Apparatus and method for connecting upholstered articles

Abstract

A connector 300 for releasably connecting an upholstered article portion to another article, the connector comprising first and second releasably connectable parts 310, 320, wherein the first part is

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for connecting upholstered articles, either to other such articles or to support articles. Upholstered articles, such as mattresses, often comprise a plurality of components, or portions, which must be connected together. An example is that of a mattress for a bed. The mattress often includes a main mattress portion upon which is placed a so-called mattress "topper". The main mattress portion typically is a substantial resilient unit including an array of springs in fabric pockets, forming a resilient core, together with one or more layers of filling material, for padding and / or insulation, all encased within an outer fabric layer, known as "ticking". The topper is usually thinner and may include padding materials and / or smaller springs, or other resilient elements inside a cover. It is usually much softer than the main mattress portion and is often included to raise the level of comfort and luxury of the mattress as a whole. The mattress is usually supported on a base, which is considerably firmer than the mattress. Main mattress portions and some toppers usually include tufts, which are ties, usually in the form of a tape or cord, that pass through the unit and attach to both upper and lower outer surfaces. The tufting is provided to maintain alignment of internal components / layers within the unit. The tufts typically terminate on the outside surfaces of the unit in tufting heads, such as "pom poms" or rosettes, often of wool, and give the outer surfaces the appearance of regular undulations . Main mattress portions, and mattress toppers of different types, may be combined to provide a mattress which has tailored characteristics, so that a customer may select for comfort, firmness, insulation, luxury and so on. As well as interchangeability, for customised mattresses, there is a need to be able to replace worn or damaged components of a mattress, without the need to replace the whole mattress, in the interests of sustainability. In order to prevent the main mattress and the topper from excessive lateral movement, various means have been devised to connect them together, including straps that pass around the whole and a casing that closes around them both and fastens around the periphery. However, none of these provide a satisfactory solution to the problem of lateral movement of the components whilst not detracting from the comfort of the mattress. There are other, more secure means of connecting the main mattress and the topper in the prior art, but these typically require the connection to be made at the factory. Embodiments of the present invention aim to provide apparatus and a method of connecting upholstered articles in which the aforementioned problems are at least partially addressed. The present invention is defined in the attached independent claims, to which reference should now be made. Further, preferred features may be found in the sub-claims appended thereto. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for releasably connecting an upholstered article portion to another article, the connector comprising first and second releasably connectable parts, wherein the first part is arranged in use to engage a tufting head of an upholstered article portion and the second part is attachable to another article. In a preferred arrangement, the second part is attachable to another article comprising one or more of: another upholstered article portion, a headboard, base or other part of a bed, a seat, or another upholstered article or a support for such an article. The first part may have an aperture through which a tufting head may protrude. In a preferred arrangement, the first part includes a recess for accommodating a tufting head, preferably so that a tufting head may lie substantially flush within the first part. The second part may include an aperture through which a tufting head may protrude. In a preferred arrangement, the second part includes a recess for accommodating a tufting head, preferably so that a tufting head may lie substantially flush within the second part. The first and second parts are preferably releasably connectable by one or more of: push fit, twist connection, bayonet-type, latch, snap-fit. The first part and / or the second part may be wider than it is thick to provide for a low profile and therefore not adversely affect comfort in the upholstered article portion. As an alternative arrangement, the second part may be attached to another article by any of: a fixing, such as a screw, rivet or nail, or by sewing or adhesive or welding. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of releasably connecting an upholstered article portion to another article, the method comprising engaging a first part of a connector with a tufting head of an upholstered article portion, attaching a second part of the connector to another article and releasably connecting the first and second parts. In a preferred arrangement, the second part is attached to another article comprising one or more of: another upholstered article portion, a headboard, base or other part of a bed, a seat, or another upholstered article or a support for such an article The method may include passing a tufting head of an upholstered article through an aperture of the first part. Preferably, the method includes accommodating a tufting head of the upholstered article portion in a recess of the first part, more preferably so that a tufting head may lie substantially flush within the first part. The method may include accommodating a tufting head of another upholstered article portion in a recess of the second part, more preferably so that the tufting head may lie substantially flush within the second part. Preferably, the method comprises releasably connecting the first and second parts by one or more of: push fit, twist connection, bayonet-type, latch, snap-fit. The method may comprise attaching the second part to another article by any of: a fixing, such as a screw, rivet or nail, or by sewing or adhesive or welding. According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an upholstered article having a connector according to any statement herein. The invention may include a modular upholstered article comprising a plurality of components that are connected by one or more connectors according to any statement herein. The upholstered article portion may comprise a mattress, a component of a mattress, a headboard, seat, pad or cushion. The invention may include any combination of the features or limitations referred to herein, except such a combination of features as are mutually exclusive, or mutually inconsistent. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows in schematic sectional view a part of a main mattress portion according to a previously considered example; Figure 2 shows in schematic sectional view the main mattress portion of Figure 1 together with a mattress topper, in accordance with a previously considered example; Figure 3 shows in schematic sectional view a connector for connecting upholstered article portions, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4(a) shows schematically upholstered article portions connected by the connector of Figure 3; and Figure 4(b) shows a part of Figure 4(a) in greater detail. Turning to Figure 1, this shows a previously considered main mattress portion, generally at 100. The main mattress portion 100 comprises a resilient core 110 of pocketed springs 120 surrounded by a layer of padding 130, encased in a ticking 140. Tufting tapes 150 pass through the main mattress portion 100 and tie the upper and lower surfaces together, terminating at tufting heads 160. Figure 2 shows, generally at 200, another previously considered mattress comprising the main mattress portion 100 of Figure 1, with a mattress topper 210 lying over the main mattress portion 100. The topper 210 comprises a soft layer 220 of filling material, for comfort and insulation, which is also tufted. In this example, the topper and main mattress portion are connected by straps 230 and buckles 240 along their edges, in an effort to keep them from sliding laterally with respect to one another. Turning to Figure 3, this shows in schematic sectional view a connector, generally at 300, for connecting an upholstered article to another article, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The connector comprises two releasably connectable parts 310 and 320 that are joined, in this example by a twist-fit arrangement provided by cooperating surfaces shown generally at 330. Part 310 is generally disc shaped and is typically made of moulded plastics. An aperture 340 is located substantially centrally and is surrounded by a recess 350. The aperture can receive a tufting tape or cord 150 of an upholstered article (not shown). A tufting head 160 attached to the tape 150 may be accommodated in the recess 350. Typically, the tufting head 160 may be a toggle or bar, for example of plastics material, and in this case the recess 350 is elongate and dimensioned to receive the head 160. In this case part 330 is also disc-shaped and has an aperture 340 and recess 350 for receiving a tufting tape and tufting head, in the same way as part 310. However, part 330 also includes mounting apertures 360 for optionally attaching the 5 part 330 to a solid surface using fixtures such as screws (not shown). In some implementations, the connector 300 is used to connect together tufting heads of two upholstered articles, such as a main mattress portion and a topper. 10 Figures 4 (a) and 4 (b) show this schematically. The topper 200 lies over the main mattress portion 100 and the tufting heads of each are received in respective connector parts 310 and 330, before the connector parts are joined together. 15 Embodiments of the present invention allow the tufting components of two different upholstered articles to be quickly and releasably connected together, whilst obviating the need for straps, buckles or a separate outer containment 20 casing. The connections can be made and, importantly, unmade without special tools and with a minimum of skill, meaning that the process may be undertaken by a customer in their own home. 25 This means that the customer is able to replace, and / or interchange components of their mattress without specialist help . The connectors are recyclable in that they may easily be 30 detached, for example from an upholstered article at the end of its working life, and re-used on another article. Furthermore, the connectors may readily be retro-fitted to an upholstered article. Although the example shown is of a main mattress portion and a mattress topper, connectors according to the present invention are also capable of connecting an upholstered article to a fixed or rigid member, such as a base or substrate for example by using fixtures such as screws to attach the part 330 to the substrate and then attaching a tufting head to the part 310 before connecting the two parts. Although the example shows a twist-fit connection between the parts 310 and 330, other releasable connection arrangements may be employed, such as a press / snap fit. Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance, it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features referred to herein, and / or shown in the drawings, whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

l.A connector for releasably connecting an upholstered article portion to another article, the connector comprising first and second releasably connectable parts, wherein the first part is arranged in use to engage a tufting head of an upholstered article portion and the second part is attachable to another article.2.A connector according to Claim 1, wherein the second part is attachable to another article comprising one or more of: another upholstered article portion, a headboard, base or other part of a bed, a seat, or another upholstered article or a support for such an article.3.A connector according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the first part has an aperture through which a tufting head may protrude .4.A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first part includes a recess for accommodating a tufting head, preferably so that a tufting head may lie substantially flush within the first part.

5. A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second part includes an aperture through which a tufting head may protrude.

6. A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second part includes a recess for accommodating a tufting head.7.A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second parts are releasably connectable by one or more of: push fit, twist connection, bayonet-type, latch, snap-fit.

8. A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first part and / or the second part is wider than it is thick.

9. A connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second part is attached to another article by any of: a fixing, such as a screw, rivet or nail, or by sewing or adhesive or welding.10.A method of releasably connecting an upholstered article portion to another article, the method comprising engaging a first part of a connector with a tufting head of an upholstered article portion, attaching a second part of the connector to another article and releasably connecting the first and second parts.11.A method according to Claim 10, wherein the second part is attached to another article comprising one or more of: another upholstered article portion, a headboard, base or other part of a bed, a seat, or another upholstered article or a support for such an article.12.A method according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein the method includes passing a tufting head of an upholstered article through an aperture of the first part.13.A method according to any of Claims 10-12, wherein themethod includes accommodating a tufting head of theupholstered article portion in arecessof thefirstpart.14.A method according to any of Claims 10-13, wherein the method includes accommodating a tufting head of another upholstered article portion in a recess of the second part.15.A method according to any of Claims 10-14, wherein the method comprises releasably connecting the first and second parts by one or more of: push fit, twist connection, bayonettype, latch, snap-fit.16.A method according to any of Claims 10-15, wherein the method comprises attaching the second part to another article by any of: a fixing, such as a screw, rivet or nail, or by sewing or adhesive or welding.

17. An upholstered article having a connector according to any of Claims 1-9.18.A modular upholstered article comprising a plurality of components that are connected by one or more connectors according to any of Claims 1-9 or by a method according to any of Claims 10-16.

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