STRETCH WING CHAIR COVER

Abstract

A cover for a chair having wings extending from the back portion of the chair and having exposed legs. The cover may be formed of elastic fabric and is an enclosed structure with an open bottom. The cover is placed over the chair and is secured at the base using a series of binders which attach to one another under the chair. The binders prevent accidental removal of the cover.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/837,369, filed on Aug. 11, 2006, and entitled “Stretch Wing Chair Cover.” U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/837,369 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to furniture covers and, more specifically, relates to a cover for a wing chair.

BACKGROUND

Furniture covers can be used to either protect furniture or as an economical solution to improving the aesthetics of damaged or unsightly furniture without reupholstering. There are furniture cover designs for all types of seating furniture. However, as the design of the chair becomes more complex, so too must the design of a cover adapted for that chair. One such complicated design of a chair is the wing chair, which is characterized by a pair of wings extending from each side of the chair's back portion. The wings are wider at the top than they are at the bottom.

Known covers for wing chairs are formed of knit fabric and shaped to include sections for the wings. Some covers include foam tubes which have to be forced into the crevices of the chair to pull the fabric taught over the contours of the chair. Cliplocks are used to secure the bottom of the cover to the chair. Many wing chair covers include a skirt to hide the legs of the chair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a cover for a wing chair that securely attaches to the chair without the need for cliplocks. The cover is adapted to fit chairs that have a base section which either alone, or in combination with a cushion, provides a seating surface. The base is supported by a plurality of legs extending downward therefrom. The chair also includes a back portion extending up from the base with wings on either side of the back portion.

The cover is formed of a fabric that is designed to form fit the contours of the chair. The cover has a series of panels to cover each side of the base, back portion, and any cushions included in the chair design. Pockets are also provided for the wings and may also be included for arms of the chair if appropriate. The cover is formed of a fabric that may be elastic such that the cover can effectively fit a variety of chairs having the same general design but not the exact same dimensions. The cover has an open bottom and is pulled in place over the top of the chair. The elasticity in the fabric of the cover assists when placing it on the chair by allowing the cover to expand or contract appropriately as it passes over the contours of the chair.

The open bottom of the slipcover makes removing and placing the cover on the wing chair effortless. However, it also necessitates an attachment to secure the cover on the chair. The present invention uses a series of binders extending from the bottom of the cover at the opening which attach to one another thereby holding the cover securely in place on the chair. The preferred embodiment includes four under-flaps at each side of the bottom of the cover, which may be realized as extensions of seat, side and back panels of the cover. The under-flaps are disposed in spaced apart relation and are adapted to fold under the base of the chair against the bottom surface. Each under-flap has a binder extending from each of its ends. Each binder is secured to a neighboring binder of an adjacent under-flap. The space left between each under-flap provides a leg opening for each of the four legs of the chair. The binders and under-flaps, once secured together, form a ring that is smaller than the base of the chair and thus, retains the cover on the chair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a chair of the type used with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cover, in accordance with the invention, as secured on the chair shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the chair and cover shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the chair and cover shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the cover in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a cover for a chair such as that shown in shown in FIG. 1. The chair 10 is distinguished by wings 30 which project in a forward direction from its back 20. The base 15 of the chair 10 supports the back 20 and is supported by four exposed legs 50. The embodiment of chair 10, shown in FIG. 1, also includes arms 35 and a T-cushion 40. However, these features are not essential; the present invention may be designed for chairs without them.

The present invention provides a cover 100 shown in FIG. 2 that fits wing chair 10. Cover 100 conceals the upholstered portions of wing chair 10 but leaves the legs 50 exposed. Back 20 of chair 10 is covered by front section 120 and rear panel 125, which also extends over the rear portion of base 15. A seat section 140 fits over the seat cushion 40 and side-base panels 115 and front-base panels 110 cover the remainder of the base. Cover 100 also includes two wing pockets or sections 130 and arm sections 135. The embodiment shown excludes a skirt leaving the area under the base 15 open. However, a skirt could be added to cover 100, concealing legs 50 and the area under base 15. Additionally, although cover 100 is shown with mid-length arm sections 135, the arm sections may be shaped to fit arms that reach the front of the chair, or the arm sections may be excluded.

