U.S. patent application number 10/964436 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-14 for one-piece slipcover with separate pockets for seat cushions for a fitted appearance.
Invention is credited to Nazginov, Arthur.
Application Number | 20050077764 10/964436 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31993596 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050077764 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nazginov, Arthur |
April 14, 2005 |
One-piece slipcover with separate pockets for seat cushions for a
fitted appearance
Abstract
A one-piece slipcover for covering pieces of furniture. The
slipcover includes first and second pouches where the first pouch
defines a seat cushion covering and the second pouch defines a
furniture base covering portion. Each of the portion has its own
perimeter adjusting portion in the form of a cinching element. The
outer cinching element for the main body portion circumscribes the
inner cinching element for the seat cushion covering with a portion
of the two cinching elements extending substantially parallel to
one another with a predetermined spacing therebetween, so as to
allow the entirety of the first cinching elements to be tucked
under the seat cushion.
Inventors: |
Nazginov, Arthur; (Woodside,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSTROLENK FABER GERB & SOFFEN
1180 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
100368403
|
Family ID: |
31993596 |
Appl. No.: |
10/964436 |
Filed: |
October 13, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10964436 |
Oct 13, 2004 |
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10265507 |
Oct 4, 2002 |
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6827398 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/228 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 31/11 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/228 |
International
Class: |
A47C 027/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A slipcover for a piece of furniture including at least a base
and at least one seat cushion, said slipcover comprising: a
pouch-like seat cushion covering portion including an endless,
circumference adjusting member for varying a peripheral dimension
thereof; a pouch-like main body portion for covering the base of
the piece of furniture; a ruffle attached to the main body portion
along a stitch line; the stitch line surrounds the major portion of
the circumference adjusting member with the stitch line approaching
the circumference adjusting member at first and second locations
thereof, so that the first and second locations define therebetween
a front portion of the slipcover; and first and second pairs of
ties located adjacent the first and second locations so as to
enable a gathering and tightening of the main body portion about
the base of the piece of furniture.
2. The slipcover of claim 1, in which the circumference adjusting
member is constructed substantially entirely of an elastic band
material.
3. The slipcover of claim 1, wherein each pair of ties is
constructed as an elongated band or material that is folded in half
with the free ends thereof being sewn to the slipcover with each
fastening tie defining a loop.
4. The slipcover of claim 1, further including no-slip pads
attached to the seat cushion covering portion adjacent the
circumference adjusting member.
5. The slipcover of claim 1, wherein the piece of furniture is a
sofa.
6. The slipcover of claim 1, wherein the piece of furniture is an
upholstered chair.
7. A slipcover for a piece of furniture in the form of a chair
having a substantially rectangular base and a tall backrest that
has height, width and thickness dimensions wherein the height is
substantially longer than the width and thickness of the chair, the
slipcover comprising: a single-piece, unitary construction fabric
having different portions sewn together including a substantially
rectangular base and extending therefrom, a high pouch for the
backrest of the chair and including enough material in the height
dimension so that the pouch is longer than the height of the
backseat on which the slipcover is mounted, with an excess portion
of the pouch being folded back behind the chair; and first and
second pairs of ties extending substantially parallel and in spaced
relation to one another along the back of the chair for under
folding the excess portion and holding the excess portion against
the backrest of the chair.
8. The slipcover of claim 7, wherein each tie of said first and
second pairs of ties is constructed as an elongated band of
material that is folded in half with the free ends thereof sewn to
the slipcover and each tie defining a loop.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is a division under 37 C.F.R. .sctn.1.53(b) of prior
application Ser. No. 10/265,507, filed Oct. 4, 2002 by Arthur
NAZGINOV entitled ONE-PIECE SLIPCOVER WITH SEPARATE POCKETS FOR
SEAT CUSHIONS FOR A FITTED APPEARANCE, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to ready-made slipcovers
for upholstered furniture, such as sofas, chairs, davenports,
futons and the like, and, more particularly, relates to ready-made,
one-piece slipcovers that define a separate pocket for the seat
cushion of the chair or the sofa, with elastic or non-elastic
cinching expedients to gather the material of the slipcover at the
base of the sofa to provide a neat and better fitted appearance for
the slipcover.
