Folding ottoman
The present invention provides a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assembly, a bottom panel, and a top lid. The sidewall assembly comprises a number of sidewalls, wherein adjacent sidewalls are interconnected by flexible hinges so as to enable the sidewall assembly to be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state. In the deployed state, the sidewall assembly forms a geometric shape. The bottom panel is inserted into the deployed sidewall assembly and is removably supported by a plurality of removable support means. The top lid is placed onto the sidewall assembly and is removably supported thereon.
1 . A foldable ottoman comprising:
a sidewall assembly having a number of sidewalls and an equal number of hinges hingedly interconnecting adjacent sidewalls, the sidewall assembly having a bottom end and an opposed top end;
a plurality of support members protruding inwardly from the sidewall assembly and disposed near the bottom end thereof;
a bottom panel removably supported by the support members within the sidewall assembly; and
a top lid removably supported by the top end of the sidewall assembly.
2 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms a generally circular shape and has a large number of sidewalls.
3 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms a polygonal shape having an even number of sidewalls.
4 . The foldable ottoman of claim 3 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms a square.
5 . The foldable ottoman of claim 3 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms a rectangle.
6 . The foldable ottoman of claim 3 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms a hexagon.
7 . The foldable ottoman of claim 3 , wherein the sidewall assembly forms an octagon.
8 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein the hinges comprise fabric hinges.
9 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein each support member is a peg protruding inwardly from a sidewall.
10 . The foldable ottoman of claim 9 , wherein each sidewall includes at least one aperture adapted for removably receiving a peg.
11 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a locator to position the lid on the sidewall assembly.
12 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein the sidewalls, the lid, and the bottom panel in combination form a closed interior space.
13 . The foldable ottoman of claim 1 , wherein at least one sidewall comprises an opening.
14 . A foldable ottoman comprising:
a sidewall assembly having four sidewalls and four fabric hinges hingedly interconnecting adjacent sidewalls, the sidewall assembly having a bottom end and an opposed top end;
a bottom panel removably supported by a plurality of support members within the sidewall assembly near the bottom end thereof; and
a top lid removably supported by the top end of the sidewall assembly, the top lid having a locator to position the lid on the sidewall assembly.
15 . The foldable ottoman of claim 14 , wherein each support member comprises a ledge formed integrally with a sidewall, the bottom panel resting on the ledge.
16 . The foldable ottoman of claim 14 , wherein each support member comprises a ledge attached to a sidewall, the bottom panel resting on the ledge.
17 . The foldable ottoman of claim 14 , wherein each support member comprises a peg protruding inwardly from a sidewall and an aperture in the sidewall adapted to removably receive the peg, the bottom panel resting on the peg.
18 . The foldable ottoman of claim 14 , wherein each support member comprises an outward protrusion formed on the bottom panel, the outward protrusion engaging a sidewall.
19 . A method of assembling a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assembly including a number of sidewalls and an equal number of hinges hingedly interconnecting adjacent sidewalls, a bottom panel, a top lid, and a plurality of support members, the sidewall assembly having an open bottom end and an open top end, comprising:
unfolding the sidewall assembly from a collapsed state to form a geometric shape defined by the number of sidewalls;
removably installing at least one support member near the bottom end of each sidewall, the support members protruding inwardly from the sidewall assembly;
inserting the bottom panel through the open top end of the sidewall assembly to be removably supported by the support members;
placing the top lid to be removably supported by the top end of the sidewall assembly.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the hinges comprise fabric hinges.
21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein each support member is a peg adapted to be removably inserted into a corresponding aperture in a sidewall.
22 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the top lid has a locator for positioning the lid on the sidewall assembly.
23 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the number of sidewalls is an even number and the sidewall assembly forms a polygonal shape.
24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the number of sidewalls is four and the sidewall assembly forms a generally square shape.
25 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the number of sidewalls is large and the sidewall assembly forms a generally circular shape.