Leg-rest, notably for transport vehicles and especially for aeroplanes

In this leg-rest, which consists of a fixed housing (9), able to be secured to a luggage rail (7) of a chair, and of four flaps (10, 11, 12, 13) articulated to each other, the flap (10) which is pivotable on the housing (9) is in addition linked to the latter by two pneumatic jacks (34) which hold the said flap (10) in an automatic and permanent manner either in a folded (10') or opened out position. Especially applicable to aeroplane chairs.

The present invention concerns an independent leg-rest able to be adapted 
to all types of chairs, notably for transport vehicles and more 
particularly aeroplanes especially chairs, of the type having at least one 
movable flap able to be retracted into and/or under the seat and pivotting 
on a fixed part mounted on the latter. 
Different types of chairs or armchairs are already known and are used in 
various means of transport and notably in aeroplanes, and which the 
passenger can alter positionally, within certain limits. In certain cases, 
in order to improve the comfort of the passengers, above all on long 
journeys, a leg-rest is also provided of the sort that is withdrawn under 
or into the frame of the chair in the out-of-use position, and can be 
unfolded or extended in front of the chair in its position for use by the 
passenger. 
Generally such leg-rests are made up of a sort of plate or flap pivotting 
on a fixed part of the chair or on a telescopic rod on slides fixed to the 
chair. In many cases--when they are not inefficient--these leg-rests have 
a relatively fragile structure and are often delicate in conception. In 
addition these systems either do not have any lock in the leg-resting 
position, or when they do have a lock, it involves control operations or 
manipulations, pressing and/or latching bits of mechanism, which the user 
has to do himself and manually, which in any case represents a bother for 
him, takes time and is furthermore inconvenient because of the relatively 
small space between the successive rows of chairs. 
In addition, such leg-rests are very often fast with the chairs and to 
replace them when worn or when there is a change in equipment requires the 
almost inevitable replacement of the seat of the chair and/or all the 
lower structure of the latter and even sometimes the whole chair assembly. 
That is why the present invention has as its aim the making of a leg-rest 
that is independent of the chair, but to be adapted to all kinds of chair, 
not having the disadvantages of the prior art leg-rests mentioned above, 
while being simple and strong, with a firm holding in folded position and 
in unfolded position without needing any pressing, locking or latching 
action on the part of the user. 
This problem is solved according to the invention by means of a leg-rest of 
the above-mentioned type, thanks to the fact that the moveable flap is in 
addition linked to the fixed part of the leg-rest by a device for 
automatic and permanent holding of the flap in folded position and in open 
position. Thanks to this arrangement, the user of the leg-rest has no 
longer to carry out delicate actions, more or less complicated and/or 
tricky to carry out, only the folding or opening out of the leg-rest. In 
addition, the automatic and permanent action of this holding device does 
away with all the usual arrangements with locking screws, latches or 
suchlike, which are to hold the assembly of the leg-rest in its folded and 
opened out positions and therefore contributes to simplifying its 
functioning, at the same time giving it a great reliability in use. 
According to one advantageous characteristic of the invention, the 
automatic holding arrangement is made up of at least one member exerting 
an elastic compression and urging the movable flap into either its 
folded-back or opened-up position; in a particularly appropriate manner, 
the holding device can be made up of two pneumatic jacks of the sort with 
cylindrical sleeve and piston and of which the sleeve is hingedly linked 
to the fixed part of the leg-rest and of which the rod is hingedly linked 
to the movable flap; in a variation, it can be made up of two compression 
springs, of which one end is attached to the fixed part of the leg-rest 
and of which the other end is attached to the movable flap. These 
embodiments of leg-rest have the advantage of effecting the automatic 
holding in position of the leg-rest by means of the simple but reliable 
and efficient action of the elasticity of the jacks or compression 
springs, with a simple and strong make-up. In addition, such integers can 
exert a very intense holding action while having very small dimensions, 
which helps to minimise the amount of space taken up by the leg-rest. 
