Modular Furniture

Abstract

The invention is directed to a modular furniture design having contoured ballast chamber for directing the weighting from a peripheral weighting orientation to a peripheral weighting configuration. The furniture may further comprise a base and a top, the base having a one piece molded generally hollow body comprising a contoured ballast compartment having a closable opening and a plurality of sidewalls forming legs supporting a top. A top attachment may be a chair, table top or similar furniture piece. The chair may be adapted for sitting at a table, lounging or reading with or without arms. An attachable cushion is fastened to the chair to provide a color coordinated seat attached by tamper resistant fastener assembly comprising tabs mounted under the seat of the cushion extending into and engaging seat holes in the seating surface of the chair and held in place by a threaded fastener extending through the back rest of the chair engaging a threaded insert in the cushion.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A modular furniture design comprising:
 a base having a contoured ballast chamber formed therein, the contoured ballast chamber having a top wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a closable ballast opening, each of the plurality of sidewalls attached to the top, each sidewall attached to an adjacent two of the plurality of sidewalls, the closable ballast opening formed in the contoured ballast chamber;   a top selected from the group consisting of a chair and a table;   ballast material in the contoured ballast chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The invention of  claim 1 , wherein contoured ballast chamber has a partial spherical shape whereby the ballast material is urged to the perimeter of the base. 
     
     
         3 . The invention of  claim 1  wherein the contoured ballast chamber has an inverted pyramid shape whereby the ballast material is urged to a centerline of the base between the front and the back. 
     
     
         4 . The invention of  claim 3 , wherein the contoured ballast chamber has a substantially triangular cross section whereby the base is center weighted. 
     
     
         5 . The invention of  claim 2 , wherein the contoured ballast chamber has a substantially rectangular cube shape having four sidewalls attached to the base top and a semi spherical bottom wall whereby the ballast material is urged toward the ballast chamber sidewalls. 
     
     
         5 . The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the contoured ballast chamber has a substantially triangular cross section extending from the front of the base to the back whereby the ballast material is urged toward a centerline of the chair extending parallel to the back rest. 
     
     
         6 . The invention of  claim 4 , wherein the top comprises an attached chair, the chair having a seat and a back rest, the seat having a front, a back, first side and a second side, the back rest having a lumbar portion attached to the back of the seat and a shoulder portion attached to the lumbar portion, a first side and a second side, the seat further comprising a seating surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a contour for interlocking with the contour on the top wall. 
     
     
         7 . The invention of  claim 6 , further comprising an attached cushion and a tamper resistant attachment on the chair, the tamper resistant attachment engaging the cushion. 
     
     
         8 . The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the top comprises a chair integrally molded with the base, the chair having a seat and a back rest, the seat having a seating surface. 
     
     
         9 . The invention of  claim 8 , further comprising an attached cushion and a tamper resistant attachment on the chair, the cushion having a semi-rigid frame, the semi-rigid frame having a seat portion and a back portion, the tamper resistant attachment engaging the cushion. 
     
     
         10 . The invention of  claim 8 , wherein the seat further comprises a first and second arm rest integrally molded to the seat. 
     
     
         11 . The invention of  claim 7 , wherein the cushion further comprises a semi-rigid frame having a seat portion and a back portion, a cover on the semi-rigid frame, the seat portion having a bottom surface on the seat, the tamper resistant attachment further comprises a plurality of L-shaped brackets on the semi-rigid frame the L-shaped brackets adapted to engage the chair seat whereby the tamper resistant attachment connects the cushion to the seat. 
     
     
         12 . The invention of  claim 9 , wherein the tamper resistant attachment further comprises a first L-shaped bracket on the semi-rigid frame, a threaded T-nut insert on the semi-rigid frame spaced from the first L-shaped bracket, the first I-shaped bracket having a cushion leg on the semi-rigid frame, a spacer portion and an engagement tab spaced from the bottom surface of semi-rigid frame, a first cushion aperture formed in the seating surface of the chair, the first cushion aperture adapted to back rest, the fastener threadably engaging the semi-rigid frame, a cover in the indentation whereby the cushion is attached to the chair. 
     
     
         18 . The invention of claim  17  further comprising a ballasted base on the chair, the ballasted base having a top, a bottom and a contoured ballast chamber, the chair on the top, plurality of feet on the bottom, a ballast material in the contoured ballast chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The invention of  claim 18  wherein the contoured ballast chamber has an inverted pyramid shape, the inverted pyramid shape having a large periphery adjacent the chair and a small periphery adjacent the bottom whereby a gravitational pull urges the ballast material to a center weighting position. 
     
     
         20 . The invention of  claim 18  wherein the contoured ballast chamber further comprises a bottom wall adjacent the bottom of the base, the bottom wall having a semi spherical contour, the semi spherical contour directing the ballast material to a peripheral weighting configuration.