Claims
- 1. A string of springs for use in a spring assembly, said string of springs comprising:
- a row of springs, each of said springs having an upper end turn and a lower end turn,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said row of coil springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles.
- 2. The string of springs of claim 1 wherein said string of springs is joined to other strings of springs in a spring assembly.
- 3. A string of springs for use in a spring assembly, said string of springs comprising:
- a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said band of coil springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles.
- 4. The string of springs of claim 3 wherein said string of springs is joined to other strings of springs in a spring assembly.
- 5. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said connections are lines of glue.
- 6. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said connections are welds.
- 7. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said connections are sewn lines.
- 8. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said upper and lower plies of said first fabric retainer each have a width, the width of one of the plies of said first fabric retainer being less than the width of the other of said plies of said first fabric retainer.
- 9. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said upper and lower plies of said second fabric retainer each have a width, the width of one of the plies of said second fabric retainer being less than the width of the other of said plies of said second fabric retainer.
- 10. The string of springs of claims 1 or 3 wherein said first and second fabric retainers are each a piece of fabric folded longitudinally along a fold line.
- 11. The string of springs of claim 3 wherein the end turns of two adjacent coil springs of said band are located between adjacent connections.
- 12. The spring assembly of claims 2 or 4 wherein said strings of springs are joined together with a plurality of supplemental fabric strips.
- 13. The spring assembly of claims 2 or 4 wherein said strings of springs are sewn together.
- 14. The spring assembly of claims 2 or 4 wherein said strings of springs are welded together.
- 15. The spring assembly of claims 2 or 4 wherein said strings of springs are glued together.
- 16. A method of constructing a string of springs comprising the steps of:
- folding a first piece of fabric so as to form an upper ply and a lower ply,
- folding a second piece of fabric so as to form an upper ply and a lower ply,
- joining said upper and lower plies of said first and second pieces of fabric with multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, a pair of connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- providing a row of coil springs, each coil spring having an upper end turn and a lower end turn,
- inserting said end turns of said coil springs into said receptacles.
- 17. A method of constructing a string of springs comprising the steps of:
- folding a first piece of fabric so as to form an upper ply and a lower ply,
- folding a second piece of fabric so as to form an upper ply and a lower ply,
- joining said upper and lower plies of said first and second pieces of fabric with multiple, spaced connections, a pair of connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- providing a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- inserting said end turns of said coil springs into said receptacles.
- 18. The method of claims 13 or 14 wherein said joining step comprises welding said plies at select locations.
- 19. The method of claims 13 or 14 wherein said joining step comprises sewing said plies at select locations.
- 20. The method of claims 13 or 14 wherein said joining step comprises gluing said plies at select locations.
- 21. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly having an upper planar surface in a top plane and a lower planar surface in a bottom plane, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a row of springs, each of said springs having an upper and lower end turn,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said row of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with multiple supplemental fabric strips, said supplemental fabric strips being located generally in at least one of said top and bottom planes.
- 22. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly having an upper planar surface in a top plane and a lower planar surface in a bottom plane, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said band of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with multiple supplemental fabric strips, said supplemental fabric strips being located generally in at least one of said top and bottom planes.
- 23. The spring assembly of claims 21 or 22 wherein said spring assembly has a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension, said longitudinal dimension being greater than said transverse dimension, said supplemental fabric strips being longitudinally oriented and said strings of springs being transversely oriented.
- 24. The spring assembly of claims 21 or 22 wherein said supplemental fabric strips and said strings of springs are parallel.
- 25. The spring assembly of claims 21 or 22 wherein said supplemental fabric strips and said strings of springs are perpendicular.
- 26. A method of making a spring assembly, said spring assembly having an upper planar surface in a top plane and a lower planar surface in a bottom plane, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a row of coil springs,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- the end turns of said coil springs being located in said receptacles,
- securing said strings of springs to each other with multiple supplemental fabric strips, said supplemental fabric strips being located generally in at least one of said top and bottom planes.
- 27. A method of making a spring assembly, said spring assembly having an upper planar surface in a top plane and a lower planar surface in a bottom plane, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therehetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- the end turns of said coil springs being located in said receptacles,
- securing said strings of springs to each other with multiple supplemental fabric strips, said supplemental fabric strips being located generally in at least one of said top and bottom planes.
- 28. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 26 or 27 wherein said securing step comprises welding said supplemental fabric strips to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 29. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 26 or 27 wherein said securing step comprises sewing said supplemental fabric strips to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 30. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 26 or 27 wherein said securing step comprises gluing said supplemental fabric strips to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 31. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel, aligned strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each of said coil springs having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and at least one extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and at least one extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said band of coil springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers, said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of one string of springs being secured to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 32. The spring assembly of claim 31 wherein said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of said one string of springs are secured to the extension flaps of the first and second fabric retainers of said adjacent string of springs.
- 33. The spring assembly of claim 32 wherein the extension flaps are vertically oriented.
- 34. The spring assembly of claim 32 wherein the extension flaps are inwardly turned.
- 35. The spring assembly of claim 32 wherein the extension flaps are outwardly turned.
- 36. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel, aligned strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a row of springs, each of said springs having an upper and lower end turn,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and at least one extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and at least one extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said row of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers, said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of one string of springs being secured to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 37. The spring assembly of claim 36 wherein said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of said one string of springs are secured to the extension flaps of the first and second fabric retainers of said adjacent string of springs.
- 38. The spring assembly of claim 37 wherein the extension flaps are vertically oriented.
- 39. The spring assembly of claim 37 wherein the extension flaps are inwardly turned.
- 40. The spring assembly of claim 37 wherein the extension flaps are outwardly turned.
- 41. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a row of springs, each of said springs having an upper and lower end turn,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said row of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with upper and lower sheets, said upper sheet being secured to said first fabric retainers of said strings of springs and said lower sheet being secured to said second fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 42. A spring assembly for use in the manufacture of bedding and seating products, said spring assembly comprising:
- a plurality of parallel strings of springs, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said band of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles,
- said strings of springs being secured to each other with upper and lower sheets, said upper sheet being secured to said first fabric retainers of said strings of springs and said lower sheet being secured to said second fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 43. A method of making a spring assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a plurality of coil springs, each coil spring having an upper end turn and a lower end turn,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- securing said strings of springs to at least one sheet.
- 44. A method of making a spring assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of The band and a lower end Turn located in a bottom face of the band, adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply and a lower ply, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said band of springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles,
- securing said strings of springs to at least one sheet.
- 45. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 43 or 44 wherein said securing step comprises welding said at least one sheet to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 46. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 43 or 44 wherein said securing step comprises sewing said at least one sheet to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 47. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 43 or 44 wherein said securing step comprises gluing said at least one sheet to said fabric retainers of said strings of springs.
- 48. A method of making a spring assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn and a lower end turn, a first fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and an extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and an extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced X-shaped connections, each pair of adjacent X-shaped connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said coil springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles; and
- securing said strings of springs to each other with said extension flaps, the extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of one string of springs being secured to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 49. A method of making a spring assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- aligning a plurality of strings of springs in a parallel manner such that each string of springs is similarly oriented, each string of springs comprising a band of coil springs made of a single length of wire shaped to form a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row, each coil spring having an upper end turn located in a top face of the band and a lower end turn located in a bottom face of the band adjacent end turns being connected by interconnecting segments in said top and bottom faces of said band,
- a first fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and an extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- a second fabric retainer having an upper ply, a lower ply and an extension flap, said upper ply and lower ply being joined by multiple, spaced connections, each pair of adjacent connections defining a receptacle therebetween,
- said coil springs being located between said first and second fabric retainers with said end turns of said coil springs being located within said receptacles; and
- securing said strings of springs to each other with said extension flaps, the extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of one string of springs being secured to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 50. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 48 or 49 wherein said securing step comprises welding said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of said one string of springs to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 51. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 48 or 49 wherein said securing step comprises sewing said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of said one string of springs to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
- 52. The method of making a spring assembly of claims 48 or 49 wherein said securing step comprises gluing said extension flaps of said first and second fabric retainers of said one string of springs to the fabric retainers of an adjacent string of springs.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/039,807 filed Mar. 16, 1998 entitled Spring Retainer Assembly which is fully incorporated by reference herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/039,807 claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/073,633 filed Feb. 4, 1998 entitled Spring Retainer Assembly which is also fully incorporated by reference herein.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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039807 |
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