WO2005085123A1

WO2005085123A1 - Pocketted spring units

Info

Publication number: WO2005085123A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/000729
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon Paul Spinks
Original assignee: A Harrison (Bedding) Limited
Priority date: 2004-03-04
Filing date: 2005-02-28
Publication date: 2005-09-15
Also published as: GB0617468D0; GB2426926A; GB2426926B; GB0404823D0

Abstract

A method of forming a pocketted spring unit including the steps of locating a plurality of rows of springs (2) in adjacent relationship between layers (4, 6) of fabric or other suitable material, the axis of each of said springs (2) being substantially mutually parallel, and thereafter joining said layers of fabric (4, 6) or other suitable material together between said rows and between the springs (2) in each row of springs (2) so as to form a number of discrete pockets (56) each containing a spring (2), the height of each spring (2) when located in its pocket (56) being less than its width or diameter, the orientation of said springs (2) remaining substantially the same throughout the formation of said spring unit.

Description

POCKETTED SPRING UNITS

This invention relates to pocketted spring units for use, for example,

in beds, divan beds, mattresses, and other upholstered units such as

chairs, settees etc, and for use in other items such as cushions and

pillows and the like, and the expression 'upholstered unit' should be

construed accordingly. The invention also relates to a method of

forming such pocketted spring units.

Pocketted spring units are conventionally formed by a method which

includes the step of inserting the springs between layers of fabric or

other suitable material in which the axis of each spring lies in a first

disposition, and includes the further step of rotating the springs

through approximately 90° such that the axis of each spring is moved

from its first disposition to a second disposition once the springs have

been located in their respective pockets.

The above-described steps in a conventional method of forming

pocketted spring units are very time-consuming and expensive,

resulting in increased costs for the finished pocketted spring unit - and hence the items in which the pocketted spring unit will be used -

and the present invention seeks to provide an improved method of

forming pocketted spring units, and items incorporating such units, in

which the above-mentioned drawbacks are obviated.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a

method of forming a pocketted spring unit including the steps of

locating a plurality of rows of springs in adjacent relationship

between layers of fabric or other suitable material, the axis of each of

said springs being substantially mutually parallel, and thereafter

joining said layers of fabric or other suitable material together

between said rows and between the springs in each row of springs so

as to form a number of discrete pockets each containing a spring, the

height of each spring when located in its pocket being less than its

width or diameter, the orientation of said springs remaining

substantially the same throughout the formation of said spring unit.

Preferably, the layers of fabric or other suitable material will be joined together both longitudinally and laterally so as to form said

discrete pockets.

The layers of fabric or other suitable material will be constituted by two or more discrete layers or a folded over single piece of fabric or

other suitable material.

The layers of fabric or other suitable material will preferably be

joined together by heat welding, sonic welding, stitching, or a

combination thereof, or by any other suitable means.

The method may include the additional step of cutting the formed

pocketted spring unit to the desired length and width such that the

resulting spring unit comprises a predetermined number of pocketted

springs, and the method may include the additional step of

compressing the springs before or whilst said springs are located

between the layers of fabric or other suitable material and before said

layers are joined together. The springs of the pocketted spring unit may all be the same such that

the firmness of the pocketted spring unit is uniform throughout the

unit, or alternatively differing springs may be used such that the

firmness of the pocketted spring unit varies in differing zones or areas

of the unit.

Each row of springs may have a plurality of single springs therein, or

alternatively each row of springs may comprises superposed springs,

i.e. one above another, such that each 'spring' comprises a plurality of

springs.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is

provided a pocketted spring unit comprising a plurality of springs,

each of said springs being located in a discrete pocket of fabric or

other suitable material, the height of each spring when located in its

pocket being less than the width or diameter of said spring.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example,

reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a plurality of springs and layers of fabric or

other suitable material in a first position;

Figure 2 is a view of the springs and layers of fabric or other suitable

material after being formed into a pocketted spring unit;

Figure 3 is a plan view on Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a variation

thereof;

Figure 5 is a plan view on Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a still further

variation thereof;

Figure 7 shows yet a further variation of the invention;

Figure 8 is a schematic representation of an upholstered unit such as a

mattress incorpprating pocketted spring units formed in accordance

with the invention;

Figure 9 shows part of another form of upholstered unit such as a

mattress incorporating pocketted spring units formed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, but showing a variation

thereof; and

Figure 11 is a view of another form of upholstered unit incorporating

a pocketted spring unit formed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figures 1 to 3, a plurality of

springs, three of which are indicated by reference numerals 2, are

shown positioned between two layers 4 and 6 of fabric or other

suitable material. Said layers may be two discrete layers or they may

be formed by folding over a single sheet of fabric or other suitable

material.

It will be understood that the number of springs which will form the

pocketted spring unit will be greater than is shown in Figure 1, such

number to a large extent being dependent upon the nature and size of

the machine or apparatus on which the pocketted spring unit will be

formed. The springs 2 will be arranged in rows with their axes generally

mutually parallel, and with, as will be seen in Figure 1, spaces

between the rows. There will also be spaces between the springs in

each row of springs. The springs 2 may be any form of spring such

as conventional springs as shown in the drawing, or they may be

conical or barrel-shaped springs, or indeed any other form used in

the manufacture of upholstered units such as beds, mattresses, etc.

In order to form a pocketted spring unit, part of which is indicated

generally by reference numeral 16 in Figure 2, pressure is applied in

the directions of arrows 8,10 and 12, 14 such that the layers 4 and 6 of

fabric or other suitable material move towards one another between

adjacent springs. The application of pressure will be both laterally

and longitudinally - as indicated by reference numerals 34 and 32 in

Figure 3 - between each row of springs and between the springs in

each row of springs, so as to form a plurality of generally square

pockets, three of which are shown at 18, 20, and 22. As will be seen

from Figure 2, the layers 4 and 6 of fabric or other suitable material, during the application of pressure as afore-mentioned, are joined

together at the positions shown at 24, 26, 28, and 30. The joining

together of the two layers 4 and 6 is by heat welding, sonic welding,

or stitching, or a combination thereof, or by any other suitable means.

The formation of the pockets simultaneously encloses the springs

within said pockets, such that each spring is located in its own

discrete pocket.

It will be seen from Figure 2 that when the springs are enclosed in

their respective pockets, the height of each spring is less than its

width or diameter, and it will also be seen that the orientation of the

springs remains substantially the same throughout the formation of

the pocketted spring unit.

The formed pocketted spring unit 16 will be of any desired length and

width, subject to the capabilities of the machine or apparatus on

which it is formed, it being understood that the formed unit may be cut to the required length and width to suit the particular application

of the pocketted spring unit.

If desired, a sheet or padding of filling material may be positioned

between the upper extremities of the springs and the upper layer 4 of

the fabric or other suitable material.

The springs 2 may vary in a number of ways such that the formed

pocketted spring unit 16 may have differing degrees of firmness in

differing zones or areas of the pocketted spring unit. For example, the

left-hand (in Figure 3) two rows of springs 2 may be formed of a wire

gauge which is different to the gauge of the wire of the springs 2 in

the right-hand (in Figure 3) two rows of springs of the pocketted

spring unit. Thus the springs 2 in the left-hand two rows of springs

may be formed of wire having a gauge of 1.52, whilst the springs in

the right-hand two rows of springs may be formed of a wire having a

gauge of 1.73. Thus the springs in the right-hand rows of springs will

be firmer than those in the left-hand rows of springs. It will be appreciated that the above is given as an example only, it

being understood that the springs may be varied at pre-selected areas

or zones of the formed pocketted spring unit so as to vary the

firmness - in selected areas or zones - of an upholstered unit, such as

a bed or mattress for example, in which the pocketted spring unit is

incorporated.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen that adjacent springs

in each row of springs and adjacent springs of the rows of springs are

of differing diameters. Thus the springs 40 are of a greater diameter

than the springs 42, and this would have a direct impact on the height

of the springs, i.e. the less the diameter of the springs the greater the

height of the appropriate pocket. An arrangement like this would

enable the pocketted spring unit, and perhaps more importantly an

upholstered unit such as a bed or mattress, to have a firmness to

match the contours of a user of the upholstered unit.

Figure 6 shows a variation of the invention in that the pocketted spring unit is a 2-up , i.e. each row of springs comprises superposed

springs, and instead of using just two layers of fabric or other

suitable material as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, a third

intermediate layer is used. Thus, in Figure 6, there is a top layer 50 of

fabric or other suitable material, a bottom layer 52, and an inter¬

mediate layer 54, the intermediate layer 54 being common to both

pockets 56 and 58. The pockets 56 and 58 will be formed in the same

way as previously described with the additional feature of the three

layers 50, 52, and 54 being connected together at 60 between adjacent

rows and also between adjacent springs in each row of springs,

although these latter positions are not seen in the drawing. Each of the

pockets contains a spring, two of which are indicated by reference

numerals 62 and 64, the springs being of the same form as regards

width or diameter and height.

It will be appreciated that each row of springs could comprise three or

more superposed springs, so as to form a 3 -up, 4-up etc pocketted

spring unit. Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but in Figure 7 the springs in

each row of springs are of differing forms. In Figure 7, the pockets

70 and 72 are formed by three layers of fabric or other suitable

material, a top layer 74, a bottom layer 76, and an intermediate layer

78. The pockets 70 each contain a barrel spring 80, and the pockets

72 each contain a barrel or conical spring 82, the springs 80 and 82

being of differing forms. It will be seen that the springs 82 are

generally of a lesser width or diameter than the springs 80 such that

the springs 82 sit inside the springs 80 to the extent that upon or prior

to compression of the pocketted spring unit in use, the springs 82,

through the intermediary of the layer 78 of fabric or other suitable

material, will either engage the springs 80 or alternatively will engage

the top layer 74 of fabric or other suitable material.

With reference now to Figure 8, this shows a schematic

representation of an upholstered unit - in particular a mattress -

incorporating pocketted spring units formed in accordance with the

invention. The mattress, indicated generally by reference numeral 84, has zones or areas of differing firmness. Thus the mattress 84 has

zones or areas 86, 88, and 90 of a predetermined firmness, for

example by using a certain gauge of wire for the springs contained in

these zones or areas, and zones or areas 92 and 94 containing

pocketted spring units formed in accordance with the invention. It

will, however, be appreciated that the mattress may include more or

less of the zones or areas 92 and 94.

Figure 9 shows part of an upholstered unit - in particular a mattress -

incorporating pocketted spring units formed in accordance with the

invention. The mattress 96 comprises two pocketted spring units 98

and 100 and layers 102,104 of foam or other material such as latex, so

as to form a 'sandwich' effect, it being understood that the number of

pocketted spring units and the number of layers of foam or other

material may vary from that shown in the drawing.

Referring now to Figure 10, there is shown a diagrammatic

representation of an upholstered unit, specifically a mattress 106, including a conventionally formed pocketted spring unit 108 and a

pocketted spring unit 110 formed in accordance with the invention.

Such a mattress may also include a pocketted spring unit 110 below

the pocketted spring unit 108 so as to sandwich the unit 108 between

pocketted spring units 110. It will be understood however that the

pocketted spring unit 108 may be replaced by an open-coil unit.

Such arrangements as described with reference to Figure 10 have the

benefit that the spring count of the resultant mattress - or other

upholstered unit - may be increased in a cost-effective manner, and,

with the open-coil unit, the mattress - or other upholstered unit - may

be converted to a part-pocketted spring unit at a relatively low cost.

Figure 11 illustrates the use of a pocketted spring unit formed in

accordance with the invention in a pillow, cushion, or chair or other

seat. The pillow comprises an outer case 114 of conventionally used

material, such as cotton, polyester, etc., in which is located a

pocketted spring unit 114 formed in accordance with the invention. If desired, filling (not shown) may also be used in conjunction with the

unit 114. The pocketted spring unit 114 may have zones or areas of

differing firmness when manufactured. The benefit of such a pillow -

or chair or other seat - is that it will not flatten like conventional

pillows, but it will maintain a high degree of comfort, returning to its

uncompressed state when not in use.

Pocketted spring units formed in accordance with the invention are

usable in many applications, such as mattresses, toppings for

mattresses, pillows, cushions, seats etc., and in other types of

upholstered units such as beds, divan beds and the like, and in any

other situation where a ready assembled spring unit is usable.

Thus the invention provides pocketted spring units - having many

uses - which are easily and conveniently produced by the simple

methods described hereinabove, said methods obviating the draw¬

backs and disadvantages of known methods of forming pocketted

spring units. Finally, it will be appreciated that, where appropriate or desired, the

springs may be compressed along their axes before being or whilst

located between the layers of fabric or other suitable material, and

that before being located in the formed pockets, the springs may have

a greater height than width or diameter.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of forming a pocketted spring unit including the

steps of locating a plurality of rows of springs in adjacent relationship

between layers of fabric or other suitable material, the axis of each of

said springs being substantially mutually parallel, and thereafter

joining said layers of fabric or other suitable material together

between said rows and between the springs in each row of springs so

as to form a number of discrete pockets each containing a spring, the

height of each spring when located in its pocket being less than its

width or diameter, the orientation of said springs remaining

substantially the same throughout the formation of said spring unit.

2. A method according to Claim 1 , wherein the layers of fabric

or other suitable material are joined together both longitudinally and

laterally so as to form said discrete pockets.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the layers of fabric or other suitable material are constituted by two or more

discrete layers or a folded over single piece of fabric or other

suitable material.

4. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said

layers of fabric or other suitable material are joined together by heat

welding, sonic welding, stitching, or a combination thereof, or by any

other suitable means.

5. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 4, including the

additional step of cutting the formed pocketted spring unit to the

desired length and width such that the resultant pocketted spring unit

comprises a predetermined number of pocketted springs.

6. A method according to Claim 5, including the additional step

of compressing the springs before or whilst said springs are located

between the layers of fabric or other suitable material and before said

layers are joined together.

7. A method according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein

the springs of the pocketted spring unit are all the same such that the

firmness of the pocketted spring unit is uniform throughout the unit.

8. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein differing

springs are used such that the firmness of the pocketted spring unit is

variable in differing zones or areas of the pocketted spring unit.

9. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein each row

of springs has a plurality of single springs therein.

10. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein each row

of springs comprises superposed springs, i.e. one spring above

another spring, such that each spring comprises a plurality of springs.

11. A pocketted spring unit comprising a plurality of springs, each

of said springs being located in a discrete pocket of fabric or other

suitable material, the height of each spring when located in its pocket being less than the width or diameter of said spring.

12. A pocketted spring unit according to Claim 11, wherein said

springs are all the same such that the firmness of the pocketted spring

unit is uniform throughout the pocketted spring unit.

13. A pocketted spring unit according to Claim 11 , wherein

differing springs are used such that the firmness of the pocketted

spring unit may be varied in selected zones or areas of said unit.

14. An upholstered unit including a pocketted spring unit

according to any of Claims 1 to 13.

15. A mattress, bed or divan bed including a pocketted spring

unit according to any of Claims 1 to 13.

16. A mattress, bed or divan bed including a plurality of pocketted

spring units according to any of Claims 1 to 13.

17. A mattress, bed or divan bed according to Claim 15 or Claim

16, including one or more layers of foam or other material such as

latex.

18. A pillow, cushion, chair or other seat comprising a pocketted spring unit according to any of Claims 1 to 13 located in an outer

casing of cotton, polyester or like material.