Seat Type Article Of Furniture And Method Of Manufacturing

Abstract

A chair having a base and a shell, with the base providing the seat bottom and the shell providing the sides and back of the seat. The base has a flat top portion that forms the seat bottom and has a continuous outer rigid rim that seats in a continuous downwardly and inwardly facing recess in a rigid bottom rim of the shell, with the sides of the base top portion being completely contained within the shell rim recess so that no upholstering or finishing of the base top portion sides is necessary. The chair is manufactured by separately forming the base and shell, the latter preferably being molded of plastic, and separately upholstering the shell with edges of the upholstery covering layer conveniently secured in the aforementioned recess and securing a seating structure in the base with a covering layer that has edges secured to the rim; the base and shell are then assembled by seating the base rim in the shell recess with the upholstery covering layer edges and seating structure covering layer edges desirably disposed out of sight in the shell recess, and with the shell completely encompassing the base rim for firm securement of the shell on the base.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a seat type article of furniture and method of making the same, and more particularly to a seat type furniture article made from a base and a shell that are formed separately and then assembled to provide the finished article.

Separately formed shell and base type chairs, sofas and the like have been developed for purposes of design versatility and manufacturing convenience, which advantages are especially attainable where the shell is made of molded plastic, such as polyurethane. A typical example of this type of furniture is disclosed in Kuhlmann U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,199, issued Oct. 7, 1969, for Two Piece Seating Furniture Construction, which shows a chair having a lower body of synthetic foam material that defines an occupant receiving well that includes side and back portions, and an upper body of synthetic foam material having side and back portions that define arm and back supporting surfaces, from which depending portions extend for nesting inwardly on the side and back of the lower body. Position locking key members are included between the upper and lower bodies to prevent relative horizontal movement, which would otherwise be readily possible because the bodies are in contact only at the sides and back. There is a degree of versatility possible with this type of construction, but because the lower body is formed with sides and a back there is a limitation to the variations possible and exterior upholstering of the exposed lower body sides and back is required. Furthermore, the resulting well of the lower body makes interior upholstering or covering difficult.

In contrast, the present invention provides a shell and base type chair, sofa or the like wherein the base forms only the seat bottom, with the shell forming the entire front, sides and back, thereby allowing substantially unlimited versatility of shell designs adaptable to use on a single base design. Furthermore, the shell completely encompasses the rim of the base for firm securement and without allowing horizontal movement even without screws or special locking elements, and the shell may be made to extend downwardly to cover completely the sides of the base top portion so that no exterior upholstering or covering of the base is necessary. Also, upholstery material can be easily secured to the shell and a seat structure secured to the base independently before the shell and base are assembled and without dealing with recessed configurations and with the edges of the upholstery covering and seat structure covering being conveniently located out of sight at the respective nesting surfaces of the shell and base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the seat type article of furniture of the present invention has a base and a shell, preferably molded rigid plastic material, mounted on the base. The base supports the article on a floor or the like and has a substantially flat top portion that forms a seat bottom and has a continuous outer rigid rim of a predetermined peripheral configuration. The shell, on the other hand, forms the front, sides and back of the article and is open in the center for exposure of the seat bottom therethrough. The shell has a rigid bottom rim with a downwardly and inwardly facing continuous recess formed therein in a configuration that conforms to the base rim configuration for completely encompassing the base rim.

Preferably, the shell rim recess terminates upwardly in a downwardly facing inwardly extending shoulder that extends over and seats on the base rim for support of the shell on the base, and the shell rim extends downwardly to the bottom of the base top portion to cover completely the side of the top portion, which need not be covered with upholstery material.

Also, in the preferred embodiment the visible surfaces of the shell are covered with upholstering material that has edges secured in the shell recess, and a seating structure is supportingly secured to the base top portion rim with a layer of covering material extending over the seating structure and having its edges secured to the base rim within the shell rim recess.

According to the method of manufacture of the present invention, a seat type article of furniture is manufactured by separately forming the above-described shell and base constructions and then assembling the shell and base by seating the base rim in the shell recess with the shell rim completely encompassing the base rim. Preferably, the shell is separately formed by molding it from plastic material. The preferred method also includes applying upholstery material to the shell and a seating structure to the base prior to assembling of the shell and base, while securing edges of a covering layer of the upholstery material in the shell recess and edges of a covering layer of the seating structure to the base rim so that these edges and their securement will be obscured within the shell recess upon subsequent assembly of the shell base.

In the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the separate forming of the shell includes forming of the shell recess to a depth sufficient for the sides of the base top portion to be substantially completely received in the recess and thereby hidden upon assembly of the shell and base and assembly is performed without applying any upholstery or covering material to the sides of the base top portion.

Thus, the present invention provides a simplicity of construction and a versatility of design in a firm structure that can be made in an easy and inexpensive method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair incorporating the preferred embodiment and made according to the preferred method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view in perspective of the shell of the chair of FIG. 1 as viewed in a lateral plane;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the shell of FIG. 1 as viewed in a longitudinal plane, and showing the top portion of the base in phantom lines and separated from the shell;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, partially broken away, of the chair of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the shell of the chair of FIG. 1 prior to applying upholstery material thereto;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the shell after upholstery material has been applied thereto; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the base of the chair of FIG. 1 prior to applying the covering layer to the seating structure shown therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRRED EMBODIMENT

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the seat type article of furniture is in the form of a chair 10 having the exterior appearance of a conventional upholstered chair that has a front 12, sides 14, and a back 16 that surround a seat bottom 18 on which is supported a seat cushion 20. A back cushion 22 rests against the chair back 16 and on the rear of the seat cushion 20. The chair 10 is supported on legs 24 extending downwardly from the four corners of the chair 10.

As seen in FIG. 4, the chair 10 is primarily the combination of a base 26 and a shell 28, with the base 26 serving as support for the article on a floor or the like and providing the seat bottom 18, and with the shell 28 providing the upholstered front 12, sides 14, and back 16 of the chair 10.

The base 26 is formed with a flat top portion 30 that has a continuous outer rigid rim 32 of a predetermined peripheral configuration. This rim 32 provides structural support for the chair 10 and has the legs 24 secured thereto and depending thereform. Corner braces 34 secured to the inside of the rim 32 increase the structural strength of the base 26.

The base 26 supports a seating structure 36 across its flat top, which seating structure 36 forms the seat bottom 18 of the chair 10. This seating structure 36, in the embodiment illustrated, is of a conventional construction, having a plurality of longitudinally extending sinuous springs 38 that are secured in brackets 40 at the front and rear of the base rim 32. These springs 38 bow upwardly and are interconnected against lateral spreading by a cross tie wire 42. A fabric net 44 covers the springs 38 and has its edges conventionally tacked or otherwise secured in the base rim 32 from support thereon of a cotton batting pad 46, over which is disposed a layer of covering material 48 of fabric or vinyl plastic that has its edges 50 pulled over the upper edge of the base rim 32 and secured, as by tacks 52, staples, glue or other securing means, to the side of the flat top portion 30 of the base 26 adjacent the top thereof.

The shell 28 is constructed for mounting on the base 26 and is open in its center for exposure of the seat structure 36 of the base 26 that forms the aforementioned seat bottom 18 of the chair 10. The shell 28 is formed with a rigid bottom rim 54 that has a downwardly and inwardly facing continuous recess 56 formed therein and a configuration that conforms to the configuration of the base rim 32 so that the shell rim 54 will completely encompass the base rim 32 when the shell 28 and base 26 are assembled to secure the shell and base together. The shell rim recess 56 terminates upwardly in a downwardly facing inwardly extending shoulder 58 that extends over and seats on the base rim 32 for further support of the shell on the base, and the shell rim 54 extends downwardly sufficiently so that when the shell and base are assembled the shell rim 54 will extend to the bottom of the base top portion 30 to cover completely the side 60 thereof.

The surfaces of the shell 28 that are visible in the assembled chair are covered with upholstery material 62 that includes a cushioning layer 64 of soft urethane, foam rubber or any other suitable soft resilient material that is glued or stapled to the shell surface. The upholstery material 62 also includes a covering layer of fabric, vinyl plastic or any other suitable material that may be of a stretch or non-stretch characteristic. This covering layer 66 has its edges 68 secured, as by tacks 70, staples, glue or other securing means, within the shell rim recess 56.

In practicing the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the base 26 and shell 28 are separately formed completely prior to assembly so that the forming and upholstering can be conveniently accomplished without the difficulty normally involved when the entire chair structure is constructed at one time.

In the illustrated embodiment, the flat top portion 30 of the base 26 is constructed of wood, but it can be made of bent plywood, molded plastic, machined plastic, molded cardboard, or any other suitable material, and because it is made separately from the shell 28 it need not be made of the same material as the shell 28. Also, in the illustrated embodiment the legs 24 are made of wood and are secured to the inside of the base rim 32. In place of wooden legs, metal legs can be used and in place of legs, swivels, rockers, swivel-rockers or any other supporting elements can be used.

After the base rim 32 is constructed, the aforementioned seating structure 36 is applied by attaching the springs 38 in the brackets 40, applying the tie wire 42, net 44, pad 46, and layer 48 of covering material, with the edges 50 of the covering material layer 48 being pulled over onto the side 60 of the flat top portion 30 and tacked or otherwise secured thereto conveniently in the area that will be received within the shell recess 56 and, therefore, will be located out of sight when the base and shell are assembled.

Other conventional seating structures may be used in place of this particular spring arrangement. Thus, coil springs, pre-assembled drop-in units, rubber webbing, rubber or canvas decking, woven wire mesh, or any other suitable constructions can be used.

The shell 28 is also completely formed separately prior to assembly with the base 26. Preferably, the shell 28 is formed by molding urethane or styrene plastic into the configuration of the shell to provide a rigid supporting structure of a desired configuration and upon which upholstery material can be readily applied. This shell 28 is formed to provide the aforementioned front 12, sides 14, and back 16 of the chair 10 and with an open center for exposure of the seat bottom 18 upon subsequent assembly of the shell and base. The shell 28 is also formed with the aforementioned downwardly and inwardly facing continuous recess 56 in a configuration that conforms to the configuration of the base rim 32.

The aforementioned upholstery material 62 is then applied to the shell 28 prior to assembly of the base and shell by applying with glue, such as a latex type, or by stapling a layer 64 of soft urethane or other similar material and then applying a covering layer 66 of fabric or vinyl plastic over the cushioning layer 64 and attaching the edges 68 by tacks 70 or otherwise within the shell rim recess 56.

By forming the base 26 and shell 28 separately and completely before assembling, the problem of upholstering is relatively simple in that there are no signigicant interior angles or wells within which material must be attached. Rather, the edges of the upholstery and seating structure materials can easily be pulled around into the shell rim recess 56 or onto the base rim side 60. This simplified operation is further enhanced by the forming of the base 26 to provide the seat bottom only and not part of the sides and back which are completely formed by the shell 28.

After the base 26 and shell 28 are separately formed as described heretofore, they are assembled by placing the shell 28 onto the base 26 with the base rim 32 being received within the shell rim recess 56 to the extent that the shell rim 54 seats against the shell rim recess shoulder 58 and the base rim side 60 is substantially completely contained within the shell rim recess 56 so as to be out of sight. Because of the continuous extent of the shell rim recess 56, the shell 28 completely encompasses the base top portion 30, which not only results in the base top portion being hidden from view but also results in firm securement of the shell 28 on the base 26 without possible horizontal relative movement and with sufficient resistance to vertical separation that additional securing means may not be necessary. However, for added securement screws, bolts, sonic welding or gluing may be utilized, or dimensioning to obtain a friction fit may be used to effect firm securement.

As the base 26 is substantially hidden from view, a variety of shell designs and coverings can be adapted for use with a single base design and vice versa, thereby allowing a wide range of chair styles with a relatively small inventory and maufacturing expense. Moreoever, the manufacture is easy to accomplish due to the separate forming of the base and shell that minimizes complicated operations, particularly in regard to upholstering the parts and mounting the seating structure.

It should be understood that the foregoing detailed description and accompanying drawings disclose only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and that it is applicable to seat type articles of furniture other than chairs of the type illustrated and is capable of variation and modification without limitation to the present specification, except as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A seat type article of furniture comprising a base for supporting the article on a floor or the like and having a substantially flat top portion that forms a seat bottom and has a continuous outer rigid rim of predetermined peripheral configuration, and a shell mounted on said base and forming the front, sides and back of the article, said shell being open in the center thereof for exposure of said seat bottom therethrough and having a rigid bottom rim with a downwardly and inwardly facing continuous recess formed therein in a configuration that conforms to said base rim configuration for completely encompassing said base rim to secure said shell on said base.

2. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said shell rim recess terminates upwardly in a downwardly facing inwardly extending shoulder that extends over and seats on said base rim for support of said shell on said base.

3. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said shell rim extends downwardly to the bottom of said base top portion to cover completely the side of said top portion.

4. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 3 and characterized further in that the visible surfaces of said shell are covered with upholstery material and said base top portion side is not covered with upholstery material.

5. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 1 and characterized further in that the visible surfaces of said shell are covered with upholstery material that has edges secured to said shell in said recess.

6. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said base has a seating structure that forms said seat bottom and is supportingly secured to said base top portion rim with a layer of covering material extending over said seating structure and having its edges secured to said base rim within said shell rim recess.

7. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 6 and characterized further in that the visible surfaces of said shell are covered with upholstery material that has edges secured to said shell in said recess.

8. A seat type article of furniture according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said shell is formed of molded rigid plastic material.