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US 6,206,473 B1Granted
Apparatus and method for constructing knockdown furniture from paperboard material and the like
OwnerIgor Kondratievinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article of collapsible furniture includes a top member and a base having multiple panels, each of the panels being hingedly connected to at least one other of the panels, and wherein the base has a collapsed storage condition wherein the panels are folded atop one another, and the base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein the panels are unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon, the polygon being a concave octagon. A connection assembly includes a series of slotted tabs that engage with a corresponding series of hooked slots to releasably lock the top member in a load supporting position atop the base.
Claims23
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a top member;
- a one piece base, separate from said top member and having multiple panels, each of said panels being hingedly connected to at least one other of said panels and wherein said base has a collapsed storage condition wherein said panels are folded atop one another and said base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein said panels are unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon the polygon having at least four eight sides and being a simple concave polygon;
- connection means for releasably locking said top member in a load supporting position atop said base;
- and,
- wherein the expanded load supporting condition includes said panels being unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon with vertices and with a support leg extending outwardly from at least four of the vertices.
2 more elements
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a seat member;
- a base formed from a single sheet of material folded and creased along substantially parallel lines to define a plurality of rectangular panels, the panel at one end of said sheet being secured to the panel at the opposite end of said sheet, wherein said sheet has a thickness and said panels each have a width and said sheet is separate from said seat member;
- a connection assembly including at least one tab extending from one of said seat member and said base and engagable with the other of said seat member and said base to releasable locking connect said seat member in a load supporting position atop said base;
- wherein said base member has a collapsed storage position wherein said panels are folded atop one another and wherein said base has a maximum width and a maximum thickness and, in the collapsed storage position the maximum width of said base is approximately equal to or less than twice the average width of said panels and, in the collapsed storage positions the maximum thickness of said base is approximately equal to or less than four times the thickness of said sheet;
- wherein said base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein said panels are unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon, the polygon having at least four sides;
- and,
- wherein said base in said expanded load supporting condition includes a plurality of substantially radially extending legs, each leg comprising two of said plurality of panels.
4 more elements
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a top member;
- a base having multiple panels, each of said panels being hingedly connected to at least one other of said panels, and wherein said base has a collapsed storage condition wherein said panels are folded atop one another, and said base has an expanded load supporting condition including said panels being unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon with vertices and at least four sides and with a support leg extending outwardly from at least one of the vertices;
- and,
- connection means for releasably locking said top member in a load supporting position atop said base.
1 more element
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a top member;
- a base having multiple panels each of said panels being hingedly connected to at least one other of said panels and wherein said base has a collapsed storage condition wherein said panels, are folded atop one another, and said base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein said panels are unfolded to form in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon, the polygon having at least four sides,
- connection means for releasably locking said top member in a load supporting position atop said base, said connection means including said panels defining top edges and defining a plurality of slots opening upwardly from the top edges, and further including a plurality of locking tabs extending downwardly form said top member, at least one of the locking tabs being sized and configured to be releasably lockingly receiving within a corresponding one of the slots to hold said top member releasably connected with said base;
- and,
- wherein the expanded load supporting condition includes said panels being unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon with vertices and with a support leg extending outwardly from at least one of the vertices, the support leg having a top edge.
2 more elements
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a seat member;
- a base formed from a single sheet of material, folded and creased along substantially parallel lines to define a plurality of rectangular panels, the sheet having opposing ends, the panel at one end of said sheet being secured to the panel at the opposite end of said sheet, wherein said sheet has a thickness and said panels each have a width and said sheet is separate from said seat member;
- a connection assembly including at least one tab extending from one of said seat member and said base and engagable with the other of said seat member and said base to releasably locking connect said seat member in a load supporting position atop said base;
- wherein said base has a collapsed storage position wherein said panels are folded atop one another and wherein said base has a maximum width and a maximum thickness and, in the collapsed storage position, the maximum width of said base is approximately equal to or less than twice the average width of said panels and, in the collapsed storage position, the maximum thickness of said base is approximately equal to or less than four times the thickness of said sheet;
- wherein said base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein said panels are unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon, the polygon being an octagon;
- and,
- wherein said base in said expanded load supporting condition includes a plurality of substantially radially extending legs.
4 more elements
An article of collapsible furniture, comprising:
- a seat member;
- a base formed from a single sheet of material, folded and creased along substantially parallel lines to define a plurality of rectangular panels, the sheet having opposing ends, the panel at one end of said sheet being secured to the panel at the opposite end of said sheet, wherein said sheet has a thickness and said panels each have a width and said sheet is separate from said seat member;
- a connection assembly including at least one tab extending from one of said seat member and said base and engagable with the other of said seat member and said base to releasably locking connect said seat member in a load supporting position atop said base;
- wherein said base has a collapsed storage position wherein said panels are folded atop one another and wherein said base has a maximum width and a maximum thickness and, in the collapsed storage position, the maximum width of said base is approximately equal to or less than twice the average width of said panels and, in the collapsed storage position, the maximum thickness of said base is approximately equal to or less than four times the thickness of said sheet;
- and,
- wherein said base has an expanded load supporting condition wherein said panels are unfolded to form, in horizontal cross-section, a central load-supporting polygon, the polygon being an octagon, and wherein said base in said expanded load supporting condition includes a plurality of substantially radially extending legs, each leg comprising two of said plurality of panels.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.