Foldable furniture part and method for the foldable furniture part

Abstract

The invention relates to a piece of furniture comprising a bottom part (1), a cover part (2) and four supports (3), each support (3) comprising two respective segments (3A, 3B), the lower segment (A) of which is hinged to the bottom part (1) and the upper segment (3B) of which is hinged to the cover part (2), such that the supports (3A, 3B) can be folded inward in the direction of the interior space. The furniture is characterized in that it has a continuous dimensionally stable front part (4) and / or rear part (5) different from the support (3), each part (4, 5) can be folded in the direction of the interior without changing the shape, and each part has an articulated connection on the upper or lower edge thereof, around which the part can be pivoted or folded. The invention also relates to a method for folding a piece of furniture inwards.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of household furniture and utility furniture. In particular, the present invention relates to a space-saving foldable furniture piece and a method for folding and unfolding such a furniture piece. Background Art

[0002] Furniture pieces such as cabinets are used to store objects, which are placed inside the furniture after the door is opened and then closed. Therefore, the furniture has an outer shell and an inner space surrounded by the outer shell, wherein at least part of the outer shell is designed as a door to provide a closable entrance to the inner space.

[0003] If the piece of furniture is not in use, it usually continues to occupy the same space. In particular in the event of a move or if the piece of furniture is not used for a longer period, it is preferred that the piece of furniture is designed to be disassembled. For this purpose, the walls, base and cover are typically separated from one another, with releasable connections such as screws or plug connections usually being used. The essentially flat individual parts can then be laid flat together, so that the disassembled and folded piece of furniture takes up a minimum of space.

[0004] Document DE 20 2014 100 622 U1 discloses a piece of furniture that does not require tools and is suitable for frequent disassembly. To facilitate disassembly, the furniture has connecting strips equipped with magnets. The connecting strips arranged on the edges of the furniture elements are connected by tongue and groove and the panels arranged between the connecting strips, which form the bottom, walls and cover of the furniture elements, are held together by magnetic force.

[0005] A disadvantage of the known solutions is that, due to the large number of mechanical connections, the disassembly time is relatively long. In addition, depending on the size and weight of the components, relatively large forces are also required to release the connections and / or to hold the components in place when they are loosened from one another. Assembly is also made more difficult by the need to locate and arrange a large number of often partially similar individual components. In addition, the frequent loosening and reconnecting of the components leads to wear of the connections, so that after a small number of disassembly and reassembly processes, the connections become defective and the furniture piece can no longer be assembled securely or deforms under moderate mechanical stress. Tools are often required for assembly and disassembly, sometimes even tools of special specifications.

[0006] Publication DE 10 2006 059 748 A1 discloses a foldable and stackable drawer element of a shelf system consisting of two separate parts. It comprises a receiving frame with inwardly foldable supports and a bottom part and a cover part. The drawer element has side parts and a front side and a rear side, wherein the rear side can be folded in the middle so that the drawer element can be folded up.

[0007] A disadvantage of this solution is that the proposed device consists of two separate parts and the front side and the rear side cannot be designed to be continuous, otherwise the drawer elements can no longer be folded inwards.

[0008] Publication US 8 998 246 B2 discloses a movable and foldable wardrobe, which also has foldable supports. However, the side walls are made of textile material and are therefore not suitable for solid furniture. In addition, the design of the supports cannot absorb (large) pressure.

[0009] Publication US 2003 / 0 052 158 A1 discloses a foldable box, for example for use when moving house and for storing items for a long time. This box has a shape-stable rear side, which cannot be opened again in the assembled state, and a shape-stable front side, which must be pulled out of a gap under the inner side of the lid and then pivoted downwards in order to close the box. This means that the corresponding gap must remain clear and the box cannot be filled too full.

[0010] Publication DE 20 110 692 U1 discloses another box with walls that can be folded inwards. However, this solution also uses walls that must be folded inwards in the middle. Nevertheless, in order to be able to open the front side in the assembled state, the box has an integrated sliding door. Summary of the invention

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present application to provide a device and a method which avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0012] The present application therefore provides a piece of furniture with an encloseable interior space, which when not in use can be reduced to a storage configuration in a manner that saves as much space as possible, wherein the reduction should be as simple and quick as possible. The same applies when the furniture is re-erected to an upright configuration for use. In addition, the furniture should be able to absorb vertical pressures that greatly exceed its own weight. The wall surface of the furniture should be continuous and dimensionally stable, and the entire interior height of the furniture should be usable both when closed and when opened. In addition, the furniture should be one-piece.

[0013] This object is achieved by a piece of furniture according to claim 1 and a method according to the coordinated claims 11 and 13. Preferred embodiments can be found in the dependent subclaims, the following description and the drawings.

[0014] First, the furniture according to the present application is described. Subsequently, the method according to the present application is described.

[0015] Furniture is used to provide an enclosed interior space, wherein this interior space can obviously also be defined only by the presence of edges and does not necessarily have to be closed. Thus, shelves or even support frames can also be used to provide such an interior space.

[0016] The furniture comprises a rectangular bottom part, a rectangular cover part and four supports arranged vertically or capable of being arranged in the corners of the furniture. The bottom part and the cover part can be closed, but can also be opened. They have at least one cover frame which defines the edges of the parts. At least this cover frame is also constructed circumferentially / continuously. It does not consist of two halves, but is always connected to all supports at the same time. In addition, "rectangular" here means that the envelope drawn by straight lines forms a rectangle; therefore, it is also conceivable that the outer edge of the bottom part or the cover part has an indentation, a bend or a groove. At least the connecting part between the two ends of the edge, that is, the "corner" of the furniture, will form a basic rectangular (or cuboid) shape.

[0017] The support elements are connected to the bottom part and the cover part. This means that there is a connection here that can absorb pressure and preferably also tensile forces. All support elements are always connected to the bottom part and the cover part. Therefore, not only the bottom part, but also the cover part, at least its surrounding frame, all support elements are connected to each other at their lower edge or upper edge.

[0018] According to the present application, each support is respectively composed of at least two segments, in which, respectively, the lower segment is hingedly connected to the bottom member, and the upper segment is hingedly connected to the cover member. In addition, according to the present application, the adjacent segments of the support are also hingedly connected to each other by segment hinges.

[0019] "Hinged connection" means that the orientation of the segments relative to each other and to the cover part and the bottom part can be changed, wherein preferably mechanical contact is always ensured, which can also transmit tensile forces. For this purpose, it is conceivable to use (especially single-joint) hinges, for example, but also to use built-in, that is to say concealed, multi-joint hinges, which have the advantage that the overall appearance of the furniture is not visually affected by visible seams or chamfers. Similarly, it is also possible to use strips made of flexible material (plastic, rubber, textile) or magnetically active connectors that allow bending of the two parts. However, in particular in the case of magnetic connections, it should be ensured that the connection is prevented from coming apart, for example with the aid of mechanical auxiliary mechanisms.

[0020] Due to the "hinged connection" in the support, the longitudinal axis of the support, which stands vertically on the bottom part and the cover part in the assembled state of the piece of furniture, can first be divided into a plurality of partial longitudinal axes, wherein each segment has its own partial longitudinal axis. The partial longitudinal axis can then be brought from a direction perpendicular to the bottom part and the cover part to a direction not perpendicular to these parts and in particular to a direction substantially parallel to these parts. In this case, the segments are preferably still always "hung" together and (at the ends of the support) hung on the bottom part or the cover part.

[0021] In this way, the support can be folded up so that it can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space while being continuously connected to the bottom part and the cover part and the segments in an articulated connection with each other. In addition, according to the present application, even in the state of the furniture being completely folded inwards, the ends of the segments of the adjacent support parts, which respectively carry the segment hinges, are spaced apart from each other, and in the state of the furniture being completely folded inwards, the segments of the various support parts are positioned adjacent to each other or close to each other. In other words, the different support parts do not touch each other in the folded state. To achieve this, it is particularly necessary to ensure that the length of the support parts is sufficiently short. If the length of the segments of the support parts is approximately the same, which is preferred, and they extend along the shorter edge of the furniture in the folded state, their length should be less than half the depth of the furniture. Obviously, these values ​​are only approximate, because depending on the thickness of the parts and the support parts, the arrangement of the hinges, etc., slightly smaller or larger dimensions can achieve the desired effect.

[0022] This results in the base and cover parts being able to be brought very close to one another, since the support element in the "flat" state - given its correspondingly small thickness - has only a fraction of its original height. Here, the support element is still connected to the base and cover parts and is therefore not completely dismantled as in the furniture known from the prior art. Therefore, when the furniture is erected again, the support elements are neither lost nor do they have to be placed and oriented with great effort. Instead, they - to a certain extent automatically - find the corresponding shape. Switching between these shapes can be done very simply and quickly. No tools are required here, since the inward bending of the support element and the re-erection of the support element can be carried out manually. As will be described below, the support element can be designed in a simple manner to absorb considerable pressure in the vertical shape. In addition, simple measures can be taken to ensure that the furniture can absorb shear forces acting between the base and cover parts without causing the furniture to fold up accidentally; this will be described in detail below.

[0023] According to the application, the supports are designed to absorb pressure. This means that they cannot absorb forces acting essentially normally on them, but rather they can absorb axially acting forces which are greater than the weight of the cover part itself, which occur, for example, when forces are applied to the furniture on its upper side (cover part), or at least they can absorb not only forces acting essentially normally on them, but also axially acting forces which are greater than the weight of the cover part itself, which occur, for example, when forces are applied to the furniture on its upper side (cover part). This can be the case, for example, if several pieces of furniture according to the application are to be stacked on top of each other or if other objects, such as books or hi-fi equipment, are placed on the furniture.

[0024] According to the application, the piece of furniture comprises a separate front part and / or a correspondingly also separate rear part, which are different from the support, wherein each part can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior. This means that the front part and the rear part also have an articulated connection at their upper or lower edge, about which the front part and the rear part can be pivoted or folded, wherein the folding direction runs in the direction of the interior. In this way, given a suitable embodiment, the front part and the rear part can also be arranged between the base part and the cover part in the folded-up state, which results in a compact and easily transportable piece of furniture in the storage configuration.

[0025] The front part and the rear part are dimensionally stable and can therefore absorb mechanical forces to a certain extent. In addition, the two parts are continuous, that is to say there is no intermediate folding mechanism, by means of which their height can be reduced. Nevertheless, the parts can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior without changing their shape. The advantage of this embodiment is a flat and aesthetically pleasing surface, which is often desired in the furniture sector. This requirement can only be met if the support element is arranged as described above with the intermediate planar parts (front part and rear part and, if necessary, the side parts which will be described in detail below).

[0026] Therefore, the present application avoids the disadvantages disclosed in the prior art.

[0027] The present application provides a piece of furniture with an encloseable interior space, which when not in use can be collapsed into a storage configuration in a very space-saving manner, wherein the collapse should be as simple and quick as possible. The same applies to the re-erection of the furniture into the upright usage configuration. The furniture is suitable for absorbing pressures which can significantly exceed its own weight. The wall surface of the furniture is continuous and dimensionally stable, and the entire interior height of the furniture should be usable in both the closed and open state. Finally, the furniture is also one-piece, that is, it does not consist of individual components which have to be assembled together before being erected and which have to be separated from one another before being folded up.

[0028] Various embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below.

[0029] According to the application, the support element can be folded inwards in the direction of the side edges. This means that the longitudinal axis of the support element or its segments extends in the direction of (i.e. parallel to) the long side edges of the piece of furniture or preferably in the direction of (i.e. parallel to) the short side edges of the piece of furniture. The lowermost segment of the support element then rests against the side edge of the base part and the uppermost segment of the support element rests against the side edge of the cover part.

[0030] It is also conceivable that the supports fold inwards clockwise or counterclockwise, that is to say, for example, the left front support folds in on the long side, the right front support folds in on the short side, the right rear support folds in on the long side, and the left rear support folds in on the short side. However, the consequence of this alternative is that, if a front part and a rear part are preferably present, the front part and the rear part must be offset inwards by the thickness of the left front support and the rear right support in order to be able to continue to realize the folding mechanism. This not only leads to a rather unfavorable adjustment of the depth of the furniture; in addition, this also affects the aesthetics, because the furniture no longer has a smooth and flush surface in the use shape, which is clearly desired.

[0031] The support preferably has two sections. However, three, four or more sections can also be imagined, wherein an even number is preferred. The sections of the support preferably have approximately the same length. The end face of the section is preferably designed so that it can absorb pressure when cooperating with the end face of the adjacent section or bottom part and cover part. This can be realized particularly simply by the flat face whose normal coincides with the longitudinal axis of the section. In other words, the sections of the support are close together with their section end faces, and the support rests on the bottom part with their lower end faces, and the cover rests on the upper end face of the support. As long as there is no or only very little lateral force, the sections close together like this can absorb considerable pressure. In a simple manner, the sections can be prevented from sliding by the section hinge. Similarly, the hinged connection with the bottom part and the cover part also can prevent the support from sliding on the corresponding parts.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, the end face of the segment of the support is designed as a flat surface, whose normal coincides with the longitudinal axis of the segment. This results in that the support, which is placed flat on the bottom part and the cover part is placed flat on its uppermost segment, can absorb pressure in the direction of the (colinear) longitudinal axis of the segment.

[0033] It is known to the person skilled in the art that other shapes of the end faces can also transmit pressure. For example, the end faces can be such that the first end face can be a flat S-shaped, hemispherical or semi-cylindrical profile, a sawtooth profile or a pyramidal profile or a stepped profile, while the other end face is designed accordingly and complementary. However, a flat end face can be combined particularly well with an articulation that allows the segment to bend inwards as described above when the side faces of the segment are laterally abutted. For this purpose, the segment preferably has a rectangular base surface (profile).

[0034] Preferably, the front part is connected in an articulated manner to the bottom part at its lower edge, and the rear part is connected in an articulated manner to the cover part at its upper edge. As a hinge, for example, the above-mentioned hinge type can be used again.

[0035] Thus, the front part can be "folded down" and can thus lie against the bottom part with its side pointing in the direction of the interior ("inner side"). Similarly, the rear part can be "folded up" and can thus lie against the cover part. Experiments have shown that this embodiment has particular advantages in terms of construction. This is especially true if the front part (which will be described in more detail below) comprises a frame. In this case, the frame can be "sunk" with its lower edge in the bottom part into a recess of the bottom part, so that interferences can be avoided when loading and unloading the furniture.

[0036] It is also conceivable that the front part and the rear part are arranged in an articulated manner on the same side (cover part or bottom part). In this case, it is preferred that the fastening of one of the two parts on the cover part or bottom part must be vertically offset, and more preferably exactly vertically offset by the thickness of the respective other part. However, it should be noted that this may lead to visual unevenness and have an adverse effect on the aesthetics.

[0037] Therefore, due to the structure, it is advantageous for one side to be able to lie against the cover part and the other side to lie against the base part on account of improved foldability.

[0038] It is also conceivable that the front part and the rear part are each formed by a frame or include a frame. However, this results in at least one of the two sides (the front part or the rear part) having an interference when the frame is pushed in relative to the inner bottom part surface. Alternatively, the bottom of the rear part or the front part on the side on which it is connected to the cover part via a hinge is ground flat accordingly to the folding angle and height of the frame, but this can result in unevenness that is bent toward the outer edge of the bottom part.

[0039] According to another embodiment, the rear part is hingedly connected with the bottom part at its lower edge, and the front part is hingedly connected with the cover part at its upper edge. In this case, the above method is similarly applicable (the front part can be folded upwards, and the rear part can be folded downwards).

[0040] For the purpose of the abutment of the front and rear parts, it is preferred that the height of the front and rear parts is less than or equal to the depth of the bottom part and the cover part (the height is preferably substantially the same, and the depth is preferably also substantially the same, so that it can be said to be one height and one depth). Therefore, when the support is unfolded, the two parts can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space. Since the height is less than the depth, even in the inwardly folded state, the (shorter) front and rear parts do not extend beyond the (longer) bottom part and cover part, in which the bottom part and cover part on the one hand and the front and rear parts on the other hand no longer extend perpendicularly to each other, but parallel to each other. Therefore, the depth of the furniture does not change when it is folded up.

[0041] Here, it is ensured that the front part and the rear part do not interfere with each other when they are in contact. In other words, the components that have already been in contact, such as the front part, must always be spaced apart from the components that have not yet been in contact, such as the rear part. This is particularly related to avoiding possible contact of the edges of the components that are far from the hinge.

[0042] In addition, the piece of furniture comprises one or two side parts, wherein each side part is hingedly connected to the bottom part or the cover part at its lower edge or upper edge, respectively, so that it can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space. Here, too, the above-mentioned hinge type can be used.

[0043] Preferably, the two side parts are mounted on the shorter sides of the cover part. Therefore, when the piece of furniture is folded, they fold upwards. The corresponding hinges are then arranged in such a way that the front part or preferably the rear part can be folded upwards, wherein at the end of the folding movement, the front part or the rear part rests with its inner side on the outer side of the side parts and the inner side of the side parts rests on the inner side of the cover part.

