Foldable piece of furniture and method therefore

Abstract

The furniture includes base part (1), lid part (2) and four supports (3), each support (3) having two segments (3A, 3B), of which a lower segment (3A) is hinged to the base part (1) and an upper segment (3B) is hinged to the lid part (2), so that the supports (3A, 3B) can be folded in towards the interior. The furniture has a continuously dimensionally stable front part (4) and/or a back part (5) which is different from the supports (3), wherein each part (4, 5) can be folded in towards the interior without changing its shape, wherein it has an articulated connection at its upper or lower edge about which it can be swiveled or folded. The invention also includes a method for folding the furniture.

1 . Furniture for providing a definable interior space, comprising a rectangular base part ( 1 ), a rectangular lid part ( 2 ), and four supports ( 3 ) vertically arranged or arrangeable in the corners of the furniture, all of which are at all times connected to the base part ( 1 ) and the lid part ( 2 ), each support ( 3 ) comprising at least two segments ( 3 A,  3 B) each, a lower segment ( 3 A) of which is hingedly connected to the base part ( 1 ) and an upper segment ( 3 B) is hingedly connected at all times to the lid part ( 2 ), adjacent segments ( 3 A,  3 B) of a support ( 3 ) also being connected to one another via a segment joint ( 3 C), so that the supports ( 3 ) can be folded together in such a way that they can be folded together in the direction of the interior space with a continuous articulated connection to the base part ( 1 ) and the lid part ( 2 ) as well as the segments ( 3 A,  3 B) to one another, wherein the ends of the segments ( 3 A,  3 B) of adjacent supports ( 3 ) are spaced apart from one another even in the completely folded-in state of the furniture, in which the segments ( 3 A,  3 B) of a support ( 3 ) are positioned adjacent to one another, wherein the supports ( 3 ) can be folded in in the direction of the side edges and are designed to absorb compressive forces, characterised in that the furniture comprises a front part ( 4 ) and/or a back part ( 5 ) which are different from the supports ( 3 ) and are dimensionally stable throughout, wherein each part ( 4 ,  5 ) can be folded in towards the interior without changing its shape, wherein it has an articulated connection at its upper or lower edge about which it can be swivelled or folded, further comprising one or two side parts ( 6 ), wherein each side part ( 6 ) is articulatedly connected either at its lower or upper edge to the base part ( 1 ) or the lid part ( 2 ), so that it can be folded in towards the interior, so that each wall surface of the furniture is continuous and dimensionally stable. 
     
     
         2 . The furniture according to  claim 1 , wherein the supports ( 3 ) have segments ( 3 A,  3 B) with flat end faces for the purpose of absorbing compressive forces, or end faces, a first of which has a lying S-shape, a hemispherical or semi-cylindrical shape, a sawtooth or pyramidal shape, or a stepped profile, and the other of which has a correspondingly complementary shape. 
     
     
         3 . The furniture according to  claim 1 , wherein the front part ( 4 ) is articulated at its lower edge to the base part ( 1 ), and the back part ( 5 ) is articulated at its upper edge to the lid part ( 2 ), or wherein the back part ( 5 ) is articulated at its lower edge to the base part ( 1 ), and the front part ( 4 ) is articulated at its upper edge to the lid part ( 2 ), so that the front part ( 4 ) and the back part ( 5 ) rest with their sides pointing towards the interior against the base part ( 1 ) or the lid part ( 2 ), respectively. 
     
     
         4 . The furniture according to  claim 3 , wherein the height of the front and back part ( 4 ,  5 ) is less than or equal to the depth of the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 ), so that both parts ( 4 ,  5 ) can be folded in towards the interior when the supports ( 3 ) are folded out. 
     
     
         5 . The furniture according to  claim 1  with two side parts ( 6 ), wherein the heights of the side parts ( 6 ) are dimensioned such that they are spaced apart in the folded state, in which they are arranged parallel to the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 ). 
     
     
         6 . The furniture according to  claim 1  with two side parts ( 6 ), wherein both side parts ( 6 ) are connected at the upper edge to the lid part ( 2 ), or wherein both side parts ( 6 ) are connected at the lower edge to the base part ( 1 ). 
     
     
         7 . The furniture according to  claim 1 , with a front part ( 4 ), wherein the front part ( 4 ) comprises a front frame ( 4 A) in which a door ( 4 B) is arranged. 
     
     
         8 . The furniture according to  claim 1 , wherein the lid part ( 2 ) comprises a lid frame ( 2 A) in or on which a cover plate ( 2 B) is arranged or can be arranged. 
     
     
         9 . The furniture according to  claim 1 , wherein a support ( 3 ) has an invisible hinge ( 7 ) for the purpose of achieving a folding angle of 180° between two segments ( 3 A,  3 B), which comprises a plurality of sectors ( 7 A,  7 B,  7 C) which are in the form of circular arc segments and can be telescoped into one another, wherein a start sector ( 7 A) is arranged on the end face of one segment ( 3 A) and an end sector ( 7 C) is arranged in a cut-out ( 7 D) of the end face of the other segment ( 3 B), and the start and end sectors ( 7 A,  7 C) are telescopically connected to one another by means of an intermediate sector ( 7 B), and wherein the centres of the circular arc segments lie on a corner edge of the end faces of the segments ( 3 A,  3 B), and the cut-out ( 7 D) of the end face of the other segment ( 3 B) is arranged to receive all the sectors ( 7 A,  7 B,  7 C) pushed into one another. 
     
     
         10 . A method for folding a piece of furniture as defined in  claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
 folding in the supports ( 3 ) in the direction of the interior so that the segments ( 3 A,  3 B) of each support ( 3 ) are positioned adjacent to each other and parallel to the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 );   simultaneously approaching the base and lid parts ( 1 ,  2 ) to each other;   
       so that after folding in the supports ( 3 ), the base and lid parts ( 1 ,  2 ) are positioned parallel and as close as possible to each other, so that the furniture has the smallest possible volume. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10  for folding a piece of furniture as defined in  claim 1 , with a front and a back part ( 4 ,  5 ), and with two side parts ( 6 ), comprising the following steps:
 folding the side parts ( 6 ) in towards the interior until they are positioned parallel to the base and lid parts ( 1 ,  2 ); 
 folding the back part ( 5 ) in towards the interior so that it is positioned parallel to the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 ); 
 folding the front part ( 4 ) in towards the interior so that it is positioned parallel to the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 ); 
 folding in the supports ( 3 ) in the direction of the interior so that the segments ( 3 A,  3 B) of each support ( 3 ) are positioned adjacent to each other and parallel to the base and lid part ( 1 ,  2 ); 
 
       so that after folding in the supports ( 3 ), the base and lid parts ( 1 ,  2 ) are positioned parallel to each other, and the front, back and side parts ( 4 ,  5 ,  6 ) are arranged between them, whereby the folded furniture has the smallest possible volume. 
     
     
         12 . the method for unfolding a piece of furniture comprising carrying out the steps according to  claim 11  in reverse order on folded furniture.