U.S. patent application number 10/209857 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-05 for modular sofa.
Invention is credited to Chang, Yuan-Feng.
Application Number | 20040021359 10/209857 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32395458 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040021359 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang, Yuan-Feng |
February 5, 2004 |
Modular sofa
Abstract
A modular sofa includes a hollow base frame, upholstered back
and armrest members, and a plurality of mounting units. Each
mounting unit includes amounting seat secured to a respective one
of the back and armrest members, and a hook plate extending from
the mounting seat so as to define an insert space. The base frame
includes a rear side wall and a pair of lateral side walls, each of
which is inserted into the insert space of a respective mounting
unit. A threaded rod extends through the hook plate and through a
respective one of the rear sidewall and the lateral side walls, and
engages threadedly a mounting hole in the mounting seat for
fastening the respective one of the back and armrest members to the
respective side wall of the base frame.
Inventors: |
Chang, Yuan-Feng; (Chia-I
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOWE HAUPTMAN GILMAN & BERNER LLP
SUITE 310
1700 DIAGONAL ROAD
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
32395458 |
Appl. No.: |
10/209857 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/440.23 ;
297/440.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 4/024 20130101;
A47C 13/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/440.23 ;
297/440.15 |
International
Class: |
A47C 004/02 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A modular sofa comprising: a hollow base frame having front and
rear side walls and a pair of lateral side walls interconnecting
said front and rear side walls, each of said rear side wall and
said lateral side walls being formed with at least one fastener
hole; an upholstered back member having a lower end portion
disposed adjacent to said rear side wall of said base frame and an
inner side facing said base frame; a pair of upholstered armrest
members, each of which has a lower end portion disposed adjacent to
a respective one of said lateral side walls of said base frame, and
an inner side facing said base frame; an upholstered seat member
disposed on top of said base frame; a plurality of mounting units,
each of which includes a mounting seat secured to said lower end
portion of a respective one of said upholstered back member and
said upholstered armrest members at said inner side of the
respective one of said back member and said armrest members, and an
L-shaped hook plate extending from said mounting seat so as to
cooperate with said mounting seat to define an insert space, said
mounting seat being formed with a threaded mounting hole, said hook
plate being formed with a through hole aligned with said mounting
hole; said rear side wall and said lateral side walls being
inserted respectively into said insert spaces of said mounting
units so as to align said fastener holes with said through holes
and said mounting holes in said mounting units; each of said
mounting units further including a threaded rod which extends
through said through hole in said hook plate, and through said
fastener hole in a respective one of said rear side wall and said
lateral side walls of said base frame, and which engages threadedly
said mounting hole in said mounting seat for fastening a respective
one of said upholstered back member and said upholstered armrest
members to the corresponding one of said rear side wall and said
lateral side walls of said base frame.
2. The modular sofa as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insert
space in a first one of said mounting units that is mounted on said
back member opens downwardly, said insert space in a second one of
said mounting units that is mounted on one of said armrest members
opens upwardly, and said insert space in a third one of said
mounting units that is mounted on another one of said armrest
members opens upwardly.
3. The modular sofa as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting
seat of each of said mounting units includes a U-shaped hollow
frame which has a parallel pair of upright wing plates secured to
the respective one of said back member and said armrest members,
and an upright mounting plate interconnecting said wing plates and
formed with said mounting hole, said hook plate including a
connecting portion connected to said mounting plate, and a hook
portion extending transversely from said connecting portion and
substantially parallel to said mounting plate, said hook portion
being formed with said through hole, said insert space being formed
among said connecting portion and said hook portion of said hook
plate and said mounting plate of said mounting seat and having an
open end opposite to said connecting portion of said hook
plate.
4. The modular sofa as claimed in claim 3, wherein said hook
portion of said hook plate has a distal end opposite to said
connecting portion of said hook plate, said distal end being bent
in a direction away from said mounting plate to widen said open end
of said insert space so as to facilitate insertion of the
respective one of said rear side wall and said lateral side walls
of said base frame into said insert space.
5. The modular sofa as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said
rear side wall and said lateral side walls of said base frame abuts
against said connecting portion of said hook plate of the
respective one of said mounting units.
