Patent Grant
10107502
The present invention relates generally to furniture configured for use outdoors. More particularly, the present invention relates to an outdoor patio table with a moveable tabletop and functional/storage elements stored within a base of the table.
Portable fire pits have become increasingly popular. Such fire pits allow users to cleanly and safely enjoy the pleasures of a fire on patios, porches and other areas where containing a fire had proved difficult and dangerous. However, incorporating a fire pit as a part of patio furniture presents users with issues when it comes to adequate space for drinks, containers, bowls, and the like. Furthermore, the fire pit typically takes up a significant amount of space in the space-limited settings of patios and decks, which makes it difficult to provide additional tables and the like for holding foodstuffs and other service items.
Some conventional designs have been developed where a fire pit is recessed below a tabletop surface, and the tabletop is wholly or partially removed to access the fire pit. Typically, this conventional outdoor patio furniture, such as a table containing a fire bowl or fire pit, has a portion of the tabletop removed in order to allow the user to see the fire, and for adequate ventilation of the fire. Thus, even if the fire bowl is recessed, the area of the tabletop that is removed to uncover or accommodate the fire bowl is an area that is lost to use as a traditional tabletop while the fire pit is functioning. This can quickly turn into an inconvenience if several people are trying to use the tabletop at the same time. Further, drinks or other service items placed on the surrounding lip of the fire pit will quickly heat up due to the fire, and these items may produce an unwanted combustion risk which can potentially spread fire beyond the fire pit.
Some tables containing recessed fire pits are equipped with a flat plate, or covering, designed to be placed over just the portion of the table surface which includes the recessed fire bowl. Use of such a plate or covering will allow the area of the recessed fire bowl to be used as a traditional tabletop. However, both the covering and the fire bowl cannot be used at the same time. This presents the user with a decision: enjoy a fire or enjoy sufficient tabletop space. Furthermore, even when the flat plate or covering is removed, some of the remaining portion of the tabletop cannot actually be used as a result of being too close to the operating fire pit.
Another issue faced in connection with the loss of tabletop space is the problem of limiting the size of the fire bowl (as some designs have reduced the size of the fire bowl to try and address the concerns with other conventional designs described above). As noted above, any area devoted to a fire bowl typically means area not available as tabletop space. Hence, the user is again forced to a decision. This time, the decision is between a robust, vibrant, and aesthetically pleasing fire experience, and adequate tabletop space. However, by forcing the user into making such a choice, the conventional outdoor patio tables with integrated fire pits (or other storage/functional elements such as integrated bowls or ice buckets) do not provide the multi-functionality or space efficiency which is highly desirable in the outdoor patio or deck context.
A need exists, therefore, for an outdoor patio table that allows a user to maximize the space on a tabletop surface that remains available in a table designed for multi-functional use.
The multi-function outdoor patio table and other features of the invention disclosed herein overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings and drawbacks of conventional designs. To this end, one embodiment of the outdoor patio table includes a base, a tabletop, and a functional/storage device. The base includes a top panel, a base panel, and sidewalls extending between the top panel and the base panel, the base surrounding a contained space. The top panel has an aperture communicating with the contained space. The tabletop is coupled to the base proximate the top panel by a movement assembly. As a result of this coupling, the tabletop is moveable between an open position and a closed position relative to the base, and the tabletop is at least partially made of a weather resistant material. The functional/storage device may be defined by an ice bucket or a fire pit, and this device is revealed for access and use when the tabletop is moved to the open position. The tabletop defines a tabletop surface for supporting various items, and the movement assembly is arranged such that the tabletop surface is disposed in a substantially horizontal orientation at both of the open and closed positions, thereby enabling support of the various items regardless of table configuration. Advantageously, this allows for full use of the tabletop surface both when the functional/storage device is being used, and also when the table is configured as simply a table.
The outdoor patio table includes various additional features depending on the embodiment. For example, the movement assembly is defined by a pivot linkage assembly which moves the tabletop in an arc-shaped path between open and closed positions, or is alternatively defined by a slide rail assembly enabling linear movement between the open and closed positions. The tabletop may be defined by a unitary member that moves to a position cantilevered over one of the sidewalls of the base in the open position, or it may be defined by a bifurcated member having first and second tabletop segments that move in opposite directions to be cantilevered on opposite sides of the table in the open position. The tabletop may be formed from aluminum, which is weather resistant and fire resistant such that the tabletop can snuff out any remaining flames when the functional/storage device is a fire pit. When a fire pit is provided, a switch may also detect whether the tabletop is in the closed position, such that fuel supply to the burner element of the fire pit is shut off whenever the tabletop is in the closed position (for safety reasons). A control panel is also provided along one of the sidewalls to allow the user to control the fire pit in those embodiments.
