US2953793A - Convertible article of furniture - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 27, 1960 J. c. 5. R085] 2,953,793

CONVERTIBLE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed March 17, 1959 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. JEQQY C. 5 R ss WWW gawk m ATToQMEY-s United States Patent CONVERTIBLE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Jerry C. S. Rossi, 53 Cottage St., Jersey City, NJ.

Filed Mar. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 799,984

4 Claims. (Cl. 355) This invention relates to an article of furniture and, more specifically, the instant invention pertains to furniture of a convertible type especially designed for a plurality of functions.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to prd vide an article of furniture of the mattress type together with an integral portion forming an enlarged head rest at'one end of the article, the mattress being of such dimension as to provide adequate cushioning means for the body of the user when reclining or in a supine position, the mattress being readily convertible to an ottoman or hassock to support the body of the user in still other positions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a convertible article of furniture of the type generally described above wherein the cushioning means is formed of foam rubber, or of other similar resilient materials, adapted to substantially fill a flexible encompassing cover member which may, if desired, be made of a suitable plastic or of other materials which have related physical characteristics.

A further object of this invention is to provide an article of furniture of the kind described supra which may be converted to a mattress, to a hassock or ottoman to facilitate the storage of same when not in use.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a convertible article of furniture of the mattress-hassock type together'with means for effecting the transference thereof with ease from one location to another.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a convertible article of furniture of the mattress-hassock type with quick releasable means operable to permit the articleto expand to its mattress forming position and quickly operable upon conversion to an ottoman to retain the article in particular form. This invention contemplates, as a still further object thereof, the provision of a convertible article of furniture of the type referred to in general above, the article being non-complex in construction and assembly, inexpensive to manufacture, and durable in use.

Other and further objects and advantages of the instant invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a convertible article of furniture constructed in accordance with the instant invention, Figure 1 illustrating the article in its extended mattress forming position;

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the article of furniture illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the article of furniture illustrated in Figure 1, Figure 3 illustrating the same as it is being rolled to form a hassock or ottoman;

Figure 4 illustrates the mattress of Figure 1 as fully converted to a hassock or ottoman, Figure 4 illustrating quick detachable means for securing the hassock in its folded position and also illustrates means for facilitating the transfer of the hassock from one position to another;

and

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail cross sectional view of the hassock shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 being taken substantially on the horizontal plane of line 55 of Fig-- and is seen to include an elongated substantially hollow rectangular flexible cover member 12 the component elements of which comprise an elongated substantially rec-' tangular bottom wall 14 to the opposed longitudinally extending marginal edges of which are secured a pair of normally upright sidewalls'16, 18 of which a pair of adjacent ends thereof terminate in enlarged substantially semi-circular bosses 20, 22 adjacent one end'of the bottom wall 14. The other adjacent pair of ends of the side walls 16, 18 arcuately taper at 24, 26 toward the other end of the bottom wall 14.

An elongated substantially rectangular top wall 28 has one of its ends fixedly secured to the bottom wall 14 adjacent the bosses 20, 22. The longitudinally extending marginal edges of the top wall 28 are fixedly secured to the adjacent marginal edge portions of the side walls 16, 18 and of the semi-circular bosses 20, 22, the top wall also following the arcuate upper edges of the side walls 16, 18 adjacent the aforementioned other end of the bottom wall 14 to which it is fixedly secured. To this last mentioned end of the bottom wall 14 is rigidly connected one connector member 30 of a convention zipper fastener, the connector member 30 being adapted to coact with a second zipper connector member 32 which extends transversely across the bottom wall 14 at points spaced inwardly from the other end thereof.

Adjacent the zipper member 32 and fixedly secured to the bottom wall 14 is a hasp '34 which, under certain conditions to be explained below, is adapted -to cooperate with the hook 36.

As is seen in Figures 1 and 4, a flexible handle member 38 is fixedly secured to the semi-circular boss 20 to serve a function to be described.

The cover member 12 is filled with any suitable resilient padding material 40 such as, for example, foam rubber or other materials having similar characteristics.

While the convertible article of furniture described and illustrated in the instant specification drawing may be used in many ways, the primary function of the present invention is to provide a suitable padded support for use by an individual when viewing television. For example, and referring now more specifically to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the article of furniture or body support 10 is illustrated as being in its extended position wherein the user may recline at case while viewing entertainment on television the elongated substantially rectangular main body portion of the article of furniture providing adequate support for the body of a user while the arcuate bosses and the adjacent end of the top wall 28 form a suitable head or arm rest.

Assuming that the user no longer desires td recline thereon in a supine position, the article 10 may be rolled into a substantially cylindrical hassock or ottoman by first folding inwardly the bosses 20, 22 (see Figure 3) and continuing the rolling operation until the zipper fastener elements 30, 32 are brought into proximity rela- 1C6 Patented Sept.27,1960

hands which are freed by the interlocking action of the hook 36 with the hasp 34. The article of furniture has now been converted into a hassock shown in Figure 4.

The advantages of converting the mattress type of body support into the cylindrical hassock are deemed obvious, but by way of explanation it is seen that the rolled cylindrical form of this article of furniture makes the storage thereof in closets or other similar compartments very simple and reduces the amount of storage volume which would be required to place the article of furniture 10 in a closet should the same not be foldable. At the same time, the provision of the handle member 38 facilitates the lifting of the article of furniture 10 for storage on a shelf or for the transportation of the article from one room to another.

Having described and illustrated one embodiment of this invention in detail, it will be understood that the same is ofiered merely byway of example, and that the instant invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: e V

1. A convertible mattress-hassocktype article of furniture, said mattress comprising an elongated substantially hollow rectangular cover member having an elongated substantially rectangular bottom wall from the longitudinally extending opposed marginal edges of which project an elongated pair of substantially rectangular normally upright side walls disposed in laterally spaced and substantially parallel relation, said side walls at one of their respective adjacent ends terminating in opposed confronting enlarged semi-circular bosses, said side walls at their other respective adjacent ends terminating in arcuately shaped upper edges, respectively, tapering toward one end of said bottom wall, and a top wall fixedly secured to the longitudinal opposed ends of said bottom wall and extending in spaced parallel relation relative thereto, said top wall having its laterally spaced longitudinaly extending marginal edges secured to the outer marginal edges of said side walls and said bosses, resilient material disposed within and encompassed by said cover member to form an elongated substantially rectangular mattress having an integral semi-circular head rest at one end thereof, said head rest being foldable and rollable inwardly of said mattress and over said top wall in a plurality of convolutions to form a substantially cylindrical hassock, a hook fixedly secured to said top wall adjacent that end remote from said head rest, a hasp fixedly secured to said bottom Wall at a point adjacent to but spaced inwardly from its other end, said hook and hasp cooperating to releasably and temporarily prevent said convolutions from opening away from each other, a zipper fastening element fixedly secured to said substantially rectangular bottom wall from the longitudinally extending opposed marginal edges of which project an elongated pair of substantially rectangular normally upright side walls disposed in laterally spaced and substantially parallel relation, said side walls at one of their respective adjacent ends terminating in confronting enlarged semi-circular bosses, said side walls at their other respective adjacent ends terminating in arcuately shaped upper edges, respectively, tapering toward one end of said bottom wall, and a top wall fixedly secured to the longitudinal opposed ends of said bottom wall and extending in spaced parallel relation thereto, said top wall having its laterally spaced longitudinally extending marginal edges secured to the outer marginal edges of said side walls and said bosses, resilient material disposed Within and encompassed by said cover member to form an elongated substantially rectangular mattress having an integral semi-circular head rest at one end thereof, said head rest being foldable and rollable inwardly of said mattress and over said top wall in a plurality of convolutions to form a substantially cylindrical hassock.

3. A convertible mattress-hassock type article of fumiture as defined in claim 2, and releasable connecting means to prevent said convoluted cylindrical hassock from unrolling and converting to said substantially rectangular mattress.

4. A convertible mattress-hassock type article of furniture as defined in claim 3, wherein said releasable connecting means comprise a zipper fastening element fixedly secured to said bottom wall adjacent that end thereof remotely disposed from said head rest, and a second zipper fastening element fixedly secured to said bottom wall intermediate the ends thereof, said first and second Zipper fastening elements extending transversely across said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,925,358 Wittcotf Sept. 5, 1933 2,183,418 Williams Dec. 12, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,135 France Jan. 3, 1934

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