Cover 100 comprises a textile material that envelopes the chair and protects and hides its existing upholstery. The textile material or fabric may have some elasticity so that it can stretch to fit a variety of shaped chairs. For example, the fabric may include spandex or another elasticized yarn. Including five percent or more spandex into the fabric of cover 100 provides the fabric with enough stretch to fit tightly on a variety of chair shapes. A preferred embodiment of cover 100 has a stretch standard set at a minimum requirement of 40% fabric stretch in pattern width and 60% fabric stretch in pattern length tested to the ASTM D 2594 testing method. The stretch in the fabric used in cover 100 provides two advantages. Using fabric with elasticity allows the fabric pattern to be smaller than the size of the chairs which cover 100 fits. Cover 100 is stretched over each portion of chair 10 and form fits to the curves of the chair. Including stretch in both the width and length of the fabric allows cover 100 to stretch dynamically and hug the silhouette of chair 10.

The stretch fabric used in cover 100 obviates the need for extensive clips and other attachment mechanisms allowing a simpler and more elegant method for securing cover 100 to chair 10. As shown in FIG. 4, cover 100 includes four under-flaps (shown hanging loose in FIG. 3) which fold under base 15 and are attached together and against the bottom surface of the chair. The cover 100 includes a front under-flap 112, two side under-flaps 117 and a rear under-flap 127 which, in the folded state, prevent cover 100 from slipping up and off chair 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, each under-flap 112, 117, 127 includes two binders 150, one at each end, to attach to the under-flap to its neighboring under-flaps. The under-flaps fold up under the base 15 of the chair along its side. Each under-flap is positioned in spaced apart relationship from the corner of cover 100. The separation of the under-flaps from the corner creates a leg opening 154 for each leg 50. The use of binders 150 to secure cover 100 to chair 10 help achieve a form fit without hardware or accessories that may be visible to the user.

The shown binders 150 each include an attachment mechanism to attach to the neighboring binder 150. The attachment mechanism may be hook and loop fastening material, with each alternating binder having the hook or loop portion. Alternatively, the attachment mechanism may be formed of two hooks, clasps, snaps or the like.

The binders 150 shown in FIG. 4 are each part of a binding strap 152 (shown in FIG. 5). The binding straps 152 are free floating and may be held in passages 114 as illustrated in FIG. 4 within the under-flaps. The binders 150 at each end of the respective binding straps 152 extend from the passages and attach to the neighboring strap 152. The binders 150 and binding straps 152 are formed of elastic and provide a constant tension holding the under-flaps below the base 15 of chair 10. The loop formed by the connected binding straps 152 holds cover 100 securely on the chair.

Alternative embodiments for holding cover 100 on the chair in accordance with the invention are shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the cover does not need to include an under-flap for each of its sides. In this embodiment, under-flap 127 has been omitted and two of the binders 150 reach across the rear portion of the chair. Alternatively, two of the flaps may be omitted and the binders 150 may reach across two sides of the rear portion of the chair.

Also shown in FIG. 5, the binding straps 152 are attached to the outside of the under-flaps. In another embodiment, each binder 150 may be separate and attached directly to one side of each under-flap 112, 117, 127. The binders 150 shown extending from each of the side under-flaps 117 do not have an attachment mechanism, and instead are tied to one another as an alternative embodiment. In addition, in an embodiment in which the under-flaps 112, 117, 127 are provided with passages 114, a single strap 152 (“drawstring”) may be routed through the passages 114 and tied as a single point or otherwise bound at a single point with a single binder 250

Although the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, many features may be varied, as will readily be apparent to those skilled in this art. Thus, the foregoing description is illustrative and not limiting.

Claims

1. A cover for a chair having a base, a back extending from an upper surface of the base, and one or more exposed legs extending from a lower surface of the base, the cover comprising:

a first plurality of panels for covering the back of the chair and upper surface of the base of the chair;

a second plurality of panels for covering side surfaces of the base;

a plurality of under-flaps each extending at an upper edge from a lower edge of one of the second plurality of panels, each one of the plurality of under-flaps being separated at a side edge by a predetermined distance from the side edge of an adjacent one of the plurality of under-flaps; and

one or more binders confined or attached at lower edges of the plurality of under-flaps, the one or more binders being configured to be secured to apply tension between the side edges of adjacent ones of the plurality of under-flaps when the under-flaps are folded onto the lower surface of the base of the chair, thereby securing the cover to the chair;

wherein the predetermined distance established between the adjacent ones of the under-flaps permits passage of one of the one or more exposed legs between the adjacent under-flaps when the adjacent under-flaps are folded onto the lower surface of the base of the chair.

2. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the chair is a wing chair having two wings each extending laterally from the back of the chair, the cover further comprising;

two wing pockets each extending laterally from the panels in the first plurality of panels that cover the back of the chair, wherein the two wing pockets are respectively configured to cover the two wings of the wing chair.

3. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the chair further comprises a seat cushion positioned on the upper surface of the base of the chair, and wherein the second plurality of panels further covers the seat cushion of the chair.

4. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the chair further comprises one or more arms extending upwardly at side edges of the base of the chair, the cover further comprising;

two arm sections each extending upwardly from the panels in the second plurality of panels that cover the base of the chair, wherein the two arm sections are respectively configured to cover the two arms of the chair.

5. The cover according to claim 3, wherein the chair comprise four exposed legs extending from a lower surface of the base, the first plurality of panels comprising:

a front section for covering a front side surface of the back;

a rear panel for covering a rear-side surface of the back and a rear-side surface of the base;

a seat section for covering the seat cushion;

the second plurality of panels comprising:

two side-base panels for covering lateral-side surfaces of the base; and

a front-base panel for covering a front-side surface of the base.

6. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a textile material.

7. The cover according to claim 6, wherein the textile material is a material providing at least a 40% fabric stretch in pattern width and at least a 60% fabric stretch in pattern length under ASTM D 2594 stretch testing.

8. The cover according to claim 6, wherein the textile material comprises an elasticized yarn material.

9. The cover according to claim 8, wherein the elasticized yarn material comprises a spandex material.

10. The cover according to claim 1, wherein at least one binder that is confined or attached to an under-flap is configured to be secured to another binder confined or attached to an adjacent under-flap in order to provide the tension between side edges of adjacent under-flaps.

11. The cover according to claim 10, wherein the at least one binder is configured to be secured to the other binder by one or more fasteners selected from the group consisting of hooks, clasps and snaps.

12. The cover according to claim 10, wherein the at least one binder is configured to be secured to the other binder by a hook and loop fastening material.

13. The cover according to claim 10, wherein the at least one binder is configured to be secured to the other binder by tying the at least one binder and the other binder together.

14. The cover according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of under-flaps comprises:

a front under-flap extending from the front-base panel;

two side under-flaps each extending from one of the two side-base panels; and

a rear under-flap extending from the rear panel.

15. The cover according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of under-flaps comprises:

two side under-flaps each extending from one of the two side-base panels; and

a rear under-flap extending from the rear panel.

16. The cover according to claim 15, wherein one of the binders confined or attached to the lower edge of one of the two side under-flaps extends at a front-facing side edge of the side under-flap, another one of the binders confined or attached to the lower edge of the other of the two side under-flaps extends at a front-facing side edge of the other side under-flap, and the two binders extending from the front-facing side edges of the side-under-flaps are configured to be respectively secured to each other.

17. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the one binder is configured to be secured to the other binder by tying the one binder and the other binder together.

18. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the one or more binder materials comprise an elastic material.

19. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the one or more binders are confined and extend through passages provided at the lower edges of the plurality of under-flaps.

20. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the one or more binders are attached at the lower edges at the lower edges of the plurality of under-flaps.

21. The cover according to claim 5, wherein:

the plurality of under-flaps comprises two side under-flaps each extending from one of the two side-base panels;

wherein: two or more binders are confined or attached to the lower edge of each of the two side under-flaps, extending from each side under-flap at a front-facing side edge and a rear-facing side edge of the side under-flap, the two or more binders extending from each of the two side under-flaps at the front-facing side edge are configured to be respectively secured to each other, and the two or more binders extending from each of the two side under-flaps at the rear-facing side edge are configured to be respectively secured to each other.

22. A cover for a piece of furniture including a base having an upper surface, a plurality of side surfaces and a lower surface with one or more exposed legs extending from the lower surface, the cover comprising:

a plurality of panels for covering the upper surface and side surfaces of the base;

a plurality of under-flaps each extending at an upper edge from a lower edge of one of the plurality of panels covering one of the side surfaces, each one of the plurality of under-flaps being separated at a side edge by a predetermined distance from the side edge of an adjacent one of the plurality of under-flaps; and

one or more binders confined or attached at lower edges of the plurality of under-flaps, the one or more binders being configured to be secured to apply tension between the side edges of adjacent ones of the plurality of under-flaps when the under-flaps are folded onto the lower surface of the base of the chair, thereby securing the cover to the chair;

wherein the predetermined distance established between the adjacent ones of the under-flaps permits passage of one of the one or more exposed legs between the adjacent under-flaps when the adjacent under-flaps are folded onto the lower surface of the base of the chair.