Abstract:
Examples of collapsible furniture which can be simply assembled using interlocking means and without the need for any conventional fastening means are described. The collapsible furniture is also easily disassembled for storage and transport.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     This disclosure relates generally to collapsible furniture which can be simply assembled without the need for any conventional fastening means and can be easily fabricated.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Conventional furniture construction uses glue and/or fasteners installed with tools. Once the conventional furniture has been assembled, shipping and storage costs are increased due to the size of the assembled conventional furniture.  
         [0003]     Collapsible furniture is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,027 proposes take-apart furniture. A disadvantage associated with the proposed take-apart furniture is that the members therein tend to slide causing structural instability.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     The present disclosure provides a number of examples of novel and unobvious mechanisms for collapsible furniture which allow the furniture to be easy to assemble without the use of tools, structurally rigid when assembled in order to support added weight, and easy to disassemble. Collapsible furniture provides distinct advantages over conventional furniture for the purposes of shipping and storage.  
         [0005]     In one example of this disclosure, collapsible furniture consisting of substantially planar members which positively interlock and reversibly unlock is provided. Interlocking members have respective, complementary locking means (for example, male and female components) to provide structural rigidity. The members also have nook components to aid in the disassembly of the collapsible furniture. The collapsible furniture of the present disclosure can be assembled without the use of any nails, screws, glue or any other fasteners or adhesives. Furthermore, the planar members may be easily disassembled and compacted into space-saving form for convenient transport and storage.  
         [0006]     The techniques discussed in this disclosure can be applied to various collapsible furniture of assorted sizes and shapes, such as, for example, a bed, desk, table, shelf, stool, chair (such as dining chair, lounge chairs, loveseat, other furniture on which one can sit), etc. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The features of the present disclosure can be more readily understood from the detailed description below with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of unassembled collapsible furniture members according to an example of the present disclosure.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an assembled furniture structure according to an example of the present disclosure.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3   a  is a side view of interlocking means in an unlocked position according to an example of the present disclosure.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3   b  is a side view of interlocking means in a locked position according to an example of the present disclosure.  
         [0012]      FIGS. 4A through 4G  show additional examples of furniture including the interlocking means of the present disclosure.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     In describing examples and preferred embodiments in connection with the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  shows unassembled members for a collapsible chair, according to an example of the present disclosure. The unassembled collapsible members consist of a first back member  10 , side members  20   a  and  20   b , a second back member  30 , a seat member  40 , and a front member  50 . The members  20   a ,  20   b ,  30 ,  40  and  50  have interlocking means which allow each of the side members  20   a  and  20   b  to interlock with each of the back member  30 , the seat member  40  and the front member  50 . The side members  20   a  and  20   b  provide support to the seat member  40  (which is horizontal when assembled), and the members  20   a ,  20   b ,  30 ,  40  and  50  provide structurally rigidity when interlocked and combined with the first back member  10 .  
         [0015]     The interlocking means may comprise female components and complementary male components which when inserted in the female components and interlocked therewith secure the respective members to each other. For example, male components  6   a  and  6   b  of back member  30  can be inserted in female component  5   a  of side member  20   a  and female component  5   b  of side member  20   b , respectively. In addition, male components  6   c  and  6   d  of seat member  40  can be inserted in female component  5   c  of side member  20   a  and female component  5   d  of side member  20   b , respectively. Additional corresponding male and female component pairings may be interlocked to provide structural rigidity for the furniture structure including male components  6   e  and  6   f  of side members  20   a  and  20   b  inserted into female components  5   e  and  5   f  of seat member  40 ; male components  6   i  and  6   j  of back member  10  inserted into female components  5   i  and  5   j  of side members  20   a  and  20   b ; and male components  7   a  and  7   b  of back member  10  inserted into female components  8   a  and  8   b  of side members  20   a  and  20   b.    
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows an assembled furniture structure  100  according to an example of the present disclosure. The front member  50  may be attached to side members  20  by interlocking male components  6   g  and  6   h  of front member  50  with female components  5   g  and  5   h  of side members  20   a  and  20   b  to provide additional stability to assembled furniture structure  100 .  
         [0017]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a collapsible dining chair. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the subject matter of this disclosure can be incorporated in other furniture of assorted sizes and shapes, such as, for example, a bed ( FIG. 4A ), table ( FIG. 4B ), shelf ( FIG. 4C ), stool ( FIG. 4D ), lounge chairs ( FIGS. 4E and 4F ), loveseat ( FIG. 4G ), desk, etc.  
         [0018]      FIG. 3   a  shows a side structural view of positive interlocking means in an unlocked position while  FIG. 3   b  shows a side structural view of positive interlocking means in a locked position according to an example of the present disclosure. The positive interlocking means of  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  comprises a male component  1  and a female component  2 . Male component  1  further comprises hook portion  3  and nook portion  7 . Female component  2  has a recessed portion  5  for receiving hook portion  3 . Recessed portion  5  is preferably dimensioned to receive and securely hold hook portion  3 . Hook portion  3  is preferably dimensioned to enable unlocking without the use of excessive force.  
         [0019]     Male component  1  is preferably flexible enough to deflect at a dimension generally designated as numeral  8  such that hook portion  3  will be level with the rest of male component  1  when male component  1  is bent slightly in direction A. By allowing for such a deflection, hook portion  3  may be easily inserted into recessed portion  5 . Once inserted, hook portion  3  is secured within recessed portion  5  at a dimension  8  to assure male component  1  and female component  2  are interlocked, providing structural rigidity for assembled furniture structure  100 .  
         [0020]     In addition, hook portion  3  is sloped at such an angle, generally designated as numeral  6 , to allow hook portion  3  to be slidably inserted into recessed portion  5  of the female component  2 . By including the positive interlocking means illustrated in  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  in addition to the interlocking means described above, the furniture structure of the present disclosure has an additional structural advantage over prior art furniture structures because the positive interlocking means provides additional structural rigidity by preventing interlocked members from sliding.  
         [0021]     Nook portion  7  provides gripping means for reversibly unlocking male component  1  and female component  2 . Although no tools are necessary for the assembly and disassembly of furniture structure  100 , a tool, such as a screwdriver, may be inserted into nook portion  7  to act as a fulcrum in aiding in the unlocking of male component  1  and female component  2 .  
         [0022]     The members  10 ,  20   a ,  20   b ,  30 ,  40  and  50  may be made of any of the various materials used for furniture, such as plywood, plastic, other composite materials, etc.  
         [0023]     The above specific examples and embodiments are illustrative, and many variations can be introduced on these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.