WO2007041725A1

WO2007041725A1 - Furniture or other equipment with supporting feet or legs

Info

Publication number: WO2007041725A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2005/000172
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul William Smuts Mincher
Original assignee: Paul William Smuts Mincher
Priority date: 2004-11-24
Filing date: 2005-11-23
Publication date: 2007-04-12

Abstract

A structure (1 , 13) having four floor engaging feet is provided wherein two of the floor engaging feet (4, 10, 16) are substantially fixed relative to a frame (2a, 3, 9, 14a) of the structure (herein referred to as fixed feet). The other two floor engaging feet (8, 11 , 19) are attached at spaced positions relative to a support beam that itself is pivotally attached to the frame of the structure by means of a pivot (6, 12, 20) having a generally horizontal axis (7). The generally horizontal axis extends, in plan view, approximately centrally between the two fixed feet. Typically the structure is an article of furniture, in particular, a table (1) or a chair (including a stool) (13). The pivotally mounted beam serves to prevent rocking of the structure about two diametrically opposite feet. The beam may be straight (3) or may have two diverging portions(11). Stops (22) may be provided to restrict rotation of the pivotally mounted beam to prevent the structure from tipping over.

Description

FURNITURE OR OTHER EQUIPMENT WITH SUPPORTING FEET OR

LEGS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to furniture or other equipment that is supported in its operative position on supporting feet or legs and more particularly, to furniture or other equipment that has four supporting feet or legs. Examples of such furniture or other equipment, hereinafter referred to as a structure, include tables, chairs, field, agricultural and engineering equipment and the like wherein the stability of the structure is enhanced and the tendency for the structure to rock about two diametrically opposite feet or legs is at least considerably reduced.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

It is a well-known problem that accompanies structures, in particular articles of furniture, that are supported on four feet or legs, that the structure tends to be unstable, particularly in so far as it tends to rock about two diametrically opposite feet or legs, unless the floor or other support surface on which the structure is supported is particularly flat and the supporting feet are all located in the same flat plane. The problem is particularly prevalent in the case of tables, chairs and the like although it does exist in relation to numerous other items of furniture, including appliances as well as other equipment. Numerous different solutions to the problem have therefore been proposed.

One widely used solution is to provide at least some feet with adjustable floor engaging elements typically carried on the lower end of a generally vertical screw threaded shaft associated with the relevant foot or leg of the structure.

This solution is effective although the floor engaging elements must generally be adjusted each time the structure is moved from one place to another and this involves a person stooping or kneeling to floor level to effect the necessary adjustment. It is therefore not a particularly highly regarded solution although it is the only one widely used in the absence of other solutions.

The only other commonly used expedient that entirely avoids the problem is to provide a structure with only three legs that inherently prevent rocking as there are not two diametrically opposed feet about which the structure can rock. Nevertheless, whilst providing a stable chair or table, for example, the geometry of a three foot arrangement does not generally fit in with commonly used rectangular or square tables. Furthermore, the geometry further dictates that in order to provide adequate resistance to tipping of, say, a table about a line joining any two feet, the spacing of the feet must be increased thereby increasing the degree to which the feet project outwards and correspondingly increasing the danger of people kicking them unintentionally or even tripping over them.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an article of furniture having four floor engaging feet wherein the tendency of the article of furniture to rock about any two diametrically opposite feet is substantially obviated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance' with this invention there is provided a structure having four floor engaging feet wherein two of the floor engaging feet are substantially fixed relative to a frame of the structure (herein referred to as fixed feet), the structure being characterised in that the other two floor engaging feet are attached at spaced positions relative to a support beam that itself is pivotally attached to the frame of the structure by means of a pivot having a generally horizontal axis and wherein that generally horizontal axis extends approximately centrally between the two fixed feet.

Further features of the invention provide for the structure to be an article of furniture, in particular a table or chair (including a stool) or an appliance or other items of equipment; for the frame to comprise either two spaced main upright support assemblies, one of which is associated with the two fixed feet and the other of which is associated with the pivotally mounted beam, or for a single upright support to be provided in which case the two fixed feet are carried by two diverging legs and the said other two floor engaging feet are carried out the ends of a beam pivotally mounted on its central region and having diverging legs portions carrying said other two floor engaging feet at their remote ends; for the pivotal movement of the pivotally mounted beam to be limited by means of a stop or stops associated with the frame; and for the two fixed feet to be carried by a transverse beam fixed relative to the frame with the pivotally mounted beam being of the same general shape and configuration as the fixed beam.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, different embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a schematic oblique projection of a table having an arrangement of supporting feet according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged oblique projection of the two supporting beams and associated legs of the table illustrated in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is an oblique projection of a second embodiment of the invention in the form of a table provided with a different arrangement of legs;

Figure 4 is an oblique projection of a stool having a supporting foot arrangement according to the invention; and,

Figure 5 illustrates an alternative stop means to that illustrated in Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a table has a table top (1) of rectangular shape and supported on a frame comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced legs (2) one of which is located towards each end of the tabletop and centrally across its width.

To the lower end of one (2a) of the two legs is attached a transverse fixed beam (3) with the attachment being fast with the leg such as, for example, by means of a plurality of bolts or other fasteners. A fixed foot (4) is fixed to the lower edge of the fixed beam, towards each end thereof.

To the lower end of the other (2b) of the two legs is pivotally attached a substantially identical transverse beam (5) with the attachment being by way of a pivot (6) having a horizontal axis (7) the line of which extends approximately centrally between the two fixed feet (4). The pivoted beam (5) is thus pivotally movable in a generally vertical plane that is parallel to a generally vertical plane containing the fixed beam. Each of the free ends of the pivoted beam (5) is fitted with a foot (8) that matches the fixed feet (4). In this manner the table is supported by four spaced feet located in substantially conventional positions but wherein the one pair of feet (8) automatically accommodates any unevenness of a supporting floor in consequence of the fact that the pivoted beam automatically pivots about the pivotal axis (7) in a manner ensuring that the two fixed feet (4) remain in firm contact with the floor. In effect, the support structure therefore likens itself to a three leg support structure insofar as stability is concerned but without at least some of the disadvantages of three legs that are outlined above.

It will be understood that with the above structure any tendency of the table to rock about two diametrically opposite feet is totally obviated.

Depending on the particular geometry applicable to a table, it is to be noted that there may be a possibility for the table to tip about a line joining a fixed foot with the pivot. In the first place this possibility is countered by the fact that the feet (8) attached to the pivoted beam would have to slide laterally on the supporting floor thereby overcoming any associated friction in order for thus to take place. If, in spite of this, it is considered necessary to counter this possibility, stops could be provided to limit the degree of relative pivotal movement allowed between the pivoted beam and its associated leg (2b) so that, in the event of tipping of the table commencing, further pivotal movement of the pivoted beam would be arrested and the foot arrangement would then exhibit the characteristics of a conventional four-legged table insofar as tipping of the table is concerned.

Numerous variations may be made to the embodiment of the invention described above without departing from the scope hereof. In particular, the leg arrangement can be totally different from that described above.

Thus, as illustrated in Figure 3, a table having a single upright support in the form of a single central leg (9) could be provided with one pair of diverging legs (10) fixed relative to the lower end of the single leg with the two fixed feet (10a) at their remote ends. The other two legs (11) assume the form of two legs portions of a beam the central region of which is pivoted, by means of a pivot (12), to the lower end of the single leg. The remote end of each of these two legs (11) carries one of the said other two feet (11a) referred to above. The two fixed legs and said two other legs typically diverge from each other at angular spacings of 90 degrees.

It will be understood that the arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 will operate substantially identically to that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

The invention may equally well be applied to other items of furniture, in particular chairs such as the stool illustrated in Figure 4. In this instance, the stool has a seat (13) supported on two diverging planar legs (14). The lower end of one of the planar legs (14a) has a recess (15) cut out of it to provide two spaced fixed feet (16), one at each side of the leg. The other planar leg has a beam (17) pivotally attached to it by means of a pivot (20) with a similar recess (18) in the lower edge of the beam so that two feet (19) are formed, one at each end of the beam. The beam will serve the same purpose as that indicated above to prevent rocking of the stool, in use.

In each of the arrangements described above stops could be included, as already indicated to limit the degree to which the pivotally mounted beam can rotate. Numerous different stop arrangement can be used, and simply by way of example, and as illustrated in Figure 3, the stop could simply be a plate (21) welded to the leg so that it has an edge (22) spaced by a small distance from the upper edge of the beam so that rotation of the beam about the pivot (12) is limited to a predetermined rotation in each direction prior to be upper edge of the beam contacting the cooperating edge of the plate.

One alternative stop arrangement that has proved to be convenient, in practice, is illustrated in Figure 5. In this instance the beam is once more in the form of a pair of diverging legs portions (23) with a central flat portion (24) pivotally attached, by means on a pivot (25), to the lower end of a single leg (26). In this instance, the stop assumes the form of a bolt (27) or stud radially spaced from the pivot, in this instance vertically, with the bolt passing through, in this case the leg and the beam, a somewhat oversize or elongated hole that provides for limited to lateral movement of the bolt or stud in that hole with consequent limited rotation of the beam being permitted about the pivot (25).

Numerous other embodiments of the invention are possible within the scope of the invention, those described above simply be illustrative of the principles hereof. In particular, the structure to which the expedient of the invention is applied could be any appropriate item of furniture or equipment.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A structure (1 , 13) having four floor engaging feet wherein two of the floor engaging feet (4, 10, 16) are substantially fixed relative to a frame (2a, 3, 9, 14a) of the structure (herein referred to as fixed feet), the structure being characterized in that the other two floor engaging feet (8, 11, 19) are attached at spaced positions relative to a support beam that itself is pivotally attached to the frame of the structure by means of a pivot (6, 12, 20) having a generally horizontal axis (7) and wherein that generally horizontal axis extends approximately centrally between the two fixed feet.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the structure is an article of furniture.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 in which the article of furniture is selected from a table (1) and a chair (including a stool) (13).

4. A structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the frame comprises two spaced main support assemblies (2a, 2b), one

(2a) of which is associated with the two fixed feet and the other (2b) of which is associated with the pivotally mounted beam.

5. A structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which a single upright support (9) is provided in which case the two fixed feet (10a) are carried by two diverging legs (10) and the said other two floor engaging feet (11a) are carried at the ends of a beam pivotally mounted (12) in its central region to the support and having diverging legs portions (11) carrying said other two floor engaging feet at their remote ends

6. A structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the pivotal movement of the pivotally mounted beam is limited by means of stops associated with the frame.

7. A structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which ffte two fixed feet are carried by a transverse beam (3) fixed relative to the frame with the pivotally mounted beam (5) being of the same general shape and configuration as the fixed beam.