EP0858754A2

EP0858754A2 - Ergonomic bed frame with structure comprising adjustable staves

Info

Publication number: EP0858754A2
Application number: EP98102385A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Dal Monte
Original assignee: ORSA Srl
Current assignee: ORSA Srl
Priority date: 1997-02-12
Filing date: 1998-02-11
Publication date: 1998-08-19
Also published as: EP0858754A3; ITMI970279A1; IT1290297B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an ergonomic bed frame of the type with transverse staves (5), in which said staves (5) have an individually adjustable rigidity. For this purpose, each stave (5) is formed by a solid central area (5') to which an area (5'') curved in the manner of a semi-spiral tapering towards its free end is connected. Said staves (5) are moreover rotatably mounted and individually adjustable on the structure (1) of said frame. The rotation of each stave (5) is performed by means of a key (6; 7) which is fixed to one of the ends of each stave and which may be formed as one piece (6) with this end or as a separate piece (7) which can be fixed by means of engagement. The keys are rotatable with respect to a graduated circular crown and can be fixed in locking notches.

Description

The present invention relates to an ergonomic bed frame, allowing supporting of the mattress with a variable and adjustable strengthen depending on the position along the bed or depending on the weight of the person lying on it.

In beds, the mattress is usually supported on wire meshes or spring cases which have different properties. In both cases, the function of this support is both that of forming a base for the mattress, which is raised from the ground for comfort and hygiene reasons, and that of preventing, at the same time, the mattress from becoming excessively curved under the weight of the sleeping person, which often results in an incorrect postural behaviour of the person, having negative consequences also during the daytime or causing pain due to an incorrect position while sleeping. This latter problem is, in both cases, solved in different ways. The wire mesh consists of a network of metal springs which are arranged in a horizontal plane and tensioned by fastening to the bed frame, while the spring case has a different arrangement formed with a frame provided with a soft padded base which rests on a plurality of vertically arranged springs.

An intermediate solution consists of frames with a shook formed with staves usually made of wood or a synthetic material or the like. An example of a bed stave made of synthetic material is described in DE-A-42 34 242; the stave described therein consists of an elongated body with a spiral cross-section, provided at its ends with means for engagement in the sides of a bed frame.

Each of these solutions obviously has its own advantages. However, none of them allows variation in the reaction to the body weight in accordance with the anatomical requirements of the sleeping person. The wire-mesh design and stave design have reactions which vary solely depending on the distance of the supporting points of the body from the two longest edges of the frame, while the spring-case design has a reaction which is practically constant over its entire surface.

A varied reaction in accordance with the anatomical requirements of the sleeping person would, therefore, be extremely desirable, since it is currently increasingly more obvious how important local rigidity of the bed is for avoiding the abovementioned drawbacks.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bed frame having characteristics aimed at creating particularly comfortable conditions able to satisfy the functional anatomical requirements of each different person.

This object is achieved with an ergonomic bed frame of the type with transverse staves, characterized in that said staves have an individually adjustable rigidity.

According to a preferred embodiment, said staves have a cross-section comprising a solid central area, from which there extends an area curved in the manner of a semi-spiral tapering towards its free end, said staves being moreover individually rotatable about their axis and able to fixed in a predetermined position with respect to the structure of said frame.

The present invention is now described in greater detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a structure prior to assembly of the staves for the construction of an ergonomic frame according to the present invention;

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of a stave for the ergonomic frame according to the present invention;

Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-section of the same stave, complete with key for rotation and locking thereof in position;

Figs 3A and 3B are two cross-sectional views of the ergonomic frame according to the present invention, respectively unoccupied and with a person lying on it;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the ergonomic frame according to the present invention, a detail of which is shown, on a larger scale, in

Fig. 5 which shows three different possible adjustments of the angular position of the staves, about their axis, in the ergonomic frame according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows, with the parts separated, a second embodiment of the staves of the frame according to the present invention; and

Figs. 7a and 7b show a cross-sectional and schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of the staves of the frame according to the present invention.

The ergonomic bed frame according to the present invention comprises a structure 1 with a generally rectangular shape, the long sides of which have, passing through them, a plurality of horizontal holes 2 which, on at least one of the two sides, each have externally a graduated circular crown 3. The structure 1 rests on legs 4.

The holes 2 are arranged at regular intervals, facing one another on each of the two long sides of the structure 1, so as to form a succession of facing pairs of holes 2. A stave 5 is rotatably mounted between the two holes of each pair of holes 2, in any known manner, said stave having mounted, on its end, a key 6 intended to project outside one of the holes 2 of the pair where it is inserted.

As can be clearly seen in Fig. 2A and, even more clearly, in Fig. 2B, the cross-section of the stave 5 comprises a circular central area 5' from which there extends an area 5'' curved in the manner of a semi-spiral tapering towards its free end and connected tangentially to the circular central area 5' at two diametrically opposite points. As can be seen in Figs. 2A, 3A and 3B, each stave has moreover two

lugs

5A, 5B which form an extension of said central area 5' and have the function of pivots. These pivot-type lugs are intended to be seated in the facing holes 2 of lock pair, so as to allow rotation of the stave 5 about the longitudinal axis of said central part 5'.

Fig. 3A shows how the individual staves 5 are arranged inside the structure 1, with the key 6 arranged outside one of the holes 2 of the pair of holes.

According to a preferred embodiment, a key 6 is formed as one piece with each of the two

lugs

5A, 5B of the stave 5, usually by means of moulding. As shown in Fig. 5, each of the holes 2 of at least one of the two long sides has an opening 2A with a shape and dimensions substantially identical to that of the key 6.

In order to assemble the staves 5, the key 6 is passed through the slit 2A, after which the pivot end 5A of the stave 5 can be inserted into the hole 2; immediately afterwards, the end 5B can be inserted into the hole 2 on the opposite side, by briefly bending the stave 5 and then snap-engaging it between the two holes 2. In a similar manner it is then possible to insert one by one all the staves 5 into the respective pairs of holes in the structure 1 of the frame so as to form a succession of parallel staves. Each of these staves will have the respective key 6 projecting outside the hole 2, on the side where the graduated circular crown 3 is located.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention. According to this embodiment, the key 7 is not formed as one piece with the stave 5, like the key 6, but is manufactured separately and ends in a square-shaped piece 8; this is able to be inserted into a corresponding cavity 9 formed axially in the lug 5A of the stave 5. The cavity 9 has suitable dimensions such that the square-shaped piece 8 of the key 7 does not have any play inside it. The square-shaped piece 8 has, on one of its side surfaces, a resilient tongue 10 for snap-engagement in a facing seat of the cavity 9 in the key 7.

In this second case, assembly of the frame according to the present invention is performed by inserting the pivot 5A into one of the two holes 2 forming a pair, and so on for each of the staves, as described above, until the whole frame 1 is formed. At this point the keys 7 are inserted into the cavities 9 by snap-engaging the tongues 10 into the respective seats so as to securely lock the keys in the cavities themselves, thus also locking the staves 5 in the pairs of holes 2.

Figures 7a and 7b show yet a different embodiment of the staves according to the invention. In this case the solid core of the stave comprises a central cylindrical element 11, the axis of which is the axis of the stave and the ends of which form the pivots for seating in the holes 2, and a radial rib 12. The curved, tapering, flexible part 13 of the stave itself is connected to the outside edge of said radial rib. This curved part has preferably a limited thickness and has, moreover, at regular intervals along its length, curved stiffening ribs 14 in turn tapering towards their free end.

An operating key (not shown), similar to the

key

6 or 7 of the preceding figures, is also associated with one of the ends of this embodiment of the stave.

In all cases, by rotating the

key

6 or 7 it possible to cause the stave to rotate about its axis, so as to bring into the desired position with reference to the graduated circular crown 3. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the hole 2 on the side near to the

key

6 or 7 may have notches 3A able to lock the

key

6 or 7, and therefore the stave 5 in a selected position. In this way the stave 5 is prevented from rotating as a result of the weight and/or owing to the movements of the sleeping person, changing position in an undesirable manner.

As can be easily understood from the same Fig. 5, a particular position of the key 6 results in a different arrangement of the stave 5. In view of the presence, on the stave 5, of the area 5'' curved in the manner of a tapered semi-spiral, a different angular position of the stave results in a different response of the stave 5 to the weight of the sleeping person, since the compliance in the vertical direction depends on the thickness of the curved area 5'' at the supporting point. Consequently, the response in terms of rigidity is different.

