GB2447658A

GB2447658A - Soft furniture with inflatable insert

Info

Publication number: GB2447658A
Application number: GB0705211A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Rose
Original assignee: FUDA INTERNAT TRADING Co
Current assignee: FUDA INTERNAT TRADING Co
Priority date: 2007-03-19
Filing date: 2007-03-19
Publication date: 2008-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2027-03-19
Also published as: GB2447658B; GB0705211D0

Abstract

A bean bag chair 20 comprises an inner bag (21, fig 5) and an outer cover 25, and an inflatable element 30 located in the inner bag. The inner bag is filled with a flowing non gaseous material 23, and in use, the inflatable bag is filled with a fluid material. The non-gaseous material may be polystyrene beads or similar. Access to the inflatable element may be via a zip opening 31 which may have a valve. The inflatable element may be filled with air, sand or memory foam. The inflatable bag may be deflated to reduce the total volume of the chair for storage and transport purposes.

Description

IMPROVED SEATING STRUCTURE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improved seating structures, and in particular to bean bags.

Background of the Invention

Bean bags are items of soft furniture which are commonly used in the home as seats.

Typically, a bean bag is constructed by sewing together panels of fabric to form an inner bag, which is filled with beans, and covering the inner bag with a decorative outer bag. The beans are in fact polystyrene beads manufactured from using various hydrocarbon based chemicals including benzene.

Such chemicals are manufactured from expensive and scarce resources.

It would therefore be desirable to reduce the volume of polystyrene beads required for the manufacture of a bean bag.

Bean bags are typically available in a range of sizes which use a volume of polystyrene beads of between two and ftventv four cubic feet of beads. Transportation of bean bags poses a number of problems. First, bean bags have a very low weight to volume ratio and are therefore expensive to transport. Second, the larger sizes of bean bag are too large to fit into an average sized family car and therefore must be shipped by van to the purchaser's home. This presents an inconvenience to both the purchaser and the seller in that the seller must provide transportation facilities and the purchaser must arrange to be present for delivery.

Another problem associated with the volume occupied by bean bags is the space occupied in warehouses and stores storing/selling such goods.

It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide an item of furniture such as a bean bag, the size of which may be reduced.

One of the properties of a bean bag is that it moulds to the shape of the person who sits on it. However, for some individuals it i- nay be advantageous to provide an item of furniture such as a bean bag having a more stable structure than known bean bags. Further, it may be desirable to provide an item of furniture the shape of which may be adapted to the size and weight of an individual.

In GB 2344756 there is described an item of furniture which is filled with polystyrene beads and includes an inflatable chamber. The purpose of the inflatable chamber is to make up the space which becomes unfilled due to compression of the polystyrene beads, and to adjust the shape and hardness of the item of furniture. In fact, in GB 2344756, no less polystyrene bead is used during manufacture of the item of furniture than if the inflatable chamber were not present.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved item of furniture.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the invennon there is provided an item of furniture as specified in Claim I. The bag includes a opening with a closing device, which may be a zipper or a tie string in order that the polystyrene beads may be introduced into the bag at the time of initial filling and thereafter. Whilst the polystyrene beads are substantially incompressible, periodic topping up of the fill is required.

Where an outer cover is provided it is decorative and is constructed from fabric panels which are sewn together. As with the bag, the outer cover is provided with an opening having a closing device. However, in the case of the outer cover, the opening is of sufficient dimension to permit the filled bag to be removed in order to allow laundering of the outer cover.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and are by way of

example:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an item of furniture according to the invennon in the form of a bean cube; Figure 2 is a schematic representath)n of the hag of the bean cube illustrated in Figure 1 viewed from the underside; Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an inflatable element foming part of the bean cube illustrated in Figures I and 2; and Figure 4 is a schematic representation of another item of furniture according to the invention in the form of a bean seat; Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the bean seat illustrated in Figure 4 viewed from the underside; Figure 6 is bottom view of the bag of the bean seat illustrated in Figures 4 and 5; Figure is a schematic representation of another item of furniture according to the invention in the form of a bean bag; Figure 8 is a schematic representation of an inflatable element for use in an item of furniture according to the invention; Figure 9a is a schematic representation of another inflatable element for use in an item of furniture according to the invention; Figure 9b is a side view of the inflatable element illustrated in Figure 9a; and Figure 11) is a schematic representation of another inflatable element for use in an item of furniture according to the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The item of soft furniture illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 is a bean cube 1 and comprises a bag 2 in which is formed a sling 3 and an outer cover 11. An inflatable element 4 is located in the sling 3, the sling comprising a cuboid formed within the bag 2. One wall 5 of the bag 2 forms one wall of the sling 3. An opening 6 into the sling 3 gives access to the inflatable element 4 for its inflation, removal from the sling. reinsertion into the sling, etc. The opening 6 includes a valve access 8 and extending from each side thereof a zip fastener (or the like, for example pressed studs or hook and claw fasteners such as Velcro could be used).

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the inflatable element 4 is located substantially on the central axis and on the base of the bag 2. By locating the inflatable element 4 in this position the stability of the resulting item of furniture is enhanced as a substantially flat base is presented to the surface upon which the item is placed. Further, the position of the inflatable element 4 stabilises the flow of fill material 9 within the bag 2, thereby providing an item of furniture having the properties of a bean bag insofar as moulding to the shape of the person sitting thereon, but a level of stability typically found in furniture of a more solid construction.

Referring now to Figure 3, the inflatable element 4 consists of a substantially cuboid air bag formed from a plastics material. The air bag includes a screw valve 10, which includes a non-return valve so that air introduced into the air bag cannot escape other than intentionally. The screw valve is provided in order that a source of pressutised air may be connected to the air bag for inflation thereof. A low pressure source is adequate to fill the air bag, and may fur example be a hair dryer, typically set on a cool setting, or an air pump of the type used to inflate air-filled toys, airbeds and swimming aids.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 6, the item of furniture is a bean seat 21). The fabric used to make both the bag 21 and the cover 22 is cut into panels and sewn together so as to form a seat like structure. The cover 22 is formed from panels of fabric 23 -25 joined together at seams 26, 27. As can be seen from Figure 4, one edge of the sling 28 and hence the inflatable element 31) is aligned with the seam 27. The inflated element 30 assists in keeping the seat in a seat like form.

Figure 6 illustrates the opening 29 in the bag 21 which allows fill material to be introduced into the bag. In the example the opening 29 is closed by a zip. A farther opening is provided in the bag 21 fbr the purpose of gaining access to the inflatable element 30. In this embodiment the opening 31 is closed by a single zip which must be opened to attach a source of pressurised gas to the inflatable element 30.

Referring now to Figure 7, the item of furniture illustrated is what would be regarded as a standard bean bag 35 and comprises an outer cover 36, a sling 38 and an inflatable element 39. The inflatable element 39 sits in the base of the outer cover 36 and the outer cover 36 is parfially filled with bead material 37.

Referring now to Figure 8, the inflatable element 40 is in the shape of a seat and comprises a seat portion 41 and a backrest portion 42. The element 40 is made of a suitable fluid impen-ious material. The seat shape is created by the relative positions of seams 43, 44, 45 and 46. In this example a single fluid containing chamber is formed. However, a seat in which separate fluid containing chambers are formed to allow the seat 41 and backrest 42 to be inflated independently of each other could easily be manufactured by either attaching the seam 43 to the seam 44 directly or by means of a piece of fluid impervious material.

Figures 9a and 9b illustrate an inflatable element 50 comprising three separate chambers a, b and c, each of which may be filled with fluid independenfly of the other. The element 50 is formed from top and bottom walls 54, 55, a side wall 51 and inner parfitions 52 and 53, each of which is made of a fluid impervious material. Each chamber a, b and c is provided with a sealable opening through which a fluid fill material, such as air or water max' be introduced. The opening includes a valve to prevent the unwanted egress of fluid from the element 50.

By inflating chambers to different pressures a seat shape can be defined, as is shown in Figure 9b.

Referring now to Figure 10, there is shown an alternative embodiment to the inflatable element illustrated in Figures 9a and 9b. An inflatable element 60 comprises top and bottom walls 61 and 62 and a side wall 63. Walls 63, 64 and 65 divide the inside of the element 60 into chambers a, b and c. By inflating chamber a to a lesser extent than chambers b and c, a seat shape can be defined.

The shape of the inflatable element 60 influences the shape formed by the item of furniture of which, in use, the element forms a part.

The inflatable element may itself be filled with material including an array of voids, such as a material known as memory fbam. This is a polyurethane foam which includes an array of voids, which under atmospheric pressure are filled with the fluid of the environment in which the material is located, but when subjected to a vacuum the fluid is drawn out of the voids causing the material to collapse to a much reduced volume. For example, the inflatable element filled with such material may be subjected to a vacuum packing process to extract fluid from the voids and collapse the material down to a much reduced size. The inflatable element may be shipped in this state. When the item of furniture is assembled the vacuum pack is penetrated, with a knife for example, thereby allowing air to infiltrate the voids of the memory foam material. Over the course of a few minutes the memory foam returns to its original shape and volume and fills the inflatable element.

