AU2012100830A4 - An article of furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

An article of furniture 50 includes a base 12. A back member 14 extends from an operatively rear region of the base 12. A seat back 26 is arranged operatively inwardly of the back member 14. A spacer member 30 is interposed between the back member 14 and the seat back 26, the spacer member 30 being dimensioned so that, when the seat back 26 is displaced relative to the base 12, the seat back 26 moves in a manner where the seat back 26 does not project substantially beyond a plane defined by a rear surface of the back member 14. ci '0 W fl N eq ci

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 KING FURNITURE (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Title: An article offurniture The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 Field [01] This disclosure relates, generally, to furniture and, more particularly, to an article of furniture which is, preferably but not necessarily always, modular. Background [02] It is becoming increasingly popular for people to change the layout of furniture in rooms of their homes at regular intervals. This allows the appearance of the room to be altered and varied as the mood takes the home maker. To enable this to occur, the applicant provides modular furniture. [03] The applicant has identified a need for furniture which is preferably modular, which is more versatile and which lends itself for use in rooms of smaller dimensions. Summary [04] In an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an article of furniture which includes a base; a back member extending from an operatively rear region of the base; a seat back arranged operatively inwardly of the back member; and a spacer member interposed between the back member and the seat back, the spacer member being dimensioned so that, when the seat back is displaced relative to the base, the seat back moves in a manner where the seat back does not project substantially beyond a plane defined by a rear surface of the back member. [05] The article of furniture may include a bolster for supporting the seat back on the spacer member. In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "bolster" is to be understood as being an at least partially resiliently flexible element which is used as a support. [06] The article of furniture may be modular to be used together with other, similar articles of furniture to form a composite piece, the article of furniture including receiving elements arranged in the base, each receiving element defining a receiving formation for receiving a part of a connector for either joining two of the articles of furniture together or for attaching an accessory, such as, for example, an armrest, a shelf, a table, a book rack, or the like, to the base, the arrangement being such that, when the articles of furniture are connected together or the 3 accessory has been attached to the base, the receiving elements and their associated connectors are concealed. [07] At least a portion of the spacer member may be of a resiliently flexible material to inhibit injury when the spacer member is displaced relative to the back member. [08] The article of furniture of may be one of a chair, a recliner, a storage unit and a sofa bed. A "storage unit" is to be understood as an article of furniture which provides seating and which has a storage zone arranged beneath a seat bottom of the article of furniture. It may also be a stand- alone ottoman. Brief Description of Drawings [09] Embodiments of the disclosure are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [10] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an article of furniture in the form of a sofa bed; [11] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the sofa bed in use as a sofa; [12] Fig. 3 shows a side view of the sofa bed converted into a bed; [13] Fig. 4 shows, on an enlarged scale, a part of the sofa bed encircled by the ellipse marked 'A' in Fig. 3 of the drawings; [14] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an article of furniture which is in the form of a storage unit; [15] Fig,. 6 shows a perspective view of the storage unit with a lid of the module open; [161 Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an article of furniture in the form of a modular recliner in a non-reclining configuration; [17] Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the recliner in a reclining configuration; 4 [18] Fig. 9 shows a connector for connecting together two articles of furniture; and [19] Fig. 10 shows a connector for attaching an accessory to a base of the article of furniture. Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments [20] Referring firstly to Figs. I - 4 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates a first embodiment of an article of furniture which, in this embodiment, is a sofa bed. [21] The sofa bed 10 comprises a base 12. A back member 14 extends from an operatively rear region of the base 12. The back member 14 has a substantially planar rear surface 16 which defines a rear plane of the sofa bed 10. The planar rear surface 16 facilitates placing the sofa bed against a wall, or the like. The sofa bed 10 further includes a pair of armrests 18 arranged at opposite ends of the base 12. In this embodiment, the sofa bed 10 is not modular and the back member 14 and the armrests 18 are formed integrally with the base 12 as a one-piece, upholstered unit. [22] While the illustrated embodiment of the sofa bed 10 is not modular, it will be appreciated that it could be made in a modular form by having the armrests 18 removably attached to the base 12. In the modular version of the sofa bed, each armrest 18 is attached using a pair of connectors 20, one of which is shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings. One end of each connector 20 is received in a socket 22 of a receiving formation 24 (not shown in any of Figs. 1 - 4 but an example of which is shown, inter alia, in Fig. 5 of the drawings) arranged in the base 12. The other end of each connector 20 is received in a socket (not shown) defined in the armrest 18. [231 A seat back 26 is arranged operatively inwardly of the back member 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the seat back 26 comprises two discrete padded cushions 28. It will be appreciated that, instead, the seat back 26 could be in the form of a single cushion or more than two cushions 28. [24] A spacer member 30 is interposed between the back member 14 and the seat back 26. The spacer member 30, in use, is arranged in a lower region of the sofa bed 10 and, generally, supports a person's lumbar region. Hence, for ease of explanation, the spacer member will be referred to in this description as a "lumbar member". In this embodiment, the lumbar member 30 is dimensioned so that, when the sofa bed 10 is in use as a sofa (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of 5 the drawings), a part of a mattress 32 and legs 34 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) are accommodated in a void 36 created by the lumbar member 30. The remainder of the mattress 32 and an operating mechanism 38 of the sofa bed 10 are accommodated in a volume defined in the base 12 beneath a seat bottom 40 of the sofa bed 10. [25] Once again, the seat bottom 40, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises two discrete cushions 42 but, it will be appreciated that, instead, the seat bottom 40 could be in the form of a single seat cushion or more than two seat cushions. [26] A bolster 44 supports each cushion 28 of the seat back 26 on the lumbar member 30. More particularly, each bolster 44 is removably attached to the lumbar member 30 via a pair of connectors (not shown). The connectors have shaped ends to lock the bolster 44 in place relative to the lumbar member 30. For transportation and packing purposes, each seat cushion 28, with its associated bolster 44, is provided separately from the lumbar member 30 and each seat cushion is placed on the seat bottom 40 to reduce the volume of space occupied by the sofa bed 10 when it is being shipped. [27] In this embodiment, because each bolster 44 is locked via its connectors to the lumbar member 30, each bolster 44 also functions as a gripping member to be gripped to be used as a handle to convert the sofa bed from a sofa to a bed as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. [28] With the arrangement of the lumbar member 30 between the back member 14 and the seat back 26, a compact, aesthetically pleasing sofa bed 10 is provided. It is also not necessary to remove the cushions 28 of the seat back 26 or the cushions 42 of the seat bottom 40 when converting the sofa bed 10 from a sofa into a bed. There is therefore not an issue of having to store the cushions 28 or 42 separately. [29] Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, a further embodiment of an article of furniture in the form of a storage unit 50 is illustrated. With reference to the previous drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts unless otherwise specified. [30] As defined above, a "storage unit" is to be understood as an article of furniture which provides seating and which has a storage zone 52 (Fig. 6) arranged beneath the seat bottom 40 of the article of furniture. "Seating" is also to be understood in a broad sense to include reclining and it will be understood that the storage unit 50 could be implemented as a chaise.

