US3550926A - Back spring assembly - Google Patents

Description

Unite Sttes Walter V. Slominski Lexington, Ky.

Sept. 3, 1968 Dec. 29, 1970 Hoover Ball and Bearing Company Saline, Mich.

a corporation of Michigan Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee BACK SPRING ASSEMBLY 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 267/107 Int. Cl ..A47c 23/16, A47c 25/02 Field ofSearch 267/ l 07, 109,1l2;267/l02-ll2 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,639,763 5/1953 Neely 267/144 2,834,594 5/1958 Pietruszka... 267/144 2,856,987 10/1958 Lelli 267/107X FOREIGN PATENTS 878,025 9/1961 Great Britain 267/107 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Attorney-Olsen and Stephenson ABSTRACT: A spring assembly for a seat back structure in which an elongated wire element is ofa form and has segments clipped together so as to provide a low profile back support with the same resilient feel as a high profile back support.

PATENIEU UECZQ mm 7 sum 1 (IF 2 "INVENTO R WALTER V. SLOMINSKI ATTORNEYS PATENTE D DEB 2 9 I878 sum 2 OF 2 R O T N E V N WALTER v. SLOMHNSKI BY Va/M ATTORNEYS BACK SIRING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to spring wire assemblies particularly adapted for use in seat back structures.

It is known in the art of manufacturing furniture to provide a seat back structure in which a wire spring has been formed to provide a resting portion supported at the upper end by a V shaped supporting portion, as is shown, by way of example, in US Pat. No. 2,480,667, granted Aug. 30, 1949 to Neely. Spring constructions of this type have proved to be very successful when used in furniture having a high profile, that is, a profile with a substantial depth to the back structure in the upper regions. However, the current styling requirements for furniture frequently call for back structures having a low profile, that is, one in which the upper regions of the back structures have a relatively small depth compared with the lower regions of the back structure. In such instances, the known prior art spring structures have proved to be unsatisfactory for meeting the styling requirements and at the same time for providing the same resilient, comfortable feel that has been realized when using furniture having a high profile back structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has overcome certain shortcomings of the prior art in that it has provided a spring assembly for a seat back structure which is constructed and arranged so that low profile styling requirements can be met while at the same time providing the resilient properties that are desired.

In one form of the present invention, a wire spring assembly is provided for use with a seat structure having a back frame with top and bottom rails, said spring assembly comprising an elongated sinuous wire defining loops with torsion bars and connecting bars and providing a continuous resting portion connected at the upper end to the toprail and extending to a location adjacent to said bottom rail and providing anintegral supporting portion of inverted V-shape configuration with the end of one leg of the supporting portion being integral with the lower end of the resting portion and the end ofv the other leg being connected to the bottom of the other rail, and a clip is provided connecting a loop of said one leg to a loop of the resting portion. In another formof the invention, a clip is provided connecting a loop of said one leg to ta loop of the other leg.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

FIG. I is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a chair containing a spring assembly embodying one form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the spring assembly utilized in the chair of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section,containing a spring assembly embodying a second form of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the spring assembly utilized in the chair of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.

Referring now to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will next be described. The armchair 10 has conventional seat structure 12, arms 13 (only one being shown) and legs 14. The back structure I6, which has low profile styling, includes a frame having a top rail 18 and a bottom rail 20. A spring assembly 22 is connected at the upper end to the top rail 18 and at the lower end to the bottom rail 20, and it provides a resilient back support under the conventional chair cover 23.

The wire spring assembly 22 includes the wire 24 which has been formed to define a plurality of loops 26 with torsion bars 28 joined by a plurality of connecting bars 30. The wire 24 is folded to provide a continuous resting portion 32 which extends from the lowermost torsion bar 280 to the point of connection, by the attachment means 34, to the top rail 18. The wire 24 also provides an inverted V-shape supporting portion 36 which has one leg or connecting portion 38 integrally connected to the lower end of the resting portion 32 and another leg or mounting portion 40 integrally connected to the bottom rail 20 by the attachment means 42. As best seen in FIG. 2, the resting portion 32 which is considerably longer than the portions 38 and 40 has been stretched in the forming operation so that the midportion of portion 32 has loops which are elongated to provide greater stiffness in this region.

The resting portion 32 and the supporting portion 26 are connected together by a clip 44 which functions to connect a torsion bar 28 of a loop 26 in the one leg 38 to a torsion bar in an adjacent loop in the resting portion 32. It is found that a hard spot in the back of the chair can be eliminated if the clip 44 is connected to a loop in said one leg 38 remote from the uppermost torsion bar of said leg 38. When so connected it is found that a seat back structure is provided which has the desired styling profile, which provides the proper and desired stiffness for supporting the small-of-the-back of the individual using the seat, and which also provides the same resilient feel that is available in seat back structures having higher profiles. These desirable results are provided without introducing hard spots in the seat back structures because of the unique spring formation and clipping arrangement provided. 7

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 will also provide the same desirable results that are set forth above. This embodiment is quite similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, differing only in the spring assembly 50, and specifically in the different'location of the clip 52. As here shown, the inverted V-shape supporting portion 54 has its one leg 56 connected to its other leg 58 by the clip 52. This is accomplished by connecting two of the torsion bars 60 of these legs together, and as in the previously described embodiment, a torsion bar 60 of the one leg 56 is selected for attachment purposes which is between the ends of the leg, and in this lastdescribed embodiment, hard spots in the back structure are also absent. I

As shown in FIG. 3, when the chair 62 is in use and an individual is resting against the back, the spring assembly 50 will assume the position shown at 64 in broken lines. The configuration of the resting portion 66, when in use, illustrates the smooth contours that are provided, and the same general contours will be provided when the embodiment illustrated in FIGS; 1 and 2 Mn use.

Iclaim:

1. In a seat structure having a back frame with top and bottomjrails, a wire spring assembly extending between said rails comprising an elongated sinuous wire definingloops with torsion bars and connecting bars, said wire providing a continuous resting portion connected at the upper end to said top rail and extending to a location adjacent to said bottom rail and an integral supporting portion of inverted V-shape configuration positioned entirely rearwardlyof said resting portion, the end of one leg of the supporting portion being integral with the lower end of the resting portion and the end of the other leg being connected to said bottom rail, said one leg constituting a a mounting portion of said wire, and a clip connecting a loop intermediate the ends of said connecting portion to one of the loops in one of said other wire portions.

2. In a seating structure, a wire spring assembly according to claim 1, wherein said clip connects the torsion bar of a loop of said connecting portion to a torsion bar of a loop of said resting portion.

3. In a seating structure, a wire spring assembly according to claim 1, wherein said clip connects the torsion bar of a loop of said mounting portion.

4. A seat spring comprising an elongated wire spring member having transversely extending spaced torsion bars and connecting bars extending therebetween, said spring member being shaped to form a resting portion of predetermined length, a mounting portion of a length less than said resting portion and spaced therefrom. and a connecting portion also of a length less than said resting portion formed integral with and extending between one end of said resting portion and one end of said mounting portion so as to form a generally Vconfiguration with said mounting portion. and clip means connecting a torsion bar intermediate the ends of said connecting portion with a torsion bar in one of said other spring portions.

5. A seat spring according to claim 4 wherein said last-mentioned torsion bar is located in said resting portion.

6 A seat spring according to claim 4 wherein said last-mentioned torsion bar is located in said mounting portion intermediate the ends thereof.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent NO. 3, Dated December 29,

InventorIs) Walter V. Slominski It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 3, line 3, after said" insert connecting portion to a torsion bar of a loop of said Signed and sealed this 20th day of April 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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