Abstract:
A seat base assembly including a declivity in one or both side rails. A resilient member spans the declivity. Uplift, resilience and support is provided at the side rail as well as a clean, crisp defined upholstery line.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates in general to furniture seat base assemblies. It relates particularly to seat base frame and spring assemblies for modular furniture.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Modular seat units of furniture, commonly called “pit groups” in the trade, have become a major factor in furniture sales during the past ten years. In some markets, the volume of modular furniture sales exceeds that of traditional sofas, loveseats, lounge chairs and other upholstered furniture.  
           [0003]    Modular furniture, either motion or stationary, consists of upholstered chairs, loveseats, sofas and center wedges, for example, which do not have arms or have only one arm. By virtue of this, the furniture can be arranged in various combinations, as desired.  
           [0004]    When upholstered furniture has an arm or arms, the buttocks and thighs of the sitter are automatically directed inwardly from the side rail of the furniture, under the arm. As a result, the side rail is not felt along the outside of the sitter&#39;s thighs or buttocks. When there is only one arm or no arms in a piece of upholstered furniture, however, the sitter frequently, and unpleasantly, feels the hard side rail right through the cushioning along the entire distance between the buttocks and the knee. To date, no furniture manufacturers have been able to deal with this problem satisfactorily.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    An object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in a furniture seat base assembly.  
           [0006]    It is another object to provide an improvement in a seat base assembly for modular, upholstered furniture.  
           [0007]    It is a further object to provide an improvement in a modular furniture seat base, assembly which produces a generous, soft and comfortable yield along the side rails, comparable with a luxury seat in the center.  
           [0008]    It is still another object to provide an improvement in a seat base assembly for modular assembly which eliminates the pandemic hardness and produces ample softness, long-lasting uplift, resilience and firm graduated support at the side rail.  
           [0009]    The foregoing and other objects are realized by providing a seat base assembly including a declivity in one or both side rails. Spanning the declivity is a resilient member. In a first embodiment the member is a single helical spring attached by clips to the ends of the declivity. In a second embodiment it is a paper covered wire with eyes at opposite ends, connected to clips by helical springs. In a third embodiment, the paper covered wire and helical springs of the second embodiment are mounted in a modified side rail construction. Regardless, the construction provides not only the uplift, resilience and support which is desired, but also a clean, crisply defined upholstery line along the side rail. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The invention, including its construction and operation, is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the drawings, in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a modular furniture unit seat base assembly embodying features of a first form of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a sectional view take along line  2 - 2  of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the clip and rail connection seen in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, showing a seat base assembly embodying features of a second form of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, showing a seat base assembly embodying features of a third form of the present invention; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a clip mounting in the assembly of FIG. 5. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a seat base assembly for a modular furniture unit seat base is seen generally at  10 . The seat base assembly  10  has a square, ottoman-like configuration, with generally uniform side dimensions. The seat base assembly  10  includes a seat frame  11  and a sinuous spring ban arrangement  15  mounted in the manner illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,700, which issued to the same inventor. The frame  11  includes a front rail  16 , a back rail  17 , and identical side rails  18 . Each of the side rails  18  incorporates an improvement in the seat base assembly  10 , which improvement is seen generally at  20  in a first embodiment.  
         [0018]    Referring now also to FIG. 2, each of the side rails  18  illustrated in the seat frame assembly  10  is a hardwood board, approximately twenty-four inches deep, five inches high and three-quarters of an inch wide. The upper edge  21  of the board is level with the top of the frame  11 . The ends  22  and  23  of the board abut against the front rail  16  and back rail  17 , respectively, and are fastened thereto in a suitable manner.  
         [0019]    Formed downwardly from the upper edge  21  of each board rail  18 , normally by band-sawing, is a declivity  28 . The declivity  25  is defined by an inclined front edge  26 , a bottom edge  27  and an inclined back edge  28 .  
         [0020]    The front edge  26  of the declivity joins the top edge  21  of the rail  18  about three inches from the front rail  16 . Similarly, the back edge  28  joins the top edge  21  of the rail  18  about three inches from the back rail  17 . The bottom edge  27  is two and one-half inches below the top edge  21  of the rail  18 , making the declivity  25  two and one-half inches deep.  
         [0021]    Referring now also to FIG. 3, fastened to the top edge  21  of the rail adjacent each of the front and back edges  26  and  28  of the declivity  25  are identical attachment clips  31  (only back edge clip shown in FIG. 3). The clips  31  are mounted in opposed relationship and fastened to the rail  18  in a manner hereinafter discussed. Extending between the clips  31  is an elongated helical spring  33 .  
         [0022]    Each clip  31  comprises a pair of depending legs  36  and  37  interconnected by a roof  38 . The roof  38  includes a tongue  39  which protrudes to one side of the legs  36  and  37 . The tongue  39  is inclined downwardly at an angle of  300  to the roof  38  between the legs  36  and  37 .  
         [0023]    The leg  36  is three-quarters of an inch long while the leg  37  is one inch long. One-eighth of an inch from the free end of each leg  36  and  37  are two, spaced staple holes  41 . The staple holes  41  in opposed legs  36  and  37  are thus offset from each other, as will be seen.  
         [0024]    The clips  31  are fastened to the upper edge  21  of the rails  18  adjacent corresponding declivities  25  with the tongues  39  facing toward each other. Staples  45  are hammered into the rail  18  through the holes  41  to anchor the clips  31  and  32 . The tongues  39  are inclined downwardly into the declivity  25  so that connector holes  48  formed in their free ends are positioned about three-sixteenths of an inch below the top edge  21  of the rail.  
         [0025]    The open eye hooks  51  of the conventional helical spring  33  are seated in the connector holes  48 . The spring  33  is eight and one-half inches long in its relaxed state. When the spring  33  is stretched and the hooks  51  are seated in the connector holes  48  of corresponding clips  31 , it is about sixteen inches long. In this state it provides a firm yet resilient side edge for the seat base assembly  10  at the level of the top edge of the rail, the latter being so because of the positioning of the connector holes  48 .  
         [0026]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the improvement is seen at  120  in the context of a seat base assembly  110 .  
         [0027]    The seat base assembly  110  is similar in construction to the assembly  10  hereinbefore discussed and, where components are identical, the same reference numerals plus one-hundred digits are used.  
         [0028]    In the improvement  120 , the elongated helical spring  33  is replaced by two short helical springs  175  and  1761  between which a paper-covered wire  177  is connected. The paper covered wire  177  has eyes  178  formed at each end so that the inner hooks  180  of the springs  175  and  176  can be seated in them. The outer hooks  181  on the springs  175  and  176  seat in corresponding connector holes  148  in the ends of the clip tongues  139 .  
         [0029]    This embodiment is preferred where relatively deep furniture frames are involved, i.e., when the side rails  118  are thirty inches or more long, for example. Resilient rail support is still provided while avoiding excess softness near the center of the rail.  
         [0030]    Referring last to FIGS. 5 and 6, a third embodiment of the improvement is seen at  220  in the context of a seat base assembly  210 . Here, the assembly  210  is different from the assemblies  10  and  110  hereinbefore discussed in that a different type of frame  255  is employed.  
         [0031]    The seat frame  255  comprises front rail  256 , back rail  257  and side rails  258 . The side rails  258  and the front rail  256  are joined at vertical front legs  259 . The front legs  259  each have a leg section  260  which protrudes above the side rails  258  by about three inches.  
         [0032]    The side rails  258  and back rail  257  are joined at vertical back legs  261 . The back legs  261  each extend upwardly to form the sides of a chair back, for example.  
         [0033]    As will be seen, a declivity  265  is formed between the front leg sections  260  and the back legs  261 , above the side rails  258 . On the top of each front leg section  260  a clip  31 , (the clip  31  hereinbefore discussed) is fastened. Modified clips  31 A are fastened on the back rails. An elongated helical spring  270  is stretched between them, in a manner similar to the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 3 .  
         [0034]    Referring particularly to FIG. 6, a clip  31 A and its attachment to a back leg  261  is shown in greater detail. There it will be seen that the tongue  39 A of the clip is bent outwardly at an angle of  900  to the clip roof  38 A. This places the clip tongue  39 A parallel to the side rail  258  at a point slightly below the top of the front leg section  260 .  
         [0035]    Referring again to FIG. 5, a helical spring  270  is stretched between the tongues  39  and  39 A of two clips  31  and  31 A. The hook ends  271  on the spring  270  seat in connector holes  48  and  48 A of these clips.  
         [0036]    Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made to it without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.