Portable bed frame

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6618879
  • Patent Number
    6,618,879
  • Date Filed
    Friday, August 16, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 16, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Trettel; Michael F.
    Agents
    • Rosenberg, Klein & Lee
Abstract
A portable bed includes a main part and support members. The main part consists of two pairs of parallel rods for supporting a cloth. The support members are connected to the main part and provide support therefore. The support members each have pivotally connected leg elements so that they can be moved to cross-legged, in use position to support the main part. The support members are each provided with strengthening elements to stand more stably. The strengthening elements each include a strengthening rod, a limiting member, and a slide. One end of the strengthening rod is pivoted to a corresponding limiting member, which is affixed to a corresponding leg element. An opposing end of the strengthening rod is pivoted to a corresponding slide capable of sliding along the other leg element.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a portable bed frame, and more particularly to a portable bed frame, which has pivotally connected legs provided with strengthening elements so that it can be supported in a laid-out position more stably.




2. Brief Description of the Prior Art




Referring to

FIGS. 1

, and


2


, a conventional portable bed includes a main part, several support members


10


, and a cloth


30


. The main part consists of two elongated rods


20


arranged parallel to each other, and two transverse rods


40


. The elongated rods


20


each have extension portions


201


at opposing ends. The transverse rods


40


are detachably connected to the extension portions


201


. Connecting elements are fitted to the ends, and the middle of each of the elongated rods


20


. The cloth


30


is tough, and is joined to the elongated rods


20


, and the transverse rods


40


, at edges thereof, with gaps being formed near the connecting elements.




Each of the support members


10


includes a first supporting leg


101


, two second supporting legs


102


, and two joining members


50


. The joining members


50


each have two connecting portions extending from the center thereof in opposite directions. The joining members


50


are pivoted to two opposing sides of a central portion the first supporting leg


101


. The second supporting legs


102


are fixedly connected to the connecting portions of the joining members


50


. Thus, each the of second legs


102


of the pair of second legs are directed in opposite directions. The upper end of the first leg


101


, and the upper end of the upper one of the second legs


102


of each support member


10


are connected to the connecting elements fitted to the elongated rods


20


.




To use the portable bed, the elongated rods


20


are moved away from each other, the joining members


50


pivoting on the corresponding first legs


101


to a position crossing the second legs


102


. The transverse rods


40


are joined to the extension portions


201


to support two ends of the cloth


30


. Thus, the bed can be supported in the laid-out position by the support members


10


.




To fold the bed, referring to

FIG. 4

, the transverse rods


40


are detached from the extension portions


201


, and the elongated rods


20


are moved close to each other, the joining members


50


pivoting on the corresponding first legs


101


. Consequently, the second legs


102


, and the first legs


101


are positioned side by side.




The bed can be easily unfolded for use, and folded to be transported. However, it has a disadvantage in that it is not very stable because the support members


10


lack strengthening elements to hold them stably in the laid-out position.




SUMMARY




It is the main object of the present invention to provide strengthening elements to support legs of a portable bed so that the bed can stand more stably when it is laid-out for use.




The portable bed includes a main part and support members. The main part consists of two pairs of parallel rods. The support members are connected to the main part. The support members each have leg elements pivotally connected thereto, so that it can be moved to an outwardly extended cross-legged position to support the main part. The support members are each provided with strengthening elements to stand more stably. One of the strengthening elements includes a strengthening rod, a limiting member, and a slide. A lower end of the strengthening rod is pivoted to a corresponding limiting member, which is affixed to a corresponding leg element. An upper end of the strengthening rod is pivoted to a corresponding slide, which can slide along the other leg element.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the conventional portable bed as described in the Background;





FIG. 2

is a partial perspective view of the conventional portable bed;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the conventional portable bed;





FIG. 4

is a partial view of the conventional portable bed in the folded position;





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of a portable bed of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the portable bed of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a view of a strengthening element for a bed support member of the present invention;





FIG. 8

is a perspective view of the portable bed of the present invention;





FIG. 9

is a partial perspective view of the portable bed of the present invention;





FIG. 10

is a partial view of the present portable bed of the present invention during a folding operation; and,





FIG. 11

is a partial view of the portable bed of the present invention in the folded position.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 5

,


6


, and


10


, a portable bed of the present invention is shown to include a main part


1


and several support members


2


.




The main part


1


consists of two parallel elongated rods


3


, and two transverse rods


4


detachably connected to the elongated rods


3


. The elongated rods


3


each have extension portions


31


(

FIG. 9

) at opposing ends. The transverse rods


4


are detachably connected to the extension portions


3


l. Connecting elements are fitted to the ends and the middle of each of the clongated rods


3


. A tough cloth


30


is joined to the elongated rods


3


and the transverse rods


4


, at the edges thereof, with gaps being respectively formed near each of the connecting elements.




