U.S. patent number 3,774,966 [Application Number 05/202,177] was granted by the patent office on 1973-11-27 for knock-down sofa.
Invention is credited to Doris Clay Faulkner, Hal R. Swann, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,774,966 |
Faulkner , et al. |
November 27, 1973 |
KNOCK-DOWN SOFA
Abstract
A knock-down sofa having a seat frame, back frame and a pair of
end or arm frames, a back envelope extending between and attached
to the rear portions of the arm frames, and cooperative means on
the arm frames and back frame for slidably receiving the back frame
within the back envelope, and cooperative means for receiving the
seat frame between the arm frames in assembled position.
Inventors: |
Faulkner; Doris Clay
(Nashville, TN), Swann, Jr.; Hal R. (Nashville, TN) |
Family
ID: |
22748790 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/202,177 |
Filed: |
November 26, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/440.23;
297/218.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
4/02 (20130101); A47C 4/028 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
4/02 (20060101); A47C 4/00 (20060101); A47c
007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/440,218,456,443,444,227,228,229,223,225 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Zugel; Francis K.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A knock-down sofa comprising:
a. a seat frame,
b. a back frame having top and bottom edge portions and first and
second end members,
c. first and second arm frames having front and rear portions and
inner faces,
d. a back envelope having top and bottom edge portions, one of
which edge portions is open to receive said back frame,
e. said back envelope having opposite end portions permanently
attached to the respective rear portions of said first and second
arm frames.
f. elongated guide means,
g. means securing said elongated guide means within the opposite
end portions of said back envelope and against the inner faces of
the rear portions of both said arm frames to extend generally
upward and substantially the full height of said inner faces,
h. guide elements on the first and second end members of said back
frame adapted to cooperate with said guide means for slidably
receiving said back frame within said back envelope,
i. seat securing means detachably receiving said seat frame between
the inner faces of said arm frames.
2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said arm frames are
upholstered and the end portions of said back envelope are
permanently attached to said upholstered arm frames between said
elongated guide means and the inner faces of said respective
upholstered arm frames.
3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said seat securing
means comprises mating securing elements on the inner faces of said
arm frames and on the opposing portions of said seat frame, said
securing elements cooperating to hold said seat frame in assembled
position as said seat frame is lowered between and relative to said
arm frames.
4. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising an
elongated front panel extending the length of said seat frame, and
means for detachably securing said front panel in assembled
position in front of said seat frame between said side frames.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a knock-down sofa, and more particularly
to a knock-down sofa having replaceable parts.
The knock-down sofa made in accordance with this invention is an
improvement over applicants' prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,913, issued
Sept. 24, 1963.
In the prior Faulkner U.S. Pat. 3,104,913, the seat frame, back
frame and arm frames were detachably secured together for assembly
with a unitary slipcover having corresponding back, seat and arm
envelopes. In assembling the elements, the back and seat frames
were preferably first secured together, and the arm frames inserted
into the arm envelopes of the slip-cover. By spreading the arm
frames and arm envelopes apart, the back and seat envelopes were
opened and slipped down over the corresponding back and seat frames
into assembled position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In this knock-down sofa, the arm frames are pre-upholstered and
permanently covered. A back envelope is attached at its opposite
ends to the rear inner faces of the upholstered arm frames, and
slidable securing means are provided on the inner faces of the arm
frames within the back envelope for slidably receiving the opposite
end members of the back frame. By spreading the arm frames apart,
the back envelope is stretched into its open position, and the back
frame is inserted until it is fully received within the back
envelope and holds the arm frames apart. The back frame may be
latched in its assembled position, if desired. The seat frame is
then placed in its assembled position between the arm frames and
the front of the back frame and held in that position by
appropriate securing means.
A separate detachable seat cover may be provided to cover the top
of the seat frame, or the seat frame may be covered with cushions
which have removable seat covers. A front panel extending the
length of the sofa may also be detachably secured to cover the
front edge portion of the seat frame.
It will be understood that the covering of the upholstered arm
frames, the back envelope, the seat cover, cushion covers and front
panel will all be of the same patterned material. Furthermore, the
pattern of the sofa may be changed by merely replacing the front
panel, or the front panel cover, the cushion covers, the seat frame
cover, and the entire back envelope and upholstered arm frames. It
has been determined that such a replacement, even though it seems
substantial, can be accomplished for approximately one-half the
cost of an entirely new sofa.
Another important feature of the sofa is that, because of the
separable seat frame, back frame, arm frames, back envelope and
front panel, the space occupied by the knocked-down elements is
substantially less than the fully assembled sofa, and would
therefore effect corresponding economies in storage and
transportation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective, assembly view of the invention
with certain cover portions removed;
FIG. 2 is an exploded end elevation of the pre-assembled elements,
with the back envelope shown in sectional elevation;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, front-end elevation of the elements of
FIG. 2, with the front panel removed;
FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation of the sofa in assembled
position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, with portions broken
away, of the assembled sofa disclosed in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 6--6 of FIG.
4; and
FIG. 7 is a bottom-end view of the elements disclosed in FIG.
6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The sofa 10 made in accordance with this invention includes a seat
frame or deck 11, a back frame 12, arm frames 13 and 14 and a back
envelope 15.
The seat frame 11 is preferably a rectangular metal frame having a
front rail 17, back rail 18, and end rails 19 and 20. Supported
between the rails 17 and 18 is a seat spring member 21.
A seat cover 23 is adapted to be detachably mounted upon the seat
frame 11 by means such as snap fasteners 24 fixed to the margins of
the seat cover 23 and adapted to cooperate with mating holes 25 on
the front rail 17, end rails 19 and 20, and on the back surface of
the back rail 18.
The back frame 12 is also preferably rectangular and made of metal
to include the bottom rail 27, top rail 28, and straight end rails
29 and 30 having outer plane surfaces. The back frame 12 may also
include reinforcing cross-members 31.
Each arm frame 13 and 14 is a mirror image of the other, and is
preferably upholstered and permanently covered with the material of
a desired pattern. Permanently fastened to the interior faces of
the rear portions of the arm frames 13 and 14 are the end portions
of back envelope 15. The end portions of the back envelope 15 are
preferably permanently stitched to the covering material of the
upholstered arm frames 13 and 14. The top edge of the back envelope
15 is closed, while the bottom edge portion of the back envelope 15
is open, but adapted to be closed by the envelope flap 33 having
snap fastener elements 34 adapted to cooperate with the snap
fastener elements 35 fixed to the bottom margin of the back panel
of the back envelope 15.
The dimensions of the back envelope 15 are sufficient to completely
contain the back frame 12, with the envelope flap 33 closed and the
snap fastener elements 34 and 35 engaged.
Fixed in a generally upstanding direction on the inner faces of the
rear portions of the arm frames 13 and 14 are a pair of elongated
straight channels or guide or slide rails 37. Adapted to fit within
the slide rails 37 in sliding engagement are a plurality of
longitudinally spaced, projecting guide elements 38 formed on the
outer faces of the end rails 29 and 30 of the back frame 12.
As best disclosed in FIG. 7, the guide rail 37 is channel-shaped in
such a manner that the side flanges converge toward each other in
cross-section, and the projecting slide elements 38 have a pair of
diverging flanges which slidably engage the interior faces of the
converging flanges of the slide rail 37.
Although the slide rails 37 are disposed in a generally upright
position and fixed to the opposed arm frames 13 and 14,
nevertheless they are also disposed within the back envelope 15 so
that they are free to be engaged by the projecting slide elements
38 as the back frame 12 is moved upward into the back envelope
15.
By holding the arm frames 13 and 14 as far apart as possible so
that the back envelope 15 is stretched and the bottom flap 33 is
open, as disclosed in FIG. 1, the back frame 12 may be inserted
into the back envelope 15 by aligning and guiding the projecting
slide elements 38 into the mating slide rails 37. After the back
frame 12 is fully inserted into the back envelope 15, it may be
latched in the assembled position by means of latch pin 40. The
latch pin 40 is supported on a leaf spring 41 fastened to the inner
face of each corresponding end rail 29 and 30 to project outwardly
from each end rail and to register with a corresponding hole 44 in
each corresponding guide rail 37 when the back frame 12 is in its
fully assembled position, as disclosed in FIG. 4.
Fixed on each end rail 19 and 20 of the seat deck 11 are a pair of
latch pin projectors 46 and a pair of dovetail projectors 47.
