Patent Application
20050200250
The present invention relates generally to modular furniture and more specifically to furniture member connectors, modular furniture systems, and methods of connecting and disconnecting furniture members.
Furniture assembly, whether performed by the consumer or the furniture manufacturer, can be a time-consuming process involving the use of tools, numerous pieces of hardware, and extensive, complex instructions. The relative ease or difficulty of assembly often has an impact on the cost to manufacture and/or the marketability to the consumer. Additionally, the ease of assembly can also have a substantial effect on the utility of a modular furniture system.
Furniture that is shipped as a packaged kit of separate furniture parts and is intended to be assembled by a retailer or a consumer is often referred to as knock-down furniture or assembly furniture. Knock-down furniture kits are typically shipped in large flat packages that include flat furniture members (e.g., walls, bases, doors) and a set of instructions for assembling the furniture members into a piece of furniture such as a desk or a shelving unit.
A fairly common method of connecting the furniture members of a knock-down furniture kit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,326 to Kuzyk. A cam lock is inserted into a drilled recess in a first furniture member and a connecting bolt, attached to a first furniture member, is inserted through a bore into the cam lock. The cam lock is rotated to lock the connecting bolt in place. In this manner the two furniture members are connected at a point connection. Several of these point connections are provided along the edges of furniture members that are to be connected. Typical knock-down furniture kits include furniture members and other components that are not designed to permit easy disassembly without a deterioration in the usefulness or aesthetic quality of the furniture members and/or other components, such as connectors. In typical prior art knock-down furniture, the furniture members and connection system typically are designed to allow only one assembly configuration. For example, otherwise similar furniture members can have pre-drilled holes that align only with certain fastener locations or furniture members can have only one presentable face.
A simplified system for connecting furniture members would significantly reduce furniture assembly time requirements. Fewer parts, interchangeable parts, flexibility of assembly configuration and secure connections can each help to provide a straightforward system for connecting furniture members to from furniture assemblies.
In one embodiment of the invention, a furniture connector comprises a first furniture-engaging portion including and/or configured to engage a fastening element that is adapted to enable fastening of the first furniture-engaging portion to a first furniture member, the fastening element not being integrally formed with the first furniture-engaging portion. The furniture connector further comprises a second furniture-engaging portion including and/or configured to engage a fastening element that is adapted to enable fastening of the second furniture-engaging portion to a second furniture member, the fastening element not being integrally formed with the second furniture-engaging portion. The first and second furniture-engaging portions have a shape and thickness selected to enable the first furniture-engaging portion to be matingly engaged with a first groove present within the first furniture member, and to enable the second furniture-engaging portion to be matingly engaged with a second groove present within the second furniture member. The first and second furniture-engaging portions that include and/or are configured to engage a fastening element are configured to be contained within the first and second grooves.
In another embodiment of the invention, a furniture connector comprises a first furniture-engaging portion and a second furniture-engaging portion, each furniture-engaging portion having a shape, a width and a thickness selected to enable the furniture-engaging portion to be matingly engaged with a groove of a furniture member. Each furniture-engaging portion further has a length, the length being greater than the width, wherein at least one furniture-engaging portion is constructed and arranged to enable it to become fastened to the furniture member using a fastening element without irreversibly changing the structure of the furniture member.
