Technical Field

The present invention relates to a furniture arrangement, and in particular to a furniture arrangement transformable in order to provide different functionality.

Background

Different types of transformable furniture have been available on the market for some time. One main objective for such furniture is to provide a desired functionality when needed, and by rearranging different parts of the furniture another configuration is possible, for example directed to another need of the owner/consumer, or for space-saving purpose.

One example of a transformable furniture is the Murphy bed. Such bed is normally mounted to the wall by means of a hinge at the head end, and by raising the foot end the bed will pivot towards the wall. By securing the bed to the wall, the bed will no longer occupy the floor area, and for this reason Murphy beds are very popular especially in compact living apartments etc.

There are certain drawbacks of the Murphy bed described above; firstly, proper installation requires high stability of the supporting wall. Secondly, the installation is rather complex and particular strong connectors must be used in order to ensure safe use of the bed. Thirdly, the hinge connection between the bed and the wall is critical, since it must be able to support heavy persons sitting at the foot end. Fourthly, as the full length of the bed is folded out from the wall they do not fit in all areas.

In view of the above drawbacks there is need for other solutions which can provide the desired versatility of transformable furniture in a safe manner, however requiring less critical components and installation procedures.

Summary

An object of the present invention is to provide a new type of furniture arrangement which is improved over prior art and which eliminates or at least mitigates the drawbacks discussed above. More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a stand-alone furniture arrangement that is usable as more than one piece of furniture. These objects are achieved by the technique set forth in the appended independent claims with preferred embodiments defined in the dependent claims related thereto. In a first aspect, a stand-alone furniture arrangement comprising a primary piece of furniture and a secondary piece of furniture is presented. The primary piece of furniture and the secondary piece of furniture fixedly are arranged in an L-shape. The primary piece of furniture comprises a hinge which allows the primary piece of furniture to transform from a first configuration to a second configuration. The second configuration corresponds to a bed having an essentially horizontal sleeping surface with a longitudinal extension corresponding to the intended head-to-toe sleeping orientation of a user of the bed. Further to this, the hinge extends in parallel with the longitudinal extension of the second configuration.

In one variant, the primary piece of furniture is transformable between the first and second configurations by pivoting a transforming portion of the primary piece of furniture about the hinge. This is beneficial as it allows for a convenient method of transforming the primary piece of furniture and different configurations may be provided at opposite sides of the transforming portion.

In one variant, the primary piece of furniture comprises a rectangular frame, and wherein at least a part of the transforming portion is arranged within said frame when the primary piece of furniture is configured in the first configuration. This is beneficial as a height of the primary piece of furniture is the same regardless of which configuration it is configured as.

In one variant, the first configuration corresponds to a shelf, a sofa, or a wall panel.

In one variant, the secondary piece of furniture has a height being less than the height of the primary piece of furniture. This is beneficial as it allows for increased freedom in interior decorating etc.

In one variant, the height of the secondary piece of furniture is less than 50% of the height of the primary piece of furniture. This is beneficial as it allows for increased freedom in interior decorating etc.

In one variant, the secondary piece of furniture a shelf, a cabinet, or a sofa.

In one variant, the secondary piece of furniture is configured to reversibly transform from a first configuration to a second configuration. This is beneficial as it provides one additional piece of furniture in the furniture arrangement and thereby further uses for the furniture arrangement. In one variant, the first configuration of the secondary piece of furniture corresponds to a sofa, and the second configuration of the secondary piece of furniture corresponds to a bench.

In one variant, the first configuration of the secondary piece of furniture corresponds to a cabinet, and the second configuration of the secondary piece of furniture corresponds to a table.

In one variant, the primary piece of furniture is configured to selectively transform from the first configuration to the second configuration or an intermediate configuration. This is beneficial as it provides one additional piece of furniture in the furniture arrangement and thereby further uses for the furniture arrangement.

In one variant, the first configuration of the primary piece of furniture corresponds to a sofa, and the intermediate configuration of the primary piece of furniture corresponds to a bench.

In one variant, the first configuration of the primary piece of furniture corresponds to a shelf, and the intermediate configuration of the primary piece of furniture corresponds to a table.

In one variant, the longitudinal extension of the second configuration of the primary piece of furniture is adjacent to an extension of the secondary piece of furniture. This is beneficial as the bed folds into the L-shape and the total area required for the furniture arrangement is reduced.

In one variant, the furniture arrangement, further comprises an L-shaped bottom frame. The primary piece of furniture and the secondary piece of furniture are fixedly arranged on the L-shaped bottom frame. This is beneficial as the L- shaped bottom frame may be used as a platform when producing furniture arrangements with different configurations of their primary and secondary pieces of furniture.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will be described in the following; references being made to the appended diagrammatical drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of how the inventive concept can be reduced into practice.

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a furniture arrangement according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figs. 2a-b are cross-sectional views of a primary piece of furniture according to embodiments of the present invention; Figs. 3a-b are isometric views of a furniture arrangement according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figs. 4a-c are isometric views of a furniture arrangement according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figs. 5a-c are isometric views of a furniture arrangement according to embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, certain embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention, such as it is defined in the appended claims, to those skilled in the art.

The term "coupled" is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. Two or more items that are "coupled" may be integral with each other. The terms "a" and "an" are defined as one or more unless this disclosure explicitly requires otherwise. The terms "substantially," "approximately," and "about" are defined as largely, but not necessarily wholly what is specified, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including") and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method that "comprises," "has," "includes" or "contains" one or more steps possesses those one or more steps, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps.

A furniture arrangement 100 that addresses at least some of the drawbacks discussed above is illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of a stand-alone furniture arrangement 100. The furniture arrangement 100 is standalone in the sense of being stable enough such that it may be arranged freely onto any suitable surface without the need of supporting external structures such as walls or ceilings. The stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 comprise a primary piece of furniture 110 and a secondary piece of furniture 120. The pieces of furniture 110, 120 are fixedly arranged in an L-shape such that their mutual arrangement provides the necessary stability for the furniture arrangement 100 to be stand-alone. Forming the furniture arrangement 100 in an L-shape is beneficial as it provides a stable construction that may be arranged freely within a room without being restricted by walls or ceilings. In addition, the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 with an L-shape does not need to be anchored to a wall, floor or ceiling, but is sufficiently stable on its own. The L-shape makes the furniture arrangement 100 usable also as room divider where the furniture arrangement 100 may function as a dividing, separating wall.

In the figures 1 to 5c, the primary piece of furniture 110 and the second piece of furniture 120 are arranged at an angle towards each other. More specifically, the primary piece of furniture 110 is arranged perpendicularly (i.e. 90 degrees) in relation to the second piece of furniture 120. However, the primary piece of furniture 110 may be arranged at an angle between about 45 degrees to 135 degrees in relation to the second piece of furniture 120.

The pieces of furniture 110, 120 are preferably different pieces of furniture 110, 120 and at least one of the pieces of furniture 110, 120 may transform from a first configuration 110A, 120A to a second configuration HOB, 120B (see Figs. 2a-b and 4a-c). The primary piece of furniture 110 extends along a primary longitudinal extension Luo and the secondary piece of furniture 120 extends along a secondary longitudinal extension Luo. Preferably, the primary longitudinal extension Luo is substantially perpendicular to the secondary longitudinal extension Luo.

In should be emphasized that, within the scope of the present disclosure, the term transform is to mean a bi-directional transformation. Transforming from the first configuration 110A, 120A to the second configuration HOB, 120B is to imply also the reverse transformation, i.e. from the second configuration 110B, 120B to the first configuration 110A, 120A. The configurations 110A, 120A, HOB, 120B may be considered different articles of furniture, or different uses of the furniture arrangement 100.

In one preferred embodiment of the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100, the primary piece of furniture 110A is transformable into a second configuration 110B in the form of a bed 110B. This is illustrated in the cross sectional side view of the primary piece of furniture 110 of Figs. 2a-b wherein the primary piece of furniture 110 comprises a transforming portion 111. The transforming portion 111 is pivotably attached to the primary piece of furniture by a hinge 115. The transforming portion 111 is configured such that a first side 110A of the transforming portion 111 is used as the functional surface of the first configuration 110A and a second side HOB of the transforming portion 111 is used as the functional surface of the second configuration HOB. The hinge 115 allows the transforming portion 111 to transform from the first configuration HOA into the second configuration HOB in the form of the bed HOB. The hinge 115 has a longitudinal extension, parallel with the longitudinal extension of the primary piece of furniture 110. The hinge 115 extends along the primary longitudinal extension Luo, i.e. in parallel with the primary longitudinal extension Luo. The extension of the hinge 115 decreases the torque forces transferred from the second configuration 110B to the primary piece of furniture 110. In addition, since the hinge 115 extends along the primary longitudinal extension Luo, the hinge 115 may be arranged in close proximity with a rear side of the primary piece of furniture 110, resulting in that the second configuration HOB extends less into a space of a room. Further, the engagement between the primary piece of furniture 110, such as the frame 112, and the hinge 115 can be arranged adjacent and close to a floor surface. Hence, the L-shape of the furniture arrangement 100 can be designed in a very neat and slim way, while still providing a stable second configuration HOB (for instance a bed 110B) which does not tip. Thus, the combination of the longitudinal hinge 115 and that the furniture arrangement 100 is a stand-alone assembly provides a more neat, and thus cheaper and stable furniture arrangement 100 which does not require any wall attachment.

As illustrated in Fig. 2a, when the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as the bed 120B, the transforming portion 111 is rotated approximately 90° about the hinge 115 such that the functional surface of the first configuration 110A is facing the floor and the functional surface of the second configuration 120B, the bed 120B, is facing the ceiling, see Fig. 2b. Hence, the transforming portion 111 is pivoted about the hinge 115, along the primary longitudinal extension Luo.

When the transforming portion 111 is at a first positon, the transforming portion 111 is substantially vertical, and the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as the first configuration 110A. When the transforming portion 111 is at a second positon, the transforming portion 111 is substantially horizontal, i.e. parallel to the secondary longitudinal extension Luo, and the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as the second configuration 110B.

In order to further increase stability of the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100, especially in when the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured in the first configuration 110A, i.e. when the bed 110B is in an upright, hidden, position, the bed 110B may be configured with a longitudinal extension parallel to the hinge 115, i.e. along the primary longitudinal extension Luo, corresponding to the intended head-to-toe sleeping orientation of a user of the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100. That is to say, the bed HOB will be arranged such that a person sleeping in the bed, will be arranged perpendicularly to the secondary longitudinal extension Luo. In such configuration the center of mass of the primary piece of furniture 110, when occupied by a person lying on the bed HOB, will be closer to the hinge 115 (and thus provide less load on the hinge 115) compared to if the intended head-to-toe sleeping orientation of the user would be parallel to the secondary longitudinal extension Luo.

In the embodiment of the primary piece of furniture 110 illustrated in Figs. 2a and 2b, the functional surfaces of the first and second configurations 110A, 110B are arranged on opposite sides of the transforming portion 111. When the transforming portion 111 is in a substantially horizontal position, i.e. the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as a bed 110B, a height of the primary piece of furniture 110 is different from a height of the primary piece of furniture 110 when the transforming portion 111 is in a substantially vertical position. In other words, the height of the primary piece of furniture 110 may differ between the first configuration 110A and the second configuration 110B.

In order to keep the height of the primary piece of furniture 110 constant, the primary piece of furniture 110 may comprise a rectangular frame 112, see Fig. 1, configured to accommodate at least part of the transforming portion 111 when the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured in the first configuration 110A. This configuration further improves the suitability of the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 as e.g. a dividing section of a room as a vertical division of constant height, the frame 112, is always present regardless of the configuration of the primary piece of furniture 110. The extension of the hinge 115 along the primary longitudinal extension Luo also decreases the torque forces transferred from the second configuration 110B to the frame 112.

With reference to Figs. 3a-b, one non-liming embodiment of the furniture arrangement 100 according to the present invention will be presented. In Fig. 3a, the furniture arrangement 100 is shown with the primary piece of furniture 110 configured in the first configuration 110A. The first configuration 110A is a wall panel 110A. The wall panel 110A may be partly or wholly covered by a drawing board such as a whiteboard or chalk board and may further be provided with a horizontal shelf 110A1. The secondary piece of furniture 120 is, at an end proximal to the primary piece of furniture 110, formed as a book case wherein a middle shelf extends along the secondary longitudinal extension L120 to form a bench 120A. As seen in Fig.3b, the primary piece of furniture 110 may be configured in a second configuration HOB in the form a bed HOB. This is accomplished by pivoting the transforming portion 111 about the hinge 115 (not shown in Figs. 3a-b) of the primary piece of furniture 110 such that it is at a horizontal position substantially parallel to the secondary longitudinal extension Li2o. In this embodiment, the bed 110B is kept in its horizontal position by means of a holding element 113 arranged to stop the transforming portion 111 from rotating beyond its horizontal position. The holding element 113 may be any suitable element e.g. a wire, an extendible rod, a sliding mechanism etc. connected to the frame 112 and the transforming portion 111. When the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as the first configuration 110A, the holding element 113 may be hidden from view by the transforming portion 111 inside the frame 112.

The holding element 113 configured as illustrated in Fig. 3b allows the bed 110B to be kept at its horizontal position above the floor without having to extend support legs or such from the transforming portion 111. This is made possible by the stability of the L-shaped stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 which prevents the furniture arrangement 100 from tipping over. The stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 of Figs 3a-b have many uses and may be especially suitable for a children’s room as it may be configured into a bed 110B without having to clear a floor cluttered with toys or other debris.

Further, as indicated in Figs 1, 2a and 2b, the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 comprises a primary piece of furniture 110 and a secondary piece of furniture 120, and a hinge 115. Even though not shown, the primary piece of furniture 110 may be arranged in the second configuration 110B while being supported by only the hinge 115, the primary piece of furniture 110, the frame 112 and/or the second piece of furniture 120. Hence, the primary piece of furniture 110 may be arranged in the second configuration 110B without the need for a holding element 113. In one configuration, the primary piece of furniture 110 is supported by the hinge 115 only in the second configuration 110B. In one embodiment, the primary piece of furniture 110 is supported by the frame 112 only in the second configuration 110B.

In another non-liming embodiment of the furniture arrangement 100 according to the present invention illustrated in Figs. 4a-c, also the secondary piece of furniture 120 is configured to reversibly transform from a first configuration 120A to a second configuration 120B. In this embodiment, the first configuration 120A of the secondary piece of furniture 120 is a sofa 120A, as shown in Fig. 4a, and the second configuration 120B of the secondary piece of furniture 120 is a bench 120B, as shown in Fig. 4b. The transformation from the first configuration 120A to the second configuration 120B may be provided by folding a backrest 120 A3 of the sofa 120A onto a sitting section 120A2 of the sofa 120A such that a backside of the backrest 120A3 forms a top for the bench 120B. The backrest 120A3 may be formed with a triangular or tapered cross section and the sitting section 120A2 may be formed with a corresponding triangular or tapered cross section such that when the backrest 120A3 is placed flat on the sitting section 120A3, a substantially flat horizontal area is provided as a sitting surface 120B1 of the bench 120B.

Alternatively, or additionally, a backrest support 120A1 of the sofa 120A may be configured to support the backrest 120A3 of the sofa 120A when the secondary piece of furniture 120 is configured in the first configuration 120 A, i.e. the sofa 120A. When the secondary piece of furniture 120 is configured in the second configuration 120B, i.e. the bench 120B, the backrest support 120A1 may be configured to unfold across the bench parallel to the primary longitudinal extension Luo to form the sitting surface 120B1 of the bench 120B.

Using the backrest 120A3 when transforming the sofa 120A into the bench 120B is beneficial as it provides storage for the backrest 120A3. Further to this, a seated height of the bench 120B will be higher than a seated height of the sofa 120A and the sitting section 120A3 is a substantially flat horizontal area which provides a more suitable configuration for e.g. dining etc. compared to the sofa 120A.

In Figs. 4a and 4b, the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured in the first configuration 110 A in the form of a wall panel 110 A comprising one or more cabinets 110A2. In this embodiment of the furniture arrangement 100, the primary piece of furniture 110 is further configurable in an intermediate configuration HOC. The primary piece of furniture 110 may, as in the present embodiment, be transformed from the first configuration 110A, the wall panel 110A, into the intermediate configuration HOC in the form of a table HOC, or specifically a dining table HOC. The dining table HOC is hingedly connected to the transforming portion 111 of the primary piece of furniture 110 such that it may be folded about an axis parallel to the primary longitudinal extension Luo and be masked as a cabinet 110A2 when the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured in the first or second configurations 110A, 110B.

As illustrated in Fig. 4c, the primary piece of furniture 110 is also reversibly transformed from the wall panel l lOA to the second configuration HOB in the form of a bed HOB. As shown in Figs. 4a-b, the holding element 113 is attached to the wall panel 110A and may be used as a lever or handle when transforming the wall panel l lOA to the bed HOB. When the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as a bed 110B, the holding element 113 may act as a support leg for the bed 110B allowing a size of the bed to increase without having to worry about the frame 112 being able to support the bed 110B or not. The bed 110B may additionally, or alternatively, be supported by the bench 120B and/or the cabinet 110A2 which further reduces stress on the frame 112 and/or the support leg (the holding element 113).

The stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 of Figs. 4a-c is shown comprising an L-shaped platform 130 as an L-shaped bottom frame 130. The L- shaped platform 130 is arranged as a support for the primary and secondary pieces of furniture 110, 120 such that he primary and secondary pieces of furniture 110, 120 are arranged on the L-shaped platform 130. The primary and secondary pieces of furniture 110, 120 may be attached to each other via the L- shaped platform 130. In other words, the fixedly arrangement of the primary and secondary pieced of furniture 110, 120 in the L-shape may be provided by the L- shaped platform 130. The L-shaped platform 130 may be common to different embodiments of the stand-alone furniture arrangement 100 such that the L- shaped platform 130 may be provided with different configurations of the primary and secondary pieces of furniture 110, 120. The L-shaped support platform 130 may be of any suitable material capable of supporting the primary and secondary pieces of furniture 110, 120.

In Figs. 5a-c, another non-liming embodiment of the furniture arrangement 100 according to the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, the first configuration 110A of the primary piece of furniture 110, is a sofa 110A, see Fig. 5a. The sofa 110A may be configured similarly to the sofa 120B as described in the embodiment of Figs. 4a-c or in any other suitable manner. The secondary piece of furniture 120 is configured in a first configuration 120A in the form of a cabinet 120A.

Similarly to the cabinet 110A2 of the embodiment of Figs. 4a-c, the cabinet 120A of the present embodiment may be configured to transform into a second configuration 120B in the form of a table 120B, Fig. 5b. As seen in Fig. 5b, the sofa l lOA may be transformed into an intermediate configuration HOC in the form of a bench HOC. The transformation from the first configuration 110A, the sofa 110A, to the intermediate configuration HOC, the bench HOC, may be provided, as in Fig. 4b, by folding a backrest 110A1 of the sofa 110A onto a sitting section 110A1 of the sofa 110A such that a backside of the backrest 110A1 forms a top for the bench HOC. The backrest 110A2 may be formed with a triangular or tapered cross section and the sitting section 110A1 may be formed with a corresponding triangular or tapered cross section such that when the backrest 110A2 is placed flat on the sitting section 110A1, a substantially flat horizontal area is provided as a sitting surface 110C 1 of the bench HOC and the backrest 110A2 is conveniently stored.

The primary piece of furniture 110 is, as illustrated in Fig. 5c, is configurable also in a second configuration 110B in the form of a bed 110B. As described elsewhere, the holding element 113 may be attached to a wall panel behind the first and intermediate configurations 110A, HOC and may be used as a lever or handle when transforming the first or the intermediate configuration 110A, HOC into the bed 110B. When the primary piece of furniture 110 is configured as a bed 110B, the holding element 113 may act as a support leg for the bed 110B allowing a size of the bed 110B to be increased without having to worry about the frame 112 being able to support the bed 110B or not.

Albeit not specifically shown, it should be emphasized that the first configuration 110A, 120A may comprise more than one shelf 110A1 effectively forming a book case or similar. In some embodiments the shelf(s) 110A1 may be hinged such that it is always kept at a horizontal orientation to prevent items from falling of the shelf 110A1 when the primary piece of furniture 110 is transformed from the first configuration l lOA into the second configuration HOB and vice versa.

The first configuration 110A may also be equipped with a folding down table (not shown). In addition, it may be covered or partly covered with art work or the like providing an aesthetic appearance of the first configuration 110A.

The embodiments illustrated and described herein are generally configured with the secondary piece of furniture 120 having a height that is less than a height of the primary piece of furniture 110. This is not necessary, but beneficial as it allows for a more spacious decoration and freedom in placing the furniture arrangement as the secondary piece of furniture 120 may be low enough such that it does not block windows etc. With this said, in a preferred embodiment, the height of the secondary piece of furniture 120 is less than 50% of the height of the primary piece of furniture 110.

It should further be mentioned as the combinations presented of the first, second and intermediate configurations 110A, 120A, 110B, 120B, 130A, 130B of the primary piece of furniture 110 and the secondary piece of furniture 120 may be freely combined with each other within the scope of the present invention. Although the secondary piece of furniture 120 has not been presented with an intermediate configuration, any intermediate configuration HOC presented herein may be used as part of the secondary piece of furniture 120. Modifications and other variants of the described embodiments will come to mind to one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific example embodiments described in this disclosure and that modifications and other variants are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.