Opposing these latching projectors 46 and 47 in opposing
cooperative relationship on the interior faces of the bottom
portions of the arm frames 13 and 14, are the mating latch pin
receptors 48 and dovetail receptors 49. It will be noted that both
the latch receptors 48 and 49 open upward to receive the latch
projectors 46 and 47 as the seat deck 11 is lowered between and
relative to the arm frames 13 and 14 into assembled position, as
disclosed in FIG. 4.
The seat deck 11 may just as easily be disassembled by simply
raising the seat deck 11 to disengage the latch projectors 46 and
47 from their corresponding receptors 48 and 49, to a position as
disclosed in FIG. 2.
In order to complete the appearance of the sofa 10, a front panel
member 50 having a length substantially equal to the front rail 17
and adapted to fit transversely between the front portions of the
arm frames 13 and 14 may be secured to the front rail 17 by bolts
51 extending through holes 52 and secured to the front rail 17 by
bolts extending through holes 52 and secured by wing nuts 53. The
front panel 50 may be permanently covered by a material of the same
pattern as the cover material for the rest of the sofa, or it may
be provided with an attachable cover material 54 which may be
detachably secured to the front and top surface of the front panel
50 by adhesive means, such as double-adhesive faced tape, or a
"Velcro" fastener.
For additional rigidity, and also to lend additional shape to the
back envelope 15, a bottom rail or board 55 may be secured at its
ends into the bottom rear portions of the arm frame 14. As
disclosed in the drawings, the bottom rail 55 has dowel pins
projecting from its opposite ends adapted to be received in mating
apertures 57 on the interior faces of the opposing arm frames 13
and 14.
Although the seat cover 23 may itself be upholstered to complete
the seat deck 11, nevertheless it may be a simple sheet cover, as
disclosed in the drawings, in which event seat cushions 60 may be
placed upon the seat cover 23. The seat cushions 60 may also be
provided with replaceable slipcovers, in a conventional manner, to
conform with the overall patterned material of the sofa. Back
cushions 61 may also be employed, if desired.
In the manufacture of the sofa 10, the arm frames 13 and 14 and the
back envelope 15 are all pre-assembled as a unit, as disclosed in
FIG. 1. If the seat cover 23 is used, it will be of the same
material as the covering material for the arm frames 13 and 14 and
the back envelope 15. The cover 54 for the front panel 50, whether
permanently or detachably secured upon the panel 50, is also of the
same patterned material. The cushions 60 and 61 are provided with
slipcovers also of the same patterned material. All of the
separate, pre-assembled units and elements are disclosed in FIG. 1.
In storage or transportation, of course, the back envelope 15 is
collapsed so that the arm frames 13 and 14 are stacked against each
other. The support beam 55, back frame 12 and seat deck 11, as well
as the front panel 50, are each separately stored pieces.
In assembling the sofa 10, the back frame 12 is inserted up through
the open bottom end portion of the back envelope 15 until it is in
its fully assembled position as disclosed in FIG. 4, at which time
the locking pin 40 automatically latches in its mating hole 44, at
each end of the back frame 12. The bottom support beam 55 is then
inserted up into the back end of the envelope 15 so that its dowel
pins 56 are inserted into the corresponding openings 57. The flap
33 is then pulled around beneath both the bottom rail 27 of the
back frame 12 and the bottom support beam 55, and the fastener
elements 34 and 35 secured. The seat deck 11 is then dropped into
place between the arm frames 13 and 14 until the latch projectors
46 and 47 are firmly received in their respective latch receptors
48 and 49. The front panel 50 is secured to the front rail 17 of
the seat deck 11 by securing the wing nuts 53 upon the bolts 51
extending through their corresponding apertures 52.
The above assembly steps can be carried out quite rapidly. To
disassemble the sofa 10 for storage or transportation, the reverse
steps are performed with the same amount of simplicity and
rapidity. If it is desired to change the pattern of the cover
materials for the sofa 10, the above disassembly steps are
performed. The slipcover for the cushions 60 and 61 are replaced,
the seat cover 23 is replaced, the front cover 54 is replaced, and
the entire combination of the arm frames 13 and 14 and back
envelope 15 are replaced as a unit, and the assembly steps
repeated.
* * * * *