In an alternative embodiment the inflatable elenient is filled, at least partially, with a flowable but solid material, for example a granular material such as sand. The use of such a flowable solid material would add weight to the assembled item of furniture, thereby increasing the stability thereof.

The inflatable element may be filled completely with such flowable solid material, or partially filled, in which case the remaining volume of the inflatable element mas be filled with a fluid, preferably in the gas phase, to the extent desired b' the user of the item of furniture. Provision for filling the inflatable element with flowable solid material requires a suitable opening. This may be the inlet valve or another opening in the inflatable element.

When an item of furniture according to the invention is manufactured the amount of ff11 material introduced represents the major portion of the volume of the inner bag. The minor portion is taken up by a volume of fill material introduced into the inflatable element. However, the inflatable element is not inflated until the item of furniture is installed by the final consumer. This allows the shipping volume of the item of furniture to be reduced, typically by twent five to thirty percent. This reduction in transport volume represents a huge saving in transport costs.

Furthermore, by reducing the volume prior to installation, consumers can transport in their own vehicles items of furniture which in use will be of a volume which would not be transportable in an average sized family car.

Another advantage of the invention is that the stability of the item of furniture is enhanced by the location of the inflatable element to the base of the inner bag and substantially in the centre thettof.

The invention also facilitates selling this type of item of furniture in kits of parts where consumers can select a cover, a bag and an inflatable element. The provision of items of furniture in this state would again radically reduce transport costs.

Claims

Claims 1. An item of soft furniture comprising a bag, and located in

the bag an inflatable element, wherein the bag is filled with a flowable non gaseous material, wherein in use, the inflatable element is filled with a flowable material, and wherein when inflated the inflatable element occupies a proportion of the volume of the bag, a proportion of the bag being filled with the said flowable non-gaseous material, and when not in use the inflatable element may be deflated to reduce the total volume of the item of furniture.
2. An item of furniture according to Claim I, wherein when inflated the inflatable element occupies between ten and sixty percent of the volume of the item of furniture, the remaining fifty five to eight five percent being filled with said granular material.
3. An item of furniture according to Claim 2, wherein when inflated the inflatable element occupies between twenty five percent of the volume of the item of furniture, the other sixty percent of said volume being filled with said granular material.
4. An item of furniture according to Claim 3, wherein when inflated the inflatable element occupies in the region thirty percent of the volume of the item of furnitue, the remainder of the volume of the item of furniture being filled with said granular material.
5. An item of furniture according to any preceding claim, further comprising a sling and wherein the inflatable element is located in the sling.
6. An item of furniture according to Claim 5, wherein the sling is adjacent and attached to the bag.
7. An item of furniture according to Claim 6, wherein, when the bag is inflated the said sling projects into the bag and is surrounded on each side by the said granular material.
8. An item of furniture according to any preceding claim, wherein the flowable material with which inflatable element is filled is a fluid and/or a flowable solid material.
9. An item of furniture according to Claim 8, wherein the flowable solid material is a granular material.
10. An item of furniture according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the inflatable element is partially filled with a memory foam, which in one state is evacuated occupying a first volume and in another state occupies a second volume and is filled with the flowable material which is in a fluid ft)rm, and wherein the second volume is greater than the first volume.
11. An item of furniture according to any preceding claim, wherein the inflatable element includes a means for introducing flowable material into the said inflatable element.
12. An item of furniture according to Claim 11, wherein the means for introducing flowable material into the inflatable element comprises a valve, and wherein the valve is a pressure operated non- return valve.
13. An item of furniture according to Claim 12, wherein the pressure operated valve is a non-return valve.
14. An item of furniture according to any preceding claim, wherein the inflatable element is substantially cuboid in shape
15. An item of furniture according to any preceding claim, further comprising an outer cover.
16. A kit of parts for forming an item of furniture according to any preceding claim, the kit comprising: a) a bag including means for receiving an inflatable element; b) an inflatable element; and c) a quantity of granular material.
17. A kit of parts according to Claim 16, further comprising an air pump.
18. A kit of parts according to Claim 17, wherein the air pump delivers air at low pressure.
19. A kit of pans according to Claim 18, wherein the air pump is a hair dryer.
20. A kit of parts according to any of Claims 16 to 19, further comprising an outer cover.
21. An item of furniture substantially as shown in, and as described with reference to, the drawings.