Upholstered seating units

• US 5,000,512 A
• Filed: 04/06/1989
• Issued: 03/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Drovers & Mechanics Bank (Fulton Bank, NA (Lancaster, Pennsylvania))
• Original Assignee: William B. Laird
• Inventors: Laird, William B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US07/334,655
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 297/412, 297/416, 297/422, 297/440, 297/443, 297/444, 297/452, 297/232
• US Class Current: 297/440.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/02 Dismountable chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/028 Upholstered chairs, e.g. metal, plastic or wooden chairs

Abstract

Upholstered seating units include a frame, a plurality of removable, reversible, upholstered members including at least one back cushion, one seat cushion and one or more panels, and a plurality of support members which extend from the frame and which slidingly receive and are at least partially received in each of the upholstered members. The upholstered seat and back cushions include internal, biased movable latch members which automatically engage their support members. The upholstered panels may include a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels, or, preferably all such panels. The upholstered panels either are provided with an internal, biased movable latch member to automatically and removably secure those panels to the support members receiving them or lack such a latch. Latchless panels are positioned to be retained on a support member by interference with other, latched upholstered members whereby all upholstered members are removably secured to the frame.

Claims

1. An upholstered seating unit comprising:

a frame;

a plurality of upholstered members including at least a back cushion, a seat cushion and a panel;

a plurality of support members fixedly secured to the frame, each support member extending from the frame for slidingly receiving one of the upholstered members and each of the upholstered members internally receiving at least part of one of the support members, the support members removably supporting the upholstered members on the frame, the back and seat cushions forming at least part of an exposed upper portion of the seating unit and the one panel forming part of an exposed side portion of the seating unit, the one panel extending alongside at least one of the seat and back cushions, each of the upholstered members having two opposing, upholstered, major sides and being configured with respect to the support member receiving that upholstered member for reversible mounting on the support member to expose either upholstered major side;

an internal, biased, movable latch member in each of the upholstered members;

structural means on each support member for receiving the latch member to automatically and removably lock the upholstered members to the frame through the support members; and

an additional upholstered member lacking an internal latch member and an additional support member extending from the frame, the additional upholstered member being slidingly received on and internally receiving part of the additional support member, the additional upholstered member being removably secured to the frame by interference with one of the plurality of upholstered members when the one upholstered member is secured to one of the plurality of support members.

2. The seating unit of claim 1 wherein each of the upholstered members is configured for reversible mounting on the receiving support member.

3. The upholstered seating unit of claim 1 wherein the additional upholstered member is a back panel and the additional support member extends upwardly from a rear side of the frame;

and

wherein the back cushion sufficiently overlaps the back panel to retain the back panel on the rear side support member when the back cushion is secured to the support member receiving the back cushion.

4. The upholstered seating unit of claim 3 comprising a plurality of identical upholstered seat cushions, an equal plurality of identical upholstered back cushions, and an equal plurality of identical upholstered back panels all removably attached to the frame by support members.

5. The upholstered seating unit of claim 1 wherein the additional upholstered member is a front panel and the additional support member extends upwardly from a front side of the frame;

and

wherein the seat cushion sufficiently overlaps the front panel to retain the front panel on the front side support member when the seat cushion is secured to the support member receiving the seat cushion.

6. The upholstered seating unit of claim 5 comprising a plurality of identical upholstered seat cushions, an equal plurality of identical upholstered back cushions, and an equal plurality of upholstered front panels all removably attached to the frame by support members.

7. The upholstered seating unit of claim 1 wherein the one panel is a side panel of the seating unit.

8. The upholstered seating unit of claim 7 wherein the support member of the side panel is located outwardly from the back for exposing a bottom side of the side panel while supporting the side panel and further comprising an opening through the bottom side of the side panel providing access for unlocking the side panel from the side panel support member.

9. An upholstered seating unit comprising:

a frame;

a plurality of upholstered members including at least a back cushion, a seat cushion and a panel;

a plurality of support members connected with the frame, each of the support members extending from the frame for slidingly receiving one of the upholstered members and each of the upholstered members internally receiving at least part or one of the support members for removably supporting the upholstered members on the frame by the support members the back and seat cushions forming at least part of an exposed upper portion of the seating unit and the one panel forming part of an exposed side portion of the seating unit, the one panel extending alongside at least one of the seat and back cushions, each of the upholstered members having two opposing, upholstered, major sides and being configured with respect to the support member receiving that upholstered member for reversible mounting on the support member to expose either upholstered major side; and

an internal, biased, movable latch member in each of a subset of the plurality of upholstered members and each of the remaining upholstered members of the plurality lacking a latch;

each support member receiving one of the upholstered members of the subset being fixedly secured to the frame and having structural means for receiving the latch member to automatically and removably lock the subset of upholstered members to the frame through the support members, and the subset of locked, upholstered members interfering with movement of each of the remaining upholstered members on the support members receiving the remaining upholstered members for preventing removal of the remaining upholstered members from the support members and the frame whereby all upholstered members of the seating unit are automatically and removably secured to the frame.

10. The upholstered seating unit of claim 9 wherein the plurality of upholstered members includes at least two identical side panels a rear panel and a front panel.