Multi-sectional sinuous spring for furniture

Method and apparatus for an improved sinuous spring for use on the seat box of a piece of furniture. The sinuous spring includes three pieces wherein a middle piece or section is placed in between a front and rear section. After the middle section is placed between the other two sections, the middle section would be folded so as to be disposed under one section and over the top of the other section and then clipped securely so that a single piece of spring having the correct length and tension is formed in the process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to furniture and more particularly, is concerned with a device for multi-sectional sinuous spring for use with the seat box of a piece of furniture.

Description of the Related Art

Devices relevant to the present invention have been described in the related art; however, none of the related art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention.

While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. As will be shown by way of explanation and drawings, the present invention works in a novel manner and differently from the related art.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for providing an improved sinuous, i.e., zig-zag, spring for use on the seat box of a piece of furniture. The sinuous spring of the present invention includes three pieces wherein a middle piece or section is placed in between a front and rear section. After the middle section is placed between the other two sections, the middle section would be folded so as to be disposed under one section and over the top of the other section and then clipped securely so that a single piece of spring of the correct length and tension is formed in the process.

An object of the present invention is to improve safety in a furniture manufacturing facility. A further object of the present invention is to provide a three-piece, sinuous spring for use with the seat box of a piece of furniture. A further object of the present invention is to reduce the costs of manufacturing furniture. A further object of the present invention is to provide a sinuous spring which can be more easily assembled by an operator in a furniture manufacturing facility. A further object of the present invention is to provide a sinuous spring which can be more easily manipulated by an operator in a furniture manufacturing facility. A further object of the present invention is to provide a sinuous spring which can be relatively easily and inexpensively manufactured.

The present invention has many advantages over the prior art. The present invention provides a multi-section sinuous or zigzag furniture spring having three sections with each section being joined to each other by a clip or like fastener. One advantage of this spring is that it would be easier to install on the piece of furniture. Conventional sinuous wire springs compose the seat section of the vast majority of upholstered furniture made in the United States wherein the sinuous spring is installed by clipping it on the back of a sofa rail and then pulling it toward the clips in the front of the sofa rail. This procedure is generally the hardest job in an upholstery plant and also the source of the largest number of injuries to workers and workers compensation claims. The three-piece spring of the present invention would minimize the effort performed by the workers and reduce injuries to workers and workers compensation claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.10present invention11prior art seat box12front or first rail of seat box13front rail of prior art seat box14rear or second rail of seat box15rear rail of prior art seat box16front or first sinuous spring17side rail of prior art seat box18front or first end of first sinuous spring19side rail of prior art seat box20rear or second end of first sinuous spring21spring of prior art seat box22rear or second sinuous spring23clip for spring of prior art seat box24front or first end of second sinuous spring26rear or second end of second sinuous spring28first clip30second clip32space34central or third sinuous spring36front or first end of third sinuous spring38rear or second end of third sinuous spring40third clip42fourth clip44newly formed piece of sinuous spring46fifth clip48link50first end52second end54first link clip56second link clip58third link clip

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following discussion describes in detail at least one embodiment of the present invention. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the present invention to the particular embodiments described herein since practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For a definition of the complete scope of the invention the reader is directed to the appended claims.FIGS.1through13illustrate the present invention wherein a three-piece sinuous spring for use in the seat box of a piece of furniture is disclosed and which is generally indicated by reference number10.

Turning toFIG.1, therein is shown a perspective view of a prior art seat box11including a front rail13, rear rail,15, side rails17,19, a plurality of springs21and clips23wherein a rear end of a spring21is clipped to the rear rail15and a front end of spring21is clipped to the front rail13. In standard practice, the process of clipping the spring21to the front and rear rails13,15causes many injuries during the manufacturing process for a piece of furniture. It would be understood by one skilled in the art that in this patent application the present invention10is applied to the seat box area11, i.e., seat bottom, of a piece of furniture upon which a person would sit, but it should be recognized that the principle of the present invention10could also be used in association with a seat back or other portions of a piece of furniture as a manufacturer might choose.

It should be clear that the seat box11as shown inFIG.1includes a plurality of sinuous spring members21positioned side-by-side within the area of the seat box and extending from the front rail13to the rear rail15of the seat box so that each spring member would carry a portion of the load. Each member or piece of sinuous spring21extends parallel to each other in substantially a straight line from the front rail13to the rear rail15of the seat box11. Each piece of sinuous wire21as used in the present invention10is comprised of a series of interconnecting S-shaped loops. Also, the clips23as used with the present invention10are commonly constructed of sheet metal in the furniture industry wherein the end most S-shaped portion of each spring unit21is attached to either the front rail13or rear rail15of the seat box11.

Turning toFIG.2, therein is shown the present invention10wherein a first or front rail12of a seat box (this will be shown in a separate figure) is illustrated along with a second or rear rail14of the seat box. Initially, there is shown a first or front section of sinuous spring16having a front or first end18and a rear or second end20. Also shown is a second piece of sinuous spring22having a front or first end24and a second or rear end26wherein the first end18of the first piece of sinuous spring16is attached to the first rail12with a first or front clip28and wherein the rear end26of the second sinuous spring22is attached to the rear rail14with a second or rear clip30. It should be noted that a space32is initially provided between the ends of the first and second pieces of sinuous spring16,22which space32will later receive a third piece of sinuous spring.

Turning toFIG.3, therein is shown the third piece34of sinuous spring having a first or front end36and a rear or second end38illustrating that the third piece of sinuous spring34is in position to be inserted between the free ends of the first and second pieces of sinuous pieces16,22.

Turning toFIG.4, therein is shown the third piece of sinuous spring34inserted between first16and second22pieces of sinuous spring wherein there is also shown a first or front clip40joining the front or first end of the third piece of sinuous spring34to the first piece of sinuous spring18along with a second clip42which joins the third piece of sinuous spring34to the second piece of sinuous spring22.

Turning toFIG.5, therein is shown a process by which the first or front end36of the third piece of sinuous spring34is being folded over a front end portion of the second sinuous spring22so that the third piece of sinuous spring34can be joined to the second piece of sinuous spring22to form a single piece of sinuous spring44which is shown inFIG.6.

Turning toFIG.6, therein is shown a newly formed sinuous spring44resulting from the completed folding process as shown inFIG.4wherein the sinuous spring34is folded over and joined to the second piece of sinuous spring22and clipped at46so as to form a new, single length or piece of sinuous spring44. During the manufacturing process as taught with the present invention10, each member of sinuous spring is adjusted or pulled so that it is tightened to a user-selected degree so as to support a user-selected load according to the requirements of the piece of furniture being manufactured.

Turning toFIG.7, therein is shown a plan view of the present invention10, showing the same configuration as previously shown inFIG.2, showing the three pieces of sinuous spring16,22,34which will be joined together to form a new piece44of sinuous spring. Shown is a first or front section of sinuous spring16having a front or first end18and a rear or second end20. Also shown is a second piece of sinuous spring22having a front or first end24and a second or rear end26wherein the first end18of the first piece of sinuous spring16is attached to the first rail12with a first or front clip28wherein the rear end26of the second sinuous spring22is attached to the rear rail14with a second or rear clip30.

Turning toFIG.8, therein is shown the third piece34of sinuous spring having a first or front end36and a rear or second end38illustrating that the third piece of sinuous spring34is in position to be inserted between the free ends of the first and second pieces of sinuous pieces16,22.

Turning toFIG.9, therein is shown the third piece of sinuous spring34inserted between first16and second22pieces of sinuous spring wherein there is also shown a first or front clip40joining the front or first end of the third piece of sinuous spring34to the first piece of sinuous spring18along with a second clip42which joins the third piece of sinuous spring34to the second piece of sinuous spring22.

Turning toFIG.10, therein is shown a process by which the first or front end36of the third piece of sinuous spring34is folded over a front end portion of the second sinuous spring22so that the third piece of sinuous spring34can be joined to the second piece of sinuous spring22to form single piece of sinuous spring44which is shown inFIG.6.

Turning toFIG.11, therein is shown a newly formed sinuous spring44resulting from the completed folding process wherein the sinuous spring34is folded over and joined to the second piece of sinuous spring22and clipped at46so as to form a single length of sinuous spring44. During the manufacturing process as taught with the present invention10, each member of sinuous spring is adjusted or pulled so that it is tightened to a user-selected degree so as to support a user-selected load according to the requirements of the piece of furniture being manufactured. To complete the manufacturing process, the new piece of sinuous spring44resulting by folding the middle piece of the sinuous spring over the front end of the rear piece of the sinuous spring and clipping the middle piece of the sinuous spring to the rear piece of sinuous spring would be placed inside a seat box in a side-by-side manner to form a cushioned area for being upholstered. Fifth clip46attaches all pieces of sinuous spring16,22and34together to form a single length of sinuous spring44.

Turning toFIGS.12-13, and more particularly toFIG.12, therein is shown an alternative embodiment for joining the two pieces of sinuous spring16,22to each other wherein an oval shaped link48is shown having its ends50,52joined directly to ends20,24using link clips54,56so that a single oval link48is used to join the two pieces of sinuous spring16,22together.FIG.13shows that after the oval link48is joined to the ends20,24, the first end52of the oval link48is folded or flipped over link clip56to another loop of sinuous wire22and then clipped with link clips56,58so as to tighten or shorten the overall length of sinuous spring to an effective degree so as to provide a user-selected tightness of the sinuous spring as taught by the present invention10. Link clips54,56, and58are the first, second, and third link clips, respectively, although these clips are sometimes referred to by different written descriptions.

By way of additional general explanation of the present invention10and by making reference toFIGS.1-13, in common manufacturing practice one piece of sinuous spring has a standard 1″ pull (which is performed manually by an operator), meaning that a 26″ spring is pulled to fit a 27″ clip to clip measurement of a seat box. The present invention10, addresses the difficulty with this operation as it is every upholstery manufacturer's biggest workers compensation cost and thus a major component of the overall manufacturing cost. Assume that a company wishes to manufacture the present invention10to compete with a standard 8-gauge 26″ sinuous spring operation. In this scenario, the present invention10would initially consist of 3 parts as previously explained but the length of the spring would measure about 29″ overall as shown inFIGS.4and9. Thus one would have 29″ of the 3 piece spring in a 27″ clip to clip measurement, so it would have 2″ slack or sag (SeeFIG.9) and any operator could then perform the flipping or folding process as shown inFIGS.5and10. The purpose of the middle piece34is to then fold under one of the two end pieces, doubling under, to then form a 26″ long spring44(SeeFIGS.6and11) and be clipped at46and pulled to proper tightness as per the requirements of the particular seat box being manufactured. The middle piece would be 3″ in this scenario and folded under manually by hand or with some sort of a mechanized gun or like device, and clipped with the same deice. The device is expected to take the motion and effort of pulling the spring away from the operator by folding the middle piece under and clipping it in a mechanized operation. Several clips are used in the written description of the present invention10as follows: clips28,30,40,42, and46are the first, second, third, fourth and fifth clips, respectively, although these clips are sometimes referred to by different written descriptions.