Beds – Support for users body or part thereof – Spring containing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-09
2001-07-10
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Beds
Support for users body or part thereof
Spring containing
C005S720000, C005S721000, C005S248000, C005S256000, C267S093000, C267S166000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256820
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to spring assemblies for mattresses, cushions and other bedding or seating products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Strings of individually pocketed springs are known. Multiple such strings of springs have been combined in a parallel fashion to create a spring assembly. Each of the coil springs of the string is contained within an individual pocket of fabric which extends from the top to the bottom of the spring. Typically, each of the springs within the string has identical features or characteristics. Consequently, bedding or seating products made from identical strings of pocketed springs have uniform characteristics throughout the bedding or seating product.
Published PCT patent application No. WO 99/35081 discloses a mattress having two layers of pocketed springs. Each of the springs in each layer is individually pocketed, and the springs of the upper layer are directly above the corresponding springs of the lower layer. A pair of such corresponding springs, one above the other, are enclosed in an external cover and separated from one another by a generally horizontal partition wall of fabric. The springs of the upper layer are “softer” than the springs of the lower layer. Thus, this mattress is able to provide a soft upper layer and a harder lower supporting layer. By using springs having different characteristics in the different layers of the mattress, differing degrees of firmness may be imparted to the mattress.
In order to make such a mattress, a large number of coil springs must be used. For every lower spring, there must be a corresponding upper spring directly above it. Additionally, each of these springs must be individually pocketed. This large number of coil springs and the effort required to individually pocket each spring increases the cost of manufacturing the mattress, and also the time required to manufacture it. Additionally, the upper spring may move sideways relative to the lower spring, causing the springs to move out of alignment with one another and create a bump, indentation or uneven spot in the mattress. Another possibility with such a mattress is that the spring of the upper layer may rotate relative to the spring of the lower layer, reducing the ability of the mattress to function as desired.
Therefore, it has been one objective of the present invention to provide a multilayered bedding or seating product made of individually pocketed springs without using different springs for the upper and lower layers.
Another objective of the present invention has been to provide a pocketed bedding or seating product made of a plurality of similarly constructed strings of pocketed springs joined together.
Still another objective of the present invention has been to provide a pocketed bedding or seating product which may be custom manufactured for a particular application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention of this application which accomplishes these objectives comprises a bedding or seating product. The bedding or seating product comprises a spring core and an upholstered covering surrounding the spring core. The spring core comprises a plurality of parallel strings of springs joined together. Each of the strings of springs comprises a row of interconnected pocketed coil springs. Each of the pocketed coil springs comprises a coil spring surrounded with a pocket of fabric, as is conventional.
However, the coil springs of the string of springs may not be conventional; i.e., they may not have uniform characteristics from top to bottom as do conventional coil springs. However, it is envisioned that coil springs utilized in the practice of this invention may in at least one embodiment be conventional coil springs having the same physical properties or characteristics, i.e. pitch, coil diameter, wire thickness (guage), heat treatment, etc., from top to bottom. In several preferred embodiments of this invention though, the coil springs have at least two distinctly different portions, each portion of which has at least one different physical characteristic than at least one other portion of the spring.
For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, each of the springs has two portions, an upper portion and a lower portion. At least one characteristic of the upper portion is different than the corresponding characteristic of the lower portion, i.e., the upper portion being a different gauge wire or a different pitch than the lower portion of the spring. Each of the springs has the same set of characteristics and is similarly oriented, resulting in a bedding or seating product with a uniform hardness or “feel” on one surface. However, when the bedding or seating product is flipped over, the bedding or seating product will have a different firmness or “feel” due to the different characteristics of the springs.
In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the springs has three portions: a pair of end portions and a middle portion therebetween. The characteristics of the ends portions are identical but yet different from the characteristics of the middle portion of the spring. A bedding or seating product made from such strings of springs has the same firmness or “feel” no matter which side of the mattress is facing up.
The concept of the present invention may also be used to posturize a bedding or seating product, i.e., make certain regions or portions firmer than other areas or portions of the bedding or seating product. This is accomplished by grouping together multiple strings of springs having identical characteristics in one region of a bedding or seating product. The strings of springs of the other regions have different characteristics so as to impart different firmnesses to the different regions.
Within a string of springs, each pocket of fabric is divided into at least two subpockets by at least one line of attachment. Each line of attachment preferably comprises at least one weld joining opposite sides or plies of the fabric to each other. The line of attachment may be a continuous or broken line. The plies may be welded, sewn or otherwise secured together. The line(s) of attachment is/are located so that each of the subpockets contains one of the portions of the coil spring. Thus the bedding or seating product is multilayered, each layer comprising a plurality of subpockets, each of the subpockets containing a portion of a coil spring.
The bedding or seating product typically has a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal dimension being greater than the transverse dimension. However, the longitudinal dimension and transverse dimension may be identical in a square bedding or seating product. In the invention of the present application, the strings of springs may extend longitudinally or transversely, depending upon the desired effect.
Adjacent strings of springs of the bedding or seating product are preferably glued together but may be otherwise secured to each other. At least one border wire may extend around the perimeter of the bedding or seating product and is secured to select outermost pocketed coil springs. A first or lower border may be secured to the lower end turns of the coil springs of the outermost strings. A second or upper border wire may be secured to the upper end turns of the coil springs of the outermost strings or, alternatively, secured to intermediate convolutions of the coil springs of the outermost strings of springs. When secured to intermediate convolutions of the outermost coil springs, the upper border wire is spaced downwardly below the upper end turns of the springs. In either case the upper border wire is generally horizontally oriented and defines a generally horizontal plane. In the event the upper border wire is spaced below the upper surface of the strings of springs, one of the subpockets of each of the pocketed springs is located above the generally horizontal plane defined by the upper border wire. If the upper border wire is placed in such a location, the upper portions of springs located above the generally horizontal plane
Moser Terry
Mossbeck Niels S.
Wells Thomas J.
L&P Property Management Company
Melius Terry Lee
Santos Robert G.
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
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