Patent Application
20240341487
This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102023000007023, filed Apr. 12, 2023, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
The present invention relates to a furnishing composition comprising a plurality of modular modules with variable configuration. In particular, the present invention finds application in indoor or outdoor furnishings comprising several modules which can be placed side by side and mechanically connected to one another in different configurations, according to the user's needs.
In the prior art, there are solutions of furnishing compositions comprising furnishing elements that can be assembled together by means of mechanical joints.
However, such solutions are inconvenient to assemble and especially do not allow the modules to be repeatedly disassembled and reassembled quickly and easily, without the use of specific tools.
Moreover, the solutions of the prior art allow limited reconfigurations, i.e., repositioning, of the various modules forming the furnishing composition.
Moreover, the known solutions often imply irreversible marks on the individual modular modules upon fastening them: the subsequent reconfiguration of the furnishing composition is thus discouraged since it would leave such marks in sight.
In other words, the known solutions do not allow the user to reconfigure the arrangement of the modules of the furnishing composition at will, according to contingent needs, quickly and without the aid of specific tools.
The need is thus felt to overcome the drawbacks and limitations mentioned with reference to the prior art.
Such a need is met by a furnishing composition as described and claimed herein.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more comprehensible from the following description of preferred, non-limiting embodiments thereof, in which:
The elements or parts of elements common to the embodiments described below will be indicated by the same reference numerals.
With reference to the figures, 4 indicates as a whole a furnishing composition comprising a plurality of furnishing modules 8 that can be assembled according to a variable configuration.
The term furnishing module 8 must be understood in a broad sense, comprising, merely by way of non-limiting example, armchairs, chairs, sofas, beds, ottomans, and the like.
Each of said furnishing modules 8 is provided with a support frame 12 having a support base 16 and at least one engagement seat 20, directed along a vertical axis Y-Y, perpendicular to a support plane P of the furnishing composition 4. The support frame 12 and the engagement seat 20 can be made of any material.
Each furnishing module 8 is further provided with at least one connecting rod 24 comprising an arm 28 ending, at opposite ends, with a pair of fixing pins 32,36 projecting perpendicularly to said arm 28.
Said fixing pins 32,36 are at least partially counter-shaped with respect to said engagement seats 20 so as to be engaged in said engagement seats 20 according to a shape coupling.
More in detail, the fixing pins 32,36 of said at least one connecting rod 24 are engaged in respective engagement seats 20 of two furnishing modules 8 adjacent to each other. The connecting rod 24 is thus capable of mechanically connecting said adjacent furnishing modules 8 to each other.
Preferably, the engagement seat 20 and the fixing pins 32,36 are axial-symmetric with respect to an axis of axial-symmetry S-S parallel to said vertical axis Y-Y.
For example, said engagement seat 20 and said fixing pins 32,36 are cylindrical or conical. It is thus possible to mutually rotate the connecting rod 24 and the engagement seats 20 so as to vary the orientation and/or the relative position between adjacent furnishing modules 8. For example, in the case of a conical configuration, the fixing pins 32,36 have a vertex angle between 15° and 25°, preferably 20°.
The engagement seat 20 can be in one piece with the support frame 12; alternatively (
Preferably, said engagement seats 20 are open downwards, i.e., facing the support plane P of the furnishing composition 4.
The fixing pins 32,36 face upwards, on the opposite side of the support plane P of the furnishing composition 4. The fixing pins 32,36 can thus be inserted into the respective engagement seats 20 with a movement from the bottom upwards.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, in each connecting rod 24, at least one of said fixing pins 32,36 is provided with bayonet attachments 44,48 arranged in diametrically opposite positions: moreover, at least one of said engagement seats 20 is provided with diametrically opposite radial gaps 52,56, shaped so as to create a mechanical connection with said bayonet attachments 44,48.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, in the assembly configuration, the radial gaps 52, 56 are misaligned with respect to the bayonet attachments 44, 48. Preferably, an angular offset is provided, which is between 45 and 75 degrees, preferably of 65 degrees.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, the connection between two adjacent furnishing modules 8 occurs by interposing two connecting rods 24, each having a fixing pin 32,36 provided with bayonet attachments 44,48, inserted into the respective engagement seat 20, in turn provided with radial gaps 52,56, by virtue of an opposing (clockwise/counterclockwise) movement which brings said connecting rods 24 to a position substantially orthogonal to the coupling side. This type of coupling prevents the adjacent furnishing modules 8, connected to each other, from misaligning: such movement is prevented as the connecting rods arranged as above are not free to rotate on the same side.
