GB2399006A

GB2399006A - A rigid space-frame bed base

Info

Publication number: GB2399006A
Application number: GB0304732A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Matt Shoul
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-01
Filing date: 2003-03-01
Publication date: 2004-09-08
Also published as: GB0304732D0

Abstract

A rigid bed frame for supporting a futon mattress comprises a space frame structure wherein the structural deck of the bed frame is composed of a grid of pyramid shaped elements with the tips of the pyramids being connected by a second grid. A surface of the frame is preferably provided with perforated square panel inserts 2 which help to prevent condensation occurring. The frame includes legs which are formed from further pyramid shaped elements and which legs form points of contact 1 with the floor. The points of contact are disposed inwardly from the edge of the frame such that tripping and stubbing of toes is prevented. The frame may be manufactured from metal tubes or rods which may be welded together.

Description

1 The invention relates to a bed which provides a completely physically

rigid and silent support for futon mattresses.

Conventional wood and metal bed bases suffer from limitations in their performance resulting from the structural properties of their construction and design. The more commonly used wood and metal frame structures are not entirely rigid, because the frame types used do not have joints which remain adequately rigid throughout the life of the product, or are insufficiently braced: they are not triangulated structures. Structural types of this sort give rise to a degree of racking or flexing movements when in use, which increase with time. This structural instability inevitably gives rise to an audible component accompanying the physical movement of the bed's structure, when in use. Adjustable futon sofa-beds suffer from difficulties: being cumbersome to adjust between a seating and a bed configuration, as well as being structurally prone to unwanted movement and noise.

Further disadvantages, of both adjustable and fixed position futon beds, are that they are usually so close to the floor, when used as a sleeping platform, that in either lying down or rising to ones feet, almost as much physical effort is required, as in lying down or rising from the floor itself, Poor ergonomics such as these make conventional futon mattress beds inappropriate for the elderly or those with mobility difficulties, despite the futon itself being a firm and comfortable mattress.

There is nothing specific about existing futon bed bases which encourages rolling up futon mattresses on a daily basis. Usually being close to the floor, such futon bases inconvenience and discourage daily rolling up, which is almost invariably an essential after sales care recommendation of futon mattress manufacturers, to ensure the design life of their futons are met.

Accordingly, of the several objects of the bed's invention, the primary function is that of providing an absolutely rigid sleeping platform, for a futon mattress, free from racking, twisting and bending in any plane. This is achieved through this bed frame being of the inherently rigid frame type, commonly known to engineers and architects as a 'space frame', such that the structural deck of the bed frame is made out of a grid like arrangement of pyramid shaped elements, with the tips of each pyramid being connected to each other by a secondary grid.

The structure's rigidity is such that the frame's individual elements are entirely prevented from moving in relation to each other, which renders the structure incapable of producing unwanted noise when in use: the bed is completely silent under live loads in motion. The rigidity of the one piece, welded metal, integral frame structure, of which this bed is comprised, will endure indefinitely. The structure cannot degrade or become fatigued through normal use, such that the bed's physical properties, of absolute structural integrity, free from unwanted movement or distortion, within design load parameters, are maintained as a constant throughout the product's life.

A further object of the bed's invention is that of supporting the futon mattress at an ergonomic height above the floor, so that the least amount of effort is required when rising to ones feet, or alighting on the bed, a feature specifically useful to the elderly or those with mobility difficulties.

Another object is to significantly reduce the likelihood of tripping accidents through the position of the bed's legs, which are placed well within the plan area of the bed.

The bed frame is intended to be made in a variety of different thicknesses of metal rod and metal tube. The metal rod version is to be made from 6mm and 4.7mm diameter rods. The metal tube version would be mode from 50mm diameter tubes with a wall thickness of approximately 3mm. The rod version of the frame is capable of retaining it's structural stability while supporting a quarter of a metric ton 250Kg. The tube version of the frame would be capable of retaining it's structural stability with live loads in excess of one metric ton. 1 OOOKg.

The bed frame rods or tubes may be fixed to each other through oxyacetylene fusion welding, arc welding, bronze welding and electrical spot welding, either in combination, or any single type of these three individual methods of welding.

A preferred embodiment of the bed frame will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows the front elevation of the bed frame.

FIGURE 2 shows the side elevation of the bed frame.

FIGURE 3 shows the bed frame in plan.

FIGURE 4 shows a three dimensional view of the bed, with grid inserts 2, from above.

FIGURE 5 shows a three dimensional view of the bed frame from below.

As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the bed frame has a gentle camber. This curved shape effectively pre-stresses the structure, the function of which is to significantly increase the structural strength of the frame, to loads at a tangent to the orientation of the pre-stressing curve.

Figure 3 shows the eight by ten square grid arrangement of the pyramid elements comprising the structural deck of the bed frame. The structural deck of the frame supporting the area of the futon mattress is made up of eighty individual pyramids, while the four legs supporting the structural deck are made out of a further five pyramids each.

