Modular settee

The present invention relates to a modular settee, particularly suitable for office furniture or, generally, work environments.

As more and more often functional and economic needs impose, many offices or work environments tend to be placed in industrial or civil buildings, having wide spaces common to several workers. Due to their different plan in respect of conventional offices having structurally separate spaces, it is possible to furnishing these spaces only by pieces of furniture purposely designed. Among the features required for furnishing the above mentioned work environments there would be also the opportunity of reconfiguration in the layout of the present pieces of furniture, for example when following up a new project there are formed different work groups in respect of the preceding project groups and, therefore, it is necessary to reassign spaces and resources within the office or work environment. From this point of view and with reference only to the furnishing, each piece of furniture, such as desks, cabinets, bookcases, chairs and the like has to be easily movable and reconfigurable both inside themselves and in respect of the remaining pieces of furniture.

Main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a piece of said furniture, that is a settee, able to be formed and arranged so as to fit the space and needs of one or more work groups.

A detailed description of a modular settee according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be now provided, taken with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

• fig. 1 is a perspective view of the main structure, or frame, of the modular settee according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
• fig. 2 is a perspective view of the structure in fig. 1 also comprising a cushion,
• figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the structure in fig. 1 comprising other cushions,
• fig. 5 is a perspective view of the modular settee according to the embodiment in fig. 1 fully assembled, and
• fig. 6 is a perspective view of the hooking elements needed for arranging each cushion or like element on the structure in fig. 1.

With reference now to fig. 1, a frame 10 is constituted by a generally rectangular plane 1 having a plurality of holes 2 formed, within the particular embodiment disclosed, parallel to the two sides of said plane 1. A pair of supports 3 is then placed at two opposite sides of the plane 1 such that it keeps raised in respect of the floor at a height sufficient for providing a comfortable seat. In fig. 2 the frame 10 of fig. 1, on which a cushion 4 provided at the bottom, as best illustrated hereinafter, with hooking elements for said holes 2 formed on the plane 1 of the frame 10, is shown. Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate the same frame 10 of the preceding figures, on which other cushions 4 or backs 5 (see fig. 5) have been mounted, according to a desired arrangement and, therefore, variable depending on the user needs. Fig. 6, finally, shows a portion of the bottom face of said cushions 4 or back 5 provided with hooking elements 6, in the particular embodiment, constituted basically by step shaped sheet-steel wherein one of the two parallel faces 6a and 6b, laying on different planes, are joined by a face 6c perpendicular thereto: therefore one of the two parallel faces - for example the face 6a - is fastened, according to any known system, to the bottom side of said cushions 4 or back 5 whilst the other face 6b, parallel to the preceding face, abuts against bottom portion of said plane 1 next to the hole 2 in which it is inserted. From the just provided description it is clear that different embodiments using the same principle and which can be different from one another - for example - on the basis of the size and shape of the frame 10 and/or the arrangement of said holes 2 formed on said frame, may arise; it is also clear that the choice of the arrangement of the hooking elements 6 would be made so as to fit the arrangement of the holes 2 and the size of the plane 1. Moreover, elements shaped in a different way in respect of the previously disclosed elements, that is the cushions 4 and/or the backs 5, could be parts of the modular settee according to the present invention.

Even though it has been previously envisioned the fact that the modular settee is particularly suitable for furnishing offices or work environments, it excellently proves to be also used in waiting rooms of clinics, hospitals, public offices, train stations, airports and boarding rooms of airports and ports, in general in all the cases in which the arrangement and the space occupied by setteees, as well as the number of the relevant seats, for example in a case in which a boarding room of an airport must serve to board alternatively passengers on an airplane having 100-180 seats rather than one having 300-500 seats, must be readily transformed.

The same idea of modularity can be applied to the seats for other application such as relax and rest areas in internal or external environments, gyms, comfort areas, playgrounds and so on.