Patent Grant
8500204
The present invention relates in general to the field of furniture and furniture assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to knock-down furniture which may be partially disassembled for compact and efficient packaging.
Historically, furniture was manufactured and packaged wholly assembled, where it was then shipped to various retailers or end users in a fully assembled condition. Particularly for end users, this method of delivery was preferred as no assembly was required. However, this method of manufacture has drawbacks in the current marketplace, as shipping of wholly assembled furniture leaves voids in the packaging, which add to the overall shipping cost per unit shipped. Although this method of delivery does remain a viable method, typically it is only utilized for high-end or specialty furniture.
A subset of this method is furniture that may be packaged in a predominantly assembled condition, but which may require connection of limited numbers of components. Furniture produced by these methods of manufacture are often referred to as knock-down or “K.D.” furniture.
K.D. furniture suffer from a number of disadvantages over fully assembled furniture. In the case of furniture such as chairs having a base assembly such as a rocker mechanism, it has been the practice to manufacture and sell such furniture with a permanently attached base assembly. The permanently attached base assembly limits the ability to compactly package the furniture, and is undesirable because of the costs associated with shipping such furniture with the resultant large packaging voids. In addition, the joints formed between the consumer assembled components are often not as strong as joints which are factory assembled. As a result, the furniture may not last as long or be as stable in use. Even if the consumer assembled components are as stable as those which may be factory assembled, many end-users have the perception that such joints are less secure.
The present invention has arisen to solve the need for articles of furniture which are capable of being shipped in a relatively compact manner, but which do not require complete assembly by the end user. The present invention solves this need while also alleviating the concerns, justified or not, that end user assembled components suffer from strength or longevity deficiencies.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing, in various embodiments, a partially assembled article of furniture, such as a rocking chair or rocking couch, that may be compactly and efficiently packaged for transportation while enabling the connection of joints that are secure and stable over the life of the article.
A ready to assemble article of furniture is described in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The article includes a base component for supporting the assembled article on a surface. A first support frame is coupled to the base component by a pair of spaced apart springs securing the first support frame in spaced apart relationship to the base component; First and second brackets are attached to the first support frame in spaced relationship. An occupant supporting component supports an occupant when secured to the base component. A second support frame is arranged underlying the occupant supporting component and coupled thereto. Third and fourth brackets are attached to the second support frame in spaced apart relationship, the first bracket connectable with the third bracket and the second bracket connectable with the fourth bracket when the supporting component is assembled to the base component.
The first bracket includes a projection and the third bracket includes an opening for receiving the projection when the supporting component is assembled to the base component. The second bracket includes an opening and the fourth bracket includes an opening aligned with the second bracket opening when the supporting component is assembled to the base component.
An article of furniture is described in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The article includes a base component for supporting the article of furniture on a surface. A first support is attached to the base component. A pair of spaced apart coiled springs attaches the first support frame and the base component in spaced apart relationship. First, second, third and fourth brackets are attached to the first support frame in opposing pairs; the first and second brackets each including a projection and the third and fourth brackets each including an opening. An occupant supporting component is provided for supporting an occupant. A second support frame is attached to the occupant supporting component. Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth brackets are attached to the second support frame in opposing pairs, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth brackets each including an opening. The occupant supporting component secured to the base component by (i) the projections of the first and second brackets received with the opening of the fifth and sixth brackets, (ii) the openings of the third and seventh brackets being aligned and the openings of the fourth and eighth brackets being aligned, and (iii) a fastener received with the aligned openings of the fifth and sixth brackets and the seventh and eighth brackets.
A ready to assemble article of furniture includes a base component for supporting the assembled article on a surface. An occupant supporting component is provided for supporting an occupant when secured to the base component. A plurality of first brackets is coupled to the base component or the occupant supporting component and a plurality of second brackets is coupled to the occupant supporting component or the base component. One of the first brackets includes a projection for engagement with an opening in one of the second brackets, and another one of the first brackets includes an opening for alignment with another one of the second brackets for securing the base component to the occupant supporting component.
The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and methods of operation, together with features objects, and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following paragraphs are described the preferred embodiments of the furniture assembly in accordance with the present invention. In describing the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. Where like elements have been depicted in multiple embodiments, identical reference numerals have been used in the multiple embodiments for ease of understanding.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, there is shown in
In the illustrated example, the chair 102 generally includes an occupant supporting component 104, a base component 106 and a connecting assembly 108. The occupant supporting component 104 is in the nature of a bucket type seat having a back rest portion 110, and an intregally formed seat portion 112. A connecting assembly support frame 114 is attached underlying the seat portion of the occupant supporting component 104. Optionally, the chair 102 may include side arms 116.
The base component 106, as further illustrated in
The resulting construction of the base component 106 provides the leg frames 118 spaced apart by cross braces 121 and connected to the connecting assembly support frame 124 by means of the pair of coiled springs 122. This provides the article of furniture 100 having the capability of rocking by virtue of the coiled springs 122. However, this is only one example of an article of furniture to which the present invention pertains. In this regard, it is not required that a rocking mechanism be employed in an article of furniture embodying the connecting assembly 108 as to be described hereinafter.
Turning to
The connecting assembly 108 will now be described with respect to
The connecting assembly 108 further includes a pair of spaced apart angle brackets 144, see
Although the angle brackets 144, 150 have been described as being attached to the connecting assembly support frame 114, the brackets may be attached to other portions of the occupant supporting component 104 thereby eliminating the support frame. For example, the angle brackets 144, 150 can be secured to bracing members underlying the seat portion 112. Likewise, the angle brackets 134 and tab brackets 140 can be secured to other portions of the base component 106 other than the connecting assembly support frame 124, depending upon its construction. It is therefore only required that the brackets 134, 140, 144, 150 be attached to the occupant supporting component 104 and base component 106 in a manner which allows for their alignment and connection during the assembly process.
Turning to
The use of the connecting assembly 108 in an article of furniture 100 enables the shipping of articles in a partially disassembled state, while permitting its assembly by the consumer in a simple manner which ensures the integrity and long use of the article without unintended disconnection. In this regard, the connecting assembly 108 attaches the base component 106 to the occupant supporting component 104 in a manner as effective and secure as if these components were fully assembled at the factory. The limited assembly only requires minimum effort by the consumer which can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. If necessary, the consumer can disassemble the base component 106 from the occupant supporting component 104 for any desired reason, such as storage or shipment to another location if desired.
The connecting assembly 108 has been described as comprising four brackets secured to the connecting assembly support frame 114 and four aligned brackets connected to the connecting assembly support frame 124. However, it is to be understood that any lesser or greater number of brackets may be employed in accordance with the present invention. For example, six brackets arrange in a triangular arrangement may be used, such as a pair of tab brackets 140 and a single angle bracket 134.
Referring now to
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. For example, as shown in
It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120049591 A1 | Mar 2012 | US |
