# US 11,439,244 B2 · Soft seating convertible chair

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- Number: US 11,439,244 B2
- Document ID: US11439244B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/232,323
- Filed: 2021-04-16
- Published: 2021-10-21
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-17
- Assignees: Airtex Group
- Applicants: Airtex Group
- Inventors: Kacie Sodergren; Marcia Lane; Laura Tadt; Amber Hove
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439244B2

## CPC

- A47C 13/005: {Modular seating}
- A47B 85/04: Tables convertible into chairs
- A47C 3/16: of legless type, e.g. with seat directly resting on the floor (A47C3/14 takes precedence); Hassocks; Pouffes
- A47C 4/028: {Upholstered chairs, e.g. metal, plastic or wooden chairs}
- A47C 7/24: Upholstered seats (A47C7/18 takes precedence)
- A47C 7/546: {of detachable type}
- A47C: CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47B: TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE (furniture jointing F16B)

## Abstract

A modular Soft Seating Convertible Chair is provided comprising a body having a seat attached to a back side, a plurality of zippers and at least two webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the body. The Soft Seating Convertible Chair can be converted into a chair or a table by configuring embedded common zippers to employ the convertible feature according to the individual needs and circumstances. The Soft Seating Convertible Chair is made of shredded foam inside the body in order to achieve an optimal balance between comfort and support for the end user. The Soft Seating Convertible Chair further comprises internal baffles to create chambers for the shredded foam. Foam material used with the modular Soft Seating Convertible Chair can be compressed during product shipment, thereby allowing the Soft Seating Convertible Chair to be packed tightly in a shipping container (e.g., a carton) without impacting the functionality of the finished product.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A convertible chair comprising:
a body having a seat and a front side and a back side spaced apart along a longitudinal direction;
a pair of side armrests spaced apart along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;
wherein the seat is positioned between the armrests and configured to support the position of a seated person, and wherein the armrests are further attached to opposite and lateral sides of the seat;
a plurality of separating common zippers embedded on either side of the chair and configured to attach the back side to the seat and the armrests of the chair body;
wherein the back side of the body is hinged and capable of pivoting about a generally horizontal pivot axis extending along the transverse direction; and
wherein the plurality of separating common zippers and the pivoting back side of the chair can be used to convert the chair into a table or vice versa; and wherein
a board embedded at a pre-determined location within the back side of the chair body;
a plurality of internal baffles positioned at a predetermined location within the armrest and the back side of the chair body; and
a plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair body in proximity to the armrest.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The convertible chair of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an outer shell filled with an inner material.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The convertible chair of claim 2, wherein the outer shell and the inner material further comprise a textile material and shredded foam, respectively.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The convertible chair of claim 1, wherein the chair material can comprise of a certain wrinkle-proof and easily compressible soft knitted material.

### Claim 5

A Soft Seating Convertible Chair comprising:
a body having a seat and a front side and a back side spaced apart along a longitudinal direction;
a pair of side armrests spaced apart along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;
wherein the seat is positioned between the armrests and configured to support the position of a seated person, wherein the armrests are further attached to the opposite and lateral sides of the seat;
a board embedded at a pre-determined location within the back side;
a plurality of internal baffles positioned at a predetermined location within the armrests and the back side;
a plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests;
a plurality of separating common zippers embedded on either side of the chair and configured to attach the back side of the chair to the seat and the armrests;
wherein the back side of the body is hinged and capable of pivoting about a generally horizontal pivot axis extending along the transverse direction; and
wherein the plurality of separating common zippers and the pivoting the back side can be used to convert the chair into a table or vice versa.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 5, wherein the board embedded within the back side of the chair comprises of plastic, wood or other similar material providing equivalent functionality.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 5, wherein the plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests comprises at least two straps.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 7, wherein the plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests comprises pre-configured webbing thickness.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 8, wherein each of the webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests is a ¾ inch strap.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The convertible chair of claim 5, wherein the body further comprises an outer shell filled with an inner material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 10, wherein the outer shell and the inner material further comprise textile material and shredded foam, respectively.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 5, wherein the chair can comprise of a certain wrinkle-proof and easily compressible soft knitted material.

### Claim 13

A method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair into a table and vice versa, the method comprising the steps of:
positioning a chair body having a seat and a front side and a back side spaced apart along a longitudinal direction on a floor;
configuring a pair of side armrests spaced apart along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the chair body;
positioning the seat between the armrests to support the position of a seated person and attaching the armrests to opposite and lateral sides of the seat;
embedding a board at a pre-determined location within the back side of the chair body;
positioning a plurality of internal baffles at a predetermined location within the armrests and the back side;
attaching a plurality of webbing straps at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests;
configuring a plurality of separating common zippers embedded on either side of the chair to attach the back of the chair body to the seat and the armrests;
wherein the back side of the chair body is hinged and capable of pivoting about a horizontal pivot axis extending along the transverse direction; and
using the plurality of separating common zippers while pivoting the back side of the Soft Seating Convertible Chair about the horizontal pivot axis extending along the transverse direction within the body of the chair to convert the chair body into a table or vice versa.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair into a table and vice versa of claim 13, wherein the board embedded within the back side of the chair comprises plastic, wood or other similar material providing equivalent functionality.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair into a table and vice versa of claim 13, wherein the plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests comprise at least two straps.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 15 into a table and vice versa, wherein the plurality of webbing straps attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests comprise certain pre-configured webbing thickness.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 15 into a table and vice versa, wherein each of the webbing straps is attached at opposite ends of the chair in proximity to the armrests is a ¾ inch strap.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 13 into a table and vice versa, wherein the body further comprise an outer shell filled with an inner material.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of converting a Soft Seating Convertible Chair of claim 13 into a table and vice versa, wherein the outer shell and the inner material further comprise textile material and shredded foam, respectively.