THE FIELD OF THE ART

The present invention is directed to a bedstead fastening device adapted to provide secure attachment and support of bed component parts, i.e. of the rails forming the bedstead and of the bedstead and headboard.

THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is commonly known that a variety of fastening means are employed in the interconnection of the rails forming the bedstead, i.e. the frame of a bed structure and in latching the bedstead to the headboard of the bed, such fastening means being applied at the corner posts to interlock one fastening member mounted onto the side rail and extending forwardly thereof with another fastening member mounted onto an adjacent side rail or onto the headboard. A load-bearing capacity of the fastening members is required in respect of them exhibiting a sufficient strength and rigidity so as to provide adequate support against gravity.

Metallic hook members are commonly employed in such fastening process of a bed frame onto the headboard. It has been observed that usage of the bed eventually leads to deterioration of such fastening means that is being established by the bed becoming generally unsteady due to loose, creaky interconnection of such metallic hook members that in turn results to a noisy bed supporting function as a person lies and moves onto the bed structure.

One reason of such inadequate load bearing capacity is the fact that the load of the bedstead, of the mattress and of the persons lying thereupon is being received by load bearing members exhibiting a rather small loaded surface area that results to excessive forces being applied thereupon. By way of example US-3,780,386 or US-3,305,880 disclose a mechanical fastener for a bed frame comprising a pair of sheet metal hook means being supported by a pair of supporting pins, the latter obviously exhibiting an obviously small surface area that is henceforth being disposed to receiving an undesirably excessive force. Furthermore it is not even certain in the assembly of such a fastening member if both abovementioned supporting pins are substantially equally loaded so as receive and share an equivalent load of the bed being supported. If therefore a slight misalignment occurs in the assembly of a bed structure, this may lead to excessive loading of one component of the bed fastening relative to another that may lead to its inefficient performance and rapid wear. Thus, bed fastenings of the prior art exhibit a drawback of non- equivalent loading of each one of the load sharing components in each one of the fastenings being employed and accordingly of non-equivalent loading of the four fastenings being employed at the four corner posts of the bedstead. On the other hand, it is also possible that such hook members get in an undesirably tight interlocking connection that dismantling thereof when disassembly of the bed is required becomes difficult. Furthermore, besides from employment of bolts for mounting such hook members on the bed rail and the headboard respectively, further connector accessories are often required for fixedly holding them in engagement condition.

It is further also noted that such bedstead fastening devices of the prior art lack means of providing a signal to the person carrying out assembly of the bed structure in confirmation of attainment of the nominal predetermined engagement condition, such lack of signaling attainment of the nominal predetermined engagement condition leading to possibilities of misaligned, erroneous engagement that will undoubtedly soon lead to a creaky, noisy connection and a deficient performance of the bed fastening. The prior art fastening devices operate in a fashion of attainment of the engagement condition of the mating parts of the fastening in a single step, whilst a secure engagement would require a first step of bringing the mating parts into engagement position, thereafter progressively tightening to ensure a securely fixed connection thereof. Furthermore the prior art does not teach means of automatically and securely locking the fastenings in their engagement condition and therefore appropriately unlocking the same when dismantling of a bed structure is required. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a bedstead fastening device adapted to provide secure attachment and support of bed component parts, i.e. of the rails forming the bedstead and of the bedstead and headboard, wherein the proposed bed fastening device is made from plastic raw material and is characterized in that it provides a noise-free secure attachment of the bed components, wherein the four fastening devices at each one of the four corner posts of the bedstead are adapted to receive equivalent loads and each fastening device is adapted to be equivalently loaded in each one of a plurality of load receiving members and wherein a pair of mating parts in each fastening device are being progressively tightened when being brought in an engagement condition and means is provided in each one of the fastening devices for securely locking the fastening in the finally attained engagement condition and accordingly for appropriately unlocking the same when dismantling of a bed structure is required, such means also adapted to provide an audio signal confirming attainment of the nominal predetermined engagement condition and averting possibilities of misaligned, erroneous engagement that will undoubtedly soon lead to a creaky, noisy connection and a deficient performance of the bed fastening. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fastening device comprises a pair of mating parts, a first mating part comprising an elongate parallelepipedal block being configured with a pair of identically small parallel rectangular sides and four elongate sides, said parallelepipedal block being divided in the elongate direction into a plurality of consecutive compartments by means of equidistantly spaced planar partition walls identically similar and parallel to the pair of identically small rectangular sides, each one of the equidistantly spaced planar partition walls being provided with a side housing of an equivalent plurality of tubular members adapted to receive bolt means for fixedly mounting the parallelepipedal block onto a first one of a pair of mating members of a bedstead arrangement, wherein each side housing comprises a tapered side and a second mating part comprising an elongate planar base provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced holes adapted to receive bolt means for fixedly mounting the planar base onto a second one of the abovementioned pair of mating members of the bedstead arrangement, a plurality of equidistantly spaced tubular members extending on one side of the planar base in between the abovementioned equidistantly spaced holes thereof, said tubular members adapted to receive further bolt means for fixedly mounting the planar base onto the second one of the abovementioned pair of mating members of the bedstead arrangement, each tubular member being provided with a side extension with a rectangular configuration comprising one tapered side, said pair of mating parts of the bedstead fastening device being brought in engagement condition as said tubular members of the second mating part are being introduced within gaps provided in between the abovementioned planar partition walls and side housings provided thereupon in the first mating part so that the tapered sides of the side extensions of the second mating part abut and slide onto the tapered sides of the side housings of the first mating part until a horizontally oriented side of the tubular members of the second mating part abuts onto a horizontally oriented side of the side housings of the first mating part, whereby a securely firm engagement of the first and second mating parts of the bedstead fastening device has been obtained.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a flexible planar strip extension is provided at the bottom of the lowermost tubular member of the second mating part, such flexible planar strip extension being provided with a protruding bulge, said flexible planar strip extension being oriented downwardly the bottom of the elongate planar base constituting said second mating part, an end edge of the bottom of the first mating part being adapted to slide in contact with said flexible planar strip extension of the second mating part as the bed fastening device is being led in engagement condition, an audio signal being produced in verification of attainment of the engagement condition as said end edge of the bottom of the first mating part abuts onto said extending protruding bulge of said flexible planar strip extension of the second mating part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be best understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the first and second mating parts of the bed fastening device of the invention including the bolts employed in fixedly mounting the same onto a pair of first and second mating members of a bedstead arrangement.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the first mating part of the bed fastening device mounted at the corner post of a typical bed side rail.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the second mating part of the bed fastening device mounted at the corner post of a typical headboard. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the typical headboard of Fig. 3 with the second mating part of the bed fastening device mounted thereupon and with the first mating part of the bed fastening device in an engagement condition.

Fig. 5 shows a corner post of a bed structure wherein a bed side rail is connected to headboard by means of the bed fastening device of the invention being depicted in assembled condition. Fig. 6 shows a detail of the first mating part of the bed fastening device of the invention.

Fig. 7 shows a detail of the second mating part of the bed fastening device of the invention. Fig. 8 shows a detail of the assembly of the first and second mating parts of the bed fastening device of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a bed fastening device used in connecting together the components of a bed structure, such components comprising a pair of side rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the bed structure and a pair of side rails extending in the transverse direction thereof. The four side rails are connected at the four corner posts of the bed structure with an equivalent number of bed fastening devices. In a common bed structure all such side rails have the same configuration and they only differ in their length dimension with the transversal side rails having a length smaller than the longitudinal ones. Often one of the side rails extending in the transverse direction is being configured as a headboard being located at the top of the bed and extending above the level of the mattress. The drawings show the bed fastening device of the invention that comprises a first mating part 1 and a second mating part 2 with the first mating part 1 being mounted proximally to one end of one of the relatively longer side rails 10 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bed and with the second mating part 2 being mounted onto the headboard 20 of the bed and proximally to one end thereof. As shown in Fig. 1 , the bed fastening device of the invention comprises a pair of the first mating part 1 and the second mating part 2, both of which are made from plastic raw material with a scope of providing a noise-free secure attachment of the bed components.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first mating part 1 of the bed fastening device comprises an elongate parallelepipedal block being configured with a pair of identically small parallel rectangular sides la, lb and a pair of perpendicularly oriented elongate sides lc and Id. A further pair of elongate sides that would have been correspondingly opposing to the abovementioned elongate sides l c and Id is being left open. The parallelepipedal block of the first mating part 1 is divided in the elongate direction into a plurality of consecutive compartments by means of equidistantly spaced planar partition walls 12 identically similar and parallel to the pair of identically small rectangular sides l a and lb. Each one of the equidistantly spaced planar partition walls 12 is provided with a side housing 15 of an equivalent plurality of tubular members 1 1, a first side housing being located underneath surface lb of the parallelepipedal block, that is being oriented in a substantially vertical direction, and all further side housings being sequentially provided underneath the sequential partition walls 12 thereof. Openings 14 are provided in between the equidistantly spaced planar partition walls 12 and side housings 15 allowing entrance of tubular members of the second mating part 2 of the fastening device of the invention as will be explained hereinafter.

Each side housing 15 is being adapted to receive bolt means 13 passing through a through opening 1 la of the tubular member 1 1 thereof for fixedly mounting the parallelepipedal block onto a first one of a pair of mating members of a bedstead arrangement and in particular proximally to the end of a side rail 10 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bed structure as shown in Fig. 2.

The second mating part 2 of the bed fastening device of the invention comprises an elongate planar base 25 provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced holes 25a adapted to receive bolt means 24 for fixedly mounting the planar base 25 oriented in a substantially vertical direction onto a second one of the abovementioned pair of mating members of the bedstead arrangement and in particular onto a headboard component and proximally to the end thereof as depicted in Fig. 3. It is in this respect noted that the distance of this vertically oriented second mating part 2 of the bed fastening device from an edge 20' at the end of the headboard component 20 is equivalent to the thickness of the longitudinally extending side rail component 10. Accordingly the distance of the vertically oriented first mating part 1 of the bed fastening device from an edge 10' at the end of the side rail component 10 is equivalent to the thickness of the planar base 25 of the second mating part 2 of the bed fastening device. With the mating parts 1, 2 of the bed fastening device mounted onto the corresponding mating bed components 10, 20 in the mode described hereinabove, when these are brought in engagement condition, the longitudinally extending side rail component 10 will abut onto the headboard component 20, level with the adjacently located second mating member 2 mounted thereupon and will at the same time extend so that its exterior side is level with the exterior side of the headboard component 20 and its edge 10 ^' coincides with the edge 20' of the headboard component 20 as illustrated in the detail of the assembled fastening device shown in Fig. 5.

The second mating part 2 of the bed fastening device further comprises a plurality of equidistantly spaced tubular members 21, which are perpendicularly oriented with respect to the planar base 25 and extend on one side thereof in between the abovementioned equidistantly spaced holes 25a. These tubular members 21 comprise through openings 21a being adapted to receive further bolt means 23 for fixedly mounting the planar base 25 onto the second one of the abovementioned pair of mating members of the bedstead arrangement and in particular onto a typical headboard member 20 as shown in Fig. 3. Each tubular member 21 of the mating part 2 of the bed fastening device of the invention is provided with a side extension, this side extension having a generally rectangular and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention a trapezoidal configuration comprising one tapered side 26, whilst a flat surface 27 of the tubular member 21 lies underneath the abovementioned tapered side 26 of the side extension having a trapezoidal configuration, such flat surface 27 having a substantially horizontal orientation as the mating part 2 is vertically oriented onto the headboard member 20 of the bed structure.

Accordingly, each side housing 15 of the mating part 1 of the bed fastening device of the invention also has a generally rectangular and preferably a trapezoidal configuration comprising one tapered side 16, whilst a flat surface 17 thereof lies underneath the abovementioned tapered side 16 and has a substantially horizontal orientation as the mating part 1 of the bed fastening device is vertically oriented onto the side rail member 10 of the bed structure. Engagement of the mating parts 1 and 2 of the bed fastening device and accordingly of bed components 10 and 20 takes place with bringing the side rail 10 with the first mating part 1 mounted thereupon (Fig. 2) in an appropriate position for effecting engagement of the bed fastening device, i.e. with the frontal surface of the side rail 10 abutting onto the surface of the headboard 20 adjacently to the mating part 2 of the fastening device mounted thereupon (Fig. 3) and with mating part 1 extending marginally above mating part 2 so as to bring the tubular members 21 thereof in a position allowing entrance within the openings 14 of mating part 1, displacing the side rail 10 in a transversal direction thereby effecting entrance of the tubular members 21 of mating part 2 within the openings 14 of mating part 1 and finally pushing the side rail 10 in a vertical downward direction so as to effect engagement of the mating parts 1 and 2 of the bed fastening device of the invention (Figs. 4, 5). It is hereby noted that the bed fastening device of the invention ensures a secure, tight attachment of mating parts 1 , 2 thereof and an equivalently distributed load in each one of the plurality of tubular members 21 of mating part 2 due to the progressively developing tightening as the tapered sides 26 of the side extensions of the second mating part 2 (Fig. 7) abut and slide onto the tapered sides 16 of the side housings of the first mating part 1 (Fig. 6), such process being concluded when the horizontally oriented sides 27 of the tubular members 21 of the second mating part 2 abut onto the corresponding horizontally oriented sides 17 of the side housings of the first mating part 1 (Fig. 8), whereby a securely firm engagement of the first and second mating parts of the bedstead fastening device has been obtained. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a flexible planar strip extension 28 is provided at the bottom of the elongate planar base 25 downwardly the lowermost tubular member 21 of the second mating part 2, such flexible planar strip extension 28 being provided with a protruding bulge 29. During the assembly of mating parts 1, 2 of the bed fastening device of the invention, an end edge of the bottom surface la of the first mating part 1 is being adapted to slide in contact with the flexible planar strip extension 28 of the second mating part as the bed fastening device is being led in engagement condition with the vertical downward displacement of part 1, whereby an audio signal is being produced in verification of attainment of the engagement condition as the end edge of the bottom surface la of the first mating part 1 jumps past the abovementioned protruding bulge 29 of the flexible planar strip extension 28 of the second mating part 2. Accordingly once the engagement condition has been reached the bed fastening device stands locked in place since the upward vertical movement of the first mating part 1 is obstructed by a frontal planar face of the protruding bulge 29 and when dismantling of the bed is required, a user must press downwardly the same flexible planar strip extension 28 that protrudes downwardly the assembled fastening device as shown in Fig. 5 or Fig. 8, thereby overcoming the obstacle imposed by the frontal planar face of the protruding bulge 29 and then proceed with releasing the engagement of mating parts 1 and 2 of the fastening device.

While hereinabove the invention has been described by reference to various preferred embodiments, it is to be appreciated that these are for illustrative purposes only and that those skilled in the art will realize that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention; it is therefore intended to include such changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention.