US3613132A

US3613132A - Safety bed rails

Info

Publication number: US3613132A
Application number: US800390A
Authority: US
Inventors: Maurice Weinhart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-02-19
Filing date: 1969-02-19
Publication date: 1971-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-19

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A SAFETY BED RAIL HAVING LUGS PROVIDED THEREIN OR AFFIXED THERETO FOR SECURING REMOVABLE BED SLATS IN FIXED SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP, WHEREBY THE BED SLATS ARE PREVENTED FROM SHIFTING OFF THE SIDE RAILS, MAINTAIN SUPPORT FOR THE BOX SPRING AND MATTRESS IMPOSED THEREON, AND SUBSTANTIALLY RESTRAIN THE SIDE RAILS FROM BENDING OR BULGING OUTWARDLY IN THE MEDIAL PORTION THEREOF.

Description

1971 M. WEINHART SAFETY BED RAILS Filed Feb. 19, 1969 10. Q A. LIYI .M I W 2 n 2 w m 2 L. O 2 (I,

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T R M H4 B L & E w w MM 0 Y B 4 G F ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,613,132 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,132 SAFETY BED RAILS Maurice Weinhart, 18620 Ardmore St., Detroit, Mich. 48235 Filed Feb. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 800,390 Int. Cl. A47c 23/06 US. Cl. -238 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a safety bed rail having lugs provided therein or aflixed thereto for securing removable bed slats in fixed spaced-apart relationship, whereby the bed slats are prevented from shifting off of the side rails, maintain support for the box spring and mattress imposed thereon, and substantially restrain the side rails from bending or bulging outwardly in the medial portion thereof.

It is common knowledge that wooden bed slats often separate from ordinary angle iron bed rails, because the slats under dynamic loading sooner or later slide off of the narrow bed rail horizontal supporting leg, allowing the box spring and mattress to fall to the floor. Because conventional elongated side rails have nomedial restraint against bulging or bending, the middle slat-there are usually three to a bed, one near the head, one near the foot and one midway between them-often separates from the side rails when the side rails bulge outwardly enough to produce a distance between them greater than the length of the supported slat. With the middle slat gone, the entire load is imposed upon the head and foot slats, and sooner or later one of them will also fall. The inconvenience and embarrassment, as well as the effort and hardship of having to completely remove the relatively heavy box spring and mattress before reassembling the bed frame and slats and resetting the box spring and mattress can be easily appreciated. It is not a simple or easy job to perform.

The invention described and claimed herein involves the provision of lugs either formed from the metal of the bed side rails or embodied in brackets secured to the side rails by welding or other suitable means so arranged that they will hold the slats in position upon the side rails, preventing them from sliding off, and will substantially restrain the medial portions of the side rails from bulging outwardly under the static or dynamic loads imposed thereon.

Since bedroom furniture manufacturers generally do not cut the side rail slots at a uniform distance apart in their head boards or foot boards, whether the bed be twin, three-quarter or full size, there is always a variation in the distance between the side rails so that a uniformly pre-cut cross slat cannot be used. The distance between the upstanding leg of the side rails always varies, from as little as A" to as much as or more between such side rails, for each bed size. For this reason, bedroom manufacturers generally do not provide bed slats, which are purchased from wooden slat makers by the furniture stores offering these beds to the public. The slats are produced and pre-cut, for each size bed, to an oversize length so that they can be cut back to proper length by the furniture store personnel, or by the purchaser, for placement upon the bed frame at the time it is set up for use.

My recently-filed application, Ser. No. 773,922, filed Nov. 6-, 1968 for a Safety Bed Slat Construction, discloses and claims improvements in the bed slat member. This application involves and discloses and claims improvements in the bed side rails with which a conventional single-piece wooden :bed slat can be utilized.

A principal object of the invention is to provide means for securing removable bed slat members in fixed spacedapart relationship upon bed side rails. Another object is to provide lugs formed from the side rail metal for 10- cating and securing the bed slats in such fixed spacedapart relationship, or alternatively to provide such lugs in bracket members secured to the side rails. A further object is to provide lug means formed from the bed side rail metal, or in bracket members secured to the side rails, which engage the wooden bed slats positioned medially of the side rails to substantially restrain outward bulging of the rails under the static or dynamic loads imposed thereon.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example preferred forms of the invention. Reference is here made to the drawings annexed hereto and forming an integral part of this specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bed frame embodying a preferred form of the inventive side rail construction.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bed side rail illustrated in FIG 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating a second preferred form or a modification of the inventive side rail construction.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further modification of lug means adapted to restrain shifting longitudinally of the side rails.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of the lug means arranged in the medial area of the side rail for attachment of a wooden slat to substantially restrain outward bulging of the side rails.

As illustrated in the several views of the drawings and particularly in FIGS. l-3 inclusive, the bed 10 comprises a headboard '12, a footboard 14, metal (steel) bed side rails .16 connecting the headboard and the footboard into a frame for supporting a box spring 18 and a mattress 20 thereon, and Wooden bed slats 22 disposed in longitudinally spaced apart relationship cross-wise of and upon the side rails 16.

Each of the bed side rails 16 (only one of which is considered necessary to be illustrated, as a pair of them are constructed in substantially identical form, except that one is left-hand and the other right-hand for connection to the headboard and footboard and they are disposed in facing relationship across the frame formed therewith) comprises a connection fitting 24 secured at each end of the side rail body 26 which is formed as an angle with a vertical leg 28 and an integrally formed horizontal leg 30.

The connection fitting 24 is of conventional construction that varies according to the design preference of each side rail manufacturer, and it is to be understood that the invention does not involve the fitting per se, as illustrated or otherwise, except that bed side rails embody some kind of means for connection to other elements forming a bed frame.

The side rail 16 embodies lug means to function as bed slat retention elements, which may be formed as integral parts thereof or may be attached thereto. In FIGS. 2 and 3, several pairs of such lugs are illustrated. The

lugs

2, 2 are pierced to project upwardly from the horizontal leg 30 in spaced apart relationship a distance sutficient to allow the ends 34 of slats 22 to rest between them upon the leg 30. The height of the

lugs

2, 2 is approximately the thickness or height of the bed slats 22, but it is preferred that they not extend above the slats so as to avoid engaging and damaging the frame of the box spring 18 resting thereon. The

lugs

2, 2 are pierced approximately inches from the ends of the side rail body 26, and are about 2% inches apart, or a distance sufficient to allow the bed slat ends 34 to rest easily between them without undue play or shift. The fit need not be snug.

Instead of the pierced

lugs

2, 2 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, an alternative construction is illustrated in FIG. 5, using

pins

5, 5 either spot-welded to the horizontal leg 30, or afiixed by a press fit in holes pierced through the leg. The

pins

5, 5 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive the slat end 34 therebetween.

Medially of the bed rail 16, the

lugs

3, 3 are pierced upwardly in such a manner as to present their opposing inner edges '4, 4 to the bed slat end 34. The distance between these edges is less than the width of the bed slat end. In order to'bring the slat end to rest upon the rails horizontal leg 30, the end 34 must be driven down upon the edges 4, 4 which will cut into the side edges of the slat end, fixedly connecting the medial bed slat to the side rails. This connection can be made with a hammer or other suitable tool. Or, the slat end can be pre-notched at its side edges to slidingly receive the edges 4, 4 of the

upstanding lugs

3, 3. When thus connected by the medial bed slat 22, the side rails 16 will be substantially restrained against outward bulging or bending, medially of their length, under normal static or dynamic loading.

A modified form of medial restraint means is illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein pierced

lugs

2, 2 are formed in the horizontal leg 30, in the manner described above when disposed adjacent the ends of the side rail body 26, with an intermediate upstanding pointed lug 7 adapted to spear and enter the slat end 34. Under the static load imposed by the box spring 18 and mattress 20, the medial slat 22 firmly and positively connects the two side rails 16 together at the pointed lugs 7 of each side rail. Thus, outward bulging of the side rails is substantially restrained.

An alternative lug construction is illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein the lugs are provided in bracket members affixed to the side rail legs by spot-welding or other suitable means. The brackets 50, for locating the slats 22 adjacent the ends of the side rail body 26, are made with a pair of parallel lugs '52, 52 extending from the connecting web 54 which is secured to the vertical leg 28 by spot-welding, as illustrated in FIG. 4, or by other suitable means. The lugs are spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive the slat end 34 therebetween, and their height, when secured to the leg 28, is no higher than the top surface of the slat 22 upon which the box spring 18 rests.

The medial bracket 60 (FIG. 4) is provided with

upstanding lugs

62, 62 spaced apart a distance such that their inner edges 64, 64 will cut into the side edges of the slat end 34 when forced therebetween and down onto the bracket web 66 which is spot-welded to the horizontal bed rail leg 30.

Although the

lugs

2, 2 and 5, 5 are shown extending from the horizontal leg 30 of the side rail body 26, these lugs may be alternatively provided in the vertical leg 28. The brackets 50 shown attached to the vertical leg 28 may alternatively be atfixed to the horizontal leg 30.

Upon forming the slat lugs in or attaching them to the bed side rail body 26 as described above, the bed slats 22 are placed between the lugs and the box spring and mattress are laid upon the slats in accordance with the usual practice. The slats adjacent the ends of the bed cannot shift longitudinally, being restrained by the

lugs

2, 2 or 5, 5 or 52, 52, nor can they shift transversely, as they are limited by the

vertical legs

28, 28 of the side rails.

The wooden slat 22 disposed medially of the side rails is firmly engaged by and connected to the

lugs

3, 3 at their edges 4, 4 or to the

lugs

62, 62 at their edges 64, 64,

4 r or by the piercing lugs 7, whereby outward bulging or bending of the medial portion of the side rails is substantially restrained.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, further modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference should be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A metallic bed side rail structure, for a bed frame having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel side rails adapted to support and maintain a plurality of transversely disposed bed slats in substantially parallel longitudinally spaced apart relationship thereon, each such side rail structure comprising in combination a unitary body having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg extending at right angles from the lower longitudinal edge of said vertical leg, first lug means provided in said body in at least one of said legs adjacent the longitudinal ends of said body,

said first lug means comprising a pair of lugs pierced from said one leg and projecting inwardly of said body and adapted to engage an end of said bed slat therebetween to restrain said bed slat from movement longitudinally of said body,

the height of said lugs being no greater than the thickness of said bed slat disposed therebetween.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said projecting lugs are pierced from said horizontal leg and project upwardly therefrom.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, and including second lug means provided in said body and extending inwardly thereof from at least one of said legs substantially medially the length of said body and having at least one projecting upstanding lug adapted to pierce and secure one of said bed slats at an end thereof from movement transversely of said body. 4. The structure defined in claim 3, wherein said second lug means comprises a pair of projecting spaced apart lugs pierced from said body,

said lugs being disposed in substantially planar alignment,

the distance between the inner opposed edges of said lugs being less than the width of said one bed slat adapted to be disposed therebetween, said lugs being adapted to bite into and thus engage the lateral side edges of said one bed slat.

5. The structure defined in claim 3, wherein said second lug means comprises a pair of projecting lugs pierced from said body,

said lugs being disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship a distance sufficient to to receive said bed slat end closely there between, and

a third lug pierced from said body in parallel with said pair of projecting lugs and intermediate thereof, and having bed slat piercing means,

said third lug being adapted to pierce the body of said one bed slat when the latter is disposed between said projecting lugs and is brought to rest upon said one leg.

6. A metallic bed side rail structure for a bed frame having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel side rails adapted to support and maintain a plurality of transversely disposed bed slats in substantially parallel longitudinally spaced apart relationship thereon,

each said side rail structure comprising a unitary side rail body having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg, and

lug means pierced from and provided in at least one of said legs including a pair of complementary lugs spaced apart from each other a distance sui'ficient to receive one end of a bed slat therebetween and to restrict movement of said bed slat longitudinally of said side rail body, said lugs projecting from said one leg in the plane of said side rail body and of said bed slat end.

7. The structure defined in claim 6, wherein the upper edges of said lugs lie substantially in the plane of said bed slat end.

8. The structure defined in claim 6, wherein said spaced apart pair of lugs secure said bed slat end therebetween in substantially close adjacent relationship.

9. The structure defined in claim 6, wherein each said side rail structure is provided with said lug means for an end of each bed slat supported thereon.

10. The structure defined in claim 6, wherein said lug means are integrally formed in said rail body, said pair of lugs being pierced from a leg thereof.

11. The structure defined in claim 6, wherein both said lugs of said pair are disposed in parallel aligned relationship, one with the other.

12. The structure defined in claim 10, wherein said pair of lugs are pierced from said horizontal leg and project upwardly therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,470 5/1883 Ellis 5238 746,211 12/1903 Webb 5'238 797,011 8/1905 Mosier 5-238 1,014,452 1/1912 Chinter 5238 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner