The present disclosure relates to furniture accessories, and for example, to a sofa conversion frame for converting a bed into a sofa.
Traditional beds of various different configurations use mattresses that do not fold and provide a comfortable environment for sleeping. The “traditional bed” refers to a bed comprising a conventional manufactured mattress that may or may not be placed together with a box spring and a standard two rail bed frame with or without a headboard and footer attached. However, the size of the traditional bed tends to occupy much of the available space in a room, for example a bedroom, hotel room, or studio apartment, leaving little room for other furniture such as a sofa. Several different solutions have been proposed to minimize the required space for a bed or to increase the functional aspects thereof.
A sofa, which is also referred to as a couch or settee or divan, is a piece of furniture for seating two or more persons in the form of a seating area with a back and armrests for two or more people, that maybe partly or wholly upholstered, and often fitted with springs and tailored cushions. Although a sofa is used primarily for seating and is normally used in living spaces such as, but not limited to, homes.
One solution involves a conventional sofa bed, which is also referred to as a sleeper sofa. This typically comprises a sofa that converts to a bed using a foldable internal frame and an unconventional foldable mattress that stores below the cushioned seat of the sofa. It is generally recognized that when configured as a sofa it is a piece of furniture for seating two or more persons in the general form of a bench, with armrests, that may or may not be cushioned and/or upholstered. The internal frame and mattress contained in the sofa can be unfolded and configured to form a bed. The sofa bed is a space saving piece of furniture, but due to additional hardware and mattress, it is very heavy and unwieldy to move.
Another solution resides in futons. A futon is typically a foldable frame having an unconventional foldable mattress. The frame and mattress can be folded into a “sofa configuration” or unfolded to a “bed configuration”. This is another sofa/bed combination maximizing living space. However, futons can be daunting to assemble, especially for the foldable frame where the rollers or sliders have to be installed in corresponding grooves.
Due to the above, the present applicant has determined that it would be a benefit in the art of furniture and furniture accessories to provide a space saving and dual function system, establishing a new product category with minimal assembly hassles and/or placement thereof referred to as “the bed to a sofa conversion frame” that converts a traditional bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, into a sofa. A conventional manufactured mattress is defined as a mattress manufactured for traditional beds, such as but not limited to twin size, full size, queen size, king size, and other bed sizes manufactured for beds and is not configured to be folded when converted into the sofa.
Additionally, the usage of either a sofa bed or a futon requires the user to purchase and install either article of furniture. Most consumers already have a bed and the present applicant has determined that it would be desirable to provide multiple functionality for the traditional bed, comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, allowing it to be used for additional furniture purposes without having to purchase or otherwise acquire and install additional pieces of furniture.
An improvement to the known embodiments, described above, is a frame that can easily convert a stand-alone traditional bed into a sofa (bed to a sofa conversion frame) may have a benefit by creating a dual purpose for a traditional bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,332,973.
To conserve space, some sofas double as beds in the form of sofa-beds, daybeds, futons, or the bed to a sofa conversion frame, which enables a bed to double as a sofa. The assembly of their frames can be made out of wood, metal, composite materials (e.g., resin), or a combination thereof. The assembly connections are completed through various means of nuts, bolts, joint connectors, glues, or a combination thereof.
An exemplary embodiment of a “bed to a sofa conversion frame” is a separate frame that, when combined with a traditional bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, will allow the traditional bed to function as a sofa. An exemplary embodiment of a frame includes a backrest, a footer (optional) and a pair of armrests configured as a solid state and or to be assembled together to form a sofa frame around a traditional bed. The separate frame does not include a standard seating area, as that function is performed by the traditional bed, after conversion.
An exemplary embodiment of a “bed to a sofa conversion frame” is a stand-alone frame, the frame being configured to convert a bed comprising a conventional manufactured mattress into a sofa, the frame including a backrest having backrest connectors at opposite ends thereof, a footer having footer connectors at opposite ends thereof, a pair of armrests forming a base, each armrest having a rear armrest connector configured to connect to a backrest connector at one end of the backrest and each armrest having a front armrest connector configured to connect to a footer connector at one end of the footer, and a space defined by the backrest, footer, and armrests, the space configured to be filled by the conventional manufactured mattress, wherein the backrest, footer and armrests, as a unitary piece or when connected together to form an assembled frame, form a frame configured for surrounding the bed to convert the bed into a sofa such that at least a portion of an upper surface area of the bed forms a seating area of the sofa, wherein the frame is a stand-alone frame separate from the bed, and wherein the backrest comprises a horizontally-extending backrest ridge configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a mattress.
In an embodiment, the footer may include a horizontally-extending footer ridge configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a conventional manufactured mattress or a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring. In an embodiment, the armrests may include a horizontally-extending armrest ridge configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a conventional manufactured mattress or a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring. In an embodiment, the backrest ridge has a support surface and the footer has a top surface, the backrest ridge support surface may be at the same height as the footer top surface.
In an embodiment, the backrest ridge, the armrest ridges and/or the footer ridges may be formed as a structure protruding from the backrest, the arm rests or the footer, respectively. In an embodiment, the backrest ridge, the arm rest ridges and/or the footer ridges may be formed as a groove in the backrest, the arm rests and/or the footer, respectively.
In an embodiment, the frame allows a traditional bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, to be used as both a bed and a sofa, without folding of the mattress.
In an embodiment, the pair of armrests forms a base for connecting the backrest and the footer via connectors, for example, corresponding mounting hardware and mounting slots. Both the backrest and the footer may be, individually, one solid piece, individual pieces connected by connectors, for example, brackets. Both the backrest and the footer may be, individually, detachable and foldable to provide easy breakdown and storage. In an embodiment, the frame may be one unitary piece, or an assembled frame that is not intended to be readily disassembled. For example, an assembled frame that is not intended to be readily disassembled may include a frame where disassembly results in permanent damage to connectors, to the frame or to a covering material. In an embodiment, the footer is not incorporated as a component of the frame. In an embodiment, the armrests can include an extension or an attached bracket to anchor the armrests and backrest to the bed.
