Patent Application
20060213008
This invention relates generally to a support assembly for a frame or rail assembly to connect a headboard and a footboard and, ultimately to support a mattress and box spring, and, more particularly, to an improved universal cross member support for a bed frame or bed rails.
Bed frames or bed rails are widely used to provide a support for the box spring and mattress and are of a relatively straightforward construction comprising a rectangular or square frame. In the case of bed rails, there are normally side rails that are wooden, rolled formed metal or angle iron and which connect to a headboard and a footboard. The side rails, the headboard and the footboard are interconnected so that the overall unit may be readily assembled and the unit is of predetermined dimensions so as to accept a standard box spring that is seated upon the frame.
Originally, the side rails would support laterally placed wooden bed slats that would cross the bed frame and support the box spring. Such wooden slats were strong enough to provide the necessary support to the box spring, however, they were generally troublesome, somewhat weak and were cumbersome to install and maintain in place, and required screws for assembly, particularly when moving the bed from one location to another. It was necessary to cut each slat to the particular width or space between the bed rails and the construction relied on the weight of the box spring and mattress to keep the slats in place.
As an alternate, therefore, there are currently used, one or more cross members that are constructed of steel angle iron and normally are L-shaped and are placed laterally across the frame spanning the side rails. Thus, as an improvement, the steel cross members replaced the wooden slats which made the consequent set up, construction and transportability considerable easier and the overall construction stronger. In addition, metal supports have also been used in conjunction with the wooden slats. Obviously, the steel cross members could be constructed of very heavy gauge steel so that adequate support could be provided for the box spring and mattress, however, the use of heavy gauge steel increases the cost of the cross member and additionally, adds to the overall weight of the structure. Therefore, although constructed of steel, the present cross members alone are not sufficient to provide the necessary amount of support for the box spring and mattress.
Thus, virtually all bedding manufacturers require the use of a rigid center support for the cross member, whether the construction is a bed frame or bed rails in order to insure the structural integrity of the box spring to prevent damage to that component. The use of such a rigid center support virtually precludes the use of a typical wooden slat or typical angle iron cross member without the use of a leg assembly that actually contacts the floor for the needed support to the cross member. Accordingly to solve the problem of a lack of adequate support, manufacturers universally turned to the use of a leg that relied on contact with the floor to add that support. An example of such solutions is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,852 of Fredman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,860 of Mitchell and U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,614 of Stroud.
It therefore became necessary to add a glide or glides to the leg of the steel cross member that spanned between the side rails to provide sufficient support to the cross member. The glide is generally affixed to a leg depending downwardly from the cross member and, in turn, the glide contacts the floor with a flat, planar bottom surface so that the cross member is supported on the floor and thus gives crucial support to the box spring and to the other components of the assembled bed. It should be noted, that while the glide is referred to as having a flat, planar bottom surface, that surface is an effective flat surface as the bottom of the glide may have its inner portion displaced upwardly such that the entire bottom surface is not really totally flat and planar. If totally flat, the tolerances would be considerably strict and thus, normally only an effective flat planar surface is formed in the bottom of such glides.
Obviously, with the use of a leg and glide to support the cross member, it is important that the overall length of the glide assembly, that is, the glide and the leg, be fairly precise with respect to the cross member. If the length of the glide assembly is too short, there is inadequate support for the cross member and the cross member will bow downwardly under the weight of the box spring until the necessary contact between the glide and the floor is established. If, on the other hand, the length of the glide assembly is too long, it causes the cross member to bow upwardly. In either case, the result is undesirable and can cause structural damage to the cross member and possibly to the box spring.
It is therefore necessary that the glide assembly be of the proper height and to that end, the glide itself is normally threadedly affixed to the leg so that the glide can be simply rotated by the user to raise and lower the glide to arrive at the proper desired height. The need for the adjustment is paramount in that the headboard and footboard, if there is one, is not a standard industry height above the floor and thus, the height of the frame and the side rails off the floor will differ from bed to bed so that a fixed height glide assembly would not be suitable to fit all beds universally. In addition, the bed may, from time to time, be moved about the room and the glide need to be readjusted due to irregularities in the floor itself to correct for high and low spots of the floor.
A further example of a cross member is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,674 of Fredman where the cross member includes a pair of supporting legs each of which have a vertically adjustable glide to insure that the cross member is adequately supported by the flooring without twisting or misalignment. Again, as explained, the solution is founded upon a reliance upon the floor to adequately support the center member.
Other examples of devices or vertically adjustable legs are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,852 of Fredman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,860 of Mitchell and U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,614 of Stroud, all of which have some means of adjusting the vertical length of a leg so that the overall bed frame can utilize the floor for support.
