ES2985520T3 - Spring core with varied characteristic of angle springs - Google Patents

Abstract

A spring core (10) comprises a plurality of springs (21, 22) which are arranged in columns and rows. The plurality of springs comprises at least one corner spring (22). The corner spring (22) forms an end of one of the rows and an end of one of the columns. The at least one corner spring (22) differs with respect to at least one characteristic from a first adjacent group of the other springs (21) in the same row and a second adjacent group of the other springs (21) in the same column. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Spring core with varied characteristic of angle springs

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a pocket spring core, a bed base assembly and a method of manufacturing a pocket spring core.

BACKGROUND

Spring cores are widely used in seating or bedding products. Such spring cores may be made up of a matrix of multiple springs linked together directly, such as by means of helical wires, or indirectly, such as by means of a fabric within which each individual spring is contained. Pocketed spring cores, in which the springs are each contained in a pocket of fabric, are very popular, due to the comfort and luxurious feel that pocketed spring cores provide.

For the sake of user comfort, spring cores are known to be provided with springs of different characteristics. For example, different degrees of hardness can be achieved by changing the gauge of the wire from which the springs are made. The purpose of these varied spring characteristics is to achieve adapted degrees of support in different areas of the spring core.

In some bedding products, the spring core may be used to form a box spring. In this case, the spring core is usually mounted on a wooden frame, with a cover stretched over the frame and spring core, providing a rigid box-shaped structure with a flexible top. In these box spring assemblies, stretching of the covering material over the spring core can lead to aesthetic problems. In particular, stretching of the cover has the effect of the top corners of the box spring assembly being pushed diagonally inwards, which can lead to an undesirable degree of deviation from the desired box outer shape.

Consequently, there is a need for spring core constructions that can effectively prevent unwanted deviations in the external shape of a product formed from the spring core.

Patent CN 208573301 U describes a mattress with a group of edge springs and a group of intermediate springs. The springs located at the four corners of the mattress are made up of stronger double springs. Patent CN 207506264 U describes a mattress in which the support springs located at the corners have a larger outer diameter than the other springs. Examples of known spring cores are given in documents JPS5790667U, WO2018/210745A1 and JP2010259701A.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a pocket spring core as defined in claim 1 and the method of claim 10. Preferred features of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

According to one embodiment, a pocket spring core is provided for a bed frame assembly, for example for incorporation into a bed or seating product, in particular a box spring bed. The pocket spring core comprises a plurality of springs arranged in columns and rows. The plurality of springs comprises at least one angle spring. The angle spring forms an end of one of the rows and an end of one of the columns. Thus, the angle spring is arranged in a position where the row and the column meet, i.e. at a corner of the pocket spring core. The at least one angle spring differs with respect to at least one characteristic from a first adjacent group of the other springs of the same row and from a second adjacent group of the other springs of the same column. By means of the difference in at least one characteristic, a product comprising the pocket spring core can be effectively adapted with respect to its appearance in the corner region, for example with the aim of providing a more or less pronounced corner sharpness.

According to the invention, the at least one angle spring has a larger diameter than the springs of the first adjacent group and the springs of the second adjacent group. Thus, the at least one feature corresponds to or comprises the diameter of the angle spring. In this way, the support of a coating material in the corner region can be improved, which can allow for achieving a more pronounced corner sharpness, which is desirable in many products.

In one embodiment, the at least one angle spring has a different number of coil turns than the springs of the first adjacent group and the springs of the second adjacent group. Thus, the at least one feature may correspond to or comprise the number of coil turns of the angle spring. In some cases, the at least one angle spring has a greater number of coil turns than the springs of the first adjacent group and the springs of the second adjacent group. In this way, support of a coating material in the corner region may be improved, which may allow for achieving a more pronounced corner sharpness, which is desirable in many products.

In one embodiment, the pocket spring core comprises multiple angle springs, each forming one end of one of the rows and one end of one of the columns at a different corner of the spring core. In this case, each of the angle springs may differ with respect to the at least one characteristic from a first adjacent group of the other springs of the same row and from a second adjacent group of the other springs of the same column. In some scenarios, the angle springs may be located at all corners of the pocket spring core.

The appearance of the product can therefore be adapted to several or even all corners. In some cases, corner springs differ in at least one feature from all other springs in the pocket spring core.

In one embodiment, the plurality of springs comprises at least first springs and second springs having different characteristics to form different regions of the pocket spring core. In this case, the at least one angular spring may differ with respect to the at least one characteristic of the first springs and the second springs. For example, the first and second springs could differ from each other in wire gauge, and the angular spring could differ from the first and second springs in diameter and/or number of turns of the coil.

Each spring is enclosed in a fabric bag. The pocket spring core is therefore designed as a pocket spring core. The pocket springs form multiple strands which correspond to the rows or columns of the spring core. The at least one angle spring is arranged at a respective end of one of the strands. In this way, the supply of the angle springs can be efficiently integrated into the production process of the pocket spring core.

In one embodiment, a bed base assembly is provided, comprising the aforementioned pocket spring core. Furthermore, the bed base assembly may include a frame for supporting the pocket spring core and a cover stretched over the pocket spring core.

According to one embodiment, a bed or seat product is provided, comprising the aforementioned box spring assembly. The bed or seat product may correspond, for example, to a box spring bed. According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing the aforementioned pocket spring core is provided. The method comprises providing the plurality of springs, forming the spring cords, and providing the at least one angle spring at one end of at least one of the cords. Furthermore, the method comprises joining the cords to form the pocket spring core. The method may be performed in an automated manner, for example, by using a spring winding machine to provide the springs, by using a spring bagging machine to form pocket spring cords, and/or by using an assembly machine to join the cords and form the pocket spring core.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a partial sectional view of a bed base assembly according to one embodiment.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of arrangement of spring elements in a spring core according to one embodiment.

Figure 3 illustrates another example of arrangement of spring elements in a spring core according to one embodiment.

Figure 4 shows a flow chart to schematically illustrate an embodiment according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Although some embodiments will be described in the context of specific fields of application, such as in the context of mattresses, the embodiments are not limited to this field of application. Features of the different embodiments may be combined with each other unless specifically indicated otherwise. Throughout the following description, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar components or mechanisms.

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a bed frame assembly 100 according to one embodiment. In particular, Figure 1 shows a partial sectional view of a corner of the bed frame assembly 100. Here, it should be understood that the bed frame assembly may have a substantially rectangular shape with four corners each having a configuration as illustrated in Figure 1.

As illustrated, the bed base assembly 100 comprises a spring core 10 formed by a plurality of springs 21, 22, in particular coil springs. In the illustrated example, the spring core 10 is formed as a pocket spring core, each spring 21, 22 being enclosed in a pocket 20 of textile material. For example, the spring core 10 may be formed by multiple chains of pocketed spring elements. The strands may be formed, respectively, by a layer of fabric, insertion of a spring 21, 22 into the fabric layer, folding of the fabric layer to cover the spring before or after insertion of the spring, and application of longitudinal and transverse seams, for example by welding. Each strand may extend over the entire width of the spring core. The cords may be connected in a side-by-side relationship such as by gluing the sides of the cords together, so as to create a spring array 21, 22 with multiple rows and columns of springs 21, 22 connected to each other. As a result, the spring core 10 forms a unitary structure having a width W and a length L. Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the rows are arranged along the width direction and the columns are arranged along the length direction. However, it should be noted that it would also be possible for the rows to be arranged along the length and the columns across. It should be noted that the implementation as a pocket spring core is just one example, and that in other examples the spring core 10 could also be formed using a wire frame to connect the springs 21, 22 to each other.

Figure 2 shows a top view to schematically illustrate an example of arrangement of the springs 21, 22 in rows and columns. As can be seen from Figure 2, two outer rows of the springs 21, 22 and two outer columns of the springs 21, 22 form the side edges of the spring core 10. The corners of the spring core 10 correspond to the positions where the respective pairs of side edges meet.

The sectional view in Figure 1 is assumed to be taken along the dashed line A in Figure 1, i.e. at the upper right corner of the spring core 10, in the widthwise direction. However, it should be noted that sectional views similar to those illustrated in Figure 1 could also be provided for the other corners of the spring core and along the widthwise direction.

As shown in Figure 1, the bed base assembly 100 includes a frame 31 and slats 32 upon which the spring core 10 rests. For example, the frame 31 and slats 32 may be made of wood, and the spring core 10 may be mounted to the frame 31 and slats 32 by stapling or the like. As illustrated below, a cushioning layer 41, for example in the form of a foam board, may be provided on an upper surface of the spring core 10. In addition, a cover 42, for example formed of a textile fabric, extends over the frame 31, the spring core 10, and, if present, the cushioning layer 41, to form a smooth outer surface of the bed base assembly 100.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the springs 21 and 22 of the spring core 10 have different characteristics. In particular, the springs 22, which are arranged at the corners of the spring core 10 and can therefore also be referred to as angle springs, differ from the other springs 21 of the spring core 10. In particular, the angle springs 22 differ from the other springs 21 which form the side edges of the spring core 10. As mentioned above, a corner of the spring unit 10 is assumed to be a position where two side edges of the spring unit 100 meet. An angle spring 21 can also be defined as a spring located both at one end of a row and at one end of a column.

In the illustrated example, the angle springs 22 and the other springs 21 differ with respect to a diameter of the springs 21, 22 and with respect to a number of turns of the springs 21, 22. In particular, the angle springs 22 have a larger diameter than the other springs 21 and a higher number of turns than the other springs 21. In this way, stretching of the cover 42 over the spring core 10 can be achieved to cause undesirable rounding of the corners of the bed base assembly 100. In other words, the corners of the bed base assembly 100 can be achieved to closely conform to a cosmetically desirable "sharp corner" shape, in Figures 1 and 2 indicated schematically by dotted lines S. In the example of Figures 1 and 2, the springs 21 have a first diameter D1, and the angle springs 22 have a second diameter D2, and the angle springs 22 have a second diameter D3. 22 have a second diameter D2, greater than the first diameter D1. In addition, the springs 21 have a first number of turns N1, and the angle springs 22 have a second number of turns N2, which is greater than the first diameter D1. By way of example, D2 may be between 10% and 20% greater than D1, and N2 may be between 10% and 20% greater than N1.

In the example of Figure 2, it has been assumed that the spring core 10 is formed solely by two types of springs 21, 22, i.e. one type corresponds to the angle springs 22 and the other to the other springs 21. It should be noted, however, that the concepts illustrated could also be combined with other variations of the characteristics of the springs 21, 22 forming the spring core. Figure 3 schematically illustrates a corresponding example of a spring core 10'.

In the example of Figure 3, the spring core 10' includes multiple zones 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 that are made up of different types of springs 22, 23 to accommodate variations in the degree of support necessary for a user's comfort. In the illustrated example, zone 11 is a head zone that in typical usage scenarios would support the user's head, zone 12 is a shoulder zone that in typical usage scenarios would support the user's shoulders or upper body, zone 13 is a mid zone that in typical usage scenarios would support the user's lower body or pelvis, zone 14 is a leg zone that in typical usage scenarios would support the user's upper legs or knees, and zone 15 is a foot zone that in typical usage scenarios would support the user's feet. In the illustrated example, the spring core 10' has a symmetrical configuration where section 11 is similar to section 15 and section 12 is similar to section 15. Accordingly, the spring core assembly could also be used for the opposite orientation of the user, i.e. with the head in section 15. However, it should be noted that configurations where zones 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 each had a different configuration could also be used.

In the example of Figure 3, areas 11 and 15 are formed by a first type of springs 21 and by the angle springs 22. Area 13, which has no corners, is formed only by the first type of springs 21. Areas 12 and 14 are formed by a second type of springs 23, which has different characteristics than the first type of springs 21 and the angle springs 22. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the second type of springs 23 has a softer characteristic than the first type of springs 21, for example by forming the spring from a wire with a different gauge. In this way, areas 12 and 14 can be provided with greater elasticity than areas 11, 13 and 15, so that the shoulders and upper legs of the user can be supported comfortably.

As can be seen from the example in Figure 3, in some scenarios there may be other variations of the spring characteristics in the spring core 10, 10', in addition to providing the angle springs 22 with a different diameter and a different number of turns. Also in these cases, the angle springs 22 differ from the other springs in the rows and columns forming the side edges.

Furthermore, it is noted that in the examples of Figures 1, 2 and 3 it was assumed that the four angle springs 22 had the same characteristics. Accordingly, the rows forming the widthwise side edges each include two angle springs 22 having the same characteristics. However, these differ from an adjacent group of springs in the same row. Likewise, the columns forming the longitudinal side edges each include two angle springs 22 with the same characteristics. Again, these differ from a respective adjacent group of springs in the same column.

Figure 4 shows a flow chart to illustrate a spring core manufacturing process that can be used to manufacture a spring core as described above, for example, spring core 10, 10'. That is, the method can be used to manufacture a spring core that includes at least one angle spring that differs with respect to at least one characteristic from adjacent springs of the angle spring. As mentioned above, this at least one characteristic can correspond to or include a diameter of the spring and/or a number of turns of the spring.

In step 410, a plurality of springs are provided. The springs include the at least one corner spring and other springs. The at least one corner spring differs with respect to the at least one characteristic of the other springs. The springs may be supplied by a winder.

In step 420, cords may be formed from the springs provided in step 410. The cords may be formed from pocketed coil springs, as illustrated in the example in Figure 1.

