U.S. patent application number 14/988796 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-09 for support body for a spring bed slat in a slatted frame.
The applicant listed for this patent is LORENZ KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK GMBH. Invention is credited to THOMAS LORENZ.
Application Number | 20160157624 14/988796 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49384903 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160157624 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LORENZ; THOMAS |
June 9, 2016 |
SUPPORT BODY FOR A SPRING BED SLAT IN A SLATTED FRAME
Abstract
A support body for fastening a spring bed slat to a frame rail
of a slatted frame. The support body is a vertically elongated
closed ring that has connector means at a lower portion for
mounting the support body on the frame rail, at least one slat
retainer on an upper portion for securing an end of the bed slat to
the support body, and sidewalls that extend between the upper and
lower portions and that form spring sections that allow the support
body to deform under load and spring back when the load is removed.
Each spring section includes two or more spring elements. The slat
retainer supports the bed slat above the upper portion of the body,
such that end of the slat remains free to move in a spring action
under various load conditions.
Inventors: |
LORENZ; THOMAS;
(WALLENHORST, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LORENZ KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK GMBH |
WALLENHORST |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
49384903 |
Appl. No.: |
14/988796 |
Filed: |
January 6, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2014/065320 |
Jul 16, 2014 |
|
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14988796 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/238 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 19/02 20130101;
A47C 23/063 20130101; A47C 23/064 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 23/06 20060101
A47C023/06; A47C 19/02 20060101 A47C019/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 17, 2013 |
DE |
202013103212.3 |
Claims
1. A support body for connecting a bed slat of a slatted frame to a
frame rail of the slatted frame, the support body having an upper
section and a lower section, and two sidewalls connecting the upper
and lower section, the support body comprising: a connector means
for fastening the support body to the frame rail; at least one slat
retainer provided on the upper portion of the support body for
securing the bed slat to the support body in a manner that allows
the bed slat to move up and down in a spring action; and at least
two spring elements in each of the two sidewalls, the at least two
spring elements being placed one above the other.
2. The support body of claim 1, wherein the support body is
constructed as a single component and the two spring elements are
integrally formed in the sidewalls.
3. The support body of claim 1, wherein the two spring elements in
each of the two spring sections are constructed as a vertically
oriented, serpentine profile.
4. The support body of claim 3, wherein the wall thickness of the
two spring sections is variable along a length of the respective
spring section.
5. The support body of claim 1, wherein the support body is
constructed as a closed ring.
6. The support body of claim 5, wherein the serpentine profiles of
the two spring sections are symmetric to each other.
7. The support body of claim 1, wherein a frame pin is provided on
the frame rail and the connector means includes a bore that is
mountable on the frame pin.
8. The support body of claim 7, wherein the frame pin extends
horizontally from the frame rail and the bore on the support body
extends horizontally through the support body.
9. The support body of claim 1, wherein a frame bore is provided on
the frame rail and the connector means includes a connector pin
that is dimensioned to be insertable into the frame bore for
mounting the support body to the frame rail.
10. The support body of claim 1, wherein the connector means
includes a bore that is provided in a lower portion of the support
body and a connector pin that is supported within the support body
above and vertically aligned with the bore.
11. The support body of claim 10, wherein the connector pin has a
stepped diameter that includes an insertion diameter and a stop
diameter that is greater than the insertion diameter and that is
provided at a distance a free end of the connector pin.
12. The support body of claim 1, wherein the support body is made
of plastic.
13. The support body of claim 12, wherein the support body is an
injection-molded part.
Description
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to the field of slatted frames for
beds.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
[0004] German publication DE 27 05 616 A1 discloses a conventional
support body that serves as a connector to fasten a
spring-deflecting bed slat to a frame rail of a slatted frame or
slats frame for a bed. The support body itself is affixed to the
frame rail by means of a support-body connector. The bed slat
itself is not fixedly connected to the frame rail, but rather, is
fastened to a slat retainer on the support body and, in this
manner, is indirectly affixed to the frame rail. A spring element
is provided between the slat retainer and the support-body
connector, so that when a pressure load is exerted on the bed slat
from above, the bed slat deflects in the manner of a spring because
of its inherent elasticity, but the corresponding spring element on
the support body also deforms under the pressure load. In other
words, the bed slat and the mounting for the slat both provide a
spring deflection under load.
[0005] The spring element in the conventional support body is
constructed as a type of closed ring, whereby this ring is
elongated in the horizontal direction. The support body has two
connectors that are provided as two bores that are formed in the
lower area of this ring, such that the support body can be pushed
onto two corresponding rail pins that are provided on the frame
rail. The slat retainer is provided in the upper portion of the
ring. The ring deforms under the appropriate pressure load, so that
this ring-like construction of the support body provides a desired
spring effect.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The objects of the invention are: to improve the
conventional support body such, that it provides the greatest
possible spring comfort; to provide a support body that gives the
longest possible service life with consistent and reliable spring
characteristics; and to provide a support body that is cost
effective in production.
[0007] These objects are achieved by providing a support body that
is used to connect a bed slat to a frame rail, a plurality of bed
slats and at least two frame rails typically forming what is
referred to hereinafter as a slatted frame. The support body
according to the invention that has not one, but at least two
spring elements, arranged one above the other. Arranging the two
spring elements one above the other lengthens the available path
for spring deflection and this, in turn, increases comfort for the
user of the slatted frame. Providing two or more spring elements in
this way reduces the tensions and stresses exerted on the support
body under the load swings that typically are exerted on a bed
slat, because the loading is distributed across each spring
element, so that the load exerted on each spring element is
reduced. This reduced normal loading on the spring elements has
direct economic benefits: the reduced demand made on the material
means that less expensive material may be used for the support
body, and this in turn results in a reduction of production costs.
Furthermore, the reduced loading reduces material fatigue, with the
result that the spring characteristics of the material used for the
spring elements remain consistent over a longer period of time
and/or over a greater number of load swings. The support body
according to the invention therefore ensures consistent, defined
spring characteristics over the longest possible period of
time.
[0008] The support body is preferably constructed as a single-piece
component, with the two spring elements forming a spring section of
the support body. This embodiment facilitates assembly of the
slatted frame, because the support body itself is a single
component, rather than an assembly of several individual
components. This simplified assembly process further reduces the
costs to produce the slatted frame. The support body may be
provided as a plastic injection-molded component, and this method
of production allows low-cost production of high volumes of the
product.
[0009] The two spring elements are formed as a serpentine,
vertically oriented profile in the spring section of the support
body. The serpentine form requires relatively little space for the
spring element when a load is applied, and this has the advantage
that two adjacent support bodies may be placed relatively close to
each other in the slatted frame. As a result, it is possible to
assemble more bed slats on the frame rail, arranged next to each
other, whereby the increased number of bed slats optimizes the
support for the mattress that is conventionally placed on top of
the slatted frame.
[0010] Advantageously, the thickness of the wall of the serpentine
spring section may vary over the length of the serpentine profile,
so as to enhance or achieve a desired spring action. For example,
the wall thickness may be thinner there, where the serpentine
profile changes direction, i.e., between two leaves of the spring
element, and thicker along the leaves. When a load is applied to
the spring element and it deforms under the spring load, the
tension in the material increases particularly in the area of such
leaves, so that, the greater wall thickness there supports a longer
lifetime of the support body, and, in this way, ensures a long
service life of the support body.
[0011] Similarly to the conventional support body, the support body
may be constructed overall as a closed ring, whereby this ring, in
its unloaded position, is elongated in the vertical direction, with
two serpentine-shaped sides that each form a spring section. Each
spring section has two spring elements, one above the other. This
configuration of two spring sections, each with two spring
elements, reduces the load exerted on each individual spring
element, to the benefit of a long service life of the support
body.
[0012] Advantageously, the two spring sections are constructed
symmetrically to each other. With the aforementioned serpentine
profile of the spring sections, two inwardly oriented and two
outwardly oriented curves or leaf springs are oriented opposite
each other. This symmetrical juxtaposition effectively counteracts
the lateral forces that are applied to the leaf springs, forces
that could otherwise result in a shifting of the slat that is
fastened to the support body to the right or to the left when a
load is placed on the support body.
[0013] The connector means for affixing the support body to the
frame rail may be simply a bore that allows the support body to be
pushed onto a frame pin that is provided on the frame rail in a
conventional manner. For example, the bore may extend horizontally
through the support body, so that it may simply be pushed onto a
pin or plug that extends horizontally from the frame rail. This
horizontal or lateral connector means has the advantage that the
overall height of the finished slatted frame may be kept to a
minimum. This is an advantage, because bed manufacturers often
specify the maximum height of a slatted frame that can be used with
a particular bed.
[0014] Alternatively to the horizontal embodiment of the connector
means, in which the support body has a bore and the rail has a pin
or plug, it is possible to do it the other way around and provide a
pin or plug on the connector means of the support body and the
frame rail with a corresponding bore to receive the pin. This
embodiment may be advantageous, for example, for use with frame
rails that have bores that are open at the top. In this case, the
support body has a pin that is oriented downwardly. This simplifies
the production of the frame rails, because they only have to be
provided with the bores, and enables a particularly quick assembly
of the slatted frame, because the pin on the support body is merely
inserted into the particular bore. These connector pins may be
formed integrally with the support body, particularly when the body
as mentioned is produced as an injection molded part, thereby
reducing the number of parts have to be handled when assembling the
support body onto the frame to one. This enables an assembly of the
slatted frame that is faster and less costly.
[0015] It may, however, be advantageous to provide a connector
means on the support body that incorporates two connectors, i.e., a
pair of connectors, to prevent the support body from twisting on
the frame rail. It is not necessary to provide two of the same type
of connectors to make up the pair, but rather, the support body may
have a bore and a pin, and the frame rail have pins and bores that
are appropriately aligned to mate with the two connectors on the
connector means. This type of connector means is a lateral
connection to the frame rail, i.e., the bore on the frame rail
extends parallel to the frame pin and the pin on the support body
also extends parallel to the bore of the support body, so that,
with a single motion, the connector means provided on the support
body is pushed onto/into the corresponding the connector elements
on the frame rail. A twist lock for the support body on the frame
is thus not created by a providing second frame pin, but by
providing a pin on the support body that extends into the open bore
on the frame rail. This anti-twist connector means enables bed
slats to be assembled on the frame rails to complete the slatted
frame faster and more economically.
[0016] Ideally, the support body is mounted on the frame rail, such
that the body remains free to deform in a spring action. In other
words, the entire height of the support body does not abut up
against the frame rail, so that spring movement of the support body
is not hindered by rubbing against the frame rail and possibly
creating undesirable noise. The connector pin on the support body
is formed with an insertion diameter, that is dimensioned to enable
the free end of the pin to be inserted into a corresponding
connector bore on the frame rail, and with a stop diameter that is
greater than the insertion diameter and prevents the pin from being
inserted into the bore beyond the intended insertion depth. This
stop diameter ensures that the support body, with the exception of
the insertion end of the connector pin, be held a small distance
away from the frame rail.
[0017] It is understood that, instead of just two spring elements
in the spring section, three or more spring elements, one above the
other, may be provided, so that the described advantages are
accordingly enhanced. Loads exerted on the support body are
distributed over all spring elements, and a greater a number of
spring elements reduces the loading on each of the spring elements
and, consequently, reduces the degree of deflection of each spring
element when loading/unloading the support body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The present invention is described with reference to the
accompanying schematic illustration.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support body according
to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the support body, showing the
slat retainers and the connector pin with the stop.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the support body, showing
the connector pin with the stop.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a comparative illustration of the support body,
showing the support body in a loaded and an unloaded state, the two
states overlaid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The present invention will now be described more fully in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the
preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention
should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure
will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention
to those skilled in the art.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front face of a support
body 1 according to the invention for fastening a bed slat of a
slatted frame to a frame rail. The slats and side rails that make
up the slatted frame are not shown in the figures. When the support
body 1 is assembled on the frame rail, this front face faces the
frame rail. The support body 1 is constructed as an plastic
injection-molded part with the connector means 2', one or more slat
retainers 8, and two spring sections 6 integrally formed in the
body. The support body 1 is an essentially deformable spring body
formed generally as a closed, vertically elongated ring, with the
connector means 2' provided within a lower section of the ring and
the slat retainers 8 provided on an outside upper face 7 of the
body 1, and with the two spring sections 6 forming the sides of the
support body 1.
[0025] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate details of the connector means 2',
which, in this embodiment includes a bore 2, a connector pin 3, and
a stop 4. A sheath 5 encircles the bore 2 and a web 5A extends
upward from the top of the sheath 5 as a support for the connector
pin 3 that is aligned directly above the bore 2. The connector pin
3 has a stepped diameter that includes an insertion diameter 3A at
the free end that is dimensioned to fit into a corresponding bore
on the frame rail, and a stop diameter 4A that is greater than the
insertion diameter and that forms the stop 4. The support body 1
has a front face edge 1A. As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the
support body 1 is assembled on the frame rail, the stop 4 limits
the insertion depth of the connector pin 3 and holds the front face
edge 1A a distance away from the frame rail, thereby preventing the
front face edge 1A from rubbing against the frame rail.
[0026] This embodiment of the connector means 2' with the two
connector elements 2 and 3 provides an effective twist-safe
fastening of the support body 1 to the frame rail of the slatted
frame. The frame rail is not shown, but it is understood that a
bore and a frame pin are provided on the rail, the two elements
configured to mate with the connector pin 3 and the bore 4 on the
support body 1. It is noted, also, that this embodiment requires
that only one single frame pin has to be provided on the frame rail
for each support body 1 that is to be assembled in the slatted
frame.
[0027] FIGS. 1 and 4 illustrate the spring sections 6, which form
sidewalls of the support body 1 and extend upward from a lower
portion of the support body 1 in a serpentine profile. The spring
sections 6 are symmetrically formed relative each other to create
the serpentine profiles of the sidewalls that together form an
approximately upwardly extending V-shape. The upper ends of the two
spring sections 6 then transition to an essentially flat upper face
7. The serpentine profile extends along the entire length of the
spring sections 6, the sequentially inwardly and outwardly
extending curves 10 forming spring elements. In this embodiment,
two spring elements 6A and 6B are provided on each spring section 6
of the support body 1, one spring element above the other. It is
understood, however, that, depending on the intended use of the
particular support body 1, three or more spring elements may be
incorporated into the spring sections 6. The wall thickness of
sidewalls, i.e., the curves 10, may vary along the spring section
6, some portions having a thicker wall than other portions, as a
means of achieving the desired spring action.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates the spring action of the support body 1,
whereby the view shows the two positions of the support body 1
overlaid, i.e., with and without a load applied. The loaded
position is drawn with single lines and the unloaded position drawn
with a triple set of double lines. In the loaded position, the
upper face 7 is deflected downward until it makes contact with the
stop 4 and spring elements 6A and 6B have deflected such that they
make contact with each other. It is possible that the lower spring
elements 6B may make contact with the sheath 5, which would inhibit
further spring deflection.
[0029] In the embodiment shown, two slat retainers 8 are provided
on the outside upper face 7, for receiving the end of a bed slat.
The slat retainers 8 are oblong in shape and have essentially a
mushroom-shaped cross-section that includes a button 8A at the top,
supported on a shank 8B that rises up from a pedestal or base 9.
The bed slats used with this support body 1 have corresponding
openings that are buttoned onto the two buttons and are held in
place above the pedestal 9. The pedestal 9 serves to prevent the
bed slat from making contact with the upper face 7.
[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates details of the buttons 8A on the slat
retainers 8. An upper surface of the button 8A has an upwardly
inclined surface and a lower surface of the button has a downwardly
inclined surface. These inclined surfaces facilitate assembly and
disassembly of the slat onto the slat retainer 8. Thus, bed slats
may be assembled on support bodies 1 according to the invention at
the factory, but also, later, for example in a specialty shop or at
a location where the bed is to be set up. The fact that bed slats
may be assembled outside the factory on the support body 1 allows
the spring characteristic of a bed to be modified to suit the
individual consumer. For example, individual spring slats with a
defined spring characteristic may be exchanged for spring slats
with a different spring characteristic.
[0031] It is understood that the embodiments described herein are
merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the
construction of the support body may be contemplated by one skilled
in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention
herein disclosed and as defined by the following claims.
* * * * *