U.S. patent application number 10/024942 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-19 for modular pocketed spring construction.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sidhil Technology, LLC. Invention is credited to Stumpf, Walter.
Application Number | 20030110566 10/024942 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21823157 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030110566 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stumpf, Walter |
June 19, 2003 |
Modular pocketed spring construction
Abstract
The article disclosed, with method for its manufacture, is a
pocketed-spring construction made by joining juxtaposed
subassemblies or modules formed by the interconnection of two rows
of pocketed springs at intervals of two springs or more according
to the resistance to compression desired. Various module joinder
techniques are shown and described.
Inventors: |
Stumpf, Walter; (Dunwoody,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITCH EVEN TABIN AND FLANNERY
120 SOUTH LA SALLE STREET
SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60603-3406
US
|
Assignee: |
Sidhil Technology, LLC
|
Family ID: |
21823157 |
Appl. No.: |
10/024942 |
Filed: |
December 19, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/655.8 ;
5/720 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/064 20130101;
A47C 27/063 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/655.8 ;
5/720 |
International
Class: |
A47C 023/04 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An innerspring construction comprising: a continuous double row
of pocketed springs comprising two connected strings of pocketed
springs wherein each string includes a plurality of compartments
defined between layers of a fabric strip by spaced transverse seams
which also define a connecting web of fabric between successive
compartments; each of said compartments having therein a spring
which is axially transverse to said strip and axially parallel to
and coextensive with the other springs of said double row; said two
strings being joined together at intervals therealong; said double
row of springs having therein a connected series of modules of
equal numbers of springs defined by the regular occurrence
therealong of two four-spring clusters centered upon successive
interstring connections having a two-spring interval between said
successive connections; the two strings of said modules having a
plurality of interstring connections of their connecting webs at
regular intervals of a plurality of springs between said successive
interstring connections; said modules being separable from said
connected series by the severance of one connecting web between
said two four-spring clusters at each occurrence thereof along said
connected series, alternating between the webs of the two strings
at successive such occurrences; said construction being formed by
the folding of consecutive modules upon each other in opposite
directions about the non-severed web between modules as hinges;
successive juxtaposed modules being connected together remotely
from said hinges, with the corresponding ends of said springs in
common planes, and the ends of the connected modules aligned along
opposite edges of the construction.
2. The construction of claim 1 wherein said plurality of springs
between said plurality of interstring connections are two in
number.
3. The construction of claim 1 wherein said plurality of springs
between said plurality of interstring connections are three in
number.
4. The construction of claim 1 wherein said plurality of springs
between said plurality of interstring connections are more than
three in number.
5. The construction of claim 1 wherein the connection of juxtaposed
modules remote from said hinges is an application of adhesive to at
least one module surface in contact with the juxtaposed module.
6. The construction of claim 5 wherein the adhesive is a hot-melt
adhesive.
7. The construction of claim 1 wherein the connection of juxtaposed
modules together remote from their hinges is an adhesive tape
bridging the juxtaposed modules on exposed surfaces thereof.
8. The construction of claim 7 wherein the said tape spans a
surface of said construction in a direction transverse to said
modules, bridging all modules thereof adjacent to the ends of the
modules.
9. The construction of claim 7 wherein the said adhesive tape spans
the end surfaces of each module along said opposite edges of said
construction.
10. An innerspring construction comprising: a continuous double row
of pocketed springs comprising two connected strings of pocketed
springs wherein each string includes a plurality of compartments
defined between layers of a fabric strip by spaced transverse seams
which also define a connecting web of fabric between successive
compartments; each of said compartments having therein a spring
which is axially transverse to said strip and axially parallel to
and coextensive with the other springs of said double row; said two
strings being joined together by interstring connections of the
webs of the two strings at intervals of two springs therealong;
said double row of springs having defined therein a connected
series of modules of equal numbers of springs by the severance of a
connecting web of each string between adjacent interstring web
connections and alternating between strings at regular intervals
along said double row of springs; said construction being formed by
the folding of consecutive modules upon each other in opposite
directions about the non-severed web between modules as hinges; and
successive folded modules being connected together remotely from
said hinges, with the corresponding ends of said springs in common
planes.
11. A modular subassembly of pocketed springs for mattress
constructions comprising a double row of pocketed springs of finite
length; said double row of pocketed springs comprising two
connected strings of pocketed springs wherein each string includes
a plurality of compartments defined between layers of a fabric
strip by spaced transverse seams which also define a connecting web
of fabric between successive compartments; each of said
compartments having therein a spring which is axially transverse to
said strip and axially parallel to and coextensive with the other
springs of said double row; said two strings being joined together
by interstring connections of the webs of the two strings between
the two terminal springs of each string and at regular intervals of
at least three springs therebetween.
12. An innerspring construction comprising juxtaposed modular
subassemblies of pocketed springs as defined by claim 11, wherein
the end surfaces of the constituent pocketed springs thereof occupy
common planes and the ends of the modular subassemblies are aligned
as one edge of a rectangular array; said modular subassemblies
being connected together in said rectangular array by an
application of adhesive to at least one of the mutually contacting
surfaces of said juxtaposed assemblies; said adhesive being applied
to at least one of the two pocketed springs adjacent to each
interstring connection of said module.
13. An innerspring construction comprising juxtaposed modular
subassemblies of pocketed springs as defined by claim 11, wherein
the end surfaces of the constituent pocketed springs thereof occupy
common planes and the ends of the modular subassemblies are aligned
as one edge of a rectangular array; said modular subassemblies
being connected together in said rectangular array by at least two
spaced adhesive tapes spanning the juxtaposed subassemblies
transversely thereof in at least one of said planes.
14. The innerspring construction comprising juxtaposed modular
subassemblies of pocketed springs as defined by claim 11, wherein
the end surfaces of the constituent pocketed springs thereof occupy
common planes and the ends of the modular subassemblies are aligned
as one edge of a rectangular array; said modular subassemblies
being connected together in said rectangular array by an adhesive
tape spanning the end surfaces of said modules aligned along
opposite edges of said array.
15. A method of fabricating a pocketed spring construction from a
continuous two-row strip of pocketed springs comprising two strings
of said springs joined together side by side, wherein each string
includes a plurality of compartments defined between layers of a
fabric strip by spaced transverse seams which also define a
connecting web of fabric between successive compartments; each of
said compartments having therein a spring which is axially
transverse to said strip and axially parallel to and coextensive
with the other springs of said double row; said two strings being
joined together by regular periodic interstring connections of the
webs of the two strings at consecutive intervals of two springs
therealong; severing the connecting webs of each string between
said consecutive interstring web connections, alternating between
strings at successive periodic interstring connections along said
double row of springs to form connected modules of equal numbers of
springs; folding consecutive said modules in opposite directions
about the residual connecting web of the string opposite a severed
web, as a hinge for folding adjacent ones of said modules in
spring-to-spring contact along said modules; and connecting
adjacent modules together remotely from said hinges to secure said
modules together in assembled relation with the corresponding ends
of their springs in common planes.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said two strings are further
joined between said regular periodic interstring connections by
further connections at intervals of at least three springs along
said two-row strip.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to pocketed-spring constructions for
mattresses and cushions, and particularly to a construction, and
method of its manufacture, in which the unit of assembly of the
springs into the construction is a prefabricated double row module
of pocketed springs, itself pre-assembled from single rows of
springs encased in pockets defined by transversely seaming a
two-ply fabric strip.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] The two-row module of pocketed springs was first shown in my
U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,344, where it was used in the separately
upholstered segments of a mattress comprised of multiple individual
segments connected to each other only by fabric hinge connections
between the separately upholstered segments. The articulatability
of such a composite mattress was thought to recommend it for the
adjustable bed bottoms found in hospitals and to a lesser extent in
homes, but the increased material and labor cost of such
mattresses, as well as other considerations, has limited its
acceptance.
