Five-part furniture frame and method of assembly

The present invention is a five-part furniture frame, and method of assembly thereof, consisting of a left arm frame, a right arm frame, a seat box frame, an inside back frame and an outside back frame. The invention allows for ease of assembly and for a seat back that incorporates a triangular structure for added stability and durability.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to furniture and, more particularly, to furniture that can be easily assembled and disassembled, and to a method for assembling such furniture.

2. Description of Related Art

Furniture that can be easily assembled and disassembled is known in the related art. Examples of such furniture are provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,065 issued Feb. 20, 1979 to L. M. Chacon (modular furniture); U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,902 issued Aug. 28, 1979 to R. A. Ehrlich (knockdown upholstered furniture); U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,897 issued Oct. 21, 1997 to J. C. Prestia (ready-to-assemble upholstered furniture); U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,767 issue Apr. 6, 1999 to Y. F. Chang (modular sofa); U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,317 issued Jun. 5, 2001 to J. Wu (modular chair construction) and both U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,880 issued Apr. 9, 2002 to A. G. Niederman et al. and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. US2002/0093235 published Jul. 18, 2002 on behalf of A. G. Niederman et al. (modular upholstered furniture construction). Such furniture—often referred to as modular furniture—provides two basic advantages over conventional furniture. First, it is easier to move than conventional furniture. For example, prior to assembly, modular furniture can be readily moved through restricted doorways, hallways and stairways whereas conventional furniture is often too bulky or heavy to pass easily through restricted spaces. And second, because it requires less space when disassembled, modular furniture is less expensive both to ship and to store than conventional furniture.

However, despite its advantages, there are at least two recognized drawbacks of modular furniture. First, modular furniture typically is difficult and time consuming to assemble, particularly for end users. As taught by U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0093235 to Neiderman et al., assembly normally requires two people to either line up brackets or hold the modular sections in place prior to joining. Second, modular furniture typically is not as rigid as conventional furniture. As taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,897 to Prestia, modular furniture tends “to loosen over time” and therefore is less “sturdy and durable” than conventional furniture.

As a result, there is a need for modular furniture that is easier to assemble and that is more stable and durable once assembled than modular furniture known in the art. Additionally, there is a need for a method of assembling such furniture.

With regard to the related art, the device taught by Prestia bears some structural resemblance to the present invention but differs in at least one important structural respect. While the Prestia device consists of four interconnected components with one component comprising a seat back section, the present invention consists of five interconnected components with two components forming a seat back section. With two components, the seat back section incorporates a triangular structure relative to the seat box and arm frames. This unique triangular structural relationship of the present invention provides both added stability and durability. Thus, none of the above mentioned related art, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the present invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a five-part furniture frame, and method of assembly thereof, consisting of a left arm frame, a right arm frame, a seat box frame, an inside back frame and an outside back frame. The invention allows for ease of assembly and for a seat back that incorporates a triangular structure for added stability and durability.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a method for assembling furniture that is simpler and less time consuming than known methods.

It is another object of the invention to provide modular furniture that can be easily assembled and disassembled by both manufacturers and end users.

It is a further object of the invention to provide modular furniture constructed in manner that allows for improved stability and durability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a five-part furniture frame, and method of assembly thereof, consisting of a left arm frame, a right arm frame, a seat box frame, an inside back frame and an outside back frame.

Referring to the drawings,FIGS. 1to6depict the preferred embodiment of the five-part furniture frame,FIGS. 7 through 11illustrate a method for assembling the five-part furniture frame, andFIG. 12illustrates the five-part furniture frame as incorporated in a piece of furniture.

FIG. 2shows the five main components of the five-part furniture frame10with each bolt shown relative to its corresponding opening in a component. The five-part furniture frame10is comprised of a left arm frame40, a right arm frame20, a seat box frame100, an inside back frame80, and an outside back frame60.

The left arm frame40and right arm frame20(FIGS. 3A and 3B) each have four bolts extending from one of its sides. Each arm frame20and40has a front panel21and41and a back panel22and42between which a number of crossbars23and43are secured. Mounted on the inner side of each arm frame20and40are two panels24,25,44and45, each of which has two bolts26-29and46-49extending perpendicularly there from. One bolt26and46from each arm frame mates to a corresponding opening101and102in the seat box frame100(FIG.4). Another bolt28and48from each arm frame mates to a corresponding opening81and83in the inside back frame80(FIG.5). And two bolts27,29,47and49from each arm frame20and40mate to corresponding openings61-64in the outside back frame60(FIG.6).

The seat box frame100, shown inFIG. 4, has a front panel105, a back panel107, and two side panels106and108. A crossbar panel109runs from the middle of the back panel107to the middle of the front panel105. Twelve planar tension springs104run from the top edge of the back panel107to the top edge of the front panel105. The back panel has four openings103which mate to bolts86mounted on the inside back frame80.

The inside back frame80, shown inFIG. 5, has an upper panel84and a lower panel85with three crossbars87running between them84and85. Each crossbar has a notch81-83in which a bolt can be inserted. The lower panel85has four bolts extending perpendicularly from one side thereof85.

The outside back frame60, shown inFIG. 6, has a top panel65, a bottom panel66, and two side panels67and68. Three crossbars69and71run between the top and bottom panels65and66. Mounted on the center crossbar69is a flange72to which a bolt73is attached.

As shown inFIG. 7, the first step in the method of assembling the above described five-part furniture frame is to lay the outside back frame on a flat surface.

The second step in the method of assembly according to the present invention is to secure the left and right arm frames20and40to the outside back frame60, as shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, by inserting two bolts on each of the left and right arm frames20and40into their corresponding openings in the outside back frame60and by attaching a nut to each bolt.

The third step in the method of assembly according to the present invention, as shown inFIG. 10, is to lower the inside back frame80onto the assembly resulting from the second step such one notch82slides onto its corresponding bolt73on the outside back frame, one notch83slides onto its corresponding bolt28on the right arm frame, and one notch81slides onto its corresponding bolt48(not shown) on the left arm frame and to attach a nut to each bolt.

The fourth step in the method of assembly according to the present invention, as shown inFIG. 11, is to lower the seat back frame100onto the assembly resulting from the third step such that the bolts86attached to the inside back frame's lower panel are inserted into the openings103in the seat box frame's back panel. To lower the seat box frame100onto the assembly, the left and right arm frames20and40must be moved distally from the assembly. Once the seat box frame100is in place, the arm frames20and40are move back into place such that one bolt on each arm frame20and40is inserted into its corresponding opening on one of the seat box frame's100side panels. Nuts are then attached to each of the bolts.

The fifth step in the method of assembly according to the present invention is to tighten all nuts on the resulting furniture frame10.

FIG. 12shows a sofa with a pliable material upholstered to the five-part furniture frame according to the present invention. It will be appreciated that the pliable material can be upholstered to the five-part furniture frame either before or after the frame is assembled. For ease of understanding,FIGS. 1 through 11show assembly of the invention's components prior to upholstering.

Significantly, it will be appreciated from drawings1,2,10, and11that, when assembled, the five-part furniture frame10incorporates a triangular structural relationship formed by the attachment of the inside back frame60to the outside back frame80at an angle of between 0° and 90°, the attachment of the outside back frame to both arm frames, and the attachment of both arms frames to the inside back frame via the seat box frame. This triangular structural relationship provides added rigidity and stability to the furniture frame10.