Patent Publication Number: US-6708358-B2

Title: Articulating bed frame

Description:
This is a divisional application of a U.S. application Ser. No. 09/396,033, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,157, filed on Sep. 15, 1999, and entitled “Articulating Bed Frame”, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/064,292, now a U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,379, filed on Apr. 22, 1998. Both of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to articulating bed frames and more particularly to the provision of articulating bed frames which will move rectilinearly toward the wall or the stationary headboard when the upper body portion of the bed is tilted upwardly, move rectilinearly toward the foot of the bed when the upper body portion is tilted downwardly, and which can also be moved into a purchaser&#39;s home by one delivery person and assembled by that delivery person. 
     Articulating bed frames are known and are often referred to as “hospital bed” frames in that the frames provide relatively movable upper body portions, seat portions, thigh portions and lower leg portions. Such beds are described in pending application Ser. No. 08/565,409 filed Nov. 30, 1995, now U.S. Pat No. 5,815,865. In such beds, the head and upper back of the person reclining on the bed may be tilted upwardly from the transversely extending seat panel to a selected position. Generally the transversely extending seat panel remains stationary and flat. The thigh section tilts upwardly from the seat panel to raise the patient&#39;s knees and thighs. The lower leg panel then tilts downwardly from the thigh panel in conventional fashion. 
     It is desirable to have such an articulating frame which is shipped in semi-knocked down (SKD) condition for ease of handling, transportation and assembly in the field. Only one delivery person is required to take such a SKD articulating frame to a customer&#39;s home to be installed. It is also desirable to have such an articulating frame which will move rectilinearly toward the head of the bed when the head portion is raised and toward the foot of the bed when the head portion is lowered. This will permit the bed to be placed against a wall or a stationary headboard. It will also permit the person on the bed to stay close to the adjacent night stand when the head portion is tilted upwardly. It is desirable to equip the articulating frame with a massage unit for the back and/or legs of the person resting on the bed. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a bed frame assembly includes a base, a frame supported by the base, a deck supported by the frame, and a unit, such as a massage unit, received in an opening formed in an upwardly-facing top surface of the deck so as to provide access to the unit from the top side of the deck. 
     Additional features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a bottom, left and front perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a multi-part SKD frame assembly comprising a base frame which is mountable on a conventional bed frame, a carriage mounted on the base frame for rectilinear motion and an articulating upper frame mounted on the carriage, 
     FIG. 1 a  diagrammatically shows the pop-out panels or decks arranged for reception in the articulating upper frame to form a platform for a mattress, 
     FIG. 1 b  diagrammatically shows electrical hand controls for operating first and second drives for lifting and lowering the upper body frame section and for lifting and lowering the thigh and lower leg frame sections respectively, 
     FIG. 2 shows a sectional end view of the FIG. 1 frame assembly, taken along the line  2 — 2  in FIG. 1, showing the inwardly-facing channels of the base frame, the carriage having rollers riding in the channels, and further showing the first and second drives mounted on the carriage, 
     FIG. 3 shows a top view of the FIG. 1 frame assembly showing the base frame, the carriage riding in the base frame and the articulating upper frame mounted on the carriage, 
     FIG. 4 shows a front sectional view of the FIG. 1 frame assembly with the articulating upper frame disposed in a horizontal position, 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the frame assembly with the upper body frame section and the thigh frame section raised, 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom, left and front perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, similar to the FIG. 1 embodiment, showing a floor engaging base frame with side rails having channel tracks and four corner posts or legs, a carriage mounted on the floor engaging base frame for longitudinal sliding motion and an articulating upper frame mounted on the carriage, 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a preferred leg assembly for the FIG. 6 frame assembly, 
     FIG. 7 a  is a cross-sectional view of an isolation pad for use with a mattress having a vibration massage capability, 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, of the FIG. 6 frame assembly showing the articulating upper frame in the horizontal position, 
     FIG. 9 is a top, right and front exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention showing a floor engaging base frame, similar to the FIG. 6 floor engaging base frame, but positioned inside the well formed by a conventional bed frame, a carriage mounted on the floor engaging base frame and an articulating upper deck mounted on the carriage, 
     FIG. 9 a  is a perspective view showing an adjustable pad leveler attached to the corner posts of the floor engaging base frame of FIG. 9, 
     FIG. 10 is a front view, similar to FIGS. 4 and 8, of the FIG. 9 frame assembly showing the articulating upper deck in the horizontal position, 
     FIG. 11 is a front view, similar to FIG. 10, of the FIG. 9 frame assembly showing the upper body panel section and the thigh panel section in the raised position, 
     FIG. 12 is a partial exploded perspective view of the articulating upper deck, showing the four panel sections, a decorative skirt to be glued to the panel sections around the perimeter thereof, two massage units, a mattress pad and an electrical control box, 
     FIGS. 13,  13   a  are diagrammatic views of the construction of a typical articulating upper deck, a foundation foam disposed on the upper deck and a mattress disposed on the foundation foam, and further showing the location of the pivot point for the upper body panel section, and 
     FIGS. 14,  14   a  are diagrammatic views of the construction of an articulating upper deck according to the present invention, a mattress disposed on the upper deck, and further showing the location of the in-line pivot point for the upper body panel section. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The frame assembly  10  shown in FIG. 1 comprises a base frame or channel frame  12  including a pair of inwardly facing, longitudinally extending side rails or channels  14 ,  16  which are held in laterally spaced apart position by four longitudinally spaced apart, transversely extending strut members  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 . The base frame  12  can be picked up and carried by a single delivery person and is designed to be set atop a conventional bed frame in the position that is shown in FIG. 1. A carriage  30  having rollers  32  is mounted on the base frame  12  for rectilinear movement. The inwardly facing channels  14 ,  16  of the base frame  12  serve as longitudinally extending guides or tracks for rollers  32 . 
     An articulating upper frame  40  is mounted on the carriage  30 . This articulating frame  40  comprises an upper body frame section  42 , a seat frame section  44 , a thigh frame section  46  and a lower leg frame section  48 . As shown in FIGS. 3-5, these frame sections are fabricated from upwardly and inwardly opening channel members and are hinged together in a conventional manner. Essentially, the upper body frame section  42  and the thigh frame section  46  pivot upwardly from the seat frame section  44  in a conventional manner. When the thigh frame section  46  pivots upwardly, the lower leg frame section  48  tilts downwardly from the thigh frame section in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. 
     The base frame  12 , the carriage  30  and the articulating upper frame  40  are all made from suitable high strength, lightweight, rigid materials, such as aluminum, steel, high strength plastic or a composite. 
     In accordance with the present invention, each of these frames sections  42 - 48  carries a pop-out panel or deck which is received within the upwardly and inwardly opening channels of the frame section. These pop-out panels are shown in FIG. 1 a  and identified as panels  42   a,    44   a,    46   a  and  48   a  corresponding respectively to the frame sections  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 . The panels may be made from any type of rigid lightweight panel material and are conveniently made from plywood, chip board or OSB board very well known in the furniture business. These panels  42   a,    44   a,    46   a,    48   a  may be covered with decorative material or somehow coated to have a pleasing appearance. Each panel  42   a,    44   a,    46   a  and  48   a  will drop into its respective frame section  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  to be held there by the weight of the panel and any mattress placed on the articulating frame. 
     The seat frame section  44  is supported by and bolted to the carriage  30  by a set of bolts as shown. The seat frame section  44  may preferably carry the electrical controls for the first and second drive systems  50 ,  52  that move the upper body frame section  42 , the thigh frame section  46  and the lower leg frame section  48  in the manner described below. Alternately, as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1 b,  a wired remote control unit  54  may be provided for operating the two drive systems. Although a wired remote control unit is shown in FIG. 1 b,  it is contemplated that one may instead use a wireless remote control unit for convenience. 
     In a conventional fashion, the first drive system  50  is provided for lifting and lowering the upper body frame section  42 , and the second drive system  52  is provided for lifting and lowering the thigh frame section  36 . These two drive systems  50 ,  52  may conventionally comprise electrical motors and lead screws such as are conventionally used to drive articulating frame sections. A suitable electrical motor for use with the drive systems  50 ,  52  is a linear actuator motor, model no. LA 31.1, made by Linak Company of Denmark. It will be appreciated, however, that any number of different type of drive mechanisms may be used in accordance with the present invention. Such systems may include hydraulic systems as well as pneumatic drives. In preferred systems, the person lying on the bed manipulates electrical controls on the hand unit  54  to make the bed move to a more comfortable position. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first and second ends  50 ′,  50 ″ of the first drive system  50  are pivotally connected to the carriage  30  and the strut member  22  of the base frame  12 , respectively. The first drive system  52  serves to move the carriage  30  longitudinally in the channels  14 ,  16 . Similarly, the first and second ends  52 ′,  52 ″ of the second drive system  52  are pivotally connected to the carriage  30  and a bracket  56  attached to the thigh frame section  46 , respectively. The second drive system  52  serves to lift and lower the thigh frame section  46 . 
     The upper body frame section  42  is connected by links  60  to the head ends of the side rails  14 ,  16  by pins  60 ′,  60 ″. When the carriage  30  moves along the channels  14 ,  16  toward the headboard, the links  60  cause the upper body frame section  42  to tilt upwardly from its horizontal position. The linkage assembly  60  causes the upper body frame section  42  to move back toward its horizontal position when the carriage  30  moves toward the footboard. A pair of support members  62  are welded to the head ends of the side rails  14 ,  16  for supporting the upper body frame section  42  when the articulating bed frame  40  is flat or horizontal. 
     A pair of links  70 ,  72  are provided for controlling the movement of the lower leg frame section  48  relative to the base frame  12 . The first and second ends  70 ′,  70 ″ of the links  70  are pivotally connected to the carriage  30  and the lower leg frame section  48  respectively. A pair of support brackets  72  carrying the rollers  74  are secured to the underside of the lower leg frame section  48 . The rollers  74  rest on the side rails  14 ,  16  when the lower leg frame section  48  is flat. When the thigh frame section  46  is raised by the drive system  52 , the links  70  cause the lower leg frame section  48  to pivot downwardly as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with FIGS. 6-8. (It will be noted that the like components in all the embodiments are designated by like numerals.) The frame assembly  110  comprises a stand-alone floor engaging base frame  112  having longitudinally extending side rails  114 , 116 , transversely extending strut members  118 - 124  and four corner posts or legs  126  at four corners of the bed. This floor engaging base frame  112  will serve in place of the conventional bed frame discussed above. Decorative padded panels (not shown) may be suspended from the side and end rails of the bed to give it a desired appearance. 
     The height adjustment mechanism is best seen in the perspective view of FIG.  7 . Each leg  126  comprises an outer sleeve  180  rigidly attached to the floor engaging base frame  112  and a telescoping inner sleeve  182  which will move selectively downwardly to raise the elevation of the upper portion of the floor engaging base frame  112 . Illustratively, the inner sleeve  182  may be provided with a series of vertically spaced openings  184 . A selector pin  186  may be carried on a stiff leaf spring  188  to extend through an opening  180 ′ in the outer sleeve  180  into one of the selected openings  184  in the inner sleeve  182 . The lower end of the inner sleeve  182  may carry an isolation pad assembly  190 . 
     The isolation pad assembly  190  isolates the floor engaging base frame  112  from the floor in case the user of the articulating frame energizes a vibrator mode on the mattress disposed on the frame. As illustrated in FIG. 7 a,  the isolation pad  190  includes a stem  192  secured to the inner sleeve  192 , a load-bearing washer  194 , elastomeric damping material  196  and a housing  198 . The stem  192  and the load-bearing washer  194  may be made from a suitable high strength steel. The housing  198  may be made from a suitable high strength plastic. The elastomeric material  196  may be styrene butadiene rubber. 
     Once the floor engaging base frame  112  of the frame assembly  110  is carried into the residence of a purchaser, a carriage  130  and an articulating upper frame  140  (such as that shown and described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5) may be mounted on the floor engaging base frame to provide the same features as those discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-5. 
     A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9-12. The frame assembly  210  comprises a floor engaging base frame  212 , a carriage  230  mounted on the base frame and an articulating upper deck  240  mounted on the carriage. In this embodiment, the floor engaging base frame  212  is disposed inside a conventional bed frame  200 . The conventional bed frame  200  may include a headboard  202 , a footboard  204 , a pair of longitudinally extending side rails  206  interconnecting the headboard and footboard, and a pair of transversely extending strut members  208 . 
     The floor engaging base frame  212  of the third embodiment, like the floor engaging base frame  112  of the second embodiment, comprises a pair of longitudinally extending sides  214 ,  216 , a pair of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending strut members  218 ,  220  and four vertically-adjustable corner posts  226 . The ends of the strut members  218 ,  220  are supported by the upwardly and inwardly opening side rails  206  of the conventional bed frame  200 . The reception of the strut members  218 ,  220  in the side rails  206  of the bed frame  200  serves to stabilize the floor engaging base frame  212 . In particular, it prevents the rotation and side-to-side motion of the floor engaging base frame  212  relative to the bed frame  200 . 
     Typically, the beds in the consumer homes are of varying heights and of varying structural integrity. It is, therefore, desirable to equip the corner posts  226  with great flexibility for the height adjustment. To this end, as shown in FIG. 9 a,  the corner posts  226  are provided with threaded pad levelers  226 ′. The pad levelers  226 ′ may be screwed into the tapped inserts  226 ″ mounted inside the ends of the inner sleeves  282 . The rest of the construction of the corner posts  226  is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 7 a.  In operation, the struts  218 ,  220  rest on the side rails  206  of an existing bed frame  200  and the corner posts  226  are then adjusted so that the load of the person occupying the bed is transferred to the floor through the corner posts. 
     The rollers  232  mounted to the carriage  230  are received in the inwardly-opening channels of the side rails  214 ,  216  for supporting the rectilinear motion of the carriage. First and second drives  250 ,  252  are mounted on the carriage  230  for lifting and lowering the upper body section and the thigh section, respectively, of the articulating upper deck  240 . 
     As shown in FIG. 12, the articulating upper deck  240  comprises an upper body panel section  242 , a seat panel section  244 , a thigh panel section  246  and a lower leg panel section  248 . The longitudinally spaced, transversely extending panel sections  242 - 248  are hinged together to form a platform for the mattress and to provide articulating movement of the upper deck  240 . The panel sections  242 - 248  are made from suitable high strength, light weight rigid material, such as an OSB board. It will be seen that this embodiment does away with separate frame elements used in the first two embodiments. 
     The upper body panel section  242  has an opening  242 ′ for receiving a vibration massage unit  300  for the upper back portion of the body. The lower leg panel section  248 , on the other hand, has two openings  248 ′,  248 ″—one for receiving a leg massage unit  302  and the other for receiving an electrical control box  304 , respectively. The massage units  300 ,  302  transmit vibrations to the person lying on the bed through the respective transmission boards  300 ′,  302 ′. Any suitable mechanism, such as speaker coils, may be used for driving the massage units  300 ,  302 . The electrical control box  304  houses the electronic circuits for controlling the operation of various electrical systems. A mattress pad  306 , made from a resilient foam material, is disposed on the top of the panel sections  242 - 248  to cushion the feel of the deck. The vibrations from the massage units  300 ,  302  are transmitted to the person lying on the bed through the foam pad  306 . The foam pad  306  additionally serves to reduce the effects of the vibrations on the bed frame. 
     The foam pad  306  has an opening  306 ′ for providing access to the electrical control box  304  for inspection or repairs. The convenient location of the control box  304  on the lower leg panel section  248  provides easy access to the electronic circuits without having to turn the bed upside down when the repairs are needed. 
     A decorative padded shroud or skirt  308 , also made from a resilient foam material, is glued around the perimeter of the panel sections  242 - 248 . The foam shroud  308  serves to give the upper deck  240  a familiar box-spring like look. It also serves to conceal the mechanisms and electrical circuits disposed on the underside of the upper deck  240  and to reduce the risk of accident or injury. A plurality of slits  308 ′ may be provided in the foam shroud  308  to allow it to bend easily when the upper body panel section  242  and the thigh panel section  246  are articulated. 
     First and second ends of the first drive  250  are pivotally secured to the carriage  230  and to the strut member  220 , respectively. Similarly, the first and second ends of the second drive  252  are respectively secured to the carriage  230  and a lift arm bracket  256  pivotally mounted on the carriage. 
     As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the upper body panel section  242  is pivotally connected by links  260  to the head ends of the side rails  214 ,  216  of the base frame  212 . One end of each of the links  260  is pivotally connected to a bracket  260 ′ fixedly mounted to the upper body panel section  242 . The other end of each of the links  260  is pivotally secured to the respective one of the side rails  214 ,  216  by pins  260 ″ (shown in FIG.  9 ). When the carriage  230  moves along the channels  214 ,  216  toward the headboard  202 , the upper body panel section  242  is tilted upwardly from its horizontal position. The upper body panel section  242  is tilted downwardly toward its horizontal position when the carriage  230  moves toward the footboard  204 . When the upper body panel section  242  is horizontal or flat, it rests on the two corner posts  226  disposed near the headboard  202 . 
     When the second drive  252  is activated, it pivots the lift arm bracket  256  about its axis as shown in FIG.  11 . When the lift arm bracket  256  is pivoted, a pair of rollers  258  secured to the arms of the lift arm bracket engage the underside of the thigh panel section  246  to tilt it upwardly. The lower leg panel section  246  is connected by links  270  to the carriage  230 . One end of each of the links  270  is pivotally connected to a bracket  270 ′ fixedly mounted to the lower leg panel section  248 . The other end of each of the links  270  is pivotally secured to the carriage by pins  270 ″. The links  270  are pivotally connected at their ends such that, when the thigh panel section  246  is raised, the lower leg panel section  248  is tilted downwardly, and such that, when the thigh panel section  246  is lowered, the lower leg panel section  248  is returned to its normal horizontal position. 
     Another feature of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with FIGS. 13,  13   a,    14  and  14   a.  FIG. 13 illustrates the construction of a typical articulating bed. As shown, a mattress  400  lies on a foundation foam  402 , which, in turn, lies on an articulating upper deck  440 . The deck  440  is articulated about a pivot point  450  disposed under the deck through linkages (not shown). As shown in FIG. 13 a,  when the upper body panel section  442  is tilted upwardly, it rotates forward about the pivot point  450 , thereby compressing the foundation foam  402  between the upper body panel section and the seat panel section  444 . This causes the mattress  400  to extend beyond the foundation foam  402  and the upper body panel section  442  to, not only compromises the appearance, but also to generate wear, noise and static electricity. 
     FIGS. 14,  14   a  demonstrate the construction of a bed assembly according to the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 14, a mattress  500  lies on an articulating upper deck  540 . Although not shown, a thin foam pad (like the one shown in FIG. 12) may be disposed between the deck  540  and the mattress  500 . The deck  540  is articulated about an in-line pivot point  550  lying between the upper body panel section  542  and the seat panel section  544  (instead of pivoting the upper deck about a pivot point disposed below the deck as shown in FIGS. 13,  13   a ). It is desirable to have the pivot point  550  as close as possible to the upper supporting surface of the deck  540 . A decorative padded foam shroud  508  is glued around the perimeter of the panel sections  542 - 548 . Thus, the foam shroud  508  is under the panel sections  542 - 548 , not over it. As illustrated in FIG. 14 a,  when the upper body panel section  542  is tilted upwardly, it rotates about the in-line pivot point  550  without extending the mattress  500  beyond the upper body panel section  542 . 
     It will be seen, therefore, that the articulating frame assembly ( 10 ,  110  or  210 ) of the present invention comprises a base frame ( 12 ,  112  or  212 ) onto which a carriage ( 30 ,  130  or  230 ), carrying the drive systems ( 50  &amp;  52 ,  150  &amp;  152  or  250  &amp;  252 ), is mounted. The carriage ( 30 ,  130  or  230 ) is slid into the channels ( 14  &amp;  16 ,  114  &amp;  116  or  214  &amp;  216 ) in the assembly process. The articulating upper frame ( 40 ,  140  or  240 ) is then mounted on the carriage ( 30 ,  130  or  230 ) by bolting the seat frame section ( 44 ,  144  or  244 ) to the carriage. The drive systems ( 50  &amp;  52 ,  150  &amp;  152  or  250  &amp;  252 ) and the links ( 60  &amp;  70 ,  160  &amp;  170  or  260  &amp;  270 ) are then hooked to the base frame ( 12 ,  112  or  212 ) and the articulating upper frame ( 40 ,  140  or  240 ). The pop-out panels ( 42   a,    44   a,    46   a  &amp;  48   a  or  142   a,    144   a,    146   a  &amp;  148   a ) are then dropped into the corresponding frame sections ( 42 ,  44 ,  46  &amp;  48  or  142 ,  144 ,  146  &amp;  148 ) in the first two embodiments. In the third embodiment, the frame sections ( 42 ,  44 ,  46  &amp;  48  or  142 ,  144 ,  146  &amp;  148 ) are eliminated and, instead, the panel sections ( 242 ,  244 ,  246  &amp;  248 ) are hinged together to form the articulating upper deck ( 240 ).