US1876429A - op milwaukee - Google Patents

Description

P 1932- R. G. MARQUARDT WIRE SPRING CUSHION AND METHOD OF'MAKING THE SAME Filed July 24, 1950 abtowm Patented Sept. 6, 1932 n i UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMPANY, or MILWAUKEE, wIsooNsrN, A- conronnmronor W sconsin WIRE SPRING CUSHION AND METHCD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed July 24,- 1930; Serial no. 470,323.

My invention relates to improvements in wire spring cushions and methods of making the same, with particular reference to the spirally coiled springs of chair bottoms, bed bottoms, etc., which require to be yieldingly linked together in a manner to hold them with their axes substantially parallel.

Heretofore, the linkage employed for connecting the individual spirals has given considerable trouble and has been a large factor in the disorganization of chair bottoms and bed bottoms under conditions of use, the links tending to pull unequally upon the spiral coils and frequently becoming disengaged or displaced. Attempts to overcome these troubles have given rise to so many problems that in the more modern spring cushions helically coiled linkages are employed which do not permit a release of the individual spiral cushioning coils, but require a dismounting-of the entire assembly, or a large portion thereof, in order to permit the replacement of a single spiral coil.

The object of my invention is to provide sets of crossed helical couplings which may be independently disengaged at either end of any helix by reason of the capability of resilient flexion under manual pressure.

. A further object of my invention is to provide means to facilitate the application of manual pressure to displace a resilient locking arm at the extremities of the helices to allow the release of a strand of a spiral coil which isotherwise securely locked to the helix.

In the drawing Figure l is a plan view of a fragment of a bed bottom or chair bottom to which my invention has been applied, one of the spiral coils and two of the crossed helical couplings being illustrated in full.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a fragment of the top strand of a spiral cushion coil from the under side as it appears during flexion of the locking arm of the helix while the latter is being forced into strand engaging relation with the spiral coil.

Figure 3 is a view of the parts showing in Figure 2 after completion of the coupling.

Figure 4 is a View of one end portion of a helix seen at right in Figure 2. i v

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. I

The spiral cushion coils may be assumed to be of the hour glass form, being constricted medially and expanded at both ends. Ordinarilythese coils will be assembled with their aXesext-ending Vertically and will be linked together by. crossedv and interlaced pairs of helical coils '10 and 11, the extremities of which engage the top strand 12 of the spiral or cushion coil, as-clearly shown in Figure 1. The parts thus far described may be assumed to be of ordinary construction except as to the features hereinafter described in detail. At-the endsof each helixthe strand of Wire of which itis composed is looped in a plane substantially parallel'with the axis of the helix orv coincident therewith, thereby forming ahook shaped inember'15 forv env gagementiwith the top strand 1201? one of the cushion: coils; "The extremity, of 'the strand is turned preferably in a plane sub:- stantially at right angles tothe plane of the hook 15 and curved, as best shown in Figures 2'and 3, to form a retaining bow 16 in such proximity to thezend turn of the helix as to normally prevent a release of the strand 12 from the hook 15. I l

By bending the retaining bow or locking arm 16'away from the end turn 17 of the helix, i. e., along a line generally parallel with the axis of the helix, the strand 12 may bepermitted to passinto the hook 15 or be released from engagement thereby.

The curved or bow form of the locking arm 16 facilitates use'of the strand 12 in applying the necessary'pressure for a retraction of this locking arm,'inasmuch as the strand 12 may be engaged between either end of the boW and the endturn 17 of the helix, whereupon relative pressure of. the strand and bow upon each other will cause the strand to" move with a wedging action across the point where the bow is in greatest proximity to the end turn 17. p By making thehelicalcoil'from'highly reangles to its position nnrmronn e. MARQUARTDT, or MILWAUKEE, wrsooiv'sm, nssrenon'ro MARQUARDT I silient steel wire, an accidental release of the hook from the strand 12 will not be possible, since no accidental movements of the parts upon each other will cause the strand 12 to move along the curve of the bow with pres sure suflicient to cause its release, this being in part due to the fact that the locking arm extends at right angles to the plane of the hook, and the strand 12 is normally perpendicular to that plane at the point where is passes through the hook, and therefore in a plane substantially parallel to that occupied by the locking arm.

In assembling my improved spring cushion, the spiral coils may all be assembled in place on the supporting bed or chair bottom and the crossed helical coils interlaced in pairs. Thereupon, each hook may be engaged with its associated strand 12 by engaging the strand between the curved extremity of the locking arm 16 and the associated end turn 17 of the helix andapplying manual pressure as above described, to cause the strand 12 to pass into the hook, the looking arm 16 then moving resiliently to normal locking position. Each end of each helix may thus be independently engaged with an associated strand 12 and a reversal of the operation will release the strand 12 of any given spiral coil without releasing any of the other coils.

I claim:

1. A bed bottom structure including a helical coupling coil of resilient material having a single looped end portion extending in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coil and terminatingin a substantially bow-shaped laterally extending snap arm in loop closing relation to the end of the coil whereby to provide a snap action between said arm and the adjacent terminal coil of the spring when connecting a strand of wire to said loop.

2. A bed bottom structure including a helical coupling coil of resilient material having a single looped end portion extendingin a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coil and terminating in a laterally extending arm in loop closing relation to the end of the coil, said arm being bow-shaped and having its intermediate portion in closest proximity to the adjacent helix, whereby to retain a strand of wire in said loop against movement through the space between the arm and the helix.

3. In combination with spaced coil springs, means for yieldably connecting the springs together including crossed helical couplings comprising two strands of helical coiled resilient wire medially interlaced, each wire having a single looped end portion extending in a planesubstantially parallel to its longitudinal axis and terminating in a laterally extending bow-shaped arm in loop closing relation to the end of the coil, whereby to retain

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