Article of furniture and method of manufacture

Abstract

An article of furniture, and a method for making same, the furniture comprising a self-supporting peripheral frame, having an open central region, and a fabric sleeve, covering said peripheral frame and providing a body support surface. The peripheral frame, which comprises two side rail members and a plurality of braces connecting the rail members, defines a body contour. The fabric sleeve may be impregnated with a resinous material, thereby providing a substantially rigid body support surface, or padding may be disposed between the fabric sleeve and the peripheral frame, thereby providing a softer body support surface. The fabric sleeve may be a one-piece, two-way stretch member, such as different types of knitted materials or a non-stretch member of different types of woven materials. The article of furniture may be formed as a chair, a lounger or recliner or a foot rest. The articles of furniture are easily shaped in keeping with the requirements of the human body by stretching the fabric over a designed contour, thereby providing an inexpensive means for producing customized furniture on a large scale.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.