Assembly apparatus for modular components especially for upholstered furniture

• US 20090016807A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KC Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: KC Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Koch, Jon Russell
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/26
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 17/02 Sofas, couches, settees, or the like, without movable parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/028 Upholstered chairs, e.g. metal, plastic or wooden chairs
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/09 Releasable fastening devices with a stud engaging a keyhole slot

Abstract

A connector assembly is used to connect subassemblies such as parts of a knockdown or modular sofa or similar item of furniture. The furniture item can be an upholstered item in which the multiple components are stackable into a volume that is smaller than the assembled item of furniture for shipping. The connector assembly includes a keyhole slot on a frame member in one component and a male connector assembly on a frame member in the other assembly. The male connector includes a sleeve with a cylindrical shank and an adjacent enlarged or conical portion, and the sleeve, which may be plastic, is mounted the bolt. The narrow section of the keyhole slot has a beveled surface and as the sleeve progresses into the narrow section, engagement of the conical sleeve section with the beveled slot surface tightens the two members being attached.

Claims

1. A male connector insertable in a keyhole slot to attach two members, the male fastener comprising:

a bolt having a head on one end and threads adjacent one end thereof for securing the bolt to one member;

a nonmetallic sleeve encircling the bolt, the nonmetallic sleeve having a hole extending between opposite ends of the nonmetallic sleeve, the diameter of the nonmetallic sleeve being large enough to receive the bolt without binding the nonmetallic sleeve relative to the bolt, the nonmetallic sleeve being symmetrical relative to the hole, the bolt being longer than a spacing between opposite ends of the nonmetallic sleeve;

the nonmetallic sleeve comprising a cylindrical shank having an outer diameter greater than the bolt to form a bearing surface upon insertion into a narrower section of the keyhole slot;

the nonmetallic sleeve also comprising an enlarged portion adjacent the cylindrical shank projecting radially outward beyond the cylindrical shank, the nonmetallic sleeve comprising means for engaging a portion of the keyhole slot to tighten the attachment of the male fastener to the keyhole slot and to provide a sturdier connection between the two frame members as the sleeve progresses through the narrower section of the keyhole slot.

2. The male connector of claim 1 wherein the enlarged portion comprises a conical portion.

3. The male connector of claim 1 further including a compressible washer surrounding the bolt and positioned adjacent the nonmetallic sleeve, so that as the enlarged portion of the nonmetallic sleeve progresses further into the narrower section of the keyhole slot the washer can be compressed.

4. The male connector of claim 1 wherein the nonmetallic sleeve comprises a one-piece molded member including both the cylindrical shank and the conical portion.

20. The item of furniture of claim 1 comprising a sofa and wherein the first component comprises a sofa back and the second component comprises a sofa arm, wherein the sofa back includes multiple keyhole slots formed in a first wooden frame member on each end of the sofa back.

5. An apparatus including at least two components attachable by a detachable connection comprising:

a keyhole slot formed in a first component, the keyhole slot having a bearing slot section extending from a larger entry section, the bearing slot section having a beveled surface in which the bearing slot section has a depth is smaller adjacent an innermore surface than adjacent an outermore surface;

a female fastener on the second component;

a male fastener attachable to the female fastener, the male fastener comprising a bolt with fastening means adjacent one end thereof engageable with the female fastener and a separate sleeve, the bolt being insertable through the sleeve, the sleeve having a sleeve cylindrical shank portion and a sleeve conical portion adjoining the sleeve shank portion, the sleeve conical portion diverging radially beyond the sleeve shank portion, the sleeve shank portion being dimensioned for receipt within the bearing slot section of the keyhole slot with the sleeve conical portion engaging the beveled surface on the keyhole slot to tighten the male fastener relative to the keyhole slot and to tighten the two components together.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the female fastener comprises a nut attached to the second component.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the keyhole slot is a part of a first frame member comprising a part of the first component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first frame member comprises a wooden member with the keyhole slot being cut in the first frame member.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 further including at least one compressible washer mounted on the bolt.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the keyhole slot is formed in a nonwooden member attachable to a first frame member comprising part of the first component.

11. An item of furniture suitable for field assembly comprising:

a first component including a first frame member adjacent one end of the first component, the first frame member having at least one keyhole slot formed therein;

a second component including a second frame member disposable in opposed relationship to the first frame member when the first component is positioned for assembly to the second component, the second frame member including a female fastener disposable opposite the at least one keyhole slot when the first component is positioned for assembly to the second component; and

a connector for assembling the first component to the second component, the connector including a male fastener attachable to the female fastener and a sleeve through which the male fastener is insertable, the sleeve including a radially projecting section, the sleeve being symmetrical about a male fastener member, the sleeve extending beyond the second component and insertable into the keyhole slot in the first component without reference to orientation of the sleeve relative to the male fastener member so that the first component can be assembled to the second component in the field by first attaching the connector to the second component and then positioning the second component relative to the first component so that the sleeve is insertable into an alignment section of the keyhole slot, subsequent relative movement of the first and second components moving the sleeve laterally of its axis into a portion of the keyhole slot narrower than the alignment section to secure the first and second components together during field assembly of the item of furniture.

12. The item of furniture of claim 11 wherein the radially projecting section of the sleeve comprises a conical section.

13. The item of furniture of claim 12 wherein the portion of the keyhole slot narrower than the alignment section is beveled so that insertion of the conical section into the beveled portion of the keyhole slot will further tighten the first component relative to the second component.

14. The item of furniture of claim 13 wherein the beveled portion of the keyhole slot is formed by routing a wooden frame member.

15. The item of furniture of claim 11 wherein the female fastener comprises a T-nut secured to the second frame member.

16. The item of furniture of claim 15 wherein the T-nut is secured to an interior face of the second frame member in alignment with a hole extending through the second frame member.

17. The item of furniture of claim 11 including at least one washer for positioning the sleeve relative to the keyhole slot when the first component is assembled to the second component.

18. The item of furniture of claim 17 wherein at least one washer comprises a compressible member.

19. The item of furniture of claim 11 comprising an upholstered item of furniture comprising first and second upholstered components with upholstery layers covering at least a portion of the first and second frame members, and with an upholstery layer on the first frame members covering the connector when assembly of the item of furniture is complete.

21. An upholstered sofa shippable in pieces and suitable for field assembly, the sofa comprising:

a sofa back;

a pair of sofa arms;

a sofa deck;

connectors positionable between the sofa back and the sofa arms and comprising means for attaching the sofa arms to the sofa back, the connectors being covered by the sofa arms and the sofa back after assembly of the sofa arms to the sofa back;

wherein the sofa deck is upholstered on front, top and sides thereof, but includes one or more open compartments dimensioned for storage of sofa components side by side in the open compartments for shipment.

22. The upholstered sofa of claim 21, wherein the sofa deck includes a central frame member dividing the open compartment means into two side by side compartments for receiving the sofa components for shipment.

23. The upholstered sofa of claim 21 wherein keyhole slots are formed along opposite ends of the sofa back, the connectors being insertable into the keyhole slots to attach sofa arms on opposite ends of the sofa back.

24. The upholstered sofa of claim 21 wherein the connectors comprise male threaded members inserted through a sleeve, the male threaded members being attachable to female threaded members in one of the sofa back or the sofa arms to position the sleeve in an exposed position, the sleeve being received within aligned keyhole slots to attach the sofa arms to the sofa back.

25. The upholstered sofa of claim 24 wherein the sleeve comprises a conical sleeve member.

26. The upholstered sofa of claim 25 wherein the keyhole slots include a beveled slot section, the conical sleeve being received within the bevel slot section to tighten the sofa arms to the sofa back.

27. The upholstered sofa of claim 26 keyhole slots are formed on opposite ends of the sofa back and the connectors are attachable to the sofa arms with the conical sleeves initially exposed.

28. The upholstered sofa of claim 27 wherein the sofa back and the sofa arms are upholstered for shipment, the connectors being covered by upholstered layers when the sofa arms are assembled to the sofa back.

29. The upholstered sofa of claim 28 wherein the sofa back is insertable into a birdsmouth slot on the sofa back after assembly of the sofa arms to the sofa back, the sofa back being attachable to front sections of the sofa arms during assembly of the upholstered sofa.

30. The upholstered sofa of claim 29 wherein the sofa back is open for receiving sofa cushions during shipment, and sofa back has a length and width substantially the same as the sofa deck so that the sofa back including cushions can be placed over the sofa deck, with sofa arms positioned therein, for shipment together.

31. A process of fabricating an upholstered sofa comprising the steps of fabricating separate upholstered components including an upholstered sofa back, upholstered sofa arms and an upholstered sofa deck, the method comprising the steps of:

fabricating the upholstered sofa back by assembling a back frame including frame post members having at least one keyhole slot and applying upholstery material over the frame leaving access to the keyhole slots on opposite sides of the sofa back;

fabricating the sofa arms by assembling an arm fine including female fastener members on the arm frame in position for subsequent alignment with the keyhole slots when the sofa arms are subsequently assembled to the sofa back and applying upholstery material to the arm frames leaving access in alignment with the female fastener;

fabricating the sofa deck for subsequent assembly to the sofa back and the sofa arms;

packing the separate upholstered components in an unassembled configuration for shipment, and including connectors for shipment;

whereby assembly of the upholstered sofa can be completed in a separate field assembly process after delivery of the separate upholstered components.

32. The process of claim 31 wherein the sofa arms are positioned in compartments formed on the underside of the sofa deck when packed in the unassembled configuration for shipment.

33. The process of claim 31 wherein the connectors are included in an unassembled configuration for shipment for subsequent use in field assembly of the upholstered sofa, each connector including a male fastener member attachable to one of the female fasteners and a sleeve mountable on the male fastener member, each sleeve being insertable into one of the keyhole slots for subsequent field assembly of the upholstered sofa.