In figure 4, three of the four legs of the frame are shown, as are the eighty grid inserts 2 which spread the load of the futon mattress and bed occupants [not shown] across the grid, shown in figure 3.

In Figure 5, all one hundred individual pyramid shaped frames, which collectively form the complete bed frame, are shown.

In figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 the tips 1 of the legs of the bed are shown. The form of each leg is that of a pyramid. Each pyramid shaped leg stands on it's tip 1, such that the point of contact between the tip 1 of each leg and the floor is well within the overall area taken up by the bed which the legs support. This feature of the frame's form serves to make accidents such as tripping, or stubbing one's toe, on the legs of the bed, impossible.

In figures 1 and 2 the proportions of the bed are shown. The bed frame is proportioned so that when supporting a futon mattress, the bed's height above the floor is similar to that of a standard seat. This aspect of the bed's proportions also facilitates rolling up the futon. l ) 5

Claims

1. A bed frame comprising the structural type commonly known as a space frame, such that the structural deck of the bed frame is made out of a grid like arrangement of pyramid shaped elements, with the tips of each pyramid being connected to each other by a secondary grid.

2. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which is inherently entirely rigid so that no movement, such as bending, racking or twisting, of the bed frame is possible in any plane.

3. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims where the frame is incapable of producing any noise under live loads in motion due to the structural integrity and rigidity of the one piece welded space frame of which the bed frame is comprised.

4. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which accommodates within the grid on it's uppermost surface, a number of individual panels Squalling the number of squares in the frame's grid, which function to evenly distribute loads on the bed across the frame and to allow water vapour moving through the mattress to escape through numerous holes running through these panels' to help prevent condensation.

6. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims where the point of contact of the bed frame's legs and the floor is so significantly within the plan area of the bed that accidents associated with tripping over the legs of the bed frame are not possible.

7. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims where the form of the frame is such that the point of contact between the bed frame's legs and the floor is not visible, so that the bed frame appears to float in the air, where the angle between the observer's eye and the point of contact of the frame's legs and the floor is greater than 30 degrees, when viewed diagonally to the plan of the bed, and greater than 45 degrees when viewed perpendicularly to the plan of the bed, ) 6 9. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which is made out of metal, plastic, wood, composite materials such as papier mache or fibre glass, either singly or in any combination.

10. A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which supports a futon mattress at an ergonomically optimum height above the floor to facilitate the actions of lying down, rising to one's feet and of rolling up the futon.

11. A bed frame substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

- Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows:

1 A rigid bed frame comprising an integral one piece welded metal structure.

2 A rigid bed frame comprising the geometrical form of a grid like arrangement of identical pyramids wherein the four corners of the grid like arrangement are comprised of nine pyramids each, the nine tips of which connect to the corners of the square bases of a grid like arrangement of a further four identical pyramids, the four tips of which connect live wise to the square base of a single dentiGa! pyramid, these I collective five pyramids at each corner constitute the legs of the bed, which take the form of a larger, single pyramid, four times the base area and double the height of the individual pyramids from which they are comprised.

3 A rigid bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims of the structural type commonly known as a spaceframe, constructed such that degradation of the spaceframets rigidity over time is eliminated by the welded fabrication of all the bed frame's nodes, resulting in a bed frame whose structural rigidity remains constant indefinately.

4 A rigid bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which is completely incapable of producing any noise when under live loads in motion: indefinitely; remaining silent in use being an inherent technical feature and psychologically beneficial function of the bed frame's constant rigidity over time.

A rigid bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which accommodates within the grid on its uppermost surface a number of individual panels equaling the number of squares in the frame's grid, which function to evenly distribute loads on the bed across the frame and to allow water vapor moving through the mattress to escape through numerous holes running through these panels, to help prevent condensation.

6 A rigid bed frame, as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes four bed legs for supporting the structural deck, wherein each leg has a point of contact with the floor.

7 A rigid bed frame as claimed in claim 6 and in claim 2 where the point of contact of the bed frame's legs with the floor is so within the plan area of the bed that accidents associated with tripping over the legs of the bed frame are not possible.

8 A rigid bed frame as claimed in claim 6 and in claim 2 where the form of the bed is such that the point of contact between the bed frame's legs and the floor is not visible, so that the bed frame appears to float in the air unsupported, when the angle between the observers line of vision and the floor plane, at the point of contact of the bed legs with the floor, is greater than 30 .

9 A rigid bed base of the same geometrical form as in claim 2 but fabricated from materials other than metal, such as plastic, wood, fiber glass, carbon fibre or papier macho, either singly or in combination, and comprised of a structure other than that of a spaceframe, such as a collection of shear panels, fused together with adhesives appropriate and specific to the panel materials employed.

A bed frame as claimed in any preceding claims which supports a mattress at an ergonomic height above the floor to facilitate the actions of lying down, rising to one's feet and, where a futon type mattress is used, to facilitate rolling up the futon.

g 'A 'air 11 A rigid bed frame substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.