Foam Furniture Molded Around a Rigid Foam Core

Abstract

A foam seating article includes an outer layer of molded foam surrounding a solid inner core of molded foam or expanded polystyrene. The rigid foam of the inner core is made from polyurethane polyol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). The inner core has a hardness greater than 25 Shore A and a density less than two pounds per cubic foot. The polymer material of the solid core has a hardness that is greater than that of the outer foam. The outer layer of molded foam is high density (HD) foam, memory foam or latex foam. A fabric covering encloses the inner core and molded outer foam layer. The foam seating article can be a chair, stool, sofa, chaise lounge, bench or Ottoman. The seating article includes no wood or metal. Molding foam around a solid inner core is simpler and less costly than making conventional metal or wood framed furniture.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 molding a foam core of foam having a hardness of greater than 25 Shore A;   placing the foam core in a mold;   molding an outer layer of foam completely around the foam core, wherein the outer layer of foam has hardness of less than 20 Shore A; and   placing a covering around the outer layer of foam and the foam core.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the foam core is made of a polyether-derived polyurethane polyol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the outer layer of foam is taken from the group consisting of: high density (HD) foam, memory foam and latex foam. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the foam core contains between 100 kg and 120 kg of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate for every 100 kg of polyurethane polyol. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 gluing a layer of memory foam on top of the outer layer of foam before placing the covering around the outer layer of foam, the foam core and the layer of memory foam.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the foam of the foam core has a density of less than 1.5 pounds per cubic foot. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the foam core has an uneven outer surface, and wherein the molding the outer layer of foam completely around the foam core molds the foam of the outer layer of foam into the uneven outer surface. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein no wood or metal is contained inside the covering after the covering is placed around the outer layer of foam and the foam core. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the covering is taken from the group consisting of: a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, leather, and a conformal plastic layer. 
     
     
         25 . A method comprising:
 forming a solid core of a polymer material having a hardness of greater than 25 Shore A;   placing the solid core in a mold;   molding an outer layer of foam completely around the solid core, wherein the outer layer of foam has hardness of less than 20 Shore A; and   placing a covering around the outer layer of foam and the solid core.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the polymer material is made of a polyether-derived polyurethane polyol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the polymer material contains between 100 kg and 120 kg of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate for every 100 kg of polyether-derived polyurethane polyol. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the polymer material is expanded polystyrene. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the expanded polystyrene has a density of less than two pounds per cubic foot. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the polymer material has a density of less than 1.5 pounds per cubic foot. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein no wood or metal is contained inside the covering after the covering is placed around the outer layer of foam and the solid core. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the covering is taken from the group consisting of: a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, leather, and a conformal plastic layer. 
     
     
         33 . A method comprising:
 molding a core from foam, wherein the foam has a hardness greater than 25 Shore A and a density less than 1.5 pounds per cubic foot;   placing the core in a mold;   molding an outer layer completely around the core, wherein the outer layer has hardness less than 20 Shore A; and   placing a covering around the outer layer and the core.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the outer layer is made of memory foam. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the core is made of a polyether-derived polyurethane polyol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate.