The present invention relates generally to knock down metal slat for bedding product which is quick simple and easy to assemble and disassemble besides allowing flexibility, easy storage and transportation.

A conventional bedding system comprises a bed frame to which a headboard or footboard may be attached. The frame includes a pair of longitudinal extending side rails and a pair of transversely extending end rails extending between the side rails. Additionally the bed frame includes a series of transverse slats that extend between the longitudinal side rails for supporting either a mattress or a combination of box springs and mattress.

The conventional bed slats comprises a series of transverse slats which are arranged in parallel arrangement in the form of a massive grid-like structure and one or two of these structures are attached to the longitudinal side rails of the bed frame to provide support for the mattress or the box spring. Due to the bulkiness of the above structures the assembly and disassembly of the bed slats are not simple and would require some skilled expertise to assemble and disassemble the bed. Further more storage space is required to store the massive structures and transportation and freight cost is accordingly high.

Attempts have been made to overcome the above setbacks by providing a knock down rolling slat. These are slats which are joined by flexible chained rubber to enable the slats to be rolled up the same manner as a mat is rolled up when dismantled from the longitudinal side rails. To a great extent the above invention has made storage and transportation simple and less costly. However being joined by flexible chained rubber, the rolling slat may not provide sufficient rigidity and its durability has to be compromised as the rubber component of the joint may deteriorate in elasticity and harden after years of use which may cause it to snap. Further the length of the rolling slats are dependant on the length of certain bed size meaning that each type of rolling slat will only fit its complementary bed size thereby restricting flexibility.

It would hence be extremely advantageous and cost saving if a knock down metal slat which is durable, rigid and light besides affording the flexibility of having bed slats which can be fitted to any size of bed (lengthwise) is made available. It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide such a bed slat.

Accordingly, it is the primary aim of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which are capable of easy assembly and disassembly;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which are light but rigid;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which reduces storage space thereby saving cost;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which is easy to transport thereby reducing freight cost;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which can be packaged and shipped as a separate item requiring assembly by the purchaser at desired location;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which provides flexibility in that the metal slats can be individually attached to the side rails according to the length of the side rails;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which need no screws, brackets, rivets, fasteners which are commonly lost or misplaced thus requiring replacement and delaying assembly of the frame;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds catering for the cash and carry market;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which comprises smaller and detachable parts thereby enabling convenient handling when compared with the conventional bed slats which consist of a massive structure;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds which need no welding thereby reducing manufacturing cost and eliminating problems associated with welding which tend to result in imperfections arising at the point of welding thereby providing a standardized product;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds capable of providing a flush finishing;

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide knock down metal slats for beds where the individual components are replaceable.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by,

a bed frame according to the appended patent claim.

Other aspect of the present invention and their advantages will be discerned after studying the Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

• FIG.1 is a perspective view of the longitudinal side rail of the bed frame and some of the metal slats of the present invention;
• FIG. 1-A is an enlarged view of the press and release mechanism of the metal slat;
• FIG. 1-B is an enlarged view of the metal slat before being fitted with the press and release mechanism showing the first and second openings;
• FIG. 1-C is an enlarged view of the longitudinal side rail showing the hollow rectangular section;
• FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. 1-A at line A-A;
• FIG. 3 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 2;
• FIG. 3-A the enlarged side, top and bottom views of the insert;
• FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the metal slat after being fitted to the longitudinal side rail.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not drawn to scale.

Referring to FIG.1, 1-A and 1-B are the respective perspective views of the longitudinal side rail of the bed frame and some of the metal slats, an enlarged view of the exterior parts of the press and release mechanism (6) and an enlarged side view of the end portion of the metal slat (4) before the press and release mechanism is being fitted. The side rail (2) of the bed frame is preferably made of metal and preferably has a rectangular section, however it may be of a square, round or elliptical section. The side rail (2) has a hollow interior (8) to accommodate the end portion of the metal slat (4) and is provided with slots (9) complimentary to the configuration of the metal slat (4) on the vertical surface (2A) of the side rail (2) opposing the other pair of side rail (2). The metal slat (4) is preferably a round pipe which has two openings, a first opening (10) and a second opening (12) at the end portion of the metal slat (4). The first opening (10) is located nearer the edge of the metal slat (4) whilst the second opening is provided at a distance further from the edge of the metal slat (4) than the first opening (10). The first opening (10) is preferably smaller than the second opening (12) and is configured for the bent terminal (14A) of the compressed spring wire (14) to be threaded therethrough [See FIG. 2 for a more detailed illustration] whilst the second opening (12) is for the insertion of a short insert (16) to which is attached a stopper (18) for the placement of the finger. It is to be understood that the invention can function well without the stopper (18) as the stopper (18) is merely a tool used to facilitate the act of depressing the insert (16) onto the compressed spring wire (14) and to provide comfort to the user. In absence of the stopper (18) the finger is placed directly onto the insert when exerting pressure and this may cause some discomfort to the user when the press and release process is repeated.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of FIG. 1A at line A-A and shows the compressed spring wire (14) being inserted into the hollow interior (8) of the metal slat (4). The compressed spring wire (14) is "U" shaped and is similar to the portion of the safety pin opposing the safety pin head. The compressed spring wire (14) is actually a length of wire which is bent back on itself forming a loop (14B) with two arms extending therefrom, a long and short arm (14C) (14D). The compressed spring wire (14) is configured as such to give it a springing effect. The longer arm (14C) has its terminal (14A) bent so as to form an "L" shaped configuration to enable the bent terminal (14A) to protrude through the first opening (10) of the metal slat (4) when the compressed spring wire (14) is inserted into and positioned in the hollow section (8) of the metal slat (4). The shorter arm (14D) rests on the inner surface (20) of the metal slat (4) opposing the surface provided with openings (10) (12). The "U" shaped configuration of the compressed spring wire (14) which gradually widens away from the loop (14B) enables the compressed wire (14) to be kept securely in position besides giving a springing effect when the pressure of the longer arm (14C) is being released.

FIG. 3 and 3-A respectively illustrates an exploded fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 2 and the enlarged views of the insert (16) from the side, top and bottom. The insert (16) has the exposed end which protrudes out from the second opening (12) provided with a shallow depression (16A) adapted to receive the stem (18A) of the stopper (18) for a snug abutment whilst the inserted end of the insert (16) which lies inside the hollow section (8) of the metal slat (4) is provided with an indentation (22) preferably having the configuration of a "key hole" to accommodate the long arm (14A) of the compressed spring wire (14). The "key hole" configuration consisting of a round head (22A) combined with a constricted neck (22B) is chosen as the round head (22A) can snugly accommodate the circumference of the long arm (14C) of the compressed spring wire (14) whilst the constricted neck (22B) serves as a self locking function captivating the long arm (14C) of the compressed spring wire (14) once lodged into the round head (22A) of the indentation (22). The compressed spring wire (14) is prevented from dislodging unless upon sufficient force being applied to separate the long arm (14C) of the compressed spring wire (14) from the round head (22A). The circumference of the round head (22A) is equivalent to the circumference of the compressed spring wire (14).

When in operation the stopper (18), acting as a detachable tool to facilitate use of the press and release mechanism to insert metal slats (4), is abutted to the exposed end of the insert (16) by its stem (18A), and is depressed by applying finger pressure. The act of depressing the stopper (18) causes the insert (16) to accordingly be depressed which in turn presses down onto the longer arm (14C) of the compressed spring wire (14) attached to the inserted end of the short insert (16) thereby lowering it and eventually withdrawing the bent terminal (14A) which protrudes from the first opening (10) of the metal slat (4) into the hollow section (8) of the metal slat (4) thereby enabling the end portion of the metal slat (4) to be inserted into the slot (9) on the side rail (2) with ease and without hinderances from the protruded bent terminal (14A). Once the metal slat (4) is inserted into the slot (9) on the side rail (2), the stopper (18) is detached from the insert (16) and is then abutted to the exposed end of another insert (16) and the process is repeated until the required number of metal slats (4) are inserted into the slots (9) on the side rail (2).

The portion of the metal slat (4) provided with the first opening (10) may be fitted with a protective annular casing (24) configured to have an opening identical in size to the first opening (10) so that when the annular protective casing (24) is fitted to that portion of the metal slat (4) both the first opening (10) and the opening on the casing (24) would coincide to enable the bent terminal (14A) of the compressed spring wire (14) to be threaded therethrough. The function of the protective annular casing (24) is to provide stability to the metal slat (4) which is inserted into the slots (9) on the side rail (2) and also protects the metal slats (4) from abrasions during assembly and disassembly besides reducing the clanking noise when two metal surfaces comes into contact. When the portion of the metal slat (4) which may be provided with the protective casing (24) is completely inserted into the slot (9) of the side rail (2) the pressure on the stopper (18) is released resulting in the insert (16) and the longer arm (14C) of the compressed spring wire (14) springing back to equilibrium or original position and the bent terminal (14A) protrudes out again from the first opening (10). The protruded bent terminal (14A) now comes into contact with the inner vertical surface (8A) of the hollow side rail (2) to act as a self locking mechanism preventing the metal slat (4) from disengaging itself from the slot (9) of the side rail (2). This provides a secured engagement without the use of any bolts, nuts, screws, rivets or fasteners.

FIG. 4, a fragmentary view of the preferred embodiment of the metal slat (4) being fitted to the side rail (2). When so fitted only part of the annular protective casing (24) and part of the insert (16) is visible. Although some metal slats (4) are illustrated in the figure, any number of slats (4) may be used accordance with the present invention. What is advantageous in the present invention is that the metal slat (4) can fit any bed size as the number of metal slat (4) is individually fitted unlike conventional models which is not so fitted but as a whole structure.

It will be appreciated that whilst the said metal slat and slot of the side rail has been described and illustrated in some detail as comprising a round section the above is not necessarily the only shape, configuration or design that can be utilized. For example other shapes and configuration such as rectangular, triangular, oval or square section can be used, however, what is advantageous in accordance with the present invention is the fact that the invention is capable of providing knock down metal slats which has the flexibility of the metal slats being individually fitted to the slot of the side rail with ease.

Whilst the said compressed spring wire (14) has been described and illustrated in some detail as being of a round section it will be appreciated that also a square or oval section can be used, however, what is advantageous in accordance with the present invention is the fact that the invention is capable of providing a press and release mechanism.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention and their advantages have been disclosed in the above Detailed Description, the invention is not limited thereto but only by the scope of the appended claim.