Abstract:
The invention relates generally to an article of manufacture such as a chair or other furniture piece, and an associated method of manufacturing the article, wherein the furniture piece contains a contour which is derived from a particular scenic silhouette. The landscape contour may be, for example, the ridgeline which is formed by a particular mountain when the mountain is viewed in profile. Thus, a particular mountain may have more than one characteristic ridgeline or profile, depending upon the aspect from which the mountain is viewed. A method of accurately transposing the profile from the natural phenomenon to the furniture piece is also disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The invention relates generally to furniture pieces which have a prominent portion bearing an accurate resemblance of a landscape contour such as a mountainous ridgeline viewed in profile. A method of manufacturing the furniture pieces is also disclosed.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     Known furniture pieces, for example chairs, typically have a back portion against which the back of a person&#39;s torso rests when the person is seated. In known furniture designs, the upper portion of this back has a uniform contour, or a symmetrical pattern which generally does not vary across the top surface of the back, that is, from one side to the other. See, for example, the back  110  of the related art chair  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . Similarly, the upper portion of the back does not vary between chairs of a particular set, or more broadly, of a particular production run. This uniformity presents difficulties for those persons who desire a more creative or eclectic design when furnishing, for example, a summer home or vacation cottage.  
         [0005]     Thus, a need exists for a unique design for the back portion of furniture pieces, and a method for producing the same, which overcome the deficiencies of the related art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     To overcome the above deficiencies, the present invention provides a back structure which embodies a landscape contour derived from a mountain range profile or the like. A method of producing the landscape contour is also provided.  
         [0007]     In a first general aspect, the present invention provides a seating unit comprising: a seat; and a back, wherein an edge of said back includes an aesthetic portion, and wherein said aesthetic portion patterned to resemble one of a plurality of preselected scenic silhouettes.  
         [0008]     In a second general aspect, the present invention provides a method of constructing a modified seating unit with a characteristic aesthetic portion, said method comprising the steps of: providing a scenic aspect; deriving a contour line from said scenic aspect; providing a seating unit, said seating unit having a contourable portion to receive said a contour derived from said contour line; applying said contour line to said contourable portion of said unmodified seating unit; and modifying said contourable portion of said unmodified seating unit in accordance with said contour line to produce said modified seating unit.  
         [0009]     In a third general aspect, the present invention provides a furniture piece comprising: a first portion having an edge formed in a contour shape, said contour shape resembling a plurality of preselected topographical contours.  
         [0010]     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The features of the present invention will best be understood from a detailed description of the invention and an embodiment thereof selected for the purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a chair of the related art;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a chair comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a glider comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a swing comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a loveseat comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a rocker comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a chaise lounge comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a teête-à-têt comprising an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11A  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a contoured portion of a chair of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 11B  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a contoured portion of a chair of the present invention; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 11C  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a contoured portion of a chair of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. The present invention will be referred to herein as a “chair” for simplicity, but it should be understood that any other suitable furniture piece may be embodied by the description of the invention.  
         [0026]     One embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2  as a chair  200 . Chair  200  is shown in the style of an Adirondack chair, with the notable exception that the upper part of back or backrest  210  of chair  200  includes a contoured portion  220 . Contoured portion  220  is an aesthetic portion of the backrest or back  210 , and may include a scenic aspect or scenic silhouette which is derived from a particular view of some scenic location, such as, inter alia, a landscape contour, a topographical contour, a ridge line profile, a mountain range, or any similar representation of the surface features of a place or region. The back  210  is substantially planar, and the upper exposed edge which bears the contour is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the back  210 . In the illustrative embodiment shown, contoured portion  220  has been modified to resemble a particular landscape contour, in this case the ridgeline presented by a mountain peak when viewed in profile. The back  210  also optionally includes a descriptive message  230  related to the particular landscape contour. For the particular ridgeline represented by contoured portion  220 , the descriptive message  230  may include, for example, the name of the mountain peak and its elevation or a pertinent date. The descriptive message  230  may be applied to the contoured portion  220  by any suitable method, such as, inter alia, painting, engraving, carving, etching, branding, scoring, embossing, plating, or molding.  
