U.S. patent application number 14/853363 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-16 for no tools modular sofa.
The applicant listed for this patent is Marcelo Mezzera. Invention is credited to Marcelo Mezzera.
Application Number | 20170071354 14/853363 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58257838 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170071354 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mezzera; Marcelo |
March 16, 2017 |
NO TOOLS MODULAR SOFA
Abstract
A modular sofa that can be assembled without the use of tools or
special assembly skill. The modular sofa includes two identical
L-shaped halves which are laid one over the other prior to assembly
to create an efficient configuration for receipt within a compact
shipping container. During assembly, the L-shaped halves of the
sofa are connected together without the use of tools. Each sofa
half has a seat box, an upstanding arm fixedly connected to the
seat box, and a sofa back detachably connected to the seat box and
to the upstanding arm of the seat box without the use of tools. The
seat box and the sofa back of each sofa half have a hollow
compartment to which manual access is permitted and in which
fasteners are located and manipulated without the use of tools
during the assembly of the sofa.
Inventors: |
Mezzera; Marcelo; (Rancho
Santa Margarita, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Mezzera; Marcelo |
Rancho Santa Margarita |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58257838 |
Appl. No.: |
14/853363 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 13/005 20130101;
A47C 4/028 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 17/86 20060101
A47C017/86; A47C 17/02 20060101 A47C017/02 |
Claims
1. A no tools modular sofa comprising: a first sofa portion
including a first seat box to support the weight of an individual
who is seated on said first sofa portion, said first seal box
having first and opposite sides; a second sofa portion including a
second seat box to support the weight of an individual who is
seated on said second sofa portion, said second seat box having
first and opposite sides; a first sofa arm fixedly connected to and
standing upwardly from the first side of said first seat box of
said first sofa portion; a second sofa arm fixedly connected to and
standing upwardly from the first side of said second seat box of
said second sofa portion, such that said first and second sofa arms
are disposed in spaced parallel alignment with one another; and at
least one fastener by which the opposite sides of said first and
second seat boxes are attached to one another without the use of
tools such that said first and second sofa portions are connected
together.
2. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 1, wherein said first
and second sofa portions are identical halves each having an
L-shape and being connected together, such that the opposite sides
of said first and second seat boxes are attached one to the
other.
3. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 2, wherein said at
least one fastener is removable from the opposite sides of said
first and second seat boxes without the use of tools so that said
first and second seat boxes are detached and said first and second
sofa portions are disconnected from one another.
4. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 1, wherein each of
said first and second seat boxes of said first and second sofa
portions has a hollow compartment, said at least one fastener
extending between the hollow compartments of said first and second
seat boxes by which said seat boxes are attached to one
another.
5. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 4, wherein said at
least one fastener has a rotatable hand knob connected to a
threaded connector pin, said rotatable hand knob being located
within the hollow compartment of one of said first and second seat
boxes and said threaded connector pin extending between the hollow
compartments of said first and second seat boxes.
6. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 4, wherein each of
said first and second seat boxes has a cover lying over and
covering the hollow compartment thereof, said covers being
removable from said first and second seat boxes without the use of
tools to permit manual access to the hollow compartments of said
first and second seat boxes.
7. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 1, further comprising
a first sofa back connected to the first seat box of said first
sofa portion without the use of tools and a second sofa back
connected to the second seat box of said second sofa portion
without the use of tools.
8. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 7, wherein each of
said first and second sofa backs has a connector depending
downwardly therefrom and each of said first and second seat boxes
has a connector receipt opening formed therein, each of the
connectors depending downwardly from said first and second sofa
backs being located within a respective connector receipt opening
by which said first and second sofa backs are connected to said
first and second seat boxes.
9. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 7, wherein each of
said first and second sofa backs of said first and second sofa
portions has first and opposite sides, the first side of said first
sofa back being connected to the first sofa arm of said first seat
box without the use of tools, the first side of said second sofa
back being connected to the second sofa arm of said second seat box
without the use of tools, and the opposite sides of said first and
second, sofa backs being connected to one another without the use
of tools.
10. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 9, wherein each of
said first and second sofa backs of said first and second sofa
portions has a hollow compartment, said modular sofa further
comprising a first fastener extending between the hollow
compartment of said first sofa back and the first sofa arm of said
first seat box and a second fastener extending between the hollow
compartment of said second sofa back and the second sofa arm of
said second seat box.
11. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 10, further
comprising a third fastener extending between the hollow
compartments of said first and second sofa backs and through the
opposite sides of said first and second sofa backs.
12. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 11, wherein said
first fastener has a rotatable hand knob connected to a threaded
connector pin, said rotatable hand knob being located within the
hollow compartment of said first sofa back and said threaded
connector pin extending between the hollow compartment of said
first sofa back and the first sofa arm of said first seat box.
13. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 12, wherein said
second fastener has a rotatable hand knob connected to a threaded
connector pin, the rotatable hand knob of said second fastener
being located within the hollow compartment of said second sofa
back and the threaded connector pin thereof extending between the
hollow compartment of said second sofa back and the second sofa arm
of said second seat box.
14. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 13, wherein said
third fastener has a rotatable hand knob connected to a threaded
connector pin, the rotatable hand knob of said third fastener being
located within the hollow compartment of one of said first and
second sofa backs and the threaded connector pin thereof extending
between the hollow compartments of said first and second sofa
backs.
15. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 10, wherein each of
said first and second sofa backs has a flap lying over and covering
the hollow compartment thereof said flaps being removable from said
first and second sofa backs without the use of tools to permit
manual access to the hollow compartments of said first and second
sofa backs.
16. The no tools modular sofa recited in claim 1, further
comprising first and second sets of feet connected without the use
of tools to respective ones of the first and second seat boxes of
said first and second sofa portions.
17. A method for configuring a sofa disassembly prior to assembly
for packaging within a shipping container, wherein said sofa
disassembly includes; a first sofa portion including a first seat
box having first and opposite sides and a hollow compartment
located between said first and opposite sides, and a first sofa arm
fixedly connected to and projecting from the first side of said
first seat box; and a second sofa portion including a second seat
box having first and opposite sides and a hollow compartment
located between said first and opposite sides, and a second sofa
arm fixedly connected to and projecting from the first side of said
second seat box; and said method for configuring comprising the
step of positioning said second sofa portion on top of said first
sofa portion such that the hollow compartment of the second seat
box of said second sofa portion is spaced above and separated from
the hollow compartment of the first seat box of said first sofa
portion, the opposite side of said second seat box lays on the
first sofa arm projecting from the first side of said first seat
box, and the second sofa arm projecting from the first side of said
second seat box lays on the opposite side of said first seat
box.
18. The method for configuring recited in claim 17, wherein said
sofa disassembly also includes a first sofa back to be connected to
said first seat box during assembly and a second sofa back to be
connected to said second seat box during assembly, said method
comprising the additional steps of locating said first sofa back
prior to assembly within the hollow compartment of the first seat
box of said first sofa portion; and locating said second sofa back
prior to assembly within the hollow compartment of the second seat
box of said second sofa portion.
19. The method for configuring recited in claim 17, wherein said
sofa disassembly also includes a first seat cushion to be laid on
said first seat box during assembly and a second seat cushion to be
laid on said second seat box during assembly, said method
comprising the additional step of laying said first and second seat
cushions prior to assembly one on top of the other between the
first and second seat boxes of said first and second sofa portions
such that said first and second seat cushions are enclosed by said
first and second sofa arms projecting from respective ones of the
first and second seat boxes.
20. The method for configuring recited in claim 17, wherein said
first and second portions of said sofa disassembly are identical
halves each having an L-shape.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This, invention relates to a modular sofa which can be
relatively quickly and easily assembled without the use of tools or
without special skill. The modular sofa has identical L-shaped
halves which can be laid one on top of the other so that the sofa
can to be shipped disassembled in an efficient configuration in a
compact shipping container.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, and the like, are
typically shipped from a location of manufacture to a location, of
sale and finally to the public for use. The large and bulky nature
of this furniture contributes to the purchase price paid by
consumers. That is to say, as a consequence of its space-consuming
size, relatively large shipping vessels are required to move the
furniture from place-to-place. Moreover, relatively large storage
facilities are necessary to accommodate the furniture while in
transit from location-to-location. Unlike smaller articles that are
capable of being transported and stored in compact shipping
containers, larger pieces of furniture are not ideally suitable to
be palletized. In addition, more than one workman may be necessary
to handle the loading and transport of the furniture from its
initial point of manufacture to its final point of sale, in this
same regard, purchasers may not be able to easily lift and
transport their furniture from the location of purchase to the
location of use.
[0005] Accordingly, what would be desirable is a modular sofa that
can be shipped, warehoused and carried home disassembled in a
compact shipping container, whereby to reduce the cost and
inconvenience normally associated with the transport of large and
bulky articles of furniture from the manufacturer to the end user.
It would also be desirable for the sofa to be capable of being
assembled without the use of tools or the requirement of special
skill.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In general terms, a modular sofa is disclosed which can be
assembled without the use of tools and which can be shipped
disassembled in a compact shipping container to reduce storage
space, facilitate transport, and reduce shipping costs. The modular
sofa has identical L-shaped halves which are detachably connected
together during assembly. As an important feature by which to
enable the modular sofa to be arranged in a convenient shipping
configuration, each sofa half includes a seat box that is affixed
at one side thereof to an upstanding arm. During assembly of the
sofa, the seat boxes are moved side-by-side and connected to one
another without the use of tools by means of threaded, connector
pins earned by rotatable hand knobs so that the upstanding sofa
arms are arranged in spaced parallel alignment.
[0007] A firm sofa back is mounted at the rear of each seat box of
each of the sofa halves by means of locating slotted bayonet
fitting which project downwardly from the back supports within
bayonet receipt openings formed in the seat boxes. The sofa backs
are connected to each other and to the upstanding arms of the sofa
without the use of tools by means of threaded connector pins
carried by rotatable hand knobs. A set of screw-on feet are
attached to the bottom of each seat box of each sofa hall
Comfortable back rests are then laid against the firm sofa backs,
and seat cushions are laid on top of the seat, boxes to support the
weight of one or more individuals seated on the sofa. At the same
time, arm pillows may be laid against the upstanding arms at
opposite sides of the sofa against which a seated individual may
lean.
[0008] To enable the modular sofa to be ready for shipment in a
compact shipping container prior to assembly, one of the L-shaped
sofa halves is turned upside down and laid on top of the other one
of the sofa halves. In this configuration, the respective seat
boxes of the sofa halves lie in spaced opposite facing alignment
with the seat cushions sandwiched therebetween. The sofa backs of
the sofa are conveniently stored and carried during transit inside
hollow compartments that are formed in the seal boxes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 shows a fully assembled no tools modular sofa in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 shows the sofa of FIG. 1 separated into identical
L-shaped halves and each sofa half having a seat box and a sofa arm
fixedly connected to one side of the seat box;
[0011] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a sofa hack being connected to the seat
box of one of the halves of the sots of FIG. 2 without the use of
tools;
[0012] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the sofa halves being moved side-by-side
and connected to one another without the use of tools;
[0013] FIGS. 7 and 8 show back and bottom flaps of the sofa being
opened to permit manual access to hollow compartments formed in the
seat boxes and the seat backs to enable the sofa to be
assembled;
[0014] FIG. 9 shows the fully assembled no tools modular sofa of
FIG. 1 having back rests, seat cushions and arm pillows laying
thereon so as to ready for use; and
[0015] FIG. 10 shows the identical L-shaped halves of the no tools
modular sofa laid one on top of the other to create an efficient
shipping configuration for receipt by a compact shipping
container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] A no-tools modular sofa 1 in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of this invention is initially described while referring
to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. As will be described in greater
detail hereinafter, the modular sofa 1 is adapted to be shipped
disassembled in an efficient shipping configuration in a compact
shipping container. In this way, the modular sofa 1 can be
conveniently shipped prior to assembly from a manufacturer to a
retailer and then driven home by an end user without consuming a
large amount of space or requiring a special-sized vehicle to be
able to accommodate the sofa for transport. Moreover, once the
modular sofa 1 reaches its final destination, it can be removed
from its shipping container to be relatively quickly and easily
assembled without the use of tools or the requirement for special
assembly skill.
