Patent Publication Number: US-6209962-B1

Title: Free form furniture

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to free form upholstered seating. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Free form identifies a type of seating that includes a casing in the shape of an upholstered chair with no frame. The casing may be made of flexible non-air permeable material such as genuine or artificial leather, plastic, fabric with a coated backing or the like that is partially filled with a filler material such as pieces of expanded polystyrene of various sizes and shapes that can move in the casing under the pressure created by the weight of a seated person. 
     Under the weight of the seated person the filler is rearranged in the casing by flowing to areas under lower pressure. Therefore, the shape of the casing changes to conform to the shape of the person&#39;s body. This customizes the seat to that person&#39;s particular body size and shape thereby increasing its comfort. 
     Free form furniture is advantageous compared to the traditional upholstered furniture since it is relatively simple to make, has low production cost, low weight and high comfort. 
     In Australian Patent No. 62106/80, an upholstered chair is disclosed that has a casing comprised of flexible, non-stretchable material that is partly filled by flowable particles of styropor. The upper part of the chair forms its seat and continues to form its back and arms. The sides of chair comprise bands of material having different widths which are sewn to the upper and lower parts of the casing. 
     Flexible non-stretching panels which may be made from non-stretchable sheet-type material are provided to limit the change in the chair&#39;s shape when a person sits in it. One panel is generally vertical with one of its edges sewn into the inside surface of the lower part of the casing. Its other edge sewn into the internal part of upper part of the casing where the seat contacts the back. This panel prevents the back part of the seat from rising. This results in the styropor beads flowing under the influence of the weight of the body of the person sitting on the chair. 
     The second panel is generally horizontal with its edges sewn to the opposite parts of the interior of the sides of the casing. This panel prevents the sides of the casing from stretching under the force of the flowing styropor beads when the seat is loaded, i.e., it limits the enlargement of the cross-section of the seat. 
     However, after a person leaves the chair it does not return to its original form. This is because the beads that were under pressure from the weight of the sitting person do not return to their former locations in the casing when the person leaves the chair. 
     Therefore, when the chair is used again, it is necessary to “bulk-up” the chair to its original form by returning the beads to the zones emptied previously. This can be done by hand, or by sitting in it and moving the body to re-spread the beads. 
     This deficiency is partly overcome by the item described in Russian Patent No. 2,093,057 which has means which enable the beads to return to their original locations after use. This item employs flexible elastic panels that not only define and limit the change in shape of the item, but also help the item to return to its original shape after use. 
     Moreover, when the elastic panels stretch under a load they create additional volume inside the casing where the beads flow. This occurs because when the casing is loaded by the weight of a person, the elastic panels are deformed. However, when the load is removed the elastic panels return to their original length and the parts of the casing to which they are connected urge the beads to return to the zones which they left under the influence of the load (weight of the sitting person). 
     However, the Australian and Russian patents are similar since they both disclose a furniture item having a casing made from elastic flexible material with at least one panel inside the casing that is connected at its edges to the upper and lower parts of the casing, and at least one flexible panel which is connected between the sides of the casing. 
     Moreover, in one instance the flexible panel is fixed to the side of the casing on the perimeter of its cross-section. In another instance flexible panels are fixed the sides of the casing and extend crosswise to the opposite internal surfaces of the side of the casing. 
     At least one non-stretchable element may be connected to the flexible elastic panel to limit its range of extension and thus limit the change of shape of the item. 
     None-the-less, even with these features, after repeated uses the beads are crushed to a reduced size and as a result, the total volume of filler in the item is reduced. As less and less of the casing is filled, its shape changes and it becomes less comfortable and less attractive to view. 
     The change in form is more pronounced at the bottom of the item since the beads in the bottom contact the hard surface of the floor through the material of the bottom part of the furniture item. 
     Therefore, it is necessary to periodically add additional beads to enable the item to return to its original form. This increases the cost of maintaining the item. For example, if a casing has an internal volume of 100 liters and is 90% filled by beads, and after continuous using (many loadings of the seat) the volume of the beads has dropped by 20%, and as a result the form of the item has changed, 18 liters of beads must be added to compensate for this drop in volume and change of shape. It is obvious that during the life of the item it will be necessary to add the beads several times. This uncomfortable for the person seated. Further, this will increase the weight of the item making it more difficult to move. Still further, maintenance expense may come close to the cost of thee item. 
     It would be advantageous to provide a filler material that flows smoothly so that the seat would to customize itself to a person&#39;s particular body size and shape thereby increasing its comfort. 
     Further, it would be advantageous if the reduction in volume of the filler material could be compensated for simply and easily without having to open the casing to add filler material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind the invention relates to a furniture item of the type described which can be returned to its original shape after repeated loadings over a long period while avoiding the necessity for adding particles of the filling agent. 
     It includes a non-stretchable, non-air permeable casing in the form of the item that is substantially filled with spherical beads of expanded polystyrene that are flowable under the weight of a person sitting on the item. The casing contains panels connected across the interior of the casing that limit the extent to which the item can change form under the force of the flowing particles. Further, the furniture item includes an inflatable means to compensate for changes of the volume of particles inside the casing that results from long-time and/or repeated loadings of the seat of the furniture item. The inflatable means permits the shape and hardness of the item to be adjusted in accordance with desired comfort by increasing or reducing the volume and correspondingly the extent to which the casing is filled. 
     The invention is useful for ottomans, stools, chairs and sofas of different sizes and forms. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a front view of a furniture item made in accordance with a presently preferred form of the invention before it is loaded. 
     FIG. 1B is a plan view of the furniture item illustrated in FIG.  1 A. 
     FIG. 2A is a front view of the furniture item of FIGS. 1A and 1B with a force “P” loading the seat. 
     FIG. 2B is a plan view of the furniture item illustrated in FIG.  2 A. 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-section views of a preferred form of the means for compensating for volume changes of the furniture item. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of another preferred form of the means for compensating for volume changes of the furniture item. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a another furniture item made in accordance with a presently preferred form of the invention before it is loaded. 
     FIG. 6 is a section view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a partial section view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 5, 
     FIG. 8 is a view of a detail of the furniture item illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED FORM OF THE INVENTION 
     As best seen in FIG. 1 the one presently preferred form of the upholstery furniture item  10  may be a stool or ottoman comprises an non-air permeable, non-stretchable casing  14  made from flexible material such as natural or artificial leather, plastic,fabric with coated backing or the like. It includes upper  20 , bottom  22  and side parts  24  and  26  which are connected to each other in a suitable manner such as by being sewn or glued to define the shape of the item  10 . 
     The casing  14  is filled with flowable particles such as spherical beads  30  of expanded polystyrene that are flowable under the weight of a person sitting on the item in a manner similar to ball bearings. The beads  30  preferably have a diameter of about three to four millimeters. While the precise size of the beads  30  is not critical, it should be appreciated that if the diameter of the beads is less than about three millimeters, their ability to flow will be diminished. On the other hand if their diameter is much larger than four millimeters, their outlines will be visible through the casing thereby giving the item an unattractive pimply appearance. 
     As is well understood, the beads  30  described are especially advantageous since because of their size and shape they flow around the body of a person seated in the item so that the casing  14  closely follows the contours of the body. 
     In the bottom part  22  of the casing  14  is a means  34  for compensating for volume changes that arise from repeated uses or for changing the shape or hardness of the item  10  to increase its comfort. As seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the means  34  may be an airtight inflatable air chamber  36 . The chamber  36  may be formed from two sheets  40  and  42  of air impervious flexible material which have been glued or heat sealed to each other around their perimeters  44 . The chamber may be connected to the interior of the casing so that its movement is limited. 
     The air chamber  36  includes a tube  50  through which it can be inflated and deflated. Preferably, one end  52  of the tube  50  may be connected to the interior of the air chamber  36  in airtight manner. 
     The tube  50  includes a yieldable check valve  54  having a flap (not shown) which rests against the inner wall of the tube  40  in a well known manner. The flap yields to permit air to enter the air chamber  36 . When the flap is flexed as by manually squeezing the tube, air is permitted to escape from the air chamber. 
     Inside the casing  14  and in overlying relation to the air chamber  36  is a layer of the aforementioned spherical beads  30  of expanded polystyrene. Preferably, the layer of the beads is thick enough to provide for the comfort for the sitting person. 
     In the presently preferred form of the invention the air chamber  36  is located at or near the bottom of the casing  14  with the beads being above it in the upper part of the casing. 
     Further, inside the casing  14  are suitable means for limiting the its ability to change from its original form when it is loaded as for example when sat upon by a person. The means comprise vertically extending flexible panels  64  and  66  made from a suitable elastic material such as LYCRA. The edges of the panels  64  and  66  are fixed by, for example, being sewn, to the interior of the upper  20  and bottom  22  parts of the casing  14 . 
     At least one horizontally extending elastic flexible panel  74  is connected to the interior of the sides  24  and  26  by being sewn, glued or in some other suitable manner. Panels  64  and  66  help the casing  14  to retain its shape when it is not loaded. Elastic flexible panel  74  yields to enable the side parts  22  and  24  of the casing to deform under the weight of a person and to enable the beads  30  to flow under the person&#39;s body. 
