US2061725A - Studio couch - Google Patents

Description

A. WESLEY STUDIO COUCH Nova 24, 1936.

Filed Dec. 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l A. WESLEY STUDIO COUCH Nov. 24, 1936,

Filed Dec. 10, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 PAE OFFlE STUDIO COUCH of Delaware Application December 10, 1934, Serial No. 756,712

10 Claims.

In building studio-couches, limitations of height restrict the length ordepth of the upright spiralsprings in the upper couch-section as well as circumscribe or limit the clearance between the upper and lower relatively-movable sections of the couch, and, accordingly, one of the main purposes of the present invention is to provide a supporting foundation for these comparatively-shallow, erect springs of the upper section, which will yield freely in cooperation with the springs under the weight of a person sleeping on or occupying the upper section, as when the couch is opened to double or twin bed condition, whereby to provide a maximum degree of comfort for the user.

Accordingly, my invention pertains to springcushion constructions and relates more particularly to the means for supporting the cushionsprings whereby to give the structure an adequate and satisfactory degree of elasticity and resiliency without danger of the cushion permanently sagging or becoming unduly depressed.

As is indicated above, the invention, while not limited to such special use, is of particularly gratifying employment in studio-couches and more especially in connection with the springcushion of that section of the couch which is uppermost when the two are nested, whereby, when such compact or telescoped couch is in use, to have the weight imposed thereon, as by one or more persons seated on the couch, supported by the two superposed spring-cushions, the one of the upper couch-section being then in part sustained by the one of the lower couch-section on which it then bears by reason of the deflection or yielding of its spring-supporting means.

Obviously, when such an arrangement, construction, and functioning of all parts is employed, it is highly essential that, as soon as the load is removed from the couch, its upper springcushion and its supporting means promptly and fully resume their original positions to allow sufficient and adequate space between the two cushions of the couch, so that the two couch-sections may be slid or moved relatively to one another to permit ready expansion or enlargement of the couch into full-bed size or to allow the two couch-sections to be separated from one another to provide twin beds.

Heretofore, substantial difficulty has been experienced in a structure possessing these desirable functional characteristics, because, when the foundation means for carrying or supporting the upright spiral-springs of the upper or outer couch-section if permitted to have the required resiliency to be comfortable when open and to allow the two spring-cushions to contact and act cumulatively or conjointly when the couch is in telescoped condition, was subjected to a substan 'tial load, it would assume a permanent set or sag which interfered with or actually prevented the relative sliding movements of the couch units.

An aim of this invention is, therefore, to overcome this difficulty, and a further purpose thereof is to provide novel and improved means for securing the supporting means for the erect spiral-springs to the couch-frame.

To enable those skilled in this art to understand the invention, a preferred embodiment of the same is presented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and, for the sake of simplicity, like reference numerals have been employed to designate the same parts throughout the several views.

In these drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the upper couch-section with its upright spiral-springs broken away and with the usual mattress or cushion omitted;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section of the means for anchoring the lower ends of the spiral-springs in place; 25

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the structure presented in Figure 2 but showing a greater portion of the spring;

Figure 4 illustrates in section the novel means for attaching the ends of the spring cross wires to the couch-frame;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal, vertical section through the studio-couch in its compact condition; and

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section through the U studio-couch on a larger scale.

By reference to the several views of these drawings, it will be observed that the lower, inner or smaller couch-section has the usual bent-anglebar end-frames H, H affording the customary supporting legs 12, I2, such end-frames being connected together in the usual manner by the longitudinal bars Ill, II], the frame thus formed carrying a wire-link or other suitable fabric it conveniently yieldingly connected to the inward- 4 ly-directed flanges of the angle-bars by helical springs l4, Hi, there being nothing novelin this portion of the construction.

The upper, outer, larger couch-section has the usual bent-angle-bar end-frames I1, I l, the a corner legs of which are equipped with casterwheels l8, M3 to facilitate the inward andoutward sliding movements of such member of the couch, these end-frames being united together by the longitudinal angle-bars l6 and 31, the former having one of its flanges extended downwardly, the latter having its corresponding flange projecting upwardly for a purpose hereinafter indi cated.

As is clearly presented, the horizontal inwardlyextended flanges of both of such angle-bars l6 and 3E and of the two end-frames ll have spaced holes 23, 23 through them to receive the bent ends of longitudinal and cross, high-carbon, tempered spring-wires l9 and 2!, respectively, of any suitable shape in cross section, on which rows of upright spiral-springs 22 are mounted at their points of crossing.

Heretofore, it has been a matter of substantial difficulty to fasten or secure the ends of such wires to such a frame, due to the fact that wires of the stated spring high-carbon type are difiicult to bend, especially with hand-operated tools.

In the present instance, in accordance with the improved principles of this invention, before the cross-wires H are mounted on the frame each end of each such lateral wire is offset downwardly as presented in detail in Figure 4 an amount corresponding approximately to the thickness or depth of the wire plus the thickness of the anglebar flange, then these deformed or depressed ends 24 are inserted through the apertures 23 of one longitudinal frame-bar so that the main body of the wires may rest on, or be close to, the top surface of the flange with the offset ends bearing against the underside of the flange outwardly beyond the holes.

Thereupon, all of the offset ends of such cross wires are in similar or like manner inserted through the complementary or companion holes of the opposite frame-bar before it is fastened in place as a part of the frame, thus allowing such bar to be properly manipulated or moved to effect such introduction of the wire ends in their apertures, whereupon the bar is riveted or otherwise fastened in position to comprise its portion of the frame.

In practising this procedure, the indicated bends in the wires may be conveniently and relatively easily and economically produced by machine and not by hand, and no further shaping of the wires is required.

The insertion of these deformed or bent ends through their respective flange holes may be quickly accomplished at comparatively low cost, and the wires, when in place, are firmly and securely held or anchored in position without pos sibility of dislodgment.

Such transverse wires 2i are of such length that, when they are thus mounted in the frame with their bent or shaped ends bearing against the outer walls of their apertures 23, they arch or how upwardly somewhat throughout their length crosswise the structure, as shown mostly clearly in Figure 6, for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

One end of each of the longitudinal wires I9 is mounted on or attached to one of the end-frames in the same manner (Fig. 5), but its other end is merely hooked into the corresponding hole in the flange of the opposite end-frame.

These lengthwise wires also arch or bow upwardly and their bent ends may bear against the outer walls of the apertures which they occupy, but such upward curvature, because of the greater length of the wires, does not perform the same function, or at least not in the same degree, as does the bowing or arching of the cross wires, as will be seen from What follows.

The spring-cushion for this larger, higher couch-section is comprised in part by rows of the erect spiral- springs 22, 22, one at each intersection of the spring-wires i9 and 2|, and at such crossing points these wires are bent in suitable manner to escape one another, as depicted in Figures 2 and 3.

In order to anchor the lower end of each such upright spring 22 adequately and securely to the crossed supporting wires l9, 2|, the lowermost coil or convolution of the spring lies beneath the cross-wire at two points and above the companion longitudinal wire at two points, thus properly securing the spring in place, the upper ends or terminal rings of such springs being united or tied together in any approved fashion, all of which is well understood in the art and therefore not illustrated.

So far as now described, except for the shape and arching of the wires and the attachment of their ends to the frame, there is nothing novel in the structure.

The objection to the usual, old construction with unarched supporting wires is that, whereas the wires possess sufiicient resiliency and elasticity to afford comfort when the structure is used as a bed and to sag enough when the telescoped couch is occupied to permit them to bear on, and to be in a measure supported by, the low er cushion-structure of the other underlying couch-section, thus securing the conjoint pliant effect of both cushions, the wires do not of themselves have sufficient reacting or recovering capacity to assure their complete rise or automatic restoration to their original positions when their load is removed, with the result that, in time,

they take a permanent sag or set which either hinders or completely prevents the sliding movement of the couch-sections relatively to one another and which capacity for unhindered movement obviously is essential for the proper working of the construction.

To assist in comfortably supporting the occupant when the upper couch-section is used by itself as a bed, and to assist in avoiding the occurrence of the indicated objectionable tendency, the present invention contemplates in addition the provision of supplemental means to aid in the return of such supporting spring-wires, when the load is terminated, to their original positions and all of this without material modification or reduction of the elastic or cushioning properties of the structure.

To this end, one or a number of yieldinglysupported, transverse, bent wires unitedly or conjointly forming stirrups, hammocks, or frames are located directly beneath the longitudinal spring-wires l9 referred to and are supported from the couch-section frame by coiled springs.

In the present instance, each such supplemental support or saddle comprises a pair of bent wires 25 reversely arranged and each shaped to form a middle, substantially-straight section 26, terminating in oblique sections 2?, 21, each of which ends in a hook or attachment loop As is fully presented in Figure 1, ordinarily six such individual bent wires are employed, forming three units, but, of course, a lesser or greater number may be used, if desired.

At one side of the construction, each pair of such. hooks 28 is connected to a coiled spring 29, whose outer end is hooked in the corresponding one of a series of holes in the upstanding flange of the frame angle-bar 3!, and, at the opposite side of the structure, the companion or complementary like springs 32, 32 connect the adjacent hooks of the wires to holes in separate brackets 33, 33 riveted or otherwise fastened to the corresponding angle-bar [6 of the frame, the vertical flange of which, in this instance, extends downwardly instead of upwardly as indicated in Figure 6.

As is also clearly portrayed in such figure of the drawings, the points of attachment of the outer ends of all of these several springs 29 and 32 are such that the springs exert their pulls or strains upwardly and outwardly to afford an adequate lifting or sustaining action on the spring-wires l9 and 2i and on the upright spiralsprings associated therewith.

These supplemental wires 25, as is shown in Figure 1, extend along the sides of some of the cross-wires 2i and they are crimped or bent in conformity therewith, the lowermost convolutions of the spiral-springs engaging and cooperating with these auxiliary or accessory supportingwires in the same way that they do with the cross-wires 2!, as presented in Figure 3.

The construction is such that the principal wires l9 and 2! yield sufliciently, when the upper couch-section is used as a part of a double bed or as one of two twin-beds, to afford a maximum degree of ease to the occupant, and they also yield adequately when the couch is in compact condition and the load is applied to the spiral-springs to permit the underlying springstructure it, i l by engagement therewith to assist in carrying the weight of the load so that the occupant or occupants of the couch in its telescoped condition have the advantage of the elasticity of both cooperating cushion-structures, and, by reason of the additional lifting effort exerted by the supplemental means illustrated and described, all parts of the upper cushion readily assume their original positions as soon as they are relieved of the imposed load or weight.

The stated supporting and elevating or raising action of the auxiliary spring-controlled saddies or hammocks is facilitated and assisted by the normal crowned or arched characteristic of the supporting cross-wires, because, when these shorter spring-wires are depressed by the load to which the upright spiral-springs are subjected, they snap down past dead-center, their ends being anchored against further separation from one another, and when the load is taken off they spring up past dead-center to their original po-- sitions.

In some cases, a somewhat comparable effect may be secured without having the wires actually pass the dead-center as stated.

In some instances, it is feasible to omit the saddles or hammocks and to depend entirely upon this springing by or toward and from dead-center of the supporting cross-wires themselves, and in other cases, it is well to depend solely upon the employment of the hammocks or saddles and to waive the arching of the spring-wires.

Thus the couch-sections are so constructed that they may be used as bed-sections with entire satisfaction and the nested couch-sections may be readily separated without danger of any of the parts conflicting with one another and hindering or preventing this separation.

The invention, as specified in the following claims, is not restricted to the precise details of procedure, structure and function hereinabove set forth, and those skilled in this art will readily appreciate that more or less major or minor modifications may be resorted to without departure from the essence and principles of the invention.

I claim: 1. In a spring-cushion structure, the combination of a frame, yieldable spring-supporting members disposed lengthwise and crosswise of, and attached at their ends to, said frame, upright spiral-springs anchored at their lower ends tosaid members at substantially their crossing points, supplemental means disposed crosswise of same frame and having their central portions in substantially the plane of, and adapted to assist in supporting, said members, and upwardly outwardly inclined coiled springs supporting said supplemental means on said frame by connecting the ends thereof to the frame at points above said members.

2. In a spring-cushion structure, the combination of a frame, spring-wires disposed crosswise of said frame and secured to said frame at their opposite ends by downwardly offset end sections extended through holes in the frame and located beneath the frame members outwardly beyond said holes, longitudinal spring-wires mounted on said frame, upright spiral-springs anchored at their lower ends to said spring-wires at substantially their crossing points, supplemental means disposed crosswise said frame and arranged to assist in supporting said Wires, and upwardly outwardly inclined coiled springs supporting said supplemental means on said frame by connecting the ends thereof to said frame at points above said springrwires.

3. The structure presented in claim 1 in which said spiral-springs are anchored at their lower ends not only to said members but also to said supplemental means.

4. The structure presented in claim 1 in which said supplemental means are bent wires arranged in pairs and in which each inclined spring connects the ends of two of such wires to the frame.

5. The structure presented in claim 2 in which said supplemental means are bent wires arranged in pairs and in which each inclined spring connects the ends of a plurality of such wires to the frame.

6. The structure presented in claim 1 in which said cross spring-supporting members normally arch upwardly and have their ends anchored to the fr-ameagainst further separation.

7. In a studio-couch, "a lower inner couchsection having a resilient top, an upper outer couch-section having in combination, a frame, yieldable spring-supporting members disposed lengthwise and crosswise of, and attached at their ends to, said frame, upright spiral-springs anchored at their lower ends to said members at substantially their crossing points, supplemental means disposed crosswise said frame and having their central portions in substantially the plane of, and arranged to assist in supporting, said members, and upwardly outwardly inclined coiled springs supporting said supplemental means on said frame by connecting the ends thereof to said frame at points above said members, said members and supplemental means in the nested condition of said couch-section and under normal load imposed on said spiral-springs deflecting sufficiently to permit said resilient top to assist in supporting said spiral-springs and their load, said supplemental means assisting in restoring said supporting members and spiral-springs to their original positions when the load is removed from said spiral-springs.

8. In a studio-couch, a lower inner couchsection having a resilient top, an upper outer couch-section having in combination a frame, upwardly bowed spring-wires disposed crosswise of said frame and secured at their opposite ends to said frame to prevent further separation of said ends, longitudinal spring-wires mounted on said frame, and upright spiral-springs supported by and having their lower convolutions interlocked with said cross and longitudinal wires at substantially their points of crossing, said springwires in the nested condition of said couch-section and under normal load imposed on said spiralsprings deflecting sufiiciently to permit said resilient top to assist in supporting said spiralsprings and their load, said cross spring-wires by reason of their bowed characteristic resuming their original elevated position when the load is removed from said spiral-springs.

9. The structure presented in claim 8 in which each end of each of said cross spring-wires has a downwardly ofiset section extended through a hole in the frame and located outwardly beyond the hole in the frame member to which it is attached.

10. In a spring-cushion structure, the combination of a frame, normally upwardly arched spring-wires disposed lengthwise of said frame and having their ends anchored to said frame, normally upwardly arched spring-wires disposed crosswise of said frame and secured to said frame at their opposite ends by downwardly offset end sections extended through holes in the frame and located beneath and bearing against the undersides of the frame members outwardly beyond said holes, said offset ends having such angular relation to the main bodies of the crosswires as to produce said upward arching thereof When the ends bear against the undersides of their frame members, said lengthwise and crosswise wires except for said arching and their attachments to said frame being substantially straight, and upright spiral-springs supported by said Wires and anchored at their lower ends to said wires at substantially their crossing points, whereby said cross-wires when released from their load resume their ordinary arch shape due to their own resiliency, such action of said crosswires assisting in effecting a corresponding action of said lengthwise wires.

ARTHUR WESLEY.

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