Modular furniture system

Abstract

A modular furniture system including modules and frames. Each module includes an upper face including a plurality of upper engaging portions, a lower face including a plurality of complementary lower engaging portions, and four sides. Frames are provided with a regular cross-sectional dimension. The dimensions of the upper and lower faces of the modules and the arrangement of the engaging portions are such that when two modules are adjacently disposed with frames mounted on the adjacent sides thereof, the distance between any two adjacent engaging portions on the same horizontal plane is constant no matter whether the adjacent engaging portions are on the same module or different modules. Sleeves with drawers corresponding to modules of a given size are also provided.

1 . A modular furniture system comprising: 
 a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped modules, each module comprising an upper face including at least one upper engaging portion, a lower face comprising at least one complementary lower engaging portion, and four sides, whereby the upper engaging portions of a first module interlock with the lower engaging portions of a second module when the second module is stacked upon the first module; and    a plurality of frames having a regular cross-sectional dimension, the frames mountable on the sides of the modules;    wherein the distance between adjacent engaging portions of the first module is equal to the distance between adjacent engaging portions of the first module and the second module in a horizontal plane when the first and second modules are adjacently disposed with frames mounted on the adjacent sides thereof.    
   
   
       2 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the upper engaging portions are protrusions and the lower engaging portions are complementary recesses.  
   
   
       3 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the upper and lower engaging portions of each module are arranged in corresponding grids.  
   
   
       4 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one first mounting portion disposed on each side of the modules.  
   
   
       5 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the frames are proportioned to correspond to a corresponding side of a module, and each frame comprises second mounting portions complementary to the first mounting portions of the corresponding side.  
   
   
       6 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the distance between adjacent mounting portions of the first module in a horizontal and a vertical plane is equal to the distance between the adjacent first mounting portions of the first module and the second module in a vertical and a horizontal plane when the first and second modules are adjacently disposed with frames mounted on the adjacent sides thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising panels receivable in the frames.  
   
   
       8 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the modules are hollow and open sidewalls are defined in each side of the modules.  
   
   
       9 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising at least one sleeve, each sleeve comprising: 
 a flange corresponding to a corresponding side of a module and comprising third mounting portions complementary to the first mounting portions of the corresponding side;    a hollow body fixed to the flange and proportioned to be received through the open sidewall of the corresponding side.    
   
   
       10 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the sleeve comprises a drawer slidably received in the hollow body.  
   
   
       11 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein horizontal dimensions of the modules, including the cross-sectional dimension of frames installed on each side thereof, are multiples of a base horizontal dimension corresponding to a shortest side of a smallest module.  
   
   
       12 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein vertical dimensions of the modules are multiples of a base vertical dimension, and the base vertical dimension equals the base horizontal dimension.  
   
   
       13 . A modular furniture system comprising: 
 a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped modules, each module comprising an upper face including a plurality of protrusions, a lower face including an equal number of complementary recesses corresponding in position to the protrusions, and four sides having open sidewalls, each side provided with at least one first mounting portion, whereby the protrusions of a first module interlock with the recesses of a second module stacked thereon;    a plurality of frames proportioned to correspond to a first corresponding side of a module, each frame comprising at least one second mounting portion complementary to the first mounting portion of the first corresponding side, wherein frames are mountable on the sides of the modules.    
   
   
       14 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the frames are provided with a regular cross-sectional dimension (f), and a distance (a) between adjacent protrusions in a horizontal plane of a module is equal to 2 (b+f), where (b) represents the distance between a peripherally disposed protrusion and a nearest side of the module.  
   
   
       15 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein first and second mounting portions are arranged such that a frame may be mounted straddling two adjacently disposed modules with frames mounted on adjacent sides thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the protrusions and recesses are arranged such that a module may be stacked straddling two adjacently disposed modules with frames mounted on adjacent sides thereof.  
   
   
       17 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising at least one sleeve, each sleeve comprising: 
 a flange comprising third mounting portions complementary to the first mounting portions of a second corresponding side of a module;    a hollow body fixed to the flange and proportioned to be received through the open sidewall of the second corresponding side.    
   
   
       18 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the sleeve comprises a drawer slidably received in the hollow body.  
   
   
       19 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein each protrusion is provided with a first locking portion, and each recess is provided with a second locking portion complementary to the first locking portion.  
   
   
       20 . A modular furniture system comprising: 
 a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped modules, each module comprising an upper face including a plurality of upper engaging portions, a lower face including an equal number of complementary lower engaging portions corresponding to the upper engaging portions, and four sides with open sidewalls, each side provided with at least one first mounting portion; and    a plurality of frames, each frame comprising at least one second mounting portion complementary to the first mounting portion of a first corresponding side of a module, the frames provided with a regular cross-sectional dimension (f), wherein frames are mountable on the sides of the modules;    wherein a distance (a) between adjacent engaging portions in a horizontal plane of a module is equal to 2 (b+f), where (b) represents the distance between a peripherally disposed engaging portion and a nearest side of the module, and a distance (c) between adjacent first mounting portions in the same horizontal and vertical plane of a module is equal to 2 (d+f), where (d) represents the distance between a peripherally disposed first mounting portion and the nearest normal side of the module.    
   
   
       21 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 20 , further comprising at least one sleeve corresponding to a second corresponding side of the module, the sleeve comprising a flange comprising third mounting portions complementary to the first mounting portions of the second corresponding side, and a hollow body fixed to the flange and proportioned to be received through the open sidewall of the second corresponding side.  
   
   
       22 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the sleeve comprises a drawer slidably received in the hollow body.  
   
   
       23 . The modular furniture system as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein each upper engaging portion is provided with a first locking portion, and each lower engaging portion is provided with a second locking portion complementary to the first locking portion.