US3475770A

US3475770A - Border wire assembly

Info

Publication number: US3475770A
Application number: US691007A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald E Gunlock
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1967-12-15
Filing date: 1967-12-15
Publication date: 1969-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-04

Description

Nov. 4, 1969 D- E. GUNLOCK 3,475,770

BORDER WIRE ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 15, 1967 BY Donaz d film/0a? ATTORNEK United States Patent 3,475,770 BORDER WIRE ASSEMBLY Donald E. Gunlock, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 691,007 Int. Cl. A47c 7/28, 27/06 US. Cl. -351 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A border wire for supporting a plurality of sinuous spring members in a seat assembly. The border wire includes a pair of generally U-shaped wire elements, each of which has the legs thereof terminating with a hookshaped portion. Each leg also has an offset portion formed intermediate the ends thereof and the arrangement is such that the hook-shaped portion on each wire element is looped through the offset portion formed in the legs of the other wire element so as to lock the wire elements together in the form of a rectangle.

The load-bearing spring assembly of a conventional seat back or seat cushion includes a plurality of zigzag or sinuous spring wire members attached to a border wire. The border wire consists of two generally U-shaped wires, the free ends of which are joined together by sheet metal clips so as to form a rectangular structure. Adjacent each side of the border wire a filler wire element is usually provided which is also clamped to the border wire and at times to the spring members by additional sheet metal clips. Although this method of constructing the border wire has provided a satisfactory and durable spring assembly, it is apparent that savings in cost and time of assembly could be realized by eliminating the need for the sheet metal clips utilized for connecting the individual wire elements together.

Accordingly, the objects of the present invention are to provide a method for attaching the ends of a two-piece border wire that will facilitate assembly thereof and decrease the cost of manufacture; to provide a border wire subassembly for a seat spring structure that is formed from two generally U-shaped wire elements, the ends of which are intertwined to provide a rigid structure; to provide a rectangular border wire made from two separate wire elements that are held together without the use of auxiliary fasteners, and to provide a two-piece border wire that has an integrally formed filler wire section located along the opposed sides of the border wire.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a seat assembly incorporating a border wire made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view showing the border wire incorporated with the seat assembly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the border wire of FIGURE 2 taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one side of the border wire and illustrates the manner in which the wire elements are locked together, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing the method of connecting the end of one wire element to the other wire element.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly FIGURE 1 thereof, a conventional bench-type vehicle seat is shown having the usual seat cushion and seat back 12, the latter of which incorporates a border wire Patented Nov. 4, 1969 14 made in accordance with the invention. In this connection, it will be noted that the border wire 14 comprises a pair of generally U-shaped wire elements 16 and 18 which overlap each other and are intertwined so as to lock the two wire elements together in the form of a rectangle. A plurality or zigzag or sinuous spring members 20 extend between the upper and lower portions of the border wire and serve as the usual load-bearing members which resiliently cushion the back portion of a seat occupant. At this juncture, it should be noted that although the border wire made according to the invention and to be described below, is shown to be incorporated with the seat back portion of a seat assembly, it can also be utilized with the spring assembly of the seat cushion.

As seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the wire element 16 of the border wire assembly includes a straight horizontal base portion 22 integrally formed with a pair of identical legs 24 which extend in the same direction from the base portion 22 and at an angle substantially normal thereto. The base portion 22 and legs 24 lie in the same plane with each of the legs terminating with a hook-shaped portion 26. Each leg 24 has a generally straight section 28, as viewed in FIGURE 2, adjacent to the base portion 22 that merges with an inwardly directed section 30 which, in the case, is one part of a filler element. The section 30 connects with a downwardly extending straight section 32 which is then bent outwardly and has

sections

34 and 36 which connect with the hook-shaped portion 26. As best seen in FIGURE 3, an offset portion 38 is provided in section 28 substantially midway between the base portion 22 and the section 30 with the offset portion 38 lying in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wire element 16.

The wire element 18 also includes a pair of identically formed legs 40 which extend in the same direction and together with a base portion 42 lie in a common plane. Each leg 40 has a generally straight section 44 merging with a section 46 which is laterally inwardly offset and merges with hook-shaped portion 48 at the end of the leg. An offset portion 50 is also formed in each leg adjacent to the base portion 42 and lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wire element 18 as seen in FIGURE 3.

In assembling the two wire elements 16 and 18 so as to form the border wire, the hook-shaped end 48 of each leg 40 is first located beneath the section 30 of the wire element 24 as seen in FIGURE 2. The hook-shaped end 48 is then looped through the offset section 38 formed in the leg 24 of wire element 16 to connect the two members together at this point. Thereafter, the hook-shaped portions 26 of legs 24 are placed above legs 40 and bent outwardly, as seen in FIGURE 5, and permitted to snap back with the hook-shaped end 26 passing through the offset portion 50 formed in each leg 40. Thus, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the hook-shaped ends of the respective wire elements 16 and 18 are located in the offset portions and thereby serve to lock the wire elements together and prevent separation therebetween. Moreover, the sections 30, 3'2, and 34 of the wire element 16 serve as a filler section immediately adjacent to a spring member 20 and thereby prevent the usual padding and burlap backing from dropping within the gap normally provided between the last spring member and the border wire.

I claim:

1. A border wire for supporting a plurality of sinuous spring members in a seat assembly, said border wire comprising a pair of generally U-shaped wire elements, each of said wire elements having the legs thereof terminating with a hook-shaped portion, and having an offset portion formed intermediate the ends of each leg, said hookshaped portion on each wire element being looped through the oifset portion formed in the leg of the other wire element so as to lock the wire elements together in the form of a rectangle.

2. A border wire for sup orting a plurality of sinuous spring members in a seat assembly, said border wire comprising a pair of wire elements, each of said elements having a straight base portion and a leg section angularly connected to the base section at each end thereof and extending in the same direction, each of the leg sections terminating with a hook-shaped end and having an oifset portion located intermediate the hook-shaped end and the base section, said hook-shaped end of each leg on each wire element being looped through the offset portion formed in the leg of the other Wire element so as to lock the wire element together in the form of a rectangle.

3. The border wire of claim 2 wherein said ofl'set portion lies in a plane substantially normal to a plane passing through the base section and the legs of one of said wire elements.

4. The border wire of claim 2 wherein said ofi'set portion is located adjacent to the base section.

5. The border wire of claim 2 wherein at least one leg of one of the wire elements has a laterally offset straight section between said offset portion and said hook-shaped end that serves as a filler element.

6. The border wire of claim 5 wherein said filler section is in the same plane as the base section and the legs of the wire element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,155 3/1939 Rymland 5--267 X 2,560,842 7/1951 Blumensaadt et a1. 5255 X 3,316,568 5/1967 Janapol 5-351 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.