IES20050302A2 - Garden table - Google Patents

Abstract

A garden table is described that may be used with an outdoor patio heater but in instances where the patio heater is not required, the space in the centre of the table that is normally occupied by the heater can be filled by an insert. This enables the table to be used with/without the heater. The use of moveable support members enables the insert to be easily presented to the table where it is supported. By providing consistantly dimensioned cut out portions within each section of a multi-section table, the cut-out portions of a table of a first configuration can be mated to a cut out portion of a table of a second configuration therby enabling the construction of a modular garden table arrangement. <Figure 9>

Description

Garden Table Field of the Invention The present invention relates to garden furniture and in particular to garden tables. The invention more particularly relates to multi-functional garden tables that may be configured for a variety of use. In certain embodiments the invention may also provide a modular system providing for the interengagement of tables of different dimensions. The invention particularly relates to garden tables that are provided to the customer in a compact manner and may be easily assembled by the customer.

Background Of The Invention Garden furniture is well known. Such furniture is typically formed from one of plastics, metal or a wood material and is of sufficient quality to enable it to withstand the elements of an outdoor environment. When providing such furniture it is important to ensure that the ratio of cost/quality is maintained at such a level to ensure that the customer gets good value for their purchase. It is important that the furniture is made from high quality materials but where those materials are sourced from countries such as China which are far from the European marketplace, the cost of transportation can heavily affect the ultimate price to the consumer. This cost is especially important in the field of garden tables which are large articles and can occupy a large space in the shipping containers when they are being transported. There is a further need for such /V compactness of packing when it is considered that most garden furniture is purdhdsed as DIY stores and therefore must be transportable in a family car. There is therefore an initial need to provide for a packing system that provides for an efficient transportation of these articles yet does not compromise the strength and rigidity of the furniture when assembled.

When purchasing such furniture, there are often budgetary considerations.

While it is important to provide a high quality product at a good price it is also important to ensure that the consumer may utilise the purchase for a variety of uses. For example, the inventors of the present invention provide a range of patio heaters which include in their ranges of accessories table mounted barbecues and also tables which are specifically configured to enable them to be mounted around the parasol heater. Such accessories are described in our published British application GB2372429. Although such a table as described in this earlier application provides the advantage in that people can now sit around and enjoy the heat of the patio heater, it suffers in that it is an accessory to the heater and cannot be used without such a heater. As such it requires the purchase of both a heater and a table - which can be off putting to certain customers. Many customers would like the possibility to purchase either a table or a heater separately but to have the option of combining them at a later time. Heretofore this has not been possible as the table includes a large aperture in the centre region- dimensioned to receive the base portion of the heater- and if the heater not positioned there, there is a large hole present. It will be apparent to all, that a table with a hole in the middle does not satisfactorily serve the purpose of a table.

There is therefore a need to provide a table that can be used independently of a patio heater but which, in certain instances, can be readily configured to accommodate such heaters. There is a further need to provide such a table in a manner that allows it to be disassembled and packed in a compact space for transportation but can be easily assembled, on purchase by the customer.

Summary These and other problems are addressed by a garden table in accordance with the present invention. A table in accordance with the invention includes at least two sections, each section having a cut-out portion at an edge thereof, the cut-out portions being dimensioned such that when the two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture in the surface of the table of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater, and characterised in that the £0 50 302 table includes a removable insert, the insert being configured to engage with and be supported by the assembled table so as to occlude the aperture.

The support for the insert is desirably provided by at least one support member configured to cooperate with the table so as to be moveable from a first position wherein the support member occludes a portion of the aperture and a second position wherein the aperture is not occluded.

Typically, the support member is provided by an arm which is pivotally connected to one of the sections of the table. Alternatively, the support member may be slideable relative to the sections, such that the achievement of the first position is provided by a sliding of the support member across the aperture.

The insert may include a two-part construction, a first part and second part of the two-part construction being rotatable relative to one another such that on engagement of the first part with the table, the insert provides a rotating table top . Such a two part construction is well known in the formation of lazy-suzi’s and the like.

Each section is desirably provided with a plurality of legs. Each leg is desirably provided with a connection plate enabling a connection of a base portion of the leg with a corresponding plate provided on an underneath portion of the section. Typically the plates on the section are circumferentially arranged about the circumference of the section. Desirably, the leg connection plate includes an insert member, upstanding from the plate and insertable into the leg such that engagement of the plate with the leg that the insert member extends into the leg providing support for the leg.

The invention also provides a modular garden table system comprising a number of different sections, the sections differing in their shape and wherein each section includes a cut out portion provided at an edge region thereof, the £o 50 3 02 cut-out portions being cut-out portions being dimensioned such that when two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture in the surface of the table of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater.

These and other features of the invention will be now be described with reference exemplary embodiments thereof.

Brief Description Of The Drawings Figure 1 shows a round or circular table in accordance with the present invention with an aperture in the centre region thereof visible, Figure 2 shows a rectangular table in accordance with the invention with the aperture occluded by the presence of a removable insert, Figure 3 is a view from below the table of support members locked in position and occluding a portion of the aperture so as to provide a support for the insert, Figure 4 is a view, similar to that of Figure 3 showing the support members partially occluding the aperture, Figure 5 is view from above the table of an insert configured to provide a rotating table top, Figure 6 is a view from above the table of an element of the two part construction of the rotating table top of Figure 5, Figure 6 shows a packaged box containing a garden table according to the present invention, Figure 7 shows a leg being assembled to the underneath portion of the table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, Figure 8 shows the packaged box of Figure 1 with a section of the table removed to show the inner arrangement of the components, Figure 9 shows a combined table including sections of different dimensions so as to provide an extended table seating arrangement. «0 50 3 5 2 Detailed Description The invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9.

Figure 1 shows an example of a table 100 in accordance with the invention. In this example the table is presented as a circular table although as will be seen in Figure 2, other shapes or configurations such as rectangular tables may also be provided. Each table includes at least two sections 105A, 105B, each section having a cut-out portion 110A, 100B at an edge 115A, 115B thereof. The cut-out portions are dimensioned such that when the two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table, as shown in Figure 1, that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture 120 in the surface of the table. The aperture 120 is of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater. As shown in Figure 2, the table includes a removable insert 200, the insert being configured to engage with and be supported by the assembled table so as to occlude the aperture.

Figures 3 and 4 show examples of the type of support member 300 that may be used to support the insert. Two support arms 300A, 300B are provided and are configured to cooperate with the table so as to be moveable from a first position wherein the arms are fixed to occlude a portion of the aperture (Figure 3) and a second position (Figure 4) where the arms are moved so as to not occlude the aperture. In these examples of the type of support member that may be used, each of the arms is pivotally connected to one of the sections of the table. This pivot connection is provided by a pin 305 that engages with both the arm 300 and the underneath portion of the section 105. On pivoting the arm to its first position, a portion of the arm distally located from the pin engages with a receiver 310 provided on the section 105 at a position coincident with the desired location of the arm in its first position. As shown in Figure 4, if it is desired to move the arm to its second position, the arm is pivoted away from the receiver 310 and away from the aperture 120 defined in the table surface. It is «β 5α 3 CZ. preferred that the receiver and pin for each arm is connected to the same section of the table so that the arm does not connect each of the two sections together. This is advantageous in that the arm is then not subjected to any stresses that may result in the coupling of the table section together.

Alternatively but not shown, the support member may be slideable relative to the sections, such that the achievement of the first position is provided by a sliding of the support member across the aperture. This will typically be achieved by providing one or more channels on each of the sections of the table and sliding the support member within the channel across the aperture until it completely crosses the space defined by the cut-out portions.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the insert may include a two-part construction, a first part 500 and a second part 505 of the two-part construction being rotatable relative to one another such that on engagement of the first part 505 with the table, the insert provides a rotating table top. Such a two part construction is well known in the formation of lazy-suzi’s and the like. As shown in Figure 5, the first part 500 is presented to and supported on the support arms 300 that are in their first position. The first part is desirably a rotatable disc and is secured to the support arms using nuts 510 or some other suitable engagement members that pass through the disc and into corresponding apertures 415 provided in the support arms 300. Once the rotatable disc is secured in position, the second part 505 (typically a wooden platform) is presented to and seated on the disc. As the disc is rotatable relative to the support arms, and the platform is seated on the disc, it is possible to rotate the platform in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction depending on which way it is pushed. The platform may additionally be provided with a central aperture 600 of smaller dimension than that of the main aperture 120, and through which an umbrella or sun parasol may be presented and maintained. It will be appreciated that when the table is used with a patio heater that the insert is not . «β 50 3 61 present but that the insert allows the table to fully function as a piece of garden furniture without requiring a patio heater.

As shown in Figure 7, each section is desirably provided with a plurality of legs 700. Typically the plates on the section are circumferentially arranged about the circumference of the section, and preferably three legs are provided on each section such that the section can stand by itself. Each leg is desirably provided with a connection plate 705 enabling a connection of a base portion 710 of the leg with a corresponding plate 715 provided on an underneath portion of the section. Desirably, the leg connection plate 705 includes an insert member 720, upstanding from the plate and insertable into the leg such that engagement of the plate with the leg that the insert member extends into the leg providing support for the leg. The provision of the upstanding members increases the rigidity of engagement between the leg and the section of the table so that once secured, that little or no movement between the two is encountered. The two connection plates are coupled together using engagement members such as bolts/threaded screws or the like.

