U.S. patent application number 12/043394 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-10 for stackable bedding foundation having pocketed topper.
This patent application is currently assigned to L&P PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY. Invention is credited to Darrell A. Richmond, William R. Rohr.
Application Number | 20090222985 12/043394 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41052069 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090222985 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Richmond; Darrell A. ; et
al. |
September 10, 2009 |
Stackable bedding foundation having pocketed topper
Abstract
A nestably stackable spring assembly is incorporated into a
bedding foundation. The foundation includes a pocketed spring
assembly which functions as a cushioning layer, thereby providing
additional comfort. The spring assembly includes a number of
corrugated support wires having alternating flattened peaks and
valleys. The pocketed spring assembly fits inside a border which
provides edge firmness to the foundation.
Inventors: |
Richmond; Darrell A.;
(Carthage, MO) ; Rohr; William R.; (Joplin,
MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOOD, HERRON & EVANS, LLP
2700 CAREW TOWER, 441 VINE STREET
CINCINNATI
OH
45202
US
|
Assignee: |
L&P PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
COMPANY
South Gate
CA
|
Family ID: |
41052069 |
Appl. No.: |
12/043394 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/247 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/053 20130101;
A47C 27/064 20130101; A47C 27/07 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/247 |
International
Class: |
A47C 23/02 20060101
A47C023/02 |
Claims
1. A bedding foundation comprising: a rectangular base; a spring
assembly fixedly attached atop the base; a cushioning pad overlying
the spring assembly; the spring assembly comprising; a generally
rectangular border wire having two parallel sides and two parallel
ends; a plurality of spaced and longitudinally-extending support
wires extending between the border wire ends, each support wire
having a plurality of peaks and a plurality of valleys, flattened
distal portions of the peaks being generally coplanar with the
border wire and flattened distal valley portions being vertically
displaced beneath and intermediate of the distal peak portions; a
pocketed spring assembly on top of said cushioning pad; and a
fabric covering surrounding the spring assembly, the base, the
pocketed spring assembly and the cushioning pad.
2. The bedding foundation of claim 1 further comprising: a
plurality of longitudinally-spaced, parallel, and
transversely-extending upper connector wires parallel to the border
wire ends and having ends connected to the border wire sides, the
upper connector wires being connected intermediate of their ends
along their lengths thereof to the distal peak portions of the
support wires.
3. The bedding foundation of claim 1 wherein longitudinal voids
between the distal peak portions are of a dimension greater than
the distal valley portions.
4. The bedding foundation of claim 1 wherein the rectangular base
comprises a rectangular base frame and a plurality of intermediate
transverse slats.
5. The bedding foundation of claim 1 further comprising a border
around the pocketed spring assembly.
6. The bedding foundation of claim 1 wherein the pocketed spring
assembly comprises strings of springs joined together.
7. The bedding foundation of claim 6 wherein the strings of spring
extend longitudinally.
8. The bedding foundation of claim 6 wherein the strings of springs
extend transversely.
9. The bedding foundation of claim 1 wherein border wire sides are
longer than the border wire ends.
10. The bedding foundation of claim 1 wherein each of the support
wires is a continuous length of wire.
11. The bedding foundation of claim 5 wherein the border is made of
foam.
12. The bedding foundation of claim 5 wherein the border is
adhesively secured to the cushioning pad.
13. A bedding foundation comprising: a rectangular base comprising
a rectangular base frame and a plurality of intermediate transverse
slats; a spring assembly fixedly attached atop the base, the spring
assembly comprising; a generally rectangular border wire having two
parallel sides and two parallel ends; a plurality of spaced and
longitudinally-extending support wires extending between the border
wire ends, each support wire having a plurality of peaks and a
plurality of valleys, flattened distal portions of the peaks being
generally coplanar with the border wire and flattened distal valley
portions being vertically displaced beneath and intermediate of the
distal peak portions; a cushioning pad overlying the spring
assembly and secured to the border wire; a generally rectangular
border secured to the cushioning pad; a pocketed spring assembly
inside said generally rectangular border; and a fabric covering
surrounding the base, the spring assembly, the cushioning pad, the
border and the pocketed spring assembly.
14. The bedding foundation of claim 13 wherein the support wires
are generally parallel with each other.
15. The bedding foundation of claim 13 wherein the pocketed spring
assembly comprises strings of springs joined together.
16. The bedding foundation of claim 15 wherein the strings of
spring extend longitudinally.
17. The bedding foundation of claim 15 wherein the strings of
springs extend transversely.
18. The bedding foundation of claim 13 wherein the border is made
of foam.
19. The bedding foundation of claim 13 wherein the border is
adhesively secured to the cushioning pad.
20. A bedding foundation comprising: a rectangular base comprising
a rectangular base frame and a plurality of intermediate transverse
slats; a spring assembly fixedly attached atop the base, the spring
assembly comprising; a generally rectangular border wire having two
parallel sides and two parallel ends; a plurality of spaced and
longitudinally-extending support wires extending between the border
wire ends, each support wire having a plurality of peaks and a
plurality of valleys, flattened distal portions of the peaks being
generally coplanar with the border wire and flattened distal valley
portions being vertically displaced beneath and intermediate of the
distal peak portions; a cushioning pad overlying the spring
assembly and secured to the border wire; a generally rectangular
border secured to the cushioning pad; a pocketed spring assembly
inside said generally rectangular border.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to bedding, and more
particularly to a nestably stackable bedding foundation.
[0002] Bedding foundations or so-called box spring assemblies
generally include spaced border wires between which coil or bent
wire spring modules are located. As thus manufactured, these box
spring assemblies are bulky and shipping them to the manufacturer
for application of padding and covering thereto is costly because
of space requirements. To reduce the space requirements, it is
customary to compress the assemblies to reduce their individual
thicknesses and to tie them in their compressed state. This
involves using presses and ties which are expensive, and the extra
operations of pressing and tying the assemblies also adds to their
manufacturing cost. At the delivery end, the manufacturer must cut
and discard the ties before applying the covering. These additional
material and handling expenses increase the end cost of box spring
assemblies.
[0003] Box spring assemblies or bedding foundations by their very
nature are intended to provide a stable, firm support foundation
for mattresses or other bedding placed on top thereof. Toward that
end, the spring modules commonly used in the box spring assemblies
are relatively firm and provide little cushioning capability. Some
users find that such bedding foundations are too rigid for their
liking; they would prefer a softer bedding foundation or box
spring. It would be desirable for such persons to have a bedding
foundation with a cushioning layer to: 1) improve mattress support;
2) improve the lifespan of the mattress; and 3) increase the user's
comfort.
[0004] Therefore, a bedding foundation having a cushioning layer
that can be stacked for shipping without having to compress and tie
the assembly would be desirable.
[0005] Additionally, a bedding foundation having a cushioning
layer, which is relatively simple to manufacture, and which may
substitute for a traditional box spring assembly having no
cushioning layer would also be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This invention provides a solution to these and other
problems in the art. In one embodiment, this invention is a bedding
foundation having nestably stackable components for use in place of
the traditional box spring assembly. Bedding foundations having
nestably stackable components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,052,064 and 7,237,282, both of which are fully incorporated
herein. This bedding foundation includes a rectangular base
comprising a rectangular base frame and a plurality of intermediate
transverse slats.
[0007] The bedding foundation further comprises a spring assembly
fixedly attached atop the base. The spring assembly comprises a
generally rectangular border wire having two parallel sides and two
parallel ends and a plurality of transversely-spaced, parallel, and
longitudinally-extending support wires parallel to the border wire
sides and with ends connected to the border wire ends. These
support wires are generally corrugated along their lengths, having
peaks and valleys with the peaks being generally coplanar with the
plane defined by the border wire and the valleys being displaced
beneath and intermediate of the peaks. Longitudinally-spaced,
parallel and transversely-extending upper connector wires are
parallel to the border wire ends, having ends connected to the
border wire sides and connected along their lengths to the
flattened distal portions of the peaks of the support wires.
[0008] The longitudinal voids between the peaks of the support
wires are of a greater dimension than the valleys of the support
wires. This configuration enables one bedding foundation assembly
of this invention to be nestedly stacked atop a second assembly
since the support wire valleys of the first assembly fit into the
voids between the peaks of the support wires of the second
assembly. Such a nested and stacked arrangement results in a total
height dimension which is less than the sum of the individual
assembly height dimensions.
[0009] The bedding foundation assembly further comprises a
cushioning pad overlaying the spring assembly. The cushioning pad
may be hog ringed or secured in any desired manner to the spring
assembly.
[0010] A border or edge railing is secured to the cushioning pad
around the perimeter of the cushioning pad with adhesive or in any
other suitable manner. This border or edge railing is preferably
made of foam but may be made of any material. This border or edge
railing provides containment for a pocketed spring assembly which
resides inside the border or railing. The pocketed spring assembly
rests on top of the cushioning pad and may be secured to the
cushioning pad. The pocketed spring assembly comprises strings of
individually pocketed coil springs, as is conventional in the art.
The strings of springs are joined together and may extend either
longitudinally (from head to foot) or transversely (from side to
side).
[0011] One advantage of this invention is that it provides a
bedding foundation assembly having a cushioning layer, the
components of which may be independently shipped, some of the
component being tightly nested, compacted and shipped in a minimum
of space to an assembly destination, thereby reducing the ultimate
cost of the unit to the assembler.
[0012] Yet another advantage of this invention is avoiding the need
for costly presses and ties necessary to compress a conventional
box spring assembly for transportation.
[0013] A further advantage of this invention is that bedding
foundation assemblies may be rapidly unloaded without the time
consuming and labor intensive tasks of clipping and discarding the
tie wires used to hold conventional box spring assemblies in a
compressed state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The objectives and features of the invention will become
more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0015] FIG.1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a
bedding foundation according to one embodiment of this
invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partially broken
away, of a portion of the bedding foundation of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of the
bedding foundation of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 3A is a top plan view, partially broken away, of an
alternative embodiment of bedding foundation in accordance with the
invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view, partially broken away, of
the bedding foundation of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a partially exploded view of the bedding
foundation of FIG. 1; and
[0021] FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring first to FIG. 1, a bedding foundation or box
spring 10 according to one embodiment of this invention is
illustrated. The bedding foundation has a longitudinal dimension or
length L defined as the distance between end surfaces 12 of the
foundation; a transverse dimension or width W defined as the
distance between side surfaces 14 of the foundation and a height H
defined as the distance between upper and lower surfaces 16, 18,
respectively, of the foundation 10.
[0023] The foundation 10 has a generally rectangular base 20
including a generally rectangular base frame 22 on which transverse
slats 24 are attached. The base 20 is preferably made of wood but
may be made of any suitable material such as plastic.
[0024] A nestably stackable spring assembly or wire core 26 is atop
the base 12 and particularly the transverse slats 24. A cushioning
pad 28 overlies the nestably stackable spring assembly 26, a border
30 is fixedly secured to the perimeter of the cushioning pad 28, a
pocketed spring assembly 32 located inside the border 30 and a
fabric covering 34 surrounds the base 20, nestably stackable spring
assembly 26, cushioning pad 28, border 30 and pocketed spring
assembly 32.
[0025] The nestably stackable spring assembly 26 includes a
rectangular steel border wire 36 having two parallel sides 38 and
two parallel ends 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the parallel
sides 38 are longer than the parallel ends 40. However, in a square
foundation, the sides 38 and ends 40 of border wire 36 would be the
same length.
[0026] The nestably stackable spring assembly 26 further comprises
a plurality of transversely-spaced, parallel, and
longitudinally-extending steel support wires 42 parallel to the
border wire sides 38. Each of these support wires 42 has ends 44
which are crimped around the ends 40 of the border wire 36. These
support wires 42 are formed so as to be generally
corrugatedly-shaped along their lengths, having peaks 46 and
valleys 48. These peaks 46 and valleys 48 are flattened at their
respective distal portions 50 and 52, respectively. The adjacent
distal portions 50, 52 are joined together by connecting portions
54 of the support wire 42. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,282,
which is fully incorporated by reference herein, according to
various embodiments of this invention, these flattened valley
distal portions 52 may be twisted relative to the plane defined by
the flattened peak distal portions 50 and vertically spaced beneath
and intermediate of the flattened peak distal portions 50.
[0027] The nestably stackable spring assembly 26 further comprises
longitudinally-spaced, parallel, and transversely-extending steel
upper connector wires 56 which extend parallel to the border wire
ends 40 and have ends 58 which are crimped around the border wire
sides 38. These upper connector wires 56 are welded intermediate of
their ends 58 along their lengths at 60 to the flattened peak
distal portions 50 of the support wires 42.
[0028] The support wires 42 have flattened distal peak portions 50
and flattened distal valley portions 52, with the support wire ends
44 being crimped around the border wire ends 40. In the illustrated
embodiment, three upper connector wires 56 per flattened distal
peak portion 50 are illustrated. In other embodiments, any number
of upper connector wires 56 may be welded or secured to each
flattened distal peak portion 50. The distal valley portions 52 of
the support wires 42 are stapled with staples 62 to the transverse
slats 24 of base 20. However, the distal valley portions 52 of the
support wires 42 may be otherwise secured to the transverse slats
24 of base 20.
[0029] If desired, additional steel end wires (not shown) may be
added either before or after the stackable spring assembly 26 has
reached its final assembly destination. These end wires have spaced
ends which are crimped around the border wire 36 and the endmost
upper connector wire 56, respectively. These end wires provide
additional stiffness to the stackable spring assembly 26 in an edge
most location of the ends of the assembly 26 so as to prevent the
end border wires from deflecting and being permanently distorted
when a person sits on the end of a bed of which the foundation
forms a part. Such steel end wires are shown in U.S. Pat. No.
5,361,434, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
[0030] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, continuous longitudinal
wires 64 are included in the nestably stackable spring assembly 26.
These longitudinal wires 64 have their ends 66 crimped around the
border wire ends 40 and pass over upper connector wires 56. These
longitudinal wires 64 may be welded along their lengths to the
upper connector wires 56 at locations 68 as desired. In the
illustrated bedding foundation 10, two longitudinal wires 64 are
illustrated as being part of the nestably stackable spring assembly
26. However, any number of longitudinal wires 64 may be
incorporated into the nestably stackable spring assembly 26.
[0031] As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the bedding foundation 10
further comprises a cushioning pad 28 overlaying the nestably
stackable spring assembly 26. The cushioning pad 28 is secured to
the border wire 36 with hog rings 70. The cushioning pad 28 is
preferably made of polyethylene foam or shredded fabric, but may be
made of any desirable material.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the bedding foundation 10 further
comprises a generally rectangular border 72 having opposed end
portions 74 and opposed side portions 76, the border 72 being
secured to the cushioning pad 28 around the perimeter of the
cushioning pad 28. As shown in FIG. 3, the border 72 has a width
W1. Although the border 72 is illustrated as being one piece of
material, it may comprises multiple pieces joined together. The
border 72 is preferably adhesively secured to the upper surface of
the cushioning pad 28 but may be secured to the cushioning pad 28
in any known manner. The border 72 is preferably made of
polyethylene or polyurethane foam, but may be made of any desirable
material. Although the border 72 may be any desired height, it is
preferably between one and a half inches and four inches tall, the
same height as the pocketed spring assembly 32. The border
functions as an edge reinforcement and increases the edge firmness
of the bedding foundation 10.
[0033] As best shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the bedding foundation 10
further comprises pocketed spring assembly 32 for supporting a
mattress (not shown) and providing an additional cushioning layer
to the bedding foundation 10. Pocketed spring assembly 32 is made
to fit inside generally rectangular border 72. The pocketed spring
assembly 32 may or may not be secured to the upper surface of the
cushioning pad 28. As shown in the drawings, pocketed spring
assembly 32 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending
strings of springs 80 joined together as shown in FIG. 5. Adjacent
strings of springs 80 are preferably glued together but be joined
to each other using any known technology such as ultrasonic
welding.
[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a string of springs 80 having an upper
surface 82 and a bottom or lower surface 84, the distance between
which defines the height H1 of the string of springs 80. Each
string of springs 80 comprises a row of interconnected fabric
pockets 86, each fabric pocket 86 containing a coil spring 88. As
shown in FIG. 6, each coil spring 88 has an upper end turn 90, a
lower end turn 92 and a plurality of central convolutions 94
between the end turns 90, 92. Although one configuration of coil
spring is shown, any other spring, whether a coil spring or not,
may be used with the present invention.
[0035] Preferably, only one piece of fabric is used to form a
string of springs 80, the piece of fabric being folded over onto
itself around the coil springs 88 to create a first ply 96 and a
second ply 98. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first ply 96 is behind
the second ply 98. As is known in the art, opposite sides or plies
of the fabric are sewn, welded or otherwise secured together to
create a pair of outermost seams 1 00, a plurality of parallel
internal seams 102, and a longitudinal top seam 104. Although seams
100, 102 and 104 are illustrated as a plurality of spaced, linear
segments 106, they may comprise continuous lines or a series of
dots or other arrangement without departing from the spirit of this
document.
[0036] In one embodiment, the height Hi of the strings of springs
80 is approximately one inch. Therefore, the height of the pocketed
spring assembly 32 is approximately one inch. However, the strings
of springs and pocketed spring assembly may be any desired height.
Heights which have proven satisfactory are between one and a half
to four inches.
[0037] The spring assembly 26 of bedding foundation 10 is generally
manufactured by a supplier, who then ships it to an assembler. The
assembler adds to the spring assembly 26 the wooden base 20,
cushioning pad 28, secures the border 30 to the cushioning pad 28,
inserts the pocketed spring assembly 32 into the opening in the
border 30 and lastly sews or adds the upholstery 34 to make a
completed product. In combination, the pocketed spring assembly 32
and border 30 provide a cushioning layer which gives the foundation
a softer feel than known foundations. The combination may form what
is known in the industry as a topper.
[0038] FIG. 3A illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present
invention comprising a bedding foundation 10a having a covering
34a. The bedding foundation 10a is just like the adjustable bed 10
shown in the other drawings and described herein. However, the
bedding foundation 10a has a pocketed spring assembly 32a having
transversely extending strings of springs 80a instead of
longitudinally extending strings of springs like those shown in the
other drawings. In accordance with the present invention, any
bedding foundation contemplated by the present invention may have a
pocketed spring assembly with transversely, rather than
longitudinally extending strings of springs. The pocketed spring
assembly 32a is located inside border 30a as described above.
[0039] One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that
the alternative embodiments of the foundation 10 shown and/or
described herein are exemplary only of a wide variety of
alternative configurations that are readily possible within the
scope of this invention.
[0040] From the above disclosure of the general principles of the
present invention and the preceding detailed description of at
least one preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will
readily comprehend the various modifications to which this
invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only
by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *