Abstract:
A ready to assemble or knockdown sofa having a back rest that can be reconfigured between a use configuration in which the sofa is has a conventional L-shaped cross-section and a shipping or storage configuration in which the sofa is arranged in a more efficiently stacked rectangular cross-section. The rectangular cross-section allows the sofa to be more efficiently stacked with other sofas during shipping or storage. The back rest has an upper back rest portion and a lower back rest portion in which the upper back rest portion can be rotated forward toward the front of the sofa and downwardly into a nesting region against the top of the seat base to provide a more efficient shape.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/752,248 entitled SOFA WITH SHIPPING AND USE CONFIGURATION, filed on Jan. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,241,575, issued on Jan. 26, 2016; which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/591,877 entitled SOFA WITH SHIPPING AND USE CONFIGURATION and filed Jan. 28, 2012, both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a sofa that can be reconfigured between a use configuration and a shipping or storage configuration, wherein the shipping or storage configuration defines a more regular and compact geometric shape for more efficient shipping or storage of multiple sofas. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Furniture items used for seating typically comprise an upholstered and/or cushioned support structure for supporting the user&#39;s back and bottom. In particular, sofas typically comprise a seat base, a back rest and at least one arm rest. A common aesthetic and practical design consideration is assembling the subcomponents of the sofa with minimum gaps between the subcomponents to avoid strain on the fasteners from movement of the subcomponents and the aesthetically unpleasing appearance of the gaps. Accordingly, furniture items are typically fully assembled at the factory to ensure that the individual subcomponents are properly assembled and upholstered with minimal interspatial gaps. 
     The inherent drawback of assembling the furniture item at the factory is that the common L-shape of the assembled seating furniture typically prevents efficient packing of the furniture items for transport. Depending on the shape and size of the furniture item, the packing of the furniture item can result in a significant amount of dead space within the shipping container or truck. In addition to increasing the cost of transportation, the dead space can allow the furniture items to shift during transport resulting in safety risks, uneven weight distributions or damage to the furniture item. Although the furniture item can be boxed for shipment, the L-shaped cross-section creates portions of the box that are unsupported and likely to collapse damaging the box and underlying furniture item. Similarly, assembled furniture items can be awkwardly shaped and difficult to navigate into the home or other structure without significant positioning and reorienting of the furniture item. The awkward maneuvering and positioning of the furniture item required to move the furniture item into the structure can result in injury to the movers and/or damage to the furniture or the structure. 
     An approach to addressing the drawbacks of factory assembled furniture items comprises providing individually upholstered subcomponents as a ready to assemble (“RTA”) furniture kit. The individual components can be more efficiently packed and the furniture item is able to be assembled in situ eliminating the need for navigating the furniture item through the building. However, the inherent challenge of providing RTA furniture kits is that the consumers who assemble the furniture kits are typically untrained and may not have ready access to the tools or training necessary to properly assemble the subcomponents. In addition, aligning the heavy subcomponents to install the fasteners for connecting the subcomponents can be difficult, particularly if a single individual is assembling the furniture item. If the fasteners are not properly installed the structural integrity of the furniture item could be compromised resulting in collapse and/or injury of users. 
     As such, there is a need for a means of providing furniture items that does not suffer from the drawbacks of factory assembled furniture and currently available RTA furniture kits. In RTA furniture, it is advantageous to minimize the number of components that need to be assembled, to have the assembly be simple, to provide the smallest possible shipping package, and the finished product be robust and sturdy. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an RTA or “knockdown” sofa comprising a seat base and a back rest that can be reconfigured between a use configuration in which the sofa has a conventional L-shaped cross-section and a shipping or storage configuration in which the sofa is arranged in a more efficiently stacked rectangular cross-section. The rectangular cross-section allows the sofa to be more efficiently stacked with other sofas during shipping or storage. In addition, the rectangular cross-section reduces the dead spaces created when an L-shaped sofa is inserted into a box that can collapse during shipping or storage. Specifically, the back rest having a front side and a rear side comprising an upper back rest portion and a lower back rest portion, the upper back rest portion having a first upward position and a second downward position. The upper back rest, when in the first upward position, comprises an engagement surface that is downwardly facing and that is substantially horizontal and confronts and engages an upwardly facing surface of the lower back rest portion. The upper back rest portion can be rotated forward toward the front of the sofa and downwardly into a nesting region against the top of the seat base about a pivot point provided by a hinge positioned at or proximate the front side of the back rest. In certain embodiments, the bottom of the upper back rest portion and the top of the lower back rest portion are positioned in a generally planar horizontal orientation when the upper back rest portion is rotated into the storage configuration. 
     The horizontal surface created by the rotation of the upper back rest portion into the lowered position provides a support surface that can support a portion of the box wall to prevent collapse of the box due to dead spaces formed by an irregularly shaped sofa. In certain embodiments, the combined width of the engagement surfaces of the upper back rest portion and the lower back rest portion can be at least four inches. In other embodiments, the combined width can be at least six inches. In other embodiments, the combined width can be at least eight inches. In these configurations, the engagement of the front faces of the upper back rest portion and the lower back rest portion prevents over-rotation of the upper back rest portion presenting a stable horizontal surface for supporting the box wall. In certain embodiments, the vertical length of the front faces of the upper back rest portion and the lower back rest portion is at least six inches to provide sufficient support for the horizontal support surface. In other embodiments, the vertical length is at least eight inches. In yet other embodiments, the vertical length is at least ten inches. 
     In some embodiments, each hinge comprises at least two leaf portions having a plurality of alternating knuckles and a pin or a spindle threaded through the knuckles. One of the leaf portions is affixed to the bottom of the upper back rest portion, while the opposing leaf portion is affixed to the top of the lower back rest portion. When the upper back rest is in the downward position, the leaf portions define a plane, wherein the knuckles are offset from the plane such that the knuckles defining a barrel are positioned above the plane. When the upper back rest is in the upward position, the leaf portions are overlaying one another and are parallel or defining a slightly converging angle. The slightly converging angling also then is provided to the engagement surface of the upper back rest portion and upwardly facing surface of the lower backrest portion. Such angling increases the amount of force necessary to initiate the rotation of the upper back rest portion forward reducing the likelihood that the upper back rest portion will be inadvertently rotated into the stored configuration. Other hinge configurations may also be used. 
     In some embodiments, the sofa can comprise removable back rest cushions that can be removed from the back rest before the upper back rest portion is rotated into the storage configuration. The back rest cushions can comprise Velcro, zippers, buttons, compression straps or other conventional means of releasably securing the backrest cushions to the back rest. In this configuration, the back rest cushions can be positioned on the seat base or seat cushions to fill in any dead space and provide the rectangular cross-section. 
     In some embodiments, the seat base can define an interior space for receiving the back rest cushions, and/or seat cushions can be stored within the interior space during storage or transport. In this configuration, the sofa can further comprise a removable or replaceable sheeting secured to the seat base to enclose the interior space defined by the interior space. Alternatively, the sheeting can define at least one opening for accessing the interior space and can have a closeable flap secured by a Velcro, zipper, button or other conventional releasably securing means. 
     In some embodiments, the sofa can further comprise arm rests affixable to sides of the seat base. Each arm rest can comprise an engagement bracket slidably engagable to a corresponding bracket affixed to the seat base that aligns the arm rest with the seat base and secures the arm rest to the seat base. Each arm rest can also comprise at least one fastener insertable through the seat base from the interior base to secure the arm rest to the seat base. In some embodiments, the arm rests can be positioned in the interior space during shipping or storage to minimize the footprint of the sofa. 
     An RTA sofa, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a seat base and a back rest. The seat base further comprises a rectangular frame comprising a top side, a front side, a back side, a left side and a right side and defining an interior space. The back rest is affixable to the back side of the seat base and comprises an upper back rest portion, a lower back rest portion and at least one hinge, wherein the upper back rest portion is rotatably secured to the lower back rest portion by the hinge and the lower back rest portion is affixed to the back side of the seat base. The hinge can comprise two leaf portions each having a plurality of interlocking knuckles for rotatably receiving a spindle or pin. In some embodiments, the sofa can further comprise at least one arm rest affixable to either the left or right side of the seat base. 
     In operation, the upper back rest portion is rotatable between an upright position in which the upper back rest portion is positioned above the lower back rest portion to define a continuous surface for receiving the user&#39;s back and a lowered position in which the upper back rest portion is positioned flush with or below the lower back rest. In some embodiments, the upper back rest portion is rotatable between 150 and 190 degrees. In other embodiments, the upper back rest is rotatable between 170 and 185 degrees. In some embodiments, the lower side of the upper back portion and the upper side of the lower back portion are substantially planar when the upper back portion is rotated into the lowered position, thereby maximizing storage efficiency. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, a boxed RTA sofa has a seat base with a lower back rest portion permanently affixed thereto, and a hinged upper backrest portion folded down toward the seat base. The lower back portion and hinged upper backrest provide a horizontal surface for facing an upper surface of the box. In some embodiments, a pair of to-be-attached armrests is stowed in the seat base and is accessible out of the bottom of the base when removed from the box. In some embodiments, a pair of to-be-attached armrests are stowed in the box on top of the seat cushions and back rest cushions are stowed in the seat base. To-be-attached feet may be stowed in the base as well. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, a boxing rectilinear profile is defined by the fixed base and integral lower portion of the back rest with the arm rests removed. All other components are fittable in the rectilinear profile in a box. In some embodiments, the other components are seat cushions, back rest cushions, side arms, assembly hardware, instructions. In an embodiment of the invention, a boxing rectilinear profile is defined by the fixed base and integral lower portion of the back rest and with integral arm rests. All other components are fittable in the rectilinear profile in a box matching the rectilinear profile. In some embodiments, the other components are seat cushions, back rest cushions, assembly hardware, instructions. 
     A feature and advantage of certain embodiments of the invention is that the components may be shipped in a smaller box than the conventional box, compared to other RTA designs that provide a comparably sized finished sofa. 
     The above summary of the various representative embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1 a    is a front perspective view of a sofa in a use position according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1 b    is a bottom view of a sofa, particularly the seat base, illustrating stowage regions according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1 c    is a side perspective view of a sofa in a storage or shipping configuration with the hinged top portion of the back rest pivoted downwardly in a storage or shipping configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a base and lower back portion and a raised upper back portion according to the invention described herein. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a base and lower back portion and a lowered upper back portion according to the invention described herein. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a sofa illustrating the sizing of a box that would contain said sofa when in a shipping configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a pictorial view of a sofa according to an embodiment of the present invention in a shipping configuration. 
         FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of a sofa according to an embodiment of the present invention in a shipping configuration. 
         FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of a sofa according to an embodiment of the present invention in a shipping configuration. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view through a sofa with the back rest rotated downwardly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view through a packaged sofa in a box according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1-4 , a sofa  20 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a seat base  22  and an upright lower back rest portion  30  integral with the seat base. “Integral” in that they are fixed together at the factory with permanent fasteners, glue, and may have common frame members and they are not detachable from one another without damage. Moreover, the upholstery may run continuously between the base and lower back rest portion. In some embodiments, the sofa  20  can further comprise a pair of arm rests  24 ,  26 . The seat base  22  comprises a box frame  40  comprising a rectangular shape and having a left side  54 , a left side outwardly facing surface  55 , a right side  56 , a right side outwardly facing surface  58 , a front side  57 , and a front side outwardly facing surface  59 . The back side  68  comprises a back side outwardly facing surface  69 , a bottom side  60 , and a top  50  comprising a top surface  52 . The box frame  40  defines an open interior space  62 . In some embodiments, the seat base  22  can further comprise upholstery  46 , seat springs  42  and seat stretchers  44 . In other embodiments, the seat base  22  comprises wood or wood products. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1-4 , the lower back rest portion  30  comprises a front side  66 , a front surface  67 , a back side  68 , a back side surface  69 , and an upwardly facing horizontal surface  69 . 1  that is a seating surface for an upper back rest portion  70 . The lower back rest portion  72  is affixed to the back side  68  of the seat base  22 . The upper back rest portion  70  is pivotally attached to the lower back rest portion  72  with at least one hinge  74 . The upper back rest portion  70  has an upright position where it is seated and secured to the lower back rest portion as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . In said position the upper back rest portion  70  has an upper forward surface  68 . 1  and an upper rearward surface  68 . 2  and has a downward facing horizontal surface  68 . 4 . The upper back rest portion also has a lowered downward folded position as shown in  FIGS. 1C, 3, 7, and 8 . In the upright position, the front surface  67  of the lower back rest portion  72  is aligned with the front surface of the upper back rest portion, and the rearward surface of the upper back rest portion  70  is in alignment with the rearward surface of the lower back rest portion  70  and the rearward surface of the base. In the folded position the horizontal surface  68 . 4  is aligned with the horizontal surface  69 . 1  of the lower back rest portion  70  to define a continual horizontal surface for supporting a box or stacked sofa  20 . 
