Abstract:
A support is provided for a bed or the like which provides one hundred percent unobstructed floor space therebelow. The support may be used for supporting a pair of vertically spaced beds or a bed having a desk or sofa positioned therebelow. The support comprises upstanding first and second end frames which are horizontally spaced-apart and which have guardrails secured to the upper ends thereof. Cross supports extend between the guardrails for supporting a bed thereon. Accessory supports optionally extend between the first and second end frames for supporting a desk or sofa thereon. The support may be quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of tools.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field  
           [0002]    The present invention is directed to a load-bearing support structure for a bed or the like which provides substantially one hundred percent unobstructed floor space in sleeping quarters such as dormitories or the like. The present invention discloses a unique support structure which may be easily assembled without the need for tools. The support system is conveniently disassembled for movement to a different location and/or storage.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Many educational institutions provide dormitories in order to accommodate students who are required to live on campus. Dormitories are generally multistory buildings having a central elevator and stairway corridor. On either side of the central area is a hallway having a plurality of small rooms located on either side of the hallway. These small rooms generally do not have bathrooms.  
           [0005]    Each room has a small closet and is usually furnished with two single beds, two desks, two lamps, two chairs, and a dresser or bureau. Even though each room contains a minimal amount of furniture, the rooms are small and space is at a premium.  
           [0006]    Since these rooms are small and sparse, it is difficult for two people to live comfortably within the room. This is true since most dorm rooms lack sufficient space to maintain a stereo, television, small refrigerator, or to store a bicycle and the like.  
           [0007]    Students desiring a more livable environment often remove their beds or make the existing two single beds into a lower and upper berth bunk bed. With the same goal in mind, students also replace their beds with futon mattresses.  
           [0008]    Load-bearing scaffolds are well-known in the construction arts. Such scaffolds are generally adapted for supporting workmen, construction equipment, and building materials. Also known are bunks and berths adapted to provide sleeping accommodations for passengers, military personnel, students, or small children. These apparatus are often adapted to be supported from poles anchored to the floor and ceiling of a room. For example, apparatus of this general species are disclosed by Lein U.S. Pat. No. 665,535; Rodrigues U.S. Pat. No. 958,895; Gosso U.S. Pat. No. 1,325,320; and Gosso U.S. Pat. No. 1,089,545.  
           [0009]    Also known to the art are bunks or berths adapted to be supported by anchoring the bunk or berth to a wall. For example, apparatus of this general species are disclosed by Lein U.S. Pat. No. 669,175; Dowling U.S. Pat. No. 822,592; Rodrigues U.S. Pat. No. 860,941; Gumm U.S. Pat. No. 1,001,946; Thompson, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,387; Coomes U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,254; and Trexler, Jr., et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,276.  
           [0010]    Inventions of this type are unsuitable for the present objects since their installation requires that they become room fixtures. Additionally, such bunks or berths necessarily require the dedication of otherwise useful floor space.  
           [0011]    Freestanding bunk beds are also known to the bunk and berth art. Examples of this type of bed may be found disclosed by Lein U.S. Pat. No. 631,962; Anderson  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,195,637; Weaver U.S. Pat. No. 1,253,549; and Janson, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 1,349,962.  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,616 provided a support structure for beds and the like which derived at least some of its support from the interior surfaces of a room. Although the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,616 represented an advance in the art, the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,829 was an advance thereover due to the fewer components parts, ease of assembly, and superior strength.  
