Sofa With Detachable Bolster

Abstract

A sofa adapted to be moved through relatively small doors and small and confined corridors, particularly the type found in mobile homes, campers and the like, in which the back is readily removable and preferably consists of an elongated bolster shape and a platform on which the back is adapted to seat. Securing means, preferably of the Velcro type, are disposed along the adjacent edges of the front and the back of the platform and bolster, firmly securing the back in place on the platform, yet permitting the back to be readily removed when the sofa is to be carried through the door or corridor. The back is held firmly in place on the platform and cushions may be placed in front of the back if desired.

Description

Conventional sofas, because of their large size and relatively high backs, are difficult to move into and remove from normal living quarters through the standard size doors, and the problem is particularly difficult with respect to mobile homes, campers and similar vehicles, since the doors are relatively small and the space adjacent the doors is often restricted and precludes easy maneuvering of the sofa through and in the area close to the door. Further, the corridors and halls are often narrow and may prevent movement of the fully assembled sofas therethrough. While many sofas are constructed in such a manner that the back can be removed and replaced, the operation is often difficult and involves a number of pieces such as screws, bolts and fixtures. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a sofa structure in which the back consists of a one-piece, easily removable bolster which does not require any screws, bolts, or fixtures to secure it firmly in place, and which can be readily detached and replaced without the use of any tools or equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bolster type back which, when removed, provides a low profile sofa structure that can be moved relatively easily through doors and other restricted areas, and which can be set in place on the sofa structure and secured thereto by one person with very little physical effort.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sofa with a bolster type back which is mounted on a platform structure along the back of the sofa and secured thereto by a Velcro type fastener, one strip of which is secured to the lower margin of the bolster and the other strip of which is secured to the upper margin of the platform, thus giving easy access to the securing means of the bolster for detaching it from and attaching it to the sofa.

A further object is to provide a sofa of the aforesaid type which is simple in construction and easily fabricated, and which gives firm support to the person sitting on the sofa and can be used either with or without cushions along the back.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sofa having a bolster type back which is normally secured firmly to the back portion of the sofa, but which can be removed therefrom for shipping and carrying and for moving the sofa, and which has no protruding fixtures or other rigid parts when removed from the sofa.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accormpanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a sofa embodying the present invention, showing the sofa without the usual seat and back cushions;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the sofa shown in FIG. 1, showing the sofa fully assembled and the seat and back cushions in place;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view showing the manner in which the back is secured to the principal part of the sofa;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the manner in which the back can be removed and replaced.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of the sofa, the section being taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view corresponding to the portion enclosed by the circle 6 in FIG. 5.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral 10 indicates generally a sofa, a number of parts of which are considered conventional for the purpose of the present invention, the sofa having a seat portion or deck 12, support frame 14, kick board 16, arms 18 and 20, and back 22. Normally the sofa embodying the present invention has seat cushions 24 resting on seat portion 12 and rear cushions 26, normally resting on the rear portion of seat cushions 24 and leaning against back 22.

The deck includes a plurality of springs 28 supported by frame member 30, padding 31, and cover 32 which forms the upper surface of the deck, the padding 31 preferably consisting of polyfoam material enclosed in fabric, plastic or other suitable material. The cushions may be of any suitable material such as polyfoam enclosed in a fabric or plastic sheet material. The covers for the cushions and padding on the deck may be selected from a variety of different materials.

The arms 18 and 20 are secured rigidly to frame 14 by bolts and may be disassembled and removed from the sofa when the sofa is being shipped and moved. The arms normally would have padding material in the upper portion thereof and are normally covered with cloth or plastic material compatible with that used on the cushions and deck.

The back, to which the present invention is primarily directed, consists of a bolster type structure 40, preferably constructed of polyfoam material 42 enclosed in a fabric or plastic material 44, identical to or compatible with the other cloth or plastic material used in the sofa construction. The bolster is supported by a platform 50 which consists of an upper horizontally disposed plate 52 supported by a front panel 54 and a rear panel 56, the plate 52 being joined rigidly to the upper edges of the two panels 54 and 56. The panels and plate are preferably constructed of wood, such as hardwood. The upper edge of the platform extends above the upper surface of deck 12, but preferably below the upper surface of seat cushions 24. The platform is of rigid construction and is joined rigidly to frame 14 by bolts or screws or any other suitable securing means so that the deck, the frame, the two arms and the platform form a rigid structure.

