Patent Application
20220104623
The present invention relates to a furniture item configured for ease of assembly and disassembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sofa configured for ease of assembly and disassembly.
A very common item of furniture used in homes is a sofa. Sofas are intended to seat two or more people in long-term comfort (e.g. seated in comfort over the course of several hours such as an evening or afternoon), and are therefore usually constructed with a large robust framework and deep and thick upholstery and cushioning. While this adds greatly to the comfort, this generally makes them a bulky and heavy item. Sofas tend to be a relatively highly-priced item, and are therefore usually purchased after careful consideration, and with the intention of retaining the sofa for an extended period—a number of years.
The bulk and weight of the sofa is usually not an issue as long as the sofa can remain in one position for extended periods of time. However, the bulk and weight of a typical sofa can cause issues for retailers, who will typically not hold a large volume of stock as this requires valuable storage space, and who need to move their stock frequently as and when it is sold. Similarly, although people will not usually wish to move their furniture once it is in position, there are certain demographics who tend to move more frequently than others, and who will potentially have more difficulty than others in transporting items such as sofas from one place to another, due to a number of factors. For example, younger people usually rent, and therefore move more frequently than homeowners. Younger people also tend to live in more inaccessible locations such as flats, many of which are not on the ground floor. This demographic is also likely to have more limited access to suitable vehicle transport. These factors mean that the transport of large and bulky items such as their sofa can be difficult due to the weight and size of the item, but the owners will be unwilling to sell or discard these items as they potentially represent a considerable investment, both financially and in terms of effort and trouble in acquisition.
A number of modular or ready-to-assemble furniture items are already known.
US2012/0146382, US2012/0217784, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,162 all show and describe sofas that have a base with detachable/attachable arms and back. US2012/0146382 shows and describes sofa that can be assembled or disassembled without the use of tools. When un-assembled, the base frame can be used for storage of the arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,123,623 shows and describes a modular design, and notes that the base compartment can be used for storage.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a furniture item configured for ease of assembly and disassembly which goes some way to overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public or industry with a useful choice.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sofa configured for ease of assembly and disassembly which goes some way to overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public or industry with a useful choice.
The term “comprising” as used in this specification and indicative independent claims means “consisting at least in part of”. When interpreting each statement in this specification and indicative independent claims that includes the term “comprising”, features other than that or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as “comprise” and “comprises” are to be interpreted in the same manner.
As used herein the term “and/or” means “and” or “or”, or both.
As used herein “(s)” following a noun means the plural and/or singular forms of the noun.
Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention may broadly be said to consist in a furniture item, comprising: a base portion; a pair of arms, and; a back portion; the arms and back portion configured to detachably connect to the base portion to form a seat shape capable of receiving one or more people in a seated position; the base portion, arms, and back portion further comprising connection means configured so that the arms and back portion can quickly and easily connect and disconnect from the base portion.
In an embodiment, the arm connection means comprises at least one set of fasteners comprising a female half and male half, one half of the at least one pair mounted on the side the base, the other half of the at least one pair mounted on the arm, for mutual connection of the arm to the base.
In an embodiment, the at least one set of fasteners comprises two or more sets of fasteners at each side of the base.
In an embodiment, the back portion connection means comprises at least one set of fasteners comprising a female half and male half, one half of the at least one pair mounted on the back portion, the other half of the at least one pair mounted on the arm portion.
In an embodiment, the at least one set of fasteners comprises two or more sets of fasteners at each side of the back portion.
In an embodiment, the fasteners are located on the base, the arm or arms, and the back portion, so that when the furniture item is fully assembled the fasteners are concealed by the arms and base.
In an embodiment, the fasteners comprise V-shaped male and female portions each having a narrow end and a wide end, the narrow end of the male portion slotting into the wider end or mouth of the female portion in use to make progressive engagement between the halves.
In an embodiment, the furniture item further comprises a plurality of legs, the legs and base configured for mutual connection of the legs to the underside of the base.
In an embodiment, each of the legs comprises an externally threaded upper portion and the underside of the base comprises complimentary internally threaded apertures, the legs screwing one into each of the apertures in use.
In an embodiment, the base is further configured to comprise an internal pocket configured to receive the un-mounted legs for storage and transport.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realised that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings which show an embodiment of the device by way of example, and in which:
Embodiments of the invention, and variations thereof, will now be described in detail with reference to the figures.