[0005] In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,892, I introduced the
concept of the double row of pocketed springs as the unit of
assembly of the pocketed spring construction. As the unit of
assembly of a mattress construction, a module of double rows of
springs, comprising two pre-connected individual strings or
bandoliers of springs, has the advantage of being stable, i.e.,
self-standing when placed on a surface with either face of
spring-ends lowermost.
[0006] Similarly, in my co-pending application for U.S. patent Ser.
No. 09/675,788, I introduced the employment of resilient foam
elements in single-row bandolier form joined together in two-row
modules for the same use as the two-row modules of pocketed wire or
coil springs, and in the further orientation of the foam elements
with their axes parallel to the plane of the construction, an
unconventional orientation permitted by their omni-directional
resilience, and useful where the flexure of mattress sections is a
requirement.
[0007] In a number of my earlier patents, I had disclosed some of
the then-discovered effects upon the resilience of pocketed wire
coil springs of the various ways the individual rows of pocketed
springs were assembled into construction.
[0008] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,984 dealt with a mode of
assembly in which successive individual rows of pocketed springs
were connected together seriatim by an ultrasonic welding apparatus
having multiple welding probes. These were spaced at two spring
intervals, and were indexed by one spring from row to row to unite
the springs quite intimately in overlapping quadratic patterns,
i.e., with each spring finding itself a member of two, four-spring
"clover leaf" clusters by virtue of indexed connections between
successive rows. This method of construction placed each spring in
intimate and cooperative association with six other springs in
mutual reinforcement which stiffened the resistance of the assembly
to local load.
[0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,946, I disclosed the further
discovery that this stiffness-modifying effect can be enhanced by
modifying the extent and placement of the inter-row connections,
which in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,984 had taken the form of two "button"
welds in the slackest part of the pocket fabric near the ends of
the springs. Moved from the spring ends to the center of the
transverse seams between successive pockets, the resistance of the
construction to compression is increased by an amount variable with
the vertical length of the inter-row seal.
[0010] It may be appreciated from my related U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,401,501 and 4,566,926 that apparatus for the assembly of mattress
constructions from single strings or bandoliers of pocketed
springs, particularly if automated for practicable production
rates, can be complex and therefore expensive, owing to the
necessity of fixturing each new flexible string of springs, in
relation to the string of springs last joined to the construction,
in order to effect the inter-row connections, whether they be made
by welding the rows together at the webs between springs, as in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,501, or by the direct cheek-to-cheek adhesion
of the pockets of the springs of one row to those of the next,
using hot melt or other adhesive, as in my U.S. Pat. No.
4,578,834.
[0011] Out of the very complexity of handling the flexible strings
of springs in row by row assembly of pocketed spring constructions
grew the stable self-supporting double row of springs as the unit
of assembly, joined together as a unit preferably but not
necessarily by welding, which can be made in relatively simple
apparatus, and severed into relatively rigid modules of length
suitable for mattresses. These can be readily handled manually and
assembled manually upon a work table to form a handleable unitary
construction for upholstery by any of the procedures known to the
art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention has multiple aspects, one involving
the manner of connecting two individual rows of springs together to
form the continuous double row of springs from which the two-row
modules are severed, and another the manner of connecting
contiguous coextensive double-row modules to form the construction.
Both can be varied to alter the inherent resilience of the
individual springs in their collective role.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a short segment of a double
row of pocketed springs, having two successive inter-row
connections at a two-spring interval, as updated from the
disclosure of my U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,892;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the double-row segment of FIG.
1;
[0015] FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are plan view diagrams of three forms
of double-row spring modules in which the inter-row connections are
spaced at 2, 3, and 4 spring intervals, respectively;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a connected series of foldable
double-row spring modules defined in a double-row continuum by
periodic severance of the web connections between the springs of a
single row, alternating between rows;
[0017] FIG. 5a illustrates alternate forms of joining multiple
double-row spring modules in a larger "construction" for mattresses
or the like; and
[0018] FIGS. 5b and 5c illustrate further ways of securing the
double-row modules in larger assemblies or "constructions".
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] As contemplated heretofore, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
essentially as earlier illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,892,
the two-row module 10 of pocketed springs 12 was fabricated by
connecting the fabric pocket material of the constituent strings or
rows together at intervals of two-springs therealong, making the
connections 14, hidden in FIG. 1 but shown in FIG. 2, at the
location of the transverse seams 16 of the fabric between the
pockets.
[0020] The joinder 14 of the fabric of the two rows by connecting
the webs between adjacent individual springs rotates the springs
adjacent the connection, the two springs 12 between successive
connections 14 being rotated in opposite directions to place the
seam or seams 16 between their respective pockets on the outsides
of the double row (FIG. 2). The connection of the two constituent
rows in this fashion also draws the pocket fabric more tightly
about the individual springs, increasing their resistance to
compression, as explained in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,946, column 4,
lines 23 et seq., an effect which is dependent in amount upon the
vertical extent of the inter-row connection, and upon its placement
and distribution.
[0021] For that reason, and to facilitate the severance of the
double row of springs into discrete modules, I prefer to form the
pockets in the fabric strip by at least two spaced transverse seams
16 so that the integrity of the pockets adjacent to the severance
of the strip is preserved by cutting the fabric web between the two
spaced transverse seams 16, leaving at least one seam in the fabric
tab 18 at the point of severance.
[0022] Given the spring-stiffening effect of spacing the inter-row
connections at intervals of two springs, the two-row module can be
conversely softened by increasing the interval between inter-row
connections to three springs or more. The greater spacing between
connections reduces the pocket tension induced by the inter-row
connections.
[0023] For example, as shown in FIG. 3a, a two-row module 20 for
transverse orientation in a mattress of single bed width (39-40
inches) requires a module fourteen springs in length at a spring
diameter of 2.75 inches, or seven four-spring clusters with seven
inter-row connections 24 of the two constituent rows, when
connected at two-spring intervals. For any given form of inter-row
connections, their placement at two-spring intervals produces the
greatest resistance to compression other factors being equal.
[0024] If the spacing of inter-row connections is increased,
however, the resistance to compression of the module 20 overall is
reduced, resulting in a softer mattress. Returning to the single
bed mattress for illustration, the interval between inter-row
connections 24 may readily be increased to three springs, as shown
in FIG. 3b, with but five rather than the seven inter-row
connections 24 which occur when the interval is but two
springs.
[0025] The single bed module 20 is equally divisible into
four-spring intervals, with four inter-row connections 24, as shown
in FIG. 3c, for a further softening effect. In each case, it is
preferred that an inter-row connection 24 be made between the first
four springs at either end of the module 20, necessitating a
two-spring interval when the module is formed by severance from a
two-row chain, to define the end of one module and the beginning of
the next. The module is separated from the double-row chain of
springs by cutting the web between the springs of the two-spring
interval at every cutting interval of fourteen springs in the
illustrated case.
[0026] Therefore, continuing with that example, the stiffest
module, that of FIG. 3a, will result from consecutive two-spring
intervals between inter-row connections. The softest module will
result from four-spring intervals, FIG. 3c, which in turn will
require that inter-row connections in a continuous two-row string
be made at a regular periodic spring-interval cycle of
2-4-4-4-2-4-4-4-2-4-4-4-2 (etc.). When the continuous two-row
string is severed into modules by cutting the string between the
springs of a two-spring interval, the spring count for a module
fourteen springs long becomes 1-4-4-4-1, as in FIG. 3c. Similarly
for a module of intermediate stiffness, the periodic spring
interval cycle must be 2-3-3-3-3-2-3-3-3-3-2 (etc.), which when
severed into modules fourteen springs long, as described, results
in a spring group sequence of 1-3-3-3-3-1, as in FIG. 3b. In each
case, two unsevered consecutive cycles will produce a module of
length appropriate for a king size mattress (80 inches wide), or
for that matter, for any mattress of 80-inch length, if the modules
two cycles in length are oriented lengthwise of the mattress.
