US3283346A

US3283346A - Cushion and method of manufacture

Info

Publication number: US3283346A
Application number: US353222A
Authority: US
Inventors: John A Marsh; George W Armfield
Original assignee: Marsh-Armfield
Current assignee: Marsh-Armfield
Priority date: 1964-03-19
Filing date: 1964-03-19
Publication date: 1966-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1966 J. A. MARSH ETAL 3,

CUSHION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed March 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 5 J. A. MARSH ETAL CUSHION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Nov. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1964 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,283,346 CUSHION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE John A. Marsh and George W. Armfield, High Point, N.C., assignors to Marsh-Armfield, High Point, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Mar. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 353,222 7 Claims. (Cl. 361) This invention relates to cushions and pillows and intermediate similar articles of manufacture for making upholstered furniture and to methods for manufacturing the same. Although the invention will be described with reference to cushions and similar intermediate upholstering articles especially adapted for use as a seat or a back for upholstered furniture, it will be realized that cushions or pillows embodying this invention are adapted for other uses.

Cushions of the type with which this invention is concerned are known in the art and consist usually of a somewhat stiff resilient core or backbone, preferably polyurethane, covered on its opposite sides with batts of crimped Dacron fibers. These batts usually are backed on both sides with cheesecloth, commonly called scrim, which is attached to the batts by spaced lines of stitching. The assembly of the core or backbone and batts is enclosed within a cloth cover to form a cushion, which normally is then sold as an entirety to furniture manufactures and is intended to be subsequently covered with upholstery fabric.

Up to the time of the subject development, cushions of the foregoing nature have been assembled by sewing the batts, about their margins, to the cover. Initially during this sewing operation the cover is inside out and has an opening along one edge. After the batts are sewn to the cover, the latter is turned right side out and the core is inserted through the opening between the batts. After the core has been so inserted, the edges of the cover must then be sewn together along the opening.

The foregoing conventional method of assembly not only is time-consuming ecause of the sewing operation, but also requires the use of two different types of sewing machines, one to sew the batts to the cover, and another to sew together the edges of the cover along the opening. In addition, the Dacron batts must extend beyond the periphery of the block-like core in order to provide marginal edge portions which can be sewn to the cover with lines of stitching that extend along the edge of the cushion. These extended marginal edge portions actually are nonessential in the finished cushion and thus require the use of more batt material than necessary. Moreover, cushions made by the foregoing method have seams that are somewhat bulky.

Additionally, the foregoing mode of assembly results in a product that is subject to variations in cover tightness because of errors occurring in the sewing operation and also in the operation of cutting the batts. In the event that the cover is too tight, the finished cushion lacks the desirable soft downy feel. In the event that the cover is too loose, the cushion will be unsightly and lack smoothness because of wrinkles and so forth.

Furthermore, the block or slab-like core in the conventional type cushion is not positively attached to the cover or to the batts, and, consequently, can shift position or crawl within the cushion and thus distort it out of shape. The latter problem does not exist in cushions embodying this invention because all elements of the cushion are secured to each other, i.e., the cover to the core, the cover to the batts, and the batts to the core.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved cushion that results in savings of both material and time in manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cushion that is not subject to variations in cover tightness and which eliminates the bulkiness of sewn seams.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved cushion wherein there is no possibility of the core or backbone becoming displaced within the cushion.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of assembling a cushion of the type described which accomplishes the foregoing objects.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cushion-like intermediate article of manufacture for making upholstered furniture that is inexpensive to manufacture.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the method embodying this invention for assembling the various elements of the cushion;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the batts of fibers covered on both sides with scrim;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of an assembled cushion embodying this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of a modified type of cushion used as an intermediate article of manufacture;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another modified type of cushion; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings there is shown a cushion 10 embodying this invention. The cushion 10, which for exemplary purposes only is illustrated as being generally right parallelepiped in shape and thus adapted for use as a seat or back cushion for a sofa, a chair, or the like, has a slab-like core or backbone 12 of greater width and length than thickness. The core 12 is of a resilient yet somewhat stiff material, preferably a synthetic resinous foam, e.g., polyurethane, or material having similar characteristics of resilience and stiffness.

The core 12 is interposed between two batts of

fibers

14, 14 which are generally coextensive with the core. Each batt 14 comprises loosely matted fibers 16 preferably covered on opposite sides with scrim 18. The scrim 18 is attached to each batt 14 by spaced lines of stitching 2i), as shown in FIGURE 2. The loosely matted fibers 16 preferably are crimped synthetic fibers, preferably polyester fiber such as Dacron.

The batts 14 with the core 12 therebetween are disposed within a cover, of cloth fabric or the like, formed in two

parts

22, 22, one for each major side of the cushion, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Each cover part 22 has marginal edge portions or flaps 24 that, prior to assembly, extend beyond the peripheral edges of the batts 14 and core 12, as seen best in FIGURE 1. After assembly, the marginal edge portions 24 of the cover parts 22 are folded over each other in overlapping relation and are bonded to each other by a suitable adhesive. The under or innermost flap 24, and also a portion of the outer flap 24 are bonded by the adhesive to the peripheral edges of the core 12. Moreover, portions of the flaps 24 are bonded by adhesive to the peripheral edge of the batts 14, while marginal edge portions of the latter are also bonded by adhesive to marginal edge portions of the core 12. Hence, all elements of the cushion are secured to each other. While various types of adhesive are suitable, it has been found that an emulsion of latex in water is very satisfactory.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the improved cushion preflerably is made by stacking the various elements on a lpress generally indicated at 28 and having a flat bed 30 land a movable top platen 32, in the following order: 1 (1) cover part 22, (2) batt 14, (3) core 12, and cover l part 22. The assembled elements are compressed vertically, i.e., in a direction transverse to their planes, by descent of the top platen 32, to precisely the extent which lis desired in the finished product. Preferably the top platen 32 is coextensive with the horizontal outline of the assembled cushion 10, as shown. \Vhile the assembly is thus compressed, an operator applies adhesive to the peripheral edges of the batts 14 and core 12, and to the inner sides of the flaps 24 of the cover parts 22., The adhesive may be applied by a brush (not shown) or 1 preferably by a spray gun 34, as shown in FIGURE 1. When using the latter, the marginal edge portions 24 Iof the cover parts 22 can be held out to receive the adhesive by the current of air from the gun 34. After the adhesive has been applied, the operator folds the marginal edge portions 24 of the cover parts 22 into overlapping relation and they become bonded to each and to the peripheral edges of the batts 14 and core 12. 5 Some adhesive also will penetrate and soak between the batts 14 and the core .12 and thus bond the marginal edges of these elements together. Because of the fore- I going construction, it will be seen that all of the elements of the cushion are secured to each other, i.e., the cover to the core, the cover to the batts, and the batts to the 1 core. Consequently, the possibility of the core becoming 1 displaced within the cushion is eliminated. Additionally, the method of assembly provides for a precisely controlled degree of cover-tightness. It is to be understood that although the invention has l been illustrated and described with reference to a cushion generally in the shape of right parallelepiped, which may 1 be termed rectangular, the invention is equally applicable 1 to cushions of other shapes, e.g., round, oval, etc. Furthermore, it will be seen that by omitting a batt from 1 one side of the core a cushion can be constructed, in the i same manner as aforedescribed, that can be used for j what is usually called a semi-attached cushion, i.e., one I wherein the cushion, although made as a separate unit,

; stered furniture.

1' outline as the core.

, Referring now to FIGURE 5, the core 36 is interposed between two batts of

fiber

38, 38 that are cut to have substantially the same or slightly larger size peripheral Each batt comprises loosely matted 5 fibers covered on opposite sides with scrim 40 made of 1 the same material as previously described. After assembly, the marginal edge portions 42 of the top layer of scrim of the top batt, and the bottom layer of scrim of the bottom batt, are stretched and pulled over the periphadhesive or cement.

eral edges of the core and bonded thereto by a suitable Moreover, marginal edge portions of the fibrous portion of the batts 38, as well as the 1 scrim 40, are also bonded by adhesive to marginal edge portions of the core 36. Hence, all elements of the cushion are secured to each other. In this connection, the scrim or cheesecloth is sufiiciently stretchy so that it can be pulled and stretched as aforesaid to provide a product wherein the outer surface of the opposite sides 5 of the cushion is relatively tight.

If desired, one of the batts can be omitted to provide a semi-attached cushion.

A still further modified embodiment of the invention ;is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, indicated generally as j 44. Here, as best seen in FIGURE 7, a batt 46 covered on opposite sides with scrim 48 is first cut to a peripheral outline considerably larger than that of a backbone or core 50 of polyurethane. The batt 46 is then placed to overlie the front face 52 of the core 50 and the overhanging marginal edges of the batt are wrapped around all four peripheral edges of the slab-like backbone member 50 and bonded to the back face 54 of the backbone member 50, near the marginal edges thereof, by an adhesive. Additional bonding strength may be provided by applying tape 56 to overlie the marginal edge por' tion of the batt 46 and the adjacent exposed surface of the back face 54. All of the elements of this article preferably are of the same material as the cushion shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

The intermediate cushion-like articles of manufacture shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 can be enclosed in upholstery fabric in a conventional manner, and then used for upholstery purposes. The semi-attached article wherein one'of therbatts is omitted can be secured in conventional fashion to the back of an upholstered piece of furniture, and subsequently covered with upholstery fabric. The article shown in FIGURE 6 is used where a more rounded appearance is desired.

Although articles of the type shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 are not as finished in appearance as a cushion which is provided with a-fabric cover, e.g., FIGURE 3, they are less expensive to make and will SllffiCC for-certain purposes of manufacturers of upholstered furniture. In this connection, it will be realized that a simple cushion of the aforesaid type also can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes. 4

It will be realized that a manufacturer of upholstered furniture could eliminate individual cushions and inner springs, simply secure, to the back or seat of the furniture piece, a polyurethane base element which has a batt 0f Dacron fibers secured thereto by cement as aforedescribed. In this case, the core of polyurethane would have tobe made thick enough to take the place of omitted coil springs.

The method of manufacturing the articles shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 obviously is similar to the method described above for a cushion having a two-part cover. In the case of the article shown in FIGURE 5, the platens used to compress thesbackbone member 36 and the batt 33 assembled in overlying relation must be sufiiciently smaller in cross-sectional area than the batt to enable the marginal edge portions 42 of the scrim on the outer sides of the batt to be pulled into overlapping relation with the peripheral edge portion of the backbone member. Also, in compressing the assembled backbone member 50 and overlying batt 46 shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the platen used to compress the back face 54 of the backbone member must be of smaller outline than the backbone member to permit the marginal edge portions of the batt to overlie and be cemented to the marginal edge portions of the back face of the backbone member and to permit adhesive tape to be applied in overlying relation with the marginal edge portion of the battand the adjacent exposed areas of the backbone member.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been shown to illustrate the principles of the invention, it should be clear that many modifications can be effected that do not depart from these principles and therefore this invention. should be limited only by th spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A cushion comprising: a cover and a filler, said filler including a slab-like backbone member of resilient but somewhat stiff material and at least one batt of loosely-matted fibers overlying at least one side of said member, said cover being formed in two parts disposed in overlying relation with the opposite sides of said filler and having marginal edge portions folded in overlapping relation against the peripheral edges of said filler; and an adhesive bonding said marginal edge portions to each other, bonding the marginal edge portions of at least one of said cover parts to the peripheral edges of said filler, and bonding together portions of the backbone member and the batt.

2. A cushion comprising: a cover and a filler, said filler including a slab-like backbone member of resilient but somewhat stifi material and batts of loosely-matted fibers overlying both sides of said member, said cover being formed in two parts disposed in overlying relation with the opposite sides of said filler and having marginal edge portions folded in overlapping relation against the peripheral edges of said filler; and an adhesive bonding said marginal edge portions to each other, bonding the marginal edge portions of at least one of said cover parts to the peripheral edges of said filler, and bonding together portions of the backbone member and the batt.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the adhesive bonds the marginal edge portions of the one cover part to the peripheral edges of the backbone member.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the adhesive bonds the marginal edge portions of the one cover part to the peripheral edges of both the backbone member and the batt.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the adhesive bonds the marginal edge portions of the one cover part to the peripheral edges of both the backbone member and the batt, and also bonds together marginal edge portions of said backbone member and said batt.

6. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein the adhesive bonds the marginal edge portions of the one cover part to the peripheral edges of the backbone member.

7. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein the adhesive bonds the marginal edge portions of each cover part to the peripheral edges of the backbone member and to the peripheral edges of the corresponding batt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,546,689 7/1925 Verwys 2991.5 2,271,842 2/ 1942 Nachman 5351 2,546,109 3/ 1951 Puchalsky 297219 2,895,542 7/1959 Schutte 5339 2,991,583 7/1961 Carolan 2991.5 3,019,456 2/1962 Kamp 5-355 3,027,573 4/1962 Bell 5355 3,070,402 12/1962 Stanton 297452 3,088,133 5/1963 Waxman 5361 3,110,042 11/1963 Slemmons 5-345 3,118,153 1/1964 Hood 5--345 3,170,731 2/1965 Caldemeyer et al. 297452 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

C. A. NUNBERG, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A CUSHION COMPRISING: A COVER AND A FILLER, SAID FILLER INCLUDING A SLAB-LIKE BACKBONE MEMBER OF RESILIENT BUT SOMEWHAT STIFF MATERIAL AND AT LEAST ONE BATT OF LOOSELY-MATTED FIBERS OVERLYING AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID MEMBER. SAID COVER BEING FORMED IN TWO PARTS DISPOSED IN OVERLYING RELATION WITH THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FILLER AND HAVING MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS FOLDED IN OVERLAPPING RELATION AGAINST THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF SAID FILLER; AND AN ADHESIVE BONDING SAID MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS TO EACH