Bed foundation

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6832397
  • Patent Number
    6,832,397
  • Date Filed
    Friday, December 19, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 21, 2004
    20 years ago
  • CPC
  • US Classifications
    Field of Search
    • US
    • 005 201
    • 005 280
    • 005 285
    • 005 286
    • 005 663
    • 005 917
    • 005 948
  • International Classifications
    • A47C1900
Abstract
A bed foundation is provided which is constructed of blow-molded plastic and may be assembled without using tools. The components of the bed foundation all have lengths of less than 60 inches and may be packaged together in a container having a length less than 60 inches and a girth less than 84 inches, so as to avoid shipping penalties. The components are constructed and arranged to allow disassembly and storage when the foundation is not in use. One embodiment provides a bed foundation that, when assembled, has a top panel which overhangs the side rails to permit an oversized mattress to be placed thereon.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a bed foundation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shippable foundation for use with a mattress.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Despite the remarkable advances made in manufacturing processes over the last several decades, conventional bed foundations have, for the most part, dated designs and are assembled using old techniques. These foundations, commonly known as box springs, consist of a plurality of wood members combined with rigid metal springs constructed and arranged to form a rectangular box which provides a relatively rigid platform on which to place a mattress. The bottom of the box spring or bed foundation, having rigid members, is capable of being supported by a bed frame having two side rails and one or two cross members.




Because these conventional bed foundations are assembled at the factory and covered with attractive ticking, they cannot be disassembled for shipping. If the manufacturer were to ship the parts of the box spring along with the cover and leave assembly up to the consumer, the consumer would likely not have the skill to properly construct the box spring. Therefore, box springs are shipped fully assembled despite the extra shipping costs charged for large packages, described in more detail below. These fully assembled box springs not only incur shipping penalties, they are difficult to handle, both during delivery to the consumer and by the consumer once in the consumer's home. For example, it is not uncommon, in the case of larger sized beds such as queen beds that a box spring is unable to fit up a stairwell or around certain corners. Thus; the bulky size of the box spring limits the number of rooms in which a homeowner can place a larger sized bed.




A few bed foundations have been conceived that may be reversibly assembled and are provided in components that can be conveniently stored and shipped prior to assembly at an end user's location. Several embodiments of such bed foundations are described in Walker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,706 and Shoenhair et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,140, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application.




Walker describes a bed foundation that is assembled from several interlocking sections. The Walker bed foundation has two center sections that are shorter than the end sections so that the center sections may be packed within the end sections.




Shoenhair et al. discloses a bed foundation that is fabricated from a pair of side rails, a pair of end rails, at least one intermediate rail, and several top panels. When disassembled, the components of the Shoenhair et al. bed foundation are relatively flat to facilitate shipment of the bed foundation to customers.




United Parcel Service (hereinafter “UPS”) has standards that provide a shipping surcharge if a container is too large in various dimensions. Shipping charges are based primarily on the weight but, in the case of large packages, also on the dimensions of the packages being shipped. UPS penalizes the shipper for containers that are large but relatively light in weight.




The first surcharge called Oversized 1 (OS1) is defined as:




1. The package's combined length and girth exceeds 84 inches.




2. The packages' combined length and girth is equal or less than 108 inches.




3. The package's actual weight is less than 30 pounds.




Girth is defined as twice the width plus twice the depth of a package which has a length (or height when standing on end), a depth and a width where length is the greatest dimension. For each OS1 package, the billable weight is 30 pounds.




The second surcharge called Additional Handling, is applied to packages which exceed 60 inches in length. These packages are assessed an additional handling surcharge of $5.00 per package.




While these bed foundations provide a solution to the problem a conventional bed foundation poses pertaining to shipping a large, fully assembled box spring, these designs do require a significant amount of assembly by the consumer. Ideally, a bed foundation could be assembled without tools from components that can be packed into a standard sized container. Such a foundation would give a customer a good impression of the bed company once the customer gets the package home or has the package delivered and begins to assemble the bed. Assembly details are not easily shown in a retail setting. Bed foundations, or other products for that matter, requiring assembly, can often leave a bad impression with the customer if the assembly asked of the customer is excessive, complicated or poorly described in an instruction manual. Moreover, a kit requiring assembly and tools quite often contains a large number of screws, possibly a hexagonal wrench, a plurality of metal angle irons and corner pieces, and a plurality of wooden boards having holes already drilled at predetermined locations. It is not unusual for there to be screws missing, tools missing, holes drilled in the wrong location, and missing angle irons. These discrepancies can often create significant discontent with the customer and may even result in the customer returning the entire package and purchasing a competitor's product.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention includes a bed foundation capable of supporting a variety of mattresses. Preferably, the bed foundation is constructed entirely of blow-molded plastic components. These components interlock without the use of tools and can be quickly and easily assembled by a customer. When disassembled, the components compactly ship within a container having a length less than 60 inches and a girth less than 84 inches. When assembled, the bed foundation is inherently sturdy, attractive, and impressive.




The bed foundation generally comprises a pair of side rails, a pair of end rails, a plurality of intermediate rails, and top portions that lie upon, and interlock with the rail members. The side rails consist of two portions that disassemble to give the side rails an overall length of less than 60 inches.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a bed foundation according to the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of the preferred bed foundation with the top plate removed;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of an embodiment of the side rail joint of the present invention in a disassembled state;





FIG. 4

is a side elevation view of the side rail joint of

FIG. 3

in an assembled state;





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of the side rail joint of

FIG. 3

further having a locking mechanism;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of a preferred side rail joint of the present invention in a disassembled state;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of the preferred side rail joint of

FIG. 6

shown in an assembled state;





FIG. 8

is top view of the preferred side rail joint of

FIG. 6

shown in a disassembled state;





FIG. 9

is a side elevation of the preferred side rail joint of

FIG. 6

shown in an assembled state;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of a preferred locking pin of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is a perspective view of an intermediate rail of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a side elevation of the intermediate rail of

FIG. 11

;





FIG. 13

is a top plan view of the intermediate rail of

FIG. 11

;





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of an end rail of the present invention showing the inner side;





FIG. 15

is a side elevation of an end rail of the present invention showing the outer side;





FIG. 16

is a top plan view of the end rail of

FIGS. 14 and 15

;





FIG. 17

is a perspective view of a top panel portion of the present invention which has been inverted to show the detail of the lower surface;





FIG. 18

is a perspective view of a cover of the present invention; and,





FIG. 19

is a perspective view of the bottom of a preferred embodiment having an overhanging top panel and a cover with filler foam.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring now to the drawings in first to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a bed foundation


20


is provided which includes a pair of side rails


22


, a pair of end rails


24


, at least one intermediate rail


26


, and a top panel


28


. The side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, the intermediate rails


26


, and the top panel


28


are all preferably blow-molded from plastic.




The components of the bed foundation


20


permit reversible assembly so that the bed foundation


20


may be shipped to the customer in packages that do not incur sized-based penalties when shipping. The bed foundation


20


is constructed and arranged to permit the customer to assemble and disassemble the bed foundation


20


so it may be later stored in a relatively small space when a customer is not using the foundation


20


.




The components of the foundation


20


include interlocking joints that enable the foundation


20


to be assembled without the use of tools. These interlocking joints are integrally molded with the components so that no other parts are required. While not necessary, the interlocking joints may be further secured with lock pins or similar devices.




The side rails


22


, each include a first section


30


and a second section


32


. The first and second sections,


30


and


32


, are removably attachable to each other. When attached, the first section


30


is aligned with the second section


32


to form a straight, linear side rail


22


. Notably, the first section


30


and the second section


32


are preferably of different lengths. The different lengths of the first section


30


and the second section


32


allow the resulting union


33


between the first section


30


and the second section


32


of each of the side rails


22


to be offset from the center of the bed foundation


20


. In other words, the union


33


of one side rail


22


is closer to a head end of the side rail


22


whereas the union


33


of the other side rail


22


is closer to the foot end of that side rail


22


. This is advantageous because when both side rails


22


are assembled and facing each other, the union


33


of one side rail


22


may be longitudinally displaced from the union


33


of the other side rail


22


, thereby increasing the rigidity of the overall foundation


20


. If the unions


33


of either side rail


22


directly faced each other, a line of instability in the bed foundation


20


would be created. It will be seen that sections


30


and


32


are asymmetric such that errors cannot be made in arranging the side rails


22


, thereby ensuring that unions


33


do not face each other. This arrangement prevents the occurrence of a natural creasing point in the bed foundation


20


. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate it that is possible to form the first section


30


and the second section


32


with approximately equal lengths without going beyond the concepts of the present invention.




Referring now to

FIGS. 3-5

, a mechanism is provided for reversibly joining the first section


30


and the second section


32


. It can be seen that the T-joint


40


has an approximate T-shape and includes a male portion


42


extending from the first section


30


and a female portion


44


formed in the second section


32


. The male portion


42


has a shape that is substantially complementary to the female portion


44


so that the male portion


42


and the female portion


44


form a snug, interlocking fit. One skilled in the art will understand that it is not important whether the female portion


44


be formed in the first section


30


or in the second section


32


, only that one male portion


42


and one female portion


44


are provided and have complementary shapes.




The interlocking fit between the male portion


42


and the female portion


44


prevents the first section


30


from being pulled away from the second section


32


, as indicated by arrow


46


. The interlocking fit between the male portion


42


and the female portion


44


also prevents the first section


30


from moving up or down with respect to the second section


32


as indicated by arrow


48


. The interlocking fit between the male portion


42


and the female portion


44


also resists lateral movement of the first section


30


with respect to the second section


32


, as indicated by arrow


49


of FIG.


3


. However, the resistance to this lateral movement, shown by arrow


49


, results only from the friction between the first section


30


and the second section


32


.




To further enhance the structural rigidity of the joint


40


, and to prevent the lateral movement indicated by arrow


49


, the joint


40


preferably includes a reinforcing mechanism


50


, shown in FIG.


5


. The reinforcing mechanism


50


maintains the first section


30


and the second section


32


in an assembled configuration, and preferably includes a slot


52


formed in a side surface


54


of the first section


30


and in the second section


32


. The slot


52


preferably extends from a top surface


56


of the side rail


22


substantially to a bottom surface


58


of the side rail


22


.




The slot


52


is adapted to receive a pin


53


. The pin


53


has a profile that substantially conforms to a cross-section of the slot


52


such that the pin


53


fits snugly within the slot


52


. The pin


53


is retained in the slot


52


by a pair of lips


55


that extend partially over the slot


52


. The pin


53


is preferably fabricated from a metallic or plastic material.




Assembly is achieved by positioning the male portion


42


adjacent the female portion


44


. The male portion


42


is then pressed into the female portion


44


until the male portion


42


engages the female portion


44


. The pin


53


is then placed into the slot


52


locking the first section


30


and the second section


32


together. It may be preferable to provide more than one slot


52


and pin


53


to further enhance rigidity.




A more preferred mechanism for reversibly joining the first section


30


and the second section


32


is an L-hook joint


70


as seen in

FIGS. 6-9

. The L-hook has a male portion


72


and a female portion


74


. The male portion


72


has at least one extension


76


. Preferably, the male portion has two extensions


76


. Preferably, at least one of the extensions


76


has a vertical catch


78


, the function of which will be explained below.




The female portion


74


comprises a cavity


82


constructed and arranged to receive the male portion


72


. The cavity


82


preferably does not pass through the side rail


22


. Rather, the cavity


82


has a rear surface


84


and a plurality of complementary raised surfaces


86


.




The male portion


72


and the female portion


74


fit together in a snug, interlocking manner when the extensions


76


are inserted into the cavity


82


. The vertical catches


78


of the extensions


76


act on vertical surfaces


80


of the cavity


82


. The relationship between the catches


78


and the vertical surfaces


80


prevent the first section


30


from being pulled away from the second section


32


in a longitudinal direction. This relationship also helps to prevent the first section


30


from being angled upwardly or downwardly in relation to the second section


32


.




