Convertible Multi-Functional Furniture

Abstract

Convertible, multi-functional furniture is disclosed that has at least a standard configuration and a converted configuration, the standard and converted configurations providing different uses for the convertible furniture.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 891,941, filed Feb. 27, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 938,157, filed May 15, 2007.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to multiple-use furniture, and it relates more particularly to furniture that converts from one configuration to at least one other configuration, where each configuration has a different function.[0004]2. Background and Related Art[0005]Home theaters are becoming increasingly popular for many people. Many people are desirous to improve their viewing experience when watching movies and other audiovisual programs in their homes. They want to have an experience similar to the experience they have in movie theaters, which are typically dedicated to a single purpose of providing an ideal environment for viewing Hollywood movies and the like. While some people are willing and able ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In some general-purpose configurations, the embodiments of the convertible furniture may have an appearance that disguises the alternate home-theater and other purposes of the furniture. Therefore, in those configurations, the appearance of the furniture may be well-suited for use in normal social uses of the general-purpose room. In those configurations, embodiments of the convertible furniture may be used in ways that a standard couch, standard chair, standard loveseat, standard table, and / or standard ottoman, etc. would be used. In home-theater or other configurations, the convertible furniture may be provided with features that enhance the home theater experience and allow the general-purpose room to mimic the movie theater environment, provide gaming surfaces, provide access to secure storage, provide exercise equipment, etc.

[0012]In some embodiments, the convertible furniture may also have further configurations to provide additional functionality to the convertible furniture. Therefore, the convertible furniture provides compact, space-efficient, multiple-use furniture suitable for use in a general-purpose or any room that enhances the home theater and other possibilities of the general-purpose or other room.

Problems solved by technology

While some people are willing and able to convert a room in their houses into a dedicated home theater room, many, if not most, are unable, for financial or practical reasons, to dedicate a portion of their home to be a full-time home theater and nothing else.

While, in many cases, people are able to achieve high-quality video and audio presentation, the environment they achieve still fails to adequately mimic the movie theater environment.

Put simply, most homes using a general-purpose room as a home theater lack adequate accommodations so that more than one or two individuals can comfortably watch a movie at the same time.

This is problematic for home theater use because the placement of the other couches usually means that potential viewers are placed at poor locations / angles for viewing a displayed movie.

In many general-purpose rooms, moving one couch or chair in front of the other to provide a more theater-like experience during viewing of a movie is difficult or unacceptable: the couches / chairs may be heavy and difficult to move; additional furniture, such as coffee tables, etc. may be in the way; and, in many instances, those persons in the couch or chair in back may be unable to see over the couch or chair in front or the persons in it.

In other cases, some people simply do not have the ability to dedicate enough seating to watching of movies.

Some general-purpose rooms are small enough that they are unable to hold additional furniture beyond a single couch (or pair of couches) and a central coffee table.

In still other instances, people are unwilling to put theater-style furniture in a general-purpose room as the furniture is generally less attractive than standard furniture, or has features well-suited for home-theater use but not well-suited for general-purpose use.

Thus, many people desiring to be able to mimic a movie-theater experience in their homes, but being unwilling or unable to dedicate a general-purpose room to be a home theater, are frustrated in their desire.

In many instances, including such equipment in the home becomes undesirable.

The additional equipment often clashes with existing furniture or is unsightly, and many people are unwilling or unable to dedicate sufficient space in their homes to include such equipment.

Having an exercise bicycle, treadmill, or other such equipment, however, takes up a large amount of space in an otherwise general-purpose room and is therefore disadvantageous for many people.

Many other multi-purpose needs of individuals, in whatever room it be in, are not met by currently-available single-purpose furniture.

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