Patent ID: 8015639

Claim:
A folding bed for supporting an intended user in both an elongated configuration and a seated configuration, said intended user having a torso, a pair of lower limbs and a hip region therebetween, said intended user also having a weight, said folding bed being positionable on a ground surface, said folding bed comprising: a bed frame having a frame base, said bed frame defining a bed frame first end and a longitudinally opposed bed frame second end; a first supporting section for supporting said torso, said first supporting section defining a first supporting section first end and a longitudinally opposed first supporting section second end; a second supporting section for supporting said lower limbs, said second supporting section defining a second supporting section first end and a longitudinally opposed second supporting section second end, said first and second supporting sections being angled relative to each other by a first-to-second section angle; said first and second supporting sections being pivotally coupled together through a first-to-second section pivotal link for pivotal movement between an elongated configuration and a bent configuration, wherein, in said extended configuration, said first and second supporting sections are in a substantially coplanar relationship with respect to each other, and, in said bent configuration, said first-to-second section angle has a value smaller than 180 degrees; a first support member defining a first support member first end and a longitudinally opposed first support member second end, said first support member first end being pivotally attached to said first supporting section intermediate said first supporting section first end and said first supporting section second end at a section pivotal link-to-first support member distance from said pivotal link, said first support member second end being mechanically coupled to said frame base; wherein: when said first and second supporting sections are in said extended configuration, said first-to-second section pivotal link is at a first level relative to said frame base; and when said first and second supporting sections are in said bent configuration, said first-to-second section pivotal link is at a second level relative to said frame base, said second level being substantially lower than said first level; said first and second supporting sections being movable by said intended user between said extended and bent configurations with said intended user laying in said bed and moving said torso with respect to said lower limbs to change a torso-to-lower limbs angle between said torso and said lower limbs to shift said weight of said intended user with respect to said folding bed and cause a change in said first-to-second section angle.