In another embodiment of the invention, a modular furniture system comprises a plurality of furniture members, at least one furniture member thereof having a first face, a second face, and at least one adjacent connecting edge. The modular furniture system further comprises a plurality of connectors, at least one connector thereof adapted to interconnect at least two of the furniture members, wherein at least one connecting edge has a first angle portion thereof that forms a first smallest angle with respect to the first face of greater than about 90° and a second angled portion thereof that forms a second smallest angle with respect to the second face of greater than about 90°.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a kit of parts for assembling furniture comprises a plurality of furniture members, at least one furniture member thereof having at least one groove formed therein, and a plurality of fastening elements. The kit of parts further comprises a plurality of furniture connectors, at least one connector comprising at least one furniture-engaging portion having at least a portion thereof including and/or configured to engage at least one of the fastening elements, which at least one fastening element is adapted to enable securing of the furniture-engaging portion at least partially within the groove of a furniture member having a groove formed therein, and being configured to enable fastening and unfastening of at least one connector comprising a furniture-engaging portion to the furniture member. The kit of parts further comprises instructions directing a user to insert the furniture-engaging portion at least partially into the groove and fasten the furniture-engaging portion to a furniture member having a groove formed therein with at least one of the fastening elements.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a kit of parts for assembling furniture that can be readily disassembled and reassembled comprises a plurality of furniture members and a plurality of furniture connectors, at least one connector thereof having first and second furniture-engaging portions, each furniture-engaging portion having a length and a width, the length being greater than the width. The kit of parts further comprises instructions directing a user to assemble the connectors and the furniture members into a first configuration of a plurality of assembly configurations, instructions directing the user to disassemble the first configuration, and instructions directing the user to assemble the connectors and furniture members into a second configuration of the plurality of assembly configurations.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method comprises acts of interconnecting a plurality of furniture members with at least one furniture connector comprising a plurality of furniture-engaging portions to form a piece of furniture of a first configuration, dismantling the piece of furniture, and interconnecting the plurality of furniture members with at least one furniture connector to form a piece of furniture of a second configuration.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a furniture assembly system comprises a plurality of furniture members and means for interconnecting and disconnecting the furniture members.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a method comprises acts of providing a plurality of furniture connectors, each having a first furniture-engaging portion and a second furniture-engaging portion, providing a plurality of furniture members, each having a groove, matingly engaging the first furniture-engaging portion with the groove of a first furniture member of the plurality of furniture members, and fastening the first furniture member to the first furniture-engaging portion by engaging a first fastening element with a section of the furniture-engaging portion that is contained within the groove. The method further comprises acts of matingly engaging the second furniture-engaging portion with the groove of a second furniture member of the plurality of furniture members, and fastening the second furniture member to the second furniture-engaging portion by engaging a second fastening element within a section of the furniture-engaging portion that is contained within the groove.
In another embodiment of the invention, a furniture connector comprises a first furniture-engaging portion including and/or configured to engage a fastening element that is adapted to enable fastening of the first furniture-engaging portion to a first furniture member, and a second furniture engaging portion including and/or configured to engage a fastening element that is adapted to enable fastening of the second furniture-engaging portion to a second furniture member. The first and second furniture-engaging portions have a shape and thickness selected to enable the first furniture-engaging portion to be matingly engaged with a first groove present within the first furniture member, and to enable the second furniture-engaging portion to be matingly engaged with a second groove present within the second furniture member. In this embodiment, the first-furniture-engaging portion comprises a rail having a channel.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures typically is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing, nor is every component of each embodiment of the invention shown where illustration is not necessary to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention. In the drawings:
This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
Certain embodiments of the invention provide a furniture system that permits simplified assembly, disassembly, and reassembly of a piece of furniture, compared with many typical conventional furniture systems. In certain embodiments, an inventive furniture connector having at least two furniture-engaging portions is used to interconnect furniture members provided according to the invention. For purposes herein, a “furniture member” comprises a shelf, wall, board, rail, door, leg, post, structural member, step, drawer, and any other furniture component that comprises a component of the useful structure of a piece of furniture or a furniture assembly, other than a furniture connector or a fastening element, as those terms are used herein. For purposes herein, “interconnect” means to connect at least two elements, such as furniture members, whether they are directly connected or connected via a third element. A connection does not require a fixed relation between the elements, as the elements may be slidingly, pivotally, or rotatably interconnected.
In one embodiment, a furniture connector of the invention extends along a substantial length of at least two furniture member connecting edges, when the furniture members are interconnected with the furniture connector. For purposes herein, a furniture member connecting edge is a furniture member edge that is adapted to be interconnected with another furniture member. In certain embodiments, furniture member connecting edges are adapted to connect to furniture-engaging portions of a furniture connector as part of the interconnection between two furniture members.
In certain embodiments of a furniture member connection system, a furniture member has at least one groove in at least one of its at least one connecting edge. At least one of such grooves may extend along the lengthwise direction of at least a portion of a connecting edge, sometimes along essentially the entire length of such connecting edge. In some such embodiments, the groove(s) may be adapted to accept and, in certain embodiments mate with, a furniture-engaging portion of a furniture connector. The furniture-engaging portion may have the structure of a rail, for example, a rectangular rail, or may be any other suitable structure that is insertable into the groove and adapted to enable fastening of the furniture member to the furniture-engaging portion. With certain embodiments of a connector that have two furniture-engaging portions, two furniture members can be interconnected by inserting each furniture-engaging portion of the connector into a groove of each of the furniture members, and fastening the furniture-engaging portions to the furniture members.
In certain embodiments, the furniture-engaging portion (rail or otherwise) that is insertable into the furniture member groove is configured to engage a fastening element. The furniture-engaging portion may include a recess such as a channel, indentation, depression, and/or hole with which a fastening element can be engaged. For example, the furniture-engaging portion may have a channel that extends along at least a portion of the length of the furniture-engaging portion and includes at least one undercut side (for example, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the fastening of the furniture-engaging portions of the connectors to the furniture members is reversible. That is to say, the furniture-engaging portions of the connectors may be unfastened and removed from the grooves in the furniture members without changing the structure or damaging the connector or the furniture members so much as to cause them to be less useful or to substantially decrease their useful lifespan. By permitting removal of the connectors, certain groups of assembled furniture members provided according to certain embodiments of the invention can be disassembled from one selected configuration and reassembled into a different configuration.
According to one aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, the assembly and/or the disassembly of furniture may be simplified by using certain embodiments of the connectors and furniture members described herein. The assembly of furniture in some embodiments may require very few tools, in some cases only a screwdriver. In other embodiments, no tools are required for assembly or disassembly (i.e. only the hands of an assembler).
According to another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, the interchangeability of the furniture members and/or the provision of various connectors may permit furniture configuration changes. For example, a shelving unit may be assembled in one of a number of configurations and later disassembled and reassembled in a different configuration. In some embodiments, various connectors are included that can interconnect two, three, four or more furniture members. By altering the type and/or number of connectors used at a connecting edge and adding or subtracting furniture members, a user can change the configuration of the furniture assembly. A kit of parts may be provided that includes interchangeable furniture members, various connectors, and instructions. The instructions may direct a user to assemble the connectors and furniture members into a first configuration. The instructions also may direct the user to disassemble the first configuration and assemble the connectors and furniture members into a second, a third, etc. configuration, depending on the embodiment.
Using various connectors of the invention that can connect two, three, four or more furniture members also may allow a user to expand a piece of furniture by exchanging connectors and adding new furniture members to the side, top, bottom, front, and/or back of a piece of furniture. In certain embodiments, extensions may be added to furniture assemblies in this manner without the creation of double walls. For example, one side of a shelving unit may have a four-foot vertical wall that is made up of four one-foot square boards comprising the furniture members, which are attached end-to-end. A user may expand the shelving unit on such side by replacing two connectors comprising two or three furniture-engaging portions with connectors comprising three or four furniture-engaging portions, respectively, so that two additional furniture-engaging portions protrude from the vertical wall. Two additional horizontal boards may then be connected to these furniture-engaging portions of the replacement connectors. If desired, a third, vertical board may be added to the outer side of the assembly to complete the addition of a new shelf.
In another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, the use of furniture connectors that extend lengthwise along connecting edges of furniture members can provide stronger connections between furniture members than achieved using typical connection means utilized for modular furniture. In some embodiments, the connectors can extend along essentially the entire length or a major portion of the entire length of the connecting edge of a furniture member. In certain embodiments the connectors do not extend along the entire length of the connecting edge, but the connector length is greater than the connector width. As compared to typical conventional point connection furniture assembly systems, such connections may help distribute loads applied to the connectors and furniture members over a greater area to increase load-carrying capacity of assembled furniture and/or reduce the chance of damage or breakage.
