EP1048250A1

EP1048250A1 - Sofa with at least two superimposable loose coverings

Info

Publication number: EP1048250A1
Application number: EP99108185A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pasquale Natuzzi
Original assignee: Industrie Natuzzi SpA
Current assignee: Industrie Natuzzi SpA
Priority date: 1999-04-26
Filing date: 1999-04-26
Publication date: 2000-11-02

Abstract

The sofa or armchair are covered by at least two loose covering elements (19, 20), superimposable and reciprocally interchangeable.

The framework of the sofa is provided with elements allowing the contemporaneous blocking of both the covering so that they become fixed during the use.

The removal of the superior covering allows the immediate use of the inferior covering; so if the superior covering is less elegant, one can immediately use the inferior one, more elegant, with the simple removal of the superior covering.

The interchangeability of the inferior covering with the superior one make the sofa easy to be useed in a convenient way.

Description

This invention deals with a sofa and/or a normal armchair both convertible into bed.
More particularly, it deals with a sofa and/or an armchair on which the fabric covering is removable, i.e. is applied without any reciprocal sewing or any other fixed junction means on the stuffing and on the framework.
As it is known in sofas and armchairs, the elements which compound the external covering means, in leather or in fabric, are sewn and anyway joined with fixed means, both reciprocally and to the stuffing and to the framework.
Therefore, when the owner of a sofa wants to change its unpholstery, he's got to go to a specialised firm, which means impossibility to use the sofa for a certain time and important expenses.
On the other hand, especially in houses, one needs to have, for peculiar occasions, a nice-looking and elegant sofa and, for a daily use, a sofa covered with a more economical fabric, in order to reduce the damages caused by children, pets...
In order to avoid damages to sofas and armchairs, covers constituted by stretch fabrics, which protect the coverings from wear and tear, dust and dirtiness in general, are used; these covers present the inconvenient of covering up all the visible parts of the sofa, frameworks included, and therefore hiding the style, the design and any other element characterising its qualities.
In other words, the application of the above-mentioned covers has only a protective end and doesn't permit to adapt the sofa to the interior decoration.
The state of art includes a sofa with only one removable covering, in order to be able to clean it when necessary or, in case, change it with another one having a different design.
Such a sofa presents the following defects:
a) Impossibility to change immediately the covering with another one having a different design; i.e. impossibility to cover the sofa with a daily covering less elegant and make it immediately interchangeable, by a simple removal, with a more elegant covering, previously applied on said sofa (or vice-versa impossibility to provide the sofa with a visible and elegant covering, and to interchange it immediately if necessary with a less elegant one);
b) Impossibility to prevent the displacement of the covering on the sitting or on the armrest, during the use of the sofa;
c) Impossibility to reciprocally superimpose two coverings.
Main end of the invention is to provide sofas and/or armchairs which can be adapted in any moment to the interior decoration and to the requirements of the home environment.
Another main end strictly linked to the first is to offer sofas provided with two coverings, respectively a first inferior covering and a superior second one, superimposed to the first one in order to be able to interchange them with the simple removal of the superior covering.
Another important end is to offer means to fix the covering to the sofa or to change it quickly.
Another important end is to offer a sofa bed with two interchangeable coverings, equivalent to a normal sofa bed.
For these ends and others, which can be deducted from the following description, the invention solves the following problems:
a) Realisation of the design of a sofa or armchair permitting the immediate application of a least two coverings, in a manner that these aren't subject to tensions which could provoke tearings;
b) Plan of means for a quick and invisible fixing of the two coverings superimposed to the framework;
c) Plan of ornamental means in sight to facilitate the application of the covering when the sofa is provided with armrests or curves which don't allow the superimposition;
d) Plan of superimposable coverings to apply on a sofa bed;
e) Realisation of coverings that can be superimposable both reciprocally and to the inferior edge of the framework.
Specifically object of the invention is a sofa with at least two covering elements, removable and interchangeable, respectively said inferior covering and superior covering, in which the inferior covering is directly applied on the to the framework and to the cushions and the second covering, the superior one, is superimposed to the inferior one, in a manner that, removing the superior covering, the inferior one is immediately usable.
According to a variant of the invention, both the coverings are realised in order to permit the coming out of a bed, contained in the framework.
One of the advantages of the sofa according to the invention compared to the ones provided with only one covering is the possibility of having, immediately and for ever, a sofa provided with two interchangeable coverings and predisposed for a more frequent use of one of the two coverings.
The invention is described in an illustrative and non-restrictive way according to preferred embodiments, with peculiar reference to the figures of the attached drawing plates in which:
Fig. 1 is a front view of the sofa on which are present two covering elements: respectively the inferior one perfectly applied and the superior one partially removed;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the framework of the sofa in which are put in evidence the anchoring elements for one or more elements of covering;
Fig. 3 is a back view of the sofa in which are put in evidence some junction elements and stretching of the covering;
Fig. 4 is a detail of an element for the hooking of the coverings;
Fig. 5 is a front view of the sofa in which the covering of the sides of the sofa isn't applied in adherence;
Fig. 6 is a front view of the sofa of fig. 5, in which is illustrated the element that joins the covering of the sides of the sofa;
Fig. 7 shows the appliance of the covering on the sofa and the cushions;
Fig. 8 shows the appliance of the coverings on a sofa bed.
We would like to underline that the following lines will illustrate by way of an example only some of the possible shapes of realisation of the covering, as it's possible to describe many others on the basis of the peculiar characteristics of the invention.
In the different figures, the same elements will be indicated with the same reference numbers.
In figures 1 and 2 are illustrated two shapes of realisation of the coverings. The sofa 10 includes a framework 23, a set of cushions 15, 16, 17, 18, 27, 28 and two covering elements 19, 20: respectively inferior and superior.
Framework 23 is constituted at its turn by a basis 11, a backrest 12 and a couple of lateral armrests 13, 14.
Basis 11 presents the shape of a parallelepiped extended in width; the superior surface of such first basis element 11 is called sitting 22.
In correspondence with the posterior part of such first basis element 11 is anchored the backrest 12, while on the lateral left side and the lateral right side are respectively anchored the left armrest 13 and the right armrest 14 of the sofa 10; the set of cushions 15, 16, 17, 18 is constituted by two cushions 15, 16 put horizontally above the sitting 22 and by cushions 17, 18 put vertically in front of the backrest 12: an ulterior couple of two cushions 27, 28 can be put on to the respective armrest 13, 14.
Both the inferior covering 19 (figure 6) and superior covering 20 are principally constituted by three parts. A first part covers the backrest 12 and the armrests 13, 14 of framework 23; another part includes more elements, one for each cushion recovering respectively cushions 15, 16, 17, 18 and, in the case there are present, also the cushions 27, 28; a third part covers both the anterior band 1 la and the sitting 22 of the basis element.
We will describe now in a more detailed way how to apply the two coverings 19, 20 of the sofa, on the stuffing of the framework covered by a thin fabric of cotton or light jersey, not represented in the figure.
On the perimeter of the sitting 22 are put some anchor elements 21; these are constituted by a set of thin, flexible, band or half rigid little belts 21, fixed by their inferior extremity to the perimeter of the framework. On the surface of each belt, oriented to the backrest and/or the armrests is put a button 29, or any other similar fixing mean, that will be hooked to the button, or any other fixing mean, put in contraposition on the inferior covering and/or the superior covering.
Each belt, in order to carry out the hooking, is inserted into one of the buttonholes 35, of each of the two coverings, put in correspondence to the contact points of the covering with the intersection line between the sitting and the anterior surface of the backrest and both the armrests.
As it's shown in figures 5-6, the covering elements 19, 20, in some models of the sofa, present a geometrical profile open in correspondence with the inferior part of the armrests 13, 14.
In this case, closing elements are forecasted that can maintain united the respective edges of the covering elements 19, 20, in a manner that their profile can perfectly fit to the shape of the sofa 10; such closing elements 25, 26 are directly applied on the surface of the most external covering element with button, hooks, velcro®, remaining fixed in correspondence with the low part of the respective front-lateral corner of the armrest.
Closing elements 25, 26 can be similarly applied both in the case in which are presents the two covering elements 19, 20 and also in the case in which only the inferior covering 19 is applied.
Figure 3 shows elements permitting to facilitate the installation and the removal of the coverings 19, 20 of the sofa; they consist in a zip 32 applied on the coverings in correspondence with the posterior part of the backrest. The zipper 31 moving vertically will allow the union or the separation of the respective edges 33, 34 of the covering elements 19, 20 in order that they perfectly can alternatively contain the shape of the sofa and completely open to be easily and quickly removed.
The part which covers the cushions 15, 16, 17, 18 is constituted by a set of coverings which completely cover each respective cushion, each unit being also provided with some closing elements, for example zip or button / buttonhole.
A s briefly mentioned before, both the covering elements inferior 19 and superior 20 present a third part that recovers both the anterior part and sitting 22; said third part has also got fixing elements, constituted for example velcro®, zip or button / buttonhole, in order that said third part can be connected to the basis 23.
An ulterior embodiment of the present invention forecasts that the sofa 10, according to the invention is a sofa bed; in this case, it's fundamental that, for the first basis element 11, the typical mechanism of the folding around its proper longitudinal axis or the movement ahead, works out without any problem.
In this embodiment (figure 8), the present invention forecasts that both the inferior covering element 19 and the superior one 20 do not recover the sitting 22 of the first basis element 11; in this way, it's possible to extract the bed mechanism with relative mattress from the space (36).
Advantage of the invention is the possibility of using a less elegant covering when the sofa is mainly used as a bed.
Another important advantage of the invention is in the fact that the double covering can be also applicable to armchairs. This way, it's possible to realise peculiar interior decoration in which the covering of the sofa can be combined with one of the two different coloured coverings of the armchair.
This invention has been described in an illustrative and non restrictive way, according to preferred embodiments, but it's clear that variation and / or modifications are able to be done by experts of the art, without for this going out of the relative protection area, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

