Furniture

Abstract

[Problem] To abolish, in horizontally long furniture, a large-sized top plate covering an upper surface and a large-sized bottom plate forming a lower surface to which a leg part is attached. [Solution] Of the side plates of storage parts, all side plates positioned adjacent to other storage parts are shared with the adjacent other storage parts. The top plate of each storage part is formed separately from the top plates of the other storage parts and is connected and fixed to the side plate shared with the other adjacent storage part so as to have a side end face in contact with the shared side plate. The bottom plate of each storage part is formed separately from the bottom plate of the other storage parts and is connected and fixed to the shared side plate so as to have a side end face in contact with the shared side plate. The shared side plate forms a fine step part of which the upper end face forms a belt shape in a plan view in the upper surface.

Description

furniture

[0001] The present invention relates to furniture such as an article placement table.

[0002] Low-profile TV stands (item storage stands) are commonly used at home to watch large-format televisions while sitting on a sofa, and box-shaped TV stands with multiple storage compartments for storing electronic devices such as HDD recorders connected to the television and television accessories are particularly popular. Since a sense of visual stability when a television is placed on them is important, horizontal TV stands that are wider than the television itself are preferred (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Currently, the most popular televisions have screen sizes of 50 inches or more and television units that are over one meter in length, and accordingly, TV stands with widths of approximately 1.5 to 1.8 meters are the norm.

[0003] In such TV stands, it is natural that a TV should be able to be placed stably, and so the top surface (item placement surface) on which the TV is placed is generally constructed from a large, one-piece top plate to make it flat and step-free. Furthermore, to give the TV stand a stylish appearance and make it easier to clean the area underneath, legs are often provided to support the box-shaped main body so that it is raised above the floor (see, for example, Figure 1 of Patent Document 2). Naturally, providing legs requires a certain level of strength for the main body, which is suspended in the air, so the underside of the main body is generally constructed from a large, one-piece bottom plate or a long cross member that runs the entire length of the base plate.

[0004] Utility Model Registration No. 3225189

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-394

[0006] TV stands like the one described above are sold as finished products manufactured in a factory, or as assembly furniture sets with the components and assembly instructions packed in a cardboard box. Since assembly furniture is assembled at home by the consumer, the cost of assembly at the factory is eliminated, which has the advantage of lowering the selling price. Furthermore, assembly furniture sets not only have a smaller package volume than finished products, but are also often packed in multiple cardboard boxes, allowing consumers to load them into their cars and take them home from the store. Consumers have the advantage of not having to pay a delivery company to deliver the furniture to their home, but can immediately begin assembly once they get home. Even if delivery is requested, the small size of the package is expected to reduce costs.

[0007] Even when a long TV stand for a large TV is sold as a set of assembly-ready furniture, the volume of the package is naturally smaller than that of the finished product. However, as mentioned above, if the components include a large top panel covering the top surface of the main body, a large bottom panel for reinforcing the bottom surface, or long horizontal members, the longitudinal dimension of the package cannot be shortened. Depending on the packaging method, the longitudinal dimension of the package of the assembly-ready furniture set may be larger than that of the finished product. In this case, even though it is sold as an assembly-ready furniture set, it often cannot be loaded into a consumer's vehicle. Consumers have to pay for delivery and are unable to start assembling immediately after returning home. Due to the long dimension of the package, delivery costs may not be significantly reduced. In other words, the benefits of selling a long TV stand or other assembly-ready furniture set may not be fully realized.

[0008] Therefore, in order to secure the benefits of selling the product as a complete assembly furniture set, it is conceivable to form the top and bottom surfaces of the main body by connecting small plates instead of the large top and bottom plates or long horizontal members that are commonly used in conventional TV stands, etc. For example, the TV stand in Patent Document 1 has multiple small boxes arranged in a row in the left-right direction and connected via top and bottom plates. However, by directly connecting the boxes in the left-right direction and eliminating the top and bottom plates, the packaging size of the components for the assembly furniture set can be made smaller. However, simply eliminating the top and bottom plates can cause the following problems.

[0009] One problem is unique to assembled furniture. Factory-manufactured furniture can be fitted to the actual product to prevent misalignment (level differences) at the joints between boards, or can be eliminated by post-assembly processing such as surface grinding. In contrast, in assembled furniture sets, all boards are pre-machined with holes for connecting parts, and then randomly assembled and packaged without checking the dimensional compatibility of the boards when assembled. However, because dimensional errors between boards cannot be eliminated no matter how strict the processing control, it is virtually impossible to eliminate level differences (making the surfaces flush) at the joints between boards, as is the case with factory-manufactured furniture. Of course, consumers cannot be expected to eliminate level differences through post-processing.

[0010] When assembling furniture, if the joints between boards are intentionally made flush, one of the joined boards may shift upward or downward relative to the other. For example, as shown in Figure 10(a), when boards A, B, and C are joined, various misalignments may occur at each joint, and the planes of the boards may even intersect with each other. In particular, since TV stands and other products have generally used a single top plate, consumers have come to expect that the top surface will be flush. Therefore, if uneven or intersecting steps, as described above, that were not intended in the design, appear, even if they are minor and do not affect the placement of the TV, they may be perceived as low-quality or defective.

[0011] Another issue is strength. Because the underside of a TV stand is invisible under normal use, slight irregularities (whether good or bad) don't pose much of a problem like the top surface. However, if the main body is supported by legs so that it is raised off the floor, the weight of the main body itself and the items stored inside or placed on top of it can push the main body downward, causing the joints between the plates to bend and fail, as shown in Figure 10(b). Furthermore, if the legs are made longer to make the appearance more stylish or to make it easier for a robot vacuum cleaner to get under the main body, the leg attachment points will also be subjected to significant stress.

[0012] To protect the joints between the boards, it is possible to support each board that forms the underside of the main body with multiple legs, or to place another board over the joints between the boards. However, this would increase the number of parts and complicate the assembly process, undermining the benefits of selling the furniture as an assembly set. It also goes against the aim of creating a stylish appearance and being compatible with robot vacuum cleaners.

[0013] Due to the above problems, it has been thought that it is impossible to eliminate long parts such as the large top plate that forms the upper surface of the main body and the large bottom plate that forms the lower surface of the main body to which the legs are attached in wide TV stands, etc. As a result, it has been impossible to compress the longitudinal dimensions of the packaging of the components in an assembly furniture set for such horizontally long furniture, and it has not been possible to fully enjoy the benefits of selling it as an assembly furniture set.

[0014] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide furniture such as a horizontally long article storage table having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped main body formed by integrating multiple storage sections in the left-right direction, to enable the longitudinal dimensions of the package of the assembled furniture set to be compressed when assembled into assembled furniture, to eliminate the top plate that is provided to cover the entire upper surface of the main body, and to eliminate long members such as a bottom plate that is provided to span the entire lower surface of the main body.

[0015] The invention described in claim 1 is furniture comprising a main body portion having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by integrating three storage sections in the left-right direction, and legs provided below the main body portion and supporting the main body portion so as to raise it above the floor surface, wherein each storage section comprises at least a top plate, a bottom plate, and left and right side plates, and the side plates of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are all shared with the other adjacent storage sections, and the top plate of each storage section is formed separately from the top plates of the other storage sections so that they are mutually aligned in height position and the side plates shared with the other adjacent storage sections are also formed separately. the top plate of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom plates of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed so that its side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the shared side plates to form the underside of the main body section; the shared side plates have upper parts that protrude upward from between the top plates and whose upper end faces form minute steps that are band-shaped in a plan view on the top surface, and lower parts that protrude downward from between the bottom plates to form a pair of left and right wall-like legs that stand upright so that their lower end faces abut against the floor surface.

[0016] The invention described in claim 2 provides furniture having a main body formed by integrating a plurality of storage sections in the left-right direction and having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, wherein each storage section comprises at least a top panel, a bottom panel, and left and right side panels, and the side panels of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are both shared with the other adjacent storage sections, the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections, and is connected and fixed so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the side panel shared with the other adjacent storage section, thereby forming the upper surface of the main body, and the bottom panel of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom panels of the other storage sections, and is connected and fixed so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the shared side panel, thereby forming the lower surface of the main body.

[0017] The invention described in claim 3 provides furniture having a main body formed by integrating three or more storage sections in the left-right direction and having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, wherein each storage section comprises at least a top panel, a bottom panel, and left and right side panels, and the side panels of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are both shared with the other adjacent storage sections, the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed to the top panels of the other storage sections so that they are aligned in height and so that their side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the side panels shared with the other adjacent storage sections, thereby forming the upper surface of the main body, and the bottom panel of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed to the bottom surface of the main body so that their side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the shared side panels, thereby forming the lower surface of the main body, and the upper parts of the shared side panels protrude upward between the top panels, and the upper end faces form tiny, band-like steps on the top surface in a planar view.

[0018] The invention described in claim 4 provides furniture comprising a main body having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by integrating three or more storage sections in the left-right direction, and legs provided below the main body and supporting the main body so as to raise it off the floor, wherein each storage section comprises at least a top panel, a bottom panel, and left and right side panels, and the side panels of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are both shared with the other adjacent storage sections, the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed so that its side end surfaces abut against the side surfaces of the side panels shared with the other adjacent storage sections to form the upper surface of the main body, the bottom panel of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed so that its side end surfaces abut against the side surfaces of the shared side panels to form the lower surface of the main body, and the shared side panels form upright wall-like legs whose lower parts protrude downward from between the bottom panels and whose lower ends abut against the floor.

[0019] According to the present invention, in a piece of furniture such as a horizontally long article storage stand (TV stand) having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped main body made up of multiple storage sections integrated in the left-right direction, when this is made into assembly furniture, it is possible to shorten and compress the longitudinal dimensions of the packaged assembled furniture set, eliminate the top plate that is provided to cover the entire upper surface of the main body, or eliminate long members such as a bottom plate that is provided to span the entire lower surface of the main body.

[0020] 1 is a perspective view showing the furniture (article storage table) of the present invention as viewed from diagonally above the front side.

[0021] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the article placing table as viewed from diagonally below on the rear side.

[0022] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the article placement table with the door open.

[0023] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a television is placed on the article placing stand.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the plate members constituting the article placing table (excluding the shelf board provided in the central storage section).

[0025] 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a minute step portion of the article placing table in FIG. 1;

[0026] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating reinforcing support plates provided below the storage sections on both the left and right sides.

[0027] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the connection of plate members that constitute a storage section located in the center of the main body section.

[0028] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a case where the article placing table is installed close to a wall together with the wall-mounted stand.

[0029] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining problems that arise when the upper and lower surfaces of the article platform are formed by joining a plurality of top and bottom plates.

[0030] (Article Stand 1) An article stand 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The article stand 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a horizontally elongated lowboard-type piece of furniture (assembly furniture) that includes three storage compartments 6, 7, and 8 integrated in the left-right direction, and is primarily used as a television stand. The article stand 1 includes a roughly rectangular parallelepiped main body 2 and a pair of wall-like legs 3, 3 that protrude downward from the bottom surface 22 ( FIG. 2 ) of the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 4 , an image display device such as a television, tunerless television, or monitor display is placed on the top surface (article mounting surface) 21 of the main body 2. The legs 3, 3 stand upright with their lower end surfaces in contact with the floor, supporting the main body 2 so as to be raised above the floor.

[0031] 2, on the underside 22 of the main body 2, in addition to the legs 3, 3 located at two midpoints in the left-right direction, there are also a substantially rectangular reinforcing support plate 4 suspended between the legs 3, 3, i.e., below the storage section 6 located in the center of the main body 2, and a substantially inverted trapezoidal reinforcing support plate 5, 5 suspended outside the left-right direction of each leg 3, i.e., below the storage sections 7, 8 located on both the left and right sides of the main body 2. The reinforcing support plate 4 has a vertical width set to about half that of the legs 3, and is connected and fixed so that its side end faces on both the left and right sides fit along the inner faces of the legs 3, 3, its upper end face is connected and fixed so that it fits along the underside 22, and its lower end face is set upward so as to be spaced apart from the floor. The reinforcing support plates 5, 5 have a vertical dimension set to the same length as the height of the legs 3, and are connected and fixed so that their vertical inner end faces are aligned with the outer faces of the legs 3, and their upper end faces are connected and fixed so that they are aligned with the underside 22, forming auxiliary legs that stand upright with their lower end faces in contact with the floor. The reinforcing support plate 4 and the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 are provided at the same position midway in the front-to-rear direction of the storage section and towards the rear of the underside 22 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the main body 2 is formed by integrating three box-shaped storage sections 6, 7, and 8 in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 3, each storage section 6, 7, and 8 has an opening 6a, 7a, and 8a that opens to the front side, and these openings can be individually opened and closed by approximately rectangular doors 66, 76, and 86 that are hinged to the hinges HG. １ or HG ２The main body 2 is rotatably mounted via a bracket. The top surface 21 of the main body 2 is generally flat as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and an image display device such as a television is placed on it as shown in Figure 4. Each storage compartment stores electronic devices such as an HDD recorder, television accessories, and other media. A circular grommet G is attached to the back surface 23 of the main body 2 as shown in Figure 2, allowing cords to pass through.

[0033] The article storage stand 1 is sold as an assembly furniture set in which components including the wooden boards shown in FIG. 5 are packed in a cardboard box, and the consumer assembles the set at home according to the assembly instructions. Each wooden board may be made of solid wood, laminated wood, or laminated wood (plywood). In addition to wooden boards, hardboard (hard fiberboard) or synthetic resin boards may also be used as long as they have the appropriate strength as components of the article storage stand 1. Furthermore, a combination of the above-mentioned boards may also be used. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the assembly furniture set may also include, in addition to the above-mentioned boards, column-shaped auxiliary legs 67 (described later), connecting parts (connecting wooden shafts W, cam lock bolts B, and cam locks L) that connect the boards together, door mounting parts (hinge HG), etc. １ , Hinge HG ２ , stay ST, magnetic catches), grommet G for passing through cords, back panel stopper, bolts, cover caps, assembly instructions, etc. are included in the package.