6 [31] In this embodiment, the storage unit 50 is a modular unit and has one or more armrests 18 removably attached, via their associated connectors 20, to the base 12. It will be appreciated that the storage unit 50 could therefore be used either as an armchair with a pair of armrests 18 attached to the base 12 or, instead, the storage unit 50 could be used as one component of a modular sofa. In the latter case, if the storage unit 50 is being used as an end piece of the sofa, it would have one armrest 18 removably attached, via the connectors 20, to the relevant side of the base 12. Instead, if the storage unit were to be an inner component of the modular sofa (for example, the middle element of a three seater sofa), the storage unit 50 would have no armrests. [32] To enable access to be gained to the storage zone 52 of the storage unit 50, the seat bottom 40 is displaceably arranged relative to the base 12. More particularly, the seat bottom 40 is hinged relative to the base 12. The seat bottom 40 is mounted via a pair of spaced hinges 54 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) to the lumbar member 30. Each hinge 54 is substantially L-shaped and has a pivot point 56 arranged in the void 36 of the lumbar member 30 at an elevation substantially above a bottom surface 58 of the seat bottom 40. [33] With this arrangement, when the seat bottom 40 is raised relative to the base 12 so that the hinges 54 pivot about their pivot points 56 to the position as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, an operatively upper, rear edge 60 of the seat back 26 lies substantially inwardly of a plane 62 defined by the rear surface 16 of the back member 14. By "substantially inwardly" is meant that the operatively upper, rear edge 60 of the seat back 26 does not protrude at all, or protrudes only an insignificant amount, beyond the plane 62. If the rear edge 60 does protrude, the amount is insignificant due to the fact that the cushion/s 28 of the seat back 26 is/are recoverably crushable. Hence, it is not necessary to pull the storage unit 50 away from a wall prior to opening the storage unit 50. This facilitates use of the storage unit 50 in rooms where space is at a premium. It also makes it more convenient to use. Further, it facilitates the use of the storage unit 50 as a module in a sofa. [34] Each hinge 54 has a fluid operated strut 64, more particularly, a gas strut, associated with it. This makes it easier to raise the seat bottom 40 relative to the base 12 and damps lowering of the seat bottom 40 relative to the base 12. [35] In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, reference numeral 70 generally designates an embodiment of an article of furniture in the form of a recliner. Once again, with reference to the previous drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts unless otherwise specified.

