Patent Publication Number: US-2016220037-A1

Title: Faux cotton material and associated furniture assembly utilizing the same (i)

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/111,853, filed Feb. 4, 2015, entitled “FAUX COTTON MATERIAL AND ASSOCIATED FURNITURE ASSEMBLY UTILIZING THE SAME (I)” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety—including all references and appendices cited therein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates in general to furniture (e.g., chairs, loungers, chaises, sofas, etcetera) and, more particularly, to a furniture assembly that comprises a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     2. Background Art 
     Furniture assemblies and their coatings, covers, and accessories have been known in the art for years and are the subject of a plurality of patents and publications, including: U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,482 entitled “Frameless Chair,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,184 entitled “Frameless Chair,” U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2003/0066268 entitled “Process for Packaging a Polyurethane Foam Filled Article of Furniture,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,931 entitled “Portable Chair Apparatus,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,571,965 entitled “Molded Foam Pool Chair,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,273,251 entitled “Video Game Chair,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,509 entitled “Juvenile Seat Cup Holder,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,394 entitled “Molded Recliner Rocker Chair,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,296 entitled “Floating Lounge Chair,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,600 entitled “Insulated Cup Holder With Flexible Base Member,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,852 entitled “Floating, Reclining Lounge Mechanism,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,240 entitled “Lounger or Reclining Chair Made From a Floatable Plastic Body,” U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0257530 entitled “Video Game Chair,” and U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2005/0242643 entitled “Ergonomic Rocker”—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety including the references cited therein. 
     While the above-identified patents and publications do appear to disclose furniture assemblies, their configurations remain non-desirous and/or problematic inasmuch as, among other things, none of the above-identified furniture assemblies appear to utilize a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a furniture assembly that comprises a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to, in one embodiment, a furniture assembly adapted to support a human in a seated position, comprising: a novel core sub-assembly, wherein the novel core sub-assembly comprises a seat member, a base member, a left side, a right side, a front side, a back side, an optional back support member, an optional left arm, and an optional right arm, and wherein at least a portion of the novel core sub-assembly is associated with a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the faux cotton material comprises mechanically brushed and/or sanded polyester and/or chemically etched polyester. Such a material preferably comprises woven and/or unwoven polyester fabric. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the novel core sub-assembly is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a natural polymeric resin, a synthetic polymeric resin, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, bark, cork, and combinations thereof. 
     In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polystyrene comprises a density ranging from approximately 0.8 g/cm 3  to approximately 4.3 g/cm 3 , and more preferably comprises a density ranging from approximately 1.0 g/cm 3 to approximately 2.0 g/cm 3 . 
     In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the novel core sub-assembly is at least partially covered with a slipcover. In this embodiment, the slipcover preferably comprises a padded seat member and/or a padded back support member. Preferably, the slipcover is associated with a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     In one aspect of the present invention, the slipcover is also fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a natural material, a synthetic material, cotton, wool, denim, felt, vinyl, leather, rayon, polyester, and combinations thereof. 
     Preferably, the novel core sub-assembly comprises one or more drainage apertures. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coating is applied to at least a portion of an outer surface of the novel core sub-assembly. In this embodiment the coating preferably comprises a material selected from the group consisting of an elastomer, a saturated rubber, an unsaturated rubber, polyurea, vinyl, polyvinylchloride, and combinations thereof. 
     The present invention is also directed to, in one embodiment, a furniture assembly adapted to support a human in a seated position, comprising: (a) a novel core sub-assembly, wherein the novel core sub-assembly is fabricated from polystyrene and comprises a seat member, a base member, a left side, a right side, a front side, a back side, a back support member, a left arm, and a right arm; and (b) wherein the novel core sub-assembly is at least partially covered with a slipcover and/or a coating is applied to at least a portion of an outer surface of the novel core sub-assembly, wherein the coating comprises polyurea. Preferably, the novel core sub-assembly and/or the slipcover are associated with a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by the accompanying figures. It will be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that details not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may be omitted. It will be further understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. 
       The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein: 
       The drawings provided herein show a plurality of embodiments of furniture assemblies, as well as associated features and accessory items (See  FIGS. 1-44 ). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, one or more specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. 
     It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components, referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings by like reference characters. In addition, it will be understood that the drawings are merely schematic representations of one or more embodiments of the invention, and some of the components may have been distorted from their actual scale for purposes of pictorial clarity. 
     Referring now to the drawings (See  FIGS. 1-44 ), a furniture assembly adapted to support a human in a seated position is disclosed as generally comprising: a novel core sub-assembly, wherein the novel core sub-assembly comprises a seat member, a base member, a left side, a right side, a front side, a back side, an optional back support member, an optional left arm, and an optional right arm. Preferably, at least a portion of the novel core sub-assembly comprises or is associated with a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the faux cotton material comprises mechanically brushed and/or sanded polyester and/or chemically etched polyester. Such a material preferably comprises woven and/or unwoven polyester fabric that is soft to the touch and low in sheen relative to conventional polyester. 
     Preferably the novel core sub-assembly is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a natural polymeric resin, a synthetic polymeric resin, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, bark, cork, and combinations thereof. 
     In this embodiment, the polystyrene preferably comprises a density ranging from approximately 0.8 g/cm 3  to approximately 4.3 g/cm 3 , and more preferably comprises a density ranging from approximately 1.0 g/cm 3  to approximately 2.0 g/cm 3 . 
     In another aspect of the present invention, the novel core sub-assembly is at least partially covered with a slipcover. Such a slipcover may comprise a padded seat member and/or a padded back support member. It will be understood that the slipcover is preferably fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a natural material, a synthetic material, cotton, wool, denim, felt, vinyl, leather, rayon, polyester, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the slipcover is associated with a novel faux cotton material that provides an occupant with a sensory experience that imitates the look and feel of genuine cotton. 
     In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coating is applied to at least a portion of an outer surface of the novel core sub-assembly. Preferably, the coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of an elastomer, a saturated rubber, an unsaturated rubber, polyurea, vinyl, polyvinylchloride, and combinations thereof. It will be understood that the coating may be applied via spray coating, dip coating, vacuum form coating, etcetera. 
     The furniture assembly may also include a novel core sub-assembly that comprises one or more drainage apertures for outdoor applications. 
     The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the invention and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.