[0034] The dimensions of the article storage stand 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . Note that the following dimensions are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by these numerical values. The article storage stand 1 has a depth D of approximately 34 cm, a height H of approximately 36 cm, and a width W of approximately 150 cm, allowing a large television approximately 100 to 140 cm wide to be placed thereon in a visually balanced manner. The height H1 of the main body 2 is approximately 26 cm, and the height H2 of the pair of left and right legs 3, 3 is approximately 10 cm. A gap of approximately 10 cm is provided between the bottom surface 22 of the main body 2 and the floor. The top, bottom, and back panels of each storage section constituting the top surface 21, bottom surface 22, and back surface 23 of the main body 2 are formed separately from the top, bottom, and back panels of the other storage sections. Specifically, the width W1 of the substantially rectangular top plate 61, bottom plate 62, and back plate 63 that make up the central storage section 6 is approximately 85 cm, and the width W2 of the substantially rectangular top plates 71, 81, substantially rectangular bottom plates 72, 82, and substantially rectangular back plates 73, 83 that make up the storage sections 7, 8 on both the left and right sides is approximately 30 cm. Because the widths of the top plates, bottom plates, and back plates that make up the storage sections 7, 8 on both the left and right sides are the same, the article platform 1 appears symmetrical, and minute steps 21 a, 21 a and legs 3, 3, which will be described later, also appear symmetrical in the middle of the main body 2 in the left-right direction.

[0035] As mentioned above, even though the top plate 61, bottom plate 62, and back plate 63 of the storage section 6 are long in width, they are only slightly less than 60% of the width of the article stand 1, so the longitudinal dimension of the package of the assembled furniture set packed in the cardboard box can be compressed shorter than before. This is expected to make it easier to load the assembled furniture set into the consumer's vehicle and to reduce the delivery fee paid to the delivery company. Note that the width W of the top plates 61, 71, 81, bottom plates 62, 72, 82, and back plates 63, 73, 83 is smaller than the width W of the article stand 1. １ , W ２ and W ２ However, as will be described later, the top plate, bottom plate, and back plate are connected via two substantially rectangular side plates 64, 64 that separate the storage section from each other, and the article placing table 1 has a thickness W ３ The width has increased by approximately 5 cm.

[0036] 1 to 3, the main body 2 is formed by integrating three storage sections 6, 7, and 8 in the left-right direction. Each of the storage sections 6, 7, and 8 is a box-shaped body consisting of a top panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, and left and right side panels. However, the storage sections 6, 7, and 8 are not constructed independently of each other, and the side panels 64, 64 of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are all shared with the adjacent storage sections. 1 to 3 and 5, the box-shaped body forming the central storage section 6 is composed of a top plate 61, a bottom plate 62, a back plate 63 and left and right side plates 64, 64, the box-shaped body forming the storage section 7 on the left side when facing the front of the article platform 1 is composed of a top plate 71, a bottom plate 72, a back plate 73 and left and right side plates 64, 74, and the box-shaped body forming the storage section 8 on the right side when facing the front of the article platform 1 is composed of a top plate 81, a bottom plate 82, a back plate 83 and left and right side plates 64, 84. In other words, the storage sections 6 and 7, and the storage sections 6 and 8 are connected via the side plates 64 that separate them from each other.

[0037] 1 to 3, the top plates 61, 71, 81 are connected and fixed horizontally so that their height positions are aligned with one another and so that their side end faces are aligned with the side surfaces near the upper ends of the side plates 64, 64, and together with the upper end faces of the side plates 64, 64, they form the upper surface 21 of the main body 2. The top plate 61 is connected and fixed so that its left and right end faces abut against the two left and right side plates 64, 64, and the top plates 71, 81 are connected and fixed so that their inner end faces abut against one of the side plates 64, and the lower surfaces of their outer ends abut against the upper end faces of the side plates 74, 84.

[0038] As mentioned above, the top plates 61, 71, and 81 are connected to the side surfaces of the upper ends of the side plates 64, 64. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the connection positions are set so that the upper ends of the side plates 64, 64 always protrude slightly higher (by a fixed height of about 0.5 to 2 mm) than the upper surfaces of the top plates 61, 71, and 81. As a result, the upper parts of the side plates 64, 64 protrude upward from between the top plates 61, 71, and 81, and their upper end surfaces form minute steps 21a, 21a that are band-like in plan view and extend across the entire front-to-rear direction of the top surface 21, and together with the top plates 61, 71, and 81, constitute part of the top surface 21. Naturally, slight misalignment in height between adjacent top plates 61 and 71, or between top plates 61 and 81, may occur due to dimensional errors, but the misalignment is camouflaged by the presence of the minute steps 21a that protrude upward and have a predetermined width between them. Although FIG. 6 shows the minute step 21a that appears between the top plate 61 and the top plate 71, the minute step 21a that appears between the top plate 61 and the top plate 81 also appears in the same manner.

[0039] As described above, because the top panels 71, 81 have the same width, the minute steps 21a, 21a appear symmetrically in the left-right midpoint of the top surface 21, impressing consumers as a design intentionally provided on the top surface 2 of the main body 2. Although the height of the minute steps 21a is set to be very slight, it is fully possible to ensure that the two minute steps 21a, 21a protrude upward if the dimensional errors of the side panels 64, 64 and the top panels 61, 71, 81 directly fixed thereto are processed so as to fall within a predetermined standard range. Therefore, the minute steps 21a, 21a appear in the same way in both the finished product of furniture assembled by a consumer at home and in the sample products displayed in a store, and are objectively recognized as convex portions that form the design of the top surface 21.

[0040] (Bottom plates 62, 72, 82) As shown in Figure 2, the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 are connected and fixed horizontally so that their heights are aligned with each other and so that their side end faces are aligned with the side surfaces of the middle portions of the side plates 64, 64 near the lower ends, and together with the lower end surfaces of the side plates 74, 84, they form the lower surface 22 of the main body 2. The bottom plate 62 is connected and fixed so that its left and right end faces abut against the two left and right side plates 64, 64, and the bottom plates 72, 82 are connected and fixed so that their inner end faces abut against one of the side plates 64 and their outer end faces abut against the lower end side surfaces of the side plates 74, 84. Naturally, slight misalignment in height between adjacent bottom plates 62 and 72, or between bottom plates 62 and 82, may occur due to dimensional errors, but this is camouflaged by the presence of the legs 3 protruding downward between them.

[0041] As mentioned above, the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 are connected to the side surfaces of the side plates 64, 64 at midpoints near their lower ends. Specifically, the connection positions are set so that the lower portions of the side plates 64, 64 protrude approximately 10 cm from the lower surfaces of the bottom plates 62, 72, 82. As a result, the lower portions of the side plates 64, 64 protrude vertically downward from between the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 as shown in Fig. 2, and form a pair of left and right wall-like legs 3, 3 with a height of approximately 10 cm, whose lower end surfaces abut the floor as shown in Fig. 1. Because the legs 3 stand upright and extend in the front-to-rear direction, their width is only the thickness of the side plate 64 (approximately 2.5 cm), making them inconspicuous when the article storage platform 1 is viewed from the front, and are expected to give a stylish impression.

[0042] (Back plates 63, 73, 83) The back plates 63, 73, 83 are held and fixed in place by having their four sides (plate ends) fitted into linear grooves T (Figure 5) recessed near the rear ends of the undersides of the top plates 61, 71, 81, the upper surfaces of the bottom plates 62, 72, 82, and the side surfaces of the side plates 64, 74, 84, and together with the rear end surfaces of the above-mentioned plates, form the back surface 23 of the main body 2. Specifically, the upper end of the back panel 63 is fitted into the groove of the top panel 61, the lower end into the groove of the bottom panel 62, and both left and right ends into the grooves of the side panels 64, 64; the upper end of the back panel 73 is fitted into the groove of the top panel 71, the lower end into the groove of the bottom panel 72, the inner end into the groove of the side panel 64, and the other outer end into the groove of the side panel 74; and the upper end of the back panel 83 is fitted into the groove of the top panel 81, the lower end into the groove of the bottom panel 82, the inner end into the groove of the side panel 64, and the other outer end into the groove of the side panel 84.

[0043] The claws of the back plate stoppers (not shown) are inserted into the gaps between the back plates 63, 73, 83 and the grooves T of each plate, and the back plate stoppers are fixed to the back plates with wood screws, thereby fixing the back plates 63, 73, 83 so that they do not slip or move in the grooves. The back plates 63, 73, 83 are fitted into a substantially rectangular frame formed by the top plate, bottom plate, and left and right side plates, so that the intersection angle (right angle) of each plate member is maintained constant, preventing sudden damage to the main body 2 even if an excessive load is applied, such as when a person stands on the main body 2.

[0044] (Side plates 64, 64) As described above, the side plates 64, 64 are connected and fixed so that the left and right end faces of the top plate 61, the bottom plate 62, and the reinforcing support plate 4 abut against their inner surfaces (surfaces facing the center of the main body 2), and are connected and fixed so that the inner end faces of the top plates 71, 81, the bottom plates 72, 82, and the reinforcing support plate 5 abut against their outer surfaces (facing both the left and right sides of the main body 2), thereby forming side walls that divide the storage sections 6 and 7, and the storage sections 6 and 8 into left and right sections and connect these storage sections to each other. As described above, the upper part of each side plate 64 forms a minute step 21a that protrudes from the top surface 21 of the main body 2, and the lower part forms the leg 3 that protrudes from the bottom surface 22 of the main body 2.

[0045] The side panels 64, 64 measure approximately 340 mm from front to back, longer than the top panels 61, 71, 81, bottom panels 62, 72, 82, and left and right side panels 74, 84 (each approximately 315 mm from front to back). Their rear ends are aligned with the top and bottom panels and their front ends are connected so that they protrude forward from the top and bottom panels. As a result, the front ends of the side panels 64, 64 protrude slightly (approximately 9 mm) forward from the doors 66, 76, 86 that close the openings 6a, 7a, 8a of each storage compartment, as shown in Figure 1 . Due to a combination of machining dimensional errors and hinge installation errors, each door may be slightly misaligned from front to back or tilted diagonally. If adjacent doors are misaligned or tilted in the opposite direction, this is easily noticeable. Therefore, by placing the protruding parts of the side panels 64, 64 between the adjacent doors and visually separating the adjacent doors, the differences in front-to-back position and inclination are camouflaged so that they cannot be directly compared.

[0046] As described above, the side plates 64, 64 are plate members that extend the entire length of the article platform 1 in the vertical and front-to-rear directions, and the top and bottom plates of the two adjacent storage compartments are all connected and fixed to their left and right sides, forming a key part of the main body 2. Their lower portions form wall-like legs 3, 3 that stand upright on the floor, and the legs 3, 3 do not easily detach from the main body 2. Furthermore, providing the legs 3 does not require complicating the structure or assembly work of the article platform 1 or increasing the number of parts. Even if the legs 3 need to be lengthened to increase the space below the main body 2, for example, no special reinforcement is required. Adjacent bottom and top plates are joined via the side plates 64, 64, and the side plates 64, 64 are directly supported by the floor, so the joint failure described in FIG. 10( b) does not occur.

[0047] (Side Plates 74, 84) The side plates 74, 84 constitute the left and right side walls of the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer side plate 74 is a substantially rectangular plate material that forms the left side wall 24 of the main body 2 (storage section 7). The side plate 74 is connected and fixed so that its upper end surface abuts against the underside of the top plate 71. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper end surface is covered so as not to be exposed on the top surface 21 side, while the inner surface of its lower end is connected and fixed so that it abuts against the outer end surface of the bottom plate 72. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end surface forms part of the underside 22 of the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the side plate 84 is a substantially rectangular plate material that forms the right side wall 25 of the main body 2 (storage section 8). As shown in Figure 1, the side plate 84 is connected and fixed so that its upper end surface abuts the underside of the top plate 81, and the upper end surface is covered so as not to be exposed on the upper surface 21 side, while the inner surface of the lower end side is connected and fixed so as to abut the outer end surface of the bottom plate 82, and as shown in Figure 2, the lower end surface forms part of the underside 22 of the main body 2.

[0048] As described above, the top plates 71, 81 are bridged over the side plates 64, 64 and the side plates 74, 84. However, because the top end surfaces of the side plates 74, 84 are hidden, only the two small steps 21a, 21a on the left and right are visible on the top surface 21, as shown in Figure 1. No other unnecessary lines are visible, creating a visually clean and streamlined appearance. The bottom end surfaces of the side plates 74, 84 are designed to be flush with the bottom surfaces of the bottom plates 72, 82. However, due to dimensional errors, vertical misalignment with respect to the bottom surfaces of the bottom plates 72, 82 may occur. However, this is not a problem because it is exposed on the underside 22, which is difficult to see after installation. The bottom surfaces of the top plates 71, 81 are connected to the side plates 74, 84, and the side end surfaces of the bottom plates 72, 82 are connected. The different joining directions make the joints less likely to break when a large load is applied to the storage compartments 7, 8.

[0049] (Reinforcing Support Plate 4) As shown in Figure 2, the reinforcing support plate 4 is a plate member provided below the central storage section 6, perpendicular to the underside of the bottom plate 62 and the inner surfaces of the legs 3, 3. It is connected and fixed so that its upper end surface abuts the underside of the bottom plate 62, and is connected and fixed so that its left and right side end surfaces abut the inner surfaces of the pair of left and right legs 3, 3. It is provided so as to span between the legs 3, 3, and is set back so that its lower end surface is spaced apart from the floor. The reinforcing support plate 4 supports the bottom plate 62 over its entire length in the left-right direction, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the bottom plate 62. Furthermore, the reinforcing support plate 4 maintains the intersection angle (right angle) between the legs 3, 3 and the bottom plate 62 and connects the legs 3, 3 so that they support each other, thereby improving the upright stability of the legs 3, 3. The reinforcing support plate 4 is set back so that its lower end surface is spaced apart from the floor surface, allowing a thin mop to be inserted through the gap to clean the entire floor surface below the storage section 6. The vertical dimension of the reinforcing support plate 4 may be set to the same length as the legs 3, 3, and the reinforcing support plate 4 may be placed on the floor surface to ensure reliable support of the bottom plate 62.

[0050] 2, the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 are plate members provided below the left and right storage sections 7, 8 so as to be perpendicular to the lower surfaces of the bottom plates 72, 82 and the outer surfaces of the legs 3, 3, respectively, and are connected and fixed so that their inner end surfaces abut against the outer surfaces of the legs 3, and their upper end surfaces abut against the lower surfaces of the bottom plates 72, 82, forming auxiliary legs that stand upright with their lower end surfaces in contact with the floor. Since the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 have their lower end surfaces in contact with the floor, the floor supports the load applied to the bottom plates 72, 82 of the storage sections 7, 8, which are cantilevered by the side plates 64, preventing the storage sections 7, 8 from falling off and maintaining the intersection angle (right angle) between the legs 3, 3 and the floor, improving the upright stability of the legs 3. Furthermore, the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 are aligned so that their corners (right angles) contact the intersections of the legs 3, 3 and the bottom plates 72, 82, so that the intersection angles (right angles) between the legs 3, 3 and the bottom plates 72, 82 can be maintained.

[0051] The reinforcing support plates 5, 5 may have the same width as the bottom plates 72, 82. However, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, they are narrower than the bottom plates 72, 82, and their outer edges are inclined so that the width narrows from the upper end to the lower end. If the width were set to the same length as the bottom plates 72, 82, as shown by reference numeral 5' in Fig. 7(a), they would be easily visible from the side of the article platform 1, and the upright plate edges would appear to protrude to the side from below the storage section, which could create a visually awkward impression. Furthermore, if the article platform 1 is installed near a corner of a room, the reinforcing support plates would get in the way, making it difficult to thoroughly clean the floor, as shown by reference numeral 5' in Fig. 7(b).

[0052] However, by narrowing the width of the reinforcing support plate 5 and sloping its outer edge, it can be hidden behind the storage compartment when viewed from above, as shown in FIG. 7( a). Furthermore, by positioning the lower end of the reinforcing support plate 5 further inward than the main body 2, it is possible to prevent accidents where a child's little toe is hit on the reinforcing support plate 5. Even when the article storage platform 1 is installed in a corner of a room, as shown in FIG. 7( b), a gap is created between the reinforcing support plate and the wall, allowing a user to reach behind the reinforcing support plate 5 through the gap and thoroughly clean the floor surface. In this embodiment, the reinforcing support plate 5 has a narrow width and a sloping outer edge. However, the above-mentioned effect can be expected even if only one of narrowing the width relative to the bottom plate or sloping the outer edge to narrow the width is implemented. It is also possible to implement neither of these measures.

[0053] The reinforcing support plate 4 and the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 are formed separately from each other, with the reinforcing support plate 4 having the same width as the bottom plate 62, and the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 having a width shorter than the bottom plates 72, 82. Therefore, these plates do not hinder the compression of the package dimensions of an assembly furniture set that is conventionally packed in a cardboard box. The reinforcing support plates 4, 5 connect the legs 3, 3 to the bottom of each storage section 6, 7, 8, and also strengthen the connections between the side panels and bottom panel of each storage section 6, 7, 8, thereby strengthening the structure of the main body 2.

[0054] The bottom plates 62, 72, 82 and side plates 64, 64 (legs 3, 3) to which the reinforcing support plates 4 and 5, 5 are attached all extend over substantially the entire length in the front-to-rear direction of the article mounting platform 1. This makes it easy to make design changes, such as moving the attachment positions of the reinforcing support plates 4, 5 forward or backward, increasing the thickness of the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, or increasing the number of reinforcing support plates attached. Therefore, if a problem with the appearance or strength of the reinforcing support plates 4 and 5, 5 is detected through prototype evaluation, it is relatively easy to take measures.

[0055] In this embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5 are positioned rearward of the center of the bottom plates 62, 72, and 82 in the front-to-back direction. This is to ensure that the reinforcing support plates 4, 5 are hidden behind the storage section when viewed from above the front of the article storage platform 1, giving it a neat appearance. Furthermore, positioning the reinforcing support plates toward the rear is preferable because it ensures a large depth when the user wishes to utilize the space below the storage section as storage space. Positioning the reinforcing support plate 4 toward the rear makes it easier to clean the area below the storage section 6 through the gap between the floor and the reinforcing support plate 4. The reinforcing support plates 4, 5 are aligned with each other in the front-to-back direction and firmly support the legs 3, 3 by sandwiching them from both the left and right sides.

[0056] (Divider Plate 65) The top plate 61 of the central storage section 6 is wider than the top plates of the other storage sections. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 4A, it may bear the full weight of a television or other items placed on it. This raises concerns about the top plate 61 itself becoming significantly warped and the connection between the legs 3, 3 becoming broken. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, a partition plate 65 is provided. The partition plate 65 is fixedly connected to the underside of the top plate 61 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 62 with its upper and lower end surfaces abutting against each other to divide the interior of the storage section 6 into left and right sections. This allows the load on the top plate 61 to be shared by the bottom plate 62 located directly below. Because the bottom plate 62 is supported by the reinforcing support plate 4 and the columnar legs 67 (described later), it is not a problem if the weight load is shared by the top plate 61. The partition plate 65 is located approximately in the center of the storage section 6 in the left-right direction, and a shelf can be installed between the partition plate 65 and the side plates 64.

[0057] (Doors 66, 76, 86) As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the doors 66, 76, 86 allow the openings 6a, 7a, 8a formed in the front of each storage section 6, 7, 8 to be opened and closed individually. The door 66 of the storage section 6 has a lower end connected to the bottom plate 62 by a hinge HG. １ The left and right sides of the doors 76, 86 of the storage compartments 7, 8 are connected to the side plates 74, 84 by the opening adjustment stays ST, and the door angle when open is maintained approximately horizontal. ２ The doors are fixed via brackets 64 and can rotate horizontally. It is inevitable that each door will shift slightly forward or backward or tilt slightly, and this is easily noticeable when all the doors are closed. Therefore, as described above, the front ends of the side panels 64, 64 are protruded forward to camouflage any shifts or tilts.

[0058] (Column-shaped auxiliary leg 67) When a heavy item such as a television is placed on the top plate 61, the load on the bottom plate 62 also becomes considerably large. However, there is a gap between the reinforcing support plate 4 that reinforces the bottom plate 62 and the floor surface, and there is a concern that the reinforcing support plate 4 will become more flexed over time. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, a column-shaped auxiliary leg 67 is provided that hangs down from approximately the center of the underside of the bottom plate 62 and stands upright so as to touch the floor surface, thereby supporting the bottom plate 62. The auxiliary leg 67 comprises a rod-shaped leg main body 67a that is fixed at its upper end to the bottom plate 62 and has a nut portion at its lower end, and a pedestal 67b that has a bolt portion that screws into the nut portion and can be placed on or separated from the floor surface.

[0059] The auxiliary legs 67 are equipped with a length adjustment mechanism that allows the base 67b to move up and down as it is rotated relative to the leg body 67a. When a television or monitor is placed on the top surface of the storage section 6 and a large load is placed on the top plate 61 and bottom plate 62, the base 67b at the bottom can be moved downward to contact the floor, providing firm support from below. When the article stand 1 is installed against a wall together with a wall-mounted stand as described below, the base 67b can be moved away from the floor and the base of the wall-mounted stand can be placed below. When a television or the like is supported by a wall-mounted stand, the load on the top and bottom plates is small, so the auxiliary legs 67 do not necessarily need to be grounded. However, it goes without saying that they may be grounded if the top surface of the base of the wall-mounted stand has a shape that allows the base 67b to abut against it.

[0060] (Connection Structure Between Plates) The connection and fixation of the above-mentioned top plates 61, 71, 81, bottom plates 62, 72, 82, side plates 64, 74, 84, partition plate 65, and reinforcing support plates 4, 5 to one another is achieved by using a combination of a wooden cylindrical connecting shaft W, a cam lock bolt B, and a cam lock L as connecting members. Here, with reference to Figure 8, a case will be described in which the end faces (plate end faces) of the top plate 61 and the bottom plate 62 are connected and fixed to the side faces (plate faces) of two side plates 64 to form the central storage section 6. Note that the connection and fixation of the upper end face of the reinforcing support plate 4 to the lower face of the bottom plate 62, and the connection and fixation of the upper and lower end faces of the partition plate 65 to the lower face of the top plate 61 and the upper face of the bottom plate 62 are previously achieved by a combination of the connecting shaft W, a cam lock bolt B, and a cam lock L.

[0061] The joining shafts W are inserted at one end into insertion holes 64a provided in the side surfaces of each side plate 64 and at the other end into insertion holes 61a, 62a, 4a provided in the end surfaces of the top plate 61, the bottom plate 62, and the reinforcing support plate 4, thereby connecting the top plate 61 and the bottom plate 62 to the side plates 64. Adhesive is applied to both ends of each joining shaft W in advance, so that the joining shafts W are firmly fixed so as not to slip out of the insertion holes. The threaded portion of the cam lock bolt B is screwed into a pilot hole (not shown) provided in the side surface of each side plate 64, and the end surfaces of the top plate 61 and the bottom plate 62 are abutted against the side surfaces of the side plate 64, so that the head H on the side opposite the threaded portion is inserted into the insertion holes 61b, 62b provided in the end surfaces of the top plate 61 and the bottom plate 62.

[0062] These insertion operations are performed simultaneously with the joining operation using the connecting wooden shaft W. When the head H of the cam lock bolt B is inserted into the insertion holes 61b and 62b, the head H is exposed inside the cam lock holes 61c and 62c that open on the undersides of the top and bottom plates 61 and 62. Cam locks L are then engaged with the head H through the cam lock holes 61c and 62c, thereby securing the cam lock bolt B so that it does not slip out of the insertion holes 61b and 62b. As described above, the top and bottom plates 61 and 62 are connected to the side plates 64 by abutting the side end faces of the top and bottom plates 61 and 62 against the side faces of the side plate 64 and connecting and fixing the abutting faces with connecting members. When one side plate 64 is connected to the top and bottom plates 61 and 62, the back plate 63 is fitted so as to slide along the grooves T formed in the top and bottom plates 61 and 62.

[0063] The combination of connecting wooden shafts W, cam lock bolts B, and cam locks L is used when connecting the top and bottom plates 71 and 72 to the side plates 64, 74 to assemble the box-shaped body that forms the storage section 7, and when connecting the top and bottom plates 81 and 82 to the side plates 64, 84 to assemble the box-shaped body that forms the storage section 8. These connecting operations are also performed in the same manner as described above. That is, the connecting and fixing of plates is performed by abutting the plate surface of one plate with the plate end surface of the other plate and connecting and fixing the abutting surfaces with connecting members. Note that the insertion holes 64c of the connecting wooden shafts W and the pilot holes 64d of the cam lock bolts B provided in the side plate 64 to connect the top and bottom plates 71, 81 and 72, 82 are offset in the front-to-rear direction from the insertion holes 64a and pilot holes 64b for connecting the top and bottom plates 61 and 62. This is to prevent the joining members used for the top and bottom plates, which are fixed to the left and right sides of the side plates 64, from interfering with each other inside the side plates 64, while the top plates 61 and 71, 81 and the bottom plates 62 and 72, 82 are aligned in height. Also, for the same reason, the holes provided in the side plates 64 for connecting to the reinforcing support plate 4 are offset in the vertical direction from the holes for connecting to the reinforcing support plate 5.

[0064] (Effects of the Above Embodiment) The above embodiment provides the following effects. In the article storage stand 1 having a horizontally elongated, generally rectangular parallelepiped main body 2 in which three storage sections 6, 7, and 8 are integrated in the left-right direction, the top panels 61, 71, and 81, bottom panels 62, 72, and 82, and back panels 63, 73, and 83 of each storage section 6, 7, and 8 are all individually formed and connected and fixed via side panels 64, 64 shared by adjacent storage sections and separating each storage section, thereby forming the top surface 21, bottom surface 22, and back surface 23 of the main body 2. This makes it possible to construct an elongated article storage stand without using large top or bottom panels as in conventional furniture. As a result, the longitudinal dimensions of an assembly furniture set for the article storage stand, in which the components including the above boards are packaged, can be shortened and compressed, making it easier to load into a car when a consumer pulls up to the store and reducing delivery costs.

[0065] According to the above embodiment, the upper portions of the shared side panels 64, 64 slightly protrude upward from between the tabletops 61, 71, 81, and their upper end surfaces form minute steps 21a, 21a that are band-like in plan view and extend across the entire front-to-back direction on the top surface 21 of the main body 2, constituting part of the top surface 21 together with the tabletops 61, 71, 81. As a result, even if there is a vertical misalignment between adjacent tabletops, the minute steps 21a interposed between them separate the tabletops from the left and right, and by protruding upward from each tabletop, the vertical misalignment between the tabletops is camouflaged. Although it is virtually impossible to eliminate steps at the joints between tabletops in assembled furniture, this can be recognized by consumers as a design intended to form part of the top surface 21, rather than as irregular irregularities that appear on the top surface 21 of the main body 2. It should be noted that making the side plates 64 protrude slightly (for example, by a certain height of about 0.5 to 2 mm) from the upper surface of the top plate can be easily achieved by properly managing the dimensions of the plate material. The design value of the protrusion amount of the minute step portion 21 a can be determined appropriately taking into consideration dimensional errors that may occur in actual plate material processing.

[0066] According to the above embodiment, the lower portions of the shared side panels 64, 64 protrude downward from between the bottom panels 62, 72, 82 to form a pair of opposing wall-like legs 3, 3 that stably support the main body 2 while keeping it raised above the floor. The side panels 64, 64 are members that extend across the entire main body 2 in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions, and form key parts of the main body 2 by connecting the top and bottom panels of the three storage sections 6, 7, 8. The side panels that form these key parts become the wall-like legs 3, 3 that stand upright on the floor. Therefore, unlike conventional furniture in which rod-like legs are attached separately to the main body, they are unlikely to come off due to stress such as the weight of the main body 2. Furthermore, providing the legs 3, 3 does not complicate the structure or assembly process of the furniture or increase the number of parts. The legs 3, 3 raise the main body 2 above the floor surface, giving a stylish impression and making it easier to clean the floor surface below the main body 2.

[0067] According to the above embodiment, when a video display device such as a television is installed on the upper surface (item placement surface) 21 of the main body 2, a stand S (base S) that is narrower in width than the main body of the video display device and is provided at one center position or two positions on both the left and right ends is used. Ｂ 4(a) so as to be fitted between the left and right minute step portions 21a, 21a, or as shown in FIG. 4(b) so as to straddle both the left and right outer sides of the left and right minute step portions 21a, 21a, the image display device can be visually stabilized in the center of the upper surface 21 formed symmetrically on the left and right, and can be attached to the stand S or base S. Ｂ When the distance between the stands S, S provided at both the left and right ends is approximately the same as the distance between the minute steps 21 a, 21 a, one stand S can be placed between the left and right minute steps 21 a, 21 a, and the other stand S can be placed outside the gap between the left and right minute steps 21 a, 21 a, so that the image display device can be placed approximately in the center of the upper surface 21.

[0068] According to the above embodiment, the top plate 61, bottom plate 62, and back plate 63 constituting the central storage section 6 are at least 2.5 times wider than the top plates 71, 81, bottom plates 72, 82, and back plates 73, 83 constituting the outer left and right storage sections 7, and the dimensional ratio is set large so that the width of the central storage section 6 is sufficiently longer than the widths of the outer left and right storage sections 7, 8. As a result, the spacing between the left and right minute steps 21a, 21a is wide, and even an image display device having a wide stand base in the center can be stably installed in the center of the upper surface 21 without riding over the minute steps 21a, 21a. Furthermore, the spacing between the pair of left and right legs 3, 3 is also wide on the main body 2, so that the main body 2 is stably supported.

[0069] According to the above embodiment, the distance between the left and right minute step portions 21a, 21a is determined by the width of the top plate 61, bottom plate 62 and back plate 63, and by changing these width dimensions, it is possible to easily arrange multiple sizes of item loading tables that can accommodate various sizes of image display devices, with little need to change other components.

[0070] According to the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, when a wall-mounted stand S that supports a television T at a position higher than the main body 2 is installed against a wall, the base WS of the wall-mounted stand WS is Ｂ By moving the article stand 1 close to the wall so that the TV T is accommodated between the left and right legs 3, 3, it is possible to arrange the TV T, the article stand 1, and the main body 2 so that they are substantially symmetrical, and the storage sections 6, 7, 8 are positioned substantially directly below the TV T. Note that there are a reinforcing support plate 4 and columnar legs 67 below the storage section 6, but the legs 67 can be separated from the floor by a length adjustment mechanism, and the base WS of the wall-mounted stand can be adjusted. Ｂ The support plate 4 and the columnar leg 67 may be passed under the support plate 4 and the columnar leg 67.

[0071] According to the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are provided to connect and fix to the undersides of the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 and the side surfaces of the wall-like legs 3, 3, thereby preventing the connection between the legs and the bottom plate in each storage section from breaking and improving the load-bearing capacity of each bottom plate. The reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are connected and fixed so that their right-angle portions and the two sides sandwiching the right-angle portions are aligned with the bottom plate and the legs, thereby maintaining the relative positions and crossing relationship between the legs 3, 3 and the bottom plate 72, 82. Since the wall-like legs 3, 3 are fixed so that they are sandwiched between the reinforcing support plates 4 and 5 on both the left and right sides, tilting is reliably prevented, improving the upright stability of the legs. The reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are connected to the legs 3, 3, but they also connect the side panels of the storage section formed integrally with the legs 3, 3 to the bottom plate, thereby strengthening the structure of the storage sections 6, 7, 8 and the main body 2. The reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are formed individually from one another like the top plate, bottom plate and back plate of each storage section, and are not long horizontal members that span the entire width of the furniture, so they do not hinder the longitudinal dimension of the packaged assembled furniture set from being shortened and compressed.

[0072] According to the above embodiment, the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 and the legs 3, 3 have a length that extends over substantially the entire front-to-rear direction of the main body 2, while the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 that are connected and fixed to them are provided so as to be perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the main body 2. This allows the attachment positions of the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 to be moved in the front-to-rear direction, the thickness of the reinforcing support plates to be increased, or the number of attached reinforcing support plates to be increased. In other words, if a problem with the appearance or strength of the reinforcing support plates 4 and 5, 5 is detected through evaluation of a prototype, it can be easily addressed if it can be addressed by changing the attachment position, thickness, number, etc.

[0073] According to the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 provided below the storage sections 7, 8 on both the left and right sides of the main body 2 have their lower end surfaces in contact with the floor, and serve as auxiliary legs to help raise the main body 2 above the floor, thereby firmly supporting the storage sections 7, 8 that are cantilevered by the side plates 64 so that they do not fall off. The auxiliary legs abut against both the floor and the legs 3, thereby strongly preventing the legs 3 from tilting relative to the floor, and further improving the upright stability of the legs 3.

[0074] According to the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 5, 5 are set narrower in width than the bottom plates 72, 82, and the outer edges are inclined so as to narrow from the upper end to the lower end, so that when the article platform 1 is viewed from above, it is hidden behind the storage sections 7, 8, giving it a visually neat impression. Furthermore, even if the article platform 1 is installed close to a corner of a room, it is possible to reach behind the reinforcing support plates 5 through the gap between the reinforcing support plates 5 and the wall to clean the floor. Furthermore, since the reinforcing support plates 5 are set back from both the left and right ends of the main body 2, accidents such as getting one's little toe caught and injured are prevented.

[0075] According to the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are provided rearward from the center in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom plate, so that when the article platform 1 is viewed from above the front, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are hidden behind the main body 2 and are difficult to see, resulting in a neat appearance. When the space below the main body 2 is used as a storage space, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are located rearward, which increases the convenience of the storage space.

[0076] According to the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plate 4 is provided so as to span the pair of left and right legs 3, 3, and its upper end surface is connected and fixed to the bottom plate 62, and its left and right side end surfaces are connected and fixed to the left and right legs 3, 3, so that the legs 3, 3 support each other via the reinforcing support plate 4, which more effectively prevents tilting of each leg 3. Furthermore, since the reinforcing support plate 4 is set back upward so that its lower end surface is separated from the floor surface, it does not interfere with installing the article platform 1 together with the wall-mounted stand close to a wall.

[0077] According to the above embodiment, the load-bearing capacity of the bottom plate 61 is further improved by providing upright columnar legs 67 that hang down from approximately the center of the bottom plate 62 of the central storage section 6 and ground the lower end pedestal 67b to the floor. The reinforcing support plate 4 that reinforces the bottom plate 62 has a gap between it and the floor, which raises concerns about increased deflection of the reinforcing support plate 4 over time. However, by having the legs 67 grounded to the floor and supporting the bottom plate 62, this deflection of the reinforcing support plate 4 can be prevented. The legs 67 have a length adjustment mechanism, so that when the article platform 1 is installed close to a wall together with a wall-mounted stand, the legs 67 can be separated from the floor and the base of the wall-mounted stand can be placed underneath them. If the upper surface of the base of the wall-mounted stand has a shape that allows the pedestal 67b to abut against it, the legs 67 may abut against the base of the stand after installation.

[0078] According to the above embodiment, the central storage section 6 is provided with a partition plate 65 that is fixed at both upper and lower end surfaces to the underside of the top plate 61 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 62 and divides the interior of the storage section 6 into left and right sections, so that the weight load on the top plate 61 can be shared by the bottom plate 62 via the partition plate 65. As described above, the bottom plate 62 is supported by the reinforcing support plate 4 and the columnar legs 67, so that deflection of the top plate 61 and failure of the connection between the top plate 61 and the side plates 64, 64 are reliably prevented.

[0079] According to the above embodiment, the upper end faces of the left and right side plates 74, 84 are covered and hidden by the top plates 71, 81, so that only the dividing lines formed by the left and right minute steps 21a, 21a are visible on the upper surface of the main body 2, and no other unnecessary dividing lines are visible, resulting in a visually neat appearance. In addition, the bottom faces of the top plates 71, 81 are connected to the side plates 74, 84 at their undersides, while the side end faces of the bottom plates 72, 82 are connected, and the different orientations of the joining surfaces make it less likely that the joining portions will break.

