JP7766768B2 - Tabletops and fixtures with tabletops - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tabletop and a fixture with a tabletop.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a tabletop constructed by assembling a tabletop main body that forms the work surface, a reinforcing frame, and a back cover, all made of the same sheet metal material. The tabletop main body is composed of a base plate whose upper surface forms the work plane, and a downward-facing piece that is bent downward from the periphery of the base plate. The reinforcing frame is spot welded to the underside of the base plate of the tabletop main body. The back cover is composed of a cover base plate and an upward-facing piece that is bent upward from the periphery of the cover base plate.

International Publication No. 2008/023794

In the case of a tabletop such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, a mold corresponding to the tabletop shape is prepared in advance to process the tabletop body, which serves as the upper plate that forms the top surface of the tabletop, and the back cover, which serves as the lower plate that forms the bottom surface of the tabletop, to match the shape of the tabletop. The upper and lower plates are then formed by processing the sheet material using the mold. This required preparing a mold for sheet metal processing for each tabletop shape. Furthermore, in the case of tabletops with curved outer edges, the curved outer edge must also be folded to form the side surfaces. Curved portions are prone to wrinkling and cracking on the side surfaces and at the corners between the side surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces, making processing difficult. This made it difficult to create tabletops in various shapes other than rectangular.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tabletop and a piece of furniture with a tabletop that can be easily shaped into various forms while ensuring rigidity through the use of metal materials.

To achieve the above object, a top plate according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first metal plate, a second metal plate arranged below the first metal plate at a distance and corresponding in shape to the first metal plate, and an edge component sandwiched between the first and second metal plates and made of a material softer than the metal forming the first and second metal plates, with an outer peripheral surface formed along the outer edges of the first and second metal plates.

According to this aspect, the top plate has metal materials, which have higher rigidity than resin materials, wood, etc., spaced apart from each other above and below, so that the rigidity of the top plate can be ensured.
An edge-constituting member is disposed between the first metal plate and the second metal plate. The outer peripheral surface of the edge-constituting member is formed along the outer peripheral edges of the first metal plate and the second metal plate. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the edge-constituting member becomes the side surface of the top plate, and the side surface of the top plate can be formed without bending the outer peripheral edges of the first metal plate or the second metal plate. Therefore, since the side surface of the top plate can be formed without using a mold for sheet metal processing the first metal plate and the second metal plate, the top plate can be formed into various shapes other than a rectangular plate.
The edge component is made of a material that is softer than the first and second metal plates. This allows the outer peripheral surface of the edge component to be easily formed to match the shapes of the first and second metal plates. Since the outer peripheral surface of the edge component becomes the side surface of the top plate, it is easy to form the top plate into various shapes.

In the top plate of the above aspect, the edge component may be a frame-shaped member arranged along the outer periphery of the first metal plate and the second metal plate.
According to this aspect, the interior of the edge component is hollow, which allows the edge component to be formed only in the portion necessary to form the side surface, thereby reducing the amount of material used and making the top board lighter.

The top plate of the above aspect may further include a spacer that is sandwiched between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and surrounded by the edge component.
According to this aspect, the interior of the edge component is hollow to accommodate the spacer, which supports the portion of the first metal plate that is not supported by the edge component, thereby making it possible to reduce the weight of the tabletop and increase the rigidity of the tabletop.

In the top plate of the above-described embodiment, the edge component has a positioning recess on the surface facing the first metal plate and the second metal plate, and the first metal plate and the second metal plate have positioning protrusions on the surfaces facing the edge component that protrude toward the edge component, and the positioning protrusions may be provided at positions corresponding to the positioning recesses.
According to this aspect, the first metal plate and the second metal plate can be easily positioned relative to the edge component simply by arranging the positioning protrusions in the positioning recesses, thereby enabling efficient manufacturing of the top plate.

The furniture with a tabletop according to this aspect comprises a tabletop according to any one of the above aspects and leg members that support the tabletop.
According to this aspect, the fixture with a top plate is equipped with a top plate according to any of the above aspects, so that it is easy to manufacture fixture with a top plate having a variety of shapes while ensuring the rigidity of the top plate using metal material.

A manufacturing method of a tabletop according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an edge component joining process in which an edge component made of a material softer than the metal forming the first metal plate and the second metal plate is placed and joined to one side of a first metal plate and a second metal plate having corresponding shapes, and a clamping process in which the edge component is sandwiched between the edge component and the other of the first metal plate and the second metal plate is placed and joined to the opposite side of one of the first metal plate and the second metal plate.
According to this aspect, a tabletop can be manufactured that includes a first metal plate and a second metal plate disposed below the first metal plate at a distance. This allows the tabletop to have metal materials, which have greater rigidity than resin materials, wood, etc., spaced apart from each other above and below. This ensures the rigidity of the tabletop.
An edge-constituting member can be disposed between the first metal plate and the second metal plate. The edge-constituting member is made of a material softer than the metal forming the first metal plate and the second metal plate, so the outer peripheral surface of the edge-constituting member can be formed along the outer peripheral edges of the first metal plate and the second metal plate. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the edge-constituting member becomes the side surface of the top plate, so the side surface of the top plate can be formed without bending the outer peripheral edges of the first metal plate or the second metal plate. Therefore, since the side surface of the top plate can be formed without using a mold for sheet metal processing the first metal plate and the second metal plate, the top plate can be formed into various shapes other than a rectangular plate.
The edge component is made of a material that is softer than the first and second metal plates. This allows the outer peripheral surface of the edge component to be easily formed to match the shapes of the first and second metal plates. Since the outer peripheral surface of the edge component becomes the side surface of the top plate, it is easy to form the top plate into various shapes.

In the manufacturing method of the tabletop of the above aspect, in the edge component joining process, the edge component formed in a frame shape may be arranged along the outer peripheral edge of one of the first metal plate and the second metal plate, and in the clamping process, the other of the first metal plate and the second metal plate may be arranged so that the outer peripheral edge of the other of the first metal plate and the second metal plate is along the edge component formed in a frame shape.
According to this aspect, a frame-shaped edge component can be arranged along the outer periphery of the first metal plate and the second metal plate. This allows the interior of the edge component to be hollow. Therefore, the edge component can be formed only in the portion necessary to form the side surface, reducing the amount of material used and making the top plate lighter.

In the manufacturing method of the tabletop of the above aspect, in the edge component joining process, a spacer may be arranged inside the edge component on one of the surfaces of the first metal plate and the second metal plate, when viewed from the plate thickness direction of the first metal plate.
According to this aspect, the interior of the edge component is hollow to accommodate the spacer, which supports the portion of the first metal plate that is not supported by the edge component, thereby ensuring the rigidity of the tabletop while reducing its weight.

The manufacturing method for a tabletop of the above aspect includes a decorative panel joining process for joining a decorative panel to the upper surface of the first metal plate, and a decorative panel cutting process for cutting the decorative panel joined to the upper surface of the first metal plate, wherein in the edge component member joining process, the edge component member is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface of the edge component member is located outside the outer peripheral edge of the second metal plate when viewed from the thickness direction of the first metal plate, and in the clamping process, the first metal plate is arranged so that the outer peripheral edge of the first metal plate is located inside the outer peripheral surface of the edge component member when viewed from the thickness direction, and in the decorative panel cutting process, after the clamping process, the decorative panel may be cut along the outer peripheral surface of the edge component member.
According to this aspect, the outer edge of the decorative panel can be positioned flush with the outer surface of the frame component simply by cutting the decorative panel. This allows stickers and other materials for decorating the side of the tabletop to be attached to the outer edge of the decorative panel and the outer surface of the frame component without creating unnecessary creases. This improves the design of the side of the tabletop.

According to each of the above aspects, it is possible to provide a tabletop and a piece of furniture with a tabletop that can be easily formed into various shapes while ensuring rigidity through the use of metal materials.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fixture with a top plate according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the top plate according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the top plate according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a side portion of the top plate according to the embodiment. 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of a top plate for explaining a manufacturing method of the top plate according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a second metal plate according to a modified example.

One embodiment of a fixture with a tabletop according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the up and down directions refer to the direction as seen by the user of the fixture with a tabletop.

[Fixture with tabletop 1]
The furniture 1 with a top plate shown in Fig. 1 includes a top plate 10 and leg members 2 that support the top plate 10. The leg members 2 are fixed to the underside 10a of the top plate 10, for example, by fastening nuts (not shown) provided on the underside 10a of the top plate 10 to bolts (not shown) provided at the upper ends of the leg members 2. The method of fixing the leg members 2 to the top plate 10 is not limited to fastening with bolts and can be selected as appropriate.

[Tabletop 10]
As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the top plate 10 includes a first metal plate 11, a second metal plate 12, an edge component 13, a spacer 14, a decorative panel 15, and a side decorative member 16.

