GB1596654A

GB1596654A - Beds

Info

Publication number: GB1596654A
Application number: GB762777A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: DORNAN G
Current assignee: DORNAN G
Priority date: 1978-02-22
Filing date: 1978-02-22
Publication date: 1981-08-26

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDS (71) I, GEOFFREY DORNAN, of 3 Greenwood Close, Aughton, Near Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 5BL, a British Subject do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention concerns beds.

Beds are bulky items both in use and during transport and storage comprising as they do of a frame and a mattress. This tends to imply that an average house cannot put up visitors unless a divan-bed is used and these are expensive. Moreover even in shops mattresses are difficult to store since they can be squashed if they are towards the bottom of a stack of mattresses.

According to the present invention, a bed comprising a frame having a flat top surface and four sides and a mattress resting in use on that surface and having substantially the same plan area is characterised in that the frame is an open bottomed box having a hollow interior large enough to receive the mattress without folding when the bed is not in use.

Thus the bed becomes one bulky item for storage rather than two and is merely the same size as the frame. The frame protects the mattress against squashing and other damage. However the invention lends itself to having a number of spare beds which can be used and stored in various convenient ways. For example one bed could be stored below another or two beds complete with mattresses could be stored in a vertical cupboard (large enough to contain two frames on end) which when the beds were removed for use could serve as a wardrobe for the visitors. It would be possible to modify the arrangement so as to provide bunk beds in addition to normal beds. To provide an acceptable sleeping height the frames can be provided with legs which can be completely removable as by screwing or which can be hinged and serve to retain the mattress when not in use.The top of the frame can be flexible in the form of interlocked V-springs, a fabric sheet, or rubber or webbing straps, for example, but it is thought that this is not necessary and it is preferred to have the top rigid, for example, of 3 millimetre plywood, to give strength to the bed.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section through a bed according to the present invention, Figure 2 is an end view of a bed in use with a head board showing in broken line the attachment of the head board and with legs and with the position of the mattress when stored also indicated in broken line, Figures 3 and 4 show different sizes of end members as used in Figure 2 with beds stacked one on top of another with the lower bed upside down, and Figure 5 shows the stacking of a plurality of beds to occupy minimum space, and Figure 6 illustrates an arrangement for a bunk bed system.

As shown in Figure 1 a bed comprises a frame 11 consisting of an upper and a lower rectangular frame 12 covered with 3 millimetre plywood cladding 14 on the four sides and the top, the top being stiffened by cross-rails 15. The two frames 12 can be joined at their corners by reinforcing stays (not shown). The side walls or cladding are comparatively thin so that a mattress 16 (for example, of 120 millimetre foam material) which in use rests on top of the frame l l with the two having virtually identical plan dimensions can fit inside the frame 11 as indicated in broken line. The depth of the frame for a 120 millimetre thick mattress would be about 165 millimetres. Thus the depth of the frame 11 is sufficient for the mattress to be fully received into the frame 11 with the lower frame 12 serving as a shoulder or lip to retain the mattress.In view of the hardness of the top of the frame 11, a foam rubber or other sub-mattress 17 can be used and a flap 18 with a drawcord 19 is provided to retain it in position. At each end of the frame 11, a pair of end members 20 of, say, 12 millimetre plywood is fastened through to the frames 12. These members serve a multitude of purposes. When the frame is upside down they serve as short legs as shown in Figures 3 and 4. They act as a mounting for a head board 21 as shown in Figure 2 and locate the mattress lengthwise on the frame. They can act as lifting points for which purpose holes 22 are provided, and they also serve to locate a bed placed on top of another against side-ways movement whichever way up the beds are with respect to each other.

When a single bed is prepared for use, legs 23 are secured as by screwing to the lower frame 12 to increase the height of the bed to an acceptable sleeping height. The head board, and possible a foot board, is attached to the end members by a pair of verticals 24 (Figure 2). one associated with each end member, which are attached to the frame 11 and to the head board by fasteners 241 such as wing nuts (not shown). It is possible to have the verticals permanently secured to the head board but it is felt more convenient for storage to have the verticals removable. These verticals terminate either flush (for neatness) with, or project slightly (so that the verticals of a legless bed resting on top of another legless bed will locate the two beds relative each other) below the bottom of the frame 11.

When the bed is stored, the verticals, the head board, the legs and any sub-mattress may have to be stored separately.

These beds can be comparatively inexpensive and are easy to store and it is envisaged that they will mainly be sold in sets of at least two beds of the same or different sizes. A range of beds is envisaged of three frame depths (12. 20, and 26 centimetres) and two widths (76 centimetres available in the two smaller depths, and 90 centimetres available in all three depths) together with a range of mattress thicknesses. The shallower and narrower beds would be intended for children who do not need thick mattresses but these mattresses might not fit in the shallower frames 11 but there would be excess space in the deepest frame in which childrens matrresses or submattresses could be stored. Figures 3 to 5 show various ways of stacking the bed frames and illustrate various details of the end members.There are two types of end member for each depth of frame differing by the provision of a projection 25 or a complementary recess 26 on the lower edge so that when a bed is turned upside down (preferably side-over-side) and another bed placed on top the projections engage in the recesses and stop sideways movement of the upper bed. The upper bed can then be slept in and Figure 4 shows the head board and the verticals which verticals locate the upper bed in the longitudinal direction. When beds are stacked in this manner, the end members project below (as well as above) and so lift the stack above the floor to provide toe room and facilitating cleaning.

Figure 5 shows another form of stacking which occupies minimum depth when all the beds are the right way up or all upside down. The end members apart from the projections and recesses differ only in their depth dimension but are at uniform spacing throughout the entire range with upward extensions 27 fitting into cutouts 28 at the bottoms of the end members. This method of stacking gives the minimum depth of stack.

It is envisaged that a vertical two-door cabinet could be provided to contain two beds stacked in the manner of Figure 5 on end flat against the back of the cabinet.

When the beds were removed the cabinet could be fitted out as a wardrobe for the visitors who would be sleeping in the beds.

Often families are split because whilst a married couple can be accomodated in a single spare room there is no room for their children. The answer is a bunk bed arrangement. More care must be taken over the safety of visiting nieces and nephews than of the visited families' own children although this is not to say that anyone should endanger their own children. Figure 6 shows how the bed frames of the present invention can be made into a bunk bed arrangement. A shallower depth bed is supported over another bed on risers 29; each frame being pre-fitted with suitable fixings or being predrilled therefor. Another riser 30 is fitted suitably spaced from one of the risers 29 to receive between these two risers an access ladder 32. These risers have T-shaped slots along at least one side to receive safety rails and also so that the ladder is rendered captive and cannot be dislodged by horseplay. It is possible to arrange for the ladder to be lifted in these slots so that during the daytime it can lay flat against the bunkbed arrangement.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A bed comprising a frame having a flat top surface and four sides and a mattress resting in use on that surface and having substantially the same plan area characterised in that the frame is an open-bottomed box having a hollow interior large enough to receive the mattress without folding when

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. depth of the frame 11 is sufficient for the mattress to be fully received into the frame 11 with the lower frame 12 serving as a shoulder or lip to retain the mattress. In view of the hardness of the top of the frame 11, a foam rubber or other sub-mattress 17 can be used and a flap 18 with a drawcord 19 is provided to retain it in position. At each end of the frame 11, a pair of end members 20 of, say, 12 millimetre plywood is fastened through to the frames 12. These members serve a multitude of purposes. When the frame is upside down they serve as short legs as shown in Figures 3 and 4. They act as a mounting for a head board 21 as shown in Figure 2 and locate the mattress lengthwise on the frame.They can act as lifting points for which purpose holes 22 are provided, and they also serve to locate a bed placed on top of another against side-ways movement whichever way up the beds are with respect to each other. When a single bed is prepared for use, legs 23 are secured as by screwing to the lower frame 12 to increase the height of the bed to an acceptable sleeping height. The head board, and possible a foot board, is attached to the end members by a pair of verticals 24 (Figure 2). one associated with each end member, which are attached to the frame 11 and to the head board by fasteners 241 such as wing nuts (not shown). It is possible to have the verticals permanently secured to the head board but it is felt more convenient for storage to have the verticals removable. These verticals terminate either flush (for neatness) with, or project slightly (so that the verticals of a legless bed resting on top of another legless bed will locate the two beds relative each other) below the bottom of the frame 11. When the bed is stored, the verticals, the head board, the legs and any sub-mattress may have to be stored separately. These beds can be comparatively inexpensive and are easy to store and it is envisaged that they will mainly be sold in sets of at least two beds of the same or different sizes. A range of beds is envisaged of three frame depths (12. 20, and 26 centimetres) and two widths (76 centimetres available in the two smaller depths, and 90 centimetres available in all three depths) together with a range of mattress thicknesses. The shallower and narrower beds would be intended for children who do not need thick mattresses but these mattresses might not fit in the shallower frames 11 but there would be excess space in the deepest frame in which childrens matrresses or submattresses could be stored. Figures 3 to 5 show various ways of stacking the bed frames and illustrate various details of the end members.There are two types of end member for each depth of frame differing by the provision of a projection 25 or a complementary recess 26 on the lower edge so that when a bed is turned upside down (preferably side-over-side) and another bed placed on top the projections engage in the recesses and stop sideways movement of the upper bed. The upper bed can then be slept in and Figure 4 shows the head board and the verticals which verticals locate the upper bed in the longitudinal direction. When beds are stacked in this manner, the end members project below (as well as above) and so lift the stack above the floor to provide toe room and facilitating cleaning. Figure 5 shows another form of stacking which occupies minimum depth when all the beds are the right way up or all upside down. The end members apart from the projections and recesses differ only in their depth dimension but are at uniform spacing throughout the entire range with upward extensions 27 fitting into cutouts 28 at the bottoms of the end members. This method of stacking gives the minimum depth of stack. It is envisaged that a vertical two-door cabinet could be provided to contain two beds stacked in the manner of Figure 5 on end flat against the back of the cabinet. When the beds were removed the cabinet could be fitted out as a wardrobe for the visitors who would be sleeping in the beds. Often families are split because whilst a married couple can be accomodated in a single spare room there is no room for their children. The answer is a bunk bed arrangement. More care must be taken over the safety of visiting nieces and nephews than of the visited families' own children although this is not to say that anyone should endanger their own children. Figure 6 shows how the bed frames of the present invention can be made into a bunk bed arrangement. A shallower depth bed is supported over another bed on risers 29; each frame being pre-fitted with suitable fixings or being predrilled therefor. Another riser 30 is fitted suitably spaced from one of the risers 29 to receive between these two risers an access ladder 32.These risers have T-shaped slots along at least one side to receive safety rails and also so that the ladder is rendered captive and cannot be dislodged by horseplay. It is possible to arrange for the ladder to be lifted in these slots so that during the daytime it can lay flat against the bunkbed arrangement. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A bed comprising a frame having a flat top surface and four sides and a mattress resting in use on that surface and having substantially the same plan area characterised in that the frame is an open-bottomed box having a hollow interior large enough to receive the mattress without folding when

the bed is not in use.

2. A bed according to claim 1 wherein removable legs are provided to secure into the frame to increase the height of the bed to an acceptable sleeping height but being removable to reduce the height of the bed for storage.

3. A bed according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the frame comprises an upper and a lower rectangular wooden sub-frame clad on all four sides and the top with plywood.

4. A bed according to claim 3 having end members at one end at least for the attachment of a head board, the end members being secured to the sub-frames.

5. A bed according to claim 4 having a pair of end members at each end with each end member having an upward extension projecting above the frame so that when the bed is inverted these extensions act as a set of short legs.

6. A bed according to claim 5 in which each member has a cut-out at the bottom to receive an extension of another like bed.

7. A bed according to claim 4 having a pair of end members at each end, claim 5 or claim 6 in which each pair of end members comprise one each of two types one type with a projection at the bottom and the other type with a complementary recess at the bottom so that when two like beds are stacked with their bottoms abutting each other the projections fit in the recesses to locate the beds relative each other.

8. A bed according to any preceding claim having attachment means for risers whereby two such beds can be used as a bunk bed arrangement.

9. A pair of beds as claimed in claim 8 having risers spacing the two beds apart and with a further riser co-operating with one of the spacing risers to secure a ladder.

10. A pair of beds as claimed in claim 9 wherein the risers are formed with T-shaped slots for receiving safety rails and holding the ladder captive.

11. A pair of beds as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the upper bed is shallower than the lower bed and its frame may not receive the mattress.

12. A bed substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.