Textile deck assembly for furniture items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11523690-B2
Application number	US-202117235488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2021
Priority date	Oct 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A textile deck assembly, method of fabricating, and method of installing onto a seat frame assembly. The textile deck assembly includes a platform portion and a plurality of straps coupled to a rearward edge of the platform portion. The materials of the textile deck assembly are matched so that the plurality of straps undergoes most or all of the elongation under load (e.g., when a person sits thereon), while the platform portion, even though it is flexible and compliant, is stretch resistant and undergoes little or no stretching under load. A battery of durability tests were performed on the textile deck assembly, including deflection testing, fatigue testing, and drop testing, and compared with conventional seat decks that utilize sinuous springs. The durability of the textile deck assembly to was found to outperform conventional seat decks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sofa comprising a sofa frame, the sofa frame having a seat frame and a back frame, a textile deck assembly attached to the seat frame, upholstery attached to the frame, and seat cushions;
the seat frame comprising a wood forward rail and a wood rearward rail;
the textile deck assembly comprising a flexible and elastic sheet platform portion formed of a textile and having a forward edge, a rearward edge, and opposing side edges the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion at the forward edge attached to the wood forward rail with a plurality of fasteners, the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion at each of the opposing side edges attached to the seat frame, and wherein the rearward edge of the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion is positioned forwardly of the rearward rail and having a plurality of platform loops that capture at least one rigid yoke member extending through the plurality of platform loops, the textile deck assembly further comprising a plurality of straps attached to the rigid yoke member such that the plurality of platform loops and attachments of the plurality of straps alternate along the at least one rigid yoke member, each of the straps secured with respect to the rearward rail, each of the plurality of straps being under tension.

2. The sofa of claim 1 , wherein the each of the plurality of straps is an elastic strap and having a length with an end extending past an upward face of the rearward rail and downward past a rearward face of the rearward rail, each of the plurality of straps attached to the rearward rail.

3. The sofa of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of straps has an aperture at an end opposite the strap loop for use in attachment of each respective strap to the rearward rail of the sofa frame.

4. The sofa of claim 1 , wherein the textile deck assembly further comprises a plurality of upholstery panels connecting to one or more of the opposing side edges and the rearward edge.

5. The sofa of claim 1 , wherein the sofa is configured as an assembled ready-to-assemble sofa with two sofa frames and two textile deck assemblies connected together.

6. The sofa of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of yoke members along the rearward edge of the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion, each of the plurality of yoke members in linear alignment.

7. The sofa of claim 6 , wherein the forward edge of the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion has a plurality of fastening strips, one fastening strip corresponding for each of the plurality of yoke members thereby defining fold lines.

8. A sofa seat platform kit for attachment to a sofa frame, the sofa frame having a seat frame and a wood back frame, the sofa seat platform kit comprising: a deck comprising a flexible sheet platform portion having a forward edge, a rearward edge, and opposing side edges, the rearward edge of the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion having a plurality of platform loops for one or more rigid yoke members, one or more rigid yoke members, a plurality of straps, each strap attachable to one of the rigid yoke members such that the plurality of platform loops and plurality of straps alternate along the one or more rigid yoke members when installed on the sofa frame, each of the straps sized to at least extend between one of the rigid yoke members and the rearward rail when the platform kit is installed on the sofa frame.

9. The sofa seat platform kit of claim 8 , in combination with the sofa frame.

10. The sofa seat platform kit of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of upholstery panels attached to the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion at the forward edge and/or the opposing side edges.

11. The sofa seat platform kit of claim 8 , comprising at least one guide strip along the forward edge for attachment of fasteners.

12. The sofa seat platform kit of claim 11 , comprising a plurality of guide strips along the forward edge, and wherein the plurality of guide strips define fold lines of the seat platform portion.

13. A method of installing the sofa seat platform kit of claim 8 , on the sofa frame, the method comprising:
affixing said forward edge of said flexible and elastic sheet platform portion to a forward rail of said seat frame assembly;
if not already installed, installing the yoke member in the plurality of platform loops and in the loops of each of the straps;
affixing each of the plurality of straps to the rearward rail.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein affixing each of the plurality of straps to the rearward rail comprises inserting a shaft through each one of said plurality of straps, placing said shaft against a rearward face of said rearward rail, and rotating said shaft in a rearward direction to stretch textile deck assembly toward the rearward rail, and fastening each one of said plurality of straps with staples to the rearward rail.

15. A sofa comprising a sofa frame, the sofa frame having a seat frame and a back frame, a deck assembly attached to the seat frame, upholstery attached to the frame, and seat cushions above the seat frame;
the seat frame comprising a forward rail, a wood rearward rail;
the deck assembly comprising a continuous flexible and elastic sheet platform portion having a forward edge, a rearward edge, and opposing side edges that extend between the forward edge and the rearward edge, the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion at the forward edge attached to the forward rail, and wherein the rearward edge of the flexible and elastic sheet platform portion is positioned forwardly of the rearward rail and having a plurality of platform loops that capture at least one rigid yoke member extending through the plurality of platform loops, the deck assembly further comprising a plurality of straps each having a strap loop with each strap loop on the at least one rigid yoke member, each of the plurality of straps attached to the rearward rail, each of the plurality of straps being under tension.

16. The sofa of claim 15 , wherein and wherein center to center spacing of adjacent straps is 4 to 12 inches inclusively and each of the straps overlays a top surface and a rearward surface of the rearward rail.

17. The sofa of claim 15 , wherein the platform portion is formed of an elastic textile.

18. The sofa of claim 15 , wherein the textile deck assembly further comprises a plurality of upholstery panels connecting to one or more of the opposing side edges and the rearward edge.

19. The sofa of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of straps having a length extending past a rearward face of the rearward rail, each of the plurality of straps attached with a plurality of fasteners to the rearward rail.

20. The sofa of claim 15 , wherein the sofa is configured as an assembled ready-to-assemble sofa with two sofa frames and two deck assemblies.

Assignees

• Ashley Furniture Ind Llc
• Ashley Furniture Ind Inc

Inventors

• Ross Thad D
• Messer Gary L
• Robbins Nathaniel B

Classifications

• A47C7/32

  with tensioned cords, e.g. of elastic type, in a flat plane · CPC title

• A47C31/04

  Clamps for attaching flat elastic strips or flat meandering springs to frames · CPC title

• A47C23/26

  Frames therefor; Connecting the springs to the frame · CPC title

• A47C7/22

  Straps or the like for {direct user support or for} carrying upholstery · CPC title

• A47C23/18

  of resilient webbing · CPC title