To further enhance the structural rigidity of the joints


70


, and to retain the first section


30


and the second section


32


in an assembled configuration, the joint


70


preferably includes a reinforcing mechanism


90


, as seen in

FIGS. 7-10

. The reinforcing mechanism


90


preferably includes a slot


92


formed in a side surface


94


of the first section


30


and the second section


32


. The slot


92


extends from the top surface


56


of second section


32


to the bottom surface


98


of the cavity


82


formed in the second section


32


.

FIG. 7

shows how the slot


92


is completed when the first section


30


and the second section


32


are assembled.




The reinforcing mechanism


90


includes the aforementioned pin


53


. The pin


53


is shaped to be received by the slot


92


, and is preferably fabricated from a metallic or plastic material. The pin


53


is retained in the slot


92


by a pair of lips


102


that partially extend over the slot


92


, as is most clearly illustrated in FIG.


8


.

FIGS. 7 and 10

show a preferred embodiment of the pin


53


used to retain the first section


30


and the second section


32


in an engaged relationship. It can be seen that the pin


53


includes a horizontal surface


100


on which to press when inserting the pin


53


into the slot


92


. Integral with the horizontal surface


100


, is a pin portion


101


. The pin


53


also preferably provides a downward facing surface


103


under which a user's fingers may be placed in order to pull the pin


53


in an upward direction when disassembling the bed foundation


20


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-13

, the bed foundation


20


includes at least one, preferably four, intermediate rails


26


constructed and arranged to extend from one side rail


22


to the opposite side rail


22


, between the end rails


24


(as seen in FIG.


2


). The intermediate rails


26


thereby enhance the structural rigidity of the bed foundation


20


. While the spacing between the intermediate rails


26


may be approximately equal, the intermediate rails


26


are preferably spaced so that all four intermediate rails are located in approximately a middle half of the bed foundation


20


. Such a configuration provides additional support and helps to prevent deflection in a central region of the bed foundation


20


where a high concentration of a person's weight will be located while that person is lying on the bed.




To facilitate ease of assembly and disassembly of the bed foundation


20


, without tools, the side rails include grooves


132


(

FIGS. 6-9

) defined therein. The grooves


132


are constructed and arranged to receive dovetails


134


which are integral with and extend from the ends of the intermediate rails


26


. As seen in

FIG. 9

, the grooves


132


preferably extend from the top surface


56


of the side rail


22


to a stop


136


which is provided just above a lower surface


138


of the side rails


22


. The stop


136


provides a positive indication that the dovetail


134


is completely inserted in the groove


132


and prevents the dovetail


134


from extending too far into the groove


132


, resulting in the top surfaces of the intermediate rails


26


and the side rails


22


from being uneven.




As seen in

FIGS. 13-15

, the end rails


24


connect to the side rails


22


in the same manner as the intermediate rails


26


. Structurally, the only difference between the end rails


24


and the intermediate rails


26


is the appearance of an outside surface


141


. Preferably, the outside surface


141


is ornamentally similar to the outside surfaces


143


(

FIG. 1

) of the side rails


22


such that when the bed foundation


20


is fully assembled, an attractive, completed appearance results.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 17

, the bed foundation


20


further includes a top panel


28


constructed and arranged to extend over the side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, and the intermediate rail


26


when placed thereon. The top panel


28


substantially covers an area defined by these components. An alternate embodiment provides a top panel


28


, which extends a predetermined distance past the side rails


22


. Such an embodiment allows a larger mattress to be placed on a smaller bed foundation


20


. This is especially useful with the recent introduction of the deluxe queen, a new size being introduced by mattress manufacturers to provide a queen sized bed which is three inches wider than a convention queen sized bed. This larger top panel


28


obviates the need for a consumer to buy a new bed foundation or box spring and, more importantly, obviates the need for a new bed frame.




To facilitate storing and shipping the bed foundation


20


, the top panel


28


is preferably formed of multiple top panel portions


140


. Each of the top panel portions


140


preferably has a common shape. It is envisioned that queen and king sized foundations


20


will have four top panel portions


140


while twin sized and double sized foundations


20


will have two top panel portions


140


.