In step 430, at least one of the ropes may be provided, at least at one end of the rope, with an angle spring having a different characteristic than one or more springs adjacent to the angle spring. In typical scenarios, the rope may have a first angle spring at the first end of the rope and a second angle spring at the second end of the rope. Furthermore, in typical situations, two of the ropes are provided with a first angle spring at the first end of the rope and a second angle spring at the second end of the rope. Thus, two of the ropes may be provided with two angle springs each, resulting in a total of four angle springs to be arranged at four different corners of the spring core. However, it is noted that in some scenarios, less than four corners of the spring core could be provided with the angle spring having different characteristics. In this case, the angle spring could be located only at one end of the rope and/or only one of the ropes could be provided with the angle spring(s).

Steps 420 and 430 can be performed in a continuous process by a spring bagging machine that allows mixing of different types of springs on the same line.

In step 440, the cords are joined together to form the spring core, with the angle spring(s) each arranged at a respective corner of the spring core. This may involve, for example, joining the cords by gluing, welding, or another assembly process. An assembly machine with the appropriate configuration may be used for this purpose.

It should be noted that the embodiments and examples described above are susceptible to various modifications without departing from the scope of the present claims. For example, the angle spring(s) with different characteristics may be combined with other variations of the spring characteristics in the spring core. For example, more complex zoning than in the example of Figure 3 could be provided by using one or more additional spring types at the edges and/or inside the spring core. In addition, a wide variety of coil springs or other types of springs could be used, for example, foam springs. Furthermore, when coil springs are used, it is noted that they may be cylindrical in shape, but could also be hourglass, barrel or cone shaped. Furthermore, the dimensions of the springs may be selected in various ways. Furthermore, it should be noted that the illustrated concepts may be applied for purposes other than increasing the sharpness of the corners of a product.

Furthermore, although in the examples explained the pocket spring core is part of a bed base assembly, in particular a box spring bed, it should be noted that the same or similar pocket spring cores could also be used in other types of bed or seating products, such as in sofas or seats, for example as part of a sofa cushion or seat cushion.

Claims (10)

1. Pocket spring core (10; 10') for a bed base assembly, comprising: a plurality of pocket springs (21, 22, 23) arranged in columns and rows, each spring (21, 22, 23) being enclosed in a pocket (20) of textile material and the pocket springs (21, 22, 23) forming multiple rows corresponding to the rows or columns, wherein the plurality of pocket springs (21, 22, 23) comprises at least one angle spring (22), which forms an end of one of the rows and an end of one of the columns, the at least one angle spring (21, 22, 23) being arranged at a respective end of one of the cords, characterized by that, the at least one angle spring (22) has a larger diameter than the pocket springs (21, 23) of a first adjacent group of the other springs (21) of the same row and than the pocket springs (21, 23) of a second adjacent group of the other springs (21, 23) in the same column. 2. The pocket spring core (10; 10') according to claim 1, wherein the at least one angle spring (22) has a different number of spiral turns than the pocket springs (21, 23) of the first adjacent group and the pocket springs (21, 23) of the second adjacent group. 3. The pocket spring core (10; 10') according to claim 2, wherein the at least one angle spring (22) has a greater number of spiral turns than the pocket springs (21, 23) of the first adjacent group and the pocket springs (21, 23) of the second adjacent group. 4. The pocket spring core (10; 10') according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: multiple angle springs (22), each of which forms one end of one of the rows and one end of one of the columns in a different corner of the pocket spring core (10; 10'), wherein each of the angle springs (22) differs with respect to at least one characteristic from a first adjacent group of the other pocket springs (21) of the same row and from a second adjacent group of the other pocket springs (21, 23) of the same column. 5. The pocket spring core (10; 10') according to claim 4, wherein the angle springs (22) differ in at least one characteristic from all other pocket springs (21, 23) of the pocket spring core (10; 10'). 6. The pocket spring core (10; 10') according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the angle springs (22) are arranged at all corners of the pocket spring core (10; 10'). 7. The pocket spring core (10') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of pocket springs (21, 22, 23) comprises at least first springs (21) and second springs (23) with different characteristics to form different zones (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) of the pocket spring core (10'), and where the at least one angular spring (22) differs with respect to at least one characteristic from the first springs (21) and the second springs (23). 8. Bed base assembly (100), comprising: a pocket spring core (10; 10') according to any one of the preceding claims, a frame (31, 32) for supporting the pocket spring core (10, 10'); and a cover (42) extended over the pocket spring core (10, 10'). 9. A bed or seat product comprising a bed base assembly (100) according to claim 8. 10. Method of manufacturing a pocket spring core (10, 10') according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising: - providing the plurality of springs (21,22, 23); - form the strings of the pocket springs (21,22, 23); - providing the at least one angle spring (22) at one end of at least one of the cords; - joining the cords together to form the core of the pocket spring (10; 10').