US3515430A - Cushioned slipcover for chairs - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1970 c; F. NELSON CUSHIONED SLIFCCVER FOR CHAIRS Filed Jan. 9, 1968 INVENTOR Curtis E Neison M sfflm ATTORNEY FIG.2.

United States Patent "Ice 3,515,430 CUSHIONED SLIPCO ER FOR CHAIRS Curtis F. Nelson, P.0. Drawer 7, Port Lavaca, Tex. 77979 Filed Jan. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 696,533 Int. Cl. A47c 31/10 US. Cl. 297-218 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cushioned slipcover for chairs having a back, seat, and seat support comprising a seat portion and a connected back portion. The seat portion is provided with front and rear pockets for engaging over the front and rear edges respectively of a chair seat and the back portion is provided with a top pocket for engaging over the top edge of a chair back. The seat and back portions enclose cushion material to cushion the seat and back of a normally uncushioned chair.

This invention relates to a cushioned slipcover for normally uncushioned chairs of the type having a back, a seat and legs, the back having a free upper edge and the seat having free front and rear edges, and the seat cover having three pockets for engaging overthe free upper edge of the chair back, and the free front and rear edges of the seat respectively to firmly hold the cushioned slipcover in place.

This invention is particularly adapted for use with folding chairs but is equally well adapted for use with other types of chairs having a back with a free upper edge and a seat with free front and rear edges.

The cushioned slipcover of this invention is adapted for a tight fitted construction so as to cling to the chair and eliminate slipping of the cushion and cover up, down, forward, backward or sideways. Further it provides for comfort not only on the seat portion but also on the back portion. It provides for beauty to create an attractive appearance most noticeable when set up in auditorium fashion.

When used on certain types of folding chairs the cover may be left on the chairs while the chair is being folded. Some styles of folding chairs necessitate the making of the back portion and the seat portion into two separate pieces which can be connected by suitable fasteners such as snaps, zippers or the like.

The three pockets included on the cushioned slipcover of the invention provide the following important functions:

(1) The pocket at the top of the back portion is designed to fit the contour of the chair back and to hold the cushion and cover in place, not allowing it to slip down, and providing beauty to the top back portion of a chair.

(2) The pocket at the rear portion of the seat keeps the chair cushion and cover from slipping sideways and covers the back edge portion of the seat to create beauty, and most importantly it keeps the cushion and cover from slipping forward which is a natural tendency as one sits in a chair.

(3) The front seat pocket contains a stretchable section thereby allowing it to be the last flap to be slipped on the chair thereby snugly holding the chair cushion and cover to the chair.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,

Patented June 2, 1970 wherein, like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one form of the invention showing the chair cover mounted on a folding chair.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the invention taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the invention showing the bottom and back of the chair cover with its three chair engaging pockets.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical cross sectional view showing a detail of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 a chair cover 10 constructed in accordance with one form of the invention is shown mounted on a chair 11. The chair cover 10 is especially designed to provide an attractive decorative cover and cushion for a chair of a type having a back, a seat, and support means, the back having a free upper edge, and the seat having free front and rear edges and a free upper surface extending between the free front and rear edges. The chair may be of various types of construction but is shown in FIG. 1 by way of example to be a folding chair having a back 12, a seat I13, and front and back pairs of supporting legs 14 and 15 respectively. The seat 13 has a free front edge 17, a free rear edge 18, and a top surface 19 which is unencumbered between its front and rear edges 17 and 18. The front and back legs on each side of the chair are crossed and pivotally connected by pivot connecting means 16 (only one shown). The rear legs 15 are connected by pivot connecting means 20 (only one shown) to opposite sides of the chair seat 13 rearwardly of the front edge 17. The back 12 is formed from integral extensions of the front legs 14 which are connected by one or more cross braces 21 near the upper ends thereof. Suitable means such as folding braces 22 (only one shown) are provided on opposite pairs of legs to prevent the chair legs 14 and 15 from collapsing unintentionally when erected for use. Abutment means (not shown) are provided on the seat or legs or both to support the rear end of the seat when the chair is erected.

The chair cover 10 comprises a seat portion 23, a connected back portion 24, front and rear pockets 25 and 26, respectively, attached to the seat portion 23, and a third pocket 27 connected to the upper edge of the back portion 24 for engaging over the free front and rear edges of the chair seat 13 and over the free upper edge 28 of the chair back 12 to firmly hold the cover in place. The seat and back portions as shown in cross section in FIG. 2 are preferably each made from two layers of fabric 29, 30 and 32, 33 or other sheet material stitched or otherwise connected along their edges to enclose cushion pads 29 and 30 respectively. The cushion pads 29 and 30 may be of any suitable yielding material commonly used for cushions such as for example foam rubber or other synthetic material foams, hair, felt, feathers and the like.

The pockets 25, 26 and 27 may be formed by folding end flap extensions of the cover material back over and stitching or otherwise attaching the side edges of the folded flaps to the cover material to provide open pockets which are of sufficient size to snugly engage over the designated free edges of the chain seat and back respectively. At least one of the pockets includes a piece of elastic material therein so that the pocket can be stretched to engage over one of the chair edges after the other pockets have been properly engaged over the edge portions of the chair for which they are designed. Such a piece of elastic material is designated by reference numeral 35 (shown in FIG. 3) in the front pocket 25'.

The seat portion 23 and the back portion 24 of the chair cover 10 may be permanently connected as shown in the form illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, or they may be detachably connected as illustrated by the detail sectional view in FIG. 4 showing the rear edge of the seat portion and the lower edge of the back portion. When the seat portion 23 and back portion 24 are permanently connected, the seat and back cover sheets 29 and 32 may be formed from an integral sheet folded at the crevice line 36. The pattern for forming the chair cover of this invention is not of importance to the invention because it is contemplated that various patterns can be used which will provide a chair cover with the connected seat and back portions and the required chair edge engaging pockets. The pattern may be of a type such that the chair cover can be made from a single sheet of material suitably cut, folded and stitched or otherwise secured. Or it may be such that multiple pieces of cut sheet material are secured together to provide a chair cover with the required features described herein and in the accompany ing claims.

A chair cover with the seat and back portions permanently connected is adapted for use with some types of folding and non-folding chairs and can be left on the folding chair when the chair is folded. On other types of folding chairs, the cover would have to be removed befor folding unless the back portion and the seat portion were separable. It is for the latter types of folding chairs that the modification illustrated by FIG. 4 is particularly designed. In the modified form of the invetntion the seat and back portions 23' and 24 may be detachably connected by means of snap fastener elements 37 and 38 or other separable fastener means of various wellknown types including zippers. The back portion 24' is made by securing together front and rear panel sheets 32' and 33' with a cushion pad 34 enclosed therebetween. The seat portion 23' is made by securing together top and bottom panel sheets 29' and 30 with cushion pad 31 enclosed therebetween. Plural, spaced male snap fastener elements 37 (only one shown) are secured adjacent the lower edge of the front panel sheet 32 and plural, spaced female snap fastener elements 38 are secured along the opposing rear surface 39 of the seat cover panel 29' for cooperative engagement with the opposite fastener members 37. The pocket 25' for engaging over the rear edge of the chair seat 13 is formed by folding the end extension of the seat panel member 30' inwardly under the panel 30' and securing the side edges of the extension to the underside of the panel 30'. The modified form of chair cover except for the detail shown in FIG. 4 is otherwise like the chair cover shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

In use the seat cover as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 may be applied by first engaging the pockets 27 and 26 over the upper edge 28 of the chair back, and over the rear edge 18 of the chair seat respectively, and then expanding the frontpocket so that it engages over the front edge 17 of the chair seat.

When using the modified form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4 the rear cover portion 24 and the seat cover portion 23' may be applied as separate pieces to the chair back and chair seat respectively, and once positioned correctly over the chair, the rear cover portion and the seat cover portion are connected by engaging the snap fastener elements 37 and 38. The securing of the rear cover portion 24' to the seat cover portion 23' is important in order to maintain the cover snugly secured to the chair and thus eliminate wrinkles, and slipping of the cover portions.

The means for securing the edges of the cover panels 29, and 32, 33 is not important to the invention and may include stitching, adhesives, or other securing means commonly used in making slipcovers.

Also the cover material is not important to the invention and may include various types of flexible sheet materials including natural and synthetic fabrics, plastics, leather and the like.

' The terminology free edge as used in this specification 4 and claims with reference to the chair for which the cover is designed, refers to any edge portion over which an open pocket can be engaged. The terminology free surface as used in this specification and claims refers to any chair surface or partial chair surface upon which a chair cover can be placed uninterruptedly.

While pockets have been described specifically as the fastening means for securing the front edge and rear edge of the slipcover seat portion to the chair seat and for securing the upper edge of the slipcover back portion to the upper edge of the chair back, it is within the scope of this invention to provide other fastening means for the same purpose, such as hooks and the like.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A cushion slipcover for folding chairs of a type having an uncnshioned back and seat, and support means, hingedly connected together, the back having a free upper edge, and the seat having free front and rear edges, said seat cover comprising a seat portion containing cushion material and a connected back portion containing cushion material, and three pockets connected respectively to the front, and rear edges of said seat portion and to the upper edge of said back portion for engaging over the free front and rear edges of said seat, and over the free upper edge of said back to firmly hold the slipcover in place.

2. The slipcover of claim 1 wherein said seat portion and back portion are integrally connected.

3. The slipcover of claim 1 wherein said seat portion and back portion are separably connected by separable fastening means.

4. The slipcover of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pockets has stretch means permitting said pocket to be stretched over the edge portion of said chair which it is designed to engage.

-5. The combination comprising a normally uncnshioned folding chair having a back, a seat, and support means for said seat, hingedly connected together, the back having a free upper edge and free front surface and the seat having free front and rear edges and a free upper surface, and a detachable cushioned slipcover positioned on said chair, said cover having a seat portion containing cushion material and a back portion containing cushion material connected to said seat portion, a front pocket connected to the front edge of said seat portion, a rear pocket connected to the rear edge of said seat portion, and an upper pocket connected to the top edge of said back portion, said seat portion overlying the upper surface of said chair seat with the front pocket engaged over the free front edge of said seat and the rear pocket engaged over the free rear edge of said seat, said back portion overlying the front surface of said back with the upper pocket engaged over the free upper edge thereof.

6. The combination set forth in claim '5 wherein said seat portion and said back portion of said slipcover have means permanently connecting said seat portion to said back portion.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said seat portion and said back portion of said slipcover have separable connecting means for separably connecting said seat portion to said back portion.

8. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said seat portion comprises an upper surface panel of flexible sheet material, a lower surface panel of flexible sheet material, a seat cushion pad between said upper and lower surface panels, and means fastening the edges of said upper surface panel to the edges of said lower surface panel with said cushioning material enclosed there-between, and wherein said back portion comprises a front surface panel, a rear surface panel, a back cushion pad between said front and rear surface panels and means fastening the edges of said front surface panel to the edges of said rear surface panel with said back cushion pad enclosed therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 647,929 4/1900 Allen 297-26 10 1,295,662 2/1919 Witham 297-226 1,729,352 9/ 1929 McGinnis et a1 297-219 Boomfield 297-229 Kaiser 5322 Kelly 297-4 41 X Nail 297-229 X De Montfort 297--396 Chiarenza 297-223 Anderson 297-219 US. Cl. XJR.

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