U.S. patent application number 14/461458 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-18 for folding sofa.
This patent application is currently assigned to Zenithen USA. LLC. d/b/a Z Company, Zenithen USA. LLC. d/b/a Z Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company, Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company. Invention is credited to Andrew David Frankel, Shi-Ping Zheng, Tian-Xia Zheng.
Application Number | 20160045029 14/461458 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55301151 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160045029 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frankel; Andrew David ; et
al. |
February 18, 2016 |
FOLDING SOFA
Abstract
The present invention relates to a folding sofa, comprising a
sofa body and support legs on both sides; the support leg is
composed of movably, cross hinged front support rods and rear
support rods, the front support rod is higher than the rear support
rod, and the higher part forms a backrest section. The sofa body is
made from a soft fabric through processing and forming, comprises
an integrated seat cushion, armrest and backrest; where, the outer
side of the backrest and armrest are respectively provided with a
backrest cover and an armrest cover. The front and rear support
rods directly support the sofa body, the seat cushion is lifted by
the backrest and armrest for forming, is comfortable to sit, and
forms the wide volume peculiar to sofa with the aid of the backrest
cover and armrest cover.
Inventors: |
Frankel; Andrew David;
(Yorba Linda, CA) ; Zheng; Shi-Ping; (Fuzhou,
CN) ; Zheng; Tian-Xia; (Fuzhou, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company |
Diamond Bar |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Zenithen USA. LLC. d/b/a Z
Company
|
Family ID: |
55301151 |
Appl. No.: |
14/461458 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 4/18 20130101; A47C
7/54 20130101; A47C 4/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 4/06 20060101
A47C004/06; A47C 7/54 20060101 A47C007/54 |
Claims
1. A folding sofa, comprising a sofa body and support legs
equivalent or symmetrical on both sides; the support leg is
composed of movably cross hinged front support rods and rear
support rods, the front support rod is higher than the rear support
rod, and the higher part forms a backrest section; the front
support rods on both sides are fixed with a front cross rod to
become one, and the rear support rods are fixed with a rear cross
rod to become one. The sofa body is made from a soft fabric through
processing and forming, and comprises an integrated seat cushion,
armrest and backrest. Its characteristics are that the outer side
of the backrest and armrest are respectively provided with a
backrest cover and an armrest cover, and the backrest covers on the
backrest section with the aid of the backrest cover; the armrest
covers on the upper end of the rear support rods with the aid the
armrest cover, a horizontal reinforcing rib belt is arranged
between the upper end of the rear support rods and front support
rods, and the reinforcing rib belt is wrapped in the armrest cover.
When the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the reinforcing rib
belt is tightened up, and plays a role in supporting the
armrest.
2. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the reinforcing rib
belt is sewn directly on the inner side of the armrest.
3. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, one end of the
reinforcing rib belt is fixed on the upper end of the rear support
rod, and the other end of it is fixed on the front support.
4. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the lower edge of
the armrest cover is not higher than that of the seat cushion;
lower edge of the backrest cover is provided with a vertical skirt
sweep, the lower edge of which is flushed with the lower edge of
the armrest cover, and both sides of which are respectively sewn
with the armrest cover.
5. A folding sofa defined in claim 4, wherein, the armrest cover is
sewn with a shielding cloth along the front edge of the rear
support rod, and when the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the
shielding cloth can be used to drive the seat cushion to
unfold.
6. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the armrest cover is
sewn with a shielding cloth along the front edge of the rear
support rod, and when the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the
shielding cloth can be used to drive the seat cushion to
unfold.
7. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the front support
rod on both sides and the front cross rod are bent into a U-shaped
frame by a rod, the front cross rod is arranged at one end of the
backrest section to support the backrest cover; the two rear
support rods and rear cross rod are bent into a U-shaped frame by a
rod, and the rear cross rod touches the ground.
8. A folding sofa defined in claim 7, wherein, a link rod is also
hinged between the hinge points of the front support rods on both
sides and the rear support rods.
9. A folding sofa defined in claim 8, wherein, the link rod is
provided with a bending part on either end. Both bending parts are
respectively clinging to the front support rods on both sides, and
are fixed together through riveting or welding.
10. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, a link rod is also
hinged between the hinge points of the front support rods on both
sides and the rear support rods.
11. A folding sofa defined in claim 10, wherein, the link rod is
provided with a bending part on either end. Both bending parts are
respectively clinging to the front support rods on both sides, and
are fixed together through riveting or welding.
12. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, a belt is arranged
on the outer side of the backrest cover. Both ends of the belt are
respectively sewn on the backrest cover in the backrest section on
both sides. After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the belt
may be turned frontward to buckle the front end of the armrest and
the upper end of the rear support rod.
