Modular barstool

Abstract

A furniture unit includes several components configured to be coupled together to form a modular barstool.

1 . A furniture unit comprising
 a frame unit including a pair of frames pivotably coupled to one another for movement about a vertical axis of rotation between a collapsed position of the frame unit and a use position of the frame unit, each frame including a front leg and a rear leg,   a rigid back brace releasably coupled to the rear legs only when the frame unit is in the use position, and   a rigid seat releasably coupled to the frame unit only when the frame unit is in the use position.   
   
   
       2 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , further comprising a rigid leg brace releasably coupled to the front legs only when the frame unit is in the use position. 
   
   
       3 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid back brace is releasably coupled to the rear legs without the use of tools. 
   
   
       4 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit without the use of tools. 
   
   
       5 . The furniture unit of  claim 2 , wherein the rigid leg brace is releasably coupled to the front legs without the use of tools. 
   
   
       6 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein each frame further includes an upper cross-member interconnecting the front and rear legs and a lower cross-member interconnecting the front and rear legs, the upper cross-members are pivotably coupled to each other, the lower cross-members are pivotably coupled to each other, and the upper and lower cross-members are configured to rotate about the vertical axis of rotation to place the frame unit in the collapsed position and the use position. 
   
   
       7 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein each leg includes a recess and a pin located in the recess and the rigid back brace includes a connector configured to be received in the recess and to be releasably coupled to the pin when the rigid back brace is mounted on the rear legs in the use position of the frame unit. 
   
   
       8 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein each leg includes a recess and a pin located in the recess and the leg brace includes a connector configured to be received in the recess and to be releasably coupled to the pin when the leg brace is mounted on the front legs in the use position of the frame unit. 
   
   
       9 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid seat includes a pair of side skirts and a rear skirt, each of the skirts extends downwardly from an underside of the rigid seat, the rear skirt is interconnected with each of the side skirts to form a pair of notches at each interconnection, and each notch provides a spacing such that when the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit in the use position, the side skirts and the rear skirt do not engage the rear legs of the frame unit. 
   
   
       10 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid seat includes a pair of side skirts and a front skirt, each of the skirts extends downwardly from an underside of the seat and is configured such that a spacing exists between the front skirt and each of the side skirts such that when the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit, the side skirts and the front skirt engage the front legs of the frame unit. 
   
   
       11 . The furniture unit of  claim 1 , wherein when the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit and a portion of the rigid seat overlies the front legs but does not overlie the rear legs. 
   
   
       12 . The furniture unit of  claim 6 , wherein the rigid seat includes an underside and a first connector fastened to the underside and the connector is configured to be releasably coupled to a first of the upper cross-members when the rigid seat is mounted on the frame unit in the use position. 
   
   
       13 . The furniture unit of  claim 12 , wherein the rigid seat includes a second connector fastened to the underside of the rigid seat and the second connector is configured to be releasably coupled to a second of the upper cross-members when the rigid seat is mounted on the frame unit in the use position. 
   
   
       14 . The furniture unit of  claim 13 , wherein the first upper cross-member lies in a plane above that of the second upper cross-member and the first connector includes a recess allowing the first connector to be releasably coupled to the first upper cross-member and the second connector to be releasably coupled to the second upper cross-member. 
   
   
       15 . The furniture unit of  claim 13 , wherein the first connector includes an elongated clamp having a recess, the second connector includes a pair of spaced-apart clamps each having an upper shoulder and a lower shoulder, the recess allowing the elongated clamp to be releasably coupled to the first upper cross-member, and the shoulders provide a stable coupling of the pair of spaced-apart clamps to the second upper cross-member. 
   
   
       16 . A furniture kit including a plurality of components capable of being assembled in the field without tools to produce a furniture unit, the furniture kit comprising
 a frame unit including a pair of frames adapted to be pivotably coupled to one another for movement between a collapsed position of the frame unit and a use position of the frame unit, each frame including a front leg and a rear leg,   a rigid back brace adapted to be releasably coupled to the rear legs only when the frame unit is in the use position, and   a rigid seat adapted to be releasably coupled to the frame unit only when the frame unit is in the use position.   
   
   
       17 . The furniture kit of  claim 16 , further comprising a rigid leg brace adapted to be releasably coupled to one of the front legs and the rear legs only when the frame unit is in the use position. 
   
   
       18 . The furniture kit of  claim 16 , further comprising a rigid leg brace adapted to be releasably coupled to the rear legs only when the frame unit is in the use position and a rigid leg brace adapted to be releasably coupled to the front legs only when the frame unit is in the use position. 
   
   
       19 . The furniture kit of  claim 16 , wherein the releasable couplings of the rigid back brace and the rigid seat are accomplished without the use of tools. 
   
   
       20 . The furniture kit of  claim 17 , wherein the releasable coupling of the rigid leg brace is accomplished without the use of tools. 
   
   
       21 . A furniture rack display including a plurality of different components arranged on the display for selection as part of a furniture kit, the components of the kit being capable of being assembled in the field without tools to produce a furniture unit, the furniture display comprising
 a plurality of frame units of different sizes for selection by a customer to accommodate a desired seat width, each frame unit including a pair of frames adapted to be pivotably coupled to each other for movement about a vertical axis of rotation between a collapsed position of the furniture unit and a use position of the furniture unit, each frame including a front leg and a rear leg, and the frame unit further including a rigid leg brace adapted to be releasably coupled to the front legs only when the frame unit is in the use position,   a plurality of different rigid back braces for selection by a customer to accommodate a desired design, each of the rigid back braces adapted to be releasably coupled to the rear legs of the selected frame unit only when the selected frame unit is in the use position, and   a rigid seat adapted to be releasably coupled to the selected frame unit only when the selected frame unit is in the use position.   
   
   
       22 . A method of assembling components of a furniture kit, the components including a first frame having a front leg and a rear leg, a second frame having a front leg and a rear leg, the second frame being pivotably coupled to the first frame for movement between a collapsed position of the frame unit and a use position of the frame unit, a rigid back brace, a rigid leg brace, and a rigid seat, the method steps comprising
 spreading the frames apart to the use position, then   releasably coupling the rigid back brace to the rear legs,   releasably coupling the rigid leg brace to one of the front legs and the rear legs, and   releasably coupling the seat to the frame unit.   
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein each of the releasably coupling steps occurs without the use of tools. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the rigid seat includes a connector mounted on an underside of the rigid seat, each frame includes an upper cross-member interconnecting the front and rear legs, and the connector is configured to be releasably coupled to one of the upper cross-members without the use of tools when the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit in the use position. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the rigid seat includes a pair of side skirts, a rear skirt extending downwardly from an underside of the rigid seat and interconnected with each of the side skirts to form a pair of notches at each intersection of the side and rear skirts, and a front skirt extending downwardly from the underside of the rigid seat and configured such that a spacing exists between the front skirt and each of the side skirts, and when the rigid seat is releasably coupled to the frame unit in the use position, the side skirts and the rear skirt do not engage the rear legs and the side skirts and the front skirt do engage the front legs.