<First Metal Plate 11>
The first metal plate 11 is formed of a metal material such as steel. The first metal plate 11 is a thin plate material. The thickness direction D of the first metal plate 11 coincides with the up-down direction. A decorative plate 15 is provided on the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 to form a work surface. The first metal plate 11 may have a polygonal shape such as a rectangle when viewed from the thickness direction D, and at least a portion of the outer circumferential edge 11a may be curved. In this embodiment, the entire outer circumferential edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is curved when viewed from the thickness direction D.

In this embodiment, the first metal plate 11 has a plurality of edge positioning protrusions 11d (corresponding to positioning protrusions in the claims) that protrude downward on the lower surface 11b along the outer peripheral edge 11a. The edge positioning protrusions 11d are formed by recessing the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 downward. The edge positioning protrusions 11d are formed in a circular shape when viewed in the plate thickness direction D.

The first metal plate 11 has four inner positioning protrusions 11e that protrude downward from the lower surface 11b, located inside the edge positioning protrusions 11d. The four inner positioning protrusions 11e are arranged to form a rectangle when viewed in the plate thickness direction D. The inner positioning protrusions 11e are formed by recessing the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 downward. The inner positioning protrusions 11e are formed in a circular shape when viewed in the plate thickness direction D.

<Second Metal Plate 12>
The second metal plate 12 is spaced below the first metal plate 11. The second metal plate 12 is formed of a metal material such as steel. The second metal plate 12 is a thin plate material. The plate thickness direction D of the second metal plate 12 coincides with the up-down direction. The lower surface 12b of the second metal plate 12 becomes the lower surface 10a of the top plate 10. The upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12 is aligned with the lower surface 11b of the first metal plate 11. The second metal plate 12 may have a polygonal shape such as a rectangle when viewed from the plate thickness direction D, and at least a portion of the outer circumferential edge 12a may be curved. In this embodiment, the entire outer circumferential edge 12a of the second metal plate 12 is curved when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The second metal plate 12 is formed in a shape corresponding to the first metal plate 11. In this embodiment, the second metal plate 12 is formed in the same shape as the first metal plate 11.

The second metal plate 12 has a plurality of edge positioning protrusions 12d (corresponding to positioning protrusions in the claims) that protrude upward on the upper surface 12c along the outer peripheral edge 12a. The edge positioning protrusions 12d are formed by recessing the lower surface 12b of the second metal plate 12 upward. The edge positioning protrusions 12d are formed in a circular shape when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The edge positioning protrusions 12d of the second metal plate 12 are formed in the same shape as the edge positioning protrusions 11d of the first metal plate 11. The edge positioning protrusions 12d of the second metal plate 12 are provided at positions corresponding to the edge positioning protrusions 11d of the first metal plate 11. The edge positioning protrusions 12d of the second metal plate 12 are provided at the same positions as the edge positioning protrusions 11d of the first metal plate 11 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.

The second metal plate 12 has four inner positioning protrusions 12e that protrude downward on the upper surface 12c, located more inward than the edge positioning protrusions 12d. The four inner positioning protrusions 12e are arranged to form a rectangle when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner positioning protrusions 12e are formed by recessing the lower surface 12b of the second metal plate 12 upward. The inner positioning protrusions 12e are formed in a circular shape when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner positioning protrusions 12e of the second metal plate 12 are formed in the same shape as the inner positioning protrusions 11e of the first metal plate 11. The inner positioning protrusions 12e of the second metal plate 12 are located at positions corresponding to the inner positioning protrusions 11e of the first metal plate 11. The inner positioning protrusions 12e of the second metal plate 12 are located at the same positions as the inner positioning protrusions 11e of the first metal plate 11 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.

<Edge constituent member 13>
The edge component 13 is sandwiched between the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The edge component 13 is formed from a material softer than the metals forming the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The edge component 13 is formed, for example, from MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), which is a composite material made from wood, wood chips, etc., or a resin material. In this embodiment, the edge component 13 is a frame-shaped member formed along the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The edge component 13 is joined to the lower surface 11b of the first metal plate 11 and the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12, for example, by an adhesive. The edge component 13 has an outer peripheral surface 13a formed along the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The edge component 13 may have at least a portion of its outer circumferential surface 13a curved to correspond to the outer circumferential edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. In this embodiment, the entire outer circumferential surface 13a of the edge component 13 is curved when viewed from the plate thickness direction D to correspond to the outer circumferential edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The outer circumferential surface 13a of the edge component 13 is located outside the outer circumferential edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D of the first metal plate 11. The outer circumferential surface 13a of the edge component 13 is aligned along the plate thickness direction D. The outer circumferential surface 13a forms the side surface 10c of the top plate 10.