Preferably, the bayonet attachments 44,48 of said fixing pins 32,36 are aligned and symmetrical along the joining centres C1,C2 of the fixing pins 32,36 of the connecting rod 24.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, the engagement seats 20 are through with respect to the support frame 12. Moreover, said fixing pins 32,36 are shaped so that, in the assembly configuration on the engagement seats 20, they completely cross the engagement seats 20 and protrude from the upper part of the engagement seats 20, opposite to the support plane P of the furnishing composition 4.
Preferably, the support frame 12 of each furnishing module 8 is provided with a plurality of engagement seats 20, in one piece or carried, arranged peripherally with respect to the support frame 12. It is thus possible to vary the connection points between adjacent furnishing modules 8, varying the engagement position of the fixing pins 32,36 of the related connecting rods 24.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, the support frame 12 is provided with the support base 16, directed in a vertical direction Y-Y, and a horizontal cantilevered portion 60 which supports said at least one engagement seat 20, said support base 16 being retracted or internal with respect to the horizontal cantilevered portion 60.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, said fixing pins 32,36, on the opposite side of the respective engagement seats 20, are provided with an extraction nail 64, adapted to facilitate the disassembly of the connecting rod 24, allowing the traction of the connecting rod 24 towards the support plane P of the furnishing composition 4. For example, the user can insert the tip of a finger or a screwdriver to pull the connecting rod 24 downwards, levering the extraction nail 64 which acts as an undercut towards the support plane P.
The method of assembling a furnishing composition according to the present invention will now be described.
In particular, the user begins to apply a connecting rod 24 (
Then he/she proceeds with the juxtaposition of a second furnishing module 8 to the fixing pin 36 left free and cantilevered and the latter is engaged in a corresponding engagement seat 20 obtained or carried on the support frame 12 of said second furnishing module 8. The possible combinations of the furnishing composition 4 are varied and can be continuously modified by moving the orientations and fixing points of the connecting rod 24, i.e., by choosing appropriate engagement seats 20 present along the perimeters of the support frames 12 of the various furnishing modules 8.
The disassembly of the connecting rod 24 can be facilitated by levering the extraction nails provided for this purpose at the fixing pins 32,36.
Moreover, as mentioned above, it is possible to connect two adjacent furnishing modules 8 by interposing two connecting rods 24, each having a fixing pin 32,36 provided with bayonet attachments 44,48, inserted into the respective engagement seat 20, in turn provided with radial gaps 52,56, by virtue of an opposing (clockwise/counterclockwise) movement which brings said connecting rods 24 to a position substantially orthogonal to the coupling side. This inverted coupling prevents the adjacent furnishing modules 8, connected to each other, from misaligning: such movement is prevented as the connecting rods arranged as above are not free to rotate on the same side. Otherwise, the connecting rods 24 could move synchronously as in an articulated parallelogram, allowing unwanted relative movements between adjacent furnishing modules.
As can be appreciated from the above description, the present invention allows overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art.
In particular, the present invention allows reconfiguring the furnishing composition at will, without the aid of specific tools, quickly and easily.
The configurations are all reversible, can be assembled and disassembled repeatedly, and the related fixings are not visible from the outside by an observer.
In order to meet specific contingent needs, those skilled in the art may make several changes and variations to the solutions described above.
The scope of protection of the invention is defined by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102023000007023 | Apr 2023 | IT | national |