           [0014]    It is believed that the instant invention represents an advance over the prior art described above and applicant&#39;s earlier inventions due to the unique method of assembling and disassembling the structure which does not require the use of tools.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    The present invention provides a support structure for a bed or the like while providing one hundred percent unobstructed floor space therebelow. The support structure may also be used for supporting a bed having a desk or sofa positioned therebelow. The support structure is comprised of upstanding first and second lower end frames which are horizontally spaced from one another; upstanding first and second upper end frames removably mounted on the upper ends of the first and second lower end frames, respectively; first and second guardrails mounted on the upper ends of the first and second upper end frames; mattress supports which are secured to and which extend between the first and second guardrails for supporting a mattress thereon; accessory supports which are secured to and which extend between the first and second lower end frames or which extend between the first and second upper end frames for supporting accessories thereon such as a desk, sofa, etc.; a first cross brace which is removably secured to the upper end of the first upper end frame and which is removably secured to the lower end of the second lower end frame; and a second cross brace which is secured to the lower end of the first lower end frame and removably secured to the upper end of the second upper end frame. The support structure may be assembled without the use of tools and may be quickly disassembled without the use of tools.  
           [0016]    It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved support structure for a bed or the like.  
           [0017]    A further object of the invention is to provide a structure for supporting a bed or the like which may be assembled and disassembled without the use of tools.  
           [0018]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a support structure for a bed or the like but which also may be used to support an additional bed, sofa, or desk thereon.  
           [0019]    These and other objects will be obvious to those skilled in the art. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support structure of this invention in an assembled condition with a mattress positioned thereon;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support structure in an assembled condition with accessory supports positioned on the lower end frames;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the structure of FIG. 2;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the support structure of FIG. 2; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating how the support structure may be folded for storage or transport. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]    The support structure of this invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral  10 . Generally speaking, support structure  10  includes lower end frames  12  and  12 ′, upper end frames  14  and  14 ′, and guardrails  16  and  16 ′. Inasmuch as lower end frame  12 ′ is identical to lower end frame  12 , only lower end frame  12  will be described in detail with “ ′ ” indicating identical structure on lower end frame  12 ′. Further, inasmuch as upper end frame  14 ′ is identical to upper end frame  14 , only upper end frame  14  will be described in detail with “ ′ ” indicating identical structure on upper end frame  14 ′. Additionally, inasmuch guardrail  16 ′ is identical to guardrail  16 , only guardrail  16  will be described in detail with identical structure on guardrail  16 ′ being indicated with “‘ ′ ”.  
         [0026]    Lower end frame  12  includes upstanding legs  18  and  20  which are formed from round tubes. The upper end of leg  18  has an opening  22  formed therein which extends through leg  18 . Pipe stub  24  is received in the upper end of leg  18  and is welded in place by welding pipe stub  24  to leg  18  through the opening  22 .  
         [0027]    The upper end of leg  20  is also provided with an opening  26  formed therein. A pipe stub  28  is inserted into the upper end of leg  20  and is welded thereto through the opening  26 . The lower end of leg  20  has an opening  32  formed therein, as seen in the drawings. Pipe stub  34  is inserted into the lower end of leg  20  and is welded thereto through the opening  32 . The combined length of leg  20  and the exposed portion of pipe stub  34  is equal to the length of leg  18 . At least one cross brace  36  is welded to legs  18  and  20  and extends therebetween.  
         [0028]    Upper end frame  14  includes horizontally spaced-apart legs  38  and  40 . Leg  38  includes a lower end portion  42 , intermediate portion  44 , and upper end portion  46 . As seen in the drawings, intermediate portion  44  extends upwardly and inwardly from the upper end of lower end portion  42 .  
         [0029]    The upper end of leg  38  has an opening  48  formed therein for weldment purposes. Pipe  50  is inserted into the upper end of leg  38  and is welded thereto through the opening  48 . The upper end of leg  40  has an opening  54  formed therein for weldment purposes. Pipe  56  is inserted into the upper end of leg  40  and is welded thereto through the opening  54 . Cross braces  60  and  62  are welded to legs  38  and  40  and extend therebetween, as seen in the drawings. Although it is preferred that two cross braces  60  and  62  be utilized, it is perhaps possible that any number of cross braces could be utilized. As seen in FIG. 3, the upper end of leg  40  is disposed below the upper end of leg  38 . Although the upper and lower end frames are described as being separate components, which is the preferred embodiment, the upper and lower end frames could be a single component.  
         [0030]    Guardrail  16  includes end portions  64  and  66  and top rail portion  68  extending between the upper ends thereof. A lower rail  69  is welded to and extends between leg portions  64  and  66 , as seen in the drawings.  
         [0031]    The numeral  70  refers to a diagonal brace having tubes or sleeves  72  and  74  welded to the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively. A diagonal brace  70 ′ is also provided and is identical to diagonal brace  70 . Tubes or sleeves  72 ′ and  74 ′ are welded to the lower and upper ends of the diagonal brace  70 ′. The sleeves  72 ,  72 ′, and  74  and  74 ′ are welded to the ends of the braces  70  and  70 ′, respectively, in a slightly offset manner to provide clearance between the braces  70  and  70 ′ when they are mounted on the structure.  
         [0032]    The support structure as described thus far is assembled as will now be described. Lower end frame  12  is positioned in a vertically disposed position and the upper end frame  14  is mounted thereon by sliding the lower ends of legs  38  and  40  of upper end frame  14  onto the pipe stubs  24  and  28 , respectively. Lower end frame  12  is then horizontally spaced from lower end frame  12  and is positioned in a vertically disposed position. Upper end frame  14 ′ is then mounted on the upper end of lower end frame  12 ′ in the same manner as upper end frame  14  is mounted on lower end frame  12 .  
         [0033]    Leg  20  of lower end frame  12  is then raised slightly to enable sleeve  72 ′ of brace  70 ′ to be slipped upwardly on pipe stub  34 . The sleeve  74 ′ of brace  70 ′ is then slipped over the upper end of pipe  56 ′ and is lowered until sleeve  74 ′ engages the upper end of leg  40 ′.  
         [0034]    The lower end of leg  40 ′ of lower end frame  12  is then raised so that the sleeve  74  of brace  70  may be slipped upwardly onto the pipe stub  34 ′ which extends downwardly from leg  20 ′. Sleeve  72  of brace  70  is then slipped over the upper end of pipe  56  on upper frame member  14 . The fact that the sleeves  72  and  74  are offset slightly from brace  70  and the fact that the sleeves  72 ′ and  74 ′ are offset slightly from brace  70 ′ provides sufficient clearance between the braces  70  and  72 .  
         [0035]    The numeral  76  refers to a cross support having arcuate sections or U-shaped sections  78  and  80  secured to the ends thereof. U-shaped sections  78  and  80  are adapted to receive brace  69  to enable the cross support  76  to be extended between the guardrails  16  and  16 ′, as illustrated in the drawings. A plurality of the cross supports  76  are extended between the guardrails  16  and  16 ′ for supporting a mattress  81  thereon. It is preferred that the height of the guardrails  16  and  16 ′ be such that the upper surface of the mattress  81  positioned on the cross support  76  will be positioned below the upper end of the guardrails, as seen in FIG. 1.  
         [0036]    Thus it can be seen that a support has been provided for a bed or mattress which may be easily and quickly assembled without the need for tools. If it is desired to support an additional mattress below the mattress  81 , a pair of longitudinal accessory supports  82  and  84  are extended between the braces  36  and  36 ′ of lower end frames  12  and  12 ′, as illustrated in the drawings. Accessory cross supports  86  are then positioned on the supports  82  and  84 , as illustrated in the drawings. The accessory supports just described enables a mattress to be positioned thereon or enables a sofa or desk to be placed thereon. The accessory supports could also be secured to and extended between the upper end frames  14  and  14 ′ if additional space is desired below the accessory supports.  
         [0037]    The support  10  is easily assembled and disassembled without the need for tools. The support  10  may be completely disassembled for storage or movement to another location. The support  10  may also be partially disassembled and folded for storage or movement as will now be described. With the support assembled as seen in FIG. 2, the accessory supports are first removed. The cross supports  76  are then removed. The support may then be folded in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. Further, if the guardrail  16  is removed, the lower and upper end frames at each end of the structure may be folded toward one another so as to be positioned closely adjacent the braces  70  and  70 ′.  
         [0038]    Thus, it can been seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.