Abstract:
A bed frame with a support structure has a rigid structural frame for carrying an articulating structure for an adjustable bed. The support structure extends substantially to the extents of the articulating structure in an unarticulated position and has a padded bolster. The bolster incorporates a mounting support attached to the structural frame and a resilient foam bumper received on the mounting support with a fabric covering surrounding the bumper and fastened to the mounting support. The articulating structure includes rigid planar supports having edges with a surrounding resilient foam layer having a fabric covering secured to the planar support. The bumper and foam layer are resilient to deform upon contact with an intruding appendage inserted between them. For an exemplary embodiment, an electrical outlet is mounted in a housing which penetrates the support frame, mounting support and bumper.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/323,095 filed on Apr. 12, 2010 having the same title as the present application. This application is copending with U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/154,509 filed on May 23, 2008 entitled ADJUSTABLE BED FRAME ASSEMBLY and Ser. No. 12/367,538 filed on Feb. 8, 2009 entitled ARTICULATING BED SYSTEM both having a common assignee with the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to the field of adjustable beds and more particularly to a structure employing a flexible strap extending laterally and outwardly from under the mattress to encircle the mattress foot for maintaining the position of a mattress on an articulating bed during actuation of the bed and at the various articulated positions of the bed. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Articulating beds have long been used in hospital and healthcare facilities to allow positioning of a patient in a reclining position, sitting position, elevated leg position or combinations of these positions. General usage of articulating beds has been rapidly expanding due to the comfort and convenience available from adjusting the bed to desired positions for reading, general relaxation or sleeping. 
         [0006]    Development of the articulating or adjustable beds for personal or home use has been somewhat hampered by the requirements to camouflage or disguise the operating elements of the bed to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance as a piece of furniture for use in a home. Additionally in the prior art, the nature of an articulating bed having a moving foot portion  2  as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  for the flat (unarticulated) and articulated position (reproduced from FIGS. 3 and 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,793 to Tekulve issued Dec. 7, 2004), typically requires that the underlying support frame  4  be shortened by an offset  6  to avoid a trip or collision hazard when the foot portion is raised or articulated in a manner that would otherwise expose the extremity of the frame underlying the foot portion. Additionally, the portions of the frame which are exposed during articulation of the bed may pose a pinch hazard between the frame and articulated portion when returned to the unarticulated state. 
         [0007]    It is therefore desirable to provide a bed frame for an articulating bed which provides a pleasing aesthetic appearance and provides protection to prevent collision injury and pinch hazards. 
         [0008]    The size and weight of articulating adjustable beds is often an issue in installation of such beds, particularly in personal residences where entry ways may be of smaller size and tighter spacing. 
         [0009]    It is therefore desirable to provide structure for the bed frame which may be separated for ease of installation. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    The embodiments disclosed herein overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing protective bed frame with a support structure having a rigid structural frame for carrying an articulating structure for an adjustable bed. The support structure extends substantially to the extents of the articulating structure in an unarticulated position and has a padded bolster. The bolster incorporates a mounting support and a resilient foam bumper received on the mounting support with a fabric covering surrounding the bumper and fastened to the mounting support. The mounting support is attached to the structural frame. The articulating structure includes rigid planar supports having edges and a resilient foam layer surrounding the edges of the planar supports with a fabric covering surrounding the foam layer and secured to the planar support. The bumper and foam layer are resilient to deform upon contact with an intruding appendage inserted between them. For an exemplary embodiment, an electrical outlet is mounted in a housing which penetrates the support frame, mounting support and bumper. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0012]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are side views of a prior art frame system in the flat and articulated positions; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of bed frame employing the desired features; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a section view of the frame elements; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a partial side view of the frame head portion; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of an extrusion for the frame foam bumper; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a view of the extrusion of  FIG. 5  with a cut-out gore for shaping; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a view of the shaped corner with the gore of  FIG. 6  removed; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a view of the shaped corner after bending; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of an extrusion for the foam capping on the edges of the articulating structure; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a view of the extrusion of  FIG. 9  with a cut-out gore for shaping; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a view of the shaped corner with the gore of  FIG. 10  removed; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a view of the shaped corner after bending; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 13A and 13B  are a flow chart for assembly of the bolster and articulating structure capping; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is an isometric view of a separable structural frame; 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is an isometric view of the separable structural frame of  FIG. 14  in a separated condition with the elements inverted; 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  is an isometric view of the details of the joining elements for the separatable structural frame of  FIG. 14 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein provide a bed frame for an articulating bed that is an attractive piece of furniture while providing safety benefits for preventing injuries due to collision, pinching and overbalancing. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the elements of the articulating structure for the bed shown in an upwardly articulated position for all moving elements include a head portion  10 , a seat portion  12 , a thigh portion  14  and a foot portion  16 . The combined articulating structure for supporting a mattress is generally designated  18  for reference. Motion of the articulating elements is achieved as disclosed in either U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/154,509 filed on May 23, 2008 entitled ADJUSTABLE BED FRAME ASSEMBLY or Ser. No. 12/367,538 filed on Feb. 8, 2009 entitled ARTICULATING BED SYSTEM which are referenced as though fully set forth herein. 
         [0029]    Support structure  20  provides a base which extends for the entire length of the articulating structure when flat in the unarticulated state. Legs  22  may be located substantially at the extremities of the support structure corners to provide the greatest stability for the entire bed structure. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the support structure incorporates a rigid structural frame  24  which extends substantially around the perimeter of the bed. Legs  22  are mounted from the structural frame substantially at the corners of the bed. A padded bolster  26  employs a mounting support  28  which attaches to the structural frame. A resilient foam bumper  30  is attached to the mounting support and extends out and up to create a resilient collision protection device and a flexible spacer extending above the frame to the articulating structure as will be described in greater detail subsequently. Placement of the legs  22  for the bed at or near the corners is possible based on the presence of the bumper  30  unlike prior art bed systems which must have a recessed frame to avoid possibly striking the frame with a foot or shin which may be painful. For the embodiment shown the mounting support is of plywood construction and the bumper incorporates a relief  32  to receive the mounting support. A fabric covering  34  surrounds the foam bumper and mounting support and is attached to the mounting support using staples  36  or comparable fastening devices. For the embodiment shown, the fabric covering is an upholstery fabric over an FR mesh which allows the quality furniture appearance for the bed. 
         [0030]    The elements of the combined articulating structure  18  are constructed using a plywood or similar material for a rigid planar support  38  for each section of the articulating structure, as described previously, to receive a mattress  39 . Edges  40  of the planar support are surrounded with capping  42  of resilient foam which is secured to the planar support using a fabric covering  44  comparable to the covering for the bolster. For exemplary embodiments, polypropylene foam is employed for the bumper and resilient foam capping on the planar support. In alternative embodiments, Polyethylene or other appropriate resilient foam may be employed. For efficiency in production, the bumper and capping may be shaped as extruded foam prior to processing for attachment to the mounting support and edges as will be described in greater detail subsequently. A high density foam layer  46  extends over the planar support between the resilient foam edges to engage and support the mattress. 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the extension of the support structure  20  to the extent of the articulating structure  18  allows weight bearing stability for forces applied as represented by arrow  48  such as one or more users sitting at the edge of the bed foot or head. Prior bed frames, particularly in the foot portion, were inset to avoid collision with ankles or shins of a user walking around the bed when the foot support portion was articulated upward. Consequently when the foot support portion was flat in the unarticulated position an overhang was present. One or more persons sitting on the overhang could overbalance the bed or undesirably flex the foot support portion. 
         [0032]    The bed frame of the present embodiment provides the padded bolster extending outward from the rigid structural frame to avoid any injury from collision with the foot portion  16  articulated upwardly as shown in  FIG. 2 . The pliable resilient foam bumper  30  absorbs any collision forces. Additionally, the resilient foam bumper extends upwardly from the rigid structural frame elements covering the space between the structural frame and the articulating structural elements in the unarticulated position thereby providing a aesthetically pleasing appearance while additionally providing the ability to flex and avoid pinch injury for any appendage such as an arm, hand or finger which might extend into gap  50  between the articulating structure  18  and the support structure  20  particularly during operation of the articulation mechanisms when the gap may transition from a fairly large dimension with, for example, the foot support portion in the upwardly articulated position, to a close tolerance with the foot support portion fully lowered in the unarticulated position. Deformation of the pliable resilient foam in the bumper will accommodate any intruding appendage. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the embodiment additionally incorporates a web or mesh  52  which is attached to the structural frame  24  and extends under the articulating structure. This provides a storage cavity  54  which may receive bedding such as sheets or blankets. Also as shown in the drawings, the embodiment includes an AC electrical outlet  56  carried by a housing  58  which penetrates the support frame, mounting support and bumper. Power requirements for the articulating mechanism in the bed allow parallel routing of conductors  60  through the housing to the outlet providing a convenient connection point for beside lamps or other accessories when the wall outlet may be obscured by the head of the bed. Outlets on each side of the bed support structure may be provided. 
         [0034]    Fabrication of the bumper  30  and capping  42  is accomplished to provide a smooth exterior surface with continuous rounded edges at all corners. As shown in  FIG. 5  for the bumper, the polypropylene foam is extruded in a linear base shape  62  which includes the relief  32  to receive the mounting support as previously described with respect to  FIG. 3 . To accommodate bending of the based shape at corners of the mounting support, gore cuts  64  as shown in  FIG. 6  are made from the inner periphery of  66  the base shape at approximately 45 degree angles to produce a removable gore  68 . In the bumper of the exemplary embodiment which has a height of approximately 6 inches and a width of approximately 3 inches, the 45 degree gore cuts terminate at a depth  70  approximately ½ inch from the outer periphery  72  of the base shape. With removal of the gore as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , a bendable portion  74  remains in the outer periphery which smoothly flexes to allow deformation of the base shape into a corner as shown in  FIG. 8 . For the exemplary polypropylene foam, depth  70  is approximately 15 to 25% of the base shape width. Bendable portion  74  assumes a rounded shape with a radius comparable to a blended round chamfer  78  of the base shape edges thereby providing a pleasing symmetrical geometry for the completed bumper. Multiple gore cut locations corresponding to corners in mounting support may be accomplished in a single length of extruded base shape with a single mating joint along one side of the mounting support. Alternatively, lengths of base shape with removed gores may be bent to accommodate one or more corners and then mated to adjacent lengths directly or with intervening straight sections of base shape along the mounting support sides. 
         [0035]    Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 9  for the capping, the polypropylene foam is extruded in a linear capping base shape  80  which includes a relief  82  to receive the planar support edges  40  as previously described with respect to  FIG. 3 . To accommodate bending of the based shape at corners of the planar support edges, gore cuts  84  as shown in  FIG. 10  are made from the inner periphery of  86  the capping base shape at approximately 45 degree angles to produce a removable gore  88 . In the capping of the exemplary embodiment which has a height of approximately 2 inches and a width of approximately 3 inches, the 45 degree gore cuts terminate at a depth  90  approximately ½ inch from the outer periphery  92  of the capping base shape. With removal of the gore as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , a bendable portion  94  remains in the outer periphery which smoothly flexes to allow deformation of the base shape into a corner as shown in  FIG. 12 . For the exemplary polypropylene foam, depth  90  is approximately 15 to 25% of the base shape width. Bendable portion  94  assumes a rounded shape with a radius comparable to a blended round chamfer  98  of the capping base shape edges thereby providing a pleasing symmetrical geometry for the completed capping. Multiple gore cut locations corresponding to corners in planar support edges may be accomplished in a single length of extruded base shape. The separations in the planar supports  38  for the sections of the articulating structure  18  may require termination of the capping at each separation to accommodate the angular displacement between sections. For highly flexible resilient foam capping a single mating joint along one side of one planar support edge may be employed. Alternatively, lengths of base shape with removed gores may be bent to accommodate one or more corners and then mated to adjacent lengths directly or with intervening straight sections of capping base shape along the planar support edges. 
         [0036]    The method for creating the bumper and capping resilient foam elements is shown in  FIGS. 13A  and B. A rigid structural frame is provided with a mounting support, step  1300 . A shaping of a resilient foam base shape is accomplished by extrusion or manual shaping to provide interfacing reliefs, step  1302 . Gore cuts corresponding to corners in the mounting support are made at 45 degrees at a depth leaving 15-25% bendable portion material thickness from the exterior periphery of the base shape, step  1304 . The gores are removed, step  1306 , and the base shape bent to achieve the desired corner and conformed over the mounting support corner, step  1308 . This step is repeated for all corners, step  1310 , and the trailing ends of the base shape are mated in a joint along one side, step  1312 . In alternative embodiments, a straight cut mating joint may be employed or various kerf cuts applied for mating the joining ends. 
         [0037]    An articulating structure is provided with multiple planar supports at a head portion, seat portion, thigh portion and foot portion for a mattress, step  1314 . A shaping of a resilient foam capping base shape is accomplished by extrusion or manual shaping to provide interfacing reliefs, step  1316 . Gore cuts corresponding to corners in the rigid planar supports are made at 45 degrees at a depth leaving 15-25% bendable portion material thickness from the exterior periphery of the capping base shape, step  1318 . The gores are removed, step  1320 , and the capping base shape bent to achieve the desired corner and conformed over the rigid planar support corner, step  1322 . This step is repeated for all corners, step  1324 , and the trailing ends of the capping base shape are alternatively terminated at each separation between rigid planar supports in the articulating structure, step  1326  or continuously routed between rigid planar supports and mated in a joint along one side, step  1328 . In alternative embodiments, a straight cut mating joint may be employed or various kerf cuts applied for mating the joining ends. 
         [0038]    To accommodate the requirements for installation of articulating beds employing the features of the embodiments described,  FIGS. 14 ,  15  and  16  demonstrate a separable structural frame  24  which incorporates a head portion  100  having a head rail  102  and side section rails  104   a  and  104   b  which are separable from side main section rails  106   a  and  106   b  in a main portion  107  of the bed structure. A connection arch  108  spans the side section rails and side main section rails to provide torsional support for the sections in both the assembled (as shown in  FIG. 14 ) and disassembled condition (as shown in  FIG. 15 ). The connection arch has a head section portion  110   a  and a main section portion  110   b  which are interconnected to the side section rails  104   a  and  104   b  and side main section rails  106   a  and  106   b  respectively. 
         [0039]    For the embodiment shown, engagement between the separable head section and main section of the structural frame is accomplished with engaging receiving flanges  112   a  and  112   b  mounted to bottom surface of the head side section rails  104   a  and  104   b  respectively with receiving brackets  114   a  and  114   b  adjacent a bottom surface of the main side section rails  106   a  and  106   b  respectively. Channels  116  support the head section portion  110   a  of the arch interface and support the receiving brackets to engage the receiving flanges. End flanges  118   a  and  118   b  depending from main section portions of the arch  110   a  and  110   b  allow securing of the two sections with bolts  120  or other removable/adjustable fasteners. Angularly slotted receiving holes  122  engage extended heads  124  of bolts  120  to allow engagement of the arch head section portion and main section portion by sliding angular engagement prior to fastening of the receiving brackets on the bottom surfaces  118  of the channels  114 . The head side section head rail and side section rails and the side main section rails provide vertical surfaces for direct attachment of the mounting support  28  of the padded bolster  26  as previously described. 
         [0040]    Removal of the fasteners and separation of the main section and head section allows a reduction in overall length of the rigid structural frame to allow individual insertion of those sections into a smaller room within a residence having reduced door size or other clearance issues. The receiving brackets and interconnected depending end flanges in combination with the arch provides structural rigidity comparable to a non-separable bed frame thereby allowing the articulating elements of the bed to operate correctly without binding or other issues after assembly. 
         [0041]    Arch  108  provides torsional rigidity for the assembled and, with head portion and main portion separable, the separated sections of the structure and may additionally provide attachment for a seat portion rigid planar support for an articulating structure as defined in copending application Ser. No. 12/367,538 filed on Feb. 8, 2009 entitled ARTICULATING BED SYSTEM. 
         [0042]    Having now described various embodiments of the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims.