Patent Publication Number: US-2002000740-A1

Title: Folding upholstered furniture

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/194,862, filed Apr. 6, 2000. 
    
    
     
       [0002] This invention relates to furniture, and in particular, to folding fully upholstered furniture that can be shipped and/or stored in a relatively small space.  
       [0003] Fully upholstered furniture, such as sofas, loveseats, chairs and sleep sofas that do not have exposed frame members, tend to be large, bulky and heavy. Fully upholstered furniture has also gradually increased in size over the past two decades and does not always fit through narrow doorways or staircases in many older homes and apartments.  
       [0004] It is known to provide upholstered furniture that is assembled by the consumer. Although such Knockdown or Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) upholstered furniture reduces shipping costs and fits into narrow spaces, its commercial popularity has been limited. Fully upholstered RTA furniture can be more costly than comparable conventional furniture due in part to the need for expensive hardware and the use of expensive fabrics to cover areas that remain hidden in conventional designs. Also, it has been found that assembly of such furniture can be awkward for customers who lack the physical strength needed to assemble heavy components. It is also known to provide RTA futon furniture. Typically, this type of furniture is not filly upholstered and consists of an exposed wood or metal frame with one or more futon cushions.  
       [0005] It is also known to provide furniture that is foldable, for example, folding lawn chairs or desk chairs. Typically, this type of furniture is used outdoors&#39; as lawn or beach furniture, or as office or institutional-type seating. This folding furniture is typically not fully upholstered, and often has exposed hardware which is unsightly, and thus, not suitable for use in most homes as living room or family room seating. Further, it is known to provide fully upholstered foam furniture (that does not utilize wood frames or spring supports) for family room use. However, such furniture can be relatively uncomfortable, lack durability, and be unsuitable for most in-home uses. It is also known to provide fully upholstered automotive seating, which is not suitable for living room or family room seating.  
       [0006] It is also known to provide seating (usually chairs) that does not require the use of a pitch rail or reinforcing outer back member to maintain the proper angle between the seat and back. Elimination of these components in larger and heavier items such as sofas or sleepers permits a considerable cost savings in both materials and manufacturing labor.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a fully upholstered furniture item that is foldable so as to require reduced space for transport or storage; that is as sturdy and durable as conventional upholstered furniture; that is indistinguishable in styling and comfort from conventional fully upholstered furniture; and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  
       [0008] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a fully upholstered furniture item that may be rapidly and completely assembled by a single consumer in a matter of seconds; and that in use has no exposed hardware and no separate parts or hardware that may get lost in transportation or storage.  
       [0009] It is another object of the invention to provide an attachment system that will securely attach the arms and back of the upholstered furniture item to a frame so that there will be minimal wracking or separation between components, and yet will allow various parts to be folded for storage or shipping. Wracking is defined as a twisting movement which often occurs between the arms and back of inexpensive upholstered furniture.  
       [0010] Still another object of the invention is to provide a fully upholstered furniture item that does not require a center pitch rail or outer back member to maintain the pitch angle between the back and seat. In this invention, proper pitch is maintained through the use of a combination of latches fixing the angle of the back of the arms, and the hinge point of the back frame member.  
       [0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide a new, original, and ornamental design of a fully upholstered, foldable, furniture item.  
       [0012] The above and other objects are accomplished by providing a foldable, fully upholstered, furniture item for placement on a substantially horizontal surface. The furniture item includes an essentially horizontal seat member having an upper surface and a lower surface, and front and rear spaced-apart edge regions. A front support member is provided, which has two spaced-apart edge faces. Legs are then attached to the front edge region of the seat member and also to the back edge region of the seat member.  
       [0013] The furniture item further includes a back member having two spaced-apart edge faces. The back member is pivotably attached in a region of one of its edge faces to the upper surface, rear edge region, of the seat member, and is pivotable about a horizontal axis from an essentially horizontal position in which the back member is superposed to the seat member, to an obtuse angle relative to the seat member in which the one edge face of the back member rests directly on the seat member.  
       [0014] The furniture item further includes two arm members having two spaced apart edge faces. The arm members are each pivotably attached in a region of one of its edge faces to the upper surface, rear edge region, of the seat member, and is pivotable about a horizontal axis from an essentially vertical position in which the arm member is superposed to the front and rear legs through a 180 degree arc, to an essentially vertical position in which the one edge face of the arm member rests directly on the seat member.  
       [0015] Thus, the respective back and arm members are pivotable to their respective vertical positions to collectively form one of a foldable chair, love seat, sofa or sofa sleeper. (The seat member is not pivotable.)  
       [0016] The furniture item further includes right and left latching assemblies, each consisting of two elements, a latch member and a receptacle member which lock together to prevent the arm members and back member from pivoting on their respective axis when fastened. In addition, the positioning of the right and left latching assemblies determines the angle of the back of the arm members and the hingepoint of the back member thereby setting the pitch of the back member in relation to the seat member.  
       [0017] The latching assembly can be a generic draw catch, window latch or similar catch, latch or clamp intended to join a pair of members in abutting relationship along the edges thereof and to lock them in place. The latching assemblies may be manually released to allow the arm and back members to pivot about their respective horizontal axis to the storage configuration.  
       [0018] In this embodiment, the latching assembly is reinforced by a hook and loop fastener (such as Velcro) comprised of a hooking element and a loop element. The hook and loop elements are brought together during the assembly process, allowing the latching elements to be easily aligned. After the latching elements are locked into place, and a person is seated, the hook and loop fasteners prevent the back member from pivoting on a horizontal axis away from the storage configuration by resistance across the horizontal plane of the hook and loop fastener.  
       [0019] Preferably, the seat member is pivotably connected to the various support members using a plurality of respective hinges. The hinges can be continuous, i.e., extending across the entire width of the furniture item, or alternatively, two or more separate hinges can be used to connect each arm and back member to the seat member.  
       [0020] The hinges may be comprised of metal, plastic, or a fabric material. Whether the present invention is folded in the storage configuration or unfolded in the normal seating configuration, little weight is placed on the hinges.  
       [0021] Further, instead of hinges, the various support members can be pivotably attached to the seat member using other means, for example, a ball-and-socket arrangement. Regardless of the method of pivotably attaching the arm and back members to the seat member, it will be appreciated that this connection retains the various support members in constant connection with the seat member, so that the various components cannot become lost or separated.  
       [0022] This embodiment provides for a furniture item that is easily set up by a single person merely by pivoting out light weight arm and back members The assembly process requires no tools, special skills, and little strength. Moreover, the furniture item can be unfolded and locked into the correct seating position by an individual purchaser in a matter of seconds. Further, when folded in the storage position, (with the seat and back cushions stored beneath the seat member) the furniture item displaces only 50% to 75% of the space occupied by the assembled item (depending upon the style.) As such, the furniture item according to the present invention can be easily and inexpensively transported and stored.  
       [0023] The present invention thus provides for upholstered furniture such as a chair, sofa or sleep sofa that is decorative, aesthetically pleasing, comfortable, and usable in most homes. 
     
    
    
     [0024] The invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with an embodiment thereof that is illustrated in the drawing figures.  
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0025]FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a furniture item according to the present invention shown in its unfolded seating configuration without seat or back cushions.  
     [0026]FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of a furniture item according to the present invention shown in its unfolded seating configuration with upholstery and cushions.  
     [0027]FIG. 3A, 3B and  3 C are partial perspective front views looking toward the left arm member and showing the left arm rear frame member including the left latching assembly, back member and rear support frame member.  
     [0028]FIG. 4 is a perspective front view showing the furniture item depicted in FIG. 2, in the folded storage or shipping configuration, with cushions stored beneath the seating platform.  
     [0029]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the furniture item shown in FIG. 1 in a partially folded position.  
     [0030]FIG. 6 is a perspective front view of the locking mechanism component of the latching assembly in the unlatched position.  
     [0031]FIG. 7 is a perspective front view of the locking mechanism component of the latching assembly in the latched, but unlocked position.  
     [0032]FIG. 8 is a perspective front view of the locking mechanism component of the latching assembly in the latched and locked position.  
     [0033]FIG. 9 is a left side view of the furniture item shown in FIG. 1 in its unfolded seating configuration.  
     [0034]FIG. 10 is a cross section side view taken along the lines of  10 - 10  of the furniture item shown in FIG. 1.  
     [0035]FIG. 11 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in the unfolded seating configuration.  
     [0036]FIG. 12 is a side view of the alternative embodiment of the invention in a partially folded configuration.  
     [0037]FIG. 13 is a side view of the alternative embodiment of the invention in the folded, storage or shipping configuration. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0038] The following description describes a sofa embodying the invention, but it will be understood that it is equally applicable to chairs, sleepers and other types of upholstered furniture. In the description, the terms “vertical” and “horizontal” refer to directions substantially perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to a floor on which the chair or other type of furniture is placed. Also the described sofa is symmetrical; therefore for clarity, some of the drawings show only the left hand components as viewed from the front of the sofa, the right hand components being mirror images of the left hand components. In general, the left hand components are identified by unprimed numbers, and the right hand components, whether illustrated or not, are identified by primed numbers.  
     [0039] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the unfolded furniture item in the normal seating configuration is illustrated. In particular, this embodiment shows the furniture item as being a sofa  8 . When unfolded, the sofa  8  is comprised of a seat support frame  2 , a back member  26 , arm members  38 ,  38 ′, and legs  3 ,  3 ′,  5 ,  5 ′.  
     [0040] Referring to FIG. 4, an embodiment of the folded furniture item in the storage or shipping configuration is illustrated.  
     [0041] The seat support frame  2  is comprised of horizontal front and rear spaced apart support members  10 ,  11  (FIG. 10) joined to horizontal left and right side support members  13 ,  13 ′. A seat support unit  20  is located within the seat support frame  2  bounded by members  10 ,  11 ,  13 ,  13 ′ and is attached to front and rear support frame members  10 ,  11 . Alternatively, the seat support unit  20  could be attached to side support members  13 ,  13 ′. The seat support unit may be comprised of sinuous springs (as shown), coil springs, webbing, a sleeper unit, or other conventional seat support means.  
     [0042] Front support member  10  is comprised of lower front support frame member  10   a , upper front support frame member  10   b , and side support frame members  10   c ,  10   c′.    
     [0043] Rear support frame member  11  is comprised of lower rear support frame member  11   a , upper rear support frame member  11   b , and side support frame members  11   c ,  11   c′.    
     [0044] The back member  26 , is comprised of bottom back member  12  and vertically spaced apart top back member  16 , and vertical left and right spaced apart back side support members  18 ,  18 ′. Bottom back frame member  12  is attached to rear support frame member  11  by a plurality of hinges  27  (or a continuous hinge.) As shown, when unfolded, and as typical with sofas, the back member  26  and the rear support frame member  11  are essentially disposed linearly relative to one another. However, for comfort reasons the back member  26  is usually arranged at a slight angle relative to the rear support frame member  11 . A back support unit  19  is located within the frame bounded by members  12 ,  16 ,  18 ,  18 ′ and is attached to top and bottom support members  16 ,  12 . The back support unit  19  may be comprised of sinuous springs (as shown), coil springs, webbing, or other conventional back support means.  
     [0045] As shown in FIG. 3A, 3B, and  3 C, bottom back member  12  includes bottom surface  12   a , and top surface  12   b . Bottom back member  12  is rotatably connected by hinges  27  to rear support frame member  11 . Back side support members  18 ,  18 ′ include side surfaces  18   a ,  18   a ′, front surfaces  18   b ,  18   b ′, and rear surfaces  18   c ,  18   c ′ (FIG. 9).  
     [0046] As best shown in FIG. 1, 5, and  9  the arm members  38 ,  38 ′ are comprised of front arm frames  42 ,  42 ′, rear arm frames  40 ,  40 ′, lower arm frames  41 ,  41 ′ and upper arm frames  39 ,  39 ′. Left and right arm members  38 ,  38 ′ are attached to side support members  13 ,  13 ′ by means of a plurality of side hinges  37 ,  37 ′ (or a continuous hinge). In the folded storage position (FIG. 4), arm members  38 ,  38 ′ fold outwardly to rest against or in close proximity to front legs  3 ,  3 ′ and rear legs  5 ,  5 ′.  
     [0047] As shown in FIG. 3A, 3B, and  3 C, rear arm frames  40 ,  40 ′ include inside surfaces  40   a ,  40   a ′, top surfaces  40   b ,  40   b ′, bottom surfaces  40   c ,  40   c ′, front surfaces  40   d ,  40   d ′, rear surfaces  40   e  and  40   e ′ and upholstered coverings  40   f ,  40   f′.    
     [0048] As shown in FIG. 4, when upholstered in the folded, storage and shipping configuration, seat and back cushions  34 ,  34 ′,  36 ,  36 ′ fit below the support members  10 ,  11 ,  13 ,  13 ′.  
     [0049] Referring to  3 A,  3 B and  3 C, the inside surfaces  40   a ,  40   a ′ of arm rear frames  40 ,  40 ′ are removably connected to inside surface  18   a ,  18   a ′ of back side support members  18 ,  18 ′ of back member  26  by means of latch assemblies  28 ,  28 ′ composed of latch members  28   a ,  28   a ′ and receptacle members  28   b ,  28   b ′. The inside surfaces  40   a ,  40   a ′ of arm rear frames  40 ,  40 ′ are also removably connected to side surfaces  18   a ,  18   a ′ of side support members  18 ,  18 ′ of back member  26  by means of hook and loop fasteners  31 ,  31 ′ comprised of hooking elements  31   a ,  31   a ′ and loop elements  31   b ,  31   b ′. FIGS. 3A and 9 show the relative positions of arm  38  and back member  26  in the attached position. Bottom edges  40   c ,  40   c ′ of arm rear members  40 ,  40 ′ rest on top edge  11   e  of rear support member  11 . FIG. 3B shows the relative positions of arm  38  and back member  26  midway through the pivot of arm  38  along axis  61  to the folded position. FIG. 3C and 5 show the relative positions of arm  38  and back member  26  in the folded (storage or shipping) position. Bottom edges  40   c ,  40   c ′ of arm rear members  40 ,  40 ′ are contiguous with the top edge  11   e  of rear support member  11  and bottom arm frame members  41 ,  41 ′ of arm members  38 ,  38 ′ (FIGS. 4, 5) are contiguous with the top edge  13   b ,  13   b ′ of side support members  13 ,  13 ′.  
     [0050] As can be seen in FIGS. 3A, 3B,  3 C,  6 ,  7 , and  8 , the latch members  28   b ,  28   b ′ are attached to front surfaces  18   b ,  18   b ′ of left and right back side support members  18 ,  18 ′. The receptacle members  28   a ,  28   a ′ are attached to front surfaces  40   d ,  40   d ′ of arm rear frame members  40 ,  40 ′. The hook elements  31   b ,  31   b ′ are attached to side surfaces  18   a ,  18   a ′ adjacent to latch members  28   b ,  28   b ′ respectively. The loop elements  31   a ,  31   a ′ are attached to side surfaces  40   a ,  40   a ′ adjacent to receptacle members  28   a ,  28   a ′ respectively. As seen in FIGS. 6, 7, and  8 , as the latch member  28   b   rotates in the direction of arrows  63   a ,  63   b , and  63   c , it hooks receptacle  28   a  (FIG. 7), pulling the back member  26  and arm rear frame member  40  together, then locking them into place (FIGS. 3A, 8), thus preventing horizontal movement of the arms  38 ,  38 ′ around pivot point  61  along the axis described by arrow  61   a . This locking action also joins hooking elements  31   a ,  31   a ′ with loop elements  31   b ,  31   b ′. In conjunction with the latch assemblies  28 ,  28 ′, the hook and loop fasteners  31 ,  31 ′ prevent rotational movement of the back member  26  in the directions described by arrows  64 ,  65  (FIG. 5). It should be noted that other types of locking latches or catches could be substituted for the latch and receptacle members described in this embodiment  
     [0051] Referring to FIGS. 3A, 3B,  3 C, and  5 , to fold down the back member  26  of the sofa  8 , the arm members  38 ,  38 ′ are pivoted outward and about hinges  37 ,  37 ′ away from back member  26  in a 180 degree arc through the position shown in FIG. 3B until resting in the position shown by FIG. 3C. The back member  26  is pivoted forward in the direction of arrow  62  (FIG. 4) towards the seat support member  20  and about hinges  27 .  
     [0052] In the assembled position, arm members  38 ,  38 ′and back member  26  are restricted in their inward and outward movements by the latching assemblies  28 ,  28 ′ and the hook and loop fasteners  31 ,  31 ′.  
     [0053] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, the seat support frame  2  is integrally connected to the back member  26  and the arm members  38 ,  38 ′ via the hinges  27  and  37 ,  37 ′ respectively. As a result, none of the various components of the sofa  8  can become lost or separated when the sofa is in its folded storage position.  
     [0054] Referring to FIG. 2, when upholstered in the assembled position, and with seat and back cushions  34 ,  34 ′  36 ,  36 ′ in place, all of the hardware, (i.e. hinges  27 ,  37 ,  37 ′) latching assembly members  28 ,  28 ′, and hook and loop fasteners  31 ,  31 ′ are concealed or hidden from view.  
     [0055] Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the sofa is illustrated in the unfolded assembled position. The sofa is not shown as being upholstered for clarity reasons. The back member  26  is pivoted so that the respective surfaces  18   a ,  18   a ′ of back left and right side support members  18 ,  18 ′ are contiguous and parallel with inside surfaces  40   a ,  40   a ′ of rear arm frames  40 ,  40 ′ forming pitch angle  62 . This pitch angle is determined by lining up the rear surfaces  18   c ,  18   c ′ of back side support members  18 ,  18 ′ parallel to the rear surfaces  40   e ,  40   e ′ of the arm rear frame members  40 ,  40 ′. The pitch angle is fixed rigidly by locking latching assemblies  28 ,  28 ′ as described above.  
     [0056] An alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12, and  13 . This embodiment has a back part  25  consisting of a bottom back part frame  88 , left and right side support back parts  98 ,  98 ′, and a top back part  92 . A pitch rail  78  is also provided which runs parallel to a rear supporting member  86  and is attached to bottom back frame part  88  by means of hinges  90 .  
     [0057] An outer back part  71  is provided and is comprised of top outer back frame part  72 , bottom outer back frame part  75 , and outer back side support parts  74 ,  74 ′. Rear support part  86  is removably attached by means of dowels  76  or other removable attachment means, to bottom outer back frame part  75 . Top back frame part  92  of back part  25  is connected to top outer back frame part  72  by means of a plurality of hinges  82  (or a continuous hinge). A top frame part  70  is also shown in this embodiment attached to outer back side support parts  74 ,  74 ′ and back part  25 . In this embodiment, hinges  82  are shown attached to top outer back frame part  72  and top frame part  70 .  
     [0058] In this alternative embodiment (FIGS. 11, 12, and  13 ), the pitch angle  95  (FIG. 12) is determined by the relationship of back part  25  to outer back part  71 . In the assembled position (FIG. 11), rear surfaces  40   e ,  40   e ′ of the arm rear frame members  40 ,  40 ′ are now parallel with rear surfaces  74   a ,  74   a ′ of outer back side support parts  74 ,  74 ′. As in the first embodiment, the pitch angle  95  (FIG. 12) is fixed rigidly by locking latching assemblies  28 ,  28 ′.  
     [0059] As shown in FIG. 12 and FIGS. 3A, 3B, and  3 C, arm members  38 ,  38 ′ are pivoted outward and about hinges  37 ,  37 ′ away from back part  25  in a 180 degree arc through the position shown in FIG. 3B until resting in the folded storage position shown by FIGS. 3C and 12.  
     [0060] Referring to FIG. 13, the outer back side support part  74  is lifted up in the direction of arrow  84  so that dowels  76  are retracted from rear support frame member  11 . (See FIG. 11.) Outer back member  74  is then pivoted around hinges  82  in the direction of arrow  94  until bottom outer back frame part  75  touches bottom back frame part  88 . Back frame part  25  is then pivoted around hinges  90  in the direction of arrow  80  until back frame part  25  is contiguous with seat support frame  2 .  
     [0061] The sofa described in the first embodiment can have a width of about 82 inches, with a depth of the seat member  14  being about 34 inches and a height of the back member  26  being about 34 inches (from the floor) or 23 inches (as measured from the upper surface of the seat member). Further, the front support member  10  and the rear support member  11  can have a height of 11 inches. These particular dimensions will provide a sofa that is comfortable for use and that is suitable, when upholstered and provided with cushions  34 ,  34 ′,  36 ,  36 ′ for the interior of most homes. Moreover, such a configured frame will accommodate cushions having sufficient loft so as to provide the needed comfort level and will also have sufficient storage space beneath seat springs  20  to accommodate cushions  34 ,  34 ′,  36 ,  36 ′ in the unassembled storage position. (See FIG. 4.) Of course other dimensions for the various support members and seat member can also be used, so as to provide a sofa  8  having a different size, or a loveseat, chair or sleep sofa.  
     [0062] When the sofa frame is in the folded configuration for storage and shipping, (FIG. 4) the sofa  8  will have a foot print defined by the support members  10 ,  11 ,  13 ,  13 ′ plus the surfaces defined by arm bottom surfaces  41 ,  41 ′, for example 89 inches wide by 29 inches in depth for the sofa  8  described above. The folded sofa has a substantially decreased depth as compared with its assembled state. This is because the top frame member  16  of back member  26  is pitched back beyond the perpendicular of the back frame member  11  in the unfolded seating position. When folded, however, the bottom frame member  12  of back member  26  is contiguous and parallel to the rear edge  11   b  of back frame member  11  (FIG. 10). A folded sofa  8 , when provided with the seat cushions  34 ,  34 ′, and back cushions  36 ,  36 ′ can be stored and transported in a carton (not shown) having a width of 91 inches, a depth of 31 inches, and a height of only 15 inches. This is less than half the volume of the carton necessary to transport and store the sofa  8  in its unfolded state.  
     [0063] The various support members and seat member are preferably comprised of wood, for example, solid wood or plywood. Other materials, such as molded plastic or metal can also be used.  
     [0064] As will be appreciated, since the various members are essentially components that can be individually built and upholstered before being joined by the hinge members, this greatly facilitates the manufacture of the furniture item. While the present invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments, it will be understood that numerous modifications, changes, variations and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention herein be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.