Abstract:
Ready-to-assemble furniture requiring no tools for assembly includes horizontal and vertical members arranged in an interlocking configuration and a back member fastened to the horizontal and vertical members. The furniture assembly system may be configured with one or more cubes and may be free-standing or hung on a wall. Containers may be provided sized to fit with the cubes and one or more furniture assembly systems may be attached together.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to ready-to-assemble furniture and, more particularly, to an assembly system for ready-to-assemble furniture requiring no tools to assemble such furniture. 
         [0002]    Ready-to-assemble (“RTA”) furniture such as bookcases, storage shelves and bins, utility cabinets and chests of drawers are typically panel-constructed products that are stored and shipped flat. RTA furniture is typically assembled on site with the aid of a screw driver or other such tool. The panels are held together by a cooperating combination of connecting bolts and cams which are manipulated by use of the screw driver to hold the panels together and form the furniture. This assembly system requires a level of mechanical aptitude that may not be consistently present in the general public or among consumers of RTA furniture. Additionally, consumers of RTA furniture may not own the tools necessary for assembly. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    The present invention provides a furniture assembly system that may be utilized with RTA furniture which requires no tools for assembly. The assembled furniture may include bookcases, closet storage, generally storage, utility cabinets, and chests of drawers, for example. The RTA furniture includes horizontal and vertical interlocking panels and may include back panels with locking clips to provide stability to the system and to lock the horizontal and vertical panels in place. Corner, intersecting and stacking clips may be used to fasten the system together and to combine one or more systems. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1  with the fasteners not shown. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of two units of  FIG. 1  shown stacked and an enlarged H-style extension. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of two units of  FIG. 1  side by side and the H-style extensions of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0009]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  include front and back enlarged perspective views of alternate back panels. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective view of a corner clip. 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of a four-way clip. 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged perspective view of a stacking clip. 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged perspective view of a T-shaped clip. 
           [0014]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of an alternate back panel and retaining clip. 
           [0015]      FIG. 12  is a perspective partially exploded view of the present invention shown with drawers and an optional top. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-3 , a furniture assembly system for ready-to-assemble furniture is generally indicated by reference numeral  20 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , RTA furniture  20  is assembled to form four storage cubes  22 . The RTA furniture  20  is assembled without any tools and includes three horizontal members  24  and three vertical members  26 . Each member  24  and  26  includes three slots  28  which extend laterally to a midway point within the member. The width of the slots  28  matches the thickness of the members. The location of the slots  28  is spaced to present even intervals between the slots  28 . When the slots  28  of the horizontal  24  and vertical  26  members are engaged, the members form a series of interlocked cubes  22  with tabs  23  extending from the periphery of the unit  10  such that an observer may see through the cubes  22  or an optional back member  30  may be secured to the rear of one or more cubes  22 . 
         [0017]    The back member  30  (see  FIG. 6 ) includes mounting holes  32  which align with holes  34  in the horizontal members  24  and holes  36  in the vertical members  26  or the RTA furniture  20 . Press-together fasteners  38  such as TRW fasteners may be placed through the holes to secure the back member  30  in place. The back members  30  provide a pleasing aesthetic appearance to the RTA furniture  20 , hide wires or other cords extending from electronics that may be placed on the top surface from view, and provide additional structural integrity for the RTA furniture  20 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6A , the back members  30  include two holes  32  in each tab, and a back member  30  is installed in each cube  22 . As shown in  FIG. 6B , the back member  30  includes one hole  32  in each tab. It should be understood that the back member  30  may include one, two, or more holes in each tab depending on the size and use of the RTA furniture  20 . Additionally, RTA furniture  20  may be assembled with or without back members  30 , or with a combination of back members  30  in some cubes  22  and not in others. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , two RTA furniture units  20  may be stacked ( FIG. 4 ) or placed side by side ( FIG. 5 ) and secured together using H-style extrusions or clips  38 . The extrusions  38  slide over the tabs  23  on both the upper and lower unit to lock the units together. Likewise, the extrusions  38  slide over the tabs  23  on the adjacent side-by-side units to secure the units together. In this way a plurality of units may be stacked and connected side by side as desired. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 7  a clip  50  is shown to provide structural strength to the unit assembly  20 . Clip  50  includes a U-shaped channel member  52 . One arm  54  of the U-shaped channel includes a lip  56  extending into the channel  52 . The lip  56  is adapted to engage grooves  58  spaced away from the edge  60  of the horizontal  24  and vertical  26  members. The other arm  55  of the U-shaped channel  52  may include a rounded edge to make it easier to push the clip  50  over the edge  60  of the horizontal  24  and vertical  26  members. Clip  50  is pushed onto intersecting members until the lip  56  snaps into the groove  58 . Clip  50  may be used along the outside intersections of the members  24  and  26 . Clip  50  also includes a web  62  between a horizontal and vertical channel, which provides additional structural stiffness to the unit  20 . 
         [0020]    A four-way clip  70  is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Four-way clip  70  includes four symmetrical legs  72 . Each leg  72  is a U-shaped channel member  74  with one arm  76  including a lip  78  extending into the channel  74 . The lip  78  is adapted to engage grooves  58  as described hereinabove. The four-way clip  70  also includes webs  80  extending between the legs  72 . The clip  70  may be used at the intersections of horizontal  24  and vertical  26  panel members. 
         [0021]    A stacking clip  82  is illustrated in  FIG. 9 . Stacking clip  82  is a U-shaped channel with a lip  84  extending from one arm  86 . The stacking clip  82  is used to connect the tabs  23  of two or more units  20 . Stacking clip  82  may be used in conjunction with or in place of the H-style extrusions  38  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ). 
         [0022]    A T-shaped clip  90  is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . T-shaped clip  90  includes one long leg  92  and a short leg  94  extending perpendicularly from the long leg  92 . Each leg is a U-shaped channel member  96  with one arm  98  including a lip  100  extending into the channel  96 . The lip  100  is adapted to engage grooves  58  as described hereinabove. The T-shaped clip  90  includes webs  102  extending between the legs  92  and  94  to provide additional strength to the clip. 
         [0023]    Preferably the clips  50 ,  70 ,  82  and  90  as well as extrusion  38  are plastic, although other materials such as aluminum may be used. In the preferred embodiment, clips  50 ,  70  and  90  are used with configurations not including a back member  30 . However, adaptations of the back member  30  and/or clips  50 ,  70  and  90  may be made to be used in combination and are within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , an alternative attachment for a back  120  is illustrated. Back  120  is generally square with a tab  123  extending from one of the sides. The upper edge  124  of the back  120  fits into a groove  58  of the upper horizontal panel member  24 . The tab  122  includes one or more locking grooves  126  and folds perpendicularly to the back  120  to lie flat against the lower horizontal panel members  24 . A locking clip  128  includes a U-shaped channel  130  with locking teeth  132  extending longitudinally along the inner surface of one of the arms  134  of the channel  130 . A lip  136  extends from the inner surface of the other arm  138  of the channel  130 . The locking clip  128  is forced over the top  122  and lower horizontal panel member  24 . The locking teeth  132  mate with the locking grooves  126  in the tab  122 . The lip  136  of the locking clip  128  engages the groove  58  in the lower surface of the lower horizontal member panel  24  to lock the clip  128  and back panel  128  in place. Tab  122  may include a notch  140  to place the locking clip  128 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 12 , RTA furniture  20  is illustrated with baskets or drawers  150 , which are sized to fit into storage cubes  22 . The drawers  150  freely side into and out of the cubes  22 . An optional top  152  and back  154  may be attached to the upper tabs  23  of the RTA furniture  20  using fasteners (not shown) that do not require tools to apply. 
         [0026]    RTA furniture  20  may be free-standing or may be hung on a wall. As illustrated in the figures, the number of cubes  22  in the RTA furniture  20  is four per unit and the cube shape illustrated is a square. However, it should be understood that this is for illustration and discussion purposes only. The size, shape, and number of cubes  22  in a unit  20  may vary along with the overall shape and configuration of the unit  20 . For example, the unit  20  may have a two by three cube configuration with all cubes  22  symmetrical, a one by six cube configuration with the cubes  22  having a rectangular shape, or a combination of squares and rectangles, for example. The unit  20  may be configured in an L-shape with two horizontal and three vertical cubes  22 . 
         [0027]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that the RTA furniture unit  20  as described herein may be assembled entirely without tools. Other and further uses of the invention in its most general form will be clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of the application, and are within the scope and spirit of the invention. 
         [0028]    Although preferred embodiments are disclosed herein, many variations are possible which remain within the concept, scope and spirit of the invention, and these variations would become clear to those skilled in the art upon examination of this application.