         [0027]     Chair  200  further comprises armrests  241 ,  242  substantially parallel to one another, and operatively attached to back  210 . Back  210  is itself operatively attached to upper rear brace  272  and lower rear brace  271 , and to seat portion  281  and first and second legs  251 ,  252 , respectively. Back  210  is operatively supported on the base formed by the seat portion  281  and first and second legs  251 ,  252 , so that back  210  may be adjusted from an upright position to an angled or reclined position. Seat portion  281  includes a plurality of slats  282  which are attached to first and second legs  251 ,  252  in such a manner that the seat portion  281  follows the contour presented by first and second legs  251 ,  252 . Arm rests  241 , 242  are further attached to first and second vertical supporting legs  261 ,  262 . The lower ends of first and second vertical supporting legs  261 ,  262 , as well as the lower ends of first and second legs  251 ,  252 , rest upon a ground surface (not shown).  
         [0028]     In the illustrative embodiment, back  210  further includes a single wide, tapered slat  212  located substantially in the center of the back  210 . Tapered slat  212  retains sufficient width at its upper end to receive the aforementioned descriptive message  230 . Back  210  also includes a filler portion which comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending slats  211  of approximately equivalent lateral width. The longitudinally extending slats  211  extend longitudinally from a first lower end of said back to a second upper end of said back. Further, the longitudinally extending slats  211  substantially fill the space between the central portion occupied by the tapered slat  212  and the outermost lateral boundaries of the back  210 . Note that in the alternative embodiment (not shown), the aesthetic portion including contoured portion  220  extends across the entire upper portion of back  210 . In alternative embodiments, however, the aesthetic portion, including contoured portion  220 , may extend across only a portion of the upper portion of back  210 . For example, the contoured portion may be limited to the single wide, tapered slat  212 .  
         [0029]     In an alternative embodiment, a suitably contoured cushion assembly or other padded device may be removably added to the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 2  to enhance the comfort of the user.  
         [0030]     Chair  200  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as, inter alia, wood, plastic, resin, polyethylene, wood-adhesive compounds, metal, paper, or combinations thereof. Depending upon the type of material from which the chair, seating unit, or other furniture piece is made, a method of transposing a particular landscape contour to the furniture will be described.  
         [0031]     The method of constructing a furniture piece or seating unit with a characteristic aesthetic portion, as described above, begins with a step of selecting the desired scenic silhouette. The scenic silhouette may be an image provided on a tangible or intangible medium such as a postcard, photograph, online image, magazine image, freehand sketch, or other artwork. From the selected image, a contour line is produced or derived. This step may involve simply tracing the desired contour line on the image. Alternatively, a more sophisticated process may be employed, such as one involving stencils, computers, overhead projectors, projection equipment, image manipulation software, or a pantograph. Once the desired contour line is produced, the contour line may be applied to the seating unit using known techniques for image transfer, followed by modification of the seating unit via techniques of employing manual modification, a power tool, or a computer numerical control (CNC) device. If applicable depending on the material the furniture piece is constructed with, for example in a resin molding process, a mold may be manufactured wherein the contour line is present and readily applied when the seating unit is cast or extruded.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate top and front views, respectively, of the chair depicted in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a glider  500 .  
         [0034]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a swing  600 .  
         [0035]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a loveseat  700 .  
         [0036]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a rocker  800 .  
         [0037]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a chaise lounge  900 .  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIG. 10 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown, this embodiment in the form of a tête-à-tête  1000 .  
         [0039]      FIGS. 11A, 11B , and  11 C, depict the contour portion  220  only of various embodiments of a chair using the present invention. The contour portion  220  can depict, or simulate, an existing landscape profile, or can simulate, a fictitious profile. For example, the contour portion  220  in  FIG. 11A , may simulate a elevation profile of a mountain ridge line in Yosemite Park in California. Meanwhile, the contour profile  220  in  FIG. 11B  may simulate a mountain profile described in a novel, such as book in the famous Harry Potter series. Further, the contour profile  220  in  FIG. 11C  may simulate a elevation profile developed purely from the manufacturer&#39;s imagination.  
         [0040]     The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed or to the materials in which the form may be embodied, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.