Patent Publication Number: US-2023133923-A1

Title: Convertible murphy bed with storage

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to furniture and, more particularly, to furniture that can be converted from a Murphy bed to a futon or couch, and which includes means for storing personal articles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A so-called Murphy bed is named after William Lawrence Murphy (1876-1957). According to legend, he was wooing an opera singer, but living in a one-room apartment in San Francisco, and the moral code of the time frowned upon a woman entering a man&#39;s bedroom. Murphy&#39;s invention converted his bedroom into a parlor, enabling him to entertain. Murphy introduced pivot and counterbalanced designs for which he received patents in the early part of the 20 th  century. Murphy beds are used for space-saving purposes and are popular where floor space is limited, such as small houses, apartments, hotels, mobile homes, and college dormitories. 
     Murphy beds of the prior art have many variations, but functionally are operable in only two positions: a bed position and an upright storage position. Similarly, convertible futon couches also have many variations, but are consistently functional in two positions: a bed position and a couch position. 
     Other furniture systems are known in the prior art adapted to convert between differing types of furniture configurations. Many of the known convertible furniture systems include relatively complex linkages for movement of various furniture components during conversion. The complexity of these linkages can result in substantial expense and are often relatively more subject to breakdown or damage. Many of the known convertible furniture systems can be cumbersome and time/effort consuming to convert. In addition, some linkages can present potential safety hazards. Complex linkages associated with known convertible furniture systems often include dangerous “pinch points” which can exist during linkage movement. Safety hazards associated with such linkage pinch points are exacerbated when the linkages are normally visible and physically accessible to children or others. 
     It would be advantageous to provide more functionality to a given space with major considerations being a bed, a couch, and storage space. In other words, more options and more functionality are needed to solve the problem of limited space utilization by combining the functionality of both concepts into one piece of furniture that allows the same space to be utilized in more ways that are less cumbersome and less time consuming to convert easily and quickly from one position to another. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,710 issued to Jones for FOLDING VEHICLE BED ASSEMBLY on Apr. 10, 2001, discloses a housing member that can be connected to a vertical support wall and a bed frame that can be stored within the housing member or extended for use. A movable support lever provides a first pivotal connection to the bed frame to enable the bed frame to rotate when moved from an operative horizontal position to a vertical storage position. A second pivotal connection is attached to the end of the bed frame adjacent to the vertical support wall and above the height of a mattress. A motor assembly is connected to the second pivotal connection to drive it parallel to the vertical support wall and to rotate the end of the bed frame about the second pivotal connection. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,208 issued to Lim, et al. for FOLDING BED on Aug. 24, 2004, discloses a folding bed that includes a support frame with a bed having a frame. A linkage connects the bed frame to the support frame and enables folding of the bed frame between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position. A selectively foldable seat mounts to an underside of the bed frame and has a linkage and folding legs actuatable independently of the bed&#39;s folding linkage. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,628 issued to Murphy, et al. for CONVERTIBLE SOFA-BED, issued on Jun. 14, 2005, discloses a sofa-bed having a frame with opposing arms, a seat, a subseat hinged to the seat, a connecting rod that pivotally interconnects the subseat and the backrest, pairs of center legs and end legs pivotally attached to, respectively, the subseat and seat, and mechanisms for folding and unfolding the center and end legs. The sofa-bed is movable between a folded position and an unfolded position. The mechanisms for the center legs and the end legs are configured to move the legs from a generally horizontal folded position between the seat and subseat when the sofa-bed is in the folded position to a generally upright position beneath, respectively, the subseat and seat when the bed is in the unfolded position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,282 issued to Luft-Weissberg for FOLD UP DORMITORY APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD on Apr. 16, 2013, discloses components for sleeping, working, and storage of small items. A central core is provided, as are a pair of folding frames, each pivotally connected to the central core on opposite sides thereof, for rotation about vertical frame-to-core axes of connection. A bed platform is pivotally connected to a first side of the central core, for rotation about a horizontal bed-to-core axis of connection. A desk surface is pivotally connected to a second side of the central core, for rotation about a horizontal desk-to-core axis of connection; and storage shelving within the central core. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 9,027,178 issued to Wieland, et al. for SLEEP SYSTEM on May 12, 2015, discloses a furniture system that includes a furniture back having a back front surface. A desk having an upper work surface extends forwardly from an upper central portion of the front back surface. The system also includes a pair of bases with a pair of seats positioned above the bases. A spatial interior area exists between lateral sides of the seats, and the desk is centered laterally between the seats. The furniture system is movable between sitting configurations and sleeping configurations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a Murphy bed having a vertical configuration and a horizontal configuration. The bed can be converted to a futon or couch. The Murphy bed platform consists of two planar, rectilinear parts which are connected by flexible fasteners. One of the parts acts as the futon couch seat, the other acts as the futon couch backrest. A substantially planar, rectilinear platform is provided with predetermined dimensions. Retractable, lockable slidable components are operatively connected to the platform. A substantially planar, rectilinear backrest with at least one dimension substantially equal to one of the predetermined dimensions of the platform is connected to the platform by means of a set of flexible fasteners at a plurality of spaced apart locations. A couch seat is provided having an upper surface and a lower surface. A mechanism is supported by the lower surface of the couch seat for retaining and storing personal items. Retractable support means are provided for supporting the futon bed and futon couch when the bed is in a horizontal position. 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a single piece of furniture that allows space to be utilized in a plurality of ways. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a Murphy bed that is convertible to a futon or couch. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a convertible Murphy bed having a mechanism for retaining or storing personal items. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a convertible Murphy bed that can be easily and quickly convertible from one position to another. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic side view of the inventive furniture in the upright and vertical position; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic front view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the upright and vertical position; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic side view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal position; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic side view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position with the sliding component fully extended; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic side view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position with the sliding component fully retracted; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the upright and vertical position showing a personal article stored thereon; and 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of the inventive bed illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position showing a personal article stored beneath the platform. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Although the following detailed description contains specific details for the purposes of illustration, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. 
     A convertible Murphy bed is provided that has a vertical configuration and a horizontal configuration. The bed can be converted into a futon or couch. Two substantially planar, rectilinear platforms are provided and connected together using a set of flexible fasteners. One platform acts as part of the Murphy bed as well as the futon couch backrest. The other platform acts as the other part of the Murphy bed as well as the futon couch seat and retractable, lockable slidable components are operatively connected to this platform. A couch seat is provided having an upper surface and a lower surface. A mechanism is supported by the lower surface of the couch seat for retaining and storing personal items. 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , there are shown schematic side and front views of the inventive bed  10  in the upright and vertical position. A base or platform  12  connects to supporting structures including sliding components  14  at pivots  16 . Platform  12  can be attached to the floor, ground, wall, or ceiling, or it can be free standing as long as it provides a stationary base  12  with sufficient support and a point of pivot  16  for the bed  10  to move between the upright vertical position, illustrated in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , and the horizontal bed and couch positions shown in  FIGS.  3 - 5   , described hereinbelow. 
     Referring now also to  FIG.  4   , there is shown a schematic side view of the inventive bed  10  illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position with sliding components  14  fully extended. The configuration of a bed  10  in  FIG.  4    is neither the desired nor intended position for the couch, as the space behind backrest  22  is not commonly utilized well in this position. This illustration shows a stage of the process of converting bed  10  to a couch before sliding components  14  have been retracted. 
     Pivots  16  function to pivot bed  10  from an upright vertical position to a horizontal bed and couch position. Pivots  16  can be additional devices or they can be suitably-shaped fittings at the points of contact between platform  12  and sliding components  14 . 
     Sliding components  14  connect a couch seat  18 , using flexible fasteners  20 , with the platform  12  through pivots  16 . Sliding components  14 , when fully retracted, allow bed  10  in the couch position to slide back against a wall as illustrated in  FIG.  5   . When fully extended, sliding components  14  allow room for backrest  22  to lie horizontally in the bed position as illustrated in  FIG.  3   . Sliding components  14  can be locked at certain points of extension, fully extended when in the upright vertical position and in the horizontal bed position, and fully retracted when in the horizontal couch position. Gravity tends to retract sliding components  14  when in the upright vertical position, so supporting structures include a functional way to lock or support sliding components  14  when fully extended. 
     Couch seat  18  is connected to sliding components  14  and backrest  22  through fasteners  20 . Couch seat  18  functions as a seat when in the couch position as illustrated in  FIG.  5   , and as part of the bed platform  12  when in the bed position as illustrated in  FIG.  3   . The underside of couch seat  18  can be used for storage or shelving. Any attached personal articles or items whose dimensions are no longer than the height of couch seat  18  when in the horizontal position, can move with bed  10  through three positions or configurations. The personal items storage structure also act as legs, if desired. 
     Backrest  22  functions both as a couch backrest and a portion of bed  10 . Backrest  22  is connected to couch seat  18  through flexible fasteners  20 . This allows backrest  22  to function as a backrest when the invention is in the couch position and as part of bed  10  when in the bed position. Since backrest  22  is connected by flexible fasteners  20 , it is supported in both horizontal positions with the use of legs  24  or additional supporting materials. Supports  24  connecting the two ends of platform  12  can function to support backrest  22  as flexible fasteners  20  when in the bed positions, and a wall can support backrest  22  when in the couch position. It should be understood that other structures well known in the art can and may be used to provide support for backrest  22 . 
     Referring now also to  FIG.  5   , there is shown a schematic side view of inventive bed  10  illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position with sliding components  14  fully retracted. Flexible fasteners  20  connect couch seat  18  to couch backrest  22 , providing necessary support and the ability to position backrest  22  in line with couch seat  18  as well as upright to form backrest  22  of the invention. Sliding components  14  are used to position the couch proximate a wall, eliminating the space that was exposed by placing backrest  22  in the vertical position and exposing the space in front of bed  10 . 
     Fasteners  21  connect couch seat  18  to sliding components  14 . 
     Legs  24  support the bed when in horizontal positions shown in  FIGS.  3 ,  4 , and  5   . Legs  24  are foldable, retractable, moveable, or removable so as to position them out of the way when the bed  10  is in the vertical position. The length of legs  24  can be adjustable to level bed  10  if the floor is not level. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  6   , there is shown a perspective view of the inventive furniture illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the upright and vertical position showing a personal article (e.g., a pair of snow skis)  25  stored thereon. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  7   , there is shown a perspective view of the inventive furniture illustrated in  FIG.  1    in the horizontal couch position showing a personal article  25  stored beneath platform  12 . 
     It should be understood that materials used in or to construct the components described above can consist of any matter capable of providing the appropriate support necessary for the invention to carry out its desired function. It should be also understood that the order of assembly is not implied by the order or numbering of the components listed above. 
     All references throughout this application, for example patent documents including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent application publications; and non-patent literature documents or other source material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, as though individually incorporated by reference, to the extent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with the disclosure in this application (for example, a reference that is partially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for the partially inconsistent portion of the reference). 
     The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of useful embodiments of the present invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be carried out using a great number of variations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forth in the present description. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for the present methods can include a great number of optional composition and processing elements and steps. 
     Whenever a range is given in the specification, for example, a temperature range, a time range, or a composition or concentration range, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are intended to be included in the disclosure. It will be understood that any subranges or individual values in a range or subrange that are included in the description herein can be excluded from the claims herein. 
     All patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. References cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety to indicate the state of the art as of their publication or filing date and it is intended that this information can be employed herein, if needed, to exclude specific embodiments that are in the prior art. For example, when compositions of matter are claimed, it should be understood that compounds known and available in the art prior to Applicant&#39;s invention, including compounds for which an enabling disclosure is provided in the references cited herein, are not intended to be included in any composition of matter claims herein. 
     As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of,” and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein. 
     One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that starting materials, biological materials, reagents, synthetic methods, purification methods, analytical methods, assay methods, and biological methods other than those specifically exemplified can be employed in the practice of the invention without resort to undue experimentation. All art-known functional equivalents, of any such materials and methods are intended to be included in this invention. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention. 
     Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims.