Compact system for shipping furniture

Abstract

A couch comes unassembled. The couch's base has a cavity that holds the couch's cushions. A cover over the cavity is opened to allow access to the cavity. The couch's cushions are removed from the cavity, and a brace with a hump, which had been positioned to allow the cushions to fit in the cavity, is rotated to position the hump to reinforce the cavity walls. The base is turned over and a seatback is attached to the base. The couch's arms have fittings that mate with fittings on the seatback, and a flexible covering attached to the base and seatback urges the seatback against the base.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A couch comprising:
 a base having a top, a bottom, a front wall, a rear wall and two spaced apart side walls;   the bottom of the base being open between the front wall, the rear wall and the two side walls to form a first cavity;   at least one seat cushion in the first cavity;   a brace extending between the front wall and the rear wall, the brace having a hump spaced from the rear wall, and the brace being mounted for pivoting between a first position in which the hump is generally parallel to the bottom of the base and a second position in which the hump is raised above the bottom of the base.   
     
     
         2 . The couch of  claim 1 , further comprising a strut extending between the side walls, an extension on the hump in the path of the strut to engage the strut when the hump is in the first position. 
     
     
         3 . The couch of  claim 2 , further comprising an extension attached to a wall of the base and to the strut for positioning the strut. 
     
     
         4 . The couch of  claim 1 , further comprising a seatback, a covering having a first and second opposing ends, the first end being attached to the seatback and the second end being attachable to the base, the seatback having a groove to attach to the base, and a clip on the second end of the covering and attached to the base securing the second end of the covering to the base. 
     
     
         5 . A method of assembling a couch comprising:
 positioning a base having an upward facing cavity bounded by a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls, a panel at the bottom of the cavity, and a brace extending between the front wall and the rear wall,   the brace having a hump being pivotable between a first position parallel with the panel and a second position at a right angle to the first position,   removing at least one seat cushion from the cavity when the brace is in its first position,   rotating the brace to the second position,   attaching arms to the side walls of the base,   turning the base over so that the cavity faces downward,   attaching a seatback to the base and to mating connectors on the arms and the seatback to secure the seatback to the base, and   placing the at least one seat cushion on the base.   
     
     
         6 . The method of assembling a couch further comprising and attaching a stretchable covering between the base and the seatback.