In other embodiments, the functional/storage device is an ice bucket and/or a plurality of bowls configured to hold different items. For an ice bucket embodiment, the bucket may include a drain line and a stopper near the bottom end thereof to allow for draining of melted ice from the ice bucket. Alternatively, the ice bucket and/or bowls can be removable for cleaning when necessary. On the contrary, the tabletop is non-removably coupled to the base such that separate pieces do not need to be managed, and such that the movement assembly remains configured to retain the tabletop surface in the substantially horizontal orientation in all configurations of the outdoor patio table. Accordingly, users may take full advantage of the tabletop surface at all times, allowing for multiple functionalities and space-savings in the deck or patio context.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
With initial reference to
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 140 includes legs 146 extending along the sidewalls 144, and feet 148 that are attached to the base 140. The legs 146 also extend downward from the base 140 to contact the feet 148. The height of the tabletop 120 may be determined by the length of the legs 146. For instance, if a higher tabletop 120 is desired, the legs 146 may be configured as longer than if a shorter tabletop 120 is desired. The legs 146 come into direct contact with the ground at their bottom ends thereof in embodiments where the feet 148 are omitted. In other embodiments, the lower surface 145 of the base panel 142 may contact the ground directly and rest on the ground. In such an embodiment, the base panel 142 provides a secure base for supporting the weight of the fire bowl table 100.
The feet 148 have an upper surface, a lower surface, a thickness that defines edges, and a perimeter. The lower surface of the feet 148 is in direct contact with the ground and provides a secure base for supporting the weight of the fire bowl table 100. The bottom surface of the feet 148 has more area than the bottom of the legs 146, thus providing better stability in soft earth or other soft ground that the fire bowl table 100 may be placed on.
In another alternative embodiment (not shown), the legs 146 may be omitted, and the upper surface of the feet 148 may then be operatively attached to the lower surface 145 of the base panel 142. The thickness of the feet 148 keeps the base panel 142 from coming into direct contact with the ground in such an aspect. Indeed, regardless of the particular configuration of the elements of the base 140, the base 140 is configured to support the tabletop 120 in a stable manner, even when the tabletop 120 moves between the open and closed positions.
With additional reference to
The top panel 220 also includes one or more apertures that extend through the thickness of the top panel 220 from the upper surface 221 to the lower surface 223. The apertures define shoulders for sensors and/or the functional/storage devices to be retained upon relative to the top panel 220. For example, the functional/storage device of this embodiment is a fire bowl 240 that engages, and is received by, an aperture 281 of the top panel 220. As illustrated in
The tabletop 120 is slidably attached to the top panel 220 such that the tabletop 120 may be moved horizontally while remaining attached to and parallel with the top panel 220. To this end, the tabletop 120 may be slidably attached to the top panel 220 using any suitable method. In one embodiment, a movement assembly, referred to hereinafter as a slide rail assembly 285, is used to slidably attach the tabletop 120 to the top panel 220. Other methods and devices for securing these elements together are possible, at least one alternative of which is described below.
A suitable slide rail assembly 285 includes a first portion, referred to hereinafter as a first rail 287, and a second portion, referred to hereinafter as a second rail 289. In an embodiment of slide rail assembly 285, second rail 289 is secured to tabletop 120, first rail 287 is secured to table 100, and first rail 287 is slidably attached to second rail 289. In this embodiment, second rail 289 is slidably received into the first rail 287 such that the second rail 289 telescopes out of the first rail 287. The second rail 289 is locked into the first rail 287, so as to not allow the first rail 287 and the second rail 289 to disengage, and thus, not allow the tabletop 120 to become separated from the top panel 220 and the base 140. As illustrated in
It will be understood that the first and second rails 287, 289 are coupled to one another and configured so as to bear and transfer the cantilever loading that will be applied by the weight of the tabletop 120 and a reasonable amount of items when placed on the tabletop surface. To this end, the base 140 is configured to support the entirety of the table 100 without tipping over even when these cantilever loads are applied through the first and second rails 287, 289. Of course, additional elements like fold-out secondary support legs or a separate support leg can be used with the cantilevered portion of the tabletop 120 in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Such alternatives may be desirable when very heavy objects are to be maintained on the tabletop surface while using the fire bowl table 100 in the open position.
To address any concerns with cantilever loads and tipping over, the tabletop 120 in other embodiments such as those described below may be divided into two bifurcated segments instead of a single, unitary member. The two segments may be approximately equal in size, and oppose each other on one edge as they are slidably attached to the top panel 220. The two segments of the tabletop 120 may slide into an open position in opposite directions from each other, revealing the top panel 220 and the fire bowl 240. In this configuration, and when in an open position, a part of each segment of the tabletop 120 is cantilevered past the perimeter of the top panel 220 in diametrically opposing directions. This embodiment provides the advantage of allowing the weight of the two segments of the tabletop 120 to offset each other when cantilevered in the open position, thus assuring additional stability to the fire bowl table 100 while also dividing space usage and table access to all sides of the functioning fire pit. However, the segments would still define a unitary arrangement of the tabletop surface when in the closed position, in these embodiments.
The contained space 280 includes a fuel tank 300 that is operatively coupled to a burner element 320 positioned in the fire bowl 240. Liquid or gaseous fuel flows from the fuel tank 300 to the burner element 320 via supply line 330, where it is ignited to produce flames. In other embodiments (not shown), the fuel tank 300 and the burner element 320 may be absent, and a traditional solid fuel, such as wood or coal, may be placed in an empty fire bowl 240 and ignited to produce flames. In this regard, any type of known fire pit and combustible fuel may be used in conjunction with the fire bowl table 100 of the present invention, so long as it can be contained within the base 140.
The fuel tank 300 is optionally further operatively coupled to a switch 260 that, when operated, automatically opens or closes an inline valve 340 situated in the supply line 330 between the fuel tank 300 and the burner element 320. For instance, when the switch 260 is activated, the inline valve 340 closes, blocking or stopping the flow of fuel from the fuel tank 300 to the burner element 320 via the supply line 330. Conversely, when the switch 260 is not activated, the inline valve 340 remains open, allowing fuel to flow freely through the supply line 330.
Likewise, the fuel tank 300 is operatively coupled as schematically shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the switch 260 will be received by, and secured within, an aperture 261 of the top panel 220. The switch 260 will be received by the aperture 261 such that when the tabletop 120 is slid into the closed position, the tabletop 120 will come into contact or abut the switch 260 before the tabletop 120 slides over the fire bowl 240. When the tabletop 120 comes into contact with the switch 260, the contact will activate the switch 260, thereby closing the valve 340 and interrupting the flow of fuel to the burner element 320. With fuel no longer flowing to the burner element 320, combustion at the burner element will cease, thus ensuring the tabletop 120 will not come into contact with flames from the burner element 320. In an embodiment of switch 260, a pressure switch is operatively connected to the fuel supply line and configured to block the supply of fuel to the burner element 320 when tabletop 120 is in the closed position. In another embodiment of switch 260, an optical sensor may sense when the tabletop 120 is in the closed position through optics (e.g., ambient light detection or otherwise). To this end, the switch 260 may be provided by any type of pressure, optical, or other proximity sensor which is capable of determining when the tabletop 120 is in the closed position and when it is in the open position.
Access to the contained space 280 may be facilitated by one or more doors (not shown) in one of the sidewalls 144. Alternatively, one or more of the sidewalls 144 may be configured as removable from the base 140 to allow access to the contained space 280, such as for tank maintenance or replacement.
Referring now to
The outdoor patio table 400 of this embodiment is referred to as a storage bowl table 400, and it includes an ice bucket 441 and a snack bowl 443, rather than the fire bowl 240 of the previously described embodiment shown in
As shown in
Snack bowl 443 is similar in most respects to ice bucket 441. Snack bowl 443 sits in an aperture 471 defined by top panel 220 and is prevented from plunging entirely through top panel 220 by way of a lip 461. Snack bowl 443 includes a recess 463 for accessing an interior which is sized smaller and shallower than the interior of ice bucket 441. Note that while
While ice bucket 441 and snack bowl 443 are shown with a particular size and shape, no limitation should be read into the embodiment of either ice bucket 441 or snack bowl 443 or storage bowl table 400 in general from the illustrated embodiment shown in
Now with reference to
The outdoor patio table 500 of this embodiment is also referred to as a fire bowl table 500 in view of the inclusion of a fire pit-like fire bowl 240 which may be revealed by moving a bifurcated tabletop 510 between open and closed positions. The bifurcated tabletop 510 includes a first tabletop segment 512 and a second tabletop segment 514 which are configured to abut one another at a seam 516 in the center of the fire bowl table 500 when the tabletop 510 is in the closed position as shown in
In the embodiment illustrated, the tabletop 510 is defined by a weather-resistant material such as aluminum, which is configured to withstand environmental conditions of all varieties which may be encountered when using outdoor furniture. Additionally, the solid aluminum material can snuff out any remaining fire in the fire bowl 240 when closed, while dissipating any residual heat by conduction rapidly out of the fire bowl table 500. The seam 516 at the abutment of the tabletop segments 512, 514 may be provided with a seal (not shown) or the like to avoid allowing rainwater or any other contaminants from leaking down into the fire bowl 240 while the tabletop 510 is in the closed position. The tabletop 510 is shown as being formed with a hollow construction underneath the tabletop surface 518, but the tabletop 510 may be formed from a solid construction as well. Of course, alternative construction materials and configurations are possible and within the scope of this invention.
When it is desired to use the fire bowl table 500 as a fire pit, the tabletop 510 can be moved to the open position as shown in
Returning to the coupling of the elements, this embodiment of the fire bowl table 500 includes a pivot linkage assembly 540 connecting the first and second tabletop segments 512, 514 to the top panel 530, and/or to the base 140 adjacent the top panel 530. More specifically, the pivot linkage assembly 540 of this embodiment includes two first pivot bars 542 connected to each lateral side of the top panel 530 and the first tabletop segment 512 (four total first pivot bars 542, although only two of these are visible in the schematic cross-sectional view of
The entirety of the pivot linkage assembly 540 is shown in
The pivot linkage assembly 540 and other versions of a movement assembly, such as the slide rail assembly 285 above, are configured such that the tabletop is non-removably coupled to the top panel of the base. To this end, unlike some conventional designs where the tabletop or a lid must be separately managed, the tabletops in the embodiments of this invention cannot be removed without complete disassembly of the movement assembly. This arrangement allows for the functional benefits to be achieved as described herein, including continuous use of the tabletop surface regardless of whether the tabletop is in the open or closed position, or moving therebetween.
The tabletop 510 further includes a set of handles 550 in this embodiment. The handles 550 are welded, adhered, or otherwise secured in a known manner to opposite peripheral or side edges at the periphery of the tabletop segments 512, 514. Thus, a user may grasp these handles 550 and pull or push on the tabletop segments 512, 514 to cause pivotal movement of the first and second pivot bars 542, 544 and corresponding movement of the tabletop 510 between the open and closed positions. The handles 550 may be repositioned or omitted in other embodiments consistent with the scope of this disclosure, so long as they continue to assist with controlling movement of the tabletop segments 512, 514.
Advantageously, the four-bar linkage arrangement defined by the first and second pivot bars 542, 544 enables movement of the first and second tabletop segments 512, 514 in such a manner that the tabletop surface 518 is in a substantially horizontal orientation at each of the open and closed positions, as shown most clearly in
Likewise, as set forth above, the entirety of the tabletop surface 518 remains useable when the fire pit functionality is available, with portions of the tabletop surface 518 accessible on both sides of the fire bowl table 500 so that all users can still have tabletop space. Most of this tabletop surface 518 is spaced well apart from the edge of the fire bowl 240, so problems with warming up drinks and combusting materials are minimized if not eliminated with this design. Although the pivot linkage assembly 540 is configured to transfer all cantilever loads of the tabletop segments 512, 514 in the open position, and the base 140 is configured to bear such cantilever loads without tipping over, the bifurcation of the tabletop 510 and cantilevering in opposite directions further enhances the stability and usefulness of the table 500 in the outdoor patio or deck setting.
Thus, in all embodiments of the outdoor patio table 100, 400, 500 described herein, the tabletop and its tabletop surface remain fully functional and useable regardless of whether the functional/storage device (fire pit, ice bucket, and/or otherwise) in the base 140 is being used as well. As such, the outdoor patio table provides several advantages over conventional designs such as by solving many of the problems outlined above in the Background section. Accordingly, the desires for space-efficiency and functionality in the outdoor furniture setting of decks and patios can be achieved when using the designs described herein.
The device is typically—but not necessarily—configured as a table, such as a patio or coffee table. The specific height of the table may vary in different embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other embodiments, the device may be configured as some other type of outdoor furniture such as, but not limited to, an ottoman, or an end table. Additionally, the device may be incorporated into a piece of furniture, such as a couch, a love seat, a bar, a counter, etc. To this end, the concepts of maintaining a “tabletop” or horizontal surface for use and moving it so that a functional/storage device can simultaneously be used is applicable in multiple contexts, these different contexts being summarized herein by use of the term “table” in the following claims.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of exemplary embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The various features of the disclosure may be used alone or in any combination depending on the needs and preferences of the user. Further, features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments. This has been a description of the present invention, along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/197,728, filed Jul. 28, 2015. This prior application is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.
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