Open coil spring assemblies
Present embodiments provide various open coil spring assemblies which perform like an encased spring assembly. The embodiments have elastic lacings or connections which connect springs to springs or springs to lacings. Various spring embodiments are provided as well as various arrangements for the elastic lacings. All of these features improve compliance and stability while reducing motion transfer.
1. An open coil spring assembly, comprising:
a plurality of rows of open coil springs arranged to form a matrix of the open coil springs, each of the open coil springs including
an upper end convolution, a lower end convolution, and a plurality of helical convolutions that extend between the upper end convolution and the lower end convolution, the upper end convolution having a first flattened portion adjacent to the plurality of helical convolutions and located on a first side of the open coil spring, a second flattened portion adjacent to a terminal end of the open coil spring and located on a second side of the open coil spring opposite the first side, and a third flattened portion positioned between the first flattened portion and the second flattened portion and located on a third side of the open coil spring different from the first side and the second side; and
a plurality of clips each connecting one or more of said open coil springs, each of said clips having a hollow area to receive one or more of the three flattened portions of said adjacent open coil springs and each of said clips attached to one or more of the three flattened portions of said upper end convolutions of said open coil springs;
wherein for each of said plurality of rows of open coil springs, each open coil spring is connected to a first adjacent open coil spring with one of said plurality of clips attaching said first flattened portion of said open coil spring to said first flattened portion of said first adjacent open coil spring, and each open coil spring is connected to a second adjacent open coil spring with another one of said plurality of clips attaching said second flattened portion of said open coil spring to said second flattened portion of said second adjacent open coil spring; and
wherein for each of said plurality of rows of open coil springs, each open coil spring of said row is connected to a third adjacent open coil spring in an adjacent row of open coil springs with another one of the plurality of clips attaching said third flattened portion of said open coil spring to said third flattened portion of the third adjacent open coil spring, such that said row of open coil springs is alternatingly connected to adjacent rows on either side of said row.
2. The open coil spring assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a helical wire extending between each of the plurality of rows of open coil springs, the helical wire attached to the lower end convolution of each of the open coil springs in one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs and to the lower end convolution of each open coil spring in an adjacent one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs.
3. The open coil spring assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second clip extending between each of the open coil springs of a first row and the open coil springs of the adjacent one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs, the second clip disposed at the lower end convolution of each of the open coil springs.
4. The open coil spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clips comprise a plurality of discrete flexible bands.
5. The open coil spring assembly of claim 4 , further comprising an additional plurality of discrete flexible bands, and
wherein the lower end convolution of each of the open coil springs in the one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs is attached to the lower end convolution of each of the open coil springs in the adjacent one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs by one of the additional plurality of discrete flexible bands.
6. The open coil spring assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a discrete flexible band connecting the lower end convolution of each open coil spring in a respective one of the rows of open coils springs to the lower end convolution of an adjacent open coil spring in the respective row.
7. The open coil spring assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an elastic lacing extending between pairs of said adjacent rows of the plurality of rows of open coil springs, said clip connecting the elastic lacing and at least one of the upper end convolutions of the open coil springs in one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs and to the upper end convolution of each open coil spring in an adjacent one of the plurality of rows of open coil springs.
8. The coil spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein said open coil springs are multistage springs having a first portion with a first pitch and a second portion with a second pitch.
9. The coil spring assembly of claim 8 , further comprising said second spring portion disposed above the first portion of the coil spring.
10. The coil spring assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second spring portion has at least one of a differing shape or pitch.
11. The coil spring assembly of claim 1 , said open end coil springs having at least two pitches.
12. The coil spring assembly of claim 11 , wherein the upper end convolution is a generally of a polygonal shape.
13. The coil spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper end convolution of the open end coil springs differs in shape than convolutions below the upper end convolution.