U.S. patent number 3,848,924 [Application Number 05/399,081] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-19 for mobile chair base having locking means.
This patent grant is currently assigned to La-Z-Boy Chair Company. Invention is credited to Edwin G. Gensler, Edwin J. Shoemaker, David B. White.
United States Patent |
3,848,924 |
Shoemaker , et al. |
November 19, 1974 |
MOBILE CHAIR BASE HAVING LOCKING MEANS
Abstract
The base of the rockable lounger chair has rubber tired wheels
at the front end and casters at the rear end. Lever means is
employed which is operated by the handle which extends and retracts
the leg rest to raise spring pressed plungers from the tires of the
front wheels. This permits the chair to be moved to another
location only when the leg rest is extended and the chair is locked
against rocking movement. When the handle is retracted partially or
fully, the position of the leg rest is adjusted or retracted and
the front wheels of the chair are locked,retaining the chair in
fixed position. In this position the chair will not roll when an
occupant is getting in or out of the chair. This is of special
advantage when the chair is used in the Health Care Field.
Inventors: |
Shoemaker; Edwin J. (Monroe,
MI), Gensler; Edwin G. (Monroe, MI), White; David B.
(Monroe, MI) |
Assignee: |
La-Z-Boy Chair Company (Monroe,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23578064 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/399,081 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/423.26;
297/269.1; 188/2F; 297/217.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G
5/00 (20130101); B60B 33/021 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/50 (20060101); A47C 7/00 (20060101); A61G
5/00 (20060101); B60B 33/00 (20060101); B60B
33/02 (20060101); A47c 007/50 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/217,269,270,DIG.4,434,261,271,437 ;188/2F,19,20
;280/43.24 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mitchell; James C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Harness, Dickey & Pierce
Claims
We claim:
1. In a base for a chair, a base frame having side elements with at
least one cross bar therebetween, a wheel mounted at the forward
end of each side element, a caster mounted at each rear end of said
side elements, a spring pressed locking member at the front ends of
the side elements which are urged by the springs into engagement
with the wheels, a leg rest mounted at the forward end of the
chair, link means on the sides of the chair for supporting and
moving the leg rest to extended and retracted positions, and means
operated when the link means moves said leg rest from retracted
position for releasing said locking means.
2. In a base for a chair as recited in claim 1, wherein each said
wheel is mounted on a shaft through an inverted U-shaped bracket,
said locking member embodying a rod extending through an aperture
in the end web of the bracket, a spring within the bracket about
said rod for urging the rod axially, and a lever pivoted to the
extending end of said rod for moving the opposite end of the rod
away from said wheel when the lever is actuated.
3. In a base for a chair as recited in claim 2, wherein one end of
said lever engages said web, an operating means for the other end
of the lever which moves said rod axially and the engaged end
thereof away from said wheel.
4. In a base for a chair as recited in claim 1, wherein each side
member of the base has an inwardly extending boss, and a tubular
cross member having its ends extending over said bosses and secured
thereto.
5. In a base for a chair as recited in claim 4, wherein said tube
has upstanding arms, a square rod rotatably supported by said
additional arms fixed to said rod having the free end pivoted to
said operating means. 6. In a base for a chair as recited in claim
4, wherein a rotatable rod in said leg rest mechanism is rotated by
said handle, an actuating arm fixed onto said rod, and a link
connecting the actuating arm to an arm on said first square rod for
operating the levers which move the rods to release the wheels when
the handle has been moved to leg rest extended position.
A rollable base for a chair, a base having rolling means thereon,
means for locking said base against rolling movement, a leg rest,
means for moving said leg rest from retracted position to extended
position, and means actuated by said leg rest moving means for
permitting said chair to be rolled when the leg rest is moved from
retracted position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wheel chairs are usually provided in hospitals, nursing homes and
for disabled persons to provide mobility for the occupant without
providing the comfort of a lounge chair which has a degree of
mobility when using the base of the present invention.
RELATED APPLICATION
Reference may be had to the copending application of E. J.
Shoemaker et al., Ser. No. 323,137, filed June 12, 1973 for "Lounge
Chair Having Mobile Base" now U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,122 which was
assigned to the assignee of the present invention and over which
the present base is believed patentable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a base for a reclining platform rocking
chair, similar to that illustrated in the patent to Knabusch et
al., No. 3,096,121, which provides mobility thereto. The base is
provided with rubber tired wheels at the front end which contact
the floor and with casters at the rear end. Spring pressed plungers
engage the tires on the front wheels for the purpose of locking the
wheels against rotation when the leg rest of the chair is
retracted. When the handle at the side of the chair is operated to
extend the leg rest, the plungers are retracted near the end of the
leg rest extended movement releasing the front wheels and
permitting the chair to be moved to another location. The chair
will again be retained against movement when the leg rest is
partially or fully retracted which releases the plungers so that
they can again be urged against the tires of the wheels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a lounging chair mounted for
rocking movement on the base of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a broken plan view of the base, the rocker parts and
footrest structure of the chair illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the base and locking system
therefor illustrated in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the front end
portion of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, taken on the line
4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4,
taken on the line 5--5 thereof, and
FIG. 6 is an enlarged broken view of the front end portion of the
structure illustrated in FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The chair 11, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is rockable upon a base 12
which embodies features of the present invention. The chair 11 has
a leg rest 13 which is operated by a handle 14 to extended and
retracted positions. A rockable chair frame 10 has side frame
elements 15 interconnected by cross members 16 and 17 at the rear
and front ends, respectively. The side frame elements 15 of the
chair frame 10 have the convex arcuate bottom surfaces of the
rocking members 18 resting upon the planar top section 19 of the
base 12. The rocking members 18 are connected to the side frame
elements 15 and to the base 12 by spring units 22 of conventional
construction.
The springs of the units 22 have the top turns secured in slots in
metal brackets 24 which are attached to the inner face of the
rocker member 18 by a plurality of screws 25, as illustrated in
FIG. 5. The bottom turns of the springs are secured in slots in
metal brackets 26 which are secured to a bottom section 27 of the
base side frame elements 20 of the base 12 by a plurality of screws
28. The endmost turns of the spring are retained within the slots
of the brackets 24 and 26 by struck-out tabs 29 which are bent
thereover in the conventional manner. At the front of the base
frame elements 20 rubber tired wheels 31 are mounted within
inverted U-shaped brackets 32 the lower end of the inner arm of
which is securely welded to the end of a square cross member 33. A
bolt 34 extends through the arms of the U-shaped brackets 32 and
through the wheels 31 on which they are mounted for rotation. Each
side frame member 20 is a casting preferably made of white metal,
having an outer face and inwardly extending top and bottom flanges
to which the cross members are secured in fixed relationship.
An inwardly extending square boss 37 is molded outwardly of the
inner face of the base frame members 20 over which the ends of a
hollow square tubular cross member 38 extend. The ends are secured
in fixed relation to the bosses 37 by bolts 39 extending
therethrough. The outer side 41 of the U-shaped bracket 32 is
secured against a recessed wall in the solid downwardly extending
end 42 of the side frame member 20 by a screw 43. The screw 43
which extends through the outer arm of the bracket 32 is threaded
into a threaded aperture 44 in the solid downwardly extending end
42 of the frame member 20. The opposite end of the frame member 20
slopes downwardly at 45 and upwardly and outwardly at 46 having an
outer end section 47 in which the stem of a caster 48 is
secured.
The bracket 32, as illustrated more specifically in FIG. 6, has a
plate 51 secured across the arms thereof and provided with an
aperture 52 through which a rod 53 extends and also through an
aperture 55 through the web end portion 54 thereof. The rod has a
square head 56 on the bottom end containing serrations 57 which
engage a rubber tire 58 of the wheel 31. A spring 59 abuts the web
end portion 54 when compressed thereagainst by a roll pin 61 to
urge the head 56 downwardly against the tire 58 to prevent the
wheel 31 from rotating. The rod 53 has a washer 62 extending
thereover engaged by a cam end 63 of a link 64 which is U-shaped in
cross section. The link has spaced sides thereof disposed on
opposite sides of the upper end of the rod 53 and secured thereto
by a roll pin 65.
The opposite end of the link 64 is secured to a link 66 by a pivot
pin rod 53 which pulls the pin 67 to the left when the link 66 is
moved to the left. With the cam end 63 resting on the washer 62,
the pin 65 and rod 53 are moved outwardly to move the head 56 from
engagement with the tire 58. The link 66 is secured to the end of
an arm 68 by a pivot pin 69 with the opposite end of the arm 68
bent inwardly and reversely bent into U-shape and provided with
aligned square holes 71 through the walls opposite of the U-shaped
end. The arms 68 are secured to the ends of a square rod 72 and
secured thereto by screws 73. The square tube 38 has a pair of
upstanding arms 74 welded thereto through which the rod 72 is
supported in circular flanged sleeves 75 contained in upper
cylindrical apertures which permits the rod and sleeves to rotate
therein.
An arm 76, similar to the arm 68, having a U-shaped end 70 with
aligned square holes through the opposite walls thereof, is secured
on the rod 72 by a screw 73 providing an operating arm for rotating
the rod. The arm 76 has its extending end engaged by a pivot pin 77
which extends through a slot 78 at the end of a link 79. A link 81
is secured at one end over a pin 82 of a ratchet operating arm 83
and at the other end is secured to the link 79 by a screw 84 which
is threaded into one of a plurality of apertures 85 which provides
adjustment in length to the link 79. The pin 77 will engage the end
of the slot 78 near the end of the swinging movement of the arm 83
to release the heads 56 from the tires 58. The arm 83 is secured to
a square rod 86 which is operated by a handle 14 on the outer
righthand side of the chair.
The leg rest 13 is mounted on scissors type linkage 87 for
supporting the leg rest 13 forwardly of the chair when the handle
14 is rotated upwardly and to the rear. Near the end of the leg
rest extension, the arm 76 is moved counterclockwise to move the
arm 68 and link 66 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 6, moving the
link 64 counterclockwise to thereby move the pins 65 outwardly for
moving the rods 53 and heads 56 away from the tires 58. A holding
and trip mechanism 88 locks the leg rest in extended position and
permits the retraction thereof when the handle 14 is reversed. The
square cross member 33 has a pair of spaced posts 91 secured
thereto by screws 92. A shaft 93 is supported in aligned apertures
in the two posts for pivotally supporting the ratchet engaging arm
94 in position to have its end 97 engage one of a plurality of
teeth 95 for locking the chair against forward rocking movement
when the leg rest is extended. When moving the operating handle 14
to retract the leg rest 13, a wire loop 96 connected to the arm 94
releases the end 97 thereof from the engaged teeth 95 and permits
the chair to again rock in the normal manner while locking the
front wheels against movement. This, and other novel features of
the chair, can be studied in detail in E. M. Knabusch et al., Pat.
No. 3,096,121 above mentioned which discloses the same chair as
that of the present invention except for the mobile base.
* * * * *