Upholstered furniture inserts

Abstract

An upholstered furniture component including a frame; a rigid foam insert attached to the frame; and upholstery material covering the foam insert. The rigid foam insert may be made from expanded polystyrene. And, a layer of padding may between the rigid foam insert and the upholstery material.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An upholstered furniture component comprising: 
 a frame;    a rigid foam insert attached to said frame; and    upholstery material covering said foam insert.    
     
     
         2 . The component of  claim 1 , wherein, said rigid foam insert is formed of expanded polystyrene.  
     
     
         3 . The component of  claim 2 , further comprising a layer of padding between the rigid foam insert and the upholstery material.  
     
     
         4 . The component of  claim 1 , wherein the component is an arm of a chair or sofa.  
     
     
         5 . An upholstered furniture component comprising: 
 a frame having a substantially flat planar upper surface;    a rigid foam insert attached to said flat planar upper surface; and    upholstery material covering said foam insert.    
     
     
         6 . The component of  claim 5 , wherein, said rigid foam insert is formed of expanded polystyrene.  
     
     
         7 . The component of  claim 6 , further comprising a layer of padding between the rigid foam insert and the upholstery material.  
     
     
         8 . The component of  claim 6 , wherein the rigid foam insert has a density in the range of 0.75 to 6.0 pounds per cubic foot and a compressive strength at 10% compression (strain) of 30 to 800 kPa.  
     
     
         9 . The component of  claim 6 , wherein the rigid foam insert has a density in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per cubic foot and a compressive strength at 10% compression (strain) of 120 to 280 kPa.  
     
     
         10 . An insert in an upholstered furniture component, the upholstered furniture component including a frame supporting the insert and an upholstery material covering the insert, the insert comprising a rigid foam material having one portion thereof shaped to conform to the frame so that the rigid foam material can be attached to the frame and another portion of the rigid foam material shaped to correspond to an outer shape of the upholstered furniture component.  
     
     
         11 . The insert of  claim 10 , wherein the insert is made of expanded polystyrene.  
     
     
         12 . The insert of  claim 10 , wherein padding is arranged between the insert and the upholstery material.  
     
     
         13 . The insert of  claim 10 , wherein the component is an arm of a chair or a sofa.  
     
     
         14 . An insert in an upholstered furniture component, the upholstered furniture component including a frame having a substantially flat planar surface supporting the insert and an upholstery material covering the insert, the insert comprising a rigid foam material having a flat surface shaped to conform to the substantially flat planar surface of the frame so that the rigid foam material can be attached to the frame and another portion of the rigid foam material shaped to correspond to an outer shape of the upholstered furniture component.  
     
     
         15 . The insert of  claim 14 , wherein the insert is made of expanded polystyrene.  
     
     
         16 . The insert of  claim 14 , wherein padding is arranged between the insert and the upholstery material.  
     
     
         17 . The component of  claim 15 , wherein the rigid foam insert has a density in the range of 0.75 to 6.0 pounds per cubic foot and a compressive strength at 10% compression (strain) of 30 to 800 kPa.  
     
     
         18 . The component of  claim 15 , wherein the rigid foam insert has a density in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per cubic foot and a compressive strength at 10% compression (strain) of 120 to 280 kPa.