Patent Abstract:
A stuffed chair with one or more seats, in particular an armchair or a couch, has a seat, a backrest, and at least one mobile part, which is configured to move relative to a fixed part due to the action of an actuating device supplied with power by a rechargeable battery housed inside a containing box; the containing box being mounted in the stuffed chair and opening up outwards in correspondence to an outer surface of the stuffed chair to allow access to the rechargeable battery.

Full Description:
The present invention relates to a stuffed chair with one or more seats, in particular an armchair or a couch. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the interior design field stuffed chairs are known, which comprise a seat for one or more people; a backrest; a fixed part; and at least one mobile part (e.g. a footrest, a headrest, and/or a massaging device), which is configured to move relative to the fixed part due to the action of an actuating device (e.g. an electric motor), which is supplied with power by an electrical circuit. 
     The electrical circuits used to supply power to the actuating device generally are of two types. 
     According to a first type, the electrical circuit comprises an electrical cable that is connected, on one side, to the actuating device and, on the other side, to the electrical grid and, therefore, to a wall power socket. 
     According to the other one of the two know types described above, the electrical circuit comprises a rechargeable battery, which is mounted inside the stuffed chair, and a plug, which is connected to the battery and extends through the stuffed chair so as to be accessible from the outside and allow a user to recharge the battery itself. 
     Known stuffed chairs of the type described above have some drawbacks, which are mainly due to the fact that, in one case, the electrical cable is relatively long and hard to move and, therefore, is constantly in the way during the normal use of the stuffed chair and, in the other case, the access to the battery is relatively difficult and its replacement necessarily requires the presence of skilled personnel and the restoration of the electrical connection among the new battery, the actuating device and the recharging plug. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a stuffed chair with one or more seats, in particular an armchair or a couch, which is designed to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks in a straightforward, relatively low-cost manner. 
     The present invention provides a stuffed chair with one or more seats, in particular an armchair or a couch, according to the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are two schematic perspective views of a preferred embodiment of the stuffed chair according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view of a first detail of the stuffed chair of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are two schematic perspective views of a second detail of the stuffed chair of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which is shown in two different operating positions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , number  1  indicates, as a whole, a stuffed armchair having a seat  2 , a backrest  3 , and a pair of lateral armrests  4 . 
     According to a variant that is not shown herein, the stuffed armchair  1  can be removed and replaced with a stuffed couch with multiple seats. 
     The stuffed armchair  1  comprises, especially, a front footrest  5 , which is mobile relative to a fixed part  6  of the stuffed armchair  1  between a lowered rest position ( FIG. 2 ) and a raised operating position (not shown). 
     Obviously, the stuffed armchair  1  can comprise further mobile parts, such as, for example, a headrest and/or a massaging device. 
     The footrest  5  is moved between its lowered rest position and its raised operating position by an actuating device  7 , which comprises, in this special case, an electric motor, which is housed inside the stuffed armchair  1 . 
     The stuffed armchair  1  is also delimited by an outer surface  8 , and has a cavity  9 , which, in this special case, is obtained in one of the armrests  4 , has an oblong, substantially parallelepiped-like shape, and opens up outwards in correspondence to the surface  8  itself. 
     According to a variant that is not shown herein, the cavity  9  is obtained in other parts of the stuffed armchair  1 . 
     According to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the device is supplied with power by a power supply  10  device comprising a containing box  11 , which is cup-shaped, is housed inside the cavity  9  and, furthermore, has an inlet  12  that opens up outwards in correspondence to said outer surface  8 . 
     The box  11  is provided, furthermore, with an annular flange  13 , which extends around the inlet  12 , allows the box  11  to be fixed to the stuffed armchair  1  by means of a pair of fixing screws (not shown) screwed into the surface  8 , and is covered by a finishing frame  14 . 
     The box  11  is delimited by a bottom wall  15  and, furthermore, is also delimited by two main lateral walls  16 , which are substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the wall  15 , and by two minor lateral walls  17 , which are substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the wall  15  and the to the walls  16 . 
     The device  10  comprises, furthermore, a rechargeable battery  18 , which, in use, is mounted inside the box  11  through the inlet  12 , substantially has the shape of the cavity  9  and of the box  11 , and is delimited by an end face  19 , which is visible on the outside of the stuffed armchair  1 . 
     The actuating device  7  and the battery  18  are connectable to one another by means of a connection device  20  comprising a first plurality of electrical contacts  21  obtained on a bottom wall  22  of the battery  18  and a second plurality of electrical contacts  23 , which are obtained on the wall  15  and are connected to the device  7  by means of the interposition of an electrical cable  24 . 
     The battery  18  is engaged in the box  11  in a sliding manner and is mobile, in a moving direction  25  that is substantially perpendicular to the walls  15  and  22 , between an operating position ( FIGS. 1 and 5 ), in which the battery  18  is substantially held inside the box  11 , and an extracted position ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), in which the battery  18  projects outside of the box  11 . 
     When the battery  18  is arranged in its operating position, the wall  22  is substantially arranged in contact with the wall  15  and the contacts  21  and  23  are connected to one another, whereas, when the battery  18  is arranged in its extracted position, the wall  22  is arranged at a given distance from the wall  15  and the contacts  21  and  23  are disconnected from one another. 
     The battery  18  is locked in its operating position on the inside of the box  11  by a coupling device  26  comprising an elastically deformable tooth  27 , which is obtained through one of the main lateral walls  16  of the box  11 . 
     The tooth  27  is normally arranged in a locking position, in which, when the battery  18  is inserted into the box  11 , the tooth  27  hooks a rib  28  made on the battery  18  and locks the battery  18  in its operating position so as to ensure the connection between the contacts  21  and  23  and the power supply of the device  7 . 
     The tooth  27  is moved from its locking position to a release position for releasing the battery  18  by a release push button  29 , which extends in the direction  25  and projects outwards from the box  11  in correspondence to the inlet  12 , so as to be operated by the user. 
     The push button  29  is mobile, relative to the box  11 , in the direction  25  between an operating position, in which the push button  29  lifts the tooth  27  and disengages it from the rib  28 , and a rest position. 
     The push button  29  is moved to—and normally kept in—its rest position by a spring  30 , which is mounted between the box  11  and the push button  29  parallel to the direction  25 . 
     When the tooth  27  is moved to its release position, the battery  18  is moved to its extracted position by a spring  31 , which is hooked to the wall  15  and is interposed between the walls  15  and  22 . 
     The face  19  of the battery  18  is provided with a power supply connector  32  to charge the battery  18 , with a first light indicator  33  to display the charge state of the battery  18 , and with a second light indicator  34  to display the charge mode of the battery  18  itself. 
     The power supply device  10  leads to some advantages that are mainly due to the fact that: 
     the box  11  opens up outwards in correspondence to the outer surface  8  of the stuffed armchair  1  and, therefore, allows the user to easily replace the battery  18  after having uncoupled it from the box  11  itself; and 
     the position of the face  19  of the battery  18  allows the user to easily see the charge state and the charge mode of the battery  18 . 
     According to a variant that is not shown herein, the connection device  20 , the bottom wall  15  of the box  11  and the electrical cable  24  can be removed and replaced with a first electrical cable, which is connected to the actuating device  7 , and with a second electrical cable, which is connected to the battery  18  and is connectable to the first electrical cable. The extraction of the battery  18  from the box  11  allows users to disconnect the two electrical cables, replace the battery  18  with a new battery  18  and reconnect the two electrical cables to one another. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary implementations thereof, the present invention is not limited by or to such exemplary implementations.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0