These and other features and functions of embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a “bed to a sofa conversion frame,” generally referred to in the drawings by reference number 10, for converting a bed into a sofa.
As shown in the exemplary embodiments of
The example of the backrest 20 includes a backrest ridge 25. The backrest ridge 25 may be a horizontally-extending backrest ridge configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a conventional manufactured mattress. The backrest ridge may be formed as a structure protruding from the backrest. The backrest ridge may be formed as a groove in the backrest.
The footer may include a horizontally-extending footer ridge 35 configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a conventional manufactured mattress. The footer ridge 35 may be formed as a structure protruding from the footer 30. The footer ridge 35 may be formed as a groove in the footer 30.
The examples of the armrests 40, 50 may each include a horizontally-extending armrest ridge (not shown) configured to hold, directly or indirectly, a mattress. The armrest ridge may be formed as a structure protruding from the armrest(s) 40, 50. The armrest ridge may be formed as a groove in the armrest(s) 40, 50.
In an embodiment, the backrest ridge 25 has a support surface and the footer has a top surface, the backrest ridge support surface being at the same height as the footer top surface. In this manner, the backrest ridge 25 and the footer top surface can hold supports parallel to the ground.
The backrest ridge 25 may be permanently attached or detachably attached to the frame 10. The backrest ridge 25 may be configured to hold a support structure, such as wooden slats, that could support a mattress (and the weight of a person or persons using the mattress). The backrest ridge 25 allows the conversion frame 10 to hold and convert a conventional manufactured mattress into a sofa. The backrest ridge 25 may extend along the entire or substantially the entire (e.g., at least 80%) of the length of the backrest 20. The backrest ridge 25 may be in the form of two or three or more independent ridges horizontally extending alone the length of the backrest 20, with or without gaps there between.
In an embodiment, the backrest 20 may vertically extend to the ground, to the backrest ridge 25, or to a level between the ground and backrest ridge 25.
To show the flexibility of various embodiments of the disclosure, an example of the bed to a sofa conversion frame 10 is that it can be configured for easy assembly, disassembly and storage. As shown in the exemplary embodiments of
Referring to the exemplary embodiments of
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In an embodiment, an armrest 40, 50 may connect to the backrest 20 and/or the footer 30 from the inside, outside, the end or a combination of points of each. Further, the armrest 40, 50 may connect to the backrest 20 and/or the footer 30 through connectors made of metal (e.g., hooks, nuts and bolts, screws, joints, mechanical locking systems), wood (e.g., dowels, joints, mechanical locking systems), composite materials, or any combination thereof. Connectors may be permanent or may be detachable pieces.
In an embodiment, the armrests may act as supports for connecting a backrest, but may not act as armrests, for example, not rising above the height of the upper surface of the bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, for example the upper surface of the mattress regardless of configuration. In an embodiment, the height of the armrests may be adjustable in relation to the upper surface of the mattress. In an embodiment, the length of the backrest and/or footer may be adjustable to allow the frame to be configured to various size beds, for example various size mattresses. In an embodiment, the connectors or structure of the armrests and/or backrests may be adjustable to allow, for example, the backrest to recline to various positions. In an embodiment, the connectors or structure of the armrest and/or footer may be adjustable to allow, for example, the footer to move and/or angle up so that the footer acts as a footrest for a seated user.
In an embodiment, the sofa conversion frame 10 converts an existing bed B comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, into a sofa. In an embodiment, the frame allows for a tool-less configuration for connecting the parts together results in a relatively easy assembly and disassembly while the foldable backrest 20 and footer 30 allows for easy storage with minimal space.
It is to be understood that the sofa conversion frame 10 encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, the sofa conversion frame 10 may be made from, for example, wood, plastic, steel and/or composites, and covered or not by fabrics. For example, other types of tool-less or substantially tool-less connecting configurations are alternatives, such as, for example, tongue and groove configurations, locking pins, wing nuts, or presenting the frame as a solid state unit, etc.
Additionally, it is understood that the sofa conversion frame 10 may be used in combination with any suitable desired accessories or other articles of furniture. For example, backrest 20 may be used in combination with, or include, for example, as a unitary article, a set of drawers, a cabinet or the like, allowing the frame 10 to incorporate storage functionality. It should be understood that any desired storage space or other suitable article of furniture may be incorporated into frame 10 without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.
In an embodiment, the frame is provided without a mattress support structure. In an embodiment, the footer contacts the front face of the mattress. In an embodiment, the frame and/or pieces thereof may have curved and/or cushioned surfaces.
In an embodiment, the frame may include, optionally as a unitary article, a storage feature, which includes, for example, set of drawers, shelves, a cabinet or the like, positioned in at least one armrest and/or the backrest, allowing the frame to incorporate storage functionality.
Throughout this disclosure embodiments of a frame have been discussed. The disclosure further contemplates that all embodiments that directed to convert a traditional bed comprising i) a conventional manufactured mattress, or ii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a box spring, or iii) a conventional manufactured mattress and a two rail frame, optionally with a box spring, into a sofa, means it is applicable to convert a bed that may comprise just a mattress, or just a mattress and box spring, just a mattress and bed frame, or just a mattress, box spring and bed frame. Further, the embodiments are also applicable to a bed that also has decorative features, such as a decorative frame.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
The present application is claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/859,649, filed on Jul. 29, 2013. The entire contents of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/859,649 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61859649 | Jul 2013 | US |