Collapsible, folding mattress support having the appearance of a box spring with legs

• US 8,370,973 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zinus Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zinus Incorporated
• Inventors: Oh, Suk Kan
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLEHER, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US13/526,029
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 5249-252, 5174-180, 520/1, 520/2, 520/01, 540/0, 540/1, 531/0, 528/5
• US Class Current: 5/250
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 19/122 foldable head to foot only
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 23/005 foldable or dismountable

Abstract

A foldable mattress support with legs includes a metal frame with a fabric covering. The metal frame includes first upper and lower frames and second upper and lower frames. Each of the upper and lower frames is pivotally attached to a vertical plate of a hinge. A bolt that is oriented along a first axis passes through the first upper frame and through the vertical plate. A leg attaches through the fabric covering to a base plate of the hinge. The first upper frame pivots about a first axis; the second upper frame pivots about a second axis; the first lower frame pivots about a third axis; and the second lower frame pivots about a fourth axis. Each of the axes is orthogonal to the vertical plate, and the third axis is spaced farther apart from the fourth axis than the first axis is spaced apart from the second axis.

Claims

1. A foldable mattress support comprising:

a first upper frame;

a second upper frame;

a third upper frame;

a lower frame;

a first plate, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the first plate and pivots about a first axis, wherein the second upper frame is pivotally attached to the first plate and pivots about a second axis, and wherein the lower frame is pivotally attached to the first plate and pivots about a third axis; and

a second plate parallel to the first plate, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the second plate and pivots about a fourth axis, wherein the third upper frame is pivotally attached to the second plate and pivots about a fifth axis, wherein the lower frame is pivotally attached to the second plate and pivots about a sixth axis, wherein each of the first, second and third axes is orthogonal to the first plate, wherein each of the fourth, fifth and sixth axes is orthogonal to the second plate, and wherein the fifth axis is spaced farther apart from the fourth axis than the first axis is spaced apart from the second axis.

2. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, wherein a first distance between the first axis and the fourth axis equals a second distance between the third axis and the sixth axis.

3. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, wherein the first axis, the second axis and the third axis are fixed with respect to one another.

4. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, further comprising:

a brace plate attached to the first upper frame, wherein the brace plate is perpendicular to the first plate, and wherein the brace plate contacts an upper edge of the first plate when the foldable mattress support is completely unfolded.

5. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, wherein a reinforcing flange is attached to a side of the first plate, and wherein the reinforcing flange is perpendicular to the first plate.

6. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the first plate by a bolt oriented along the first axis.

7. The foldable mattress support of claim 1, wherein the first upper frame remains substantially parallel to the lower frame as the foldable mattress support is unfolded.

8. A method comprising:

folding a first upper frame of a mattress support into a second upper frame of the mattress support, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to a first plate and pivots about a first axis, and wherein the second upper frame is pivotally attached to the first plate and pivots about a second axis;

folding a third upper frame of the mattress support with respect to the first upper frame such that a distal end of the third upper frame comes closer to the first axis, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to a second plate and pivots about a forth axis, wherein the third upper frame is pivotally attached to the second plate and pivots about a fifth axis, wherein a lower frame is pivotally attached to the first plate and pivots about a third axis, wherein the lower frame is pivotally attached to the second plate and pivots about a sixth axis, wherein the first plate remains parallel to the second plate, wherein each of the first, second and third axes is orthogonal to the first plate, wherein each of the fourth, fifth and sixth axes is orthogonal to the second plate, and wherein the fifth axis is spaced farther apart from the fourth axis than the first axis is spaced apart from the second axis; and

inserting the folded mattress support into a packing box.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

pulling a covering over the unfolded mattress support before the folding of the first upper frame into the second upper frame.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the first plate by a bolt oriented along the first axis.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

inserting instructions into the packing box that instruct a user of the mattress support to unfold the folded mattress support.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first plate is metal, and wherein the mattress support contains no wood.

13. A foldable mattress support comprising:

a first upper frame;

a first lower frame;

a second upper frame;

a second lower frame;

a hinge that includes a vertical plate and a base plate; and

a leg attached to the base plate, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the vertical plate and pivots about a first axis, wherein the second upper frame is pivotally attached to the vertical plate and pivots about a second axis, wherein the first lower frame is pivotally attached to the vertical plate and pivots about a third axis, wherein the second lower frame is pivotally attached to the vertical plate and pivots about a fourth axis, wherein each of the first axis, the second axis, the third axis and the fourth axis is orthogonal to the vertical plate, wherein the third axis is spaced farther apart from the fourth axis than the first axis is spaced apart from the second axis.

14. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, further comprising:

a fabric covering, wherein the leg is attached to the base plate by a bolt that passes through the fabric covering.

15. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, further comprising:

a brace plate attached to the first upper frame, wherein the brace plate is perpendicular to the vertical plate, and wherein the brace plate contacts an upper edge of the vertical plate when the foldable mattress support is completely unfolded.

16. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, wherein the first upper frame is pivotally attached to the hinge by a bolt oriented along the first axis.

17. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, wherein the first upper frame is substantially parallel to the second upper frame when the foldable mattress support is completely folded.

18. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, wherein the first upper frame has a first distal end away from the hinge, wherein the second upper frame has a second distal end away from the hinge, and wherein the foldable mattress support is completely folded when the first distal end is adjacent to the second distal end.

19. The foldable mattress support of claim 18, wherein the second lower frame has a distal end away from the hinge, further comprising:

a leg; and

a headboard attachment, wherein the headboard attachment and the leg are attached to the distal end when the foldable mattress support is completely unfolded.

20. The foldable mattress support of claim 13, further comprising:

a leg that attaches to the first lower frame through an opening in a fabric covering of the foldable mattress support.