By incorporating the upstanding members and the use of the connection plates ensures that the assembled table is quite secure. This is achieved without increasing the bulk that could be required if the stability of the table was provided by cross members or the like. This minimisation of the bulk of the components forming the table is very important in the context of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the table can be fully collapsed to fit into a single container 800. Desirably, a circular table of size of 1,4m diameter and height 700mm can be collapsed into a container of dimension of 700mm X 1400mm X 127mm. This is achieved by initially placing a first section of the table on into the container, then laying the six legs on top of this section but at each end of the container. A space is defined by the region separating the legs and above the section. This can be used to accommodate the insert components together with the nuts and bolts used to couple all the components »5® 50 3&Ζ together. The second section can then be placed over thereby defining an inner space between the two sections where the miscellaneous items used for construction are stored. About 600 of these containers or boxes can then be transported in a single 40 foot container.

The invention also provides a modular garden table system comprising a number of different sections, the sections differing in their shape and wherein each section includes a cut out portion provided at an edge region thereof, the cut-out portions being cut-out portions being dimensioned such that when two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture in the surface of the table of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater. Such a modular system 900 is shown in Figure 9.

As is seen in this Figure by providing individual table sections 901, 902 of different configurations but each sharing a common cut out portion 120. To assemble the modular table, the cut out portions 120 of each section are presented to each other so as to define the aperture. In this example of the table four sections are used, thereby defining two apertures in the assembled table. The first aperture is filled with the insert 200, whereas the second aperture is used to accommodate a patio heater 905. A first side of a base portion 910 of the patio heater 905 is presented to an open cut out portion and the corresponding cut out portion of the second section is then presented to the other side of the base portion, thereby enveloping the patio heater within the table.

The patio heater shown in this Figure is of an exemplary type that may be used with the table of the invention. With this heater, a parasol dish 920 is made of multiple sections and a lamp 925 is provided under the dish. The lamp and a burner (not visible in the drawing as it is occluded by the dish) are fuelled by the same gas bottle supply which is housable within the base portion 910. This heater also includes a table barbecue 915. Further information on this specific type of patio heater may be found in our British application GB2372429. Μ=0 50 3 02 It will be understood that the present invention provides a garden table that may be used with an outdoor patio heater but in instances where the patio heater is not required, that the space in the centre of the table that is normally occupied by the heater can be filled by an insert. This enables the table to be used with/without the heater. The use of moveable support members enables the insert to be easily presented to the table where it is supported. By providing consistently dimensioned cut out portions within each section of a multi-section table, the cut-out portions of a table of a first configuration can be mated to a cut out portion of a table of a second configuration thereby enabling the construction of a modular garden table arrangement. Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that the arrangement described is exemplary of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to such a configuration. The invention shall only be deemed limited as determined by the scope of the appended claims.

The words comprises/comprising when used in this specification are to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers , steps, components or groups thereof.

The following replacement page 4 was filed on 21 February 2006 «0 50 3 0 2 cut-out portions being cut-out portions being dimensioned such that when two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture in the surface of the table of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater.

These and other features of the invention will be now be described with reference exemplary embodiments thereof, Brief Description Of The Drawings Figure 1 shows a round or circular table in accordance with the present invention with an aperture in the centre region thereof visible, Figure 2 shows a rectangular table in accordance with the invention with the aperture occluded by the presence of a removable insert, Figure 3 is a view from below the table of support members locked in position and occluding a portion of the aperture so as to provide a support for the insert, Figure 4 is a view, similar to that of Figure 3 showing the support members partially occluding the aperture, Figure 5 is view from above the table of an insert configured to provide a rotating table top, Figure 6 is a view from above the table of an element of the two part construction of the rotating table top of Figure 5, Figure 7 shows a leg being assembled to the underneath portion of the table in accordance with an exemplar/ embodiment.

Figure 3 shows the packaged box of Figure 1 with a section of the table removed to show foe inner arrangement of the components, Figure 9 shews a combined table Including sections of different oimensions sc as to crovide an extended table seating arrangement.

Claims (5)

1. A table Including at least two sections, each section having a cutout portion at an edge thereof, the cut-out portions being dimensioned such that when the two sections are combined so as to form an assembled table that the cut-outs collectively define a substantially circular aperture in the surface of the table of sufficient diameter to accommodate a base portion of a patio heater, and characterised in that the table includes a removable insert, the insert being configured to engage with and be supported by the assembled table so as to occlude the aperture.

2. The table as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support for the insert is provided by at least one support member configured to cooperate with the table so as to be moveable from a first position wherein the support member occludes a portion of the aperture and a second position wherein the aperture is not occluded.

3. The table as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the insert includes a two-part construction, a first part and second part of the two-part construction being rotatable relative to one another such that on engagement of the first part with the table, the insert provides a rotating table top.

4. The table as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each section is provided with a plurality of legs, each leg having a connection plate enabling a connection of a base portion of the leg with a corresponding plate provided on an underneath portion of the section and further wherein the leg connection plate includes an insert member, upstanding from the plate and insertable into the leg such that engagement of the plate with the leg that the insert member extends into the leg providing support for the leg. <0 50 3 0 2

5. A table substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings