U.S. patent application number 14/820068 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-09 for antipanic table, particularly for conference room chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to CERANTOLA S.P.A.. The applicant listed for this patent is CERANTOLA S.P.A.. Invention is credited to Jeremiah FERRARESE, Paolo SCAGNELLATO.
Application Number | 20170035205 14/820068 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58053582 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170035205 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SCAGNELLATO; Paolo ; et
al. |
February 9, 2017 |
ANTIPANIC TABLE, PARTICULARLY FOR CONFERENCE ROOM CHAIR
Abstract
An antipanic table, particularly for a conference room chair,
the antipanic table comprising a flat supporting body and a joint
that is embedded at least partially in the flat body and has two
movement units: a unit for tilting the flat body from a
substantially horizontal arrangement to a substantially vertical
arrangement and vice versa about a tilting axis that coincides
substantially with the longitudinal axis of an armrest of the chair
to which the antipanic table is adapted to be applied, a unit for
the rotation of the flat body about a rotation axis that is
perpendicular thereto.
Inventors: |
SCAGNELLATO; Paolo; (Padova,
IT) ; FERRARESE; Jeremiah; (Padova, IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CERANTOLA S.P.A. |
Loria |
|
IT |
|
|
Assignee: |
CERANTOLA S.P.A.
Loria
IT
|
Family ID: |
58053582 |
Appl. No.: |
14/820068 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/70 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/70 20060101
A47C007/70 |
Claims
1. An antipanic table, particularly for a conference room chair,
comprising a flat supporting body and a joint that is embedded at
least partially in said flat body and has two movement units: a
unit for tilting said flat body from a substantially horizontal
arrangement to a substantially vertical arrangement and vice versa,
about a tilting axis that coincides substantially with the
longitudinal axis of an armrest of said chair to which said
antipanic table is adapted to be applied, a unit for the rotation
of said flat body about a rotation axis that is perpendicular
thereto.
2. The antipanic table according to claim 1, wherein said tilting
unit is provided with first means for locking the tilting of said
flat body according to said substantially horizontal arrangement
and said substantially vertical arrangement and said rotation unit
is provided with second means for locking the rotation of said flat
body according to at least two configuration positions defined on
the same plane of arrangement.
3. The antipanic table according to claim 2, wherein said tilting
unit comprises: a pivot, which is to be associated integrally with
said armrest and is extended along said tilting axis, an element
for connection between said armrest and said flat body, which can
rotate about said pivot and is provided with a sleeve-like portion
fitted thereon, said first locking means comprising an element that
is transverse to said pivot and is integral therewith proximate to
one of its ends, and is adapted to abut against two walls of a
cavity of a head portion of said connecting element during the
rotation of the latter.
4. The antipanic table according to claim 3, wherein said rotation
unit comprises a cylindrical element that is integral with said
head portion and is inserted in an opening of said flat body along
said rotation axis about which said flat body rotates, being
provided laterally with a groove for guiding the rotation of said
flat body.
5. The antipanic table according to claim 4, wherein said second
locking means comprise: a rod, which is accommodated in said flat
body, rotates integrally with it on said rotation axis and is
adapted to slide with one end on said groove along a rotation arc
that is delimited by two recesses of said groove in which said rod
is inserted with said end, means for contrasting the exit of said
end from said recesses.
6. The antipanic table according to claim 5, wherein said contrast
means consist of a helical spring that is wound around said rod and
is coupled between two opposite walls that are transverse to said
rod.
7. The antipanic table according to claim 4, wherein said
cylindrical element is substantially annular and is mounted
integrally and in a unique position on a stem of said head portion,
surrounding said stem, said head portion entering said flat body
with said stem.
8. The antipanic table according to claim 7, wherein said
cylindrical element is mounted integrally and in a unique position
on said stem, being provided with an internal cavity that is shaped
complementarily with respect to the outer wall of said stem.
9. The antipanic table according to claim 1, wherein said tilting
unit and said rotation unit are integrated in said joint.
10. The antipanic table according to claim 4, wherein said flat
body comprises a supporting structure, which is provided with said
opening and with stiffening ribs, between which a compartment is
provided for the containment of said rod, and a cover that closes
said supporting structure and constitutes the resting surface
during use of said antipanic table.
11. The antipanic table according to claim 1, wherein said tilting
unit and said rotation unit are at least partially made of die-cast
aluminum.
12. A conference room chair, comprising an antipanic table
according to claim 1.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to an antipanic table,
particularly for a conference room chair.
[0002] As is known, antipanic tables are tables associated with the
end of an armrest of a chair, typically but not exclusively for
conference rooms, and act as a writing desk.
[0003] Such tables must be provided with a gravity antipanic
movement joint, i.e., a joint capable of allowing the user to
change quickly and easily the arrangement of the table from a
position for use, according to which the table, i.e., in particular
the flat supporting body, is arranged horizontally in front of the
user, to an inactive position, according to which the table is
arranged vertically on the side of the chair.
[0004] In order to pass from one position to the other, the joint
allows two types of movement: a tilting of the table from
horizontal to vertical, and vice versa, and a rotation of the table
on its own plane.
[0005] Currently, antipanic tables are known which are provided
with a joint with a movement unit made of aluminum associated with
the armrest and a hinged movement unit for a support made of
plastics or steel, to which the table is fixed by means of screws,
optionally hidden by caps.
[0006] Such unit is typically made of plastics or laminated wooden
material or can be constituted by two half-shells, made of plastics
material, which are arranged one downward and the other one upward
when the table is in the position for use. In this last variation,
the antipanic table is thus constituted mainly by four parts: the
two movement units and the two half-shells.
[0007] Such antipanic tables are not devoid of drawbacks, among
which it is necessary to point out the number of components, due
particularly to the presence of the two half-shells and of the
fixing screws, the laboriousness required by assembly and by
mounting on the armrest.
[0008] Moreover, the antipanic table built in this manner, being
subjected to numerous movements, has relatively high risks of wear
and deterioration.
[0009] The aim of the present invention is to provide an antipanic
table to be associated with the armrest of the chair easily and
quickly, using a reduced number of components and fixing means.
[0010] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an
antipanic table that is resistant to wear and deterioration.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide an antipanic
table with lower production costs than antipanic tables of the
known type.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide an antipanic
table that has a better aesthetic impact than tables of the known
type.
[0013] This aim and these and other objects that will become better
apparent hereinafter are achieved by an antipanic table,
particularly for a conference room chair, characterized in that it
comprises a flat supporting body and a joint that is embedded at
least partially in said flat body and has two movement units:
[0014] a unit for tilting said flat body from a substantially
horizontal arrangement to a substantially vertical arrangement and
vice versa, about a tilting axis that coincides substantially with
the longitudinal axis of an armrest of said chair, to which said
antipanic table is adapted to be applied, [0015] a unit for the
rotation of said flat body about a rotation axis that is
perpendicular thereto.
[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will
become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not
exclusive embodiment of the antipanic table according to the
invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a view of a conference room chair provided with an
antipanic table according to the invention in a position for
use;
[0018] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the antipanic
table according to the invention, dissociated from the armrest of
the chair;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a view, taken from above with respect to the
armrest, of the antipanic table according to the invention in the
horizontal position for use, opened in order to show some
components thereof that are internal to the flat body, the table
being associated with an armrest;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a view, taken from above with respect to the
armrest, of the antipanic table according to the invention
associated with an armrest and in the position for use;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a view, taken from the side with respect to the
armrest, of the antipanic table associated with an armrest and in
an intermediate inactive and vertical position;
[0022] FIG. 6 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of FIG. 4, taken
along the line VI-VI;
[0023] FIG. 7 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of FIG. 5, taken
along the line VII-VII;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a view, taken from the front with respect to the
armrest, of the antipanic table according to the invention
associated with an armrest and in the same position as FIG. 5;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a view, similar to the one of FIG. 8, of the
antipanic table according to the invention associated with an
armrest and in a vertical resting position;
[0026] FIG. 10 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of FIG. 8, taken
along the line X-X;
[0027] FIG. 11 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of FIG. 9, taken
along the line XI-XI.
[0028] With reference to the figures, the antipanic table according
to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral
10.
[0029] The antipanic table 10 is designed particularly but not
exclusively, to be associated with conference room chairs 11, such
as the one shown in FIG. 1, obviously provided with armrests 12, to
one of which the antipanic table 10 is applied.
[0030] The antipanic table 10 comprises mainly a flat supporting
body 13, which acts substantially as a desk during use, and a joint
14, at least partially embedded in the flat body 13, in the manner
that will become better apparent hereinafter.
[0031] The joint 14 has two movement units, i.e., a tilting unit 15
and a rotation unit 16, which are described hereinafter.
[0032] The tilting unit 15 allows to modify the position of the
flat body 13 from a substantially horizontal arrangement A to a
substantially vertical arrangement B and vice versa, about a
tilting axis 17 that coincides substantially with the longitudinal
axis of the armrest 12 of the chair 11, to which the antipanic
table 10 is adapted to be applied.
[0033] As clearly visible in FIG. 1, the horizontal arrangement A
can coincide with the arrangement of the position for use of the
antipanic table 10, which acts as a desk or in general as a
supporting surface. This position for use is the same one shown
also in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 4.
[0034] The vertical arrangement B is instead shown in FIG. 5 and in
FIG. 8 in an intermediate inactive position and in FIG. 9 in the
inactive position.
[0035] The tilting unit 15 is provided with first means 18 for
locking the tilting of the flat body 13 along the horizontal
arrangement A and along the vertical arrangement B.
[0036] The rotation unit 16 allows to modify the position of the
flat body 13 by rotating it about a rotation axis 19 that is
perpendicular thereto, as indicated in FIG. 8 and in FIG. 9.
[0037] The rotation unit 16 is provided with second means 20 for
locking the rotation of the flat body 13 according to two possible
configuration positions defined on the same plane of arrangement,
for example to lock the flat body 13 according to the intermediate
vertical position or according to the resting vertical
position.
[0038] With reference in particular to the tilting unit 15, it
comprises mainly a pivot 21, which is to be associated integrally
with the armrest 12 and is extended along the tilting axis 17, and
a connecting element 22 between the armrest 12 and the flat body
13, which can rotate about the pivot 21.
[0039] As indicated in the exploded view of FIG. 2, the pivot 21
has an insertion portion 23 in the structure of the armrest 12 and
a remaining portion 24 for associating with the connecting element
22, at which it is covered by two complementary shells 25 with a
convex portion 26 that prevents the exit of the pivot 21 from the
structure of the armrest 12.
[0040] The associating portion 24 has a hole 27, formed
correspondently in the cover of the shells 25, performed in a
radial direction with respect to the pivot 21 for the insertion of
a transverse element 28 that protrudes from the pivot 21 and is
integral therewith.
[0041] Some parts of the tilting unit 15 are designated also in the
sectional views of FIG. 6 and of FIG. 7.
[0042] The connecting element 22 has a sleeve-like portion 29
fitted on the pivot 21 and a head portion 30.
[0043] The first locking means 18 comprise the element 28 that is
transverse to the pivot 21, which consists substantially of a screw
to be screwed integrally to the pivot 21 proximate to one of its
ends and adapted to abut with the head that protrudes from the
pivot 21 against two walls of a cavity 31 of the head portion 30 of
the connecting element 22 during the rotation of the latter, in the
manner shown in the two configurations with the sectional views of
FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.
[0044] Regarding the rotation unit 16 of the antipanic table 10,
its components are indicated and clearly visible again in the
exploded view of FIG. 2 and, in their interaction, in the sectional
views of FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.
[0045] By observing those figures, one can notice that said unit
comprises a cylindrical element 32 that is integral with the head
portion 30 of the connecting element 22, which is inserted in an
opening 33 of the flat body 13 along the rotation axis 19 about
which said body rotates.
[0046] In particular, the opening 33 is formed on a supporting
structure 34 that is part of the flat body 13 together with a cover
35 that closes it. The supporting structure 34 is substantially the
lower part of the flat body 13, with respect to the position for
use of the antipanic table 10, while the cover 35 constitutes the
resting surface during use.
[0047] In FIG. 3, in which the flat body 13 is open, it is clearly
visible that the supporting structure 34 has also stiffening ribs
36.
[0048] The cylindrical element 32 is provided laterally with a
groove 37, clearly visible in FIG. 2, for guiding rotation for the
flat body 13.
[0049] In fact, the second locking means 20 comprise: [0050] a rod
38, which is accommodated in the flat body 13, in a compartment 39
that is provided between the stiffening ribs 36 of the supporting
structure 34, and rotates integrally with the flat body 13 about
the rotation axis 19 and is further adapted to slide with one end
40 on the groove 37 of the cylindrical element 32 along a rotation
arc that is delimited by two recesses 41 of the groove 37 in which
the rod 38 is inserted with the end 40, [0051] means 42 for
contrasting the exit of the end 40 from the recesses 41.
[0052] The contrast means 42 consist of a helical spring that is
wound around the rod 38 and is coupled between two opposite walls
43 that are transverse to the rod 38.
[0053] One of the opposite walls 43 is substantially interposed
between two stiffening ribs 36, while the other wall is part of a
stability element 44 in which the rod 38 is inserted and which is
designed to maintain it in the compartment 39.
[0054] By observing the cylindrical element 32, particularly in
FIG. 2, it can be noted that more precisely it is ring-shaped and
is mounted in a unique position on a stein 45 of the head portion
30, surrounding it, with which the latter is inserted in the flat
body 13.
[0055] The cylindrical element 32 is mounted in a unique position
and rendered integral with the connecting element 22, having an
internal cavity 46 that is shaped complementarily with respect to
the outer wall of the stem 45, which has a lateral flattening.
[0056] As can be inferred, the tilting unit 15 and the rotation
unit 16 are advantageously integrated in the joint 14 and are
adapted to cooperate in the movement of the flat body 13.
[0057] Moreover, a cover fixing element 47 is also present, as
shown in FIG. 2, to be superimposed on the cylindrical element 32
and on the stem 45, fixing it to the latter with two fixing screws
48, from the internal side of the supporting structure 34.
[0058] Most of the described elements that compose the two movement
units, i.e., the tilting unit 15 and the rotation unit 16, are made
preferably of die-cast aluminum. In particular, the connecting
element 22, the cylindrical element 32, the supporting structure 34
and the fixing element 47 are made of die-cast aluminum. The cover
35 is instead preferably made of plastic material.
[0059] All the components have been shown as parts of an antipanic
table with right-handed actuation; however, they can be assembled
in order to provide antipanic tables with left-handed actuation,
apart from the cylindrical element 32, which for this purpose has
to be provided in a substantially mirror-symmetrical manner with
respect to the version shown.
[0060] Moreover, the cylindrical element 32 may have the two
recesses 41 in such a position as to ensure a rotation through
180.degree. C., such as the one shown, or a different rotation,
according to the requirements.
[0061] Operation of the antipanic table, according to the
invention, is as follows.
[0062] In order to move the flat body 13 of the antipanic table 10
from the position for use with horizontal arrangement A, shown in
FIG. 4, to the intermediate inactive position, with vertical
arrangement B as shown in FIG. 5, the user has to tilt the flat
body 13 vertically by rotating it about the tilting axis 17.
[0063] During this movement, the flat body 13 moves integrally with
the connecting element 22, which rotates about the pivot 21. The
transverse element 28, which initially rests on a wall of the
cavity 31 of the head portion 30, preventing the flat body 13 from
rotating downwardly, abuts against the wall of the cavity 31 that
is substantially opposite the preceding one, preventing the flat
body 13 from turning through more than a right angle.
[0064] Subsequently, the user applies a rotation to the flat body
13 about the rotation axis 19, in order to move the flat body 13 of
the antipanic table 10 from the intermediate vertical position with
vertical arrangement B shown in FIG. 8 to the inactive position
shown in FIG. 9.
[0065] During this movement, the flat body 13 rotates about the
cylindrical element 32 and with respect to the head portion 30,
inserted therein, which remain integral with the pivot 21.
[0066] The end 40 of the rod 38 initially pushes against the
cylindrical element 32 at a recess 41, the uppermost one with
respect to the illustration of FIG. 10, by way of the contrast
means 42.
[0067] When the antipanic table 10 is forced to rotate, the rod 38
is pushed toward the outside of the joint 14, compressing the
helical spring of the contrast means 42, freeing the recess 41.
[0068] The rod 38 then slides with its end 40 inside the groove 37,
during the rotation of the flat body 13, until it finds a second
recess 41 (in the example shown in FIG. 11 it is opposite with
respect to the previous one) in which it is pushed by the spring of
the contrast means 42.
[0069] The second locking means 20 then prevent the rod 38 from
exiting accidentally with its end 40 from the recess 41 in which is
inserted.
[0070] The antipanic table 10 can be sold already assembled, ready
to be installed on the armrest of a chair.
[0071] This operation requires no fixing screws; it is in fact
sufficient to fit the sleeve-like portion 29 of the connecting
element 22 on the association portion 24 of the pivot 21 (with the
interposition of the two shells 25), inserted in the structure of
the armrest 12.
[0072] It should be noted that the fact that the joint 14 is
constituted by two movement units integrated therein and that it is
partially embedded in the flat body 13, renders the latter,
particularly the supporting structure 34, substantially part of the
joint 14, unlike the preceding known solutions, for which the flat
supporting body was fixed externally to the joint.
[0073] In this manner, the antipanic table is no longer constituted
mainly by four parts, but is instead constituted by three: the two
movement units and the cover 35.
[0074] In practice it has been found that the invention achieves
the intended aim and objects, by providing an antipanic table to be
associated with the armrest of a chair easily and quickly, simply
by fitting the sleeve-like portion of the connecting element on the
pivot that protrudes from the armrest, without using fixing screws,
since the joint is partially integrated in the flat body of the
antipanic table.
[0075] In this manner the antipanic table is more resistant to wear
and deterioration than antipanic tables of the known type.
[0076] Moreover, since there are no visible fixing means, the
aesthetic impact is better than known antipanic tables.
[0077] Another advantage resides in that production costs are
reduced, because of the fewer components, since the supporting
structure is substantially part of the joint and is not a component
associated therewith.
[0078] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of
the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with
other technically equivalent elements.
[0079] In practice, the materials used, so long as they are
compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes
and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the
state of the art.
* * * * *