectiveness of the keys can be improved if a spine is fixed to the underside of the main tie member, creating in effect an extension of the reaction surface provided by the main tie member. The slope of the extension may be 1-3 degrees more than the taper of the key so that the key tightens on insertion and remains tightest at the edge of the spine furthest from the main tie member.

The slope of the extension may be 105-110 degrees to the plane of the tie member. Another aspect of the invention provides an outdoor table with twin attached seats wherein the conventional diagonal bracing between the A-frames and the underside of the table is replaced by a a pair of keys which lock the supports against abutments on the table and secondly the abutments on the seats.

While initial insertion of the keys imposes partial rigidity, so that the structure will not collapse, racking is evident until the keys are inserted to seat level thereby tilting the frames outwardly against the abutments on the seats. The secondary stiffening at lower level stiffens the structure and racking ceases.

This same principle is applicable to space frames, e.g scaffolding, furniture, small buildings made of stiles and rails, poles, sheet material such as fibreboard, laminates and composites; metal components such as tube, extrusions, sheet metal sections and angle iron; plastic components such as tube and expanded bead sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Fig 1 is a section through a picnic table showing the reaction surfaces; a fragment of seat is shown in broken lines to indicate the housing and Fig 2 is an end view of the picnic table of Fig 1 with the table and seats removed in order to show the abutments and grooved horizontal parts;

Fig 3 is a plan of the underside of a seat showing the position of the stored wedges.

Fig 4 is a diagramatic fragmentary section of another version wherein the wage is inserted parallel to the support frame

Fig 5 is a perspective of a timber connector used in the construction of the support frames.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, the table top 2 is made from 100x25 pine boards surrounded by 50x25 lipping 4. A pair of

rectangular slots 6 (only one shown) are situated on the longitudinal central axis of the table top . A spine batten 8 with inclined end 10 is fixed to the underside of the table and extends between the two slots 6 as shown. The end 10 is inclined at 100 degrees to the plane of the table.

The boards are stabilised by a pair of battens 12 which are rebated to provide a tongue 14 the purpose of which will be described later. The table top 2 is borne by a pair of A- frames made of inclined 100x40 legs 16, a stretcher 18 and a header 20. The header 20 has a groove 22 which receives tongue 14.

Referring now also to Fig 2 and 3, the stretcher 18 has a 5 groove 24 at each end to assist the location of the seats 26 . Each seat is made of 100x25 pine boards surrounded by lipping 4 and linked by pairs of battens 12. Each batten and stretcher have a tongue and grooved formation as seen in the header.

10 In Fig 3 the battens 12 have a tongue 14 which is accessible through notches 28. Stretcher 18 has end grooves 24 which are engaged by tongues 14. The seats slide in and out on assembly and disassembly. Wedges 30 are retained by a cleat.

15 The structure is stiffened by a pair of long wooden wedges 30 whose slope is about as shown, is inserted through slot 6 in the table. Driving the wedge downwards traps the A- frame between the reaction surfaces. In use the table is dismantled by tapping the wedges upwardly using a shoe heel

20 or a stone. The tongues are able to tilt sideways out of the grooves and all the parts disengage. Pads of hook and pile fasteners permit the seats to adhere to the table so they can be carried as a unit by means of a rope carrying handle while the A-frames stack easily. This facility

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25 permits the parts to be stacked even in the boot of a small vehicle .

In Fig 4, the tongue and groove formatiom is replaced by a peak and valley formation 32. An extra batten 112 provides an inner abutment. Wedge 30 is inserted parallel to the header 20. In Fig 5, a sheet steel timber connector 34 has a pair of upturned teeth 36 and a pair of down turned teeth 38. A single bolt 40 (see Fig 2) suffices to fix the angular dispositions of the connected parts. I have found the advantages of the above embodiment to be:

(1) The components will fit in a car boot, caravan, trailer or on a roof rack.

(2) No tools are necessary to assemble or dismantle.

Claims

What I claim is :

1 A knock down item of furniture characterised by a tie member which in the assembled item constitutes the main useable surface, a pair of ground engaging supports, a pair of keys capable of connecting the supports and the main member in a working position and upon key removal to allow disassembly of the item.

2 A knock down item of furniture characterised by a tie member which in the assembled item constitutes the main useable surface, a pair of ground engaging supports, tie abutment means for each support which together define the working positions of the supports, a pair of removable keys capable of forcing together the supports and the tie abutment means , rendering the item rigid and upon key removal releasing the same for disassembly of the item.

3 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the tie member has an abutment and an opposing abutment for each support member the key being insertable so as to force the support member against one of the abutments while the key is forced against the other abutment

4 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that one abutment is an aperture in the tie member into which the key is insertable and the opposing abutment is mounted on the underside of the tie member.

5 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 3 or 4 characterised in that the opposing abutment surface is increased by the provision of an extension located on the underside of the tie member.

6 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that the extension surface is inclined to the upper surface of the tie member by 105-115 degrees.

7 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 5 or 6 characterised in that the extension surface is the end of a batten fixed to the underside of the tie member.

8 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 2-7 characterised in that the abutment means comprises an abutment surface lying transversely to the major axis of the tie member and a slot in the tie member, the zone between the aperture and the transverse abutment surface being capable of accommodating one end of a support and a key which is insertable through the slot to engage the support and the tie member. 9 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1-8 characterised in that the supports bear one or more additional tie members between the ground and the main tie member each with abutments against which the supports are clampable by one or two removable keys.

10 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1-9 characterised in that the abutment means and the ground-engaging support interlock in the working

10 position allowing the item to be lifted by the tie member.

11 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 10 characterised in that the ground-engaging support and the abutment have mutually engageable slidable surfaces which interlock.

15 12 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in claim 11 characterised in that the ground engaging support and the abutment have peak and valley conformations.

13 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1-12 characterised in that the tie member is a

^•' 20 table top.

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14 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 9-13 characterised in that the additional ties are seats and the keys lock the table to the supports ^'and extend toward the seats to lock the seats.

15 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1-13 characterised in that the supports are

A-frames or of inverted U-shape.

16 A knock down item of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1-3 and 8-14 characterised in that each abutment means is located on the underside of the tie member and comprises a pair of horizontal abutment surfaces capable of accommodating between the surfaces, an end of a support and a horizontal key.

17 A knock down item of furniture constructed and adapted for use substanstantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs 1-3 or as modified by Fig 4 of the accompanying drawings.