Support body for a spring bed slat in a slatted frame

Abstract

A support body for fastening a spring bed slat to a frame rail of a slatted frame. The support body is a vertically elongated closed ring that has connector means at a lower portion for mounting the support body on the frame rail, at least one slat retainer on an upper portion for securing an end of the bed slat to the support body, and sidewalls that extend between the upper and lower portions and that form spring sections that allow the support body to deform under load and spring back when the load is removed. Each spring section includes two or more spring elements. The slat retainer supports the bed slat above the upper portion of the body, such that end of the slat remains free to move in a spring action under various load conditions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A support body for connecting a bed slat of a slatted frame to a frame rail of the slatted frame, the support body having an upper section and a lower section, and two sidewalls connecting the upper and lower section, the support body comprising:
 a connector means for fastening the support body to the frame rail;   at least one slat retainer provided on the upper portion of the support body for securing the bed slat to the support body in a manner that allows the bed slat to move up and down in a spring action; and   at least two spring elements in each of the two sidewalls, the at least two spring elements being placed one above the other.   
     
     
         2 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein the support body is constructed as a single component and the two spring elements are integrally formed in the sidewalls. 
     
     
         3 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein the two spring elements in each of the two spring sections are constructed as a vertically oriented, serpentine profile. 
     
     
         4 . The support body of  claim 3 , wherein the wall thickness of the two spring sections is variable along a length of the respective spring section. 
     
     
         5 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein the support body is constructed as a closed ring. 
     
     
         6 . The support body of  claim 5 , wherein the serpentine profiles of the two spring sections are symmetric to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein a frame pin is provided on the frame rail and the connector means includes a bore that is mountable on the frame pin. 
     
     
         8 . The support body of  claim 7 , wherein the frame pin extends horizontally from the frame rail and the bore on the support body extends horizontally through the support body. 
     
     
         9 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein a frame bore is provided on the frame rail and the connector means includes a connector pin that is dimensioned to be insertable into the frame bore for mounting the support body to the frame rail. 
     
     
         10 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein the connector means includes a bore that is provided in a lower portion of the support body and a connector pin that is supported within the support body above and vertically aligned with the bore. 
     
     
         11 . The support body of  claim 10 , wherein the connector pin has a stepped diameter that includes an insertion diameter and a stop diameter that is greater than the insertion diameter and that is provided at a distance a free end of the connector pin. 
     
     
         12 . The support body of  claim 1 , wherein the support body is made of plastic. 
     
     
         13 . The support body of  claim 12 , wherein the support body is an injection-molded part.