U.S. patent number 3,828,375 [Application Number 05/309,309] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-13 for storable beds.
Invention is credited to Wilfred D. Driver.
United States Patent |
3,828,375 |
Driver |
August 13, 1974 |
STORABLE BEDS
Abstract
In a storable bed comprising a cabinet and a bed frame which is
enclosed in the cabinet in a stored position, the frame has a front
panel member fastened to its underside and a top panel member
fastened to one longer edge, the top panel member constituting a
bed side panel in the usable position, while it completes the
cabinet top and determines the stored position of the frame in the
stored position. A leg panel is pivoted to the bed frame and moves
between stored and usable positions under its own weight; in the
usable position thereof it constitutes a support leg for the frame
extending alongside the bed side panel, while in the stored
position it constitutes a front panel member of the cabinet
enclosing the bed frame.
Inventors: |
Driver; Wilfred D. (Thessalon,
Ontario, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23197657 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/309,309 |
Filed: |
November 24, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/160; 5/164.1;
5/136 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
17/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
17/40 (20060101); A47C 17/00 (20060101); A47c
017/52 () |
Field of
Search: |
;5/133,136,137,164R,164C,164E,165,170,159,160,6,2B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gay; Bobby R.
Assistant Examiner: Dorner; Kenneth J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rogers; Stanley J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A bed of storable type comprising a cabinet for enclosing the
bed in a stored position thereof, the cabinet having a top,
opposite sides and a front, a rectangular bed frame carrying a
box-spring and mattress or their equivalent and mounted by the
cabinet for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis which extends
close to and parallel to one of the longer frame edges, at least
one spring connected between the bed frame and the cabinet and
relieving the weight of the frame in its movement between usable
and stored positions, a fixed top panel member constituting part of
the cabinet top, another top panel member fixed to the other of
said longer frame edges so as to extend approximately vertically as
a bed side panel with the frame in usable position and to engage
the fixed top panel member with the frame in stored position to
complete the cabinet top and also to determine the stored position
of the frame relative to the cabinet interior, a main front panel
fastened to the underside of the bed frame and in the stored
position constituting part of the cabinet front, and a leg panel
member pivotally mounted to the other of the longer frame edges
between the edge and the said another top panel and movable by its
own weight between stored and usable positions corresponding to the
said bed frame positions, the leg panel in the usable position
extending vertically to engage the floor and support the
corresponding edge of the bed therefrom, and also extending
alongside the said another top panel, and the leg panel in the
stored position extending substantially parallel to the main front
panel between it and the another top panel to complete the cabinet
front.
2. A bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one tension spring
is connected between the leg panel and the bed frame in toggle
relation thereto for spring retention of the leg panel in the
stored or usable position to which it has moved.
3. A bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first-mentioned longer
edge of the bed frame has vertically extending therefrom a member
of truncated triangular shape for retaining the mattress or
equivalent on the bed frame in the stored position thereof, and
wherein two tension counter balance springs have corresponding ends
fastened to the upper corners of the member and the other
corresponding ends fastened into the lower junctions of the cabinet
walls with the floor thereof, so that the springs are operative in
angular relation to one another.
4. A bed as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first-mentioned longer
edge of the bed frame has vertically extending therefrom a member
of truncated triangular shape for retaining the mattress or
equivalent on the bed frame in the stored position thereof, and
wherein two tension counter balance springs have corresponding ends
fastened to the upper corners of the member and the other
corresponding ends fastened into the lower junctions of the cabinet
walls with the floor thereof, so that the springs are operative in
angular relation to one another.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is concerned with improvements in or relating
to beds of the storable type, that is to say of the type wherein
the mattress or its equivalent is movable between a so-called
"usable" position and a so-called "stored" position.
REVIEW OF THE PRIOR ART
A large number of proposals have been made hitherto for beds of
storable type wherein the mattress (or its equivalent) and its
supporting frame are movable between a horizontal usable position
for sleeping and a vertical stored position for times when the bed
is not required, to provide more usable space in the room in which
the bed is located. Such beds are particularly useful in low-cost
housing applications and in rental applications such as apartments
and motels, wherein space is at a premium. One form of storage bed
is for example the well-known bed-chesterfield, but such devices
involve folding of the mattress for storage in the body of the
chesterfield, preventing storage of the bed with the clothes
thereof in "made-up" condition. Prior proposals in which the
mattress is stored vertically, among them my own U.S. Pat. No.
3,464,070, have involved the provision of a special mechanism
operable by movement of the bed frame for holding the bed clothes
in place while the bed is stored.
DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new bed of
the storable type.
It is another object to provide a new storable type bed which in
the stored position provides a completely enclosed structure of
attractive external appearance.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a bed of
storable type comprising a cabinet for enclosing the bed in a
stored position thereof, the cabinet having a top, opposite sides
and a front, a rectangular bed frame carrying a box-spring and
mattress or their equivalent and mounted by the cabinet for
pivoting movement about a horizontal axis which extends close to
and parallel to one of the longer frame edges, at least one spring
connected between the bed frame and the cabinet and relieving the
weight of the frame in its movement between usable and stored
positions, a fixed top panel member constituting part of the
cabinet top, another top panel member fixed to the other of said
longer frame edges so as to extend approximately vertically as a
bed side panel with the frame in usable position and to engage the
fixed top panel member with the frame in stored position to
complete the cabinet top and also to determine the stored position
of the frame relative to the cabinet interior, a main front panel
fastened to the underside of the bed frame and in the stored
position constituting part of the cabinet front, and a leg panel
member pivotally mounted to the other of the longer frame edges
between the edge and the said another top panel and movable by its
own weight between stored and usable positions corresponding to the
said bed frame positions, the leg panel in the usable position
extending vertically to engage the floor and support the
corresponding edge of the bed therefrom, and also extending
alongside the said another top panel, and the leg panel in the
stored position extending substantially parallel to the main front
panel between it and the another top panel to complete the cabinet
front.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A storable bed which is a particular preferred embodiment of the
invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference
to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the bed in its fully stored
condition,
FIGS. 2 and 3 are similar views showing the bed respectively partly
and fully in the usable position,
FIG. 4 is a perspective view to a larger scale with the bed-spring
and mattress removed, and with parts broken away as necessary to
show details of construction,
FIG. 5 is a side elevation with the nearest side removed to show
the bed construction, the bed in usable position being shown in
solid lines, and in its stored position being shown in broken
lines, and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the pivot mounting for
the bed frame.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The particular storable bed illustrated herein consists essentially
of a cabinet, indicated generally by the reference 10, and the bed,
indicated generally by the reference 11. The cabinet has two side
walls 12, a back wall 13, a narrow top wall 14, and bottom
connecting cross-bars 15 and 16. The particular cabinet illustrated
also includes shelves 17 although these are not essential for
operation of the invention and may be omitted or modified.
The bed consists of a rectangular metal frame 18 receiving a
conventional rectangular box spring 19, which in turn supports a
mattress 20. The two shorter frame sides are provided with
respective coaxial protruding pins 21, which engage in pivot
bearing members 22 fastened to the inside faces of side walls 12
and mount the frame 18 for pivoting movement about a horizontal
axis 23 parallel to the longer edges 18a and 18b of the frame. The
axis 23 is closer to edge 18a than to edge 18b so that the
unopposed wieght of the frame and its contents tends to move it to
the horizontal usable position.
A rigid retaining panel 24 of truncated triangular shape is
fastened to the edge 18a and extends at right angles to the general
plane of the frame. Two bed-weight counterbalance tension springs
25 are fastened at their respective ends between the bottom edges
of the cabinet side walls and the top shorter, horizontal edge of
the panel 24. It will be seen that the distance between the bottom
ends of the springs is much greater than that between their top
ends, so that the springs also extend toward one another,
permitting the use of longer springs that will more readily give
the required characteristic. These springs are sufficiently strong
that they will hold the bed securely in the stored position by
their tension, when it has been moved to that position by an
operator, but are unable of their own action to cause movement of
the bed from the usable position.
A decorative panel 26 is fastened to the underside of the frame 18
and extends the full length thereof, but not quite the full width.
Another decorative panel 27 is fastened rigidly to the frame edge
18b and, as will be seen from FIG. 5, in the usable position of the
bed is inclined inward from the vertical toward the mattress. A
further decorative leg panel 28 is pivotally mounted to the edge
18b by hinges 29 and is movable about the resultant horizontal
pivot axis 30 between a stored position, corresponding to the
stored position of the frame, in which it co-operates with the
panel 26 to complete a front wall for the cabinet 10, and the
usable position, in which it constitutes a leg for the bed frame,
the panel being interposed between the floor and a web 18c fastened
to the edge 18b, and supporting the frame from the floor in a
substantially horizontal position. The leg panel 28 is retained in
its alternative position by tension springs 31 which are connected
to the leg panel below the pivot axis 30 and to the bed frame a
substantial distance above that axis, and are arranged to operate
in toggle manner to snap the panel to its alternative positions
after it has moved toward those positions under its own weight and
has passed through a dead centre position. Thereafter the springs
retain the panel in the positions.
The complete bed comprises a pillow 32 or its equivalent, such as a
cushion or bolster, and some form of sheet, bed spread or coverlet
33 which usually extends over the pillow. It is found desirable to
fasten the mattress to the frame by light restraining ties 34,
passing around the usual handles provided on the mattress, since
otherwise there is a tendency for the mattress and box spring to
separate from the frame because of their inertia if the bed is
moved too quickly from the stored position.
When the bed is opened to the usable position the leg panel 28
swings under the tension of the springs 31 and its own weight to
the vertical position and engages the floor so that the bed is
usable in the normal mannner. To store the bed the operator makes
up the bed and places the pillow on the mattress under the
bedspread and then swings the bed upwards, the force required being
low enough for this to be done by a child or elderly person because
of the action of the springs 25. The position assumed by the bed in
the stored position is set by the abutting engagement of the upper
edge of the panel 27 with the outer edge of the top wall 14, the
two panels also co-operating to provide a continuous surface. In
this position the bed is retained securely by the action of the
springs 25, the mattress and the box spring are retained by the
panel 24, while the upper face of the mattress is inclined at an
angle to the back wall to form a space of downwardly-tapering
cross-section. The bedspread and any other sheet-like bedclothes
are tucked under the edges of the mattress to hold them neatly in
place in either position. At the same time the leg panel 28 has
swung under spring tension and its own weight to the position
illustrated in FIG. 5, in which it is substantially coextensive
with the decorative panel 26 and completes the front panel of the
cabinet with an appropriate decorative appearance, and so that the
bed is completely enclosed.
As illustrated by FIG. 6, the particular pivot construction
provided comprises a washer 35 welded to the head of the pin 21,
which is in turn mounted in the bed frame 18, while the slotted
member 22 fixed to the wall has another slotted member 36 fastened
to the front thereof. The washer 35 engages freely in the slot in
member 22 but cannot pass through the slot in member 36, so that
the pin is held against endwise, downwards and sideways movement,
but pivots freely and can readily be removed by lifting the bed
frame when the springs 25 have been unhooked therefrom.
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