Improvements in Convertible Sofa Beds.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Convertible Sofa Beds.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of 18,
Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad
by William Thomas Rolph, of 78, Willow Street, Minneapolis, United States
of America, Manufacturer, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to convertible sofa beds and particularly to the provision
of a convertible sofa bed which may be converted from a sofa to a bed or vice versa,
without moving the main frame out from the wall against which the sofa rests.
The object of this invention is to provide means whereby when the arrangement
is shifted or converted from the form of a sofa into that of a bed the parts will
automatically move away from the wall against which the sofa bed may be located.
In this action of converting the arrangement from a sofa into a bed the back,
which normally lies parallel to the face of the wall, must swing backwardly and
downwardly to assume a horizontal position in the same plane with the bottom
portion of the sofa. Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been necessary to
draw the whole bed by main force outwardly from the wall in order to allow this
back portion to swing downwardly. By my invention the whole bed moves auto-
matically away from the wall at the same time that the back is swung downwardly.
No more effort is necessary in unfolding the bed or in folding it up in sofa form
than is required in the arrangement previously used and the effort necessary
to draw the bed away from the wall and push it back is rendered entirely
unnecessary by my invention.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention.
Figure 2 is a view from one end with one of the end frames removed and with
the parts in position for use as a sofa.
Figure 3 is a view of a cross section with the parts in position assumed by
them to form the bed, this view showing in dotted lines the lever arrangement for
supporting the parts and regulating their movement in folding and unfolding.
Figure 4 is a detail view.
As shown in the drawings, the sofa bed consists of the bottom portion 5 in the
form of a box or receptacle open at the top, the second part 10 resting thereon
and forming the frame or seat of the sofa and the third section 15 which forms
the back of the sofa when in upright position and part of the bed frame when in
a horizontal position. The first and second parts 5 and 10 are connected together
pivotally by arms 20 secured to the base or box bottom 5, said arms having
lateral extensions 21 at their upper ends carrying the pivots 22 which extend
through ears 221 on plates 25 secured to the inner and upper sides of the end
frames of the second part 10. Arms 1 connected with the bottom section 5 extend.
upwardly and at a slight inclination towards the rear at the outer ends of the
second part 10 and connect with the pivots 22, a nut 23 bèing used to hold

page_text: these parts together. The third part or back section of the sofa is pivoted in
the same ears which connect the other parts, it having secured thereto pivot ears 2
which fit between the ears 221 to receive the same pivot pin which connects the
other parts. The two parts 10 and 15 are held in right angular relation to form
the sofa by means of catch levers.29 which are pivoted at 3 and are under
pressure of springs 4 so that their ends which have pins thereon will engage
openings in curved extensions of plates 5* which carry the pivot ears 2 of the
part 15. These catch levers are arranged at each end of the bed and they may be
operated simultaneously to disengage the parts by means of a lever 47 arranged
at the center of the parts 10, said lever being connected with the turning plate 471
connected by bars 35 with releasing levers 28 pivoted at 27 as shown. When
the lever 47 is turned, parts 10 and 15 will be released from each other and the
upright part may be swung downwardly to form the bed.
It is my purpose to have the parts 5, 10 and 15 move automatically away from
the wall. For this purpose I support the base or bottom section 5 upon links a,
these being connected, therefore, near the bottom edge of the first part of bottoni
section 5 and extending up therefrom parallel with each other and across the ends
of said section, there being a pair of these parallel links at each end of the bottom
section 5. The lower pivotal connection of these parallel links is made with
a metal of right angular form, the horizontal flange of which is secured to the
bottom of the section 5, and the vertical section of which extends upwardly a
slight distance along the end piece of the bottom section.
At their upper ends these parallel links a are pivotally connected with a second
pair of parallel links c pivoted at their lower ends to the main supporting frame d
of the bed. The upper ends of the parallel links e are extended above the pivotal
connection with the links a and are connected with each other by a rod c. On
this rod is pivoted or swivelled a block f having an opening there through which
receives the end of a rod y extending rearwardly and connected by another block h
with a link. This latter block receives the link i and is pivotally connected to
the rod g, and both blocks are provided with set screws for adjustment. The
link is pivoted at its lower end to the main stationary frame of the bed, and
at its upper end it is pivoted to the section 15. Suitable pivot blocks may be
used as atk between the links and the stationary frame and between the link i
and the part 15, and these may be of metal and secured in place by screws. This
link and lever arrangement is used at each end of the sofa bed and it lies between
the ends of the parts 5, 10 and 15 and the ornamental stationary end frames A
of the sofa bed. By reason of this lever arrangement the bottom section does
not have to be pulled by main force away from the wall in converting from
the sofa to a bed, but this bottom section will move easily by reason of being
supported on the parallel links and its horizontal position will be main-
tained. This movement toward and from the wall takes place automatically as
the parts are shifted to form the sofa or to form a bed, and in action it will
be only necessary to manipulate the section 10 of the sofa, and then the com-
bination of links and levers will cause the movement of parts to take place
towards and from the wall.
I do not wish to limit myself to the precise form of bed having the bottom
section in the form of a box, as my invention may be carried out in connection
with any horizontal section which is preferably combined with the back section.
The main stationary frame consists of bottom sills connected with cross sills
and having end pieces m resting on the sills k¹, and to those latter end pieces
the controlling links are secured, the parallel links c being pivoted in clips n
let into the inner sides of the end pieces m and held by screws.
The ornamental
main frames or sides of the sofa bed A also rest on the sills and these end
frames are connected together by back strips o. In operation, in order to convert
the arrangement from the form of a sofa to that of a bed, it is also necessary
to lift up on the intermediate section 10 so that this, together with the back
section 15, will turn on the pivots 22. This causes the back section to assume a

page_text: horizontal position, while at the same time it moves laterally from the wall,
and this action causes the intermediate section to assume an upright position in
respect to the back section and the bottom section. During this action the
intermediate section 10 and the section 15 maintain their right angular relation,
but as soon as the parts have been thus positioned and have moved laterally from
the wall, it is only necessary to operate the catch releasing mechanism so that
the intermediate section 10 can be lowered from an upright to a horizontal
position over the box section.
In converting from the form of a bed to that of a sofa, the intermediate or
base section 10 is first raised until the locking mechanism is engaged to hold this
section at right angles to the back section which is now in a horizontal position,
and then by simply pressing down upon the front or upper edge of the base
section this will swing down into horizontal position while the back will rise
into vertical position and all the sections will swing toward the wall.
The tilting of the seat section 10 up or down moves the box or base 5 outward
or inward in a horizontal plane according to the direction of the tilt and it
follows that the horizontal outward movement of the box or base will tilt the seat
up, and the horizontal inward movement will tilt it down through the suspended
relation between the parts. It will thus be seen that either tilting the seat or
moving the box or base horizontally out or in changes the sections 10 and 15
from their sofa-forming position to their bed-forming position, and from their
bed-forming position to their sofa-forming position; and in so doing the angle
relation between the sections 10 and 15 is maintained, thus enabling the swing-
ing or turning to be made in advance of the plane of the back of the sofa, so as
to dispense with the necessity of moving the sofa from the wall, while effecting
the conversion from a sofa to a bed, or vice versa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1. In combination in a sofa bed, two sections forming the base and back
of the sofa respectively, pivotal connections between them, means for causing
the parts to move laterally or towards and from the wall as the seat is tilted
from a horizontal to a vertical position or the reverse, and means for moving
the back with the tilting of the seat.
2. In combination in a sofa bed, the two sections hinged together and forming
the base and back respectively, a bottom section in the form of a box, pivotal
connections between the several sections whereby the back sections may be
moved to and from a horizontal position and whereby the base section of the
sofa may be raised or lowered in relation to the box section, and supporting
means for the sections to cause them all to move toward and from the wall as
the parts are shifted from one form to the other.
3. In combination in a sofa bed, the stationary frame, a horizontal section,
a back section in pivotal connection therewith, and parallel links supporting the
horizontal section from said frame to allow it to move outwardly while maintain-
ing its horizontal position.
4. In combination in a sofa bed, a horizontal section, links supporting the same
to permit lateral shifting movement in a horizontal plane, a back section, pivotal
connections between the horizontal section and back section, a controlling con-
nection for the back section to cause it to move towards and from the wall or
laterally.
5. In combination in a sofa bed, the stationary frame, a horizontal section, a
back section, pivotal connections between the sections, links in connection with
the back section, links for controlling the movement of the horizontal section,
and connecting bars between the links of the horizontal section.
6. In combination in a sofa bed, a horizontal section and a back section adapted
.to be raised and lowered in their fixed relation to each other and to assume a

