The present invention relates to a furnishing which can be reconfigured to adopt a plurality of different seating or lying forms.

It is known to connect three cushion elements together via hinges which extend along opposite parallel sides so that the a top cushion element can be folded up to form a single chair with squab and back, or the three cushion elements can be unfolded to form a flat single mattress.

However, this arrangement has significant limitations in that it cannot provide a double side-by-side seating or lying arrangement for two people, and it cannot provide a corner sofa which extends in two directions at right angles to each other.

The present invention seeks to provide a versatile furnishing solution to these problems.

According to the invention, there is provided a reconfigurable furnishing comprising at least six cushion elements, each cushion element being engaged with a neighbouring said cushion element by a hinge, a first said hinge being at right angles or substantially right angles relative to a neighbouring second hinge on one side, and parallel or substantially parallel with a neighbouring third hinge on the other side, the third hinge being opposite the first hinge, so that the cushion elements can be configured to adopt at least a single column condition, a single chair condition with squab and back, a sofa condition having at least two seats with squab and back, a corner sofa condition having at least three seats and having an L-shaped squab, and at least a double bed condition.

Preferable and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 14, inclusive.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of a reconfigurable furnishing, in a stacked single column condition and in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a first single-person chair condition;

Figure 3 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a second single-person chair condition; Figure 4 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a first two-person sofa condition;

Figure 5 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a second two-person sofa condition;

Figure 6 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a corner sofa condition; Figure 7 shows the reconfigurable furnishing in a double bed condition;

Figure 8 diagrammatically shows temporary engagement means of a second embodiment of a reconfigurable furnishing; and

Figure 9 is an enlarged plan view of the temporary engagement means.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings, there is shown a first embodiment of a reconfigurable furnishing 10 which comprises, in this case, six cushion elements 12 hingably interconnected by hinges 14. The cushion elements 12 are specifically designated by references 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26.

Each cushion element 12 includes a pliantly flexible, typically man-made or natural fabric, bag-like cover 28 having a slide fastener or zip closure element along one side for closing the cover 28. The interior is filled with cushioning material, such as down, wadding, foam or other suitably cushioning material to provide a soft padded support. The cushion elements 12 are preferably square, and each cushion element 12 preferably has the same or substantially same dimensions.

The hinges 14, in this embodiment, which interconnect neighbouring cushion elements 12 are also pliantly flexible, and are conveniently integrally formed as part of the cover piece with a single blank of material that also forms or forms in part the cushion elements 12.

The hinges 14 are provided along edges of the cushion elements 12 between upper or lower major surfaces 30, 32 and the adjacent side surface 34. Although integral and permanently engaging the cushion elements 12, the hinges 14 could be releasable, for example, by incorporating a slide fastener, such as a zip, so that the cushion elements 12 can be separated from each other.

Referring in particular to Figure 1, each hinge 14 has a longitudinal extent which is at least at 90 degrees to a neighbouring hinge 14. In particular, it can be seen that a first said hinge 14 is at right angles or substantially right angles relative to a neighbouring second hinge 14 on one side, and parallel or substantially parallel with a neighbouring third hinge 14 on the other side, with the third hinge 14 being on an opposite side of the cushion element 12 to the first hinge 14.

The positioning of the hinges 14 is critical to enable the maximum number of reconfigurations possible.

As shown in Figure 1, when the cushion elements 12 are stacked as a single column 36, an uppermost first hinge 14a engaging the two uppermost cushions 16 and 18 is at a first side 38 of the column 36. The following second hinge 14b engaging cushion elements 18 and 20 extends at right angles to the first hinge 14a along a second side 40 of the column 36. The following third hinge 14c engaging cushion elements 20 and 22 extends at right angles to the first hinge 14a and is on a third side 42 of the column 36 which is opposite the second side 40 and opposite the second hinge 14b. The following fourth hinge 14d which engages cushion elements 22 and 24 is parallel to the first hinge 14a on the first side 38 of the column 36, and the final fifth hinge 14e engaging the two lowermost cushion elements 24 and 26 is at right angles to the fourth hinge 14d on the third side 42 of the column 36. This configuration of the hinges 14 enables the two lowermost cushion elements 24 and 26 to be pivoted about hinge 14d to adopt a first single-person chair condition 44 having a single squab 46 and single back 48, as shown in Figure 2.

From the stacked single column 36 of Figure 1, the two uppermost cushion elements 16 and 18 can be pivoted about hinge 14b to adopt a second single-person chair condition 50 again having a single squab 52 and single back 54, as shown in Figure 3.

Again from the stacked single column 36 of Figure 1, the top three cushion elements 16, 18 and 20 can be pivoted about hinge 14c to adopt a first two-person sofa condition 56 having only a double squab 58, as shown in Figure 4. To provide a second two-person sofa condition 60 having a double squab 62 and double back 64, as shown in Figure 5, the uppermost cushion element 16 and the two lowermost cushion elements 24 and 26 are hinged about hinges 14a and 14d, respectively, so that cushion elements 16 and 26 overlie each other. The arrangement can then be inverted, enabling cushion elements 22 and 24 to be pivoted about their respective hinges 14c and 14e, thereby forming the sofa back 64.

By again inverting the second two-person sofa 60 and laying the sofa back 64 out flat, a two person lounger condition can be adopted.

Figure 6 shows a corner sofa condition 66 having a right-angled or L-shaped squab 68 which extends in two directions at right angles to each other and thus provides a transverse seating arrangement. In this case, from the stacked single column 36 of Figure 1, the two uppermost cushion elements 16 and 18 are pivoted on hinge 14b, and the two lowermost cushion elements 24 and 26 are pivoted on hinge 14d.

To create a double bed condition 70, all of the cushion elements 12 are pivoted about their respective hinges 14, thus forming a wide single-layer mattress 72, as shown in Figure 7.

Referring now to Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings, a modification to the first embodiment of the reconfigurable furnishing 10 is now described. Like references refer to like parts, and therefore further detailed description is omitted. In this embodiment, to prevent or limit cushion elements 12 which are lying adjacent to each other from moving apart, temporary engagement means 74 is provided which comprises a hook and loop fastening device 76 on side surfaces 34 of cushion elements 12 which abut. To hide or disguise the hook and loop fastening devices 76 from view when not in use, a hook portion 78 and a loop portion 80 is provided on the side surface 34 of the cushion element 12. One of the hook portion 78 and the loop portion 80 is preferably on a flap 82 which can be folded over to temporarily engage with the adjacent hook portion 78 or loop portion 80 on the same cushion element 12. For use, the flap 82 is simply folded back out, thereby presenting both the hook portion 78 and the loop portion 80 for engagement with corresponding hook and loop portions 78, 80 on an adjacent abutting cushion element 12.

In this way, with the reconfigurable furnishing 10 folded out, for example, to form the double bed, cushion elements 12 with abutting side surfaces 34 which are not connected via hinges 14 can be temporarily interconnected by the hook and loop fastening devices 76.

In a further modification, each cushion element may be surrounded by a rigid side wall, formed for example by wood or plastics. The rigid side wall has a depth which is less than that of the cushion element, so that the upper and lower surfaces of the cushion element remain proud.

In this case, the hinges may be formed from wire connectors. Each connector may project from the main exterior surface of one rigid side wall, or from an upper or lower side edge of the rigid side wall.

The rigid side walls are beneficial in enabling unobtrusive stacking. By including a rigid top panel, the stacked single column can be used as a table or stand.

Preferably, the cushion elements are weatherproof, allowing their use outside. Furthermore, the cushion elements may be waterproof and buoyant to allow use in a swimming pool. The filling of the cushion elements would thus be of a buoyant material, such as polystyrene.

Although six cushion elements are described above, further numbers are feasible. The reconfigurable furnishing can have eight cushion elements and even ten cushion elements.

The stacked single column, shown in Figure 1, provides for convenient storage and transportation.

Although preferably a reconfigurable soft furnishing, the furnishing may be formed of more resilient, hard wearing or tough material.

It is thus possible to provide a reconfigurable furnishing which has a plurality of configurations for adopting many different seating and lying configurations. The reconfigurable furnishing can be adapted to provide seating and/or lying for two people as well as for a single person. The reconfigurable furnishing can also be arranged to provide seating which extends around a corner. The reconfigurable furnishing is simple to manufacture, and the single stacked column arrangement enables straightforward storage and cost-effective transportation.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.