Folding frame for a table

Abstract

Folding frame for a table placeable on a reference surface, comprising - a first structural element comprising a first support surround that defines internally a first area and that has a first lateral end and a second lateral end opposite to each other along a longitudinal direction that is substantially parallel in use to the reference surface and a first upper portion designed to support in use a removable support plane, and front cover means supported by the first surround so as to fill at least partially the first area; - a second structural element comprising a second upper portion designed to support the support plane, the second structural element being connected to the first lateral end of the first surround so as to be able to rotate with respect to the first structural element around a first axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; the front cover means comprising a movable panel that can be selectively moved between a closure position in which it fills at least partially the first area and an opening position in which it is placed substantially parallel to the reference surface.

Description

[0001] FOLDING FRAME FOR A TABLE

[0002] The present invention relates to a folding frame for a table , and particularly for a table usable for setting up a buf fet .

[0003] In the catering sector, the buf fet format for serving meals is becoming increasingly popular, particularly during large events where it is necessary to serve a meal as varied as possible to a large number of participants .

[0004] As is known, when setting up a buf fet , food is placed on large serving dishes or trays , which are then placed on speci fic service tables so that the buf fet participants can help themselves to their favourite food . Dishes , cutlery, glasses , napkins , pitchers and bottles for beverages , and anything else necessary for a comfortable meal , as well as flowers and other decorative elements that help to create an atmosphere , are further placed on the service tables .

[0005] Additionally, it is becoming more common also to place cooking tiles on the service tables for on-the-spot express cooking of at least part of the served food : such cooking tiles can have , for example , stoves , induction hobs , or electric grills . It may also be necessary to place refrigerated display cases for beverages or other cooled food showcases on the service tables .

[0006] It is therefore apparent that the total support surface that must be provided by the service tables is proportional to the number of buf fet participants and the amount of food being served, and can thus be very large . Accordingly, it is often necessary to have very large tables or a large number of tables .

[0007] However, when the buf fet must be set up in a room that is not exclusively used for serving buf fet meals ( such as large restaurant halls , hotel lobbies , conference rooms , or gardens ) , it is necessary to temporarily place the service tables in such a room and then remove them once the meal is over : in these cases , the logistics management of very large or numerous tables is particularly complicated .

[0008] For this reason, folding or dismountable tables are often used, which can be easily transported in a compact configuration to the buf fet setup room and then placed in the operating configuration only there .

[0009] This solution, however, only partially solves the logistical problem described above because , even in a compact configuration, such tables are still di fficult to transport when they are very large or numerous . Furthermore , there may be situations where the setup room itsel f limits the number of service tables that can be placed inside , due to the s i ze of the room or the presence of other furniture or obj ects , forcing therefore a reduction in the total support surface usable for the food and other obj ects to be placed on the service tables .

[0010] The obj ect of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks and, in particular, to reali ze a folding frame for a table that allows to have a wide support surface for food and other obj ects , such as for example dishes , cutlery, glasses , and napkins , while being easy to transport and mount and having minimal footprint even when placed in the operating configuration . This and other results are achieved according to the present invention by reali zing a frame as set forth in claim 1 and a table according to claim 8 .

[0011] Further features of the frame and the table are the obj ect of the dependent claims .

[0012] The present invention will now be described, by way of illustration, but not limitation, according to its preferred embodiments , with reference to the figures of the attached drawings , in which :

[0013] - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a frame according to the invention in the operating configuration, with the movable panel placed in the closure position;

[0014] - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the frame of Figure 1 , with the movable panel placed in the opening position and with a removable support plane installed to reali ze a table ;

[0015] - Figure 3 is a perspective view of Figure 1 from a di f ferent point of observation;

[0016] - Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a detail of Figure 3 included in the circle indicated with IV;

[0017] - Figure 5 is a perspective view of the frame of Figure

[0018] 1 in the folded configuration, with the movable panel placed in the closure position;

[0019] - Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a detail of Figure 5 included in the circle indicated with VI ;

[0020] - Figure 7 is a perspective view of a folding table according to the invention, during an installation operation of the support plane .

[0021] With reference to Figure 1 , the folding frame as a whole is indicated by 1 , for a table 100 (visible in Figure 7 ) placeable on a reference surface S .

[0022] The frame 1 comprises a first structural element 2 composed of a first support surround 20 of a rectangular shape that defines internally a first area, in which front cover means 21 are placed (being supported by the first surround 20 ) that therefore fill at least partially the first area .

[0023] The first surround 20 is preferably made of stainless steel and extends along a longitudinal direction X substantially parallel to the reference surface S between a first lateral end 201 and a second lateral end 202 opposite to each other, which correspond to the sides perpendicular to the reference surface S of the first surround 20 . The first surround 20 also has a first upper portion 203 and a first lower portion 204 opposite to each other along a vertical direction Y that i s perpendicular to the reference surface S and therefore perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X ; in particular, the first upper portion 203 is designed to support a removable support plane 8 (partially shown in Figure 2 ) , which in use is laid upon it to form a table 100 ( illustrated in Figure 7 ) , while the first lower portion 204 is designed to face the reference surface S . The first surround 20 further comprises two first support elements 22 designed to lay upon the reference surface S : the first support elements 22 are shaped as feet , which can be connected from below, for example , to the first lateral end 201 and the second lateral end 202 , respectively .

