Title: Suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multielement type
Abstract: The invention provides an individual suspension device for a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis, wherein the suspension structure is a single hollow piece and is made of a flexible synthetic material or a vulcanized rubber having hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale.
Patent Number: 6,994,333 Issued on 02/07/2006 to Lobry, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Lobry; Jacques (Bourges, FR);
Lobry; Françoise (Bourges, FR)
|
| Assignee:
|
Tournadre Sa Standard Gum (Bourges, FR)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
133663 |
| Filed:
|
April 26, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
267/145; 267/153; 267/160; 267/103 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
F16F 1/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
267/141,142,145,153,160,164,103
5/719,247,255
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 122111 | Dec., 1871 | Duffy.
| |
| 124436 | Mar., 1872 | Guest.
| |
| 5149066 | Sep., 1992 | Snaith et al.
| |
| 5426799 | Jun., 1995 | Ottiger et al.
| |
| 5588165 | Dec., 1996 | Fromme.
| |
| 5632473 | May., 1997 | Dias Magalhaes Queiroz.
| |
| 6427990 | Aug., 2002 | Hartmann.
| |
| 6435490 | Aug., 2002 | Monson et al.
| |
| 6477727 | Nov., 2002 | Fromme.
| |
| 6533258 | Mar., 2003 | Monson et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 299 03 423 U 1 | May., 1999 | DE.
| |
| 200 01 616 U 1 | Mar., 2001 | DE.
| |
| WO 01 1557/2 | Mar., 2001 | DE.
| |
| WO 99/0337/9 | Jan., 1999 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Siconolfi; Robert A.
Assistant Examiner: King; Bradley T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cohen, Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An individual suspension device for a bed or seat base having a plurality
of individual suspensions, the device being disposable between a platform defining
a support surface and a padding element, and comprising:
a foot for fixing to an element of the platform;
a suspension structure fixed to the foot; and
a top plate carried by the suspension structure and serving as a support for
the padding element, said suspension structure being circularly symmetrical about
a vertical axis thereof;
wherein said suspension structure when at rest is in the form of a one-piece
hollow sphere comprising a plurality of sectors separated from one another by lateral
openings and made of one of a flexible synthetic material and a vulcanized rubber
of hardness lying in the range of from 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore
D scale;
wherein the suspension structure and the top plate have co-operating means for
connecting them together in traction and in rotation about said vertical axis of
said suspension structure;
wherein the suspension structure has a head at its top end for fixing the top
plate, the head being received in an orifice formed in the top plate;
wherein the head has a through-orifice formed on the vertical axis of the suspension
structure; and p
1 wherein the suspension structure includes a removable
stiffening member placed on said vertical axis, said stiffening member having a
plug at its top end, and said plug being received in the through-orifice of the head.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the padding element is a mattress.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the suspension structure and the foot
include co-operating means for connecting them together in traction and in rotation
about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the suspension structure is in the
form of a sphere having a plurality of sectors separated by lateral openings that
are regularly spaced apart around the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the sectors are connected to a bottom
member situated in the bottom zone of the suspension structure.
6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the co-operating means providing connection
between the suspension structure and the foot are formed in the bottom and the
top face of the foot.
7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the co-operating means providing connection
between the suspension structure and the foot comprise two lateral tongues forming
clamps and formed on the top face of the foot, being designed to engage the bottom
member, and a locking system for preventing the suspension structure from moving
relative to the foot after assembly.
Description
The invention relates to a universal suspension device for a bed or a seat, for
placing between a support surface and a padding element.
More precisely, the invention relates to an individual suspension device for
a bed or seat base of the multi-element type, the device being for interposing
between a platform determining a support surface and a padding element such as
a mattress, and comprising a foot for fixing to an element of the platform, a suspension
structure fixed to the foot, and a top plate carried by the suspension structure
and serving as a support for the padding element, said suspension structure being
circularly symmetrical about a vertical axis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, such individual suspension devices are placed in rows and columns
and are fixed to rigid slats constituting the platform. The elements are commonly
symmetrical about a transverse midplane and about a longitudinal midplane, and
their hardness is not uniform, depending on the slope imparted to the top plate.
WO 01/15572 describes an individual suspension device comprising a foot and a
suspension structure in which the suspension structure, on its own and at rest,
is in the form of a central ring having a plurality of resilient radial arms diverging
therefrom. The ends of these arms have means for fixing to a ring of the foot.
After these arm ends have been assembled to the ring of the foot, the arms take
up the shape of spherical sectors that are separated by lateral openings, but they
are then subjected to elastic stress, and in the event of one of the fixing means
breaking, they necessarily return to a radial position.
DE 29 903 423 presents the state of the art closest to the invention and it provides
a hollow suspension structure of spherical shape made out of a foam of resilient
synthetic material, having holes at its top and bottom ends for fixing to the foot
and to the top plate by means of clips. After assembly, the suspension structure
is normally airtight, and it functions like a balloon. The problem which arises
is that of providing leaktightness around the holes.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Starting from that state of the art, the invention proposes a novel type
of suspension in which the question of airtightness no longer arises.
The invention achieves this object by the suspension structure on its own and
at rest being in the form of a one-piece hollow sphere comprising a plurality of
sectors separated from one another by lateral openings and made of a flexible synthetic
material or a vulcanized rubber of hardness lying in the range 40 on the Shore
A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale.
Thus, only the wall of the suspension structure contributes to supporting compression
and bending forces when a load is to be carried, and the inside of the structure
is advantageously open to atmospheric pressure.
In order to make it easier to position the top plate relative to the foot and
to the platform element, the foot has means for preventing it from turning after
it has been fixed to the platform element.
The suspension structure and the top plate have co-operating means for connecting
them together in traction and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension
structure. These means preferably comprise a bayonet fixing system and a clip system.
The foot and the suspension structure can be made as a single piece. They can
also be made as two separate pieces. In which case the suspension structure and
the foot include co-operating means enabling them to be connected together in traction
and in rotation about the axis of symmetry of said suspension structure.
The connection between the suspension structure and the foot can be implemented
in various ways, either by a dovetail slideway system together with a clip system
for locking the two pieces together after they have been assembled, or by a clip
system with a tenon being positioned in a mortise, or by a bayonet system in combination
with a clip system, or by a clamp device guided by a slideway during assembly,
together with a device for locking against rotation and which takes up its position
automatically at the end of assembly.
In any event, the mutual connection means are formed on the two pieces during
molding thereof.
The suspension structure can be spherical and comprise sectors alternating with
lateral openings that are regularly distributed about the axis of symmetry of said
structure. The dimensions and the thickness of said sectors are determined as a
function of the desired stiffness.
In order to modify the stiffness of the suspension structure, its internal cavity
can contain a removable stiffening member placed on its axis of symmetry, said
member advantageously having a plug at its top end which is received in a through
orifice formed in a head for fixing the top plate and formed at the top end of
the suspension structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages and characteristics of the invention appear on reading the
following description of various embodiments made with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a suspension device of
the invention;
FIG. 2 is a section view on a vertical transverse plane through the FIG. 1 suspension device;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing respectively the bottom and top
faces of the foot of the FIG. 1 device;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views respectively showing the bottom and top
faces of the suspension structure of the FIG. 1 device;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing respectively the bottom and top
faces of the top plate of the FIG. 1 suspension device;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views of the stiffening member placed inside
the suspension structure of the FIG. 1 device;
FIG. 11 is a section view on a vertical plane of symmetry through a first variant
of the FIG. 1 suspension device;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the suspension structure of the FIG. 11 device;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the foot of the FIG. 11 device;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a second variant of the FIG. 1 suspension device;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the foot of FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view from beneath of the suspension structure of FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a third variant of the FIG. 1 suspension device;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the top face of the foot of the FIG. 17 suspension
device, and a view from beneath of the FIG. 17 suspension structure;
FIGS. 19 and 20 are perspective views respectively of the bottom face and of
the top face of a foot in a fourth variant of the invention;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a suspension structure suitable for fitting
on the foot of FIGS. 19 and 20;
FIGS. 22 and 23 are perspective views respectively of a suspension structure
and of a foot constituting a fifth variant of the invention;
FIGS. 24 and 25 are perspective views respectively of a suspension structure
and of a foot constituting a sixth variant of the invention;
FIGS. 26 and 27 are perspective views respectively of a suspension structure
and of a foot constituting a seventh variant of the invention;
FIG. 28 is a section view on a vertical transverse plane showing a second embodiment
of a suspension device of the invention;
FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the suspension structure of the FIG. 28 device;
FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the foot of the FIG. 28 device;
FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the top plate of the FIG. 28 device;
FIG. 32 is a section through a third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a cap suitable for the first embodiment of
the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10:
FIG. 34 is a section view on a vertical transverse plane through an eighth variant
of the first embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 35 and 36 are perspective views respectively showing the bottom and top
faces of the foot of the FIG. 34 variant;
FIGS. 37 and 38 are perspective views respectively showing the bottom and top
faces of the suspension structure of the FIG. 34 device;
FIG. 39 is a side view of the inside face of a slat support; and
FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a slat support.
MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 to 10 show an individual suspension device
1 of a multi-element
base, for a seat or a bed for example, constituting a preferred embodiment of the
invention. The suspension device
1 is for fixing to a slat of a support
platform (not shown in the figures), and it essentially comprises three elements:
a foot
2 for fixing to a slat, a suspension structure
3 mounted on
the foot
2, and a top plate
4 carried by the suspension structure
3.
The plate
4 serves as a support for a padding element, e.g. a mattress
which is not shown in the drawings. The suspension device
1 can also include
a stiffening member
5 which enables the stiffness of the suspension device
1 to be modified depending on its position within the base. The base comprises
a plurality of suspension devices disposed in juxtaposed rows and columns.
The foot
2 which is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 is made of a suitable
rigid synthetic material such as polypropylene or polyamide, by molding, or else
it is made of metal. It has a central orifice
6 enabling it to be fixed
to a slat by means of a screw, and on its bottom face
2a it has a
stud
7 for being received in a hole formed in the slat, so as to prevent
the foot
2 from turning after it has been fixed to the slat. The foot
2
also includes, on its top face
2b, two lateral tongues
8a
and
8b which extend in the same direction parallel to the slat,
and it has a hole
9 located above the stud
7. The tongues
8a
and
8b serve to retain the suspension structure
3, and
the hole
9 serves to prevent the suspension structure
3 from moving,
in particular from turning after it has been mounted, as explained below.
The suspension structure
3 shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6 is circularly
symmetrical about a vertical axis X. It is made of a flexible synthetic material
of the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) type or a vulcanized rubber. The hardnesses
of the materials are adapted to the loads that are to be supported. These hardnesses
lie preferably in the range 40 on the Shore A scale to 70 on the Shore D scale.
The suspension structure
3 is in the form of a sphere having three sectors
10a,
10b,
10c separated by three lateral
openings
11a,
11b,
11c which are regularly
spaced apart around the axis X. The circumferential extent of the sectors
10a,
10b,
10c and of the lateral openings
11a,
11b,
11c around the axis of revolution X is substantially
equal to 60°.
The sectors
10a,
10b,
10c connect a
fixing head
12 for the plate
4 situated in the top zone of the suspension
structure
3 to a bottom
13 situated in its bottom zone. The bottom
13 is generally plane and has a thick zone
14 on its top face extending
between the sector
10a and the opposite opening
11a.
A tongue
15 is cut out by means of a U-shaped slot in the thick zone
14.
A stud
16 is formed on the bottom face of the tongue
15. The width
of the thick zone
14 is equal to the distance between the two tongues
8a
and
8b on the foot
2. The thickness of the bottom
13
outside the thick zone
14 is equal to the distance between the tongues
8a,
8b of the foot
2 and the top face
2b of said
foot. To mount the suspension structure
3 on the foot
2, the openings
11b,
11c are put into register with the ends of the
tongues
8a and
8b and the bottom
13 is slid
under the tongues
8a and
8b. The tongues
8a
and
8b are guided by the edges of the thick zone
14.
To enable the stud
16 of the bottom
13 to rise onto the top face
2a of the foot
2, a vertical force is applied to its end.
Once the bottom
13 is fully engaged on the foot
2, the stud
16
moves down again on being received in the hole
9 of the base
2. The
suspension structure
3 is then prevented from being pulled away by the tongues
8a and
8b which act as clamps, and it is prevented
from turning about the axis X by the stud
16 received in the hole
9.
The positioning of the stud
16 is naturally determined as a function of
the position of the hole
9 relative to the axis X.
The head
12 of the suspension structure
17 is in the form of a
neck having a through orifice
17 on the axis X. The head
12 is designed
to be received in a central orifice
18 formed in the top plate
4.
The peripheral wall of the head
12 is generally cylindrical and it terminates
at the top end of the suspension structure
3 to form two radially opposite
flange portions
19a and
19b. Respective axial ribs
20 are formed on the peripheral wall of the head
12 beneath each
of the flange portions
19a and
19b. The head
12
is connected to the sectors
10a,
10b,
10c
via an annular shoulder
21 serving as a support for the top plate
4.
