Patent Publication Number: US-2009224129-A1

Title: Foldable support element

Description:
The present invention relates to a foldable support element in the form of a column with three or more sides, where a number of sides of the support element comprise two corresponding side plates, where one end of the side plate is connected, by means of hinged fastening points, to one end of the side plate, and where the opposite ends of the side plates are each fastened to a rigid base in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element by means of hinged fastening points. 
     The invention also relates to a support element for use in folding furniture or temporary constructions in buildings or sites. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Today, several methods exist for folding together or reducing the length of a column. Prior art methods imply that the column comprises elements of a certain length which are placed in parallel, either in that the elements are hinged or are taken apart and placed in parallel, or in that elements of different diameters are fed into each other according to the telescope principle. 
     JP 10099171 describes a construction, where legs are used comprising hinged parts that can be folded together. The leg plates are at the same time hinged to end plates. 
     The barstool “Dennis” on page 171 in IKEA&#39;s catalogue for 2003 is folded together in that the legs, which consist of two U-shaped hoops, are placed in parallel with the seat. The disadvantage of this and other known methods for folding a bench or stool is that to achieve normal or higher sitting heights, the legs are often longer than the diameter of the seat. Thus, one does not achieve optimal reduction of the size of the folded piece of furniture. 
     Another disadvantage of these methods of temporary reducing the length of a column is that they can never be shorter or less than the length of the longest element. 
     A further disadvantage with the prior art is that such collapsible constructions often have a tendency to be loose in the joints that hold the construction together and can therefore be rather unsteady. 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a construction that overcomes the abovementioned disadvantages and other disadvantages, and that is not very space demanding when in a collapsed position. 
     With the technology according to the invention, a support element can be collapsed so that in the longitudinal direction it is no longer than the thickness of the sidewalls of the support element. 
     With the technology according to the invention, one achieves that the foot itself, if used in a piece of furniture with a seat, can simply be folded together to an extent where it has a smaller diameter than a normal seat of a bench or a single stool. Thus, the stool or the bench can be folded to a volume that constitutes the plate of the seat multiplied by the thickness of the folded foot. 
     According to the invention, this is achieved by providing a support element with two or more sides, where each side comprises at least two corresponding side-plates that are fastened to each other at the one end and to a rigid base, which always lies perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support elements, at the other end. The rigid base that binds them together constitutes the centre of the structure in folded position. The respective rigid parts constitute an upper part and a lower part in extended position. 
     The different parts which the support element comprises can be dimensioned, perforated and formed in relation to need of load tolerance consideration, design requirements and need of functional solutions for the support element. The support element can be made in plastic, metal or other suitable material according to requirement for strength, texture or the like. 
     The foldable support element, according to the present invention, is characterised by the characteristic features in the independent claim  1 . 
     Preferred embodiments of the invention are characterised by the characteristic features in the dependent claims  2 - 9 . 
     The invention is also characterised by the use according to claim  10 . 
    
    
     
       SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention shall now be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows an overview of the support element parts. 
         FIG. 2   a  shows an example of an embodiment of the support element according to the invention in folded position. 
         FIG. 2   b  shows the support element according to  FIG. 2   a  in partial extended/folded position. 
         FIG. 2   c  shows the support element according to  FIG. 2   a  in fully extended position. 
         FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  show a detail of a possible locking method according to the invention for the extended position of the support element. 
         FIG. 4   a  shows an example of a connection of several support elements according to  FIG. 2  in extended position. 
         FIG. 4   b  shows an example of a connection of several support elements according to  FIG. 2  in folded position. 
         FIG. 5   a  shows an embodiment example of the support element according to the invention in extended position. 
         FIG. 5   b  shows an embodiment example of the support element according to  FIG. 5   a  in folded position. 
         FIG. 6   a  shows an example of an embodiment of the support element according to the invention in extended position. 
         FIG. 6   b  shows the support element according to  FIG. 6   a  in partially extended/folded position. 
         FIG. 6   c  shows the support element according to  FIG. 5   a  in folded position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  shows an embodiment example of the different parts that can form the basis for the support element according to the invention. Two rigid bases  30 ,  40  comprise, for example, fastening points in each corner. Side edges  12 ,  22  extend at an angle of 90° in relation to the side plates  10 ,  20 , but it should be noted that the angle can vary, and that the side edges  12 ,  22  do not have to extend along the whole edge of the side plate, but, can be, for example, present in the area of the hinge only, and will then only be a part of the hinged fastening point. 
     Each of the different parts are fitted with holes to fasten the respective parts to the support element, in that the side plates  10 ,  20  comprise two parallel side-edges  12 ,  22  with holes  24  for fastening the one end of the side plate  10  to the one end of the side plate  20 , and in that the rigid bases  30 , 40  comprise an upwardly and downwardly extending edge in each corner with holes  32  for fastening to the other end of the side plate  10 , 20  with the help of hole  26 . 
       FIGS. 2   a - c  show an embodiment of the support element according to the invention in folded position and two possible extended positions, respectively. In this embodiment, the support element comprises corresponding sides. The support element comprises two side plates  10 ,  20  that are fastened to each other by means of hinged fastening points  50 , and to their separate rigid bases  30 , 40  by means of hinged fastening points  60 . The rigid base  30 ,  40  can represent different functions in relation to application areas. For use in a piece of furniture, the rigid base can be a part of the seat, part of a foot or a tabletop, to mention some examples. Alternatively, the rigid base can represent a frame that is fitted to the mentioned parts. 
     In  FIG. 2  the rigid bases  30 ,  40  have the shape of a triangle, but it shall be noted that the rigid bases  30 ,  40  can have other forms, such as a square form, pentagon form, circular form, etc. 
     The shape of the rigid bases therefore defines, in the present example, how many sides the support element has. The side plates  10 ,  20  are fastened to each of the edges of the rigid bases  30 , 40  so that a structure is provided which is approximately closed in the column circumference in the whole or part of the longitudinal direction of the support element, and where the rigid base  30 ,  40  can be arranged up to the perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the column. The axises of rotation of the hinged fastening points  50 ,  60  lie in the plane that lies perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to the support elements. 
     By closed structure, which is approximately closed in the column circumference in whole or parts of the longitudinal direction of the support element, is meant that that the sides do not need to be connected in the full longitudinal direction of the column, i.e. that either side of the side plates  10 ,  20  can at least adjoin each other only in certain areas in extended position according to  FIG. 2   c  such as in the areas where the side plates  10 ,  20  are hinged together. 
     In  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the rigid bases  30 ,  40  are formed as triangles and have thereby three of each side plate  10 , 20  fastened to each one. 
     It shall be noted that the construction of the support element shall not be limited to that the side plates  10 ,  20  form a closed structure in the whole or parts of the longitudinal direction of the support element, as the construction can also be applicable in that one or more of the sides do not encompass side plates, but only represent an open area. 
     The side plates  10 ,  20  can be fastened to each other and to the rigid bases  30 ,  40  with the help of, for example, one or more bolts. The parts can also be fastened to each other in that pins on the one part snap into suitable recesses or holes on the other part. Other ways of hinging parts also exist, such as, for example, that the parts are equipped with a gliding section that fits concentrically into each other and thus eliminates the need to have material along the axis of rotation in the hinged fastening points. 
     In folded position according to  FIG. 2   a,  the support element is shaped in the form of a star, where the side plates that the sides of the support element are comprised of, lie at an angle of around 90 degrees in relation to the longitudinal direction of the support element. If one or more of the sides of the construction constitutes an open area instead of side plates  10 ,  20 , the support elements will then constitute a partially star-shaped construction. 
     The side plates  10 ,  20  can be made such that they partially or completely go into each other in folded position. In the example according to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , short bolts are used that only penetrate the material at the two parts they bind together. With the use of through bolts that go from the one side of the side plates  10 ,  20  to the other side, the side plates  10 , 20  will only partially go into each other, as the edges of the side plate  10  will meet the bolt that binds together the side plate  20  with the rigid base  40 . 
     In extended position ( FIG. 2   c ) and in folded position, undesired movement of the side plates beyond 0 degrees in relation to the longitudinal direction of the support element in extended position and up to 90 degrees in relation to the longitudinal direction of the support element in folded position, respectively, is prevented in that the end edges of the side plates  10 ,  20  meet each other in extended position, and that the end edges (against the rigid base  30 ,  40 ) meet the side edges of the rigid bases  30 ,  40  in folded position. 
     When the end edges of the side plates  10 ,  20 , which border each other, meet each other the movement of the side plates  10 ,  20  stops in extended position. 
     When the side edge of the side plate  10  meets the edge of the rigid base  30  and that the side edge of the side plate  20  meets the rigid base  40 , the movement stops in folded position. 
       FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2   b  show the following: The rigid base  30  is made so that the holes in the plate for the bolt will be able to be positioned concentrically with the holes at the side edges of the side plates  10  on the inside of the side edges. The rigid base  40  is made such that the hole for the bolt in the base will be able to be positioned concentrically with the holes in the side edges of the side plate  20 , on the outside of the side edges of the side plate  20 . 
     The rigid base  30  is formed such that the hinged fastening point  60  is orientated according to the profile of the side plate  10  without coming into conflict with the side plate  20  in folded position and that the rigid base  40  is formed such that the hinged fastening point  60  orientates itself according to the profile of the side plate  20  without coming into conflict with the side plate  20  in folded position. 
     In extended and folded position, it will be possible to lock the position of the support elements by several techniques. Only one of these is described here. 
       FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  show the following: In that the fastening point on the side plate  10  is made as an oblong hole with the same radius as the bolt at either end, at the same time as the side edges on the side plate  10  is extended as much as the length of the oblong fastening point, one obtains that the side plates  10 ,  20  can be locked in extended position. When the side edges of the side plates  10 , 20  are met, the extended sides of the side plate  10  will lie against the inside of the side plate  20  so that the side plates  10 , 20  are locked from moving in any other direction than away from each other. 
       FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  show an alternative embodiment of the invention where several support elements according to  FIG. 2  are fitted after each other in the longitudinal direction of the column in an extended position ( FIG. 5   a ) and in a folded position ( FIG. 5   b ), respectively. This can be advantageous if there is a need to reduce the area that the support element takes up in folded position without reducing the total length of the support element. 
     By fitting several support elements after each other, it will be preferential that a rigid base is constructed onto which it is possible to fit side plates in both directions along the longitudinal direction of the support element. 
       FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  show an embodiment example of the support element according to the invention, in extended position ( FIG. 5   a ) and folded position ( FIG. 5   b ), respectively, comprising three sides that comprise two side plates  500 ,  510 . A rigid base  530  makes up the upper part of the support element and a rigid base  520  makes up the lower part of the support element. The rigid bases  520 ,  530  constitute, in this example, not a closed structure as one side of the support element does not encompass side plates, but only an open area. The shape of the rigid bases  520 ,  530  can have several different forms, as the construction of the support element is not dependent on the shape of these. 
     One embodiment form, which is shown in  FIG. 5 , can be advantageous in application areas where it is not desirable that the side plates “extend beyond” the construction in folded position, for example, for use in a table. Another advantage can be if there is a need to feed an object in towards the middle of the column (longitudinal axis) of the support element to influence, move, or in another way treat this object. 
     The two side plates  500 ,  510  of the support element according to  FIG. 5  are angled against each other at an angle of less than 180 degrees viewed from the outside of the construction, which is the base for the stability of the construction. This triangular construction is independent of a third side to be able to function if it is dimensioned and constructed to be able to tolerate this. 
       FIG. 6  shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention where the different parts of the construction are perforated.  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  show the support element in two possible extended positions,  FIG. 6   b  can possibly represent the support element in  FIG. 6   a  in partially extended/folded position.  FIG. 6   c  shows the support element in folded position. 
     This embodiment of the invention represents an alternatively shaped construction of the support element according to  FIG. 2 , in that the side plates encompass a cross alternative to a plane/arch shaped surface and is not described further here. Advantages with such a construction can be that this makes a very high degree of utilisation of the production material possible, in addition to the features of the support element having a purer style. 
     It shall be pointed out that the side plates are not limited to having a flat surface, but that any arbitrary surface form or surface structure of the side plates is possible, such as an arch-shaped form or other suitable forms. 
     Other alternative application areas for the support element according to the invention can be appropriate if the support element is dimensioned and adapted for different use, such as within offshore installations, cranes, temporary constructions, permanent towers, to mention but a few. 
     The column can also have application characteristics in connection to movements between completely extended and completely folded position, for example, in lifting of different equipment or in chopping trees.