US2060449A - Cushioned back for a seat - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 10, 1936. 1, N R T AL 2,060,449

CUSHIONED BACK FOR A SEAT Original Filed Feb. 20, 1933 IN vE/v-raes JV/ma/w Arroelvzx Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUSHIONED BACK FOR A SEAT Isaac Singer, Adolph Singer, and Hyman Singer, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 1 Claim.

The invention relates to a cushioned back for a seat, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing that forms part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the association of yielding and spring members and their application to a frame, as pointed out in the claims for novelty following a description in detail of the structural features.

The objects of the invention are to construct a cushion back, particularly suitable for armchairs and chesterfields though useful also in other articles of furniture, and to do this always with a view of attaining the utmost comfort without weakening the cushion through insuring this ease; to offer facilities for the manufacturers in the production, especially in the matter of eliminating many of the stufiings usual to this class of furniture and thereby reducing fire risks and replacing highly skilled upholsterers with good all around workers, which is a great advantage in the trade; to obtain the best sanitary results in furniture manufacture, as in stuffed goods and stufiing mentioned aforesaid germs may lurk, and be practically impossible to expel by the use of disinfectants, while in the present construction the cushion is constantly aerated by its daily use, and generally to provide a high class cushion back at a reasonable cost to the manufacturer, and a chair or couch susceptible to simple or elaborate finishings for the consumer.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevational view of a chair showing the back partly in front elevation and partly stripped to disclose the spring construction.

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the back, showing the cover removed to disclose the spring construction from the rear.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the construction of the spring cushion in relation to the case and the rear supports.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an envelope looking at the back and showing the back panel lifted to expose the interior of the envelope.

Figure 5 is a side view of the envelope shown in Figure 4.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

The principal description of the details of this invention, is confined to its application to the back of an arm chair or chesterfield, further described in a copending application filed under Serial Number 657,508, on February 20, 1933, and from which this subject matter has been divided.

In this arm chair, the back frame is preferab y of wood, though it may be of any material desired, and in regard to its general form, is of conventional pattern.

Referring to the drawing, the pieces indicated by the numerals l5, I6 and I1 represent an arm structure from the top downwardly, while the bars I8 in rectangular form constitute the seat frame as part of the whole frame, this seat frame being supported on the legs Hi.

There is nothing novel about the seat frame, it is the same as has been made in the past.

The side boards I! of the arm structure are secured at'the front and rear ends to the seat frame l8, leaving an elongated slot 20 on either side.

The back frame 22 as usual extends upwardly considerably above the arm frames and downwardly to the seat frame I8, being rigidly secured thereto, and having the cross bar 23 rigidly secured to the reduced sides 24 of said back frame above the seat frame l8, leaving the cross slot 25.

The arcuate bars 26 and 21 extend upwardly from the cross bar 23 on either side towards the sides 24 and join said sides 24 at or about the ends of the reduced sides 24, where the said sides 24 extend into the upper curved bar 28 of the back frame.

This completes the description of the wooden frame in which the slight departure from the conventional are extremely important so much so as to lend themselves to the fitting of both the inner resilient padding or covering and the outer removable covering of textile material.

The sides, top and bottom of the spring case for the chair back, are formed by a strip or strips of sponge rubber 4'! nailed or otherwise secured to the frame, while the front is formed of the sponge rubber blanket 48 cemented to said strip or strips, thus completing the spring case for the spiral springs 49, these springs 49 having the sponge rubber strips 50 threaded therethrough at the rear ends of the spring coils and secured to the upper bar 28 and the cross bar 23.

Besides the sponge rubber strips, the extended or stretched spirals known in the trade as the pigtails 5|, are threaded through the spiral springs, up and across at the back and completely around at the front and attached to the back frame if required, which with the cords 52 tying the springs together at the front, maintain this cushion of springs in place in the case, formed by the sponge rubber sides and front, these sides as aforesaid, being secure with the frame 22.

The envelope for the back is made in the shape of the frame, whatever that may be and of the spring case hereinbefore described.

The frame illustrated has a wide upper portion and the envelope 1!! contains the wide upper portion and is formed with a front panel 8|, a rear panel 82 and a spacing strip 80. The front panel 8| forms a complete closure with the strip 86 while the back panel 82 is joined to the strip at the top and sides down to the lacing 93. The lower panel 83 is formed as an extension of the strip 80 from its lower rear edge and has the row of eyelets B4 thereacross towards the lower edge and is pulled through the cross slot 25 and is fastened to nail heads from the rear cross bar of the seat frame I8, or to the back. The lower edge of the back panel 82 forming the skirt, is pulled down and has eyelets 85 near the edge, by means of which it is fastened to the bottom of the rear cross bar of the seat frame IS, in both cases nail heads being provided for the fastening.

The tongues 86 and 81, one on either side, extend from the rear edge of the strip 80 below the arm structure, and have the rows of eyelets 8112 by means of which these tongues are fastened to the arcuate bars 26 and 2'! respectively, there being nail heads 86a for that purpose from these arcuate bars.

The back piece 82 is inwardly cut on either side at 89 and 90 and the fastener parts 9| are placed in rows near the edges and cooperate with fastener parts 92 on the back frame.

The fastening 93 closes in at each side slits left in the joining of the depth strip 80 to the panel 82 necessary to enable the under upper portion of the back to be readily removed and replaced.

The back with the outer covering on is complete and it will readily be seen that as a piece of furniture, it is both useful and ornamental, useful from the fact that there is no stuffing in so far as the ordinary use of the term is concerned, for stuffing generally means some kind of wadding, hair or other kind of threadlike or flufiy material. Such material is eliminated from the upholstery work and the elimination of this material means of course sanitation as well as facilitating repairs.

There can be no lasting impression left in the sponge rubber such as is common in conventional stuffing and the economy in production and in maintenance is considerable, because of the greatly reduced number of necessary repairs.

In so far as the envelopes for the outer coverings are concerned, it will be seen that they are made to fit in with the construction of the frame, in fact the only departures from the conventional, in the construction of the frame are those to suit these outer covers. All kinds of slip covers have been in use for centuries, therefore in respect to the outer covering of the chair the idea is not the slip cover, but rather the removal of finishing as it is actually the dress covering of the chair and may be of beautiful and extremely expensive material.

There is another feature in this chair construction which has been treated rather sparingly in the description and that is the sponge rubber strips or straps reinforcing the springs of the back.

These spiral springs and these main cushion spiral springs and the tying spirals are used in spring mats, but the sponge rubber strips or straps constitute a new resilient feature, particularly in spring backs, or rather they may be called distinctly an elastic feature for they constitute an additional yielding movement that materially adds to the comfortable condition of the chair.

Besides, the reinforcing properties must not be lost sight of, for with this construction, the back will maintain its shape for a long period and continue always to insure the full benefits from the cushion.

It will, of course be seen in regard to both comfort and durability that the sponge rubber straps hold the coils of the spring from going too far back, a very important feature, and besides this, eliminates noise entirely, which is always to a more or less extent, an objection in spring cushioned devices.

It may be remarked in further explanation of the outer coverings that there is no confusion at all with what are familiarly known as slip covers, for the very good reason that in this invention, the outer covering is formed in sections and the frame prepared for it. Consequently, this covering constitutes that part of the upholstering which closes in the inner padding or elastic stufiing, and as that is made in a particular way, these removable covers may be readily taken away and replaced by others which would still constitute the finishing material.

What we claim is:-

A cushioned back for a seat comprising a frame of vertical and upper and lower horizontal bars forming a rigid back, intermediate vertical bars secured to the lower horizontal bar and curved outwardly to join the vertical bars of said frame, closely spaced from and forming pairs with said first mentioned vertical bars, fastening studs secured in the rear surfaces of said frame and vertical bars, a cushion for said frame comprising resilient strips vertically spaced and secured at their ends to said horizontal bars, springs mounted on said resilient strips and projecting forwardly therefrom, and a cover fitted over said frame and enclosing said springs, an envelope having front and back panels and a spacing strip, flaps attached to the rear edge of said envelope adapted to be threaded through between said spaced vertical bars and having eyelets for attaching said envelope and flaps to the fastening studs of the vertical bars and enclose the cushioned back of the seat.

ISAAC SINGER. ADOLPH SINGER. HYMAN SINGER.

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