[0024] The front cover means 21 comprise a movable panel 211 that can be selectively moved between a closure position, in which it fills at least partially the first area, and an opening position, in which it is placed substantially parallel to the reference surface S and is preferably placed below the support plane 8 when the latter is laid upon the first upper portion 203 to form the table 100 . In more detail , the front cover means 21 also comprise a first rectangular panel 212 supported by the first surround 20 ( and in particular by the first lower portion 204 , between the first lateral end 201 and the second lateral end 202 ) that fills a lower fraction of the first area that is adj acent to the first lower portion 204 , while the movable panel 211 , also rectangular, is hinged to an upper end of the first panel 212 along an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction X . In this way, the movable panel 211 can be moved from the closure position, in which it fills an upper fraction of the first area that is complementary to ( and therefore placed above , so as to cover the entire first area ) the lower fraction and is adj acent to the first upper portion 203 , to the opening position by simply tilting the movable panel 211 itsel f by about 90 ° around the hinge axis and placing it below the support plane 8 when the latter is laid upon the first upper portion 203 to form the table 100 ( the movable panel 211 in the opening position is depicted in Figure 2 ) .

[0025] The frame 1 further comprises a second structural element 3 composed of a second surround 30 of a rectangular shape that defines internally a second area, in which first lateral cover means 31 are placed (being supported by the second surround 30 ) that therefore fill at least partially the second area .

[0026] The second surround 30 is preferably made of stainless steel and has a second upper portion 303 designed to support the removable support plane 8 when the latter is laid upon the first upper portion 203 to form the table 100 , and a second lower portion 304 opposite the second upper portion 303 along the vertical direction Y, which is designed to face the reference surface S . The second surround 30 preferably also comprises a second support element 32 designed to lay upon the reference surface S . The second structural element 3 is hinged (preferably at a lateral portion of the second surround 30 ) to the first lateral end 201 of the first surround 20 , so as to be able to rotate with respect to the first structural element 2 around a first axis substantially parallel to the vertical direction Y, i . e . , substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and the reference surface S . In particular, the second structural element 3 can rotate by 90 ° with respect to the first structural element 2 between a folded position, in which it is adj acent to the first structural element 2 and identi fies a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction X and the vertical direction Y, and an operating position, in which it forms a substantially right angle with the first structural element 2 and identi fies a plane paral lel to the vertical direction Y and a transverse direction Z , the transverse direction Z being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and the vertical direction Y .

[0027] The first lateral cover means 31 preferably consist of a second panel 31 supported by the second surround 30 so as to entirely fill the second area .

[0028] Preferably, the second structural element 3 also comprises a first stop element 305 supported by the second lower portion 304 of the second surround 30 : the first stop element 305 is designed to support the movable panel 211 in the opening position, providing it with a support point against the force of gravity .

[0029] Similarly, the frame 1 also comprises a third structural element 4 hinged to the second lateral end 202 of the first surround 20 , so as to be able to rotate with respect to the first structural element 2 around a second axis substantially parallel to the vertical direction Y, i . e . , substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, between a folded position and an operating position .

[0030] The third structural element 4 comprises in particular a third surround 40 having a third upper portion 403 and a third lower portion 404 , second lateral cover means 41 consisting of a third panel 41 , a third support element 42 , and a second stop element 405 (visible in Figure 3 ) . With reference to Figures 3 and 4 , the frame 1 comprises a first locking device designed to keep the movable panel 211 in the closure position . More particularly, the first locking device comprises a first lever 51 and a second lever 52 born by the movable panel 211 , respectively comprising a first engagement portion 511 and a second engagement portion 521 ( visible in Figure 2 ) . The first lever 51 and the second lever 52 can be selectively maneuvered so as to insert , when the movable panel 211 is in the closure position, respectively the first engagement portion 511 and the second engagement portion 521 in corresponding first seat 512 and second seat (not visible in the figures ) reali zed in the first upper portion 203 of the first surround 20 .

[0031] With reference to Figures 5 and 6 , the frame 1 also comprises a second locking device and a third locking device designed to keep respectively the second structural element 3 and the third structural element 4 in their respective folded positions . In particular, the second locking device comprises a first pin 61 born by the first structural element 2 and movable along the longitudinal direction X by manually operating a first ring 62 , and a corresponding first seat (not visible in the figures ) reali zed in the second structural element 3 : by operating the f irst ring 62 , it is possible to move the first pin 61 , inserting it or pulling it out from the first seat, accordingly locking or unlocking the rotation of the second structural element 3 with respect to the first structural element 2 .

[0032] Similarly, the third locking device comprises a second pin 71 born by the first structural element 2 and movable along the longitudinal direction X by manually operating a second ring 72 , and a corresponding second seat (not visible in the figures ) reali zed in the third structural element 4 .

[0033] During the installation operation of the frame 1 , it is initially placed in the folded configuration of Figure 5, i . e . in which the movable panel 211 is in the closure position and the second structural element 3 and the third structural element 4 are in the folded position . The second locking device and the third locking device are then operated, and the second structural element 3 and the third structural element 4 are rotated with respect to the first structural element 2 by about 90 ° around their respective rotation axes , so as to place the frame 1 in the operating configuration of Figure 1 . At this point , it is possible to decide whether to operate the first locking device and move the movable panel 211 to the opening position : in this case , an additional service plane is obtained, placed below the support plane 8 , increasing the usable surface for placing food and other obj ects necessary for the buf fet without modi fying the overall footprint of the frame 1 and maintaining the ability to fold it and thus transport it conveniently .

[0034] In order to complete the setup of the table 100 , as illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 7 , once the frame 1 is placed in the operating configuration, it is suf ficient to lay the support plane 8 and possibly a support bar 9 between the second surround 30 and the third surround 40 upon the first upper portion 203 , the second upper portion 303 , and the third upper portion 403 .

[0035] More particularly, as visible in Figure 7 , the support plane 8 can comprise , for example , one or more removable support tiles 81 of di f ferent shapes and si zes , and / or one or more removable cooking tiles (not illustrated) , which have , for example , stoves , induction hobs , or electric grills , and / or removable cooled food showcases . It is therefore clear that the present invention i s perfectly capable of overcoming the drawbacks of the state of the art described above . In particular, the frame 1 allows to reali ze a table that , with equal footprint in both the folded configuration and the operating configuration, of fers the widest possible support surface for food and other obj ects , due to the ability to move the movable panel 211 to the opening position, while still being easy to transport and easy to install .

[0036] The present invention has been described, by way o f illustration, but not limitation, according to its preferred embodiments , but it is to be understood that variations and / or modi fications can be made by those skilled in the art without thereby departing from the related scope of protection as de fined in the attached claims .

Claims

CLAIMS1) Folding frame (1) for a table (100) placeable on a reference surface (S) , comprising- a first structural element (2) comprising a first support surround (20) that defines internally a first area and that has a first lateral end (201) and a second lateral end (202) opposite to each other along a longitudinal direction (X) substantially parallel in use to said reference surface (S) and a first upper portion (203) designed to support in use a removable support plane (8) , and front cover means (21) supported by said first surround (20) so as to fill at least partially said first area;- a second structural element (3) comprising a second upper portion (303) designed to support said support plane (8) , said second structural element (3) being connected to said first lateral end (201) of said first surround (20) so as to be able to rotate with respect to said first structural element (2) around a first axis substantially perpendicular in use to said reference surface ( S ) ; characterized in that said front cover means (21) comprise a movable panel (211) that can be selectively moved between a closure position in which it fills at least partially said first area and an opening position in which it is placed substantially parallel to said reference surface (S) .2) Frame (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said front cover means (21) comprise a first panel (212) designed to fill a lower fraction of said first area that is adjacent to a first lower portion (204) of said first surround (20) , said first lower portion (204) beingopposite to said first upper portion (203) along a vertical direction (Y) that is perpendicular in use to said reference surface (S) , said mobile panel (211) being hinged to said first panel (212) along an axis that is substantially parallel to said longitudinal direction (X) , so as to, when said mobile panel (211) is in said closure position, fill an upper fraction of said first area that is complementary to said lower fraction and is adjacent to said first upper portion (203) .3) Frame (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a first locking device designed to keep said mobile panel (211) in said closure position.4) Frame (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said first locking device comprises a first lever (51) born by said mobile panel (211) and having a first engagement portion (511) , said first lever (51) being selectively handleable to insert or pull out said first engagement portion (511) in or from a corresponding first seat (512) realized in said first surround (20) .5) Frame (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second structural element (3) comprises a first stop element (305) designed to support said mobile panel (211) in said opening position.6) Frame (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that said second structural element (3) comprises a second surround (30) hinged to said first lateral end (201) of said first surround (20) , said second surround (30) comprising said second upper portion (303) and a second lower portion (304) opposite to said second upper portion (303) along a vertical direction (Y) perpendicular in use to said reference surface (S) , said first stop element (305) being supported by said second lowerportion ( 304 ) .7) Frame (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a third structural element (4) comprising a third upper portion (403) designed to support said support plane (8) , said third structural element (4) being connected to said second lateral end (202) of said first surround (20) so as to be able to rotate with respect to said first structural element (2) around a second axis substantially parallel to said first axis.8) Frame (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that said third structural element (4) comprises a second stop element (405) designed to support said mobile panel (211) in said opening position.9) Table (100) placeable on a reference surface (S) , comprising :- a frame (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 7;- a removable support plane (8) laid upon said first upper portion (203) and second upper portion (303) .10) Table (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that said support plane (8) comprises one or more removable support tiles (81) and / or one or more removable cooking tiles and / or one or more removable cooled food showcases .

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