US2637137A - Upholstery - Google Patents

Description

J. D. FLYNN UPHOLSTERY May 5, 1953 Filed July 3, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR. JOSEPH 0- FLY/WV ATTORNEY J. D. FLYNN May 5, 1953 UPHOLSTERY 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 3, 1951 INVENTOR.

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Patented May 5, 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UPHOLSTERY Joseph D. Flynn, Oakland, Calif.

Application July 3, 1951', Serial No. 234,928

2 Claims.

This invention relates to upholstery and particularly to means for upholstering a concave surface such as the inner face of a casket panel and to means for providing a readily interchangeable upholstery on such a surface.

The invention will be described herein for example as applied to a casket panel which is the hinged or removable section directly above the upper portion of the body in the casket but its adaptability to use with other articles of similar shape will be apparent from the description which ensues,

It is customary to finish the inside of a casket with a shirred or ruliled material suitably secured to a flat material such as domett or other fleecy backing which may be fastened as by glueing, sewing, or tacking to the interior of the casket. It is a difficult and costly operation to apply this lining material to a concave surface and once applied, it can be removed and replaced only by an expert upholsterer with considerable experience in this particular operation. It is desirable that the interior finish of caskets be interchangeable so that the caskets may be displayed and sold with a selection of color and design of the inner lining.

The present invention has for its objects the provision of means that simplifies the lining of the interiors of caskets and permits the linings to be interchanged by unskilled persons. Further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent in the following specification wherein the invention is described in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a casket showing the panel to which the present invention particularly applies in open position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of such a panel illustrating the shape of the interior of the panel before the lining is applied,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a semi-rigid backing provided by the present invention for applying lining material to the panel shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in perspective of a part of the securing means by which the backing is secured in the panel,

Fig. 5 is a view in cross-section of the panel with the backing member shown in Fig. 3 in place thereon,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail in section showing the manner of attachment of resilient ribs to the backing member and the position assumed by the lining thereon,

Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail of another portion of the fastening means,

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a cardboard blank employed in the manufacture of the semi-rigid backing member, and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the finished backing member made from the blank of Fig. 8.

The casket shown at ID in Fig. 1 has the customary panel H which is hinged or otherwise arranged to permit it to be swung to an open position as shown and it is provided with shirrecl lining material indicated at [2 which preferably follows generally the concave inner surface of the panel. The shape of the interior of the panel H is shown in Fig. 2 wherein it is illustrated as having a flat bottom part l3, sloping side walls I4, a sloping end wall [5 and an end wall it perpendicular to the bottom I 3.

The present invention provides a semi- -rigid backing member formed of bendable material such as cardboard or thin plastic and shaped as shown in Fig. 3 to assume a somewhat concave shape with two or more resilient ribs l8 secured to its back or inner surface. Each of the ribs 18 is provided with a hook-like part preferably adjacent its center which may be attached to fastening means in the form of staples disposed interiorly of the panel. The hook-like part on one of the ribs is illustrated in Fig. '7 at H] as being punched out of the metal of which the rib I8 is formed. The staples are shown at 20 in Fig. 2 and adjacent at least one of the staples there is preferably a guide 2| which, as shown in Fig. 4, is a small piece of channel-shaped metal tapering toward one end which end is disposed adjacent the staple 20. When the backing member is placed within the panel, it conceals the staples 20 and the guide 2| enables its ready application by receiving and guiding one of the hooks [9 to its proper position beneath the staple 20. Since the staples and hooks 19 are correspondingly spaced, the other hook will readily find its position beneath its staple. The shape of the backing member I! is somewhat less concave or shallower than the panel I I so that when it is placed over the panel, it must be depressed centrally a short distance to engage the hooks beneath the staples, and the resiliency of the ribs I8 will retain it in place making all four of its edges fit snugly against the interior of the panel. A supporting bar shown at 23 in Fig. 2 is nailed or otherwise secured against the vertical wall It to support the corresponding edge of the panel in its proper position. The assembled relationship of the backing member in the panel II is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the hook I9 is shown as engaged beneath one of the staples 20. Since the panel I! and ribs l8 thereon are subject to flexing movement, they are desirably connected for slight adjustment of their relative positions and this is accomplished as shown in Fig. 6 Where one end of a rib I8 is shown as secured by a hollow rivet 24 to a point adjacent the edge of the backing member l'l. The rivet also passes through a washer of cardboard or similar material on the front face of the panel this washer being shown at 25 and the panel is provided with a perforation 23 considerably larger in diameter than the shank of the rivet to enable sliding movement or adjustment of the relative positions of the panel and the rib when flexing movement takes place. The edges of the backing member H are also preferably bound with a U-shaped metal strip illustrated at 21 which is crimped or otherwise suitably secured in place thereon as a reinforcing member. The lining material is also illustrated in Fig. 6 as-comprise ing the domett or fieecy backing 28 with the shirred lining material 29 mounted thereon by means well known to the art. These combined lining materials or whatever other lining may be used are glued, stitched or otherwise secured to the face of the backing member I! with their edges overlapping the edges of the backing mem her as shown. This provides a neatly finished edge and eliminates the necessity of applying gimp or other decorative tape to conceal the tacked edges of the conventional upholstery methods.

The manner of forming the backing member I? is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In Fig. 8 a blank of good quality cardboard such for ex" ample as sulphite board is shown as being cut to a generally rectangular shape but with its end edges sloping slightly outwardly toward a central point. The board is scored for bending from its corners inwardly toward a central line as indicated by the dotted lines 36 and it is cut as on the line 3i along a central line from its ends to a point slightly beyond the meetings of the scored lines 36. The board is then given its concave shape by being overlapped adjacent the cuts 3| as indicated in Fig. 9 and it may be held in this position as by stapling or other securing means indicated at 32. The reinforcing edging 21 and the resilient ribs 18 are then applied and the backing member is ready for the application of the lining,

The linings may be applied to these backing members by relatively unskilled labor so that the cost of the lined panel is not greater than that of the conventional lined panel where highly skilled upholsterers are required. Furthermore the backing member with the lining applied may be readily removed and replaced by another backing member lined with material of different style or color and the invention, therefore, provides prospective purchasers with a great variety in colors and eifects at a very reasonable cost.

I claim:

1. Means for applying upholstery to a concave surface which comprises a pliable backing member corresponding in outline to the surface and to which the upholstery may be affixed, resilient ribs secured to and extending across said member, hooks carried by said ribs, eyes to receive said hooks on the concave part of said surface whereby the upholstered backing member may be deformed into the concavity and held in place therein by the resiliency of said ribs, and slidable connections between the ribs and backing memher to permit them to be deformed.

2. Means for applying upholstery to a concave surface which comprises a pliable backing mam.- ber corresponding in outline to said surface and shaped to a lesser concavity than the surface and to which upholstery material may be secured, resilient ribs spanning the back of said member and connected thereto adjacent their ends by slidable connections, fastening devices carried centrally of the ribs, and cooperating fastening devices on the concave surface whereby the backing member when upholstered may be pressed into the concave surface and resiliently retained in place therein.

JOSEPH D. FLYNN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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