In another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, furniture members may be provided which include adapters that are configured to allow connection of door hinges, sliding doors, shelving, feet, wheels, handles, or other suitable items or furniture members.
According to another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, fastening elements used to secure the furniture connectors to the furniture members can be hidden from exterior view in an assembled piece of furniture. In some embodiments, the fastening elements are employed on interior portions of the furniture members, leaving the exterior with clean lines and an aesthetic appeal. In these or other embodiments, the connectors and/or fastening elements may be made in various colors and/or textures that can be selected to be complementary to and/or visually blend in with the colors and/or textures of the furniture members, and in certain configurations, they may be visible in the completed furniture assembly to render a desired visual effect.
Connector 2b includes three furniture-engaging portions and is configured to connect up to three furniture members 4, 4′, 4″. Connector 2c includes four furniture-engaging portions and can connect up to four furniture members 4, 4′, 4″, 4′″. Further embodiments of connectors that permit the connection of five or more furniture members may also be provided.
Furniture-engaging portions 5 shown in the embodiments of
The furniture members shown in the embodiment of
As illustrated, the beveled furniture connecting edges 8 allow the furniture members to be drawn together in close contact. By including connecting edges that have two angled face portions 9 that each extend approximately halfway or less across the thickness t of furniture members 4, a furniture member may be used with any one of a set of connectors that are configured to interconnect different numbers of furniture members. For example, furniture member 4 shown in
In the embodiments shown in
The embodiments of furniture members shown in
Furniture members 4, 4′, 4″, 4′″ have connecting edges with angled face portions 9 oriented at angles θ of 135° in the embodiments of FIG 1A, thereby allowing up to four furniture members 4, 4′, 4″, 4′″ to be connected at right angles to one another. In other embodiments, the furniture members and connectors may be constructed such that the furniture members become interconnected to one another at angles other than 90°.
Connectors 2a and 2b include optional protrusions 16 which slightly overlie the exposed connecting edge faces of the furniture members. The protrusions 16 may provide certain structural advantages, such as securing intimate contact between connectors 2a and 2b and furniture members 4 and eliminating or reducing gaps or open spaces between connectors and the outward-facing beveled edges of the furniture members. The protrusions 16 may also help to maintain the alignment of furniture members when furniture members are drawn together. The protrusions 16 do not necessarily have to overlie the exposed faces of the furniture members. For example, the protrusion 16 of connector 2a may, in non-illustrated embodiments, protrude straight out from connector 2a without contacting an outer surface of furniture members 4 and 4′. In another example, there may be no protrusion 16 present, i.e., the connector 2a may be flush with the surface formed by the exposed surfaces of the two furniture member faces. In another example, shown in
While the furniture connectors are shown in
The furniture connectors of certain embodiments of the invention may be configured to contain or engage with fastening elements (not shown in
In some embodiments, such as the one shown in
Although each furniture connector in
One embodiment of an apparatus and method of securely interconnecting multiple furniture members 4 to one another is shown in
As discussed above, even though furniture members can be securely interconnected to one another using embodiments of the furniture connectors disclosed herein, in certain embodiments the connection is reversible so that the furniture members can be disconnected and furniture assemblies can be disassembled, without difficulty and without adversely altering the structure of the furniture members and furniture connectors. For example, in the embodiment of
The embodiment shown in
One alternative embodiment of a fastening element for engaging and securing a furniture-engaging portion of a furniture connector to a furniture member is shown in
In embodiments where channel 18 is constructed to be approximately as wide as the diameter of eccentric piece 26′, fastening element 24′ may be placed in a hole 46 and furniture-engaging portion 5 may be inserted into groove 6 starting at an end (e.g., end 45) of furniture member 4. In embodiments where channel 18 is wider than the diameter of eccentric piece 26′, the furniture-engaging portion may, in addition, be inserted first, either from an end of furniture member 4 or from the top 47 of groove 6, and fastening element 24′ then may be inserted into channel 18.
