Combination furniture comprising a rocking-chair, a children{3 s chair and a car for playing purposes
United States Patent 1191 1111 3,879,083  
 Olsson 1 1 Apr. 22, 1975 [54] COMBINATION FURNITURE COMPRISING 3.l6l.436 l2/l964 Hood Z97/DIG. l A ROCKIPKLCHAIR&#39; A CHILDREN-S CHAIR 3.556586 I/l97l Bcardmorc 297/3 I 9 1 AND A CAR FOR PLAYING PURPOSES 3.709.558 l/l973 Jakob -97/250 [76] Inventor: Gote Olsson, 290 23 Ovesholm. FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Sweden 16.429 1900 United Kingdom 297/1 3.938 1888 United Kingdom 297/1 [221 FlledI July 25 1973 24.964 10/1951 Finland 297/1 [21] Appl. No.: 382,325  
  Primary E.\&#39;m1iner-James T. McC all Foreign Application Prior! Data Attorney, Agent, or F1rnz-U1le C. Lmton Aug. 8, 1971 Sweden 10286/72 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 297/1; 297/384 A o bination furniture consists of two contoured ga- [51] hit. Cl. A476 13/00 bl whi h are mutually connected by means of trans- [58] Field Of Search 29 /1. G- verse boards which are so arranged that the furniture 297/390 in one position thereof constitutes a rocking chair, in another position constitutes a childrens chair and in a References Cited third position constitutes a car for playing purposes. 11 UNITED STATES PATENTS belt being applied in such a manner relative to said 257.733 5/1882 Masscv 188/77 R boards that it constitutes a safety belt which 325.999 9/1885 Wcisgcrbcr 297/1 Positions Of the furniture Prevents the Child from Slip- 1.729.941 10/1929 Hocking ct al. 297/1 ping down from the actual seat. 2.429.213 10/1947 Bennett 297/3 2,560,108 7 1951 Hieb 297/3 4 Claims 1 Drawmg Figure aetmmm i i 1 E i E E PATENTEDAPRZZISYS mfiia a a k COMBINATION FURNITURE COMPRISING A ROCKING-CHAIR, A CI&#39;IILDRENS CHAIR AND A CAR FOR PLAYING PURPOSES DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a combination furniture comprising a rocking-chair. a childrens chair and a car for playing purposes and which for the transformation from one of these objects to another only needs to be turned.  
  One object of the invention is to provide a furniture of the kind referred to which in all its applications, ie as a rocking chair, as a childrens chair or as a car for playing purposes has a safety belt which effectively prevents the child from slipping down from the actual seat.  
  The accompanying drawing illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The sole FIGURE is a longitudinal section through a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
  The new furniture comprises two gables, being reversed to each other and generally designated 1. Of course, only one of these gables is shown in the draw ing. Said gables are secured to each other by means of a number of transverse elements 2,3,4,5,6. These elements have each as will be apparent from the following description besides this purpose also a special purpose in the combination furniture. It may be noted that the elements 2,3 have a longer extension perpendicular to the plane of the drawing than the elements 5,6 so that the furniture eg in the illustrated position where it constitutes a children&#39;s chairhas a larger width at the lower end than at the upper end as is conventional in children&#39;s chairs. As is evident from the drawing the transverse elements, preferably consisting of boards of plywood or similar relatively rigid material, give support for upholstered portions intended to serve as seats and back-rests respectively. These upholsteries 7,8,9 may consist of pieces of foam plastic or foam rubbery positioned around the boards 4,5,6 which are then enclosed in bags made from fabric or the like and defining the outer surfaces of the upholsteries. The closure of these bags may by aid of the positioning of the upholsteries be placed hidden according to the drawing for example by arranging the closure for the upholstery 9 in the portion that extends down into the upholstery 8. Said upholsteries, of course, should overbridge the distance between the gables. Said gables are preferably made from plastic reinforced material and are provided with screw holes or the like to enable the connecting thereof with the boards by means of screws extending through said holes and threaded into the boards. Furthermore the gables l are bridged by an upper and a lower shaft ia,l0b made from wood or in the form of a metallic tube. In contrast to the boards 2-6 these shafts are not secured to the gables l but are only guided thereby so that they are fixed against displacement but may perform a rotational movement in relation to the guides which latter preferably consist of sleeves, forming part of the gables. Each shaft a,l0b has in the proximity of each of the free ends thereof a roll or a wheel lla,l lb for example in the form of a rubber roll. In the use of this furniture as a childrens&#39; chair these wheels essentially serve as buffer means or protectors preventing damage on tables or the like but as will appear from the following they also serve as wheels when the furniture is used as a car. Around the upper shaft 10a according to the illustrating figure one end ofa belt 12 and suitably by the middle of said shaft is positioned intended to serve as a safety belt which as can be seen from the drawing passes below the upholstery 8, then behind the upholstery 7, below the same and forwardly above the edge of the board 2 through a hole in the same and back in order to be positioned by the second end thereof around the portion between the upper edge of the board 3 and a hole provided in the board. Of course, the ends of the belt being positioned around the shaft 10a and the board 3 respectively are connected to each other for instance by means of clips 13u,l3h. As may be seen from the drawing by this arrangement the furniture in its use as a children&#39;s chair is provided with a shaft 10a to grip, as well as with a safety belt preventing the child from slipping down through the space between the seat 8 and the shaft 1011. Seat and backrest are positioned in a suitable height level and at a suitable distance from the shaft 10a.  
  In case it is desired to use the furniture as a rockinghorse the same is only turned in such a manner that the right and curved part 14 thereof as seen in the drawing will rest upon the floor. In this position it is rather the upholsteries 7 and 8 (the lower end thereof) that define the seat and back-rest, respectively, and also in this case accidents are prevented since the belt prevents the child from slipping out between the board 2 and the seat 7. By the rocking the child may grasp the shaft 10h but it is also suitable to provide a steering wheel (not shown) on the board 2. The board 3 serves in this position of the furniture as a foot rest.  
  When it is desired to use the furniture as a car it is instead turned in such a manner that it will rest upon the four wheels 11a,l lb. Now the upholstery 4 serves as the seat and the upholstery 8 as the back-rest and also in this case a safety belt is obtained preventing the child from slipping out between the board 3 and the seat 4. The upholstery 6 may in this case define a platform or a passengers space.  
  By journalling the shafts 11a,11b in the gables&#39;and by positioning the belt 12 around the shaft 1011 a brake action is obtained which maintains the velocity of the furniture when used as a car within safe limits.  
  As can be seen in the drawing the furniture has an outer contour somewhat resembling a horse and to obtain saving of material and consequently a lower weight recesses or holes 16 are made in the gables said holes being preferably surrounded by armed beads of the gables in question. Preferably the board 3 that is suitable for use as a substrate in activities such as drawing, painting and the like is provided with an edge moulding 17 in the forward end thereof in its operative position.  
 What is claimed:  
  1. A combination furniture comprising a rockingchair, a children s chair and a car for amusing purposes and including two side members each having an arcuated portion defining a rocker surface, said side members being mutually connected by means of transverse members at least some of which define seats and backrests respectively for the various applications of the furniture, and transverse elements which constitute seats and back-rests respectively consisting of a first board which, when the furniture is in a position in which it is used as an amusement car and having said rocker surface facing upwardly, extends substantially perpendicular to the accomodation plan of the car and at a distance from one end of said side members which excceds its distance from the opposite end thereof and a second and a third board both ofwhich extend substantially perpendicular to said first board and both extend from said first board intermediate its end but in sub stantially opposite directions, a belt being secured to the middle portion of a first one of said transverse elements which; still when the furniture is used as an amusement car. is located below said third board. said belt then passing the lower free end of said first board, following one side of said first board upwardly to reach the upper surface of said second board then passing along said upper surface of said second board and then via the free end of said second board passing downardly and through a guiding means in a second one of said tranverse elements located substantially vertically below the free end of said second board in order to thereafter run in essentially the opposite direction towards the free end of a third one of said transverse elements which is located substantially vertically above the free end of said second board and said belt being connected to the last mentioned transverse element.  
 2. A combination furniture as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of the transverse elements is in the shape of a shaft, a pair of rollers on said shaft and a similar shaft is provided at the opposite end of the furniture and further said belt is in the shape of a loop is laid around said first transverse element to act as a brake means when said first transverse element is brought into rotation.  
  3. A combination furniture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said seats and said back rests are provided with upholsteries from foam plastic, foam rubbery or the like which is applied around said boards and are kept in position by means of bags preferably made from fabric material, the closure of the upholstery from said second board and for said third board exposing their closed ends towards the upholstery of said first board thereby hiding said closures.  
  4. A combination furniture as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of said transverse elements is located substantially vertically above the free end of said second board constitutes a writing plate preferably provided