Chair, stool assembly, and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10779654-B2
Application number	US-201816197660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Feb 19, 2016
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

Chairs, stool assemblies, and systems for constructing furniture. Such a chair including structural members having hinge joints at ends thereof pivotally coupling each of the members to one or more adjoining members. The chair is configured to be arranged in a collapsed configuration wherein all of the members are in the same plane and define a substantially planar shape, and configured to be arranged in an expanded configuration to define a seat, armrests, support legs, and leg braces of the chair. Such a stool assembly includes at least first and second stools configured to be stackable such that the seats of the stools abut face to face and in combination define a composite base. Such a system for constructing furniture includes multiple joints each having slots configured to receive and retain structural members and configured to be assembled with the structural members to form a piece of furniture with the multiple joints defining corners of the piece of furniture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stool assembly comprising at least first and second stools, the first stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the first stool, the second stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the second stool, the legs of the first and second stools being spaced apart in perimetrical directions along respective perimeters of the first and second stools, the legs of the second stool being shorter than the legs of the first stool and the second stool being configured to be stackably located under the first stool to yield a combined configuration of the stool assembly, wherein in the combined configuration the seats of the first and second stools abut face to face and are parallel to each other, the seat of the second stool is entirely beneath and superimposed by the seat of the first stool, the legs of the first and second stools are interdigitated so that each of the legs of the second stool is between two nearest legs of the legs of the first stool in a perimetrical direction along a perimeter of the combined configuration, in combination the legs of the first and second stools define a composite base that is configured to support a load applied to the seat of the first stool with the legs of both the first and second stools, and each of the legs of the first and second stools has an exterior surface at the perimeter of the combined configuration and the legs of the first and second stools are interdigitated in the perimetrical direction of the combined configuration so that the exterior surfaces of all of the legs of the first and second stools define a continuous exterior surface of the stool assembly.

2. The stool assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the third stool, the legs of the third stool being shorter than the legs of the second stool and the third stool being configured to be stackably located under the second stool while the second stool is stackably located under the first stool in the combined configuration such that the seats of the second and third stools abut face to face, the seat of the third stool is entirely beneath and superimposed by the seats of the first and second stools, and the legs of the first, second, and third stools are interdigitated so that each of the legs of the third stool is between two of the legs of the first stool and between two of the legs of the second stool and in combination define the composite base.

3. The stool assembly of claim 2 , wherein when the second stool is stackably located under the first stool and the third stool is stackably located under the second stool in the combined configuration, the legs of the first, second, and third stools are nested together to define a frustoconical shape for the composite base.

4. The stool assembly of claim 2 , wherein when the second stool is stackably located under the first stool and the third stool is stackably located under the second stool in the combined configuration, the legs of each of the first, second, and third stools contact the ground and collectively support a load applied to the seat of the first stool.

5. The stool assembly of claim 4 , wherein when the second stool is stackably located under the first stool and the third stool is stackably located under the second stool in the combined configuration, the legs of the first, second, and third stools are nested together so that the continuous exterior surface of the stool assembly defines a frustoconical shape.

6. A method of assembling the stool assembly of claim 2 , the method comprising:
stacking the second stool over the third stool; and stacking the first stool over the second stool.

7. The stool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the legs of the first and second stools have interior side surfaces that contact each other when the first and second stools are stacked in the combined configuration.

8. The stool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seat of the first stool has an uninterrupted circular perimeter and the seat of the second stool has a perimeter interrupted by recesses located between the legs thereof so that each of the recesses can accommodate one of the legs of the first stool.

9. A stool assembly comprising at least first, second, and third stools, the first stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the first stool, the second stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the second stool, the third stool having a seat and legs configured to support a load applied to the seat of the third stool, the legs of the first, second, and third stools being spaced apart in perimetrical directions along respective perimeters of the first, second, and third stools, the legs of the third stool being shorter than the legs of the second stool and the legs of the second stool being shorter than the legs of the first stool, the third stool being configured to be stackably located under the second stool and the second stool being configured to be stackably located under the first stool to yield a combined configuration of the stool assembly, wherein in the combined configuration:
the seats of the first, second, and third stools are parallel to each other, the seats of the first and second stools abut face to face, the seats of the second and third stools abut face to face, the seat of the second stool is entirely beneath and superimposed by the seat of the first stool, and the seat of the third stool is entirely beneath and superimposed by the seat of the second stool; and
the legs of the first, second, and third stools are interdigitated so that the legs of the first, second, and third stools define a composite base, each of the legs of the second stool is between two nearest legs of the legs of the first stool in a perimetrical direction along a perimeter of the combined configuration, and each of the legs of the third stool is between two nearest legs of the legs of the second stool in a perimetrical direction along a perimeter of the combined configuration; and
each of the legs of the first, second, and third stools has an exterior surface at the perimeter of the combined configuration and the legs of the first, second, and third stools are interdigitated in the perimetrical direction of the combined configuration so that the exterior surfaces of all of the legs of the first, second, and third stools define a continuous exterior surface of the stool assembly.

10. The stool assembly of claim 9 , wherein when the first, second, and third stools are stacked in the combined configuration, the legs of the first, second, and third stools are nested together so that the continuous exterior surface of the stool assembly defines a frustoconical shape.

11. The stool assembly of claim 9 , wherein the legs of the first, second, and third stools have interior side surfaces that contact each other in the combined configuration to define the composite base.

12. The stool assembly of claim 9 , wherein the seat of the first stool has an uninterrupted circular perimeter, the seat of the second stool has a perimeter interrupted by recesses located between the legs thereof so that each of the recesses can accommodate one of the legs of the first stool, and the seat of the third stool has a perimeter interrupted by recesses located between the legs thereof so that each of the recesses of the third stool can accommodate one of the legs of each of the first and second stools.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Kim Tong Jin

Classifications

• A47C3/04

  Stackable chairs or nesting chairs · CPC title

• A47C4/04 Primary

  Folding chairs with inflexible seats · CPC title

• A47C4/02

  Dismountable chairs · CPC title

• A47C9/00

  Stools for specified purposes · CPC title

• A47C5/005

  of paper, cardboard or similar pliable material · CPC title