US20080244827A1

US20080244827A1 - Bedrest with modular structure

Info

Publication number: US20080244827A1
Application number: US12/077,742
Authority: US
Inventors: Manuele Caon; Walter Viveiros
Original assignee: Esperides SRL
Current assignee: BELTERNO TRADING Ltd
Priority date: 2007-04-04
Filing date: 2008-03-20
Publication date: 2008-10-09
Also published as: CA2627762A1; ITVI20070105A1

Abstract

A bed rest with modular structure comprising a perimetrical bearing frame or bed base (17) and a plurality of elements supporting a body lying down, such as slats (12), which are connected to a supporting frame (11), that is positioned and fixed upon the perimetrical bearing frame (17), through fixing means (18, 23) provided in correspondence of the four angles of the two frames (11, 17); the bearing frame (17) and the supporting frame (11) have the same shape and the same dimensions of length of their respective beams (10, 25). Furthermore, the assembly of the bed rest is feasible for both bed rests with a fixed structure and bed rests with an articulate structure.

Description

The present invention refers to a bed rest with modular structure.
Currently, several modalities for the construction of a bed rest are practically known.
First of all, there exist bed rests with fixed-structure slats, with an outer perimetrical frame and slats which are inserted in respective hollows of the perimetrical frame; it is clear that such assembly does not allow the slats to adapt themselves to the shape conformation of the body lying down, except for the adjustment deriving from their intrinsic elasticity.
A second traditional construction method of bed rests provides for bed rests with an outer perimetrical frame with a fixed structure and slats which are inserted in flexible slat holders housed inside the perimetrical frame. Such construction method allows the slats to adapt themselves to the shape of the lying body, however the external portions of the mattress, i.e. those portions that rest on the perimetrical frame, are rigidly supported, without any possibility of adaptation and to the detriment of the comfort, in particular for double bed rests.
Other bed rests have a lower or inner bearing perimetrical frame and slats which are inserted in flexible slat holders housed outside the perimetrical frame; in this case, if a lower bearing perimetrical frame is used, slat holders are provided on another inner frame, while, if an inner bearing perimetrical frame is used, slat holders are provided on an outer articulated frame.
Each of the technical solutions described above, however, has some substantial drawbacks, such as the high construction costs, particularly in the fixed versions of the frame, which require double frames, inner bearing frames and mattresses having non-standard sizes.
Moreover, it is practically impossible to use a frame having standard sizes, because said frame must have dimensions depending on the sizes of the inner bearing frame, since the inner frame is housed inside the outer perimetrical frame.
Furthermore, the use of perimetrical external frames comprising a plurality of slats, which are inserted in slat holders connected, through connector pins, to the inside of the perimetrical frame and which are realised so as to remain housed above the frame, is also known.
In this way, a bed rest with adequate comfort and ergonomics is obtained; however, said types of bed rests need at least two different moulds for obtaining slat holders for fixed frames and slat holders for articulated frames.
In fact, in order to be lined up, the slat holders for fixed frames must necessarily have different length with respect to the slat holders for articulated frames, because said slat holders for articulated frames must have a length covering the inner frame and the outer perimetrical frame; consequently, also in this case, problems of assembly and of stock management arise.
Moreover, in the traditional bed rests the problem persists of a possible trapping of the fingers or hands, should said fingers or hands be placed between the inner frame and the outer perimetrical frame.
A purpose of the present invention is thus to overcome the drawbacks noted above and in particular, to obtain a bed rest with modular structure, which allows to have both comfort and ergonomics for the user and low construction and management costs, with respect to the prior art.
Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a bed rest, in particular with slats, having modular structure, which allows a correct stock management, using standard components even for bed rests of different sizes.
A further purpose of the present invention is to obtain a bed rest with modular structure, which is cost-effective to manufacture and which can be simply assembled even by a single person.
These and other purposes are achieved, within the present invention, by realising a bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1; further technical characteristics are included in the dependent claims.
Advantageously, the bed rest according to the present invention can be produced in a simple and economic way and, on the other hand, it has the same advantages in terms of comfort and ergonomics of the prior art bed rests.
Moreover, the bed rest involves neither production difficulties nor further high costs both in the fixed version and in the articulated version, it does not need of slat holders having different lengths respectively for said fixed and articulated versions and moreover it can be used as a free standing sleep system or a drop in sleep system into existing furniture.
An important benefit of the bed rest according to the present invention is also the ability to use standard slatted foundations and sizes; the use of standard component sizes is very important because there is a great benefit not to change the set-ups of the machines at the factory, in order to machine certain sizes of components, every time you go to produce foundations for different markets.
This also allows the foundation to be dropped into existing furniture while keeping the proper height from the floor to the top of the foundation in turn when the mattress is place on top of the slatted foundation it achieves the proper average height from the floor to the top of the mattress.
Moreover, it is also possible to make the mattresses the standard sizes without having to make them smaller so that they fit into the inside of the perimetrical bearing frame (normally it is necessary to make the slatted foundation smaller than the standard furniture sizes so that it can be dropped inside the bearing bed frame furniture, then the mattress is normally smaller again, so that it fits into the slatted foundation making the mattress a non standard size when it is being used with the slatted foundation; this then affects the sizes of the linens and they also will have to be a non standard sizes).
Using this new bed rest allows to keep the mattresses and the sheets/linens standard sizes.
Finally, delivery will also be much easier and the bed rest can be carried into the home and assemble it with one person instead of two; it is light enough that even one person can simply carry and assemble the bearing frame and the slatted foundations one at a time; the old way is to construct the complete bed into one unit making it very heavy and awkward to take into a house and upstairs and then dropping it into the customers existing bed furniture.
Shipping will also be reduced in cost because the bed rest according to the present invention is shipped disassembled; therefore, the system takes up less space and it is easier to handle, with respect to the prior art bed rests; this will also reduce damage during shipping because the weight of a sleep system can be divided into different boxes.
Warranty is also reduced because the system is now modular and then it is possible to remove and replace the individual units on a worst case scenario.

Further characteristics and advantages of a bed rest with modular structure, relative to the present invention, shall become clearer from the following description, given as an example and not with limiting purposes, referring to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a perimetrical bearing frame of the bed rest with modular structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the connection of the legs of the bed rest in correspondence of the four angles of the perimetrical bearing frame of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show the connection of a slatted supporting frame to the perimetrical bearing frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a partial perspective view of a bed rest with modular structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a bed rest with a fixed modular structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a bed rest with an articulated modular structure according to the present invention.

As previously cited, first of all we wish to point out that even if the bed rest as described in the following comprises a bearing frame with slats which support a body lying down, the system according to the present invention is equally feasible using beams, small boards, springs or whichever other element of support of a body lying down.
Moreover, the system is analogously feasible both on fixed bed rests, i.e. bed rests with slats or other elements supporting the body lying down which are fixed to the perimetrical bearing frame of the bed rest, and on articulated bed rests, i.e. bed rests with slats or other elements supporting the body lying down which are fixed to a further perimetrical frame split into movable sections and in its turn connected or not connected in correspondence of at least one of said sections, to the perimetrical bearing frame.
With reference to the figures mentioned, with 10 are indicated the beams of the perimetrical external bearing frame 17 of a bed rest according to the present invention, while with 11 is indicated a supporting frame, to which a plurality of slats 12, through flexible slat holders 13, are fixed (FIGS. 1 and 4).
As already mentioned, the frame 11 can be a frame with a fixed structure, as shown in FIG. 7, or a frame with an articulated structure, as shown in FIG. 8; in the latter case, the slats 12 are fixed, through flexible slat holders 13, to a further supporting frame 14, which is split in movable sections and which is in its turn fixed to said frame 11, in correspondence of at least one of its sections.
The beams 10 of the perimetrical bearing frame 17 of the bed rest are joined together and are connected in correspondence of the four angles of the bed rest, preferably by means of metallic angular elements 15 which are fixed to the inner sides of said beams 10; respective legs of support 16 are also fixed to said angular elements 15 (as shown in FIG. 2) through connection means, such as screws 20, inserted in predetermined holes provided on an inferior slab 22 of every angular element 15, and respective clamping nuts 21.
According to the present invention, the supporting frame 11 has the same shape and the same dimensions of the perimetrical bearing frame 17; moreover, the frame 11 is placed upon the bearing frame 17, as shown in FIG. 6.
In particular, the frame 11, which also holds the slats 12, is fixed upon the bearing frame 17, through connecting means, such as a screw 18, inserted in a prefixed hole provided on the upper slab 19 of every angular structure 15, and a respective clamping nuts 23 inserted into a shaped seat 24, which is placed near to each angular element 15 of the perimetrical bearing frame 17.
As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 11 is fixed upon the perimetrical bearing frame 17; in particular, since the perimetrical beams 25 of the frame 11 have the same dimensions of length and thickness of the beams 10 of the bearing frame 17, the frame 11 practically constitutes an extension of the frame 17, it is placed upon the aforementioned frame 17 and it has a prefixed height.
As shown in FIG. 5 and as a preferred example, not with limiting purposes, the frame 11 may also have respective angular elements 26, placed in correspondence of the four angles of the frame 11 and into the inside of the frame 11, in order to join the beams 25.
Finally, as clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the connecting system of the present invention is analogously suitable for both bed rests with a fixed structure (FIG. 7), in which the slats 12 are directly connected (usually by means of flexible slat holders 13) to the frame 11, and on bed rests with an articulated structure (FIG. 8), in which the frame holding the slats is constituted by a further frame 14 split in articulated sections and connected, in correspondence of at least one of said sections, to the bearing frame 11.
Thus, a bed rest with modular structure is obtained, whose assembly is very simple and economic; the bed rest also has advantages in terms of comfort and ergonomics, as the prior art bed rests with inner or inferior perimetrical frame and slat holders which are housed outside the perimetrical bearing frame.
Furthermore, unlike the prior art bed rests, the bed rest according to the present invention uses standard component sizes, such as the bearing frame 17, the supporting frame 11 and the respective furnishings complements, i.e. mattresses and sheets/linens; in particular, every mattress can simply be dropped inside the bed supporting frame 11 and it can have standard dimensions, without having to make it smaller so that it fits into the inside of the bed bearing frame 17 and of the supporting frame 11.
Finally, the bed rest with modular structure according to the present invention does not involve difficulty or complications of production and it does not involve increases of costs for the articulated version; moreover, it does not need slat holders 13 of different length for the fixed and articulated versions, respectively.
The system of the present invention allows therefore to use supporting frame 11 having standard shape and dimensions and also bearing frames 17 which are easy to assemble, resulting in a great benefit not to change the set-ups of the machines at the factory every time you go to produce slatted foundations and bed frames for different markets.
Consequently, it is also possible to use supporting frames 11 for whichever perimetrical bearing frame 17, i.e. new bearing frames or existing furniture).
From the description provided the characteristics of the bed rest with modular structure, according to the present invention, are clear, just as the advantages are also clear.
Finally, it is clear that numerous other variants can be brought to the bed rest with modular structure in question, without for this reason departing from the novelty principles inherent to the inventive idea, just as it is clear that in the practical embodiment of the invention the materials, the shapes and the sizes of the illustrated details can be whatever according to requirements and they can be replaced with others that are technically equivalent.

Claims

1. Bed rest with modular structure, said bed rest comprising at least one perimetrical bearing frame (17) and at least one supporting frame (11), means for supporting a body lying down being connected, directly or by means of an articulated frame (14), to said supporting frame (11), characterized in that said supporting frame (11) is placed upon said perimetrical bearing frame (17).

2. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said supporting frame (11) is fixed or held in place by any means to said perimetrical bearing frame (17).

3. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said means for supporting a body lying down include a plurality of slats (12), which are fixed to said supporting frame (11) or to said articulated frame (14) by means of flexible slat holders (13).

4. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said bearing frame (17) and said supporting frame (11) comprise respective beams (10, 25), which are joined in correspondence of the angles of the relative frame (11, 17), said beams having substantially at least the same length.

5. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the respective beams (10, 25) of said bearing frame (17) and of said supporting frame (11) have substantially the same thickness.

6. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said perimetrical bearing frame (17) comprises respective beams (10), which are joined in correspondence of the angles, by means of respective shaped angular elements (15) fixed to said beams (10) into the inside of said perimetrical bearing frame (17).

7. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that supporting legs (16), which support said perimetrical bearing frame (17), are fixed to said shaped angular elements (15).

8. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said bearing frame (17) and said supporting frame (11) are fixed together through respective connecting means (18, 23), which are respectively bound to said angular elements (15) and to angular portions of said supporting frame (11).

9. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said supporting frame (11) include respective beams (25), which are joined together in correspondence of the angles of the supporting frame (11), through at least one shaped angular element (26), said angular element (26) being placed into the inside of said supporting frame (11).

10. Bed rest with modular structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said articulated frame (14) is split in predetermined sections, which are movable by the user, at least one of said predetermined of said articulated structure (14) being connected to said supporting frame (11) in correspondence of at least one predetermined area.