The edge component 13 has a plurality of edge positioning recesses 13b (corresponding to the positioning recesses in the claims) on the surface facing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The inner shape of the edge positioning recesses 13b is circular when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner shape of the edge positioning recesses 13b is formed to be the same shape as the outer shape of the edge positioning protrusions 11d, 12d. The inner shape of the edge positioning recesses 13b is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the edge positioning protrusions 11d, 12d. The edge positioning recesses 13b are provided at positions corresponding to the edge positioning protrusions 11d, 12d of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. In other words, the edge positioning protrusions 11d, 12d are provided at positions corresponding to the edge positioning recesses 13b. The edge side positioning recess 13b is located in the same position as the edge side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The edge side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d are arranged in the edge side positioning recess 13b.

The edge forming member 13 is made up of a plurality of small pieces 20 connected to each other.
Each small piece 20 is a square piece of timber extending along the lower surface 11b of the first metal plate 11 and the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12. Each small piece 20 has an engaging claw 21 provided on one end surface 20a in the longitudinal direction of the small piece 20 (corresponding to one side surface of the small piece in the claims), and an engaging recess 22 provided on the other end surface 20b in the longitudinal direction of the small piece 20 (corresponding to the other side surface of the small piece in the claims) that engages with the engaging claw 21.

When viewed from the plate thickness direction D, the engagement claws 21 are formed so as to protrude outward from the end surface 20a. When viewed from the plate thickness direction D, the engagement claws 21 are formed in a tapered shape that narrows from the tip end 21a to the base end 21b. In other words, the outer shape of the tip end 21a of the engagement claws 21 is formed larger than the outer shape of the base end 21b.

When viewed from the plate thickness direction D, the engagement recess 22 is recessed inward from the end surface 20b. When viewed from the plate thickness direction D, the engagement recess 22 has a shape corresponding to the engagement claw 21. More specifically, the engagement recess 22 is formed in a tapered shape such that the width of an inner portion 22a of the engagement recess 22 corresponding to the tip end 21a of the engagement claw 21 is wider than the width of an outer portion 22b of the engagement recess 22 corresponding to the base end 21b of the engagement claw 21. The outer size of the engagement recess 22 is formed to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the size of the engagement claw 21.
The plurality of small pieces 20 are connected to each other by the engagement of the engaging claws 21 and the engaging recesses 22 of adjacent small pieces 20 to form the edge component 13 .

Each small piece 20 has two edge positioning recesses 13b on the surface facing the first metal plate 11. The two edge positioning recesses 13b on the first metal plate 11 side are arranged one on the engaging claw 21 side and one on the engaging recess 22 side. Each small piece 20 has two edge positioning recesses 13b on the surface facing the second metal plate 12. The two edge positioning recesses 13b on the second metal plate 12 side are arranged one on the engaging claw 21 side and one on the engaging recess 22 side.

<Spacer 14>
The spacer 14 is sandwiched between the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The spacer 14 is surrounded by the edge component 13. The spacer 14 is made of a material that is lighter than the material that forms the edge component 13. The spacer 14 is made of, for example, polystyrene foam. The spacer 14 is a rectangular plate-shaped member. The spacer 14 is bonded to the lower surface 11b of the first metal plate 11 and the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12 by, for example, an adhesive.

The spacer 14 has four inner positioning recesses 14a on each of the surfaces facing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The inner shape of the inner positioning recesses 14a is circular when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner shape of the inner positioning recesses 14a is the same as the outer shape of the inner positioning protrusions 11e and 12e. The inner shape of the inner positioning recesses 14a is slightly larger than the outer shape of the inner positioning protrusions 11e and 12e. The four inner positioning recesses 14a are arranged at the corners of the spacer 14 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner positioning recesses 14a are provided at positions corresponding to the inner positioning protrusions 11e and 12e of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. In other words, the inner positioning protrusions 11e and 12e are provided at positions corresponding to the inner positioning recesses 14a. The inner positioning recess 14a is located in the same position as the inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e are arranged in the inner positioning recess 14a.

<Decorative Panel 15>
The decorative plate 15 is disposed on the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11. The decorative plate 15 is formed of a resin material such as melamine. The lower surface 15b of the decorative plate 15 is bonded to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11, for example, by an adhesive. The outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 has a shape corresponding to the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. At least a portion of the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 may be curved to correspond to the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. In this embodiment, the entire outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 is curved when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. The upper surface 15a of the decorative plate 15 has, for example, a marble-like pattern. The outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 is located on the same plane as the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13. In other words, the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative board 15 coincides with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 when viewed in the board thickness direction D. The upper surface 15a of the decorative board 15 becomes the upper surface 10b of the top board 10 and forms a work surface.

