Patent Publication Number: US-6981747-B2

Title: Fully upholstered, ready-to-assemble article of furniture

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/588,000, filed on Jun. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,058, which claims the benefit under Title 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Application Ser. No. 60/185,581, filed Feb. 28, 2000. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to custom ordered furniture and the packaging of such furniture for shipment and storage. More particularly, the invention relates to fully upholstered, ready-to-assemble furniture which may be custom ordered by a consumer, packaged by the seller for shipment to the consumer by a parcel delivery service, and then assembled by the consumer from the packaged components. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Ready-to-assemble furniture is furniture which is packaged for shipment and storage in disassembled form, with assembly to be done by the consumer or end user. Examples of existing ready-to-assemble non-upholstered furniture include bookcases, television stands, and simple chairs and benches. Furthermore, mass merchandised ready-to-assemble furniture is expected to be rather less expensive to the consumer than comparable pre-assembled furniture or to have distinctive functional features generally not available with its pre-assembled counterpart. 
   The genre of ready-to-assemble furniture packaged for mass merchandising retail sale and home delivery has generally been limited to pieces of furniture which are utilitarian or hard-surfaced, and which are available in only limited colors or surface finishes. As such, prior ready-to-assemble furniture does not satisfy the need for primary pieces of fully upholstered furniture which may be custom ordered by the consumer, and either delivered to the household of the consumer by a parcel delivery service, or taken home by the consumer from a retail location. 
   What is needed is comfortable, fully upholstered, ready-to-assemble, and inexpensive furniture of high quality which may be packaged in a compact, easily storable and transportable way, for distribution by mass merchandising and home delivery channels and which can be custom ordered by the purchaser to accommodate a wide variety of consumer decorating tastes. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides fully upholstered, ready-to-assemble furniture which may be custom ordered by a purchaser, shipped directly to the home of the purchaser by a parcel delivery service, and then easily and quickly assembled by the purchaser. The furniture includes a frame having a plurality of planar frame members which are interconnected by interlocking protrusions and cutout portions, as well as by threaded fasteners received in push-in connector elements which are held in recesses within the frame members. A first plurality of upholstery covers cover the frame and are attached to one another by hook and loop fasteners. A second plurality of upholstery covers cover padding elements to form cushions for the article of furniture. For shipment, the article of furniture may be packaged such that the frame members, connector elements, and fasteners are packaged in a first container, the padding elements are packaged in a second container; and the upholstery covers are packaged in a third container. Each one of the first, second, and third containers weigh about 70 pounds or less to allow them to be delivered directly to the home of a consumer by a parcel delivery service. 
   Further, the present invention uses reduced volume padding in a method of making a kit which provides high quality, ready-to-assemble upholstered furniture. The kit includes a lightweight, compact, easy to handle package or packages well-suited to the shipping, storage and display needs of the mass merchandising industry. The kit, when assembled, provides an article of comfortable, fully upholstered furniture which can match a variety of decors. Interchangeable, fitted decorative coverings are separately provided to cover the furniture and provide continued flexibility and variety in accommodating the consumer&#39;s decorating tastes. 
   The lightweight, compact and maneuverable package or packages are advantageous because they can be efficiently stocked on the display or inventory shelves of mass merchandising retailers, and additionally, the packages meet the size and weight limitations of parcel delivery service to allow home delivery of the furniture. 
   Accommodating various consumer decorating tastes by having a variety of interchangeable, fitted upholstery covering fabrics for the furniture is another advantage associated with the present invention. The upholstery covers are custom selected by the consumer, and can be also sold separately alongside the package containing the article of furniture. Further, the upholstery covers may be returned separately from the other components if the customer desires a different covering. Also, individual pieces of the upholstered covering, if damaged or stained for example, may be selectively ordered by the consumer and shipped to the consumer for replacement. 
   The ease of transportation of the compact kits by merchants or carriers reduces shipping costs and/or labor. Further, the compact nature of the kits allows consumers the option of either receiving home delivery of the furniture by a parcel delivery service, or to easily take the furniture home from a retail location at the time of sale in their own vehicles, rather than requiring them to wait for much later delivery by the retailer. 
   Conventional, pre-assembled upholstered furniture can be generally classified as having high quality and high cost, or low quality and low cost. The present invention provides ready-to-assemble upholstered furniture of high quality and low cost. In addition, the above advantages enable the novel approach to the sale of fully upholstered furniture involving the custom ordering of furniture by a consumer over an internet website for quick home delivery by a parcel delivery service. 
   In one embodiment, an article of furniture is provided, including a frame having a plurality of planar frame members; one of said frame members including a recess; and a connector element disposed in the recess, the connector element adapted to receive a fastener for interconnecting the frame members. 
   In another embodiment, an article of furniture is provided including a frame having a plurality of planar frame members, the frame including a seat back panel and an arm panel; and an upholstery cover covering the frame, including a seat back cover slidably disposed over the seat back panel, and an arm cover slidably disposed over the arm panel. 
   In a further embodiment, a method of packaging a ready-to-assemble article of furniture is provided, including providing an unassembled frame including a plurality of planar frame members; packaging the frame members in a first container; providing a padding element adapted to form a cushion for the article of furniture; packaging the padding element in a second container; providing an upholstery cover adapted to attach to the frame; and packaging the upholstery cover in a third container. 
   A still further embodiment provides a method of assembling a ready-to-assemble article of furniture, including providing a disassembled frame including a plurality of planar frame members, the frame members including interlocking portions, recesses and apertures; a plurality of push-in connector elements; and a plurality of fasteners; pushing the connector elements in the recesses; connecting the interlocking portions of the frame members; and securing the frame members by inserting the fasteners through the apertures and into the connector elements. 
   In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of packaging disassembled upholstered furniture by disposing individual frame members, reduced volume padding and the requisite fasteners into a kit which can be easily shipped, stored, displayed on retail shelves, and transported by the consumer. This embodiment contemplates a variety of fitted covers separately available alongside the kit containing the disassembled furniture. 
   In another embodiment, the present invention provides an article of upholstered furniture assembled from the components which are disposed in the above-described kit via the present invention method. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view illustrating the contents of one embodiment of the kit of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the frame of one embodiment produced from the present invention kit; 
       FIG. 3  is a view showing the vacuum-packaged foam pieces of one embodiment of the present invention in their compressed and expanded states; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the fitted fabric covering for one of the foam pieces of one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a view showing assembly of an upholstered piece to the frame of one embodiment of an article of furniture produced from the present invention kit; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an upholstered article of furniture produced from the present invention kit; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an upholstered article of furniture produced from the present invention kit; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an upholstered article of furniture produced from the present invention kit; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cushion for an article of furniture provided by the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  is a side view of the cushion of  FIG. 9 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a sectional view of the cushion of  FIG. 10  along line  11 — 11 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a cushion for an article of furniture provided by the present invention; 
       FIG. 13  is a side view of the cushion of  FIG. 12 ; 
       FIG. 14  is a sectional view of the cushion of  FIG. 13  along line  14 / 15 — 14 / 15 ; 
       FIG. 15  is an alternative sectional view of the cushion of  FIG. 13  along line  14 / 15 — 14 / 15 ; 
       FIG. 16  is an exploded view of the frame of a fifth embodiment of an article of furniture; 
       FIG. 16A  is a fragmentary view of a portion of the frame of  FIG. 16 , showing the attachment of individual adjacent frame members; 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the assembled frame of  FIG. 16 ; 
       FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of an article of furniture, showing the attachment of upholstery covers to the frame of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of an article of furniture, showing the assembly of cushions therefor; 
       FIG. 20  is a perspective view of an assembled article of furniture of the fifth embodiment; and 
       FIG. 21  is a schematic view of a method of packaging the disassembled article of furniture of  FIG. 20 . 
   

   Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention in alternative forms, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings. 
   Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , kit  33  having all necessary frame members  22 – 30 , padding  32  in the form of vacuum-packed foam cushions and package  34  containing any required fasteners for the frame or assembly instructions is packaged into carton  31  or other suitable container of appropriate size. In one embodiment of the present invention, individual frame members  22 – 30  are individually wrapped in paper or other suitable material (not shown) to prevent scratches, and are then stacked inside carton  31  in a compact, orderly manner. Reduced volume padding  32  is then placed inside carton  31  such that it substantially occupies the remaining volume of carton  31 . Package  34  is envisioned to be rather small and is placed in whatever space then remains inside carton  31 . In this manner, a piece of upholstered ready-to-assemble furniture which, when assembled, is comparable in size to a conventional, pre-assembled piece of furniture, may be compactly packaged. Alternatively, the disassembled frame and the reduced volume padding comprising the kit may be packaged in separate cartons in cases of the volume requirements of each being such as to make inefficient the use of a single carton as shown in  FIG. 21 , and described below. 
   The number, size and shape of frame members  22 – 30  will vary depending on the article of furniture to be produced from the kit of the present invention, but in all embodiments, the frame members are a suitable supporting material, such as pre-finished plywood. Alternative frame member embodiments using materials such as solid wooden boards, laminated particle board, preformed plastic or metal pieces, varieties of fiberboard or strandboard, structural cardboard or honeycombed paperboard. Further, fasteners may not be required for interconnecting the frame members. For example, frame assembly may instead consist of interconnecting frame members which include slots allowing their mutual engagement, or adhesives may be used to join the frame members. Still further, that frame members may or may not be pre-finished. For example, the frame members may consist of unfinished wooded pieces that the consumers may stain and varnish or paint to suit their individual tastes. 
   One frame  70 , corresponding to an embodiment further described below, is shown in  FIG. 16 . Frame  70  includes a plurality of individual frame members  72  which are assembled together to form frame  70 . Frame members  72  are planar sheets or panels, and may be made of medium density fiberboard (“MDF”). MDF is made from fibers of various types of wood which are refined and pressed to form lightweight fiberboard sheets having a strong outer surface which can be finished with most commercial finishing materials such as sealer, varnish, or paint. MDF is available in sheets which may range from ⅜″ thick to 1½″ thick, for example, and the length and width of MDF sheets may vary widely depending upon the supplier. One such MDF material is ½″ GP Superior, available from Georgia-Pacific Co., and manufactured at their Sault Ste. Marie plant in Ontario, Canada. However, MDF is generally widely available from many commercial suppliers. 
   Frame members  72  may be cut from large sheets of MDF using widely-available machinery such as computer-controlled cutting saws and routers, for example. As shown in  FIG. 16 , frame members  72  generally include base panel  72   a , interior side panels  72   b ,  72   c , arm panels  72   d ,  72   e , front panel  72   f , back panel  72   g , seat back panel  72   h , seat back support panel  72   i , storage compartment lid panel  72   j , and insert  72   k . Storage compartment lid panel  72   j  includes handle cutout  74  and tongue  76 , which is slidingly fitted within slot  78  of seat back panel  72   h  to provide a hinged connection therebetween. 
   Frame members  72  also include projections  80  and cutout portions  82 , which are insertable into one another to connect adjacent frame members  72 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , cutout portions  82  may include slots  82   a  and apertures  82   b . For securing adjacent frame members  72 , recesses  83  are provided, which are adapted to receive push-in connector elements  84 . In addition, apertures  86  are provided, which receive fasteners  88  cooperating with push-in connector elements  84 , as described below with reference to  FIG. 16A . As shown in  FIG. 16 , it may be seen that each frame member  72  includes a number cutout  90 , with frame members  72   a – 72   k  numbered  1 – 11 , respectively, to define a sequentially numbered set of frame members  72  comprising frame  70 . Advantageously, this numbering of frame members  72  eases assembly of frame  70  by allowing individual frame numbers  72  to be identified and referred to in a set of printed assembly instructions, for example. 
   Additionally, some frame members  72 , such as interior side panels  72   b ,  72   c  as shown in  FIG. 16 , may include feet  92 , each covered by foot cap  94  which is pressed onto to each foot  92 . Foot caps  94  engage a floor surface to prevent frame  70  from sliding thereon, and to prevent frame  70  from scratching the floor surface. Foot caps  94  also serve as a protective “boot” to protect feet  92  from water or moisture, and to protect feet  92  from contact with other objects which may cause feet  92  to dent, flake, or delaminate. 
     FIG. 16A  illustrates one method of attaching and securing adjacent frame members  72  to form frame  70 . For example, projection  80  of front panel  72   f  is received within cutout portion  82  of arm panel  72   e  to interlockingly connect front panel  72   f  with arm panel  72   e . To secure adjacent frame members  72 , such as front panel  72   f  and arm panel  72   e , push-in connector elements  84 , which may be formed of any suitable plastic, for example, are pushed into recesses  83  provided in front panel  72   f . Fasteners  88  may then be threaded through apertures  86  in arm panel  72   e , which are then received in push-in connector elements  84  within front panel  72   f . Push-in connector elements  84  act as screw sets for fasteners  88 , and also include oblong portions  96  disposed in recesses  83  to prohibit separation of adjacent frame members  72 . 
   Frame  70  is shown assembled in  FIG. 17 , where frame  70  is for an exemplary chair  98 . Assembly of chair  98  is completed by attaching upholstery covers  100  and cushions  102  thereto, as described below. However, many articles of fully upholstered furniture may be made other than chair  98  using the teachings herein, such as loveseats, couches, ottomans, sofabeds, or daybeds, among others. 
   Individual padding elements appropriate to the article of furniture to be produced from kit  33  are reduced in volume, such as by being vacuum-packed or by being compressed between plates, or by a combination of these methods, into compressed form which greatly reduces the volume otherwise necessary to package kit  33 . The padding should be reduced by approximately two thirds (⅔) from its original, expanded size to properly practice one embodiment of the present invention, but further reduction is desirable and the amount of volume reduction achievable may vary by padding material. By the above-mentioned volume reduction methods, the volume of urethane foam padding, for example, can be reduced to approximately one sixth (⅙) of its natural, expanded size. Although the padding elements may be made from urethane foam, Dacron or any other suitable, compressible materials may be used. Further, different materials may be used for different cushions. For example, in a given article of furniture the seat cushion(s) may be made of urethane foam, while the back and/or arm cushions may be made of Dacron. 
   The amount of compression foam padding undergoes affects its ability to subsequently expand to its original size. For example, in experiments in which a 12 inch cubic block of urethane foam material having an indentation load deflection (ILD) rating of 35 (i.e., 35 pounds of force is required to deflect the foam by 25 percent) and a density of 1.5 pounds per cubic foot was compressed into a 12 inch square slab 1.5 inches thick, the material expanded to 96 percent of its original volume after 24 hours. Further expansion beyond that time was negligible. In an otherwise identical experiment using urethane foam having a density of 1.2 pounds per cubic foot, the material expanded to 90 percent of its original volume. Compression to a lesser extent would have resulted in each of these samples expanding more nearly to its original volume. Furthermore, where heavy compression takes place in a high humidity environment, plastic deformation in the shape of the expanded urethane foam cushions may result. Therefore, it should be noted that to ensure the foam expands properly to its final shape and size, its compression should take place in a low humidity environment. 
   Furthermore, compression of the foam material adversely affects its quality. For example, the 1.5 pound per cubic foot urethane foam block subjected to the above described compression test incurred a 2 pound degradation in its ILD rating, dropping from 35 to 33. The 1.2 pound per cubic foot sample had its ILD drop from 35 to 28 under the same conditions. Thus it can be seen that a denser urethane foam better retains its load bearing capability after compression than its lighter weight counterpart. Compression to a lesser extent would have resulted in each of these samples exhibiting a less pronounced degradation in its ILD rating. This degradation in quality manifests itself primarily through reduced longevity of the padding&#39;s resilience, and does not necessarily affect the initial comfort it provides. 
   For urethane foams of a given ILD rating and chemical composition, a denser foam costs more than a lighter weight foam. From the foregoing it can then be understood that, because the cushions&#39; post-expansion sizes, upon which the proportions of the finished article of furniture are determined, and longevity are dependent on their original densities and the extent to which they are compressed, there are tradeoffs to be made between their cost, quality and package. Also, it must be emphasized that the intended post-expansion size of each cushion and its desired life are factors which must be considered in developing the component padding elements of the present invention. 
   As the compressed padding elements are unpackaged and allowed to expand, each will take on a size and shape appropriate to upholster frame  36  ( FIG. 2 ). For example, the embodiment of kit  33  contains vacuum-packed foam pieces for padding  32  which, when unpackaged and allowed to expand to their approximate original sizes and shapes, will provide back cushion  38 , seat cushion  40  and two arm cushions  42  ( FIG. 3 ). 
   One embodiment of the present invention contemplates having each cushion covered by a porous, protective cover (not shown) made of a material such as muslin or denim, which may or may not be decorative, prior to the cushion&#39;s volume being reduced. Each piece of reduced volume padding in the kit would include such a protective cover. The porosity of the protective cover allows air to exit the cushion during the reduction of the cushion&#39;s volume, prior to its being packaged, and to enter the cushion during its expansion, upon unpacking it. The porous protective cover would be fitted to envelop the cushion and be permanently sewn closed or closed thereon with a fastener. Fasteners appropriate for closing the protective cover include, for example, zippers or hook and loop fasteners. As the cushions are expanded during final assembly of the article of furniture, the protective cover would remain on the cushion and may subsequently be covered by the separately provided decorative fabric covers as described below. Further, where foam padding is used, the protective cover will make installation of the decorative fabric covers easier due to the protective cover&#39;s surface having a lower coefficient of friction vis-a-vis the surface of the uncovered foam. Installation of the decorative covers will also be made easier where a protective cover is used over padding material having a loose, fibrous composition, such as Dacron. Further still, the protective cover provides the additional advantages of retaining any cushion material debris which accumulates due to normal padding wear or due to fragmentation of loose, fibrous padding material. 
   Another aspect of the present invention, exemplified in the figures as relating to seat cushion  40  although it is applicable to each cushion, contemplates cushions having flexible bladder  50  ( FIGS. 9 and 12 ) made of a material such as rubber, for example. As shown in  FIGS. 9–11 , padding material  52  corresponding to seat cushion  40  may envelop the bladder or, as shown in  FIGS. 12–15 , padding material  52  may be adhered to a only portion of the surface of bladder  50 . Bladder  50  is evacuated while the cushion is packaged, and filled with a fluid such as air or water through closeable valve  54  during final assembly of the article of furniture. Bladder  50  may include baffles  56  to dampen the movement of the fluid. Baffles  56  may be of a type which includes staggered or perforated walls  58  attached to the inside surfaces of bladder  50  ( FIG. 14 ) or a of a type which uses a porous filler  60  which is more compressible than the padding material, such as open cell foam, disposed within bladder  50  ( FIG. 15 ). One advantage provided by this embodiment is the further reduction in the package volume required to provide an article of ready-to-assemble upholstered furniture compared to reducing the volume of the padding alone, as described above. Further, adjusting the quantity of fluid in the bladder may accommodate varying comfort levels of the consumers. A cushion having such a bladder may also be used in conjunction with the protective cover described above. During final assembly of the article of furniture, cushions having the fluid-filled bladder may be covered by the separately provided decorative fabric covers as described below. 
   Accommodating a variety of consumer tastes without requiring excessive warehouse or shelf space is an object of the present invention. Therefore, it will be noted that kit  33  contained in carton  31 , which includes frame members  22 – 30  and reduced volume padding  32 , assembles to produce an unupholstered article of furniture. Finished fabric covers to fit each individual padding element, or matching sets thereof to outfit an entire article of furniture, are packaged and can be made available separately for use with kit  33  contained in carton  31 . In this way, a stock of kits can be conveniently warehoused or displayed at retail facilities which, when purchased with one of several different and separately available fabrics, can accommodate a variety of decorating tastes. 