[0017] The no-tools modular sofa 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has two
separate and identical L-shaped halves 3 and 5 which enable an
efficient configuration to be achieved by which the sofa can be
shipped disassembled, in a compact shipping container after which
the halves 3 and 5 are removed by the user and connected together
at their final destination. Each L-shaped half 3 and 5 of the
modular sofa 1 includes a seat box 7-1 and 7-2 and an integrally
connected upstanding arm 9-1 and 9-2 affixed at one side (i.e., the
outside) of each seat box 7-1 and 7-2. In the assembled sofa
arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the upstanding arms 9-1 and 9-2 lie in
spaced parallel alignment with one another at opposite sides of the
sofa, and the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 are detachable connected
together in order to support a corresponding pair of seat cushions
lying thereon (best shown in FIG. 9). The seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2
are preferably manufactured from plywood and include a cushion foam
material and a plurality of coils embedded within the foam material
to enhance the comfort of one using the sofa 1.
[0018] A pair of firm sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 are detachable
connected to respective ones of the halves 3 and 5 of the modular
sofa 1 at a seat box 7-1, 7-2 and an upstanding arm 9-1, 9-2.
thereof. In the assembled sofa arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the
sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 lie side-by-side at the rear of seat boxes
7-1 and 7-2 and against the arms 9-1 and 9-2. The firm sofa backs
10-1 and 10-2 are sufficiently tall to support a corresponding pair
of comfortable back rests lying thereagainst. (also best shown in
FIG. 9) once the sofa 1 has been assembled.
[0019] Sets of screw-on feet 12-1 and 12-2 are detachably connected
to respective ones of the halves 3 and 5 of the modular sofa 1. In
the assembled sofa arrangement shown in FIG, 1, the sets of feet
12-1 and 12-2 lie at the bottom of the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2. In
particular, and as is best shown in FIG. 8, a set of two feet 12-1
lie at the bottom of one seat box 7-1 of a first half 3 of the sofa
1, and a set of four feet 12-2 lie at the bottom of the other seat
box 7-2 of the second half 5 of the sofa. As is best shown in FIG.
9, the sets of feet 12-1 and 12-2 lie on the floor to support the
weight of the sofa 1 and any user seated thereon.
[0020] The construction and assembly of the no tools modular sofa 1
shown in FIG. 1 are now described while referring concurrently to
FIGS. 2-8 of the drawings. Turning first to FIGS. 2-4, details are
provided by which the pair of firm sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 are
detachably connected to respective ones of the seat boxes 7-1 and
7-2 of the halves 3 and 5 of the sofa 1. Each sofa back 10-1 and
10-2 has a pair of conventional slotted bayonet fittings 14 and 16
extending downwardly from the opposite sides thereof. Likewise,
each seat, box 7-1 and 7-2 has a pair of bayonet receipt openings
18 and 20 located at the rear thereof so as to be located and steed
to receive respective pairs of the bayonet fittings 14 and 16
therewithin.
[0021] A downward pushing force applied to one of the pair of sofa
backs (e.g., 10-1 of FIGS. 3 and 4) towards a corresponding one of
the seat boxes (e.g., 7-2) pushes the pairs of slotted bayonet
fittings (e.g., 16) thereof inwardly through respective ones of the
pairs of bayonet receipt openings (e.g., 20). Each of the pair of
bayonet fittings 16 is engaged at one of a series of locking slots
formed therein by a conventional spring-loaded locking tab (not
shown) that is located inside the seat box 7-2. That is, the
locking tabs snap into locking engagement, with the pair of slotted
bayonet fittings 16 to lock the fittings in place and thereby hold
the sofa back 10-2 at the rear of its seat box 7-2 and alongside a
corresponding arm 9-2 that is affixed to and stands upwardly from
the outside of the seat box 7-2.
[0022] As was previously explained, to enable it to assume an
efficient shipping configuration during transport, the modular sofa
1 has a pair of identical halves 3 and 5 which are shipped
separated from one another and connected together during assembly.
