US2793685A - Snap on sectional furniture - Google Patents

Description

" May 28, 1957 R. F. SPITZ SNAP ON SECTIONAL FURNITURE 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 'Filed April 24, 1953 [Li INVENTOR. RAYMOND F. 5P/7' Z BY Ill ll L42 ls United States Patent SNAP 0N SECTIONAL FURNITURE Raymond F. Spitz, Colorado Springs, Colo. Application April 24, 1953, Serial No. 350,799

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-496) This invention relates to furniture and more particularly to sectional furniture units whereby different types of furniture, such as chairs, divans or sofas, davenports, beds, etc. can be assembled as desired.

One of the objects of my invention is to construct improved sectional furniture which will permit the making of various kinds or types of furniture by assembling selected sections together and quickly and easily connecting them in very firmly held together pieces.

A further object is to provide in sectional furniture improved connecting means for quickly and easily permitting various sections thereof to be associated with each other or taken apart and when the sections are connected together the resulting piece of furniture will have all parts thereof very strongly attached to each other in a manner better than when the piece of furniture was made by permanent factory connections between parts, such as screws, bolts, glue, etc.

Another object of my invention is to produce a sectional chair unit comprising essentially a seat section and a back section detachably connected together which, when disconnected and used together and also with sections of other like chairs also so disconnected and used together in the same manner, can be causedto produce a bed.

Yet another object of my invention is to produce a sectional chair unit of the kind above referred to with which can be associated readily attachable and detachable arms for positioning alongside of the seat section and so connectable only to said seat section as to provide a very strong and firm arm or arms for the chair.

A. further object is to produce an improved sectional chair unit which will be constructed for ready attachment to and detachment from like chair units positionable on one or either side thereof to thereby permit the establishment, if desired, of a larger piece of sitting furniture such as a divan or sofa or even a still longer piece of furniture such as a davenport.

A still further object is to provide attachable and detachable arms for use with sectional furniture of the kind above referred to, which arms can be used either singly or in pairs so that any piece of furniture being assembled can have one or two arms as desired.

A still further object is to produce sectional furniture of the kind referred to which will have strong basic frames for each section, easily upholstered in various kinds of material so as to be very attractive in appearance, regardless of how various sections may be assembled.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating sectional furniture units and assemblies embodying the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of an armless chair which forms the basic piece of furniture embodying my invention, said chair having two sections comprising a seat section and a back section;

Figure 2 is a view of the chair with which is associated attachable and detachable arms;

Figure 3 is a view showing three chairs assembled together along with two arms to produce a large piece of sitting furniture such as a so-called davenport;

Figure 4 is a view of three of the chairs having their seat sections and back sections rearranged and attached together so as to produce a bed;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the frame structure for the seat section;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5 showing the panel member with upholstery material thereon and dropped to cover the clamping units and the holes thereof;

. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the frame for the back section;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the frame for the arm;

Figure 9 is a sectional view through adjacent frame parts of sections showing a preferred clamping connecting device for accomplishing quick and easy, yet exceedingly firm, attachment of one section of the furniture to another;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, but showing the frame parts of the sections separated and units of the clamping connecting device in their detachable position;

Figure 11 is a top sectional view of the clamping device, said view being taken on the line 11--11 of Figure 9; and

Figure 12 is a view showing how two of the lever units of the clamping device can be employed to connect two seat sections together in side by side relation when desired.

Referring to the drawings in detail and first to Figure 1, my improved sectional furniture has as its basic piece a chair unit which is formed of two sections, namely, the seat section S and the back section B, these two sections being constructed so as to be readily attached together to produce the chair unit or detached so the two sections are separate and can be independently handled as desired and associated with other like chair units. The seat section is formed from a frame generally indicated by the letters SF and shown in Figure 5. This frame can be made of wood or any other suitable material and it comprises sides 10 and 11 and ends 12 and 13 so connected together as to form a box structure. At the back end of the frame structure, which in Figure 5 is indicated as the end 12, the frame has an extension 14 to establish a rear ledge 15 on the frame structure. At the four corners thereof there are provided feet 16 which are shown at relatively short, but of sufficient length to support the chair at the four corners only and also provide means for facilitating movement of the chair on the floor. The box-like part of the frame formed by the sides 10 and 11 and the ends 12 and 13 will be open at the bottom beneath the floor portion thereof, as will also be the extension 14 below the ledge 15. The purpose of this is to permit ready access from the bottom of the seat section so it can have quickly attached thereto the back section and the chair can have attached to either of its sides arm sections or other seat sections of like sectional chairs. This seat frame shown in Figure 5 is one preferred form of my invention and is 29 inches in width and 28 inches in length. The ledge at the back is about 9 /2 inches wide, with the ledge being approximately 3 /2 inches above the floor. Although these dimensions are preferable, they can be varied if found desirable to make wider or deeper chairs. The frame structure for the seat will be suitably upholstered in any material desired. This upholstering, if the frame is made of wood, can be readily attached as by tacking. The seat section will have the usual cushion pad P, as

shown, this cushion being suitably padded and provided with yieldable supports, as is usual practice. The cushion may be integral with the seat section frame or removable.

The frame structure for the back is shown in Figure 7 and is generally indicated by the letters BF. The frame may be made out of Wood or other suitable material and has sides 17 and 18 and ends 19 and 20, all joined together to form a rectangular frame structure. The sides 17 and 18, as they approach the end 19 which will be the top of the back, are shaped to increase in width or depth so as to make the top of the back of greater thickness than the bottom, all as clearly illustrated in Figure 7. In a preferred form of the back frame it will have a width of 29 inches and a length of 28 inches which will be the height when the back is up. The greatest thickness at the top part of the back will be 9 /2 inches and the thickness at the bottom will be 6 inches. Of course, these dimensions can be varied if desired, but they have been found to be preferable in connection with the specified ledge of the seat frame. The back frame structure will be suitably upholstered as desired by using padding and covering material to conform with the material used on the seat section.

To make a complete and full chair unit or other units, I also provide arms A which will be used only when arms are desired for the chair unit or any of the other sitting furniture to be made from this chair unit, such as the smaller divans or sofas and the larger davenports. The arms A are made from a frame structure shown in Figure 8 and indicated generally as AF. This frame structure has end pieces 21 and Z2 and the top and bottom pieces 23 and 24, thus forming -a generally rectangular frame, the length of which will be equivalent to the length of the seat frame SF including the ledge, or shorter as desired. The width may be varied, depending upon how wide it is desired to have the arm so as to give the chair a select appearance. In addition to the rectangular frame structure just described, one side of the frame can be closed by a light panel 25 (made of heavy cardboard if desired) and this will become the outside wall of the arm. The other side of the frame will be provided with a strong panel 26 adjacent its bottom, said panel being approximately the same height as the seat frame structure SF already described. The arm frame may be made of any suitable material such as wood and it will be covered by fabric or other material such a wood strips, plastic, etc., to blend with the seat and back sections. If the arm is uniformly covered on its front and back, it can be employed either as a right or left arm on the chair or other piece of sitting furniture. If it is to have certain decorations, then the fabric will be put on both arm frames in such a manner that there will be right and left hand arms.

In order to connect the back section to the seat section in a manner which will permit the two sections to be firmly and quickly attached, yet easily detached, I employ special clamping connecting devices which are shown in detail in Figures 9, l0 and 11. I also use these same clamping devices for attaching and detaching the arms to the seat section or to attach the seat section of one chair to a seat section of another chair. I have designated the connecting clamp generally by the letter C and it is formed of a hook unit H and a lever unit L. All of the lever units L will be arranged to be mounted upon the seat frame SF and all of the hook units H which are to cooperate with the lever units will be mounted upon the back section and the arm sections. As best shown in Figure 5, the lever units on the seat frame may be six in number, there being two on the side 10 of the frame, two on the side ll of the frame and two on the ledge 15 of the said frame. The hook units will be on the back section and the arm sections. As shown in Figure 7, the bottom piece 29 of the back will carry two of the hook units and, as shown in Figure 8, the lower inside panel 26 of the arm frame will carry two of the hook units.

Referring to Figures 9, l0 and 11 showing a preferred construction of my clamping connecting device which I employ to connect an arm section to the side of a seat section or a back section to the ledge of a seat section, the hook unit, which will be attached to either the bottom frame member 20 of the back section or the side panel 25 of the arm section, comprises a plate 27 through an opening of which is a slidable rod 28 having a book 29 at one end and a shoulder 30 near its middle which is to engage the inside of the plate to limit the movement of the rod through the plate. On the outside of the plate opposite the hook there is provided a strong coil spring 31 of conical shape placed in surrounding relation to the end portion of the rod. The small end of this spring is arranged to engage a cross pin 32 on the end of the rod and the large end of the spring is adapted to engage the outer surface of the plate. The spring will thus tend to pull the rod to the left as seen in Figure 9 and to a position where the shoulder 30 will engage the plate. The spring 31 will be under compression and act to resist movement of the rod in a direction to move its shoulder 34) away from the inside of the plate. When the hook unit is mounted for operation it will be arranged to have the hook end of the rod extending through an opening 33 in the frame part upon which it is mounted.

The lever unit L of the clamping device will be arranged to be mounted upon the side members It) and 11 of the seat frame structure and the ledge 15 of the said frame structure. This unit will have a body support means 34 for attachment to the frame member upon which it is to be mounted and outwardly extending from said body will be two parallel flanges 35 and 36, with the flanges having longitudinal slots 37 and 38. The unit has a generally L-shaped clamping lever 39 and adjacent its angle part it will be pivoted to the free end of an arm 40, which arm will be pivotally anchored by a pin 41 to the lower ends of the flanges 35 and 36 having the longitudinal slots. On the opposite side of the angle part of the lever there is pivoted thereto a latch plate 42 which will be arranged to extend between the two flanges 35 and 36 and then project into an opening 43 in the frame member on which the lever unit is to be mounted. The inner end of the latch plate is provided with a hole 44 which can receive the hook 29 on the hook unit to thus connect the rod 23 of the hook unit to the latch plate of the lever unit. In addition to being pivoted to the arm 40, the lever 39 will be connected to the body by having on its inner end outwardly extending pins 45 and 46 received respectively in the slots. These pins act as movable fulcrum points and guides as the lever is operated to properly operate the latch plate.

When the lever unit is inoperative, the lever will be in the position shown in Figure 10 and the pins will be at the lower ends of their slots. When the lever is operated by swinging its free end downwardly and causing it to pivot and fulcrum on the free swinging end of the arm 40, the pins 45 and 46 will be moved upwardly in their guide slots with the result that the latch plate 42 will be pulled to the right, as viewed in Figure 9. If the latch plate is engaged with a hook it will pull on the hook and compress the strongspring 31, with the result that the .two frame members upon which the two units of the clamping device are mounted will be firmly clamped together under a strong yieldable force. When full clamping action is obtained, the pins 45 and 46 will be at the extreme upper ends of their slots and will abut against the ends of the slots. These slots are of such length that when the ends are engaged by the pins the leverwill be over center; that is, the pins will be slightly above the line of pull on the latch plate and this will result in an over center" locking action. By having the angle part of the lever 39 pivoted to the latch and to the arm on opposite sides as shown, there will result a construction providing a general straight line pull on the latch plate.

Tests have shown that when this clamping device C is used to establish attachment of any of the sections of the furniture, these sections will have a very firm connection which will be stronger than any permanent factory connection used in building furniture, such as would be provided by bolts, screws, glue, etc. It will be particularly noted in connection with the clamping device that all the lever units, which are the units to be operated by hand, are carried by the seat frame and easily reached whenever the seat section has its bottom exposed, such as would be the case when the seat section is placed on any of its sides. It will be further noted that the lever unit L is very easily operable to bring about the extremely firm clamping action and once the lever unit is operated to bring about the clamping action such will be well established without any possibility of loosening, since the operating lever 39 will be in an over center locked condition. The general straight line pull of the latch is also very effective in bringing about an easy and proper positioning of any of the sections of the furniture relatively to each other as clamping is attained.

When the lever unit L is not being used to accomplish clamping, the lever can be placed in its down position or operative position, as shown in Figure 9, and under these conditions the latch will be pulled into the opening 43 in the frame member. This, however, will still leave the opening 43 in view and result in unsightly furniture. To cover up any holes on the side of a seat section, I provide on eachside member 10 and 11 a swingable panel which is seen in both Figures and 6. This panel extends over the entire length of a side member on the outside thereof, but only covers the upper portion of the side member. The panel is shown at 47 in Figures 5 and 6 and it will be noted that at one edge it is hinged by suitable hinges 48 to the central part of the frame member as the exterior surface thereof. When the panel is up in the position shown in Figure 5, the holes through which the latch plates can extend will be exposed so that connection can be made to the hook units. When the panel 47 is allowed to drop down, it will then cover the openings through which the latch members can extend and thus these openings will become hidden. When the seat frame is covered with upholstering material, this material will be placed upon the upper part of the side frame member, as shown in Figure 6 at 49, and material will also be caused to cover the side of the panel 47 which will be exposed when the panel is in down position to cover the openings, this upholstering material for the panel being shown at 50 in Figure 6. To hold the panel upwardly when it is desired to use the clamping devices, the panel can be provided with one element 51 of a snap structure which will cooperate with a companion snap element 52 on the frame member so as to snap the panel in its upper position.

In many uses of my sectional furniture it is desirable to place the seat sections alongside of each other to make additional pieces of furniture from two or more chairs or to make beds from two or more chairs, all as will be explained. However, it will be noted that the seat sections all carry only lever units L of the clamping devices and thus no seat section has a hook unit H which can cooperate with the lever unit. To permit a connection between two lever units and thereby allow a clamping connection to take place, there will be employed a small U-shaped or hairpin member 53, illustrated in Figure 12. In use, this U-shaped member will have its legs dropped into the holes 44 of two of the latch plates 42 when the levers thereof are in inoperative condition, thus providing a connection between these two latch plates. When the levers are now moved to an operative position, the latches will be pulled in the opposite direction and thereby produce a clamping connection between the side frame members of two seat sections of the chairs.

By my improved sectional furniture it will be obvious that many pieces of furniture can be made therefrom. If it is desired to have a chair provided only with a back section and a seat section and no arms, then a back section will be attached to a seat section, all as illustrated in Figure 1. However, if it should be desired to have arms on this chair, they can be purchased and used. The arms may be suitably padded and covered with upholstery material so as to have their appearance blend in or have a contrast with the upholstery material of the seat section and back section. The arms can be readily attached and can either be of a full length, as illustrated, or of a shorter length. A chair with arms is illustrated in Figure 2.

If it should be desired to make a larger sitting piece, several of the chairs can be arranged in side by side relation. When such is done the U-shaped member 53 shown in Figure 12 will be employed with the lever units on the seat sections to bring about a connection between the chairs. Figure 3 shows an extra long piece of sitting furniture, commonly known as a davenport, and it is made up of three of the chair units. This davenport could be assembled without arms if desired. When arms are desired, they will be attached at the outer side of the two end chair units as shown. If a shorter piece of sitting furniture is desired, such as a divan or sofa, then two units will be employed and where arms are desired, such will be attached to the outer sides of the two chair units involved.

When three chair units are available, they can be made into a double bed and such a bed is illustrated in Figure 4. To make such a bed, the arms, if any, will be removed and the backs of the three chair units will also be removed by releasing the clamping devices situated beneath the ledge. The backs now will be laid down so their lower portions will rest upon the ledge and their upper portions will rest upon the floor. It will be noted that the frame of the back section is constructed so that the upper portion will be thicker than the bottom portion and the difference will be substantially the same as the height of the ledge 15 of the seat frame above the floor. Thus, when the lower portion of a back is caused to be placed upon a ledge as illustrated in Figure 4 and the upper portion of the back section is caused to rest on the floor, the top surface of the back section will be substantially level with the sitting surface of the seat section. When all three chair units have their back sections arranged to rest upon the ledges of their seat sections and the seat sections are attached together, all as illustrated in Figure 4, a very comfortable bed will be provided.

If only two chair units are available, it will still be possible to make a single bed out of these two units. This will be accomplished by taking one chair unit, removing the back therefrom and conditioning it in the same manner as if the bed in Figure 4 is to be made. The other chair unit will also have its back removed and then its seat will be positioned at the front of the first mentioned chair unit seat section with the fronts of the seat sections adjacent each other in a manner as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4. This will then provide a single bed of a sufficient length for one person. If a still longer single bed should be desired, then of course the back section of the second chair unit can be associated with the ledge of its seat section in a manner already described. All sections will then be in line.

The arms also can be employed as pieces of furniture when not desired to be used as arms for a chair or other sitting furniture. They can be so designed that one can be placed upon the top of the other in a neat arrangement and thereby provide a table which could be used alongside of a bed or at some other desired place. If the full panel 25 of each arm is made strong enough, the arms when stacked could also be used to form a sitting bench. The arms could be decorated in wood or plastic material which could serve as a stable covering material when the device is used as a table top or chair arm.

Being aware of the possibility of modifications in the furniture shown by way of example as embodying my invention, all without departing from the fundamental principles involved, I desire it to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited except in accordance with the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In sectional furniture, a chair unit comprising a seat section provided with a frame structure having side members, a back section, means for attaching the back section to the seat section, arm sections, and means for detachably connecting the arm sections to the side members of the seat frame structure when the arm sections are positioned alongside of the side members, said last named detachable connecting means for each arm including a manually operable unit carried by each side member and operable from the inner side thereof, and means for cooperating with a connecting unit on a side member and a like unit on a similar piece of furniture as above defined for enabling the connecting units to be operable to detaehably connect the seat sections of pieces of furniture together in side by side relation.

2. Sectional furniture as defined in claim 1 in which the side member is provided with an opening and the connecting unit is provided with a part to extend through the opening when the unit is operable to make a connection, and means carried by the side member for covering the opening when the connecting unit is not in use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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