EP-3876793-B1 - FURNITURE ITEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING A FURNITURE ITEM

EP3876793B1EP 3876793 B1EP3876793 B1EP 3876793B1EP-3876793-B1

Inventors

RUBIO, Carlos
BEAN, Chad
FERNANDEZ DE CASADEVANTE, Ivan
LARREA-TAMAYO, Hasier
HSIUNG, ROBERT, T.
RITTS, DANIEL

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20191108

Claims (13)

A furniture item comprising: a vertical wall structure; a horizontal structure cantilevered off of the vertical wall structure and adapted to vertically translate along the vertical wall structure; a translating element adapted to be translated by a motor; at least one support structure attached to the translating element, wherein the translating element comprises the horizontal structure, wherein the at least one support structure is adapted to automatically extend upon translation of the translating element; the motor configured to drive a pulley or a cable adapted to vertically translate the horizontal structure along the vertical wall structure, wherein upon loss of power to the motor, the at least one support structure is adapted to automatically extend to an extended position; a pivot point about which the furniture item is configured to pivot upon application of a sufficient normal force to the horizontal structure, wherein a center of gravity of the furniture item is disposed in a location such that a normal force applied to the horizontal structure upon vertical translation of the horizontal structure under a normal operating condition is less than the sufficient normal force; and a counterweight disposed adjacent to the vertical wall structure.
The furniture item of claim 1, wherein the vertical wall structure houses the motor.
The furniture item of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the normal operating condition comprises a motor speed below a predetermined maximum motor speed and a motor acceleration or deceleration below a predetermined maximum motor acceleration or deceleration.
The furniture item of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the normal operating condition comprises a weight on the horizontal structure being below a predetermined maximum weight.
The furniture item of any preceding claim, wherein the motor is adapted to backdrive when the normal force applied to the horizontal structure exceeds the sufficient normal force, such that the horizontal structure translates vertically without the furniture item pivoting about the pivot point.
A method of operating a furniture item, the method comprising: obtaining a furniture item comprising: a vertical wall structure; a horizontal structure cantilevered off of the vertical wall structure; a translating element adapted to be translated by a motor; at least one support structure attached to the translating element, wherein the translating element comprises the horizontal structure, wherein the at least one support structure is adapted to automatically extend upon translation of the translating element; the motor configured to drive a pulley or a cable adapted to vertically translate the horizontal structure along the vertical wall structure, wherein upon loss of power to the motor, the at least one support structure is adapted to automatically extend to an extended position; a pivot point about which the furniture item is configured to pivot upon application of a sufficient normal force to the horizontal structure; and a counterweight disposed adjacent to the vertical wall structure; and vertically translating the horizontal structure along the vertical wall structure under a normal operating condition such that a normal force is applied to the horizontal structure, wherein a center of gravity of the furniture item is disposed in a location such that the normal force is less than the sufficient normal force.
The method of claim 6, wherein the vertical wall structure houses the motor.
The method of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the normal operating condition comprises a motor speed below a predetermined maximum motor speed and a motor acceleration or deceleration below a predetermined maximum motor acceleration or deceleration.
The method of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the normal operating condition comprises a weight on the horizontal structure being below a predetermined maximum weight.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the motor is adapted to backdrive when the normal force applied to the horizontal structure exceeds the sufficient normal force, such that the horizontal structure translates vertically without the furniture item pivoting about the pivot point.
The method of claim 6, or the furniture item of claim 1, wherein the horizontal structure comprises a bed.
The method of claim 6, or the furniture item of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a couch, a bedside table, and a desk disposed adjacent to the vertical structure and beneath the horizontal structure.
The method, or the furniture item of claim 12, wherein the pivot point is located at a point on at least one of the couch and the bedside table furthest from the vertical structure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to techniques for moving and transforming furniture items in a safe and reliable manner. BACKGROUND Motor-operated, modular home and office furniture is becoming more abundant in today's world. For example, office desks provide motorized lifts to raise and lower desks, allowing both standing and sitting workspaces. Other examples include moveable walls in function rooms and conference centers, allowing reconfiguration and resizing to meet specific demands. However, such implementations are designed for industrial environments and do not consider the variety of consumer/residential environments, or other settings in which furniture is typically placed, such as hotel rooms or retail space, or more specialized environments such as hospitals or elder care facilities, or the need for user-friendly controls. Design aspects such as conveniently placed outlets and accessory lighting are overlooked, and the use of plastic or metal cable carriers may provide a robust design, but are not suitable for the everyday home and office environment. Movable furniture also presents a safety hazard as it can collide with humans and/or objects to harmful effect. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for operating moveable furniture and interior architectural items to accommodate its increased usage in non-industrial settings. JP 2004016749 A1 discloses a bed apparatus having a floor raising / lowering function. JP S5259005 U discloses a bed with a lifting device that can use the room without interrupting the light of the window by quickly raising the bed near the ceiling in the daytime. CN 107280323 A discloses a lifting bed and a home furnishing system that can raise the utilization rate of the space in the room by raising the bed to the ceiling to solve the problem that the space occupied by the bed cannot be occupied. When the lifting bed rises to the ceiling, the space occupied by the bed can be transformed into extra space in the living room, SUMMARY This disclosure describes an improved moveable architectural element system and operating techniques by incorporating features that solve many of the problems in existing moveable furniture items. The improved features are implemented throughout various elements of the system, including hardware elements, controller elements, and/or software elements. According to the invention a furniture item includes a vertical wall structure; a horizontal structure cantilevered off of the vertical wall structure and adapted to vertically translate along the vertical wall structure; and a pivot point about which the furniture item is configured to pivot upon application of a sufficient normal force to the horizontal structure, wherein a center of gravity of the furniture item is disposed in a location such that a normal force applied to the horizontal structure upon vertical translation of the horizontal structure under a normal operating condition is less than the sufficient normal force. In various embodiments, the vertical wall structure houses a translating structure, according to the invention a motor configured to drive a pulley or a cable is adapted to vertically translate the horizontal structure along the vertical wall structure. In some cases, the normal operating condition of the motor includes a motor speed below a predetermined maximum motor speed and a motor acceleration or deceleration below a predetermined maximum motor acceleration or declaration. In other cases, the normal operating condition includes a weight on the horizontal structure being below a predetermined maximum weight. In some instances, the motor is adapted to backdrive when the normal force applied to the horizontal structure exceeds the sufficient normal force, such that the horizontal structure translates vertically without the furniture item pivoting about the pivot point. The horizontal structure can be a bed. According to the invention, the furniture item includes a counterweight disposed adjacent to the vertical wall structure. The furniture item may also include a couch, a bedside table, and/or a desk disposed adjacent to the vertical structure and beneath the horizontal structure. In some cases, the pivot point is located at a point on the coach and/or the bedside table furthest from the vertical structure. Corresponding methods of operation for this aspect are also described. According to the invention, a furniture item includes a translating element adapted to be translated by a drive component; and at least one support structure attached to the translating element and adapted to at least one of: (i) automatically extend upon translation of the translating element in a first direction and (ii) automatically retract upon translation of the translating element in a second direction. According to the invention, the translating element includes a horizontal structure adapted to translate vertically. In some cases, the horizontal structure incl