The bolster, which is substantially the same width and length as platform 50, rests on the upper surface of the platform and is held rigidly in place by fasteners or securing means 60 and 62 disposed along the front and rear of the bolster and platform. The preferred fastener or securing means consists of a product known in the trade as Velcro having one strip 64 secured on the inner side of flanges or skirts 68 and 70 attached to the lower front and rear edges of the bolster. The flange or skirt may be of the same material as the covering material for the bolster, such as cloth or plastic material. The other portion 72 of the fastener strip is secured firmly to the upper edge of the front and rear sides of the platform and is in position to mate with the first mentioned part of the fastener secured to the flange or skirt on the bolster. One of the two mating strips consists of a plurality of thickly disposed small plastic hooks and the other consists of small looped strands of felt-like material into which the hooks seat, catch and hold the strips together. The strips of the fastener may be attached to the skirt by sewing or any other suitable securing means, and may be attached to the platform by cement, staples or any other suitable securing means.

In assembling the back on the platform, the bolster is placed on the top of the platform in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the two mating strips 64 of the fasteners secured to the skirt on the bolster are pressed firmly against the respective mating strip 72 on the platform, both on the front and rear sides thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 6. After the fastener strips have been pressed firmly together, the bolster back is held firmly in place on the platform. The sofa can be used with or without cushions; however, cushions are preferably used, such as those illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein the back cushion is shown resting on the rear edge of seat cushions 24 and leaning against the back for support.

One of the primary advantages of the present sofa is the ease with which the back can be removed and assembled on the sofa to permit the sofa to be moved through relatively small doors and along narrow corridors and the like. In order to remove the back, the cushions are removed, and the back is removed by separating the two mating strips of the fastener by pulling the skirt of the bolster outwardly and upwardly as illustrated in FIG. 3, thus disengaging the hooks of one strip from the loops of the other strip so that the two strips are fully disengaged. When the strips have been separated in this manner, the bolster back can easily be lifted from the sofa as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the sofa has been placed in the desired location, the bolster back is reassembled on the sofa by seating it on the top of the platform and then pressing the strips of the skirts of the bolster firmly against the mating strips on the upper edges of the sides of the platform.

While only one embodiment of the present sofa has been described in detail herein, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A sofa comprising a frame, a seat portion, means supporting said seat portion on said frame, a platform rigidly connected to the frame along the rear of said seat portion and extending a substantial distance in parallel relationship with the rear edge of the seat portion, a back substantially taller than said platform seated on and supported by said platform and projecting generally vertically upwardly from the forward and rear edges of the platform, and fastening means having one part along the lower front and rear edges of said back and another part engageable by said first mentioned part along the front and rear upper margins of said platform for securing said back firmly and releasably in place on the platform.

2. A sofa as defined in claim 1 in which said seat portion, said back and said platform are coextensive longitudinally with one another.

3. A sofa as defined in claim 1 in which said platform projects above said seat portion and is substantially the same width and length as the bottom of said back.

4. A sofa as defined in claim 3 in which said back is of a bolster type configuration and which is adapted to seat on and be supported by said platform.

5. A sofa as defined in claim 1 in which one part of said fastening means consists of a strip having a plurality of closely spaced small hooks, and the other part consists of a strip of looped felt-like material for thereby securing said fastener parts together to hold the back firmly in place on said platform.

6. A sofa as defined in claim 4 in which one part of said fastening means consists of a strip having a plurality of closely spaced small hooks, and the other part consists of a strip of looped felt-like material for thereby securing said fastener parts together to hold the back firmly in place on said platform.

7. A sofa as defined in claim 5 in which said strips extend substantially the full length of the front and back edges of said platform and back.

8. A sofa as defined in claim 6 in which said strips extend substantially the full length of the front and back edges of said platform and back.

9. A sofa as defined in claim 1 in which said platform has a relatively flat broad upper surface on a substantially level plane, and said back rests on said platform and is retained in place by elongated fastening means along the front and rear adjacent edges of said platform and back.