To explain matters more clearly, by fixing the key 6 in the far left-hand position shown in Fig. 5, the weight rests on the thickest part of the area 5'', close to the central area 5' having a circular cross-section, such that the response of the stave 5 to the weight of a sleeping person is very rigid. By rotating the key 6 and fixing it in the central position shown in Fig. 5, the stave 5 has at the top a part of the area 5'' less thick than that in the position described above; moreover, said part of the area 5'' is more distant from the area 5'. These two combined facts mean that the stave is less rigid, or more yieldable, in response to a weight placed on top of it. The situation shown in the right-hand part of Fig. 5 is opposite to the first situation: in fact the part of the area 5'' on which the body of the sleeping person rests is that part with a minimum thickness which, therefore, is the most elastic part of the entire area 5''. Moreover, this is also the part of the area 5'' which is the most distant from the circular area 5', thus providing a synergic effect when determining greater elasticity in response to a weight.

Taking into account the possibility of adjustment of the staves, as described above, it is obvious how it is possible to orient individually each of them in a different manner, so that the rigidity (or elasticity) of the bed frame can be adjusted in a practically stepwise manner. In this way an extremely ergonomic behaviour of the bed is obtained, it being possible to adjust perfectly the elasticity thereof, in accordance with personal and local requirements, such that the bed itself is personalised, with an enormous gain in terms of comfort and/or health, resulting in a major improvement compared to the known solutions.

Obviously other variants of the present invention are possible, without departing from its protective scope. For example, other types of keys for adjusting the position of the stave are possible. Or else, the staves may be made using any technique and from any material, without any limitation in this connection.

Claims

Ergonomic bed frame of the type with transverse staves (5), characterized in that said staves (5) have an individually adjustable rigidity.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 1, in which said staves (5) have a cross-section comprising a central area (5') which is essentially solid and from which there extends an area (5'') curved in the manner of semi-spiral tapering towards its free end, said staves (5) also being individually rotatable about their axis and adjustable in position with respect to the structure (1) of said frame.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 2, in which said central area is formed by a cylindrical body and said curved area is connected tangentially to the circular area at two diametrically opposite points of the latter.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 2, in which said central area is formed by a cylindrical body which is extended by a radial rib, and said curved area is connected to the external end of said rib.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, in which said curved area has a limited thickness and has, moreover, at regular intervals along its length, curved, tapering, stiffening ribs.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 1 o 2, in which said staves (5) are made from a moulded plastic material.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 6, in which said plastic material is polyethylene based.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which the opposite ends of the solid central part (5') of each stave are axially extended in the form of pivot-type lugs able to be rotatably seated inside pairs of facing holes (2) provided on the long sides of the structure (1) for supporting the staves (5).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 8, in which a key (6; 7) for causing rotation of the stave (5) itself about its axis is associated with at least one of said pivot-type lugs of each stave (5).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 9, in which notches (3A) for locking the keys (6, 7) of the staves, in order to fix the staves (5) themselves in a set angular position, are associated with each of said holes (2) on the outer face of at least one of the long sides of the structure (1).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 9, in which a graduated circular crown (3) suitable for determining the position of the key (6; 7) is associated with each of said holes (2), on the outer face of at least one of the long sides of the structure (1).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 9, in which said key (6) is formed as one piece with one end of the corresponding stave (5).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 12, in which said holes (2) of the structure (1) which seat the pivot-type lugs of the staves extend transversely, on at least one of the long sides of the frame (1), into a slit (2A) with shape and dimensions the same as those of the key (6).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 9, in which said key (7) is formed as a piece separate from the corresponding stave (5).
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 14, in which said key (7) terminates in a square-shaped piece (8) able to be inserted into a cavity (9) formed axially on the pivot-type lug of the stave (5), said cavity having dimensions such that said square-shaped piece (8) has no play inside it.
Ergonomic frame as claimed in Claim 15, in which said square-shaped piece (8) has on one of its side surfaces an elastic tongue (10) for snap-engagement into a facing seat in the cavity (9) of the lug and pivot of the stave.