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Furniture frame with interlocking joints for use with multiple furniture members and mechanisms

Furniture frame with interlocking joints for use with multiple furniture members and mechanisms description/claims

The present disclosure relates to furniture member frames adapted to separately receive a motion and/or footrest mechanism.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Conventionally, reclining articles of furniture (i.e., chairs, sofas, loveseats, and the like) require a mechanism to extend, stow, and to bias a leg rest assembly in the extended and stowed positions. Known mechanisms commonly include a large number of moving parts that tends to increase the manufacturing time and costs associated with the furniture. A frame structure of the furniture member is adapted to receive the mechanism. Common furniture member frames are capable of receiving only a single mechanism design, therefore multiple frame designs are required for example to provide furniture members having different functions such as rocking vice gliding actions.

Most reclining and rocking furniture members include an upholstered chair frame supported from a stationary base assembly in a manner permitting the chair frame to “rock” freely with respect to the base assembly. In order to provide enhanced comfort and convenience, many rocking chairs also include a “reclinable” seat assembly and/or an “extensible” leg rest assembly. For example, combination platform rocking/reclining chairs, as disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,096,121 and 4,179,157, permit reclining movement of the seat assembly and actuation of the leg rest assembly independently of the conventional “rocking” action.

Common frame structures include hardwood material to accommodate loads applied by the'seating support members such as sinuous springs, and to allow fasteners to be inserted in any exposed side or face of the frame without tear-out, and further to provide a material which receives fasteners such as staples to attach padding and upholstery. Hardwood used in these applications can be cost prohibitive. Wood laminate materials (i.e., marine grade plywood) have been used to mimic the strength of hardwood, but are expensive, add weight to the frame, and do not have acceptable tear-out strength when fasteners are inserted in a direction parallel to the laminate layers. Common frame designs are frequently upholstered with the mechanism attached, which requires the upholsterer to handle the weight of both the frame and mechanism. When this combined weight is too great to be manually manipulated, lifting fixtures are required, which increase the construction costs.

According to several embodiments of a furniture frame for use with and without a mechanism of the present disclosure, a furniture member frame includes a plurality of plywood members including at least one first member having at least one male extending member. At least one second member having a receiving aperture is adapted to receive the male extending member to operably interlock the first member to the second member without the use of a fastener. An adhesive applied between a contacting portion of each of the first member and the second member is operable to fixedly connect the first member to the second member to create a frame section.

According to other embodiments, a furniture member frame includes a plurality of commercial grade plywood frame members connected to create a first frame sub-assembly. A plurality of interlocking joints are defined by male extending members of first ones of the frame members and receiving apertures of second ones of the frame members. The interlocking joints operate when the male extending members of selected ones of the first ones of the frame members are received in the receiving apertures of the second frame members to temporarily connect the frame members. An adhesive applied to at least the interlocking joints fixedly connects the plurality of frame members of the first frame sub-assembly.

According to still other embodiments, a furniture member assembly includes a plurality of plywood frame members connected to create each of a first frame sub-assembly and a second frame sub-assembly. A plurality of interlocking joints defined by male extending members of first ones of the frame members are individually received within receiving apertures of second ones of the frame members to temporarily connect the plurality of frame members. An adhesive applied to at least the interlocking joints fixedly connects the plurality of frame members of the frame sub-assembly. A mechanism selected from a plurality of functionally different mechanisms is adapted to support each of the first and second frame sub-assemblies.

According to additional embodiments, a furniture member assembly includes a plurality of plywood frame members connected to create each of a first and second frame sub-assembly. A plurality of interlocking joints defined by male extending members of first ones of the frame members and receiving apertures of second ones of the frame members are operable when the male extending members are received in respective ones of the receiving apertures to temporarily connect the plurality of frame members of each of the first and second frame sub-assemblies. A mechanism is adapted to support the first frame sub-assembly and the second frame sub-assembly is connected to the mechanism independent of the first frame sub-assembly. The mechanism is operable to permit movement of the second frame sub-assembly with respect to the first frame sub-assembly.

According to still other embodiments, a method for constructing a furniture member frame is provided.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a left front perspective view of a furniture member having a furniture frame and mechanism of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a left front perspective view of a furniture member frame assembly of the furniture member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the furniture member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the furniture member of FIG. 1;

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