BOX SPRING WITH FOLDABLE FRAME

Abstract

Furniture pieces are disclosed that have rigid portions that can be separated from other portions of the furniture, with the rigid and other portions being foldable to reduce the space needed for packaging, shipping, and storage. Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to bedding, and more particularly to box springs. In these embodiments, the box spring can comprise a frame that is surrounded by a fabric cover that can have padding or cushioning. The frame can be removed from the fabric cover and can be folded or collapsed to reduce its size. The fabric cover can also be folded, with the now folded frame and cover having a greatly reduced size for shipping and storage. This reduces the cost of shipping and storage for the box spring, and also provides the option to the end user to more easily store the box spring when desired.

Claims

1. A box spring for a bed, comprising: upper rigid support structure defining the upper surface of the box spring, wherein said upper support structure comprises first and second upper portions; a lower support structure defining the lower surface of the box spring wherein said upper support structure comprises first and second lower portions; a plurality of struts separating said upper rigid support from said lower rigid support structure; and a plurality of supports, wherein said first and second upper portions and said first and second lower portions are rotatably mounted to said supports such that said box spring can be folded about said supports with the first and second upper portions are approximately against said first and second lower portions when said box spring is in the folded position.

2. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said struts are rotatably mounted to said upper rigid support and said lower rigid support.

3. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said struts are bent.

4. The box spring of claim 1, further comprising a cover.

5. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said first and second upper portions each comprise half of said upper rigid support structure.

6. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said first and second lower portions each comprise half of said lower rigid support structure.

7. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said rigid upper support structure comprises first and second opposing upper U-shaped edge bars, wherein each of the ends of said U-shaped edge bars are rotatably connected to one of said supports.

8. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said rigid lower support structure comprises opposing first and second lower U-shaped edge bars, wherein each of the ends of said lower U-shaped edge bars are rotatably connected to one of said supports.

9. The box spring of claim 7, wherein the ends of said upper U-shaped edge bars comprise upper tabs rotatably connected to said supports.

10. The box spring of claim 8, wherein the ends of said lower U-shaped edge bars comprise lower tabs rotatably connected to said supports.

11. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said supports have a wider lower section for connection to said first and second lower portions and narrow upper portion for connection to said first and second upper portions.

13. A piece of furniture, comprising: a rigid frame defining the shape of said piece of furniture; a removable cover over said rigid frame, wherein said rigid frame is foldable when said cover is removed, wherein said rigid frame comprises; a plurality of support structures that define the shape of said piece of furniture; a plurality of struts separating at least some of said support structures; a plurality of supports, wherein support structures are rotatably mounted to said supports and wherein said support structures can be folded about said supports with one of said support structures are approximately against others of said support structures when ridged frame is in the folded position.

14. The piece of furniture of claim 13, comprising a box spring for a bed.

15. The piece of furniture of claim 13, wherein said struts are rotatably mounted to said support structures.

16. The piece of furniture of claim 13, wherein said struts are bent.

17. The piece of furniture in claim 13, wherein said support structures comprise tabs that are rotatably connected to said supports.

18. The box spring of claim 1, wherein said supports have a wider lower section and an upper portion that is narrower than said lower section.

19. A box spring for a bed, comprising: an upper rigid support structure defining the upper surface of the box spring, wherein said upper support structure comprises multiple upper portions; a lower support structure defining the lower surface of the box spring wherein said lower support structure comprises multiple portions; a plurality of struts separating multiple upper portions from said multiple lower portions; and a plurality of supports, wherein multiple upper portions and said multiple lower portions are rotatably mounted to said supports such that said box spring can be folded about said supports to bring one of said multiple upper portions approximately against one of said multiple lower portions.

20. The box spring of claim 19, wherein said struts are rotatably mounted to said multiple upper portions and said multiple lower portions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of on embodiment of a foldable metal frame/foundation for a box spring according to the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the foldable metal frame/foundation shown in FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a close-up top perspective view of the foldable metal frame/foundation shown in FIG. 2;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the foldable metal frame/foundation shown in FIGS. 1-3 with its fabric cover;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the foldable metal frame/foundation shown in FIGS. 1-3 in its fabric cover to form the box spring;

[0015] FIG. 6 is the first page of exemplary assembly instructions for one embodiment of the box spring according to the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 7 is the second page of exemplary assembly instructions for one embodiment of the box spring according to the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 8 is the third page of exemplary assembly instructions for one embodiment of the box spring according to the present invention; and

[0018] FIG. 9 is the fourth page of exemplary assembly instructions for one embodiment of the box spring according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0019] The present invention is directed to furniture having portions that can be foldable to reduce the space needed for shipping or storage of the furniture. In some embodiments, the furniture can be at least partially disassembled so that one or more of the rigid portions can be separated from other portions of the furniture. In some embodiments some of the other portions can be fabric or cushions or a combination thereof that can be folded and/or compressed. One or more of the rigid portions can then be folded, with the folding of the rigid portion and the folding and compression of the fabric/cushion portion reducing the necessary shipping and storage space for the piece of furniture.

[0020] One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a bedding box spring having a rigid frame or structure that can be separated from the covering. The rigid frame can be made of many different materials or combinations of materials, with some embodiments having frames made of metal. In other embodiments that frame can be made of plastic or a combination of metal and plastic. It is also understood that the covering can be made of many different materials including fabric, plastic, foam, or a combination of these materials.

[0021] The separation of the rigid frame covering can be accomplished by the covering having a portion that can be opened to allow access to the rigid frame inside. This rigid frame can be removed from the covering portion and the rigid portion can be folded or collapsed to reduce its size. The covering portion can also be folded and/or compressed, also to reduce its size. The resulting folded portions of the rigid frame and the covering can be placed in a container for shipping or storage, and the space necessary for the overall box spring is greatly reduced. This reduces the cost associated with storage or shipping. The box spring can then be easily assembled by unfolding the rigid frame and covering portion, placing the metal frame in the covering portion, and closing the opening in the covering portion.

[0022] Throughout this disclosure, the embodiments illustrated should be considered as exemplars, rather than as limitations on the present disclosure. As used herein, the term invention and present invention refers to any one of the embodiments of the disclosure described herein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various features of the invention or present invention throughout this document does not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the reference features.

[0023] It is also understood that when an element or feature is referred to as being on or adjacent to another element or feature, it can be directly on or adjacent to the other element or feature or intervening elements or features may also be present. Additionally, it is understood that when an element is referred to as being connected, mounted, or coupled to another element, it can be directly connected, mounted, or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present.

[0024] Furthermore, relative terms such as inner, outer, upper, top, above, lower, bottom, beneath, below, and similar terms, may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another. Terms such as higher, lower, wider, narrower, and similar terms, may be used herein to describe angular relationships. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the elements or system in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

[0025] Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, or section from another. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, a first element, component, region, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated list items.

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, when the present specification refers to an assembly, it is understood that this language encompasses a single assembly or a plurality or array of assemblies. It is further understood that the terms comprises, comprising, includes, and/or including when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0027] Embodiments as described in the present disclosure can be described herein with reference to view illustrations, some of which are schematic in nature. As such, the actual thickness of elements can be different, and variations from the shapes of some of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Thus, the elements illustrated in some of the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0028] FIGS. 1 through 3 show perspective views of one embodiment of a box spring foldable rigid frame 10 according to the present invention. The rigid frame 10 can be made of many different materials as discussed above, with the preferred frame made of a metal. The frame 10 can be provided in different sizes depending on the size of the bed that is using the box spring, with some examples being twin, full, queen, king, California king, etc. The frame 10 can comprise an upper support structure 12 and a lower support structure 14 that serve to primarily define the size and shape of the bed and support the upper surface and lower surface of the fabric portion as described below. The outer edges of the upper and lower structures 12 and 14 are generally the same size and follow the size and shape of the particular bed. The upper structure 12 comprises first and second upper halves 12a, 12b, and the lower structure 14 comprises first and second lower halves 14a, 14b. By providing the structure 12, 14 in halves, the frame can be foldable as described in more detail below.

[0029] The outer edge of the upper and lower structures 12, 14 can comprise a relatively heavy gage perimeter metal bars 16, 18, respectively, that define the outer edges of the upper and lower structures 12, 14. The upper and lower structures 12, 14 also comprise relatively heavy gage transverse members 20, 22, respectively, and at least one heavy longitudinal member 24, 26, respectively. The members 24, 26 span the longitudinal distance between their upper and lower perimeter bars 16, 18. The longitudinal members 20, 22 span the transverse distance between their upper and lower perimeter bars 16, 18. The upper structure 12 also comprises a plurality of lower gage longitudinal spanning members 27 equally spaced and each running along the space between the perimeter bars 16 to a transverse member 18 that is near the center of foldable frame 10.

[0030] The upper and lower structures 12, 14 are separated by a plurality of struts 28, with each strut 28 being rotatably mounted to the upper and lower structures 12, 14. By way of example, strut 28a is rotatably mounted at one end by upper mounting point 30 to the edge bar 16 and at the opposing end by lower mounting point 32 to the edge bar 18. Similarly, strut 28b is rotatably mounted to longitudinal member 24 at one end and rotatable mounted to the longitudinal member 26 at its opposing end. The remaining struts are similarly mounted. The struts 28 are bent near the upper end, which can help facilitate the folding of the frame as described below and different embodiments can have differing angles of bend. In still other embodiments, the struts can be provided without bends or only some of the struts may be bent.

[0031] The frame also comprises a plurality of central supports 34a-c to which the upper halves 12a, 12b are rotatably mounted, and the lower halves 14a, 14b are rotationally mounted. The supports 34a-c provide a similar separation between the upper and lower structure as the struts 28. The upper edge bar 16 comprises two opposing U-shaped portions 16a, 16b that are rotatably mounted opposing one another, with the end of the legs of the U-shaped portion mounted to the upper end of the first and third supports 34a, 34c. The lower edge bar 18 similarly comprises two opposing U-shaped portions 18a, 18b that are rotatably mounted opposing one another to the lower end of the first and third supports 34a, 34c.

[0032] The upper longitudinal member 24 comprises first and second portions 24a, 24b of equal length and each running from edge bar 16 to the second support 34b, where the longitudinal members 24a, 24b are rotatably mounted to the upper end of the second support 34b. Similarly, the lower longitudinal member 26 comprises first and second portions 26a, 26b of equal length and each running from edge bar 18 to the second support 34b, where the longitudinal members 26a, 26b are rotatably mounted to the lower end of the second support 34b. The above-described portions can be rotatably mounted to one another using known mounting mechanisms, such as mounting nuts and bolts and are arranged to allow for rotational movement between the different features.

[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is noted that in the embodiment shown the supports 34a-c have single mounting point 35 for opposing upper U-shaped portions 16a, 16b and opposing upper longitudinal members portions. A respective tab 38 is included between each of these elements and its mounting point. By comparison, there are separate mounting points 37a, 37b for opposing lower portions 18a, 16b and opposing lower longitudinal members 26a, 26b, with a longitudinal separation between mounting points. This combination of the tabs 38 and the separate mounting points allows for the halves of the upper and lower structures 12, 14 to efficiently move to the folded position. The frame 10 is folded in a direction that moves the lower halve 14a, 14b toward one another, with upper halves 12a, 13b being on the outside of the lower halves.

[0034] When folding, the struts 28 rotate in a manner that draws the upper halves 12a, 12b toward the lower halves 14a, 14b. At the same time, the lower halves 14a, 14b rotate about their connection point on the supports 34 so that they are facing each other. The upper halves 12a, 12b also rotate about supports 34a and 34c at their single respective rotation points, but the tabs 38 (best shown in FIG. 2) that are fixed to the upper halves, but are rotatably mounted to the upper portion of the supports, with the tabs providing separation for the upper halves 12a, 12b away from the supports 34a and 34c. This separation causes the upper halves 12a, 12b to be arranged outside of the lower halves 14a, 14b when in the folded position as best shown in FIG. 1. Without the separation provided by the tabs 38, the frame 10 would not be able to come to its fully folded position as shown. The longitudinal members 24a, 24b similarly have tabs 38 arranged similarly to the tabs on the upper halves 12a, 12b and rotatably mounted to the support 34b. When unfolding the frame 10, the components go through this process in reverse to place the frame in the condition as best shown in FIG. 2.

[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the box spring according to the present invention can be provided with a cover 50 that can be made of many different materials, with some embodiments comprising a fabric and padding. The cover is sized to be used in conjunction with and to cover the foldable frame 10 to form a full box spring 60 as shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the fabric cover 50 can be opened, such as along a zipper 52 to provide an opening for the frame 10 to be placed in the cover 50. It is understood that the opening can also be provided with buttons, snaps, Velcro?, etc. The frame can be turned over such that the upper structure 12 is placed down in the cover 50. The zipper can be closed, and the resulting box spring flipped over so that the surface with zipper 52 is facing down. As best shown in FIG. 5, this results in the top surface 54 of the box spring 60 comprising a smooth surface that is unobstructed by the zipper, with the top surface of the cover being supported by the upper structure 12 if the frame 10 (not shown, inside cover).

[0036] FIGS. 6-9 show sample assembly instructions that can be included with a box spring according to the present invention. FIG. 6 references the folded frame (steel foundation) 10 and the fabric cover 50, which as shown can be folded as described above to reduce the space needed for storage and shipping in a single box. FIG. 7 provides the instructions for unfolding the frame as described above by separating the halves 12a, 14a and 12b, 14b and rotate about the supports 34 as described above until the halves are flat to form the box spring as shown. FIG. 8 shows the next assembly step of placing the frame 10 (upper structure 12 down) inside the cover 50, and closing the cover around to the frame by closing the zipper 52. In the final step, the resulting box spring (i.e., foundation) 60 is turned over as shown so that a mattress can be placed on the upper surface to provide a bed.

[0037] It is understood that the different embodiments of the present invention can be easily disassembled and stored at any time during the life of the furniture. This provides flexibility of where and when to store the piece of furniture. It is also understood that different embodiments can comprise different pieces of furniture arranged in different ways with different features. For example, the rigid portions such as the foldable frame can fold in different ways such as in third for fourths or can collapse in an accordion fashion. Additional features such as clamps can be included to hold the frame in the folded position, with the clamps being released to open the frame. The frame can also be made of many different materials, such as plastics, wood, metal, or combinations thereof.

[0038] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to certain configurations thereof, other versions are possible. The present invention can be used with many different pieces of furniture beyond a box spring. Furthermore, none of the elements or features discussed herein should be construed as necessary, critical, or essential for any particular embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the disclosure should not be limited to the versions described above. The foregoing is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, wherein no portion of the disclosure is intended, expressly or implicitly, to be dedicated to the public domain if not set forth in the claims.