[0044] If the furniture comprises two side parts as described above, the height of the side parts is preferably measured so that they are spaced apart from each other in the folded-in state, in which the side parts are arranged parallel to the bottom part and the cover part. This means that the side parts at least do not touch each other in the folded-in state, because this would lead to an overlap and thus to an increase in the final height of the furniture in the storage configuration, since the side parts would be at an angle to each other in the folded-in state. In addition, under the corresponding pressure load (from above) and the resulting leverage, considerable forces would act on the material, which could lead to material fractures. However, if the two side parts were pressed against each other in this configuration, their thickness would not add up. Therefore, in order to avoid the thickness adding up when the side parts are increased in height as necessary, the width of the furniture is also adjusted accordingly. Therefore, there is a proportional relationship between the height of the side and the width of the furniture (maximum height of the side part = half the width of the furniture).

[0045] Alternatively, the side parts can also be staggered with each other, for example in the form of two grids, wherein one grid is arranged in the gap of another grid. Then, a larger height of the side parts is also possible, but in this case, the side parts are obviously not completely closed and can lead to a visually disadvantageous influence on the outer side of at least one side part.

[0046] In addition, the side parts can also be designed to be thinner at their ends pointing out from the hinge, so that the thin areas can overlap each other without increasing the overall thickness in the folded state. Obviously, this may reduce the mechanical stability if necessary, but this is not a problem in all cases.

[0047] Preferably, the two side parts are connected to the cover part at the upper edge, or the two side parts are connected to the bottom part at the lower edge. Especially when folded up, this structure is more convenient for users to operate than the structure in which one side part is arranged on the cover part and one side part is arranged on the bottom part.

[0048] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the furniture, the front part also has a front frame, in which (at least) one door is arranged. The door is fastened in the front frame by suitable hinges, which enable the door to be unfolded (opened). The front frame itself is connected in an articulated manner to the bottom part or the cover part, so that it can be brought into a storage shape together with the (closed) door, as described above. It should be pointed out again that the front part (that is, the front frame with the door) is continuously dimensionally stable, that is to say it cannot be folded along its center line, for example, in order to save space. In particular, according to the solution of the present application, the front frame and the door allow the use of a continuous, planar component.

[0049] In structure, the lower edge of the (unfolded) front frame can be sunk into the corresponding groove of the bottom part. Therefore, when the door is opened, a flat bottom surface is provided, which is not only conducive to the loading and unloading of the furniture, but also has the advantage of aesthetics.

[0050] In order to adapt to different installation situations, the door can preferably be stopped on the left or on the right. For this purpose, the frame has corresponding mirror-symmetrical receptacles for hinges or articulated parts. Double doors can also be easily realized in this way.

[0051] According to an embodiment, the cover part comprises a cover frame in which or on which the cover plate is arranged or can be arranged. In other words, the cover part does not consist essentially of a continuous closed plate, but rather comprises a frame on which the plate can be placed and to which the plate can be connected if the respective installation situation requires. In particular in the case of a plurality of pieces of furniture of the same type stacked one above the other, it is advantageous if only the uppermost piece of furniture has a cover plate. The remaining pieces of furniture below do not require a cover plate, since the bottom piece of the upper piece of furniture simultaneously performs the function of the cover plate of the lower piece of furniture.

[0052] The cover frame preferably has fastening devices, which can be mechanically connected to the cover plate. Preferably, these fastening devices can also cooperate with the bottom side of the bottom part, so that a mechanically stable stack composed of multiple pieces of furniture can be formed.

[0053] Preferably, both the cover frame and the cover and the bottom have fastening means in order to mechanically connect the pieces of furniture to one another in a horizontal plane, ie laterally.

[0054] The present application also relates to a method for folding inwardly a piece of furniture according to the above definition. To avoid repetitions, reference is made to the above description.

[0055] The method comprises the following steps:

[0056] - folding the support elements inwards in the direction of the interior so that the sections of the support elements are positioned against one another and parallel to the bottom part and the cover part;

[0057] - Bring the bottom piece and the cover piece closer to each other simultaneously.

[0058] In other words, as the support is folded inwardly, and thus its overall length in the vertical direction is reduced, the bottom and cover parts, which are still connected to the support, move closer to each other until the support is finally fully "folded".

[0059] After the support elements have been folded inwards, the bottom part and the cover part are thus positioned parallel to each other and as close to each other as possible, thereby making the piece of furniture as compact as possible. The thinner the support elements, the smaller the final height after folding; however, on the one hand, sufficient mechanical stability must be taken into account, while on the other hand, a very small final height of the support elements is not necessarily required, since, as will be described below, a certain distance between the bottom part and the cover part is desirable anyway.

[0060] That is, if the furniture also includes the side pieces, front piece and rear piece described above, these pieces also require a certain amount of space that must be provided between the cover piece and the bottom piece when the furniture is converted into the storage configuration.

[0061] In this case, the following steps must be performed, the order of which is not mandatory:

[0062] - folding the side parts inwards in the direction of the interior space until they are positioned parallel to the bottom part and the cover part;

[0063] - folding the rear part inwards in the direction of the interior space so that it is positioned parallel to the bottom part and the cover part;

[0064] - folding the front part inwards in the direction of the interior space so that it is positioned parallel to the bottom part and the cover part;

[0065] The support elements are folded inwards in the direction of the interior so that the sections of the support elements are positioned adjacent to one another and parallel to the bottom part and the cover part.

[0066] After the supports have been folded inwards, the bottom part and the cover part are thus positioned parallel to one another, and the front part, the rear part and the side parts are arranged between them, so that the folded piece of furniture has the smallest possible volume. It is particularly preferred that the front part, the back part and the side parts are also arranged between the supports folded inwards, so that the height of the folded supports determines the space available for the remaining parts. It is particularly preferred that these two dimensions correspond approximately to one another in order to obtain the smallest possible dead volume.

