This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 1553944 filed Apr. 30, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
The present invention relates to the fields of furnishing and bedding, and more particularly to the field of suspension devices for interposing between a mattress and a support structure.
In order to suspend mattresses of beds or seats comfortably, it has been conventional to use devices constituted by slats that are fastened by their ends to two side rails of a bed or seat frame. Such slats support the mattress directly, over its entire width, thereby providing good continuity of support for the user in the width direction of the frame.
Nevertheless, such devices with slats present the drawback of flexing and of drooping significantly in the central portions of the slats under the weight of the user when the user is lying in the central portion. This leads to a lack of comfort for the user who, once lying in the central portions of the slats, becomes confined in those central portions, which form a depression.
In order to mitigate that problem, it is known to replace the slats with studs that provide the mattress with support spots. Unfortunately, in comparison with slats, such spot bearing surfaces present the drawback of leading to discontinuity in the support of the user in the width direction of the frame. This discontinuity can be detrimental to the impression of comfort given by that type of suspension device, in particular when the user turns over and moves in the width direction of the frame.
Support devices capable of attenuating the drooping of conventional slat devices, while conserving a certain degree of continuity in the support of the mattress in the width direction of the frame have already been proposed, in particular in French patent application publications numbers FR 3 005 400 et FR 2 914 164. Nevertheless, those devices are complex in shape, being made up of assemblies of a plurality of parts, thus making them relatively complex and expensive to produce. A one-piece device is proposed in publication FR 2 859 891, but its fabrication also requires several steps. Other one-piece devices are also disclosed in German patent DE 10 2012 107887 B3, in the publication of European patent application EP 2 489 288 A1, and in German utility certificate DE 20 2007 000158 U1.
The present disclosure seeks to remedy those drawbacks, and more specifically to propose a one-piece suspension device for interposing between a mattress and a support structure that is capable of being manufactured more simply and inexpensively while providing better comfort.
In at least one embodiment, this object is achieved by the fact that the one-piece device comprises a platform defining a bearing plane for the mattress, a fastener point for fastening to the support structure, and a resilient section that is more resilient than the platform in a direction perpendicular to the bearing plane and that is interposed between the platform and the fastener point in the direction perpendicular to the bearing plane for absorbing compression forces, and is shaped in such a manner that any axis perpendicular to said bearing plane passing through the one-piece suspension device intersects the one-piece suspension device along a single axis segment. There thus exists a bijective (one-to-one) relationship between points of a projection of the one-piece suspension device on said bearing plane and intersection segments of axes perpendicular to the bearing plane with the one-piece suspension device: to each projection point there corresponds only one intersection segment. In order to provide a linkage suitable for absorbing a compression force on the one-piece suspension device and thereby provide a high level of comfort, the resilient section may include at least one angled element having a first arm and a second arm, a first elastic hinge at a first end of the first arm, and a second elastic hinge that is more flexible than the first elastic hinge connecting a second end of the first arm to the second arm, the angled element forming a bend in such a manner that the first arm presents an angle relative to said bearing plane that is more pronounced than an angle presented by the second arm.
By means of these provisions, it is possible to produce the one-piece device in a single molding step in a mold that opens perpendicularly to the bearing plane. Unmolding is possible, even with a mold that has only two elements.
An additional advantage of this configuration lies in the handling and in the logistical management of a plurality of such one-piece devices, since this configuration makes them stackable, thereby significantly reducing their storage volume.
In order to accommodate the fastener point and the resilient section while complying with this configuration, the platform may present an opening facing the fastener point and the resilient section in the direction perpendicular to the bearing plane.
The resilient section may in particular have at least two angled elements arranged symmetrically to each other about a plane of symmetry perpendicular to said bearing plane.
In order to facilitate unmolding, the top arm and the bottom arm of each angled element may slope in the same direction relative to the bearing plane. Nevertheless, a configuration in which the top arm and the bottom arm of each angled element slope in opposite directions relative to the bearing plane can also be envisaged, and that facilitates flexing of the angled element under compression.
In order to facilitate fabrication, in particular by injection molding, the one-piece device may be made of thermoplastic material. Also, in order to obtain good resilience and damping capacity, the one-piece device may be made of elastomer material. It is possible to use materials that are simultaneously thermoplastics and elastomers, such as for example a thermoplastic elastomer copolyester.
In order to facilitate fastening to the support structure, e.g. by means of a single screw, a fastener orifice may be formed at the fastener point. The fastener point may be situated on a base that is distinct from the resilient section, or else on the resilient section itself. Also, in order to facilitate the flow of air through the mattress, the platform may present ventilation orifices.
Typically, such suspension devices are fastened side-by-side on cross members of a bed or seat frame structure. In order to facilitate such an arrangement, the platform may present an outline that is rectangular. The term “rectangular” is used in this context to designate any outline having four sides at right angles, including outlines that are square. Furthermore, the right angled corners may be rounded or chamfered.
The present disclosure also relates to a one-piece module comprising at least one one-piece device as mentioned above. In particular, the one-piece module may comprise a plurality of said one-piece devices in alignment on a direction that is parallel to said bearing plane and connected together via their respective platforms, thereby enabling them to be fastened on a common crossmember. Nevertheless, it is also possible to fasten the one-piece suspension devices of a given module on different crossmembers. In order to increase modularity, the one-piece suspension devices of a given one-piece module having a plurality of one-piece suspension devices may be identical to one another.
