US926821A - Cushion. - Google Patents

Description

A. H. ORDWAY.

o'nsmou. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1907. 926,821 Patented July 6,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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VWTNESSES A. H. ORDWAY.

CUSHION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1907.

Pdtented July 6, 1909.

ANDREW. a. mumu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT I-I. ORDWAY, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUSHION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. OnnwAY, of Framingham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cushions.

The object is to provide a resilient spring cushion which may serve as the seat or back of a chair, sofa or other article of furniture, with a high degree of comfort and durability.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive construction for such an article, easily and cheaply repaired in case of damage, capable of manufacture in a variety of forms or shapes, without requiring an auxiliary backing or support, as is customary in upholstery.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a multiplicity of spring rods arranged as parallel arches and bound together transversely by tiesencircling the individual rods.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents, in vertical medial section, a chair having a seat and a back embodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan of a cushion for a chair seat or back with part of the covering broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the same sort. Fig. 4 represents a section through the latter on the plane 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings: The frame of the chair has legs 10 and a back frame 11.

The seat and the back embodying the inven-' tion are preferably formed of a combination of tempered steel and hemp, having wooden end bars or sills 12 between which are arches of steel spring-rods 13, preferably inserted in the sill 12 at each end, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The sills are bolted or otherwise suitably fastened to the frame at 14, thus being tied together by the rigid frame. The degree of curvature of the arches between them may be fixed by this means. The tempered rods may be formed or set with such shape or arch as is desired, according to the manner or place in which the cushion is to be used. Thus, in Fig. 1, in the seat, the crown of the arch is formed near the front edge; and in the back the crown is nearer the middle of the arch, being thus shaped to suit the com- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22, 1907.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 380,270.

fort of the user. The spring rods 13 are approximately parallel, as shown in Fig. 2. A "lexible tie, preferably India hemp cordage, fastens them together transversely, encircling the individual wires, as shown in Fig. 4. Preferably, the strand of cordage, starting at one side bar, as represented at 15 in Fig. 3, passes over the face of the first steel rod 15, encircles it, and after thus passing around the rear appears upon the face again at 16 close beside itself, whence it passes, on the face side of the work, to the next rod 13, encircling it likewise, and so on until the entire width ofthe seat or back is covered. The

same piece of cordage is then brought back in the same manner to the side bar whence it started, being carried from one rod to another on the face side thereof. As shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, this covers completely the face side of the steel rods, concealing them from view. This constitutes a multiplicity of transverse ties between adjacent arches, so that when the weight of a user of the chair is imposed upon an arch and the arch yields thereunder, the rod is tied so that it cannot slip or spread sidewise away from its neighbor on either side, but the tension is transmitted transversely through the ties to other arches. This instantly brings the resiliency of the remaining arches to the assistance of the particular arch or arches upon which. the stress is applied, and causes the surface to yield resiliently without spreading of rods, and without imposing excessive stress upon any one or few individual arches or a few individual ties, as might be the case if the cordage were simply woven through the rods instead of encircling them individually. The cushion may be finished by dipping in shellac, which the cordage absorbs. The shellac fastens together the initial and final portion of each convolution of the cordage about a rod. Without the shellac the friction of one bit of cordage against a neighboring bit of cordage would undoubtedly be sufficient to prevent slipping of the cordage around the rod when under stress; but with the addition of the adhesive qualities of the shellac such slipping is prevented effectually, so that whenever one rod is depressed a pull is transmitted to the adj acent rod to which its cordage binders run. After applying the shellac the cushion may be mounted upon a chair or other furniture frame as a seat or as a back, as desired, with the front and rear sills 12 fastened rigidly thereto, or otherwise tied together in the direction of the chords of the arches, at such distance apart as is proper to give the desired spring or crown to the arches.

In use, the resilient character of the arches enables the cushion surface to yield at any point where pressure is applied. The fact that the end pieces or sills are iixed at rigid distances apart, and that the length of spring rod comprising the arch between them is unchangeable, and that these rods cannot spread sidewise, causes the arch to bulge or crown outward in other places to compensate for the depression, thus making a peculiarly comfortable support which yields to iit the users back, for example, where the pressure is applied, and springs out to meet and support the portions of his back which in an ordinary chair do not touch the chair back. The strength of the steel arches forms the ultimate support, and eliminates the need of additional backing, as is customary for springs in upholstery. By this means a cushion effect is produced in a very shallow space. Owing to the transverse distribution of pressures through the ties, the individual rods may be smaller in size than if no such ties were used, making a material reduction in expense of manufacture. As the stresses transmitted by. the transverse cordage ties are purely tensile stresses, and as the strain thus transmitted is taken by a yielding steel spring, the ties are not liable to early fracture, and there is no tendency to split or crack the material, as in the case of ratan or similar structures heretofore used. There is also no creaking between the cordage and the wire.

From the above it will be apparent that this article combines in itself the qualities and functions of a cushion and of the supporting surface on which a cushion is ordinarily mounted by forming what may be called spring trusses. Repairs may be made at any time by cutting out a portion of the ties and inserting fresh.

While the drawing shows the best form in which I contemplate using the invention, it is obvious that variations from that form may be made embodying the principle of the invention, without departing from its scope.

I claim:

1. A furniture cushion comprising metallic spring rods formed in parallel arches; transverse sills in which the arch-ends are bedded; means tying the rods together transversely intermediate of the sills; and means tying the sills together, rigidly limiting the distance between opposite arch-ends of the rods.

2. A furniture cushion comprising metallic spring rods formed in parallel arches, in combination with transverse ties binding the arched portions together; transverse sills in which the ends of the arched portions are set; and a furniture frame holding the sills at limited distances apart.

In testimony whereof I hereto aifix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, ALBERT H. ORD VVAY.

WVitn'esses:

ELLIOTT B. CHURCH, M. E. MURPHY.

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