Device for inclining the supporting surface of a reclining furniture

A piece of furniture adapted to support a person in a reclining position includes a base and a mattress support that may be tilted on the base about an axis near the head end of the support. The position of the foot end and the resulting inclination of the supporting surface may be varied by means of a spacer arrangement which includes two hangers pivotally suspended from the mattress support near the foot end. One or two spacer members are secured to the free, lower end portions of the hangers for angular movement about a horizontally extending axis. Stops keep the center of gravity of the spacer or spacers above the last-mentioned axis and limit its angular movement. A friction brake prevents gravity from affecting the angular position of the spacer on the hanger or hangers. When the spacer is in a position in which its center of gravity is vertically aligned with the pivoting axis of the hangers, its downwardly directed face may be engaged by an abutment on the base for angular movement on the hangers when the foot end of the support moves toward the base. Mutual lifting and setting down of the foot end adjusts the spacer arrangement to hold the supporting surface alternatively horizontal or upwardly sloping toward the foot end.

This invention relates to furniture adapted to support a person in a 
reclining position, and more particularly to a piece of furniture whose 
supporting surface may be held alternatively in a practically horizontal 
position and a "feet-up" position in which the foot end of the surface is 
located above the head end. 
It has long been recognized that reclining on a piece of furniture which 
holds the feet in an elevated position is relaxing, and known pieces of 
furniture are equipped to provide a supporting surface which may be 
adjusted between a practically horizontal position and a position in which 
the surface slopes upward toward the foot end. The adjusting mechanisms of 
the known furniture pieces are relatively difficult to operate. 
The primary object of this invention is a piece of furniture whose 
supporting surface may be tilted in the manner described by a mechanism 
which is of simple construction and simple and safe to operate. 
The invention provides a piece of furniture including a support defining 
the inclination of a hoirzontally extending support surface for a person. 
One portion of the support is superposed on a base of the piece for 
tilting movement about a first, horizontally extending axis. Another 
portion of the support, spaced from the one portion transversely to the 
tilting axis, moves toward and away from the base during the tilting 
movement. A spacer arrangement on the other support portion limits 
movement of the other support portion toward the base in several 
alternative positions. It includes a hanger secured to the other portion 
for pivotal movement about a second, horizontally extending axis. A free 
end portion of the hanger is downwardly spaced from the second axis. A 
spacer member is secured to the free end portion for angular movement 
about a third, horizontally extending axis. Stops keep the center of 
gravity of the spacer member above the third axis and limit its angular 
movement. A friction brake interposed between the hanger and the spacer 
member prevents angular movement of the spacer member in response to 
gravity alone. The spacer member has a downwardly directed abutment face 
which is obliquely inclined to the vertical in a plane perpendicular to 
the third axis in a position of the spacer member in which its center of 
gravity is vertically aligned with the second axis. An abutment on the 
base engages the abutment face and thereby causes angular movement of the 
spacer member about the third axis when the spacer member is in the 
afore-described position during movement of the other support portion 
toward the base.

FIG. 1 shows only as much of a piece of furniture as is necessary for an 
understanding of the invention. The piece has a base 1 on which an 
elongated frame 2 is superposed. The two longitudinal frame members 2a, 2b 
(see FIG. 2) are normally connected transversely by slats on which a 
mattress rests, the slats and mattress having been omitted for the sake of 
clarity. The head portion 3 of the frame 2 is raised and may be tilted on 
the frame 2 about a first horizontal axis A--A. The foot end of the frame, 
partly broken away, has been raised in the direction of arrows 4 so that 
the supporting surface of the non-illustrated mattress, whose inclination 
is defined by the frame 2, slopes upward from the head portion 3 toward 
the foot portion. 
As is better seen in FIG. 2, two hangers 5,6 are welded to a rod 8 in 
spaced relationship, and the two ends of the rod are journaled in bearing 
blocks 7a, 7b on the longitudinal frame members 2a, 2b. Each hanger is a 
section of a channel having two flanges of different width. A wooden 
spacer slat 10 is attached between the free lower ends of the wider 
flanges by bolts 9. As is evident from each of FIGS. 4 to 16, the 
longitudinal bottom edge face 11 of the slat 10, not visible in FIG. 2, is 
inclined relative to the vertical at an angle of 45.degree. in the 
position of the slat illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the center of gravity 
of the slat is aligned with the pivot axis B--B of the rod 8. 
The slat 10 may move angularly on the hangers 5,6 about the common 
horizontal axis C of the bolts 9 which is parallel to the afore-mentioned 
axes A--A and B--B. The center of gravity of the slat is above the axis C. 
As is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, a fitting 12 is attached 
to each end of the slat 10, and the shank of each bolt 9 passes 
sequentially through a helical compression spring 13 and a bore in the 
associated hanger 5,6 into the fitting 12 so that the spring 12 is held 
between the head of the bolt 9 and the associated hanger and frictionally 
connects the hanger with the fitting 12 with a braking force sufficient to 
prevent gravity from turning the slat 10 on the hangers 5,6. Stops 14,15 
on the hangers (see FIG. 2) limit angular movement of the slat 10 about 
the axis C. 
The rod 8 with the hangers 5,6 may swivel freely about the axis B--B within 
limits set by stops 16,17 on the bearing blocks 7a, 7b. As is best seen in 
FIG. 3, each bearing block has a sheet metal housing 18 attached to the 
frame 2 by means of lugs 19 and enclosing a nylon insert 20. Each end of 
the rod is journaled in a hole 21 of an insert 20, and may be introduced 
into the hole in the direction of an arrow 23 through an outwardly 
flaring, radial slot 22. The necessary resilient deformation of the insert 
20 is made possible by a clearance space s between the insert 20 and the 
housing 18. 
Sequential operating positions of the slat 10 and of associated elements 
are illustrated in the perspective views of FIGS. 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15, 
and in the corresponding side-elevational views of FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 
and 16. 
In the position also illustrated in FIG. 2 and further shown in FIGS. 5 and 
6, the frame 2 was lifted manually as indicated by the arrows 4 so that 
the hangers 5,6 and the slat 10 depend freely in a vertical plane through 
the axis B--B. The slat 10 is held in position relative to the hangers by 
the braking action of the spring 13. 
When the frame 2 is permitted to descend from the position of FIGS. 2,5,6 
toward that of FIGS. 7 and 8, the lower edge of the slat 10 engages an 
abutment bar 24 mounted on the base 1 (FIG. 1) in a manner to be described 
hereinbelow in more detail. The weight of the frame 2 causes the slat 10 
to pivot on the bolts 9 until the edge face 11 lies flat on the bar 24. 
When the frame 2 is released, it is held in the "feet-up" position by the 
slat 10. 
When the frame 2 thereafter is lifted again into the position shown in 
FIGS. 9 and 10, the relative angular position of the slat 10 and the 
hangers 5,6 is maintained by the springs 13. This position is defined by a 
stop arrangement 27 yet to be described. The slat 10 and hangers 5,6 
depend freely from the rod 8 in a position in which their common center of 
gravity is vertically aligned with the axis B--B. 
Lowering of the frame 2 from the position of FIGS. 9,10 causes one of the 
major side faces of the slat 10 to engage the bar 24 so that the weight of 
the frame 2 causes the slat to move on the hangers 5,6 through an 
intermediate position illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 into the position 
shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in which the side face of the slat 10 lies flat 
on the top face of the bar 24, and the relative position of the slat and 
hangers relative to the axis C is the same as in FIGS. 2,5 and 6. The 
supporting surface of the piece of furniture now is approximately 
horizontal, and the "feet-up" position may be restored by lifting the foot 
end of the frame 2 and lowering it again. 
If it is desired to raise the foot end of the frame 2 to a position 
intermediate the "feet-up" position and the horizontal position, the frame 
2 is lifted from the position of FIGS. 13 and 14 only until a hook-shaped 
projection 25 on each hanger 5,6 clears a flange of a channel 26 in which 
the bar 24 is held. When the frame 2 thereafter is released, the 
projections 25 hold it in the intermediate position. 
As is best seen in FIGS. 14 to 16, the afore-mentioned stop arrangement 27 
consists of a pin 28 on each end of the slat 10 and received in a slot 29 
of each hanger 5,6 which is circularly arcuate about the axis C. 
FIG. 1 shows a support 30 associated with each end of the abutment 24. Each 
support consists of two channel sections 32,33 hingedly connected 
end-to-end at 31. The section 33 is hinged to the frame 2 at 34 while the 
section 32 slides freely on the base 1. The channel 26 holding the bar 24 
is fastened between the two channel sections 33. The abutment assembly as 
well as the spacer assembly may thus be installed in existing furniture. 
The rod 8 causes the hangers 5,6 to move in unison, but this is not 
absolutely necessary, and a modified spacer arrangement having two 
independent hangers and two independent spacer members is shown in FIGS. 
17 to 22. A set of one hanger and one spacer member is mounted on each 
frame member 2a, 2b, and only one set will be described, the other one 
being a mirror image of the illustrated structure. 
The modified spacer is a flat steel bar 35 having an obliquely transverse 
lower end face 36 and carrying a counterweight 37 at its top end. A pin 38 
(FIG. 19) attaches the lower end of the spacer 35 to a corresponding end 
of a hanger 39 and carries a braking spring analogous to the 
afore-described springs 13, but not shown again. The braking action of the 
non-illustrated spring prevents angular movement of the spacer 35 on the 
hanger 39 under the force of gravity. The top end of the hanger 39 is 
pivotally attached to the frame 2, not itself shown in FIGS. 17 to 22, by 
means of a fitting 40 and a bolt. Relative angular movement of the spacer 
35 and hanger 39 is limited by a projection 41 on the spacer received in 
an arcuate slot 42 of the associated hanger. 
The spacer arrangement shown in FIGS. 17 to 22 functions substantially as 
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. When the frame 2 is raised from 
its horizontal position, the two spacers 35 and hangers 39 swing into the 
vertical position shown in FIG. 18, and the spacer is turned by engagement 
of its end face 36 with the abutment bar 24 about the pin 38 into the 
position illustrated in FIG. 19 when the frame 2 is again lowered. Further 
angular displacement of the spacer 35 on the pin 38 is prevented by the 
projection 41 in the slot 42, and the frame is securely held in the 
"feet-up" position. When it is desired to return the frame to its 
horizontal position, its foot end is raised so that the spacer 35 and 
hanger 39 swing into the position of FIG. 20, thereafter to move through 
the positon of FIG. 21 into that of FIG. 17 when the frame 2 is lowered 
again. 
A piece of furniture equipped with a spacer arrangement of the invention 
may thus be shifted between a horizontal position and a sloping position 
of its supporting surface by merely raising and lowering the foot end of 
its mattress-supporting frame. Existing furniture may be modified by 
installing the spacer arrangement.