Combination furniture and exercise device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 4905330
  • Patent Number
    4,905,330
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, February 23, 1989
    36 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 6, 1990
    34 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Smith; Gary L.
    • Milano; Michael J.
    Agents
    • Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees & Sease
Abstract
Five cushion pieces are pivotally interconnected to provide multiple furniture and exercise pieces. A pair of wedge shaped pieces are pivotally interconnected to a rectangular piece for pivoting about a common axis. A pair of half size rectangular pieces are pivotally interconnected to each other with one of the pieces being pivotally connected to the rectangular piece at an edge diagonally opposite the pivotal connection of the rectangular piece to the two wedge pieces.
Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An important object of some furniture is for it to function in as many ways as possible. Space and budgets are often limited and thus the more ways a piece of equipment can be used, the more valuable it is to the owner.
I have previously produced a combination furniture and exercise device comprising three pieces pivoted together about a common axis. Two of the pieces were wedge shaped while the third was rectangular in cross section. It could produce a bed, incline bed or ottoman. It would be desirable to add additional furniture and exercise configurations to this unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have added to my previous combination furniture and exercise device two rectangular sections or pieces which are pivotally interconnected. Each of them have a width equal to one half the width of the original rectangular piece connected to the two wedge shaped pieces. The unit is now capable of being arranged in the shape of a love seat, lounge, ottoman or sit-up exercise device among other possible configurations.
A total of five pieces are utilized, all interconnected. The wedge shaped pieces comprise the first two pieces while the rectangular piece is the third, and the fourth and fifth pieces are the one-half size rectangular pieces. The fourth rectangular piece is pivoted to the third rectangular piece at an edge diagonally opposite the edge to which the first and second wedge-shaped pieces are connected to the rectangular third piece. The fifth rectangular piece is pivotally connected to the fourth piece at an edge diagonally opposite the fourth rectangular piece's connection to the third rectangular piece. This specific structure and arrangement allows for a variety of different furniture and exercise piece configurations.





DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination furniture and exercise device fully extended as a bed.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof in an incline bed or slant configuration.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof showing a lounge configuration.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof showing an ottoman configuration.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof showing a love seat configuration.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view thereof showing a sit-up exercise device configuration.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view thereof showing a slanted sit-up exercise device configuration.





DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The combination furniture and exercise device of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and is shown in the configuration of a bed. The device includes five interconnected sections or pieces identified by the numbers 1-5. The first two pieces ar wedge shaped and are right angle in cross section. The wedge shaped pieces 1 and 2 are pivotally interconnected to each other and to the edge 12 of the rectangular piece 3. A fourth piece rectangular in shape and one-half the size of the third rectangular in shape piece is pivotally connected at an edge 14 on the rectangular piece 3 diagonally opposite the edge 12. A second rectangular piece 5 one-half the size of the rectangular piece 3 is pivotally interconnected at the edge 16 of the rectangular piece 4. Thus as seen in FIG. 1 an elongated wholly extended bed is provided.
In FIG. 2 an incline bed 10A is shown wherein the wedge shaped pieces 1 and 2 are arranged with surfaces 18 and 20 in a common sloping plane. Wedge piece 1 is stacked on top of rectangular piece 3. The rectangular piece 5 is stacked on top of the rectangular piece 4 and provides a level extension to the upper edge 22 of the wedge piece 1.
A lounge chair 10B is shown in FIG. 3 and is similar to the incline bed 10A of FIG. 2 except that the wedge piece 1 is pivoted to a vertical position to provide a back for the lounge chair 10B. The rectangular pieces 4 and 5 provide an extension and support for the user's legs.
An ottoman 10C is illustrated in FIG. 4 and is the result of wedge pieces 1 and 2 being stacked and the rectangular piece 3 being placed on top of the wedge pieces 1 and 2. The rectangular pieces 4 and 5 are extended and stacked on top of the rectangular piece 3.
A love seat 10D is seen in FIG. 5 wherein the wedge pieces 1 and 2 are stacked with the rectangular piece on top and a seat is provided by the rectangular pieces 4 and 5 being stacked one upon the other.
In performing sit up exercises, it is important to keep the feet raised to avoid injury to the back. A comfortable exercise piece of equipment is provided in FIG. 6 wherein a sit up exercise device 10E is shown. The wedge piece 2 is placed on top of the wedge piece 1 and extended from the rectangular piece 3 the rectangular pieces 4 and 5 are stacked one upon the other to provide the ledge on which the exerciser's feet 30 are placed. It is important to note that the component pieces 1, 2 and 3 have been inverted from the position shown in FIG. 1 thereby making it possible for the rectangular pieces 4 and 5 to assume the position shown to provide the ledge for the user's feet 30.
An alternate sit-up position device 10F is shown in FIG. 7 where the exercise piece of FIG. 2 is inverted and the rectangular pieces 4 and 5 are stacked on top of rectangular piece 3. The exerciser now has a higher degree of difficulty over the device of FIG. 2 for doing sit-ups as he is in a slant position.
Thus it is seen that five cushion pieces appropriately interconnected and arranged one relative to the others can provide a multiple of different pieces of furniture and exercise devices. Space and costs requirements are thus minimized. The addition of the half sized rectangular pieces 4 and 5 to the other three pieces significantly enhances the possibilities of how the furniture and exercise piece may be used.
Claims
  • 1. A combination furniture and exercise device comprising,
  • first and second wedge-shaped pieces pivotally interconnected at a common axis to a first edge of a rectangular third piece,
  • fourth and fifth rectangular pieces pivotally interconnected and being substantially the same size and one half the width each of said rectangular third piece,
  • a first edge of said fourth piece being pivotally connected to said rectangular third piece at an edge of said third piece diagonally opposite said first edge of said third piece and said fifth piece being pivotally connected to a second edge of said fourth piece diagonally opposite said first edge of said fourth piece, and
  • said first and second wedge shaped pieces having slanted top surfaces in parallel spaced apart planes and said rectangular piece being stacked on the top surface of said second wedge shaped piece and said fifth rectangular piece being stacked on said fourth rectangular piece which is stacked on said third rectangular piece to form a slanted raised foot sit-up exercise device.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Number Name Date Kind
885243 Haas Apr 1908
2623574 Damsch Dec 1952
3469882 Larsen Sep 1969
3498605 Buttner Mar 1970
3555581 Friant Jan 1971
3561757 Schillig Mar 1969
3628790 Gordon Dec 1971
3672720 Wilson Jun 1972
3775785 Mittendorf Dec 1973
3902759 Monteforte et al. Sep 1975
4173045 Osborn Nov 1979
4518203 White May 1985
4802249 Bills Feb 1989
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
546541 Apr 1956 BEX
1487312 Jun 1964 FRX
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Advertising brochure-"Bodyslant".