     In certain embodiments, the combined width of the horizontal surface  68 . 4  of the upper back rest portion  70  and the horizontal surface  69 . 1  can be at least four inches. In other embodiments, the combined width can be at least six inches. In other embodiments, the combined width can be at least eight inches. The engagement of the forward surface  68 . 1  of the upper back rest portion  70  with the front surface  67  of the lower back rest portion  72  prevents further rotation of the upper back rest portion  70  allowing the horizontal surface  68 . 4  of the upper back rest portion  70  to support a box wall. In certain embodiments, the vertical length of the engagement portion between the upper back rest portion  70  and the lower back rest portion  72  is at least six inches. In other embodiments, the vertical length of the engagement portion is at least eight inches. In other embodiments, the vertical length of the engagement portion is at least ten inches. 
     The hinge  90  may comprise at least two leaf portions  92  and a pin  94 . Each leaf portion  92  comprises a plurality of knuckles  96  arranged in an alternating fashion with the knuckles  96  of the opposing leaf portion  92  such that the pin  94  can be inserted through the knuckles  96  to rotatably secure the leaf portions  92  together. Each leaf portion  92  defines a plane, wherein the knuckles  96  are offset from the plane defined by the leaf portion  92 . Other hinges may include sheet material, fabric, or polymer living hinge. In operation, one leaf portion  92  is affixed to the upper back rest portion  70 , while the opposing leaf portion  92  is affixed to the lower back rest portion  72  such that the upper back rest portion  70  is rotatable with respect to the lower back rest portion  72 . The upper back rest portion  70  is rotatable between the upright position in which the upper back rest portion  70  is positioned over the lower back rest portion  72  to define a conventional L-shaped seating shape and a lowered position in which the upper back rest portion  70  is rotated forwardly and downwardly such that the upper back rest portion and lower back rest portion folded together define a generally rectangular or rhombus or quadrilateral cross-section. In the upright position, the offset arrangement of the knuckles  96  angles the upper back rest portion  70  slightly downward in the rearward direction to minimize the risk that the upper back rest portion  70  inadvertently rotates toward the lowered position when a user is seated on the sofa  20 . In embodiments, the upper back rest portion  70  can further comprise a securing element  76 , while the lower back rest portion  72  can further comprise a cooperating securing element  78 . Hook and loop strips, known as Velcro material are suitable for the securing elements. In this configuration, the cooperating securing elements  76 ,  78  are positioned such that the securing elements  76 ,  78  are engaged together securing the upper back rest portion  70  to the lower back rest portion  72  when the upper back rest portion  70  is positioned in the upright position. As illustrated, the upper back rest portion  70  is rotated such that the front side  66  of the upper back rest portion  70  is positioned against the front side  66  of the lower back rest portion  72 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 , the sofa  20  can further comprise at least one back rest cushion  38  affixable to the front side  66  of the back rest  30 . In this configuration, the back rest cushion  38  can further comprise a releasable securing element  88  for releasably securing the back rest cushion  30  to the front side  66  of the back rest  30 . The releasable securing element  88  can comprise Velcro, a zipper, a button or other conventional means of releasably securing the back rest cushion  30  to the back rest  30 . In this configuration, the back rest cushions  38  can be removed from the back rest  30  and stored within the interior space  62 . Alternatively, the back rest cushions  38  can be positioned on the top  50  of the seat base  22  or on a seat cushion  36  secured to the top  50  of the seat base  22  to fill the dead space and create a rectangular cross-section for efficient packing. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and generally the other figures, the arm rests  24 ,  26  can be attached to the left side  54  and the right side  56  of the box frame  40 . In embodiments, the arm rests  24 ,  26  can be releasably secured to the seat base  22  and lower back rest such that the arm rests  24 ,  26  can be separated from the seat base  22  and stored within the interior space  62  during shipping or storage. The arm rests  24 ,  26  can be secured with corresponding alignment brackets  80 , fasteners extending through respective walls or brackets of the arm rests and seat base apertures  82  and other known means. 
     When used herein, “removably attachable” means without damage to the respectable components using brackets and threaded connectors. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4-8 , the configuration described herein provides significant packaging advantages. The lower base portion fixed to the base provides an inherently strong robust rectilinear box shape structure ideal for shipping. Securing the otherwise protruding armrests below the base provides a secure location for them. The two horizontal faces on each side of the hinge of the upper and lower back rest portions provide a structurally sound surface abutting, typically with padding, the inside surface  98  of the box  100 . A rotatable seat stretcher  108  may be rotated upwardly to accommodate stowage in the base and rotated downward to provide clearance for spring travel. 
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. It is understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.