US2976548A - Means for mounting a folding side guard on a bed frame - Google Patents

Description

March 28, 19 e. R. MAERTINS MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FOLDING SIDE GUARD ON A BED FRAME I: Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25, 1957 l'wezor 29% R W March 1961 G. R. MAERTINS 2,976,548

MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FOLDING SIDE GUARD ON A BED FRAME Filed Nov. 25, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,976,548 MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FOLDING SIDE GUARD ON A BED FRAME Filed NOV. 25, 1957 March 28, 1961 G, R, MAERTINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FOLDING SIDE GUARD ON A BED FRAME Gustave R. Maerfins, 395 Washington St., Hyannis, Mass.

Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,437

1 Claim. (Cl. -331) This invention relates to beds having folding side guards of the type which include a bottom rail, a top rail extending parallel to the bottom rail, and a plurality of parallel connecting members each of which is pivotally mounted at one end to the bottom rail and at the other end to the top rail, and the invention has particular reference to the means for mounting such a side guard on the side rail of the bed frame.

An object of the invention is to provide a. mounting means by which the side guard can be secured to the side rail of the bed in such position that when the side rail is folded the top rail thereof will be substantially flush with the edge of the bed spring member on which the mattress is supported.

The bed spring member is usually mounted on and supported by the side rails of the bed frame, and in some beds the bed spring member is located close to the side rail and in other beds the bed spring member is located at a considerable distance above the side rail. By means of the invention hereinafter described it is possible to so mount the folding side guard on the side rail of any bed that when the side guard is folded the top rail thereof will always be substantially flush with the bed spring member regardless of its position vertically relative to the side rail of the bed frame.

If the folding side guard should be mounted on the side rail of the bed in such a manner that when the side guard is folded the top edge thereof projected appreciably above the bed spring member, said top rail would interfere somewhat with the tucking of the sheets and other bed covers around the mattress, and said top rail of the folded side guard would also present a rib along side of the bed spring member but just above it, which might cause inconvenience to the occupant of the bed.

In the drawings which illustrate one embodiment o the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view-of a bed equipped with a folding side guard such as above referred to and which is mounted on the side rail of the bed by the improved mounting means, the said side guard being shown in its raised operative position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the side guard in its folded position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the parts constituting the mounting means illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the mounting means adjusted for supporting a side guard on a bed in which the bed spring member is located close to the side rail;

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the mounting means as shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing a bed construction in which the bed spring member is located close to the side rail of the bed frame.

In the drawings, 1 indicates generally a bed frame having the usual side rail 2 which is illustrated as an States Patent F e g 2,976,548 [Ce Patented Mar. 28, 1961 angle iron member, and 3 indicates generally a folding side guard which is mounted on the side rail 2 of the bed frame.

4 indicates a bed spring member on which the mattress is supported and which in turn is mounted on the side rail 2 of the bed.

As stated above, different beds may have the bed spring member 4 located at difierent distances from the side rail 2. In Figs. 1 and 2 the bed spring member 4 is located a considerable distance above the side rail 2, while in Fig. 7 a construction is shown in which the bed spring member 4 is located at a lower level, quite close to the side rail 2.

The side guard 3 herein illustrated is of the type which includes a bottom rail 6, a top rail 7 parallel to the bottom rail, and a plurality of parallel connecting members 8 connecting the two rails, the lower ends of the connecting members being pivoted to the bottom rail at 9, and the upper ends of the connecting members being pivoted to the top rail at 10.

Each connecting member 8 is shown as having an offset portion 11 at each end, the offset at the opposite ends being in opposite directions, the purpose of this being to provide a side guard member which can be folded into the position shown in Fig. 2 without danger that the.

fingers of the person manipulating the side guard will be pinched. When the side guard is in its folded position one of the connecting members 8 rests on a stop element 25 carried by the bottom rail 6 of the guard.

-A folding side guard of this construction is illustrated in Patent No. 2,799,869, dated July 23, 1957.

The mounting means, by which the folding side guard can be placed at the proper position so that when it is folded the top rail 7 will be substantially flush with the bed spring member 4 regardless of the position of the latter relative to the side rail 2., comprises a U-shaped clamp member 13 which embraces the flange 14 of the side rail 2 and Which is clamped thereto by a clamping screw 17. The leg 15 of the clamp 13 rests against the outer face of the side rail and is longer than the leg 16,

- said leg 15 being long enough so that when the clamp is clamped to the side rail 2 in its operative position, the upper end 21 of the leg 15 projects slightly above the top of the side rail 2.

