Patent Application
20080265631
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Chinese Patent Application No. 200720119852.8, filed on Apr. 30, 2007.
The present invention relates to a foldable piece of furniture, and more particularly to an ottoman or footstool that can be readily disassembled and collapsed.
A variety of shapes and sizes of furniture, and in particular ottomans, footstools, and the like, have been developed over the years to provide comfort and decoration. Many consumers prefer furniture that is relatively inexpensive, multi-functional, easy to assemble, and easy to store and transport.
For those consumers who cannot afford many pieces of furniture, it is desirable to have furniture which can perform multiple functions. Although the primary function of an ottoman is as a footstool, it is desirable to have an ottoman that can serve additional functions, such as providing storage space.
Consumers expect furniture that is already assembled or can be easily assembled. Once assembled, however, most furniture cannot be easily disassembled. Most furniture is assembled using nails, screws, staples, epoxy, or some other type of relatively permanent fastener or fastening mechanism. This presents a challenge for consumers, especially when the furniture needs to be stored or transported from one location to another.
Shipping and packaging costs can substantially increase the cost of furniture to the consumer. In particular, an assembled piece of furniture typically has a non-solid shape that takes up a large amount of space during shipping and makes it difficult to maximize the space utilized in a truck or transport vehicle. The same physical features of furniture can make it difficult for a consumer to store and transport from location to location, for example when moving residences.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ottoman wherein the top cover is conveniently removable to access an interior storage space. It is another object of the present invention to provide an ottoman that is easily assembled and disassembled using only basic hand tools. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an ottoman that can be collapsed into an efficient and small package for transport and storage.
The present invention provides a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assembly, a bottom panel, and a top lid. The sidewall assembly comprises a number of sidewalls and a number of hinges, preferably an equal number, each hinge interconnecting adjacent sidewalls, enabling the sidewall assembly to be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state. The sidewall assembly has a bottom end and a top end, and a plurality of support members disposed near the bottom end. The bottom panel is preferably removably supported within the sidewall assembly by the support members, and the top lid is preferably removably supported by the top end of the sidewall assembly. The foldable ottoman can have various geometric shapes, including any polygon, such as a square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, or higher, or can have a large number of sides so as to simulate a circle.
The present invention also provides a method of assembling a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assembly, a bottom panel, a top lid, and plurality of support members. The sidewall assembly has a number of sidewalls interconnected by flexible hinges, and is moved from a collapsed state to a deployed state by pivoting the adjacent sidewalls about the flexible hinges into the desired geometric shape corresponding to the number of sidewalls. The support members are removably installed near a bottom end of the sidewall assembly, the bottom panel is inserted into an interior space within the sidewall assembly to be removably supported by the support members, and the top lid is placed onto a top end of the sidewall assembly to be supported thereon.
Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, when considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings briefly described below.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the invention. However, it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings.
The present invention provides an article that can be readily assembled for use as a piece of furniture and can readily be disassembled into an easily portable package for transport and storage, such as a generally flat or rolled up configuration. Although particular reference is made herein to an ottoman, the article can function equally as a coffee table, end table, or other similar piece of furniture.
As shown in
In an example, as depicted in
When the ottoman 10 is deployed for use, the side assembly 20 in a first illustrated embodiment is configured into a generally square shape as shown in
The hinges 24 can be made from any mechanism capable of providing sufficient flexing such as between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. In an embodiment, the hinges 24 are made from a fabric or web of material fastened to the inner face 26 of each of the adjacent sidewalls 22. A fabric hinge 24 has the advantages of full flexibility over its entire range, light weight, and resistance to fatigue failure over long-term use. In addition, fabric hinges 24 permit a small amount of flex in the overall dimensions of the deployed sidewall assembly 20 so as to permit a snug fit of the bottom panel 30 and top lid 40 when the ottoman 10 is assembled. Nevertheless, other hinges 24 may equivalently be used to join the sidewalls 22 together, including piano hinges and/or other mechanical hinges known in the art.
As depicted, particularly in
Each of the sidewalls can be solid, as shown for example in
The bottom panel 30 preferably has a shape that closely matches the shape of the sidewall assembly 20 when deployed, having a number of edges 36 matching the number of sidewalls 22 in the sidewall assembly 20. In the illustrated embodiment, when the ottoman 10 is deployed for use, the bottom panel 30 is inserted into an interior space 56 within the sidewall assembly 20, with each edge 36 in close proximity to the inner face 26 of a corresponding sidewall 22. As shown in detail in
In the depicted embodiment, the support members 32 are pegs having a stepped diameter including a narrower portion 36 for inserting into the aperture 34 and a wider portion 38 for protruding inwardly from the inner face 26 of the sidewall 22. It is also contemplated that the apertures 34 can include an internal thread, and the narrower portion 36 of each peg 32 can include a corresponding external thread for securing the peg 32 within the aperture 34. Alternatively, the support members 32 can be other similar mechanical devices known in the art that can be removably secured to protrude from the inside face 26 of the sidewalls 22 by any reversible means known in the art, including but not limited to a compression fit, nails, screws, shelving supports, or hook and loop fasteners. Still further, the support members 32 can be a ledge or flange attached to or formed integrally with the sidewalls 22 and onto which the bottom panel 30 rests. While the illustrated embodiment shows the support members 32 attached to the sidewalls 22, it is also contemplated that the support members 32 could be outward protrusions formed on the bottom panel 30 that engage with recesses or ledges on the inner surfaces 26 of the sidewalls 22.
The top lid 40 can have any shape and preferably includes a downwardly extending locator 44 that closely matches the shape of the sidewall assembly 20 when deployed, the locator 44 having a number of edges 46 matching the number of sidewalls 22 in the sidewall assembly 20. The locator 44 can be a continuous extension formed on the lid 40, such as a downwardly projecting lip, or may be a plurality of flanges extending downwardly from the lid 40 to locate the lid with respect to the sidewall assembly 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the top lid 40 includes a brim 46 extending outwardly from the periphery of the locator 44 to rest on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22 when the ottoman 10 is assembled. When the ottoman 10 is deployed for use, the brim 46 of the top lid 40 is supported on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22 and the locator 44 is inserted into the sidewall assembly 20, with each edge 46 in close proximity to the inner face 26 of the corresponding sidewall 22, as shown in detail in
To deploy the ottoman 10 in the illustrated embodiment, beginning with the component parts in a disassembled state, the following steps are taken. The sidewall assembly 20 is transitioned from its collapsed state, where pairs of sidewalls 22 lie generally flat on one another, to a generally deployed state, where the four sidewalls 22 are disposed at angles of approximately 90 degrees as interconnected by the hinges 24. The sidewall assembly 10 is placed on the floor or on another generally horizontal surface with the bottom ends 50 of the sidewalls 22 oriented downward and the top ends 52 oriented upward. Each sidewall 22 has at least one aperture 34, each aperture 34 adapted for removably receiving a peg 32. The pegs 32 are inserted into the apertures 34, and the bottom panel 30 is inserted into the interior space 56 within the sidewall assembly 20 at the open top end 52 thereof, until the bottom panel 30 is supported by the plurality of pegs 32. The close fit between the edges 36 of the bottom panel 30 and the inner faces 26 of the sidewalls 22 provides stability to the structure and shape of the ottoman 10. Finally, the top lid 40 is positioned on the top end 52 of the sidewall assembly 20 so that the locator 44 sits inside the sidewall assembly 20 surrounded by the inner faces 26 of the sidewalls 22 and the brim 46 rests on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22. To return the ottoman 10 to a collapsed state, the preceding steps can simply be done in reverse order.
Although the ottoman 10 described above comprises a sidewall assembly 20 having four sidewalls 22 of approximately equal dimensions, other embodiments of an ottoman are envisioned. As depicted in
In general, an ottoman having any number of sides can be made that is readily assembled for use and is readily collapsed into generally flat component parts. As depicted in
In addition, an ottoman having a large number of sides can be made to resemble a circular shape while still being readily assembled and collapsible into easily transportable and stowable component parts. As depicted in
Although the depicted embodiments each have all the sidewalls attached with a hinge, it is contemplated that one set of adjacent sidewalls may have a removable attachment, such as hook and loop fasteners. In this embodiment, the sidewalls would be arranged into to desired shape and the final sidewalls interconnected.
While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certain preferred embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims and equivalents thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200720119852.8 | Apr 2007 | CN | national |