[0067] For the situation that the furniture is erected from the storage shape that folds inwards, the above steps are performed in reverse order. Here, the order can also be changed; For example, the front part can be opened before the rear part and also after the rear part in time, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] Below, we will explain the present application by way of example with the aid of the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0069] Figure 1 The furniture according to the present application is shown in the assembled state with the cover part lifted up;

[0070] Figure 2 Show according to Figure 1 Furniture wherein the side members are partially folded inwards;

[0071] Figure 3 Show according to Figure 2 Furniture of the type in which the side members are completely folded inwardly and the front member is partially folded inwardly;

[0072] Figure 4 Show according to Figure 3 Furniture in which the front part folds completely inwards;

[0073] Figure 5 Show according to Figure 4 Furniture wherein the rear member is partially folded inwards;

[0074] Figure 6 Show according to Figure 5 Furniture in which the rear part is completely folded inwards;

[0075] Figure 7 Show according to Figure 6 Furniture wherein the support member is partially folded inwardly;

[0076] Figure 8 Show according to Figure 7 Furniture wherein the support members are completely folded inwards;

[0077] Fig. 9 Show according to Figure 8 Furniture in which the cover part is covered again;

[0078] Fig.10 Shown with Figure 2 Similar furniture, but without the right front support;

[0079] Fig.11 Show Fig.10 Details;

[0080] Fig.12 Shown with Figure 3 Similar furniture, but without the right front support;

[0081] Fig.13 Show Fig.12 Details;

[0082] Fig.14 Another embodiment of the furniture is shown;

[0083] Fig.15 Show Fig.14 Details;

[0084] Fig.16 An embodiment is shown having a flat entrance to the interior space;

[0085] Fig.17 Show Fig.16 A view of the rear part with the rear part unfolded;

[0086] Fig.18 An embodiment is shown without two-sided access to the interior space;

[0087] Figures 19 to 22 showing the end faces of different designs of segments;

[0088] Fig.23 and Fig.24 A side view and a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a hinge in an unfolded state;

[0089] Fig.25An exploded view of the hinge is shown;

[0090] Fig.26 and Fig. 27 Show Fig.23 and Fig.24 The hinge in the semi-folded state;

[0091] Fig.28 and Fig.29 Show Fig.23 and Fig.24 The hinge in the fully folded position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the furniture according to the present application, Figure 1 The furniture is in the assembled state with the cover part lifted.

[0093] The piece of furniture comprises a rectangular base part 1, a rectangular cover part 2 and four supports 3 which are arranged vertically or can be arranged in the corners of the piece of furniture. To better illustrate the geometry, the hidden inner edges are shown with dashed lines.

[0094] The support 3 is connected to the bottom part 1 and the cover part 2 in an articulated manner. For the sake of clarity, the articulated parts are not shown. Each support 3 comprises two segments 3A, 3B (the reference numerals are shown only on one support). The lower segment 3A is connected to the bottom part 1 in an articulated manner, and the upper segment 3B is connected to the cover part 2 in an articulated manner.

[0095] The mutually adjacent segments 3A, 3B of the support 3 are also connected to each other via segment joints 3C (only the position of the segment joints 3C is shown).

[0096] The piece of furniture also comprises a front part 4 and a rear part 5, wherein, as further shown in the following figure, each of these parts 4 and 5 can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space. The front part 4 is connected to the bottom part 1 in an articulated manner at its lower edge, and the rear part 5 is connected to the cover part 2 in an articulated manner at its upper edge (the articulation is not shown).

[0097] Furthermore, the piece of furniture comprises two side parts 6, wherein each side part 6 is respectively connected to the cover part 2 in an articulated manner at its upper edge so that it can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space (see the next figure).

[0098] The front part 4 comprises a front frame 4A, in which a door 4B is arranged. The door 4B is fastened to the front frame 4A on the right side by a hinge not shown. The front frame 4A itself is hingedly connected to the bottom part 1 at its lower edge by its own hinge (also not shown). Preferably, the door 4B and / or the front frame 4A can also be installed rotated 180° so that the door 4B can be opened toward the other side.

[0099] The cover part 2 comprises a cover frame 2A, on which a cover panel 2B can be arranged (shown here at a distance). The cover frame 2A has a fastening device 2C, which enables a mechanical connection of a cover panel or a bottom part of another piece of furniture. Here, the fastening device 2C is designed as a circular receptacle, which interacts with a corresponding groove (not visible) in the cover panel 2B or the bottom part 1 of another piece of furniture, thereby preventing the cover panel 2B from sliding sideways or enabling a plurality of pieces of furniture to be stacked together.

[0100] Figure 2 Show according to Figure 1 Furniture in which the side parts are partially folded inwards, the reference numerals being omitted in the figure for the sake of clarity. The side parts 3, which are hingedly connected at their upper edges to the cover part 2, more precisely to the cover frame 2A, are correspondingly folded upwards in the direction of the cover part 2. This can be achieved simply by pushing the two side parts 3 inwards with the help of the user's hands (not shown).

[0101] Figure 3 Show according to Figure 2 In the furniture, the side parts 3 are completely folded inwards and the front part 4 is partially folded inwards. The side parts 3 are parallel to the bottom part and the cover parts 1, 2.

[0102] Since the front part 4 is connected to the bottom part 1 in an articulated manner at its lower edge, it can be folded inwards with its side facing the interior in the direction of the bottom part 1 .

[0103] It can also be seen that the height of the side parts 6 is measured so that the side parts 6 are spaced apart from each other in the inwardly folded-in state shown, in which the side parts 6 are arranged parallel to the bottom part and the cover part 1, 2. Otherwise, the lower ends would overlap, which would lead to an undesirable increase in the remaining height of the folded-up piece of furniture. If half the width of the piece of furniture is smaller than the height of the side parts 6, corresponding constructional measures should be taken so that the remaining height is not increased. For example, the side parts can be foldable along their horizontal center axis or the possibility of overlapping each other can be provided (each case not shown).

[0104] Figure 4 The furniture according to 3 is shown, with the front part completely folded inwards. Here, the front part 4 lies flat on the bottom part 1 with its side facing the interior.