[0003] The prior art and printed literature, including patents on
the subject of slipcovers stretches back over a time period that
spans at least a century. As early as 1928, Arthur Cohen, in his
U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,244, describes a unitary slipcover for a seat
having a separable cushion which within certain limits may fit
seats of different styles and sizes and which, when applied to the
seat, has the appearance of a custom-made slipcover of the type in
which a separate cover is provided for the seat cushion.
[0004] In the 1930 vintage, U.S. Pat. No. 1,825,909, J. Levi
describes a slipcover with resilient inserts which tend to draw the
cover tightly over the front face or the back for eliminating
wrinkles, thus presenting a neat appearance. The design uses
elastic strings and various fasteners, so that the cover can be
made up in a single size or only a few stock sizes and be placed in
position by the purchaser in but a few minutes.
[0005] Another slipcover that can be applied to chairs or sofas of
many different sizes and shapes with portions that accommodate the
corner shoulders of the furniture and with tension or means to draw
the cover over the entire surface of the furniture to simulate a
custom-made cover for the chair or sofa is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 2,367,450. The patent discloses the use of elastic drawstrings.
throughout various take-up points in the slipcover, to present a
tight and custom-fitted appearance.
[0006] Similar technology is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,211
to G. S. Krasnov, et al., which describes a ready-made slipcover
which, notwithstanding variations in the dimensions of the
furniture pieces, provides various means to avoid the slipcovers
from becoming baggy or wrinkled in spots through, among other
things, the expedient of providing the material in stretchable form
or with threads extending therethrough at various intervals to draw
in and to shirr the rear edges of certain sections of the
slipcover. The various strings described in the prior art may be
elastic or non-elastic, as in a case where two ties are provided at
different spots on the periphery of the material which can be drawn
together and tied to present a tight and fitted appearance.
[0007] Similarly, the 1989 patent to Perrin (U.S. Pat. No.
4,838,610), describes a protective cover for upholstered furniture
that is not form-fitted like slipcovers, but which, unlike throws,
remains in proper position. The cover is in the form of a shaped
tub that fits over the furniture and includes at the bottom
thereof, a drawstring to present a tight and neat appearance. The
drawstring can be formed of strings or it can be in the form of
"Velcro" strips and the like.
[0008] Other patent literature disclosing the use of elastic cords,
stitching seams and bands and fasteners to better fit a slipcover
to a chair or sofa, is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,825,909;
1,857,418; 2,884,993 and 5,320,407.
[0009] A one-piece slipcover with an especially made seat cushion
pocket that is defined in the cover where the lip of the pocket at
its entry is circumscribed by elastic materials is described in
United Kingdom patent specification 1 300 582.
[0010] More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,831 has issued in
relation to a semi-fitted, one-piece slipcover that has a seat
cushion covering portion that is surrounded by a cinching element
for reducing its effective peripheral dimension and a main body
portion that covers the rest of the furniture with a portion of the
cinching element of the seat cushion covering portion running
co-extensively with a similar cinching element that surrounds the
main body portion of the slipcover.
[0011] The subsequent U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,685 describes a
modification to the slipcover in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No.
5,664,831 patent, in which the cinching element for the seat
cushion covering portion does not circumscribe the seat portion, to
avoid a shirring effect on the front-facing portion of the
furniture which may be a chair or a sofa. The contents of the
aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,664,831 and 6,116,685 are
incorporated by reference herein.
[0012] Despite the wealth of prior art on the subject of
slipcovers, the present inventor perceives that he has invented a
novel and unobvious combination of features that provide the ease,
utility and versatility of one-piece slipcovers, but which attains
a more fitted appearance, despite the universality of the
design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an improved one-piece slipcover that is better suited to
provide a neater and better fitted covering for upholstery.
[0014] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
one-piece slipcover that is easily and economically producable.
[0015] It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a
one-piece slipcover that is easy to use and apply to upholstered
furniture and which has the utility and versatility that it can be
applied to a variety of different sized and shaped furniture.
[0016] A further object of the invention is to provide a slipcover
with a specially defined seat cushion pocket that has an opening
therein that is defined by a circumscribed resilient band to better
hug and fit a seat cushion or cushions and to retain the fitted
appearance despite a person's numerous sitting down or getting up
from the seat cushion of the furniture.
[0017] The foregoing and other objects of the invention are
realized by a slipcover for a piece of furniture that includes at
least a base and at least one seat cushion in which the slipcover
defines a pouch-like seat cushion covering portion including a
first cinching element comprising a circumference adjusting member
for varying the peripheral dimension of the seat cushion covering
portion and a pouch-like, main body portion for covering the base
of the piece of furniture with the main body portion having its own
second cinching element comprising a perimeter adjusting
member.
[0018] The perimeter adjusting member surrounds the circumference
adjusting member and the two members have a section thereof that
run substantially parallel to one another but with a predetermined
spacing. Thereby, when mounted on the piece of furniture, the
circumference adjusting member of the covering cushion becomes
tucked under the seat cushion while the section of the perimeter
adjusting member remains exposed.
[0019] The cinching or adjusting members can be implemented in a
variety of configurations, including where both members are made of
elastic materials, in the form of endless elastic bands.
Alternatively, the circumference adjusting member is constructed of
an elastic band while the perimeter adjusting member is constructed
of a non-elastic, non-stretchable material. As a further
alternative, the perimeter adjusting member is constructed of an
elastic band except for the parallel running section which is
constructed of a non-elastic, non-stretchable material.
[0020] For those embodiments that use the perimeter adjusting
member where at least a portion is non-stretchable, the invention
provides several pairs of fastening ties that can be used to gather
the material of the slipcover about the piece of furniture to
provide a more fitted appearance. The appearance can be of ruffled
or smoothed material of the slipcover.
[0021] As used herein, the cinching or adjusting members refer to
endless, or non-endless, string-like, band of material that is held
in a pocket made in the material or sewn to the material or
intertwined stitch-like, through the material. The cinching
elements can be elastic, so as to gather the material inward, or
can be drawn non-elastic, but pullable to change the circumference
of either the seat cushion covering portion, or the main body
portion. A line of stitching connecting pieces of the material of
the slipcover, in and of itself, does not constitute a cinching or
an adjusting member. Similarly, the fastening ties which can be
drawn toward one another and thereafter tightened and knotted
together, do not constitute cinching elements in the sense of the
present invention.
[0022] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description of the invention
which refers to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 perspectively illustrates a prior art slipcover.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art, one-piece slipcover with a
special pocket defined in the cover for a seat cushion.
[0025] FIGS. 3 and 4 perspectively show a chair and a sofa which
are covered by slipcovers of the prior art, including of the type
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,664,831 and 6,116,685.
[0026] FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively show, in a perspective and
cross-sectional views, the prior art slipcover which is illustrated
in British patent specification 1 300 582.
[0027] FIG. 7b shows in plan view a slipcover according to a
further embodiment of the present invention, as it appears in a
flattened condition prior to being positioned on a piece of
furniture.
[0028] FIG. 7c shows in plan view a slipcover according to another
variation of the present invention, as it appears in a flattened
condition prior to being positioned on a piece of furniture.
[0029] FIG. 7d shows in plan view a slipcover showing yet a further
embodiment of the present invention, as it appears in a flattened
condition prior to being positioned on a piece of furniture.
[0030] FIG. 7e shows in plan view a slipcover according to another
aspect of the present invention, as it appears in a flattened
condition prior to being positioned on a piece of furniture.
[0031] FIG. 7f shows in plan view, a slipcover according to another
arrangement of its parts in accordance with the present invention,
as it appears in a flattened condition prior to being positioned on
piece of furniture.
[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective of a sofa with the slipcover
constructed in accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 7d or
7e.
[0033] FIG. 10 is a perspective of a further embodiment of a
slipcover in accordance with the present invention.
[0034] FIGS. 11a and 11b are perspectives of a front and a back of
an armless prior art chair with a slipcover.
[0035] FIG. 11c shows a modified tie construction of the slipcover
of FIGS. 11a and 11c constructed in accordance with a further
embodiment of the invention.
[0036] FIGS. 12a and 12b are perspectives of tie constructions,
including for the embodiments of FIGS. 7d, 7e, 9, 10 and 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0037] With reference to the drawings, in which identical parts are
identically marked, prior art FIG. 1 shows the typical sofa or
chair 8 provided with one or more cushions 18 that rest on a base
14, with an upholstered finish that includes a ruffle 17 that
reaches to the floor 15. In typical fashion, the chair or sofa
includes armrests 16, as indicated.
[0038] With particular relevance to the present invention, this
prior art drawing shows a tub-shaped slipcover 10, made of fabric
of a size that enables it to cover the piece of upholstered
furniture to be protected thereby. The slipcover 10 has a
continuous integral peripheral bottom portion 11 that defines a
single opening into the tub-shaped cover 10 that is designed to
allow the slipcover to be lowered onto the sofa 8, there being
provided special pockets for the armrests 18 and the backrest 7 of
the sofa. Although not shown in FIG. 1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,610
describes that the slipcover can be provided along the bottom
thereof with stitching and a drawstring to gather excess material
and to cleat and hold it at the selected length needed to tighten
the bottom portion of the slipcover against the base of the
furniture.
[0039] Another prior art slipcover design is illustrated in FIG. 2,
in the form of a slipcover 20 consisting of several pieces of
fabric sewn together to form a substantially mushroom-shaped pouch
22 for the seat cushion, which pouch is preferably substantially
oval or round. This seat cushion pouch or covering portion 22 is
preferably formed of a body of material of fabric, and is
substantially surrounded by a cinching element 26 which controls
the effective peripheral dimension of the seat cushion covering
portion. This cinching element 26 is in the form of an elastic band
which is secured to the periphery of the seat cushion covering
portion 22, while the band is in an extended or stretched
condition. In this way, when the band is allowed to relax and
return to an unstretched condition, it cinches the periphery of the
seat cushion covering portion 22 in a manner similar to a shower
cap. Thus, the seat cushion covering portion 22 has the expanse of
material with a retracted peripheral dimension, thereby forming a
three-dimensional mushroom-shaped pouch, which can readily envelope
the cushion, e.g., the cushion or cushions 18 (FIG. 1) of a piece
of furniture.
[0040] A main body portion 24 of the slipcover 20 is formed as a
long, substantially rectangular piece of material which is folded
length-wise and secured to itself along seams 36 and 38 at either
end. Preferably, these seams are formed by sewing. However, other
attachment means, such as adhesive bonding or the like could be
used. These seams define the arm covering portions (see prior art
FIG. 3) of the slipcover 20. In known manner, the main body portion
24 is preferably inverted subsequent to the seaming step, in order
that any seam allowance (not shown) formed at the seams will be
located on the inside of the slipcover 20 when it is positioned on
the item of furniture 8, to thereby provide a neater
appearance.
[0041] The main body portion 24 of the slipcover 20 is secured at a
first length-wise side thereof to the seat covering portion 22,
adjacent the location of the elastic band 26, in a manner so that
the main body portion 24 extends approximately 2/3 around the
periphery of the seat cushion covering portion 22. In one form of
the invention, this first side of the main body portion 24 is
joined to the seat cushion covering portion 22, while the cinching
element 26 is in its extended position, so that upon release of the
tension on the cinching element, the effective length of the first
length-wise side of the main body portion is reduced due to the
gathering of the first length-wise side material by the cinching
element.
[0042] The second longitudinal side 23 of the main body 24 is
preferably free (i.e., substantially unattached to the seat cushion
covering portion 22), to form an open pouch with the first
longitudinal side 26 and the arm covering portions.
[0043] The second longitudinal side 23 preferably includes a
cinching element 28 to enable a reduction of the effective length
thereof. The cinching element 28 is in form of an elastic band
which is secured to the second longitudinal side 23, while the band
is in an extended condition; in this way, when the elastic band is
allowed to return to its relaxed, unextended condition, it reduces
the effective dimension of the second longitudinal side and gathers
the material of the main body portion 24 therealong. The cinching
element 28 retracts to a lesser extent or is longer than the
cinching element 26, so that when each of the cinching elements is
in its relaxed, substantially unstretched condition, a
substantially open pocket is formed by the main body portion 24.
Alternatively, the main body portion 24 may have an extended length
proximate it longitudinal side 23, again, so that an open pocket is
formed between the first and second longitudinal side when the
first longitudinal side is secured to the seat cushion covering
portion 22.
[0044] The substantially rectangular main body portion 24 may be
wider at its center than at its sides, thereby providing a greater
amount of material fullness proximate the middle thereof, i.e., in
the region opposite the section of the seat cushion covering
portion 22, which is not encircled by the first longitudinal side
adjacent the cinching element 26.
[0045] To provide a more finished look to the slipcover 20, a skirt
30 can be provided to a lower portion of the cover. The skirt 30 is
preferably provided as a long rectangular piece of material or
fabric which secures about its longitudinal edges to the seat
cushion covering and main portions 22 and 24 of the slipcover. The
skirt 30 has one or two longitudinal sides secured to the cinching
element 28 of the main body portion, and it continues around the
front section of the seat cushion covering portion 22, which is not
encircled by the main body portion 24, where it is preferably
secured proximate cinching element 26.
[0046] When the slipcover 20 of FIG. 2 is properly positioned on a
item of furniture, as for example, on an upholstered sofa chair 50
that is illustrated in FIG. 3, the substantially mushroom-shaped
seat cushion covering portion is positioned over the seat cushion
in manner of a shower cap being secured over a wearer's hair.
Because the cinching element 26 effectively reduces the periphery
of the seat cushion covering portion 22, it has a natural tendency
to draw beneath the seat cushion 18, and into the crevices 39
between the cushion and the rest of the furniture parts. Because
the cinching element 26 cinches the seat cushion covering portion
22 mostly beneath the seat cushion 18 of the sofa chair, the seat
cushion is securely and neatly covered by the slipcover 20.
Further, because the slipcover is drawn into the crevices 39
between the seat cushion portion 22 and the base, the division
therebetween is naturally delineated, thereby providing a
semi-fitted appearance.
[0047] The main body portion 24 preferably covers the back 51 of
the chair 50, and the cinching element 28 extends around the outer
side of the sofa chair to secure this portion of the slipcover
thereon. Where the cover 20 is used to cover the chair 50 having
the arms 35 and 37, the main body portion 24 also is designed to
cover the arms and the cinching element extends around the back 16
and the arms at the positions substantially parallel with the floor
or other surface on which the sofa chair sits. The main body
portion 24 of the slipcover 20 preferably terminates proximate the
arms of the chair 50, and the skirt 30 extends downwardly from
beneath the seat cushion and cinching element towards the floor.
Because the skirt 30 extends from beneath the cushion portion of
the chair 50, rather than from above it, in the manner of many
prior art slipcover constructions, the positioning and appearance
of the skirt remains relatively unaffected throughout the
compression of the cushion, such that which would be caused by a
person sitting on the chair.
[0048] It is important to observe with respect to the slipcover 20
of prior art FIG. 2 and the manner in which it is shown mounted in
FIG. 3, that there is a co-extensive section 34 of the elastic
bands 26 and 28 that become positioned on the front of the chair
50, as indicated. Because the two bands extend coextensively,
section 34 of the first elastic band 26 does not become tucked
under the seat cushion 18, whereby no separate and distinct
definition of the front of the seat cushion 18 is provided. Thus,
the cover provides only a semi-fitted appearance, clearly revealing
to the observer that it is a slipcover, unable to project an actual
furniture upholstery appearance on the furniture.
[0049] Prior art FIG. 4 shows a modified form of the slipcover 20
of FIG. 3 which is mounted on a sofa 60, but which lacks the
elastic band section 34 of FIG. 2. Therefore, material 66 at the
front of the couch does not provide the gathered, pleated
appearance and the section which does not have the elastic band at
the section 34 is tightened by use of binding elements 62 and 64,
each of which consist of first and second elements that are
fastened together in a manner of a shoelace using a knot and a bow,
to gather the material of the main body section around the body of
the sofa.
[0050] Prior art FIG. 5 illustrates a sofa chair 70 having a body
72 and a cushion portion 74. This chair 70 is shown in
cross-section in FIG. 6 to include a slipcover 71 that defines a
pocket 75 for the seat cushion 74 with the perimeter or opening
into the pocket 77 being defined by a portion 79 of the material
which becomes tucked under the cushion through the action of an
elastic band 73.
[0051] Therefore, at the location 81 (FIG. 5), the material of the
slipcover 71 is gathered underneath the seat cushion 74 on the
front face of the sofa chair 70 as well. The prior art embodiment
in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from that of prior art FIG. 2 in that the
latter embodiment does not disclose the second elastic member 28,
which defines the further pocket for the main body portion of the
slipcover.
[0052] Having thus described the prior art, reference is made to
several embodiments of the invention, commencing with FIG. 7a which
shows the novel slipcover 80 of the present invention which, in a
manner similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2, comprises the seat
cushion pocket 22, as well as the main body portion 24. Further, in
a manner generally similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2, there is
provided a first cinching element in the form of an elastic band 26
and a second cinching element in the form of an elastic band 28
with an important distinction. In FIG. 7a, there is no co-extensive
section 34 of the two elastic bands, i.e., cinching elements 26 and
28. Instead, in the region of the front of the slipcover, these
bands are separated from one another by a distance "d", which is
specifically designed to be wide enough, for example, at least
one-half inch, and preferably about two inches, to allow the
entirety of the elastic band 26, which defines the mushroom-shaped
seat cushion covering portion 22, to be tucked under the seat
cushion 18 to provide a more fitted look and appearance to the
slipcover 80 when it is positioned on a sofa or a chair or another
piece of furniture. Not only does this expedient provide a more
fitted appearance for the slipcover, but in addition, it aids in
preventing wrinkling and bunching of the material as a person sits
down or gets up from the furniture, since the resilient member
cinching element 26 will always act to tightly hold and gather at
least a portion of the material between the two cinching elements
of the slipcover under the seat cushion. However, the distance "d"
need not be constant, for example, it may be larger at the center
and taper down in size toward its edges.
[0053] The concept of the present invention of providing both a
separate main body portion pocket 24 and a seat cushion pocket 22
which are separately defined and which do not have any co-extensive
portions, is further reproduced in modified embodiments in FIGS.
7b-7g. Thus, in FIG. 7b, the entirety of the cinching member 28b is
made of non-elastic material, rather than the elastic material, of
which the elastic band 26 is constructed. In the embodiment of FIG.
7c, the cinching element 28c for the main body portion 24 is made
of two portions, including a non-elastic cinching element 28' which
approximately spans the distance or the span indicated by 34 in
FIG. 2 and a second portion 28' which is made of elastic material.
In the embodiment of FIG. 7d, there are added left-hand and
right-hand pairs of fastening ties or bands 84a, 84b and 86a, 86b
which, upon mounting of the slipcover onto a piece of furniture,
allow the slipcover to be tightened to hug the furniture to remove
any pleating or shirring appearance from the portion 28' of the
cinching element 28c.
[0054] The embodiment of FIG. 7e adds the ties 84a, 84b, 86a, 86b
to the embodiment of FIG. 7b. Two pairs of additional ties 84c, 84d
and 86c, 86d can be added adjacent the location where the slipcover
hugs the rear corners of the piece of furniture. These additional
pairs of ties can be added to other embodiments described above as
well.
[0055] Referring to FIG. 7f, here there is only a single cinching
element 26. The line 25a represents the location of the sewing or
stitching or attachment between the main body portion 24 and the
ruffle 30. As in the other embodiments, fastening ties or bands can
be included as shown.
[0056] In general, the embodiment of FIG. 7g is modeled on the
slipcover of FIG. 7a, with the further proviso that contact points
are provided between the first cinching element 26 and the second
cinching element 28 at 29a and 29b. These points are preferably
located adjacent the material of the slipcover which defines the
aforementioned pockets for the armrests.
[0057] When the slipcover 80 of FIG. 7a is mounted on the sofa
chair 90 shown in FIG. 8, the appearance of the slipcover 80 is
changed in that a fold line 81 is defined which consists of the
gathered material which is drawn underneath the seat cushion 18.
Separately, there is a line 34 that runs along the front side and
possibly around the sofa chair which represents the second elastic
cinching element 28c. Note that the line 34 would not appear when
using the slipcover embodiment of FIG. 7f.
[0058] In FIG. 9, the similar slipcover 85 that, for example, is
shown in FIGS. 7d or 7e, is mounted and the same line 81 is again
generated. In addition, the material at the front of the sofa 87 is
not pleated because it is stretched out due to the action of the
ties 84 and 86, as shown.
[0059] Referring to FIG. 10, a sofa 89 with the slipcover
illustrated in FIG. 9 is shown here transparently to enable viewing
the seat cushion cover portion including no-slip pads 90, 91 at the
rear and at the sides of the cushions. When the slipcover is
mounted, these pads 90, 91 are tucked under, to prevent slippage or
stretching of the material off the seat cushions. This expedient
can be provided in addition to the elastic band 26 or in lieu
thereof. In such an embodiment, one may provide the elastic band 26
only along the front side of the couch and secure the material of
the slipcover underneath the seat cushion along the sides and rear
exclusively through the use of the no-slip pads 90, 91. This
succeeds in preventing slippage from "back crease". These pads are
typically constructed of rubber-woven cloth, commonly used
underneath area rugs or carpets to prevent slippage. Excess fabric
with the attached no-slip pads go into the creases and underneath
the seating cushions, and the frictional effect of the no-slip pads
works to achieve the desired effect.
[0060] Instead of using an "elasticized ruffle skirt", one may use
a straight skirt with no elastic with a "kick pleat" 93 in front of
the slipcover and a pair of ties on each of the four corners of the
couch slipcover. Ties allow to adjust the slipcover to couches of
different lengths. See FIG. 9.
[0061] The invention permits providing the slipcovers in as few as
three sizes, for example, small, medium and large, so as to fit
most couches that are typically available in the marketplace. But
more sizes can be provided, for example, four or five or even
more.
[0062] FIG. 11a shows a prior art slipcover 100 especially designed
for a hard-back rectangular chair 101, with the base 102 of the
slipcover comprising a hanging rectangular skirt that fits over the
base of the chair. A special pocket 104 of the slipcover 100 has a
substantial height, but very narrow width, to slip over the
backrest of the chair 101. Since the backrests of chairs come in
too great a variety of height sizes, excess material 106 is folded
back behind the chair 101 and the prior art teaches (FIG. 11b) to
provide a pair of ties 108 at the seat level of the chair. These
ties 108 can be fastened together across the back of the chair, as
shown. The prior art expedient still results in a cluttered
appearance.
[0063] To improve that look, the present invention provides, as
shown in FIG. 11c, first and second ties, a first tie 110 being
disposed towards the top and the other 112 towards the bottom, in a
predetermined relationship, so that the excess material can be
gathered up, as by rolling or other expedients or otherwise hidden
and thereafter the two separate pairs of ties 110, 112 used to
secure the excess material to provide a neat and pleasing
appearance.
[0064] With reference to FIG. 12a, each tie (of each pair) used
throughout the invention is preferably constituted not of a single
band of material, but rather as a folded over band of material,
creating a loop 116 that is sewn into the seam and secured only at
one point 118 to the slipcover. This provides the advantage of not
having to finish two separate ends of each tie. Alternatively, and
as shown in FIG. 12b, each tie is secured at two adjacent points
150 and 152 to the fabric of the slipcover.
[0065] Although the present invention has been described in
relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations
and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those
skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present
invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but
only by the appended claims.
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