Folding ottoman

Abstract

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.