[0105] It can be seen that the height of the front part is less than the depth of the bottom and cover parts 1, 2, so that when the support 3 is unfolded, the front part can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space without protruding from the interior space. The same is true for the rear part 5. Here, the depth is measured in the direction from the front part 4 to the rear part 5.

[0106] In order for the front part 4 and the rear part 5 to be able to actually abut the bottom part 1 and the cover part 2 with their sides pointing to the interior space, the height of the parts 4, 5 is about 20% less than the depth of the bottom part and the cover part 1, 2. The specific value depends on many factors. However, it is important that in the abutting state of one of the parts 4, 5, the part cannot hinder the folding of the other non-abutting parts 5, 4 inwards. For example, this can be achieved by correspondingly limiting the mentioned height. Since the contact first occurs at the end of each part away from the hinge, it is reasonable to provide enough space in this area, for example by narrowing this area.

[0107] exist Figure 5 According to Figure 4 The rear part 5 is now partially folded inwards. The rear part 5 is folded upwards because it is connected to the cover part 2 in an articulated manner with its upper edge. The front part 4 has already been folded downwards under the effect of gravity after being pushed slightly inwards by hand, while the rear part 5 must be pushed up to the end by hand, but this does not cause any difficulty because it is very easy to reach.

[0108] exist Figure 6 According to Figure 5 The rear part is folded inwardly completely in the furniture. Here, the rear part is against the side of the side parts 6 that points to the outside in the assembled state. Now, the furniture is fully opened all around.

[0109] exist Figure 7 According to Figure 6 The support 3 is partially folded inwards. As can be seen from the figure, the support 3 can be folded inwards towards the interior space while being continuously hingedly connected to the bottom part 1 and the cover part 2 and the segments 3A, 3B. Therefore, when folded up, the bottom area of ​​the furniture does not increase.

[0110] Can also see that the end face of segment is designed to make it can absorb pressure when cooperating with the end face of adjacent segment or bottom part and cover part.Here, this can be realized by plane, and the normal line of this plane coincides with the longitudinal axis of segment.

[0111] In the embodiment shown, the supports 3 can be folded inwards in the direction of the (here short) side edges of the piece of furniture, so that the remaining spacing between the supports 3 (defined by the width of the front and rear parts 4, 5) is at a maximum. It should be noted that the side edges still belong to the interior space of the piece of furniture by definition. It can be seen that the folded supports 3 are located laterally beside the front and rear parts 4, 5, rather than on them, which results in the desired flat "stack" of components.

[0112] exist Figure 8 According to Figure 7The support members 3 are completely folded inwards. As can be seen from the figure, even in the fully folded inwards state, the ends of the segments 3A, 3B of the adjacent support members 3, which respectively carry the segment hinges 3C, always remain spaced apart from each other, and in the fully folded inwards state, the segments 3A, 3B of each support member 3 are positioned against each other as shown in the figure. Therefore, the inwardly folded support members 3 will not collide with each other, otherwise the remaining height of the folded furniture will increase undesirably.

[0113] at last, Fig. 9 Show according to Figure 8 The furniture of this embodiment is covered with cover plate 2B. It should be noted that cover plate 2B does not necessarily need to be removed in order to fold up the furniture.

[0114] exist Fig.10 Shown in Figure 2 Similar furniture, but without the right front support; Fig.11 Show its details. Fig.12 and Fig.13 The front part 4 is shown folded down to a great extent. Thus, it can be seen that the front frame 4A is located with its lower edge in the recess of the bottom part 1. When it is in the upright position ( Fig.10 , Fig.11 ), the upper side of its lower edge is flush with the inner surface of the bottom part 1 pointing upward. By appropriate selection and positioning of the hinge, the front part 4 can still lie flat on the bottom part 4 when folded down ( Figures 4 to 9 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 ).

[0115] exist Fig.14 and Fig.15 , an embodiment of the furniture is shown in which the side parts 6 are not sunken into the cover frame 2A. In this case, without additional structural measures, the folded-up rear part 5 would collide and thus could not be brought into the desired position parallel to the bottom part and the cover parts 1, 2. It is therefore preferred that the side parts 6 can be sunk into the cover part 2 or the cover frame 2A respectively. Alternatively, one of the parts 4, 5 is connected in an articulated manner in such a way that it is offset downwards in the vertical direction by the thickness of the other part.

[0116] Fig.16 The case is shown in which not only the front part 4 but also the rear part 5 should have a flat access to the interior space of the furniture. The front part 4 can be placed on the bottom part 1 (see previous figures) by means of a hinge (not visible) arranged on its underside and can thus provide a flat access, while the rear part 5 arranged on the cover frame 2A must be inserted into a groove 1A in the bottom part 1, the depth of which corresponds to the height of the lower edge of the corresponding "rear frame". Although a flat access ( Fig.17), but the disadvantage is that the groove 1A is still visible behind the lower edge of the "rear frame".

[0117] on the other hand, Fig.18 The closed rear part 5 is shown, which does not necessarily provide access to the interior space. If access from this side is desired, the furniture can actually be turned 180° so that the front part 4 (at the rear in the figure) faces the front; see Fig.13 .

[0118] Figures 19 to 22 The end faces of the segments of different designs are schematically shown. The purpose of the design is always to provide the possibility of transmitting pressure through the support. For the sake of clarity, only two segments 3A and 3B of a single support 3 are shown in the figure.

[0119] In the simplest case, the end faces are flat, such as Fig.19 However, the end surface can also have a flat "S" shape. Another variant is a shape with a semi-cylindrical profile ( Fig.21 ), or a hemispherical profile (not shown), a sawtooth profile or a pyramidal profile (not shown), or a stepped profile, such as Fig. 22 shown. Fig.19 The shapes shown are essentially suitable only for absorbing compressive forces acting along the longitudinal axis, whereas the remaining shapes can also absorb transverse forces to a certain extent, which can further increase stability.

[0120] It can be seen from the figure that the end faces that are adjacent to each other are designed to be complementary to each other, so that the two end faces can interact with each other in a form-fitting manner.

[0121] Figure 23 to Figure 29 This is a hinge 7 which is particularly suitable for use with the described piece of furniture, in particular for use in the support element 3 described above. Fig.23 The unfolded support element 3 with such a hinge 7 is shown in a side view, and Fig.24 A cross section thereof is shown, wherein shading is omitted for clarity. Fig.25 The support element 3 including the hinge 7 can be seen as an exploded view in FIG. Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The support 3 is shown in a semi-folded-in state, and Fig.28 and Fig.29 The support element 3 is shown in the completely inwardly folded state. For the sake of clarity, the reference numerals are largely only used in Figure 23 to Figure 25 is fully shown in .

[0122] The advantage of this hinge 7 is that a folding angle of 180° can be achieved, so that the sides of adjacent segments 3A, 3B of the same support 3 can be placed against each other, so that the minimum space is required when folded. At the same time, the hinge 7 has the advantage that it is largely invisible in the unfolded shape, which is particularly desirable for furniture.

[0123] Therefore, in order to make the folding angle between the two segments 3A and 3B reach 180°, the support 3 has a hidden hinge 7, which includes a plurality of sectors 7A, 7B, 7C that are in the shape of circular arc segments and can extend into each other. "Circular arc segment shaped" means that each sector 7A, 7B, 7C has an arc shape, wherein each arc has a center point M, and in this case, the center point M is located outside each sector 7A, 7B, 7C. The longitudinal axis (without figure mark) shown by the dotted line of the sectors 7A, 7B, 7C is located on the radius of the arc. In order for the sectors 7A, 7B, 7C to be telescopic, all arcs have the same radius and also have the same center point M.

[0124] The initial sector 7A is arranged on the end face of the upper segment 3B pointing towards the adjacent segment 3A. It can be firmly connected to the segment 3B and can also be made integrally with the segment 3B. On the end face, its longitudinal axis extends colinearly or at least parallel to the longitudinal axis of the segment 3B. In the case of the flat end face shown (see Fig.24 and Fig.25 ), the end face is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of segment 3B, and the beginning of initial sector 7A is perpendicular to the end face. Initial sector 7A can enclose an angle of about 55°±5.

[0125] The end sector 7C is arranged in the groove 7D of the end face of the lower segment 3A. In the flat part of the end face of the segment 3A, the longitudinal axis of the end sector 7C can also be perpendicular to the end face. However, it should be noted that a part of the end sector 7C is arranged in the groove 7D. The end sector 7C can be fastened to the bottom of the groove 7D. This can be achieved by a rotating hinge, but it can also be achieved without such a rotating hinge (fixedly). The end sector 7C can enclose an angle of about 130±10°, wherein the inner end face is 65°±5° and the outer end face is 65°±5°.

[0126] The initial sector 7A and the final sector 7C are connected to each other in a telescopic manner by means of the intermediate sector 7B. This means that the initial sector 7A has a groove 7E ( Fig.25 ), in which at least part of the middle sector 7B can be accommodated, and the middle sector 7B similarly has a groove 7F, in which at least part of the end sector 7C can be accommodated. Since the arc-shaped longitudinal axes of the sectors 7A, 7B, 7C are located on the same circle (see Fig.24), and have the same center point M, so that telescoping without misalignment can be achieved. If necessary, misalignment can be preferably avoided by arranging a rotatable bearing on the end of the end sector 7C. The intermediate sector 7B encloses an angle of about 130°+10°, wherein the inner end face is 65°±5° and the outer end face is 65°±5°. Obviously, structural measures should ensure that the intermediate sector 7B cannot be completely pulled out of the initial sector 7A. This also applies to the intermediate sector 7B and the end sector 7C.

[0127] As shown in the figure, the center of the arc segment-shaped longitudinal axis of the sectors 7A, 7B, 7C is located on the corner edge of the end face of the segments 3A, 3B in the center point M; in the figure, this is the right corner edge of the respective end face, which can also be said to be a (two-dimensional) "center axis". This forms a virtual joint with rotational freedom, about which the two segments 3A, 3B can be tilted.

[0128] In order to prevent jamming before reaching an inclination angle of 0°, the groove 7D of the end face of the lower segment 3A is provided to accommodate all the sectors 7A, 7B, 7C pushed into each other. Its inner contour can correspond to the outer contour of the initial sector 7A, but it can also be larger. However, it is particularly preferred that it is only so large that it does not exceed the outer surface of the segment 3A, so that it is not visible from the outside, which is desirable.

[0129] As can be seen from the figure, such a hinge 7 can also be used to connect the support part 3 and the bottom part 1 (and the cover plate 2 not shown). Here, such a hinge 7 can also provide the possibility of the side of the segments 3A, 3B being abutted against the corresponding part 1 or 2. Since only a folding angle of 90° is required here, the initial sector 7A can be omitted. However, in order to connect the support part 3 to the bottom part or cover plate part 1, 2, the intermediate sector 7B must be connected to the corresponding part 1, 2. For this purpose, the parts 1, 2 have a groove 7E in their end faces, which groove was previously in the initial sector 7A. The end sector 7C can also be connected to the parts 1, 2 in a simple way, for example by means of a protruding eyelet (without a figure mark). The connection can be achieved by means of a rotating hinge (for example, a pin passing through the eyelet). In order to increase the mechanical stability, there can also be another additional hinge 8 that can be installed in a simple way and hidden (see Fig.26 and Fig.28 ).

