A bedstead

The present invention relates to a bedstead of the type comprising several longitudinal and transverse members, a plurality of elements resting on ground, several different accessories to be associated with the bed, for example a slidable drawer, a headboard and the like.

It is known that in resting beds the presence of at least a mattress is provided which is disposed on a spring support structure consisting for example of springs or a plurality of laths or staves disposed consecutively in side by side relation, suitably engaged to a perimetric frame in turn provided with supporting elements resting on ground.

In most cases, these supporting elements are directly fastened to the bedframe at predetermined locations, by welding or threaded elements optionally acting through anchoring plates welded to the frame angles.

In other cases, each supporting element is provided, at one end, with a clamp member locked to the perimetric frame.

Yet in other cases, the perimetric frame is disposed in and supported by a housing suitably defined along the inner perimetric extension of an outer finish bed structure generally consisting of wooden panels also accomplishing the function of supporting elements resting on ground.

There is also a tendency to associate drawers and the like with the bed at a position underneath the bedstead, for example resorting to drawers sliding on the floor by means of appropriate rollers enabling them to be extracted for introducing various objects thereinto, such as garments, linen, underclothes, books, magazines, tape recorders, cushions or pillows, suitcases and others.

Other solutions are also provided which envisage the use of headboards or still other accessories.

It has been found that for applying to a bedstead several supporting elements resting on ground (in the following referred to as bedposts) and several removable accessories of the above type while making the bedstead of easy assembling and avoiding the whole structure being made heavy, it is possible to resort to at least one section member to be transversely associated with the other structural portions of the bedstead in which a base surface is provided to be made by extrusion, which base structure has, at the lower part thereof, means for connection to the bedposts and terminates at least at one extremity with a vertical wall carrying a grooved seating designed to guide one drawer. In addition, the configuration of the section member end is selected such as to form an angular portion that, suitably provided on the base surface with opposite consecutive hollows, is adapted to receive an accessory in the first hollow and means for connection to other parts of the bedstead in the other hollow and at the same time, by virtue of the undulations resulting from the consecutive hollows and the presence of the vertical wall is designed to stiffen the section member thereby enabling it to withstand the drawer weight as well as the weight of its contents both in the closed position and in anyone of all possible open positions in succession.

In particular the invention relates to a bedstead comprising at least two longitudinal members, two transverse members, a plurality of staves the ends of which are associated with the longitudinal members for supporting a mattress or the like, several bedposts for keeping the bedstead spaced a given height from ground, said bedstead being characterized in that it comprises:

• a) at least one extruded section member, directed transversely to the longitudinal members, of one piece construction, comprising a base surface having predetermined length and width and terminating at least at one end with a vertical wall extending downwardly;
• b) a groove disposed underneath said base surface and extending longitudinally at a substantially middle location for receiving and guiding said bedposts;
• c) a pair of consecutive hollows extending longitudinally and located at the opposite sides of the base surface close to the vertical wall, the first one of said hollows facing upwardly being designed to receive one accessory, whereas the second hollow facing downwardly is designed to receive fastening means for connection between the section member and a longitudinal member perpendicular thereto in the same plane;
• d) a grooved seating formed lengthwise in the vertical wall for slidably guiding a drawer;

In accordance with a preferential solution, the bedstead is characterized in that the extruded section member comprises, at the lower part thereof, a third hollow symmetric with the second hollow with respect to the centre of the base surface for housing fastening means connecting the section member to a longitudinal member perpendicular thereto.

Still preferentially all hollows in the lower base surface have the same depth.

In a further preferred embodiment the extruded section member is delimited by two vertical walls.

In a preferential solution the width of the base surface is included between 5 and 15 mm and is for example 8 mm wide, the length between two longitudinal portions is included between 400 and 950 mm and may reach 1900 mm when a single crosspiece for double bed is concerned, the thickness of the base surface and the vertical wall being in the range of 1.5 to 4 mm, for example 2 mm.

Preferentially the extremity of the base surface comprising the region of the opposite hollows takes a portion of the base surface included between 25% and 40%.

The present invention in another aspect provides a device for connecting bedposts to a perimetric bedframe, characterized in that it comprises: at least one extruded section member exhibiting, in cross-section, a substantially inverted U-configuration, defined by a substantially horizontal base portion from which two substantially parallel end portions extend downwardly, fastening means for rigidly engaging the extruded section member to a perimetric bedframe: guide and stiffening means arranged on said base portion for defining at least one main guide groove extending longitudinally to the extruded section member; engagement means associated with at least one bedpost and operatively associable with the main guide groove for removably fastening the bedpost to the extruded section member at a desired location on the longitudinal extension of said section member.

Also provided at least at one of said end portions is at least one grooved seating arranged to operatively engage one accessory element, consisting of a drawer for example.

At the upper part of said base portion of the extruded section member at least a second grooved seating is also preferably formed; it extends along the section member itself and is arranged to operatively engage at least a second accessory element, consisting for example of an end portion of a support structure for a mattress, associated with said perimetric frame.

In greater detail, the second grooved seating has a circular profile broken at the upper part thereof by an access opening designed to receive, according to a predetermined orientation, a pivot element fixedly connected to the second accessory and exhibiting a substantially circular element broken by a pair of parallel rectilinear portions, disposed symmetrically and spaced apart an amount slightly lower than the width of said access opening, said pivot element being designed to be angularly rotated within the second grooved seating for engaging the second accessory to the extruded section member with possibility of oscillation through a predetermined angle.

Preferentially, the first and second grooved seatings are formed at a thickness swelling of the section member, defined close to the intersection between said base portion and the end portion carrying the first grooved seating.

Still in accordance with a preferred embodiment, said guide and stiffening means comprises a pair of primary wings disposed parallelly side by side and projecting downwardly from the base portion of the section member, as well as at least one pair of opposite wings projecting towards each other from said primary wings to give the guide groove a substantially T-shaped configuration.

In turn, the engagement means comprises, for each bedpost, a connecting rod carrying a shaped head conforming to the shape of the main guide groove and, on the opposite side from said head, a threaded portion operatively engaging in a threaded collar coaxially carried by said bedpost.

The fastening means comprises, for each extremity of said extruded section member, at least one threaded pin extending across a through opening formed on the base portion of the section member, and exhibiting, at one end, a substantially quadrangular head to be removably fitted into a T-shaped groove afforded by said bedframe by means of a fastening nut to be screwed on the threaded pin and acting against said extruded section member.

Said through opening preferably consists of an elongated hole extending longitudinally to the extruded section member.

In a preferential solution, each fastening nut acts against the ends of a pair of reinforcing wings disposed parallelly side by side and projecting downwardly from the base portion of the extruded section member so as to define at least one additional guide groove therealong, across which said threaded fastening pins extend.

The extruded section member also has at least one pair of closure portions extending parallelly to the base portion for connecting the primary wing ends to the corresponding ends of the reinforcing wings disposed alongside the primary wings.

Said closure portions define corresponding abutment surfaces for an upper end of the bedpost.

Each bedpost advantageously comprises an extruded tubular section member having an outer tubular portion and an inner collar disposed coaxially and mutually interconnected by at least three circumferentially distributed radial walls.

Preferably associated with the bedframe are at least two of said extruded section members respectively parallel and disposed in mirror image relationship at respective opposite ends of the bedframe itself.

Further features and advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a device for connecting bedposts to a perimetric bedframe, in accordance with the present invention. Said description will be given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken, as shown by line I-I in Fig. 2, longitudinally to a bedstead with which the device of the invention is associated;
• Fig. 2 is a section taken along line II-II in Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a section taken along line III-III in Fig. 1.

The invention mainly refers to a bedframe comprising an extruded section member disposed transversely to two longitudinal members.

The section member in its most general form consists of a base surface having a vertical wall in which a grooved seating for guiding a drawer is formed, inside which drawer a great variety of objects can be stored, being distributed over the whole bottom surface and often originating all together a rather important load weighing for example 20 kg and even much more.

The section member close to the vertical wall comprises two longitudinally extending hollows one of which faced upwardly functions as a grooved seating useful to receive an accessory and the other faced downwardly functions as a grooved guide for receiving fastening pins engaging the section member to the longitudinal members.

In the middle of the lower base surface there is a groove formed with two wings the task of which is to guide the bedposts designed to bear the bedframe raised from the floor.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a device for connecting the bedposts to the perimetric bedframe in accordance with the present invention has been generally identified by reference numeral 1.

The device 1 is associated with a conventional perimetric bedframe 2, only represented in its essential parts to the ends of the present invention. The bedframe 2 comprises parts widely described in the Italian patent application MI92A 001160 filed on same date in the name of the same applicant. The bedframe comprises a plurality of tubular section members 3 only one of which has been partly represented, exhibiting each a housing 4 in which, upon interposition of elastomeric inserts 4a, the ends of elastic staves 5 disposed consecutively side by side are engaged, so as to define, as known, a support structure for one or more mattresses not shown.

The foregoing being stated, the device 1 in an original manner comprises at least an extruded section member 6, preferably made of an aluminium alloy and exhibiting, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, a cross section substantially in the form of an inverted U, defined by a base portion 7 forming a substantially horizontal surface from which two substantially parallel end portions or walls 8 extend downwardly in a perpendicular direction. In a preferential solution, two of said extruded section members 6 disposed parallelly are provided and they are located at the opposite ends of the bedframe 2. Only one of said section members has been shown in the accompanying drawings, the other section member being identical with the first one.

Each section member 6 is rigidly engaged to the perimetric bedframe 2 by fastening means 9 preferably comprising, for each extremity of the section member, at least a threaded pin 10 extending through an opening 11 formed on the base portion 7 of the section member 6. The threaded pin 10 has a head 10a of substantially quadrangular configuration, to be slidably housed in a T-shaped groove 12 exhibited at the lower part of the tubular section member 3 forming the bedframe 2. The pin 10 can be therefore positioned along the tubular section member 3 of the bedframe 2 and rigidly engaged in the T-shaped groove 12 by tightening of a fastening nut 10b screwed down on the pin and acting against the extruded section member 6, in order to cause the anchoring of said section member 6 at any desired position along the frame 2. In a preferential solution, as shown in Fig. 1, provision is made for two of said threaded pins 10 to be associated with each extremity of the section member 6.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the openings 11 may consist of elongated holes extending longitudinally of the section member 6, so as to enable a precise adaptation of the positioning of said section member in the direction of its longitudinal extension.

In greater detail, it is advantageously provided that each fastening nut 10b should act in abutment against the ends of a pair of reinforcing wings 13 disposed parallelly side by side and projecting downwardly from the base portion 7 of the section member 6 so as to define a hollow on the longitudinal extension of the section member, which hollow forms an additional guide groove 14 across which the corresponding threaded pin 10 extends.

Also formed on the base portion 7 of the extruded section member 6 is guide and stiffening means 15 that not only enhances the bending and twisting stiffness of the section member as a whole, but also defines at least one primary guide groove 16 along the longitudinal extension of said section member at a substantially intermediate position. In greater detail, said guide and fastening means 15 comprises a pair of main wings 17 disposed parallelly side by side and projecting downwardly from the base portion 7, as well as a pair of opposite wings 18 projecting perpendicularly from the main wings 17, towards each other. In conclusion, the arrangement of the main wings 17 and opposite wings 18 gives the main guide groove 16 a substantially T-shaped configuration, capable of operatively housing suitable engagement means 19 associated with one or more bedposts 20 designed to be fastened under the extruded section members 6 for supporting the frame 2 at an appropriate distance from the floor.

In a preferential solution, each bedpost 20 is made in the form of an extruded tubular section member, consisting of an outer cylindrical tubular portion 21 and a collar 22 disposed in coaxial relation and interconnected by at least three radial walls 23, circumferentially distributed according to an angle of 120° from each other. The engagement means 19 substantially comprises, for each bedpost 20, a connecting rod 24 extending between the opposite wings 18 and provided with a shaped head 24a of substantially quadrangular conformation, the shape of which matches that of the main guide groove 16 and which is slidably engageable along said groove. The connecting rod 24 on the opposite side from the shaped head 24a also has a threaded end portion 24b operatively engaged within a thread 22a formed at the end of the threaded collar 22.

Therefore, the bedpost 20 can be advantageously set at any desired position along the extruded section member 6 and subsequently fastened thereto by being merely rotated. In fact, being the connecting rod 24 prevented from rotating by effect of the engagement of the shaped head 24a into the main guide groove 16, the rotation of the bedpost 20 brings about the screwing of the collar 22 on the connecting rod. The bedpost 20 will be therefore locked against the extruded section member 6 by its upper end 20a.

