Article Of Furniture

Abstract

An article of furniture in the nature of a bench in which the horizontal weight-supporting portion is mounted upon single spaced legs and weight imposed upon the horizontal load-bearing member is distributed between the legs and spaced upright members which bear against the ceiling above the article of furniture.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to provide display stands, shelves, and article supports by means of uprights fastened between the floor and ceiling of a building. These devices depend upon the firm pressure between the top and bottom of said uprights to support the displays. Chairs and seats having four leg members and upstanding backs are also well known, which backs, however, perform no load bearing function and are merely ornamental.

In the present invention, articles of furniture in the nature of benches, seats, beds, and the like are disclosed in which only two legs and two upright ceiling bearing members are employed to support the weight of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention contemplates a bench, seat, bed or the like, in which two widely spaced leg members disposed toward the rear of a horizontal weight-supporting member are combined with a pair of spaced upright members which are secured at their lower ends to the horizontal weight-supporting members and bear against the ceiling at their upper ends. These members are employed as the sole supports for persons who may sit upon the horizontal weight-bearing member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof similar parts have been given identical reference numbers in which drawing,

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation, partly cut away, of a complete embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section of the height adjusting member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of a complete embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, 10 indicates a weight-bearing member made of plywood, steel, chipboard or any other substantially rigid material. Transverse supports 11 reinforce the weight bearing member 10 and are secured to the underside thereof.

Spaced leg members 12 are secured to the transverse members 11 at each end of the seat as shown in FIG. 4.

The legs 12 are located at a distance from the front end 13 of the seat equal to four or five times the distance from the legs to the rear of the seat as indicated in FIG. 1. It will be observed that the moments about the top of the leg 12, by reason of the leverage brought about by the spacing of the leg from the front of the seat, are greater in a clockwise direction than in a counter clockwise direction. However, the forces acting in the clockwise direction are counteracted by an upright support bar 14, which is secured at its lower end 15 to the rear of the weight bearing seat 10. At its upper end, the support bar 14 bears against the ceiling 16 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. It is to be understood, that the ceiling 16 is of a construction which will withstand the forces imposed upon it by the bar 14 when weight is applied to the seat member 10.

A height-adjusting screw assembly 17 is disposed between the rear of the weight bearing member 10 and the upright support bar 14 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The height-adjusting screw assembly consists of an internally threaded block 18, which is carried beneath a bore 19 in the weight-bearing member 10. The block 18 receives a square flanged threaded tubular cap 21, which in turn receives an elongated hollow square housing 20 over the top thereof as indicated in FIG. 2.

The upright support bar 14 is freely received within a cup 22 carried upon a nut 23 which in turn is threadably received upon an elongated screw 24. A flanged portion 25 is carried by the screw 24 at the lower end of said screw . The flanged portion is freely received within a recess 26 in the top 21 of the cap 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 21 of the block 18 may comprise a metal fitting having a central bore and a threaded portion 27 around said central bore for engagement with the internal thread of the block 18. The lower end of the screw 24 extends through the block 18 and is also threaded to receive a locking nut 28. The lower portion of the screw 24 extends beyond the bottom of the block 18 and a screwdriver slot 29 is provided therein for adjustment purposes.

Spaced guides 30 (best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) located on either side of the cup 22 complete the construction of the present invention. The guides 30 prevent the nut 23 from rotating as the screw 24 is adjusted.

In FIG. 4 there is shown an embodiment of the present invention in the form of a combined bench and day bed. For this purpose cushions 31 are placed upon the weight-bearing portion 10 and upholstered back members 32 are secured to the upright support bars 14.

In order to install the article of furniture, the legs 12 are positioned at the proper location in the room. The locking nut 28 is loosened and the elongated screw rotated by means of the screwdriver slot 29 until the top of the support bar 14 bears firmly against the ceiling 16. The nut 28 may then be tightened to a locking position and the article of furniture is ready for use.

In order to move the article of furniture about, the elongated screw 24 may be loosened and the weight supporting member 10 lifted slightly at the front thereof. The entire assembly may then be tilted and in this position moved around the room. However, it has been found that once the upright member 14 is carefully adjusted, there is enough play to permit the article of furniture to be moved merely by lifting the front of the support member without need for loosening the screw 24.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a highly simplified article of furniture in the nature of a bench, day bed or the like, which can be installed quickly and which will occupy a minimum amount of floor space. The floor under the article of furniture can be cleaned easily since there are very few legs to obstruct the cleaning apparatus. Differences in ceiling heights can be readily adjusted through the use of a screwdriver and without any particular skill.

Claims

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patents of the United States, is:

1. An article of furniture for engagement between a floor and a ceiling comprising a horizontally disposed elongated planar weight-bearing member having a front edge and side portions, spaced leg members secured to the bottom of the weight-bearing member adjacent each end thereof and inwardly of the rear edge of the weight bearing member, spaced support bars secured to the top of the weight-bearing members adjacent the rear edge thereof and extending upwardly to bear against a ceiling and height-adjusting means for the said support bar comprising an elongated hollow square housing secured at one end to the weight-bearing member, an elongated screw carried within the housing and extending through the weight-bearing member, a nut threadably received upon the screw above the weight-bearing member, and a cup secured to the nut, slidable within the housing and adapted to receive the lower end of a support bar therein.

2. An article of furniture according to claim 1 in which the distance of the legs from the front edge of the weight-bearing member is between four and five times the distance of the legs from the rear edge of the weight-bearing member.

3. An article of furniture according to claim 1 in which the elongated screw is provided with a flanged portion and the housing is received by a cap having an elongated externally threaded hollow portion thereon, and a flange-receiving recess in the top thereof, the lower portion of the screw extending through the elongated hollow portion of the cap.

4. An article of furniture according to claim 1 in which the cup is prevented from rotation by spaced guide members carried within the housing.