US1144398A - Convertible furniture. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. THOMMEN.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE. APPLICATION man DE02, 1914.

l l 44, 398 Patented June 29, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

d l @No G/WOMXO;

1HE NOR'RIS PETERS Ca. PHOTO-I ITHO.. WASHING rON. DV C.

WILLIAM n. l'rrro1m/isla, or Pom? WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB/ TO WISCONSIN CHAIR COMPANY, 0F PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

igieases.

T0 all cai/om it may concern Be it known that/I, VILLIAM H. THOM- nnN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Port Washington, in the county of Ozaukee and State` of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Furniture; andl do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to convertible furniture especially designed with a view to maximum utility combined with compactness and convenience, whereby such articles are especially adaptable for general use in apartments or dwellings wherein floor space" is an element that must be taken into rconsideration in furnishing as well as comfort, convenience and economy.

Withthe above object in view the invention is designed to provide a simple, economical and effective foldable buffet, cabinetor analogous article combined witha table, thel cabinet having a main body to which at its upper" edge there is hingedly secured a table leaf of a foldable pair. An essential feature of the invention is also the provision wherein the main cabinet is flankedby wing sections in hinge connection therewith, which wing sections are alined with the main cabinet when the device is used as a buffet and are folded back rearwardly to form a compact rectangular body or column for the support of the table leaves when said cabinet is converted into a center or dining table. Y

Another object of my invention is to provide a removable locker, tray or` cabinet compartment adapted to be fitted overV the flexible main cabinet and wings thereof, which capping tray or cabinet is provided with a dowel connection in conjunction with the foldable cabinet wings, whereby these parts are locked in their distended position when the article of furniture is used as a buffet.

With the above and other minor objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of the combination buffet or sideboard and table assembled to be uti- Speceation of Letters Patent.

Patented@ une 29, i915.

Applicationied December 2, 1914.. serial No. 875,172.

lized as a buffet; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the same converted into a table; Fig. 3, a plan view of the cabinet elements with the capping cabinet removed showing the table leaves and other hinge connections folded back of the several cabinet compartments; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 5, an inverted plan view of the removable capping tray or cabinet, and Fig. 6, a detailed cross-section through the front iush-joint connection between the main cabinet and one of the wing cabinets.

Referring by characters to the drawings, A represents a rectangular main cabinet provided with the usual doors and chamber subdivisions together with an upper drawer, the latter being directly under its solid top 2. The main cabinet is provided with front and rear leg posts 3, 3', respectively, which posts form the corner pillars for the parallel sides si and back 5 of the cabinet. The main cabinet is flanked by duplicate wing cabinets B, B, which cabinet wings are similar in all respects to the main cabinet with the exception that they are one-half the size of the latter as to width. The front leg posts 3 of the maincabinet, as shown, are slightly extended beyond the side walls to form finishing valances or channels for the reception of the inner front corner posts 6, 6, -of the wing cabinets. rlhe auxiliary or wing cabinets are also supported by leg extensions-of the outer front corner posts G and the rear corner posts 7. Thus each wing cabinet is provided with three supporting legs. The inner rear posts 7 are secured to the rear corner post 3 ofthe main cabinet by hinges 8, 8, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. rlhus the wing cabinet sections are hingedly connected to the rear corners of the main cabinet and are also supported by the triple legs, which legs are adapted to describe arcs of a circle about the hinge point, it being understood that all of the legs of the several cabinet sections are equipped with suitable casters.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rear upper edge of the main cabinet top 2 has secured thereto hinges 10, 10, which hinges carry a main table leaf 1l, the same being arranged to swing outwardly and fold downwardly as shown. The outer corner of the hinged edge of the main table leaf 1l is provided with countersunk hinge members 12, 12, which are secured to the inner edges of a second or auxiliary table leaf member 11. The leaf member is arranged to swing in the same plane as the main table leaf member whereby it is folded down thereon when not in use and when the device is assembled as a table the auxiliary leaf is folded over and supported by the top 2 of the main cabinet section A while the main leaf section is similarly supported by the wing cabinet members B, B', which members are then swung back of the `main cabinet forming a combined column for supporting the table leaf before mentioned, it being understood that the 4tops of the cabinet'sections are all upon a common plane. In order to effect a flush joint between the table leaves when they are spread, the auxiliary table leaf 11, as shown in Fig. 3, is notched as at 10 to form sockets, whereby the hinge member 10 may be nested therein.

The tops 13 of the wing cabinet members B and B are provided with dowel receiving apertures 13 along the rear and inner edges thereof for the reception of dowelpins 9, 9, which extend from the bottom edges of side panels lil of a removable capping tray or cabinet member' D, the said cabinet member being provided with doors -for access to a compartment which may be diveded in any suitable manner. The capping cabinet D has hingedlyconnected to its rear corners rail members 15, 15, which rail members extend over the rear edges of the wing cabinet tops and are also provided with dowel pins 9 forsoclreting in the rear series of dowel holes 13. Thus when the capping cabinet is fitted into position upon the top 2 of the main cabinet A and its rail members are positioned as shown in Fig. 1, the dowel coupling means before mentioned will securely lock the foldable wing cabinet sections in their proper distendedposition necessary to remove the capping tray D, fold the wing cabinet sections B, B, back of the main cabinet whereby a rectangular column is formed, it being apparent that before completing the fold mentioned the table leaves are swung to their horizontal spaced position, as shown in Fig. 2,whereby they are rigidly sustained and, as best shown in Fig. 3, when the buffet element is utilized, the table leaves are folded back concealed from view and in such folded position they are compactly and conveniently stored. It should be understood also that I may, without departing from the spirit of my invention, under certain conditions, dis-- pense with a solid top for the main cabinet section A and utilize the bottom of the capping cabinet or tray D to close such opening when the article of furniture is used as a buffet, and when the same is assembled as a table the auxiliary leaf 11 will serve as a closure for `said top.

I claim:

A convertible article of-furniture comprising a main rectangular cabinet, wing cabinet sections in hinge connection with the rear corners of said main cabinet and adapted to fold outwardly to form cabinet extensions or to fold backwardly to form a center table supporting column, a capping tray member adapted to be fitted over the tops of the cabinet sections, means for locking the tray to the` wing sections of said cabinet, and a pair of hingedly connected table leaves one of which is in hinge connection with the rear upper corner of the main cabinet section.

In testimony that I `claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Port Washington in the county of Ozaukee and State of Wisconsin in the .presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. rHoMMEN.

Witnesses IDA PROVINSKI, EMMA KRATZER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner `of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

Images