FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to furniture for use in intensive use facilities and institutional settings such as hospitals, military housing, prisons, jails, detention centers and psychiatric facilities. More particularly, the present invention comprises a modular chair and table system having modular components such as a weighted or ballasted base, removable, interchangeable top and attachable upholstery.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Modular furniture such as chairs and tables are designed for use in seating and reception areas to accommodate people waiting, relaxing or meeting. Facilities having large quantities of people who may have special needs use furniture designed for intensive use for safely and durability. Assembled furniture may present certain hazards in use in intensive use settings where furniture components and fasteners may be removed and turned into weapons. Plastic and fiberglass construction has replaced wood and metal by its ability to be formed into three-dimensional shapes without external fasteners. Fiberglass and plastic is generally more aesthetically appealing than steel or wood, and more resistant to damage. Wood furniture, for example may have problems with cracking, warping and joints loosening in these settings. This type of furniture is made custom to order due to the complexity and
Furniture in such settings may be designed to blend into surrounding decorations by matching upholstery. The furniture may be arranged in combination of chairs and tables. Intensive use furniture may be ballasted or bolted directly to the floor or walls to reduce rearranging, tipping or moving furniture. Securing or ballasting the furniture to the floor reduces the safety concerns on both the visitors and staff resulting in a safer environment. Tamper resistant glides may be attached to the legs to glide on the floor to assist sliding the furniture while minimizing tampering or removal of the fasteners.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a modular molded furniture design having a single piece molded base for interchangeably supporting a seat or table, the seat being of single piece molded design having a modular attached upholstery decorated cushion securely attached to provide aesthetically pleasing configurations. The cushion may be attached using tamper resistant fasteners and attachments. The base may have legs and a contoured ballast enclosure to support the furniture and prevent moving and tipping. The chairs designed for alternate sitting positions and adapted to securely retain fastened upholstery for forming a variety of configurations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first embodiment of the present invention is directed to a modular furniture system for use in demanding environments, comprising a rotationally molded (referred to hereinafter as (roto-molded), one piece hollow base having an integral ballast chamber, feet for engaging a floor surface and a top mounting surface. A chair or table top may be mounted on the top mounting surface to provide modular assembly of furniture on a common base type. The table top may be a wood or high pressure laminate or molded top having contours, designs or integral gaming surfaces. The chair top may be chosen from a group of styles comprising a pull up chair, waiting room chair or lounge chair. The chair top may have an attachable cushion having a decorative upholstery cover for matching aesthetically pleasing decor in the surrounding room. The cushion may comprise a seat portion and a back portion formed into a single semi-rigid frame covered with padding and the decorative cover. A tamper resistant fastener assembly attaches the cushion to the chair to prevent removal by users in such intensive use environments.
The semi-rigid frame may be formed of a resilient material having a seat portion and a back portion. The seat portion comprises a seat portion and a back portion. The seat portion having a bottom surface, a front and rear portion. The back portion having a top, a lumbar portion and a back surface. The rear portion of the seat may be connected to the lumbar portion of the back to form a one piece semi-rigid frame for mounting on the seating portion of the chair. The front portion is substantially aligned with the front seating portion of the chair. The tamper resistant fastener assembly attaching the cushion to the chair may comprise plurality of L-shaped brackets having tabs extending from the cushion. The tabs may engage and interlock with holes formed in the seat on either the seat portion or the back portion having the cushion urged to bear against the chair by a fastener on the other of the seat portion or back portion holding the tabs locked to the chair and the cushion on the chair. An indentation may be formed on the back of the chair to recess mount the fastener and provide a landing for a washer used to reinforce the fastener. The fastener extending through a portion of the chair to engage the cushion and hold the cushion to the chair. A cover in the indentation helps prevent tampering with the cushion attachment.
The ballast chamber may be contoured or shaped to provide optimal displacement of the ballast material to resist moving the chair and reduce the use of ballast material. The ballast chamber may be integrally formed with the base having a contoured shape such as an inward directed semi spherical, pyramidal or conical bottom wall or formed having a triangular cross sectional shape to disperse ballast material to an axial, central or peripheral portion of the ballast chamber for weighting directed toward the legs and feet of the furniture. In one embodiment, the contoured ballast chamber may have a top wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a closable ballast opening, each of the plurality of sidewalls attached to the top. Each sidewall attached to an adjacent two of the plurality of sidewalls, the closable ballast opening formed in the contoured ballast chamber. The top wall may further comprise a front, a back a first side and a second side, the plurality of sidewalls may further comprise a first and a second substantially rectangular side walls and a first and a second substantially triangular side wall, the first rectangular sidewall having a front, back, bottom and top edge. The top edge of the first rectangular sidewall attached to the first side of the top, the second rectangular sidewall having a front, back, bottom and top edge. The top edge of the second rectangular sidewall attached to the second side of the top, the bottom edge of the first rectangular sidewall attached to the bottom edge of the second rectangular sidewall to form a triangular shaped contoured ballast chamber, each of the first and second triangular shaped side walls having a top, a first and a second edge. The first edge of the first triangular shaped side wall on the front edge of the first rectangular side wall. The second edge of the first triangular shaped side wall on the front edge of the second rectangular side wall. The top edge of the first triangular shaped side wall on the front edge of the top of the base. The first edge of the second triangular shaped side wall on the back edge of the first rectangular side wall, the second edge of the first triangular shaped side wall on the back edge of the second rectangular side wall. The top edge of the first triangular shaped side wall on the back edge of the top of the base, whereby the closed contoured ballast chamber may have a substantially triangular cross section for center weighting.
Attachment means may further be provided to attach the modular furniture components as chairs or tables together in a ganging style to provide couch type seating by ganging together chairs with our arms or to provide meeting or discussion arrangements by ganging the furniture pieces in an L-shape or otherwise and thereby making the furniture harder to move by the combined ballasting of the individual components.
The above description sets forth, rather broadly, the more important features of the present invention so that the detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a first embodiment
FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a section view taken at approximately 3-3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a section view taken at approximately 4-4 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a section view taken at approximately 5-5 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is bottom perspective view of a second embodiment
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a base of the second embodiment
FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of a second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the table attachment of the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of the base of the second embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the base of the second embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a section view of the base of the second embodiment of FIG. 12 taken at approximately 13-13.
FIG. 14 is a top perspective view of the base of the second embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the first embodiment of a chair of the second embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of the cushion being installed on the first embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a front elevation view of the cushion being installed on the first embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a section view of the cushion being installed on the first embodiment taken at approximately 18-18 of FIG. 17.
FIG. 19 is a section view taken at approximately 19-19 of FIG. 7.
FIG. 20 is a section view taken at approximately 20-20 of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention comprises an intensive use chair 10 having a base 12, a contoured ballast chamber 14, back rest 16 and legs 20. Contoured ballast chamber 14 may have substantially triangular cross section whereby the ballast material is urged toward a centerline of the chair. Legs 20 may have tamper resistant glides 30 for adjustably engaging floor F. Chair may have a back 32, a front 34, a seat 36 and a side panel 26 attached to the legs 20, back 32 and seat 36. Chair back may have a top 38.
Referring to FIG. 2, the chair 10 may have a modular furniture design comprising a base 12 having a hollow base body 22 comprising a bottom wall 24, a plurality of sidewalls 26 which may be connected to legs 20, a closable ballast opening 28 formed in the contoured ballast chamber 14. Contoured ballast chamber 14 may comprise a front wall 40 and back wall 42 disposed at a predetermined angle to each other to create a contoured shaped ballast chamber 14. Front wall 40 is may extend from front 34 to bottom wall 24 connecting at a obtuse angle, likewise back wall 42 may be attached to back 32 and extend to bottom wall 24 attaching at an obtuse angle. The contoured ballast chamber 14 may be filled full or partially with a ballast material 50 (FIG. 4) such as sand gravel, water or other material for adding weighted ballast to the chair 10. This contoured shape of the ballast chamber 14 may urge ballast material 50 to settle in a predetermined orientation directing the weight of the ballast material 50 in a configuration relative to the horizontal orientation. Chair 10 may further have a fastener indent 54 formed in back 32.
Referring to FIG. 3, the closable ballast chamber opening 28 may comprise a hole 56 formed in the bottom wall 24 having a threaded sidewall 58 for threadably receiving ballast plug 60. Closable ballast chamber 14 may be closed by an openable means such as plug 60 or may be sealed after insertion of ballast material 50 by an adhesive or other means to non-releasably attach plug 60 sealingly over opening 56.
Referring to FIG. 4, contoured ballast chamber 14 may have an inverted pyramid shape 49 whereby the ballast material 50 is urged to a centerline 51 of the base 12 between front 34 and back 32. Alternatively, the contoured ballast chamber 14 may have a generally triangular cross section. The contoured ballast chamber 14 has a small periphery adjacent the bottom wall 24 opening to a larger periphery above the bottom wall 24. Seat 36 may further comprise a sitting portion 62 and a bottom portion disposed as a contoured ballast chamber top wall 64 extending between side panels 26 and between front 34 and back 32 to sealingly form a top 64 of the contoured ballast chamber 14. Sitting portion 62 may comprise a front edge 68 and a back portion 70. Back rest 16 may comprise a lumbar portion 72 connected to back portion 70 and a shoulder portion 74 adjacent top 38. Fastener indent 54 is formed in back 32 adjacent top 38 having fastener aperture 57 extending through back rest 16. Ballast material 40 may be disposed in contoured ballast chamber 14 in a quantity to partially fill contoured ballast chamber 14 thereby creating a moving center of gravity when the chair 10 is moved as the ballast material flows by force of gravity from for example, adjacent first arm rest 18 to adjacent second arm rest 19 or from front to back.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, chair 10 may further comprise a cushion 80 on the seat 36. The cushion 80 may be upholstered or formed of a resilient material. The cushion 80 is preferably an upholstered cushion 80 and may further comprise a semi-rigid frame 82 having a cushion seat portion 84 and a cushion back portion 86, a cover 88 on the frame 82. A tamper resistant attachment 90 may connect the cushion 80 to the chair 10.
Referring to FIG. 5, tamper resistant glide 30 may be mounted in leg 20 to engage floor and provide leveling adjustment. Glide chamber 31 is formed in leg 20 to receive glide 30 therein.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, substantially hollow contoured ballast chamber 14 is formed between side panels 26 to urge ballast 50 (FIG. 4) into a predetermined orientation. Side panels 26 extend from arm rest 18 to feet 30. Chair 10 may have a first arm rest 18 and a second arm rest 19. Back rest 16 is connected between first arm rest 18 and second arm rest 19. The sitting portion 36 has a back portion 70 adjacent the lumbar portion 72. The back rest 16 is adjacent to the lumbar portion 72. Sitting portion 36 lumbar portion 72 and back rest 16 may form an integral seating arrangement.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a table top 150 may be configured having an outside edge 151 and a bottom 160. Bottom 160 may have a contour 162 adapted to engage the base 112. A mounting ridge 184 may be formed in the table top 150 to further adapt to mounting on the base 112. Table top 150 top surface 156 may be a laminated surface and may have designs or game layout stenciled or printed thereon.
Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13, base 112 may be stand alone with contoured ballast chamber 114 and removable from top portion 11 as a table top 150 or chair 110. Base 112 may further comprise top surface 113, bottom wall 124, side walls 116 and legs 120. Hollow contoured ballast chamber 114 may have an inverted pyramid shape. Bottom wall 124 may have a countoured shape 140. Contoured shape may have a partial spherical indentation 142. Countoured spherical indentation 142 may be oriented between side walls 116 having a generally horizontal bottom wall 124 extending from spherical indentation 142 to side walls 116. Spherical indentation 142 has an outer edge 143 adjacent the legs 120 and top of spherical shape 145 adjacent the top surface 113 thereby directing ballast material 40 by gravitational pull toward the peripheral edge 143 of the spherical indentation 142. Gravity urging ballast material 40 toward the side walls 116 causes the base to be peripherally weighted by the ballast material 40 being urged to the the periphery of the countoured spherical indentation 142. Spherical indentation 142 may urge ballast material 150 toward the periphery of the bottom wall 124 for peripheral weighting of the base 112 by the center of the spherical indentation being higher than the periphery in the normal orientation of the base 112. Glides 130 may be disposed on legs 120 to adjustably support the base 112. Ballast mateirial 150 may be urged peripherally to the outside of the bottom wall 124 to ballast base 112 adjacent legs 120 a peripheral weighting configuration thereby making the base harder to tip over. Base 112 may be adapted on top surface 113 to provide a contoured surface 113 adapted to engage top matching contour 162 on attachable table top 150 to align and support attachment.
Continuing to refer to FIGS. 11, 12, 13, base 112 may have mounting flange 117 adapted to connect to top 11 by fasteners 121 inserted through fastener holes 119. Base 112 may also be aligned by ridge 184 and fitting 185 or attached by fasteners inserted through ballast port 56 to extend through base 112 into top 11. Mounting flange 117 may also be used to gang together a plurality of bases 112 to form a connected furniture arrangement. Bracket 117 may be be connected to an adjacent base 112 to form a connecrted assembly having assorted chairs 110 and tables 150 attached. To the respective bases 112.
Referring to FIGS.14 and 15 chair 110 may have a top portion 11 mountable on a separate base 112 (FIG, 12). The top portion 11 may have a front 134, a back 138 and a seat 136. Fastener indent 154 has back fastener hole 55 formed therein extending through back 16. Cushion apertures 261 extend through seat 136 surface. Cushion apertures 261 may also be formed in lumbar portion 172. Top portion 11 may have seat 136, back rest 116 and bottom surface 260 having ribs 283 adapted to interlock chair top portion 11 on base 112 (FIG. 12). Seat 136 may have a front 134 and a back 137. Back rest 116 may comprise a lumbar portion 172 connected to back portion 170 and a shoulder portion 174 adjacent top 138. Fastener indent 154 is formed in back 116 adjacent top 138. Back fastener hole 55 is formed in fastener indent 154 and may extend through back rest 116 to receive cushion fastener (not shown). Seat 136 may further comprise cushion apertures 261 opening on seat 136. Base ridge 185 may be adapted to interfit with top 113 of base 112 at mounting ridge 184. A plurality of cushion apertures 261 may be formed in the sitting portion 36 and lumbar portion 72. A back fastener hole 55 may be formed through back rest 16.
Referring to FIG. 16, upholstered cushion 80 may comprise a semi-rigid frame 282 having a cushion seat portion 284 and a cushion back portion 286, a cover 288 on frame 282. A tamper resistant fastener arrangement 90 may connect cushion 80 to the chair 110 (FIG. 4). Tamper resistant fastener arrangement 90 may connect the cushion 80 to the chair 10. A plurality of cushion apertures 261 in the front and the back provides for installation of the cushion by sliding the cushion 80 forward to engage installation of L-shaped brackets 293 on the front of the cushion 80 into cushion apertures 261 adjacent the front 34 of the chair 110; lowering the cushion onto the seat 36 and further sliding the cushion 80 toward the lumbar portion 72 to engage the L-shaped brackets 293 on seat portion 284 adjacent the back portion 286 to engage cushion apertures 261 adjacent the lumbar portion 72. The fastener hole 155 is adapted to lock the cushion 80 into place.
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the tamper resistant fastener arrangement 90 on the semi-rigid frame 282 attaches cushion 80 to chair 10. Tamper resistant fastener arrangement 90 may comprise semi-rigid frame 282 by L-shaped brackets 293 attached to bottom surface 236 of seat portion 284 of frame 282. L-shaped brackets 293 are adapted to align with cushion aperture 261 on sitting portion 36. Each L-shaped bracket 293 is engages top wall 37 of sitting portion 36. Each L-shaped bracket may have a cushion leg 295 attached to the semi-rigid frame 282, a spacer portion 297 on the cushion leg extending away from the semi-rigid frame 282 and an engagement tab 294 on L-shaped bracket 293 spaced from semi-rigid cushion frame 282. Tamper resistant fastener arrangement 90 may comprise a plurality of L-shaped brackets 293 attached to semi-rigid frame 282 and aligned to engage cushion apertures 261. An L-shaped bracket may be attached in each front corner 251 of upholstered cushion 80. L-shaped brackets 293 may be disposed on semi-rigid frame 282 at spaced locations. Cushion apertures 261 may be formed in the chair 110 at locations to engage each L-shaped bracket 293. L-shaped brackets 293 may be steel angle iron fastened to semi-rigid frame 282 with welding, adhesive, screws or rivets or may be integrally formed on semi-rigid frame 282 by molding or the like.
Referring to FIG. 18, attached chair 110 is mounted on base 112. Cushion 80 is attached to chair 110 by engagement tab 294 attached to and extending from bottom outside surface of frame 282. Engagement tab 294 may be adapted to extend into cushion aperture 261 (FIG. 14) to slidingly engage seat 36. Pivoting cushion 80 in direction of arrow 298 causes engagement tab 294 to slide under seat 36 surface and retain frame 282 to seat 36. Semi-rigid frame 282 further comprises a bottom surface 236 adapted to bear against seat 36 and a back surface 216 adapted to bear against back rest 16. L-shaped brackets 293 adjacent the cushion back portion 288 may have the engagement tab facing the back rest 16 of the chair 110 for slidable engagement with respective cushion apertures 261.
Referring to FIG. 19, cushion fastener 83 is disposed in back fastener hole 155 and extends through back 16 to engage T-nut 85 attached to semi-rigid cushion frame 282. T-nut 85 is aligned to receive cushion fastener 83 extending through back 16 of chair 10 to hold cushion 80 in the pivoted attached position on the chair 10. Cushion fastener 83 has head 85 recessed in fastener indent 154. A cover plate 89 may be placed in fastener indent 154 and adhered with adhesive or welding or other means to cover fastener head 87 to avoid tampering. Additional cushion fasteners 83 may be extended through the back rest 16 to engage semi-rigid frame 282 using similarly mounted and aligned T-nuts in frame 282. It should be understood, the tamper resistant attachment 90 may be reversed with L-shaped brackets 293 attached to the cushion back portion 286 and the fastener 83 extending through the seat 36 to engage and attach to the seat portion 284
Referring to FIG. 20, the L-shaped bracket 293 has cushion leg 295 on the frame, a spacer portion 297 and an engagement tab 294 generally parallel to cushion frame 282 and cushion leg 295 may be attached to frame 282 with fasteners or adhesive or the like. Engagement tab 294 is spaced from frame 282 to engage cushion aperture 261. Engagement tab 294 extends through cushion aperture 261 and slips under seat 36 to retain cushion 80 to seat. Forward movement of cushion 80 with respect to seat 36 forces engagement tab 294 to engage edge of cushion aperture with spacer portion 297 of L-shaped bracket 293.
Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. Further, the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details, and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims.
Patent Application
20160037928
