Suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type
The invention provides an individual suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis, wherein the suspension structure is a single hollow piece and is made of a flexible synthetic material or a vulcanized rubber having hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale.
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The invention relates to a universal suspension device for a bed or a seat, for placing between a support surface and a padding element.
More precisely, the invention relates to an individual suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn general, such individual suspension devices are placed in rows and columns and are fixed to rigid slats constituting the platform. The elements are commonly symmetrical about a transverse midplane and about a longitudinal midplane, and their hardness is not uniform, depending on the slope imparted to the top plate.
WO 01/15572 describes an individual suspension device comprising a foot and a suspension structure in which the suspension structure, on its own and at rest, is in the form of a central ring having a plurality of resilient radial arms diverging therefrom. The ends of these arms have means for fixing to a ring of the foot. After these arm ends have been assembled to the ring of the foot, the arms take up the shape of spherical sectors that are separated by lateral openings, but they are then subjected to elastic stress, and in the event of one of the fixing means breaking, they necessarily return to a radial position.
DE 29 903 423 presents the state of the art closest to the invention and it provides a hollow suspension structure of spherical shape made out of a foam of resilient synthetic material, having holes at its top and bottom ends for fixing to the foot and to the top plate by means of clips. After assembly, the suspension structure is normally airtight, and it functions like a balloon. The problem which arises is that of providing leak tightness around the holes.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONStarting from that state of the art, the invention proposes a novel type of suspension in which the question of air tightness no longer arises.
The invention achieves this object by the suspension structure on its own and at rest being in the form of a one-piece hollow sphere comprising a plurality of sectors separated from one another by lateral openings and made of a flexible synthetic material or a vulcanized rubber of hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale.
Thus, only the wall of the suspension structure contributes to supporting compression and bending forces when a load is to be carried, and the inside of the structure is advantageously open to atmospheric pressure.
In order to make it easier to position the top plate relative to the foot and to the platform element, the foot has means for preventing it from turning after it has been fixed to the platform element.
The suspension structure and the top plate have co-operating means for connecting them together in traction and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure. These means preferably comprise a bayonet fixing system and a clip system.
The foot and the suspension structure can be made as a single piece. They can also be made as two separate pieces. In which case the suspension structure and the foot include co-operating means enabling them to be connected together in traction and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
The connection between the suspension structure and the foot can be implemented in various ways, either by a dovetail slideway system together with a clip system for locking the two pieces together after they have been assembled, or by a clip system with a tenon being positioned in a mortise, or by a bayonet system in combination with a clip system, or by a clamp device guided by a slideway during assembly, together with a device for locking against rotation and which takes up its position automatically at the end of assembly.
In any event, the mutual connection means are formed on the two pieces during molding thereof.
The suspension structure can be spherical and comprise sectors alternating with lateral openings that are regularly distributed about the axis of symmetry of said structure. The dimensions and the thickness of said sectors are determined as a function of the desired stiffness.
In order to modify the stiffness of the suspension structure, its internal cavity can contain a removable stiffening member placed on its axis of symmetry, said member advantageously having a plug at its top end which is received in a through orifice formed in a head for fixing the top plate and formed at the top end of the suspension structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSOther advantages and characteristics of the invention appear on reading the following description of various embodiments made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1 to 10 show an individual suspension device 1 of a multi-element base, for a seat or a bed for example, constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention. The suspension device 1 is for fixing to a slat of a support platform (not shown in the figures), and it essentially comprises three elements: a foot 2 for fixing to a slat, a suspension structure 3 mounted on the foot 2, and a top plate 4 carried by the suspension structure 3.
The plate 4 serves as a support for a padding element, e.g. a mattress which is not shown in the drawings. The suspension device 1 can also include a stiffening member 5 which enables the stiffness of the suspension device 1 to be modified depending on its position within the base. The base comprises a plurality of suspension devices disposed in juxtaposed rows and columns.
The foot 2 which is shown in detail in
The suspension structure 3 shown in detail in
The sectors 10a, 10b, 10c connect a fixing head 12 for the plate 4 situated in the top zone of the suspension structure 3 to a bottom 13 situated in its bottom zone. The bottom 13 is generally plane and has a thick zone 14 on its top face extending between the sector 10a and the opposite opening 11a. A tongue 15 is cut out by means of a U-shaped slot in the thick zone 14. A stud 16 is formed on the bottom face of the tongue 15. The width of the thick zone 14 is equal to the distance between the two tongues 8a and 8b on the foot 2. The thickness of the bottom 13 outside the thick zone 14 is equal to the distance between the tongues 8a, 8b of the foot 2 and the top race 2b of said foot. To mount the suspension structure 3 on the foot 2, the openings 11b, 11c are put into register with the ends of the tongues 8a and 8b and the bottom 13 is slid under the tongues 8a and 8b. The tongues 8a and 8b are guided by the edges of the thick zone 14.
To enable the stud 16 of the bottom 13 to rise onto the top face 2a of the foot 2, a vertical force is applied to its end. Once the bottom 13 is fully engaged on the foot 2, the stud 16 moves down again on being received in the hole 9 of the base 2. The suspension structure 3 is then prevented from being pulled away by the tongues 8a and 8b which act as clamps, and it is prevented from turning about the axis X by the stud 16 received in the hole 9. The positioning of the stud 16 is naturally determined as a function of the position of the hole 9 relative to the axis X.
The head 12 of the suspension structure 17 is in the form of a neck having a through orifice 17 on the axis X. The head 12 is designed to be received in a central orifice 18 formed in the top plate 4. The peripheral wall of the head 12 is generally cylindrical and it terminates at the top end of the suspension structure 3 to form two radially opposite flange portions 19a and 19b. Respective axial ribs 20 are formed on the peripheral wall of the head 12 beneath each of the flange portions 19a and 19b. The head 12 is connected to the sectors 10a, 10b, 10c via an annular shoulder 21 serving as a support for the top plate 4.
The top plate 4 which is shown in detail in
FIGS. 11 to 13 show a first variant of the above-described suspension device. The bottom 13 of the suspension structure 3 is of uniform thickness and it presents a groove 30 facing the lateral opening 11a which serves to guide a middle wall connecting a tongue 31 formed on the top face 2b of the foot 2 to said foot 2. On its bottom face 2a, the foot 2 also has a tenon 32 for quick fastening to a slat, and two lateral hooks 33a, 33b which engage the edges of the slat, and on its top face 2b the foot has a clip device 34 facing the free end of the tongue 31 which serves to prevent the suspension structure 3 from moving relative to the foot 2 after assembly. The head 12 for fixing the top plate 4 is solid and at its periphery it has a plurality of housings 35 into which resilient fingers formed in the central orifice of the top plate 4 are clipped, as described in the Applicants' French patent application FR 98/00187, and which can be seen in the top plate 4 shown in
FIGS. 14 to 16 show a second variant of the invention. The foot 2 has a central orifice 6 for receiving a screw for fixing it to a slat, and a stud 7 which projects from its bottom face 2a for preventing it from turning on the slat. The foot 2 can also have a plurality of studs 7 in alignment or a rib on its bottom face 2a so as to enable it to be docked blind in a groove formed in the slat so as to enable the foot 2 to be installed more accurately and more quickly on the platform that defines the support surface. The suspension structure 3 is fixed on the foot 2 by means of a bayonet fastening. For this purpose, the top face 2b of the foot 2 has three curvilinear hooks 40a, 40b, 40c facing towards the axis of the foot 2, and the bottom 13 presents three hooks 41a, 41b, 41c facing radially outwards and co-operating with the hooks 40a, 40b, 40c when the bottom is turned about its own axis X, then coinciding with the axis of the foot 2. Ribs 42 formed on top of the hooks 41a, 41b, 41c co-operate with grooves 43 formed in the hooks 40a, 40b, 40c, respectively, so as to prevent the suspension structure 3 from turning relative to the foot 2 once assembled therewith. As can be seen in FIGS. 14 to 16, the head 12 for fixing the top plate 4 is similar to that shown in
In a fourth variant of the invention shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the means for connecting together the suspension structure 3 and the foot 2 comprise a slideway of dovetail shape. For this purpose, the bottom 13 of the suspension structure 3 has a rib 50 on its bottom face, which rib is of dovetail section and extends from the axis X to the edge of the bottom 13, and is suitable for being slidably inserted into a groove 51 likewise of dovetail section formed in the top face 2b of the foot 2. The foot 2 also presents two parallel walls 52a, 52b projecting from its bottom face 2a suitable for being placed on either side of a slat, and a central stud 53 which is received in a hole formed in the slat.
In a sixth variant of the invention shown in
FIGS. 28 to 31 show a second embodiment of the invention. This suspension device 1 likewise comprises a foot 2 as shown in
In its bottom hemisphere, the suspension structure 3 has three sectors 10a, 10b, and 10c which are separated by slots 11a, 11b, and 11c of small circumferential extent. Compared with the first embodiment, the suspension structure 3 does not have a bottom member 13 in its bottom zone. The bottom ends of the sectors 10a, 10b, and 10c are thus free. Beneath its bottom face, the foot 2 has side walls 52a and 52b suitable for receiving a slat between them, and it has a tenon 54 for fixing it to the slat, while on its top face 2b it has an upwardly flared neck 75 made up of three elements that are regularly spaced apart around the axis of the foot 2, each presenting an upwardly-extending rib 76 on its outside face of circumferential size matching the width of a slot 11a, 11b, or 11c. When the bottom ends of the sectors 10a, 10b, and 10c are urged elastically outwards, it is possible to fit the bottom portion of the suspension structure 3 over the neck. 75 so that the ribs 76 are received in the slots 11a, 11b, and 11c.
FIGS. 34 to 38 show an eighth variant of the suspension device as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. The foot 2 differs from that shown in
The suspension structure 3 fitted onto the foot 2 and shown in detail in
The end of a slat is inserted from above into the space defined by the resilient tongue 115 and the ends of the lateral lips 116 and the resilient elements 117.
The lateral lips 116 clamp against the flanks of the slat, thus accommodating variations in manufacturing dimensions. The resilient elements 117 serve to prevent the slats from moving upwards, while the resilient tongue 115 compensates for variations in slat thickness and also serves to damp a set of suspension devices 1 fixed on the slat.
In the various embodiments of the invention as described above, the top plate 4 is in the form of a quadrangle and it is symmetrical about longitudinal and transverse planes containing the axis X. Clearly, the top plate 4 fitted to suspension devices 1 located at the edges of a base can carry top plates 4 of slightly different shape. In all cases, the systems for fixing the plate 4 to the head 12 of the suspension structure 3 enable the plate 4 to be held stationary relative to the structure 3 when subjected to traction along the axis X and when subjected to twisting about the axis X. The same applies to the systems for fixing the suspension structure 3 to the foot 2 and for fixing the foot 2 to a slat of the support platform.
Claims
1-22. (canceled)
23. An individual suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis,
- wherein the suspension structure is in the form of a one-piece hollow sphere comprising a plurality of sectors separated from one another by lateral openings and made of a flexible synthetic material or a vulcanized rubber of hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale, and
- wherein the sectors are free of internal stress when the suspension structure is motionless and inactive.
24. A device according to claim 23, wherein the foot has means for preventing it from turning after it has been fixed to the platform element.
25. A device according to claim 23, wherein the suspension structure and the top plate have co-operating means for connecting them together in traction and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
26. A device according to claim 25, wherein the connection between the suspension structure and the top plate is provided by a bayonet system.
27. A device according to claim 25, wherein the suspension structure has a head at its top end for fixing the top plate which head is received in an orifice formed in the top plate.
28. A device according to claim 27, wherein the fixing head has a through orifice formed on the axis of symmetry of the suspension structure.
29. A device according to claim 25, wherein the foot and the suspension structure are made as a single piece.
30. A device according to claim 23, wherein the suspension structure and the foot include co-operating means for connecting them together in traction and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
31. A device according to claim 30, wherein the suspension structure is in the form of a sphere having a plurality of sectors separated by lateral openings that are regularly spaced apart around the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
32. A device according to claim 31, wherein the sectors are connected to a bottom member situated in the bottom zone of the suspension structure.
33. A device according to claim 31, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot are formed in the bottom and the top face of the foot.
34. A device according to claim 33, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot comprise two lateral tongues forming clamps and formed on the top face of the foot, being designed to engage the bottom member, and a locking system for preventing the suspension structure from moving relative to the foot after assembly.
35. A device according to claim 34, wherein the tongues are guided during assembly by a slideway system.
36. A device according to claim 34, wherein the locking system comprises a hook co-operating with a flange.
37. A device according to claim 33, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot comprise a bayonet system and a clip system.
38. A device according to claim 33, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot comprise a groove and a rib of dovetail shape.
39. A device according to claim 33, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot comprise a ball formed on one of said pieces and clipping in a housing formed in the other one of said pieces, and a tenon-and-mortise system for preventing the two pieces from turning relative to each other after the ball has been clipped into place.
40. A device according to claim 33, wherein the co-operating means providing connection between the suspension structure and the foot comprise a ball formed on one of said pieces and suitable for sliding in a groove formed in the other one of said pieces.
41. A device according to claim 32, wherein the sectors have free bottom ends capable of being splayed apart radially so as to be placed around a flared neck formed on the top face of the foot, the neck presenting actually-extending outwardly-projecting ribs which are received in the lateral openings of the sphere after assembly.
42. A device according to claim 23, wherein the padding element is a mattress.
43. A support for the end of a base slat having a plurality of devices according to claim 23 mounted thereon, the support comprising a vertical wall for fixing against the inside wall of a long side of said base, a cradle extending horizontally from the bottom region of said wall and terminating in two upwardly-curved lateral zones, a resilient tongue supported by the middle zone of said cradle for supporting the end of said slat, a resilient lateral lip provided at the end of each lateral zone to bear against a respective flank of said slat, and a resilient element in the form of an upside-down U-shape whose free end is to come into abutment against the top face of said slat.
44. A method for producing an individual suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis,
- wherein, the suspension structure is molded in the form of a one-piece hollow sphere comprising a plurality of sectors separated from one another by lateral openings and made of a flexible synthetic material or a vulcanized rubber of hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale, and
- wherein the sectors are resiliently biased towards expansion only when the suspension device is compressed.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 25, 2005
Publication Date: Feb 16, 2006
Applicant:
Inventors: Jacques Lobry (Bourges), Francoise Lobry (Bourges)
Application Number: 11/257,976
International Classification: A47C 23/00 (20060101);