Abstract:
A metal frame glider having preassembled wooden seat panels. A bench back panel and a bench seat panel each include three vertical wooden support members to which a plurality of horizontal wooden slats are attached.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a glider, and more particularly to a glider having preassembled bench panels. 
     Gliders, also referred to as swings, are lawn or porch furniture providing single or multiple person seating that is generally suspended so that it may rock or swing. Conventionally, gliders are sold to consumers in an unassembled condition because it is impractical to package, store and transport these bulky items in an assembled condition. 
     A particularly popular form of gliders include a bench with seat and back portions each having a plurality of horizontal wooden slats. This type of glider often includes a frame fabricated from solid metal or metal tube stock, or cast from metal. As compared to wooden frames, such metal frames are durable, lightweight and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. 
     Assembly of such a glider involves individually attaching each wooden slat to the metal frame using two or more screws, nuts and bolts, or similar fasteners. This is inconvenient for a purchaser of the glider since it is a very tedious and time consuming task. Further, such an involved assembly procedure by an unskilled consumer often leads to improperly assembled gliders. 
     Thus, it is desirable to produce a glider with wooden seat slats that is easy to assemble and can be provided to the consumer in a compact package. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a partially assembled glider for final assembly by a purchaser comprising: a stationary frame; a bench frame for suspended attachment to the stationary frame; a preassembled bench back panel for attachment to the bench frame, the preassembled bench back panel comprising a first plurality of slats secured to a first support; and a preassembled bench seat panel for attachment to the bench frame, the preassembled bench seat panel comprising a second plurality of slats secured to a second support. 
     According another aspect, the present invention provides a glider comprising: a stationary frame formed from metal; a bench frame formed from metal, the bench frame being movably suspended from the stationary frame; a bench back panel comprising a first plurality of wooden slats attached to a first wooden support, the bench back panel being attached to the bench frame; and a bench seat panel comprising a second plurality of wooden slats attached to a second wooden support, the bench seat panel being attached to the bench frame. 
     According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a partially assembled glider for final assembly by a purchaser, the method comprising steps of: assembling a bench back panel by securing a first plurality of slats to a first support; assembling a bench seat panel by securing a second plurality of slats to a second support; fabricating a plurality of frame members for constructing a bench frame and a stationary frame; and packaging the bench back panel, the bench seat panel and the frame members unassembled in a package for storage, shipping and sale to a consumer. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a bench for a glider assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a frame for a glider assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1C is a detail view of a lap joint of the bench of FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bench for a glider assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the bench of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 3A is a detail view of a joint of the bench of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a glider assembly in a partially assembled condition comprises a bench  10  and a frame  12 . The bench  10  comprises a preassembled bench back panel  14  and a bench seat panel  16 . 
     The bench back panel  14  comprises a left side support member  18 , an intermediate support member  20 , a right side support member  22 , and a plurality of slats  24  attached to the support members  18 - 22 . Likewise, the bench seat panel  16  comprises a left side support member  26 , an intermediate support member  28 , a right side support member  30 , and a plurality of slats  32  attached to the support members  26 - 30 . 
     The support members  18 - 22 ,  26 - 30  and the slats  24 ,  32  are each fabricated from wood. The slats  24 ,  32  are attached to the respective support members  18 - 22 ,  26 - 30  by a manufacturer using nails, brads, rivets, screws, adhesive or other known means of attachment. Thus, the bench back panel  14  and the bench seat panel  16  are provided to a purchaser of the glider in an individually preassembled condition. 
     The glider assembly is provided to a purchaser by the manufacturer or retailer in the form of a packaged kit, which includes the preassembled bench back panel  14 , the preassembled bench seat panel  16 , the frame  12 , and a variety of fasteners and other hardware necessary for final assembly of the glider by the purchaser. 
     The bench back panel  14  and the bench seat panel  16  are each provided with means of attachment for attaching the panels  14 ,  16  to each other. The means of attaching the bench back panel  14  comprises notched ends  34 ,  36 ,  38  provided respectively to each of the support members  18 - 22 . Likewise, the means of attaching the bench seat panel  16  comprises notched ends  40 ,  42 ,  44  provided respectively to each of the support members  26 - 30 . 
     To assemble the bench  10 , the purchaser of the glider attaches the notched ends  34 - 38  of the bench back panel  14  to the respective and complementary notched ends  40 - 44  of the bench seat panel  16  using nuts  46  and bolts  48 . The resulting joint is similar to that commonly referred to as a square shoulder joint or lap joint. As shown in FIG. 1C, each pair of complementary notched ends  34 , 40 ;  36 , 42 ;  38 , 44  are engaged such that relative rotation is prevented by the abutment of pairs of shoulders or facing surfaces  50 ,  52 . 
     The glider frame  12  comprises a stationary frame  54  and a bench frame  56 . In the disclosed embodiment, the frames  54 ,  56  are fabricated from bent metal tube stock. Alternatively, other material could be used to fabricate the frames  54 ,  56 , such as solid metal stock. The bench frame  56  is movably suspended from the stationary frame  54  by a plurality of glider bands or straps  58  attached between the frames  54 ,  56 . This attachment can be achieved by a bushing and fastener assembly, or similar, utilized at each point of attachment of the glider straps  58 . The straps  58  of the present embodiment are in the form of metallic straps, however, other suitable materials or other suitable configurations can be utilized. For example, although the glider frame  12  of the present embodiment is shown to utilize two straps  58  on each side of the frame  12 , a lesser or greater number can be used and/or the straps  58  can be formed from an elastomeric material. 
     The glider frame  12  can be provided to the consumer in various stages of assembly. For example, each of the stationary frame  54 , the bench frame  56  and the glider straps  58  can be provided as separate parts to be assembled by the purchaser. As a further example, the stationary frame  54  and/or the bench frame  56  can be provided as smaller sections of metal tubing (not shown) which must be fastened together by the purchaser to form the frames  54 ,  56 . 
     Each of the stationary frame  54  and the bench frame  56  has a pair of armrests  60  attached thereto. The armrests  60  can be provided pre-attached to the purchaser or as separate parts which must be attached using fasteners. Alternatively, one or more of the armrests  60  can be eliminated. As a further alternative, other structures can be substituted for the armrests  60 , such as side tables. 
     To enable the purchaser to attach the assembled bench  10  to the frame  12 , each side of the bench  10  is provided with a plurality of holes: a first attachment hole  62  and a second attachment hole  64  in each of the left and right side support members  18 ,  22  of the bench back panel  14 , and a third attachment hole  66  in each of the left and right side support members  26 ,  30  of the bench seat panel  16 . A screw, bolt or other fastener (not shown) is used to secure each of these attachment holes  62 - 66  to corresponding holes  68 ,  70 ,  72  in the bench frame  56  by the purchaser. 
     FIGS. 2,  3  and  3 A show a glider bench  110  according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Like the bench  10  of the first embodiment, the bench  110  comprises a bench back panel  114  and a bench seat panel  116 . Support members  118 ,  120 ,  122 ,  126 ,  128 ,  130  are respectively provided with curved support surfaces  119 ,  121 ,  123 ,  127 ,  129 ,  131 , resulting in a curved arrangement of the attached slats  124 ,  132 . This curved arrangement of the slats  124 ,  132  is provided to enhance the comfort and aesthetic appeal of the bench  110 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the left side support members  122 ,  130  overlap at their respective ends  138 ,  144  and are attached to each other by means of two screws, bolts or other fasteners  146 ,  147 . The use of two fasteners  146 ,  147 , unlike the single fastener  46  of the first embodiment, prevents relative rotation of the support members  122 ,  130 . Similarly, the right side support members  118 ,  126  overlap at their respective ends  134 ,  140  and are attached to each other by means of two fasteners  146 ,  147 . 
     As best shown in FIG. 3A, the intermediate support members  120 ,  128  abut at their respective ends  136 ,  142  and are attached to each other by means of a bolt  174  and cylindrical nut  176 . This type of joint is commonly referred to as a butt joint. Other means of attachment, such as a wood screw or peg, could be used in place of the bolt  174  and cylindrical nut  176 . 
     It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.