AU2004100452A4 - A suspension system and method for a contour adapting slatted lathe bed or chair base - Google Patents

Description

Description A SUSPENSION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A CONTOUR ADAPTING SLATTEDLATHE BED OR CHAIR BASE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The subject matter of the invention is a suspension mechanism and method of attachment for contour adapting slatted bases, such as for beds or chairs, said mechanism being of such design that it does not require any support beams other than those comprising the system. The support beams so comprising the system may also be attached to the support beams of a normal commercially available single or double bed base. The objective of the present invention is to reduce the number of components and provide a more commercially attractive method of affixing the suspension system to existing single and double bed structures.

It is also the objective of the present invention to enable the mechanism to be readily adapted to any length and provide additional strength to the bed or chair frame, thus negating the necessity for any additional support beams. The method of the present invention comprises a series of discrete plungers and their supporting guides that also incorporate sheaves to accommodate a resilient tensioning strap, which replaces the rope tensioning system employed in the previously known system. The plunger guides are fabricated in such a way that they can be slid over a rigid bar, in tandem, to accommodate any length, the bar then being affixed to the side rails and, in the case of a double bed, also to both sides of the centre rail, of the bed frame. The principle of the rigid support bar effectively removes the necessity to affix each individual guide unit to the bed frame, as it is the support bar itself that is affixed and because of its rigidity requires a minimal number of fixing points to the bed frame. The bar may be of any material, such that it will not bend between fixing points. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rigid support bar is pre-drilled along the entirety of its length in such a manner that the pre-drilled holes align with those embodied in the plunger guide units, thus providing for fixing to the bed frame at a multiplicity of points along the length of the suspension system. The plungers are inserted into the guides and upward tension is applied to the bottom of the plungers via the resilient strap, which passes over the sheaves incorporated into the guide units. The plungers and guides are configured in such a way that the plungers are unable to exit the guides. The resilient tensioning strap is capable of being adjusted to provide sufficient tension to accommodate a multiplicity of downward forces being applied to the series of plunger units. The tops of the plungers are configured to accommodate the ends of the lathes in such a way that the lathes of the base are unable to become unattached but will enable the lathes to tilt slightly in any direction in order to conform with profile contours applied by depression of the individual units, such attachment being achieved by means of a resilient strap encompassing both the lathe and the top plate of the plunger, said strap being held in place by guides embedded in the plunger. In the application to a double bed, the method allows for each side of the bed to move independently of the other side without a ridge being formed in the middle.

Claims (4)

1. A suspension system for a contour adapting slatted lathe base frame, as for example, of a bed or chair base comprising a series of discrete plungers and their supporting guides mounted over a rigid bar of any material, the plunger guides also incorporating sheaves to accommodate a resilient tensioning strap or rope running the entire length of the assembly and which provides support for and tension to the plungers, the entire assembly capable of being affixed to the side and/or centre rails of a supporting frame for example as in a bed or chair base.

2. The suspension system of Claim 1 wherein the rigid bar forms or replaces the side and /or centre rails of a frame, such as a bed or chair base.

3. The suspension system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the plungers and the plunger guides with sheaves are either moulded or fabricated from any material.

4. The suspension system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the continuous resilient strap or rope is replaced by a plurality of individual resilient straps or ropes, each accommodated a single plunger. A suspension system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.