US2688152A - Machine for making foam rubber mattresses and the like - Google Patents

Description

Se t.-7, 1954 J MARCO 2,688,152

MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed June 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ui I i I N V EN TOR. JOH/V MA RCO bay/M4 464 J. MARCO Sept. 7, 1954 MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1950 INVENTOR. JO/77V MA/FZSU BY Sept. 7, 1954 J. MARCO 2,683,152

MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed June 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 14 TOR/VFVS Patented Sept. 7, 1954 MACHINE FOILMAKING .FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE John .Marco, Wilmington, Del.,iassigno1"sto .Marco Company, .-Inc., Wilmington, Del., a, corporation of Pennsylvania Application June '14, 1950, Serial No. 167345 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of foam rubber commodities and more particularly to the combining of foam rubber with curled hair to make the resultant product suitable for use as fillers for cushions, mattresses, seats or other resilient articles employed for personnal comfort.

The use of curled hair in conjunction With steel springs. in the manufacture and use of mattresses, has been involved over a considerable period, as an improved arrangement over the use of springs alone. The addition of the hair 'by incorporating it in the coil springs used in steel spring mattresses was found to give a number of characteristics found desirable in promoting comfort and is considered necessary in the better designs of spring mattresses. However, the advance of rubber into the mattress field in recent times has introduced special problems and the need for adherence to some of the structural features of the previous structures for mattresses employing springs. Foam rubber for mattresses and the like, alone, lacks the tensile strength and the frictional toughness to withstand the stresses, and wear and tear arising in its use as a mattress when the "basic material is made under conventional formulae. To *meetthis situation, it has been found that the introduction of curled hair into the foam rubber in a limited extent, proportioned to suit the needs and in predetermined layers, locations and amounts, will meet requirements equivalent to those arising in the use of steel spring mattresses. The hair may be introduced into the basic foam rubber in isolated form in spaces and spacings provided in the matrix so it will be incorporated therewith and held yet not intimately mixedin the material. To introduce the hair into the mixture during the manufacture of the foam rubber would result in too stiff and reinforced structure. The resiliency of the foam rubber would be reduced and its natural stretch greatly interfered with. Also the use of the hair in the intimate mixture would tend to tear and crumble the foam rubber and shorten its useful life. To avoid these dimculties this invention intersperses the curled hair in open spaces left in the molded foam rubber'or vice-versa, and integrally joins them to the basic material. To prevent the hair from flattening or mashing, it is lightly coated with a rubber cement that stiffens it moderately in its natural shape. This retains its form without interfering with its physical characteristics and the 'purposes for which it is intended. It is of course understood he! that the term mattress or slab throughout, is made in abroad sense.

It is therefore an object of this invention to providea new and improved machine and process for manufacturing foam rubber mattress material th-ait will avoid some of the objections and limitations of the previous art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine and process for manufacturing foam rubber slab that will emp'lo-y hair filler suitable for use therein for improving its structure to meet its-conditions of use.

A further object of the invention hereinclescribed is to provide a new and improved "machine for manufacturing foam rubbers'lab with hair incorporated therein to make it suitable for mattress uses.

Still another object of the 'invention'is to provide *a new and improved machine for making foam-rubber-hair mattress slab that will be res'ista-nt to undue collapsing without materially affecting its resilient characteristics.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine that will enable foam rubber mattresses to be aerated and reinforced through the use of hairykeptlightand varied in "firmness, softness and other desirable qualities to suit many and useful requirements in their particular uses, without materially addingto the cost of production.

A still further object of the invention is to provide anew and improved machine for the manufacturing of foam-rubber hair slab without mixing the hair intimately with the foam rubber although integrally attaching it to it, and to provide for variable thickness of hair and foam rubber in an accurate and facile manner.

The invention also includes in its objects to provide for a process for the manufacture of combining hair and foam rubber into a slab .of predetermined interminglingand segregative distribution of the hair therein to .retain qualities of aeration, lightness, strength and controllable resiliency andtoughness.

Other objects will .become apparent as .the invention is more fully setforth.

:For a clearer understanding of the invention, its objects principles .and'the operation thereof, referenceis made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings in conjunction with the following description outline :a 'particularform of the invention by .way of example, .not of limitation, While ithe appended claims :emphasize .the scope of t'he invention.

3 Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a foam-rubber and hair combining machine embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the machine;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a slab of hair ready for the placement of foam-rubber therein;

Figure 4 indicates the slap after placement of the foam rubber;

Figure 5 is a sectional View of a piece of rubberized curled hair;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation through Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a plan view of a piece of foamrubber-hair slab, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view through 8-8 of Figure 7.

Similar reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the drawings.

In the construction shown in the drawings, a machine for combining foam rubber and curled hair is illustrated. It is built on a suitable framework [0, on which are mounted and supported by suitable brackets I l, the various functional mechanisms and parts that serve to make the combined machine. The parts include a hopper [3 of suitable form, designed to hold an adequate quantity of curled hair 36 and delivers it through a measuring wheel [4 in its throat [5 to a conveyor belt 12. The wheel M has radial spokes l6 suitably spaced to deliver the hair in predetermined quantities continuously through the throat IS. The latter conforms to the wheel to prevent any undue amount of hair escaping without passing through the wheel properly. The delivery orifice I! at the bottom of the throat is cut at a slant to cooperate with the angular travel of the conveyor belt I2 and the spikes [8, that it carries transversely across its exterior belt surface. The belt I2, is of the continuous type and is propelled by drums i9, respectively in the direction of the arrow indicated adjacent it. The drums I9, 20 have their supporting shafts 2!, 22, rolling in journals 23, 24 supported on their respective brackets II. The drums are positioned to run the belt I2 downwardly from the drum 20 to the drum l9,

and carry the hair 30 in its spaces 25 between the spikes l8, at a slant, to the forked or slotted apron 26 on the table 21. The apron 26 has slots 29 arranged in it to register with the spikes I8 and allow them to pass without obstruction as they rotate therein, although their propelling action on the hair is not interfered with.

The apron 26 through the use of its fingers 3| cleans off the hair and places it on the top surfaces of the rails 32. This causes the hair to move in long lines along the rails leaving spaces in between, similar to the spaces 33 between the rails longitudinally. I

The hair is sprayed with liquid latex 34 from a spraying pipe 35 extending transversely across the apron and its table. The pipe has holes suitably spaced in it for the purpose and latex and air under pressure are supplied from a conventional source (not shown) to it. This latex provides a thin coating over the fibers of the hair as it progresses along the rails. An instant later the latex covered hair is dried by the use of heated air passing to it from the ducts 36. The ducts 36 are disposed transversely across the rails 32, both above and below them. Spraying pipe 35 and ducts 36 are held in place over the machine by suitable brackets, attached to the framework I0, and the supply of heated air is brought from a suitable extraneous source to the ducts 36 under proper control, not shown.

The next step in the process is provided by a rotary brush 39 having one half dipped in a trough 40 filled with lubricant to prevent the latexed hair from sticking to the table as it is pushed over the latter. The application of the lubricant is applied to the underneath surfaces, for the purpose. The brush and the trough are suspended from the table underneath, by suitable brackets. The following step in the process consists in impressing the plungers 42 through the latexed hair and forming holes 43 therein. The holes in the hair are made permanent by the spraying of more latex on it. The plungers 42 are operating by a mechanical stamping machine 4I supported on the frame [0 and employing the rotating cams 44 to operate the plungers intermittently, and returning them as the cams permit it. The hair 30 is now in condition to combine with the foam rubber, as it is carried along by a conveyor belt 41 placed adjacent the table.

The foam rubber from the source 46 is applied by spraying pipes 48, 31 above and between the rows of hair 30 as the latter is carried along, thus to surround the hair and embed its end portions tight in the foam rubber, as well as provide a top lining of the material over the combined product.

The conveyor belt 41 is of the endless belt type, running on drums 28, 29 and actuated by a pulley 50, belt 5| from the first drum 20, which in turn is actuated by a motor 52 and transmission 53. The shafts of the drums 28, 29 are run in journals also supported from the framework I0. The belt 41 has its upper section running parallel to the table and almost on the same level, so as to receive the combined hair and foam rubber as a slab and carry it to a curing over 38 where the combination is vulcanized or put into its stable condition, ready for its final use.

The conveyor belt 41 is of material that is heat resisting for use in the curing over 38. Also, the over is provided with openings 58 through which the belt can travel unimpeded and unharmed. The latexed hair is of the form shown in Figure 3, as it arrives at the end of the table close to its passage on to the endless belt 41. Close to this location the foamed latex is applied and fills the holes in the latexed hair mass, and the spaces about it are filled to make the complete slab with a covering lining on top, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows, in a general way, the apparatus for feeding latex foam, the source being indicated at 46. This apparatus, more or less of conventional type, has the necessary elements to mix, deliver and deposit the latex and the details thereof being generally understood by those familiar with the art will not be further outlined, except to state that the foam latex is delivered through the perforated piping 48. The use of plural foam latex applying equipment is disclosed in order to establish a more even distribution of the hair mass, facilitate its settlement uniformly and provide for a top covering layer to finish on the slab, leaving it ready for more effective curing application as it reaches the oven.

The slab resulting from the use of the machine and its manner of operation produces a.

laminated product throughout its length, wherein the cemented layer of hair is integrally joined to a layer of foam rubber in an uniformly stratifiied arrangement. The processed hair and foam rubber project into the space adjacent each other transversely to form a columnated formation having such strength and resiliency as the manufacture may predetermine as required for the particular duties that it is intended for. The columnated arrangement can be appreciated and observed in Figs. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, and distinguished from the general conglomerated construction previously used in the art.

While some of the details of the mechanisms have not been specifically detailed, it is believed that sufiicient structure has been included to make the operation thereof plain and understandable. The machine is connected with its functional parts into a homogeneous unit adapted to operate cooperatively together, with or L without the sources of supplies used assembled with it. Complete individual control is retained for each item so that variation in the application of the products each uses, can be given to meet a considerable field of requirements.

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is apparent that various changes in form, proportion and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from nor sacrificing any of the principles of the invention.

I claim:

A machine for making a laminated fabric of fibrous material and foam rubber comprising in combination a frame, an elongated table carried by said frame, a container for fibrous material spaced from one end of said table, a conveyor disposed beneath said container, means for discharging material from said container onto said conveyor, said conveyor being operatively associated with said table to deliver fibrous material in the form of a continuous mat onto the upper surface of said table, spray means disposed over said table for distributing liquid latex over the surface of said mat as the same moves beneath said spray means, means spaced from said spray means longitudinally of said table for drying the latex, means for applying lubricant to the lower surface of said mat to prevent adherence of the same to said table, a stamping device disposed over said table and including a plurality of punches mounted for vertical movement toward and away from said table, means for moving said punches downwardly and into engagement with the upper surface of said mat to form a plurality of upwardly opening recesses therein, a second conveyor for receiving said mat from said table, means disposed above said second conveyor for distributing foam rubber over the upper surface of said mat to fill said recesses and rovide a layer of foam rubber on the upper surface of said mat integral with the foam rubber in said recesses and a curing oven associated with said second conveyor for curing said foam rubber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,221,890 Millar Apr. 10, 1917 1,469,420 Liebing et a1 Oct. 2, 1923 2,140,063 Talalay Dec. 13, 1938 2,171,805 Picard Sept. 5, 1939 2,206,056 Sheesley July 2, 1940 2,288,095 Lindsay June 30, 1942 2,290,614 Rathbun July 21, 1942 2,493,194 I-Ieino Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 446,300 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1936

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