In an embodiment, the furniture item of the present invention comprises a sofa 1, as shown in
The sofa 1 comprises five main parts: a base 2, arms 3, a back 4, seat cushions 5, and legs 6. The base 2, arms 3, back 4, and legs 6 are interconnected during assembly of the sofa 1 to form the sofa 1.
Fasteners 7 are used to connect the arms 3 to the base 2, and the back 4 to the arms 3. The fasteners 7 comprise a female half 7a and a male half 7b, formed as a semi-conical V-shape, the male ‘V’ slotting into the female ‘V’ from above to make the connection. The use of these ‘V’ elements allows quick and easy assembly and disassembly. The thinner end of the male element can be easily and quickly positioned over the wider ‘mouth’ of the female element and then moved into engagement, the ‘V’s of the bodies progressively engaging as the male and female halves are slotted together.
The base 2 comprises a substantially flat, rectangular board, configured to hold the weight of the arms 3, back 4, and cushions 5, plus the weight of at least two people seated on the assembled sofa. Female fasters 7a are connected to each of the side edges of the base 2, at or towards the front and rear ends, these allowing attachment of the arms 3 to the base 2. The base 2 further comprises a rear ridge 8, which is configured to connect with the lower edge of the back 4. Back 4 conceals the fittings 7b on the recessed outer edge, providing structural integrity whilst hiding the fixing mechanisms. Holes or apertures 9 are located on the underside or bottom surface of the base 2, at or towards each corner, to allow attachment of the legs 6. The holes are threaded to allow the legs 6 to be screwed into the holes 6, the legs 6 having complimentary external threading on their upper part to allow the connection.
The arms 3 comprise cushions that are robust enough to hold their own weight and form. In the preferred embodiment, the arms 3 have an internal rigid frame covered with expanded foam, with a fabric covering. Two male base fasteners 7b are connected to the inside-facing surface of the arm 3 at or towards the front and rear ends of the arm 3, to slot into the female fasteners 7a on the side edges of the base 2. The fasteners are positioned so that the body of the base and arms will conceal these once connected.
The back 4 comprises a single elongate cushion element formed in the same or a similar manner to the arms 3. The lower edge of the back 4 rests on and engages with the rear ridge 8 when assembled.
The arms 3 further comprise female back fasteners 17b, located in the preferred embodiment above the rear base fasteners 7b. Two male back fasteners (not shown) are located on each side of the back 4, and slot into and engage with these female back fasteners when the sofa 1 is assembled. The fasteners are positioned so that the body of the back and arms will conceal these once connected.
The sofa cushions 5 comprise seat cushions and, in the preferred embodiment, rear cushions. These sit on the top of the base 2 and against the back 4 in use.
When brand-new or newly purchased, the sofa 1 will typically be delivered unassembled, ready for first assembly. It will also typically be unassembled or disassembled when the owners or users move from one home to another, and then re-assembled once they are at the new location.
Described below are the typical assembly steps.
Firstly, the legs 6 are screwed into the threaded apertures 9 on the underside of the base 2. The base 2 is then placed upright so that it rests on it's legs 6 on the floor.
The arms 3 are then connected to the base via the male and female connectors 7a, 7b on the arms 3 and side of the base 2.
The back 4 is then slotted into position, connecting to the arms 3 via the female back fasteners 17b.
The cushions 5 are then positioned on the base 2.
The sofa 1 is at this point ready for use.
To dis-assemble the sofa, the cushions 5 are removed, the back 4 is lifted up and out of engagement with the female back fasteners 17b, the arms 3 are lifted up and out of engagement with the fasteners 7b on the base 2, and the base 2 is lifted up so that the legs 6 can be unscrewed and removed.
As outlined in the embodiment described above, the legs 6 are the only non-bulky or non-large element that is separable from the other items. In the preferred embodiment, a closeable pocket is formed in the underside of the base 2, into which the legs 6 can be placed for storage during transport or similar.
It can be seen that assembly and dis-assembly of the sofa 1 as an embodiment of the present invention does not require tools. The use of male/female connection elements as described above allows quick and easy connection, and these are hidden when the connection is made, to conceal the connection.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1900446.4 | Jan 2019 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2020/000001 | 1/9/2020 | WO | 00 |
