Abstract: A longitudinally extending spring retainer comprising a band of coil springs and a continuous piece of fabric adapted to hold the band of coil springs. The band of coil springs is made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each of the coil springs having an upper and lower end turn. The upper and lower end turns of the coil springs are held in receptacles created in top and bottom portions of a continuous piece of fabric. The fabric is folded upon itself and secured together with connections in order to hold the end turns in place.

Abstract: A spring forming machine is provided with closed-loop feedback from sensors which monitor dimensions of the coils and heads of the spring being formed, servo motors which control wire feed speed, coil radius and pitch forming elements, and coiling direction. Video cameras form pictorial images of the spring being formed. The images are digitized and fed to a central computer, along with images from similar machines forming similar springs, which compares the signals, such as photometric images, from the different machines, which represent actual spring dimensions, with a single stored image relating to the desired dimensions, such as head shape, coil diameter, and the positions and angles of bends. Discrepancies are correlated with causation data, such as feed roll slippage or material hardness variations, and adjustment signals are sent to the machines. Machines producing errors are interrogated more frequently by the computer. Large errors or failures to respond to adjustments triggers an alarm.

Abstract: A curved sample of material is tested for ultimate tensile stress and elongation without prestraightening or premarking of the length of the sample. The sample is gripped at its ends and positioned to extend over convex surfaces mounted adjacent to the grippers on a pair of longitudinally moveable members. The members are moved apart and incremental data of the relative distances between the convex surfaces, representing the length of the sample, are stored. With each of the distance measurements, tensile stress measurements in the wire are made and stored. After the wire breaks, the data is analyzed.

Abstract: An intermittent drive mechanism is provided for intermittently driving an output shaft with an input shaft that has an axis that intersects the axis of the output shaft at an angle. A driving element on the input shaft couples with a driven element on the output shaft through pairs of corresponding accelerating and decelerating pin and slot combinations which engage each other intermittently at the surface of an imaginary sphere which is centered at the intersection point of the shafts. Embodiments are provided both with and without intermittent driving gears on the elements to maintain the output shaft rotation at constant maximum velocity through a predetermined arc. The slots are curved, preferably in circular arcs, so as to optimize acceleration and the rate of change of acceleration (jerk), particularly as the output shaft approaches and leaves the point of maximum angular velocity.

Abstract: Multiple coil springs, particularly springs of alternating right and left hand coils, are formed from a continuous wire, interconnected by spring heads formed of straight lengths of the wire, by a coiler having a stationary forming head which with a pair forming rollers which bend the wire to one side or the other, with the formed coils extending in the same direction from the forming head, thus producing a partially formed step-shaped spring. The partially formed spring is passed through a spin tube which damps out the alternating twists resulting from the coiling procedure. Downstream from the coiler, the partially formed spring is folded by imposing opposite 180.degree. twists to consecutive pairs of the interconnecting heads to reverse the direction of alternate ones of the coils.

Abstract: A box spring comprises a rectangular base frame, a wire grid, and a plurality of parallel rows of coil springs supporting the grid atop the base frame. Each row of coil springs is made from a single continuous length of wire in which adjacent coils are interconnected by an interconnecting segment of the wire. Each interconnecting segment is in the form of a generally diagonally extending bar having substantially parallel end portions interconnected at the center by an offset section, which offset section is formed by rotating the offset section relative to the parallel end portions while the end portions are restrained against rotation.

Abstract: A bedding mattress, including a spring assembly having top and bottom parallel surfaces, padding over the top and bottom surfaces, and an upholstered covering completely encasing said spring assembly and padding. The spring assembly comprises multiple parallel rows of coil springs, each row of which is formed from a single continuous length of wire with each row containing a plurality of coils interconnected by connector segments. The rows of coils are interconnected by helical springs extending parallel to the rows and alternately wound around endmost turns of coils in a pair of adjacent rows of coils. The connector segment which interconnects the coils of each row comprises a generally diagonally extending connector bar having parallel end portions connected at the center by an offset section, which offset section is formed by rotation of the offset section relative to the end portions of the connector bar while the end portions of the connector bar are restrained against rotation.

Abstract: A single continuous length of wire is formed into a continuous length spiral or helix, which is subsequently placed onto a moving chain conveyor having pins upstanding therefrom. The helix then is folded into a wave configuration for establishing a row of parallel coils by folding the links so as to move further apart a pair of adjacent pins of adjacent links while simultaneously moving closer together other pins on the same adjacent links. Thereby, the individual spring coils are arranged in generally parallel alignment one with the other within the row. Each coil in the row is thereby connected at its opposite ends to adjacent coils by three-dimensional looped connector segments.

Abstract: A coil-forming apparatus includes three pinch wheels spaced about the periphery of an idler roller rotatably mounted to a platen. Wire is fed through the platen between the pinch wheels and idler roller where the wire is held in place. Rotation of the platen relative to the idler roller imparts a longitudinal twist to the wire, and the pinch wheels drivingly engage the twisted wire with a controlled gripping force and form it into coils against a tapered, forward surface of the idler roller. The coiled wire is then advanced outwardly from the idler roller to a mandrel having an axially adjustable pitch setting roller which engages the coil at a predetermined location from the idler roller to set the wire with the desired pitch.

Abstract: A leveling device includes a first and second pressure cell that are interconnected by lengths of fluid filled, flexible tubing. Each of the pressure cells is associated with a strain gauge for sensing the differential pressure of the fluid between a region associated with each of the tubing lengths. An indicating means associated with the strain gauges indicates, in response to a differential in fluid pressure sensed by the strain gauges, the elevation of either of the pressure cells relative to the position of the other cell. In one form of the invention, provision of a single tubing conduit between the strain gauges reduces the probability of erroneous measurements due to pressure fluctuations within the tubing. In alternate forms of the invention, an agitating means is associated with flexible bellows structure coupled to the tubing so that hysteresis of the fluid is substantially reduced.