Beds – Vehicle attached
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-19
2001-04-10
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Beds
Vehicle attached
C005S133000, C005S136000, C005S002100, C296S170000, C296S174000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212710
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of recreational vehicles and trailers that can incorporate a folding bed and, more particularly, a combination folding bed with accessory furniture items that can be motor driven for storage in a minimal storage area.
2. Description of Related Art
Convertible furniture units have been subject to numerous innovations over a considerable period of time in an effort to provide an economic usage of space. Recreational vehicles and trailers have also attempted to maximize the living space that is available by including convertible tables, sofas, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,066 represents a proposal to provide a foldable bed for a trailer that could be manually stored. A triangular hinge member is designed to provide leverage to permit an initial rotation of a bed frame about a first pivot point and then a second pivot point is used to provide a second rotation of the bed into a vertical storage position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,195 discloses a convertible furniture unit that includes an upper platform in the form of a bed or a table and a lower platform that can be structured into a desk. The upper platform can be manually positioned, while the lower platform can be driven by motors mounted within the various components. A torsion bar can provide a spring force. Another example of a combination wardrobe and bed assembly can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,813.
Examples of motor driven folding beds can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,915,507, 2,038,410, and 2,067,136.
Finally, folding bed assemblies of general interest can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 463,221, 4,748,868, 1,224,738, 1,628,763, and 4,329,746.
The prior art is still seeking to optimize a folding bed assembly and the field of recreational vehicles is still seeking a folding bed assembly which is particularly adapted to be used in a vehicle that can be economically manufactured to ensure a safe and reliable convenience to the occupants.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a folding bed assembly having a housing member for connection to a vertical support wall, such as the wall of a trailer or a recreational vehicle. A bed frame that is capable of being stored within the housing member is provided for supporting a mattress. A movable support lever provides a first pivotal connection to the bed frame so that the bed frame can rotate about the first pivotal connection when moved from an operative horizontal position to a vertical storage position. The movable support lever is preferably pivotally mounted to a base of the housing member. The movable support lever is ultimately moved towards the vertical support wall as the bed frame moves from the horizontal position to a vertical storage position. A second pivotal connection is attached to an end of the bed frame adjacent the vertical support wall and above a height of the mattress. A motor assembly which can include a power transmission shaft connected to a pair of drive gears for, respectively, driving a pair of rack members in a linear vertical direction is appropriately connected to the second pivotal connection. Accordingly, the second pivotal connection can be driven approximately parallel to the vertical support wall to provide a force vector to rotate the end of the bed frame about the second pivotal connection as the bed frame also rotates about the first pivotal connection when moving from the horizontal position to a vertical storage position. The use of a linearly driven second pivotal connection in combination with a first pivotal connection at one end of a lever provides a relatively simple, while sturdy and economical arrangement for ensuring that the bed frame is closely aligned with the support wall so that the mattress is immediately positioned to ensure a reduced storage space. The pair of elongated rack members are journaled within the housing member to provide only a linear vertical movement when they are driven by the respective drive gears. The movable support lever will be aligned parallel to the vertical support member and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the bed frame when the bed frame is in its vertical storage position. A pair of triangular brackets can be connected as a portion of the bed frame to provide the first pivotal connection and the second pivotal connection at apex points.
The lower portion of the bed frame can support a modular furniture accessory item, such as a foldable desk and credenza that can be extended when the bed frame is in a vertical storage position. About the perimeter of the housing member or even incorporated into a portion of the housing member can be additional storage cabinets and end tables to supplement the folding bed assembly.
Accordingly, a highly attractive and space-saving arrangement can be utilized that is of particular advantage in a vehicle.
As an additional feature, the folding bed assembly can be installed in a combination with an extensible cabin or room of a vehicle to provide a novel and efficient use of space.
REFERENCES:
patent: 335283 (1886-02-01), Hamilton
patent: 463221 (1891-11-01), Snyder
patent: 474868 (1892-05-01), Snyder
patent: 580359 (1897-04-01), Anthony
patent: 1224738 (1917-05-01), Goodcell
patent: 1255710 (1918-02-01), Cox
patent: 1419586 (1922-06-01), Plackard
patent: 1542766 (1925-06-01), Hall
patent: 1628763 (1927-05-01), Bayer
patent: 1915507 (1933-06-01), Wright
patent: 2038410 (1936-04-01), Bridenbaugh
patent: 2067136 (1937-01-01), Bridenbaugh
patent: 2565417 (1951-08-01), Woller
patent: 2669730 (1954-02-01), Bystrom
patent: 2671230 (1954-03-01), Potter
patent: 2672624 (1954-03-01), Giuseffi
patent: 2770813 (1956-11-01), Marzillier
patent: 3088127 (1963-05-01), Eames
patent: 3402960 (1968-09-01), Erke
patent: 3540066 (1970-11-01), Morrison
patent: 3755831 (1973-09-01), Bergmann
patent: 3755832 (1973-09-01), Bennett
patent: 3858253 (1975-01-01), Lauzon
patent: 3965498 (1976-06-01), Boni
patent: 4318195 (1982-03-01), Reppas
patent: 4329746 (1982-05-01), Bergerud
patent: 4370766 (1983-02-01), Teague, Jr.
patent: 4534076 (1985-08-01), Barge
patent: 4631763 (1986-12-01), Singer
patent: 4759582 (1988-07-01), Kutzner
patent: 5011216 (1991-04-01), Baughman
patent: 5061006 (1991-10-01), Baughman
patent: 5092650 (1992-03-01), Perlot
patent: 5154469 (1992-10-01), Morrow
patent: 5248180 (1993-09-01), Hussaini
patent: 5446932 (1995-09-01), Voorhis
patent: 5638560 (1997-06-01), Rigdon et al.
patent: 5983576 (1999-11-01), Hanser et al.
patent: 518147 (1955-11-01), None
patent: 1912218 (1969-10-01), None
patent: 3531394 (1987-03-01), None
patent: 972519 (1948-09-01), None
patent: 1242610 (1959-12-01), None
patent: 1513323 (1966-10-01), None
patent: 2617449 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 294936 (1929-10-01), None
patent: 696747 (1953-09-01), None
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc.
Melius Terry Lee
Price and Gess
Santos Robert G.
LandOfFree
Folding vehicle bed assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Folding vehicle bed assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Folding vehicle bed assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2532075