Knock-down Furniture

Abstract

Patio or garden furniture of the knock-down type wherein identical mating half-parts are used to form a pedestal, the pedestal being adapted to receive a top thereon to form a table or a cover to form a stool and additionally being adapted to receive a foot support thereon to form a bar stool, the half-parts being releasably interengageable in telescopic manner to form the pedestal and, on disassembly, being reversible and releasably interengageable for stacking or storage purposes.

Description

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in patio or garden furniture and is directed to furniture of this type which is light-weight, rugged, inexpensive and easily convertible to several forms such as stools or bar stools or tables and which may be readily disassembled and stacked for storage purposes.

Herein a the smaller light weight plastic such as polypropylene is employed to produce knock-down furniture of the type described which will withstand the abuses of outdoor use and which may be easily cleaned with a damp cloth.

As a novel feature of the invention, I provide a plurality of identical mating parts which can be assembled to form tables or stools with a minimum of effort and without the use of special tools.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with parts broken away, of a table embodying one form of the invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, with parts broken away, of a table embodying another form of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the table top of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a bar stool embodying another form of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the bar stool of FIG. 4, with parts shown in cross section for clarity;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a stool embodying another form of the invention, with parts shown in cross section for clarity;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the stool of FIG. 6 with the cover removed;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, with parts broken away, of the FIG. 6 stool converted to a table;

FIG. 9 is an exploded cross sectional view of the structure of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an exploded, fragmentary, perspective view of the two half-parts of the structure of FIGS. 7 and 9; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of the half-parts in stacked or stored position.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a table 10 comprises a top 12 supported by a pedestal 14, the top and pedestal preferably being formed from a high impact, light-weight plastic material such as polypropylene or the like.

The pedestal comprises a pair of identical half-parts 16 in the form of truncated cones, one being inverted relative to the other, the two being releasably interlocked together in manner to appear and each including a main body portion 18 having tapered walls which flare outwardly to merge with a base 20 which in turn flares outwardly and merges with an upstanding outer rim or wall 22, which serves either as a support which rests on the ground or floor, or as a support for top 12.

The top is assembled to the pedestal by means of a central locking ring 24 which depends from the lower surface of the top and is inserted into the open upper end of the upper half-part 16 and is engaged with outer rim 22 thereof in the manner of a snap fit, as shown in FIG. 1.

The same top may be used to form the smaller table 10' shown in FIG. 2, the top being supported by a pedestal 14' comprising a pair of identical half-parts 16' in the form of truncated cones, one being inverted relative to the other, the two releasably interlocked together in manner to appear and each including a main body portin 18' having tapered walls which flare outwardly to merge with a base 20' which in turn flares outwardly and merges with an upstanding outer rim or wall 22', which serves either as a support which rests on the ground or floor, or as a support for top 12.

The top is assembled to pedestal 14' by means of an inner locking ring 24' which is concentric with central locking ring 24 and depends from the lower surface of the top, the inner locking ring 24' being inserted into the open upper end of upper half-part 16' and being engageable with outer rim 22' thereof in the manner of snap fit, as with the FIG. 1 embodiment.

Except for smaller smalaler size of the pedestal 14', which necessitates association with the inner locking ring 24' of the top, the tables 10 and 10' of FIGS. 1 and 2 are identical.

The half-parts of pedestal 14 also serve as a pedestal for a bar stool 30 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein a seat 32 is substituted for the table top 12 and a foot support 34 is associated with the lower half-part 16 of the pedestal.

Seat 32 comprises a disc-like upper wall 36 having a depending peripheral wall 38 which is inserted over the outer rim 22 of upper half-part 16 and is engageable with said outer rim in the manner of a snap fit.

A stop bead 40 on the inner face of peripheral wall 38 of seat 32 is engageable by the upper end of outer rim 22 of the upper half-part to preclude jamming of the parts.

Foot support 34 is sleeved on lower half-part 16 and includes an inner ring-like hub 42 which slopes outwardly from top to bottom so as to be complemental to the tapered wall of main body portion 18 of the lower half-part.