In greater detail, the bedpost 20 is locked in abutment against the ends of the reinforcing wings 13 and main wings 17, as shown in Fig. 1. Advantageously, in order to increase the whole contact surface between the upper end 20a of the bedpost 20 and the extruded section member 6, and further enhance the bending and twisting resistance of said section member, closure portions 25 extending parallelly to the base portion 7 between the ends of the main wings 17 and additional reinforcing wings 13 contiguous to the first wings are provided. These closure portions 25 together with said main wings 17 and additional reinforcing wings 13 define two tubular portions of quadrangular section.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the extruded section member 6 at one at least of its end portions 8 exhibits one grooved seating 27 longitudinally running along the section member and adapted to be used for operatively engaging at least one accessory element 28 to the bedframe 2. In the embodiment shown, this first accessory element 28 consists of a slidable drawer engaged along the extruded section member 6. In greater detail, the drawer 28 has, on each of its sides, one or more rollers 29, only one of which is visible, slidably guided along a rail section member 30 having a coupling portion 30a conformed to the shape of the first grooved seating 27 and engaging in an undercut defined in the grooved seating by a projecting coupling lug 31 disposed in the extension of the end portion 8 of the extruded section member 6. The rail section member 30 also has, at the lower part thereof, a coupling seating 30b operatively engaged to the lower end of the corresponding end portion 8.

Obviously, the opposite drawer side will be slidably supported in the same manner as above described.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the extruded section member 6 also has at least another hollow forming a second grooved seating 32 located at the upper part of the base portion 7 and arranged to operatively engage at least a second accessory 33 which, in the example shown, is represented by an adjustable reclining end portion of the support structure defined by staves 5.

The second grooved seating 32 has a circular profile broken at the upper part thereof by an access opening 32a of predetermined width, inside which a pivot element 34 can be fitted, said pivot element being rotatably received in the coupling housing for oscillatably engaging the end portion 33 to the bedframe 2 as a whole. In greater detail, the pivot element 34 is integral with one end of a connecting wing 35 extending obliquely from an anchoring plate 36 fastened to the end portion 33 and exhibits a substantially circular profile the diameter of which substantially corresponds to the diameter of the second grooved seating 32. The circular profile of the pivot element 34 is however broken by a pair of symmetrically opposite parallel rectilinear stretches 34a, at which the dimensions of the pivot element measured perpendicularly to the rectilinear stretches themselves, are slightly lower than the width of the access opening 32a.

Therefore, the pivot element 34 can be fitted through the access opening 32a according to a predetermined angular orientation to which, in the example shown, a substantially vertical orientation of the end portion 33 corresponds. Following a subsequent angular rotation about its own axis, the pivot element 34 becomes rotatably engaged within the second grooved seating 32, so that the end portion 33 is connected to the extruded section member 6 with possibility of oscillation through a given angle. In particular, with the aid of support struts of adjustable length, not shown as known per se and not of importance to the ends of the invention, the end portion 33 will be able to be fixed according to any angular positioning included between a condition of horizontal alignment and a condition of substantially vertical orientation. The second grooved seating 32 and pivot element 34, with the connecting wing 35 and anchoring plate 36 define all together a connecting device being the object of the Italian copending patent application MI92A 001159 filed in the name of the same applicant, to which please refer for further explanations.

Preferably, the first and second grooved seatings 27 and 32 are formed in the region of a thickness swelling 37 exhibited by the section member 6 close to the intersection between the base portion 7 and end portion 8 exhibiting the first grooved seating 27.

The invention achieves important advantages.

The device in question in fact enables the assembling of the bedposts to be carried out in a very easy manner and also offers the possibility of positioning said bedposts at any desired location. In fact, not only the bedposts can be individually fastened to any point of the longitudinal extension of the corresponding extruded section member, but the section member itself can be fastened to any point of the perimetric bedframe.

These possibilities are forbidded in the solutions of the known art where the connection of the bedposts to the frame must take place at precise locations, resulting from the position of the holes arranged to receive the threaded elements adapted to fasten the bedposts.

In addition the bedframe comprises a section member that, by virtue of its particular structure, also lends itself to accomplish a stiffening function as regards the bedstead as a whole.

In addition, the bedstead in reference offers the original possibility of operatively supporting different accessory elements that obviously can also be of a typology different from those previously described.

The invention is not considered limited to the examples chosen for purposes of illustration, and includes all changes and modifications which do not constitute a departure from the true scope of this invention as claimed in the following claims. For example, the section member could have one side wall 8 alone.