6. The modular sofa as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said
upholstered armrest members includes an upright interior armrest
frame and an armrest upholster enclosing said interior armrest
frame, said hook plate of a pair of said mounting units that are
mounted respectively on said armrest members extending out of said
armrest upholster of a respective one of said armrest members, said
armrest upholster of each of said armrest members being formed with
an access hole aligned with said mounting hole in said mounting
seat of a corresponding one of said pair of said mounting units to
permit extension of said threaded rod into said mounting hole via
said access hole.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a modular sofa, more
particularly to a modular sofa which includes upholstered seat,
back, and armrest members that can be assembled by fastening to a
four-sided hollow frame through a relatively simple operation.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,767, there is disclosed a modular
sofa which includes a rectangular hollow frame, an upholstered back
frame having a lower end portion fastened to a back wall of the
hollow frame, a pair of upholstered armrest frames fastened to a
pair of lateral side walls of the hollow frame, and a seat frame
disposed on top of the hollow frame. A first fastener is provided
for fastening the back frame to the back wall of the hollow frame,
and includes four screw rods secured to the back frame. The four
screw rods extend through four fastener holes in the back wall and
engage nuts disposed within the hollow frame. A pair of second
fasteners are provided for fastening the armrest frames to the
lateral side walls of the hollow frame. Each of the second
fasteners includes four screw rods secured to a respective one of
the armrest frames. The four screw rods extend through four
fastener holes in a respective one of the lateral side walls and
engage nuts disposed within the hollow frame. During assembly of
one of the back frame and the armrest frames to a corresponding one
of the back wall and the lateral side walls of the hollow frame,
the four screw rods must be aligned simultaneously with the four
fastener holes in the corresponding wall of the hollow frame such
that they can be inserted simultaneously through the four fastener
holes. This makes the assembly operation relatively difficult to
conduct.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide
a modular sofa which can be easily assembled.
[0006] Accordingly, the modular sofa of the present invention
includes a hollow base frame, an upholstered back member, a pair of
upholstered armrest members, an upholstered seat member, and a
plurality of mounting units. The base frame has front and rear side
walls, and a pair of lateral side walls interconnecting the front
and rear side walls. Each of the rear side wall and the lateral
side walls is formed with at least one fastener hole. The back
member has a lower end portion disposed adjacent to the rear side
wall of the base frame, and an inner side facing the base frame.
Each of the upholstered armrest members has a lower end portion
disposed adjacent to a respective one of the lateral side walls of
the base frame, and an inner side facing the base frame. The
upholstered seat member is disposed on top of the base frame. Each
of the mounting units includes a mounting seat secured to the lower
end portion of a respective one of the upholstered back member and
the upholstered armrest members at the inner side of the respective
one of the back member and the armrest members, and an L-shaped
hook plate extending from the mounting seat so as to cooperate with
the mounting seat to define an insert space. The mounting seat is
formed with a threaded mounting hole. The hook plate is formed with
a through hole aligned with the mounting hole. The rear side wall
and the lateral side walls are inserted respectively into the
insert spaces of the mounting units so as to align the fastener
holes with the through holes and the mounting holes in the mounting
units. Each of the mounting units further includes a threaded rod
which extends through the through hole in the hook plate, and
through the fastener hole in a respective one of the rear side wall
and the lateral side walls of the base frame, and which engages
threadedly the mounting hole in the mounting seat for fastening a
respective one of the upholstered back member and the upholstered
armrest members to the corresponding one of the rear side wall and
the lateral side walls of the base frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred
embodiment of the modular sofa according to the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the modular sofa
of the preferred embodiment, where upholsters on the armrest frames
are illustrated in phantom lines;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, illustrating one
mounting unit of the modular sofa of the preferred embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partly sectional view to show the
mounting unit; and
[0012] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partly sectional view to show
another mounting unit of the modular sofa of the preferred
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the
modular sofa of the present invention is shown to include a
rectangular hollow base frame 3, an upholstered seat member 4, an
upright upholstered back member 5, a pair of upright upholstered
armrest members 6, and a plurality of mounting units 7.
[0014] The base frame 3 is made of extruded aluminum, and has front
and rear side walls 30, 31, and a pair of lateral side walls 32
interconnecting the front and rear side walls 30, 31. Each of the
rear side wall 31 and the lateral side walls 32 is formed with two
fastener holes 33 at two opposite end portions thereof.
[0015] The upholstered back member 5 includes a back upholster 52
with a flat surface 520 that faces forwardly, and a rectangular
back frame 51 secured to the flat surface 520. The back upholster
52 includes a back plate (not visible) and a piece of cloth or
leather enclosing the back plate. The back frame 51 includes a pair
of vertical mounting rods 512, and a pair of horizontal rods 511
interconnecting the vertical mounting rods 512. The back member 5
has a lower end portion disposed adjacent to and posteriorly of the
rear side wall 31 of the base frame 3, and has an inner side facing
the base frame 3.
[0016] The armrest members 6 flank the lateral side walls 32 of the
base frame 3. Each of the armrest members 6 has an inner side
facing the base frame 3, and a lower end portion disposed adjacent
to a respective one of the lateral side walls 32 of the base frame
3. Each of the armrest members 6 includes an upright interior
armrest frame 61 and an armrest upholster 62 enclosing the armrest
frame 61. Likewise, the armrest upholster 62 includes a soft
cushion material, and a piece of cloth or leather enclosing the
cushion material. The armrest frame 61 includes upright front and
rear frame portions 611 that are parallel to each other, a pair of
upper horizontal bars 612 extending between upper ends of the front
and rear frame portions 611, a pair of lower horizontal bars 612'
extending between lower ends of the front and rear frame portions
611, and a pair of vertical mounting rods 613 which are
spaced-apart in a front-to-rear direction and which extend between
the upper and lower horizontal bars 612, 612'. A pair of foot
members 63 is mounted on the bottom of a respective one of the
armrest members 6.
[0017] A first pair of the mounting units 7 is provided on the
lower end portion of the back member 5 for mounting the back member
5 on the rear side wall 31 of the base frame 3. A second pair of
the mounting units 7 is mounted on the lower end portion of one of
the armrest members 6 for mounting said one of the armrest members
6 on an adjacent one of the lateral side walls 32 of the base frame
3. A third pair of the mounting units 7 is mounted on the lower end
portion of another one of the armrest members 6 for mounting said
another one of the armrest members 6 on an adjacent one of the
lateral side walls 32 of the base frame 3.
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, each of the mounting units 7
includes a hollow mounting seat 71 which is secured, such as by
welding, to a lower end portion of a respective one of the mounting
rods 512, 613 of the upholstered back member 5 and the upholstered
armrest members 6. The mounting seat 71 includes a U-shaped hollow
frame which has a parallel pair of upright wing plates 712 and an
upright mounting plate 711 interconnecting the wing plates 712. The
mounting plate 711 is formed with an internally threaded mounting
hole 713. An L-shaped hook plate 72 extends from the mounting plate
711, and cooperates with the mounting plate 711 to define a
vertically extending insert space 73. The hook plate 72 has a
connecting portion 722 connected to the mounting plate 711, and a
hook portion 721 which extends transversely from the connecting
portion 722 and which is substantially parallel to the mounting
plate 711. The insert space 73 is formed among the connecting
portion 722 and the hook portion 721 of the hook plate 72 and the
mounting plate 711 of the mounting seat 71. The hook portion 721 of
the hook plate 72 is formed with a through hole 723 aligned with
the mounting hole 713. The insert space 73 has an open end 731
opposite to the connecting portion 722 of the hook plate 72.
[0019] In this embodiment, the insert space 73 in each of the first
pair of the mounting units 7 opens downwardly, as shown in FIG. 5.
The insert space 73 in each of the second and third pairs of the
mounting units 7 opens upwardly, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0020] Each of the rear side wall 31 and the lateral side walls 32
of the base frame 3 is inserted into the insert spaces 73 of a
corresponding pair of the mounting units 7, and abuts against the
connecting portions 722 of the hook plates 72 of the corresponding
pair of the mounting units 7 so as to align the fastener holes 33
with the through holes 723 and the mounting holes 713 in the
corresponding pair of the mounting units 7. The hook portion 721 of
the hook plate 72 of each of the mounting units 7 has a distal end
725 which is opposite to the connecting portion 722 and which is
bent outwardly away from the mounting plate 711 to widen the open
end 731 of the insert space 73 so as to facilitate insertion of the
respective one of the rear side wall 31 and the lateral side walls
32 of the base frame 3 into the insert space 73.
[0021] Each of the mounting units 7 further includes a threaded rod
74 which extends through a respective one of the fastener holes 33
in one of the rear side wall 31 and the lateral side walls 32 of
the base frame 3, and through the through hole 723 in the hook
plate 72, and which engages threadedly the mounting hole 713 in the
mounting plate 711 of the mounting seat 71 for fastening the
respective one of the back member 5 and the armrest members 6 to
the respective one of the rear side wall 31 and the lateral side
walls 32 of the base frame 3.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, in each of the upholstered armrest
members 6, the armrest upholster 62 encloses the interior armrest
frame 61 (see FIG. 2) and the mounting seats 71 while permitting
extension of the hook plates 72 out of the armrest upholster 62.
Each armrest upholster 62 is formed with access holes 622 to permit
insertion of the threaded rods 74 into the mounting holes 713 in
the mounting seats 71.
[0023] Referring back to FIG. 1, the seat member 4 is disposed on
top of the base frame 3, and includes a horizontal seat portion 41,
a front cover 43 extending downwardly from a front edge of the seat
portion 41 for covering the front side wall 30 of the base frame 3,
and a backrest portion 42 extending upwardly from a rear edge of
the seat portion 41 and disposed in front of the back member 5. Two
positioning strips 44 (only one is shown) extend downwardly from a
bottom side of the seat portion 41. The positioning strips 4 are
disposed at inner surfaces of the lateral side walls 32, and abut
against the hook plates 72 of a pair of the mounting units 7 that
are disposed proximate to the front side wall 30 of the base frame
3 in order to prevent sliding movement of the seat member 4
relative to the base frame 3 in forward and lateral directions.
[0024] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *