Furniture Covering Arrangement

Abstract

A furniture covering arrangement in which covering material is in two sections adapted to fit on opposite sides of a chair, sofa or the like, with the two sections overlapping at the center of the back where they are held together and to the frame by pressure-engageable tension-releasable fasteners, with additional fasteners holding the edges of the material sections to other portions of the frame, including the inner corners of the arms, where they are accessible through cutouts at the forward and rearward surfaces of the seat back, a removable rail at the forward edge of the seat portion carrying a removable skirt which extends downwardly along the front face of the frame.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a removable furniture covering arrangement.

2. Description of Prior Art

In conventional upholstered furniture, such as chairs, love seats or sofas, the covering material is attached to the framework on a semipermanent basis. It is a major operation to remove and replace the upholstery, requiring the services of a skilled technician. Consequently, replacement of the upholstery is both time consuming and a major expense, with the cost frequently approaching that of a new comparable article of furniture. Cleaning the upholstery likewise is neither a simple nor an economical operation, and requires transporting the furniture to a special shop equipped to perform the cleaning operation. Again, there is an inconvenience in having the furniture removed, cleaned and then returned.

It has been proposed to provide furniture with some sort of removable covering, which can be taken off for cleaning and replacement, thereby reducing costs and simplifying maintenance. Most of these furniture covering arrangements have generally resembled slipcovers, being one-piece fabric assemblies to fit over the furniture frame. With them, it is virtually impossible to obtain a result which provides the furniture with an appearance comparable to that of conventional upholstery. Frequently, the covering is relatively loose, so that wrinkles are formed, detracting from the appearance of the item. Some looseness is needed, however, in order to allow the covering to be installed and removed. On the other hand, when made sufficiently tight to avoid wrinkling, installation may become impossible or, at best, very difficult. Shrinkage of the material can render such coverings unusable by making them too small to fit. Continued problems also have centered around making such furniture coverings at a reasonable cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved removable furniture covering arrangement which gives the appearance of upholstered furniture, yet which can be attached and removed at will by unskilled personnel. The covering is conventional flexible sheet material used in upholstering, formed in two principal sections which are adapted to fit over the furniture frame, extending inwardly from the two opposite sides to overlap at the center of the back. They are attached to the framework by a suitable fastening means, which is pressure-engageable and tension-releasable, such as that marketed under the trademark "Velcro" by American Velcro, Inc., Manchester, New Hampshire. At the overlapping portion, "Velcro" fasteners are included on the exterior of the underneath layer of material and on the inner surface of the outside layer. The overlapped connection gives the appearance of a sewn seam at the center of the back, at the same time eliminating the need for close tolerances in the covering material. The amount of overlap may change without altering the exterior appearance of the furniture or the ability to form a secure attachment at the joint. The "Velcro" fastenings do not require precise orientation in order to securely hold the edges of the material. It is always possible to stretch the material tightly along the back, eliminating wrinkles, because the material is in two overlapping sections separately attached.

At the side edges of the back are openings through which the side panels of the covering material extend from the arms to engage additional fastenings. Slots in the rear surface of the seat back permit the side panels of the material to be grasped and pulled taut along the surface of the arm.

Along the lower front of the furniture at the bottom forward edge of the seat is an elongated rail or beam having a tongue in its bottom surface which enters a groove in the forward horizontal portion of the framework. Additional material is wrapped around the beam, held at the rearward edge by a fastening strip and extending into a slot at the forward portion of the undersurface of the beam to position and hold it at that location. A skirt stitched onto this portion of material extends down over the forward lower frame portion to which it is held by another fastener.

This furniture covering arrangement allows installation by unskilled people, producing nevertheless a neat appearance comparable to that of a conventionally upholstered item of furniture. Installation requires only a few moments of time. This means that it is possible to remove the covering material for cleaning 16, replacement without transporting the framework along with it. New covering may be applied to the furniture at a minimum cost. With this invention, it becomes practical to change the covering on the furniture to suit changes in decor of the room or the whim of the owner. The covering assembly can be applied to a framework which is of relatively simple and low-cost construction, so that the entire furniture article, while having ample strength and durability, is inexpensively manufactured and sold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sofa made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 with the covering removed from the frame;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one section of the covering for the sofa;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the rearward part of the frame;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the mating fastening strips which may be used in holding the covering to the frame;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but with the fastening strips slightly misaligned yet still secured together; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The arrangement of this invention may be used in covering an item of furniture, such As the sofa 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. The sofa 10 includes removable seat cushions 11 and 12, back cushions 13 and 14 and side cushions or pillows 15 and 16, which may be of conventional design. Preferably, the covers of these cushions are made removable to go along with the removable covering described below.

