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.

Description

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of slatted frames for beds.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying schematic illustration.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support body according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the support body, showing the slat retainers and the connector pin with the stop.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the support body, showing the connector pin with the stop.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.