   The separately available fabric covers, designed to fit over the expanded padding elements from kit  33 , are installed by the consumer. Referring to  FIG. 4 , a fabric covering  44  is fitted over a foam arm cushion  42  to form an upholstered piece. Similarly, each foam piece is covered by a corresponding fabric cover. Alternatively, a fabric cover may be fashioned to cover more than one padded element. For instance, a single decorative cover may be designed to accommodate the three back cushions for a sofa. 
   The fabric covers may be secured around the foam pieces by zippers, hook and loop fasteners, adhesives or by merely folding excess material of the fabric under the foam piece itself or into the slotted portion  48  ( FIG. 5 ) of the foam piece, resulting in an upholstered piece  46 . The entire padded portion may be covered by fabric, or only the portion that would be visible upon final assembly of the furniture. Notably, the fabrics are interchangeable. The method of making available fabric covering sets separate from kit  33  in a wide variety of patterns and colors allows consumers to easily replace the fabric for repair or redecoration. 
   Once the fabric is applied, each upholstered piece is applied to the frame  36 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , some upholstered pieces  46  are fitted over portions of frame  36  shaped to be slidedly received within their slotted portions  48 . Other upholstered pieces, such as the seat portion, may be applied to the frame without such engagement. Alternatively, the padded elements are assembled to the frame without fabric covers. In this embodiment, the covers are later installed and are appropriately designed to cover a portion of the frame as well as the cushion. Tape with adhesive on both sides may be used in this embodiment. One side of the tape may be permanently adhered to the frame with the decorative cover, which has been drawn over a cushion, detachably adhered to the other side of the tape. Furthermore, other embodiments may use fabric covers designed to fit over some portions of the frame in lieu of padding. Further still, fabric covers may be used to cover portions of the frame surface which would otherwise be exposed and hard finished. 
   For example, a first set of upholstery covers  100  may be attached to frame  70 , described in  FIGS. 16 ,  16 A and  17 , as shown in  FIG. 18 . Upholstery covers  100  may include arm covers  100   a ,  100   b , seat back cover  100   c , and front cover  100   d . Arm covers  100   a ,  100   b  include arm pockets  104 , and flaps  106  having hook and loop fasteners  108  thereon. As shown in  FIG. 18 , arm covers  100   a ,  100   b  are slid onto arm panels  72   d ,  72   e  of frame  70 , such that arm panels  72   d ,  72   e  are received within arm pockets  104 . Similarly, seat back cover  100   c  includes seat back pocket  110  and flaps  106 , and is slid onto seat back panel  72   g  of frame  70 , such that seat back panel  72   g  is received within seat back pocket  110 . Front cover  100   d  includes insert pocket  112  having insert  72   k  therein, which is draped over front panel  72   f  of frame  70  to hold front cover  100   d  in place. 
   The lower portions of arm covers  100   a ,  100   b  seat back cover  100   c , as well as front cover  100   d  each include flaps  106  having hook and loop fasteners  108  which overlap and fasten to one another to define skirt  114  around the lower portion of chair  98 . Skirt  114  has a clean, stitched appearance which appears identical to the stitched skirt seen on conventional furniture. The lower portions of arm covers  100   a ,  100   b , seat back cover  100   c , as well as front cover  100   d  each further include a weighted beading  116  stitched therein to provide a decorative finish for skirt  114  and to maintain skirt  114  flat around the lower portion of chair  98 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , storage compartment lid panel  72   j  is hingedly attached to seat back panel  72   h , and may be lifted for selective access to storage compartment  118  within frame  70 . 
     FIG. 19  illustrates the assembly of cushions  102  for chair  98 . Seat padding  120 , and arm pads  122   a ,  122   b , are foam elements, while seat back padding  124  is a pillow. Seat padding  120 , arm pads  122   a ,  122   b , and seat back padding  124  are covered by a second set of upholstery covers  100 , including seat cover  126 , arm covers  128   a ,  128   b , and seat back cover  130  to form seat cushion  105 , arm cushions  103   a ,  103   b , and seat back cushion  107 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 19 , seat padding  120  is inserted within seat cover  126 , which includes a large opening  132  to ease insertion of seat padding  120  therein. Seat cover  126  additionally includes fasteners  134  such as hook and loop fasteners or a zipper fastener to close seat cover  126  around seat padding  120  to form seat cushion  105 . Seat cushion  105  is then placed on storage compartment lid  72   j  to form a seat for chair  98 . Similarly, seat back padding  124  is inserted into seat back cover  130  which also includes a large opening  132  and fasteners  134  to close seat back cover  130  around seat back padding  124 . Seat back cushion  107  is then placed on seat cushion  105  adjacent seat back panel  72   h  of chair  98 . 
   Arm pads  122   a ,  122   b  are inserted into arm covers  128   a ,  128   b , which additionally include large opening  132 . Flaps  136  of arm covers  128   a ,  128   b  are attached to one another by hook and loop fasteners  108  and then stuffed into envelope slits  138  of arm pads  122   a ,  122   b  to form arm cushions  103   a ,  103   b . Arm cushions  103   a ,  103   b  are then mounted onto arm panels  72   d ,  72   e  such that arm panels are received within envelope slits  138  of arm cushions  103   a ,  103   b.    
     FIG. 20  is a view of an assembled chair  98 , including seat cushion  102 , seat back cushion  107 , and arm cushions  103   a ,  103   b  disposed on frame  70 , which is covered by seat back cover  100   c , arm covers  100   a  (not shown),  100   b , and front cover  100   d . It may be seen from  FIG. 20  that chair is fully upholstered, such that no portion of frame  70  is visible. Optionally, a decorative pillow  140  may be included with chair  98 , corresponding to a design selected by the consumer. Additionally, chair  98  may be disassembled for transportation or storage in the opposite manner of the assembly of chair  98  shown in  FIGS. 16–20 . 
     FIG. 21  illustrates one method of packaging an article of furniture such as chair  98  for shipment. Frame members  72 , as well as push-in connector elements  84  and fasteners  88  disposed within bag  142 , are packaged in a first container  144 . Seat padding  120 , arm pads  122   a ,  122   b , and seat back padding  124  are packaged in second container  146 , and upholstery covers  100  are packaged in a third container  148 . 
   In this manner, chair  98  may be packaged in three separate containers  144 ,  146  and  148 , each of which may weigh less than 70 lbs., for example, to allow containers  144 ,  146 , and  148  to be shipped for home delivery by a parcel delivery service. In addition, the shipment of chair  98  in separate containers eases packaging, such that separate sets of custom selected designs of upholstery covers  100  may be shipped with standard frame members  72  and pads  120 ,  122   a ,  122   b , and  124 . Additionally, upholstery covers  100  may be easily returned, without necessitating the return of all of the components of chair  98 , if found not suitable to the customer&#39;s liking or if later damaged. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 6–8 , the article of upholstered furniture from the kit may take the form of, for example, chairs or sofas. Furthermore, the article of furniture may also incorporate features such as drawer  66 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , bookcase  62 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , or shelf  64 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . In such embodiments, the components necessary to provide these features are packaged as and/or with frame members into the kit and incorporated as the frame is assembled. The embodiments shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  are only particular examples of this aspect of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting its scope. Other embodiments incorporating features such as cup holders, magazine racks, television remote control holders and the like, and locating them in or on various surfaces of the frame, are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. 
   As an example of the improved packaging efficiency of an upholstered ready-to-assemble article of furniture provided by the present invention vis-a-vis that which has been pre-assembled, an upholstered sofa measuring 85 inches long by 33 inches high by 33 inches deep (53.6 cubic feet) would, if pre-assembled, require a box of at least these dimensions, whereas by the present invention only a frame box 77 inches by 3.5 inches by 26.5 inches (4.1 cubic feet), a reduced volume padding box 34.5 inches by 10 inches by 29.5 inches (5.9 cubic feet) and a coverings box 4.75 inches by 33.5 inches by 22 inches (1.1 cubic feet) would be required. 
   While this invention has been described as having exemplary methods and designs, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.