US2551800A

US2551800A - Spring construction

Info

Publication number: US2551800A
Application number: US594002A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Henry Hopkes
Original assignee: No Sag Spring Co
Current assignee: No Sag Spring Co
Priority date: 1945-05-16
Filing date: 1945-05-16
Publication date: 1951-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 1968-05-08

Description

ay 95 H. HOPKES, JR

SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 16, 1945 HITA YN A Patented May 8, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING CONSTRUCTION Henry Hopkes, Jr., Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich, assignor to No-Sag Spring Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application May 16, 1945, Serial No. 594,002

4 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) This invention relates to spring constructions and particularly to a spring element which provides a soft edge to the sides and front of an upholstered chair, davenport, and the like.

The present invention pertains to the application of spring elements to spring strips of the zigzag type made of wire bent back andforth to have straight, substantially parallel portions joined by looped portions. The strips are set on an are along their longitudinal dimension to provide resistance to deflection and the desired amount of resiliency when deflected a predetermined amount under load. The ends of the spring strips are secured directly to the front edge of the frame and form a non-deflecting portion of the resulting spring surface. The rear ends of the strips are preferably secured by U-shaped links to the rear edge of the frame to permit the downward movement of the ends when a load is applied to the strips. The strips are interconnected relative to each other by suitable wire links so as to deflect in unison under load, and a border wire is applied to the frame above the side and front frame members.

U-shaped spring elements are attached to the loops of adjacent spring strips sov as to be disposed therebetween out of position of contact with the strips when the projecting ends thereof are defiected. The projecting end portions of the spring elements, which are disposed between the strips, have the end web secured by suitable bands to the border wire to support the border wire above the front frame member. Similar spring elements are attached to spaced looped portions of the strips which are positioned adjacent to the side, frame members to extend outwardly of the strips and above the side frame members in position to be attached by suitable bands to the border wire portions disposed along and above the side frame members. The spring elements thereby resiliently support the border wire from the spring strips and distribute the load to the border wire which deflects with the spring strips and independently thereof. The resulting seat construction has a soft edge along the sides and the front of the frame on which the spring structure is supported.

The spring elements preferably comprise a U-shaped wire having arms spaced from each other providing a web portion, which arms are bent outwardly of each other at an angle of substantially 45, with the ends bent backwardly upon themselves to form S-shaped hooks which extend under and over looped portions of the zigzag spring strips. When attached to opposite ture illustrated in Fig. 3, taken on the line 5-5 loops on adjacent spring strips, the extending arms. and web of the element are disposed between the strips. out of engagement therewith when the elements arev deflected, thereby preventing the elements from producinga noise if deflected below the strips. v

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a U-shaped springelement having; end portions which are disposed at an angle to the body portion and reversely bent into S-shaped hooks which are secured to opposite loops of adjacent strips above and between which the body portion projects; to mount spring elements on adjacent spring strips of the frame in a manner to extend thereabove between the strips for supporting a border wire which produces a soft edge to the seat construction; to attach a U-shaped element having diverging endportions which are reversely bent into S-shaped hooks to spaced looped portions along one edge of a sinuous spring strip in position to engage and support the side portion of a border wire above the side frame member of the seat; and, in general, to provide a spring element for a spring surface which pro duces a soft edge along the sides andfront of a seat structure, which is simple in construction;

and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of a chair embodying features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the back of the chair illustrated in Fig. 1 when the upholstery is removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken plan view of the seat portion of the chair illustrated in Fig. l, with the upholstery removed therefrom;

Fig. 4 is anenlarged view in perspective of the spring element attached to a loop of the spring strip of the seat, and

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the struc-v thereof.

Inthe figures, achair I 0 is illustrated, having a spring upholstered seat II and a spring uphol; stered back l2. The back--l2 of the seat embodies top and bottom cross frame members [3 intercom necting side elements l4, Zigzag spring strips I5- members |3. The strips are secured to the cross members in a suitable manner herein illustrated as by metal clips l6 which are nailed or otherwise secured to the members for pivotally supporting the ends of the strips. The zigzag spring strips are set on an arc of small radius along their longitudinal dimension to resist downward deflection when loaded. When the ends are extended and stretched between the clips Hi, the spring strips are bowed outwardly from the members l3 and will offer resistance to deflection when loaded and will return to their original arched positions thereafter. The spring strips are interconnected by wire links I! and are attached to the side elements l4 by coil springs |8 having eyes on the ends which engage the loops of the strips l and are secured by nails, screws, or other means I 9 to the elements |4.

Similar strips l5 interconnect the back frame member 2| and front frame member 22 of the seat frame. The members 2| and 22 are joined at their ends to side frame members 23 to complete the frame. The strips l5 have the ends adjacent the front frame member 22 secured thereto by clips l6 which are secured to the frame member by nails 24. The rear ends of the strips l5 are secured in eyes 25 at the ends of the U-shaped wire links 26 which are attached by clips IE to the rear frame element 2|. The strips are interconnected by the wire links H so as to have the strips deflected in unison with each other to distribute the load thereacross. It will be noted that the front ends of the strips are in non-deflectable relation to the frame member 22 thereby forming a hard edge therewith. The rear ends of the strips are deflectable relative to the rear frame element 2| to permit the rear portion of the spring strips to deflect as a unit below the frame member 2 To provide a soft edge to the upholstered seat construction, a border wire 28 is extended along and above the side frame members 23 and front frame member 22 when secured by clips 29 to the rear frame member 2|. Spring elements 3| interconnect the spring strips |5 to the border wire along the front and side edges, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The spring elements have parallel arm portions 32 which are joined by an end web 33 and having the opposite end portions 34 disposed in diverging relation at an angle of from 30 to 45. The ends of the diverging portions 34 are reversely bent and formed into S- shaped hooks 35, as illustrated more specifically in Figs. 4 and 5. The S-shaped hooks 35 extend under and over adjacent looped portions 36 of a spring strip Hi to have the diverging portions 34 project into the space between adjacent strips with the parallel arm portions 32 and the webs 33 projecting upwardly above the frame member 22. This maintains the extending portion of the elements 3| between adjacent strips l5 out of a position of contact therewith when deflected under a load.

Clips 31 are crimped about the webs 33 of the elements 3| and the border wire 28 to securely support the border wire above the front frame member 22.

A similar spring element 38 having S-shaped hooks reversely bent on the diverging ends engages spaced looped portions 36 of the spring strips l5 disposed adjacent to the side border members 23. The web 33 of the strip is secured by clips 31 to the side portions of the border wire 28 to support the border wire above the side frame members 23 in the plane of the spring strips l5 which form the load-carrying portion of the seat.

At the corners of the border wire 28, one of the elements 3| has both of its S-shaped hooks 35 attached to the same looped portion of the spring strip |5 so as to extend between the side border wire portions and the side spring strips l5 when attached to the corners of the border wire by clips 31.

It will be noted that the border wire is resiliently supported above the side frame members 23 and front frame members 22 by the spring elements which are attached to the resilient strips forming the main load-supporting portion of the seat. A soft edge is provided to the resulting seat structure at the sides and front, while the rear portions of the spring strips are capable of deflecting below the top of the rear frame element 2| when loaded. All of the spring elements and the border wire are interconnected with each other to function as a unit to deflect with each other.

The upholstering material 4| is applied over the spring strips l5 and the border wire 28, the latter of which provides and maintains form to the edge of the upholstered surface. This edge is free to deflect independently of the spring strips IE or to deflect therewith when a load is applied to the edge or directly on the load-supporting portion of the resulting spring structure.

In the construction herein illustrated, the strips |5 are oppositely disposed to have the looped por tions 36 positioned in aligned relation to each other. The loops at the ends of the springs are oppositely disposed to have the loops aligned in adjacent strips rather than offset from each other which would require one leg 32 to be longer than the other. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the corner element 32 differs from those above described to be positioned between the spring strips l5. At the front corners the elements have straight leg portions of different hook lengths, the hooks on the ends of which are secured to adjacent loops of the endmost spring strips IS on the outermost side thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cushion construction, a frame made up of front and rear members joined by side members, sinuous spring strips made of wire having straight portions joined by looped portions secured at their ends to the front and rear frame members, a U-shaped spring element having a web from which arm portions extend substantially parallel to each other and which diverge in angular relation to each other near the end opposite to the web, the ends of said diverging portions being reversely bent and formed into S-shaped hooks for extending over and under opposite loops of adjacent springs so as to have the arms and web portions disposed therebetween above the frame.

2. In a cushion construction, a frame made up of front and rear members joined by side members, sinuous spring strips made of wire having straight portions joined by looped portions secured at their ends to the front and rear frame members, a U-shaped spring element having a web from which arm portions extend substantially parallel to each other and which diverge in angular relation to each other near the end opposite to the web, the ends of said diverging portions being reversely bent and formed into S-shaped hooks for extending over and under opposite loops of adjacent spring strips so as to have the arms and web portions disposed therebetween above the frame, a border element secured to said frame and extending above the front frame member, and means for securing the Web of U-shaped elements to the border element.

3. In a cushion construction, a frame made up of front and rear members joined by side members, sinuous spring strips made of wire having straight portions joined by looped portions secured at their ends to the front and rear frame members, a U-shaped spring element having a web from which arm portions extend substantially parallel to each other and which diverge in angular relation to each other near the end opposite to the web, the ends of said diverging portions being reversely bent and formed into S-shaped hooks for extending over and under opposite loops of adjacent spring strips so as to have the arms and web portions disposed therebetween above the frame, a border element secured to said frame and extending above the front frame member, means for securing the web of U-shaped elements to the border element, similar U-shaped spring elements attached to spaced looped portions on the edge of the spring strips adjacent to the side frame members with the webs extended thereabove, and means for securing the web of the last said spring elements to the side portion of the border element above the side frame members.

4. In a cushion construction, a frame made up of front and rear members joined by side members, sinuous spring strips made of wire having straight portions joined by looped portions secured at their ends to the front and rear frame members, a U-shaped spring element having a web from which arm portions extend substantially parallel to each other and which diverge in angular relation to each other near the end opposite to the web, the ends of said diverging portions being reversely bent and formed into S-shaped hooks for extending over and under opposite loops of adjacent spring strips so as to have the arms and web portions disposed therebetween above the frame, a border element secured to said frame and extending above the front frame member, means for securing the web of U-shaped elements to the border element, similar U -shaped spring elements attached to spaced looped portions on the edge of the spring strips adjacent to the side frame members with the webs extended thereabove, means for securing the web of the last said spring elements to the side portion of the border element above the side frame members, and a U-shaped spring element having the webs attached to the border element adjacent to each of the corners between the front and side portions of the border element and having the hook ends supported on looped portions on the spring strips which are disposed adjacent to the side frame members.

HENRY HOPKES, J'R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 325,033 Wetmore Aug. 25, 1885 1,476,046 Brandel et a1. Dec. 4, 1923 2,149,350 Kloppman Mar. '7, 1939 2,170,483 Place Aug. 22, 1939 2,235,554 Hopkes et al Mar. 18, 1941 2,356,417 Mayer Aug. 22, 1944 2,439,789 Bank Apr. 20, 1948