[0130] Reference numerals list

[0131] 1 Bottom piece

[0132] 1A groove

[0133] 2 Cover parts

[0134] 2A Cover frame

[0135] 2B Cover

[0136] 2C Fastening device

[0137] 3 Support

[0138] 3A Lower segment

[0139] 3B Upper segment

[0140] 3C segment hinge

[0141] 4 Front part

[0142] 4A front frame

[0143] 4B Gate

[0144] 5 Rear parts

[0145] 6 Side parts

[0146] 7 Hinge

[0147] 7A Initial sector

[0148] 7B Intermediate sector

[0149] 7C End fan

[0150] 7D groove

[0151] 7E, 7F Accommodation

[0152] 8 Additional hinges

[0153] M Center point

Claims

1. A piece of furniture for providing an encloseable interior space, comprising a rectangular bottom part (1), a rectangular cover part (2) and four supports (3) arranged vertically or arrangeable in the corners of the furniture, all of which are permanently connected to the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2), wherein: Each support member (3) comprises at least two segments (3A, 3B), wherein the lower segment (3A) is always completely connected to the bottom member (1), and the upper segment (3B) is always completely connected to the cover member (2), wherein adjacent segments (3A, 3B) of the support member (3) are also connected to each other via segment hinges (3C), so that the support member (3) can be folded inwardly toward the inner space while being continuously connected to the bottom member (1) and the cover member (2) and the segments (3A, 3B), wherein even when the furniture is completely folded inwardly, adjacent segments (3A, 3B) can be folded inwardly. The ends of the segments (3A, 3B) of the support (3) which respectively carry the segment hinges (3C) are also spaced apart from each other, and when the furniture is completely folded inwards, the segments (3A, 3B) of each support (3) are positioned adjacent to each other, wherein the support (3) can be folded inwards in the direction of the side edges and is designed to absorb pressure, characterized in that the furniture comprises a front part (4) and / or a rear part (5) which is different from the support (3) and is continuously shape-stable, wherein each part (4, 5) can be folded inwards in the direction of the interior space without changing its shape, wherein each part has a hinged connection on its upper edge or lower edge, and each part can pivot or fold around the hinged connection.

2. The furniture according to claim 1, wherein: In order to achieve the purpose of absorbing pressure, the support (3) has segments (3A, 3B) with flat end faces, or segments with the following end faces: the first end face has a flat S-shape, a hemispherical profile or a semi-cylindrical profile, a serrated profile or a pyramidal profile or a stepped profile, and the other end face is designed to be complementary accordingly.

3. The furniture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The front part (4) is hingedly connected to the bottom part (1) at its lower edge, and the rear part (5) is hingedly connected to the cover part (2) at its upper edge, or the rear part (5) is hingedly connected to the bottom part (1) at its lower edge, and the front part (4) is hingedly connected to the cover part (2) at its upper edge, so that the front part (4) and the rear part (5) can be abutted against the bottom part (1) or the cover part (2) with their sides facing the interior space.

4. The furniture according to claim 3, wherein: For the sake of adaptability, the height of the front part (4) and the rear part (5) is less than or equal to the depth of the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2), so that when the support member (3) is unfolded, both the front part (4) and the rear part (5) can be folded inwardly toward the interior space.

5. The piece of furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or two side parts (6), wherein: Each side part (6) is hingedly connected to the bottom part (1) or the cover part (2) at its lower edge or upper edge, so that it can be folded inwardly toward the inner space.

6. The piece of furniture according to claim 5, comprising two side parts (6), wherein: The height of the side parts (6) is measured so that the side parts are spaced apart from each other in their inwardly folded-in state arranged parallel to the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2).

7. The piece of furniture according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The two side parts (6) are connected to the cover part (2) at the upper edge, or the two side parts (6) are connected to the base part (1) at the lower edge.

8. The piece of furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a front part (4), wherein: The front part (4) comprises a front frame (4A) in which a door (4B) is arranged.

9. A piece of furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The cover component (2) comprises a cover frame (2A), and a cover plate (2B) is arranged or can be arranged in or on the cover frame.

10. The piece of furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: In order to make the folding angle between the two segments (3A, 3B) reach 180°, the support (3) has a hidden hinge (7), which includes a plurality of arc-shaped fan-shaped parts (7A, 7B, 7C) that can extend into each other, wherein the initial fan-shaped part (7A) is arranged on the end face of one segment (3A), and the terminal fan-shaped part (7C) is arranged in a groove (7D) on the end face of the other segment (3B), and the initial fan-shaped part (7A) and the terminal fan-shaped part (7C) are connected to each other in a telescopic manner by means of an intermediate fan-shaped part (7C), and wherein the center of the arc segment is located on the angular edge of the end face of the segments (3A, 3B), and the groove (7D) on the end face of the other segment (3B) is configured to accommodate all the fan-shaped parts (7A, 7B, 7C) pushed into each other.

11. A method for folding the furniture according to claim 1 inwardly, comprising the following steps: - folding the support element (3) inwards in the direction of the interior space so that the segments (3A, 3B) of each support element (3) are positioned against each other and parallel to the bottom element (1) and the cover element (2); - bringing the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2) closer to each other simultaneously; As a result, after the support elements (3) have been folded inwards, the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2) are positioned parallel to each other and as close to each other as possible, thereby making the piece of furniture as small as possible.

12. A method according to claim 11 for folding inwards a piece of furniture according to claim 1, the piece of furniture having a front part (4) and a rear part (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and having two side parts (6) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, the method comprising the following steps: - folding the side parts (6) inwards in the direction of the interior space until the side parts are positioned parallel to the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2); - folding the rear part (5) inwards in the direction of the interior space until the rear part is positioned parallel to the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2); - folding the front part (4) inwards in the direction of the interior space until the front part is positioned parallel to the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2); - folding the support element (3) inwardly in the direction of the interior space so that the segments (3A, 3B) of each support element (3) are positioned adjacent to each other and parallel to the bottom element (1) and the cover element (2); Thus, after the support member (3) is folded inwardly, the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2) are positioned parallel to each other, and the front part (4), the rear part (5) and the side parts (6) are arranged between the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2), thereby making the folded furniture have the smallest possible volume.

13. Method for unfolding a piece of furniture according to claim 12 from the inwardly folded position according to claim 12, wherein: The steps according to claim 12 are performed in reverse order.

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