Typically, therefore, the glide has an upwardly extending threaded stem that mates with a corresponding threaded opening in the leg located in the desired position. The stem itself is generally small in diameter, about one quarter to one half inch diameter, for most applications, and its support in the leg is relatively secure and sufficiently strong for use as a support for the cross member when in place, i.e encountering compressive forces, however the overall glide assembly is not particularly strong when subjected to side forces and opened to the full extension of height.
Accordingly, when the headboard and footboard are moved from one location to another, such as for cleaning under the bed, and particularly when the box spring and the mattress are in position upon the bed frame, the glide drags on the floor as the bed is moved. Where the floor is covered, for example, with carpeting, the dragging causes twisting of the glide assembly and can easily lead to a breaking of the leg from the cross member and/or ever damage to the box spring.
Too, the cross member is, as indicated, generally a steel L-shaped member and is easily twisted through the influence of a bending of the glide member so that damage to the cross member is a good possibility. Added to that weakness, is the fact that many cross members are coupled together at the center point between the two side rails, that is, the cross member is generally extended in two sections inwardly from the side rails and is coupled together at or near the center of the span between the side rails by some clamp or other coupling device to compensate for the varying widths of the headboards and footboards.
Thus, the center of the span between the supporting side rails is already a vulnerable spot where the cross member is weak, however, adding to that weakness is the use of a coupling at that center spot where the two individual cross member are joined together by a clamp. In short, the glide assembly that supports the cross member is in a most vulnerable position with respect to being damaged or to damaging the cross member and the box spring by the user moving it from one location to another or by simply having the height adjustment incorrectly set.
Obviously for the user or installer, this is a severe problem as it creates the necessity to obtain another bed rail or support system as the breaking of a leg is generally not repairable since the components are stamped metal parts that are riveted together. It would certainly be advantageous to avoid the problem altogether so that the bed frame is not subject to the breakage problem herein outlined.
Another problem exists in the construction of a cross member in that the actual width or span between the side rails may have a variance and thus there may need to make an adjustment in the length of the cross member to insure that it properly aligns with the particular fitting or bracket in the side rails. The difficulty is particularly significant where the cross member is assembled by fitting into brackets or the like in the side rails as the length must be accurate to make the proper fitting possible. Thus, presently there are many ways to attach the cross members to a side rail that are non-standard devices.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous that the length of the cross member be designed so as to be adjustable to make certain its assembly to the side rails can be made easily and accurately. An attempt at solving that problem is shown in the aforementioned disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,852 of Friedman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,860 of Mitchell and U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,614 of Stroud. However, again, the center of the cross member is already the weakest area of the cross member and the addition of a sliding connection at that point adds to the weakness of the cross member. It would be advantageous to allow the cross member to have a width adjustment without detracting from the overall integrity of that cross member.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cross member that may be used with a bed frame or bed rails and which overcomes the aforedescribed difficulties of current cross members. In the present invention, a cross member is described that is a universal cross member, that is, the cross member can be used in almost all applications where a cross member is needed and can be adapted for use with current bed frames and bed rails as well as to newly manufactured bed frames and rails.
With the universal cross member of the present invention, the need for a support glide or caster to support the cross member is, in almost all instances, eliminated such that the cross member does not require any support that contacts the floor beneath the cross member. Accordingly, the need for some initial setting and constant readjustment of the height of such a support component is eliminated along with the consequent problems associated therewith and previously described. In addition, due to the unique construction of the present universal cross member, the gauge of the steel used can still be a relatively light gauge and not a heavy steel component.
As another feature of the present universal cross member, the length of the universal cross member is adjustable such that the present universal cross member can be adjusted to account for differences in the distance between the bed rails. That length adjustment is provided at the ends of the universal cross member and not in the center area of the universal cross member so that the structural integrity of the universal cross member is not compromised. The length adjustment is provided by the use of slides, generally of a metal material and which has ends that are preferably constructed of an injection molded plastic material i.e. a glass filled nylon composition, and therefore a relatively inexpensive material that can be molded to a variety of configurations.
Accordingly, as will be seen, therefore, the present universal cross member can be used in a wide variety of bed rails and is suitable for any height of the legs of the headboard or other component since there is normally no center support that must be in contact with the floor and additionally, the length is adjustable so that the present universal cross member can be used with differing distances between the side rails.
The universal cross member of the present invention includes a generally straight member, preferably tubular, that is caused to be put in tension such that there is an upward force generally located at the center of the straight member and acting in a direction opposite to the force created by the weight of the box spring, mattress and other items that make up the completed bed so that no contact with the floor is necessary. As such, therefore, the present universal cross member can be used in almost any application and can provide the added strength and rigidity to the bed frame without the problems associated with a support that is in contact with the floor.
The principle of the present invention and its ability to provide support without actual contact with the floor is based upon a support beam that is positioned between two fixed points. When a load is added to the center of the beam acting in a downward direction, the beam will deflect downwardly after a certain amount of weight is added and the deflection will increase as additional load is added to the beam. With the present invention, the use of the tension member is used to reinforce that center and the tension member diverts the force caused by the weight outwardly much closer to the fixed end points of the beam. The diverted force is thus acting on a more supported area because those points are nearer to the fixed end points. In effect, the force acting downwardly in the center of the beam is diverted to other points at or near the ends of the beam and the beam deflection is reduced with the present invention upon imposition of the same load as a normal beam.
As sometimes used herein, the term tension member, as will be seen, is preferably a metal steel strap, however, that tension member may also be referred to as a tension bar and may be a cable, strap, bar, wire or other component, it only being important that the tensile strength of the tension member be sufficient to carry out its intended purpose in accordance with the present invention and must be of a material and of sufficient dimensions so as to provide the required amount of tension on the straight member.
In the present invention, the straight member can be formed in a variety of cross sectional shapes that generally have a symmetrical cross section and preferably in the form of a tubular steel member of a rectangular, preferably square shape. The weight of the box spring, mattress and the like acts downwardly on a surface of the straight member so, to counter that force, a force is exerted against a surface of the straight member on an opposite surface of that straight member and which acts in an opposite direction to the downwardly directed force created by the box spring and other components, thus, acting to counter the downward force with an upwardly directed force. That upward force is applied generally in the vicinity of the center of the straight member.
To create the upward force, a force transmitting means is located in the vicinity of the center of the straight member and a tension bar extends from the force transmitting means to the affixed to the straight member at locations at or near the ends of the straight member. That tension bar may take the form of a steel strap in the preferred embodiment.
As will be seen, the force transmitting means may be a solid block of material, i.e. a metal stamping or a casting, or a molded plastic component, it only being important that the force transmitting means transmit the force from the tension bar or strap to the straight member. The tension bar is maintained in tension so as to create the force that acts upwardly on the straight member tending to bow the center of the straight member upwardly and pull the ends of the straight member inwardly and downwardly.
To create that tension, the tension bar is in contact with the force transmitting means and also has its ends affixed to the straight member, preferably at points at or near the ends of he straight member. A tension means may be provided, in one embodiment that creates tension in the tension bar and which, in turn applies the force to the force transmitting means and thus to the straight member. One such tension means may be a mechanism that actually pulls or stretches the tension bar by applying a force at one or both ends of the tension bar in a direction outwardly from the center of the tension bar, or if more than one tension bar is employed, the pulling or stretching is in a direction outwardly from the point of contact with the force transmitting means. Again, as the tension member is stretched, its tendency is to straighten, however, since the center of the tension bar is displaced a finite distance from the center of the straight member by the force transmitting means, in trying to straighten the tension member, a force is created upwardly against the center of the straight member and the ends of the straight member are pulled inwardly and downwardly tending to create a slight bow in the tubular bar counter to the direction of the weight applied by the box spring, mattress and the like.
In one embodiment, the tension means comprises a flange through which the tension bar passes and the flange is affixed to the ends of the straight member. In that embodiment, the ends of the tension bar are threaded and nuts are affixed on to those threaded ends. Thus, by rotating the nuts on the ends on the tension bar, the tension imposed on that bar can be adjusted at will.
A more preferred means of maintaining tension in the tension bar is to employ a steel strap that is affixed to the straight member at or near the ends thereof and which is initially put in tension and then secured to the straight member so as to keep that tension in the strap. In the more preferred strap, the edges of the metal strap are rolled inwardly so as to add to the strength of the strap itself as well as to eliminate the otherwise relatively sharp edges of the steel strap.
In the preferred embodiment, the straight member is a rolled steel bar of a rectangular cross section and the tension bar is a steel strap that contacts the force transmitting means located at the approximate center of the straight member. The ends of the steel strap are riveted to the rolled steel bar at or near the ends of the bar and the strap is thus maintained in tension. In an ideal construction, straight member has its center portion bowed slightly upwardly in the direction toward the load to be imposed on the straight member as the steel strap is riveted to the straight member. As such, when released from the bowed configuration, the center portion returns to a straightened configuration, thus pulling the ends of the straight member upwardly to inherently create a pulling effect on the tension member to create a tension in that member. The force transmitting means is, as explained, thus simply the application of tension to the steel strap and then affixing the strap to the straight member while retaining the steel strap in tension. In the preferred embodiment, the tension causes just a slight bow in the tubular bar such that its center bows upwardly slightly in the direct of the box spring and, of course, the upward bow is opposite to the direction of the forces exerted downwardly by the box spring and other components of the completed bed.
In an ideal manufacturing process, the tension member may be just taut, that is, there is in reality a zero tension initially on the tension member but that tension is immediately created upon the imposition of a load on the straight member to create the tension when the universal cross member is employed to support a load directed downwardly on the straight member. Unfortunately, it imposes extremely close tolerances on the manufacturing process to create a taut, zero tension in the tension member of a completed universal cross member such that it is more preferable to deliberately create the pre-tension by retaining a slight owing of the straight member.
In summary, therefore, during the normal, preferred construction of the universal cross member, the tension bar is deliberately put in tension a predetermined amount and which forces a generally centrally located block or spacer upwardly to cause an upward force on the straight member such that the straight member is caused to assume a slightly bowed position.
In the manner described, the use of a additional support or supports for the straight member of the present invention that provide support from the floor to the universal member can be fully eliminated, thus the bed frame can be of any height from the floor, there being a minimum distance from the floor in order to provide the physical space for the universal cross member itself, and no adjustment needed to any support for the universal cross member. Accordingly, while the present invention is suited for most beds for use without any added center support using a floor engaging device, there may be instances where such a center support or even other supports need be added as a supplement. Such instance could occur, as an example, where the bed is a water bed where the normal loading is heavy or where there is simply an unusually heavy load applied to the bed. In such instances a molded plastic support can be provided that also serves to hold a leg. Again, in the preferred embodiment, the molded plastic support can serve to transfer the force from the tension steel strap to the straight member and, at the same time, can serve to contain a leg that can be set to a length so as to reach the floor for the needed support.
In the more preferred embodiment the leg, when used, may be affixed to the molded plastic support so as to be self adjusting, that is, the leg can conveniently be affixed to the molded plastic support by means of a mechanism that allows the user to simply drop the leg by gravity to reach the desired length touching the floor and retained firmly in that position. That automatic vertical leg adjustment is particularly advantageous since no measuring is necessary nor is there any need to rotate and screw in or out each leg to adjust each leg individually. For example with a water bed, there are normally nine legs that are positioned about the underside of the water bed to support the bed from the floor. Therefore, in the installation and set-up of such a bed, it has been necessary for the person carrying out the installation, to individually make a vertical adjustment by screwing down and balancing each of the nine legs to make sure each leg is in the proper contact with the floor. With the present, self vertically adjusting legs, the legs do not require the individual attention and can easily be automatically adjusted for the particular floor by simply releasing the leg to have it drop by gravity to a correct vertical height in proper contact with the floor. The legs therefore automatically lock into the desired position when they reach contact with the floor.
In order to optimize the efficiencies in manufacturing, the molded plastic support may be moved or located at a variety of positions along the length of the straight member as desired by the user and as dictated by the particular load imposed upon the cross member. Additionally, there may be more than one support used and each may be manufactured identically when a leg is utilized or not utilized or whether one or more legs are utilized.
As a further feature of the present invention and the applicability of the universal cross member, an improved means is provided to affix the universal cross member to the side rails, whether such side rails are wooden rails, an angle iron rail, a rolled tubular construction or other special configuration. Accordingly, in this aspect of the present invention, a specially shaped and configured slide end of the universal cross member is used and which has normal holes to enable the user to use screws to fasten the slide end to a wooden side rail or, as another alternative, the slide end has a shape that enables it to be easily snapped into a rail connector that is also specially configured to receive the slide end.
That rail connector can be a plastic molded part and which also has the versatility to be affixed to a steel angle iron side rail or custom roll formed metal rail by means of metal clips or to be insert into a gouged portion of a wooden side rail, or even be installed on an existing roll formed rail constructed in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,745644 of Pottschmidt. Further, the rail connector can be factory installed by the manufacturer as a fixed part of the side rail or, can be installed by the person setting up the bed.
There also may be a variety of specially constructed support brackets that enable the affixation of the universal cross member, or for that matter, other cross members, to a wooden side rail in order to accommodate different systems of such affixation and, in one embodiment, there may be a folded metal bracket itself that is affixed to the wooden side rail to form a receptacle for snap fitting a slide end of a cross member therein. With the specially constructed brackets, they may be individually utilized or, alternatively, they may be elongated versions that provide a plurality of receptacles to accept a plurality of cross members and, as such, not only serve to complete the snap in affixation of the cross member to a wooden side rail but also to strengthened the wooden side rail itself.
Accordingly, the use of an elongated support bracket strengthens the wooden side rail and brings about certain advantages. Since many side rails are affixed to a headboard and/or footboard by hooks extending outwardly from the ends of the side rails that interfit with pins in the headboard and footboard, it is advantageous that the downward force on the side rails be as nearly a vertical downwardly force as possible. With the normal flexure of wooden side rails, that material being only semi-rigid, the side rails bow downwardly and pull the headboard and footboard inwardly and add considerable stress to the hook and pin connection between the side rail and the footboard and headboard. By adding an elongated metal strengthening bracket to the interior surface of the side rails, that flexure is greatly reduced or effectively eliminated and the side rail becomes more rigid with less likelihood that the footboard and headboard will be pulled inwardly. As such, the addition of strengthening elongated brackets to the inside surface of side rails is an advantageous feature of the present invention in prolonging the life of the bed frame itself.
In the preferred embodiment, the slide end is simply snapped into the rail connection and thus can be readily installed by a person setting up the bed without the need for any tools such that the time required for assembly of the bed is greatly reduced and can be carried out by the user in the home. The actual connection between the slide connector and the rail connector is preferably such that the snap-in procedure is simple to join those components together, without the use of any tools, however, the completed connection cannot easily be detached so that the connection is sure and positive and, preferably, cannot be disconnected without the use of tools. Thus, once installed, the universal cross member of the present invention is solidly affixed to the particular side rail and is not easily dislodged but can only be removed by quite deliberate positive action by the user. As such, no tools are necessary to carry out the assembly of the bed when the rail connector of the present invention is installed on the side rails.
Other features of the universal cross member of a bed frame or bed rails will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to
As will be noted, the typical bed assembly may or may not include both a headboard and a footboard, and those components are both shown for convenience in illustrating the present invention. It should be noted, however, that the headboard 12 and the footboard 14 both are provided with legs 16 and which support the entire bed assembly on the surface of a floor. The particular length of the legs 16 is not a standard length in the industry, however, and thus the height above the floor of the side rails 10 can vary from bed to bed depending upon the design of a particular headboard and footboard. As will become clear, the disparity in the length of legs of headboards and footboards makes the present invention applicable for use with any height of the side rails from the floor, above a minimum height, and is thus a major advantage over the current bed rail assemblies.
Continuing with
Briefly, the other components shown in
Turning briefly to
Turning now to
The fittings 38 have openings 40 through which the threaded ends 42 of the tension bar 26 pass and nuts 44 are threadedly engaged to the threaded ends 42, the purpose of which will be explained, Finally, a cap 46 can be used to seal the ends of the straight member 20 (only one of which is shown) and which has an aesthetic appearance and protects against injuries from inadvertently hitting the relatively sharp ends 28 of straight member 20.
The actual manufacture and use of the universal cross member 18, in this embodiment, can now be described. In assembly, the block 30 having the tension bar 26 passing therethrough is assembled so that the straight member 20 is fitted to recess 34. The nuts 44 are then tightened on the threaded ends 42 of the tension bar 26 creating an upward force that is communicated through the block 30 to the approximate center of the straight member 20 while at the same time pulling the ends inwardly and downwardly. Obviously, the more the nuts 44 are tightened, the more of a force is applied to that center of the straight member 20. In the normal use of the invention, the nuts 44 are tightened such that the straight member 20 begins to become slightly convex, that is, the center will bow upwardly slightly in the direction that the force is applied by the block 30.
In this manner, the upward force, indicated by the arrow F, creates a slight bowing or bending to the straight member 20 and which provides additional strength to act in supporting and countering the weight acting downwardly on the straight member 20 in the direction of the arrows W. That weight is, of course, imposed by the load applied by the weight of the box spring, the mattress and any occupant of the bed assembly. Accordingly, the use of the tension bar 26 to pre-stress the straight member 20 by applying a force in the upward direction, against the force imposed by the weight borne by the straight member 20 is such that the need for a glide or other support that actually contacts the floor is unnecessary in almost all applications.
In the event the load imposed by the weight of the mattress is a considerable load, such as might be imposed by the use of a water bed, it is possible to add an additional support in the form of a glide or caster that actually contacts the floor as a supplemental support to the universal cross member 18, however the need is very infrequent and as such, the universal cross member 18 can be used in almost all applications where the height of the side rails from the floor is unknown without any actual contact with the floor.
In carrying out the present invention, therefore, the preferred embodiment has disclosed a single tension bar 26 that passes through the block, however, it will be obvious that the tension 26 may be two individual bars that are secured to the block 30 or may be any other tensioning arrangement that would force the block 30 in the upwardly direction generally at the center of the straight member 20 to tend to bow that straight member 20 in the direction opposing the weight of the box spring and mattress. As also shown, the block 30 may be an injection molded plastic construction, a cast metal unit, wood, a metal stamping or other solid material, the essence being that it is of some finite dimension so that the stretching and tensioning of the tension bar 26 will create a force on the straight member 20 countering the force exerted by the weight of the box spring, mattress and the like that is supported by the straight member 20.
In addition, the preferred location of the fittings 38 are at or near the ends 28 of the straight member 20 to allow the efficient and optimum tensioning of the straight member 20 by pulling the ends 28 inwardly and downwardly while exerting a force upwardly at the approximate center, however, the actual tension and bowing effect applied to the tension bar 26 could be accomplished by affixing the ends of the tension bar 26 at some intermediate point between the center of the straight member 20 and the ends 28 of the straight member 20.
Turning now to
In
Thus, with the previously described feature where the universal cross member 18 does not require a support intermediate its ends contacting the floor, it can be seen that the universal cross member 18 can be used with a wide variety of headboards having differing length legs and also with a wide variety of side rails having differing lengths spanning between the side rails and the universal cross member 18 is usable with any of such combinations of components.
Turning now to
In the still further embodiment as illustrated in
Next, there is shown in
The slide ends 76, 78 can be configured to any particular configuration to enable those components to be readily affixed to the side rails of the bed frame. There are screw holes 79 to enable the user to screw the slide ends 76, 78 to a wooden bed rail, however, the same molded slide ends 76, 78 can also be connected to the side rails by means of a quick snap connection. In the embodiment shown, there are rail connectors 82 (only one of which is shown) that enable the easy connection of the slide ends 76, 78 to that side rail. As seen, the rail connector 82 may be affixed to a side rail that is a conventional L-shaped angle iron by a air of steel U-clips 84 or, alternatively, where the side rail is a wooden member, the wooden side rail may be worked to provide a suitable shaped recess into which the rail connector 82 an rest.
Once in place, the rail connector 82 can be used to easily affix the slide ends 76, 78 to the side rails of the bed frame or bed rails without the use of special tools and thus can readily be assembled to set up the bed unit. As a further feature of the rail connector 82, there may be a plug 85 that is removable from the rail connector 82 and which is generally rectangular and, when used, fits downwardly into the opening 87 in the rail connector 82.
As such, in the event the user desires to use the rail and slat connection shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,644 of Pottschmidt, the rail connector 82 can still be used with that system by utilizing the plug 85 so that the opening 87 aligns with the normal opening in the side rail system of the '644 patent. The actual slide ends 76, 78 as well as the use of the plug 85 will be latter explained, however, it is sufficient to note that the use of the plug 85 enables the present invention to be used with a rolled side rail as disclosed in the aforementioned Pottschmidt patent.
In this embodiment, the tension member 86 comprises a cold rolled steel strap that is affixed to the straight member 66 at or near the free ends 68,70 thereof by means such as rivets 88 that pass through the straight member 66, the free ends of the tension member 86 and may also have a guide plate 90 to aid in that affixation. As shown in
In the assembly and the affixing of the tension member 86 to the straight member 66, t is preferred that there be a pre-tension effect, that is, as with the prior embodiments, the tension member 86 is preferred to be in tension as the universal cross member 64 is assembled. To the end, the force transmitting means 92 is a molded plastic housing that is comprised of two housing components 94, 96 that are joined together by means such as rivets 98. The force transmitting means 92 is also preferably affixed to the straight member 66 by means of the rivets 98. As can be seen, the tension member 86 or steel strap passes underneath the force transmitting means 92 so as to displace the tension member 86 from the straight member 66. There may be a variety of means to retain the tension member 86 in position beneath the force transmitting means 92 including nubs formed on the bottom of the housing components 94, 96 during the molding process that may interfit into suitably positioned and shaped apertures formed in the tension member 86.
In any event, during the manufacturing and assembly of the universal cross member 64, a pre-tension is created in the tension member 86 by creating a slight bow in the straight member 66 with the center of the straight member 66 bowed slightly upwardly with respect to its free ends 68, 70 and retained in the slightly bowed configuration while the ends of the tension member 86 are riveted to the straight member by the rivets 88. Thus, upon release of the straight member from the forced bowed position, the straight member 66 will attempt to straighten out and will create a tension in the tension member 86. It is possible, and normal, that the straight member 66 will maintain a slight bow at the termination of the assembly process and the affixing of the tension member 86 to the straight member 66.
In an ideal manufacturing and assembly process, it is possible that there be no actual bow in the straight member 66 after completion of the affixing of the tension member 86 and that the actual tension in the tension member 86 be such that the tension would immediately be created upon a weight being placed on the straight member 66, such as the weight of a box spring when placed onto the bed frame. In such case, the tension member 86 is affixed so as to be taut but without actual tension created in the tension member 86.
However, the manufacturing tolerances are quite difficult to achieve and maintain long with the required precision of assembly and thus rather the place very strict tolerances on the assembly and the manufacturing of the components, the slight bow is preferred within the tension member 86 with a positive tension and slight bow upon its being affixed to the straight member 66.
As can also be seen in
In the molding of the housing components 94,96, there is a central space 104 that is formed in the interior of both of the housing components 94, 96 of a mirror image and which allows the leg 100 to fit within the central space 104. The length of the central space 104 is predetermined to allow the leg to be withdrawn into the force transmitting means 92 and to be extended outwardly and downwardly therefrom to adjust the length the leg 100 protrudes downwardly from the force transmitting means 92 to contact the floor. Thus, when the housing components 94, 96 are assembled together, the leg 100 is inter-fitted into the central space 104 intermediate the housing components 94, 96.
A leg release mechanism 106 is also provided and is affixed intermediate the housing components 94, 96 and which serves to allow the leg 100 to be extended from the housing components 94,94 to the desired extension and locked into that extended position. The leg release mechanism comprises a catch spring 108 and a catch 110. As assembled, the catch 110 has a hole 112 that is sized so as to allow the leg 100 to be snugly, sliding fitted within the hole 112. The catch spring 108 acts upon the catch 110 to maintain the catch 110 in a tilted position with respect to the leg 100 that extends vertically downwardly.
Accordingly, when the catch 110 is tilted with respect to the horizontal, the hole 112 is tilted with respect to the leg 100 and captures or retains the leg 100 sturdily affixed to the catch 110, and, obviously, also to the force transmitting means 92. The catch 110 can easily be pressed by the user against the bias of the catch spring 108 to move the catch 110 to a horizontal position to free the leg 100 from its retained, locked position. Thus, by a simple manipulation of the catch. 110, the leg 100 can be released for movement with respect to the force transmitting means and again released to retain the leg firmly in the desired position. As shown, there is only one catch 110, however, in order to provide addition locking strength, there may be a plurality of stacked catches 110 nested together and all operable by the same catch spring 208. As such, with a plurality of catches, possible two or three catches 110, the locking of the leg 100 is made more positive with additional strength.
As can therefore now be seen, when the universal cross member 64 is installed on a bed frame or bed rails in the desired location in a room in supporting, for example, a water bed, the user merely has to press on the catch 110 and the leg 100 will become free to move. The leg 100 will thus move downwardly by gravity until it encounters the floor where it stops. The user can then release the catch 110 and the leg 100 will be firmly secured in the position touching the floor to act as a support for the straight member 66. The leg 100 can just as easily be retracted into the housing components 94, 96 to retract the leg upwardly into the housing components 94, 96 when the user desires to move the bed within the room or to another room to avoid the leg glide 102 from being damaged by catching on the carpet or other hindrance to the movement. Obviously, to retract the leg 100, the catch 110 must be depressed and the leg physically pushed upwardly by the user into the housing components 94, 96 and when the catch 110 is allowed to return to its original biased position, the leg 100 will remain in the retracted position.
By the use of legs having differing lengths, the adjustability of the universal cross member 64 can be utilized with almost any height of a bed from the floor. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the central space 104 may allow an adjustment in the extension of the leg 100 of about 4.5 inches. By the use of different lengths of legs, the amount of adjustment available to the user for different heights of a bed above the floor can be extended .e. the installer or user can be provided with two legs of a 5.5 inch length and 9 inches in length where either leg can interfit with universal cross member 64. Thus, by choosing the appropriate length leg, the overall vertical height above the floor of the universal cross member 64 can span 6.5 to 14 inches. Obviously, with other length legs, the overall adjustment allows the universal cross member 64 to have considerable versatility to be used with beds having a wider range of vertical heights from a floor.
By the construction of the housing components 94, 96, the leg 100 may also be located at other positions along the straight member 66, as, for example, the leg position illustrated in
As noted, again, the position of the leg 100 along the straight member 66 also is made easier by the use of the adjustable leg feature previously described to enable the user to adjust the leg 100 to the proper length to contact the floor in any position along the straight member 66. The use of the additional side legs as shown in
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An alternate means of affixing the slide end 76 to the wooden side rail 122 is shown in
A pair of flexible tabs 126 extend upwardly from the base of the rail connector 82 and each has a lip 128 extending inwardly located at the upper portion of the flexible tab 126. As will later be shown in more detail, there is an upwardly shaped wedge 118 formed on the lateral sides of the slide end 76 that interfits with the flexible tabs 126. Thus, as the slide end 76 is pushed downwardly into the rail connector 82, the flexible tabs 126 flex outwardly to enable the upwardly shaped wedges 118 to pass by the inwardly extending lips 128 and, when past that position, the flexible tabs 126 flex back to their original position so that the inwardly extending lips 128 capture the upward shaped wedges 118 to strongly retain the slide end 82 to the rail connector 82 tabs, and, therefore, retain the universal cross member 64 to the wooden side rail 122. As can thus be seen, the interconnection is easy, fast, and results in a solid connection that cannot easily become disconnected. In fact, with the present embodiment, the later detachment of the universal cross member 64 from the side rail 122 requires a tool, such as a screwdriver, to break the connection.
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Accordingly, with this embodiment the rail connector 82 can be installed so as to align the opening 87 in the rail connector 82 with the similar shaped opening already existing in the Pottschmidt roll formed rail 142. The plug 85 is then inserted into the opening 87 and passes through both the opening 87 in the rail connector 82 but also the existing opening in the roll formed rail 142. A barb 146 at the lower end of the downwardly facing tab 144 becomes positioned beneath the opening in the roll formed rail and by completing the assembly, that is, by snapping the slide end 76 into position into the rail connector 82 as previously described, tab 144 enters the plug 85 as specifically shown in
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The support bracket 200 also has an upstanding pin 214 that extends upwardly so as enter into and fit within a bore 216 formed in the wooden slat 204 so that, in assembling the bed frame, the wooden slat 204 is attached to the wooden side rail 202 by slipping the pin 214 into the bore 216 whereupon the wooden slat 204 slides down on the pin 214 to rest on the upper surface of the flat metal body 206.
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The stamped metal support bracket 234 is basically a stamped component and includes a horizontal shelf 240 that extends outwardly from a flat, planar body 242 that is mounted flush with the internal surface of the wooden side rail 202. A lower flange 243 extends out from the lower edge of the planar body 242 to underlie and provide support to the wooden side rail 202. There are also formed, a set of inner holes 244 and a set of outer holes 246 in the horizontal shelf 240 for a purpose that will be later explained.
As in the prior embodiments, there is also a rail connector 248 and which has a recessed interior section 250 having a pair of inwardly extending lips 252 therein that are generally flexible and which override and grasp the slide end 232 when it is inserted into the interior recessed section 250 of the stamped metal support bracket 234 in affixing the universal cross member 230 to the wooden side rail 202.
As also can be seen in
Another set of screw holes 258 is provided in the slide end 232 in the event the consumer or assembler wants to affix the universal cross member 230 directly to the stamped metal support bracket 234 by means of the inner holes 244, or directly to a ledge that may be available on the wooden side rail 202. Alternatively, the screw holes 258 may be used to pass screws therethrough and also through the bosses 260 formed in the rail connector 248 in order to securely affix the universal cross member 230 to the wooden side rail 202 in the event any part of the rail connector 248 is broken.
Accordingly, with the affixation system of
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In addition, the use of an elongated stamped metal support bracket 262 with a plurality of receptacles for the universal cross member 230 avoids the problem of aligning up the various receptacles across the opposite wooden side rails since once the two elongated stamped metal support brackets are centered along the wooden side rails, the receptacles for receiving the universal cross members are automatically aligned and will match up such that the receptacles of one elongated stamped metal support bracket will be automatically aligned with the receptacles formed in the other elongated stamped metal support bracket.
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In other respects, however, the construction and function of the
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The folded metal bracket 310 has a floor 318 to support the slide end 232 when affixed thereto and has, extending upwardly from the floor 318, front flanges 320 and side flanges 322 to basically surround the slide end 232. Each of the side flanges has an inwardly and downwardly directed tab 324 that fits over the upper surface of the slide end 232 when interfitted within the folded metal bracket 310 such that the slide end 232 is locked into the affixed position by the tabs 324. Again, to remove the universal cross member 230, a flat bladed screw driver can be inserted to pry the tabs 324 outwardly to release the slide end 232 from its affixed position locked to the folded metal bracket 310.
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Accordingly, as can be seen the universal cross member of the present invention is universal in nature since it can be used with any height of the side rails above the floor, in excess of a minimum height, inasmuch as the universal cross member does not need support from that floor to carry the weight of the box spring and mattress and also, the universal cross member can be used in applications where an adjustment needs to be made for varying the span or width between the side rails.
While the present invention has been set forth in terms of a specific embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood that the universal cross member herein disclosed may be modified or altered bi those skilled in the art to other configurations. Accordingly, the invention is to be broadly construed and limited only by the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
This patent application is a Continuation-In-Part application based upon and claiming priority of U.S. Patent Application, U.S. Ser. No. 09/518,320, filed Mar. 3, 2000 and entitled UNIVERSAL TENSION SPRING SUPPORT MEMBER FOR BED RAILS OR BED FRAME.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10632512 | Aug 2003 | US |
| Child | 11442918 | May 2006 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09518320 | Mar 2000 | US |
| Child | 10632512 | Aug 2003 | US |
