US3368227A - Bed rail structure - Google Patents

Description

Feb; 9 P. c. UNDERDOWN, JR 3,363,227

BED RAIL STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1962 a '14 I i 16' i 14 I I w m 1 5 ---22 f I I 1 i l z2- d U V 3 75 W a q q I I 1 i v i 5 v V \J E z? l I I l INVENTOR.

PARKS C- UNDERDOWN, IR.

ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1968 c. UNDERDOWN, JR 3,368,227

BED RAIL STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1962 R M m N0 Wm mm X 0 c w M PWM.

Fig. 6'

ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1968 Filed Dec 11, 1962 P, C, UNDERDOWN, JR

BED RAIL STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet S fizz? I N VEN TOR. PARKS c. wvomomlw, m

United States Patent 3,368,227 BED RAIL STRUCTURE Parks C. Underdown, Jr., Hickory, N.C., assignor to Hickory Springs Manufacturing Co., Inc., Hickory, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 212,626,

July 26, 1962. This application Dec. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 244,241

7 Claims. (Cl. --296) This invention relates in general to bed rails arranged for assembly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, and more particularly to an improved structure for such a bed rail by which the difliculty of suiting the bed rail structure for assembly at a generally consistent widthwise spacing with bed posts slotted at varying spacings is provided for advantageously. This application is a continuation-in-part of my c-opending application, Ser. No. 212,626, filed July 26, 196-2, and now abandoned.

Bed rails of the type to which the present invention relates are commonly formed of metal and comprise a rail member of angle shape in cross section with a length proportioned for extending between the head and foot boards of a bed to form the frame on which a bedspring and mattress may be sup-ported. Conventionally, the bed posts at each side of the head and foot boards are vertically slotted and fitted with crosspins at which hook plates provided on each end of the rail members may be engaged to assemble and secure the bed frame.

Upon such assembly, the rail members serve in the nature of beams for carrying the boxspring and mattress; and, if the widthwise spacing of the rail members is proper, the boxspring may be placed directly thereon so as to be positioned by the angle shape thereof without the troublesome need for cross slats extended between the rails beneath the boxspring. Bed manufacturers, however, do not use a standard widthwise spacing in slotting the bed posts, and as they ordinarily purchase the bed rails as a stock item from other manufacturers, it has generally been impossible heretofore to eliminate the cross slats and employ the rails alone for carrying the box spring. There have been several prior art proposals for dealing with this difliculty by providing for lateral adjustment of the hook plates on the rails, but these proposals have tended to introduce undesirable structural complication and to involve problems of inadequate strength or undue manufacturing cost.

The bed rail structure of the present invention is characterized by an exceptional simplicity of structure that involves no more complication or manufacturing expense than the conventional bed rails previously employed, and that is advantageously strong and convenient to use; all as described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing one end portion of a bed rail structure embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a related left end elevation of the bracket member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a corresponding end elevation showing a modified form of the FIG. 2 bracket member;

FIG. 4 is an additional corresponding end elevation showing a second modified form of the FIG. 2 bracket member;

FIG. 5 is a plan detail of a hook plate suitable for use with the FIG. 4 bracket member;

FIG. 6 is a further end elevation showing a third modification of the FIG. 2 bracket member;

FIG. 7 is a plan detail of a hook plate suitable for use with the FIG. 6 bracket member.

FIG. 8 is a second fragmentary side elevation corre- 3,368,227 Patented Feb. 13, 1968 sponding generally to FIG. 1, but showing an additionally modified arrangement of the FIG. 1 bracket member by which the associated hook plate is held against removal or separation therefrom;

FIG. 9 is a related left end elevation of the FIG. 8 bracket member; and

FIG. 10 is a right side elevation showing the FIG. 8 bracket member as originally formed for association with the related hook plate.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the arrangement of a bed rail structure, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, in which an angle shaped rail member is arranged, as shown at 11, with one flange of its angle shape disposed vertically and the other disposed at the bottom of the rail and extending horizontally (as at 11') to provide a supporting ledge for a boxspring (not shown).

Endwise of the rail 11, and at the outer face of the vertically disposed flange thereof, a bracket member 12 is secured in fixed relation by rivets, as indicated at 13, or the like. It will be understood that an exactly similar bracket member 12, except for being of the opposite hand will be secured in the same manner at the other end of the rail 11.

The bracket member 12 is formed with a transverse flange portion 14 that is arranged for bearing in face to face relation with a bed post (as indicated by dotted lines at B in FIG. 1) over a vertically extended area, and is also arranged for selective assembly with a hook plate 15 by which the cross pins (as indicated in dotted lines at P and P) may be engaged within a conventional bed post slot (not shown). a

The arrangement of the bracket member flange portion 14 for selective assembly with the hook plate 15 is best shown in FIG. 2, in which this flange portion 14 is seen to have upper and lower apertures 16 and 17 spaced vertically therein that are basically rectangular and that have their top and bottom edges notched in vertical alignment (as at 16 and 16", and 17' and 17") at a plurality of laterally spaced positions. In any one bracket member 12 only the top edges of the flange portion apertures 16 and 17 need to be notched, but if both the top and bottom edges are notched as shown, the same bracket member 12 will be of interchangeable hand and may be used at either end of the rail 11.

The related form of the hook plate 15 comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, an arrangement of upper and lower arm portions 18 and 19 that are proportioned for respective extension through the flange portion apertures 16 and 17 and have the top edges thereof notched in vertical alignment, at 18' and 19, for selective seating at one of the laterally spaced positions defined by the top edge aperture notches 16 and 17' of the bracket member flange portion 14. Otherwise, the hook plate 15 is formed at its opposite side with hook portions 20 and 21 for engaging the previously mentioned bed post crosspins P and P, after having been selectively assembled with the bracket member 12 for the widthwise bed rail spacing needed in the particular instance.

Alternatively, the bracket member 12 may be formed as shown in FIG. 3 with a flange portion 14 having upper and lower vertically elongated apertures 22 and 23 spaced vertically therein at a plurality of laterally spaced positions for selective assembly in the same general manner with the arm portions 18 and 19 of the hook plate 15. This FIG. 3 modification requires the hook plate 15 to be removed and reinserted each time it is shifted between the laterally spaced positions provided, but the separately constituted apertures 22 and 23 at each position have some tendency to strengthen and stabilize the hook plate assembly and may be preferable where particularly heavy loads are to be carried.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 a still further modified form of brackct member 24 and hook plate 25 is illustrated in which the bracket member flange portion 26 is formed with an increased plurality of vertically elongated apertures spaced vertically therein, as at 27, 28, 29 and 30 in FIG. 4, and at a plurality of laterally spaced positions; while the related FIG. 5 hook plate 25 is formed with a corresponding vertically spaced plurality of arm portions 31, 32, 33 and 34 that have an upwardly inclined disposition for respective extension through and seating upwardly in a selected set of the flange portion apertures 27 to 30.

A third possible modification is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in which the illustrated FIG. 6 bracket member 35 has the flange 36 thereof formed with upper and lower vertically spaced apertures 37 and 38, which are again basically rectangular, but which have the top and bottom edges thereof notched in vertical alignment at one side and to an extended depth, as indicated at 39 and 40, and to a limited or lesser depth at a plurality of laterally spaced positions across these edges, as indicated at 41 and 42. The hook plate 43 provided, as shown in FIG. 7, for use with the FIG. 6 bracket member 35 has the upper and lower arm portions 44 and 45 thereof proportioned for extension through the bracket member apertures 37 and 38 only at the extended depth notches 39 and but these arm portions 44 and are narrowed at their root so as to be manipulable sidewise in the apertures 37 and 38 for selective seating at one of the laterally spaced positions defined by the limited depth notches 4.1 and 42.

In all of the embodiments noted above, it will be seen that the respective bracket members and hook plates are associated so that the load to be supported by the bed rail structure is transferred through the bracket members to the hook plates at a plurality of points and is thereby distributed advantageously to make possible the use of the extremely simple form of hook plate shown, which in turn makes it possible to provide readily for the desired adjustment between the bracket members and the hook plates to obtain a particular widthwise spacing of the bed rails as they are assembled as components of a particular bed frame.

A further modification of the same basic arrangement is shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, by which the hook plate is integrated with the bracket member so as to be confined thereon against removal, while remaining free for selective lateral seating as in the other previously described embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows this further modification incorporated in a bed rail structure that is designated generally by the reference numberal 100, and that incorporates an angle shaped rail member 101 fitted with a bracket member 102 in general correspondence with the FIG. 1 embodiment.

The bracket member 102 is again formed with a transverse flange portion 103 provided for bearing in face to face relation with a bed post (as at B in FIG. 8) and arranged to have a hook plate 104 by which the cross pins (as at P and P in FIG. 8) may be engaged within a conventional bed post slot (not shown).

The arrangement of this FIG. 8 bracket member 102 for association with the hook 104 differs in that the upper and lower assembly apertures 105 and 106 in its flange portion 103 are related so as to hold hook plate 104 against removal. As in the FIG. 1 embodiment, both of the assembly apertures 105 and 106 have top edges that are notched, as at 105 and 106, at a plurality of laterally spaced positions so as to engage upper and lower hook plate arm portions 107 and 108 at vertically aligned notches 107 and 108' therein (compare FIGS. 8 and 9).

The lower assembly aperture 106, however, has a lower edge 106" that is situated to limit the lengthwise extent of this aperture so that the hook plate arm portion 108 extending therethrough cannot be removed. That is, the spaced relation of the lower aperture bottom edge 106" will prevent the arm portion 108 being lowered enough to clear the top edge of aperture 106 for removal, while still allowing sufficient lowering to clear the projections between the top edge notches 106 through the arm portion notch 108 for selective lateral shifting and seating of the hook plate 104 in association with the bracket member 102.

To provide for this manner of association, the bracket member flange 103 is initially formed, as seen in FIG. 10, with a bottom edge portion 109 at its lower aperture 106 that is displaced backwardly to permit original insertion of the hook plate arm portion 108 therethrough without hindrance by the aperture bottom edge 106". Then, upon insertion of the hook plate arm portions 107 and 108 in properly associated relation at the apertures and 106, the bottom edge portion 109 at the lower aperture 106 is returned to a flush disposition in the bracket member flange 103, so as to present the bottom edge 106" for limiting the lengthwise extent of aperture 106 as noted above.

The result of this arrangement is to provide an integrated assembly of the hook plate 104 with the bracket member 102 so that the hook plate 104 is no longer a separable element subject to being misplaced or lost and requiring special assembly attention when it is put into use.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in a slotted bed post, said bed rail structure comprising a bracket member having a flange portion disposed for bearing in face to face relation with said bed post at the cross pin slot therein, said flange portion having a plurality of apertures spaced therein and formed for defining at least two load imposing points in lengthwise relation to said crosspin slot and for additionally defining at least two laterally spaced positions for said load imposing points, and a hook plate having spaced arm portions for removably engaging said spaced flange portion apertures at all of said load imposing points and selectively at one of said laterally spaced positions and having hook portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

2. A bed rail structure for assmbly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, said bed rail structure comprising a bed rail having a bracket member secured at each end thereof, each of said bracket members being formed with a transverse flange portion for bearing in face to face relation with one of said bed posts over a vertically extended area at the crosspin slot therein, each such flange portion having upper and lower rectangular apertures spaced vertically therein with the top edges of said apertures notched in vertical alignment at a plurality of laterally spaced positions, a hook plate for each of said bracket members having upper and lower arm positions proportioned for respective extension through said flange portion apertures, the top edge of each of said arm portions being notched in vertical alignment with the other for selective seating in said flange portion notches at one of said laterally spaced positions, and said hook plate having hook portions extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

3. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, said bed rail structure comprising a bed rail having a bracket member secured at each end thereof, each of said bracket members being formed with a transverse flange portion for bearing in face to face relation with one of said bed posts over a vertically extended area at the crosspin slot therein, each such flange portion having upper and lower vertically elongated apertures spaced vertically therein at a plurality of laterally spaced positions, a hook plate for each of said bracket members having upper and lower arm portions proportioned for respective extension through a selected set of said upper and lower flange portion apertures, the top edge of each of said arm portions being notched in vertical alignment for seating at the top ends of said flange portion apertures, and said hook plate having hook portions extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

4. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, said bed rail structure comprising a bed rail having a bracket member secured at each end thereof, each of said bracket members being formed with a transverse flange portion for bearing in face to face relation with one of said bed posts over a vertically extended area at the crosspin slot therein, each such flange portion having a plurality of vertically elongated apertures spaced vertically therein at a plurality of laterally spaced positions, a hook plate having a corresponding vertically spaced plurality of arm portions formed with an upwardly inclined disposition for respective extension through and seating upwardly in a selected set of said vertically spaced flange portion apertures, and said hook plate having downwardly inclinded hook portion extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

5. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, said bed rail structure comprising a bed rail having a bracket member secured at each end thereof, each of said bracket members being formed with a transverse flange portion for bearing in face to face relation with one of said bedposts over a vertically extended area at the cross pin slot therein, each such flange portion having upper and lower apertures spaced vertically therein, said apertures being basically rectangular with the top and bottom edges thereof notched in Vertical alignment at one side to an extended depth and to a limited depth at a plurality of laterally spaced positions across said edges, a hook plate for each of said bracket members having upper and lower arm portions proportioned for respective extension through said flange portion apertures only at said side notches of extended depth but being narrowed at the roof thereof for selective sidewise manipulation to and seating at the limited depth notches at one of said laterally spaced positions, and said hook plate also having hook portions extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

6. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in a slotted bed post, said bed rail structure comprising a bracket member having a flange portion disposed for bearing in face to face relation with said bed post at the crosspin slot therein, said flange portion have apertures spaced therein for defining at least two load imposing points in lengthwise relation to said crosspin slot and for additionally defining at least two laterally spaced positions for said load imposing points, a hook plate having spaced arm portions extending through said apertures for engaging said flange portion at all of said load imposing points and selectively at one of said laterally spaced positions, with at least one of said apertures being limited in lengthwise extent so as to confine the hook plate arm portion extended therethrough against removal, and said hook plate also having hook portions extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

7. A bed rail structure for assembly on crosspins in vertically slotted bed posts, said bed rail structure comprising a bed rail having a bracket member secured at each end thereof, each of said bracket members being formed with a transverse flange portion for bearing in face to face relation with one of said bed posts over a vertically extended area at the crosspin slot therein, each such flange portion having upper and lower rectangular apertures spaced vertically therein with the top edges of said apertures notched in vertical alignment at a plurality of laterally spaced positions, a hook plate for each of said bracket members having upper and lower arm portions extended through said arm portion apertures, the top edge of each of said arm portions being notched in vertical alignment with the other for selective seating in said flange portion notches at one of said laterally spaced positions, the depth of said arm portion notching and the vertical extent of at least one of flange portion apertures being relatively proportioned for confining said hook plate against removal from said flange portion while allowing said selective seating, and said hook plate also having hook portions extending oppositely with respect to said arm portions for engaging said bed post crosspins.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 223,837 1/1880 Clarkson 5296 2,666,215 1/ 1954 Harris 5297 2,719,309 10/ 1955 Harris 5296 2,942,279 6/ 1960 Von Cannon 5296 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Examiner.

A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A BED RAIL STRUCTURE FOR ASSEMBLY ON CROSSPINS IN A SLOTTED BED POST, SAID BED RAIL STRUCTURE COMPRISING A BRACKET MEMBER HAVING A FLANGE PORTION DISPOSED FOR BEARING IN FACE TO FACE RELATION WITH SAID BED POST AT THE CROSS PIN SLOT THEREIN, SAID FLANGE PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES SPACED THEREIN AND FORMED FOR DEFINING AT LEAST TWO LOAD IMPOSING POINTS IN LENGTHWISE RELATION TO SAID CROSSPIN SLOT AND FOR ADDITIONALLY DEFINING AT LEAST TWO LATERALLY SPACED POSITIONS FOR SAID LOAD IMPOSING POINTS, AND A HOOK PLATE HAVING SPACED ARM PORTIONS FOR REMOVABLY ENGAGING SAID SPACED FLANGE PORTION APERTURES AT ALL OF SAID LOAD IMPOSING POINTS AND SELECTIVELY AT ONE OF SAID LATERALLY SPACED POSITIONS AND HAVING HOOK PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING SAID BED POST CROSSPINS.

Images