Upholstery supports and the manufacture thereof and structures incorporating such upholstery supports

Claim 2

An upholstery support adapted to be handled as a unitary structure and to be mounted upon a rigid supporting frame; said support comprising at least two planar flexible elements in laterally spaced substantially coplanar relation whereby each element has a first side edge facing the other element and a second side edge facing away from the other element, parallel strips of resilient strip material extending laterally between said flexible elements and spaced in a direction perpendicular to the length of the strips and having the ends thereof fixed to said first side edges of said flexible elements, said second side edges of said flexible elements being formed to provide pocket means extending along the respective edges, each said pocket means being adapted to receive a rigid support rod, and each support rod being adapted for connection to said supporting frame.

Claim 3

An upholstery support as claimed in claim 1, including rigid support rods in said pocket means, and hooked attachment arms connected to said support rods and extending outwardly therefrom and establishing a hooked connection between the support rods and the respective adjacent portions of said supporting frame, said arms forming the sole support of said support rods engaged thereby on said supporting frame.

Claim 4

An upholstery support as claimed in claim 2, including holes formed in said flexible elements and exposing said support rods, said hooked attachment arms engaging said support rods through said holes.

Claim 5

An upholstery support as claimed in claim 2, in which that end of each hooked attachment arm engaging a support rod is clenched about the respective said support rod.

Claim 6

An upholstery support as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said flexible elements is bifurcated to provide two branches, the branches of each flexible element diverging in a direction away from the other element, said resilient strips being attached to said flexible elements at the juncture of the said branches of each thereof, one of the said branches of each element being formed at the free edge thereof to provide said pocket means to accommodate said rigid support rod and the free edge of the other of the said branches of each element being adapted to be attached to a respective first lateral part of a supporting frame, said support rod being adapted to be attached to a respective second lateral part of said supporting frame spaced from the adjacent said first part in a direction perpendicular to the plane of said resilient strips.

Claim 7

In an article of furniture intended to support at least one human being in either sitting or recumbent posture, a rigid supporting frame and an upholstery support attached to said frame, said upholstery support including two laterally spaced substantially coplanar flexible elements, each having a first edge on the side nearest the other element and a second edge on the side remote from the other element, a plurality of strips of resilient strip material arranged in parallel spaced relation, each of said strips having end portions, one end portion of each strip being firmly secured to said first edge of one of said flexible elements and the other end of each strip being firmly secured to said first edge of the other of said flexible elements, pockets formed along the said second edges of said flexible elements, support rods and hooked attachment arms, the support rods being disposed in said pockets and said arms being connected to said support rods and to said frame respectively and supporting the upholstery support on said frame.

Claim 8

In an article of furniture intended to support at least one human being in either sitting or recumbent posture, a rigid supporting frame and an upholstery support attached to said frame, said upholstery support including two laterally spaced substantially coplanar flexible elements, each having a first edge on the side nearest the other element and a second edge on the side remote from the other element, a plurality of strips of resilient strip material arranged in parallel spaced relation, each of said strips having end portions, one end portion of each strip being firmly secured to said first edge of one of said flexible elements and the other end of each strip being firmly secured to said first edge of the other of said flexible elements, pockets formed along the said second edges of said flexible elements, support rods and hooked attachment arms, the support rods being disposed in said pockets and said arms being connected to said support rods and to said frame respectively and supporting the upholstery support on said frame.

Claim 9

In an article of furniture intended to support at least one human being in either sitting or recumbent posture, a supporting frame and an upholstery support attached to said frame, said upholstery support including two laterally spaced flexible elements, a number of strips of resilient strip material, said frame having symmetrical halves and each of said halves having at least first and second frame portions adjacent respective ones of said flexible elements, the said first and second frame portions of each said half being spaced from one another in the fore and aft direction of said article of furniture, each of said flexible elements being bifurcated to provide two legs and having a connection region extending along the juncture of said legs, pockets formed in the free ends of said legs, the pocket on one leg of each flexible element having a respective said first frame portion disposed therein, a rigid support rod disposed in the pocket on the other leg of each flexible element, hooked attachment arms connecting each support rod to the respective second frame portion, said flexible elements being disposed with the said connection regiOns in opposed relation, said strips extending laterally between said connection regions and being disposed in parallel spaced relation, and each said strip having the opposite ends thereof connected to the said opposed connection regions of said flexible elements.

Claim 10

In an article of furniture intended to support at least one human being in either sitting or recumbent posture, a supporting frame and an upholstery support attached to said frame, said upholstery support including two laterally spaced flexible elements, a number of strips of resilient strip material, said frame having symmetrical halves and each of said halves having at least first and second frame portions adjacent respective ones of said flexible elements, the said first and second frame portions of each said half being spaced from one another in the fore and aft direction of said article of furniture, each of said flexible elements being bifurcated to provide two legs and having a connection region extending along the juncture of said legs, pockets formed in the free ends of said legs, the pocket on one leg of each flexible element having a respective said first frame portion disposed therein, a rigid support rod disposed in the pocket on the other leg of each flexible element, hooked attachment arms connecting each support rod to the respective second frame portion, said flexible elements being disposed with the said connection regiOns in opposed relation, said strips extending laterally between said connection regions and being disposed in parallel spaced relation, and each said strip having the opposite ends thereof connected to the said opposed connection regions of said flexible elements.

Claim 11

An article of furniture according to claim 7 in which said second frame portions are generally vertical and each first frame portion is connected at the upper end thereof to the respective first frame portion and diverges therefrom in the downward direction, the lower end portion of each said first frame portion being formed backwardly, the rearmost end of the backwardly formed portion being connected to said supporting frame.