GB2078506A - Upholstery - Google Patents

Abstract

To enhance the comfort of sitting or reclining on furniture and to protect the cover material, at least one upholstery material support 7, 7''', 7'''' is movably positioned in a direction essentially vertical to the surface of the upholstery on the frame of the piece of furniture, on the back wall thereof or on a bracket 40' arranged in the zone of the back wall or the seat surface. The upholstery material support is spring-suspended against the frame of the piece of furniture, or the back wall or the bracket arranged within the zone of the back wall or the seat surface and the upholstery material support consists of a bar, a spring or tension element or a steel spring band. The support is preferably positioned underneath the upholstery material layer or upholstery material body. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Furniture upholstery The invention relates to upholstery for furniture, for seats and back rests to be used for any given purpose, optionally having spring suspension and optionally having a layer of upholstery material or an upholstery material body arranged on said spring suspension.

The term "furniture" is understood to comprise all kinds of chairs, armchairs, sofas, settees, lounges and couches and pieces of furniture convertible into chairs, such as beds converted into chairs for daytime use.

In using upholstered furniture, a comparatively high stress composed of several components builds up, in particular at the front edge of the seat surface and the top edge of the back rest surface. The front edge of the seat surface and the top edge of the back rest surface are pressed down, while the cover material is pulled rearwards and downwards from the edges. This pulling back and down of the cover material is due to the fact that the forming of a depression such as it is created in the seat surface and the back rest surface of upholstered furniture when sitting down in it requires more cover material than is the case in the flatly stretched cover material of the furniture when it is not in use and that this additional material is pulled from the rims of the upholstery to the depression in the seat surface and back rest surface.This stress can result in an undesirable deformation of the upholstery material within the zone of the free edges of the seat surface and back rest surface so that the original appearance of the upholstery will become greatly impaired by use in the zone of the free edges. This disadvantage resulting in an unattractive appearance cannot be remedied by using comparatively hard upholstery material, either, as the pull towards the seat and back rest depression in the cover material can be very strong and the stiffness of the upholstery material reduces sitting comfort.

It is the object of the invention to provide an upholstery which is comfortably resilient in particular in the zone of the front edge of the seat surface and/or the top edge of the back rest surface and in which the attractive appearance of the upholstery of the piece of furniture when not in use is preserved over long periods of time.

The appearance of the upholstery should be taut and the sitting comfort of the piece of furniture should be increased at the same time. This object is achieved in an upholstery according to the invention by providing at least one upholstery material support positioned movably in a direction essentially vertical to the surface of the upholstery on the frame of the piece of furniture, on the back wall thereof or on a bracket arranged in the zone of the back wall or the seat surface. The upholstery material support is spring-suspended against the frame of the piece of furniture, the back wall or the bracket arranged within the zone of the back wall or the seat surface and the upholstery material support consists of a bar, a spring element or a steel spring band.The upholstery material support is preferably positioned underneath the upholstery material layer or the upholstery material body.

This type of upholstery can be used for furniture having seats or reclining surfaces, seats for vehicles of all types, for moving picture theaters and the like and for seats and back rests of any other given type.

Upholstery material is understood to mean a cushion material with a respective cover, the cover alone or an upholstery material fixed to the upholstery material support and positioned underneath the cover.

The embodiment according to the invention is well suited for achieving this object, as a pleasantly soft upholstery is obtained on sitting down by the upholstery material support, preferably bar or bars, being spring-suspended against the frame and enough cover material being freed by the lowering of the upholstery material support, preferably bar or bars, with the overlaying upholstery material, to provide the material required for the depression formed at sitting down or reclining on such a piece of furniture.

Depending upon the desired sitting comfort or tautness of the upholstery, an upholstery material support, particularly a bar, movable essentially up and down only, and spring-supported against the frame or the bracket, is supported thereon and extends along the front edge of the seat surface and is covered against the seat surface by upholstery material. It is further possible to provide at least one upholstery material support, preferably a bar, movable essentially only up and down and springsuspended against the frame or the bracket, said bar extending within the rear end of the seat surface and/or between the front edge and the rear end of the seat surface and covered towards the seat surface by upholstery material.

It is also possible to provide at least one upholstery material support, preferably a bar, supported movable essentially reciprocatingly only, preferably in a direction essentially vertically in relation to the surface of the upholstery of the back rest of the piece of furniture on the frame or the back wall or on a bracket within the zone of the back wall and springsuspended against the frame or the back wall or the bracket arranged in the zone of the back wall, said upholstery material support, preferably bar, extending along the top edge of the back surface andlor within the zone between the top edge and the seat surface in the back rest and being covered by upholstery material towards the back surface. This allows for the desired adjustment of the resilience and tautness of the seat and/or back rest surface.

The upholstery material support, in particular the bar, is preferably supported in such a manner that the upholstery material support, preferably bar, for the top edge of the back rest is supported pivotably around a geometric axis positioned below it on the frame of the piece offurniture, on the back wall or on the bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame, the back wall or the bracket.

Further, the upholstery material support, in particular bar, extending along the front edge of the seat surface can be supported pivotably around a geometric axis positioned behind it in the direction of the horizontal depth of the seat on the frame of the piece of furniture or on the bracket and forceable downwards against spring force towards the frame.

Further an upholstery material support or bar provided for the middle or lower zone of the back rest can be supported pivotable around a geometric axis positioned above it on the frame, the back wall or the bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame, the back wall or the bracket. An upholstery material support or bar positioned in the middle or rear zone of the seat surface can be supported pivotable around a geometric axis positioned in front of it viewed from the horizontal depth of the seat on the frame of the piece of furniture or a bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame or bracket.It is further possible to provide for the upholstery material support or bar for the top edge and an upholstery material support or bar for the lower zone of the back wall to be pivotably supported on a common bracket preferably extending in a transverse direction orforthe upholstery material support or bar for the central or rear zone of the seat surface to be jointly and pivotable supported on a bracket preferably extending in a transverse direction.This provides a bearing which is structurally simple and at the same time shows good resistance to the stresses occurring in actual practice, if provision is made to connect the upholstery material support or bar, via an arm connection in the form of a plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the upholstery material support, or in the form of several successive plates extending in the longitudinal direction of the upholstery material support, or in the form of a number of rods or the like succeeding one another in the longitudinal direction of the upholstery material support, to the furniture frame or the bracket to which the arm connection is attached within the zone of the geometric axis of the upholstery material support or bar, the arm connection preferably extending obliquely upwards or downwards, at least in its inactive position, from its attachment point on the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket and the plate(s), rods or the like optionally being attached to the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket by means of a hinge.

This results in an embodiment which is particularly favorable in relation to the geometry of the up and down movement of the upholstery material support, preferably bar, its spring suspension and its attachment to the furniture frame. This embodiment is also advantageous for the preferred configuration of the spring suspension ofthe upholstery material support in the form of elastic tension elements which are attached to the upholstery material support and stretched across the zone of the seat surface or back rest surface, as this is a simple way to maintain the angle required to prevent a dead center point between the elastic tension elements attached to the upholstery material support and the arm con nection.The plate(s) or rods provided for the con nection between the upholstery material support and the furniture frame can be rigid in view of the forces actually exerted, in which case the plates or rods are attached to the furniture frame via a hinge.

A structurally simple and cinematically advantageous support of the upholstery material support is obtained if the arm connection is provided in the form of one or more pair(s) of rods, with the attachment points of the pair or pairs of rods being separated by a greater distance than the attachment points on the frame, the back wall or the bracket and the rods of the pair or pairs of rods forming an approximately V-shaped configuration and the ends of the rods optionally engaging depressions provided on the movably supported upholstery material support, frame, back wall or bracket.

It is also possible, however, to provide a springy embodiment of these plates or rods, which allows for a simpler connection with the furniture frame or bracket and at the same time contributes to the spring suspension of the upholstery material support in relation to the furniture frame or bracket. It is advantageous to connect the upholstery material support to the furniture frame or bracket via a number of spacially arranged leaf springs. A further advantageous embodiment provides for connecting the upholstery material support to the furniture frame by means of a meander-shaped spring.

Preferably, at least one elastic tension element consisting of a rubber belt, an elastic band, a spring, a tension spring or the like is attached to the upholstery material support and serves as a spring suspension for the upholstery of the back and/or seat surface. The elastic tension elements, which preferably have the form of rubber belts, but also can have different shapes, such as helical springs, exert a pull rearwards or downwards on the upholstery material support positioned in the zone of the seat and/or back surface, which pull, in combination with the pivotable support of the upholstery material support, results in an upward our forward movement of the upholstery material support and thus in the spring suspension of the upholstery.

In addition to various types of rubber, helically wound tension springs and meander springs counteracting tension can also be used as elastic tension elements with good results.

When a piece of furniture provided with this type of upholstery is used, sitting down will cause the upholstery material support, preferably bar, to be pressed downwards and rearwards and the force of the elastic tension elements acting on the upholstery material support or bar will elastically counteract this downward and rearward movement. A structurally simple concept provides for the elastic tension elements attached to the upholstery material support or bar to simultaneously, i.e. exclusively, form the spring suspension of the seat surface.

In orderto define the final top and front position of the upholstery material support, preferably bar, in its movement, it is advantageous to provide for the frontmost or top-most position of the upholstery material support, preferably bar, to be defined by means of at least one tension member or the like connecting the upholstery material support or bar to the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket.

Advantageously, this tension member can have the form of a textile band, although cords, light chains, metal bands and small rods provided with stops which are guided within the furniture frame are also suitable. It is further possible to provide springs elastically supporting the upholstery material support or bar against the furniture frame in the space below or behind the upholstery material support or bar. Suitable for this purpose are spiral wire springs, e.g. conical spiral springs or meander springs. Equally well suited for this purpose are spring bodies of foamed material, rubber-bonded fibers or the like.

Particularly in those cases where the movably supported upholstery material support, preferably bar, possesses a certain degree of elasticity, it can be formed of one piece, even at larger widths of the piece of furniture, such as settees, sofas, couches or the like having several seats. As a rule, however, it is preferable in the case of the width of a cushion corresponding to the width of several seats to subdivide the upholstery material support into portions of 40 to 80 centimeters length of which each is individually spring-suspended against the frame of the piece of furniture. The portions of the upholstery material support or bar are preferably connected to one another by means of pliable members, such as rubber belts or the like.In order to enhance the effect of the rubber belts, the elastic tension elements can be interrupted by a preferably cambered strip or plate on the two sides of which the elastic tension elements are fixed, so that the strip or plate can be pressed against the upholstery of the seat surface or back rest surface by the elastic tension elements.

The invention is explained in detail under reference to the drawings showing diagrammatic examples.

Fig. 1 and la are sectional views of an upholstered piece of furniture provided with the upholstery according to the invention in the back rest as well as in the seat surface which are both shown in the inactive position; Fig. 2 and 2a are sectional views of the same piece of upholstered furniture in a stress condition occurring in normal use; Fig. 3 to 8 are examples ofthe upholstery material supports in the form of bars provided in the upholstery according to the invention; Fig. 9 is a further example of an upholstery embodied according to the invention; Fig. 10 is a further example of the manner of supporting an upholstery material support or bar according to the invention; Fig. 11 shows an upholstery for the seat surface and/or back surface having two upholstery material supports in the form of bars connected by means of a tension element;; Fig. 11 a and 11 b show upholstery material sup- ports or bars fixed to a bracket or the frame ofthe piece of furniture by means of leaf springs; Fig. 12 and 13 show various embodiments of upholstery for furniture; Fig. 14 shows a specific embodiment of elastic tension elements for tightening the upholstery within the central zones of the seat surfaces and/or back surfaces; Fig. 15 shows an upholstery which is particularly well suited for back surfaces and Fig. 16 and 16a show an upholstery provided with upholstery material supports in the form of tension springs or steel spring bands.

Fig. 1 and la show the piece of furniture in an unstressed condition; Fig. 2 and 2a show it in stressed condition, i.e. with pressed-down back rest and sitting cushion. Fig. 1a and 2a correspond to Fig. 1 and 2 inasfar as only an exchange of the upholstery, that is, its spring suspension, by means of the upholstery material supports in the form of bars took place. In the description of the figures, identical parts of the upholstery of the back rest and the seat surface are provided with identical reference numbers or identical reference numbers with the addition "a" and whatever applies to the seat surface and back or back rest surface equally will be mentioned only once.It should be noted that the individual upholsteries described can be provided for the seat surface and back rest surface as desired and that identically embodied upholsteries can be used for both seat surface and back rest surface.

The piece of furniture according to Fig. 1, 1a, 2 and 2a is provided with a back wall, a furniture frame, a bracket or bracket body and a lower frame 1, on which two supporting bars 2,3 are provided. A spring suspension 4 consisting of tension springs is hooked into the bars 2, 3. This spring suspension is not absolutely necessary and can be omitted. On the spring suspension 4, an upholstery is provided, i.e.

an upholstery material body 5 is arranged thereon. A cover 6 is stretched over the body 5. Within the zone ofthe top edge 12 of the back rest cushion (Fig. 1,2) or the front edge 1 2a of the seat cushion (Fig. la, 2a), a bar 7 is arranged movable in relation to the back wall, the frame or the lower frame, it is positioned movably essentially only reciprocatingly or up and down (double arrow 8) and spring-suspended against the back wall, the bracket or the lower frame.

This is effected by means of guide rods 9 depending rearwards or downwards from bar 7 and are slidable in sleeves 10 which can be arranged on the back wall, in the bar 2 or in the bracket body 1 and by means of springs 11. The bar 7 extends along the top edge 12 of the back surface 14 or the front edge 12a of the seat surface 14a and is covered by cushion material, in the instant case by the front zone 15 or the upper zone 15a of the upholstery material body 5, towards the back surface 14 and the seat surface 14a.

The bar7 pressed frontwards or upwards by the spring 11 keeps the cover 6 in the unused, in-active position of the piece of furniture, as shown in Fig. 1 and 1a, in a tightly stretched state, in particular in the zone of the top edge 12 of the back surface 14 and the front edge 12a of the seat surface 14a, so that the upholstery maintains its attractive appearance at all times. When sitting down on the piece of furniture represented in Fig. 1 and la, the upholstery material body 5 and the spring suspension 4 are pressed down to form a depression. At the same time, the bar 7 is moved against the force of the spring 11 by pressing down the upholstery material body 5 within the zone ofthe top edge 12 ofthe back surface 14 and the front edge 12a of the seat surface 14a.

This movement rearwards and downwards of the bar7 creates the sensation of a particularly soft upholstery within the zone of the top edge 12 or the front edge 12a and thus a sensation of particular comfort. At unchanged sensation of softness within the zones 15 and 15a of the upholstery material body 5, it would be possible to provide a material which is less resilient than it would have to be if the movable bars 7 were not provided, which results in improved stability of the upholstery within the zone ofthe edges 12 and 12a.A further positive result in respect of the stability of the upholstery in particular within the zones ofthe edges 12 and 1 2a is that the rearward and downward movement of bar 7 (which is shown in Fig. 2 and 2a in a pressed-down state) allows that an amount of cover material corresponding to the lowering 16 can be pulled downwards and frontwards without difficulty so that it is possible to form the depression 17 without creating stresses which are unduly stressing or unduly and undesirable deforming this material of the upholstery within the zone of the top edge 12 and the front edge 12a.

As a result, the upholstery in such a piece of furniture will return to its original form, as soon as the stress is removed, even after long periods of use, as shown in Fig. 1 and la, the bar 7 keeping the upholstery tautly stretched in the zone of the top edge 12 and the front edge 12. The same advantages can be achieved by means of the upholstery material supports described in the following which can have the form of bars, tension springs or steel spring bands.

Fig. 1, la, 2 and 2a show bars 7", and 7" " the seat cushion 5' and the back rest 5a' provided for the front edge 12' and the rear zone, preferably for the rear edge ofthe seat cusion 5' or the top edge 1 2a' and the lower zone of the back surface 5a'. The bars 7" 'and 7" " are spring-suspended against a bracket 40' and pivotable around their point of attachment.

Preferably, each bracket 7" ' and 7" " is supported by at least two leaf springs 24' (similar to Fig. 11a or 1 it). This results in the advantages of sitting comfort and resilience of the upholstery as previously mentioned. Fig. 2 and 2a show the bars 7" ' and 7" " in their pivoted position when under stress, as compared to their inactive position. It is possible to insert more or less thick upholstery material between the bars 7" ' and 7" " and the cover material.

A practical embodiment of the support of the bars movable back and forth and up and down is obtained by positioning the bars pivotable around an axis 20 which viewed in the direction of the horizontal depth of the back rest and seat surface (double arrow 18) is positioned behind and below the bars 7 on the frame ofthe piece of furniture, the back wall or a bracket, as shown in Fig. 3. This results in a manner of support which does not lead to undesirable friction even after long periods of use. The construction provides for an arm connection 21 to be fixed to the geometric axis 20, to the frame of the piece of furniture, the back wall or the bracket body 1, with its end 22 facing away from the axis 20 fixed to the bar 7. The arm connection can have the form of a thin plate extending over the entire length of the bar7.

For the assembly and the use of the piece of furniture, it is better to provide the arm connection in the form of a number of small plates or rods succeeding one another in the longitudinal direction ofthe bar.

These plates or rods, as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 4, can be elastic per se and permanently fixed to a bar or bracket 23 permanently fixed to a furniture frame or bracket body. The formation of the arm connection between the frame or bracket body 1 and the bar 7 in the form of several leaf springs 24 spacially arranged in relation to one another (Fig. 5, 1 1a, 11b, 16a, has the advantage that the bar7 can lower on pressing rearwards and downwards in various zones of its length to various depths, so that various types of use of the piece of furniture can be taken into account. I has the further advantage that enough space is left between the leaf springs 24 to provide for the arrangement of elastic tension elements4 providing an additional spring suspension of the backrest surface and seat surface.

Fig. 6 shows a particularly simple way of assembling by connecting the bar 7 to the furniture frame, bracket or bracket body 1 by means of a meandershaped wire spring 25. Fig. 7 shows that such leaf springs or wire springs can also follow a curved path, as springs 34 formed in that way are both structurally strong and of softly resilient spring suspension properties. As shown in broken lines in Fig.

7, spiral flexion springs are also suitable.

In analogy to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, la, 2, 2a, it would also be possible at pivotable positioning ofthe bar 7 to provide springs 11 in the space behind or below the bar7 so as to provide a spring suspension for bar 7 against the furniture frame, the back wall orthe bracket (Fig. 8). Space 26 below or behind bar 7 could be filled with spiral wire springs, such as conical spiral springs, meander-shaped wire springs, but also spring bodies of foamed material or rubber-bonded fibers, such as rubber-bonded coconut fibers, rubber-bonded hair or the like.

The configuration shown in Fig. 3 to 8 in which the arm connection 21 extends obliquely upwards or downwards at least in its inactive position from its attachment point on the frame of the piece of furniture, the bracket or the bracket body towards the bar 7 is particularly advantageous in regard to its construction and also to the movement resulting at pressing down the bar 7. The particular advantage of such a configuration of pivotable support is obtained if, as shown in the embodiment according to Fig. 8, the spring suspension of bar 7 is provided in the form of elastic tension elements, in particular rubber belts 30 stretched across the zone of the back surface downwards or across the zone of the seat surface rearwards. These elastic tension elements 30 can be provided supplementarily to a spring suspension for the back or seat surface or be formed independently of such a surface spring suspension, but it is simpler and more advantageous to provide the spring suspension for the bar 7 as the only spring suspension of the back surface and seat surface, as shown in the example according to Fig. 9. The stretched elastic tension elements 30, as a result of the selected configuration of the pivotable support of the bar 7, pull the bar 7 frontwards and upwards on arms 21 and at the same time provide spring suspension for the upholstery material body 5 resting on the elastic tension elements 30. The frontmost and topmost posi tion of the bar 7 is defined by tension members 32 having the form of thin belts attached to the bar 7 on the one hand and to a strip 33 of the furniture frame 1 on the other hand.The embodiment according to Fig. 9 results in a particularly simple concept in respect of the various spring effects, but also allows for a simple shape of the cushion body 5, resulting in satisfactory tautness of the cover material in the zone of the top edge 12 of the back surface and the front edge 12' of the seat surface 14' at simultaneous adequate freeing of cover material 6 for forming a back rest and seat surface depression, with the overal effect of good form stability even at heavy use of the piece of furniture. In the embodiment according to Fig. 9, an identical spring suspension is provided for the back surface 14 and the seat surface 14'.

The elastic tension elements 30 advantageously have the form of rubber belts. These could be replaced, however, by other elastic tension elements such as helically wound tension springs ("spiral springs") or meander springs counteracting tension.

Fig. 10 shows in top view the manner of supporting bar 7. The bar 7 is pivotably supported via an arm connection consisting of several pairs of rods 35a, 35b to the frame 1 or bracket body of the piece of furniture. The connection points 36a, 36b on the bar 7 for each pair of rods are arranged at a greater distance from one another than the connection points 37a, 37b of each pair of rods on the frame 1 or bracket body, so that the rods of each pair of rods form an approximately V-shaped configuration in cross section. Depressions 38 receiving the rounded ends of the rods 35a,35b are provided on the attachment points of the rods on the bar or frame.

The spring suspension is provided in the form of tension elements 30, such as rubber belts, "spiral springs" or meander springs. The bar 7 is subdivided into portions 7a, 7b, 7c, each of 40 to 80 centimeters width, these portions are interconnected by means of elastic connectors 39.

The bars may be provided in the same manner as described for bar 7 for the top edge of the back rest upholstery and and the front edge of the seat upholstery in any given spot in the upholstery or the seat surface, such as the bottom edge of the back surface, in its central zone or on the rear edge or in the central zone of the seat surface. It is also possible to provide several bars in the back rest upholstery or the seat upholstery, such as on the top and bottom or front and rear edge or at the two edges and at least one spot in between.

Fig. 11 shows a back rest (which can of course also be provided as a sitting cushion in similarform) provided with two bar 7', 7" each articulated to a transverse bracket 40 by means of leaf springs 24. The bar 7' is positioned at the free edge of the upholstery.

Rubber belts 30 serving as elastic tension elements are guided over the bars 7', 7" and attached thereto.

It would also be possible, however, to attach the rubber belts 30 on the frame of the piece of furniture by their ends. When pivoting the bars 7', 7" in leaning against the back rest, the rubber belts are stretched tight. As shown in Fig. 11 a, each bar is preferably provided with two leaf springs. This results in a simply structured, spring-suspended upholstery.

Fig. 1 1b shows to bars 7', 7" articulated to a bracket 40 and each supported on two leaf springs 24. An arrangement of this type enhances the resilience of the spring suspension and the sitting comfort.

Fig. 12 shows three bars 7 fixed to two bracket 40, the outer bars being provided with rubber belts 30 for spring suspension of the upholstery. The reference number 5 is used for the upholstery, i.e. a foamed material cushion with fabric cover. This arrangement can also equally well serve as a back rest cushion or a seat cushion. It would also be possible to attach the rubber belt 30 on the central bar. As shown in Fig. 13, it would also be possible to attach the rubber belt to attach the rubber belt to an outer bar, to guide it unattached over the other bars and to fit it to the frame of the piece of furniture.

All the bars could be attached to the back wall, the frame of the piece of furniture, to corresponding racks, struts, ledges, side walls, an undercarriage or the like instead of on the bracket. This depends upon the respective arrangement of the piece of furniture.

In the present case, the term "frame" is used for a building element dimensioned for supporting the upholstery material supports, preferably bars, as described above, or a carrying support for the upholstery material support or bar. A bracket is also included within the meaning of the term "frame".

All the bars are preferably provided with rounded edges in order to protect the upholstery. By selecting the degree of elasticity of the rubber belts, rods and springs, the sitting characteristics of the piece of furniture can be considerably changed.

Fig. 13 shows an arrangement in which the seat upholstery, similarly to Fig. 11, is spring-suspended by means of bars 7', 7" connected by means of at least one elastic tension belt or rubber belt 30. The back rest is provided with two spring-suspended bars 7', 7", the elastic tension belt 30 is attached to the lower bar 7', guided over the upper bar 7" to the back wall and attached there for instance to another bar. The rubber belt 30, instead of being attached to the bar 7', can be freely guided overthis bar 7' and attached below it on the furniture frame. In this case also, as in the case of the other embodiments, the seat and back rest upholstery can be exchanged. It would also be possible to vary the position of the bars 7'. The bars 7' could be arranged in the central zone of the upholstery or in its rearward or lower end zone.

Fig. 14 shows an upholstery of a piece of furniture in which two bars 7 are connected by means of at least one elastic tension element 30 formed of a rubber belt or tension members. Along the extension of the rubber belts or tension members, a strip 41 or plate 41' held tightly stretched by the elastic tension elements is arranged. The side of the strip or plate facing the upholstery can be cambered. The cambered side of the strip 41 or plate 41' can project beyond the plane formed by the bars 7 or elastic tension elements. In the present case, the strip 40 or plate 41' is plane and presses down on the upholstery, it thus tightens the cover and imparts to the upholstery the desired surface quality, so that the upholstery, when depressed on sitting down on it or reclining against it, shows a better spring suspension.

It would also be possible to provide a number of suspended strips 41 or plates 41' along the path of the elastic tension elements. The width (about 10 centimeters) and length (about seat width) of the strip 41 or plate 41' can be selected as desired.

Instead of cambered strips 41 or plates 41', other building elements having a cambered surface could also be used. So it would be possible to provide elastic plates which can bend through when sitting down or reclining on the piece of furniture.

It would also be possible to provide steel spring plates in the tension members so that the tension members can elastically bend when subjected to stress.

The bars 7,7', 7", 7" ' and 7" " and strips 41 and plates 41' employed according to the invention can consist of plastic material, wood or metal.

If several tension members 30 are provided between the bars or between the bars and the frame, it is practical to arrange them equidistally in respect of one another, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 la.

But it would also be possible to provide the elastic tension elements in the central zone closerto another, as the stress in the central zone at sitting down can be greater.

It is also possible to provide the strips 41 or plates 41'with a camber in a horizontal plane in addition to the camber extending in a plane vertical in relation to the piece of furniture, i.e. parallel in relation to the cross-sectional plane of Fig. 14, so that the strips 41 or plates 41' could be provided with two cambers extending vertically in relation to one another and thus offering a particularly firm support for the seat surface or back rest surface.

Fig. 15 shows an upholstery with a bar 7 carried by a leaf spring 24. At least one rubber belt 30-which could be replaced by tension springs - is attached to the bar 7 and thus provides the spring suspension for the upholstery 5 - in this case the upholstery of the back rest -the other end of the rubber belt 30 is attached to a bar of the frame ofthe piece of furniture.

Fig. 15a shows a similar upholstery, in which the end of the rubber belt 30 is attached to the bracket 40 of the leaf spring 24 of the bar 7.

Fig. 16 and 16a show a piece of furniture in which a bracket 40 carrying leaf springs 24 is provided in the lower zone of the back wall between two lateral supports for the upholstery. The leaf springs 24 divert upwards, but may also be provided extending parallel to one another. The leaf springs 24 carry tension members 42 (Fig. 1 6a) or steel spring bands 42' (Fig.

16) as upholstery material supports bracing the upholstery of the back surface. As described in detail in connection with Fig. 14, the tension members 42 or the steel spring bands 42' can be interrupted by strips 41 or plates 41'. It is possible to provide a strip 41 or plate 41' for each tension member 42 or each steel spring band 42', but it would also be possible to provide one strip 41 or plate 41' carried by several tension members 42 or steel spring bands 42'.

Rubber belts 30' or tension members 30" whose other end is attached to the bracket 40 are fixed as elastic tension elements to the topmost tension member 42 or the topmost steel spring band 42'. It would also be possible, however, to connect the further tension members 42 or further steel spring bands 42' at their crossing points with the rubber belts 30' or tension members 30" by means of seams, metal rings or the like.

The rubber belts 30' or tension members 30" can extend vertically or obliquely. Their distances from one another and their numbers can be selected as needed just like those of the upholstery material supports.

Fig. 16a shows a further steel spring band 24' provided in the center between the leaf springs 24. The transversely extending upholstery material supports are attached to this steel spring band 24' which can be freely suspended or attached by its lower end to the bracket 40. It is also possible to provide continuous upholstery material supports, i.e. tension members or steel spring bands, which are attached to the steel spring band 24'.

The various upholsteries for seats or back rests as described may be combined or exchanged as needed.

The V-shaped arrangement of the leaf springs 24 on their bracket 40 (Fig. 13, 14) brings about a tight stretching of the elastic tension elements 30 on pressing down the bars 7,7', 7" and thus a tighter spring suspension of the upholstery.

The brackets for the bars orthe articulation points of the bars to the frame are selected with a view to the favorable spring suspension, an advantageous spring length or the possibility to move the upholstery material supports. It would also be possible to provide the bracket for an upholstery material support arranged in the rear zone of the seat surface below or within the zone of the back rest or on the back wall of the piece of furniture.

It is understood that all the features disclosed in the specification, particularly those features disclosed in the claims and sub claims covering the invention, can be combined in any given manner beyond the combinations described in the specification. All meaningful combinations offerthe advantages provided by the present invention in respect of the resilience and spring suspension of the upholstery.

Claims (30)

1. Upholstery for a piece of furniture and seats and back rests to be used for any given purpose, optionally having spring suspension and optionally having a layer of upholstery material or an upholstery material body arranged on said spring suspension, characterized in that at least one upholstery material support is movably positioned in a direction essentially vertical to the surface of the upholstery on the frame of the piece of furniture, on the back wall thereof or on a bracket arranged in the zone of the back wall or the seat surface, that the upholstery material support is spring-suspended against the frame of the piece of furniture, the back wall or the bracket arranged within the zone of the back wall or the seat surface and that the upholstery material support consists of a bar, a spring ortension ele ment or a steel spring band and is preferably positioned underneath the upholstery material layer or upholstery material body.

2. Upholstery according to claim 1, wherein at least one upholstery material support, preferably a bar, which is movable essentially only up and down, and is spring-supported against the frame of the furniture or a bracket, is supported thereon and extends along the front edge of the seat surface and is covered towards the seat surface by upholstery material.

3. Upholstery according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one upholstery material support, preferably a bar, which is movable essentially only up and down and is spring-supported against the frame of the furniture or a bracket, is supported thereon and extends along the rear end of the seat surface and/or between the front edge and the rear end of the seat surface and is covered towards the seat surface by upholstery material.

4. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one upholstery material support, preferably a bar, is supported movable essentially reciprocatingly only, preferably in a direction essentially vertical in relation to the surface of the upholstery of the back rest, on the frame or on the back wall or on the bracket arranged in the zone of the back wall, said material support, preferably bar, extending along the top edge of the back surface and/or within the zone between the top edge and the seat surface in the back rest and being covered by upholstery material towards the back surface.

5. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the upholstery material support, preferably bar, for the top edge of the back rest is supported pivotably around a geometric axis positioned below it on the frame of the piece of furniture, on the back wall or the bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame, the back wall or the bracket.

6. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the upholstery material support, preferably bar, extending along the front edge of the seat surface is supported pivotably around a geometric axis positioned behind it viewed in the direction of the horizontal depth of the seat on the frame of the piece of furniture or on a bracket and is forceable downwards against spring force towards the frame.

7. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein an upholstery material support, preferably a bar, provided for the middle or lower zone of the back rest, is pivotably supported around a geometric axis positioned above it on the frame, the back wall or the bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame, the back wall or the bracket or wherein an upholstery material support, preferably a bar, positioned in the middle or rear zone of the seat surface can be supported pivotable around a geometric axis positioned in front of it viewed in the direction of the horizontal depth of the seat on the frame of the piece of furniture or on a bracket and forceable against spring force towards the frame or bracket.

8. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the upholstery material support, preferably the bar, forthe top edge and an upholstery material support or bar for the lower zone of the back wall surface are pivotably supported on a common bracket preferably extending in a transverse direction or wherein the upholstery material support, preferably the bar, for the front edge and the upholstery material support, preferably the bar, for the central or rear zone of the seat surface are jointly and pivotably supported on a bracket preferably extending in a transverse direction.

9. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 8, wherein the upholstery material support, preferably the bar, is connected via an arm connection in the form of several successive plates extending in the longitudinal direction of the upholstery material support or in the form of a number of rods or the like succeeding one another in the longitudinal direction of the upholstery material support, to the furniture frame or the bracket to which the arm connection is attached within the zone of the geometric axis of the upholstery material support or bar, the arm connection preferably extending obliquely upwards or downwards, at least in its inactive position, from its attachment point on the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket, and the plates, rods or the like optionally being attached to the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket by means of a hinge.

10. Upholstery according to claim 9, wherein the arm connection is provided in the form of one or more pair(s) of rods, with the attachment points of the pair or pairs of rods on the movably supported bar being separated by a greater distance than the attachment points on the frame, on the back wall or on the bracket and the rods of the pair or pairs of rods forming an approximately V-shaped configuration in cross section, and wherein the ends of the rods optionally engage depressions provided on the movably supported upholstery material support, frame, back wall or bracket.

11. Upholstery according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the plate(s) or rods are elastic and optionally curved.

12. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the upholstery material support, preferably bar, is connected to the furniture frame or the bracket by means of a number of spacially arranged leaf springs or by means of a meander-shaped wire spring.

13. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 12, wherein at least one elastic tension element consisting of a rubber belt, an elastic band, a spring, a tension spring or the like is attached to the upholstery material support and serves as a spring suspension for the upholstery for the back and/or seat surface.

14. Upholstery according to any one ofthe claims 1 to 13, wherein elastic tension elements guided or stretched across the back surface downwards, optionally via a further upholstery material support, preferably bar, are attached to the upholstery material support, preferably bar and wherein the elastic tension elements optionally form the spring suspension for the back surface.

15. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, wherein elastic tension elements guided rearwards across the zone of the seat surface and optionally stretched over a further upholstery material support, preferably bar, are attached to the upholstery material support, preferably bar and wherein the elastic tension elements optionally form the spring suspension for the seat surface.

16. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 13 to 15, wherein the elastic tension elements have the form of rubber belts, spiral springs, meander springs or the like.

17. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 16, wherein the frontmost or topmost position of the upholstery material support, preferably bar is defined by at least one tension member or the like connecting the upholstery material support, preferably bar to the furniture frame, the back wall or the bracket.

18. Upholsteryaccording to any one of the claims 1 to 17, wherein springs, optionally spiral wire springs, for instance conical spiral springs, or spring bodies of foamed material, rubber-bonded fibers or the like are provided in the space behind or below the upholstery material support, preferably bar as the spring suspension of the upholstery material support, preferably bar, against the furniture frame or the bracket.

19. Upholstery according to any one ofthe claims 1 to 18, wherein the movably supported upholstery material support, preferably bar, is subdivided in its length into portions which are individually spring-suspended against the furniture frame or the bracket and wherein said portions are preferably connected to one another by means of pliable members, for instance rubber belts.

20. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 19, wherein several upholstery material supports, preferably bars, are arranged side by side, preferably at equal height.

21. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 20, wherein the upholstery material supports, preferably bars, are pliable.

22. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 21,wherein elastic tension elements such as rubber belts, helical springs or the like are provided between two upholstery material supports, preferably bars, preferably between two upholstery material supports provided on a bracket or preferably between two adjacent upholstery material supports and wherein said elastic tension elements are each attached to said upholstery material supports, preferably by their ends.

23. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 22, wherein an elastic tension element, for instance a rubber belt, preferably guided over a further upholstery material support and preferably attached to a further upholstery material support, to a bracket or to the back wall is attached to the upholstery material support, preferably bar.

24. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 13 to 23, wherein elastic tension elements are attached to the upholstery material support, preferably bar and wherein the other ends of the elastic tension elements are attached to the bracket ofthe upholstery material support, preferably bar, so that the elastic tension elements form the spring suspension of the upholstery.

25. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 13 to 24, wherein the elastic tension elements are interrupted by at least one preferably cambered strip or plate or by a steel spring plate on both ends of which the elastic tension elements are attached so that the strip or plate can be pressed against the upholstery of the seat surface or back surface by the elastic tension elements.

26. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 13 to 25, wherein an upholstery material support formed of a spring element or a steel spring band is arranged on the end of two leaf springs positioned on a bracket and wherein at least one rubber belt or tension spring is attached to the upholstery material support to form its elastic tension elements, with the other ends of the rubber belt(s) or tension spring(s) being fixed to the frame or the bracket.

27. Upholstery according to claim 26, wherein several upholstery material supports are attached between the leaf springs and wherein the rubber belts or tension springs are optionally fixed to, or suspended on, the upholstery material supports.

28. Upholstery according to claim 26 or 27, wherein a leaf spring optionally attached to the bracket or a freely suspended plate or spring plate supported by steel spring bands or tension springs is provided along the path of the steel spring bands or tension springs.

29. Upholstery according to any one of the claims 1 to 28, wherein the leaf springs of two upholstery material supports, preferably bars, said leaf springs being attached to a bracket or the frame of the piece offurniture, together form an angle in the form of an obtuse V.

30. Upholstery substantially as hereinbefore described under reference to the accompanying drawings.