[0080] According to the above embodiment, the top plates 61, 71, 81 that form the upper surface 21 of the main body 2 are all connected via side plates that are shared with the adjacent storage sections, but the back plates 63, 73, 83 are fitted into an approximately rectangular frame formed by a top plate, a bottom plate, and two side plates, thereby supporting each top plate and maintaining the intersection angle (right angle) of each plate member, preventing the main body 2 from being suddenly destroyed even if excessive load is applied, such as by a person standing on the top surface of the main body 2.

[0081] According to the above embodiment, the side panels 64, 64 that separate the storage sections 6, 7, 8 are protruded forward from the doors 66, 76, 86 and are interposed between adjacent doors, thereby camouflaging the differences in the front-to-back positions and inclinations of adjacent doors so that they cannot be directly compared. This prevents slight misalignment of the doors in the front-to-back direction or slight inclination from being unnecessarily viewed as a problem.

[0082] (Variations of the above embodiment) In the above embodiment, an assembly furniture with an item storage table 1 having three storage sections integrated in the left-right direction and forming a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to other assembly furniture having two or four or more storage sections integrated in the left-right direction and forming a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the upper parts of the side plates 64, 64 shared by adjacent storage units protrude upward from the upper surfaces of the top plates 61, 71, 81 to form minute steps 21a, 21a, and the lower parts of the side plates 64 protrude downward from the lower surfaces of the bottom plates 62, 72, 82 to form legs 3, 3 that support the main body unit 2 so that it is raised above the floor surface, but it is also possible to form only either minute steps or legs, or to form neither. A specific example of not providing minute steps is to expose the upper parts of the side plates shared by adjacent storage units on the top surface of the main body unit between the top plates so that they do not protrude upward from the top surface of the top plate (so that they are approximately flush with the top surface of the top plate or so that they are recessed downward from the top surface of the top plate) and form part of the top surface. A specific example of not providing legs is to expose the lower parts of the side panels shared by adjacent storage units on the underside of the main body between the bottom plates so that they do not protrude below the underside of the bottom plate (so that they are roughly flush with the underside of the bottom plate or so that they are recessed above the underside of the bottom plate) and form part of the underside. Note that instead of having the upper parts of the side panels shared by adjacent storage units protrude slightly above the top surface of the tabletop as small steps, they may protrude to form walls on the top surface of the main body that are tall enough to support books from the sides and prevent them from falling over, like a book stand.

[0084] In the above embodiment, insertion holes or pilot holes for inserting the joining shafts W or cam bolts B are provided in the plate faces and plate end faces, which are the contact surfaces between the plate materials, and the contact surfaces are connected and fixed with connecting members such as joining shafts or cam bolts, but other connecting members may be used instead of or in addition to these. For example, L-shaped metal fittings may be used to connect orthogonal plate faces or plate end faces.

[0085] In the above embodiment, each storage section 6, 7, 8 is comprised of a top panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, and left and right side panels. However, if the storage section does not need to be closed, for example, some or all of the back panel may be omitted. Also, some or all of the doors that close the front opening may not face the front. In the above embodiment, the side panels shared by adjacent storage sections protrude forward to separate the adjacent doors, but this forward protrusion may be eliminated.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the reinforcing support plates 4, 5, 5 are provided so as to be perpendicular to the bottom plates 61, 71, 81 and the side plates 3, 3 and are connected and fixed to the undersides of the bottom plates 61, 71, 81 and the undersides of the side surfaces of the legs 3. However, instead of or in addition to these, other reinforcing support members may be provided which are connected and fixed to the undersides of the bottom plates 61, 71, 81 and the undersides of the side surfaces of the legs 3. For example, L-shaped metal fittings may be attached which are connected and fixed to the undersides of the bottom plates 61, 71, 81 and the undersides of the side surfaces of the legs 3.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the columnar auxiliary legs 67 are provided only below the central storage section 6 (some of the storage sections), but they may be provided below all of the storage sections. In the above embodiment, the partition plate, which is connected and fixed at both the top and bottom ends to the top and bottom plates to divide the storage section into left and right sections, is provided only in the central storage section 6 (some of the storage sections), but it may be provided below all of the storage sections. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0088] 1 Item placement table (furniture) 2 Main body 21 Upper surface (item placement surface) 21a Minute step portion 22 Lower surface 23 Back surface 3 Legs 4 Reinforcement support plate 5 Reinforcement support plate (auxiliary leg portion) 6 Storage section (storage section located in the center) 6a Opening 61 Top plate 62 Bottom plate 63 Back plate 64 Side plate (shared side plate) 65 Partition plate 66 Door 67 Column-shaped leg portion 7 Storage section (storage section located on the left side) 71 Top plate 72 Bottom plate 73 Back plate 74 Side plate 8 Storage section (storage section located on the right side) 81 Top plate 82 Bottom plate 83 Back plate 84 Side plate

Claims

A piece of furniture comprising a body section formed by integrating three storage sections in the left-right direction and having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and legs provided below the body section and supporting the body section so as to raise it above a floor surface, each storage section comprises at least a top panel, a bottom panel, and left and right side panels, and the side panels of each storage section that are adjacent to other storage sections are all shared with the other adjacent storage sections, and the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections, and the sides of the side panels that are shared with the other adjacent storage sections are formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections so that the height positions of the storage sections are aligned with each other ... a bottom plate of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom plates of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed to the bottom plate of the other storage sections so that its side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the shared side plates to form the lower surface of the main body section, and the shared side plates have upper parts which protrude upward from between the top plates and whose upper end faces form tiny steps that are band-shaped in a plan view on the upper surface, and lower parts which protrude downward from between the bottom plates to form a pair of left and right wall-like legs that stand upright so as to abut their lower end faces against the floor surface. A piece of furniture having a main body formed by integrating a plurality of storage sections in the left-right direction and having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, each storage section consisting of at least a top panel, a bottom panel, and left and right side panels, each of the side panels of each storage section that is adjacent to another storage section is shared with the other adjacent storage section, the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the side panel shared with the other adjacent storage section to form an upper surface of the main body, and the bottom panel of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom panels of the other storage sections and is connected and fixed so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the shared side panel to form a lower surface of the main body. a top panel of each storage section formed separately from the top panels of the other storage sections and connected and fixed to the other storage sections so that their heights are aligned and that their side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the side panels shared with the other adjacent storage sections to form an upper surface of the main body section; a bottom panel of each storage section formed separately from the bottom panels of the other storage sections and connected and fixed to the other storage sections so that their side end faces abut against the side surfaces of the shared side panels to form a lower surface of the main body section; and an upper portion of the shared side panels protrudes upward from between the top panels, and the upper end surfaces form a minute step that is band-shaped in a plan view on the upper surface. a side panel of each storage section that is adjacent to another storage section is shared with the other adjacent storage section; the top panel of each storage section is formed separately from the top panel of the other storage section and is connected and fixed to the top panel of the other storage section so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the side panel shared with the other adjacent storage section to form an upper surface of the main body section; the bottom panel of each storage section is formed separately from the bottom panel of the other storage section and is connected and fixed to the bottom panel of the other storage section so that its side end surface abuts against the side surface of the shared side panel to form a lower surface of the main body section; and the shared side panels form upright wall-like legs whose lower parts protrude downward between the bottom panel and whose lower end surfaces abut against the floor surface.

Images