Concealable Beds

Abstract

Structure for supporting a bed for movement between a position of non-use adjacent a ceiling of a room and a position of use adjacent a floor of a room. The structure includes hollow vertical columns extending between and fixed to the floor and ceiling of the room with the columns having outer walls directed away from each other and formed with elongated slots. Within the columns adjacent the slots are guides which communicate with the slots, and a pair of horizontal frame members which are adapted to carry a spring extend horizontally across the outer walls of the columns and carry guide members which extend through the slots into the guides within the columns to be guided thereby for vertical movement. A counterweight is freely movable vertically in one of the columns in the space therein which is not occupied by the guide, and a pair of cables extend from the counterweight upwardly around pulleys at the top of the columns to the opposed frame members which extend across the outer walls of the columns to be connected thereto, so that this one counterweight in one of the columns is connected through the cables to both of the frame members for counterbalancing the weight of the vertically movable bed. In the same way it is possible to connect a second counterweight in the other column through suitable cables over pulleys at the top of the columns to horizontal frame members of a second bed, these latter frame members being guided by the same columns and carrying a second spring which may be situated above or below the first spring.

Description

The present invention relates to the structure of beds concealable by an vertical movement.

A great variety of beds are known and manufactured which are convertible into seats or simply hidden in furniture of various types which respond to the general idea in taking advantage of the space as is necessary in modern dwellings of little area.

Nevertheless, all these solutions, despite the fact that they obtain an important reduction in the area occupied by the bed during the night, on being converted into objects of a smaller size during the day do not sufficiently solve the problem of space. They rely only on two dimensions, length and width, that is to say, only to the area of the inhabitable floor, and, moreover, they incur many problems such as to the difficulty of maneuver, cleaning, decorative aesthetics, etc.

The object of the invention is to take into account the habitable space in its third dimension, that is, height, which forms together with the ceiling a space not utilized and therefore more suitable than any other for the concealing of beds which in this way leave the habitable surface completely free during the day.

To this principle, responds the system which will be detailed hereinafter and which offers not only the advantages derived from the afore-mentioned taking advantage of space, but also an improved mechanism with its triple possibility of use: total space free, use as a sofa or as a double bed, by letting down first bed or letting down two beds. The essential nature of the series of advantages derived are enumerated hereinafter.

They are the only convertible or concealed beds which do not lose their horizontality at any time, which permits the beds to be made or unmade conveniently, especially when their faculty of ascending and descending can situate them at the adequate level for the person managing them.

It is the only mechanism which permits an immediate use, since the beds can remain hidden even with the sheets drawn back and the pyjamas laid out.

It is the only convertible system which does not make cleaning difficult, since it does not have corners or undersides which cannot be reached by the broom or duster.

It is the bearer of a true record for taking advantage of space on allowing up to eight beds to descend in a room of an average type which therefore does not lose its usefulness during the day.

It is the only system which is not based on a piece of furniture, since it is a structure prepared so that it can be adapted to any dwelling and its style, being coated with the decoration desired, which also offers the unique advantage of not imposing a determined taste or style.

With the object of facilitating the detailed description of the elements making up this improved structure a drawing is attached on which, by way of an example, a practical realization is drawn, including the various basic elements of the mechanism.

FIG. 1 represents the device seen in a sectional elevation.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view observed from an upper plane or ceiling line.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view in plan of one of the two columns which act as guide and support the beds, also of the counterweights.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the shafts and pulleys.

FIG. 5 is a schematized perspective and with sectioning of one of the columns.

In general, two column guides 6 and 7 fixed at their ends to the floor and ceiling of a room, support from the same side two beds 8 and 9 parallel to each other and superposed.

The two column guides have a rectangular section see column (6 in FIG. 5) to adapt one face to the internal longitudinal side of a bed, the spring bottom frame of which has longitudinal beams 10 and 10a prolonged until covering the smaller face of the column. The longitudinal beam 10 carries the bearings 10c whose function is that of being inserted into the guide to ascend and descend and move the runners 11 and 11a, in the guide 12, in the interior of each column.

As each column is formed with a longitudinal slot 13, and the open slot 14 of guide 12 coincides with it, the column and guide are soldered to each other along the length of the wall 6a of the column.

The described guide 12 occupies within the column the distance which goes from the upper pulleys 15 to the point at which it is linked with the extension body 16 to which it is fixed by means of the screws 17 once the unit reaches from ceiling to floor.

The extension body terminates with the foot 18' for fixation on the floor and reinforcement of the base of the column 6.

In FIG. 3, the anchoring of the shafts 18 and 19 (FIG. 4) is presented, the first corresponding to the support of the pulleys 15 and 15a and the second to the smaller pulley 20. Guiding pulleys of the cables 21 and 22 which in FIG. 1 show their route between the heads of the beds and their corresponding counterweights.

The counterweights 23 and 24 can retain in their interior the necessary weight to equal that of the beds and mattresses and they are connected to cables 22 by coupling 25 shown in FIG. 5.

The counterweights find their guide in the interior of the columns themselves, in such a way that they remain concealed. There is one for each bed and the disposition can be seen in FIG. 1 in which the counterweight 23 corresponding to the bed 8 is shown attached by two cables, 26 which are separated divergently on the pulleys 15 and 20. The pulley 15 directly delivers the cable to frame member 10 while the pulley 20 directs its cable to the opposite pulley of the other column to be delivered to the other head or frame member 10a.

In a similar way, although inversely, the cables 27 are arranged to join the counterweight 24 to the bed 9.

The columns are completed by the presence of four poles embedded in the ceiling 28 and which have, moreover, the mission of being the limit for the counterweights on the upward journey when the beds descend to their lowest position.

The described example should not be limitative, in such a way that any variation of detail or form and dimensions, many times necessary for adaptation to various uses, will not alter the essential nature of this patent, which is summed up in the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an arrangement for supporting a bed for vertical movement, while remaining horizontal, between a position of non-use adjacent a ceiling of a room and a position of use adjacent a floor of a room, a pair of parallel vertical columns extending between and fixed to the floor and ceiling of the room, said columns being hollow and having outer walls directed away from each other and formed with longitudinal slots, a pair of elongated guides situated within said columns and also being formed with longitudinal slots, the latter slots being aligned with the slots of said columns, and said guides occupying only a part of the interiors of said columns, respectively, a pair of horizontal frame members carrying a spring and extending horizontally across said outer walls of said columns, said frame members respectively carrying guide members which extend through said slots into said guides to be guided by the latter for vertical movement, a counterweight situated in one of said columns in the space therein which is not occupied by the guide therein, pulleys situated at the tops of said columns, and a pair of cables extending from said counterweight around said pulleys respectively to said frame members to which said cables are connected so that the one counter-weight is connected through said cables to both of said frame members for counterbalancing the weight of the latter and the spring carried thereby.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a second pair of frame members extend horizontally across said outer walls of said columns and are situated respectively beneath the first-named frame members, a second counterweight in the other of said columns, occupying space therein which is not occupied by the guide therein, additional pulleys at the tops of said columns, and a second pair of cables connected to the second counterweight and extending around the additional pulleys to the second pair of frame members to which the second pair of cables are connected, so that a second spring carried by the second pair of frame members and the latter are counter-balanced by the second counterweight which is situated in the other of said columns.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein there are three pulleys at the top of each column, one for guiding a cable from a counterweight to an adjoining frame member, the second for guiding a cable from the other column to an adjoining frame member, and a third for directing a cable from one to the other of the columns.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the three pulleys at the top of each column are arranged with two of said pulleys adjacent the outer wall of each column and the third pulley adjacent the inner wall of each column, all of said pulleys being rotatable about axes parallel to said frame members.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein the third pulley at the top of each column is smaller than the other two pulleys.