Patent Publication Number: US-6701551-B1

Title: Upholstered slat box spring/bed

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional bed of the type utilized in North America generally includes, at a minimum, a box spring and a mattress. Normally, the box spring rests upon and is supported by a bed frame which includes legs or casters. In lieu of a bed frame, a headboard and a foot board are connected by side rails which are in turn spanned by box spring supporting boards upon which rests the conventional box spring. Such conventional box springs are made by utilizing a pair of rectangular wire frames, and connecting therebetween a multiplicity of metal coils thereby forming a box spring assembly which is totally covered by padding and is appropriately upholstered and at times quilted. 
     Typically, European or Continental beds do not utilize such conventional box springs and instead a frame is spanned by a series of slats atop which is supported a mattress. Such slats are conventionally attached to the bed frame by clips exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,528 and 6,237,170. Such slat beds are relatively inexpensive to manufacture since they are constructed from wood and exclude the expensive materials and production in manufacturing individual steel frames and coils of conventional box springs which preferably are also upholstered in their entirety. 
     Though the comfort and longevity of slat beds can exceed those of conventional North American/United States beds at far less cost, slat beds have not found acceptance in North America. The habits and attitudes of North American purchasers and users are either resistive to European slat beds or are unaware of the desirable characteristics thereof. Whatever the reason, European/Continental slat beds have not found acceptance on the North American continent. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In keeping with the foregoing, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel slat bed which is in part defined by a novel slat box spring formed as a polygonal frame by opposite side frame members and opposite front and rear frame members which are spanned by a plurality of space substantially parallel concavo-convex slats constructed from wood or other substantially flexible material. The slats have an uppermost convex surface upon which rests a layer of synthetic foam material. Upholstery, in the form of a soft covering, covers the foam material and the frame members and is also preferably quilted to impart a conventional coil spring box spring mattress appearance to what in reality is a slat box spring/bed. 
     The polygonal frame of the slat box spring/bed is also substantially open at its bottom to facilitate the connection thereto of legs or to provide a lowermost peripheral edge which rests upon a conventional bed frame or box spring support members spanning side rails of a conventional bed frame. 
     The layer or covering of synthetic latex foam material also preferably includes corrugations or projections projecting into at least some of the spaces between adjacent spaced slats to maintain the latex foam material relative immobilized absent individual connecting means between the latex foam material and the slats. 
     In further accordance of the invention, a center frame member is disposed substantially midway between the side frame members and parallel thereto, and the slats are located in spanning relationship between the center frame member and the side frame members between the front and rear frame members of the polygonal frame. 
     With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view with a portion thereof broken away for clarity, and illustrates a slat bed of the invention which includes a slat box spring upon which is supported a conventional mattress. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary view, and illustrates the components of the slat bed including a slat frame, a piece of partially corrugated synthetic latex foam material and a padded cover. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view taken generally along line  3 — 3  of FIG.  1  through the slat box frame of the slat bed, and illustrates side and center rails supporting slats atop which rests synthetic latex foam material, and an exterior covering of padded upholstery which is preferably quilted encasing all but an open bottom of the frame. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 1, and illustrates ridges, projections or corrugations on an underside of the layer of latex foam material projecting through selected spaces between the slats at foot and head ends of the slat box spring. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A novel slat bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings and is designated by the reference numeral  10 . 
     The slat bed  10  includes a slat box spring  11  constructed in accordance with the present invention upon which is supported a conventional mattress  12 . 
     The slat box spring  11  includes a generally polygonal frame  13  (FIGS. 2,  3  and  4 ) defined by opposite substantially parallel spaced side frame members  14 ,  15  (FIG.  3 ), a head or front frame member  16  (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a foot or rear frame member  17  parallel thereto. A center frame member  18  is located midway between the side frame members  14 ,  15  (FIGS. 2 and 3) and at opposite ends is connected to the front frame member  16  and the rear frame member  17 . The center frame member  18  is preferably of a multi-ply construction for strength and the overall frame  13  is reinforced along its open bottom (unnumbered) by a plurality of reinforcing members  20  which are conventionally connected between the center frame member  18  and the side frame members  14 ,  15  (FIGS.  2  and  3 ). Only two such reinforcing members  20  are illustrated in the drawings, but it is to be understood that several other reinforcing members  20  may be connected between the center frame member  18  and the side frame members  14 ,  15  to achieve the desired rigidity of the polygonal frame  13 . An upper edge (unnumbered) of the center frame member  18  is provided with a plurality of upwardly opening notches  21  (FIG. 3) equally spaced along the length of the center frame member  18  between the front frame member  16  and the rear frame member  17 . The side frame members  14 ,  15  (FIG. 3) include respective supporting rails  24 ,  25 . 
     A plurality of spaced substantially parallel concavo-convex slats  30  are constructed from substantially flexible material, such as wood, and are disposed substantially within the polygonal frame  13  with opposite ends thereof (unnumbered) supported by the rails  24  or  25  and the center frame member  18  within the slots  21  thereof. Since the slots  21  are equally spaced from each other, the slats  30  are also equally spaced from each other to define a plurality for equally spaced spaces or slots  40  (FIGS. 2 and 4) therebetween. Each slat  30  includes an upper convex surface  31  (FIGS. 2-4) and a lower downwardly facing concave surface  32  (FIGS.  3  and  4 ). 
     Seated atop and spanning the slats  30  between the side frame members  14 ,  15  and the front and rear frame members  16 ,  17 , respectively, is a single piece of synthetic latex foam material  50  (FIGS. 2-4) having a uniplanar upper surface  51  (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a lower central uniplanar surface  52  to either side of which are a plurality of substantially parallel spaced, projecting ridges, corrugations or projections  53 . The corrugations  53  seat within selected ones of the slots  40  (FIG. 4) between pairs of slats  30  to thereby immovably unite the latex foam material  50  to the plurality of slats  30 . 
     The exterior surfaces (unnumbered) of the frame members  14  through  16  have adhesively or otherwise secured thereto pads or padding  60  (FIGS. 2-4) in the form of one or more pieces of latex foam material or the like having an uppermost inwardly directed peripheral edge  61  (FIGS. 2 through 4) which rests upon an uppermost edge (unnumbered) of the frame members  14  through  17 . 
     A soft upholstered cover or covering  65  (FIGS. 1-4) encases and covers the entirety of the latex foam material  50 , the padding  60  and the frame  13 , excluding the open bottom thereof but, obviously, including the slats  30 . The soft upholstered covering  65  includes a soft layer of padding material  66 , such as synthetic latex foam material, though other padding material may be utilized. The layer of padding  66  covers the sheet of latex foam material  50  and the entirety of the peripheral boundary piece of latex material  60 . Fabric  67  can be appropriately quilted, as is indicated at Q in FIG. 1, to the padding layer  66  over the top and/or the peripheral side thereof, and a lower edge  68  (FIGS. 2-4) of the fabric material  67  is conventionally fastened to lower edges (unnumbered) of the frame members  14  through  17 . Feet F (FIG. 4) can be secured in any conventional fashion to the frame  13  or the frame  13  can simply be supported by a conventional bed frame in the manner heretofore described. When thus supported with the mattress  12  thereatop, as shown in FIG. 1, the overall slat bed  10  has the appearance of a conventional United States or North American bed, yet excludes the conventional coil spring box spring thereof. 
     Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.