Easy-to-assemble sofa and method of packaging therefor

Abstract

An easy-to-assemble sofa along with a method of packaging its components so as to consume the smallest possible space during shipping. The sofa includes arms and rails that may be assembled to form a frame. A seat deck and rear deck are installed to the arms and rails. Cushions are placed atop the seat deck, and foam cushions are placed in front of the rear deck to form the sofa's seating surfaces. To conserve space during shipping, the compressible seat cushions and rear cushions are placed between the rigid seat deck and rear deck. The entire assembly is banded with woven bands to maintain it in a compact compressed condition during shipping, which may all be in a single cardboard container. This method of packing allows the parts of the sofa to be packed in as compact a container as possible, saving money on shipping and storage.

1 . A sandwich assembly of components of a sofa, comprising:
 a seat deck;   a rear deck disposed opposite the seat deck;   one or more seat cushions and one or more rear cushions disposed between the seat deck and rear deck;   a plurality of woven bands surrounding and constraining the seat deck and rear deck such that the one or more seat cushions and one or more rear cushions are constrained under compressive force; and   a pair of arms.   
     
     
         2 . A method of packaging sofa components, comprising:
 placing one or more seat cushions and one or more rear cushions between a seat deck and a rear deck, forming a stack; and   placing a plurality of woven bands around the stack so as to constrain the seat deck and the rear deck from moving apart from one another.   
     
     
         3 . The method of packaging sofa components of  claim 2 , wherein in placing the plurality of woven bands around the seat deck, the plurality of woven bands includes six woven bands. 
     
     
         4 . The method of packaging sofa components of  claim 2 , wherein, in placing a plurality of woven bands around the stack, the plurality of woven bands are deposited at approximately equal intervals across the length of the stack after all bands have been placed into their final positions. 
     
     
         5 . The method of packaging sofa components of  claim 2 , wherein one or more of the seat cushions or one or more of the rear cushions have been packaged in a vacuum bag and the bag is evacuated prior to inclusion in the stack. 
     
     
         6 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one strap band comprising a webbing of material having noise-dampening characteristics that is securable about the seat deck prior to assembly of the sofa. 
     
     
         7 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one strap band comprises hook-and-loop fastener material. 
     
     
         8 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a front rail and a rear rail. 
     
     
         9 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the front rail and the rear rail includes a mounting plate extending from either end of the respective front rail or rear rail, each of the mounting plates including at least two keyhole-shaped apertures to securely receive, during assembly of the sofa, bolts extending inwardly from the arms. 
     
     
         10 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one of the front rail and the rear rail includes a recessed region at each end thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 8 , further comprising a center brace securable between the front rail and the rear rail. 
     
     
         12 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of seat brackets, each of the seat brackets having an L-shape with a plate securable to an inwardly-facing surface of one of the arms and an inwardly-projecting plate having at least one aperture therethrough to receive a threaded fastener, and wherein the seat deck includes apertures that can be aligned with the at least one apertures of the inwardly-projecting plates of the seat brackets for sofa assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 12 , wherein each of the seat brackets is securable to the respective arm at an angle in a range of 5 degrees to 20 degrees from a horizontal plane to facilitate mounting of the seat deck at a reclined angle. 
     
     
         14 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of rear brackets, each of the rear brackets having an L-shape with a plate securable to an inwardly-facing surface of one of the arms and an inwardly-projecting plate having at least one aperture therethrough to receive a threaded fastener, and wherein the rear deck includes apertures that can be aligned with the at least one apertures of the inwardly-projecting plates of the rear brackets for sofa assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The sandwich assembly of  claim 14 , wherein each of the rear brackets is securable to the respective arm at an angle in a range of 95 degrees to 15 degrees from a horizontal plane to facilitate mounting of the rear deck at a reclined angle.