13. A folding sofa defined in claim 4, wherein, a belt is arranged
on the outer side of the backrest cover. Both ends of the belt are
respectively sewn on the backrest cover in the backrest section on
both sides. After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the belt
may be turned frontward to buckle the front end of the armrest and
the upper end of the rear support rod.
14. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the belt is an
elastic tape, or a fabric tape with a buckle at the end.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is in the field of daily necessities,
especially relates to a folding sofa, and more specifically, a
folding sofa that can be folded to a flat structure.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] There are a variety of folding chairs. The folded chair is
compact, is easy to collect and is portable. Therefore, folding
chairs are frequently used at home and in offices. Common folding
chair structure comprises support legs symmetrical on both sides, a
seat cushion and a back cushion. Where, the support leg is composed
of two hinged front support rods and rear support rods. The seat
cushion is installed on the front and rear support rods, forming a
stable triangular support structure. The front support rods extend
above the seat cushion to form two backrest sections, on which back
cushions are installed. In order to satisfy the folding function,
the front and rear support rods are movably hinged, and form a
triangle with the seat cushion, so there must be a movable point.
Therefore, if the hinge point between the front support rods and
rear support rods is in a different position from a movable point,
a series of diverse folding chair products will be obtained to meet
different needs.
[0005] For example, CN201718818U discloses a folding chair. The
upper end of its rear support rods is hinged on the middle-upper
part of its front support rods. The hard seat is pivoted near the
middle part of the front support rods. A rear part of the seat is
arranged on the rear support rods through a movable cover of a
sleeve seat. A limit point is fixed on the rear support rods, and
the sleeve seat forms a movable point for folding. A defect of the
structure is that the seat is not stable, especially when the
buttock gravity moves backward, the seat will tilt backward.
Besides, folded front and rear support rods are side by side in
front and rear, and occupy the space of thickness of two rods.
[0006] For example, CN101396209B discloses a folding chair, the
front and rear chair legs of which form an X-type cross. The front
part of the chair plate is articulated with the upper end part of
the rear chair legs, both side edges are provided with symmetrical
is sliding ways, and a support rod is fixed between the front chair
legs on both sides. The support rod runs through the sliding way,
and plays a role in supporting the rear side of the chair plate and
folding with the help of the two. The folding chair in this scheme
has a complex structure, and the folded chair still occupies the
space of thickness of 2-3 rods.
[0007] In the prior art, the seat cushion of the folding chair is
made from hard materials or needs reliable support, so that its
structure is complex. If the support structure of the existing
folding chair is improved, it will become the research object in
the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention aims in at least one embodiment to
provide a folding sofa with the front support rods and rear support
rods movably cross hinged on both sides, and with the upper end
part of the front support rods and upper end part of the rear
support rods directly supporting the sofa body.
[0009] A technical scheme in this invention is realized as follows:
a folding sofa comprises support legs equivalent or symmetrical on
both sides, and also comprises a sofa body. The support leg
comprises movably cross hinged front and rear support rods. The
front support rods are higher than the rear support rods, and the
higher part forms the backrest section. The front support rods on
both sides are fixed by a front cross rod to become one (i.e., a
"single unit"), and the rear support rods are fixed by a rear cross
rod to become one. The sofa body is made from a soft fabric through
processing and forming. It comprises an integrated seat cushion,
armrest and backrest. Its characteristics may be is that the outer
side of the backrest and armrest are respectively provided with a
backrest cover and an armrest cover, and the backrest covers on the
backrest section with the aid of the backrest cover. The armrest
covers on the upper end of the rear support rods with the aid of
the armrest cover, a horizontal reinforcing rib belt is arranged
between the upper end of the rear support rods and front support
rods, and the reinforcing rib belt is wrapped in the armrest cover.
When the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the reinforcing rib
belt is tightened and plays a role in supporting the armrest.
[0010] The reinforcing rib belt is directly sewn on the inner side
of the armrest.
[0011] One end of the reinforcing rib belt is fixed on the upper
end of the support rod, and the other end of it is fixed on the
front support.
[0012] The lower edge of the armrest cover is preferably not higher
than that of the seat cushion. The lower edge of the backrest cover
is provided with a vertical skirt sweep, the lower edge of which is
flushed with the lower edge of the armrest cover, and both sides of
which are respectively sewn with the armrest cover.
[0013] The armrest cover is sewn with a shielding cloth along the
front edge of the rear support rod, and when the folding sofa is
unfolded in place, the shielding cloth can be used to drive the
seat cushion to unfold.
[0014] The front support rod on both sides and the front cross rod
are bent into a U-shaped frame by a rod, the front cross rod is
arranged at one end of the backrest section to support the backrest
cover; the two rear support rods and rear cross rod are bent into a
U-shaped frame by a rod, and the rear cross rod touches the
ground.
[0015] A link rod is also hinged between the hinge points of the
front support rods on both is sides and the rear support rods.
[0016] The link rod is provided with a bending part on either end.
Both bending parts are respectively clinging to the front support
rods on both sides, and are fixed together through riveting or
welding.
[0017] A belt is arranged on the outer side of the backrest cover.
Both ends of the belt are respectively sewn on the backrest cover
in the backrest sections on both sides. After the folding sofa is
unfolded in place, the belt may be turned frontward to buckle the
front end of the armrest and the upper end of the rear support
rods.
[0018] The belt is an elastic tape, or a fabric tape with a buckle
at the end.
[0019] The present invention is characterized by unique conception,
light structure, smooth folding and unfolding operation, and small
space occupation. The sofa body is directly supported by movably
cross hinged front and rear support rods, and is made from a soft
fabric through processing and forming. The seat cushion is lifted
by the backrest and armrest for forming, is soft and comfortable to
sit, forms the wide volume peculiar to sofa with the help of the
backrest cover and armrest cover, and does not occupy collection
space. Folded front and rear support rods can be mutually nested
with the thickness equivalent to the caliber of front support rods,
and presents a flat structure. A plurality of folding sofa can be
conveniently superposed for collection, thereby occupying less
space.
[0020] It is an object of the invention to provide improved
elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes
described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in
accomplishing its intended purposes.
[0021] These and other objects of the present invention will be
readily apparent upon review of the following detailed description
of the invention and the accompanying drawings. These objects of
the present invention are not exhaustive and are not to be
construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention. Further,
it must be understood that no one embodiment of the present
invention need include all of the aforementioned objects of the
present invention. Rather, a given embodiment may include one or
none of the aforementioned objects. Accordingly, these objects are
not to be used to limit the scope of the claims of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] This invention is further illustrated in the light of
specific figures as follows:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a 3D diagram of the folding sofa.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a Bottom view of the folding sofa.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a Side view of the folding sofa.
[0026] FIG. 4 is an Exploded view of the folding sofa.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a Bottom view of the sofa body.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a Schematic diagram of folded support legs.
[0029] Where the following reference numerals are associate with
the following respective elements: [0030] 1--Sofa body [0031]
11--Seat cushion [0032] 12--Armrest [0033] 120--Armrest cover
[0034] 121--Shielding cloth [0035] 13--Backrest [0036]
130--backrest cover [0037] 131--Skirt sweep [0038] 2--Front support
rod [0039] 21--Front cross rod [0040] 22--Backrest section [0041]
3--Rear support rod [0042] 31--Rear cross rod [0043] 4--Link rod
[0044] 41--bending part [0045] 5--Reinforcing rib belt [0046]
6--Belt
[0047] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0048] According to FIGS. 1-4, a folding sofa, comprising a sofa
body 1 and support legs equivalent or symmetrical on both sides is
shown. The support leg is composed of movably cross hinged front
support rods 2 and rear support rods 3. The front support rod 2 is
higher than the rear support rod 3, and the higher part forms a
backrest section 22. The front support rods 2 on both sides are
fixed with a front cross rod to become one, and the rear support
rods 3 are fixed with a rear cross rod 31 to become one. More
specifically, the front support rods 2 on both sides and the front
cross rod 21 are bent into iii a U-shaped frame with a rod, the
front cross rod 21 is arranged at one end of the backrest 22 to
support the backrest cover. Both rear support rods 3 and the cross
rod 31 are bent into a U-shaped frame with a rod, and the rear
cross rod 31 touches the ground.
[0049] In order to strengthen the rigidity of the front support
rods 2 and rear support rods 3 at the hinge points and avoid the
support legs on both sides from folding inward after is being
subjected to a force. A link rod 4 is also hinged between the hinge
points of the front support rods 2 on both sides and the rear
support rods 3. The link rod is provided with a bending part 41 at
both ends. Both bending parts 41 are respectively clinging to the
front support rods 2 on both sides, and are fixed together through
riveting or welding.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the sofa body 1 is made from
a soft fabric through processing and forming, and has an integrated
seat cushion 11, armrest 12 and backrest 13. The backrest 13 and
armrest 12 are respectively provided with a backrest cover 130 and
an armrest cover 120 on the outer side. The backrest 13 covers on
the backrest section 22 with the aid of the backrest cover 130, and
distributes the stress to the front cross rod 21. The armrest 12
covers on the upper end of the rear support rod 3 with the aid of
the armrest cover 120. A horizontal reinforcing rib belt 5 is
arranged between the upper end of the rear support rod 3 and the
front support rod 2. The reinforcing rib belt 5 is wrapped in the
armrest cover 120. When the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the
reinforcing rib belt 5 is tightened up, and plays a role in
supporting the armrest 12. More specifically, the reinforcing rib
belt 5 includes two structures as follows:
[0051] One is that the reinforcing rib belt 5 is sewn directly on
the inner side of the armrest 12 to increase the strength of the
armrest 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The other is that one end of the
reinforcing rib belt 5 is fixed on the upper end of the rear
support rod 3, and the other end of it is fixed on the front
support 2, as shown in FIG. 4. The reinforcing rib belt 5 plays a
role in not only supporting the armrest 12, but also restricting
the unfolding limit(s) of the folding sofa. The seat cushion 11 of
the sofa body 1 is lifted relying on the is armrest 12 and backrest
13, so the force is mainly borne by the armrest cover 120 and
backrest cover 130.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the lifted seat
cushion 11 is very soft and comfortable. Considering that when the
folding sofa is unfolded, the seat cushion 11 can follow to stretch
forward for forming, it is necessary to provide a shielding cloth
121 that can be driven by the rear support rod 3 in the armrest
cover 120, and its structure is that the armrest cover 120 is sewn
with a shielding cloth 121 along the front edge of the rear support
rod 3, and when the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the
shielding cloth 121 can be used to drive the seat cushion 11 to
unfold.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, lower edge of the
armrest cover 120 is not higher than that of the seat cushion 11.
Lower edge of the backrest cover 130 is provided with a vertical
skirt sweep 131, the lower edge of which is flushed with the lower
edge of the armrest cover 120, and both sides of which are
respectively sewn with the armrest cover 120. The armrest cover 120
and skirt sweep 131 around the outer side of the seat cushion 11
can not only increase the shape of the sofa body 1, but also
improve the wide volume of the sofa body 1.
[0054] According to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the sofa body 1 only
covers on the support legs, thereby facilitating removing the sofa
body 1 for collection or cleaning, as shown in FIG. 4. The sofa
body 1 is made from a soft fabric, such as Oxford cloth. The Oxford
cloth may be treated through surface flocking etc. to increase the
features and comfort level of the sofa. The support leg is composed
of hinged front support rod 2, rear support rod 3, and link rod 4.
The front support rod 2 and rear support rod 3 can be folded along
the hinge point. The three may be nested, and will be folded into a
planar shape, as shown in FIG. 6. It is compact and is easy to
collect. During assembly, the front support rod 2 and rear support
rod 3 of the support leg are unfolded to a small angle, the
backrest cover 130 covers on the backrest section 21, the upper end
of the rear support rod 3 of the armrest cover 120 is adjusted in
place, and then they are unfolded. Under the circumstance, the
biggest unfolding angle of the front support rod 2 and rear support
rod 3 is restricted to the reinforcing rib belt 5. With the human
body gravity, the front support rod 2 and rear support rod 3 tend
to unfold to a bigger angle, reacts on the reinforcing rib belt 5,
so that it is tightened up to provide more solid support for the
armrest 12.
[0055] According to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, a belt 6 is arranged on the
outer side of the backrest cover 130. Both ends of the belt 6 are
respectively sewn on the backrest cover 130 in the backrest section
22 on both sides. After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the
belt 6 may be turned frontward to buckle the front end of the
armrest section 12 and the upper end of the rear support rod 3. The
belt 6 may be an elastic tape with certain deformation, and can be
easily turned over to buckle the armrest 12 and upper end of the
rear support rod 3. The belt 6 may also be a fabric tape with a
buckle at the end. After turning frontward, the belt binds the
armrest 12 and upper end of the rear support rod 3 through
buckling. With the design of the belt 6, the folded sofa will not
automatically unfold, so as to facilitate collection/storage or
transportation.
[0056] One biggest difference between the present invention and
existing folding chairs is no support of the seat cushion is
required, which not only simplifies the design of the is support
leg, but also reduces weight. For the sofa body made from a soft
fabric through processing and forming, its seat cushion is a
lifting type structure, and is not only softer and more comfortable
to sit, but also convenient for collection.
[0057] While this invention has been described as having a
preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further
modifications, uses and/or adaptations of the invention following
in general the principle of the invention and including such
departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or
customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and
as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth,
and fall within the scope of the invention and the limits of the
appended claims. It is therefore to be understood that the present
invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above,
but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the
following claims.
* * * * *