Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns foldable furniture made of a multilayered material, preferably a cardboard or plastic material, with at least one outer layer and at least one reinforcing layer, e.g. a corrugated layer, where the furniture includes a chair, the furniture further including an associated desk with a tabletop, where the furniture is adapted such that a piece of furniture in storage condition is flat and with a substantially uniform thickness.

Background of the Invention

The need for sitting furniture is known in connection with outdoor arrangements, e.g. concerts, theatrical performances and the like. Such furniture may advantageously be made of cardboard and adapted for being discarded with usual refuse collection after ending use. A chair made according to the said principle is known from WO 2004/032685. Such a chair has several applications, and in connection with concerts and the like, commercials may advantageously be printed on the chair. For example, the various suppliers and similar for the arrangement in question may put advertisements on such chairs. A suitable material for a chair as mentioned above and for a foldable furniture according to the invention is cardboard, where one or more corrugated layers are interposed between two outer layers. Alternatively, plastic plates with longitudinal channels can be used, substantially corresponding to channels between the outer cardboard layers.

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the invention to indicate furniture which is suited for use as sitting furniture for a concert or the like, and which at the same time is particularly suited for use in connection with teaching, particularly teaching connected with relief work in areas in a state of emergency, where the furniture can be stored without taking up too much space. Description of the Invention

The invention concerns foldable furniture including a chair and also an associated desk with a tabletop, where the furniture is adapted such that a piece of furniture in storage condition is flat and with a substantially uniform thickness. By such furniture it is possible to store and transport several or many sets of chairs and desks while at the same time the available space is utilised optimally. Furniture according to the invention is furthermore lightweight furniture, and it is thus possible to stack and store a large number of these furniture elements in a relatively small space. In a preferred embodiment of a foldable furniture according to the invention, the furniture has a width and a length in the storage condition substantially corresponding to the width and the length of a standardised pallet, where a chair and a desk together form a substantially plane layer on such a pallet. By packing a chair and a desk into one layer on a pallet or similar there is achieved the advantage in logistics that the risk of only chairs or desks being forwarded is avoided. If the furniture is packed by sets, interrelated pieces of furniture are always delivered.

A foldable furniture according to the invention may advantageously be adapted with fold or break lines for adjusting the height of the furniture. This may e.g. be by indicating the said fold or break lines with a spacing of five centimeters at the lower edge of the furniture in question. Hereby is achieved possibility of individual adaptation of the furniture to a specific user, implying increased comfort while using the furniture. A variant of the foldable furniture according to the invention may advantageously include one or more leg members, where these leg members are adapted for fixing on at least one part of the furniture, and where the leg members are further provided with means for fixing at different levels for adjusting the height of the furniture. By using leg members on the furniture, a different possibility of adapting the height apart the above mentioned is achieved.

These leg members may advantageously be made of a cardboard or plastic material with at least one outer layer and at least one reinforcing layer, e.g. a corrugated layer. Leg members may advantageously be fitted by means of tabs/hooks that engage corresponding cutouts at the sides and on the back plate of a desk. Tabs/hooks as well as cutouts may be arranged on the leg members as well as on the furniture itself and may advantageously be punched or in other ways formed in a plane material, after which these tabs/hooks may be folded out and brought to engage the corresponding cutouts. Other interacting locking mechanisms may of course be used, but it is advantageous that these may be formed in and of the same material as the leg members and the furniture itself, respectively. The said means for fixing the leg members may be arranged in sets such that one leg member can be fixed at different heights, preferably while using different sets of fixing means that are all established in the leg member and/or in the furniture.

Leg members of one or of different types as indicated above, may advantageously be used on a chair as well as a desk and be mounted preferably on all downwardly facing side faces on a chair and/or a desk, and will therefore not have any detrimental effect on the stability of the furniture.

A desk according to the invention may advantageously be made with a back plate from which two end plates extend at a given angle. These end plates are connected to the back plate at a first edge, and at a second edge to each their reinforcement surface which is also connected to the back plate of the desk. Upon these end plates and reinforcement plates, a tabletop is resting extending from the upper edge of the back plate and forward above the end plates and reinforcement plates. In a preferred embodiment, the tabletop is a direct continuation of the back plate which is fixed by bending an edge and bringing it to engage cutouts adapted for the purpose at the transition between end plates and reinforcement plates. The tabletop thus rests on end plates and reinforcement plates. In a preferred variant of the foldable furniture according to the invention, the furniture is provided with at least one magazine under the tabletop of the desk, where the magazine is arranged with reinforcing flanges against the underside of the tabletop. By placing the magazine in cutouts which are at least formed in the reinforcement plates extending from the end plates of the desk and in towards the back plate on the desk, a very strong reinforcement of the tabletop on a desk may be achieved. In a preferred variant, the magazine is formed of cardboard like the rest of the furniture and in a U- shape where the tabletop rests against the top side of the flanges on the U-shaped magazine. At the same time, these flanges constitute the sides of the magazine.

The foldable furniture according to the invention may advantageously be designed such that at least parts of the furniture are fixed in their operative condition by locking with lock tabs or corresponding cutouts, where the lock tabs or cutouts are preferably reinforced by a further material layer or by a surface coating. Such a further reinforcement of lock tabs may advantageously be used where e.g. the tabletop of a desk is fixed to the end plates or similar. This is particularly required here as the intention is that the tabletop is to be loosened and lifted for access to the said magazine or for storing the desk in folded condition. As mentioned, the means by which locking occurs can be provided with an extra layer of material or with a coating of plastic or varnish. Therefore it is easy to increase the wear resistance of these specific parts.

In a preferred variant of the foldable furniture according to the invention, the chair of the furniture is provided with a support member, the support member being cut out in the back side of the chair and arranged to be folded from the back side and in under the seat of the chair. By making a cut in the back side of the chair, a flap of suitable size and with a height corresponding to the distance from the base to under the seat level may be folded in under the seat of the chair and thereby support and reinforce the structure. This is particularly effected in that the seat is relieved as a consequence of the load being transmitted to the support member. A support member as mentioned may advantageously be designed with means for fixing it at a given position, preferably a position where it supports the seat. A foldable furniture according to the invention is designed in a particularly preferred embodiment such that the furniture in its storage condition is substantially joined and ready for folding and possible fixation without using tools or auxiliary means. The furniture, which is preferably made of a cardboard material, is cut out and folded to an initial position, and in this position the various edge flanges are joined with the remaining structure. Such a joining may be by glueing or by using various types of mechanical fastening means. In connection with putting into use, only a folding of the furniture and a single, or very few, lockings of the different elements to each other are to be performed.

The foldable furniture according to the invention may advantageously be designed such that at least the edge or edges on the furniture or on a leg member adapted to face downwards against the base is sealed against absorption of moisture, preferably by impregnation by wax or other vapour barrier material. This is obviously most relevant if the furniture is made of cardboard and may cause the furniture to get an appreciably longer service life before the rigidity in the material is destroyed with ensuing wobbly and unstable condition of the furniture. Such impregnation of downwardly facing edges and e.g. five centimetres up the side of these edges may be sufficient, but also impregnation of sitting face, tabletop and other surfaces of the furniture may be impregnated with advantage, whereby a dirt repelling effect may be achieved. As mentioned, wax can be used for this impregnation, which is not poisonous, thus having no contaminating effect by discarding used furniture or parts thereof. These will typically be disposed by incineration, and in poor countries/regions where foldable furniture according to the invention typically will find application, it may very well be envisaged that discarded chairs and desks will be used as fuel in connection with cooking food.

The invention furthermore concerns a use of a foldable furniture according to the invention, where the furniture is used in connection with teaching in alternative environments, where the teaching e.g. takes place in other than a classroom in a school building. It may be in connection with thematic teaching in the nature or in particular in connection with relief aid, where there is a need for rapid and partial restoration of a daily rhytm for individuals in an area in a state of emergency. The invention is particularly suited for relief aid where the schooling can be rapidly resumed. Packed pallets with e.g. fifty complete sets of chairs and desks may easily be transported to an area with emergency via air transport, since the weight is modest. Discarding damaged, worn or destroyed furniture may occur by burning on a fire, thus fulfilling a secondary purpose, namely heating.