Each of the support members


2


includes a first supporting leg


21


, two second supporting legs


22


, and two joining members


23


. The joining members


23


each have two connecting portions extending from a central portion in opposite directions. The central portions of a pair of joining members


23


are respectively pivoted to two opposing sides of a central portion of a respective supporting leg


21


with pins


24


. The second legs


22


are fixedly connected to the connecting portions of the pair of joining members


23


by means of pins


24


. Thus, second legs


22


of each pair thereof are directed in opposite directions. The upper end of the first leg


21


, and upper end of the upper one of the second legs


22


of each support member


2


are connected to respective connecting elements fitted to the elongated rods


3


.




Furthermore, each of the support members


2


is provided with a pair of strengthening elements


5


to fix the support member


2


in the outwardly extended cross-legged position. In each of the support members


2


, one of the strengthening elements


5


includes a strengthening rod


54


, a limiting member


51


, and a slide


56


. A lower end of the strengthening rod


54


is pivoted to a corresponding limiting member


51


, which is affixed to a lower one of the second legs


22


by means of rivets


53


. An upper end of the strengthening rod


54


is pivoted by a pivotal pin


57


to a corresponding slide


56


, which is fitted around an upper section of a corresponding first leg


21


to slide along that first leg. In each of the support members


2


, the other one of the strengthening elements


5


also includes a strengthening rod


54


, a limiting member


51


, and a slide


56


. An upper end of the other strengthening rod


54


is pivoted to a corresponding limiting member


51


, which is affixed to an upper one of the second legs


22


by means of rivets


53


. A lower end of the other strengthening rod


54


is pivoted by a pivotal pin


57


to a corresponding slide


56


, which is fitted around a lower section of a corresponding first leg


21


to be able to slide along that first leg. In addition, each of the limiting members


51


respectively affixed to the lower of the second legs


22


is formed with a U-shaped limiting protrusion


52


at a lower end thereof, and each of the limiting members


51


affixed to the upper of the second legs


22


is also formed with a U-shaped limiting protrusion


52


at an upper end thereof.




Thus, referring to

FIG. 9

, the strengthening elements


5


help the support members


2


stand stably in a cross-legged, in use position so that the portable bed is more stable. To fold the portable bed, referring to

FIG. 10

, the transverse rods


4


are detached from the extension portions


31


, and the elongated rods


3


are moved close to each other, the joining members


23


pivoting on the corresponding first legs


21


and the slides


56


sliding on the first legs


21


.




Movement of the strengthening elements is stopped by the U-shaped limiting protrusions


52


of the limiting members


51


when the bed frame is moved to the laid-out position. Referring to

FIG. 11

, the strengthening rods


54


of the strengthening elements


5


of each support member


2


can be positioned closely together when the bed frame is folded, not hindering the folding operation of the bed frame and the support members


2


.




While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A portable bed frame, comprising:a main part consisting of two parallel elongated rods and two transverse rods respectively detachably connected to said elongated rods; and, a plurality of support members each being joined to two opposing portions of said elongated rods, each of said support members including a first leg, a pair of second legs, and a pair of joining members, said pair of second legs being joined to two opposite extension portions of said pair of joining members, each of said pair of joining members being pivoted to a middle portion of said first leg, each of said support members further including a first strengthening element and a second strengthening element to fix said support members in an outwardly extended cross-legged position, each of said first and second strengthening elements including a strengthening rod, a limiting member, and a slide, one end of said strengthening rod being pivoted to said limiting member affixed to one of said second legs, an opposing end of said strengthening rod being pivoted to said slide, said slide being adapted for sliding along a corresponding section of said first leg, said strengthening rods of said first and second strengthening elements being positioned closely together when the bed frame is folded.
  • 2. The portable bed frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of said limiting members are affixed to a lower one of said second legs and are formed with a limiting protrusion at a lower end thereof, and a remaining portion of said limiting members are affixed to an upper one of said second legs and are formed with a limiting protrusion at an upper end thereof, thereby movement of each said strengthening rod is respectively stopped by a respective limiting protrusion when the bed frame is moved to a laid out position.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Number Name Date Kind
1276539 Juten Aug 1918 A
1360201 Dyett Nov 1920 A
1557813 Derse et al. Oct 1925 A
1608924 Brown Nov 1926 A
1693537 Adkins et al. Nov 1928 A
1787566 Brown Jan 1931 A
2591551 Kaplan Apr 1952 A
5555576 Kim Sep 1996 A