GB2295539A

GB2295539A - Bedstead structure

Info

Publication number: GB2295539A
Application number: GB9523741A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leslie Mitchell
Original assignee: ABF Ltd
Current assignee: ABF Ltd
Priority date: 1994-12-02
Filing date: 1995-11-21
Publication date: 1996-06-05
Anticipated expiration: 2015-11-21
Also published as: GB9523741D0; GB2295539B

Abstract

A timber bed base has a mattress-supporting deck of transverse slats supported by a central longitudinal rail 13 having a flat surface on one side for supporting full width deck slats as in Fig 3 and a profiled surface on the other side for supporting half-width slats 19. <IMAGE>

Description

A BED This invention relates to a bed of the kind comprising a timber base with a mattress-supporting deck of transverse slats.

It is known to provide a firm deck using flat pine slats extending the full width of the base. Alternatively, it is known to provide a sprung deck using upwardly bowed beech slats.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bed having a base including a frame which can receive either kind of slatted deck.

According to the present invention there is provided a bed comprising a timber base with a mattress-supporting deck of transverse slats supported by a reversible longitudinal centre-rail having a flat support surface on one side thereof for supporting fullwidth slats of one deck construction and a profiled surface on the other side thereof for engaging the inner ends of half-width sprung slats of an alternative deck construction.

Preferably, the base comprises a rectangular frame having grooved end and side members, the outer ends of the slats being received in the grooves of the side members and the ends of the centre-rail being received in the grooves of the end members.

The grooves in the end members are preferably at a level immediately below the level of the grooves in the side members.

Preferably, the end and side members are made from the same timber section but are inverted relative to each other.

The centre-rail preferably has a T-shaped cross section to provide said flat and profiled surfaces.

Preferably, the centre-rail is supported by one or more additional legs when the deck is made of half-width sprung slats.

The slats may be united by flexible connecting material to facilitate handling and attachment thereof.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above of one embodiment of bed in accordance with the invention having a timber base with a slatted deck construction shown partly removed; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the bed of Fig. 1 with the slatted deck partly inserted; Fig. 3 shows part of the bed of Figs. 1 and 2 to an enlarged scale, and Fig. 4 shows the same part of the bed with an alternative deck construction.

Referring now to the drawings, the first embodiment of bed shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a rectangular base frame 1 with longitudinal side members 2, 3 interconnected by head and foot end members 4, 5. The ends of the frame members 2-5 are jointed to corner legs 6-9 in conventional manner. The inwardly facing surfaces of the side and end members 2-5 are grooved with the grooves on the end members 4, 5 (only one groove being shown at 10) being disposed at a level immediately below the level of the grooves on the side members 2, 3 (only one of which is shown at 11). The grooves 10 and 11 are shown to an enlarged scale in the inset to Fig. 4 and it will be noted that the upper edge of the groove 10 is at the same level as the lower edge of the groove 11.The side and end frame members 2-5 are made from the same section of material but are inverted relative to each other so as to position the grooves at different levels as described.

A mattress-supporting deck generally indicated at 12 is provided by a centre-rail 13 and a set of full-deck-width slats 14 (in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3) or two sets of half-deck-width slats 15 (in the embodiment of Fig. 4). The centre-rail 13 extends lengthwise of the frame parallel to the side members 2, 3 and has its ends located centrally in the grooves of the end members 4, 5. The rail 13 has a T-shaped cross section (see Figs. 3 and 4) and is reversible in the sense that it can be inverted from the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the flat side of the rail 13 is uppermost, into the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the profiled surface is uppermost.

In the first embodiment (Figs. 1 to 3) the full-width slats 16 are made of pine and lie flat on the rail 13 with their ends locating in the grooves of the side members 2, 3. Adjacent their ends the slats 16 are interconnected at each side of the frame by respective flexible connecting elements in the form of lengths of webbing 17, 18. When fitting the slats 16 in the grooves in the side members 2, 3, the slats are gathered centrally of the bed and inserted successively in the grooves before being slid to opposite ends of the bed (Fig. 2) and then being fixed in position by end screws interconnecting the centre of each end slat 16 with the centrerail 13.The central slat 16 may be secured to the side members 2, 3 to prevent bowing thereof, e.g. by screw fasteners extending into said members 2, 3 through respective blocks (not shown) fixed to the underside of the slat 16 at its opposite ends.

In the alternative design of deck 15, the half width slats 19 are made of beech and have their inner ends engaging in the angles at opposite sides of the central ridge of the inverted centre-rail 13 (Fig. 4). The outer ends of the slats 19 again locate in the grooves of the side members 2, 3. The slats 19 are bowed upwardly to provide a sprung support for the mattress (not shown). Each set of slats 19 to opposite sides of the centre-rail 13 has two slat-interconnecting flexible elements of webbing 20 enabling each slat set to be held in position by a respective screw at the inner end of each end slat (e.g. screw 21 in Fig. 4) and a dowel pin 22 providing a stop at the outer end of the end slats (see Fig. 4 and the associated inset). In this embodiment the centre-rail is preferably supported by one or more additional legs.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A bed comprising a timber base with a mattress-supporting deck of transverse -slats supported by a reversible longitudinal centre-rail having a flat support surface on one side thereof for supporting fullwidth slats of one deck construction and a profiled surface on the other side thereof for engaging the inner ends of half-width sprung slats of an alternative deck construction.

2. A bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base comprises a rectangular frame having grooved end and side members, the outer ends of the slats being received in the grooves of the side members and the ends of the centre-rail being received in the grooves of the end members.

3. A bed as claimed in claim 2, wherein the grooves in the end members are at a level immediately below the level of the grooves in the side members.

4. A bed as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the end and side members are made from the same timber section but are inverted relative to each other.

5. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the centre-rail has a T-shaped cross section to provide said flat and profiled surfaces.

6. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the centre-rail is supported by one or more additional legs when the deck is made of half-width sprung slats.

7. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slats are united by flexible connecting material to facilitate handling and attachment thereof.

8. A bed substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.