GB2352615A - Furniture with flexible sheet walls - Google Patents

Abstract

Furniture comprises opposed support panels 10 spaced by a plurality of bracing struts 11 mounted in blind holes in the panels and extending between them. An elongate flexible member 14, eg of plastics or fabric, is fastened to the end struts and follows a path defined by intervening struts to form a plurality of recesses for the storage of articles 17, eg magazines or CDs. The recesses may be oriented vertically, as shown, or horizontally (eg for a CD rack, Figs 8-13). Other embodiments include a table with under-table storage (Figs 14-19) whose legs are formed by struts with the flexible member wound around them to enclose the storage space, and a clothes storage cabinet whose open-fronted compartments are formed by the flexible member.

Description

2352615 An Item of Furniture and a Method of Constructing the Same.

The Invention relates to an item of furniture and to a method of constructing the same.

The methods used to build traditional and other known furniture can be time consuming and often require a number of expensive or complicated components. The components usually need a skilled person to assemble them so as to produce the finished item of furniture.

The more traditional methods of furniture construction often rely on traditional woods and joinery together with glue and screws etc to create the final product. This is often bulky, heavy and difficult to assemble.

The dove tail joint is an example of a complicated joining technique used in furniture construction. This joint requires a substantial thickness of material so it can be cut out of a sheet of timber. This adds to the overall weight of the final item of furniture which causes impracticalities when transporting or moving, Specialist tools and machinery which are expensive and difficult to use are often needed to produce a dovetail joint from this material. If a production factory for the item of furniture had to buy this expensive machinery it would in turn add to the overall unit cost of the final item. Producing a dovetail joint also results in a high percentage of waste due to material being cut away, in turn this adds to the final cost of the unit.

Cutting the dovetail joint from the material is time consuming, as the two sections of timber which form the joint have to fit precisely together, to produce a solid 90 degree angle. On just one item of furniture there may be as many as 20 such joints which each need to be prepared in this same way. Once each joint has been prepared, glue or screws still need to be used to hold the whole item together. This process often needs the skill of an experienced craftsperson as the process is complicated and timeconsuming, Training someone to use the correct tools and machinery to produce an item of furniture which uses these complicated methods of construction will add greatly to the cost of the final unit.

An Item of furniture such as a chest of drawers requires many dovetail joints, not only for the main structure, but also for all of the drawers inside. Each external Nhall of a 2 typical chest of drawers would be joined at each edge using traditional methods. This external construction would already be heavy and bulky without all the drawers of the unit fitted. Once all the drawers are fitted into the unit a large amount of materials have already been used which leads to a barely movable chest of drawers, This attitude towards traditional methods of construction becomes even more apparent if you were to take a larger scale item of furniture, such as a wardrobe. Its greater size means the aforementioned problems are increased dramatically, For this reason many wardrobes are designed to be sold as a 'flatpack' item assembled by the purchaser at home, These 'self build' or 'flatpack' items of furniture often involve several wooden panels of varying shape, size and thickness. They generally have a confusing array of holes and slots machined into them along side a various selection of screws, brackets, hinges, and 'plastic bits'. The accompanying Instructions for such an item of furniture are often less than clear, making assembly very confusing and difficult to understand.

Metal construction for a wide range of furniture is often used with welding or bolting as a method of construction, For example CID racks, storage systems, display systems and tables are often constructed using this technique together with perhaps glass or wood panels. Storage and display systems are often constructed using metal work which is bolted together using a wide range of nuts and bolts. They are often complicated in design meaning the whole unit is difficuft to assemble. This is especially if the unit is 'flatpack', Metal or glass is not particularly suitable as a material for furniture construction as ff is heavy and breakable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of constructing an item of furniture, resulting in a simplified process of manufacture and construction producing less waste and a product which is lightweight and allows for flatpacking, The invention provides an article of furniture comprising opposing support panels and a plurality of bracing struts extending there between and maintaining the support panels at a predetermined spacing, and an elongate flexible member forming at least one wall or surface of the article of furniture, the elongate flexible member following a path which is defined by the bracing struts. The invention also provides a method of constructing an article of furniture, comprising the steps of bracing apart opposing support panels using a plurality of 3 bracing struts to form a rigid structure and passing an elongate flexible member around and between the bracing struts so that the elongate flexible member forms at least one wall or surface of the article of furniture. Further and advantageous features of the invention are set out in the subsidiary claims.

All components used in the said invention have been designed to be as simple and easy to understand as possible, therefore manufacturing costs are kept down. Each item of furniture uses a minimum number of different components to keep the assembly process a simple procedure.

The Invention can be used to create a wide range of furniture products for the domestic environment. These include storage items such as a magazine rack or CID storage rack. Tables and larger items such as clothes storage and shelving can be created by adapting the components of each design. The same concept can be adapted further still and taken into the office environment, Workstations for the office with document storage such as filing are a possible development with colours being an easy feature to change so items of furniture can fit into a specific environment, Retail or Point of Sale units can be manufactured using the said invention, The specific designs for this would have to be adapted so that products could be merchandised and displayed within the unit, for example storing and displaying clothing, footwear or toiletries, The designs can also be adapted to accommodate price tickets or product information. The said invention could be used to create museum displays or display areas for exhibitions if the materials were altered, For example a museum display case could be manufactured in clear materials so the item to be displayed was more visible.

Items of furniture which are constructed according to the said invention can be easily sold flatpacked or in M form. These can then be assembled very easily by the owner as the method of construction is simple, easy to understand and carry out. Dueto the ease of construction and simple components which make up an item of furniture designed according to the said invention, the final item can be easily dismanf led as well as constructed. A number of different parts for the furniture can be purchased so the unit can be assembled using a wider, more varied range of materials. For example the elongate flexible strip can be unthreaded if worn and easily replaced with a new piece, or if the appearance of the unit was to be changed a different colour of elongate flexible strip or side panels would be purchased and fitted. The items of furniture designed in accordance to the said 4 invention can accommodate a wide variety of styles and different looks due to the use of simple components which can easily be changed in size, shape, colour and material. Furniture designed for the office would be manufactured out of more hardwearing materials and perhaps more conservative colours such as grey or brown, Furniture designed for the domestic markets could use cheaper more unusual materials with varied textures, colours and finishes. The simplicity of changing the appearance of any item of furniture designed in accordance with the present invention means that a wider market can be targeted.

The said invention uses components which are simple to manufacture and simple to assemble, needing no expensive specialist tools. All components can be assembled by hand and only simple tools are needed to hold the the final piece together, This simple method of construction is useful for two main reasons. Firstly, If a range of furniture designed in accordance with the said invention is to be assembled in a factory or production line then no experienced craffspeople would be needed therefore cutting down in manufacturing costs. Secondly, this simplicity of the method of construction means that the owner could purchase a 'flatpack' or 'kit' item which is easy to assemble themselves.

Larger items of furniture such as wardrobes or chests of drawers can be sold as a 'flatpack' or 'kit' to be assembled by the purchaser in their own home. The item of furniture is therefore smaller to package, more convenient to transport in bulk and would fit in the back of a car. The Items of furniture designed in accordance to the said invention are very light weight due to most designs consisting of only two main panels, with the remaining structure and storage area being created by lightweight struts and any length of flexible material, This lightweight feature can be designed into the said invention by choice of materials, adding more advantages to packaging and transportation.

Examples of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings.

