US2577813A - Cord attachment means for upholstery spring - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11, 195 1 E SAMEL CORD ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR UPHOLSTERY SPRING Filed Nov. 24, 1947 INVENTOR.

1 Manuel Sa Mel HTTOPNE) Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNlTED STATES CORD A TAC MENT MEANS FOR UPHOLSTERY SPRING Claims.

My present invention relates to cord attachment means for upholstery spring and more particularly to such a device which may be used with a standard type of upholstery spring for permitting the cords normally used for tying the springs together in a spring assembly to be readily and securely attached thereto in a manner superior to the prior art methods of assembling upholstery constructions and in a much shorter time than has heretofore been required when operating accordin to prior art commercial practices.

It has been customary for many years to use substantially helical springs in making up upholstered furniture, these springs usually having a somewhat smaller diameter intermediate their endsthan at the ends thereof, although this is relatively immaterial from the point of view of the present invention. In assembling such springs into an article of furniture it is customary, for example, in making a chair or sofa bottom or seat, first to build a frame of some rigid material, such as wood, then to support the lower ends of the springs to form the seat, or the rear ends when a back is being formed, to the lower or rear face of the frame by the use of webbing, usually arranged in bands secured at their ends to the frame and sewed together and to the lowermost or rearmost ends of the springs by strong thread or cord. Other arrangements equivalent thereto from the present point of view have been suggested for securing the rear or lowermost ends of the springs to the frame and for locating the springs with their axes all substantially parallel and in a desired distribution pattern.

The upper or forward ends of the springs have customarily been connected together and to the uppermost or forward parts of the frame by the use of quite heavy cord, which in accordance with prior art practices is usually cut into suitable lengths;,t hen one end is secured to a part of the frame in the formin of a single pass.

The cord is then extended to the nearest spring to be connected in this pass and a kot made between the cord and the endmost or some other turn of the spring adiacent to the end, this knot being made non-slipping as to the cord by pulling the end of the cord through a loop in forming one or two half hitches or some other similar type of knot. The cord has then customarily been extended across the spring and been connected to a turn substantially diametrically opposite the first point ofconnection by a similar knot. In like manner the cord is attached to each spring in a row, and then thfi Other end finally attached to the frame opposite the point of attachment of the first-named end.

In carrying out this operation it is necessary first to cut off suitable lengths of cord from a supply of an indefinite length upon a reel or other suitable dispensing package (a time consuming process which my invention eliminates); then, in making each knot to pull the free end through a loop one or more times. The knot, after having been formed, may be non-slipping as to the cord, but can and does during subsequent use rnove endways as to the Wire of the spring, causing eventual misalignment and toppling of the springs. The whole operation in forming a chair or sofa bottom is tiresome and time-consumin in the extreme.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a means, which is attachable to a standard upholstery spring and which provides portions to which the cord usually used in tying the upper or forward ends of the springs together may be attached, so that it will be in eifect attached to the spring itself.

The present invention is thus a continuationin-part of my prior and co-pending application Ser. No. 769,891, flled August 21, 1947, entitled Upholstery Spring Construction and Method of Assembling Same.

In this prior application, there is disclosed means rigid or integral with the spring itself to which the cord could readily be attached and also a method of assemblin such springs into an assembled unit for use in upholstered furniture, the unit usually being assembled in situ. The present invention contemplates the use of standard type springs, which may be purchased at relatively low cost and which are readily available, and provides an attachment means which may be secured to such a standard spring to provide the advantages set forthin detail in my prior application and which are also functional objects of the present application. The construction of the present invention lends itself to carrying out the method of my prior application, the present application being restricted to the construction of the co d attachment means and to the combination thereof with a standard spring.

Among the more specific objects of the present invention are to provide a means which may be simply and cheaply made of relatively inexpensive materials and which may be easily and quickly attached to a standard upholstery spring, this means providing a plurality of irregular portions to which the bight of a cord may be securely connected in the making of a sprin assembly either as an independent assembly, such as those used in the construction of sofa cushions or mattresses, or an assembly made in situ and used, for example, on the seat or back portion of a chair, a sofa and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means of the character hereinabove set forth which may be made either of a single piece of wire, suitably bent to a desired shape, or from sheet material by a stamping and bending operation; and in either case providing a plurality of cord attachment portions and a plurality of gripping means by which the device as a whole may be secured to any conventional upholstery spring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth, which is preferably of substantially circular contour and which may thus be made to conform to a turn, usually the endmostturn, of an upholstery spring to provide rigidly therewith cord attachment portions to which the bight of a cord may be securely attached in making up the spring assembly. The means for attachment of the device of the present invention to a standard spring preferably comprise attachment means provided adjacent to each of the cord attachment portions, so that when the spring is assembled into a spring assembly secured together by cords, the points of attachment of the cord will be in effect rigid with the spring itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a construction as aforesaid which may be formed by suitably bending a single piece of wire, preferably by providing flattened loops substantially oppositely directed in respect to each other to provide each of several irregular portions, to which the bight of a cord may be securely attached in a rapid manner without requiring the pulling through of a cord end through a loop in forming a satisfactory knot.

