US2310734A - Floor construction - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9, 1943. A. G. FELDMAN FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m Hz 3 WWW flu f w 51% a 5 A w 3 5) 0\ f 6 M 5% 3 H n 1943- A. G. FELDMAN FLOOR, CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 9, 1943 FLOOR CONSTRUCTEON Abraham G. Feldman, Chicago, 311., assignor to Storkline Furniture Corporation, Chicago, IlL,

' a corporation of Illinois Application May 22, 1940, Serial No. 336,560

roam-A01. 20 e) The present invention relates to floor construction and is particularly concerned with the construction of floors for the type of furniture called a play pen for infants.

is characterized by the complete elimination of the use of nails or other fastening devices which pass through the floor and might at some time be loosened in such manner that they might project from the top of the floor.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved floor construction for play pens which is absolutely safe for use of small infants by reason of the fact that there is no possibility of any nails or other fastening devices projecting upward from the floor at any time.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved play pen construction-which is firm, capable of use for a long period of time without repair, foldable, and which is adapted to be manufactured at a lower cost than the devices of the prior art, thereby placing the structure within the means of a greater number of purchasers.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved floor construction which is adapted to support the infant at a point spaced from the ground when the play pen is used outside, so as to minimize the possibility of invasion of the play pen by crawling insects from below.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved floor construction which can only be disassembled by moving the parts in one particular way, thereby assuring its firm assembly for a long period of use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar views throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a playpen equipped with a floor constructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the play pen;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plan of the line 4-4 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

provided with a roller 32.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 6-6 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 'l'i of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 88 of Figure '2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The present floor construction is preferably embodied in a play pen, of a type such as exemplified by Figure 1, indicated in its entirety by the numeral it. In this embodiment theiloor proper consists of a pair of sections H and f2 which are hingedly mounted upon the fencesections 13 and It which form a part of the play pen fence. 7

The play pen fence also includes the fence sections I'5l8 (Fig. 2) and the'fence sections are preferably so arranged that they may be folded together for the purpose of collapsing the entire play pen framework.

The end fence sections It and It may be similar in construction. Each one consists of corner posts I9, 29, an upper rail 2!, a lower rail- 22. and a plurality of balusters 23-30. The upper and lower rails are preferably formed with sockets for receiving the reduced ends of the balusters 23-66 which are glued in their sockets, and the corner posts l9 and 2B are also preferably formed with sockets for receiving the reduced ends of the upper and lower rails 25 and 22 which are also glued in their sockets.

The corner posts are all preferably provided with casters 3! rotatable on a vertical axis and The two centrally located balusters 2S and 21 may serve to support a decorative center panel 33 and a plurality of wires 34 having pierced wooden balls 35 of .different colors forming an abacus for use of the occupant.

The corner posts is and 2! are preferably squared in section and provided with an upper rounded end 36 and on the side toward the sections l6 and H they are provided with the metal bearing brackets 3'5 and 38. These bearing brackets are fixedly secured to the corner posts by rivets, screws, or other convenient fastening means. Each bearing bracket has a vertically extending attaching flange and a horizontally extending flange provided with a pin 39 (Fig. 2) engaged in a hole in the upper and lower rails 48 and M of the sections it and H.

The structure at the other side M of the play pen may be substantially thesame. "'I'he'sections l1 and i8 are similar to each other and to the sections l and I6. Each of these sections comprises an upper rail 46 and a lower rail 4|. These rails are joined by a plurality of balusters 4246 joined tothe rails in the manner just described with respect to the other balusters and rails. By virtue of the brackets 31, 38 and pins 39, the upper and lower rails 40, M are pivotally mounted on the corner posts l9 and 25.

The sections 1! and 18 are hinged together by means of metal hinges at 50, 5| in such manner that the two sections move inward as they pivot, and are fixedly held against further movement by the abutment of their ends when they reach the position of Fig. 2.

The two sections l5, l6 are arranged in a similar way, thereby making up the complete fence.

Each of the floor sections II and i2 preferably comprise a plurality, in this case three, transversely extending frame members 5251. The floor frame members 52-54 secure together the floor boards 56-62 of the floor section l2, and the other frame members secure together the floor boards of the other section II.

Thus the frame members 52-51 are long enough to extend only half way across the floor of the play pen when combined with the end rails 63, 64 of the floor sections, which are located at the middle of the floor, and which have a clearance 65 between them.

The two floor sections H and I2 may be identical in construction, except that one has the pins 66 of wood or metal fixedly secured in a rail 63, while the other has enlarged cylindrical sockets 61, which receive these pins in the other rail 64.

The clearance of the socket 61 over the pin 66 is such that the pins are permitted to pivot upward in the sockets as the two floor sections are folded upward until the pin moves out of the socket.

Each of the floor frame members 52-51 has a reduced end portion 68 of rectangular cross section which is adapted to be received in a socket 69 of similar form in the rails 63, 64.

The frame member has its end glued in its socket. Each of the frame members 52-51 is of the shape shown in section in Fig. 8, having a body portion 16 of substantially rectangular cross section and an upwardly extending rib 'II of dove-tailed shape; that is, the upwardly extending rib preferably has a fiat upper face at 12 and outwardly beveled side faces at l3, l4. Each of the floor boards 58-62 is preferably provided with a dove-tailed socket l5, complementary in shape to the rib portion "H, and having a close frictional fit on the rib. Each of the floor boards preferably has its edges and ends rounded and free of any slivers or splinters of any kind, and the wood is particularly chosen for its straight grain and lack of tendency to splinter. The varnish also serves to minimize any tendency toward splintering.

The floor boards 58-62 are assembled with the frame members 52-54 by having the rib portions H passed endwise into the sockets 15 of the floor boards. The sockets are located on the lower sides of the floor boards, and thus the upper sides of the floor boards are smooth and free of obstructions of any kind.

The Width of the floor boards is preferably such that there is a slight crack or clearance between each pair of fioor boards. The floor also has its center floor boards 62 provided with a finger aperture 16 for use in raising the floor sections to the folded position.

Two of the corner posts, such as, for example, corner post 19 (Fig. 1) may be provided with a turn-buckle 11 for holding the floor section 12 in upright position against the adjacent fence section when the pen is to be folded.

The floor sections H, I2 are preferably pivotally secured on the fence sections l4 and I3, respectively. Thus the lower rail 22 (Fig. 4) may be provided with a hinge, having a flat attaching flange H, a pintle l8, and a downwardly extending flange 19, and also a horizontally extending attaching flange 80 for the fioor section II.

The attaching flange 80 is preferably secured to one of the frame members and 51, and hinges are preferably employed between each of these frame members and the lower rail 22.

It will be apparent that as the pintle i8 is located near the top of the floor, the fioor sections can fold up flatly against the fence sections l4 and I3, to be secured by the turnbuckles Tl.

At the joint between the floor sections the floor is preferably supported by a pair of angle iron brackets BI, 82. These brackets are made of sheet metal, having two flanges, one flange 83 extending vertically, and one flange 84 extending horizontally. Both flanges preferably have their ends rounded at 85, and the vertical flanges are secured to the lower rail 4| of the side sections I! and I8, and I5 and [6, by means of the same rivets 86, which secure the hinges 5| to these sections. a

The height of the horizontal flanges 84 of F these brackets 8!, 82 is such that they engage the lower side of the end rails 63, 64 of the floor sections and support the floor in horizontal position.

Similar brackets are provided for supporting both ends of the rails 63 and 64 of the floor sections, and thus the floor is firmly supported at the center by means of the side fence sections I5-l8. i

The side fence sections serve as trusses for supporting the central portion of the floor, and the lower rails 4| are placed in tension, while the upper rails 40 are in compression. By this means the floor is supported in spaced relation to the ground, and the possibility of crawling insects reaching the interior of the play pen is v minimized.

V The play pen may also be used where the ground is damp, without possibility of the fioor becoming damp also, as it is wholly supported by the four corner posts of the play pen.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an improved play pen construction, having a floor which is assembled wholly without the aid of any nails that might loosen and project from the top of the floor. No metallic securing devices of any kind need be employed on the floor, and the floor is thus adapted to be maintained smooth and in harmless condition throughout its entire life. r

The floor can only be taken apart by moving the floor boards longitudinally on the dovetailed rib portions 1 I, and thus there is no possibility of the floor coming apart. Glue flmay be employed, if necessary, in securing the separate floor boards to the frame members at the dovetailed groove, or the dove-tailed groovemay hold the floor boards in fixed position by. virtue of its structure and the frictional fit.

My floor construction can bemanufactured at a much lower cost than any of the devices of the prior art on account of the fact that there is no necessity for handling the large number of nails which would otherwise have to be employed.

The floor may be assembled with a minimum amount of labor, and when assembled it is accurately square and adapted to fit the play pen and determine its contour.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a floor construction for play pens for infants, the combination of a plurality of transverse frame members, said frame members being provided with a large body section engaging below floor boards and with an upwardly extending dove-tailed formation of substantially uniform cross section throughout its length and a plurality of floor boards, said floor boards being provided with complementary dove-tailed shaped grooves on their lower sides for slidably receiving and frictionally holding the dovetailed formations on said frame members, the floor boards being assembled with the frame members and held in predetermined position with respect to each other by frictional fit of said grooves and formations, said floor also having an end rail provided with sockets, and said frame members being provided with reduced end portions for fixed reception in said sockets whereby the end rail is secured to said frame members.

ABRAHAM G. FELDMAN.

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