US2294534A - Spring structure - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 1, 1942. a. F. BERGER SPRING STRUCTURE ..Ei1ed Dec. 26, 1941 INVENTOR Ffieryer: Q 9 s.

Patented Sept. 1, 1942 2,294,534 sriuNo STRUCTURE Guido F. Berger, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor to Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two

Rivers, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 26, 1941, Serial No. 424,439

Claims.

This invention relates to spring structures and particularly to those of the class employin springs of the type disclosed and claimed inUnited States Reissue Letters Patent No. 21,263 to Kaden, the principal object being the provision of a new and novel means for securing the ends of such springs to a frame structure.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a novel form of connection between a spring structure and a frame member; the provision of a spring structure including a frame and a sinuous spring stretched between opposed and spaced members thereof and in which the ends of the spring are bent to provide a hook lying substantially in the plane of the spring, and the frame members are formed in a novel manner-for receiving and anchoring such hooked ends; the provision of a construction as above described in which a frame member is provided with a pair of holes therein arranged with their axes perpendicular to adjacent faces of the frame member and in partially intersected relation with respect to each other, whereby the hooked ends of the spring may be inserted into one opening and be caused to engage within the other opening for the purpose of anchoring it to the frame memher; and the provision of a construction as above described in which the cooperating openings in a frame member are so arranged with respect to each other as to form an outwardly directed projection for reception within the hooked end of the spring member.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and then claimed, having the above and other objects in view.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable embodiment of the present invention and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a spring structure embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of that portion of the spring structure shown in Fig. 1 within the circle 2 thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of that portion of the construction shown in Fig. 2 and taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

The present invention relates to spring structures such as may be employed in cots, beds, or other articles of furniture designed for use either by infants, partially grown children, or adults.

Particularly, it is designed for use with the type v of spring element shown and claimed in United States Kaden Reissue Patent No. 21,263 and which comprises a strip of wire which is bent into sinuous formation and which is manufactured to assume a curved or circular shape when the ends are finsupported so that, when the ends are supported as hereinafter shown and described, a material resistance to downward deflection is inherent in the spring element. When such springs are applied between the opposite side rails or the opposite end rails of a frame provided for reception of the same, the free ends of the spring are pulled apart, thus causing itto approach a position in which all parts of it he in a single plane. In application, such spring element is made of suchlength that .when stretched between the opposite members of a frame structure, it may lie either flat or in a position in which its central portion is upwardly bowed, depending upon the condition being met with in service. In either case, weight applied to the upper surfacesof the spring element when stretched between a pair of opposed frame members is resisted not only by the natural tendency of the spring element to bow upwardly at its center, but also .by the force required to stretch the spring in the direction of its length and which tendency to stretch particularly occurs when a load is placed on such a spring that is initially arranged in substantially fiat condition.

The ends of such spring must be securely anchored to their corresponding frame members and it is in connection with this problem that the present invention particularly deals.

Referring to the accompanying drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, a frame is shown comprising spaced parallel side members It) and spaced parallel end members l2 interconnecting the corresponding ends of the side members In and serving to maintain them in spaced relationship. Inthe broader aspects of the invention, the material of which the side members I0 and end members l2 are formed may be of any suitable character, but particularly for the purpose of description the side members Hl may be considered to be rectangularly sectioned wooden members and the endmembers ll of either rolled metal section or of sheet metal. The sinuous springs 14, which cooperate with the sid members III to 'form the spring structure, are fixed between the side members l0 at spaced intervals over the length thereof and are arrangedwith the general plane of the thickness thereof parallel with the plane of thickness of the frame. As previously mentioned, the spring elements I4 'are so stressed in their manufacture that when their respective free ends are unanchored the spring bends up into a circular conformation and when they are applied between a. pair of frame members such as the frame members I0, they are applied in such a manner that the central portion of the spring element has a tendency to spring upwardly and is restrained from so doing solely, or at least primarily, by the anchoring of the free ends to the frame members.

Various means and methods have been suggested for anchoring the free ends of such spring elements to a frame member, but the means and method provided in accordance with the present invention is not only effective, but is extremely economical to manufacture and additionally a minimum amount of time need be consumed by a workman in fixing the end of thespring element to a frame member.

In accordance with the present invention, and as best brought out in Fig. 2, each end of each spring element I4 is bent to provide a centrally disposed and outwardly directed straight portion I6, lying generally in the plane of the spring element I4. The free outer end of the portion I6 is partially reversely bent upon itself as at I8 to form a hook-like end, which also lies generally in the plane of the element I4. To receive such end, each frame member III at approximately the point at which it is desired to secure a spring element I4 thereto is formed as follows and as particularly brought out in Figs. 2 and 3. A hole 20 is bored in the frame member I from the inner face thereof and with its axis directed perpendicularly with respect to such inner face. Such hole 20 preferably does not extend completely through the frame member I0 (although it may so do, if desired), but stops short of completely piercing the frame member III. A second opening 22 is then bored in the upper or lower face of the frame member III, shown as the upper face in the drawing by way of illustration, in perpendicular relationship with respect to such face and preferably positioned a material distance outwardly of the inner face of the frame member I0. This second hole 22 is so located that it partially intersects the hole 20, as illustrated, and like the hol 2|] may extend completely through the thickness of the frame member III or only partially therethrough, as shown. In any event because of its partially intersecting relation with respect to the hole 20, a passage is formed between each pair of cooperating holes 20 and 22 and where the amount of intersection between the two holes is substantially less than the radius of either, there'is formed, in effect, at the Junction of the two holes and on the inner side of the opening interconnecting them an outwardly directed projection-like portion, indicated in Fig. 2 at 24. The diameter of the hooked end I8 of theelement I4 is so related with respect to the diameter of the hole 20 that the hooked end I8 is readily introduced into the hole 20 until it reaches the area of intersection with the cooperating intersecting hole 22, upon which such end ,is shifted in the direction of the hole 22 so as to project the hooked end I8 into the. hole 22 and over the projection-like portion 24 between the two holes. When thus engaged, the end of the spring I8 is firmly anchored against any force acting thereon in a direction inwardly of the cooperating frame member III as will be readilyappreciated, and the only way that it may be disengaged from its frame member is by sufficiently overcoming the inwardly directed force thereon to enable the hooked end I8 to be moved outwardly of the projection-like portion 24 so that it may be again displaced entirely to within the opening 20 upon which it is readily removed from its connection with the frame member III.

From the above, it will be appreciated that the frame side members III are provided with cooperating holes I8 and 22 at each position in the length thereof at which it is desired to anchor an end of a spring element I4. In assenibling such a structure, and assuming the frame members I0 and I2 as having been assembled, a spring element I4 is grasped by a workman, one hooked end I8 thereof is inserted into one of the openings 20 and moved laterally into the cooperating opening 22 so as to hook over the projection-like portion 24 therebetween. The opposite end of such spring is then grasped by the workman, the spring is then stretched out of its circular position and a longitudinal stretching force is applied thereto so as to permit the opposite hooked end thereof to be inserted into the corresponding opening 20 in the other. frame member III and such opposite end is inserted into such corresponding .opening 20 and is then moved into the same hooked relation with/respect to the projection-like portion 24 between it and its cooperating opening 22 as above described, whereupon the stretching force is relieved. The resulting natural tendency of the spring to longitudinally contract and to resume its circular conformation causes the hooked ends I8 to be firmly anchored in their respective frame members. The spring members I4 are thus applied, one after the other, untiwall those required gor the frame structure have been applied.

Because of the interengaging relationship between the hookedends I8 of the spring elements I4 and their corresponding frame side members I0, turning of the spring elements I4 about their longitudinal axis is substantially resisted and in many cases, nothing further will be required to complete the spring structure. In some cases, however, and particularly where the frame side members ID are spaced a material distance from each other, it may be desirable to extend wire links, such as 30, between the bends of adjacent spring elements I4 at intervals over the length of such spring elements as illustrated in Fig. 1, and additionally it may be desirable to extend coil tension springs such as -32 between the outer bends of the endmost spring elements I4 and the corresponding and member I2 to further resist turning of the spring elements about their longitudinal axes as well as to aid in increasing the stiffness of the structure as a whole.

The spring structure thus provided including a rigid frame and cooperating spring elements I4 may, of course, be provided with either a permanent or removable padding element thereover, de- I the frame members It] is not only economical in view of the elimination of fastening clips or the like as has heretofore been conventional practice, but because of its nature provides a means by which the ends of the spring elements I4 may be quickly and efficiently anchored in position in the frame member, thus providing an additional,

economy'in a reduction of the labor cost required in assembly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim by Letters Patent is:

1. In a spring structure, in combination, a frame member provided with a pair of openings therein opening. onto adjacent faces of said member and partially intersecting one another within said member, and a spring element having a hooked end portion projected into one of said openings and .partially received, within said member, in the other of said openings.

2. In a spring structure, in combination, a frame member provided with a pair of openings therein having non-parallel axes and intersecting one another within said member by an amount less than the radial dimension of either of said openings, and a spring element having a longitudinally extending end portion terminating in a hook, said end portion being received in one of said openings and the hooked end portion thereof being projected through the area of intersection of said openings and engaging a wall of the other of said openings.

3. A spring structure comprising, in combination, a frame member having a vertically disposed face and a pair of spaced faces in generally perpendicular relationship with respect thereto, said member having an opening therein opening onto said vertical face and a second opening therein opening onto one of said pair of faces, said openings intersecting one another within said member and there forming a projection-like portion directed away from saidvertical face, a spring element, and an outwardly directed portion on said element terminating in a hook, said end portion being received in the first mentioned opening and said hook being engaged over said projection-like portion.

4. In a spring structure, in combination, a generally rectangular frame, opposed members of said frame each having an opening therein opening onto that face thereof opposed to the other of said members and each having a second opening therein arranged in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to the first mentioned opening therein and partially intersecting the same within said member, a spring element, outwardly directed end portions on the opposite of said opposed pair of frame members having an opening therein opening onto the inner face thereof in line with the end of each of said springs and additional openings therein arranged in substantially perpendicular relationship with respect to the first mentioned openings and each partially intersecting a corresponding of the first mentioned openings within said member, a longitudinally extending end portion on each end of each of said spring elements lying within the corresponding of the first-mentioned openings, and each of said end portions terminating in a hook lying within the corresponding of the second-mentioned openings.

GUIDO F. BERGER.

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