VARIABLE FURNITURE

Abstract: The invention relates to a variable piece of furniture which lends itself particularly for use as a chest of drawers, consisting of a chest (1), a working surface (6) placed above it, leaving a certain amount of space, and a vertical backboard (4), such that certain parts of this piece of furniture are usable as a bed, whereby the chest of drawers which is initially suit­ able for a baby is wholly utilizable for a somewhat older child. In this connection the invention provides a piece of furni­ ture which is characterized by a chest (1), upon which there extends, principally in the same plane ass the rear wall of the chest, a bulkhead (4) which together with other supporting members mounted on the top surface of the chest carries a board (6) parallel to the top surface of the chest, said bulk­ head and said board being suitable for utilization as end-­ pieces for the extremities of a bed.

Description: Variable furniture This invention relates to a piece of furniture provided with detachably mounted parts for the assembly of a different piece of furniture. A piece of furniture of the kind is known in various embodiments from, among other sources, the present applicants' previously published Dutch patent application 8400019. The invention has for its aim to provide a variable piece of furniture which lends itself particularly for use as a chest of drawers, consisting of a chest, a working surface placed above it, leaving a certain amount of space, and a vertical backboard, such that certain parts of this Piece of furniture are usable as a bed, whereby the chest of drawers which is initially suitable for a baby is wholly utilizable for a somewhat older child. In this connection the invention provides a piece of furniture which is characterized by a chest. upon which there extends, principally in the same plane as the rear wall of the chest, a bulkhead which together with other supporting members mounted on the top surface of the chest carries a board parallel to the top surface of the chest, said bulkhead and said board being suitable for utilization as end-pieces for the extremities of a bed. The user will generally give preference to a piece of furniture of which the chest is supported by at least two legs. The supporting members can also comprise at least two legs. The legs can be of any suitable form. For example, each leg may possess a principally circular cylindrical form. In a preferred embodiment, the piece of furniture according to the invention presents the feature that each of the legs comprises a longitudinal groove, in which the board and/or the bulkhead fits and is fastenable thereto, such that the legs are suitable as supports for the board and/or bulkhead used as end-pieces of the bed. The invention will now be explained by reference to a drawing of an arbitrary embodiment, to which the invention is not however restricted. In the drawing: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a piece of furniture according to the invention, in which, for the purpose of clarity, several components have been depicted as separated by some distance; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a bed which is constructed by utilization of the vertical bulkhead and the horizontal board according to figure 1, in which view the constituent parts are also depicted as being separated by a certain distance; Figure 3 shows detail III according to figure 1 in a partly cut-away perspective view; Figure 4 shows detail IV according to figure 1 in a partly cut-away perspective view; and Figure 5 shows detail V according to figure 2 in a partly cut-away perspective view. Figure 1 shows piece of furniture 1, consistins of a chest 2 with drawers 3, upon which there extends vertically, principally in the same plane as the rear wall (not shown in figure 1) of chest 2, bulkhead 4, which together with two principally circular cylindrical legs 5 bears a horizontal board 6. Chest 2 is supported by two legs 7 situated at the front and by supporting bulkhead 8 at the back, which bulkhead is set a little way forward with respect to the rear wall of the chest so that in the presence of a skirting-board the rear wall of the chest can be placed against a wall. Figure 2 shows frame 9 of a bed with two sidebulkheads 10, whereof the head ends and the foot ends are coupled by board 6 and bulkhead 4 respectively. In this example, legs 5, which in the piece of furniture according to figure 1 served as supports for board 6, are utilized as supports for the lower edge of bulkhead 4, functioning as foot-board. To this end the principally circular-cylindrically made legs 5 are provided with longitudinal groove 11, shown more clearly in figures 4 and 5, which is pointed to the rear in the piece of furniture according to figure 1 for esthetic reasons. Figure 3 shows the manner in which bulkhead 4 is coupled to chest 2 and board 6 is coupled to bulkhead 4. It should be clear that any detachable joining means can be utilized, for example a screw connection. In this embodiment, use is made of tightenable pin 12, which is screwed firmly into threaded end 13 and which cooperates with cam 14, rotatable from the outside with a screwdriver, for the connection of bulkhead 4 to chest 2. In the same way, board 6 is coupled to bulkhead 4. For this, too, use is made of cam 14 which through rotation can exert a tensile force on head 15 of pin 16, which in distinction to pin 12 does not possess a threaded end but a flat head 17. Figure 4 shows the top surface 18, upon which leg 5 is located, which provides for the support of board 6. Leg 5 is provided with a threaded end 19, which cooperates with an internally threaded member 20 mounted in board 6. By means of a screw 21, which can extend through hole 22 in top surface 18, the final coupling can be brought about by means of an internally threaded member 23 in leg 5. Finally, figure 5 shows the manner in which a leg 5 is used as a support for bulkhead 4, the foot-board of frame 9 of the bed. In the bottom of groove 11 there is also located a threaded end or an internally threaded member 13, in which there is firmly screwed pin 12, which can cooperate with cam 14 in bulkhead 4. By rotation of that cam 14, pin 12 can be pulled tight, whereby a very strong coupling comes about between bulkhead 4 and leg 5. It will be clear that there are possible many variations on the sketched principle according to the invention.

Claims: Claims 1. A piece of furniture, provided with detachably mounted parts for the assembly of a different piece of furniture, characterized by a chest upon which there extends, principally in the same plane as the rear wall of the chest, a bulkhead which, together with other supporting members mounted on the top surface of the chest, carries a board parallel to the top surface of the chest, said bulkhead and said board being suitable for utilization as end-pieces for the extremities of a bed. 2. A piece of furniture as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the chest is supported by at least two legs. 3. A piece of furniture as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the supporting members comprise at least two legs. 4. A piece of furniture as claimed in claims 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the legs comprises a longitudinal groove, in which the board and/or the bulkhead fits and is fastenable thereto, such that the legs are suitable as supports for the board and/or bulkhead used as end-pieces of the bed.

Inventors: ROLLERMAN, JAN WILLEM
Applicants: HOUT- EN STAALMEUBELFABRIEKEN VROOMSHOOP B.V.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A47B85
IPC codes: A47B85, A47D11