Furniture pieces which incorporate load-bearing or non-load bearing structures in which water or other material may be stored. By incorporating such storage capacity within furniture, a user may take advantage of space that would otherwise be unused or unusable to unobtrusively and conveniently store an emergency water supply or other desired material.

A removable cushion for a chair having an outer surface and an inner foam, as well as at least one magnetic member. The inner foam and the outer surface are formed from the same polymer, with the outer surface forming an integral skin over the inner foam. The outer surface defines an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface is structurally configured to be positioned in an abutting relationship with a seating surface of a chair. The at least one magnetic member is embedded within one of the outer surface and the inner foam, the at least one magnetic member positioned closer to the lower surface than the upper surface of the outer surface. A chair having the cushion, and a mold is likewise disclosed, as is a method of manufacturing the cushion.

A collapsible leg assembly that includes a first leg having an upper portion and a lower portion; a second leg having an upper portion and a lower portion; a crossbar extending between the lower portions of the first and second legs, wherein the crossbar further includes a first section and a second section that are either flexibly connected to one another or detachably connected to one another; an upper leg receptacle that is adapted to receive the upper portion of the first leg in a hinged manner and the upper portion of the second leg in a hinged manner; a first lower leg receptacle that is adapted to receive the bottom portion of the first leg in a fixed manner and the first section of the crossbar in hinged manner; and a second lower leg receptacle that is adapted to receive the bottom portion of the second leg in a fixed manner and the second section of the crossbar in hinged manner.

An actuating drive, in particular for seat adjustment devices, comprising at least one electric motor, a downstream reduction gear, a coupling device which has a coupling engagement spring that ensures an engaged position of the coupling device during motorized operation and permits a manual disengagement against its coupling force. The coupling device has a coupling lever pivotably mounted in a pivot bearing of a bearing block. The coupling lever is connected at one end of the pivot bearing to a mechanical actuating unit and by which at the other end of the pivot bearing a coupling means can be adjusted to disengage the coupling device. The actuating drive ensures both reliable electrical and reliable manual operation, a high degree of efficiency during electrical operation and simple assembly for a generic actuating drive.

An actuating drive, in particular for seat adjustment devices, comprising at least one electric motor, a downstream reduction gear, a coupling device which has a coupling engagement spring that ensures an engaged position of the coupling device during motorized operation and permits a manual disengagement against its coupling force. The coupling device has a coupling lever pivotably mounted in a pivot bearing of a bearing block. The coupling lever is connected at one end of the pivot bearing to a mechanical actuating unit and by which at the other end of the pivot bearing a coupling means can be adjusted to disengage the coupling device. The actuating drive ensures both reliable electrical and reliable manual operation, a high degree of efficiency during electrical operation and simple assembly for a generic actuating drive.

A seating arrangement includes a base, a seat assembly operably coupled to the base, and a back assembly that includes a substantially rigid back frame including a pair of side portions spaced from one another and extending upward from the base, and a substantially flexible back shell including a front surface and a rear surface opposite the front surface, a plurality of laterally-extending slots that extend between the front surface and the rear surface and that cooperate to define a plurality of laterally-extending ribs therebetween, where a pair of laterally-extending ribs of the plurality of laterally-extending ribs are connected to one another via a vertically-extending rib located at a substantial midpoint across a width of the back shell, and wherein the back shell is coupled to each of the side portions of the back frame at locations above the plurality of laterally-extending slots.

A furniture spacer having a rigid flat construction is configured to rest on the floor between the base of a wall and a piece of furniture such as a chair, sofa, table, or cabinet and the like to keep the furniture away from the wall and prevent it from hitting the wall or window and causing damage. Since furniture comes in many sizes and shapes, with different degrees of lean from the leg bottom to the most rearward part of the furniture it is desirable that a single such spacer accommodate a wide variety of furniture designs, including legs within a reasonable range of widths and shapes, which the particular shape of the described spacer is able to do without significant effort on the part of the user.

A seating unit is provided with a glider linkage and a powered reclining mechanism, supported on a pedestal base. The glider linkage allows the seating unit to move to and fro in a gliding motion when the seating unit is in the closed position. The powered reclining mechanism allows independent operation of the footrest and back recline, utilizing a two-motor design. As the seating unit moves from the closed position to the TV position, with the footrest extended, a locking linkage prevents the glider linkage from moving. Additionally, the locking of the glider linkage provides at least a portion of the change in pitch of the seat. The recliner linkage provides the remaining portion of the change in pitch of the seat as the mechanism moves from the closed to the TV position. Because the back recline is independent from the footrest extension, the back can be at least partially reclined even when the seating unit is in the closed position.

The convertible hand truck and chair device may combine the advantages of a wheeled hand truck with the advantages of a folding chair. Such a design may allow a user to transport large or heavy items from one location to another using the hand truck, and to then utilize the hand truck as a chair device for sitting. By way of example, a user going to the beach or a camp site may carry most or all of their needed items, such as coolers, foodstuffs, and other goods, to the beach or camp site location, and then convert the hand truck to a seat where they may sit or rest without the need to bring an additional chair. The device may further collapse down into a compact form factor for ease of transportation.

A vibrotactile support with suppressed distortion and destructive interference having a rigid frame within which is tensioned a high-density material panel in a supportive configuration. A low-durometer, high specific gravity material user interface pad is placed on the high-density panel on the user-supporting side and a plurality of acoustic drivers are attached to the opposing side of the high-density material panel to transmit vibrations through the high-density material panel, the pad, and the user's skin. The acoustic drivers are supplied from an amplifier which is supplied from an electronic audio source. The amplifier may also drive a set of headphones for the user. The audio source may be from any known electronic audio source, including audio-visual presentations. Various shapes and configurations of the vibrotactile support are possible. For non-limiting examples, the vibrotactile support may be configured as a lounge chair, upright chair, baby cradle, or flat bed.