A further detailed object of the present invention is the provision of a device constructed from a single piece of wire as aforesaid, wherein the means for attaching the device to a standard spring comprises a plurality of pairs of flattened loops, the members of each pair being closely adjacent to, if not substantially opposite, one another along the longitudinal extent of the wire, and the loops being arranged to be bent around to embrace the wire of a standard spring.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a particular shape of the irregular portions formed of a wire or by a stamping and shaping operation, which will insure the assembled device from having any parts liable to project into and damage upholstery materials which are adapted to be used over the spring assembly.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will appear from the following specification and appended claims, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view substantially in perspective, showing a single spring of standard type with which is associated a device formed of bent wire in accordance with the present invention, a portion of one of the cords securing the spring in an assembled position being also shown;

Fig. 2 is a view substantially in plan of the cord attachment means shown in Fig. 1 prior to its being attached to a spring in its normal position for use;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view substantially in elevation showing the device of Fig. 2 attached to the upper or endmost turn of a standard spring;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the device of Figs. 1 to 3, illustrating the construction of a single irregular portion and an adjacent spring gripping means or portion along the length of the wire;

Fig. 5 is a view substantially in transverse section of the spring wire gripping means as seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, the parts being shown in assembled position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the parts shown in Fig. 5 as seen from one side thereof;

Fig. 7 is a view principally in perspective of a construction similar to that shown in Fig. 6, but showing a modified form thereof;

Fig. 8 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2, but showing a device in accordance with the present invention which may 'be formed by a cutting and/or stamping operation from sheet metal;

Fig. 9 is an edge view of the device of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the manner in which a device shown in Figs; 8 and 9 can be attached to a turn of a standard spring.

Turning now to Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a. conventional upholstery spring I, which is shown as having a smaller diameter intermediate its ends than at its ends. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to use with such a spring, but may be similarly used with a spring in the form'of a substantially true helix having a uniform general diameter. The lower or rear .end portion of the spring I may be secured as illustrated at 2 to bands of webbin 3 and 4. This is a usual construction and is shown merely to illustrate a conventional mounting for the rear or lower end of the spring I.

As set forth hereinabove, and in detail in my prior application above referred to, the problem with which the present invention is concerned is the tying together of the upper or outer ends of a group of springs such as shown at I, which ends correspond to that end shown at the top in Fig. 1. As taught in my prior application, it is desired to secure these upper or outer ends together by cord, pieces of which are arranged at least in two directions at about right angles to one another, the cord being suitably attached at the ends of the passes to a frame with which the spring assembly is to be associated. My prior application aforesaid provided rigid or integral portions on the upper end portion of the springs for attachment to the cord. These portions were formed as a part of or on the springs. This required special provisions to be made in the construction of the springs themselves. The present invention contemplates the use of standard springs, to each of which the device of the present invention is attached in a suitable way and which provides irregular portions to which the cords tying the springs together may be securely attached without the necessity of pulling a cord end through a loop in forming a knot. Thus the present invention provides all the desirable advantages set forth in my prior application, while at the same time using standard type springs. The device of the present invention may be made in a number of different forms, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described. while others will occur to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

One form of cord attachment means'is shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings. This form of the invention is made from a single piece of metallic wire, suitably bent to form (a) a plurality of cord attachment portions or irregular portions to which the cord may be attached, and (b) a plurality of means for securing the device of the present invention to a conventional upholstery spring.

