US3116953A - Slip cover - Google Patents

Description

H- SUGARMAN Jan. 7, 1964 SLIP COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1962 FIGI INVENTOR.

HARRY SUGARMAN W, W 74w FIG.2

ATTORNEYS H. SUGARMAN Jan. 7, 1964 SLIP COVER Filed March 12, 196 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

SUGARMAN HARRY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,116,953 SLHP CGVER Harry gngarman, 11? Gal: Hill St,

Newton Qenter 59, Mass. Filed Mar. 12, 1962, er. No. 179,049 1 tjlaim. (iii. 29722S} This invention pertains to an improved slipcover for armchairs, and has for its primary object the provision of versatile slipcovers which may be snugly fitted to a wide variety of styles and sizes of armchairs.

Many attempts have been made to afford universal slipcovers of non-stretchable fabric, capable of fitting the wide variety of available armchair styles, in order to avoid the expense entailed in custom-fitting a cover to each individual chair. Partially-fitted covers available on the market are not highly adaptable since their customary pro- VlSiOll of pro-formed pockets for the backs and arms of the chair limits the range of chair dimensions which can be neatly and snugly fitted; this requires that merchants stock a large assortment of styles and sizes.

A major obstacle to the provision of a truly universal slipcover is the difliculty in closely fitting the front portions of the arm rests and the seat cushion of such widely diverse chair types as the T-cushion, in which the chair arms terminate rearwardly of the chair face, and the square cushion, in which the arms terminate flush with the front face. Less dificulty is encountered in fitting the chair back and arms; it has previously been proposed to satisfy this requirement by providing the cover with a back panel and arm panels which are connected only to a seat panel, but are not connected one to another, and which include sufiicient material to cover various sizes. The excess is tucked into the crevices between the chair arms, seat, and back, and drawn over the sides and top of the chair back to cover the rear surface. However, the difliculty of conforming a universal cover to the front portions of the arms, cushion, and front face of diverse armchairs has not been satisfactorily resolved, and it is accordingly a more specific object of this invention to provide an improved slipcover which is adapted to snugly and neatly conform to the entire topology of a wide variety of armchair styles and sizes.

Briefly stated, a preferred embodiment of the invention may be carried out in a slipcover generally comprising five panels, including a seat, back, front face, and right and left arm panels, each connected only along a corresponding one of the edges of the seat panel, or alternatively formed integrally therewith. According to a primary feature of the invention, outer portions of the arm panels which cover the outer surfaces of the arms, Le. the sides of the chair, are extended forwardly of the remaining portions of the arm panels, for folding around the front corners of the chair sides to cover at least the upper areas of the arm front surfaces downwardly to points below the level of the chair cushion, and for foldhig in underlying relation to the portions of the arm panels covering the inner and upper surfaces of the arms. Further, the front panel is extended laterally beyond the sides edges of the seat panel, to form front corner portions for folding over the arm panels extensions below the level of the chair cushion to cover the lower areas of the arm fronts, and thence about the front corners of the chair sides for overlapping the outer portions of the arm panels on the sides of the chair. By means of this arrangement of arm panel extensions and front panel corner portions, a chair having a square cushion and arms flush with its front face may be snugly and attractively finished by folding the front panel corner portions diagonally from the cushion downwardly and laterally toward the front corners of the chair sides, the excess material being lapped under. A chair having a T-cushion and arms terminating $316353 Patented Jan, 7, H364 rearwardly of the chair face, may be finished by utilizing the face panel corner portions to cover the lateral protrusions of the front of the cushion, as well as the front corners of the chair and the areas of the side surfaces forwardly of the front arm faces.

I prefer to form darts in the face panel corner portions for receiving the front corners of a T-cushion; in this instance, there is no underlapping of the material of these portions. When the cover is applied to a square-cushion chair, the darts are tucked in the crevices between the cushion and the chair arms. It will be understood, however, that the formation of such arts would somewhat limit the adaptability of the cover to various widths of T-cushions.

While the specification concludes with claims distinctly pointing out the subject matter which I regard as my invention, it is believed that a clearer understanding may be gained from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the sections of a slipcover prior to their assembly, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the finished cover in a flattened condition;

FIGS. 3-7 illustrate the application of a cover to an illustrative square-cushion armchair, shown in perspective in consecutive stages of application; and

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view showing the slipcover applied to an illustrative T-cushion armchair.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, my improved slipcover generally comprises a seat panel A, right and left arm panels B, a back panel D, and a front face panel E, the latter of which is, in this instance, formed integrally with the seat panel A. The back panel D is irregularly shaped and includes a portion 10 for covering the front surface of the back-rest, a portion 11 for overlapping the upper surface and a portion of the rear surface of the backrest and laterally-extending flap portions 12 for wrapping about the side surfaces of the back-rest and thence to the rear surface thereof. Cuts at 13 and 14 are formed into darts for more snugly conforming the back panel to the contours of the top and side surfaces of the back rest. Sufficient material is provided to cover the largest chair for which the particular cover is intended, and the excess material is taken upon the rear surface and in the crevices between the back-rest, seat, and arms. The back panel D and the arm panels B are cut with contoured edges at 16 and 17, respectively, and squared corners at 19 and 2% for fitting the intersecting surfaces of the chair back, arms, and seat, are formed by means of connecting seams 21 and 22 between the edges 16 and 17. A seam 23 connects the lower edge of the back panel D with the rear edge of the seat panel A, and seams 24 and 25 connect the lower edges of the flaps 12 with inner portions of the rear edges of the arm panels B.

The right and left panels B include inner portions 26 of substantially the same length as the seat panel A, which are attached along the side edges thereof by seams 27. These portions are intended to cover the inner surfaces of the chair arms, and further portions 29 of the arm panels extend outwardly along a generally rectilinear front edge 31 and the rearwardly flaring rear edges 17, for covering the upper surfaces of the arms. The rear portions of the arm panels extend over the rear of the chair, with the flaps 12. Outwardly of these portions, the arm panels extend into outer portions 32 for covering the outer surfaces of the arms, comprising the sides of the chair. Pleated ruffies 33 are secured along lower edges of the arm panels by seams 34, to extend horizontally along the base of the chair sides. These rufiles are of suificient length to extend longitudinally around the front and rear corners of the sides of the largest chair intended to be fitted by the particular cover.

It should be noted particularly that the outer portions 32 of the arm panels are not coterminous with the forward edges 31 of the remainder of these panels, but extend forwardly into extensions 35, for covering at least the upper areas of the front faces of the arms. As shown, the materials gathered and sewn to form darts 36 for receiving the outer corners of the chair arms, although it will be understood that this is not necessary to the practice of the invention. To complete the arm panels, I prefer to attach elastic tapes 38 along the rear edges 37 of the arm panels and the outer edges 37a of the flaps 12, for convenient attachment of the cover upon the rear of the chair, and to stretch the cover taut. However, other attachment means well known in the art, such as elastic tapes or screw pins, may be used alternatively or in conjunction with the tapes 38.

The face panel E is of a greater lateral extent than the seat panel to form, in addition to a portion 39 for covering the front face of the chair, laterally-extending front corner portions 4!). These cooperate with the extensions of the arm panels in a versatile manner to accommodate a wide variety of chair and cushion forms and sizes. In the preferred embodiment, squared corners are formed in the portions 4% adjacent their upper margins by means of darts 42, for snugly fitting the squared outside front corners of a T-cushion. The darts are formed by connecting the portions 40 with tab portions 44 cut into the face panel B. To facilitate right-angular arrangement of the darts 42 with respect to the face-covering portion 39, slits 46 are formed between the tabs 44 and the seat panel A. At its lower edge, the face panel is finished by attaching a pleated ruiile 48, which, in the assembled relation of the cover on a chair, is longitudinally aligned and partially overlapped with the ruffles 33 at the sides of the chair.

FIGS. 37 show the manner of application of the cover to a square-cushioned armchair 50, of the type whose arms terminate flush with the front face of the chair. The cover is first draped over the chair as indicated in FIG. 3; for convenience, tags 52 are secured adjacent the darts 13 on the back panel D, to aid in locating the back panel with the portion 11 draped over the rear and upper surfaces of the back-rest. One or more screw pins 53 are applied to secure portion 11 in place. Tags 54 are attached at the outside front corners of the portions 29 of the arm panels B for locating the front of the cover with respect to the chair arms. The tags 52 and 54 are discarded after the cover is attached.

The flap portions 12 of panel D and the rear ends of the portions 32 are then brought about the side surfaces of the back-rest to the rear surface, and allowed to hang free pending the fitting of the front of the cover to the chair.

As shown in FIG. 4, one of the arm panels B is then arranged to conform snugly to the corresponding chair arm, and any excess material at the rear of the arm is tucked at 57 in the crevice between the arm and back-rest. The chair cushion is temporarily removed during the shaping of the inner and upper portions 26 and 29 of the arm panels, so that the portion 26 may be brought to the bottom of the chair seat, i.e., below the cushion level, and secured by means of screw-pins 59. Prior to inserting the screw-pins, the extension 35 is wrapped about the front outside corner of the chair side and over an upper area of the arm front, and lapped under the fronts of the portions 26 and 29. In this manner, the front surface of the arm is covered to a level extending below that of the cushion. The leading edge of the extension 35, lapped under the portions 26 and 29, is indicated at 61. Subsequently, the second arm is covered by the opposite arm panel B in a similar fashion, and the cushion is replaced, as shown at 62 in FIG. 5. Excess material at the side and rear edges of the cushion is tucked about the cushion as indicated at 63 and 64, to snugly conform the seat panel A to the upper surface of the cushion. At this time, the ruffles 33 of arm panels B are not conformed to the chair sides, but are allowed to hang loosely.

A principal feature of the invention resides in the adaptability of the front panel E to fit various chair forms, especially with relation to the topology of the frontal portions of the chair arm and cushion. As shown in FIG. 5, the front panel B is conformed to the square-cushioned chair 50 by folding the corner portions 49 diagonally in a fold 66, which is extended from the lower corner 68 of the tuck 63 adjacent the cushion, outwardly and downwardly toward a lower and outer corner 69 of the extension 35 of panel B. The underlapped fold is secured by a plurality of screw-pins 71. Subsequently, the ends of the front ruffle 48 are brought about the front corners of the chair sides into overlapping alignment with the side rufi'les 33, and secured by additional screw-pins (not shown). It will be apparent that the darts 44 are, in this instance, not utilized to conform to a chair surface, but are tucked into the crevices between the cushion and arm at 68, and therefore do not appear in FIG. 5. The second arm is subsequently finished in the same manner.

To finish the chair back, an insert panel 70, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6, may be lapped under panels B and the flaps 12 on the rear of the chair, and secured by screwpins; however, the provision of an insert may be left to the desires of the user with regard to the appearance of the finished chair. The flaps 12 and portions 32 of the arm panels are finally drawn snugly toward the rear surface of the chair, so that the rear edges 37 mutually confront, and the elastic tapes 38 are tied in a tuat fashion with suitable knots 73. The portions 32 are preferably further secured by additional screw-pins 74.

To retain the tucks 63 and 64 about the cushion, and thus avoid bunching of the seat panel in use, I prefer to insert rolls of paper 75, or preformed tubing, into the crevices between the cushion and the arms and back, as shown in FIG. 7, as a final step in applying the slipcover.

To illustrate the adaptability of the improved slipcover to various styles, the cushion is shown in FIG. 8 fitted to a T-cushion armchair, in which the arms terminate rearwardly of the chair face, and the cushion is formed with lateral extensions projecting in front of the arms. Elements similar to those in the preceding figures are sirnilarly numbered, with prime superscripts. The fitting is carried on in a similar fashion, except that in this instance the face panel E covers not only the front face of the chair, but the sides and cushion over those areas protruding forwardly of a line 53h in the plane of the arm front faces. Below the cushion levels the lower areas of the extensions 35' underlie the panel B. The darts 42 conform to the front corners of the lateral T -extensions of the cushion, the tabs 44 then covering portions of the upper surfaces of these extensions. The portions 40' of panel E extend rearwardly from the front corners of the sides of the chair into overlapping engagement with the outer portions 32' of the arm panels B, and are secured by means of screw-pins 82.

From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of my improved slipcover, it will be seen that the special problem posed by the variance in the forms and relationship of the arms, cushions, and sides in different chair styles is overcome, and that a wide variety of chair styles and sizes may therefore be covered neatly and snugly by a given cover. It will be understood that sufficient excess matreial is provided in the various panels to accommodate a range of sizes, as well as a variety of styles; and that any excess material is taken up by tucking in the crevices between the arms, back, and cushion, as well as by means of the overlapping of the arm and back panels upon the rear surface of the chair, and of the face panel upon the arm panels at the sides and/or front face of the chair. Various changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art Without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, and I therefore intend to define the invention in the appended claim without limitation to specific details herein shown and described by way of illutration.

What I claim is:

A slipcover for chairs, including a back panel and a seat panel for covering the back-rest and seat of a chair,

right and left arm panels extending outwardly from opposite side edges of said seat panel and joined there to over the full lengths of said side edges for covering inner, upper, and outer surfaces of the chair arms,

said arm panels each being formed with an extension forwardly from portions thereof covering the sides of the arms, said extensions being arranged for folding about the front corners of the chair sides and over front faces of the chair arms into underlapping relation with portions of said arm panels covering inner surfaces of the chair arms,

and a front panel extending forwardly from said seat panel for covering the front face of the chair,

said front panel including front corner portions extending laterally beyond said side edges of said seat panel and arranged to overlie lower areas of said extensions,

said front corner portions being formed with darts in proximity to upper margins thereof for snugly receiving the outside front corners of a T-cushion when said cover is applied to a Tvcushion chair, and for folding in a crevice between the cushion and arm when applied to a square-cushion chair.

Krogh Oct. 29, 1957 Schutte July 21, 1959

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