Referring in this regard to FIGS. 5 and 6, with the sofa hacks 10-1
and 10-2 connected thereto, the individual, sofa halves 3 and 5 are
turned so that the fronts of the pair of seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 are
spaced from one another and lie on the floor. To achieve several
advantages of this invention which will be explained later on, each
of the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 has a hollow interior compartment
22-1 and 2.2-2 which is sized and accessible to permit assembly of
the sofa, and enable storage therewithin when the sofa halves 5 and
7 are shipped prior to their being connected together.
[0023] With the individual sofa halves 3 and 5 positioned in spaced
alignment as shown in FIG. 5, the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 are pushed
towards one another until the sofa halves 3 and 5 lie side-by-side
as shown in FIG. 6. With the sofa halves 3 and 5 positioned one
against the other, a first pair of threaded holes 26 formed through
one side of one seat box. 7-1 (best shown in FIG. 5) are axially
aligned with a second pair of threaded holes 28 formed through the
opposing side of the adjacent seat box 7-2. A pair of threaded
connector pins carried by rotatable hand knobs 30 are rotated in a
first direction at the hollow compartment 22-1 of the first seat
box 7-1 so as to be removably received at the hollow compartment
22-2 of the other seat box 7-2 through the axially aligned pairs of
threaded holes 26 and 28. Accordingly, the adjacent seat boxes 7-1
and 7-2 are attached one to the other, and the L-shaped halves 3
and 5 of the modular sofa 1 are detachably connected together
without the use of tools. Should it be necessary to separate the
seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 and disconnect the sofa halves 3 and 5, the
rotatable hand knobs 30 can be rotated in an opposite direction so
as to remove the connection pins.
[0024] Like the seat, boxes 7-1 and 7-2, each of the pair of firm
sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 connected to respective ones of the sofa
halves 3 and 5 has a hollow interior compartment 24-1 and 24-2
which is accessible during assembly of the sofa 1. With the sofa
halves 3 and 5 pushed together and detachably connected to one
another by means of the threaded connector pins earned by the
rotatable hand knobs 30, a first threaded hole 32 formed through
one side of one sofa back 10-1 is axially aligned with a second
threaded hole 34 formed through the opposing side of the adjacent
sofa back 10-2. A threaded connector pin carried by a rotatable
hand knob 36 is rotated at the hollow compartment 24-1 of the first
sofa back 10-1 so as to be received at the hollow compartment 24-2
of the other sofa back 10-2 through the axially aligned threaded,
holes 32 and 34. Accordingly, the adjacent sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2
are retained side-by-side without the use of tools.
[0025] While the adjacent sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 are retained
side-by-side as just explained, each sofa back is also detachably
connected to a respective one of the upstanding arms 9-1 and 9-2
which are fixedly connected to the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2.
Referring concurrently in this regard to FIGS. 3-6, a first
threaded hole 38 (best shown in FIG. 3) formed through the outside
of one sofa back (e.g., 10-2) is axially aligned, with a second
threaded hole 40 formed in the adjacent sofa arm (e.g., 9-2). A
threaded connector pin carried by a rotatable hand knob 42 is
rotated within the hollow compartment 24-2 of the sofa back 10-2 so
as to be received by the adjacent arm 9-2 through the axially
aligned threaded holes 38 and 40 to hold sofa back 10-2 against arm
9-2 without the use of tools. The other sofa back 10-1 is
detachable connected to its adjacent sofa arm 9-1 of the seat box
7-1 in a manner that is the same as that just described to connect
sofa back 10-2 to sofa arm 9-2.
[0026] As just explained, in order to hold the seat boxes 7-1 and
7-2 together as well as to connect the pair of sofa backs 10-1 and
10-2 to one another and to the sofa arms 9-1 and 9-2 which stand
upwardly from the hollow seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2, access is
necessary to the hollow compartments 22-1, 22-2 and 24-1, 24-2 of
each of the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 and each of the sofa backs 10-1
and 10-2. To accomplish the foregoing and referring now to FIGS. 7
and 8, the bottom of each of the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 has a
removable cover 46-1 and 46-2 extending thereacross.
[0027] First ends of the removable covers 46-1 and. 46-2 are
fixedly attached (e.g., by means of stitching) to the bottoms of
the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2. The opposite free ends of the covers
46-1 and 46-2 are removably attached by means of (e.g., hook and
loop Velcro) fasteners 48 and 49 to the bottoms of seat boxes 7-1
and 7-2. The removable free ends of the covers 46-1 and 46-2 may be
detached from the fasteners 48 and 49 and pulled between an open
position as shown in FIG. 7, at which to permit manual access to
the hollow compartments 22-1 and 22-2 of the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2
to enable the sofa 1 to be assembled, and a closed position as
shown in FIG. 8, at which the covers 46-1 and 46-2 are reattached
and the hollow compartments 22-1 and 22-2 of the seat, boxes 7-1
and 7-2 are now closed. It may be appreciated that the sets of
screw-on feet 12-1 and 12-2 cannot be connected to the bottoms of
the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 until the sofa 1 has been assembled and
the covers 46-1 and 46-2 are pulled to the closed position of FIG.
8.
[0028] Likewise, the rear of each of the firm sofa backs 10-1 and
10-2 has a removable flap 50-1 and 50-2 extending thereacross.
First ends of the removable flaps 50-1 and 50-2 are fixedly
attached, to the top of the sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2. The opposite
free ends of the flaps 50-1 and 50-2 are removably attached by
means of a (e.g., Velcro) fastener 52 to the bottoms of the sofa
backs 10-1 and 10-2. The removable free ends of the flaps 50-1 and
50-2 may be detached from their fasteners 52 and pulled between an
open position as shown in FIG. 7, at which to permit manual access
to the hollow compartments 24-1 and 24-2 of the sofa backs 10-1 and
10-2 to enable the sofa 1 to be assembled, and a closed position as
shown in FIG. 8, at which the Haps 50-1 and 50-2 are reattached and
the hollow compartments 24-1 and 24-2 of the sofa backs 10-1 and
10-2 are now closed.
[0029] FIG. 9 of the drawings shows the no tools modular sofa 1
following its assembly with the sets of screw-on feet 12-1 and 12-2
resting on the floor. In this case, a pair of seat cushions 58-1
and 58-2 are laid over respective ones of the seat boxes 7-1 and
7-2 to support the weight of individuals seated on the sofa. A pair
of comfortable back rests 58-1 and 58-2 are laid against respective
ones of the firm sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 to support the backs of
individuals seated on the sofa. Optional arm pillows 60-1 and 60-2
are shown propped against respective ones of the arms 9-1 and 9-2
which stand upwardly from the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 against which
individuals seated on the sofa can lean.
[0030] Turning now to FIG. 10 of the drawings, the no tools sofa is
shown disassembled prior to its assembly in the manner shown in
FIG. 9. The sofa disassembly of FIG. 10 has an efficient
configuration to permit its shipment in a compact shipping
container 70. To achieve this efficient shipping configuration, one
of the L-shaped sofa halves (e.g., 5) is turned upside down and
laid on top of the other one of the L-shaped halves 3. Thus, the
seat box 7-2 of the one sofa half 5 is laid on and supported by the
upstanding sofa arm 9-1 of the other sofa half 3. At the same time,
the sofa arm 9-2 of the sofa half 5 is laid on and supported by the
seat box. 7-1 of the other sofa half 3.
[0031] Prior to the L-shaped sofa halves being loaded into the
shipping container 70, the firm sofa backs 10-1 and 10-2 are placed
inside the hollow compartments 22-1 and 22-2 of respective ones of
the seat boxes 7-1 and 7-2 of the sofa halves 3 and 5. Following
this step, the sofa half 3 is loaded into the container 70. The
seat cushions 56-1 and 56-2 are then stacked one above the other,
and the stack is seated upon the seat box 7-1 of the sofa half 3.
The efficient shipping configuration is completed when the L-shaped
sofa, half 5 is turned upside down and loaded into the container 70
so as to lay on top of the L-shaped sofa half 3 as previously
explained. However, so as not to consume additional space in the
container 70, the stack of seat cushions 56-1 and 56-2 is
advantageously sandwiched between the opposing seat, boxes 7-1 and
7-2 and enclosed by the upstanding sofa arms 9-1 and 9-2 of the
sofa halves 3 and 5.
* * * * *