[0027] For mattresses of the 54-inch and 60-inch intermediate
widths, some accommodation of the combination of spring intervals
between inter-row connections may be required for transverse
orientation, if more than a two-spring interval is desired.
[0028] Whatever cycle may be desired, it is within the capability
of the art to adjust the control mechanism of the apparatus for
sequentially connecting two unstable single-row bandoliers of
pocketed springs into a stable self-standing double row, to execute
a repetitive series of inter-row connections in predetermined but
variable spring-interval sequence.
Intermodular Connection
[0029] As heretofore described, the inter-row connection of
unstable, flexible, single-row bandoliers into stable double-row
modules has not been specified other than by reference to my prior
patents, which contemplated inter-row connection of a variety of
forms from ultrasonic thermal welding, where the nature of the
pocket sheeting will permit, to the use of mechanical connectors
such as stitching or staples, where the pocket sheeting is not
thermally weldable.
[0030] The more recent development of hot-melt adhesives, used in
my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,566,926 and 4,578,834 for the
cheek-to-cheek connection of adjacent spring rows to one another,
seriatim, in the fabrication of a spring core or construction, may
suggest the use of that form of connection of two single rows of
springs together to form stable double-row modules. However, the
mere tangential or "cheek-to-cheek" contact of the rows so
connected, although possible, effects no further tensioning of the
pocket sheeting about the springs, such as can be realized by
row-to-row connection of the pocket sheeting webs between the
transverse, pocket-defining seams. The use of hot-melt adhesive for
the seam-to-seam connections 24 of two single rows to each other to
form a double-row module 20 is clearly feasible, although from the
standpoint of ease of manufacture, is less preferable than the
instantaneous connection of the two spring rows together by
ultrasonic thermal welding of the sheeting of two rows together at
their transverse seams.
[0031] However the two-row modules 20 are achieved, their further
assembly into mattress or cushion cores may vary according to the
amount of handling of the construction that is required before
final upholstery.
[0032] In the simplest case, the placement of the modules
side-by-side in an appropriately sized box, followed by an adhesive
spray on the upper surface of the assembly, and the application of
fabric sheet to the sprayed adhesive, may suffice.
[0033] If the suggested "box" were fabricated of polyfoam and a
polyfoam sheet substituted for the fabric sheet, the polyfoam
upholstered core is ready for insertion immediately into a pre-sewn
cover on a filling machine.
[0034] Where, however, the factory layout, or the desired
upholstery procedure, or other considerations, require it, the
present invention contemplates the connection of successive
double-row modules of pocketed springs to each other seriatim for
their assembly into an entire mattress core, or to sections thereof
where zones of different degrees of softness are desired along the
length of the mattress, or between its longitudinal
half-sections.
[0035] In one novel approach to fabrication of the two-row modules
into a mattress or cushion construction, as in FIGS. 3a, 3b, or 3c,
for example, the double-row string of pocketed springs, as they
issue from apparatus which connects the two strings of individual
pocketed springs together at their respective pocket-defining
transverse seams at intervals of two or more springs therealong,
are partially severed from the double-row string by a single
transverse cut of the pocket fabric made between the spaced lines
of seam welds on the outside of the four-spring grouping defined
between two adjacent inter-row connections made at the two-spring
interval, and which is made successively on opposite sides of the
double-row string.
[0036] The single-sided cut described leaves the fabric on the
opposite side of the two-row string intact to serve as a hinge 28
about which two successive modules are foldable into juxtaposition,
being successively foldable in opposite directions, as indicated
diagrammatically in FIG. 4.
[0037] The folding process may be continued until a construction of
the desired size, or number of modules, is obtained, be it a
mattress-size construction, or a lesser one for a
mattress-construction zonal segment, or a cushion for an
upholstered item of furniture.
[0038] Where intermediate transfer or other handling of the
construction prior to upholstering is to be anticipated, further
attachment of the folded, juxtaposed modules 20 to each other may
be effected by application of adhesive 30 to the contacting
surfaces of the juxtaposed modules, as in FIG. 5a, near or at the
end of the intermodular joint opposite the hinge 28 and at one or
more intermediate locations, depending upon the length of the
modules. Referring back to the softer modules created by altered
spacing of the inter-row connections, i.e., of FIGS. 3b and 3c, I
prefer to make the intermodular adhesive connections between one or
both of the springs of the respective modules which flank the
inter-row connections 24 of the modules, whether the modules are of
the hinged variety, or otherwise separate from each other prior to
assembly.
[0039] Similarly, in the absence of the aforedescribed hinge
connections between modules, i.e., where the modules are discrete,
I prefer to apply a spot of adhesive between the end springs of the
respective juxtaposed modules, and between as many intermediate
springs thereof, i.e., one, two, or three as the handling of the
unupholstered construction may require. Given the high tensile
strength of the non-woven synthetic fabrics available for
spring-pocket service today, the number of intermediate
intermodular attachments I find desirable are: one for a single bed
mattress, two for a double bed mattress or queen-size, and three
for a king-size mattress. These references are to sizes customary
in the United States of America at the present time, and in fact
are subject to some variation both here and abroad. Moreover, the
number of intermodular attachments may desirably be increased if
the gauge, or thickness, of the fabric should be reduced, for
whatever reason.
[0040] FIG. 5a illustrates yet another and alternative form of
securing the modules in assembled relation prior to upholstery,
whether of the hingedly connected or the discrete form of module,
namely, two (or more) adhesive tapes 32 spanning the modules
transversely thereof, and adhered to the pocket fabric at the ends
of the spring pockets contacted, and preferably overlapping the
outermost modules, as shown in FIG. 5a. In the case of the assembly
of discrete modules, it may be desirable to apply a tape or tapes
in similar fashion to the opposite face of the construction as
well, in effect encircling the assembly.
[0041] A further variant is shown by FIG. 5b, where the adhesion of
juxtaposed modules is effected by double-sided adhesive tape 34,
which is illustrated in connection with the hinged form of module
in FIG. 5b, but may be used at both ends of each contacting surface
of any discrete module with the next, as well, and at the
intermediate interface locations earlier specified in connection
with the separately applied adhesive suggested by FIG. 5a.
[0042] For modular pocketed spring construction of lesser size,
particularly as for upholstery cushions or cushioning, or even the
somewhat larger zonal segments of mattresses of stiffness variable
along the length of the mattress, I may also use a single-sided
adhesive tape 36 spanning the ends of the juxtaposed double-row
modules, as shown in FIG. 5c. The tape 36 may completely encircle
the assembly, or be applied only to the ends of the modules,
preferably with at least some overwrap of the corner to aid in
anchoring the tape. Whether the full wrap of tape is used or two
partial wraps engaging essentially only the opposite ends of the
modules, would likely be chosen for a production operation on the
basis of time and motion considerations balanced against material
cost, as the necessity of a full wrap is obviated by the strength
of the pocket fabric in the long direction of each module.
[0043] In the foregoing description, I have outlined my latest
contemplations for the assembly of mattress and cushion cores from
stable double-row modules of pocketed springs, prefabricated from
flexible single bandoliers or strings of individually pocketed
springs, which can be difficult to handle, and require complex
machinery for their use as the spring element from which mattress
size constructions are assembled. A distinct advantage of the
stable two-row module is its ease of handling, which in turn adapts
it to the assembly of constructions without the need for
capitol-intensive apparatus, thereby making it possible for lesser
organizations to compete effectively in the marketplace with a
first rate product.
[0044] The features of the invention believed new and patentable
are set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *