GB2328612A

GB2328612A - Furniture base

Info

Publication number: GB2328612A
Application number: GB9718013A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Philip Humphery; James Michael Moore
Original assignee: CORNWELL PARKER PLC
Current assignee: CORNWELL PARKER PLC
Priority date: 1997-08-26
Filing date: 1997-08-26
Publication date: 1999-03-03
Also published as: GB9718013D0

Abstract

A furniture base 12 comprising a base sheet 20 extending along both an X axis and a Y axis, a plurality of resilient supports 18 fixedly attached to the base sheet 20 and extending along a Z axis, and means (22,24,26) for adjusting the hardness of the furniture base 20 by selectively compressing or relaxing at least one of the plurality of resilient supports 18. A bed 10 employing at least one furniture base 12 is also disclosed.

Description

A FURNITURE BASE This invention relates to a furniture base, and to a bed, chair, sofa or other furniture employing at least one base.

There are currently a large number of different kinds of beds manufactured by a variety of different companies. Most beds consist of a base and a separate sprung mattress. In some cases the base may also be sprung. The tension (i.e. hardness) of the mattress is set during the manufacturing process to give either a soft, medium or hard feel. Once the tension in the mattress has been set, it cannot be altered. Even in those beds where both the base and the mattress are sprung, it is the mattress which is the primary sprung unit.

The "hardness" of a bed, or a component of a bed, as used herein is defined as the degree to which a bed, or a component of a bed, will deform in a vertical direction, in use, when a load is laid thereon. Hard beds will deform less than soft beds. Thus a person laid on the bed will sink further into a soft bed than a hard bed.

It will be appreciated that the choice of a mattress depends largely upon the particular taste of the person purchasing the bed. Accordingly, it is normal for the consumer to spend a great deal of time choosing a mattress which has a suitable hardness for their particular taste. Unfortunately, it has been noted that whilst the majority of purchasers are usually initially happy with the choice of mattress that they have made, the type of mattress that they require can often change during the useful working life of the mattress. For example, if the owner of the bed should develop a back problem, then that person may wish to sleep upon a harder bed until the back problem clears up. With the conventional mattress described above, the owner would need to either purchase a new harder mattress, or alternatively insert a hard member, typically a wooden sheet, beneath the mattress in order to increase the hardness of the bed.

Further problems can be apparent in beds designed to accommodate more than one person. For example, if one of the parties using the bed desires a hard bed and the other party desires a soft bed, then either one or the other will have to put up with a mattress that is not tensioned to their liking. Furthermore, if one partner is substantially heavier than the other partner then there may be a tendency for them to roll together, or for the lighter partner to roll towards the other. As the hardness of the mattress is reduced (i.e. as the mattress becomes softer), so this problem of "roll together" becomes more acute.

Similar problems are apparent in other items of furniture, such as chairs, sofas and the like.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a furniture base comprising a base sheet extending along both an X axis and a Y axis, a plurality of resilient supports fixedly attached to the base sheet and extending along a Z axis, and means for adjusting the hardness of the furniture base by selectively compressing or relaxing at least one of the plurality of resilient supports.

In this embodiment, the hardness of the furniture base (and thus of a piece of furniture, such as a bed, employing the furniture base) may be adjusted at will by the purchaser. In this way, the purchaser can adjust the hardness to take account of any changes in their personal taste and/or any back problems, for example, that they might develop. The furniture base may be employed, in one example, with a conventional sprung mattress or, more preferably, with an un-sprung mattress as a secondary sprung unit of a bed.

Preferably, the adjusting means comprises at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one Y axis side of the base sheet, and interconnecting means connected at one end to the at least one tensioning device and at the other end to the other Y axis side of the base sheet, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X direction.

Alternatively, the adjusting means may comprise at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one X axis side of the base sheet, at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one Y axis side of the base sheet and interconnecting means connected at one end to each of the at least one tensioning devices and at the other end to the other X and Y axis sides of the base sheet, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X and/or Y directions.

As a further alternative, the adjusting means may comprise at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each Y axis side of the base sheet, and interconnecting means connected at either end to a respective one of the tensioning devices, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X direction.

As a further alternative, the adjusting means may comprise at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each X axis side of the base sheet, at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each Y axis side of the base sheet and interconnecting means connected to each of the at least one X and Y axis tensioning devices, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X and/or Y directions.

Preferably, the interconnecting means comprises a plurality of interconnecting tapes and/or the tensioning devices are rotatable. Preferably, the resilient supports are springs.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a bed comprising at least one furniture base as described above as a primary sprung unit and at least one mattress provided thereover as a secondary sprung unit. The at least one mattress may be sprung or unsprung. The bed may comprise a pair of furniture bases provided next to one another and a single mattress provided thereover.

Alternatively, the bed may comprise one furniture base sized to accommodate more than one person thereon and one mattress, similarly sized, provided thereover.

As a further alternative, the bed may comprise one furniture base sized to accommodate more than one person thereon and a pair of mattresses provided there over.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a chair comprising a furniture base as described herein.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a sofa comprising at least one furniture base as described herein.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an illustrative perspective view of a single bed employing a furniture base according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the interior of the furniture base of figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of furniture base.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with particular reference to a bed. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to beds and may be utilised in a variety of other furniture, such as chairs, sofas and the like.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bed 10 designed to accommodate a single person. The bed 10 comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a variable hardness bed base 12 and a fixed hardness or unsprung mattress 14 provided thereon. As mentioned above, the fixed hardness mattress may be replaced with a conventional sprung mattress if desired.

In this and other embodiments, the variable hardness base 12 forms the primary sprung unit of the bed. This is in contrast to previously proposed beds in which the mattress is the primary sprung unit.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the bed base 12 of Figure 1 with an external covering 16 (Figure 1), for example a fabric material, removed.

As shown, the bed base 12 comprises a plurality of resilient biasing means 18 (two of which are shown), for example springs, fixedly attached to a resilient base 20.

A lattice 22 of interconnecting tapes 24 is provided over the plurality of springs 18.

Each tape 24 is connected at either end to a rotatable tensioning device 26 which is in turn secured to the base 20. The tensioning devices 26 comprise a Y axis pair 26Y for tensioning the springs 18 in a direction across the face of the base 12 (i.e. along an X axis of the base), and an X axis pair 26X for tensioning the springs 18 in a direction along the length of the base 12 (i.e. along a Y axis of the base).

The tensioning devices may each be provided with a ratchet locking mechanism (not shown), or other equivalent device, to enable the devices to be locked in a selected rotational position. A manually operated device (not shown), for example a crank, may be provided to facilitate rotation of the tensioning devices.

From Figure 2, it can be seen that by rotating the tensioning devices, so the length of interconnecting tape 24 between the tensioning devices 26Y and 26X can be varied. As the length of the tape is reduced, so the springs 18 are compressed and the hardness of the base is increased, and visa versa.

The hardness across the base may be varied by rotating one tensioning device (to shorten the interconnecting tape) of a pair only, or by rotating one tensioning device of the pair more than the other.

If, for example, it were desired to increase the hardness of the left hand side of the bed only, then rotation of the left hand tensioning device would cause the springs closest to the left hand tensioning device 26Y (as shown) to be compressed more than those furthest from the left hand tensioning device 26Y (i.e. closer to the right hand tensioning device). Similar adjustments may be made by way of the top and bottom (as shown) tensioning devices 26X.

If, for example, the bed were designed to accommodate two people, then similar effects are achievable to provide for different tastes of different partners. For example, by rotating the lefthand tensioning device 26Y the tensioning springs 18 closest to the lefthand tensioning device 26Y will be compressed and the bed in the neighbourhood of the lefthand tensioning device 26Y will become firmer (i.e. harder).

On the other side of the bed, in the neighbourhood of the righthand tensioning device 26Y, the degree of compression of the springs 18 will be largely unaffected (or not to an appreciable degree) so that the righthand side of the mattress will be significantly softer (i.e. less hard) than the lefthand side. Similar adjustments may be made by way of the top and bottom tensioning devices 26X. Such a double bed base would look similar to the base of Figure 1 except that it would, of course, be larger.

In this embodiment, the selected hardness may revert, over time, to a substantially equal hardness across the bed. Thus, it is preferred if the tensioning devices are occasionally relaxed and then retightened.

If it is desired to firm or soften the entire mattress, then the tensioning devices 26Y on the left and righthand sides of the base 12 may be rotated in unison to universally harden, or soften, the bed. Similar adjustments may be made to the base along the X direction with the tensioning devices 26X.

In order to alleviate the problem of gradual reversion to a substantially even hardness over the entire base, a pair of single bed bases (as shown in Figure 1) may be pushed together to provide a double bed having superior adjustability on each side of the bed without having to readjust the hardness thereof. The two bases could then be covered by a single double bed sized mattress. Alternatively, a pair of single bed sized mattresses, one for each single base, could be provided.

A further alternative shown in Figure 3 comprises a central non rotatable bar 30 running roughly down the middle of the bed in parallel to the Y axis tensioning devices 26Y. The middle bar 30 has one end of a respective interconnecting tape 24 secured thereto and the other end of the interconnecting tape secured to one of the rotatable tensioning devices 26Y to allow for adjusting the portion of the base between the middle bar and a respective one, or both, of the pair of tensioning devices provided on either side of the bar. The X axis tensioning devices 26X are split approximately halfway (as shown) to provide for individual adjustment of the base in a direction along the length of the base.

The base may also be provided with a set of castors or wheels (not shown) to facilitate movement of the base and bed.

It will be understood that the invention has been described above by way of example only and that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, whilst embodiments described herein employ a pair of rotatable tensioning devices, it will be apparent that a limited adjustability may be attained with only a single X and Y axis tensioning device. In such an example, one end of the interconnecting tape would be connected to the tensioning device and the other end would be connected to the resilient base 20, or to a non adjustable member secured to the base 20.

Similarly, whilst it is preferred that the base comprises a pair of rotatable tensioning devices, one pair provided along each of the X and Y axes, it will be apparent that the X axis pair may be dispensed with and a single pair (or a single rotatable tensioning device as described in the preceding paragraph) provided along the Y axis.

In addition, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a variety of different mechanisms may be employed instead of the rotatable tensioning devices disclosed herein. For example, the tensioning devices could comprise a plurality of fixings mateable with a corresponding fixing on the base 20. Alternatively, the tensioning devices could comprise a non-return locking device, the interconnecting tape being pulled through the locking device to increase the tension in the springs 18.

Furthermore, it will be understood that the furniture base could be employed in other pieces of furniture, such as a chair, a sofa or the like.

Finally, it will be understood that whilst the preferred embodiments show a non-moving base having a surface that is drawn downwards towards the base sheet at the tapes are tightened, the base could be adapted so that the base sheet is drawn upwards towards the surface of the base as the tapes are wound upon the rollers.

Claims

1. A furniture comprising a base sheet extending along both an X axis and a Y axis, a plurality of resilient supports fixedly attached to the base sheet and extending along a Z axis, and means for adjusting the hardness of the furniture base by selectively compressing or relaxing at least one of the plurality of resilient supports.

2. A furniture base according to Claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one Y axis side of the base sheet, and interconnecting means connected at one end to the at least one tensioning device and at the other end to the other Y axis side of the base sheet, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X direction.

3. A furniture base according to Claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one X axis side of the base sheet, at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to one Y axis side of the base sheet and interconnecting means connected at one end to each of the at least one tensioning devices and at the other end to the other X and Y axis sides of the base sheet, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X and/or Y directions.

4. A furniture base according to Claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each Y axis side of the base sheet, and interconnecting means connected at either end to a respective one of the tensioning devices, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X direction.

5. A furniture base according to Claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each X axis side of the base sheet, at least one tensioning device fixedly attached to each Y axis side of the base sheet and interconnecting means connected to each of the at least one X and Y axis tensioning devices, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the hardness of the furniture base in the X and/or Y directions.

6. A furniture base according to any of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the interconnecting means comprises a plurality of interconnecting tapes.

7. A furniture base according to any of Claims 2 to 6, wherein the tensioning devices are rotatable.

8. A furniture base according to any preceding claim, wherein the resilient supports are springs.

9. A bed comprising at least one furniture base according to any preceding claim as a primary sprung unit and at least one mattress provided thereover as a secondary sprung unit.

10. A bed according to Claim 9, wherein the at least one mattress is sprung.

11. A bed according to Claim 9, wherein the at least one mattress is unsprung.

12. A bed according to any of Claims 9 to 11, comprising a pair of furniture bases provided next to one another and a single mattress provided thereover.

13. A bed according to any of Claims 9 to 11, comprising one furniture base sized to accommodate more than one person thereon and one mattress, similarly sized, provided thereover.

14. A bed according to any of Claims 9 to 11, comprising one furniture base sized to accommodate more than one person thereon and a pair of mattresses provided thereover.

15. A chair comprising a furniture base according to any of Claims 1 to 8.

16. A sofa comprising a furniture base according to any of Claims 1 to 8.

17. A furniture base substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A bed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A chair substantially as hereinbefore described.

20. A sofa substantially as hereinbefore described.