Upholstery Panel Nail Construction

The present invention relates to a panel nail, especially to a strip of separably interconnected panel nails, for use in securing shaped, upholstered panels to furniture.

In the manufacture of upholstered chairs, love seats, or sofas, it is often desirable or necessary to apply finished upholstered panels to the front of arms, on the outer sides of the arms, or even to complete backs of the piece of furniture. If the fabric is leather, these panels are usually assembled to the furniture with decorative, brass-headed tracks. When the upholstered fabric is a tufted or an open weave material as a tweed the panels are attached to the furniture by hand or power driven brads which are driven through the heavy fabric and are therefore invisible after the panel is attached to the furniture. However, if the furniture and the panels are upholstered with a fine material such as a satin, velvet or chintz material, decorative tacks look out of place and brads would ruin the fabric. In these instances, it has been common practice to improvise with large-headed tacks, roofing nails or tacking strips attached to the panel backing material in various ways, none of which are very satisfactory. These panels are then upholstered on one side with the fine fabric, and the nails, their heads covered in some manner, protruding from the other side. The panels are then attached to the furniture by means of a soft-headed or rubber mallet by hammering with care against the fabric until the nails are seated. During this operation, it is hoped the heads of the tack or nail will stay attached to the panel back material so the final fabric is neat and smooth and the nails completely hidden.

In accordance with the present invention, a panel nail construction has been evolved which eliminates the problems and shortcomings of fastening means heretofore used to attached finished upholstered panels on furniture. The unique, one-piece construction of the panel nail makes it especially adaptable for manufacture and use in the form of an elongated panel nail strip comprising a plurality of panel nails integrally, but separably, interconnected. In this form, the panel nails can be attached to the panel backing material by a machine into which the panel nail strip is fed. In such an operation, the individual panel nails of the strip can be rapidly and positively attached to a panel backing material at any selected position on the material in a minimum of time and with a minimum of labor. The nail head of the panel nail construction is especially designed to be invisible and to remain hidden when the finished upholstered panel is attached to an article of furniture.

The panel nail construction, in brief, comprises a generally rectangularly shaped head portion having a nail shank integrally joined to and extending at substantially a right angle from one side thereof. The head portion also is provided with backing material-retaining means integrally joined thereto, and adapted to be bent or crimp into engagement with a backing material thereby to rigidly secure the panel nail on the backing material. In one form of the panel nail construction, the backing material-retaining means comprises a pair of spaced prongs, or pin-like extensions extending at substantially a right angle from the same side of the nail head on which the nail shank is positioned. The prongs or pin-like extensions are characterized in that they are shorter in length than the nail shank, and have a cross-sectional area such that they can be readily bent or crimp into engagement with the backing material when the panel nail is attached thereto. In another of its forms, the prongs, or pin-like extensions of the panel nail are positioned on the side of the nail head opposite to that on which the nail shank is located. In this form of invention, two pairs or prongs, or pin-like extensions advantageously are provided, each of the pairs desirably being located adjacent to the ends of the nail head. In yet another embodiment of the panel nail construction, the head portion itself comprises the backing material-retaining means. In this form, the nail head is bent or wrapped into engagement with the backing material along the margins thereof, or at a preselected location away from the margins of the backing material. As indicated hereinabove, the panel nail construction is especially suited for manufacture and use in the form of a strip comprising a plurality of nails. In this form, the nail head portion of each of the panel nails is integrally, but separably, interconnected along the length of the strip by integral interconnecting extensions or webs at the adjacent transverse margins of the nail heads. The extensions or webs advantageously are scored or swaged to facilitate separation of the panel nails from the strip by an automatic machine or tool. While the interconnecting extensions or webs act to maintain the nail head portions in aligned relation to one another, they have sufficient flexibility to enable the strip to be rolled into a comparatively compact coil. The nail head portion of the panel nail construction desirably is somewhat convex in shape so that when the reciprocatable blade or plunger of an automatic tool engages the nail head it will flex slightly inwardly causing the severed portions of the interconnecting extensions or webs along the transverse margins of the nail heads to be at least partly embedded in the backing material to which the panel nail is attached.

The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the panel nail construction of this invention will become more apparent from the description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view in perspective of an embodiment of the panel nail construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of said embodiment taken substantially along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing said embodiment of the invention attached to a backing material;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing a portion of a panel nail strip formed of a plurality of panel nails as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view in elevation of the panel nail strip illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective of a representative shaped backing material with a number of the panel nails of this invention attached thereto;

FIG. 8 is a somewhat schematic side view in elevation of a coil formed of a panel nail strip such as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view in perspective of another embodiment of the panel nail construction of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view in perspective showing the panel nail of FIG. 9 attached to a backing material;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view in perspective of yet another embodiment of the panel nail construction of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view in perspective showing the panel nail of FIG. 11 attached to a backing material;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view in perspective of still another embodiment of the panel nail construction of this invention;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged side view, partly in section, showing the panel nail of FIG. 13 attached to a backing material;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing a panel nail being attached to a backing material by an automatic machine or tool; and

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a finished upholstered panel, with panel nails of the present invention attached to the upholstered backing material, after the finished panel has been hammered into position on the wooden framework of an article of furniture.

Referring, now, in particular, to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the embodiment of the panel nail construction there shown, and designated generally by reference numeral 10, comprises a rectangularly shaped nail head portion 12 having struck therefrom, and extending outwardly at substantially a right angle from one side thereof, an elongated nail shank 14, and a pair of shortened backing material-retaining prongs or pins 16--16. The nail shank 14, as illustrated, comprises a base portion 14a integrally joined to an intermediate or central portion 14b, the central portion 14b, in turn, being integrally joined to a tip or outer end portion 14c. The converging side margins of the central portion 14b, and the end portion 14c, desirably are provided with a plurality of teeth or serrations 18 which act to lock the shank 14 in the wooden framework of an article of furniture when the finished upholstered panel is hammered into position.

The base portion 14a, at its juncture with the nail head portion 12 is curved slightly outwardly for added strength. The base portion 14a comprises the widest area of the nail shank 14, and serves to resist any torsional forces which may be applied to a finished, upholstered panel when the shank 14 is embedded in the wooden framework of an article of furniture. The central portion 14b of the shank 14 advantageously is thickened as by swaging to rigidify and strengthen the shank 14. The bellied configuration thusly impressed upon the central portion 14b acts, in cooperation with the teeth or serrations 18, to firmly lock the shank 14 in place. The teeth or serrations 18 desirably are formed in the side margins of the central and outer end portions of the shank 14 at the same time that the central portion 14b is swaged, or otherwise thickened.

The backing material-retaining prongs or pins 16--16, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, are positioned in spaced, substantially parallel relation to each other. Each of the pins 16--16 is shorter than the nail shank 14, and each is provided with gently tapered side margins 16a--16a which terminate in a blunt tip 16b.

The nail head portion 12 of the embodiment of the panel nail construction 10 desirably has a slightly convex configuration as best shown in FIG. 2. The transverse margins of the nail head portion 12 each has a pair of projections or arms 12a--12a which extend slightly inwardly in the direction of the nail shank 14 and the pins 16--16. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the arms 12a--12a comprise portions of webs 20--20 which interconnect the adjacent transverse margins of the nail head portions 12 of the panel nail construction 10 when it is fabricated in the form of a panel nail strip 22 as shown in FIGS 5 and 6. The interconnecting portions or webs 20--20 advantageously are reduced in thickness by scoring, or, preferably, by swaging, as indicated at 24 in FIGS. 5 and 6, to facilitate separation of the panel nails from the strip 22 by an automatic machine or tool as they are assembled on a backing material.

Referring, now, to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the embodiment of the panel nail construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown attached to a backing material 30. The material 30 may comprise any of various materials, including cardboard, paperboard, chipboard, plywood, or the like, utilized to make upholstered panels used in the manufacture of furniture. When a force is applied to the nail head portion 12 by a machine or tool, the nail shank 14 and the pins 16--16 easily penetrate and pass through the backing material. The pins 16--16 are simultaneously crimped or bent into overlying engagement with the inner side 30a of the backing material 30 by the machine or tool employed to attach or assemble the panel nail to the backing material. The nail shank 14 remains in its normal, outwardly extending condition ready to be hammered into the wooden framework of a piece of furniture after the panel material, with the panel nails attached thereto, has been upholstered. The force applied to the nail head portion by the machine or tool acts to partly embed the arms 12a--12a on the transverse margins of the nail head portion 12 into the backing material as best shown in FIG. 4. The design of the nail head portion is such that it presents a smooth, fixed surface which will not be disturbed when the finished upholstered panel is hammered into position on the framework of an article of furniture, and which, equally importantly, will not be visible or make any impression in the fabric used to upholster the panel.

Referring, now, to FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings, the embodiment of the panel nail construction there shown, and designated generally by reference numeral 40, comprises a nail head portion 42 having a nail shank 44 struck therefrom and extending outwardly at substantially a right angle from one side thereof. The nail shank 44 is turned or twisted slightly along its longitudinal axis, and is provided with a pointed end 44a. As best shown in FIG. 10, the nail head portion 42, itself, functions as the backing material-retaining means in that it is bent, wrapped, or clamped on a pre-shaped backing material 30.

The embodiment of the panel nail construction illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, and designated generally by reference numeral 50, is similar to the panel nail construction 40 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 in that it comprises a nail head portion 52 having a single nail shank 54 struck therefrom. The nail shank 54, like the nail shank 44, is twisted slightly along its longitudinal axis, and is provided with a relatively sharp pointed end 54a. The nail head portion 52, as in the case of the portion 42 of the panel nail 40, acts as the backing material-retaining means of the panel nail 50. However, the nail head portion 52 is slit as at 56 to provide a backing material engaging arm 52a which is positioned on the side of the backing material 30 opposite to that on which the nail shank 54 is located when the head portion is bent, wrapped, or clamped onto the material 30. The facilitate attachment of the panel nail 50 to the backing material, slots, such as slot 30c, can be formed at selected points along the margins of the backing material, or a combination of slots and openings (not shown) can be provided in the body of the backing material for receiving the panel nail.

The embodiment of the panel nail construction shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and designated generally by reference numeral 60, comprises a nail head portion 62 having a nail shank 64 struck therefrom and extending outwardly at substantially a right angle from one side thereof. Integral with, and extending outwardly from the opposite side of the nail head portion 62 are two pairs of backing material-retaining prongs or pins 66--66. The nail shank 64 is similar to the nail shank 14 of the panel nail 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that it comprises integral base, central and end portions. The central portion is thickened as by swaging to rigidify and strengthen the shank 64, and teeth or serrations are provided along the converging margins of the shank 64. As shown in FIG. 14, the panel nail 60 is attached to a backing material 30 by either forcing the backing material onto the pins 66--66 and bending or crimping them into engagement with the backing material, or by applying a force to the panel nail 60 sufficient to enable the pins 66--66 to penetrate the backing material and crimping the pins into engagement with the backing material.

It should be understood that each of the embodiments 40, 50 and 60 of the panel nail construction can be manufactured and used in the form of a strip similar to the strip 22 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The strips can be formed into a coil 70 as schematically shown in FIG. 8. Such a coil may comprise several hundred panel nails, and can be positioned in a container adjacent to an automatic machine or tool for sequentially, and selectively, assembling the panel nails on a backing material. The entire operation can be carried out in a minimum of time with minimal labor, and provides an end product which is superior to that produced by prior, manual methods for attaching fastening means such as nails and tacks to a backing material.

In FIG. 15 of the drawings there is schematically illustrated a machine or tool of a type which may be used for assembling the panel nails of this invention on a backing material. The machine or tool has a reciprocatable blade or plunger 80 adapted to sequentially sever panel nails, such as the panel nails 10, from a strip 22 which may be in the form of a coil. The severed nail is attached in a single high-speed operation of the backing material 30 supported on an anvil or die 82 having a slot 84 for receiving the nail shank 14 and a forming recess 86 for bending or crimping the pins 16--16 into engagement with the backing material. In FIG. 7 of the drawings, the backing material 30, configured for use, after upholstering, as a trim piece for the arm of an article of furniture, for example, is shown with the panel nails 10 asembled thereon at preselected, strategic locations.

In FIG. 16 of the drawings, a finished, upholstered panel 90, fabricated from the backing material 30 to which panel nails 10 of the present invention have been attached, is illustrated. The finished panel 90, as shown, comprises the backing material 30, a plurality of panel nails, such as the panel nail 10, a cushioning or padding material 92 which may be formed of foam, or cotton, and a finishing layer 94 comprising fabric, plastic, leather, or the like. The panel 90 is secured on an article of furniture by hammering the nail shanks 14 extending outwardly from one side of the finished upholstered panel 90 into the wooden framework 96 of the article of furniture. The framework 96 is usually covered with a fabric 98, for example, which is the same as the finishing layer 94 on the upholstered panel 90.

While for purposes of illustration, preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, other embodiments thereof may become apparent to those skilled in the art and, accordingly, this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.