Patent ID: 8616627

Claim:
A gliding-reclining seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; an arm frame; a gliding mechanism attached to the base and to the arm frame, the gliding mechanism configured to enable the arm frame to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction relative to the base; a generally horizontally-disposed seat; a generally upright backrest positioned rearwardly of the seat; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism that interconnects and controls movement of the seat and the backrest relative to the arm frame between an upright position and a reclined position; wherein in the upright position, the backrest is generally upright and positioned above the arm frame, and the seat has a first rearward position relative to the arm frame; and wherein in the reclined position, the backrest is reclined relative to the underlying surface as compared to its disposition in the upright position and the seat has a second forward position relative to the arm frame that is forward of the first rearward position; the footrest unit comprising at least one footrest and a footrest mechanism that interconnects the footrest with the seat, the footrest mechanism configured to move the footrest between a retracted position, in which the footrest is positioned beneath the seat, and an extended position, in which the footrest is generally horizontally disposed in front of the seat, the footrest able to move to either of the retracted and extended positions whether the backrest is in the upright or reclined position, and the backrest able to move to either of the upright or reclined positions whether the footrest is in the retracted or extended position; wherein, when the backrest moves between the upright and reclined positions, the footrest unit moves in concert with the seat relative to the arm frame; wherein the arm frame is free to reciprocate relative to the base when the backrest is in either of the upright position and the reclined position.