To facilitate mounting the top panel portions


140


in a desired position with respect to each other, the top panel portions


140


, each include at least one tab


142


extending from a side of the top panel portion


140


and a recess


144


formed in the side of top panel portion


140


, as most clearly illustrated in FIG.


17


. The tabs


142


preferably have a shape that substantially conforms with a shape of the recess


144


. It is envisioned that the top panel portions


140


include two tabs


142


and two recesses


144


, which permit all of the top panel portions


140


to have a substantially uniform configuration.




The top panel portions


140


further include a mounting mechanism, which secures the top panel portions


140


to the side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, and the intermediate rails


26


. The mounting mechanism preferably includes a locking extension


152


formed on the top surfaces


56


of the side rails


22


, the top surfaces


96


of the intermediate rails


26


(

FIGS. 6-9

and


11


-


16


), and the top surfaces


154


of the end rails. It is understood that the number and size of the locking extensions


152


are selected based upon the size of the foundation


20


. A person of ordinary skill of the art will appreciate that a greater number of locking extensions


152


would be beneficial on a king-sized foundation than would be on a twin sized foundation.




A receiving portion


156


is formed into a lower surface


158


of the top panel portions


140


, as seen in

FIGS. 19 and 20

. To facilitate insertion of the locking extension


152


into the receiving portion


156


, a recess


160


is preferably formed in the lower surface


158


of the top panel portions


140


adjacent the receiving portions


156


.




The side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, the intermediate rails


26


, and the top panel


28


are each preferably fabricated from plastic, more preferably injected-molded plastic, even more preferably blow-molded plastic. Using blow-molded plastic is advantageous, not only because it allows complete recyclability, but also because it minimizes material costs. Also, once tooling is established, blow molding minimizes production costs and allows parts to be produced having complicated geometries. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is possible to fabricate the preceding components from a variety of materials, such as steel or wood, using the concepts of the present invention. However, doing so would result in increased production costs.




To further enhance the structural rigidity of the blow-molded plastic components, tack-offs


110


are incorporated into the shape of the top panel portions


140


, the side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, and the intermediate rails


26


. The tack-offs


110


are simply indentations formed in a surface or two surfaces of a component. Tack-offs


110


are well known in the art and commonly used with blow-molded plastic components in order to increase rigidity. The tack-offs


110


may be created with a wide variety of dimensions and may range from deep to shallow and from long to short. The tack-offs


110


may be formed in either a vertical orientation, or a horizontal orientation. Preferably, the intermediate rails


26


, have tack-offs


110


running horizontally substantially the entire length of the intermediate rail


26


. The tack-offs


110


formed in the side rails


22


are preferably positioned so as not to interfere with the grooves


132


, or the slots


92


.




The bed foundation


20


further includes a substantially decorative cover


170


shown in FIG.


18


. The cover


170


extends over the entire outer surface of the bed foundation


20


. The cover is preferably fabricated from a cloth material and enhances the aesthetic appeal of the bed foundation by providing the bed foundation


20


with an appearance that is similar to the appearance of box springs used with conventional mattresses. For the embodiment providing a top panel


28


that extends over the side rails


22


to provide support for an oversized mattress, shown in

FIG. 19

, a cover


170


may be provided with filler foam


172


which fills in the resulting space formed between the sides of the overhanging cover and the side rails


22


of the foundation


20


. This will give a rectangular, box-like appearance to the foundation


20


, as opposed to a ledged appearance created by the overhanging top panel


28


.




The bed foundation


20


of the present invention therefore provides an alternative to a conventional bed foundation. The bed foundation


20


may be disassembled so that its components may be packaged into standard sized shipping containers, e.g., shipping containers having a length of less than 60 inches and a girth of less than 84 inches. Using standard sized shipping containers enables the bed foundation


20


to be readily transported using common carriers without incurring additional charges associated with oversized packages. Furthermore, standard sized shipping containers also facilitate easy handling by customers.




Once the bed foundation


20


has been shipped to a customer in standard sized containers, the customer may easily assemble the bed foundation


20


without the use of any tools. The assembly process is straightforward. The side rails


22


are assembled first by joining the first sections


30


to the second sections


32


. The first section


30


and the second section


32


are joined by placing the male portion


72


into the female portion


74


. This is most easily accomplished by laying the second portion


32


on its side on the floor, such that the female portion


74


faces upward. The extension


76


of the male portion


72


is then pressed into the cavity


82


and may be stepped on to ensure a snug fit. A pin


53


is then placed into the groove


92


by pushing on the upper surface


100


. Having assembled two side rails


22


, the side rails


22


are then positioned such that they form a relative parallel relationship and such that pins


53


are facing each other, though longitudinally off-set. The end rails


24


are then placed between the side rails


22


and their dovetails


144


are positioned in the grooves


132


. The two end rails


24


and side rails


22


should now form a rectangular shape. The intermediate rails


26


are placed in a similar fashion between the end rails


24


so that they span across the side rails


22


. Their dovetails


134


are pressed into the corresponding grooves of the side rails


22


. The top panel portions


140


are then attached to the assembly by placing the locking extensions


152


, which extend from the side rails


22


, the end rails


24


, and intermediate rails


26


into the receiving portions


156


formed in the lower surface


158


of the top panel portions


140


. This is most clearly seen in

FIGS. 19 and 20

. Once the top panel portions


140


are attached to the assembly, the cover


170


is simply placed over the top of the now assembled bed foundation


20


.




With the assembly of the bed foundation


20


complete, the bed foundation


20


may be positioned to support virtually any type of mattress, e.g., a standard coil spring mattress, a fluid filled mattress, a futon, etc. Additionally, the bed foundation


20


may be placed atop, and supported by, a standard metal bed frame or may be placed atop and supported by a slat bed frame. Similarly, if desired, the bed foundation


20


may be placed atop and supported by a platform bed frame.




It is contemplated that features disclosed in this application, as well as those described in the above applications, incorporated by reference, can be mixed and matched to suit particular circumstances. Various other modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the claims to determine the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A bed foundation that is capable of supporting a bed, the bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails that each include a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section engage each other so that the first section is aligned with the second section; a pair of end rails, wherein opposite ends of the side rails engage opposite ends of the end rails so that the side rails are parallel to each other and so that the end rails are parallel to each other; a top panel attachable to said rails and constructed and arranged to cover an area defined by said side rails and said end rails; and, a reinforcing mechanism constructed and arranged to retain the first section in a fixed position with respect to the second section, wherein said reinforcing mechanism comprises a slot formed in the first section and the second section and a pin that is constructed and arranged to at least partially slide into said slot.
  • 2. The bed foundation of 1, wherein said side rails further include tack-offs formed therein that enhance the structural rigidity of said side rails.
  • 3. A bed foundation of claim 1, wherein said top panel comprises a plurality of top panel portions.
  • 4. The bed foundation of claim 1, further comprising at least one intermediate rail extending between said side rails at an intermediate location between said end rails.
  • 5. The bed foundation of claim 4, wherein said side rails and said intermediate rails removably engage each other using a sliding dovetail joint.
  • 6. The bed foundation of claim 5, wherein said sliding dovetail joint comprises a dovetail extending from said side rail, and a groove formed in said intermediate rail and constructed and arranged to receive said dovetail.
  • 7. The bed foundation of claim 5, wherein said sliding dovetail joint comprises a dovetail extending from said intermediate rail, and a groove formed in said side rail and constructed and arranged to receive said dovetail.
  • 8. The bed foundation of claim 1, wherein said side rails and said end rails removably engage each other with a sliding dovetail joint.
  • 9. The bed foundation of claim 8, wherein said sliding dovetail joint comprises a dovetail extending from said side rail, and a groove formed in said end rails constructed and arranged to receive said dovetail.
  • 10. The bed foundation of claim 8, wherein said sliding dovetail joint comprises a dovetail extending from said end rail, and a dovetail formed in said side rail and constructed and arranged to receive said dovetail.
  • 11. The bed foundation of claim 1 further comprising a cloth cover, placeable over said rails and said top portion panel.
  • 12. The bed foundation of claim 1, wherein said bed foundation is supported by a bed frame.
  • 13. The bed foundation of claim 12 wherein said bed frame comprises a slat bed frame.
  • 14. The bed foundation of claim 12 wherein said bed frame comprises a platform bed frame.
  • 15. The bed foundation of claim 12 wherein said bed frame comprises a standard metal bed frame.
  • 16. A bed foundation that is capable of supporting a bed, the bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails that each include a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section engage each other so that the first section is aligned with the second section; a pair of end rails, wherein opposite ends of the side rails engage opposite ends of the end rails so that the side rails are parallel to each other and so that the end rails are parallel to each other; a top panel attachable to said rails and constructed and arranged to cover an area defined by said side rails and said end rails; and, a mounting mechanism constructed and arranged to retain said ton panel in a fixed position relative to said side rails and said end rails; wherein said mounting mechanism comprises a plurality of attachment tabs extending from at least one of said rails and constructed and arranged to mate with receiving portions formed in a lower surface of said top panel.
  • 17. A bed foundation that is capable of supporting a bed, the bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails that each include a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section engage each other so that the first section is aligned with the second section; a pair of end rails, wherein opposite ends of the side rails engage opposite ends of the end rails so that the side rails are parallel to each other and so that the end rails are parallel to each other; a top panel attachable to said rails and constructed and arranged to cover an area defined by said side rails and said end rails; and, a mounting mechanism constructed and arranged to retain said top panel in a fixed position relative to said side rails and said end rails; wherein said mounting mechanism comprises a plurality of locking extensions attached to at least one of said end rails when constructed and arranged to mate with receiving portions formed in a lower surface of said top panel.
  • 18. A bed foundation that is capable of supporting a bed, the bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails that each include a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section engage each other so that the first section is aligned with the second section; a pair of end rails, wherein opposite ends of the side rails engage opposite ends of the end rails so that the side rails are parallel to each other and so that the end rails are parallel to each other; a top panel attachable to said rails and constructed and arranged to cover an area defined by said side rails and said end rails; and, a mounting mechanism constructed and arranged to retain said too panel in a fixed position relative to said side rails and said end rails; wherein said mounting mechanism comprises at least one locking extension formed on an intermediate rail extending between said side rails at an intermediate location between said end rails, said locking extension constructed and arranged to mate with a receiving portion formed in a lower surface of said top panel.
  • 19. A method of assembling a bed foundation without using tools comprising:engaging a first rail section to a second rail section that is shorter than the first rail section to form a first side rail having a head end and a foot end; engaging a third rail section to a fourth rail section that is longer than the third rail section to form a second side rail having a head end and a foot end, such that when the head end of the first side rail is placed beside the head end of the second side rail, and the foot end of the first side rail is placed beside the foot end of the second side rail, the engagement between the first rail section and the second rail section is offset from the engagement between the third rail section and the fourth rail section; connecting the first and second side rail head ends with an end rail spanning between said side rails; and connecting the first and second side rail foot ends with an end rail spanning between said side rails.
  • 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising placing a top panel on said rails and attaching said top panels to at least one of said rails.
  • 21. The method of claim 20 wherein attaching said top panel to at least one of said rails comprises assembling a plurality of top panel portions to create said top panel.
  • 22. The method of claim 19 wherein engaging said first and second rails sections comprises locking said first rail section in a fixed position with respect to said second rail section.
  • 23. The method of claim 22 wherein locking the first rail section in a fixed position with respect to the second rail section comprises providing a locking mechanism.
  • 24. The method of claim 23 wherein providing a locking mechanism comprises providing a slot that is formed in both the first section and the second section and providing a pin that at least partially extends into the slot, thereby engaging both the first section and the second section.
  • 25. The method of claim 19 further comprising connecting the first and second side rails with at least one intermediate rail spanning between said side rails.
  • 26. The method of claim 25 wherein said connecting the first and second side rails with at least one intermediate rail comprises providing a groove defined by said side rail and a dovetail extending from said intermediate rail and placing said dovetail into said groove.
  • 27. The method of claim 19 further comprising reinforcing at least one of said rails.
  • 28. The method of claim 27 wherein reinforcing at least one of said rails comprises forming at least one tack-off into said at least one rail.
  • 29. A bed foundation capable of being shipped in a container having a length not greater than 60 inches and a girth not greater than 84 inches said bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails each comprised a first section and a second section joinable to said first section, wherein said first and second sections are constructed and arranged such that when said first and second sections are unjoined said first and second sections are containable within said container, and when said first and second sections are joined, said side rail is not containable within said container; a pair of locking pins useable to securely fasten said first sections to said second sections of said pair of side rails together; and a pair of end rails, engageable with said side rails, said end rails containable within said container.
  • 30. The bed foundation of claim 29 further comprising at least one intermediate rail engageable to said side rails and constructed and arranged such that said intermediate rail is containable within said container.
  • 31. The bed foundation of claim 30, wherein said intermediate rail engages said side rail through a sliding dovetail connection.
  • 32. The bed foundation of claim 29, wherein said side rails engage said end rails through a sliding dovetail connection.
  • 33. The bed foundation of claim 31, wherein said top panel portion is attachable to at least one of said rails.
  • 34. The bed foundation of claim 29, further comprising a top panel portion constructed and arranged to be containable within said container.
  • 35. The bed foundation of claim 29 further comprising a joint formed by said first section and said second section when said first section is joined to said second section.
  • 36. The bed foundation of claim 35, wherein said joint comprises a T-joint.
  • 37. The bed foundation of claim 35, wherein said joint comprises an L-hook joint.
  • 38. A bed foundation that is capable of supporting a bed, the bed foundation comprising:a pair of side rails that each include a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section engage each other so that the first section is aligned with the second section; a pair of end rails, wherein opposite ends of the side rails engage opposite ends of the end rails so that the side rails are parallel to each other and so that the end rails are parallel to each other; and, a top panel attachable to said rails and constructed and arranged to cover an area defined by said side rails and said end rails; wherein said top panel is constructed and arranged to create an overhang with said side rails, thereby providing a top surface having a greater width than a width defined between said side rails.
  • 39. The bed foundation of claim 38, further comprising a cloth cover, placeable over said rails and said top portion said cloth cover including two foam fillers constructed and arranged to fill a space created by said overhang.
  • 40. A bed foundation comprising:a plurality of rail members constructed of blow-molded plastic, each of said rail members having: a top surface; a bottom surface; two side surfaces; two end surfaces; a dovetail extending from at least one of said end surfaces; a plurality of attachment tabs extending from said top surface; a plurality of connecting members constructed of blow-molded plastic, removably attached to said rail members, and having grooves constructed and arranged to receive said dovetails; a plurality of top panels constructed of blow-molded plastic, removably attached to said rail members, and having receiving portions constructed and arranged to removably mate with said attachment tabs; whereby said rail members, said connecting members, and said top panels all have lengths less than 60 inches in an unassembled state.
  • 41. The bed foundation of claim 40 wherein said connecting members comprise side rails.
  • 42. The bed foundation of claim 40 wherein said connecting members comprise connecting pods.
  • 43. The bed foundation of claim 40 wherein said rail members are elongate such that said rail member side surfaces of lengths greater than lengths of said end surfaces.
  • 44. The bed foundation of claim 40 wherein said rail members further have at least one tack-off formed in at least one of said side surfaces.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/216,908 filed on Jul. 7, 2000, and a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/900,685, filed Jul. 6, 2001, now abandoned the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (9)
Number Name Date Kind
3754289 Larkin Aug 1973 A
4319370 Robinson Mar 1982 A
4734946 Saputo Apr 1988 A
4738946 Yamashita et al. Apr 1988 A
4970743 Wride et al. Nov 1990 A
4998310 Olson Mar 1991 A
5144706 Walker Sep 1992 A
5564140 Shoenhair et al. Oct 1996 A
6338172 Taylor et al. Jan 2002 B1
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/216908 Jul 2000 US
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/900685 Jul 2001 US
Child 10/742173 US