Abstract:
Extruded foam reinforcement pieces are described for assembly in connection with innerspring assemblies and mattresses. The pieces have optimized cross-sectional configurations which can be consistently extruded in continuous strands which are then cut to length according to the type and size of innerspring assembly. The pieces are configured to engage various components of the innerspring, including spring coils, spaces between spring coils, and framing borderwires. The foam reinforcement pieces facilitate attachment and alignment of overlying material such as padding and upholstery and function to improve the support characteristics of an innerspring. Various embodiments of extruded foam reinforcement pieces include a support element configured to attach about the exterior of a single coil at a corner of an innerspring; a relatively short span side wall support which engages vertically between coils adjacent a vertical side wall of the innerspring; and a tapered edge structure configured to fit over side edges of an innerspring, with padding and upholstery attachable over each of the various foam reinforcement structures to improve the form and strength of an innerspring assembly.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains generally to flexible support structures such as seating and bedding and, more particularly, to internal flexible structures for use in mattresses and furniture. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Innerspring assemblies for mattresses or seating structures such as sofas are generally composed of a plurality of spring coils tied together in a matrix or array. In a mattress innerspring, border wires usually encircle both the upper and lower perimeters of support surfaces formed by the ends of the vertically oriented coils. The border wires are connected to convolutions of the perimetrical springs by hog rings. The border wires are attached to top and bottom convolutions of the perimeter coils. Alternatively, the coils may have offset sections located near the ends which extend radially beyond the terminal convolutions, and wherein the terminal convolutions extend axially beyond the offset sections, as described for example in Sealy U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,088. It is a common practice to overlap the terminal convolutions of adjacent spring coils in a row, and then wind even smaller diameter helical spring coils, referred to as cross-helicals, across the rows to encircle the overlapped terminal convolution portions. Such an innerspring construction is described for example in Sealy U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,572. Other types of innersprings may have spring and support elements made or plastic or composite materials. 
     With respect to the perimeter of the innerspring assemblies of mattresses, there are some general considerations of construction and manufacture. In the normal use of a mattress, the edges of the innerspring are subjected to greater compression forces than the interior of the innerspring, largely due to the common practice of sitting on the edge of the bed. The added stresses and strains on the edges of the innerspring are evident in a general rounding of the mattress at the perimeter, creating a condition known as “roll-off”. This is especially true of the edges and corners of a mattress which are the weakest structural points of the mattress, particularly in lower end mattress designs in which the innerspring assemblies rely entirely on the weight bearing ability of the coils for the mattress to maintain its shape. The innerspring can further give the impression of a degree of softness it does not have, since a person sitting on the edge provides a much more concentrated load on the underlying springs than a prone body upon a central portion of the innerspring. 
     Different types of reinforcements have been used in connection with innerspring assemblies to overcome these weaknesses. For example, Sealy U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,532 describes various foam structures interlockingly engaged with mattress innersprings to improve the shape and support characteristics. Some of the foam shapes described, though highly functional, are rather complex and therefore somewhat difficult to manufacture and assemble. Extrusion of foam pieces of different cross-sectional configurations has been proven to be efficient, so long as the shape is not overly complex. Also, dimensional tolerance is sometimes difficult to achieve given the somewhat unpredictable expansion behavior of different types of foam as it exits the extrusion die. Therefore, foam pieces of relatively simple cross-sectional configuration are preferable for consistency. Also, smaller and more compact foam pieces are easier to engage with innerspring assemblies. Large or long structures have a tendency to disengage before the padding and upholstery is attached over the foam to secure it in place. The assembly of mattresses is largely a manual process. In particular, the installation of padding and upholstery to the top and bottom surfaces of the innerspring and about the borderwire is very difficult. Much dimensional variation can occur in the process, due to deflection of the springs and compression of the padding material, resulting in uneven seam lines. Adding structural elements to the innerspring. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     In view of the difficulties and drawbacks encountered with previous innerspring; reinforcement structures, there is a need for various types of modular innerspring reinforcements which provide rigidity and shape-retention of the innerspring. There is also a need for relatively simple mattress reinforcement structures which are easy to manufacture to consistent tolerances, and easy to install in a manual assembly process. 
     The present invention provides four different types of extruded foam innerspring reinforcement structures of relatively simple geometry, which are easy to manufacture and install or engage with an innerspring. The four types of innerspring reinforcement structures include: 1) a corner coil reinforcement member; 2) a side wall reinforcement member having a planar wall section, 3) a single piece side wall reinforcement, and 4) a tapered edge reinforcement member. 
     In one aspect of the invention, there is provided an extruded foam corner coil reinforcement configured to fit axially about an outer diameter of each of the corner coils of an innerspring unit, and between upper and lower border wires. The corner coil reinforcement structure substantially strengthens the innerspring at the corners and improves the dimensional stability and appearance of the overlying padding and upholstery. 
     In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an extruded foam reinforcement structure configured for engagement with coils of the innerspring to substantially strengthen the sides of the innerspring. One or more vertically disposed vertical members are engaged between the turns of adjacent coils at the perimeter of the innerspring. A planar wall portion is attached to the vertical members to closely abut the perimetric coils and provide a smooth substantially rigid side wall to the innerspring over which padding and upholstery is attached. 
     And in another aspect of the invention, there is provided a tapered anti-roll-off extruded foam structure adapted to fit at an edge of a supporting surface of an innerspring. The structure provides a surface edge which is tapered inward from the edge toward the center of the innerspring support surface, and a registration lip which fits over a borderwire or top edge of the perimetric coils of the innerspring, to accurately position the edge structure. The edge structure counters the roll-off effect of innersprings. 
     The invention further includes innerspring assemblies in combination with all or combinations of some of the four disclosed reinforcement structures. 
     These and other novel aspects of the invention are herein described in particularized detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. While shown in certain preferred and alternate embodiments, it will be appreciated that the basic concepts and forms of the invention could be implemented in other equivalent ways which are nonetheless within the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims and equivalents thereof. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a top view showing a surface of a mattress including an innerspring corner reinforcement according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is side sectional view depicting the arrangement of the mattress including the innerspring corner reinforcement of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top sectional view of the mattress including the innerspring corner reinforcement of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial top view of an innerspring in combination with innerspring side wall support components of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a tapered innerspring edge structure of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an elevation of a corner and edge portion of an innerspring including an innerspring corner reinforcement and a tapered edge structure of the present invention, and 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B are views of an alternate embodiment of an innerspring side wall extruded support structure of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one aspect or embodiment of the invention in the form of an extruded structural foam innerspring corner coil reinforcement member  12  for use with an innerspring assembly or “innerspring”  20  such as the interconnected matrix of steel wire coils in a typical mattress, indicated generally at  10 . In the mattress innerspring  20 , a plurality of coils  22  are arranged in an interconnected matrix to form a flexible core structure and support surfaces of the mattress  10 . Upper and lower border wires  24 ,  26  are attached to the upper and lower end turns of the coils  22  at the perimeter of the array to create a frame about the upper and lower edges of the innerspring. The coils  22  are connected to the border wires  24 ,  26  and each other through interconnection helical wires  28 . Upholstery  32  covers the entire innerspring, the structural reinforcement members, and all of the padding and materials on the innerspring. A substantial amount of padding  30  covers the major flat sides of the innerspring. It may be in layers and include cotton batting, slab or convoluted foam or other types of resilient, absorbent or fire or moisture resistant textiles or materials. 
     The innerspring corner coil reinforcement member  12  functions as a structural reinforcement and support member. It has a flexible body portion  40  formed of an extruded polymer foam such as polyurethane, polyethylene, or other types of polymers suitable for use in foam product formation processes such as extrusion. In a particular embodiment, the flexible body portion is substantially cylindrical and has a hollow central region  42  for receiving the corner coil  22 . The flexible body portion  40  extends between the upper and lower border wires  24 ,  26  and is held securely in this position by axial compression between the border wires, and by radial compression about the body of the corner coil  22 , or in other words by frictional contact with the outer diameter of the helical turns of the coil  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the flexible body portion surrounds at least 80% of the corner coil  22 , but any extent that would provide the desired support and sufficient frictional attachment about the external diameter of the coil could be used and is within the scope of the invention. 
     The innerspring corner coil reinforcement member  12  is particularly advantageous in the process of mattress construction, by providing a substantially rigid corner structure about which the described padding and upholstery is placed and secured by sewing. Compression of the innerspring at the border wire edges, and particularly at the corners, is problematic for the assembler trying to achieve uniformity in the nominal thickness of the mattress padding, and straight sewn seam lines. By making the corners of the innerspring substantially rigid, the corner coil reinforcement member  12  creates a stiff framework about which the upholstery can be stretched tight, compressing the padding and creating a neat finished appearance to the mattress. 
     The corner member  12  is preferably manufactured by a continuous extrusion process of foam forming material forced through an extrusion die cut to a shape which corresponds to the desired shape of the product when the foam is fully foamed. The extruded shape is then cut to the desired length, e.g., to the length of the corner coil  22  or the total vertical extent between the upper and lower border wires. During assembly of the mattress, the precut corner member  12  is attached about the corner coil  22  as described above so that it fits securely between the upper and lower border wires  24 ,  26 . In this way, the corner member  12  provides stability to the corner in the vertical direction, thereby providing a gauge to the assembler to insure that a proper amount of padding is secured to the innerspring  20 , a proper amount of padding is secured to the innerspring  20 , and that the proper tension is placed on the upholstery material during securement. In this way, the present corner member provides a precise method of producing a mattress with a consistent padding content, upholstery tension and fit, and uniform appearance. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the cross-section of an especially preferred embodiment of the corner coil reinforcement member  12  wherein the body portion  40  includes an arcuate exterior wall  41  and an arcuate interior wall  43 . The radius of curvature of the exterior wall  41  is approximately equal to that of a bend in the border wire  24  at the innerspring corner, and defines the radius of the exterior upholstery  32 . The radius of curvature of the interior wall  43  is slightly larger than that of the exterior wall  41 , and is slightly recessed within exterior wall  41 , behind extensions  47  of the exterior wall. The extensions  47  further promote engagement of the structure  12  with the innerspring. A split  45  in interior wall  43  allows the structure  12  to be installed about the circumference of corner coil  22 . The opposing legs of interior wall  43 , on either side of split  45 , are slightly tapered and dimensioned to fit between the corner coil and the two coils adjacent to the corner coil. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the invention further includes compact extruded foam side wall reinforcement structures, indicated generally at  50 , configured for engagement with the lateral edges of an innerspring  20 . The foam side wall structures  50  include a planar wall portion  54  and one or two vertical members  52  which are configured to fit between the helical turns of adjacent coils on the perimeter or side of the innerspring  20 . In practice, the vertical members  52  are integrally formed with the flat planar wall portion  51 , and the intersection of these elements is curved to form partial cylindrical cavities in which the coil bodies fit. The planar wall portion  54  preferably has a height approximately equal to a thickness dimension of the innerspring as measured from the upper to lower border wires  24 , and a length dimension at least equal to the lateral spacing of the vertical members  52 , and preferably slightly longer. The vertical members  52  are selectively spaced to fit between immediately adjacent coils as shown in FIG. 4, or alternately two or more coils apart so that the planar member  54  spans several adjacent coils of the innerspring side. Although several wall structures  50  are thus needed to traverse an entire side of the innerspring, this is actually preferable to a long, continuous structure which cannot be efficiently or economically extruded through a foam extrusion die process. For example, a continuous innerspring side wall reinforcement piece may have ten or twenty or more, vertical elements to interlock between the coils. This presents an unwieldy piece geometry to produce by an extrusion process, and requires a very complex and expensive extrusion die, with multiple cavities for the vertical coil-engaging members which extend from the planar side wall. Also, side wall parts made to run the length of an innerspring are awkward to ship and inventory. Separate parts are required for the innerspring end walls, adding to the shipping and inventory burden. By dividing the side wall reinforcement structure up into relatively short segments which engage between only one, two or several coils as in the present invention, a universal part  50  is provided which is economical to manufacture, easy to assembly, and can be used on the length or width side walls of an innerspring. 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an alternate embodiment of extruded foam innerspring side wall reinforcement structures, indicated generally at  70 . Each piece  70  is configured with a contoured body portion  72  having a first set of opposed and radiused detents  74  dimensioned to fit securely between the outer circumference of two adjacent coils  22 . The first set of detents  74  terminate at an inboard end at a midsection  76  which, once forced between and past the radii of the opposing coils  22 , secures the piece  70  in position therebetween. The piece is further secured at an outboard end by head  78  which has a generally planar surface  80  to define an outermost vertical plane to the innerspring side wall, over which padding and upholstery will be applied. The linear spacing between the head  78  and midsection  76  is designed according to the outer diameter of the turns of the coils  22 . The midsection  76  has generally planar vertically oriented side walls  77  which are positioned between the outer and next interior rows of coils. By this design, the piece  70  is securely engaged between the coils. An extension section  82 , having a second set of radiused detents  79 , extends inboard beyond midsection  76 , to reach the next inboard row of coils, and to extend at least partially between the next row of coils. This section  82  further engages the piece  70  with the innerspring assembly, making it more stable and integrated with the dynamics of the innerspring under various loads. The vertical extent of the piece  70  is defined by upper and lower ends  71  and  73 , dimensioned to fit between the respective upper and lower border wires  24 , which further engage the piece  70  by compression. Although illustrated between every other coil, any number and spacing of pieces  70  between the coils can be made to reinforce the innerspring  20  near the perimeter. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another type of extruded foam reinforcement structure for use in connection with the edges of the planar supporting surfaces of an innerspring assembly. An anti-roll-off tapered edge piece  60  is a continuous extruded foam piece which has a tapered top surface  62  angled inward from a vertical wall  63  positioned approximately over the innerspring edge at borderwire  24 . A mounting surface  64  extends from the innerspring edge (defined by borderwire  24 ) toward the center of the innerspring, joining the tapered top surface  62  at essentially the top supporting surface of the innerspring  20  and inboard of the borderwire-defined edge by, e.g. several inches. This point of intersection is identified as the “inboard apex”  65 . Extending downward at substantially a right angle from surface  64  is a flange  66  configured to closely abut the lateral edge of the innerspring  20  and borderwire  24 . The flange or lip  66  facilitates accurate positioning and registration of the tapered edge piece  60  along the surface perimeter of the innerspring  20 , before, during and after installation of padding and upholstery. The lip  66  has a distal end  67  which faces and may be in contact with an edge of the planar wall portion of a side wall reinforcement structure  50 , to form a continuous rigid foam structure along the side of the innerspring and over the edge on which tapered edge piece  60  fits. The anti-roll-off tapered edge piece  60  functions to counteract the tendency of innerspring edges to compress to a greater extent than other areas. The tapered edge piece  60  also provides a semi-rigid edge guide by which the fit and finish of the outer upholstery is improved. Also, the tapered edge piece  60  creates in essence a well on the surrounded support surface of the innerspring which is filled by padding material, for example equal in height to the rise of the tapered edge. This allows installation of a substantial amount of padding without creating excessively rounded edges, which require greater tension on the covering upholstery and contributes to the roll-off effect. 
     The relatively simple cross-sectional configuration of the tapered edge piece  60  is highly suitable for production by a continuous foam extrusion processes, from which appropriate lengths are cut to extend along each of the side edges of an innerspring. The described extruded foam reinforcement pieces can be advantageously used in combination in connection with a common innerspring, and in combination with other types of foam structures. For example, foam pieces fit internal to the innerspring, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,116, may be used in conjunction with the corner coil reinforcement  12 , side wall support structures  50 , and tapered edge  60 . As mentioned, the discrete foam pieces are easily manufactured by continuous extrusion, cut to design lengths, and easily assembled with the innerspring, The modular nature of the pieces, and the lack of any separate fasteners, enables flexible and customized production of a wider variety of mattress models having differing support characteristics. 
     As described hereinabove, the present invention solves many problems associated with previous type apparatuses. However it will be appreciated that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention will be expressed in the appended claims.