Fig 1 illustrates in perspective View an Item of furniture according to the first embodiment of the invention with all the elements in place; Fig 2. illustrates in perspective the first panel of the item of figure one with an array of holes; Fig 3. shows spacer members inserted into the holes in the first panel forming part of the first embodiment; Fig 4. shows the next stage of construction of the first embodiment with the spacer members inserted in to the first panel and then a second panel with opposing holes to the first panel and showing an example of a fastener; Fig 5. illustrates the first stage of locating the elongate flexible strip about the positioned spacer members in the first embodiment; Fig 6. shows the elongate flexible strip suspended between the spacer members of the first embodiment; Fig 7. illustrates the direction of positioning the elongate flexible strip to achieve the particular item of furniture shown in the first embodiment; Fig 8. illustrates in perspective view a second item of furniture according to the second embodiment with all the elements in place; Fig 9. illustrates in perspective the first panel of the item of Figure 8 with an array of holes; Fig 10. shows a number of spacer members inserted into the holes in the first panel forming part of the second embodiment; Fig 11. shows the next stage of construction of the second embodiment with the spacer members inserted in to the first panel and then a second panel with opposing holes to the first panel and showing an example of a fastener; Fig 12. illustrates the first stage of locating the elongate flexible strip about the positioned spacer members in the second embodiment; Fig 13. illustrates the direction of positioning the elongate flexible strip to achieve the particular item of furniture shown in the second embodiment; Fig 14, illustrates in perspective view a final view of a third item of furniture according to the third embodiment with all the elements in place; 6 Fig 15. illustrates in perspective the first panel of the item of Figure 14 with an array of holes, The panel is now used as a base rather than a side as in Figure I and Figure 9; Fig 16. shows large spacer members inserted into the holes in the first panel forming part of the third embodiment; Fig 17, shows the next stage of construction of the third embodiment with the spacer members inserted in to the first panel and then a second panel with opposing holes to the first panel and showing an example of a fastener; Fig 18. illustrates the first stage of locating the elongate flexible strip about the positioned spacer members in the third embodiment; Fig 19. illustrates the direction of positioning the elongate flexible strip to achieve this particular item of furniture shown in the third embodiment; Fig 20. illustrates in perspective an item of furniture according to the fourth embodiment with all the elements in place; Fig 21. illustrates in perspective the first panel of the item of Figure 20 with an array of holes, The panel is now used as a side; Fig 22. shows several large and small spacer members inserted into the holes in the first panel forming part of the fourth embodiment; Fig 23. shows the next stage of construction of the fourth embodiment with the spacer members inserted in to the first panel and then a second panel with opposing holes to the first panel and showing an example of a fastener; Fig 24, illustrates the first stage of locating the elongate flexible strip about the positioned spacer members in the fourth embodiment; Fig 25. illustrates the direction of positioning the elongate flexible strip to achieve the particular item of furniture shown in the fourth embodiment; Fig 26, illustrates further components and attachments which can be added to the fourth embodiment to expand the design or create more storage space; and 7 Fig 27. illustrates two pieces of furniture constructed using the said invention can easily be made in different sizes and still be used together; Referring to the drawings the present invention will now be explained using example 1. A magazine rack, Fig 1 Fig 7.

The item of furniture comprises a number of rigid panels 10, 12 with an array of holes, as shown in fig 2, preferably manufactured from wood or plastic but they can be made of any material. In this example there are two panels, These two panels 10, 12 may be made of any rigid material and any thickness. The shape, size and colour can change depending on the item of furniture. The holes in this panel can be arranged in any order or pattern across the panels and may be of any size or shape, Inserted into or through these holes as shown in fig 3 are a number of spacer members 11. These spacer members 11 may be of any length. The width, shape and diameter can be of any proportions depending on the item of furniture and the design. Materials such as wood, metal, resin, plastics, cardboard, tubes, pipes, bars, rods can be used for these spacer members. One end of each of the spacer members 11 must be inserted into the opposing holes of the first panel 10 and a second panel 12, This second panel may be of a different size, shape or material to the first. Any number of the spacer members can protrude through the panels to create another functional element to the item of furniture, The two panels 10, 12 are held together onto the support members by using a fastener 13 as shown in fig 4, A number of alternative fastening methods can be used to hold these two panels 10, 12 and spacer members I I together so as to create a rigid structure. This may be done by any means such as clamping, bolting, clipping, and tying. This can be done through the inside of the unit or around the whole unit, An elongate flexible strip 14 illustrated in fig 5 is wound throughout the structure to create further elements of the item of furniture. The elongate flexible strip 14 is fastened around a spacer member 11 using glue, staples, nails, screws, press studs, clips, magnets, tape or hook and loop fastener in the area shown 15. The elongate flexible strip can be made form all kinds of flexible materials such as PVC, rubber, cloth, fabric, foam sheeting, paper, plastics, etc. Any part of the elongate flexible strip can be fastened to any spacer member in the unit, There are numerous ways in which the elongate flexible strip can be suspended 8 depending on which spacer members if passes around and in which order. The order may be determined by instructions or can be determined by the owner. Fig 6 shows the elongate flexible strip positioned throughout the spacer members and secured at one end, This elongate flexible strip 14 together with the spacer members 11 and panels 10, 12 creates a plurality of pockets 16 in the magazine rack, On this item of furniture the areas of storage 16 are shown on top of the product. see fig 7, The item for storage is a magazine 17. The storage areas can be on the top, bottom, or sides. There are endless possible variations for this item of furniture due to the fact that every piece in the item can be made from different materials and can be different sizes, colours, arrangement etc.

Referring to the drawings the present invention will now be explained using example 2. A CD storage system. Fig 9 - Fig 13.

This example of furniture again comprises two rigid panels 1 Oa, I 2a shown in fig 9, with opposing holes in each. As in example 1 these panels I Oa, I 2a may be any rigid material and any thickness. The shape, size and colour can change depending on the item of furniture, The holes in this panel can be arranged in any order or pattern across the panels but in this example have been arranged so that when the further elements of the invention are added separate cd storage areas are created. The next element of the example is the spacer members I I a which are inserted into or through these holes in the panels 1 Oa, 1 2a. Fig 10 shows the spacer members 11 a are smaller in size than example I due to the purpose of the final design but they may be of any length, width, shape and diameter, Materials such as wood, metal, resin, plastics, cardboard, tubes, pipes, bars, rods can be used for these spacer members, The spacer members 11 a must be inserted into the corresponding holes of the first panel 1 Oa and second panel 12a Shown in fig 11. This second panel may be of a different size, shape or material to the first. Any number of the spacer members 11 a can protrude through the panels to create another functional element to the item of furniture. This particular example has been designed so CD's can be easily identified, selected and replaced to the unit, Larger CD storage systems can be designed in accordance with the present invention just by altering either the size of the side panels or by using longer spacer members, therefore allowing more CD's to fit into the unit, The two panels 1 Oa, 1 2a are held together onto the support members by using a fastener 13a, illustrated in fig 11. A number of fastening methods can be used to 9 hold these two panels 1 Oa, 1 2a and spacer members I I a together so as to create a rigid structure. This design becomes more rigid due to the fact there are a greater number of spacer members. As in example I fastening may be done by any means such as clamping, bolting, clipping, and tying. This can be done through the inside of the unit or around the whole unit, Fig 12 shows an elongate flexible strip 14a fastened around the first spacer member in the structure, This elongate flexible member is the second element of the invention. The elongate flexible strip 14a is fastened around a spacer member 11 a using glue, staples, nails, screws, press studs, clips, magnets, tape or hook and loop fastener in the area shown 15a. The elongate flexible strip 14a can be made from all kinds of flexible materials such as PVC, rubber, cloth, fabric, foam sheeting, paper or plastics to either create a different look or to give more strength etc. Any part of the elongate flexible 14a strip can be fastened to any spacer member 11 a in the unit. As in example 1 there are numerous ways the elongate flexible strip I 4a can be suspended throughout the structure depending on which spacer members 11 a it moves around and in which order, In this example the elongate flexible strip 14a is positioned throughout the spacer members 11 a so each CD has if's own storage space, The order of positioning the elongate flexible strip 14a maybe determined by instructions or can be determined by the owner. The elongate flexible strip 14a is positioned throughout the spacer members 11 a secured at each end. This elongate flexible strip 14a together with the spacer members 11 a and panels 1 Oa and 12a creates the two main elements of the invention.

Fig 13 shows the direction the elongate flexible strip 14a is positioned and the arrangement of the spacer members 11 a. On this item of furniture the elements of storage 16a are shown on the front of the product to allow easy access to the CD's 17a. The storage areas can be on the top, bottom, or sides. There are endless possible variations for this item of furniture due to the fact that every piece in the item can be made from different materials and can be different sizes, colours and arrangement etc.

Referring to the drawings the present invention will now be explained using example 3. A table. Fig 14 - Fig 19.

