Method of manufacturing partially foam encased pocketed spring assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12054381-B2
Application number	US-202318152867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2023
Priority date	Jan 11, 2023
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A partially foam encased pocketed spring assembly is made in a fully automated assembly machine. A first foam rail is introduced into the assembly machine and glued to upper and lower substrate webs. A first string of pocketed springs is then glued to a side surface of the first foam rail between upper and lower substrate webs and glued to the upper and lower substrate webs. Additional strings are joined together to create a pocketed spring interior. A second foam rail is then introduced into the assembly machine and glued to an outer string and to the upper and lower substrate webs to create a core. Third and fourth foam rails are glued to the core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a partially foam encased pocketed spring assembly, the method comprising: moving a first foam rail into an assembly machine through a first channel of a front channel changer between upper and lower substrate webs using clamp plates to compress the first foam rail and grippers, the grippers moving along a gap between two pre-feed belts; securing the first foam rail to the upper and lower substrate webs; moving the front channel changer to introduce a first string of pocketed springs into the assembly machine through a second channel of the front channel changer between the upper and lower substrate webs; securing the first string of pocketed springs to the first foam rail and to the upper and lower substrate webs; introducing additional strings of pocketed springs into the assembly machine one string at a time and securing each of said additional strings to at least one other string between the upper and lower substrate webs; moving a second foam rail into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate webs; securing the second foam rail to a last string of the additional strings to complete a core; and cutting the upper and lower substrate webs to create upper and lower substrate sheets.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third and fourth foam rails are introduced into the assembly machine through channels of movable side channel changers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the strings is the same length and cut from a continuous string.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed as a fully automated process by the assembly machine.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving third and fourth foam rails into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate sheets on opposite sides of the assembly machine; and
securing the third and fourth foam rails to the core so that the first, second, third and fourth foam rails form an edge area surrounding a pocketed spring interior.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein securing the third and fourth foam rails to the core includes securing the third and fourth foam rails to the upper and lower substrate sheets.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth foam rails are configured such that a firmness of the edge area is different than an interior area comprising strings of pocketed springs.

8. A method of manufacturing a partially foam encased pocketed spring assembly, the method comprising: moving a first foam rail in a first direction through a first channel between first and second bumpers of a front channel changer into an assembly machine between upper and lower substrate webs using grippers and clamp plates to compress the first foam rail, two pre-feed belts and infeed belts; gluing the first foam rail to the upper and lower substrate webs; moving a first string of pocketed springs in the first direction into the assembly machine through a second channel between the second bumper and a third bumper of the front channel changer using additional grippers between the upper and lower substrate webs; gluing the first string of pocketed springs to the first foam rail and to the upper and lower substrate webs; moving additional strings of pocketed springs in the first direction into the assembly machine one string at a time, gluing each of said additional strings of pocketed springs to each other one string at a time to create a pocketed spring interior, each of the additional strings being glued to at least one adjacent string, the lower substrate web and the upper substrate web; moving a second foam rail in the first direction into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate webs; gluing the second foam rail to the upper and lower substrate webs and to a last string of the pocketed spring interior to create a core; and cutting the upper and lower substrate webs to a desired size to create upper and lower substrate sheets.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method is performed as a fully automated process by an assembly machine.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the third and fourth foam rails are introduced into the assembly machine through channels of movable side channel changers.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the foam rails is pulled into the assembly machine.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
moving third and fourth foam rails in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate sheets on opposite sides of the assembly machine; and
gluing the third and fourth foam rails to opposite end surfaces of the strings of the pocketed spring interior so that the first, second, third and fourth foam rails form an edge area surrounding the pocketed spring interior.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising gluing the third and fourth foam rails to the upper and lower substrate sheets.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth foam rails are made of the same foam.

15. A method of manufacturing a pre-foam encased pocketed spring unit, the method comprising:
moving a first foam rail through a first channel of a movable front channel changer, between pre-feed belts and between infeed belts into a loading position front assembler of an assembly machine between upper and lower substrate webs;
gluing the first foam rail to the upper and lower substrate webs;
moving a first string of pocketed springs through a second channel of the movable front channel changer into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate webs;
applying glue to the first foam rail;
pushing the first string of pocketed springs against the first foam rail using a front pusher assembly having three vertically spaced pushers between the upper and lower substrate webs,
allowing the glue to harden to secure the first string to the first foam rail and to the upper and lower substrate webs;
moving additional strings of pocketed springs into the assembly machine,
securing each of said additional strings of pocketed springs to at least one adjacent string between the upper and lower substrate webs to create a pocketed spring interior;
moving a second foam rail into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate webs;
gluing the second foam rail to the upper and lower substrate webs and to a last string of the pocketed spring interior; and
cutting the upper and lower substrate webs to create upper and lower substrate sheets.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the method is performed as a fully automated process by the assembly machine.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
moving third and fourth foam rails into the assembly machine between the upper and lower substrate sheets on opposite sides of the assembly machine; and
gluing the third and fourth foam rails to the pocketed spring interior so that the first, second, third and fourth foam rails form an edge area surrounding the pocketed spring interior.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth foam rails are made of the same foam.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising gluing the third and fourth foam rails to the upper and lower substrate sheets using side assemblers.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein each of the side assemblers comprises a side pusher assembly.

Assignees

• L&P Property Man Co

Inventors

• Newman John R
• Meyer Mark G
• Wood Randall A
• Brunnert John J

Classifications

• A47C27/07

  Attaching, or interconnecting of, springs in spring inlays · CPC title

• A47C27/05

  with {padding material, e.g.} foamed material, in top, bottom, or side layers · CPC title

• A47C27/064

  Pocketed springs · CPC title

• B68G9/00 Primary

  Placing upholstery springs in pockets; Fitting springs in upholstery · CPC title

• B68G7/02 Primary

  Making upholstery from waddings, fleeces, mats, or the like (filling methods B68G7/06) · CPC title