Background Art Vertically adjustable tables are available in many different designs for various purposes. In a particular application they are used to store objects in a space under a table surface, allowing, when required, the space to be raised and thus make it accessible. The objects can be, for example, glasses and bottles, which means that the space can be used as a bar.

A table of this kind is disclosed in patent speci- fication CH-665537. The table has a movable upper part which comprises a table-top and a shelf portion. The upper part is movable between a lowered position where the table-top is on a level with a surrounding table surface, and a raised position where the table-top is positioned a distance above the surrounding table sur- face, and the shelf portion is accessible.

The upper part can be locked in the lowered posi- tion by being rotated on its vertical axis. The release of the upper part requires a corresponding rotary motion, in which the upper part is pressed upwards to its raised position where it cannot be locked.

The table according to CH-665537 is in the first place intended to be a high table, a club table. This means that there is plenty of space between the table-top and the base to accommodate the adjusting mechanism which consists of two telescoping tubular elements and a gas spring arranged therein.

The table according to CH-665537 cannot be used as a coffee table since a coffee table must not be higher than

50-55 cm. With a construction according to CH-665537, the space between the shelf and the underside of the table- top will then be restricted so that only small bottles can be accommodated. The purpose of the concealed bar is then not achieved in its entirety.

Moreover the table according to CH-665537 can only take two positions, which is a considerable limitation.

The catch locking the upper part in its lowered position is also very difficult to operate and will jam even after the slightest wear.

A further problem arising in the table according to CH-665537 is the risk that the upper part in its rais- ed position is pressed down if, for instance, someone leans against the table. If this occurs all of a sudden, bottles or glasses may turn over.

Summary of the Invention A first object of the present invention is to pro- vide a vertically adjustable table which is movable between two end positions in an infinitely variable man- ner and lockable in an optional position.

A second object of the invention is to provide a vertically adjustable table which efficiently uses the space between the table surface and the base.

These objects are achieved by a table having the features according to the characterising clause of claim 1.

Thus the spring means is an unresilient gas spring of the type which with the aid of a valve means is lock- able in an optional position. This ensures that the gas spring cannot be actuated in any direction without the valve means opening.

Thanks to the locking of the gas spring with the aid of the valve means, a bulky locking mechanism is not necessary, and the space between the upper part and the lower part can therefore be exclusively used for storage.

This means that, in spite of a small height, the table allows storage of normal-sized bottles.

The gas spring preferably comprises a cylinder and a piston with a piston head which fits closely against the inner wall of the cylinder, and the valve means comprises preferably a valve in the piston head and an operating means 14 for operating the valve.

The valve means is suitably actuatable by means of lever which is positioned close to the base so as to be easily operable by means of the user's foot. This makes it easy and comfortable to operate the table.

An abutment means can be arranged to abut, when the upper part is in a raised position, against an abutment surface fixedly arranged relative to the lower part. This restricts the upward movability of the upper part to a maximally raised end position, in which the upper part is stabilised by abutting against the abutment surface.

According to one embodiment, the table comprises a second table-top which is fixedly arranged relative to the lower part, in which case, when the upper part is in a lowered position, the table-tops are extended in a com- mon plane and, when the upper part is in a raised posi- tion, the table-tops are extended in parallel planes.

According to this embodiment, only part of the total surface of the table is vertically adjustable, which allows greater flexibility in use. The original height of the table is often required also when the table is raised so as to make objects stored therein accessible.

Then the upper part is preferably arranged in a recess in the second table-top so that, when the upper part is in a lowered position, the first table-top fills up the recess in the second table-top. This results in a single continuous surface when the upper part is in its lowered position.

According to a further embodiment, the upper part also comprises at least one shelf element which is posi- tioned below the first table-top. This shelf element may then constitute a storage place for objects which, when

the upper part in its lowered position, are located under the table surface.

The shelf element is preferably adapted, when in a raised position, to abut against the second table-top.

In this end position, the shelf element is thus stabi- lised by abutting against the table-top and will conse- quently be a safer place of storage.

The shelf element constitutes preferably, when it abuts against the second table-top, the bottom of a tray- like space which is surrounded by the second table-top.

Thanks to the inner edges of the second table-top consti- tuting a border of the tray-like space, the capability of the shelf of being a storage place for objects is further improved. The border in fact prevents objects, in parti- cular bottles and glasses, from being placed by mistake partly outside the edge of the shelf and, thus, when the upper part and the shelf are lowered, from turning over.

The upper surface of the shelf element can be rotat- able in a plane of its own to allow easy shifting of objects placed on the shelf element.

The vertically adjustable table according to the invention can, for example, but not exclusively, be used as a coffee table or a cocktail table.

Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which for the purpose of exemplification illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the table according to the invention in a lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the table in Fig. 1 in a raised position.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the table in Fig. 1 in a lowered position.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the table in Fig. 1 in a raised position.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a table according to a second embodiment of the invention in a raised position.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment The coffee table 1 in Figs 1-4 comprises a lower part 2 and an upper part 3 that is vertically adjustable relative to the lower part 2. In the case as shown, the lower part 2 consists of a base plate 4, on which a tube 6 is fixedly arranged at right angles to the base plate 4. The base plate 4 is suitably made of metal or a simi- lar heavy material, so that, when the lower part 2 is placed on a base 7, the tube 6 is firmly held upright.

The upper part 3 consists, in the case shown, of a tube 8, and a table-top 9 fixedly arranged at one end 8a of the tube, and a shelf 10 fixedly arranged somewhere along the tube 8, the table-top 9 as well as the shelf 10 being positioned in the plane normal to the longitudinal axis A of the tube 8.

The tubes 6,8 are dimensioned so that they tele- scope; for example, the tube 8 of the upper part 3 can have an inner diameter D1 which slightly exceeds the outer diameter D2 of the tube 6 of the lower part 2. Pre- ferably some sort of friction-eliminating element, such as Teflon bushings 11, are arranged on the tubes to faci- litate displacement thereof.

It goes without saying that it is also possible to provide a table according to the invention with the tubes oriented at an angle to the base plate 4, the table-top 9 and the shelf 10. However, when the lower part 2 is posi- tioned on a base 7 and the upper part 3 is arranged on the lower part 2, it is preferred for the table-top 9 to be essentially horizontally oriented.

A gas spring 13 with unresilient locking is arrang- ed in the telescoping tubes 6,8. The specially made gas spring 13 can be adjusted and locked in the desired posi- tion with the aid of a valve means. The valve means is operable with the aid of an operating means 14.

For instance, the gas spring comprises an outer cylinder which has two chambers separated by a movable partition. One chamber holds a pressurised gas, such as air, and the other holds a non-compressible liquid, such as oil. A piston extends into the oil chamber and has a piston head which fits closely against the inside of the cylinder and thus divides the oil chamber into two halves. A valve is arranged in the piston head to permit the passing of oil from one half to the other. With the valve in the open position, the gas can expand, whereby the piston is pressed out of the cylinder and oil flows from one half of the chamber to the other. Alternatively, the piston can be pressed into the cylinder, in which case oil flows in the opposite direction and the gas is compressed. With the valve in its closed position, the piston cannot be displaced, and this type of gas spring is therefore referred to an unresilient gas spring, in contrast to a resilient gas spring with locking, which is to be found in, for example, office chairs.

In the shown example, the piston 13a of the gas spring is displaceable towards the lower part 2, and the cylinder 13b of the gas spring is displaceable towards the upper part 3. To achieve the correct relationship between the force that the gas spring can apply to the upper part 3, and the force required to press down the upper part 3, the dimensioning of the gas spring 13 is most important. After extensive tests, it has been estab- lished that for an unresilient gas spring of the above type, the outer diameter of the cylinder should prefer- ably be in the range 25-30 mm, and that the pressure force of the gas cylinder should preferably be in the range 200-250 N.

The gas spring 13 is oriented in such manner that the operating means 14 of the valve means is position- ed adjacent to the base plate 4 of the lower part 2.

A lever means 15, in the shown example a pedal 16, is further arranged on the base plate 4. The pedal 16 is

adapted to convert a downward force at its end 16a facing away from the gas spring 13 into an upward force which is applied to the operating means 14 of the valve means.

The table 1 shown in Figs 1-4 further comprises a console 21 comprising a bottom 22, four walls 23 and a stationary table surface 24. The bottom 22 and the four walls 23 thus form a box-like space 25, in which the lower part 2 and the upper part 3 are arranged one in the other. The console 21 can be made of an arbitrary material, suitable for furniture, for example wood, glass or metal.

In the shown example, the shelf 10 has essentially the same dimension as the surface area of the space 25, and resilient support rollers 17 are arranged on the sides l0a of the shelf. The support rollers 17 thus ensure that the upper part runs on the walls 23 of the console 21 without getting stuck or being inclined (the so-called drawer effect).

The stationary table surface 24 of the console 21 is arranged on the upper edges 23a of the walls 23 and con- sequently constitutes the upper side of the console 21.

In the shown case, the table surface 24 has a recess 26 which in terms of shape and size corresponds to the table-top 9 of the upper part 3. The recess 26 is prefer- ably in at least one direction slightly smaller than the surface area of the space 25, so that the table surface 24 extends a distance over the box-like space 25 of the console 21. The edges 24a of the table surface 24, which define the recess 26, are preferably bevelled, so that the table-top 9 of the upper part 3, whose edges 9a pre- ferably are bevelled correspondingly, fits into the recess 26.

When the lower part 2 and the upper part 3 are arranged in the console 21, the upper part 3 is movable through the recess 26, between a lowered position (Figs 1 and 3), in which the table-top 9 of the upper part 3 is positioned in the recess 26 of the table surface 24, and

a raised position (Figs 2 and 4), in which the shelf 10 of the upper part 3 abuts against the underside 24b of the table surface 24.

The above-mentioned pedal/6 extends through a recess 27 in one of the walls 23 of the console so as to be accessible to a user of the table 1.

For maximum use of the height h of the table 1, the tube 6 can pass through the base plate 4 and extend a distance on the other side. The bottom 22 of the console then has a centrally positioned recess 28 which, when the lower part 2 is arranged in the box-like space 25 of the console 21, accommodates the projecting tubular portion 6a and at least part of the valve means 14 and the pedal 16.

When the table 1 is in its lowered position (Figs 1 and 3), the table-top 9 of the upper part 3 is positioned in the recess 26 of the stationary table surface 24 and forms together with the table surface 24 a continuous planar surface 29.

A user who wants to raise the table and, thus, reach the objects which are possibly stored in the console 21, presses the pedal 16 with his foot. The pedal 16 actuates the operating means 14, which activates the gas spring 13 which thus applies an upward force to the upper part 3 so that the upper part 3 is moved upwards.

The resilient support rollers 17 which are arranged on the shelf 10 thus run on the inner walls 23 of the console 21 and contribute to making the displacement even and without jerk.

When the table-top has taken a position desired by the user, the user releases the pedal 16, which means that the actuation of the operating means 14 ceases. This results in the gas spring 13 being locked and the upper part 3 remains in the position to which it has been moved.

Alternatively, if the user does not remove his foot from the pedal 16 and thus lets the gas spring 13 conti-

nue to move the upper part 3 upwards, the shelf 10 final- ly abuts against the underside 24b of the stationary table surface 24, i. e. the underside of the edge 24a which defines the recess 26.

In this position (Figs 2 and 4) the shelf 10 forms the bottom 31 of a tray-like space 32, and the edges 24a of the table surface 24, which define the recess 26, con- stitute the border 33 of the tray 32. The stability of the upper part 3 is at its maximum in this position since the shelf 10 has an abutment surface 24b against the table surface 24, which abutment surface 24b extends along at least parts of, and in the preferred case round the entire, circumference of the shelf 10.

The upper part 3 can in its raised position, when the pedal has been released, withstand great forces, which makes the table safer than in the case where a gas spring without a locking mechanism is used.

To lower the upper part 3, the user presses the pedal 16 and at the same applies a downward force to the upper part 3.

It will be appreciated that a large number of alter- native embodiments of the inventive idea as defined in the claims are possible.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), for instance the treading surface of the pedal 16 is built into the bottom rib 34 of the console and thus does not affect the design of the table. Furthermore the pedal 16 can be lockable so that the table, when the pedal is locked, cannot be raised and, consequently, objects stor- ed in the table are not accessible.

The space 25 in the console could be refrigerated, for example by means of a refrigerator. The bottom 22, walls 23 and table surface 24 of the console 21 and the table-top 9 of the upper part 3 would then conveniently be made of or coated with an insulating material to keep the cold in the inner space 25 of the console 21. Also the shelf 10 is suitably made of or coated with an insu-

lating material, and the abutment surface between the shelf 10 and the table surface 24 is sealed so as to keep the cold in the inner space also with the upper part in its raised position when the shelf 10 abuts against the table surface 24.

The shelf can further be fitted with a rotatable plate which is mounted in bearings on the shelf. This plate is in its raised position accessible through the recess in the table surface and makes it possible to rearrange objects which are placed on the shelf. The plate is preferably circular with a diameter correspond- ing to the smaller width dimension of the recess.

Of course, the table-top of the upper part can be rotatable, preferably by the tube 8 being rotatably mounted on the shelf and on the tube 6.

In a further embodiment (Fig. 5), a table 1'accord- ing to the invention is illustrated, in which the console 21'has no table surface and the entire surface 29 of the table consists of the table-top 9'of the upper part 3'. It goes without saying that this table has a number of fields of application, such as coffee table, dining table, TV table, and computer desk.