The top plate
4 which is shown in detail in FIGS. 7 and 8 is generally
rectangular or square in shape. It could equally well have any other geometrical
shape. The essential point is that the shapes of the top plates fitted to a base,
for example, should be complementary and suitable for associating with one another.
The plate
4 can be made of any kind of material, in particular of a thermoplastic
material, wood, or in a multi-component laminate. It can be covered in cloth for
reasons of appearance. It preferably has a plurality of slots or openings enabling
air to pass through the padding element that it supports. Its central orifice
18
matches the dimensions of the fixing head
12 and its flange portions
19a
and
19b. The central orifice
18 has diametrically opposite
projections
22 which slide between the ends of the flange portions
19a
and
19b while the plate
4 is being put into the fixing
head
12. Each projection
22 has a groove
23 for co-operating
with a rib
20 after the plate
4 has been turned through one-fourth
of a turn about the axis X. The axial and circumferential dimensions of the projections
22 are such that after being turned through one-fourth of a turn about the
axis X, the projections
22 are received under the flange portions
19a
and
19b, and the grooves
23 co-operate with the ribs
20.
This type of fastening is known, is referred to as a "bayonet" fastening, and requires
no further explanation. After being put into place, the top plate
4 is prevented
from moving relative to the suspension structure
3, both axially and in rotation.
FIGS. 9 and 10 are detail views of a one-piece stiffening member
5 made
by molding a material similar to the material used for making the suspension structure
3. This stiffening member
5 is inserted into the suspension structure
3 on its axis X via the orifice
17 in the head
12 for fixing
the top plate
4. At its top end, this member comprises a plug
24
which closes the orifice
17. The plug
24 has means enabling it to
be fixed in the orifice
17, for example by turning the stiffening member
5 relative to the suspension structure
3 during assembly. The stiffening
member
5 is interposed between the bottom
13 and the head
12
for fixing the top plate
4. The stiffening member
5 serves to make
the suspension harder in those zones of the base where loads are assumed to be
greater. When the stiffening member
5 is not required, the orifice
17
of the fixing head
12 is closed by a cap
90, shown in FIG. 33.
FIGS. 11 to 13 show a first variant of the above-described suspension device.
The bottom
13 of the suspension structure
3 is of uniform thickness
and it presents a groove
30 facing the lateral opening
11a which
serves to guide a middle wall connecting a tongue
31 formed on the top face
2b of the foot
2 to said foot
2. On its bottom face
2a, the foot
2 also has a tenon
32 for quick fastening
to a slat, and two lateral hooks
33a,
33b which engage
the edges of the slat, and on its top face
2b the foot has a clip
device
34 facing the free end of the tongue
31 which serves to prevent
the suspension structure
3 from moving relative to the foot
2 after
assembly. The head
12 for fixing the top plate
4 is solid and at
its periphery it has a plurality of housings
35 into which resilient fingers
formed in the central orifice of the top plate
4 are clipped, as described
in the Applicants' French patent application FR 98/00187, and which can be seen
in the top plate
4 shown in FIG. 31.
FIGS. 14 to 16 show a second variant of the invention. The foot
2 has
a central orifice
6 for receiving a screw for fixing it to a slat, and a
stud
7 which projects from its bottom face
2a for preventing
it from turning on the slat. The foot
2 can also have a plurality of studs
7 in alignment or a rib on its bottom face
2a so as to enable
it to be docked blind in a groove formed in the slat so as to enable the foot
2
to be installed more accurately and more quickly on the platform that defines the
support surface. The suspension structure
3 is fixed on the foot
2
by means of a bayonet fastening. For this purpose, the top face
2b of
the foot
2 has three curvilinear hooks
40a,
40b,
40c facing towards the axis of the foot
2, and the bottom
13 presents three hooks
41a,
41b,
41c
facing radially outwards and co-operating with the hooks
40a,
40b,
40c when the bottom is turned about its own axis
X, then coinciding with the axis of the foot
2. Ribs
42 formed on
top of the hooks
41a,
41b,
41c co-operate
with grooves
43 formed in the hooks
40a,
40b,
40c, respectively, so as to prevent the suspension structure
3
from turning relative to the foot
2 once assembled therewith. As can be
seen in FIGS. 14 to 16, the head
12 for fixing the top plate
4 is
similar to that shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, however it could equally well be similar
to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 6.
FIGS. 17 and 18 show a third variant of the invention. On its top face, the
foot
2 has two opposite hooks
44a and
44b that
are directed radially outwards and that engage the nearest walls of a rectangular
opening
45 formed in the center of the bottom
13 of the suspension
structure
3 and dimensioned so as to allow the hooks
44a and
44b to pass through. On its top face, the foot
2 also has
two studs
46a and
46b which slide on circularly arcuate
ramps formed in the bottom face of the bottom
13 and which are received
in holes formed in the bottom face of the bottom
13 so as to lock the suspension
structure
3 on the foot
2 after being turned through one-fourth of
a turn.
In a fourth variant of the invention shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the means for connecting
together the suspension structure
3 and the foot
2 comprise a slideway
of dovetail shape. For this purpose, the bottom
13 of the suspension structure
3 has a rib
50 on its bottom face, which rib is of dovetail section
and extends from the axis X to the edge of the bottom
13, and is suitable
for being slidably inserted into a groove
51 likewise of dovetail section
formed in the top face
2b of the foot
2. The foot
2
also presents two parallel walls
52a,
52b projecting
from its bottom face
2a suitable for being placed on either side
of a slat, and a central stud
53 which is received in a hole formed in the slat.
FIGS. 22 and 23 show a fifth variant of the invention. The bottom
13
of the suspension structure
3 has a central hole
54 in which a half-ball
55 formed on the top face
2b of the foot
2 can be clipped.
A tenon
56 is formed on the bottom face of the bottom
13. This tenon
56 is received in a mortise
57 formed in the top face
2b
of the foot
2, and serves to prevent the suspension structure
3
from turning relative to the foot
2. The foot
2 also has side walls
52a and
52b and a stud
53 as in the fourth variant,
enabling it to be assembled on a slat and prevented from turning relative thereto.
In a sixth variant of the invention shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the foot
2
has a central orifice
6 in its top face
2b enabling it to
be fixed to a slat by means of a screw. This central orifice is surrounded by a
rectangular structure
60 which is received in a rectangular opening
61
formed in the center of the bottom
13. The rectangular structure
60
is fitted with resilient tongues
62a and
62b which
engage the rims of the rectangular opening
61, as can be seen in FIG. 24.
FIGS. 26 and 27 show a seventh variant of the invention. The bottom face of
the bottom
13 presents a central ball
63 which can be slid along
a radial groove
64 formed in the top face
2b of the foot
2.
Other means (not shown in FIG. 27) serve to prevent the suspension structure
3
from turning relative to the foot
2 after being assembled thereto.
FIGS. 28 to 31 show a second embodiment of the invention. This suspension device
1 likewise comprises a foot
2 as shown in FIG. 30, a suspension structure
3 of spherical shape as shown in FIG. 29, and a top plate of square shape
as shown in FIG. 31. The suspension structure
3 presents a head
12
for fixing the top plate
4, which head has a cylindrical wall terminated
by an annular flange
70 for retaining resilient fingers
71 provided
on the inside wall of the central orifice
18 in the top plate
4.
The inside wall of this orifice
18 also has notches
72 suitable for
being placed astride opposite radial ribs
73a and
73b formed
in the top portion of the sphere at the bottom of the head
12 so as to prevent
the top plate
4 turning about the axis X relative to the suspension structure
3 after they have been assembled together.
In its bottom hemisphere, the suspension structure
3 has three sectors
10a,
10b, and
10c which are separated
by slots
11a,
11b, and
11c of small circumferential
extent. Compared with the first embodiment, the suspension structure
3 does
not have a bottom member
13 in its bottom zone. The bottom ends of the sectors
10a,
10b, and
10c are thus free. Beneath
its bottom face, the foot
2 has side walls
52a and
52b
suitable for receiving a slat between them, and it has a tenon
54 for
fixing it to the slat, while on its top face
2b it has an upwardly
flared neck
75 made up of three elements that are regularly spaced apart
around the axis of the foot
2, each presenting an upwardly-extending rib
76 on its outside face of circumferential size matching the width of a slot
11a,
11b, or
11c. When the bottom ends
of the sectors
10a,
10b, and
10c are
urged elastically outwards, it is possible to fit the bottom portion of the suspension
structure
3 over the neck
75 so that the ribs
76 are received
in the slots
11a,
11b, and
11c.
FIG. 32 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this case the foot
2
and the suspension structure are made as a single piece. The foot
2 presents
two tenons
80a and
80b on its bottom face
2a
enabling it to be fastened quickly in holes formed in a slat, and optionally
an abutment
81 which bears against a side face of the slat.
FIG. 33 shows a cap
90 having two tabs
91a and
91b
suitable for sliding into the gap between the flange portions
19a
and
19b of the head
12 and the projections
22 of
the top plate
4 in the first embodiment of the invention as described above
after the top plate
4 has been turned through one-fourth of a turn and non-return
snap-fastening has taken place. The cap
90 can be made of overmolded cloth
or as a piece of plastics material worked by thermocompression. It can carry attractive
markings or decoration.
FIGS. 34 to 38 show an eighth variant of the suspension device as described
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. The foot
2 differs from that shown in FIGS.
3 and 4 by the fact that it has a notch
100 in its periphery extending between
the free ends of the lateral tongues
8a and
8b. On
its bottom face
2a, extending along the notch
100, it also
has a flange
101 situated above the support surface of the slat. The top
face
2b of the foot
2 does not have the hole
9 shown
in FIG. 4. This top face
2b presents portions of extra thickness
102a and
102b in register with the lateral tongues
8a and
8b.
The suspension structure
3 fitted onto the foot
2 and shown in
detail in FIGS. 37 and 38 has a fixed zone
14 on the top face of the bottom
13 like the suspension structure
3 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, which
thick zone is located between the lateral tongues
8a and
8b
once the suspension structure
3 has been mounted on the foot
2,
and on the bottom face of the bottom
13 it has parallel ribs
103a
and
103b which are located between the portions
102a
and
102b of extra thickness on the top face
2b of
the foot, once the suspension structure
3 has been mounted on the foot
2.
The ribs
103a and
103b are placed beneath the thick
zone
14 and they are parallel to the side edges of said thick zone
14.
Beneath the bottom face of the bottom
13, and in register with the lateral
opening
11a, the suspension structure
3 also presents a hook
104 which engages in the notch
100 and whose end co-operates with
the flange
101 to lock the suspension structure
3 on the foot
2.
The suspension structure
3 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 concerning
its sectors
10a,
10b,
10c, its lateral
openings
11a,
11b,
11c, and its head
12 for fixing a top plate
4.
FIGS. 39 and 40 show a support
110 for one end of a slat of a base,
the slat being represented by dashed lines. Suspension devices
1 as described
above are mounted on such slats, being placed side by side. The support
110
has a vertical wall
111 for placing against the inside face of a long side
member and for being fixed thereto by screws passing through orifices
112a
and
112b formed in the wall
111, or by tenons formed on
said vertical wall
111, or by a hooking angle member resting on the top
face of the long side member. A cradle
113 extends horizontally from the
bottom region of the vertical wall
111. The cradle
113 presents two
end zones
114a and
114b that curve upwards. The middle
zone of the cradle
113 carries a resilient tongue
115 which carries
one end of a slat. At the end of each curved zone
114a and
114b
there is provided a respective resilient element, namely a side lip
116
which bears against a corresponding flank of the slat, and an upside-down U-shaped
resilient element
117 whose free end
118 bears against the top face
of a slat.
The end of a slat is inserted from above into the space defined by the resilient
tongue
115 and the ends of the lateral lips
116 and the resilient
elements
117.
The lateral lips
116 clamp against the flanks of the slat, thus accommodating
variations in manufacturing dimensions. The resilient elements
117 serve
to prevent the slats from moving upwards, while the resilient tongue
115
compensates for variations in slat thickness and also serves to damp a set of suspension
devices
1 fixed on the slat.
In the various embodiments of the invention as described above, the top plate
4 is in the form of a quadrangle and it is symmetrical about longitudinal
and transverse planes containing the axis X. Clearly, the top plate
4 fitted
to suspension devices
1 located at the edges of a base can carry top plates
4 of slightly different shape. In all cases, the systems for fixing the
plate
4 to the head
12 of the suspension structure
3 enable
the plate
4 to be held stationary relative to the structure
3 when
subjected to traction along the axis X and when subjected to twisting about the
axis X. The same applies to the systems for fixing the suspension structure
3
to the foot
2 and for fixing the foot
2 to a slat of the support platform.
*