<Side decorative member 16>
The side decorative member 16 is arranged along the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13. The side decorative member 16 covers the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15, the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13, and the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12. The upper edge 16c of the side decorative member 16 is located flush with the upper surface 15a of the decorative plate 15. The lower edge 16d of the side decorative member 16 is located flush with the lower surface 12b of the second metal plate 12. The side decorative member 16 is formed from the same resin material as the decorative plate 15, such as melamine. The side decorative member 16 is formed in a thin strip shape. In this embodiment, the side decorative member 16 is a sticker with an adhesive applied to one side. The inner surface 16a of the side decorative member 16 is attached to the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 and the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 by adhesive. The outer surface 16b of the side decorative member 16 is patterned with, for example, a marble pattern similar to that on the upper surface 15a of the decorative plate 15.

[Method of manufacturing the top plate 10]
A method for manufacturing the top plate 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The manufacturing method of the top plate 10 includes an edge component joining step, a clamping step, a decorative panel joining step, a decorative panel cutting step, and a side decorative member installation step.

<Edge component joining process>
As shown in Figure 5, in the edge component joining step, a worker places an edge component 13 on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12. Before placing the edge component 13 on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12, the worker applies adhesive to the surface of the edge component 13 facing the second metal plate 12. The upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12 and the edge component 13 are joined by the applied adhesive. The worker places the edge component 13 so that the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is aligned with the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12. The worker places the edge component 13 so that the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is located outside the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.

The worker forms the edge component 13 by connecting multiple small pieces 20 on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12. The worker positions the edge component 13 so that the edge side positioning protrusion 12d of the second metal plate 12 is positioned within the edge side positioning recess 13b on the second metal plate 12 side.

After placing the edge component 13, the worker places the spacer 14 on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12, inside the edge component 13 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. Before placing the spacer 14 on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12, the worker applies adhesive to the surface of the spacer 14 facing the second metal plate 12. The upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12 and the spacer 14 are joined by the applied adhesive.

<Clamping process>
In the clamping process, first, the worker applies adhesive to the surfaces of the edge constituent member 13 and the spacer 14 opposite the surface facing the second metal plate 12. The worker places the first metal plate 11 on the opposite side of the second metal plate 12, sandwiching the edge constituent member 13 and the spacer 14. The worker places the first metal plate 11 so that the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is aligned with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge constituent member 13. The worker places the first metal plate 11 so that the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is located inside the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge constituent member 13 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.
The worker positions the first metal plate 11 so that the edge-side positioning protrusion 11d of the first metal plate 11 is positioned within the edge-side positioning recess 13b on the first metal plate 11 side.

Adhesive is applied to the surfaces of the edge component 13 and spacer 14 opposite the second metal plate 12, so the underside 11b of the first metal plate 11 is bonded to the edge component 13 and spacer 14 by the applied adhesive.

<Decorative panel joining process>
In the decorative plate joining process, a worker places the decorative plate 15 on the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11. Before placing the decorative plate 15 on the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11, the worker applies an adhesive to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11. The upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 and the decorative plate 15 are joined by the applied adhesive. The worker places the decorative plate 15 so that the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 is located outside the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.

<Decorative panel cutting process>
4 , in the decorative panel cutting process, the worker cuts the decorative panel 15 joined to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 along the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge forming member 13. As a result, the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15 is positioned on the same plane as the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge forming member 13.

<Side decorative member installation process>
In the side decorative member installation process, a worker uses adhesive to attach the inner surface 16a of the side decorative member 16 to the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge constituent member 13 and the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15. When attaching the side decorative member 16, the worker presses the inner surface 16a of the side decorative member 16 against the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge constituent member 13 and the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15. This forms the side surface 10c of the top plate 10.
The worker can manufacture the top plate 10 by performing the above steps.

[Action and effect]
According to the above-described embodiment, the following actions and effects can be obtained.
In this embodiment, the top plate 10 includes a first metal plate 11 and a second metal plate 12 disposed below the first metal plate 11 at a distance.
According to this configuration, the top plate 10 has metal materials, which have higher rigidity than resin materials, wood, etc., spaced apart from each other above and below. Therefore, the rigidity of the top plate 10 can be ensured.
Furthermore, since the rigidity of the top plate 10 can be ensured as described above, the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 can be made thin, and the edge component 13 can also be made to the minimum necessary thickness while ensuring the necessary side width.
In this embodiment, an edge forming member 13 is disposed between the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. An outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge forming member 13 is formed along the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12.
According to this configuration, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 becomes the side surface 10c of the top plate 10, so the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 can be formed without bending the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 or the second metal plate 12. Therefore, the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 can be formed without using a mold for sheet metal processing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, so the top plate 10 can be formed in various shapes other than a rectangular plate.
In this embodiment, the edge component 13 is made of a material that is softer than the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 .
With this configuration, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 can be easily formed to match the shapes of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. Since the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 becomes the side surface 10c of the top plate 10, it is easy to form the top plate 10 into various shapes.

In this embodiment, at least a portion of the outer peripheral edge 11 a of the first metal plate 11 is curved. At least a portion of the outer peripheral edge 12 a of the second metal plate 12 is curved to correspond to the first metal plate 11. At least a portion of the outer peripheral surface 13 a of the edge component 13 is curved to correspond to the outer peripheral edges 11 a, 12 a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12.
According to this configuration, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 becomes the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10, so the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 can be formed without bending the outer peripheral edge 12a of the first metal plate 11 or the second metal plate 12, whose outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a are at least partially curved. Therefore, since the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 can be formed using the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, whose outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a are at least partially curved, the tabletop 10 can be formed into various shapes other than a rectangular plate.

In this embodiment, the edge forming member 13 is a frame-shaped member arranged along the outer peripheral edges 11 a and 12 a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 .
According to this configuration, the inside of the edge component 13 is hollow. This allows the edge component 13 to be formed only in the portion necessary to form the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10, thereby reducing the amount of material used and making the tabletop 10 lighter.

In this embodiment, a spacer 14 is provided which is sandwiched between a first metal plate 11 and a second metal plate 12 and surrounded by an edge component 13 .
According to this configuration, the interior of the edge component 13 is hollow to accommodate the spacer 14. As a result, the spacer 14 supports the portion of the first metal plate 11 that is not supported by the edge component 13, so that the top plate 10 can be made lighter and have higher rigidity.

For example, if the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is located inside the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D, and the upper edge 16c and the lower edge 16d of the side decorative member 16 for decorating the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 are attached to the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, respectively, a space is created between the side decorative member 16 and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13, making the side decorative member 16 prone to peeling. Furthermore, if the side decorative member 16 is attached to the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13, the upper edge 16c and the lower edge 16d of the side decorative member 16 are warped by the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, making the side decorative member 16 prone to peeling.
In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 may be located outside the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.
According to this configuration, the side decorative member 16 for decorating the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 can be attached to the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13, which can ensure a thickness dimension compared to the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. In this case, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is located outward from the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. This prevents the upper edge 16c and the lower edge 16d of the side decorative member 16 from being warped by the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. Therefore, since the side decorative member 16 can be reliably attached, the design of the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 can be improved.
Furthermore, the side decorative member 16 can be attached by pressing the pressing member against the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 without being obstructed by the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. This allows the side decorative member 16 to be reliably and easily attached to the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13. Therefore, the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 can be efficiently decorated.

In this embodiment, the top plate 10 includes a decorative plate 15 joined to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11. An outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative plate 15 is located on the same plane as the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13.
With this configuration, the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15 is located on the same plane as the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13. This allows the side decorative member 16 for decorating the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 to be attached to the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15 and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 without creating unnecessary creases. This improves the design of the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10.
Furthermore, the space between the edge component 13 and the decorative panel 15 can be completely covered with the side decorative member 16. This improves the design of the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10.

In this embodiment, the edge component 13 has a plurality of small pieces 20 connected to one another. With this configuration, the edge component 13 can be formed to fit the shapes of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 simply by connecting the plurality of small pieces 20.
In this embodiment, the small piece 20 has an engaging claw 21 provided on one end surface 20 a and an engaging recess 22 provided on the other end surface 20 b, which engages with the engaging claw 21 .
According to this configuration, the plurality of small pieces 20 can be easily connected by simply engaging the engaging claws 21 with the engaging recesses 22 .

In this embodiment, the outer shape of the tip end 21a of the engaging claw 21 is formed larger than the outer shape of the base end 21b. The engaging recess 22 has a shape corresponding to the engaging claw 21 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D.
According to this configuration, when the engaging claw 21 of one small piece 20 engages with the engaging recess 22 of the other small piece 20 to connect the one small piece 20 to the other small piece 20, the one small piece 20 and the other small piece 20 can be prevented from separating in a direction intersecting with the plate thickness direction D. Therefore, the connection between the small pieces 20 can be prevented from being released during the manufacturing of the tabletop 10.

In this embodiment, the edge constituent member 13 has edge side positioning recesses 13b on the surfaces facing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 have edge side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d on the surfaces facing the edge constituent member 13 that protrude toward the edge constituent member 13. The edge side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d are provided at positions corresponding to the edge side positioning recesses 13b.
According to this configuration, simply by arranging the edge side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d in the edge side positioning recesses 13b, the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 can be easily positioned with respect to the edge component 13. This allows the top plate 10 to be manufactured efficiently.

In this embodiment, the spacer 14 has inner positioning recesses 14a on the surfaces facing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 have inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e that protrude toward the spacer 14 on the surfaces facing the spacer 14. The inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e are provided at positions corresponding to the inner positioning recesses 14a.
According to this configuration, simply by arranging the inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e in the inner positioning recesses 14a, the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 can be easily positioned with respect to the spacer 14. This allows the top plate 10 to be manufactured efficiently.

In this embodiment, the furniture with a tabletop 1 comprises a tabletop 10 and a leg member 2 that supports the tabletop 10.
This configuration makes it easy to manufacture fixtures 1 with tabletops 10 having various shapes, while ensuring the rigidity of the tabletop 10 using metal material.

In this embodiment, the manufacturing method of the top plate 10 includes an edge component joining process in which an edge component 13 made of a material softer than the metal forming the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 is placed and joined to the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12, and a clamping process in which a first metal plate 11 having a shape corresponding to the second metal plate 12 is placed and joined to the opposite side of the second metal plate 12, sandwiching the edge component 13 therebetween.
This configuration makes it possible to manufacture a tabletop 10 having a first metal plate 11 and a second metal plate 12 disposed below the first metal plate 11 at a distance. As a result, the tabletop 10 has metal materials, which have greater rigidity than resin materials, wood, etc., spaced apart above and below. Therefore, the rigidity of the tabletop 10 can be ensured.
An edge-constituting member 13 can be disposed between the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. The edge-constituting member 13 is made of a material softer than the metals forming the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, so the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge-constituting member 13 can be formed along the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. As a result, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge-constituting member 13 becomes the side surface 10c of the top plate 10, so the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 can be formed without bending the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 or the second metal plate 12. Therefore, the side surface 10c of the top plate 10 can be formed without using a mold for sheet metal processing the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, so the top plate 10 can be formed into various shapes other than a rectangular plate.
The edge component 13 is made of a material that is softer than the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. This allows the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 to be easily formed to match the shapes of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. Because the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 becomes the side surface 10c of the top plate 10, it becomes easy to form the top plate 10 into various shapes.

In this embodiment, in the edge component joining step, the frame-shaped edge component 13 is arranged along the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12. In the clamping step, the first metal plate 11 is arranged so that the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is along the frame-shaped edge component 13.
According to this configuration, the frame-shaped edge component 13 can be arranged along the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12. This allows the interior of the edge component 13 to be hollow. Therefore, the edge component 13 can be formed only in the portion necessary to form the side surface 10c of the top plate 10, reducing the amount of material used and making the top plate 10 lighter.

In this embodiment, in the edge component joining process, a spacer 14 is arranged on the upper surface 12c of the second metal plate 12 and inside the edge component 13 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D1.
According to this configuration, the inside of the edge component 13 is hollow to accommodate the spacer 14. As a result, the spacer 14 supports the portion of the first metal plate 11 that is not supported by the edge component 13, so that the rigidity of the top plate 10 can be ensured while reducing the weight of the top plate 10.

In this embodiment, the manufacturing method of the top plate 10 includes a decorative plate joining process of joining a decorative plate 15 to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11, and a decorative plate cutting process of cutting the decorative plate 15 joined to the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11. In addition, in the edge component joining process, the edge component 13 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is located outside the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. In the clamping process, the first metal plate 11 is arranged so that the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is located inside the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D. In the decorative plate cutting process, after the clamping process, the decorative plate 15 is cut along the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13.
With this configuration, the worker can simply cut the decorative panel 15 to position the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15 flush with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13. This allows the side decorative member 16 for decorating the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10 to be attached to the outer peripheral edge 15c of the decorative panel 15 and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 without creating any unnecessary creases. This improves the design of the side surface 10c of the tabletop 10.

[Variations]
In the above-described embodiment, the edge-side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d and the inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e are formed by recessing the first metal plate 11 or the second metal plate 12. However, as shown in Fig. 6, the edge-side positioning protrusions 11d, 12d and the inner positioning protrusions 11e, 12e may be formed by cutting and raising the first metal plate 11 or the second metal plate 12 so as to protrude toward the edge component 13. Fig. 6 shows a modified example of the second metal plate 12 arranged below the edge component 13.
6, the edge-side positioning protrusion 12d is formed by cutting out an angular C-shape from the second metal plate 12 when viewed from the plate thickness direction D and tilting the cut-out portion upward by approximately 90 degrees. The inner positioning protrusion 12e is formed in the same manner as the edge-side positioning protrusion 12d.
The edge positioning protrusions 11d and the inner positioning protrusions 11e of the first metal plate 11 are formed in the same manner as the second metal plate 12.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of the configuration are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present invention is not limited by the above description, but is limited only by the appended claims.
For example, in the above embodiment, the decorative plate 15 is provided on the upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11, but this is not limited to this. The upper surface 11c of the first metal plate 11 itself may be used as a work surface without providing the decorative plate 15. Also, another plate material may be stacked between the decorative plate 15 and the first metal plate 11. Also, a plate material may be joined to the lower surface 12b of the second metal plate 12 for purposes such as decoration or protection. Furthermore, the edge component 13 is not limited to being formed in a frame shape, and may be formed in a plate shape without an internal cavity, with no spacer 14 provided.
Furthermore, although the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12 have the same shape, this is not limited thereto and may be offset in position when viewed in the plate thickness direction D. For example, the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 may be located outward from the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12, and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 may be inclined inward from the upper end to the lower end. Conversely, the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 may be located inward from the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12, and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 may be inclined outward from the upper end to the lower end. It is sufficient that the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a have corresponding shapes so that they are connected to each other via the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the spacer 14 is described as being joined to the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12, but the spacer 14 does not have to be joined to the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12.
In addition, in the edge component joining step, the edge component 13 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 is aligned with the outer peripheral edge 12a of the second metal plate 12, and in the clamping step, the first metal plate 11 is arranged so that the outer peripheral edge 11a of the first metal plate 11 is aligned with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13, but this is not limited to this. After the edge component joining step or the clamping step, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the edge component 13 may be formed so that it is aligned with the outer peripheral edges 11a, 12a of the first metal plate 11 and the second metal plate 12.

In addition, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described variations may be combined as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1... Furniture with top plate 2... Leg member 10... Top plate 11... First metal plate 11a... Outer peripheral edge 11b... Lower surface (surface)
11c... Upper surface 11d... Edge side positioning protrusion (positioning protrusion)
12... Second metal plate 12a... Outer periphery 12c... Upper surface (surface)
12d...Edge positioning protrusion (positioning protrusion)
13... Edge component member 13a... Outer peripheral surface 13b... Edge side positioning recess (positioning recess)
14...Spacer 15...Decorative plate D...Plate thickness direction

Claims (9)

a first metal plate having at least a portion of its outer periphery curved ;
a second metal plate disposed below the first metal plate at a distance;
an edge component sandwiched between the first metal plate and the second metal plate, the edge component being made of a material softer than the metals forming the first metal plate and the second metal plate, and having an outer peripheral surface that follows the outer peripheral edge of the first metal plate ;
a positioning portion provided on the edge component and the first metal plate, for positioning the first metal plate relative to the edge component;
Equipped with
The positioning portion is a top plate that is partially provided on the inside of the curved outer peripheral edge of the first metal plate . The top plate according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the positioning portions are provided at intervals. The top plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the positioning portion positions the first metal plate relative to the edge component by engaging concave and convex shapes formed on the edge component and the first metal plate. The positioning unit is
a positioning recess provided in the edge component;
a positioning protrusion provided on the first metal plate and disposed within the positioning recess;
The top plate of claim 3, comprising: The top plate according to claim 4 , wherein the positioning protrusion is formed by recessing the upper surface of the first metal plate downward. The top plate according to claim 5 , further comprising a decorative plate disposed on the upper surface of the first metal plate. a spacer sandwiched between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and disposed inside the edge component member when viewed in the thickness direction of the first metal plate;
an inner positioning portion provided on the spacer and the first metal plate, the inner positioning portion positioning the first metal plate relative to the spacer;
The top plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: a first metal plate;
a second metal plate disposed below the first metal plate at a distance, the second metal plate having at least a portion of a curved outer periphery ;
an edge component sandwiched between the first metal plate and the second metal plate , the edge component being made of a material softer than the metals forming the first metal plate and the second metal plate, and having an outer peripheral surface that follows the outer peripheral edge of the second metal plate;
a positioning portion provided on the edge component and the second metal plate, which positions the second metal plate relative to the edge component;
Equipped with
The positioning portion is a top plate that is partially provided on the inside of the curved outer peripheral edge of the second metal plate . A top plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
A fixture with a tabletop, comprising: a leg member that supports the tabletop.