7 [36] The recliner 70 can either be used as a stand-alone unit in which case it will have an armrest 18, attached via its associated connectors 20, to either side of the base 12. Instead, the recliner 70 could be a component of a modular sofa in which case it would have one armrest 18 on the appropriate side. In practice, it is unlikely that the recliner would be located in a position in the sofa where it would have no armrests. [37] The recliner 70 makes use of a proximity switch arrangement (not shown) located between the seat bottom 40 and the armrest 18. The proximity switch arrangement acts on a mechanism which displaces the lumbar member 30 (with the seat back 26 attached to the lumbar member 30 via the bolster 44) and the seat bottom 40 from the position shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings to the position shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings and vice versa. [38] Once again, when the seat back 26 is in the reclining position shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the operatively upper, rear edge 60 of the seat back 26 lies substantially inwardly of the plane 62 defined by the rear surface 16 of the back member 14. Hence, it is not necessary to move the recliner 70 away from a wall when it is desired to recline the recliner 70. Thus, once again, this facilitates use of the recliner 70 in rooms where space is at a premium and it also makes it more convenient to use. Further, it facilitates the use of the recliner 70 as a module in a sofa. [39] To inhibit injury to a person in the vicinity of the recliner 70 when it is being returned to its upright position shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, an operatively rear region 74 of the lumbar member 30 is of a resiliently flexible material such as, for example, an elastomeric material. This inhibits the formation of a pinch point between the back member 14 and the lumbar member 30 when the recliner 70 is returned to its upright position. [40] In all embodiments, the article of furniture 10, 50, 70, as the case may be, may be provided with one or more headrests (not shown). The, or each, headrest is mounted in position by mounting pins, each if which is received in sockets defined in an upper surface of the bolster 44. [41] To join two modules together to form a sofa or a part thereof, a pair of connectors 76 is used, one towards the front of the modules and one towards rear of the modules. One such connector 76 is shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings.

8 [42] Each connector 76 has a pair of limbs 78 and 80 interconnected by a bridging portion 82. The limb 78 is longer than the limb 80. This facilitates insertion of the connector 76 into its associated sockets 22 of the receiving formations 24 of one of the modules. More particularly, the longer limb 78 is inserted into the socket 22 of one of the module and this allows pivoting of the connector 76 about a pivot axis of the longer limb 78 to facilitate location in the socket 22 of the adjoining module into which the limb 80 is to be inserted. It will be appreciated that when the two modules of the modular furniture are positioned alongside each other the receiving formations 24 are not visible and have to be located by feel. [43] It is an advantage of the described embodiments that an article of furniture is provided which lends itself for use in rooms where space may be at a premium, which allows modular furniture to be rearranged and repositioned as desired and which is convenient to use. The article of furniture is also aesthetically pleasing in that operating mechanisms, etc are hidden. [44] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (5)

1. An article of furniture which includes a base; a back member extending from an operatively rear region of the base; a seat back arranged operatively inwardly of the back member; and a spacer member interposed between the back member and the seat back, the spacer member being dimensioned so that, when the seat back is displaced relative to the base, the seat back moves in a manner where the seat back does not project substantially beyond a plane defined by a rear surface of the back member,

2. The article of furniture of claim 1 which includes a bolster for supporting the seat back on the spacer member.

3. The article of furniture of claim 1 or claim 2 which is modular to be used together with other, similar articles of furniture to form a composite piece, the article of furniture including receiving elements arranged in the base, each receiving element defining a receiving formation for receiving a part of a connector for either joining two of the articles of furniture together or for attaching an accessory to the base, the arrangement being such that, when the articles of furniture are connected together or the accessory has been attached to the base, the receiving elements and their associated connectors are concealed.

4. The article of furniture of any one of the preceding claims in which at least a portion of the spacer member is of a resiliently flexible material to inhibit injury when the spacer member is displaced relative to the back member.

5. The article of furniture of any one of the preceding claims which is one of a chair, a recliner, a storage unit and a sofa bed.