US2780818A - Tufted mattress and method of tufting the same - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 12, 1957 y L. T. GITLIN Y 2,780,818

l TUFTED MATTRESS AND METHOD OF TUFTING THE SAME Filed June 29, 1954 mgm 26 INVENTOR LOUIS T. GITLIN ATTORNEY TUFTED MATTRESS AND METHD OF TUFTING im SAME Louis T. Gitiin, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application .lune 29, 1954, Serial No. 440,101

4 Claims. (Cl. 5-356) This invention relates to a tufted mattress and method of tufting the same.

The invention pertains to Virtually every type of mattress construction, including those which contain springs and those which are springless. The invention also pertains to tufted cushions and tufted upholstered furniture and the like.

rhe principal object of this invention is the provision of a tufted mattress or the like which is tufted without the aid of tufting buttons or similar externally disposed fastening members. Conventional tufting is done with tufting buttons disposed against the outside coverings of t-he mattress or other tufted article and with tufting cords which extend through the mattress and are connected to the tufting buttons. Tufting buttons are undesirable for many reasons. For example, they collect foreign matter between them and the mattress proper, rendering it quite difficult to maintain the mattress in a perfectly clean and sanitary condition. This is especially true of mattresses which are used in public institutions, such as hospitals, and in hotels and other public lodging houses. Tufting buttons also render a mattress rather uncomfortable since they press against the body. Furthermore, the use of tufting buttons in combination with tufting cords necessitates the formation of holes in the mattress coverings through which the tufting cords or the tufting button eyes must project. These holes serve as passageways through which foreign matter may enter the mattress and through which some of the stuffing or lling of the mattress may escape.

In the present invention tufting cords are used but not tufting buttons. Instead, looped tapes are secured to the inner sides of the outer coverings of the mattress and the tufting cords inter-engage said looped tapes and tie them together. More specifically, the looped tapes of one outer covering are tied tothe looped tapes of the other outer covering by means of said tufting cords. These looped tapes are secured to the coverings by simply sewing them thereto or by any other suitable means. When they are sewn to the coverings, all that can be seen on the outside of the coverings are the stitches of thread. It is assumed here that the usual covering for a mattress is made of cloth known as ticking. Where it is found desirable to cover a mattress with plastic material or rubberized fabric, it may be found desirable to weld or cement the looped tapes to said coverings.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of looped tapes of predetermined lengths to measure and gauge and also to insure a predetermined thickness in the finished mattress. The loops on one of the coverings are long enough to project through the entire mattress when it is compressed to approximately its ultimate or finished thickness. The loops on the opposite covering are relatively small and when the loops of the two coverings are tied together, a tufted mattress is produced to uniform, predetermined thickness dimensions.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a method oftufting mattresses which makes use of the 2,780,818 Patented Feb. l2, 1957 looped tapes and tufting cords above mentioned, wherein the tufting cords perform only two functions: In the first place, they are used to pull or draw the longer looped tapes through the mattress. In the second place, they tie the longer and shorter loops to each other to compress the mattress and to provide a tufted effect.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary section through a tufted spring mattress made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the looped tapes may be secured to the mattress coverings and how they may be tied to each other.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing one of the steps in the tufting process herein described, said Step comprising looping a tnfting cord through one of the long looped tapes and then using said t-ufting cord to draw said looped tape through the mattress.

Fig. 4 shows the mattress of Fig. 3 turned upside-down and the tufting cord drawn through one of the smaller looped tapes.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one way of forming and attaching a looped tape to a covering of the mattress.

Fig. 5A. is a similar view showing another method of forming and attaching said looped tape to the mattress covering.

Fig. 6 is another perspective view showing one of the smaller looped tapes formed and secured in the manner of the larger looped tape shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6A is a view similar to that of Fig. 6 showing one of the smaller looped tapes formed and fastened in the manner of the larger looped tape shown in Fig. 5A.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawing, it will be seen that mattress 10 is intended to be of conventional construction, save for its tufting means. It is a spring mattress with inner coiled springs 12 bearing against upper and lower burlap sheets llfi'and 16 or the like. Disposed against burlap sheet 14 is a layer of sisal t8 or the like and a similar layer of sisal 20 -or the like is disposed against burlap sheet 16. A layer of felt 22 or the like is laid against sisal layer i8 and a similar felt layer 24 or the like is disposed against sisal layer 2t). A cloth covering 26 is disposed at against felt layer 22 and a similar cloth covering 23 is disposed fiat against felt layer 24. When all of these components are brought together in the manner shown in the drawing, they constitute a complete mattress except for the outer coverings or tickings 3d and 32 respectively and the tufting materials.

The tufting materials consist of three elements: A long loop 34, a short loop 36, and a tufting cord or tie string 38. The long loop 34 is secured to the outer covering or ticking 30. The shorter loop 33 is secured to the other outer covering or ticking 32. The tufting cord 38 is looped through the larger loop 3ft and then through the smaller loop 36 and it is then tied to draw the two loops 34 and 36 into abutment with each other. in one form of this invention, loop 34 is formed and fastened to ticking 3@ at the same time. its two ends are brought into overlapping relation and they are then sewn both to each other and to the ticking by means of stitching 40. Similarly, the two ends of small loop 36 are brought into overlapping relation and they are then sewn both to each other and to ticking 32 by means of stitching 42.

In another form of this invention, a long loop 64 is preformed prior to its being affixed to the ticking 3th. In Fig. 5A loop 44 is shown to have its ends tied together to form a knot do. The loop is then secured to the ticking 30 by means of stitching 48. Stitching 49 does not form loop 44 as does stitching 40 form loop 34. Similarly, Fig. 6A shows a small loop 50 whose ends are tied together kto form a knot 52. This loop, too, is preformed and it is then secured to ticking 32 by means of stitching 54. Applicant has found the latter practice to be most.satisfactory,-namely, pre-forming theloops and` then` securing them to the tickings, but the .formerpraof tice of forming theloops by the very act of securing .theml to thetickings is also a satisfactory method. Y

It is important to understand that when-the larger and, smaller loops are brought into abutment with eachother and tied together by the tufting cords, `the-combinedV lengths of cach pair of long and short loops corresponds to the desired thickness of the nishedmattress in the tufted areas. vSince-all of the longer loops are of identical size and all of thc shorter loops are alsoof identical size, the finished mattress will have a uniform thickness throughout when all of the long loops are tied to the corresponding short loops.-

The method ofaccomplishing this result is as follows: A tufting cord 3S is looped through a long loop 34 (oi 44) and'it is then drawn through the mattress, pulling f the long loop along with it. This is done'with conventional tufting needles, and the 'direction of movement is from the top down. After all of the long loops are thus engaged and the tufting cords drawn downwardly through the mattress, the mattress is tuined upside-down from its Fig. 3 position with ticking 39 on top to its Fig. 4 position with ticking 30 on the bottom. 'Picking 32 is now laid upon the mattress and one of the ends of each tufting cord 38 is drawn through a small loop 36 (or S0), Thev mattress is compressed by conventional means andthe tufting cords 38 are pulled taut to bring the long and short loops into abutment with each other as shown in Figs. l

and 2. The ends of each tufting cord 38 are then tied together to form a knot and the excess portions of these ends are then cut or trimmed oif. The mattress is now completely tufted as showni'n Fig. 1.

The foregoing is illustrative of a preferred form of this invention and it will be understood that variations thereof are possible and contemplated'within the broad spirit of the invention andthe broad scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A tufted mattress construction, comprising a matv tress having top padding and top covering and bottom padding and bottom covering,l loops secured to the top covering and projecting downwardly into the mattress' through said top and bottom padding in the direction of the bottom covering, additional loops secured to the bottom covering and projecting upwardly into the bottom padding of the mattress in the direction of the top covering, and tie strings tying said first loops and said addif tional loops into end-to-end abutment with'each other.

2. A tufted mattress construction,"comp'rising a mattress having top padding and top 'covering' and bottom padding and bottom covering, loops secured to the top covering and projecting downwardly into' 'the mattress to the -desired thickness of the mattress at the point'of A' tufting, all of said first loops' beingA of equal length and ail of said additional loops being also of equal length, so that the combined lengths of all of the first loops and the additional'loops'tied thereto yare equal, thereby providing the entire mattress-withl uniform thickness throughout at all of the points at which the iirst loops and the additional loops are secured to the two coverings.

3. A tufted mattress construction, comprising a mattress having `top padding aud top covering andbottompadding and bottom covering, loops secured to thetop covering and projecting downwardly into the mattress through said top and bottom padding in the direction of the bottom covering, additional loops secured to the bottom covering and projecting upwardly into the bottom padding of the mattress in the direction of the top covering, and tie strings tying said first loops and said additional loops` intoend-to-end abutment with each other, said first loops which are secured to the top covering beingv relatively-long and corresponding in length, substantially,to the desired thickness of the mattress at the point of tufting, said additional loops which are secured to thefbottom covering being relatively small and contributing but slightly'to the length of said first loops to which they are tied in end-to-end abutment with each otherz" 4. A tufted mattress construction, comprising top and bottom 'coverings enclosing a mattress having top and bottom padding, a plurality of looped tapes of predetermineduniform' length individually sewn to said top covering and' extending through the top and bottom padding, a corresponding number of additional looped tapes of predetermined"unif0rm"length individually secured to the bottonr'covering,'and'tie strings tying the looped tapes of the top covering into end-to-end abutment with the loopedtapes of the bottom covering.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,947,216 Mic'on Feb. 13, 1934 2,245,930 f Marsack r June 17, 1941" 2,281,104 Y Marquardt Apr. 28, 1942 2,331,142: Selukl Oct. 5, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,543 Great 'Britain'. Sept. 14, 1936

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