An outer ring 44 is disposed concentric to hub 42 and is supported in spaced relation thereto by a plurality of equi-spaced upright webs or fingers 46 which radiate outwardly from the hub and are fixed at their outer ends to the inner surface of the outer ring.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the half-part 16' of pedestal 14' also serve as the pedestal for a stool 50', wherein a seat 52' is substituted for the table top 12.

Seat 52' comprises a disc-like upper wall 54' having a depending peripheral wall 56' which is inserted over the outer rim 22' of upper half-part 16' and is engageable with said outer rim in the manner of a snap fit.

A stop bead 58' on the inner face of peripheral wall 56' of seat 52' is engageable by the upper end of outer rim 22' of the upper half-part to preclude jamming of the parts.

As aforesaid, except for the matter of size, the half-parts 16 and 16' are identical, wherefore, only one thereof will be described in detail.

Each half-part includes a tapered recess 50 which extends inwardly into the main body portion 18 at one side thereof and a complemental tapered projection 52 which extends outwardly from the main body portion at an opposite side thereof.

A flat, upright central wall 54 which extends into the main body portion 18 and extends outwardly therefrom is common to both the recess 50 and the projection 52.

Recess 50 additionally includes a tapered wall 56 which extends inwardly from the outer end of main body portion 18 and is curved to form a tapered semi-circle which terminates at each end at central wall 54. The recess terminates in an innermost base wall 58 which extends between the inner end of central wall 54 and the inner end of tapered wall 56, the base wall having a central opening 50 therein.

Projection 52 additionally includes a tapered wall 62 which extends outwardly from the outer end of the main body portion 18 and is curved to form a tapered semi-circle which terminates at each end at central wall 54. The projection terminates in an outermost apex wall 64 which extends between the outer end of central wall 54 and the outer end of tapered wall 62, the apex wall having a centrally located upright finger 66 extending outwardly therefrom.

Finger 66 is of suitable size and configuration so as to be freely receivable in the central opening 60 of the recess 50 of another half-part when two half-parts are inverted and mated in telescopic manner, with the projection 52 of one half-part being receivable in the recess 50 of another half-part.

Each recess 50 has a plurality of curved locking ribs 68 on tapered wall 56 which are engageable with similar curved locking ribs 70 on tapered wall 62 of projection 52 when the half-parts are mated to releasably lock the half-parts together.

Locking ribs 72 are provided on the outer face of the central wall 54 for like purposes.

As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 9, locking ribs 74 are provided on the inner face of wall 62 of projection 52, which locking ribs are engageable with locking ribs 76 on the inner face of recess 50 when the half-parts are stacked for storage purposes in manner as shown in FIG. 11.

Locking ribs 78 on the inner face of center wall 54 serve a similar function when the half-parts are stacked for storage purposes.

When stacking the half-parts, the projection of one half-part is received within the hollow projection of the next half-part, while the recess of half-part is received within the recess of the next half-part.

While the table top 12 has been shown in the drawings as being of round or disc shape in plan, it will be understood that it may be square or rectangular or any geometric shape desired.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Patio or garden furniture of the knock-down type comprising a pedestal and a top releasably affixed thereto, the pedestal comprising a pair of identical half-parts, each half-part having a recess and a projection complemental to each other, whereby the half-parts may be mated when inverted with the projections of each half-part fitting into the recesses of the other half-part in telescopic manner and wherein the top is a table top having a pair of concentric locking rings depending therefrom, the locking rings being selectively engageable with pedestals of different sizes.

2. Patio or garden furniture according to claim 1, including locking ribs on the recess and projection of each half-part for releasable interengagement when the half-parts are mated.

3. Patio or garden furniture according to claim 1, including a finger on the projection of each half-part receivable in an opening in the recess of each half-part when the half-parts are mated.

4. Patio or garden furniture according to claim 1, wherein the half-parts are hollow truncated cones.

5. Patio or garden furniture according to claim 1, wherein the half-parts are stackable with the projections of the half-parts being receivable in each other and the recesses of the half-parts being receivable in each other.