This example of furniture again comprises two rigid panels 1 Ob, 1 2b with opposing holes in each. Fig 14 shows that this time they are used in a horizontal position so as to provide a hard table top surface and a hard storage surface underneath. The panels in this design may need a suitable finish such as a laminate as they are to be the main used surfaces unlike in example I and 2 where the elongate flexible strip 11 and 11 a is the supporting element. Again as in example I These panels I Ob, I 2b may be any rigid material and any thickness possibly for added strength. The shape, size and colour can change depending on the item of furniture. The holes in these panels I Ob, I 2b can be arranged in any order or pattern across the panels 1 Ob, 1 2b and may be of any size or shape, Inserted info or through these holes are a number of spacer members 11 b shown in fig 16. The spacer members 11 b in this example are larger in size than previous examples due to the extra solidity needed in this design. They may be of any length width, shape and diameter but in this design are of a larger diameter to provide greater strength to the final item of furniture and of a height which is determined by the ideal height of a coffee table. Cardboard tubes are used in this example because they are strong and light but other materials can be used instead such as wood, metal, resin, plastics, pipes, bars, rods etc, Fig 17 illustrates the spacer members 11 b inserted into the corresponding holes of the first panel 1 Ob and second panel 12b. This second panel may be of a different size, shape or material to the first.

The two horizontal panels are held together onto the upright support members by using a fastener 13b. A number of fastening methods can be used to hold these two panels 1 Ob, I 2b and spacer members 11 b together so as to create a solid structure, This may be done by any means such as clamping, bolting, clipping, and tying, This can be done through the inside of the unit or around the whole unit, Fig 18 shows an example of a wider elongate flexible strip 14b which is positioned around the structure to create the second element of the invention, As the panels 1 Ob, I 2b are the main surfaces of the design the elongate flexible strip 14b is used as an element which encloses the area of storage within the table. The position the elongate flexible strip 14b takes in this design provides a secure wall around the area of storage as shown in fig 19, and could also be used to divide up the area further into smaller storage areas for items such as video tapes or books, The first end of the elongate flexible strip is secured around one of the corner spacer members 11 b and suspended around the remaining spacer members creating the area of storage mentioned above, Glue, staples, nails, screws, press studs, clips, magnets, tape or hook and loop fastener can be used to secure the elongate flexible strip 14b in the area show 15b. The elongate flexible strip 14b can be made from all kinds of flexible materials such as PVC, rubber, cloth, fabric, foam sheeting, paper, plastics, etc, Any part of the elongate flexible strip can be fastened to any spacer member in the unit, The elongate flexible strip 14b could be positioned in another direction if more spacer members 11 b were used in the design. Fig 19 shows the direction of the elongate flexible stripl 4b for this design. The elongate flexible strip 14b is positioned around the spacer members 11 b and secured at each end. This elongate flexible strip 14b together with the spacer members 11 b and panels 1 Ob, I 2b creates the two main elements of the invention.

Referring to the drawings the present invention will now be explained using example 4. A clothes storage system, Fig 20 - Fig 27.

The present invention comprises of 2 rigid panels with positioned holes 1 Oc, 1 2c. These panels may be any rigid material and any thickness, The shape of the panels 1 Oc, I 2c in this example are curved on the top comers to follow the shape of the spacer members 11 c between the two panels 1 Oc, 1 2c. The holes in these panels are arranged in such a way that when the spacer members 11 c and elongate flexible member 14c are are fitted, pockets and recesses are created which are of an ideal size to store a number of garments of clothing, These holes can be arranged in any order or pattern across the panels 1 Oc, 1 2c to provide different sized pockets or recesses. The holes in this example are of two different sizes so they can accommodate two different sizes of spacer members 11 c. These spacers members 11 c are inserted in or through these holes shown in fig 22. These spacer members 11 c may be of any material but in this example they are made from rod and cardboard tubes, Other materials for this component are wood, metal, resin, plastics, pipes, or bars. The card board tube members provide a lightweight but strong bracing member. The width, shape and diameter can be of any proportions depending on the item of furniture. fig 23 shows the spacer members 11 c must be inserted into the corresponding holes of the first panel 1 Oc and a second panel 12c. This second panel may be of a different size, shape or material to the first. Any number of the spacer members 11 c can protrude through the panels 1 Oc, 1 2c to create another functional element to the item of furniture.

The two panels 1 Oc, I 2c are held together onto the support members 11 c by using a fastener 13c. This example needs a greater amount of fastening due to the increased size of panels 1 Oc, 1 2c and the extra strength needed in this example. A number of fastening methods can be used to hold these two panels 1 Oc, 1 2c and spacer members 11 c together so as to create a rigid structure, This may be done by any means such as clamping, bolting, clipping, and tying. This can be done through the inside of the unit or around the whole unit.

12 An elongate flexible strip 14c is positioned throughout the structure to create the second element of the invention. The elongate flexible strip 14c is fastened around a spacer member I I c as in fig 24, and uses either glue, staples, nails, screws, press studs, clips, magnets, tape or hook and loop fastener or any other suitable fastening method in the area shown 15c. The elongate flexible strip 14c be made form all kinds of flexible materials such as PVC, rubber, cloth, fabric, foam sheeting, paper, plastics, etc, Any part of the elongate flexible strip 14c can be fastened to any spacer member in the unit.

There are numerous ways the elongate flexible strip 14c can be suspended depending on which spacer members it moves around and in which order. The order in this example is determined by the final use which is clothes storage. Instructions can be followed or the order determined by the owner. The elongate flexible strip 14c is positioned throughout the spacer members 11 c and secured at each end, This elongate flexible strip 14c together with the spacer members 11 c and panels 1 Oc+ 12c creates the two main elements of the invention, On this item of furniture the elements of storage 16c are shown on the front of the product illustrated in fig 25. The storage areas can be on the top, bottom, or sides. There are endless possible variations for this Rem of furniture due to the fact that every piece in the item can be made from different materials and can bedifferent sizes, colours, arrangement etc, Items of clothing can be folded up and placed on top of each other in any one of the storage pockets which have been created, Fig 26 and 27 describe alternative methods of how the clothes storage unit can be arranged and added to. More than 1 unit can be purchased if more storage area is needed. If two units are in use they can be connected together as a system to create a whole clothes storage system. A clothes rail 18 can be fitted between each clothes storage unit. Also a shoe platform 19 can be secured between to provide added storage areas and to add rigidity to the unit, Due to the method of construction the size of the unit can be changed so it can be used in more confined spaces or if less storage space is required, Fig 27 illustrates the clothes rack in two different sizes which can still be used together as a system, with or without a clothes rail 18 and shoe platform 19.

This variation in arrangements and sizes as described in fig 26 and 27 on the clothes storage unit can be carried over to any of the said examples. Each example described above can be easily changed in size, shape, colour etc due to the 13 components being easy to alter. Each example described can be expanded and used together to create a larger item of furniture.

14

Claims (17)

Claims

1. An article of furniture comprising Opposing support panels and a plurality of bracing struts extending therebetween and maintaining the support panels at a spacing, and an elongate flexible member forming at least one wall or surface of the article of furniture, the eongate flexible member following a path which is defined by the bracing struts.

2. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongate flexible member is fastened at one end thereof to a first bracing strut and the other end thereof to a second bracing strut.

3. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the opposing support panels are arranged substantially vertically,

4. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of each wall or surface formed by the flexible elongate member is substantially horizontal.

5. An article of furniture as claimed in claim I or 2, wherein the opposing support panels are arranged substantially horizontally.

6. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of each wall or surface formed by the elongate flexible member is substantially vertical,

7. An article of furniture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate flexible member forms a plurality of generally parallel pockets or recesses.

8. An article of furniture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each end of each bracing strut is received in a blind bore in one of the support panels,

9. An article of furniture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article of furniture is a magazine rack.

10. An article of furniture as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the article of furniture is a CID storage rack,

11. An article of furniture as claimed in any one of claims I to 8, wherein the article of furniture is adopted to receive articles of clothing.

12. An article of furniture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of constructing an article of furniture, comprising the steps of bracing apart opposing support panels using a plurality of bracing struts to form a rigid structure and passing an elongate flexible member around and between the bracing struts so that the elongate flexible member forms at least one wall or surface of the article of furniture.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the steps of fastening first and second ends of the elongate flexible member to first and second bracing struts respectively.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, including the steps of introducing the ends of each bracing strut into blind bores located in the support panels before passing the elongate flexible member therearound and therebetween.

16. A method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the elongate flexible member is passed around and between the bracing struts so as to form a plurality of generally parallel pockets or recesses.

17. A method of constructing an article of furniture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings,