Improvements in Convertible Furniture.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1887
Specification Accepted. 19th July, 1887
Improvements in Convertible Furniture.
I, JOSEPH COLEY of No. 19 Eglington Street Monkwearmouth in the County of
Durham, Foreman Ironworker do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
--
This invention has reference to furniture that will form either a seat, a table or a
desk and may be readily converted from one to another. An article of furniture
according to this invention comprises two flat parts or leaves jointed or hinged to each
other and serving, when the article is to be used as a seat, as the seat proper and the
back thereof respectively. The part that serves as the back to the seat is hinged or
jointed to one or more frames or supports and both it and the seat part are free to be
raised and placed either both in a horizontal attitude, or one in a horizontal attitude
and the other in an inclined attitude according as a table or a desk is required.
The two parts or leaves are maintained in either of their raised attitudes by suitably
formed supports that can be turned down into convenient positions when not required
for use.
An additional seat or seats may be provided for use when the two leaves
already mentioned are being used as parts of a table or desk.
In order that my invention may be fully understood reference is made to the
accompanying drawing in which,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation of a piece of furniture
according to my invention arranged in the form of a seat.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation and Fig. 4 an end elevation partly in transverse section
showing in full lines the same piece of furniture converted into a table; and in
dotted lines the arrangement as a desk.
1 and 2 are flat parts or leaves hinged together at 3. 4, 4, 4, are frames or supports
to each of which the part or leaf 2 is hinged at 5. 6, 6, and 7, 7, are two pairs of
supports each of which is hinged or jointed at 8 to one of two boards or tic pieces 9
that connect the frames or supports 4. To each of the supports 6 and 7 is pivotted a
bar or strut 10 (or 10*) that assists to support the outer or free side of the part or
leaf 1 as shown in Fig. 4, when it is arranged to form part of a table or a desk.
Pin1

page_text: The struts 10* are shorter than the struts 10. 10° 10° are guards for limiting the
movements of the bars or struts 10, 10. 11. 11 are seats (shown in dotted lines)
that may be provided when desired; they are each carried by supports 12 arranged
to slide horizontally between the frames or supports 4. Each support 12 carries a
transverse part 13 provided with a groove or recess into which takes a pin or
projection 14 for limiting the horizontal movements of the supports 12 and seat 11.
When it is desired that the above described article of furniture shall serve as a
seat the supports 6 and 7 are turned down (6 as shown by dotted lines and 7 by full
lines in Fig. 3) and the parts or leaves 1 and 2 are folded down into the positions
shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When it is desired to convert the seat into a table the
parts 1 and 2 are raised into the horizontal attitude shown in full lines in Figs. 3
and 4 in which position they are maintained by turning up the supports 6, 6, into a
vertical attitude as shown and turning their pivotted bars or struts 10 so as to take
against the under surface of the outer or free side of the part or leaf 1. The outer
ends of the struts 10, 10 are held in position by a shoulder 1* on the leaf 1 as
shown. To form a desk with the part or leaf 1 inclined and the part 2 horizontal, the
supports 7. 7. and their struts 10* are turned up to support these parts and the
supports 6, 6, turned down so as to be out of use. The supports 7, 7, are for this
purpose each formed at the end that is uppermost when in use, with a horizontal
portion 7 (see Fig. 5) that carries the part or leaf 2 horizontally, and with an
inclined portion 7b that carries the part or leaf 1 in the inclined position shown in
dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4.
When the furniture is in either of the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the seats 11,
when provided, may be pulled out as shown by dotted lines, whilst when it is in the
form of a scat (Figs. 1 and 2) such seats are beneath the boards or tie pieces 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. An improved convertible article of furniture comprising hinged or jointed parts
or leaves such as 1 and 2, frames or supports 4 (or frame or support) to which the
part or leaf 2 is hinged or jointed, and supports such as 6 and 7 all substantially as
herein before described for the purposes specified.
2. The improved article of furniture convertible at will either into a seat or a table
or a desk, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to and shewn in the drawings annexed whether it be provided with an
additional seat or seats 11 or not.