Patent ID: 12201220

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to the drawings,FIGS.1-7show an adjustable bedframe10having an articulating frame20and a stationary frame30. An actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is configured to drive the articulating frame20to pivot as the stationary frame30remains stationary.FIGS.1-4show the manner in which safety latch mechanism50leaves a channel85of an actuator linkage pull bar80in response to the articulating frame20being driven to pivot from an undeployed state into a deployed state.

The safety latch mechanism50is attached to the articulating frame20. As can be appreciated fromFIGS.1and5, an engagement arises between the safety latch mechanism50and the upper wall of the channel85in the event that the articulating frame20pivots from its undeployed state relative to the stationary frame30without being driven by the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40. Such an engagement has the effect of limiting the range of motion that the articulating frame20can travel. The actuator lifting assembly mechanism40may be constructed in the same manner as that provided for the adjustable power bed layer of U.S. Pat. No. 10,463,163 B1 or for the adjustable bed lift mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 10,376,074 B2.

As a consequence, the safety latch mechanism50is thus arranged to effect restriction of the articulating frame20from pivoting out of the undeployed state beyond the limited range of motion unless the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is driving the articulating frame20to pivot. Thus, the articulating frame20is precluded from pivoting out of its undeployed state because of the presence of gravitational forces that might otherwise cause the articulating frame20to pivot.

FIGS.1-5show a safety latch mechanism50is configured to become “latched” by pressing against an upper inside surface of the channel85of the actuator linkage pull bar80so as to allow the articulating frame20to have only a very small range of motion. When “unlatched”, the safety latch mechanism50clears the channel85and no longer prevents the articulating frame20from pivoting to its fully angled position (deployed state) relative to the stationary frame30and in so doing to lift up a foot-side of a mattress (not shown) located above.

As the actuator linkage pull bar80engages the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40over an initial short distance (i.e., a “latch engagement range”) to raise or lift the articulating frame20, the articulating frame20moves upward slightly within the very small range of motion that is allowed when latched. At the same time, the push/pull rod70of the actuator is pulling the channel85away from the safety latch mechanism50until they are fully separated while still within the “latch engagement range”, thus allowing the safety latch mechanism50and the channel85of the actuator linkage pull bar80to clear each other freely as the articulating frame20continues to rise.

The channel85is configured to accommodate a bent end of the latch of the safety latch mechanism50.FIGS.1-4illustrate the manner that the safety latch mechanism50leaves its latched position to enter into its unlatched position, i.e., by becoming separated from the channel85. However, if the articulating frame20is raised with the safety latch mechanism50in its relative position ofFIG.1, then the safety latch mechanism50in effect limits the range of motion that the articulating portion can travel because of its engagement as shown inFIG.5as it presses against an upper peripheral surface that bounds the channel85.

In one embodiment, the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is unrestrained in the vertical direction and so could lift up under manual force even with the safety latch mechanism50of the present invention present. Thus, a vertical restraint should be imposed. That is, the safety latch mechanism50may be effectively restraining the articulating frame20from pivoting beyond the limited range of motion, but that does not mean that the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is likewise so restricted in its range of motion.

For that reason, vertical restraint may be realized by providing pairs of guides90for the pull bar80and a pair of mating locking tabs100. That is, as the pull bar80(the latch interface point) enters the latching zone via the actuator lowering the articulating portions20(moving fromFIG.4toFIG.3toFIG.2toFIG.1), the pair of guides90of the pull bar80(which is what the safety latch mechanism50interfaces with) on each side as shown inFIGS.6and7make engagement with respective ones of mating locking tabs100on a pair of right-angled guide rails110. The pull bar80may be slid back and forth between and upon the right-angled guide rails110.

The engagement of the mating locking tabs100with respective pairs of the guides90keeps the pull bar80vertically restrained as long as the engagement remains. As the pull bar80is urged out of the latching zone, however, the pairs of the guides90and the mating locking tabs100disengage from each other, thereby ending the engagement and thus the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is no longer vertically restrained.

If desired, the pull bar80may be replaced in a conventional manner by a different component that can be moved to both simultaneously cause the articulating frame20to pivot relative to the stationary frame30and disengage whatever is vertically restraining the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40.

The safety latch mechanism50is depicted inFIGS.8-13, the pull bar80is depicted inFIGS.14-17, the foot-side linkage of the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40is depicted inFIGS.18-22, and the foot-side linkage of the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40with the safety latch mechanism50in place is depicted inFIGS.23-27. The foot-side linkage of the actuator lifting assembly mechanism40and a head-side linkage of the actuator lifting assembly mechanism60operate in an analogous manner with each other except that the former acts to lift the foot-side of the mattress over the foot-side of the adjustable bedframe and the latter acts to lift the head-side of the mattress over the head-side of the adjustable bedframe and thus cause respective articulating frames to pivot symmetrically relative to each other with portions of the respective frames that are the further away from each other being raised higher in the deployed state than are portions that are closer to each other.

FIG.28illustrates the overall arrangement of the invention by showing the relation with respect to each other of the adjustable bedframe10that has two articulating frames20and a stationary frame30, the foot-side actuator lifting assembly mechanism40, the safety latch mechanism50, the head-side actuator lifting assembly mechanism60, a mattress.75, and a pull bar80.FIGS.29A,29B and29Cset forth method steps to impose a limited range of motion (LROM) upon either the actuator lifting assembly mechanism (ALAM)40or the adjustable frames (AF)20of the adjustable bedframe10via a safety latch mechanism (SLM)50and/or mating locking tabs100.

The apparatus limits a range of motion of an adjustable lift assembly bedframe with a plurality of components that include an adjustable bedframe having a stationary frame and an articulating frame. The components also include as actuator lifting assembly mechanism arranged to impose forces that drive the articulating frame to pivot and means for preventing at least one of the components from moving beyond a limited range of motion as long as two surfaces are in engagement with each other unless and until the actuator lifting assembly drives the articulating frame to pivot sufficiently out of the undeployed state to cause two surfaces to disengage from each other. The means for preventing includes a safety latch mechanism attached to the articulating frame that engages with the actuator lifting assembly mechanism to effect restriction on the articulating frame against pivoting beyond the limited range of motion.

The articulating frame is pivotably movable between an undeployed state and a fully deployed state. The stationary frame remains stationary as the articulating frame pivots. At least one of the surfaces moves in response to forces that drive the articulating frame to pivot.

The actuator linkage pull bar of the actuator linkage lifting assembly mechanism effects back and forth movements. The safety latch mechanism has an end, which constitutes one of the two surfaces, and moves into a channel of the actuator linkage pull bar to cause engagement of the end with the actuator linkage pull bar, which has another of the two surfaces, and moves out of the channel to cause disengagement of the end with the actuator pull bar. The articulating frame is driven to pivot in response to the back and forth movements of the actuator linkage pull bar.

The means for preventing includes locking tabs arranged to restrain the actuator lifting assembly mechanism from moving beyond the limited range of motion. The locking tabs has one of the two surfaces.

While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.