page_text: horizontal position in the same plane to form the bed, and controlling and sup-
porting connections to permit the parts to be bodily moved toward and from the
wall or laterally with the sections maintained in their raised angle relation and
reversely swung or turned in the sofa space in changing the parts from a bed
to a sofa form or the reverse.
7. In combination in a sofa bed, the stationary frame, a horizontal section,
a back section adapted to be raised and lowered, parallel links forming a support
for the horizontal section, bars connected with the upper ends of the parallel
links, links supporting the back sections and rods connecting the said links
with the connecting bar of the parallel links.
8. In combination, a stationary frame, a horizontal moving box section, back
section pivotally connected therewith, a second section pivotally connected with
the other sections and arranged over the box section, supporting means for the
horizontal section comprising parallel links and links connecting the back section
with the stationary frame.
9. In combination, a stationary frame, a horizontal moving box section, a
back section pivotally connected therewith, a second section pivotally connected
with the other section and arranged over the box section and arranged over the
box section, supporting means for the horizontal section comprising parallel
links and links connecting the back section with the stationary frame, said links
being in connection with the parallel links.
10. In combination in a sofa bed, the main stationary frame, a horizontal
section, a back section pivotally connected therewith, and supporting means for
the horizontal section comprising a pair of parallel links at each end connected
with the section at their lower ends and a second pair of links connecting with
the upper ends of the first pair, said second pair having their lower ends con-
nected with the main stationary frame.
11. In combination in a sofa bed, the main stationary frame, a horizontal
section, a back section pivotally connected therewith, and supporting means
for the horizontal section comprising a pair of parallel links at each end con-
nected with the section at their lower ends and a second pair of links connected
with the upper ends of the first pair, said second pair having their lower ends
connected with the main stationary frame, said second pair of links having
extensions above the upper pivots of the first pair of links with a bar con-
necting said extensions.
12. In combination, the box section 5, the section 10, the back section 15,
pivotal connections between the sections, supporting means comprising two
pairs of links at each end of the horizontal sections, the links connecting the
back section with the main frame, the bar connecting the upper ends of one pair
of the links at each end of the horizontal sections and the rods connecting said
bars with the links of the back section.
13. In combination, the bottom or box section, the seat section above the same
adapted to be raised.and lowered in relation thereto, a movable supporting means
for the sections to permit both to be moved toward and from the wall or laterally.
14. In combination, the bottom or box section the base frame, a section above
the box section in pivotal connection therewith, and supporting means between
the main stationary frame and the box and upper section comprising swinging
links.
15. In combination, the main frame, a horizontal moving section, and swinging
links between the main frame and said section, said links comprising two pairs
at each end of the section, one pair having their lower ends pivotally connected
with the section and the other pair having their lower ends connected with the
main frame and their upper ends pivoted with the upper ends of the first pair.
16. In combination in a sofa bed, a base section, a back section, the pivotal
connections between them, detachable means for holding the sections in right
angular relation or for permitting both sections to assume a horizontal position,
and supporting means for causing the sections to move laterally towards and from

page_text: the wall when the base section is raised in converting the arrangement from one
form to the other.
17. In combination in a sofa bed, a back section, a base section at right angles
thereto, pivot supports for said sections, means for holding the sections at right
angles to each other as they are moving on the pivots, link supporting means for
causing the sections to move toward and from the wall or laterally as they move
on their pivots and releasing means so that the base section may be lowered
from its upright position.
18. In combination in a sofa bed, the back section, the base section, pivotal
connections between them, locking means for holding the sections in right
angular relation, said locking means when released permitting both sections
to assume a horizontal position, a horizontal section and movable supporting
means for the parts to cause them to move toward and from the wall or laterally
in shifting from one form to the other.
19. In a sofa-bed, a longitudinally divided bed bottom having its two sections
standing normally at an angle to each other, means adapted to move the two
sections bodily outward away from the back of the sofa and to turn or swing
them in such movement and reverse their positions without changing their relative
angle, and means for dropping the raised section when reversed and have both
sections lie in the same horizontal plane.
20. In a sofa-bed, a longitudinally divided bed bottom having its two sections
hinged together and standing normally at right angle to each other, and means
for pivotally mounting and suspending the two sections to permit them to be
moved bodily as one piece outward on the suspension means and raised and
swung or turned on the pivots in such movements to reverse the position of the
sections, as to horizontal and vertical, without changing their relative angle and
when reversed permit the outer section to be dropped into a horizontal plane
with the inner section.
21. In a sofa-bed, a divided bed bottom having an inner and outer section
hinged together, means normally holding the two sections at right angle in relation
to each other for one section to lie horizontal and the other section to stand
vertical, a pivotal support at each end of the sections, and means for suspending
and swinging the sections on the pivotal support, whereby the bottom as a whole
can be turned in front of the vertical plane of the sofa back without changing
the relative angle between the sections.
22. In a sofa-bed, a divided bed bottom having an inner and outer section hinged
together, means for holding the sections normally in right angle relation to
each other, a pivot at each end on which the sections turn as a whole maintaining
their normal relation when turned into a reverse position, a stationary base, a
movable base, and means for suspending and swinging the sections by the hori-
zontal movement of the movable base.
23. In a sofa-bed, a divided bed bottom having an inner and outer section,
means normally holding the two sections at a right angle relation to each other,
a hinge and pivot connection between the two sections at each end a movable
hase or support carrying the sections and pivots, and means suspending the
sections over the base to move laterally and swing up and down on the pivots
and reverse the relation of the sections as to vertical and horizontal.
24. In a sofa-bed, a divided bed bottom having an inner and outer section,
means normally holding the sections at an angle to each other, a hinged connec-
tion between the two sections, a pivot at each end on which the sections are
mounted, and a swinging support carrying the sections for the travel of the
sections forward and backward to reverse the relation of the two without changing
the relative angle between them.
25. In a sofa-bed, an inner and an outer section hinged together, means
normally holding the two sections at an angle relative to each other, forming the
seat and back of the sofa when so held, and a pivotal support for the sections

page_text: on which they can be turned or tilted as a whole, said pivotal support having
both a vertical and lateral movement for raising and lowering the sections bodily
and moving them from and toward the back of the sofa.