Abstract:
A bed includes: a foundation; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links. The foundation includes a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity. The lifting mechanism is mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly and is configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/005,456, filed May 30, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to furniture, and more particularly to beds. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    It is not uncommon for the space underneath a bed to be used as a storage location for all sorts of household items. However, such space is relatively inconvenient to access, typically requiring one to lie on the floor and reach under the bed. As such, it may be desirable to provide a bed with improved storage capability. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a bed, comprising: a foundation; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links. The foundation includes a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity. The lifting mechanism is mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly and is configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 
         [0005]    As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a bed, comprising: a foundation including a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links, the lifting mechanism being mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly. The lifting mechanism is configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, with one side edge of the mattress being raised between about 26 to 36 inches above an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation and between about 12 and 20 inches inboard of the upper edge of the side wall, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an end view of a bed with a liftable mattress according to embodiments of the invention, with the mattress shown in a lowered position. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an end view of the bed of  FIG. 1  with the mattress shown in the raised position. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the bed of  FIG. 1  with the mattress shown in the lowered position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    The present invention will be described more particularly hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention is not intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiments; rather, these embodiments are intended to fully and completely disclose the invention to those skilled in this art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Thicknesses and dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for clarity. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. 
         [0010]    Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
         [0011]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein the expression “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
         [0012]    In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
         [0013]    Referring now to the figures, a bed, designated broadly at  10 , is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The bed  10  includes a foundation  12 , a mattress assembly  14 , and a lifting unit  16 . These components are described in detail below. 
         [0014]    The foundation  12  has a generally rectangular footprint and includes a head wall  21 , a foot wall  22 , opposed side walls  23 , and a floor  24 . In the illustrated embodiment, the foundation  12  includes feet  25  under the floor  24 . Also in the illustrated embodiment, the foundation  12  is formed as two halves  12   a,    12   b  that are fixed at their side edges, such that a double wall  26  is formed in the center of the foundation  12 . Four cutouts  28   a - 28   d  are present in the top edges of the double wall  26 , as is a large notch  29 . The walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  26  form two storage cavities  30   a,    30   b.    
         [0015]    In some embodiments, a headboard and/or a footboard may be attached to the appropriate head or foot wall  21 ,  22  if such a style is desired. Also, the foundation  12  may be configured such that only a single storage cavity is formed, or such that more than two storage cavities are formed. In addition, the foundation  12  may be non-rectangular in shape (e.g., square, trapezoidal, pentagonal, octagonal, etc.) and still be suitable for use with this invention. 
         [0016]    The mattress assembly  14  includes a mattress  31 , which may be any mattress that is typically employed for bedding. A panel  32  underlies the mattress  31  and supports it from underneath. The panel  32  is large enough to rest upon at least some of the upper edges of the walls of the foundation  12  (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ). Two longitudinally-extending members  33 ,  34  are mounted to the underside of the panel  32 , and extend into cutouts  28   a,    28   d  in the double wall  26  of the foundation  12  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0017]    The movement of the mattress assembly  14  relative to the foundation  12  is controlled by the lifting unit  16 , which will be described in greater detail below. The lifting unit  16  includes two lifting mechanisms  40  that are mirror images of each other about a vertical plane P ( FIG. 3 ) that bisects the bed  10  normal to the head wall  21 ; as such, only one lifting mechanism  40  will be described herein, with the understanding that the description is applicable to the other mechanism also. 
         [0018]    Each lifting mechanism  40  includes a L-shaped bracket  41  mounted to the floor  24 . A lateral swing link  42  is mounted to the vertical flange of the bracket  41  at a pivot  43  near one of the side walls  23 . A cross-member  46  extends between the two lateral swing links  44  via a bracket  47 . Another cross-member  48  is mounted to and extends between the undersides of tabs  42   a  of the lateral swing links  42 . A third cross-member  49  extends between tabs  42   b  at the upper ends of the lateral swing links  42 . An inboard swing link  44  is mounted to the vertical flange of the bracket  41  at a pivot  45 . A cross-member  50  extends between tabs  50   a  at the upper ends of the inboard swing links  44 . A second L-shaped bracket  51  is mounted beneath the panel  32 . Each lateral swing link  42  is mounted to the vertical flange of the bracket  51  at a pivot  52 , and each inboard swing link  44  is mounted to the vertical flange of the bracket  51  at a pivot  53 . 
         [0019]    An actuator mounting bracket  54  is mounted to the horizontal flange of the bracket  41 . A linear actuator  55  (or other power unit) is mounted at one end to the actuator mounting bracket  50  at a pivot  56 . The opposite end of the linear actuator  55  is mounted to a bracket  57  fixed to the cross-member  48  at a pivot  58 . The linear actuator  55  is typically electrically powered, either via battery or wall outlet, and may be connected to a switch or other activation device that is remote and/or detachable from the linear actuator  55  when not in use. 
         [0020]    As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , in the lowered position, each of the lateral and inboard swing links  42 ,  44  is rotated about its respective pivot  43 ,  45  to a generally horizontal position, such that the panel  32  of the mattress assembly rests on the rim  27  of the foundation  12 . The linear actuator  55  is in its retracted position. The members  33 ,  34  of the mattress assembly are positioned within the cutouts  28   a,    28   d  in the double wall  26 , the cross-members  49 ,  50  are positioned within the cutouts  28   b,    28   c,  and the cross-members  46 ,  48  are positioned in the notch  29 . 
         [0021]    Activation of the linear actuator  55  causes it to extend. Extension of the linear actuator  55  forces the cross-member  48 , and in turn the lateral swing link  42 , to rotate (counterclockwise from the vantage point of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) about the pivot  43 . Rotation of the lateral swing link  42  forces the panel  32  upwardly and laterally; this movement is controlled by the inboard swing link  44 , which rotates counterclockwise about the pivot  45 . Movement continues until the panel  32  and mattress  31  reach the raised position shown in  FIG. 2 . In the illustrated raised position, the panel  32  and mattress  31  are disposed at an oblique angle (typically between about 1 and 25 degrees to horizontal, and in some embodiments between about 10 and 25 degrees to horizontal), and the side edge of the panel  32  and/or the side edge of the mattress  31  are between about 26 to 36 inches above and between about 12 to 20 inches inboard of the upper edge of the side wall  23 . 
         [0022]    The bed  10  can be returned to the lowered position of  FIGS. 1 and 3  by activating the linear actuator  55  to retract. The lateral and inboard swing links  42 ,  44  pivot clockwise around their respective pivots  43 ,  45  to lower the mattress assembly  14  until it rests upon the rim  27  of the foundation  12 . 
         [0023]    The ability of the bed  10  to move the mattress assembly  14  to the raised position of  FIG. 2  enables the foundation  12  to serve as a storage receptacle. As discussed above, it is not uncommon for the space underneath a bed to be used as a storage location for all sorts of household items. However, such space is relatively inconvenient to access, typically requiring one to lie on the floor and reach under the bed. The storage cavities  30   a,    30   b  of the bed  10  can be accessed by simply activating the actuator  55  to move the bed  10  to the raised position. As such, the foundation  12  can provide easily accessed storage. The lateral movement of the mattress assembly  14  relative to the foundation  12  provides additional room for one to access the storage cavities  30   a,    30   b.    
         [0024]    In addition, when the mattress assembly  14  is in the lowered position, the retracted actuator  55  acts as a locking mechanism that maintains the mattress assembly  14  in the lowered position. As such, the storage space within the foundation  12  is safe from unwanted entry, thereby making items stored therein much more secure than items simply stored under a bed. 
         [0025]    As noted above, in some embodiments, a detachable remote device may be employed to activate the linear actuator  55 . Such a remote device may be disconnected from the linear actuator  55  when not in use and connected to the actuator  55  only for raising and lowering of the mattress assembly  14 . The ability to store the activation device remotely from the linear actuator  55  provides an additional layer of security for items stored within the bed  10 . 
         [0026]    Also, the movement of the mattress assembly  14  laterally (rather than head to foot) may be advantageous due to typical furniture arrangements and styles. Ordinarily, the head of a bed is positioned against a wall; thus, movement of the mattress assembly toward the head end of the bed would be impeded by such a wall. If the mattress assembly were to move toward the foot end of the bed, the wall adjacent the headboard may prevent a user from being positioned at the head end of the bed to access the storage cavity, thereby eliminating the position where the user has the most room to maneuver. By configuring the bed  10  such that the mattress assembly  14  moves laterally, these issues can be avoided. 
         [0027]    The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.