Abstract:
The invention relates to a mobile piece of furniture ( 1 ), in particular a chair, with leg ( 2 ) exhibiting a number of swivelable foot elements ( 2   a ) as a first functional part and with a number of support struts ( 3, 4 ) that are mountable in joint connections ( 19 ) to the leg ( 2 ) as well as with a flexible, especially textile, covering ( 5 ) as a second functional part that is provided with, especially pocket-like, holding elements ( 6 ) to attach the support struts ( 3.4 ) to the strut ends ( 7 ), wherein one of the functional parts is provided and set up to take on the additional function of packing the other functional part and the support struts ( 3, 4 ).

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from German patent application DE 10 2014 002 916.6 filed on 28 Feb. 2014, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a mobile piece of furniture, especially in the manner of a folding chair, folding stool, or folding table. Mobile piece of furniture here means a transportable, assemblable, and disassemblable or at least partially foldable, dismantlable, and assemlable piece of furniture, for example for camping- or picnic style uses. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Such mobile furniture or pieces of furniture should in principal be able to be shifted from their intended state of use into a comparatively space-saving state for transportation and storage. To this end, in the case of folding chairs or folding tables, it is common for rotary shafts to be provided with legs that cross over each other like scissors and that are thus connected at joints in order to move the folding furniture from opened to folded position and vice versa. As such the crossing points provided with rotary shafts can be arranged on the sides, front, or back of the folding furniture. 
         [0004]    A folding chair with legs that are connected at joints like scissors and with a seat and back are known, for example, from German patents DE 10 2004 028 178 B4 or from DE 20 2009 007 137 U1. 
         [0005]    The underlying object of the present invention is to specify an especially space-saving, collapsible mobile piece of furniture in the manner of a folding chair or folding table. 
         [0006]    This object is achieved according to the present invention by the elements in claim  1 . Advantageous embodiments, further developments, and variants are the subject of the subclaims. 
         [0007]    To this end, the mobile piece of furniture comprises a leg with swivalable foot elements and a number of support struts that are mountable at articulated joints on the leg as well as a flexible, especially fabric, covering that is provided with preferably pocket-like holders to attach to the strut ends of the support struts. The leg especially forms a functional part that is provided and set up to take on the additional function of packing the other pieces of furniture, especially the support struts and the covering. The covering can also take on the additional packing function for the other pieces of furniture, namely, the support struts and the leg. 
         [0008]    An advantageous embodiment exhibits the leg as a holding element onto which the foot elements are connected at articulated joints. According to the first variant, the leg comprises at least three foot elements held together via joints that are swivelable opposite the holding element with their foot or leg ends facing away from the joints, forming a tripod or quadrupod. The maximum swiveling angle is less than 90°, advisably between 30° and 60°, preferably approximately 45°. 
         [0009]    According to a further variant, two pairs of foot elements are provided for that are mountable via a joint in the form of a cross brace, especially a crosspipe or crossbar, spaced from each other. The foot elements, which are hinged in pairs onto each holding element, again forming a maximum swiveling angle, form the leg together with this and the strut-type connecting element. 
         [0010]    In both variants, the foot elements are preferably formed in a bowl shape. They form a concave space in folded position, i.e. swiveled against each other, which serves to receive the strut ends and the covering and thereby constitutes the packing of the piece of furniture. 
         [0011]    Also in both variants, the holding element conveniently exhibits a joint stop that the respective foot element hits at a maximum swiveling angle on the joint side in order to block the foot elements from swiveling beyond the maximum swiveling angle. 
         [0012]    The joint of the support struts is conveniently implemented in the manner of a plug connection. To this end, the support element exhibits a number of, for example, collar- or sleeve-type plug openings, corresponding to the number of the support struts in the area of the foot elements and/or of holding element, into which plug openings the respective support strut is inserted using the corresponding strut end in assembly position. 
         [0013]    In the assembly position, the support struts are positioned diagonal from the vertical, i.e., oriented diagonally pointing upward. As such, the angle of inclination can be greater or less than the set-up angle corresponding to the right angle from the horizontal. A 45° angle from vertical or horizontal is suitable. 
         [0014]    The support struts are conveniently composed of a number of partial struts that are joinable with each other in the longitudinal direction of the struts, especially in the manner of a plug connection. As such, the length of the partial struts is less than or equal to the length of the foot elements. The partial struts here are advisably held to each other using rope-type and, if applicable, elastic elements in an undetachable way. The plug connection can be formed here by a reduction in the cross-section or a reduction in the outer diameter of one of the joint ends of the foot elements, while a plug-in foot element is thus formed like a collar at its joint end, i.e., it exhibits a cross-section surface adjusted to this with a corresponding inside diameter. 
         [0015]    For later stabilization, a rope-type connecting element can be provided with a number of joint ends that are put into these provided joint positions to attach to the foot elements. If the connection element is mounted to the foot ends of the foot elements, then the risk of the furniture sinking into a soft, sandy, or granular surface is also reduced. 
         [0016]    In the embodiment of the piece of furniture as a chair, two pairs of support struts are conveniently provided for at different strut lengths. As such, the comparatively short support struts of the one pair of support struts are connected in a detachable way with the leg in the joint forming the front side of the surface of a seat, and the comparatively long support struts of the other pair of support struts are connected in a detachable way with the leg in joint forming the back. The covering is put onto the strut ends of the pair of support struts sticking up and diagonally in assembly position by means of the covering&#39;s holding elements, preferably in the form of holding pockets at the corners, so that a bowl-shaped flexible seat and back surface is produced in a practical way. 
         [0017]    The advantages achieved with the present invention consist especially in that the packing space required for the pieces of furniture in collapsed position is considerably reduced due to the construction design of the mobile piece of furniture with a leg and with multiple, especially four, support struts joinable with it. Thus, the dimensions of the packed piece of furniture are reduced to the size of the leg in the preferred variants where the leg takes on the dual function of the central support part when in the intended position of use and assembly position and of packing when in the collapsed or disassembly position. 
         [0018]    The length of the leg, which corresponds more or less to the length of the foot elements, is only a fraction of the usual leg length of this type of chair or table. Accordingly, the dimensions of the piece of furniture according to the present invention when in collapsed and packed position is considerably reduced in comparison to common folding furniture, especially folding chairs. Thus, the packing length of the collapsed mobile piece of furniture is only approximately the length of a “Knirps®” brand telescoping umbrella. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The embodiment examples of the invention are explained in more detail below using drawings. They show: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  A perspective projection of a chair as a mobile, collapsible piece of furniture in assembled position with a leg, support struts, and a seat and back covering; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  The chair without covering in a representation according to  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  A perspective projection of the leg in the form of a tripod with foot elements swiveled out against the stops of a holding element (joint stops); 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  The leg with folded-in foot elements; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  The leg in longitudinal section looking at the joint connections of two foot elements with the holding element; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  A variant of the chair as a mobile piece of furniture with a leg composed of two pairs of foot elements and a cross brace, including covering; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  The chair according to  FIG. 6 , without covering. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    The parts corresponding to each other are labeled with the same references in all of the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0028]      FIG. 1  shows the chair as a mobile piece of furniture  1  with a leg  2  and with a number of support struts  3 ,  4  joined with this by plug connections, as well as with a flexible, for example fabric, covering  5 . This is put onto the free ends  7  opposite the joint ends ( FIG. 2 ) of the support struts  3 ,  4  in the shown assembly position by means of holding pockets  6  at the corners, thereby forming a seat surface  5   a  and a back surface (back rest)  5   b  as well as two lateral covering surfaces  5   c . In the embodiment example, the leg  2  comprises three foot elements  2   a  that are hinged swivelably onto a central holding element  2   b.    
         [0029]    The support struts  3 ,  4  run diagonally upward and outward in the shown assembly position, where in  FIG. 1  an angle of inclination β from the vertical V is less than a set-up angle β′ corresponding to the 90° angle from the horizontal H. The seat and back surfaces  5   a ,  5   b  are specified in a practical way from the length and inclination of the support struts  3 ,  4 . 
         [0030]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the support struts  3 ,  4  for the flexible covering  5  are each composed of at least two partial struts  3   a,    4   a,  in that they are pluggable into the ends of each other in the longitudinal direction of the struts. To this end, at least some of the partial struts  3   a,    4   a  exhibit plug shafts  3   b  and  4   b  on their ends. These are locked in a detachable way into corresponding bushing-, collar-, or sleeve-shaped plug-in sections  3   c  and  4   c  of a partial strut  3  and  4  that are adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the strut, while producing a corresponding joint. 
         [0031]    To stabilize the swiveled foot elements  2   a  of the leg  2  shown in the assembly position, a rope- or band-type connection element  8  can be prepared that is pulled tight in a star or spider web pattern with the foot elements  2   a.  To this end, these exhibit corresponding joints at a suitable position, as needed, to which the connection ends  10  of the connection element  8  can be attached. A central surface element  11  in the neutral point of the star-shaped connection element  8  in the embodiment example offers an additional contact surface so that additional protection from the leg  2  or its foot elements  2   a  sinking into a soft, sandy, or granular surface is provided when making the intended use of the mobile chair or piece of furniture  1 . 
         [0032]      FIGS. 3 through 5  show different representations of the leg  2 . In the design according to  FIG. 3 , the central holding element  2   b  is recognizable from a number, which corresponds to the number of foot elements  2   a,  of, for example, curved single-piece partial segments connected with each other, and the foot elements  2   a  are formed with a smooth surface on the outside, while the central holding element  2   b  is embodied as discs in the embodiment example according to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and the foot elements  2   a  are provided with surface structures running in the longitudinal direction of the feet. 
         [0033]    In principal, however, the foot elements  2   a  of the leg  2  are formed in a bowl shape so that a concave or interior space  12  is created when leg  2  with foot elements  2   a  swiveled against each other on the inside of the leg  2  is in the folded position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The support struts  3  and  4  that have been collapsed into partial struts  3   a  and  4   a,  as well as the covering  5 , and, if applicable, the connection element  8 , can be moved into this interior space  12  of the leg  2  so that the leg  2  takes on the additional function of packing the piece of furniture composed in the embodiment example as a chair in the folded position. The strut length of the partial struts  3   a  and  4   a  has been adjusted here to the length L drawn in  FIG. 5  of the foot elements  2   a  and concave space  12  of the leg  2 . 
         [0034]    The swivelability of the foot elements  2   a  of the leg  2  opposite the central holding element  2   b  is produced by articulated joints  13 . To this end, joint heads  14  are shaped to the foot elements  2   a  on their foot ends facing the holding element  2   b,  which are seated on joint pins  15  of the central holding element  2   b.  In order to block the swiveling of the foot elements  2   a  beyond a maximum swiveling angle α from the central axis from vertical V of the leg  2  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , stops or stop contours (joint stops)  16  are provided for on the holding elements  2   b.  In the embodiment example, these are formed by at least partially circumferential arch-shaped indented collar contours  13  oriented against the joint connections, which engage the groove-shaped and correspondingly arched recesses or seat contours  17  of the joint heads  14  of the foot elements  2   a,  while the foot elements  2   a  swivel outward. The maximum swiveling angle α is specified by the positioning of corresponding groove bottoms  18  of the groove-type recesses  17  of the joint heads  14 , and when the maximum swiveling angle is reached, further swiveling of the foot elements  2   a  is reliably blocked. 
         [0035]    The leg  2  exhibits a number, which corresponds to the number of support struts  3 ,  4 , of collar- or sleeve-type plug openings  19  to produce the joints while mounting the support struts  3 ,  4 . In the embodiment example, these are inserted into these at the joint end of the foot elements  2   a  on the outside and are designed like a bushing. This ensures the secure seating of the support struts  3 ,  4  in the leg  2 . 
         [0036]    To form the concave or interior space  42  within the leg  2 , the legs  2   a  are formed at least on the inside with a correspondingly arched interior wall  20  ( FIG. 3 ), which are complemented by an at least partially closed, preferably cylinder-shaped, interior wall when the foot elements  2   a  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  are in the swiveled-in position. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show a variant of the mobile piece of furniture embodied as at chair with, again, a leg  2  and support struts  3 ,  4  that are joined in a removable way with the leg  2  as well as with a seat and back covering  5  that are put onto the strut ends  7  of the support struts  3 ,  4  using the pocket-type holding elements  6  and is thereby held onto these in a detachable way. The support struts  3 ,  4  are again composed of partial struts  3   a  and  4   a,  joinable with each other in the manner of plug connections. 
         [0038]    As in the embodiment example according to  FIGS. 1 through 5 , in assembly position the front support struts  3  are shorter than the rear support struts  4 . The seat surface  5   a  and back  5   b  are formed this way in connection with the installed covering  5 . When collapsing the support struts  3 ,  4 , their partial supports  3   a  and  4   a  are held to each other via rope-type and, for example, elastic connections in an undetachable way and in a manner not further illustrated. 
         [0039]    In the variant according to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the leg  2  is formed by two pairs of foot elements  2   c,  each with two foot elements  2   a,  and a cross brace  21  that extends when in assembly position between the two pairs of foot elements  2   c.  The joint of the cross brace  21  with the pairs of foot elements  2   c  is implemented using as central holding element  2   b  formed accordingly from two partial elements  2   d,  wherein the partial elements  2   d  are swivelably connected with the foot elements  2   a  of the respective pair of foot elements  2   c,  again via joint connections  13 . The joint of the cross brace  21  with the partial elements  2   d  of the central holding element  2   b  is again advisably embodied as a plug connection. To this end, corresponding plug openings  22  are provided for in the partial elements  2   d,  which each receive one of the strut ends of the cross brace  21  when in assembly position. 
         [0040]    The invention is not limited to the embodiment examples described above. Instead, other variants of the invention can also be derived by the person skilled in the art, without abandoning the object of the invention. In particular, all individual elements described in conjunction with the embodiment examples are combinable in the future without abandoning the object of the invention. 
         [0041]    Thus, for example, the leg  2  embodied in  FIGS. 1 through 5  as a tripod can also be formed as a quadrupod, accordingly with four foot elements  2   a.  In addition, the plug openings  19  of the leg  2  can also be positioned at other locations. Thus, these plug openings  19  for the support struts  3 ,  4 —similar to the embodiment example according to  FIGS. 6 and 7 —can also be provided with a central bolding element  2   b,  accordingly designed. The rope-type connection element  8  that is provided for, if needed can also be made of multiple parts and, for example, connected in a cross connection with the foot elements  2   a  in their middle area or joint-end area, on the one hand, and in the free-end foot area, on the other. 
         [0042]    In addition, the support struts  3 ,  4  can be embodied at the same length, and the covering  5  can be provided as a flat covering element. In this way, instead of the chair shown, a stool, i.e. a backless chair, or a table can be assembled as a mobile piece of furniture  1  whose seat or table surface is formed from the covering element. With regard to this, only an accordingly modified covering must be provided, and with the comparatively long support struts  4  only a partial strut  4   a  must be omitted, so that both a table and a chair are assemblable and the individual parts jointly packable in leg  2  with the represented and described parts. 
         [0043]    While the leg  2  as a functional part takes on the additional packing function in the described embodiment examples, this can be taken on by the covering  5  as well. To this end, this can be provided with a zipper or Velcro closure in order to close accordingly the covering  5  receiving the remaining parts for the purpose of transportation and storage. 
       REFERENCE LIST 
       [0000]    
       
           1  piece of furniture/chair 
           2  leg 
           2   a  foot element 
           2   b  holding element 
           2   c  pair of foot elements 
           2   d  partial element 
           3  (short) support strut 
           3   a  partial strut 
           4  (long) support s 
           4   a  partial strut 
           5  covering 
           5   a  seat part 
           5   b  back part 
           5   c  side part 
           6  holding pocket 
           7  strut end 
           8  connecting element 
           9  joint 
           10  connection end 
           11  surface element 
           12  concave/interior space 
           13  joint connection 
           14  joint head 
           15  joint pin 
           16  stop/contour 
           17  recess/seat contour 
           18  seat/groove bottom 
           19  plug opening 
           20  interior wall 
           21  cross brace 
           22  plug opening 
         α swiveling angle 
         β angle of inclination 
         β′ set-up angle 
         L length