Ironing boards are well known and widely used. In particular, foldable or collapsible ironing boards are known, which comprise a working table to which the support legs are hingedly connected. Said ironing boards generally can take an open in-use or working position, in which said legs support the working table parallel to ground and at a desired height, and a closed idle position, in which said legs are brought to a position parallel to said table, so that the ironing board can be put away with a minimum space occupation.

Prior art According to the prior art, said support legs are articulated to the working table so that two of them are pivotally connected to said table, whereas the other ones are slidable relative to said table, generally thanks to a pair of guides provided in the frame of the working table, thus allowing the ironing board to pass from the working position to the idle position and vice versa.

An example of ironing board according to the prior art described above is disclosed in patents US 4,759, 296 and US 5,572, 811.

A drawback of the ironing boards according to the prior art is that the support frame is often complex and expensive to make, since it must be collapsible and secured to the working table and ensure the necessary safety in use.

Actually, the support frame is integrated into the working table and, besides making manufacturing expensive, it does not allow replacing the only working table with another one of different size or different materials.

Support surfaces for the iron are also known, which are to be associated with an ironing board to allow temporarily storing the iron when the latter is not being used.

Examples of iron supporting surfaces for ironing boards according to the prior art are disclosed in DE 4424333 and US 5,142, 802.

A drawback of the known iron supporting surfaces is that they are complex to manufacture and are therefore expensive. Moreover, such a drawback is enhanced in that ironing boards having an iron supporting surface are cumbersome: therefore it is preferable to make the support surface foldable, so that the latter is still more complex to

make and hence still more expensive.

Description of the invention Thus, it is a main object of the present invention to obviate the above drawbacks by providing a collapsible support frame for an ironing board, which is simple to manufacture, cheap, lightweight and of universal use, that is such that it can be coupled with a working table of any shape and size.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible support frame, which can be easily moved from a working position to an idle position without risks for the user.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support frame for an ironing board having an iron supporting surface that is cheap and easy to make.

The above and other objects are achieved by means of a collapsible support frame for an ironing board as claimed in the appended claims.

Advantageously, the support frame according to the present invention comprises a longitudinal frame member with which a plurality of crosspieces are associated for securing a working table of any shape and size.

Said crosspieces are joined to the longitudinal frame member by means of pressure inserts, preferably with wedge shape, so that the crosspieces can be made of plastic material and can be assembled in automatic way in a mechanised production line.

Brief description of the drawings The collapsible support frame for ironing boards according to the invention will now be described in detail with particular reference to the accompanying Figures, given by way of non-limiting example, in which: - Fig. 1 is perspective view from the underside of said support frame according to the invention; - Figs. 2 and 3 show two details of Fig. 1 in enlarged scale; - Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of an iron supporting surface mounted onto the support frame shown in Fig. 1, in horizontal and inclined position, respectively.

Description of a preferred embodiment As shown in Fig. 1, support frame 1, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a longitudinal frame member 3 onto which a plurality of crosspieces Sa, 5b, 5c are mounted. The longitudinal frame member is for instance obtained from a

tube-shaped rod with oval or rectangular cross section, made of any material, for instance of plastics, iron or aluminium. A working table 10 is secured to said crosspieces by means of screws or rivets or other known systems.

Preferably three crosspieces, made for instance of plastics or metal, are provided and are preferably located near the opposite ends of longitudinal frame member 3 (crosspieces Sa, 5c) and near its central line (crosspiece Sb).

Advantageously, when the frame according to the invention is being assembled, said crosspieces Sa, 5b, Sc can be made to slide along said longitudinal frame member 3 and then be secured each in the suitable position in order to suit the shape and size of working table 10.

Referring to Fig. 2, each said crosspiece has a through hole 6 having a slightly greater size than the cross-sectional size of longitudinal frame member 3 and slightly tapering, whereby said crosspiece can be made to freely slide on said longitudinal frame member 3 when frame 1 is being assembled.

To lock said crosspieces Sa, Sb, 5c relative to said longitudinal frame member 3, wedge-shaped inserts 8, one for each hole 6, are provided according to the invention. The inserts are made for instance of plastics or even of metal. The inserts can be introduced by pressing into said hole 6 and deeply pushed as far as they prevent further sliding of the corresponding crosspiece along said frame member. The introduction can take place for instance by using a pneumatic insertion device along a mechanised assembling line.

An external face 8a, having a profile matching the profile of the inner wall of hole 6, and an internal face 8b, having a profile matching the profile of longitudinal frame member 3, are defined in wedge 8.

Advantageously, according to the invention, the use of wedges 8 allows dispensing with using screws and other securing means more complex to apply, thereby making assembling of frame 1 extremely simple, quick and hence cheap.

Turning back to Fig. 1, two support legs 7a, 7b are further articulated on longitudinal frame member 3, which legs are pivotally connected to each other and terminate at their bottom end with transversal resting feet 9.

The first support leg 7a is hinged to one of the crosspieces (crosspiece 5c) located at the ends of longitudinal frame member 3, whereas the second leg 7b is slidable relative to said longitudinal frame member 3, since it is hinged onto a slide 13 that is slidably

mounted onto said frame member 3 thanks to a hole 15 provided in said slide 13.

Displacement of slide 13 along longitudinal frame member 3 is limited by crosspieces 5a, 5b between which the slide is mounted: thus, said collapsible support frame 1 can move from a closed idle position, where support legs 7a, 7b lean against said frame member 3 and slide 13 is located close to crosspiece Sa, to an open working position, where said slide is located close to crosspiece 5b and table 10 is at the desired height above the ground onto which feet 9 of support legs 7a, 7b rest.

It is clear that said longitudinal frame member 3, and hence said table 10, reach their maximum heights above the ground when slide 13 is made to slide as far as it contacts said central crosspiece 5b, whereas they are at lower heights when said slide 13 is locked in intermediate positions.

Advantageously, support frame 1 may further comprise a locking system for slide 13, to allow arranging the working table at the desired height. Said locking system is so designed that it offers a greater safety than the known systems, in order to prevent the ironing board from accidentally opening or closing.

Referring in particular to Fig. 3, said locking system comprises a round metal rod 17, which is arranged parallel to longitudinal frame member 3 and has a greater length than the stroke of slide 13. One end of the rod is fastened to said slide 13, and the other end is free and passes through a hole provided in central crosspiece 5b.

In correspondence of said central crosspiece 5b, rod 17 passes through hole 20a of an oscillating plate 20 that can be actuated by means of a lever or a lever pair 1, pivotally connected to said crosspiece 5b, to move from a position substantially perpendicular to said rod 17, in which said rod 17 freely moves through hole 20a of said plate 20, to an inclined position relative to said rod 17, where the wall of said hole 20a is in engagement with said rod and prevents it from sliding.

Consequently, depending on the position (s) of lever (s) 19, slide 13 (to which an end of said rod 17 is fastened) can slide along frame member 3 or be held stationary relative to the frame member in the desired position.

Said rod 17 will preferably be provided with a set of notches to increase its engagement with plate 20.

As shown in Fig. 3, actuating lever 19 is connected to plate 20 through a tie-rod 22 located in a seat 24 formed in crosspiece 5b. The lever can move from a position parallel

to said crosspiece and inside seat 18 (corresponding to the position of plate 20 in which rod 17 is locked) to a position-shown in Fig. 2-perpendicular to said crosspiece. The latter position corresponds with the position in which lever 19 can be slightly rotated towards table 10 so as to release rod 17 within hole 20a in plate 20 and to allow the rod to slide.

Advantageously, for a greater safety of the user, it is necessary to overcome the resistance of a spring 26 located on tie-rod 22 in order to rotate said lever 19 and release plate 20 from rod 17.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, a support surface 21 for the iron is shown, which surface is to be applied to the ironing board frame shown in Fig. 1 at one end of longitudinal frame member 3. Said support surface 21 is directly connected to frame member 3 through a connecting bracket 23, a portion 25 of which penetrates with a slight effort into the hollow end of said frame member 3. Preferably, a spacing sleeve 27 is mounted on said portion 25, the sleeve abutting against the end of said frame member 3 and keeping said support surface 21 properly spaced from working table 10.

Said support surface 21 comprises a square or rectangular frame 31, made for instance of a bent metal rod, and it is kept in a seat 28 formed in head 29 of said connecting bracket 23.

Said frame 31 rotatably receives a plate 33, connected to said frame 31 by means of a pin 35 parallel to said longitudinal frame member 3 and pivotally mounted in two opposite sides of said frame 31.

Thanks to pin 35, plate 33 can rotate relative to frame 31 and move from a horizontal position, in which it is parallel to working table 10, to a position inclined in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

In order said plate 33 can be moved from a position parallel to working table 10 to an inclined position, and vice versa, and in order said plate 33 can be locked in the desired position, a sliding member 39 is provided, which is mounted in a seat 37 formed on head 29 of connecting bracket 23.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4, where plate 33 is locked in the horizontal position, sliding member 39 is in a forward position near plate 33, so that a first stopping extension 39a thereof (shown in Fig. 5) is located under plate 33 thereby keeping it locked in the horizontal position.

Turning now to Fig. 5, where plate 33 is locked in its inclined position, sliding member 39 is in a rearward position in seat 37, so that said first extension 39a of said member does not engage plate 33 and the latter is freely rotatable in either direction relative to pin 35. Under such conditions, plate 33 can be inclined relative to frame 31 as far as its bottom face abuts against a second stopping extension 39b of sliding member 39.

Said second stopping extension 39b has triangular cross-section, preferably with the shape of an isosceles triangle, and the inclination of the sides of said triangular member determines the inclination of plate 33.

Given the design of sliding member 39 and its extensions 39a, 39b, it is clear that plate 33 can be symmetrically inclined in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction thereby abutting against either side of triangular stopping extension 39b when said member 39 is in its rearward position within seat 37.

In order to firmly keep an iron on support surface 21 even when plate 33 is inclined, said plate is advantageously equipped with a heat-resistant anti-slip coating 41.

The above description clearly shows that the invention attains the intended objects, by giving a collapsible support frame for an ironing board which is simple to make, cheap, lightweight and of universal use, that is such that it can receive a working table of any shape and size. Moreover, the invention dispenses with using complex fastening means, such as screws and rivets, and makes frame assembling simpler and faster. Furthermore, the invention proposes an opening and closing mechanism that is simple to use and has no risks for the user, thanks to the provision of a suitable system for locking and hiding the lever (s), which are collapsed and hidden inside the seat when the board is being used: an accidental interference of the user with said levers, resulting in the board accidentally falling down, is thus prevented. Lastly, the iron supporting surface proposed according to the present invention, being directly mounted onto said longitudinal frame member, is independent of the shape and size of the working table and it can be readily removed, thereby reducing the size of the ironing board package at the end of the production and allowing the user to put the board away when it not being used.