US 6,832,397 · Granted 2004-12-21
The Blow-Molded Bed Frame That Ships Like a Suitcase
Imagine a bed frame made entirely of plastic that you can assemble without any tools — just snap the pieces together like building blocks. The genius part: every piece is short enough to fit in a standard shipping box, so it costs way less to ship than a traditional bed frame.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a bed foundation constructed from blow-molded plastic components that are each less than 60 inches long and can be packaged in a container under 60 inches long with a girth under 84 inches. What's protected here is the specific design allowing tool-free assembly, the individual component dimensions, and the overhang configuration that lets oversized mattresses sit on top without sliding off. Someone copying this exact engineering — the plastic molding, the assembly method, the dimensional constraints for shipping — would be infringing.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real logistics headache for furniture manufacturers and retailers. Shipping penalties kick in once packages exceed certain size thresholds, so the ability to keep every single component under 60 inches transforms the economics of selling bed frames online and through big-box stores. By making the foundation tool-free and shippable as a flat-pack, Select Comfort essentially removed friction from the buying and delivery experience during the early 2000s e-commerce boom.
Real-world use
When you order a bed frame online and it arrives in a box you can actually carry upstairs yourself, then snap together in 20 minutes without an Allen wrench, you're benefiting from this patent's engineering.
Original USPTO abstract
A bed foundation is provided which is constructed of blow-molded plastic and may be assembled without using tools. The components of the bed foundation all have lengths of less than 60 inches and may be packaged together in a container having a length less than 60 inches and a girth less than 84 inches, so as to avoid shipping penalties. The components are constructed and arranged to allow disassembly and storage when the foundation is not in use. One embodiment provides a bed foundation that, when assembled, has a top panel which overhangs the side rails to permit an oversized mattress to be placed thereon.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,832,397
- Filing date
- 2003-12-19
- Grant date
- 2004-12-21
- Assignee
- Select Comfort Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- GABOURY JAMES D., GIFFT JAMES E., ANDREINI MICHAEL A., CARLSON ALAN L., SMITH DONALD J., BETH BRIAN C., WARD KEVIN J.
- CPC class
- A47C19/005
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