Patent Application
20110012393
The present invention relates to sofas, and more particularly to a sofa with a side tray table.
A sofa is an upholstered item of furniture for the comfortable seating of more than one person and typically has an armrest on both sides of the sofa along with a back rest. Sofas are usually to be found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge. They are covered in a variety of textiles or in leather.
In many settings, a separately purchased coffee table (also referred to as a cocktail table) is placed in front of the sofa. The coffee table is used to support beverages, magazines, books, a laptop computer, and other small items to be used while sitting on the sofa. If a person sitting on the sofa wants an item from the coffee table, such as a drink or a laptop computer, the person usually has to stretch or get up from the sofa to obtain the item. While it may not be much physical effort to stretch or get up from the sofa, there are times when people prefer having the ability to simply sit in the sofa with the ability to easily obtain an item, such as a beverage.
Hence, there is a need in the art for a sofa with a built-in mechanism, such as a tray table, that holds various small items, such as a beverage or a laptop computer, that is easily accessible by a person sitting on the sofa.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a sofa with a tray table mechanism comprises a sofa comprising a seat deck and two sides, each side comprising an inner portion and an outer portion, where a pair of hinges is attached to the outer portion of at least one side. The sofa with the tray table mechanism further comprises a tray table panel attached to the seat deck via the pair of hinges, where the tray table panel is configured to fold out from a vertical position along the outer portion, of the at least one side, to a horizontal position. The tray table panel comprises a base underneath the tray table panel and one or more brackets attached to the base. The sofa with the tray table mechanism further comprises a u-shaped leg member attached to the one or more brackets, where the u-shaped leg member is configured to be placed in a vertical position when the tray table panel is in the horizontal position thereby supporting the tray table panel and forming a tray table. The u-shaped leg member folds into the base of the tray table panel when not in use.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a sofa with a tray table mechanism comprises a sofa comprising a seat deck and two sides, each side comprising an inner portion and an outer portion, where a pair of hinges is attached to the outer portion of at least one side. The sofa with the tray table mechanism further comprises a tray table attached to an outer portion of a side of the seat deck via the pair of hinges, where the tray table is configured to fold out. The tray table comprises a u-shaped leg member mounted to an underside of a panel of the tray table at selected positions of the panel of the tray table via multiple brackets, where the u-shaped leg member is fastened with one or more cylindrical rubbers at a base of the u-shaped leg member. The u-shaped leg member folds into a base of the panel of the tray table when not in use.
The foregoing has outlined rather generally the features and technical advantages of one or more embodiments of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the present invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be described hereinafter which may form the subject of the claims of the present invention.
A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
The present invention comprises a sofa with a tray table mechanism. In one embodiment of the present invention, a tray table that is configured to fold out is attached to a seat deck of the sofa via a pair of hinges that is placed on a side of the seat deck. The tray table includes a panel for holding small items (e.g., beverages, a laptop computer) that is attached to the seat deck via the pair of hinges. The panel is further connected underneath to a u-shaped leg member via a pair of brackets, where the u-shaped leg member is used for supporting the panel. The u-shaped leg member includes two cylindrical rubbers fastened at the base of the u-shaped leg member in order to protect the floor from scratching. The tray table may be easily closed or opened. In this manner, an individual on the sofa may easily access an item on the tray table without the physical effort involved in accessing the item in other manners, such as obtaining the item by getting off the sofa.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details.
As discussed in the Background section, in many settings, a coffee table (also referred to as a cocktail table) is placed in front of the sofa. The coffee table is used to support beverages, magazines, books, a laptop computer, and other small items to be used while sitting on the sofa. If a person sitting on the sofa wants an item from the coffee table, such as a drink or a laptop computer, the person usually has to stretch or get up from the sofa to obtain the item. While it may not be much physical effort to stretch or get up from the sofa, there are times when people prefer having the ability to simply sit in the sofa with the ability to easily obtain an item, such as a beverage. Hence, there is a need in the art for a sofa with a built-in mechanism, such as a tray table, that holds various small items, such as a beverage or a laptop computer, that is easily accessible by a person sitting on the sofa.
The sofa of the present invention, includes an attached tray table that makes it easy for the user to obtain an item, such as a beverage or a laptop computer, without getting off the sofa as discussed below in connection with
Referring to
Referring again to
Sofa 100 may additionally include a tray table 104 that includes a panel 105 attached to an outer portion of a side of seat deck 101 (e.g., attached to the outer portion of the right side of seat deck 101) via two metal hinges 106A-B (only metal hinge 106A is shown in
Referring to
Tray table 104 may further include a u-shaped leg member 107 connected to panel 105 via two metal brackets 108A-B at the base of panel 105, where u-shaped leg member 107 is used for supporting panel 105 as discussed and illustrated further below in connection with
Additionally, u-shaped leg member 107 may include two cylindrical rubbers 109A-B fastened at the base of u-shaped leg member 107 in order to protect the floor from scratching. Cylindrical rubbers 109A-B may collectively or individually be referred to as rubbers 109 or rubber 109, respectively. In one embodiment, rubbers 109 may be spaced equally from the sides of u-shaped leg member 107 in order to provide optimal stability.
A method for closing tray table 104 is discussed below in connection with
Referring to
In step 302, a user lifts upwards u-shaped leg member 107 until u-shaped leg member 107 sits neatly into the bottom part of tray table 104 (i.e., base of panel 105 of tray table 104) as illustrated in
In step 303, a user releases gently panel 105 of tray table 104 downwards until it sits neatly in the vertical position against the side of sofa 100 (e.g., outer portion of the right side of seat deck 101) as illustrated in
Method 300 may include other and/or additional steps that, for clarity, are not depicted. Further, method 300 may be executed in a different order presented and the order presented in the discussion of
A method for opening tray table 104 is discussed below in connection with
Referring to
In step 502, a user reaches under panel 105 of tray table 104 and pulls out u-shaped leg member 107 until it is vertically aligned with the floor thereby supporting panel 105 of tray table 104 which is in a horizontal position.
Method 500 may include other and/or additional steps that, for clarity, are not depicted. Further, method 500 may be executed in a different order presented and the order presented in the discussion of
Although the sofa is described in connection with several embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
