Center support for bed frame, bed frame and assembly method

Any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents, hard copy or electronic, cited or referred to in this application are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this application.

The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

“Rectangular” includes square.

This background discussion is not intended to be an admission of prior art.

Bed frames are common devices used to support a bed comprising, for example, a boxspring and a mattress positioned on top of the boxspring. These bed frames are typically made of steel angle irons that are welded or connected together by various types of connecting devices. One type of connecting device is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/725,165, filed Mar. 16, 2007, entitled SUPPORT FRAME FOR A BED & LOCKING MECHANISM THEREFOR, where the cross-arms of a bed frame have their ends attached by a joint assembly that has an arm mounted on a frame member to rotate between a locked and unlocked position. Another type of connecting device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,268. It also has an arm mounted on a frame member to rotate between a locked and unlocked position.

The bed frames come in a number of sizes to accommodate different size beds, for example, twin, full size, queen, California king, Eastern king beds. The component parts of these bed frames may be assembled into the desired size using an extender bar connected between the cross-arms of the bed frames. It would be highly desirable to reduce the costs, for example, by reducing the number of components used to form the bed frame or to simplifying and reducing the time to assemble the bed frame\'s components or both.

My center support for a bed frame, bed frame, and assembly method have one or more of the features depicted in the embodiments discussed in the section entitled “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS.” The claims that follow define my center support for a bed frame, bed frame, and assembly method, distinguishing them from the prior art; however, without limiting the scope of my center support for a bed frame, bed frame, and assembly method as expressed by these claims, in general terms, one or more, but not necessarily all, of their features are:

One, my bed frame comprises a plurality of components that upon assembly form the bed frame. These components include (a) a pair of rail members, each having a pair of cross-arms, (b) a pair of extender bars, and (c) my center support. My center support has opposed ends with a pair of notches in each end. The notches interact with a pair of connector elements of another bed frame component, for example, the extender bars. Each connector element may include a head member on a stem member extending outwardly and downwardly upon assembly of my bed frame. There may be projections and slots in predetermined positions relative to each other in overlapping ends of the cross-arms and extender bars to be engaged selectively to control the distance between the rail members to accommodate beds of different sizes. My center support is used when the bed frame being assembled is for a large size bed. A locking mechanism may be employed that detachably locks together overlapping ends of extender bars and cross-arms.

Two, my center support comprises an elongated, rigid member. The dimensional and positional relationship between the notches in the opposed ends of my center support and their interactive connector elements enables the center support\'s ends to be connected and disconnected to a bed frame component such as, for example, the extender bars quite easily and manually without using any tools. One notch of each pair is along a side edge of the center support and the other notch of each pair is at an end edge of the center support. Depending on the cross-sectional shape of the body of the rigid member, the notches along a side edge will be on the same side edge or one notch on each of opposed side edges. The distance between centers of the notches and the distance between centers of a corresponding interactive pair of connector elements is the same. When the center support and extender bars are connected, the centers of each pair of notches are in registration with the centers of the notches\' corresponding interactive pair of connector elements being engaged. One notch of each pair has a terminal open end along a side edge of the center support and the other notch of this same pair has a terminal open end along an adjacent end edge of the center support. Each notch terminates within the body of the center support in a rounded bottom. The notches of an individual pair of notches are substantially at a right angle with respect to each other. An enlarged head member of each connector element is a predetermined distance from an underlying portion of the bed frame component to which the center support is being attached to provide a gap. Each end of the center support has a predetermined thickness substantially equal to this predetermined distance so each end segment of the center support can be wedged into the gap upon connection to bed frame component to which the center support is being attached.

Three, because of the dimensional and positional relationship between a pair of notches and the corresponding interactive pair of connector elements being engaged, my method provides a tool-free way to assemble a plurality of bed frame components to form a portion of a bed frame. With both notches in essentially the same plane as the stems of the pair of connector elements being engaged and the center support and bed frame component to which the center support is being attached initially at an acute angle with respect to each other, an installer aligns the terminal open end of a notch along a side edge (side notch) of the center support with the stem member of one of the connector elements in the bed frame component to which the center support is being attached. This one stem member is advanced into the side notch until it contacts the rounded bottom of the side notch. This wedges a part of an end segment of the center support between the enlarged head member of this one connector element and an underlying portion of the bed frame component to which the center support is being attached. The stem member, which usually is circular and has a diameter essentially equal to the diameter of the rounded bottom of the notch, now acts as a pivot or center of rotation. With the stem member contacting the rounded bottom of this one connector element, the installer manually rotates in one direction the center support and bed frame component to which the center support is being attached until they are perpendicular. Such relative rotation brings the terminal open end of the other notch of the pair that is along the end edge (end notch) into alignment with the stem of other connector element of the pair being engaged. As the installer continues to rotate the center and extender bars relative to each other, the stem of this other connector element is moved into the end notch. When the center and extender bars are perpendicular, the remaining part of the end segment of the center support is wedged between the enlarged head member of this other connector element and the underlying portion of the bed frame component to which the center support is being attached. In other words the entire end segment of the center support is wedged between the heads of both stems of the pair of connector elements being engaged. Rotation in the opposite direction dislodges the end segment of the center support from the connector elements so the center and an attached bed frame components can be easily disengaged.

These features are not listed in any rank order nor is this list intended to be exhaustive.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Some embodiments of my center support, bed frame and assembly method are discussed in detail in connection with the accompanying drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only. This drawing includes the following figures (Figs.), with like numerals indicating like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my bed frame partially assembled.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing one version of a mechanism for locking overlapping ends of the extender bars and cross-arms of my bed frame in a locked condition.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 showing an arm of the locking mechanism rotated into an unlocked condition to enable disconnecting the overlapping ends of the extender bars and cross-arms.

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