WO2001058314A1

WO2001058314A1 - Articles of furniture

Info

Publication number: WO2001058314A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/000114
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jonathan De Jong
Original assignee: Jonathan De Jong
Priority date: 2000-02-07
Filing date: 2001-02-07
Publication date: 2001-08-16
Also published as: AUPQ556000A0

Abstract

A sofa (10) is provided as components in a box (11). The sofa (10) comprises a base (12), a back (13), arms (14) and optional cushions (15). The sofa (10) is compact in storage and transport, assembles easily, is inexpensive and versatile because separate covers are provided.

Description

ARTICLES OF FURNITURE TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to articles of furniture such as chairs and sofas. BACKGROUND The object of the invention is to provide to a purchaser an item of furniture as a compact kit of components which the purchaser can easily assemble and then fit loose covers over. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an article of furniture comprising: a base in which is formed first sets of through openings on opposite sides of the base; a pair of arms, each arm having second through openings which cooperate with half of the first through openings, each arm having at least one third opening formed in an internal facing side; a back having opposite laterally disposed fourth sets of through openings which cooperate with the third openings; and fasteners for passing through each cooperating pair of openings. There is also provided an article of furniture comprising: a frame in which is formed a pair of oppositely disposed arm cavities which extend vertically and open onto an upper surface of the frame and a vertical back cavity which also opens onto the upper surface, and two arms and a back which are adapted to be inserted into the arm and back cavities respectively. In another aspect of the invention there is provided a packaged article comprising: a closed box, and within the box an inverted base of an article of furniture within which is located a back of said article, two arms of said article being located above the base, the base, back and arms each having cooperating through openings which admit fasteners which are used for assembling the article.

The invention also provides a method of doing business comprising: offering at a wholesale or retail level, an article as defined above. All the components of the sofa may be compactly contained within a large cardboard box allowing easy storage, handling and transportation. Loose covers may be purchased in clear plastic bags or cardboard boxes. The unassembled sofa and the cushions may be purchased separately. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a box containing the base, back, arm and cushion components for a sofa; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a sofa base frame;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the base frame depicted in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the base frame depicted in Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an arm frame; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the arm frame depicted in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is another side elevation of the arm frame depicted in Figs. 5 and 6; Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a sofa back frame; Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the back frame depicted in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the back frame depicted in Figs. 8 and 9; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a sofa being assembled;

Fig. 12 is a front elevation of a sofa with arms assembled and having a back frame fitted; Fig. 13 is a front elevation of a sofa illustrating the fastening points; Fig. 14 is an exploded front elevation of another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 15 is a front elevation of an assembled sofa illustrating the fastening points;

Fig. 16 is a partial cross section illustrating the assembly of components; Fig. 17 is a front elevation, partially cross-sectioned, illustrating the insertion of the arm bolts from an exterior insertion point; Fig. 18 is a top plan view of a base frame according to a further embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 19 is a front perspective view of a sofa made in accordance with the depiction provided in Fig. 18. BEST MODE AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION As shown in Fig. 1 , a sofa 10 may be provided in kit form within a packaging container such as a cardboard box 11. It will be understood that the teachings of the invention extend to chairs and sofas of all sizes and styles and offer benefits to wholesalers, retailers and their customers. The primary components of the sofa 10 comprise a base 12, a back 13, two arms 14 and in this example, two seat cushions 15. To achieve a compact packaging, the back 13 fits entirely within the open bottom 16 of the inverted base 12 and the two seat cushions 15 fit between the arms 14. It is intended that a sofa provided in this way will not necessarily be packaged with an ornamental cover, rather that the main cover and cushion covers will be provided separately according to customer taste and preference.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the base 12 includes a base frame 20 which is preferably assembled from timber or composite frame elements 21. The upper lateral or side frame elements 22 of the base frame 20 are provided with through openings 23 located toward each side edge, which as will be explained, are used in the assembly of the sofa by the purchaser, assembler or user. In general, wood elements are used to construct the base frame 20 but it will be understood that other materials may be selected according to structural performance, cost and weight. The base frame 20 preferably includes full length sheeting 24 across the front and various structural reinforcing elements 25, as required. In due course of manufacture of this example, the base frame 20 will be provided with springs a foam exterior covering and a cotton final cover.

As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the arms of the sofa comprise arm frames 50 which are eventually covered with textile, foam or fabric coverings. In this example, the arm frame 50 is fabricated from contoured wooden end sheets 51 which are interconnected by wooden ribs 52 and a bottom plank 53. Along an interior surface 54, a rib 55 is positioned flush with the interior facing surface 54 and provided with through openings 56 which will be utilised during the assembly of the finished article. Similarly, the bottom plank 53 is provided with through openings 57 which will also be used during assembly to attach the arm 14 to the base 12. In this example, the shape of the arm 14 requires that ribs 52 defining the curved upper extent 58 of the arm be disposed so that they radiate from an imaginary central axis 59. It will be understood that various styles of arm frame 50 may be provided, but that each will generally be characterised with the provision of through openings like 56 and 57 on an interior facing rib and bottom plank. As shown in Figs. 8 to 10, a sofa back 13 is fabricated from a back frame 80. In this example, the back frame 80 comprises a unitary timber or composite sheet 81 which generally defines the plan form of the sofa back 13. The back frame 80 further comprises lateral supports 82 which extend generally at right angles and rearwardly from the back surface of the sheet 81. A stiffening member 83 may be used to interconnect the tops of the lateral supports 82 with the back surface of the sheet 81. The laterally disposed supports 82 are each provided with through openings 84 which, as will be explained, are used to facilitate the joining of the arms 14 to the back 13. In due course, the back frame 80 will be covered with textile or foam material as required. In preferred embodiments, the back construction is solid timber. Other embodiments include sprung backs which use steel springs, or elastic, rubber or woven webbing. The back cushions may be integrated with the back frame 81 during assembly or may be provided as separate and distinct articles, preferably for incorporation within the packaging box 11.

As shown in Fig. 11 , the arms 14 (within which are the arm frames 50) are unpackaged and assembled with the base 12 (within which is the base frame 20). As shown here, it is convenient to lay the base 12 down so as to expose the underside of the through openings 23. In this example, the base frame 20 is provided with four pairs of through openings 23, two pairs (fore and aft) for each arm 14. In preferred embodiments and as shown in Fig. 16, bolts 160 are inserted through each of the through openings 23 and through the through openings 57 in the bottom of the arms 14 so that the arms 14 and base 12 may be joined by tightening the wing nuts 161 which thread onto the bolts 160. It will be appreciated that the exterior lateral sides 110 of the arms 14 are not covered. This allows either bolt insertion or wing nut tightening from the open side 110 of each arm. Once the arms 14 are attached to the base 12, as shown in Fig. 12, the back 13 may be located between the arms 14. The open lateral sides 110 allow bolts to be fitted through the through holes 56 formed in the interior sides of the arm 14 and also through the through holes 84 which are formed in the lateral supports 82 of the back 13.

As shown in Fig. 13, the base 12 is thus firmly secured to the arms 14 by four pairs of bolts 160. Similarly, and as shown in Fig. 17, the arms 14 are attached to the lateral supports of the back 13 by two pairs of bolts and wing nuts 170. At this point the sofa 10 is ready for covering. Seat cushions 15 may then be placed on the base 12, after being covered. In this example, a separate cover 130 is provided. In general, the main covers and cushion covers are provided separately and may be packaged in a cardboard box or plastic bag. Covers may be affixed with buttons, clips, zips or velcro etc. and are provided in each of the sizes in which the sofa is available, e.g. chair, two- seater, 2.5 seater, three seater, sofa bed, chase lounge etc. Covers may be provided in a variety of styles and materials and are preferably washable but may be also provided in non-washable or leather styles. In this way, covers may be easily replaced when worn, washed when dirty or replaced to suit interior design requirements.

Fig. 14 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention. In this example, the bottom 140 of each arm 14 is intended to rest on the floor and generally flush with the bottom 141 of the base 12. In order to accomplish this, the interconnection between the arm 14 and the base 12 is done by passing fasteners through openings 142 provided on the interior facing surface 143 of each arm and into matching openings 144 provided through the sides of the base 12. In this style of construction, the length of the base 12 is shortened relative to the overall length of the sofa so that the base 12 fits between rather than under the arms 14. A sofa constructed according to this technique is depicted in Fig. 15.

Another embodiment of the invention is depicted in Figs. 18 and 19. In this example, and as shown in Fig. 18, the base or frame 180 comprises a construction which incorporates vertical cavities which open onto the upper surface 181 of the base frame 181. Side cavities 182 are adapted to receive the arms 183 which are inserted from above and which extend at least partially into the cavities 182. Similarly, the back 184 fits into a cavity 185 which runs behind the seating area 186. In this example, the back 184 is depicted as fitting between the arms 183. It will be understood that the back 184 can extend along the entire rear edge 187, this alternate design requiring the arms 183 to fit between the back 184 and the front edge 188. As shown in Fig. 19, the arms e.g. 183 need not extend all the way to the underside 190 of the sofa. Instead, to conserve space and materials the arms may extend only partially 191 and be supported by braces 192. Preferably the portion inserted 194 is recessed with respect to the exterior face 195 of the arm so that the exterior side faces of the arm 183 and base 196 are flush. Similarly, the back 184 may extend only partially into its cavity as suggested by the dotted line 193. Although this example does not require the use of fasteners to provide structural strength, fasteners may be used to tighten or snug the components together. Like the other embodiments, this example is intended to be used with a separate cover. The present invention has been disclosed primarily with reference to a frame construction which relies on timber or particle board used in conjunction with wing nut fasteners. It will be appreciated that other forms of fasteners may be used including rivets, staples or screws. While it is possible to integrate the threaded portion of a fastener into some of the furniture components, this technique is thought to introduce additional cost and risk of damage during shipping. It will be appreciated that the various fixing holes described above are predrilled and slightly oversized so that bolts can easily slide through the pairs of openings which form the basic unit of connection. It will also be appreciated that the bases disclosed herein and particularly the base depicted in Fig. 11 show a non-sag spring construction. Other upholstery methods may also be employed such as elastic or rubber webbing, trampoline style bases or solid bases fabricated from any variety of materials.

In preferred embodiments which utilise non-sag springs, sack cloth is placed over the springs. To stop any rubbing through of material , a thin layer of foam may be used to cover the entire base over which a cotton undercover is then fitted, prior to assembly. It is also contemplated that the teachings of the present invention extend to both loose and fixed back cushions.

While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to particular sizes, styles and materials of construction, these will be understood as having been provided by way of example and not as limitations to the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An article of furniture comprising: a base in which is formed first sets of through openings on opposite sides of the base; a pair of arms, each arm having second through openings which cooperate with half of the first through openings, each arm having at least one third opening formed in an internal facing side; a back having opposite laterally disposed fourth sets of through openings which cooperate with the third openings; and fasteners for passing through each cooperating pair of openings.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein: the first sets of through openings are formed in upper frame elements toward each side edge; and the second through openings are formed in an interior facing surface of each arm.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein: the first sets of through openings are formed through sides of the base; and the second openings are formed in the interior facing surface of each arm.

4. The article of claim 3, wherein: a bottom surface of the base and a bottom surface of each arm are flush.

5. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: each of the first and second opening are provided in adjacent pairs.

6. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the back fits entirely within the base.

7. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: each arm includes an open exterior lateral side which allows the manipulation of fasteners used to connect he first openings with the second openings and the third openings with the fourth openings.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein: each arm is constructed from two end sheets which are connected by ribs and a bottom plank.

9. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the article is a sofa.

10. An article of furniture comprising: a frame in which is formed a pair of oppositely disposed arm cavities which extend vertically and open onto an upper surface of the frame and a vertical back cavity which also opens onto the upper surface, and two arms and a back which are adapted to be inserted into the arm and back cavities respectively.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein: the arms or back extend only partially into a cavity.

12. The article of claim 11 , wherein: each arm has a portion which is received by a cavity, that portion being recessed with respect to an exterior side face of the arm.

13. A packaged article comprising: a closed box, and within the box an inverted base of an article of furniture within which is located a back of said article, two arms of said article being located above the base, the base, back and arms each having cooperating through openings which admit fasteners which are used for assembling the article.

14. The package of claim 13, wherein: one or more cushions are located within the closed box and between the arms.

15. The package of either of claims 13 or 14, wherein: the article lacks a final covering.

16. A method of doing business comprising: offering at a wholesale or retail level, an article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 10 to 12 or 13 to 15.

17. The method of claim 16. wherein: the article is sold in conjunction with the offering for sale of a variety of cooperating covers.