Chairs and seats – Movable back – Tiltable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-06-19
Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Movable back
Tiltable
C297S317000, C297S342000, C297S354130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247753
ABSTRACT:
The invention concerns an arrangement for reclining or seating furniture, wherein the piece of furniture has two or more mutually adjustable, articulated members, which together form an adjustable frame for support of a mattress, cushions, upholstery or the like, where the adjustable frame is mounted in a support member by means of horizontal axles/dowels/stays/sliding elements or the like which constitute fulcrums for the mutually adjustable, articulated members, where the back member has a fixed fulcrum in relation to the support member, located at a distance from the linkage to the seat member, and where the adjustment of the furniture's respective articulated parts is performed via a fixed, downwardly projecting arm mounted on the underside of the back member in the area below the back member's fulcrum.
The terms reclining or seating furniture describe all types of furniture where it may be appropriate to adjust the user position, e.g. a bed, chaise longue, divan, bench, sofa, chair, etc. The furniture frame, composed of articulated parts, which forms the support for the furniture's upholstery, arrangement of cushions, a mattress or the like, is mounted in a support member, which may be a side member, gable, frame or other fixed components. The terms furniture, frame, support member are used in the following and in the patent claims are based on these definitions. In this connection it should also be noted that the support for the mattress, cushions etc. will naturally also form the support for the user of the furniture.
There are previously known a great number of different designs of adjustable reclining or seating furniture. An example of such articulated designs can be found in the applicant's Norwegian patent application no. 961441. Articulated furniture of this kind is widely used within the health sector, e.g. in connection with hospital beds, but is also employed to an ever-increasing extent as ordinary furniture. The adjustments of the furniture's parts to the various user positions can either by performed by motor power, which may be electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically driven. Other possibilities are mechanical operation via adjusting levers, or by the user taking hold of a part of the furniture and moving it by hand.
The invention concerns an arrangement for reclining or seating furniture in which it should be possible to perform the adjustment entirely without or with minimal help from external power sources i.e. without any kind of motor power whatever, while at the same time it should be possible to perform the adjustment of the furniture with a minimal exercise of force, directly by the user while he is reclining/sitting on the piece of furniture.
Thus it should be possible to perform a readjustment of the furniture. e.g. from a reclining position to a sitting position and back or to assume intermediate positions, essentially by the user simply performing a “natural movement”, with the result that the furniture “follows” when the user readjusts from one position to the other.
From DE-A-2 943 546 there is known a hospital bed with an adjustable back member and foot member. In order to be able to adjust these two members both independently of each other and in combination there has been used two springs elements, which are provided either between the back member and the seat member or between the foot member and the seat member. In order to make it possible to combine the movement of these two members and also block them in different positions it is provided a further mechanism consisting of a sliding rod with surrounding sleeve elements, which provide a blockable linkage between the back member and the foot member.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,461 it is known a further article which makes it possible to adjust back, seat and foot members of elements in a furniture. Also in this arrangement there has been used a spring system comprising at least two spring elements in order to move the respective members. The spring elements are connected to each other through arms connected to a common locking device, which can lock the members in different positions.
It is an object of the invention to provide an adjusting arrangement for reclining or seating furniture in which the exercise of force when changing position between various positions is balanced, with the result that the furniture essentially follows the user's movements, while at the same time the furniture can be locked in the respective positions.
This object is achieved with an arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, which is characterised by the features presented in the patent claims.
The invention is especially intended for use in connection with reclining or seating furniture as described in Norwegian patent application 961441, but will also be able to be used in many other types of adjustable furniture. In the invention, on the part of the furniture's adjustable frame, which controls the adjustment of the parts, there is attached a lever arm which forms the basis for mounting the spring mechanism which balances the adjustment. Between this arm and a point either on the frame or on one of the adjustable parts there is mounted a spring mechanism which compensates for the force which is required to move the frame members. By achieving a correct balance, the user lying in a bed will be able to sit up and by means of this movement, merely by exerting pressure on the seat member, he will cause a rotation of the back member towards a sitting position and a slighter raising of the seat member at the foot end, with the result that these parts are adjusted without any appreciable exercise of force. After achieving the desired position, the user can operate a locking knob, which locks the spring mechanism in this position, if so desired.
For height adjustment it is advantageous to employ a gas spring of the same type which is employed in office chairs. Such gas springs are equipped with locking means and these only need to be adapted to the special shape of the piece of furniture. Instead of a gas spring it will also be possible to employ, e.g. a compression spring or another suitable spring device which is attached in a similar manner. The type of spring mechanism is of no importance for the invention and the attachment of the spring's other end will be adapted to the choice of spring system. The use of intermediate rod elements or also cord extensions may also be envisaged in this context. All such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the invention. If the spring component has no associated locking mechanism, it will be possible to provide a separate locking mechanism on the furniture.
Similarly, it will be possible to employ two or more spring mechanisms. The spring mechanism may also be provided at an oblique angle in relation to the furniture's longitudinal direction, e.g. for reasons of strength.
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patent: 97/37567 (1997-10-01), None
Barfield Anthony D.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
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