Parts of the furniture according to the invention - having in mind particularly the chair - may also be used for other purposes that those mentioned above. For example, a chair applied with advertisements may be used in connection with concerts and other arrangements. By applying an excess charge, sponsor contribution for a relief aid organisation may be provided in this way for purchasing and delivering complete furniture to selected areas in a state of emergency.

Description of the Drawing

The invention is described in the following with reference to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a chair in different views.

Fig. 2 shows a desk in different views.

Fig. 3 shows a folded desk before joining.

Fig. 4 shows a folded chair before joining.

Fig. 5 shows a desk with magazine/supported tabletop.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In Fig. 1 appears a chair 1 for a piece of furniture according to the invention. The chair 1 is made of cardboard with external support layers and with an internal corrugated layer. It is thus a type of cardboard commonly known for packing purposes and known as corrugated cardboard. The chair 1 is folded and assembled from a single piece of material which is made such that by with very few joints it constitutes a chair 1 which may be stored in folded storage condition and which may be unfolded without using tools. The chair 1 is with a seat 2, a backrest 3 and a body 4 which constitute legs. At the back side of the chair 5, a not show flap may be arranged which may be folded in under the seat 2 and thus support the seat 2. In Fig. 2 is seen a desk 6 for a piece of furniture according to the invention. The desk is depicted in the same way as the chair 1 in Fig. 1. This variant of a desk 6 is provided with a tabletop 7, two side plates 8 and a rear plate 9. The tabletop 7 rests on the two side plates 8 and is bent at the rear plate 9 and at the front edge of the side plates 8. At this front edge, the tabletop 7 is provided with a flap or tab 10 which is brought to engage a corresponding cutout 11 in the side plates 8. In the shown variant of a desk, the tabletop 7 is shown with an inclining surface, but a horizontal tabletop is obviously a possibility. The side plates 8 are further connected with reinforcement plates 12 that are joined with the rear plate 9 at its inner side.

In Fig. 3 appears a desk 6 in completely unfolded condition prior to joining, e.g. glueing, of the flaps or tabs 13 adapted for the rear plate 9. The flaps 13 are fixed to the rear plate 9 along the broken line 14. At the lower edge of the desk 6 appear a series of folding lines 15. These folding lines are intended for use in connection with adjustment of the height of the desk in relation to the specific user. These folding lines 15 may advantageously be made with a spacing of three to five centimetres.

In Fig. 4, the chair 1 appears in the same way as the desk 6 depicted in Fig. 3. However, the chair is a bit more complex, and when respective flaps/tabs have been fixed, the chair is finished in principle, but it may still be stored as a single flat unit. It is only to be transformed in order to assume the shape of a usable chair. The cutout blank is provided with backrest 3 and rear side 5, and at each side of these are seen the rearmost side faces 16 with respective connecting parts 17. At one of the rearmost side faces 16, a joining with a flap 18 from the other end of the blank is to be made. The rest of the blank is constituted by the front side faces 19, the seat 2, and the front side 20 of the body 4 of the chair. At the sides of the seat appear connecting pieces 21 for joining with the mentioned connecting parts 17. The joining areas are marked on the Figure by a series of crosses. At the lower edge of the blank folding lines 15 are seen as also shown on Fig. 3. These folding lines are intended for adjusting the height of the chair. The adaptation may occur by bending or tearing or by another suitable method. In Fig. 5 is seen a variant of a desk 6, where the side plates 8 and the reinforcement plates 12 are arranged at a different angle than the version shown on Fig. 2. In this variant, there is further shown a reinforcing U-shaped insert 22 which besides being reinforced also serves as magazine under the tabletop 7. The insert 22 is provided with a bottom 23 and with side flanges 24 and is mounted in a cutout suited for the purpose in the reinforcement plates 12. This insert thus supports the tabletop by the vertical flanges 24.