The device may be formed initially as particularly shown in Figs. 2, so that it will be substantially of a circular form as to its general outline and thus arranged for attachment to a turn, usually the endmost turn, of a spring such as I. As shown a piece of Wire 5v of suitable length has substantially circular portions 6. At suitable intervals angularly spaced around the general center of the device there are arranged a plurality of cord attachment portions, each of which is generally indicated at 1. Due to the fact that springs are usually attached together by passes of cords disposed at substantially right angles to one another and as it is customary that the cord be attached to substantially diametrically opposite portions of the spring, it is usually desired that there be at least four of the cord attachment portions 1 disposed at approximately 90 to each other. On the other hand, any desired number, greater or less than four, may be provided in accordance with the desires of the trade. In this connection eight may sometimes be provided, arranged at about 45 to one another, so as to permit the use of diagonal passes of cord as well as the right angle passes. Each of the irregular portions 1 may be formed as a pair of flattened loops 8 and 9, which are arranged to project inwardly and outwardly respectively in substantially radial alignment with one another as shown. These loops are disposed principally in the plane of the wire 5 as a whole, but have their end portions turned downwardly as shown at l and II. Thus when the entire assembly is completed and upholstery material placed above the assembled springs (considering them in the position shown in Fig. 1 as for a chair seat), the ends of the loops 8 and 9 will not tend to project up through the upholstery material used with the spring assembly and to damage it during the subsequent use of the article of furniture with which the device is used.

Means are provided for suitably securing the device of the present invention and which is shown in Fig. 2 to a conventional spring such as the spring I shown in Fig. 1. Such securing means are preferably provided adjacent to each of the cord attachment portions I, so that these portions will be in effect rigid with the spring 1 during the subsequent use of the device. As shown, these attachment portions may each comprise a pair of loops generally indicated at l2, which may be formed similar to the cord attachment portions 1, but which usually do not require as long loops as those shown at 8 and 9 as the function is merely to attach the device to the wire of the spring l. forming of the device of the present invention, the pairs of loops 12, each including an inwardly directed loop I3 and an outwardly directed loop 14, may be formed substantially in the plane of the wire 5. In the assembly of the device of the present invention with a spring such as l, the loops I3 and It may be bent downwardly about a portion of the wire of the spring 1 as best shown in Fig. 5. This maybe eifected In the initial other way by which the result maybe secured. The means for accomplishing the attachment of the device of the present invention form no part of that invention, it being contemplated that any suitable means for accomplishing this pur pose including the use of hand tools may be resorted to.

Once the device shown in Fig. 2 has been assembled with the spring as just described and as shown in detail in Fig. I, the spring as a whole may be employed as shown in that figure for at:- taching it in a spring assembly by means of the webbing strips 3 and 4 and securing the upper ends by means of a cord as shown at It, Fig. 1,

which may be connected to the irregular portions 1 by any desired type of knot, which can be formed by a bight of the cord; such a knot is shown generally at I! in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that if desired the lower ends of a plurality of springs I may be secured in position to strips 3 and 4 prior to the attachment to the spring I of the device of the present invention shown in Fig; 2. Thus it is contemplated that the device of the present invention may be used in repairing upholstered furniture without removing the original springs from their position, if such an operation is desired, the order of the steps of the assembly not being critical.

Furthermore, while there is shown in Fig. 2 a device which, while generally of circular contour, is arranged for attachment to an upper turn of a spring wherein the ends'of this turn are ofiset from one another as shown. so that the device has two offset ends l8 and I 9, as shown in Fig. 2,

i it is contemplated that the device could be made as a substantially true circular construction with the ends [8 and I9 connected to one another and in a true circular arrangement.

While the device of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, is generally circular in arrangement, this circular contour is itself not essential, the essential part being that a device be provided, first with means for attaching it to a standard spring, and second with means providing a plurality of cord attachment portions, so that once the device is attached to a spring, a bight of a cord may be attached to that device and hence therethrough to the spring at a plurality of points angularly spaced in respect to the spring.

As shown in Fig. 7, the loops l3 and I4 jointly comprising the means l2 for attaching of the device of the present invention to a spring may be slightly ofiset from one another along the length of the principal part of the wire 5, so that when they are bent around a portion of a standard spring as shown at I5, they will lay on one side of each other and may overlap in a direction around the wire portion l5. This detail is shown in the Fig. '7 form of the invention and is to be considered a variant'of the form shown in Figs. 1 to 6,.which may be employed at any one or more points of attachment of the device of the present invention to the spring itself.

While there is but a single attachment means shown associated with a spring in the forms of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I contemplate that two or more attachment elements, each according to the present invention, may be used if desired or necessary.

In Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive there is shown another form of the invention. In this casethe device, which is generally indicated at Zll may be formed by a punching or stamping operation from sheet in practice by a suitable die operation or in any 5 metal, the device being shaped to provide a substantially annular band or ring portion 2|. This ring portion 2! may be truly annular and endless as above described for the form of the device made from wire, or it may be formed as shown with radially offset ends 22 and 23, or a device of the shape of Fig. 8 may be formed first as a truly circular band, which is thereafter broken or cut at one point to provide the two ends 22 and 23 and then the device as a whole bent slightly to the form shown particularly in Fig. 8. Any suitable means of forming it may be employed, such means being obvious to those skilled in the arts from the present description.

The device 20 may be provided with a plurality, in this case four pairs, of proj ections as shown at 24 and 25, each pair, generally indicated at 26, forming an irregular cord attachment portion. The projections 24 and 25 are preferably in substantially radial alignment with one another, in the same way as the loops 8 and 9 of the form of the invention of Fig. 2, and are designed to serve the same purpose. If desired, the portions may be suitably bent as illustrated at l and II in Fig. 3 for the prior form of the invention pre-- viously described and for the same purpose. Further, if desired, the flat sheet metal from which the device 20 is cut may be suitably molded into a smooth exterior surface, so as to prevent or reduce the possibility of sharp edges which might tend to shear the cord which is to be attached thereto as shown at I! in Fig. 1.

Means are also provided for attaching the device 20 to a turn, such as the endmost turn, of a spring such as I. For this purpose there is provided, preferably adjacent to each of the cord attachment portions 20, a means here shown as a pair of tabs 21 and 28. While the tabs 21 and 28 could be arranged radially opposite one another substantially as disclosed for the loops l3 and H, they are shown as offset circumferentially from each other so as to be radially out of alignment and so as not to interfere with each other when they are respectively bent around a portion l5 of the spring I as is shown in Fig. 10. In this figure the tabs are shown in the final desired position, each gripping a part of the wire l5 of the spring I.

The use of the device of Figs. 8 to 10 will be the same as that previously described for the other form of the invention, so that this description will not be repeated.

In general, after device in accordance with the present invention has been attached to a spring, the assembled spring device may then be incorporated in a spring assembly in a way which will now be obvious to those skilled in the art and which is particularly described and claimed in my prior and co-pending application Ser. No. 769,891 above referred to.

While there is herein shown and described but two principal forms of the present invention, other variants thereof will be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art. I do not wish to be limited, therefore, except by the scope of the appended claims, which are to be construed validly as broadly as the state of the prior art permits.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with an upholstery spring having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and hav- 1 ing a series of substantially helical convolutions arranged symmetrically about said axis, of cord attachment means secured to an end convolution of said spring, said cord attachment means comprising a member having a body portion shaped substantially to conform to said end convolution, means integral with said member attaching it to said end convolutions at a plurality of points thereabout, parts of said member arranged to provide cord loop receiving means projecting inwardly therefrom towards said axis, and other parts of said member arranged to provide additional cord loop receiving means respectively substantially opposite the first named cord loop receiving means and projecting outwardly from said member away from said axis.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cord attachment means is made from a single piece of metallic wire bent to form said parts and also having portions bent to grip a turn of said spring.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cord attachment means is formed from a single sheet metal member cut out and preshaped to provide said means integral with said member for attaching it to said end convolution, and further to provide all said parts which are arranged to provide the cord loop receiving means.

4. The combination in accordancawith claim 1, wherein said cord attachment means is made as a single sheet metal member of generally ch cular contour in the plane of the metal sheet, wherein said means integral with said member for attaching it to said end convolution comprise a plurality of pairs of tabs, the tabs of each of said pairs extending generally radially inwardly and outwardly respectively with respect to the generally circular contour of said member and the tabs of each of said pairs being adjacent to but out of radial alignment with each other, so as to permit each such tab to be bent around a part of said end convolution of said spring without interference with the other tab of such pair, and wherein said member is further shaped to provide all said parts which are arranged to provide the cord loop receiving means.

5. A cord attachment means for use in conjunction with an upholstery spring, which spring has a longitudinal axis of symmetry and a series of substantially helical convolutions arranged symmetrically about said axis, and wherein said cord attachment means is adapted for attachment to an end convolution of said spring, said cord attachment means comprising a member having a body portion shaped substantially to conform to said end convolution. means integral with said member for attaching it to said end convolution at a plurality of points thercabout, parts of said member arranged to provide cord loop receiving means projecting inwardly therefrom in directions toward said axis when said member is attached to an upholstery spring, and other parts of said member arranged to provide additional cord loop receiving means respectively substantially opposite the first named cord loop receiving means and projecting outwardly from said member in directions away from said axis when said member is attached to such an upholstery spring.

6. A cord attachment means in accordance with claim 5, wherein said cord attachment means consists of a single piece of wire, portions of which are bent into loops to provide said means integral with said member for. attaching to an end convolution of an upholstery spring, and other portions of said wire being bent to provide all said cord loop receiving means.

'7. A cord attachment means for use in conjunction with an upholstery spring for the attachment of cord to tie said spring into a spring assembly, said cord attachment means consisting of a single piece of wire and being bent to provide a plurality of irregular portions arranged to be disposed at angularly spaced points of a predetermined turn of said spring when said cord attachment means is secured to such a spring, each of said irregular portions forming a means for attaching a bight of cord thereto, and said a piece of wire being further bent to provide means for attaching the cord attachment means to the upholstery spring, the last named means comprising a plurality of attaching means, each of which comprises two flattened loops of the wire formed closely adjacent to each other and adjacent to each of said irregular portions of the wire and extending in respectively opposite directions from the wire, so that these flattened loops may be bent around the wire of a turn of the upholstery spring to secure the cord attachment means firmly to said upholstery spring adjacent to each of said irregular portions of the cord attachment means.

8. A cord attachment means for use in conjunction with an upholstery spring for the attachment of cord to tie said spring into a spring assembly, said cord attachment means consisting of a single piece of wire and being provided with a plurality of irregular portions arranged to be disposed at angularly spaced points of a predetermined turn of said spring when said cord attachment means is associated with such spring, each of said irregular portions being formed by bending the wire to provide a pair of elongate flattened loops disposed substantially opposite one another along the general longitudinal extent of said wire, each of said irregular portions forming a means for attaching a bight of cord thereto, and means for attaching said cord attachment means to a turn of said spring; the last named means comprising a plurality of gripping parts, each of which parts comprises two flattened loops of the wire formed closely adjacent to each other and adjacent to each of the irregular cord attachment portions of the wire and extending in respectively opposite directions from the wire, so that these flattened loops may be bent around the wire of a turn of the upholstery spring to secure the cord attachment means firmly to the spring adjacent to each of the cord attachment portions respectively of the cord attachment means.

9. A cord attachment means for use in conjunction with an upholstery spring for the attachment of cord to tie said spring into a spring assembly, said cord attachment means consisting of a single piece of wire and being provided with a plurality of irregular portions arranged to be disposed at angularly spaced points of a predetermined turn of said spring when said cord attachment means is associated with such spring, each of said irregular portions being formed by bending the wire to provide a pair of elongate flattened loops disposed substantially opposite one another along the general longitudinal extent of said wire, each of said irregular portions forming a means for attaching a. bight of cord thereto, and means for attaching said cord attachment means to a turn of said spring; said cord attachment means being of generally circular contour, so as to adapt it for attachment to an endmost turn of an upholstery spring, each of said elongate flattened loops being arranged substantially in the plane of the circular contour of the cord attachment means, but with the end portions of such loops bent in a direction of the opposite end of the spring to which said cord attachment means is to be attached, so asto prevent the ends of the flattened loops projecting into and damaging upholstery material which is thereafter adapted to be disposed above and outside the end of the spring with which the cord attachment means is associated during the subsequent use of the entire assembled spring construction.

10. The combination with an upholstery spring, of cord attachment means arranged to be secured to an endmost turn of said spring for the attachment of cord to tie said spring into a spring assembly, said cord attachment means consisting of a single piece of wire bent into a generally circular contour of substantially the same diameter as the endmost turn of said spring to which it is to be attached, said wire being .further bent to provide a plurality of irregular portions at predetermined angularly spaced points, each of said irregular portions forming a means for attaching a bight of a cord thereto, each of said irregular portions being formed by bending the wire into a pair of oppositely extending fiattened loops arranged substantially in radial alignment with one another and disposed principally in the plane of the endmost turn of the spring, the end portions of each of said flattened loops being turned downwardly out of the plane of said endmost turn of the spring and toward the opposite end thereof, and means for attaching said cord attachment means to said endmost turn of the spring, the last named means comprising a pair of attachment loops adjacent to each of said irregular portions, said attachment loops being formed by bending the wire into fiattened loops extending from points along the wire adjacent to one another and in substantially opposite directions radially inwardly and outwardly respectively from the general circular extent of the wire, and said attachment loops being adapted to be bent over to engage said endmost turn of the spring, so as rigidly to secure said cord attachment means thereto adjacent to said irregular portions respectively.

EMANUEL SAMEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 582,412 Chase May 11, 1897 608,048 Jackson July 26, 1898 803.933 Smith Nov. 7, 1905 849,088 Smith Apr. 2, 1907 1,718,522 Brandreth June 25, 1929 2,001,964 Kimbrig May 21, 1935 2,433,418 Bloch Dec. 30, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 388,803 France June 11, 1908

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