Patent Application
20240164534
The present disclosure relates to furniture, and in particular, to pieces of furniture, such as box springs, which can be at least partially disassembled and can have portions that are foldable to reduce the space necessary for shipping and storage.
Furniture has been a part of human life for centuries, and some of the most common pieces of furniture include beds, tables, chairs, and sofas. New and used furniture can be bought and sold in many different ways, in many different locations, and in many different streams of commerce.
Furniture is often manufactured in one country or location, and is then shipped to another country or location for sale. Throughout this process the furniture must be stored and often times the furniture can be held in boxes with inserts, packing or padding to protect the furniture during storage/shipping. This can result in each piece of furniture taking up an excessive amount of space, increasing the cost of shipping and storage.
More recently, attempts have made to reduce the space required for these pieces of furniture. In some instances, the furniture can be boxed and shipped that is fully or partially disassembled and the purchaser then tasked with assembling the furniture at its final destination. This can often times be very complex and a time consuming process, and can require assembling dozens of pieces, using different tools and according to instructions that are often difficult to follow.
For other pieces of furniture such as mattresses or cushions, the pieces of furniture can be compressed and then boxed while still compressed. For example, a mattress can be compressed, placed in packaging to hold the compression, and then placed in a box. While this approach does save space in shipping and storage, it requires removal of the mattress under compression, and once the mattress is removed from compression it must rest for some time before it returns to its usable shape. This compression approach is also usable only with a minimal subset of furniture pieces and cannot be used with those pieces which have rigid structures.
The present invention is generally directed to furniture pieces that have rigid portions that can be separated from other portions of the furniture, with the rigid and other portions being foldable to reduce the space needed for packaging, shipping, and storage. Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to bedding, and more particularly to box springs. In these embodiments, the box spring can comprise a frame that is surrounded by a fabric cover that can have padding or cushioning. The frame can be removed from the fabric cover and can be folded or collapsed to reduce its size. The fabric cover can also be folded, with the now folded frame and cover having a greatly reduced size for shipping and storage. This reduces the cost of shipping and storage for the box spring, and also provides the option to the end user to more easily store the box spring when desired.
One embodiment of a box spring according to the present invention comprises an upper rigid support structure defining the upper surface of the box spring, wherein the upper support structure comprises first and second upper portions. A lower support structure is included defining the lower surface of the box spring wherein the upper support structure comprises first and second lower portions. A plurality of struts separate the upper rigid support from the lower rigid support structure. A plurality of supports, wherein the first and second upper portions and the first and second lower portion are rotatably mounted to the supports such that said box spring can be folded about the supports with the first and second upper portions being approximately against the first and second lower portions when the box spring is in the folded position.
These and other further features and advantages of the invention would be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts in the figures, in which:
The present invention is directed to furniture having portions that can be foldable to reduce the space needed for shipping or storage of the furniture. In some embodiments, the furniture can be at least partially disassembled so that one or more of the rigid portions can be separated from other portions of the furniture. In some embodiments some of the other portions can be fabric or cushions or a combination thereof that can be folded and/or compressed. One or more of the rigid portions can then be folded, with the folding of the rigid portion and the folding and compression of the fabric/cushion portion reducing the necessary shipping and storage space for the piece of furniture.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a bedding box spring having a rigid frame or structure that can be separated from the covering. The rigid frame can be made of many different materials or combinations of materials, with some embodiments having frames made of metal. In other embodiments that frame can be made of plastic or a combination of metal and plastic. It is also understood that the covering can be made of many different materials including fabric, plastic, foam, or a combination of these materials.
The separation of the rigid frame covering can be accomplished by the covering having a portion that can be opened to allow access to the rigid frame inside. This rigid frame can be removed from the covering portion and the rigid portion can be folded or collapsed to reduce its size. The covering portion can also be folded and/or compressed, also to reduce its size. The resulting folded portions of the rigid frame and the covering can be placed in a container for shipping or storage, and the space necessary for the overall box spring is greatly reduced. This reduces the cost associated with storage or shipping. The box spring can then be easily assembled by unfolding the rigid frame and covering portion, placing the metal frame in the covering portion, and closing the opening in the covering portion.
Throughout this disclosure, the embodiments illustrated should be considered as exemplars, rather than as limitations on the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “invention” and “present invention” refers to any one of the embodiments of the disclosure described herein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various features of the “invention” or “present invention” throughout this document does not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the reference features.
It is also understood that when an element or feature is referred to as being “on” or “adjacent” to another element or feature, it can be directly on or adjacent to the other element or feature or intervening elements or features may also be present. Additionally, it is understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” “mounted,” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected, mounted, or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present.
Furthermore, relative terms such as “inner,” “outer,” “upper,” “top,” “above,” “lower,” “bottom,” “beneath,” “below,” and similar terms, may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another. Terms such as “higher,” “lower,” “wider,” “narrower,” and similar terms, may be used herein to describe angular relationships. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the elements or system in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, or section from another. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, a first element, component, region, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated list items.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, when the present specification refers to “an” assembly, it is understood that this language encompasses a single assembly or a plurality or array of assemblies. It is further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Embodiments as described in the present disclosure can be described herein with reference to view illustrations, some of which are schematic in nature. As such, the actual thickness of elements can be different, and variations from the shapes of some of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Thus, the elements illustrated in some of the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The outer edge of the upper and lower structures 12, 14 can comprise a relatively heavy gage perimeter metal bars 16, 18, respectively, that define the outer edges of the upper and lower structures 12, 14. The upper and lower structures 12, 14 also comprise relatively heavy gage transverse members 20, 22, respectively, and at least one heavy longitudinal member 24, 26, respectively. The members 24, 26 span the longitudinal distance between their upper and lower perimeter bars 16, 18. The longitudinal members 20, 22 span the transverse distance between their upper and lower perimeter bars 16, 18. The upper structure 12 also comprises a plurality of lower gage longitudinal spanning members 27 equally spaced and each running along the space between the perimeter bars 16 to a transverse member 18 that is near the center of foldable frame 10.
The upper and lower structures 12, 14 are separated by a plurality of struts 28, with each strut 28 being rotatably mounted to the upper and lower structures 12, 14. By way of example, strut 28a is rotatably mounted at one end by upper mounting point 30 to the edge bar 16 and at the opposing end by lower mounting point 32 to the edge bar 18. Similarly, strut 28b is rotatably mounted to longitudinal member 24 at one end and rotatable mounted to the longitudinal member 26 at its opposing end. The remaining struts are similarly mounted. The struts 28 are bent near the upper end, which can help facilitate the folding of the frame as described below and different embodiments can have differing angles of bend. In still other embodiments, the struts can be provided without bends or only some of the struts may be bent.
The frame also comprises a plurality of central supports 34a-c to which the upper halves 12a, 12b are rotatably mounted, and the lower halves 14a, 14b are rotationally mounted. The supports 34a-c provide a similar separation between the upper and lower structure as the struts 28. The upper edge bar 16 comprises two opposing U-shaped portions 16a, 16b that are rotatably mounted opposing one another, with the end of the legs of the U-shaped portion mounted to the upper end of the first and third supports 34a, 34c. The lower edge bar 18 similarly comprises two opposing U-shaped portions 18a, 18b that are rotatably mounted opposing one another to the lower end of the first and third supports 34a, 34c.
The upper longitudinal member 24 comprises first and second portions 24a, 24b of equal length and each running from edge bar 16 to the second support 34b, where the longitudinal members 24a, 24b are rotatably mounted to the upper end of the second support 34b. Similarly, the lower longitudinal member 26 comprises first and second portions 26a, 26b of equal length and each running from edge bar 18 to the second support 34b, where the longitudinal members 26a, 26b are rotatably mounted to the lower end of the second support 34b. The above-described portions can be rotatably mounted to one another using known mounting mechanisms, such as mounting nuts and bolts and are arranged to allow for rotational movement between the different features.
Referring now to
When folding, the struts 28 rotate in a manner that draws the upper halves 12a, 12b toward the lower halves 14a, 14b. At the same time, the lower halves 14a, 14b rotate about their connection point on the supports 34 so that they are facing each other. The upper halves 12a, 12b also rotate about supports 34a and 34c at their single respective rotation points, but the tabs 38 (best shown in
Referring now to
It is understood that the different embodiments of the present invention can be easily disassembled and stored at any time during the life of the furniture. This provides flexibility of where and when to store the piece of furniture. It is also understood that different embodiments can comprise different pieces of furniture arranged in different ways with different features. For example, the rigid portions such as the foldable frame can fold in different ways such as in third for fourths or can collapse in an accordion fashion. Additional features such as clamps can be included to hold the frame in the folded position, with the clamps being released to open the frame. The frame can also be made of many different materials, such as plastics, wood, metal, or combinations thereof.
Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to certain configurations thereof, other versions are possible. The present invention can be used with many different pieces of furniture beyond a box spring. Furthermore, none of the elements or features discussed herein should be construed as necessary, critical, or essential for any particular embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the disclosure should not be limited to the versions described above. The foregoing is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, wherein no portion of the disclosure is intended, expressly or implicitly, to be dedicated to the public domain if not set forth in the claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/402,911, filed on Aug. 31, 2022.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63402911 | Aug 2022 | US |
