Ashley Furniture Industries Inc.

Jeremy Robinson

Rigoberto Marquez

James Floyd

An upholstered sofa sits in a protective tray with an integrated dust cover. The protective tray attached to a wood frame of the sofa around a frame opening at a dust cover portion of the protective tray. The tray having a separable juncture between an edge portion of the dust cover portion and the portions of the protective tray surrounding the dust cover portion, whereby portions of the tray surrounding the dust cover portion may be removed at a retail sales location or a user's home. The protective tray with the integrated dust cover is semi-rigid and may be attached robotically at the manufacturer's facility.

Protective tray with an integrated dust cover for a sofa

A motion furniture side mechanism includes a side plate and a pivotable swing arm pre-aligned with the side plate for insertion of a driver tube using an automated or manual assembly operation. The swing arm includes a pivotable driver arm, and a driver tube socket is defined on the driver arm. One or more bushings disposed between the side plate and the swing arm or driver arm provides a mechanical retainer to prevent the swing arm or driver arm from becoming inadvertently angularly misaligned prior to assembly. The pre-aligned side mechanism allows automated insertion of a driver tube without the need to identify a misaligned linkage or re-align a linkage prior to driver tube insertion. A method of assembly furniture includes providing a side mechanism with a pre-aligned linkage member such as a swing arm or driver arm positioned for driver tube insertion.

Motion furniture mechanism with pre-aligned linkage member

A frame for motion furniture includes a first side frame and a second side frame. A first plurality of connecting flanges extends from the first side frame toward the second side frame, and a second plurality of connecting flanges extends from the second side frame toward the first side frame. A plurality of cross support members span between the first and second side frames in a horizontal direction, each of the cross support members positioned against a corresponding connection flange of the first plurality of connection flanges and against a corresponding connection flange of the second plurality of connection flanges. A plurality of fasteners connects corresponding cross support members to corresponding connection flanges. Each fastener has a longitudinal axis that is oriented in a direction that is transverse to the horizontal direction. A method of assembling furniture having the disclosed cross support connection structure is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Pontotoc, MS, United States of America

Jeremy Robinson