IP Library Granted Patent US 12,433,410
Granted Patent B2
US 12,433,410 · App. 18/193,325 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Upholstered recliner including molded furniture components

Inventors: Timothy A. Brandtner (Ettrick, WI); Nicholas J. Robinson (Ettrick, WI); Philip Bramlett (Ripley, MS)
Assignee: Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC
A47C7/185A47C1/02A47C5/12A47C7/54A47C17/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,433,410
App. No.
18/193,325
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An upholstered recliner, a frame including a pair blow molded hollow arm rest forms. Further components may be blow molded such as a back rest. The arm rest forms and backrest forms may be reinforced with metal plates and assembled into a recliner. The backrest form may have legs with kd brackets secured thereto by clamping onto the portions of the legs of the backrest forms. The connections to the backrest form and arm rest forms providing a geometrically rigid and robust frame that is weighs less, is quicker to assemble, and is more robust that conventional wood frame recliners.

Claims (22)

1. An upholstered recliner having two blow molded arm rest forms, a pair of upholstery socks conformingly sized and positioned on respective ones of the two blow molded arm rest forms, a blow molded backrest form, and a seat deck, each of the blow molded arm rest forms being hollow and having a continuous polymeric wall extending around a top, two lateral sides, a forward side, a rearward side, and a bottom side, each arm rest form attached to the seat deck, a recliner mechanism positioned under and attached to the seat deck, wherein the backrest form has a pair of downwardly extending legs, each leg having a coupling bracket on an inward wall of each leg, each coupling bracket attached at a tubular wall structure extending from the inward wall to an outward wall, with a barrel nut extending from one of the inward wall and outward wall and a screw cooperating with the barrel nut and extending from the other of the inward wall and outward wall, wherein the tubular wall structure is compressed with the engagement of the barrel nut and screw.

2. The upholstered recliner of claim 1 , wherein the barrel nut is integrated with each coupling bracket.

3. The upholstered recliner of claim 1 , wherein each coupling bracket has a pair of dome shaped protrusions positioned in cooperating recesses on the inward wall of the respective legs of the backrest form.

4. The upholstered recliner of claim 1 , wherein each of the legs of the backrest form are formed without internal reinforcing support.

5. The upholstered recliner of claim 1 , wherein the blow molded arm rest forms have a reinforcing plate on an exterior lateral side of each of the blow molded arm rest forms.

6. The upholstered recliner of claim 5 , wherein each of the reinforcing plates is positioned on and attached to a vertical column defined by a pair of windows extending through each of the arm rest forms.

7. An upholstered recliner comprising:

a pair of blow molded polymer arm rest forms, each of the arm rest forms being hollow and having a continuous wall extending around a top, two lateral sides, a forward side, a rearward side, and a bottom side;

a seat deck bolted inbetween the pair of molded polymer arm rest forms, each of the molded arm rest forms having threaded fasteners clamped to respective wall portions of each one of the pair of molded polymer arm rest forms.

8. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , wherein each of the pair of blow molded arm rest forms each has a respective form fitting upholstery sock thereon.

9. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , further comprising a blow molded backrest form covered by a form fitting upholstery sock.

10. The upholstered recliner of claim 9 , wherein the seat deck has a form fitting upholstery sock thereon.

11. The upholstered recliner of claim 10 , wherein each of the form fitting upholstery socks are openable and closeable by a zipper or hook and loop material.

12. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , wherein each of the threaded fasteners is a rivet nut.

13. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , wherein each of the polymer arm rest forms having a recess for a lower rearward spanning wood rail and each of the recesses having a plurality of threaded inserts therein and the lower rearward rail is attached to each of the polymer arm rest forms with a threaded screw extending through the lower rearward rail into the threaded inserts.

14. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , wherein each of the polymer arm rest forms having a vertical column defined by a pair of windows therein.

15. The upholstered recliner of claim 7 , further comprising a molded back rest that is secured to a recliner mechanism positioned below the seat deck.

16. The upholstered recliner of claim 15 , wherein the molded back rest and each of the polymer arm rest forms are blow molded with a wall defining an interior.

17. The upholstered recliner of claim 16 , wherein each arm rest form has an internal volume of at least 1 cubic foot.

18. The upholstered recliner of claim 1 , wherein the back rest form has a form fitting upholstery sock thereon.

19. The upholstered recliner of claim 18 , wherein the seat deck has a form fitting upholstery sock thereon.

20. The upholstered recliner of claim 19 , wherein each of the form fitting upholstery socks are openable and closeable by a zipper or hook and loop material.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2025
From: BRANDTNER, TIMOTHY A.; ROBINSON, NICHOLAS J.; BRAMLETT, PHILIP
To: ASHLEY FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 072586/0690 →
Continuity (9)
Continuation In Part 17481151 · Sep 21, 2021
Continuation In Part PCTUS2021022645 · Mar 16, 2021
Continuation In Part 16525539 · Jul 29, 2019
Provisional Application 63482991 · Feb 2, 2023
Provisional Application 63325337 · Mar 30, 2022
Provisional Application 63039445 · Jun 15, 2020
Provisional Application 62990287 · Mar 16, 2020
Provisional Application 62711168 · Jul 27, 2018
Related Publication 20230232987A1 · Jul 27, 2023
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