The present invention relates to the furnishing sector and, more particularly, to the sector of modular furniture, i.e. that type of furniture which can be divided into several component parts which can be assembled together.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a modular furniture unit which, when it is fully assembled, has a cube-shaped form and may be used as small table, seat, etc., but may also be disassembled into several component parts (maximum of six) which have an identical form and each of which may in turn be used as a stool, small table, support for objects and the like.

The modular furniture unit in question is in fact obtained by assembling together a maximum number of six identical elements with a sheet-like structure of constant thickness having a U-shaped cross-section, and said assembly is extremely easy and reliable since it does not require the use of fixing means or accessories and results in the formation of a hollow cube-shaped body which, when there are six of the said elements, is entirely closed on a corresponding number of sides thereof which are absolutely identical to each other.

In order to obtain the arrangement mentioned above, the inventor has designed each of the said elements with particular dimensions which will be illustrated more clearly in the remainder of the present description and which allows them to be fitted together in a way suitable for achieving the desired object.

The modular furniture unit according to the invention, which is totally novel as far as the inventor is aware, has an aesthetically pleasing appearance and occupies, when assembled, a cube-shaped space which is extremely small, but may be easily divided into six elements, each of which, as already mentioned, may have varying uses. For example, by disassembling the furniture unit, it is possible to obtain six seats or five seats and a small table or support surface.

That described hitherto has been obtained, as already stated, owing to the particular dimensions of the above-described elements which, as mentioned, being of constant thickness, have a U-shaped structure consisting of two parallel flanges joined together by a square panel arranged between them, the total length of the said two flanges being equal to the sum of the length of half the side of the square panel plus twice the thickness of the structure (i.e. the thickness both of the square panels and of the flanges) .

As a result of these dimensions it is possible to assemble together three pairs formed by two elements arranged with the end of the flanges facing each other and making mutual contact by inserting the said pairs perpendicularly with respect to each other, in a sequence which will be better illustrated below.

The subject of the present invention therefore consists of a modular furniture unit in accordance with that described in the accompanying Claim 1.

A more detailed description of a preferred example of embodiment of the modular furniture unit according to the invention formed with six elements and some possible variants thereof will now be provided and,

during the course of the said description, reference will also be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the six U- shaped elements which form the furniture unit according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of two elements arranged facing each other with the ends of their flanges facing and in contact with each other; - Figure 3 is a partial perspective view which shows the methods of assembling the six elements which form the said example of embodiment of a modular furniture unit according to the invention;

- Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the furniture unit after all its elements have been assembled;

- Figures 5, 6, 7 are partial perspective views which show a sequence of intermediate stages of assembly of the modular furniture unit;

- Figure 8 is a perspective view of the modular furniture unit according to the invention fully assembled;

- Figure 9 is a perspective view of the furniture unit according to the preceding figures with cushions arranged stacked inside the cavity of its cube-shaped body;

- Figure 10 is a front view of the modular furniture unit according to the invention with articulated wheels mounted on the bottom.

If we consider firstly Figure 1, said Figure shows one of the six identical elements which form the modular furniture unit according to the invention. This element 2, which has a U-shaped sheet-like structure of uniform thickness S, consists of a square panel 10 with

a side dimension A which joins together the two parallel flanges 2d, 2e, the dimensions of which in the longitudinal direction, measured along the outer surface, is equal to the sum of half of the said side A of the square panel 10 plus twice the abovementioned thickness S of the element 2 (said thickness S, as mentioned, being the same both for the flanges 2d, 2e and for the square panel 10) .

In the drawing in Figure 1, in order to illustrate better the geometry of the element 2, broken lines have been used to indicate the imaginary surfaces separating the flanges 2d, 2e and the panel 10, but it is obvious that, depending on whether the element 2 is really composed of three parts assembled together, with a structure of the monolithic or other type, these lines may also not be present. For this reason, since they serve no other purpose than to provide greater clarity of the illustrations, these broken lines have been omitted in the other drawings.

For greater conciseness of the description, the said length of the flanges 2d, 2e measured on the outside will be defined more briefly by the letter M and similarly their length measured on the inside, which for obvious geometrical reasons, is A/2 + S, will be indicated by the letter D.

If we consider Figure 2, this shows two elements 2, 3 which form part of the modular furniture unit according to the invention with 2d, 2e and 3d, 3e arranged so as to form an extension of the other one, with the free ends facing and in contact with each other. As can be seen in the drawing, such a combined arrangement of the elements 2, 3 forms a hollow parallelepiped with the

outer sides having lengths respectively equal to A, A

+ 2S (indicated below by the letter B) and A + 4S

(indicated by C) , and with the sides of its cavity equal to A, A + 2S (B) and again A, respectively. In Figure 3 it can be seen how, by combining three pairs of elements 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 formed as shown in Figure 2, it is possible to obtain a modular furniture unit 1 which, when it is fully assembled, has the form of a hollow cube-shaped body which is entirely closed on the outside. The said three pairs of elements for _. this purpose must be assembled together in succession, perpendicularly with respect to each other, in the following sequence: after forming a first pair by combining two elements 2, 3, as shown in Figure 2, a second pair composed of two other elements A ₁ 5 is mounted externally thereon (arrows P, Q) , therefore enclosing this second pair perpendicularly with respect to the first pair so as to embrace it internally.

Owing to the dimensions devised by the inventor it is at this point possible to mount a third pair of elements 6, 7, (arrows R, S), perpendicularly with respect to the second pair formed by the elements 4, 5, inserting in a complementary manner the flanges 6d, 6e, 7d, 7e of its elements 6, 7 between the square panels 10 of the elements 2, 3 of the first pair and the flanges 4d, 4e, 5d, 5e of the abovementioned pair mounted second. This thus results in a complementary "interlocking fit" between the two pairs of elements 2- 3, 4-5, 6-7, generating a solid having a cube-shaped form already illustrated before.

Figure 4, for the sake of completeness of the description, shows the appearance of a cross-section of

the modular furniture unit 1 according to the invention effected along the plane α indicated in Figure 3. It must be noted that, owing to the symmetry in the directions of the three orthogonal axes of the module furniture unit 1, the same cross-section is also obtained by effecting it along other planes β, γ perpendicular to each other and the plane α (the planes β, Y are also indicated in Figure 3) .

Figures 5 to 7 show a different sequence of the various stages of assembly, illustrated in Figure 3, which nevertheless produce the same result and Figure 8 shows the modular furniture unit 1 according to the invention after this assembly has been completed.

It is clear how a modular furniture unit 1 formed in accordance with the invention offers the advantages of a minimum volume together with highly versatile use, both for the furnishing of living spaces of any kind (homes, offices, exhibitions, etc.) and for advertising or packaging purposes.

It must also be pointed out that a modular furniture according to the invention, if produced on a smaller scale, may also be used as a brain-teaser, decorative object for furniture, a container for valuable items, etc.

Various constructional forms of the modular furniture unit in question may be provided by changing the type of materials used to make its elements and/or the type of connection between their flanges and the respective square panels .

The edges of the elements forming it, instead of being straight as in the example described, may also have recesses of varying shapes if this is required for aesthetic, decorative or advertising purposes. (This embodiment is not shown in the drawings) .

The inventor also envisages the possibility of providing a modular furniture unit 11 according to the invention (see Figure 9 in this connection) with several cushions 12i having dimensions such that they be arranged stacked on top of each other inside the hollow zone of the said furniture unit 11.

Another constructional possibility envisaged by the inventor consists in forming or mounting, on the outermost surface E of the square panel 10 of an element 5 which faces the ground T, means which allow the fixing therein in an easily reversible manner of fixed supports, for example resilient bodies, not shown in the drawings, or articulated wheels 9i (Figure 10) , these being preferably four in number. These means, in this latter case, may also consist simply of four holes 8i for fixing mounting pins for these wheels 9i.