Furniture-engaging portion 5 does not necessarily need to comprise a rail including a continuous channel, as previously illustrated. As shown in
In some embodiments, a fastening element may permit tool-free operation. For example, the fastening element may have a finger grip or other structure for rotating, sliding, pushing, pulling or otherwise operating the fastening element without the need for tools.
Adhesive may be used, if desired, to make certain connections permanent, for example, by including adhesive material in groove 6 before inserting a furniture-engaging portion of a furniture connector in the groove and securing it with a fastening element. An adhesive connection as formed directly between furniture members or as used to secure an interconnection between two furniture members via connection of each furniture member to a furniture connector, wherein all of the connections are secured solely by the use of adhesive, however, is not considered to be use of a “fastening element” as that term is used herein. In some embodiments, however, a first furniture-engaging portion may be reversibly fastened to a furniture member via a fastening element of the invention, and a second furniture-engaging portion may be permanently attached with the addition of adhesive.
The reversibility of connections, provided according to certain embodiments of the invention, can permit improved versatility when adding extensions to furniture assemblies. One example of this versatility is shown in the embodiment of
As a result of replacing the connectors on the right side, as illustrated, of furniture assembly 52, the presence of double walls is avoided when addition 60 is appended. If, by contrast, the connections on the right side, as illustrated, of furniture assembly 52 were irreversible, alternate arrangements would be required to provide support for the horizontal shelves/compartments of the left side, as illustrated, of extension 60. An additional set of vertical furniture members might have to be used to provide this support, resulting in double vertical walls at the section where extension 60 meets the original furniture assembly 52.
The reversibility of interconnections between furniture members enabled via use of inventive furniture connectors and furniture members according to certain embodiments of the invention, also may allow for versatility in assembling/reassembling furniture assemblies in different configurations. For example, as shown in
In typical prior art knock-down furniture, furniture members typically are not interchangeable due to the connection system used. For example, in some knock-down furniture kits, otherwise similar furniture members have pre-drilled holes in different locations because the pre-drilled holes need to be aligned with certain fastener locations. In embodiments of the present invention, many furniture members are interchangeable because fastening elements can be fastened at a plurality of locations along the length of a furniture connector and/or connecting edge(s) of the furniture members. In some embodiments, more than one face of various furniture members may be presentable as an exterior face of a furniture assembly. In combination with various connection systems disclosed herein, such furniture members may allow users to choose whether fastening elements will be visible in the assembled furniture assembly or not, or may allow users to decide which color or surface texture will be visible on the exterior of the furniture assembly.
Components for a furniture assembly may be packaged in any convenient way, and may form a kit. The kit may include furniture connectors, fastening elements, furniture members, instructions and any other components useful for assembling and/or using the furniture assembly, or any combination thereof. Various kits may have different types and different quantities of various components, and additional components could be sold separately and combined into “expansion” kits. Instructions may be provided for assembling the connectors and furniture members into a furniture assembly. Instructions also may be provided for assembling a furniture assembly into a first configuration, disassembling a furniture assembly, and/or assembling a furniture assembly into a second configuration.
“Instructions” can and often do define a component of promotion, and typically involve written instructions on or associated with packaging of kits or components of the invention. Instructions also can include any oral or electronic instructions provided in any manner. The “kit” typically, and preferably, defines a package including both any one or a combination of the components of the invention and the instructions, but can also include the components of the invention and instructions of any form that are provided in connection with the components in a manner such that a purchaser or user of the components will clearly recognize that the instructions are to be associated with the specific components.
While several embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and structures for performing the functions and/or obtaining the results or advantages described herein, and each of such variations, modifications and improvements is deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. More generally, those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations will depend upon specific applications for which the teachings of the present invention are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. The present invention is directed to each individual feature, system, material and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, materials and/or methods, provided that such features, systems, materials and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present invention. In the claims (as well as in the specification above), all transitional phrases or phrases of inclusion, such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “composed of,” “made of,” “formed of,” “involving” and the like shall be interpreted to be open-ended, i.e. to mean “including but not limited to” and, therefore, encompassing the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Only the transitional phrases or phrases of inclusion “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” are to be interpreted as closed or semi-closed phrases, respectively.