Associated with the clamp member 13 is an intermediate member 18 which is separate from both the folding side guard and the clamp 13. This intermediate member is secured to the upper projecting end 21 of the leg 15 of the clamp 13, and it lies against the outer faceof said leg 15. Said intermediate member is in the form of an elongated flat plate, the two opposite sides of which are fiat from one end to the other and each end of which is a duplicate in shape and size of the other end, said intermediate member having a length dimension somewhat greater than that of the longer leg of the clamp member. Said intermediate member also is shown as having a plurality of bolt holes 19, and it is secured to the upper projecting end 21 of the leg 15 of the clamping member at a point above the side rail 2 by means of a bolt 20.

The construction of the intermediate member is such that it may be secured to the leg 15 with the upper end of said intermediate member projecting above the end 21 of the leg 15, as shown in Fig. 3, or said intermediate member may be secured to said leg 15 with its lower end depending below the clamp 13, as shown in Fig. 5. The folding side guard is mounted on the intermediate member by bolting the bottom rail 6 of said guard to the end of the intermediate member which projects either above or below the side rail. If the bed to which the side guard is to be connected is one in which the bed spring member 4 is located at a considerable distance above the side rail 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in Fig. 3, then the intermediate member 18 will be clamped to the leg 15 of the clamp in a position in which the upper end of said intermediate member extends upwardly beyond the top 21 of the leg 15 and the bottom rail 6 oi the side guard will be clamped to the upper projecting end of the intermediate member 18, by means of a clamping bolt 23, as clearly seen in Fig. 3.

With this manner of mounting the folding side guardon the side rail of the bed, said side guard will be located at a sufiicient distance above the side rail 2 so that when the side guard is folded, as shown in Fig. 2, the top rail 7 will be substantially flush with the bed spring member 4.

If, however, the bed to which the side guard is to be attached is one in which the bed spring member is located at a lower level close to the side rail 3, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7, then the intermediate member 18 will be secured to the leg 15 of the clamp 13 in a position in which the lower end of the intermediate member projects below the clamp member, as shown in Fig. 5. This can be done by adjusting the intermediate member so that the clamping bolt 20 will extend through the top bolt hole 19 of the intermediate member, and by clamp ing the bottom rail 6 of the side guard to the lower end of the intermediate member which projects below the clamp member 13. With this arrangement the side guard is so positioned vertically relative to the side rail 2 that when the side guard is folded the top rail 7 thereof will be substantially flush with the bed spring member 4, as clearly seen in Figs. 5 and 7. In clamping the bottom rail 6 of the side guard to the intermediate member I will preferably employ a spacing collar 22 between the bottom rail 6 and the intermediate member and use a clamping bolt 23 which extends through the bottom rail 6, the spacing collar 22, and one of the bolt holes 19 in the intermediate member 18. By making the intermediate member with a plurality of bolt holes 19, it is possible to clamp the intermediate member 18 to the longer leg 15 of the clamp in difierent vertical positions from those herein illustrated to provide for mounting the side guard on a bed in which the bed spring member has a position intermediate of that shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

An advantage which accrues from the use of the spacers 22 is that when said spacers are used, the fold ing side guard is located at a distance outside of the bed side rail 2 so that if a mattress is used on the bed which has such a width that the edges of the mattress tend to overhang the side rail, the folding side guard will be positioned so that the edge of the mattress will not interfere with the folding and opening movement of the side guard.

I claim:

The combination with a bed frame having a side rail, a bed spring member supported thereby, and a folding side guard having a bottom rail, a top rail, and a plurality of parallel connecting members each of which is pivotally connected to both the bottom rail and the top rail, of means mounting said side guard on said side rail, said means comprising a U shaped clamp member embracing said side rail and having one leg longer than the other, the shorter leg being on the inside of the side rail and the longer leg being on the outside thereof, clamping means to clamp the clamp member to the said side rail with the longer leg of said clamp member projecting above the side rail, an intermediate member separate from both the clamp member and the side guard, said intermediate member being in the form of an elongated flat plate, the two opposite sides of which form flat faces extending from one end to the other thereof and each end of which is a duplicate in shape and size of the other end, said intermediate member having a length dimension somewhat longer than that of the longer leg of the clamp member, means to secure the intermediate member to the upper end of said longer leg of the clamp member at a point above the side rail and in either a position in which the upper end portion of the intermediate member projects above the side rail and the upper end of the longer leg of the clamp member, or in a position in which the lower end of the intermediate member extends below the clamp member, and means to secure the bottom rail of the folding side guard to the upper end of the intermediate member when the latter is mounted on the clamp member with its upper end projecting above the clamp member, thereby to locate the side guard in a position in which when it is folded the top rail thereof will be flush with the bed spring member if-the bed frame is one in which said bed spring member is located a considerable distance above said side rail, and to the lower end of the intermediate member when the latter is mounted on the clamp member with its lower end depending below said clamp member thereby to locate the side guard in another position in which when the side guard is folded the top rail thereof will be flush with the bed spring member if the bed frame is one in which the said bed spring member is located closely adjacent to the said side rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Leone et a1, July 23, 1957

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