A cupboard containing a ready-for-use bed having variable transverse dimension in subject of the present invention.

It is known that, in the furnishing sector, multifunctional furniture items are increasingly desired, which may be used for several pur¬ poses, occupying the least possible space for the purpose of permit¬ ting maximum utilization of the small walking areas, for example of apartments of the one-room type, hotel rooms and/or college rooms and the like.

In particular, a need is felt for obtaining space by eliminating the bulk caused by the fixed presence of the bed, which is used solely during the hours of sleep and which during the remaining hours con¬ stitutes a superfluous and not very attractive encumbrance.

For this purpose, many solutions have been developed, which provide for the disappearance of the bed into a cupboard by rotation about a hinge disposed along the long side of the bed, the bed rotating parallel to the furniture item and being arranged in a vertical position but in the direction of the width of the furniture item, or disposed along the head end of the bed, the bed rotating perpen¬ dicularly to the furniture item and being arranged inside same in a vertical position but in the direction of the height of the furniture.

All these solutions, with a vertical position of the bed, do not allow optimization of the use of the space inside the cupboard, making available a part of the volume occupied for a different use, such as for example for containing a chest of drawers or the like, the bed being in fact always installed in the furniture item in a vertical direction without varying the transverse dimensions of the bed.

As an alternative, beds folding in the longitudinal direction are also known, equipped with mattresses of reduced thicknesses which can also be folded onto themselves in a U-shape, which allow the dimen¬ sions of the bed to be drastically reduced, but such beds, neverthe¬ less, are subject to deformations of the mattress which, after a number of uses and foldings, no longer return into the original flat position and compel the user to adopt uncom ortable and anatomically incorrect positions of rest, ^' which can even be the cause of physical inj ry.

The technical problem therefore arises of creating a multifunctional cupboard, adapted for containing a ready-for-use bed, the dimensions of which in width can be reduced once it has been installed in said cupboard, so as to reduce the overall bulk in the horizontal direc¬ tion or a given thickness and to permit a portion of the total volume of the cupboard to be obtained for use for other purposes, such as the installation of cabinets, chests of drawers and the like, without the need to fold the mattress back onto itself into a U-shape or the like.

Said results are achieved by the present invention, which provides a cupboard adapted for containing, inside itself, in the direction of width, a ready-for-use bed or similar element of furniture, which cupboard possesses, in the containment space for the bed, a fixed shelf inclined towards the front part of the cupboard, and in that said bed in composed substantially of two superimposed, horizontal plates, connected together at their outer, longitudinal edge by a

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longitudinal, horizontal hinge adapted for allowing the relative rotation in a vertical direction of the upper plate relative to the lower plate of the bed, the lower plate of said two superimposed plates being also firmly rotatably connected at one end to one side of the furniture item by means of a vertical intermediate hinge, and the upper plate having a horizontal hinge extending throughout its length and adapted for permitting the upward rotation of the free part of the plate when this part is pushed against said inclined shelf by the rotation of the lower plate towards the interior of said cupboard, in this way causing a reduction in the transverse dimension of the bed, suitable for allowing it to be contained in a width of the cupboard less than its width.

It is provided, furthermore, that the cupboard according to this invention shall have a lower plate of the bed having a width equal to the width of the cupboard and a length slightly smaller than the length of the cupboard, and which shall be firmly connected, at its free end, to a vertical support mounted on wheels; it is furthermore provided that said upper plate of the bed, provided with a longi- tudinal hinge, shall have a width greater than the lower plate when it is disposed in a horizontal position of use and a width substan¬ tially equal to the width of a normal bed, the width becoming equal to that of the cupboard when it is introduced into the relevant space, by causing the free part to incline with said internal inclined shelf.

More particularly, it is also provided that the cupboard shall be equipped with blocking means adapted for preventing the undesired escape of the bed from the cupboard under- the effect of the thrust exerted by its sel -weight on the inclined shelf.

According to constructional variants, a furniture element may also be contained in the cupboard according to this invention which is com¬ posed of a divan with folding back or, alternatively, a table or two superimposed beds at different levels to form a bed of the bunk-bed ^" type-

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Further details can be obtained from the following description, with reference to the attached drawings, in which there are shown;

in Figure 1: a general view of the cupboard according to this invention with bed installed;

in Figure 2: the cupboard in section on the plane II-II of Fig. 1;

in Figure 3: an exploded view of the elements making up the bed of variable dimension according to the present invention;

in Figure 4a: the bed pulled out, shown schematically as viewed in the direction of arrow C of Fig. 5;

in Figure 4b: a detail of the mechanism for varying the transverse dimension of the bed when installed in the cupboard;

in Figure 5: the cupboard of Fig. 1 with the bed pulled out;

in Figure 6: a cupboard according to this invention, containing a divan and an upper bed disposed on opposite sides of said cupboard;

in Figure 7: a combination of cupboards containing, respectively, a table and a divan;

in Figure 8: a cupboard containing two beds one above another.

As can be seen from the Figures, the cupboard according to this invention is composed^ of a fixed load-bearing structure 1, composed basically of two upright end walls la and lb and of two transverse shelves, an upper one lc and an intermediate one Id, the whole being closed at the back by a back wall le.

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There is also firmly fixed to said structure 1, inside it, a bulkhead 2, composed of a part 2a parallel to the vertical back wall le and fixed to the latter and to the end walls la and lb, and of a canti- levered part 2b, inclined downwards and towards the front at a suitable angle from said back wall le. In the example shown, the fixed structure is conveniently complemented by an upper cupboard 3, a bottom chest of drawers 4 and a closure panel 3a.

Onto said fixed structure, there is hinged a movable bed 5, adapted to be installed in and pulled out from the cupboard 1 as will be described below.

The bed 5 is composed essentially of a frame or horizontal plate 6, having a width substantially equal to the depth of the cupboard and a length slightly smaller than the length of the cupboard; said plate 6 is rotatably connected to the upright lb by means of a vertical hinge 7, fitted to one of its outer extremities, and is rigidly secured, at the other end, to a vertical support plate 8 mounted on wheels 9; in the example of the Figure, said vertical plate 8 being appropriately constructed as a small ladder 8a.

To the horizontal plate 6, a second horizontal plate 11 - 11a is pivotally attached by means of longitudinal horizontal hinges 10, about which it can rotate in the direction of arrow A in Figure 4a, this second horizontal plate having a total width equal to the width of a standard bed, but having the plate part 11a projecting canti- levered beyond the underlying plate 6, which is 'equipped, at the end remote from the hinge 7, with a support wheel 6a running on the shelf

Id.

The plate 11 - 11a possesses, furthermore, a further longitudinal hinge 12, fitted over its entire length between the parts 11 and 11a, and adapted for allowing the rotation of said plate part 11a, in the direction of arrow B of Fig. 4a, and also a pair of wheels 15, fitted to the end of the free inner side.

The bed, finally, is completed by a mattress 13, kept anchored to the plate 11 by means of appropriate attachments, such as for example velcro strips shown schematically at 14 in Figures 4a and 4b.

From Figures 4a, 4b and 5, it is possible to see the movements which the bed 5, constructed in this manner, can carry out for the extrac¬ tion (pulling out) and re-installation, and consisting in a rotation of the plate 6 about the hinge 7 as far as the entirely pulled-out position with the bed flat in the position for use (Figures 4a and 5) nd a rotation of the plate 6, in the opposite direction, about the hinge 7 and a rotation of the plate 11 both about the hinge 10 and about the hinge 12 (Fig. 4b) in the movement for re-installation of the bed into the space of the cupboard.

Blocking means for the bed are also provided, adapted for preventing its undesired escape from the furniture item under the action of its sel -weight; in the example described, said blocking means are com¬ posed of a vertical bolt ID fixed to the end wall la and adapted for engaging into a corresponding horizontal ring 17, fixed to the plate 6 o the bed.

The method of operation is as ollows: when the bed is being rotated from the extracted position of use (Fig. 5) into the interior of the furniture item 1 (arrow A) it remains horizontal until the wheel 15 at the head of the plate 11 meets the free edge of the inclined shelf 2b; at this point, the plate 6 continues its rotation about the hinge 7, remaining horizontal and underneath the inclined shelf 2b and thus taking with it also the vertical support 8, which gradually enters again a suitable space between the chest of drawers 4 and the end wall la.

At the same time, the wheel 15 reaches the edge of the inclined shelf 2b, thus allowing the plate 11 to initiate its ascending movement, rotating simultaneously about the hinges 10 and about the hinge 12; the latter rotation causes raising of the plate ^' part 11a, thereby

producing a reduction in the transverse dimension of the bed 5 and allowing it to enter entirely into the depth of the cupboard, which is usually less than the width of a standard bed.

It will be understood that numerous variants can be provided in addition to that described such as, for example, the coupling together of two like structures side by side to form a double bed (king-size bed) or, (Fig. 8) the superposition of two like structures to form a bed- of two levels of the type known as "bunk bed", contained in the same cupboard.

With the same structure, other types of furniture having a horizontal width greater than the depth of a standard cupboard may also be accommodated, for example as illustrated in Fig. 7, where a table and divan or the like are shown, v/ithout thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.