The present disclosure also relates to an assembly comprising a support structure and at least one one-piece module of the above-mentioned kind fastened to the support structure. In particular, the assembly may comprise a plurality of such one-piece modules fastened on a single face of a single crossmember of the support structure, although it is also possible to envisage fastening a single one-piece module that extends over the entire length of such a crossmember. Nevertheless, when the assembly comprises a plurality of one-piece modules, the plurality may comprise one-piece modules of different sizes, and in particular incorporating different numbers of one-piece suspension devices that are identical to one another, in order to provide modularity making it easy to adapt to support structures of different sizes. By way of example, the support structure may be a conventional bed frame structure comprising two side rails extending in a longitudinal direction, and a plurality of crossmembers connecting the two side rails together transversely.
The invention can be well understood and its advantages appear better on reading the following detailed description of embodiments shown as a nonlimiting examples. The description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As shown in particular in
A second end of the first arm 9a is connected to the second arm 9b by a second elastic hinge 9d forming an angled bend, in such a manner that the second arm 9b extends towards the base 4 at an angle β [BETA] that is substantially less than the angle α [ALPHA] relative to the bearing plane A. In particular, in the embodiment shown, this angle β [BETA] may lie in the range 0° to 60°. A third elastic hinge 9e in turn connects the second arm 9b to the base 4.
As shown in
In order to facilitate elastic deformation of the resilient section 6 in this configuration, and thus provide good suspension for the mattress supported by the platform 3, the first elastic hinge 9c is stiffer than the second and third elastic hinges 9d and 9e. When a force F is exerted between the platform 3 and the base 4 along an axis perpendicular to said bearing plane A, the angular deflection is thus greater at the second and third elastic hinges 9d, 9e than it is at the first elastic hinge 9c, thereby reducing the angle of the bend formed between the first arm 9a and the second arm 9b under this load, as shown in
Although in this first embodiment, the one-piece module 1 has only a single one-piece suspension device 2, it is also possible to include a plurality of said one-piece suspension devices in a single one-piece module. Thus, in the embodiment shown in
The availability of modules of different sizes incorporating one or more one-piece suspension devices makes them easier to fit to support structures of different widths.
Although in each of the above embodiments, the first arm 9a and the second arm 9b of each angled element 9 slopes in the same direction relative to the bearing plane A, it is possible to envisage an alternative configuration in which they slope in opposite directions, in such a manner that the fastener element is raised relative to the bend-forming elastic hinge 9d. This is a configuration of the fourth embodiment, as shown in
Although in each of the above embodiments the fastener element of each one-piece suspension device is formed on a distinct base of the resilient section, it may also be formed in the resilient section itself. Thus, in a fifth embodiment, as shown in
Although in each of the above embodiments, each one-piece suspension device has only one fastener point and only one resilient section, one-piece suspension devices each having a plurality of fastener points, with respective individual resilient sections interposed between each fastener point and the platform can also be envisaged. Thus, in a sixth embodiment shown in
The resilient sections 6 in this sixth embodiment also differ from those of the above embodiments in that their arrangement is inverted, with the first arm 9a connected to the corresponding base 4 by the first elastic hinge 9c and with the second arm 9b connected to the platform 3 by the third elastic hinge 9e. The angled elements 9 of each symmetrical pair are thus bent towards each other rather than towards the outside as in the above embodiments. Nevertheless, the operation of these resilient sections 6 is analogous, and all of the elements of the one-piece module in
Although the present invention is described with reference to specific embodiments, it is clear that various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without going beyond the general ambit of the invention as defined by the claims. Also, individual characteristics of the various embodiments mentioned may be combined in additional embodiments. For example, the angled elements in the first three embodiments could be inverted as in the sixth embodiment, but without simultaneously adopting the staggered row configuration of the sixth embodiment. Consequently, the description and the drawings should be considered in a sense that is illustrative rather than restrictive.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
15 53944 | Apr 2015 | FR | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
122111 | Duffy | Dec 1871 | A |
6170808 | Kutschi | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6477727 | Fromme | Nov 2002 | B1 |
20020163114 | Lobry | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20040111799 | Bock | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040123384 | Fromme | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040253415 | Lobry | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20070262634 | Brill | Nov 2007 | A1 |
20090064536 | Klassen | Mar 2009 | A1 |
20100058536 | Fromme-Ruthmann | Mar 2010 | A1 |
20120025576 | Stern | Feb 2012 | A1 |
20120066834 | Jansen | Mar 2012 | A1 |
20120168997 | Jansen | Jul 2012 | A1 |
20130228959 | Bock | Sep 2013 | A1 |
20130298332 | Vanstraelen | Nov 2013 | A1 |
20140345050 | Lobry | Nov 2014 | A1 |
20170347808 | Fromme-Ruthmann | Dec 2017 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
202007000158 | Mar 2007 | DE |
102012107887 | Nov 2013 | DE |
2489288 | Aug 2012 | EP |
2790929 | Sep 2000 | FR |
2859891 | Mar 2005 | FR |
2914164 | Oct 2008 | FR |
3005400 | Nov 2014 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160316924 A1 | Nov 2016 | US |