Leggett & Platt, Inc.

L&p Property Management Company

Henry Zapletal

Horst F Wentzek

George M Chembakaffery

Thomas J Wells

Sidney A Hiatt

Henry G Mohr

Steven M Montague

Angelo Serafini

Terry L Aronson

Tom J Wells

Marty J Zugel

Daniel W Martin

Edwin B Watts

Elvin E Adams

A curved sample of material is tested for ultimate tensile stress and elongation without prestraightening or premarking of the length of the sample. The sample is gripped at its ends and positioned to extend over convex surfaces mounted adjacent to the grippers on a pair of longitudinally moveable members. The members are moved apart and incremental data of the relative distances between the convex surfaces, representing the length of the sample, are stored. With each of the distance measurements, tensile stress measurements in the wire are made and stored. After the wire breaks, the data is analyzed. The stress versus distance ratios and rates of changes are analyzed to determine the end points of the stress versus length curve for the elastic deformation region, which is taken to begin when the wire has been pulled straight as is detected by a sudden increase in ratio of the tensile force versus sample length, and to end by a decrease the ratio, at the yield point where plastic deformation or permanent elongation of the sample begins. The permanent elongation of the sample ends at the break point of the sample, when it is at its total elongation.

Method and apparatus for testing coiled materials

A box spring assembly includes a base frame, a top wire grid and a plurality of sinous wire springs interconnecting the top wire grid and the base frame. The sinuous wire springs each comprises a sinuous wire strip formed into an inverted U-shaped configuration with the closed end of each U-shaped spring attached to the top wire grid by a snap-fit connection and the free ends at the bottom of the U-shaped spring being attached to the base frame.

Bedding foundation having snap-in place sinuous wire springs

A spring assembly for mattresses, innersprings, and the like. The assembly comprises rows of coils, each row comprising a continuous length of wire formed into a plurality of coils interconnected by Z-shaped wire segments alternately disposed at the top and bottom of the coils. Adjacent rows of coils are connected by helical wire wound through overlapping sections of the Z-shaped wire segments. The overlapping connected sections are straight, flat offset sections located on opposite sides of each coil with the center of each overlapped section being located in a common diametral plane of the coil so that complete compression of the coil does not result in the coil being pulled laterally, twisted and distorted.

Offset continuous row coil spring assembly

A box spring assembly includes a base frame, a top wire grid and a plurality of sinuous wire springs interconnecting the top wire grid and the base frame. The sinuous wire springs each comprise a sinuous wire strip formed into an inverted U-shaped configuration with the closed end of each U-shaped spring attached to the top wire grid and the free ends at the top of the U-shaped spring attached to the base frame.

Bedding foundation having sinuous wire springs

A box spring assembly includes a base frame, a top wire grid and a plurality of sinuous wire springs interconnecting the top wire grid and the base frame. The sinuous wire springs each comprise a sinuous wire strip formed into a U-shaped configuration with the bottom of each U-shaped spring attached to the base frame and the free ends at the top of the U-shaped spring attached to the wire grid.

Sinuous spring module box spring assembly

A machine for connecting successive rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine, in preferred form, initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. In the course of transporting the coils between pick up and the support platen, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, and through use of rotatable transfer fingers on a transfer shaft, the springs are removed from under the compression bar, and are moved into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. If a leading row of coil springs are already present in the clamping dies, the rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies. After the rows of coil springs are connected, the clamping dies open and upper and lower indexing hooks grab the connected coils and index the connected rows of coils in the machine's downstream direction so as to permit a next trailing row of spring to be fed into the clamping dies and connected to the previously assembled row. When the desired number of rows of springs have been connected, a feed-out mechanism is cycled to draw the spring assembly away from the machine's clamping dies and indexing hook stations.

Coil spring assembly machine

A machine for connecting rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. While transporting the coils, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, rotatable transfer fingers remove the springs from under the compression bar, and move them into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. The rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies. After the rows of coil springs are connected, the clamping dies open and upper and lower indexing hooks grab the connected coils and index the connected rows of coils in the machine's downstream direction. When the desired number of rows of springs have been connected, a feed-out mechanism is cycled to draw the spring assembly away from the machine's clamping dies and indexing hook stations.

A machine for connecting successive rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine, in preferred form, initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. In the course of transporting the coils between pick up and the support platen, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, and through use of rotatable transfer fingers on a transfer shaft, the springs are removed from under the compression bar, and are moved into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. If a leading row of coil springs are already present in the clamping dies, the rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies.

A spring assembly for mattresses, innersprings, and the like. The assembly comprises rows of coils, each row comprising a continuous length of wire formed into a plurality of coils interconnected by Z-shaped wire segments alternately disposed at the top and bottom of the coils. Adjacent rows of coils are connected by a helical wire wound through overlapping Z-shaped wire segments. The overlapping connected segments on opposite sides of each coil are located in a common diametrical plane of the coil so that complete compression of the coil does not result in the coil being pulled laterally, twisted and distorted.

Spring assembly

A single continuous length of spring wire is formed into a continuous length spiral or helix which is subsequently folded into a wave configuration for establishing in row form, a plurality of individual spring coils disposed generally parallel one to another. Each coil in the row is connected at its opposite ends to adjacent coils by head or connector end sections. The head or connector end sections are then formed, preferably into a planar Z-shaped configuration such that the formed connector sections at the same ends of the coils are disposed in a common plane normal to the axes of the coils which they interconnect. During forming of the end sections or heads of the coils, each connector section is deformed from a looped three-dimensional attitude into the planar Z-shaped attitude by interengagement with novel forming pins and forming dies.

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Carthage, MO, United States of America

Henry Zapletal