The remainder of the covering on the sofa 10 is in two principal sections 18 and 19, together with a smaller lower forward portion 20. The covering fits over a support frame 22 which has an upstanding back 23 and opposed parallel sides or arms 24 and 25. These portions of the frame may be made appropriately of plywood boards on the outsides of which are bonded plastic foam sheets 27, as seen in FIG. 5. The horizontal surface 28 intermediate the sides 24 and 25 of the frame 22 may be a fabric with springs beneath it as in conventional furniture construction.

The covering sections 18 and 19, which re of conventional upholstering material, are generally similar, each made complementary to the portion of the back and the arm over which it is to fit. The section 19 of the covering includes a front panel 30 and a back panel 31 interconnected by an upper part 32, dimensioned to fit complementarily over the right-hand portion of the back 23, as illustrated in FIG. 2. When installed, the front panel 30, back panel 31 and upper section 32 engage the forward face 33, rearward surface 34 and upper surface 35, respectively, of the seat back 23.

The covering section 19 also includes inside and outside panels 36 and 37 integrally connected by an upper horizontal portion 38 adapted to fit over the arm 25 of the frame. The side portion of the covering section 19 also includes a front end panel 39, which at its lower portion includes a lateral extension 40.

A flap 41 extends from the inner edge of the inner side panel 36, beyond the connection between the side panel and the adjacent edge of the front panel 30. The top panel 38 for the arm 25 is connected to the upper panel 32 for the seat back, and the vertical edge of the outer panel 37 is connected to the vertical edge of the rearward back panel 31.

On its undersurface, the covering section 19 is provided with several fastening strips, preferably of the type marketed under the trademark "Velcro" and illustrated generally in FIG. 6. These fastening devices include a plurality of small hook elements on one strip which is to mate with material on a second strip in which the hooks become embedded. The fasteners are pressure-engageable, will resist shear forces and are tension-releasable so that they are readily separable by pulling them apart. They become secured at any location where the two mating parts come in contact, requiring no exact alignment or orientation. A secure attachment can be obtained even though less than the entire areas of the two sections are brought into engagement.

On the inner surface of the covering element 19, there are"Velcro" fastening strips 42 and 43 on the lower horizontal edge portion and end vertical edge portion, respectively, of the back panel 31. The top section 32 includes a similar fastening strip 44 at its free edge, while, additionally, there is a fastening strip 45 adjacent the vertical edge of the front panel 30. A fastening strip 46 is at the lower edge of the front panel 30.

The inner side panel 36 includes a fastening strip 46 at its lower horizontal edge and an additional vertical fastening strip 47 on the flap 41 at its free edge.

The outer side panel 37 is provided with a fastening strip 49 spaced a short distance above its lower horizontal edge. An additional short fastening strip 50 is located at the lower edge of the front panel 39, and a fastening strip 51 is attached to the upper edge of the flap 40 40.

In addition to these fastening strips on the under surface of the covering section 19, there are similar strips 53 and 54 on the outside of the top section 32 and the front panel 30, as well as an outer fastening strip 55 on the rear panel 31. The outer fastening strips are parallel to the inner fastening strips 43, 44 and 45, but spaced inwardly from them.

The section 18 of the covering material includes fastening strips 56 and 57 on the undersurfaces of the top section 58 and the front panel 59 of the back portion of the covering. Also, there are fastening strips 60 and 61 on the inside of the lower horizontal edge and the vertical edge, respectively, of the rearward panel 62. However, there are no exterior "Velcro" fastenings on the section 18 of the covering. The part of the covering section 18 for the sofa back, represented by the panels 58, 59 and 62, is not quite as long as the corresponding part of the upholstery section 19.

The arm portion 64 of he upholstery section 18 has fastening strips at locations corresponding to those on the arm portion of the section 19.

The frame 22 includes a "Velcro" strip 66 extending along the full length of the lower edge of the forward surface 33 of the back 23. There is also a fastening strip 67 along the lower edge portion of the rear surface 34 of the back. On the inner surface of the arm 25 there are a horizontal fastening strip 68 at the lower inside edge and a vertical fastening strip 69 at the inner corner portion. The latter strip is behind the front surface 33 of the back 23, which is provided with a cutout 70 at its side edge to give access from the front to the space around the strip 69 (see FIG. 5). In addition, an elongated opening 71 in the back panel allows the area of the strip 69 to be reached from the rear of the frame 22.

The arm 25 also is provided with a horizontal fastening strip 73 on its outside lower edge and a short horizontal fastening strip 74 at the lower part of the forward surface. A short strip 75 of the fastening material is positioned on the board 76 that extends along the forward edge of the sofa frame in front of the fabric 28.

A vertical fastening strip 78 is on the forward surface 33 of the back portion 23 of the frame, positioned just slightly beyond the midpoint of the back toward the arm 24. Aligned with the fastening 78 are similar strips 79 and 80 on the top surface 35 of the back 23 and the rearward surface 34 of the back 23, respectively.

The arm 24 is provided with fastening strips corresponding to those described above on the arm 25. Also, the back 23 is provided with additional openings 70 and 71 at its edge adjacent the arm 24.

In covering the back and arms of the frame 22, the section 19 of the covering material is applied to the frame first. It is positioned over the right-hand portion of the frame as the device is shown in FIG. 2, so that the fastening strips on the undersurface engage and are secured to the fastening strips on the frame.

For the arm 25, the strip 47 of the panel 36 and the strip 49 of the panel 37 mesh with the fastening strips 68 and 73 on the inner and outer surfaces of the arm. The lower forward edge fastening strip 50 of the forward portion 39 of the covering material engages the fastening strip 74 on the forward lower edge of the arm, while the upper part of the flap 40 is bent over so that the strip 51 engages the strip 75 of the frame.

The inner free edge flap 41 of the inside panel 36 of the arm portion of the covering material 19 is extended through the cutout 70 in the back 23 so that its fastening strip 47 engages the fastening strip 69 on the arm 25. The slot 71 in the rearward panel 34 of the back 23 allows the flap 41 to be grasped from the rear so that it may be drawn taut along the inner surface of the arm 25 in effecting the engagement between the fastening strips 47 and 69, assuring a wrinkle-free surface along the arm. This is accomplished before the back panel 31 is attached to the rear portion 34 of the back 23.

Along the sofa back 23, the edge strips 43, 44 and 45 of the rear panel 31, the top section 32 and the forward panel 30 engage the fastening strips 80, 79 and 78, respectively, on the back 23. The lower edge strip 42 on the back panel 31 engages the right-hand portion of the strip 67 on the back surface 34 of the sofa back 23. Similarly, the lower strip 46 engages the right-hand portion of the strip 66 at the lower horizontal edge of the forward surface 33 of the back 23.

After the section 19 has been secured to the frame 22 in this manner, the section 18 of the covering is applied to the left-hand portion of the frame, as the sofa is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The attachments of the fastening strips on the section 18 are generally the same as those for the upholstery section 19. However, the fastening strips 56, 57 and 61 at the outer edges of the panels 58, 59 and 62, respectively, of the covering section 18 do not engage fastening strips on the frame 22 but, instead, mesh with those on the exterior of the upholstery section 19. Thus, the fastening strip 56 engages the strip 53 on the upper panel 32 of the section 19, as shown in FIG. 7. The forward vertical edge strip 57 of the panel 59 of the section 18 engages the strip 54 on the exterior of the panel 30 of the section 19. The rearward vertical strip 61 meshes with the rearward exterior vertical strip 55 on the rear panel 31 of the upholstery section 19. The panels of the section 18 are proportioned so that the edge of the section 18 is positioned at the center of the back 23.

When the covering has been applied in this manner, it presents a neat appearance on the arms and back of the sofa, giving the effect of conventional upholstering. The attachment of the covering sections is accomplished in only a few minutes, yet is secure and without wrinkles. Skill or training is not required in attaching the upholstery material to the frame. The hemmed free edge of the section 18 at the center of the sofa back is unobtrusive and gives the appearance of a stitched seam.

Considerable advantage is realized from forming the covering in two sections 18 and 19, rather than attempting to make this a unitary piece of material. The overlap between the back portions of the sections 18 and 19 makes allowance for dimensional variations in the covering material, such as may occur from the tolerances involved in fabrication or from shrinkage of the material. For example, if the dimension of the back portions of the upholstery sections 18 and 19 should be reduced, the overlap still will remain, and the fastening strips will mate sufficiently to effect a secure connection, as shown in FIG. 8. The exterior appearance remains the same.

The lower forward portion 20 of the covering assembly includes an elongated member 84, which may be of wood, having rounded upper corners and sloping from its forward edge to its rearward edge. This member has a flat undersurface 85 and a longitudinally extending tongue 86 attached to the surface intermediate its edges. The member 76 at the forward edge of the seat portion of the frame 22 is provided with a rabbet 87 that is adapted to receive the tongue 86. The member 84 is provided with a fastening strip 88 extending longitudinally along the lower surface 85 inwardly of its rearward edge. A slot 89 extends inwardly from the lower surface 85 and longitudinally of this member adjacent its forward edge. The slot 89 is rounded at its inner portion and of reduced width adjacent the surface 85.

A piece of the covering material 91 fits around the member 84, being provided with a piping 92 which fits within the slot 89 (see FIG. 9). Also included on the material 91 is a fastening strip 93 which engages the fastening strip 88 on the undersurface 85 of the member 84, thereby holding the material 91 to the member 84.

There is, in addition, a doubled-over skirt 95 which is stitched to the lower forward edge portion of the material 91. The inner surface of the skirt is provided with a fastening strip 96 which is adapted to engage a horizontal mating strip 97 at the lower forward edge portion of the frame.

The assembly of the covering material sections 91 and 95 attached to the member 84 is readily installed on the frame 22 merely by introducing the tongue 86 into the rabbet 87. Then, with the cushions in place, the forward skirt is securely held to the frame 22 and, again, a neat appearance is achieved, resembling fully that of a conventionally upholstered sofa. At the same time, the unit is removable by lifting the tongue 86 out of the groove 87 and separating the fastening strips 96 and 88. The piping 92 is pulled out of the slot 89.

Similarly, the principal covering sections 18 and 19 can be removed from the frame by pulling the mated fastening strips apart. This allows the upholstering material in its entirety to be taken off the frame 22 and replaced without difficulty by an unskilled person. It is possible, therefore, to have the covering material cleaned without requiring the removal of the item of furniture from the home and at a greatly reduced cost. It is a simple matter also to change the covering material for replacement as it is worn or to provide a different pattern or color to suit the decor of the room or taste of the owner. Irrespective of these advantages, the entire assembly of the sofa 10 and the covering materials are producible at a relatively low cost. While described as applied to a sofa, the arrangement of this invention can be used as well for a love seat, chair or other article of furniture, with or without arms.

The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An article of furniture comprising

a support structure, said structure defining

a substantially horizontal portion and an upstanding portion extending from said substantially horizontal portion,

said upstanding portion having opposite side edges,

a covering fro said upstanding portion, said covering including

a first section of flexible sheet material

and a second section of flexible sheet material,

said first section engaging one of said side edges and overlying said upstanding portion inwardly thereof,

said second section engaging the other of said side edges and overlying said upstanding portion inwardly thereof,

said first and second sections having inner edges intermediate said side edges,

said inner edge of said first section overlapping said inner edge of said second section,

a first fastening means removably securing said inner edge of said second section to said upstanding portion, and a second fastening means removably securing said inner edge of said first section to the exterior of said second section.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 in which said inner edge of said first section is substantially at the midpoint of said upstanding portion.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 in which said first and second fastening means are pressure-engageable and tension-releasable.

4. A device as recited in claim 3 in which said first and second fastening means include means to permit engagement at different positions of said first and said second sections relative to said frame and to each other.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 in which

said upstanding portion includes

a front surface,

a back surface,

and a top edge surface,

said first and second sections of flexible sheet material each including

a front portion,

a back portion,

and a top edge portion overlying said front surface, said back surface and said top edge surface, respectively.

6. A device as recited in claim 5 in which

said first fastening means includes

a first elongated strip means on said upstanding portion,

and a second elongated strip means on the inner surface of said second section,

said first and second strip means being attachable together along the lengths thereof,

and said second fastening means includes

a third elongated strip means on the outer surface of said second section,

and a fourth elongated strip means on the inner surface of said first section,

said third and fourth strip means being attachable together along the lengths thereof.

7. A device as recited in claim 6 in which

said second elongated strip means is adjacent said inner edge of said second section,

and said third elongated strip means is inwardly of said second elongated strip means relative to said inner edge of said second section.

8. A device as recited in claim 6 in which

said first elongated strip means includes

an upstanding fastening strip on said front surface,

and a generally horizontal fastening strip on said top edge surface,

and said second elongated strip means includes

a fastening strip on the undersurface of said front portion,

a fastening strip on the undersurface of said back portion,

and a fastening strip on the undersurface of said top edge portion of said second section engaging said fastening strips on said front surface, said back surface and said top edge surface, respectively.

9. A device as recited in claim 8 in which

said third elongated strip means includes

a fastening strip on the exterior of said first portion,

a fastening strip on the exterior of said back portion,

and a fastening strip on the exterior of said top edge portion of said first section of flexible sheet material,

and said fourth elongated strip means includes

a fastening strip on the undersurface of said front portion,

a fastening strip on the undersurface of said back portion,

and a fastening strip on the undersurface of said top edge portion of said second section engaging said fastening strips on the undersurfaces of said front portion, said back portion and said top edge portion, respectively, of said first section.

10. A device as recited in claim 9 including in addition

a generally horizontal fastening strip along the lower edge portion of said front surface,

a generally horizontal fastening strip along the lower edge portion of said back surface,

a fastening strip along the lower edge portion of the inner surface of said front portion of said first section and a fastening strip along the lower edge portion of the inner surface of said second section engaging said fastening strip along said lower edge portion of said front surface,

and a fastening strip along the lower edge portion of the inner surface of said back portion of said first section and a fastening strip along the lower edge portion of the inner surface of said back portion of said second section engaging said fastening strip along said lower edge portion of said back surface.

11. A device as recited in claim 4 in which

said upstanding portion includes opposed outer side portions at said side edges, and an intermediate back portion,

said first and second sections of said flexible sheet material extending over said side portions,

said inner edge of said first section over lapping said inner edge of said second section at the intermediate part of said back portion,

and including fastening means securing said first and second sections to said side portions.

12. A device as recited in claim 11 in which

said upstanding portion includes opening means between said back portion and said side portions,

said first and second sections include parts extending through said opening means,

and including fastening means on said side portions inwardly of said opening means,

and fastening means on said parts engaging said fastening means inwardly of said opening means.

13. A device as recited in claim 12 in which

said back portion includes a front surface and a rearward surface,

and said opening means includes an elongated aperture at either side edge portion of said front surface.

14. A device as recited in claim 13 in which said opening means includes an aperture at either side edge portion of said rearward surface for permitting said first and second sections of flexible sheet material to be pulled taut along said side portions.

15. A device as recited in claim 14 in which

said fastening means inwardly of said opening means and said fastening means on said parts are pressure-engageable and tension-releasable,

said fastening means inwardly of said opening means includes an upstanding fastening strip on either of said side portions,

and said fastening means on said parts includes an upstanding fastening strip on the inner surface of the edge portion of each of said parts.

16. A device as recited in claim 1 including in addition

a rigid member extending longitudinally along the forward edge of said horizontal portion,

an additional section of flexible sheet material,

and additional fastening means connecting said additional section of flexible sheet material to said member so that said additional section provides a skirt extending along the forward portion of said framework beneath said horizontal portion.

17. A device as recited in claim 16 in which

said rigid member includes a longitudinally extending tongue on the undersurface thereof,

and in which said support structure includes a longitudinally extending groove removable receiving said tongue for thereby positioning said member at said forward edge of said horizontal portion.

18. A device as recited in claim 16 in which

said additional section of flexible sheet material extends around the top of said rigid member and under the rearward edge thereof,

and said additional fastening means includes a fastening strip on the undersurface of said rigid member adjacent the rearward edge thereof,

and a fastening strip on said additional section of flexible sheet material beneath said rigid member engaging said fastening strip on said rigid member.

19. A device as recited in claim 18 in which

said rigid member includes an elongated slot in said undersurface thereof adjacent the forward edge thereof,

and in which said additional section of flexible sheet material includes a piping removably received in said slot for holding and positioning said additional section of flexible sheet material.