Furniture structure

• US 20040000808A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fincastle County Chairworks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fincastle County Chairworks, LLC
• Inventors: Maloney, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,066,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/452.63
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 23/061 Slat structures
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/028 with wooden springs, e.g. slated type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/16 Seats made of wooden, plastics, or metal sheet material; Panel seats
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/28 with tensioned springs, e.g. of flat type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/40 for the back

Abstract

Slat furniture generally of the outdoor type having a pair of laterally spaced apart supports and slats disposed there between and connected thereto and in which the slats individually or in groups are snap fittingly connected to the supports in a rigid manner such that the furniture is rigid without the need for further reinforcement. The slats, or slat units are selectively resilient and connected to the supports by fingers projecting therefrom into recesses in the supports. A snug close fit relation gives rigidity which is further enhance by contiguous slat sections being angularly disposed with respect to one another.

Claims

1. A furniture structure formed of components that snap-fit together to provide a rigid assembled structure, said furniture structure comprising:

a pair of support members, a plurality of slats that provide a load carrying surface between said support member and means connecting said slats to said support members for snap-fit inter-engagement therewith and simultaneously rigidifying the assembled structure, said connecting means comprising a cavity in each of said support members and a finger projecting from opposite ends of at least one of each said slats and opposed edges of a group of interconnected slats, said cavities each having a rib extending across an entry thereinto providing a restricted throat entry area into the cavity associated therewith and wherein each said finger comprises a first section corresponding in depth to the throat opening and a U-shape resiliently deformable section projecting from said first section, said U-shape section having a depth greater than the restricted throat entry whereby upon insertion of the finger into the cavity a terminal free outer end of the finger, as it passes the rib, snaps to lockably engage such rib, said first area being in close fit engagement with said restricted throat opening and thereby rigidifying the assemble structure.

2. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said slats are rectangular in cross-section.

3. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said finger first section has a flat surface and wherein said flat surface engages said rib.

4. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said slats are rectangular in cross-section and wherein said finger first section has a flat surface that engages said rib.

5. The furniture structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said first section is thinner than the remainder of the slat.

6. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said support member are substantially planar.

7. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 including means interconnecting a group of said slats into a rigid unit.

8. The furniture structure as defined in claim 7 wherein said connecting means is integral with the slats associated therewith.

9. The furniture structure as defined in claim 7 wherein said connecting means comprises a separate connector.

10. The furniture structure as defined in claim 8 or 9 wherein at least some of said slat connecting means are of reduced thickness whereby one slat can be tilted relative to the next adjacent slat.

11. The furniture structure as defined in claim 1 wherein each cavity in said support member is an elongate groove.

12. The furniture structure as defined in claim 11 wherein said groove is a straight line.

13. The furniture structure as defined in claim 11 wherein said groove is curvilinear.

14. The furniture structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said flat section extends laterally beyond said U-shape finger section.

15. The furniture structure comprising a first and second pair of laterally spaced apart support members, a plurality of slats disposed between said support members and means rigidly and snap-fittingly connecting said slats to respective ones of said support members, said slats being made of a material and so dimensioned as to provide the slats with a selected degree of resiliency whereby selected ones of the plurality of slats conform to selected areas on one'"'"'s antimony rendering it comfortable to an occupant resting on said slats.

16. The furniture structure as defined in claim 15 wherein said support members are substantially planar members.

17. The furniture structure as defined in claim 16 wherein said planar members are substantially parallel to one another.

18. The furniture structure as defined in claim 15 wherein said connecting means comprises finger projecting from one of said slats and a plurality of slats joined together in a group and recesses in said support structures receiving therein said fingers, said fingers and recesses being in close fitting relation providing a rigid assembled structure.

19. The furniture structure as defined in claim 15 including means interconnecting selected adjacently disposed slats thereby providing at least one rigid slat unit comprising at least two slats.

20. Then furniture structure as defined in claim 19 wherein a first group of said are disposed generally horizontally defining a chair seat and a second group of said slats being angularity disposed with respect thereto and extending therefrom defining a back for said chair.

21. Then structure as defined in claim 20 wherein said first and second group of slats are contiguous.

22. Then furniture structure as defined in claim 15 wherein said plurality of slats are interconnected and disposed in parallel side-by-side relationship providing an integral chair and seat back unit.

23. Then furniture structure as defined in claim 15 including means interconnecting selected adjacently disposed slats, wherein said interconnected slats and joining means thereof are integrally formed and wherein selected pairs of slat interconnecting means are of reduced thickness permitting tilting one slat relative to the next adjacent slat connected thereto.

24. A furniture structure comprising a first element that includes a plurality slats disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship, a second element that includes a pair of spaced apart supports disposed substantially vertically, said first element being disposed between said pair of supports and means snap fittingly and rigidly connecting said first element to each of said supports to thereby provide a stable load supporting structure, said slats being made of a material and so dimensioned as to have selected resiliency.

25. The structure as defined in claim 24 wherein said first element includes first and second contiguous sections angularly disposed with respect to one another.

26. The structure as defined in claim 25 wherein said contiguous sections provide a seat and a section extending downwardly from a forward leading edge of the seat.

27. The structure as defined in claim 25 wherein said contiguous sections define respectively a seat and back of a chair.