In addition, according to an advantageous variation of embodiment of the 
invention, the fixed part of the leg-rest is made up in the form of a 
housing designed to contain the movable flap and having two lateral 
vertical side-plates, joined on one of their edges, by an oblique plate 
and carrying, on their upper ends, bearings in which the movable flap 
pivots. Thanks to this arrangement, the movable flap is in addition 
protected in its folded-up position by the housing in which it is placed.

In FIG. 1, there is shown a diagrammatic perspective view of a chair 1 of a 
transport vehicle particularly an aeroplane, roughly classical in shape 
having a seat cushion 2 enclosed by two arm-rests 3, and a back-rest 4. 
The latter is in the normal sitting position only slightly inclined 
relative to the vertical, whilst in the case of its position of ease or of 
relaxation for the passenger in which it is shown in FIG. 1, it is swung 
backwards, which displaces the sitting cushion 2 frontwards while causing 
it to rise slightly and come out of the chair as shown. This system is 
known and will not be described in more detail. As is usual, the chair is 
fixed by a support or foot 5 to a fixing rail 6, and has in addition, at a 
level between the seat 2 and the ground and/or fixing rail 6, a horizontal 
luggage bar 7 arranged transversely relative to the chair and intended to 
hold any luggage placed underneath the chair. 
The leg-rest according to the invention, which is placed between the seat 2 
and the ground/fixing rail 6, in its folded up, out-of-use position (see 
FIG. 2), is an independent assembly which can be attached in a way 
described later in more detail, to the luggage bar 7 of the chair and 
fixed to its fixing rail 6 by an appropriate means of the standard type, 
with screws, latches or the like. The leg-rest is made up of a fixed part 
9, making up a housing and being adapted for containing and protecting the 
leg-rest assembly 8 in its folded up position underneath the chair 1, or 
flaps 10, 11, 12 hinged to each other and of a hinged prop 13 made 
likewise in the shape of a flap and which bears on the ground. The flaps 
11 and 12, for supporting the passenger's legs when in his relaxation 
position, are in addition provided with removable cushions 14 and 15, the 
latter being furnished with a handle 16 for allowing the unfolding of the 
leg-rest. Finally, the flap forming the prop 13, has two teats or 
preferably two lateral buttons 17, causing, simply by pressure, the 
disengaging of the prop in order to raise the leg rest, as will be seen 
later in more detail. 
All the elements of the leg-rest 8 are likewise visible in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
FIG. 2 shows the leg-rest in the out-of-use position, i.e. in its folded up 
or retracted position under the chair 2 (FIG. 1). In this position, the 
flap 13 forming the prop is first of all folded up against the inside 
surface of the flap 12, itself folded up against the flap 11, in such a 
way that its cushion 15 carrying the handle 16 is turned outwardly, whilst 
the flap 11 is folded back against the flap 10 after lowering of their 
common hinge. This accordion-type folding allows the assembly of movable 
flaps of the leg-rest to be put into the fixed part 9 forming the housing, 
which efficiently protects the assembly. 
FIG. 3 shows the leg-rest 8 in its position of use, i.e. completely opened 
out, similarly to that in FIG. 1, but without the movable cushions 14 and 
15 of the flaps 11 and 12 in order to have a better view of the assembly 
of flaps (likewise visible in longitudinal section in FIG. 4). The flap 11 
is made up of a flat rectangular frame 18, of which the short lateral 
sides have lateral vertical wings 19 gripping between them the cushion 14 
in the set-up condition. The flap 12 is formed by a flat rectangular frame 
20, of the same external dimensions as the frame 18, having in addition a 
small middle bar 21 which links its two short lateral sides and is pierced 
with holes, referred to generally as 22, in which is fastened the handle 
16. In addition, the short sides of this frame 20 likewise have vertical 
lateral wings 23 gripping between them the cushion 15, in the set-up 
condition. Finally the flap 10 is made up of a flat rectangular palte the 
lateral edges of which have vertical wings 24. As is seen in more detail 
in FIG. 4, this flap 10 is hinged onto the fixed housing 9 and has in 
addition two slits 25 parallel to each other and to the lateral edges of 
the plate, the reason for which will be clarified with reference to FIG. 
4. In the same way the flaps 10, 11, 12, 13 are hinged between themselves 
as is shown in a more detailed way in this Figure. 
In FIG. 4, which shows a view in longitudinal section, on a larger scale of 
the leg-rest 8 according to the invention in the completely opened-out 
position, i.e. in its position of use shown in FIG. 1, it can be seen 
(also in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 3) that the fixed part 9 forming the 
housing is made up of two vertical lateral side-plates 26 roughly 
rectangular in shape and joined at their bases by a horizontal flat bar 27 
which can be fixed by any appropriate known means (not shown) to the rail 
6 for fixing the chair. On its back part, turned towards the underneath of 
the chair, the housing 9 carries an oblique plate 28 the lateral sides of 
which are fast with triangular lateral extensions 29 of the side-plates 
26, which have vertical voids 30 allowing the housing 9 of the leg-rest to 
be hooked onto the luggage bar 7 of the seat. 
At their upper ends the lateral side-plates 26 of the housing 9 have holes 
31 forming bearings for the lateral ends in the form of teats or of pivots 
32, which carry the lateral wings of the flap 10 and which allow the 
latter to pivot freely. Stops 33, for example in the form of tabs bent at 
right-angles and of which one branch is fixed onto the internal surface of 
the side-plate 26, allow the flap 10 to be stopped in the vertical 
position during its folding in the housing 9. 
As is seen clearly in FIG. 4, besides being linked with the possibility of 
rotation at 31,32 the movable flap 10 is likewise linked to the fixed part 
forming the housing 9 of the leg-rest 8 by a mechanism for the automatic 
and permanent holding of the flap 10 in its folded-up and opened out 
positions (as will be described below), made up of two pneumatic jacks 34 
of the type with a cylindrical sleeve 35 and piston 36, and of which the 
sleeve 35 is articulated to the oblique plate 28 and of which the piston 
rod 37 is articulated to the movable flap 10. The articulation of the 
sleeve 35 on the plate 28 is done by means of a tab 38 fast with the 
sleeve and able to turn freely on an axis 39 mounted fixedly in two flat 
parallel supports 40 fixed as a bracket onto the plate 28 and between 
which extends the end of the tab 38. The articulation of the rod of the 
piston 37 on the flap 10 is done similarly and is carried out by means of 
a tab 41 fast with the piston rod and pivotable about an axis 42 mouned 
fixedly in two flat parallel supports 43 fixed as a bracket onto the flap 
10 (see also on this subject the detail view in FIG. 5). Suitably, the 
horizontal axes of articulation 39 of the jacks on the housing 9 are 
parallel to the axis 32 of pivotting of the flap 10, being positioned out 
of the vertical plane passing through that axis and on the side of this 
plane opposite to that of the oblique plate 28, in such a way that--as 
will be seen later--on each side of a position of unstable equilibrium 
which is close to the line passing through the axes 32 and 39 and in which 
the longitudinal axes of the jacks 34 are parallel to the flap 10, the 
jacks tend to automatically push the flap either into its folded up 
position (in dotted lines in FIG. 4), or into its opened out or raised 
position (in full lines). 
As is also seen in FIG. 4, the lateral wings 24 of the flap 10 and the 
lateral wings 19 of the flap 11 have adjacent ends widened into a 
triangular shape which are articulated on each side of the leg-rest by 
means of rotational linking members 44 of known type, for example bolts, 
pins or the like. The flap 11 is linked to the flap 12 by means of a hinge 
joint 45, whilst the flap 12 is also linked to the flap forming the prop 
13 by a hinge joint 46. As appears from the drawing, during the folding of 
the leg-rest, the flap 10 is lowered by pivotting about its axis 32 in 
coming into its lowered position 10' against the stops 33, the hinge 44 
lowers and the flap 11 comes to bear flat against the flap 10 adopting the 
position 11', its cushion 14 adopting the position 14'. Furthermore, after 
the previous lowering of the flap forming the prop 13 against the inside 
surface of the flap 12, the latter is folded against the flap 11, which 
brings it into position 12', in which its cushion 15 is in position 15'. 
In the folded-up position of the leg-rest 8, all the flaps are therefore 
drawn up between the lateral side-plates 26 of the housing 9, with only 
the cushion 15 sticking out frontwards. 
Finally FIG. 6 shows a detail of a variant of the embodiment of the 
invention, in which the pneumatic jacks 34 are replaced by systems 47 each 
formed by a compression spring 48 inserted for example in two telescopic 
guide-sleeves 49, 50 linked by tabs 51, 52 and axes of articulation 53,54 
to the brackets 40, 41 carried by the plate 28 and the movable flap 10, in 
the same way as in the case of FIG. 4. 
The functioning of the leg-rest according to the invention is as follows: 
in the folded up, out-of-use position, the flaps 10, 11, 12, 13 are in 
their positions 10', 11', 12', 13' shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, the 
jacks being in the oblique rear position 34', where they jut out a bit 
relative to the flap 10, which is permitted by the presence of the slits 
25 in the flap 10 and which are crossed at least partially by the jacks 34 
and their supports 40 fast with the oblique plate 28. In this position the 
jacks push permanently and resiliently--by means of supports 43--the flap 
in its folded back position 10', and hold it locked there. The assembly of 
flaps 11, 12, 13 which would possibly be able to be separated from only 
the lower level of the flap 10, is also held in its folded up position 
because that edge of the cushion 15 (which bears the handle 16) of the 
flap 12 which is lower in the folded up position is broadened so that the 
cushion 15 is pressed against the ground in its position 15'. Of course, 
the fact that the hinges 45, 46 may be of the type which is slightly 
force-tightened also contributes to holding the flaps 11, 12, 13 in their 
relative positions. 
When it is desired to open out the leg-rest one pulls on the handle 16, 
which causes an expansion and pivotting of the flaps 11, 12, 13 to the 
right in FIG. 4, the flap 11 bringing the flap 10 with it when the force 
exerted on the handle 16 is enough to overcome the permanent automatic 
action of the jacks 34. This force to be overcome diminishes progressively 
during the rotation of the flap 10 in the clockwise direction as far as an 
intermediate position of unstable equilibrium placed in an angular range 
surrounding an imaginary straight line passing through the axes 32 and 39 
and in which the longitudinal axes of the jacks are substantially parallel 
to the flap 10. It is a very quickly reached position beyond which--apart 
from the continuation of the rotation of the flap 10--the elastic 
compression action of the jacks 34 helps the pulling force exerted on the 
handle 16 and pushes the flap 10 automatically and stably towards its 
raised position, shown in full lines in FIG. 4, holding it locked there. 
To put the leg-rest completely into place, the flaps 11 and 12 are 
completely unfolded, as well as the flap forming the prop 13 by using the 
lateral buttons 17 of the latter. 
In order to fold up the leg-rest 8, the sequence of operations is followed 
in reverse, i.e. the flap 13 is folded up against the flap 12, then the 
latter against flap 11 and finally the assembly 13, 12, 11 against the 
flap 10 at the same time lowering the latter by making it pivot about its 
axis of rotation 32 overcoming the action of the jacks up to the level of 
the intermediate equilibrium beyond which the jacks assist the folding-up 
action of the leg-rest by means of the force which they exert on the flap 
10, which comes to bear against the stops 33. 
Naturally, the invention is not limited to the modes of embodiment which 
have been mentioned and divers variants can be imagined without departure 
from the principles of the present invention.