Sofa with at least two loose and superimposed covering elements essentially including: a framework constituted at its turn from a first basis element (11), whose surface is said sitting (22); a second basis element (12) is said backrest hooked to the posterior edge of said first basis element (11); a third and a fourth basis element (13, 14), consisting in armrests connected respectively at the left edge and the right edge of the perimeter of said basis element (11), a set of elements (15, 16, 17, 18), said cushions, put respectively in horizontal position on said sitting (22) and in vertical position in front of said backrest (12), characterised in that they also include: at least two covering elements (19, 20), respectively said inferior covering (19) and superior covering (20), in a manner that said inferior covering (19) is applied, in the parts in which it's made of, to cover directly said framework and said cushions (15, 16, 17, 18); and said superior covering (20) covering at its turn, in the parts in which it's made of, the inferior covering (19); in order that the same sofa can be easily used with the two coverings of said framework and said cushions.
Sofa as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it includes further on anchor elements (21) of the loose and superimposable coverings, fixed to the posterior and lateral edges of the framework, constituted, for example, by half rigid little belts, i.e. elements provided with fixing elements as pressure buttons, hooks, buttonholes (29), etc...; hooking elements opposite to the above-said, oppositely fixed on the visible surface of the coverings; horizontal buttonhole (35) in each of the superimposed coverings in correspondence of the above-said anchor elements (21), to allow the introduction and the fixing of the above-said coverings.
Sofa with at least two loose and superimposable covering elements, as per one or more precedent claims, characterised in that it further includes opening elements (24) put on the surface of said covering, in the position corresponding to the posterior part of the backrest (12) to make easier both the application and the removal of the coverings.
Sofa with at least two loose and superimposable covering elements, as per one or more of the precedent claim, characterised in that it includes closing elements (25, 26) of the coverings when the two vertical anterior corners of the same coverings are open, put in the inferior part of the framework, in correspondence with the respective above lateral anterior left and above lateral anterior right comers so that the two said covering elements are blocked in their respective position, covering said framework.
Sofa with at least two loose and superimposable covering elements, characterised by means permitting the stretching of the covering which recovers the lateral armrests in the case they are cylindrical (roll-arm), consisting in a lateral split (37) in the framework of the armrests, parallel to the longitudinal axis of each armrest, in which is inserted the excess part of the covering, the same covering being provided on its hidden part with a little split in which is inserted a half rigid rod that allows the blocking inside the above-said empty fold.
Sofa with at least two loose and superimposable covering elements, as per one or more anterior claims, characterised in that said two covering elements allows a partial covering of the framework (23), leaving free the space (36) containing the bed.
Couple of loose and superimposable coverings to be superimposed to the stuffing of the framework of a sofa or an armchair rightly arranged beforehand, each covering being constituted by only one piece of fabric or any other suitable material to which are superimposed at least one back cushion and one sitting cushion, characterised in that each of the two coverings is provided along the perimetric, lateral and posterior line that delineates the sitting and the inferior edges from the backrest and the armrests, with buttonholes (35) reciprocally superimposed and suitably placed, above each of which, on each of the two covering, is applied a button or other similar element (38) to which is hooked, with a similar element (19), an anchor element (21) fixed with the opposite extremity to the edge of the framework.
Couple of loose and superimposable coverings as claimed in claim 7, each of them characterised by hooking elements of a cushion on each armrest, as per example a zip, by an element for the opening of the part of the fabric covering the posterior part of the backrest and also in another embodiment of the elements (26) for the hooking of the two borders of the coverings that cover the two lateral anterior corners of the framework.
Couple of loose and superimposable coverings as claimed before characterised by the fact that the elements of the couple are reciprocally interchangeable.