     When the item  10  is not used, i.e., the upper part  20  is not loaded, the forces created by the panels  64 ,  66  and  74  are compensated for by the resistance of the beads  30  and the elasticity of the air chamber  36  since the air chamber is pressurized. 
     The quantity of beads  30  and the volume of air inside the chamber  36  after initially adding air if necessary are such that the furniture item  10  in its free form unloaded state has the desired aesthetic and ergonomically suitable form. 
     In a preferred form of the invention, the spherical beads of expanded polystyrene  30  initially comprise about 60% of the total internal volume of the casing. The volume of the air chamber  36 , when it is completely filled comprises, may comprise about 30% of the total volume of the casing. Therefore, the volume of the casing filled by both the air chamber  36  at maximum volume and the expanded polystyrene beads comprise 90% of the volume of the casing V max . Initially, before the beads  30  are subjected to the load of a seated person, the air chamber  36  may preferably not be inflated or may be only partially inflated such as to about 5% of V max . 
     When the furniture item  10  is loaded by the weight of the person P, the horizontally extending elastic flexible panels or panels  74  stretch and the beads  30  flow from the areas of high pressure to the areas of low pressure and the upper part of the furniture item casing adapts to the body shape of the sitting person. 
     In comparison to the prior art furniture items described above, the lower layer of beads is not in direct contact with the hard floor surface through the bottom of the casing, but is in contact with the flexible upper surface of the air chamber  36 . Therefore, the force applied to the beads  30  is reduced and they will retain their original size for longer periods. 
     None-the-less, after long periods of use and multiple loadings, the beads  30  are crushed and are abraded so that the level of filling material in the casing  14  is reduced and its aesthetic and ergonomical features deteriorate. To compensate for these changes and to return the casing to its original size and shape, the internal volume of the air chamber  36  is increased by simply adding the air. This is accomplished by merely breathing into tube  50  as if inflating a balloon, or by using a small hand pump  74 . The hand pump  74  is connected to the distal end of tube  50 . As explained earlier, leakage of air and controlled deflation of air chamber  36  is controlled by check valve  54 . 
     FIG. 4A shows an alternate form of the airtight inflatable air chamber  80  deflated while FIG. 4B shows the airtight inflatable air chamber  80  inflated. The air chamber  80  includes airtight rigid bottom and top sheets  84  and  88  that can be made from hard light weight materials such as plastics or light weight metals such as aluminum. 
     The bottom and top sheets  84  and  88  are connected in an airtight manner by flexible side walls  90 . As seen in FIG. 4A, when the air chamber  80  is deflated or substantially deflated, the side walls  90  can fold on themselves to permit the bottom and top sheets  84  and  88  to come close to each other so that the air chamber  80  takes less space and so that the casing  14  can be filled with beads  30 . 
     Further, the bottom sheet  84  may comprise the bottom of the casing  14  or it may be directly connected to it. As seen in FIG. 4B, when the airtight inflatable air chamber  80  is inflated while in the casing  14 , the top sheet  88  rises evenly thereby lifting the layer of beads  30  over it to reduce the volume of free space within the casing  14 . 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5 the invention can be advantageously used to create a chair  100 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 5, the chair  100  which is filled with the small spherical beads  30  of expanded polystyrene that can flow under the pressure created by the weight of a seated person comprises a base  104 , a seat  108 , arms  110  (if desired) and a back  114 . The shape of the chair is defined by casing  118  which may be formed from a plurality of air permeable pieces that are assembled by being sewn to each other or by an adhesive to create a chair  100  having the desired configuration. 
     The chair  100  is further defined by the junctures of adjacent pieces and by internal flexible elastic panels as will be more fully described. 
     As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the juncture  122  of the base  104  and seat  108  is defined by a narrow strip of elastic material  120 . The strip of elastic material is attached to the juncture  122  while it is stretched. Therefore, when it is released, it gathers the casing  118  at the juncture  122  so that the front of seat  108  overhangs the base  104 . 
     As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, two vertical panels of flexible elastic material  128  such as LYCRA are connected between the bottom  132  of the base  104  and the arms  110  and the seat  108 . The panels  128  are generally rectangular in shape and are generally vertically positioned with one end  130  being secured to the bottom  132  and their other ends  134  being connected to the underside of the seat  108  so that they lie under the outer lateral edges of the seat  108  in planes that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chair  110 . 
     As will be appreciated more fully, the vertical panels  128  function in generally the same way as the vertical panels  64  and  66  described above to help the chair retain its shape by acting against any tendency of the beads of expanded polystyrene and the compensating means to push the chair out of shape as will be more fully described, when it is not being used 
     Additionally, further retention of the shape of the chair  100  is provided by the inclusion of a further rectangular panel  140 . Panel  140  may be comprised of a flexible elastic material such as LYCRA. Panel  140  lies in a plane that is substantially parallel to the lateral axis of the chair. Its lower end  144  is connected to the bottom  128  of the base  104  and extends upwardly with its upper end  148  connected to the juncture of the seat  108  and the back  114 . 
     If desired, a horizontally disposed transverse flexible elastic panel (not shown) can be provided. This panel may be comprised of a flexible elastic material such as LYCRA. 
     Its ends can be connected to the inside of the casing  118  below the seat  108 . The horizontal panel can be used in a manner similar to panels or panels  74  to help the base  104  of the chair  100  resist spreading when a person sits on it and to return to its original shape when that person rises. 
     A further rectangular panel of flexible elastic material  160  such as LYCRA extends between the front and rear walls  164  and  166  that comprise the back  114  of the chair  100 . 
     As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, the front edge  168  of panel  160  is connected to the front wall  164  of chair back  114  by an adhesive, stitching or other suitable means so that it lies in a horizontal plane. The panel is stretched before it is attached to front wall  164  so that when it is released the material of the front wall  164  gathers to provide a horizontal line  170  which helps to define the shape of the back  114 . 
     The rear edge  176  of panel  160  is connected to the rear wall  166  of chair back  114  along a centrally located and vertically extending seam  180  in a manner similar to that described with respect to line  170  so that it lies in a vertical plane. 
     Panel  168  is used advantageously to help the back  114  of the chair  100  retain its shape. Thus, if it were not present, the beads would urge the front and rear walls  164  and  166  of the back  114  to separate. Thus, the front wall  164 , instead of presenting a flat back supporting surface would become convex thereby diminishing the support that it would provide for a person sitting in the chair. 
     The shape of the back  114  is further maintained by a strip of flexible elastic material  184  which is stretched in a horizontal direction before it is attached to the front wall  164 . In a manner similar to that described, when the strip of material  184  is relaxed, it gathers the material of the front wall to form the horizontal line  188  seen in FIGS. 5 and 7. 
     The shape of the casing, the panels of flexible elastic material and the flowable beads  30  cooperate to provide useful ergonomic features for the chair. Thus, since the beads are flowable, they tend to move into the back and sides of the chair when a person sits in it thereby providing support for those parts of the person&#39;s body. Further, since the lower part of the back is filled with beads  30  before the upper part, additional support for the lumbar section of the back is provided. 
     Further, the flowable beads permit the back of the chair to be pushed to an almost horizontal position with the “excess” beads flowing to the front of the seat. Thus, the chair, even though it does not have a frame, functions in a manner similar to a recliner with a frame while at the same time providing positive support for the lower back. 
     Still further, if when arising from the chair, the person leans forward, beads  30  flow into the back  114  making it erect. 
     In addition, the chair  100  includes a means  190  for compensating for volume changes (briefly referred to above) resulting from the beads being crushed after repeated uses that arise from repeated uses or for changing the shape or hardness of the chair  100  to increase its comfort. The means  190  may comprise one or more inflatable air chambers of the type  34  described above which can be inflated by the person seated by the means described in the description of compensating means  34 . 
     The compensating means  190  may be disposed in the base  104 . If only one compensating means  190  is used it is preferably disposed near the bottom wall  192  of the base  104  or it can be made integral with the bottom wall  192  so that the bottom wall comprises one of the sides of the compensating means. As explained earlier, placing the compensating means at the bottom of the base  104  tends to protect the beads from being further crushed since they are not in contact with a hard flooring surface. 
     Further, the compensating means  190  could be at an intermediate location in the base or near the seat  108  without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 
     Still further, additional compensating means may be placed near the juncture of the back  114  and seat  108 . 
     In manner similar to that described with regard to the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the volume of beads lost when they are crushed is compensated for inflating the compensating means  190 . When the volume of beads in the back  114  of the chair is reduced to the extent that the back is no longer capable of providing support, merely rolling it on the floor and inflating the compensating means will refill it with beads. 
     While several furniture items comprising forms of the invention have been described, it is apparent that other furniture items such as sofas and the like could be provided. Further, several inflatable tanks, each being located at a different place inside the furniture item could be used. Still further, the air chambers could be separate from each other so that each can be inflated to a different volume, or they could be connected to each other so that they are filled simultaneously and to the same extent. 
     Further, it is apparent that still other forms and embodiments of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the description, but rather, only by the scope of the appended claims.