Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Modular barstool

Modular barstool description/claims

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/869,880, filed Dec. 13, 2006, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure relates to furniture units, and particularly barstools. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to folding or collapsible modular barstools.

According to the present disclosure, a furniture unit, or modular barstool, includes several components. The components are adapted to cooperate to provide a furniture kit or, for example, a modular barstool kit. The kit includes a frame unit, a rigid back brace, and a rigid seat. Each frame unit includes a front leg and a rear leg.

In an illustrative embodiment, the rigid back brace and the rigid seat are configured to be coupled to the frame unit only when the furniture unit is in a use position to form the modular barstool. In another illustrative embodiment, the kit further includes at least one leg brace configured to be releasably coupled to the frame unit only when the frame unit is in the use position.

In an illustrative embodiment, the releasable coupling of the rigid back brace, the rigid seat, and the rigid leg brace are accomplished without the use of tools. In another illustrative embodiment, the several components of the kit are adapted to be displayed on a rack so that a customer may select from a variety of frame unit dimensions and back brace designs.

Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a furniture unit, for example, a modular barstool, showing components of a modular barstool kit in an assembled, use configuration, according to the present disclosure, the components including a frame unit having two frames, each frame including a front leg, a rear leg, an upper cross-member (see FIGS. 3-5), and a lower cross-member, and the components further including, for example, a pair of rigid leg braces, a rigid back brace, and a rigid seat;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a rack display showing components of the modular barstool of FIG. 1 available for selection by a consumer, the components shown including a choice of rigid seats, a choice of frame size which includes, for example, the frame unit and rigid leg braces, and a choice of rigid back brace design;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a frame unit of the modular barstool shown in FIG. 1, the frame unit having first and second frames, each frame including a front leg and a rear leg, and showing the frame unit having been folded into a collapsed position about a vertical axis of rotation formed by pins connecting the first and second frames;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame unit of FIG. 3 showing the frame unit in an unfolded, use position having been rotated about the axis of rotation formed by the pins, as suggested by the movement arrows;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the modular barstool of FIG. 1 showing components of the modular barstool kit, the components including a frame unit having first and second frames which have upper cross-members and lower cross-members coupled together by pins that form a vertical axis of rotation for moving the frame unit between a collapsed position and a use position, the components further including rigid leg braces configured to interconnect front and rear legs of the frame unit, a rigid seat configured to be coupled to the frame unit and to overlie the cross-members, and a sample selection of rigid back braces configured to be coupled to the rear legs of the frame unit;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an underside of the rigid seat of FIG. 5, showing the seat including front, rear, and side skirts fastened to the seat and configured to fit within respective spaces located between the legs of the frame unit, and further showing an elongated clamp and two spaced-apart clamps fastened to the underside of the rigid seat, each of the clamps being configured to be coupled to a cross-member of the frame unit;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 7-7 of FIG. 1 and showing the elongated clamp and the spaced-apart clamps of FIG. 6 coupled to, respectively, a top upper cross-member (shown in cross-section) and a bottom upper cross-member of the frame unit;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 8-8 of FIG. 6 and showing the elongated clamp coupled to the top upper cross-member of the frame unit and the two spaced-apart claims coupled to the bottom upper cross-member of the frame unit;

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws