Abstract:
A slip covered sofa having removable seat cushions which are separately slip covered by a single bag-like cover into which the seat cushions are inserted and which has excess material extending beyond the cushions, the excess material being and folded under the cushions at each end to hold the material on the upper surface of the cushions taut when the cushions are in place on the sofa.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to the covering of upholstered sofas and more particularly it concerns novel coverings for upholstered sofas and chairs as well as upholstered sofas and chairs as so covered. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   United States Patent Publication US 2004/0095002 shows an adjustable slip cover for upholstered furniture such as chairs or sofas. The sofa or chair base is covered separately from the seat cushions, which themselves are individually covered. Elastic straps and clips are provided on the sofa or chair base cover to hold the material of the cover taut. Extra material in the sofa or chair base cover is also tucked under the cushions. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,367,450 also shows adjustable slip covers for upholstered chairs wherein the chair base cover is separate from the cushion cover. Excess material of the base cover is tucked beneath adjacent portions of the slip cover. The cushion cover is bag shaped and open along the rear edge for insertion of the cushion. The cushion cover is pulled tight and held by strings. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,625 show an adjustable slip cover for chairs and sofas. Here also the cover for the chair or sofa base is separate from the cover for the seat cushion The seat cushion cover extends over the top, front and sides of the cushion and appears to be held in place by an elasticized edging. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,884,993 relates to adjustable slip covers for chairs and sofas; and separate covers are provided for the sofa or chair base and for the seat cushion. The cushion covers comprise panels which form a pocket into which the cushions are inserted. 
   A particular problem involved in providing slipcovers to accommodate upholstered furniture of different sizes and configurations results from the fact that the seat cushions of such furniture are made with widely different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. Prior attempts to handle this problem have involved providing cushion covers that are pulled tight by a drawstring or an elastic band. However, these lack versatility, and they are not suited for use with multiple cushions such as in sofas. Also there is no assurance that the cushion covers will remain taut after someone has sat on the furniture 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one aspect of the invention there is provided an upholstered chair or sofa having a base on which are mounted, a horizontal seat cushion support, a back, and arms at each end of the cushion support. At least one removable seat cushion rests on the cushion support between the arms. A seat cushion slip cover covers the seat cushion or cushions. The seat cushion slip cover is pulled tight at the ends of the cushion or cushions which abut the arms. This conforms the cover to the shape of the cushion or cushions. The excess cover material which extends beyond the cushion or cushions at the arms is folded under them, whereby the weight of the cushion or cushions holds the cover taut along their upper side. 
   In another aspect, the invention involves a novel slip covered seat cushion for an upholstered chair or sofa. This novel covered seat cushion comprises an elongated bag-like cover; and at least one seat cushion contained within the cover. The cover itself has excess material extending beyond opposite ends of the seat cushion with the excess material being foldable under the seat cushion. 
   In a further aspect, the invention comprises a novel slip cover for covering the removable seat cushions of upholstered sofas or chairs. This novel slip cover comprises an elongated bag-like cover for containing the seat cushion or cushions, with substantial excess cover material extending beyond the ends of the cushion or cushions. This excess material at the ends of the slip cover can be folded under the cushion or cushions so that their weight will hold the slip cover tight along their upper surface. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a frontal view of a slip covered sofa according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a frontal view similar to  FIG. 1  but showing the sofa with the covered seat cushion removed; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a cushion seat cover according to the invention; and 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a slip covered seat cushion with portions of the slip cover folded over for installation of the seat cushion on a sofa. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a sofa  10  comprises a base section  11  and a separately slip covered cushion section  12  which contains one or more seat cushions. The base section  11  has a bottom portion  14  which supports a back  14 , a pair of arms  16  at opposite ends of the sofa, and a horizontal cushion support surface  18  between the arms. The cushion section  12  rests on this support surface. The cushion section  12  is removable from the base section  10 ; and a cushion slip cover  12   a  covers the cushion section. A separate base section slip cover may be provided for the base section  11 . 
     FIG. 2  shows the base section  11  with the cushion section removed. The base section is shown to have a slip cover  11   a  which is larger than the base section itself; and the excess material of the cover is folded over on the support surface  18  as indicated by the reference character  20 . 
     FIG. 3  shows the cushion slip cover  12   a  in perspective and containing two T-shaped seat cushions  22   a  and  22   b  (shown in dashed outline). A cushion insertion opening  24  is provided in the back of the cover  12   a . This opening can be closed by a zipper, by Velcro® fasteners or by any suitable and well known closure means. It is also possible to provide the insertion opening at one end of the cushion cover  12   a . Although the ends of the cushion slip cover are shown as being open, they may be sewn closed 
   It will be seen that the ends of the cushion cover  12   a  extend substantially beyond the ends and back of the cushion  22   a  and  22   b . This allows the cover to accommodate cushions of different widths and depths. The excess material of the cushion slip cover that extends beyond the ends and back of the cushions is pulled tight and folded around the cushions so that the cover material takes on the shape of the cushions (in the present embodiment, a T-shape). The excess material is then pulled under the cushions so that when the cushions are placed on the cushion support  18  of the base  10  ( FIG. 1 ), their weight will hold the material of the cushion cover taut and maintain a smooth upper surface of the cover. In addition, the friction of the arms  16  and the weight of the persons occupying the sofa will add to the holding effect on the cushion slip cover  12   a.    
     FIG. 4  shows the covered seat cushions  22   a  and  22   b  inverted so that the folded over excess material of the cushion cover  12   a  can be seen at  12   b . The excess material may not only be at the ends of the cover  12   a ; but additional excess material may be provided along its rear edge so as to accommodate seat cushions of different depths. 
   There may also be provided one or more elastic bands  28  which are attached to the excess cover material  12   b  by means of clips  30  to assist in holding the cover taut. The clips may be any well known clips such as suspender type clips for example. 
   In installing the seat cushion cover  12   a , the cushion or cushions are inserted in the cover via the opening  24 . The opening is then closed. The cushion or cushions are then arranged to be substantially centered between the ends of the cover  12   a . Because the cushions can be moved with respect to the ends of the cover  12   a , it will be possible to have any pattern on the cushion cover  12   a  aligned with a corresponding pattern on the base cover  10   a  The cover  12   a  is then pulled tight at its ends and back; and the excess material of the cover is folded under the cushions. The covered cushions are then positioned on the cushion support as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   The cushion cover of this invention can be made of any slip cover material and may be woven or knit fabric. As an example, the cushions  22   a  and  22   b  would have a depth, from the front elongated edge to the rear of 26 inches and would accommodate a cushion thickness of 6 inches. The length of the cushion cover would depend on the distance from one end of the cushion to the other while allowing sufficient excess material to be folded under the cushions. These dimensions are not critical and a wide range of dimensions may be employed for the cushion slip cover, provided that the cover is large enough to accommodate a wide range of cushion sizes while still leaving sufficient excess material of the cover to be folded under the cushions. 
   The cushion cover  12   a  may be made to accommodate seat cushions of upholstered chairs as well as sofas. In addition elastic bands, Velcro® fasteners, etc. may be used to hold the excess material under the cushions. 
   The cushions with the cushion cover may be turned over in the event that the upper surface of the cover becomes worn or stained. In this case the excess material at the ends and back of the cover  12   a  is folded in the reverse direction so that it remains between the cushions and the cushion support. 
   While this invention has been described in conjunction with T-shaped cushions, it is equally applicable with rectangular cushions or cushions of other shapes. Pulling the material of the cover and then folding it under the ends of the cushions will cause it to conform to whatever the shape of the cushion ends may be.