Ready to assemble furniture

Abstract

A ready-to-assemble (“RTA”) sofa suitable for outdoor use comprising a seat base and a back rest that can be reconfigured between a use configuration in which the sofa has a conventional L-shaped cross-section and a shipping or storage configuration in which the sofa is arranged in a more efficiently stacked rectangular cross-section. The rectangular cross-section allows the sofa to be more efficiently stacked with other sofas during shipping or storage. In addition, the rectangular cross-section reduces the dead spaces created when an L-shaped sofa is inserted into a box that can collapse during shipping or storage. Moreover, providing a single rigid integral component, the seat base, as an internal skeletal component, provides vertical support extending substantially the height of the box at the opposing ends, provides a highly robust boxed package.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a ready to assemble sofa suitable for outdoor use that can be reconfigured between a use configuration and a shipping or storage configuration, wherein the shipping or storage configuration defines a more regular and compact shape for more efficient shipping or storage of multiple sofas, and the seat base provides a conforming skeletal structure for the packaged RTA sofa.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Furniture items used for seating typically comprise a support structure with cushions for supporting the user's back and bottom. In particular, sofas typically comprise a seat base, a back rest, and at least one arm rest. A common aesthetic and practical design consideration is assembling the subcomponents of the sofa with minimum gaps between the subcomponents to avoid strain on the fasteners and the aesthetically unpleasing appearance of the gaps. Accordingly, furniture items are typically fully assembled at the factory to ensure that the individual subcomponents are properly assembled with minimal interspatial gaps.

The inherent drawback of assembling furniture at the factory is that the common L-shape of the assembled seating furniture typically prevents efficient packing of the furniture items for transport. Depending on the shape and size of the furniture item, the packing of the furniture item can result in a significant amount of dead space within the shipping container or truck. In addition to increasing the cost of transportation, the dead space can allow the furniture items to shift during transport resulting in safety risks, uneven weight distributions, or damage to the furniture item. Although the furniture item can be boxed for shipment, the L-shaped cross-section creates portions of the box that are unsupported and likely to collapse, damaging the box and underlying furniture item. Providing additional support within the box with supplemental packaging materials to address these issues is expensive, increases the weight of the packaged sofa, and reduces margins.

An approach to addressing the drawbacks of factory assembled outdoor furniture items comprises providing individual subcomponents as a ready to assemble furniture kit. The individual components can be more efficiently packed and the furniture item is able to be assembled in situ or dissembled for off season storage. However, the inherent challenge of providing ready to assemble furniture kits is that the consumers who assemble the furniture kits are typically untrained and may not have ready access to the tools or training necessary to properly assemble the subcomponents. In addition, aligning the bulky and awkward subcomponents to install the fasteners for connecting the subcomponents can be difficult and tedious, particularly if a single individual is assembling the furniture item. If the fasteners are not properly installed the structural integrity of the furniture item could be compromised resulting in collapse and/or injury of users.

As such, there is a need for a means of providing furniture that does not suffer from the drawbacks of factory assembled furniture and currently available ready to assemble outdoor furniture kits. In ready to assemble furniture, it is advantageous to limit the number of components that need to be assembled, to reduce the number of required fasteners, to provide structural elements that enhance the stability of the packaged product without affecting the aesthetic quality of the furniture, to provide decorative features to hide interspatial gaps, to have the assembly be simple, and to provide the smallest possible shipping package and storage configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a ready-to-assemble (“RTA”) sofa suitable for outdoor use comprising a seat base and a back rest that can be reconfigured between a use configuration in which the sofa has a conventional L-shaped cross-section and a shipping or storage configuration in which the sofa is arranged in a more efficiently stacked rectangular cross-section. The rectangular cross-section allows the sofa to be more efficiently stacked with other sofas during shipping or storage. In addition, the rectangular cross-section reduces the dead spaces created when an L-shaped sofa is inserted into a box that can collapse during shipping or storage. Moreover, providing a single rigid integral component, the seat base as an internal skeletal component, providing vertical support extending substantially the height of the box at the opposing ends, provides a highly robust boxed package.

Specifically, the seat base, having front, back, left, and right sides, is a rigid integral framework of rectangular metal tubing welded together. The seat base may be formed of aluminum rectangular tubing. The seat base further comprises a pair of armrests, a left armrest and a right armrest, each armrest having an inverted U-shape, the left armrest being welded to the rectangular seat base framework at the left side and the right armrest being welded on the right side of the seat base framework, each armrest comprising a downward rearward leg portion, a downward forward leg portion, an upper rearward portion, a generally horizontal portion and an upper forward portion. The seat base further comprises at least one intermediate leg formed of metal tubing welded to the rectangular seat base framework at the back side positioned in-between the left side and right side, each of the at least one leg having an upwardly extending post portion with a first mating portion extending upwardly from the rectangular seat base framework. “Sofa” used herein includes a loveseat which is generally considered having two seating positions.

The back rest has a rectangular back rest framework with a top frame member, a lower frame member, a left side frame member and a right side frame member. Each of the left and right side frame members are welded to the top frame member and the lower frame member. The back rest further has one or more columns with a post portion welded to and extending downwardly from the lower frame member. Each column has a second mating portion configured to abuttingly mate with the first mating portion of the upwardly extending post portion to form an abutted juncture when assembled. The back rest may be formed from aluminum rectangular tubing with the entirety of the back rest integral and rigid. In some embodiments, a ring welded to the at least one leg hides this abutted juncture from view once the structure is fully assembled. Once assembled, with one of the first and second mating portions having a socket and the other of the first and second mating portions having a post conforming to the socket, the back rest is constrained from tipping forward, backward, or laterally. Each of the one or more back rest columns is secured to the upward extending post with a fastener. This fastener, in conjunction with welds at key stressor points in seat base leg, creates a firm connection between the back rest and seat base able to support the force of multiple users simultaneously leaning against the back rest. The left side frame member is connectable to the left side armrest. The right side frame member is connectable to the right side arm rest. These fasteners provide further structural stability and prevent the back rest from moving in any direction.

In an embodiment of the invention, a boxing rectilinear profile is defined by the fixed base and arm rests with the back rest removed. All other components are fitable in the rectilinear profile in a box. In some embodiments, the other components are the back rest, seat cushions, back rest cushions, assembly hardware, and instructions.

A feature and advantage of embodiments is that a box in which the RTA sofa is contained conforms at its ends to the inverted U-shaped armrests of the seat base.

A feature and advantage of embodiments is a back rest that attaches by an intermediate downwardly extending column portion that engages an upwardly extending intermediate leg portion at a socket connection whereby there is no freedom of movement of the backrest except an upwardly disconnect motion. The connection may be secured by a threaded fastener. In embodiments the downwardly extending column portion engages an upwardly facing tubing end portion attached to the seat base rectangular framework.

A feature and advantage of certain embodiments of the invention is that the components may be shipped in a smaller box than the conventional box, compared to other ready to assemble designs that provide a comparably sized finished sofa. Another feature and advantage of certain embodiments of the invention is that assembly requires fewer fasteners compared to other ready to assemble designs that are considerably more difficult for the user to assemble and lack the structural integrity inherent in this invention's design.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an RTA sofa according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a sofa frame of the sofa of FIG. 1 in a use position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a sofa frame into its back rest and its seat base portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the connection made between the back rest column and the seat base column according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the components of the connection of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the connection of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through a column with the back rest and the seat base portion securely fastened in a use configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a close-up view of the connection made between the back rest and an arm rest according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a sofa according to an embodiment of the present invention in a shipping configuration being loaded into or pulled from a box.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a boxed RTA sofa according to embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an end view of a boxed RTA sofa according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an assembled RTA sofa 10 having a sofa frame 12 and a cushion system 13. In the embodiment, the cushion system comprises a plurality of seat cushions 14 and a plurality of back rest cushions 15. The cushion system could also be a single cushion with a fold between seat portions and back rest portions. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the frame 12 of the sofa, in embodiments, comprises a seat base 16, and a back rest 18 removably connectable thereto. The seat base 16 having a seat base rectangular framework 20, with integral arm rests 21, 22. “Integral” in that they are fixed together at the factory with permanent fasteners welds, or otherwise, may have common frame members, and they are not detachable from one another without damage. The seat base 16 having a rectangular footprint with a rigid integral platform 23 having a top side 24 for receiving cushion(s), a bottom side 26, a back side 27, a left side 28, and a right side 29. The seat base 16, in embodiments, formed of rectangular metal tubing welded together, for example aluminum or steel.

In embodiments, the armrests 21, 22, each having an inverted U-shape, the left armrest 21 being welded to the seat base rectangular framework 20 at the left side 28 and the right armrest 22 being welded on the right side 29. Each armrest comprises a downward rearward leg portion 35, a downward forward leg portion 36, an upper rearward portion 37, a horizontal portion 38 and an upper forward portion 39 formed of metal tubing welded together. The horizontal portion being the arm engagement portion of the arm rest.

Referring to FIGS. 3-7, the seat base 16 further comprises at least one intermediate leg 40 positioned in between the left side and right side of the seat base 16. The intermediate leg formed of metal tubing welded to the rectangular seat base framework 20 at the back side 27 positioned in-between the left side 28 and right side 29, each of the at least one intermediate leg 40 having a first mating portion 41 configured as an open rectangular tubing end face and a joining portion configured as an upwardly extending post portion 42, extending upwardly from a passageway in the rectangular tubing. The post portion 42 may be permanently secured within the intermediate leg 40 through a series of welds 43. In the illustrated embodiment, two intermediate legs are present. In a loveseat configuration, a single intermediate leg may be appropriate.

As best shown in FIGS. 3-5, the back rest 18 comprises a rectangular back rest framework 50 with a top frame member 51, a lower frame member 52, a left side frame member 53 and a right side frame member 54, each of the left side frame member 53 and the right side frame member 54 welded to the top frame member 51 and the lower frame member 52. The framework supporting rigid integral webbing 56 for receiving one or more back rest cushions 15.

The back rest 18 further having at least one intermediate column portion 63 that includes post portion 64 welded to and extending downwardly from the lower frame member 52. Each column portion 63 having a second mating portion configured to abuttingly mate with the first mating portion of the intermediate leg to form an abutted juncture when assembled. The second mating portion 65 comprising the open rectangular tubing end face of the intermediate column portion. In some embodiments, a joining member comprising a ring 66 welded to the at least one intermediate leg 40 hides this abutted juncture from view once the structure is fully assembled and functions as a socket 67 for engaging the exterior surface 68 of the intermediate column portion. The rectangular tubing of the intermediate portion and intermediate leg may have internal dividers 71 that defined a plurality of passageways 72 in the tubing. The post 42 may be conformingly received in such a passageway. A fastener 75 passes through a bore 76 and into a threaded receiving connection 77 to securely fasten the upper intermediate column portion 63 with the post 42 extending up from the intermediate leg 40.

Referring to FIG. 8, the right side frame member 54 of the back rest 18 contains bores 78 allowing a fastener 75 to secure the right side frame member 54 to the right arm rest 22 when in a use configuration. Similarly, the left side frame member 53 of the back rest 18 contains bores allowing a fastener to secure the left side frame member 53 to the left arm rest 21. Welded-in bushings 79 and threaded nuts 80, inside the rectangular metal tubing of the frame members provide support and a threaded connection for the fasteners.

As depicted in FIGS. 9-11, in an embodiment, the sofa, including a loveseat, may have a shipping configuration wherein the sofa 10 is arranged into parallel piped configuration having essentially a rectangular cross section that fits into a cardboard box 81. In the shipping configuration, the seat cushions 14 fit on the seat base 16 between the left and right arm rests 21, 22. Further, the back rest cushions 15 lay atop the seat cushions 14 and also fit between the left and right arm rests 21, 22. In the shipping configuration, the back rest 18 lays horizontally across the back rest cushions 61 and between the left and right arm rests 53, 54. The inverted U-shaped arm rests, rigidly attached to one another by way of the seat base framework 20, provide an endoskeleton for the packaged RTA 82. In particular, both ends 83, 84 of the packaged RTA have rectangular metal tubing shaped to conform to the end outline of the box; specifically the front side 86, the top side 87, and the rear side 88 of the box. This substantially provides all the necessary support when multiple boxes are stacked. Where appropriate spacers 91 may be laid on the tops of the inverted U-shaped arm rests to bring the support level to exactly or near the inside surface of the cardboard box. Additionally, the back rest 18 may provide spanning support under the top side of the cardboard box, further increasing the load carrying capacity and essentially eliminating dead space underneath the top layer of the box. The back rest may be supported by the cushions, providing some resiliency at the top of the cardboard box. The cushions may be compressed, for example, by bagging them and evacuating the air from the bags as is known in the art.

Packaged fasteners 90 and instructions 91 may be installed in the boxed ready-to-assemble (RTA) sofa 82.

When received by an end user, the user simply removes the contents from the box, places the back rest into the socketed connection(s) at the back of the seat base, and uses fasteners to secure the socketed connection(s) and to fasten the frame members to the arm rest portion of the seat base, and than places the cushions on the assembled seat base and back rest. A minimal number of steps and fasteners assure minimal issues during assembly.

When used herein “substantially” means within 15% of the comparative measurement parameter. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,241,575; 5,678,897; 6,637,812; and Publications 2012/0248836; 2010/0270844; and 2008/0185897 are incorporated by reference for all purposes.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment (s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any incorporated by reference references, any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed The above references in all sections of this application are herein incorporated by references in their entirety for all purposes.

Although specific examples have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose could be substituted for the specific examples shown. This application is intended to cover adaptations or variations of the present subject matter. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be defined by the attached claims and their legal equivalents, as well as the following illustrative aspects. The above described aspects embodiments of the invention are merely descriptive of its principles and are not to be considered limiting. Further modifications of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A boxed ready to assemble sofa suitable for outdoor use, the sofa having a shipping configuration and a use configuration, the boxed RTA sofa comprising: a cardboard box containing the sofa in the shipping configuration;a seat base in the box, the seat base having a rectangular footprint with a top side, a bottom side, a back side, a left side, and a right side, the seat base comprising a rectangular seat base framework formed of rectangular metal tubing welded together, a left armrest and a right armrest, each armrest having an inverted U-shape, the left armrest being welded to the rectangular seat base framework at the left side and the right armrest being welded on the right side of the seat base, each armrest comprising a downward rearward leg portion and a downward forward leg portion, each extending downwardly with respect to the rectangular seat base framework, each armrest further comprising an upper rearward portion and an upper forward portion with a horizontal portion extending therebetween, and, the seat base further comprising an intermediate leg formed of metal tubing welded to the rectangular seat base framework at the back side positioned in-between the left side and right side extending downwardly from the rectangular seat base framework and the intermediate leg having an open rectangular tubing end facing upward at or above the rectangular seat base framework, wherein the box conforms to the seat base with a height of the horizontal portion substantially corresponding with an inside height of the box, and a length of the seat base substantially corresponding to the inside length of the box;a back rest in the box, the back rest having a rectangular back rest framework with a top frame member, a lower frame member, a left side frame member and a right side frame member, each of the left side frame member and the right side frame member welded to the top frame member and the lower frame member, the back rest further having at least one intermediate column portion having an open rectangular tubing end face facing downward when the back rest is assembled to the seat base, the open rectangular tubing end face of the at least one column portion configured to abuttingly mate with the open rectangular tubing end face of the intermediate leg;at least one joining component for extending between the intermediate leg and the intermediate column when the back rest is assembled to the seat base, the at least one joining component and abutting tubing end faces precluding rotation between the intermediate column and the intermediate leg and constraining the intermediate column with respect to the intermediate leg and seat base forwardly, rearwardly, leftwardly, rightwardly, and downwardly;plurality of seat cushions and a plurality of back rest cushions in the box;instructions in the box; anda plurality of fasteners in the box.

2. The sofa of claim 1 wherein the intermediate leg and intermediate column portion are both formed of matching rectangular tubing each with at least one internal divider defining a plurality of parallel passageways each passageway with a rectangular cross section, and wherein the at least one joining component is a rectangular post conforming to and extending between connecting passageways when the back rest is assembled to the seat base.

3. The sofa of claim 1 wherein the upper rearward portion of the armrests are formed of rectangular tubing and the left side frame member and the right side frame member of the back rest are formed of rectangular tubing, and wherein when the back rest is assembled to the seat base, the upper rearward portion of the left armrest has a forward facing surface and the left side frame member of the back rest has a forward facing portion that is flush with the forward facing surface of the left arm rest and the left arm rest and back rest are securable together with one of the plurality of fasteners.

4. The boxed RTA sofa of claim 1, wherein the plurality of back cushions, the plurality of seat cushions, the seat base, and the back rest are in a vertical stack in the box.

5. The boxed RTA sofa of claim 1, wherein the intermediate leg is a first intermediate leg and the seat base further comprises a second intermediate leg formed of metal tubing welded to the rectangular seat base framework at the back side of the rectangular seat base framework and positioned in-between the left side and right side, and wherein the intermediate column portion is a first intermediate column portion and the back rest further comprises a second intermediate column portion, the second intermediate column portion and the second intermediate leg configured to abuttingly mate together whereby there are two intermediate leg and intermediate column portion junctures.

6. The boxed RTA sofa of claim 1, wherein the back rest is removably attachable to the arm rests and columns by a plurality of threaded fasteners.

7. The boxed RTA sofa of claim 1, wherein the back rest is positioned above the seat base and cushions when in the shipping configuration.

8. The boxed RTA sofa of claim 1, wherein the sofa has a shipping configuration and wherein the shipping configuration the seat cushions are stowed in the seat base, and the back rest cushions are stowed atop the seat cushions and between the arm rests, and the back rest is laid horizontally across the back rest cushions.

9. An RTA sofa comprising an integral welded seat base and an integral welded back rest;the integral welded seat base comprising a single rigid integral component with a plurality of legs welded to a seat base framework, the seat base framework comprising a rigid cushion platform for supporting seat cushions;the integral welded back rest comprising rigid cushion support webbing;the integral welded back rest connecting to the integral welded seat base by way of one or two socket connections at a back side of the seat base intermediate left and right sides of the seat base, the back rest further connecting with the seat base with a first fastener extending between the back rest and a left arm rest, and a second fastener extending between the back rest and a right arm rest, the left arm rest and right arm rest each integral with the seat base; andat least one cushion on the connected integral welded back rest and integral welded seat base, wherein the one or two socket connections each have a rectangular tubing portion of the back rest abutting a rectangular tubing portion of the seat portion and a rectangular post is conformingly positioned within both rectangular tubing portions, and

10. The RTA sofa of claim 9 wherein the at least one cushion comprises two seat cushion on the rigid platform of the seat base and two cushions against the rigid back rest support webbing.

11. The RTA sofa of claim 9 wherein the integral welded back rest and integral welded seat base comprise rectangular aluminum tubing.

12. The RTA sofa of claim 9 wherein the integral welded back rest is secured to the seat base exclusively at the one or two socket connections and by the first and second fasteners.

13. A method of assembling an RTA sofa comprising: removing an integral welded seat base, an integral welded back rest, and a plurality of fasteners from a box, the seat base including a plurality of legs welded to a seat base framework;plugging one or more intermediate column portions of the back rest into corresponding sockets of the seat base, the sockets positioned rearwardly on the seat base and comprising a post portion;using one or more fasteners to lock each of the one or more intermediate column portions to the back rest by placing each of the one or more fasteners through both the corresponding intermediate column portion and the corresponding post portion;connecting each of a left positioned back rest frame member to a left side arm rest member of the seat base at two locations with two elongate threaded fasteners, each extending through one of the left positioned back rest frame member and left side arm rest member and into the other of the left positioned back rest frame member and the left side arm rest member;connecting each of a right positioned back rest frame member to a right side arm rest member of the seat base at two locations with two elongate threaded fasteners, each extending through one of the right positioned back rest frame member and right side arm rest member and into the other of the right positioned back rest frame member and the right side arm rest member; andplacing at least one cushion from the box on the seat base and assembled back rest.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the placing of at least one cushion on the assembled back rest and seat base comprises placing at least two cushions on the seat base and at least two cushions against the back rest.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the connection of the back rest to the seat base comprise a total of six connections.

16. The RTA sofa of claim 1 wherein the horizontal arm rest portions being arcuate and having a highpoint substantially at the midpoint of the depth of the box.

17. The RTA sofa of claim 1 wherein the majority of the horizontal length of each arm rest portion extends to within 20% of the maximum internal height of the box.

18. The RTA sofa of claim 1 wherein the rigid back rest is positioned at the top of the stacked RTA thereby being positioned for confronting a top cardboard panel of the box.