U.S. patent number 3,874,724 [Application Number 05/307,176] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for reclining chair.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dual Manufacturing and Engineering Incorporated. Invention is credited to Frank Manuel Re.
United States Patent |
3,874,724 |
Re |
* April 1, 1975 |
RECLINING CHAIR
Abstract
A reclining chair adapted to be positioned in close adjacency to
a room wall when in the upright sitting position and yet so
structured as to allow ready assumption of any of a variety of
reclined positions of occupancy without physical contact of any
element thereof with the same room wall, the chair concept
envisioning a fixed platform, a chassis slideable rectilinearly
relative to the platform, and a body-supporting unit movable
between the sitting and reclining positions relative to the chassis
with a concomitant movement of a leg supporting unit between the
retracted and extended positions respectively, a propeller link or
other means connecting between the body-supporting unit and
platform for propelling the body-supporting unit relative to the
platform, with the chassis moving forwardly and progressively away
from the wall as transition is made from upright sitting position
to progressive positions of reclination, wherefore the body
supporting unit is concomitantly moved forwardly away from the room
wall, and with the chassis moving rearwardly and progressively
toward the wall as transition is made from positions of reclination
to upright sitting position, wherefore the body-supporting unit is
concomitantly moved rearwardly and toward the room wall.
Inventors: |
Re; Frank Manuel (Holyoke,
MA) |
Assignee: |
Dual Manufacturing and Engineering
Incorporated (Holyoke, MA)
|
[*] Notice: |
The portion of the term of this patent
subsequent to October 22, 1991 has been disclaimed. |
Family
ID: |
50820094 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/307,176 |
Filed: |
November 16, 1972 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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222563 |
Feb 1, 1972 |
3758151 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/88;
297/318 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
1/0352 (20130101); A47C 1/0355 (20130101); A47C
1/0345 (20130101); A47C 1/0342 (20130101); A47C
1/0347 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
1/031 (20060101); A47C 1/034 (20060101); A47C
1/035 (20060101); A47c 001/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/85,84,86,89,68,317,318,322,342,216,323 ;5/47 ;296/65R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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723,876 |
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Jan 1932 |
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FR |
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726,797 |
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Mar 1972 |
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FR |
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Primary Examiner: McCall; James T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ross, Ross & Flavin
Parent Case Text
This is a division, of application Ser. No. 222,563, filed Feb. 1,
1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,151.
Claims
I claim:
1. A reclining chair adapted to be positioned in close adjacency to
and forwardly of a room wall when in the upright sitting position
and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption of a reclined
position without physical contact with the same room wall, the
reclining chair comprising:
a base, a chassis supported relative to the base,
a body-supporting unit including a seat and a back having a pivotal
relationship as to each other,
a leg-supporting unit, mounting means for mounting the
body-supporting unit relative to the chassis in movements between
upright and reclining positions,
means for mounting the chassis relative to the base in linear
movements relative to the base as the body-supporting unit is
concomitantly moved,
means for mounting the leg-supporting unit relative to the
body-supporting unit in movements between retracted and extended
positions as the body-supporting unit is concomitantly moved,
control means for controlling the pivotal motion of the back
relative to the seat as the body-supporting unit is concomitantly
moved,
and means operatively connecting the body-supporting unit and base
for moving the chassis forwardly and progressively away from the
wall and the body-supporting unit relative to the wall as
transition is made from upright sitting position toward a position
of reclination and for moving the chassis rearwardly and
progressively toward the wall and the body-supporting unit relative
to the wall as transition is made from a position of reclination
toward upright sitting position.
2. An occupant-operated living room type reclining chair
positionable anywhere on a floor of a room free of attachment to
the floor and in close adjacency to and forwardly of an object when
in upright sitting position and yet so constructed as to allow
ready assumption of any reclined position free of physical contact
with the same object and comprising:
a base resting on the floor, free of permanent attachment to the
floor, a chassis supported relative to the base,
a body-supporting subassembly including a seat and back having a
pivotal relationship as to each other,
a leg-supporting subassembly,
control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the back
relative to the seat, and
linkage mechanism operatively interconnecting the body-supporting
subassembly and leg-supporting subassembly and chassis and base
for, first, concurrently moving:
a. the body-supporting subassembly rearwardly relative to the
chassis,
b. the leg-supporting subassembly between retracted and extended
positions, and
c. the chassis relative to the base and progressively forwardly
away from the object,
a transition is made from upright sitting position to a position of
reclination by the occupant leaning backwardly against the back and
the exerting of a forwardly pushing force against the chassis, and
for, second, concurrently moving:
a. the body-supporting subassembly forwardly relative to the
chassis,
b. the leg-supporting subassembly between extended and retracted
positions, and
c. the chassis relative to the base and progressively rearwardly
toward the object,
as transition is made from a position of reclination to upright
sitting position by the occupant leaning forwardly away from the
back and the exerting of a downwardly pushing force against the
leg-support, with any linear movement of the body-supporting
subassembly relative to the base being in substantially inverse
ratio to any linear movement of the chassis relative to the
base.
3. A reclining chair movable by the occupant between upright
sitting and intermediate-television and fully reclined positions
and positionable anywhere on a floor of a room and free of
attachment to the floor and in close adjacency to a wall when in
upright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready
assumption of intermediate-television and fully reclined positions
free of contact with the wall comprising: a base, a chassis a
body-supporting subassembly including a seat and back having a
pivotal relationship as to each other, a leg-supporting
subassembly, control means for controlling the pivotal movements of
the seat relative to the back of the body-supporting subassembly,
linkage mechanism for effecting movement of the body-supporting
subassembly between upright and intermediate and reclined positions
concomitant with movement of the leg-supporting subassembly between
retracted and extended positions respectively and for effecting
movement of both the chassis and body-supporting subassembly
relative to the base in one direction responsively to and
simultaneously with movement of the body-supporting subassembly
relative to the chassis in counter direction.
4. A reclining chair adapted to be movable on a floor of a room and
into close adjacency to and forwardly of an object when in upright
sitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption
of a reclining position free of physical contact with the same
object, the reclining chair comprising: a base, a chassis supported
relative to the base, a body-supporting unit including a seat and
back and leg-support having pivotal relationships as to each other,
control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the seat
relative to the back of the body-supporting unit, and linkage
mechanism operatively interconnecting the body-supporting unit and
chassis and base and leg-support for concurrently moving the
chassis relative to the base and forwardly and progressively away
from the object and the body-supporting unit rearwardly relative to
the chassis and the leg-support of the body-supporting unit from
retracted to an extended position as transition is made from
upright sitting to reclination positions and for concurrently
moving the chassis relative to the base rearwardly and
progressively toward the object and the body-supporting unit
forwardly relative to the chassis and the leg-support of the
body-supporting unit from an extended to retracted position as
transition is made from reclination to upright sitting
positions.
5. A reclining chair adapted to be positioned on a floor more
particularly in close adjacency to and forwardly of an object when
in upright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready
assumption of a reclining position without physical contact with
the same object, the reclining chair comprising:
a base, a chassis supported relative to the base,
a seat and a back having a pivotal relationship as to each other, a
leg-supporting unit, roller means disposed between and fixed to one
of the chassis and base,
control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the seat
relative to the back, and linkage mechanism operatively
interconnecting the seat and back and leg-supporting unit and
chassis and base for concurrently propelling the chassis relative
to the base and forwardly and progressively away from the object
and the seat rearwardly relative to the chassis and the
leg-supporting unit from retracted to an extended position as
transition is made from upright sitting position to a position of
reclination responsively to an impelling force generated by the
occupant upon the chassis in one direction with a resultant
reaction of the seat relative to the chassis in a counter
direction.
Description
The invention provides a reclining chair which can be positioned in
close proximity to a wall or lamp or other article of
furniture.
It has long been a problem in the reclining chair art that the
chair of necessity had to be placed a sufficient distance away from
the wall or article of furniture as to allow movement of part of
the body-supporting unit in the area rearwardly of the vertical
plane of the rear legs of the chair, the unit, and more
particularly the back thereof, moving rearwardly in the course of
any shifting between upright and any reclined positions.
The problem is here solved by the provision of means for moving the
body-supporting unit forwardly relative to the platform and away
from the wall as reclination ensues wherefore the chair can be
positioned in close proximity to a wall.
In the drawings:
FIGS. 1 - 3 are schematic representations of a chair embodying one
form of the invention showing the positions of the several chair
components relative to a wall as the chair is moved from an upright
sitting position first to a partially-reclined position and then to
a fully-reclined position;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of the chair
of FIGS. 1 - 3 in upright, sitting position;
FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the chair in
intermediate reclined or TV position;
FIG. 6 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the chair in
fully-reclined position;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in cross-section on line 7--7 of FIG.
4;
FIGS. 8 - 10 are fragmentary views, in longitudinal section, of a
chair embodying a first modified form of the invention, with the
leg rest and reclining mechanism omitted for simplicity, the chair
being shown in upright, intermediate reclined, and fully-reclined
positions respectively;
FIGS. 11 - 13 are fragmentary views, similar to FIGS. 8 - 10, of a
chair embodying a second modified form of the invention;
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of a chair
embodying a third modified form of the invention, the chair being
shown in upright, sitting position;
FIG. 15 is a view, similar to FIG. 14, showing the chair in
intermediate reclined or TV position;
FIG. 16 is a view, similar to FIG. 14, showing the chair in
fully-reclined position;
FIG. 17 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of a
portion of the chair of FIG. 14, with parts omitted for
simplicity;
FIG. 18 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, in end elevation, of the
portion of the chair of FIG. 17; and
FIG. 19 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, in top plan, of the
portion of the chair of FIG. 17.
Referring first to FIGS. 1 - 3, chairs of the type envisioned
having a platform B and a chassis C mounting a body-supporting unit
D (i.e., seat and back which may be unitary as to each other or
shiftable with respect to each other) and a leg supporting unit L,
are shiftable between an upright sitting position where little, if
any, of the body supporting unit is disposed in an area rearwardly
of the vertical plane of the rearwardly disposed legs or of the
rearwardmost portion of the platform, and various positions of
reclination where some portion of the body supporting unit is
disposed in that area. This being so, chairs heretofore known have
had to be positioned distantly of a room wall W if reclination was
to be accomplished successfully and without physical contact being
had between chair and wall.
If positioning close to a wall was desired, the chair would have to
be withdrawn away therefrom in order to allow successful
reclination.
With the chair hereof, as body-supporting unit D is reclined,
chassis C moves linearly relative to platform B away from wall W to
provide the necessary clearance for the body-supporting unit as the
chair elements move between the upright position of FIG. 1 and the
partially reclined position of FIG. 2 and/or the fully-reclined
position of FIG. 3.
In the form of the invention seen in FIGS. 4 - 7, platform B
comprises pairs of front and rear legs 10 and 12 respectively
disposed at each side of the chair and interconnected by side rails
14 extending in a front-to-rear chair direction and by
transversely-extending cross-rails 16 interconnecting the side
rails in known manner.
A vertically oriented slotted plate 18 is fixed to each side rail
14 as by screws or bolts 20, extends upwardly therefrom, and is
provided with a pair of spaced, generally horizontally extending,
aligned, front and rear slots 22 and 24 respectively. The forwardly
facing extremity of each slot serves as a small rise, indicated by
23 and 25 respectively, for purposes to appear.
Chassis C includes a pair of spaced, upright side walls 26 of any
conventional configuration and disposed at each side of the chair,
each side wall carrying a chair arm 28.
Body-supporting unit D includes a seat 30 and a back 32, which may
be unitary, as shown in FIGS. 1 - 7, or which may be separable, as
will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 - 19.
The means interconnecting platform B, chassis C, body-supporting
unit D and leg-supporting unit L includes a pair of linkage
mechanisms, there being one at each side of the body-supporting
unit inwardly of the respective adjacent side wall of the chassis
so as to be concealed from view. Only one such linkage mechanism is
herein defined, they being identical for all practical purposes,
one being a right hand and one being a left hand mechanism. Such
mechanism could be of the types as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
3,044,827 of July 17, 1962, No. 3,058,774 of Oct. 16, 1962, or No.
3,166,352 of Jan. 19, 1965, to name but a few, or their kinematic
equivalents, for purposes of exemplification.
A generally horizontally disposed base plate 34, extending along
the front-to-rear chair axis, is stationarily fixed as by bolts 36
and nuts 38 to a cross rail or stretcher 40 extending transversely
relative to and between chassis side walls 26, and is fixed at its
opposite ends to a plate 42 mounted on each side wall as by screws
or bolts 44.
Leg supporting unit L may be of the one-part type or of the
two-part type, as shown herein. The two-part type is constituted by
a large foot stool 46 and a small foot stool 48 pivotally
interconnected. The leg supporting unit, whichever its type, is
mounted, by means of said linkage mechanisms, relative to the
forward area of seat 30, for constrained movements between a fully
retracted position, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 4 and 7, and a fully
extended position, as viewed in FIGS. 3, and 6.
With the chair in fully upright position, the leg supporting unit
is in fully retracted position with large footstool 46 positioned
substantially flush with or in the vertical plane of the forward
end of seat 30 and with the cooperant pivotally connected small
footstool 48 extending rearwardly from adjacent the lower extremity
of the large footstool so as to be concealed from view below the
seat and rearwardly of the large footstool. When large footstool 46
is elevated and advanced to an extended position, cooperant small
footstool 48 is moved therewith accordingly and is in an axially
aligned position forwardly thereof.
The body-supporting unit and the leg supporting unit are
operatively connected to base plate 34 and to each other.
A seat plate 50 extends along the front-to-rear chair axis and is
stationarily secured to the adjacent side rail of seat 30 as by
screws or bolts 52.
A pivot link 54 is pivoted at 56 at its lower end to the rearward
end of base plate 34 and at its upper end at 58 to seat plate 50
adjacent the rearward end of the latter.
A rise bar 60 is pivoted adjacent its rearward end at 62 to the
approximate midsection of base plate 34, and is pivoted adjacent
its forward end at 64, (see FIG. 6), to an L-link 66.
L-link 66 is pivoted at 68 at its upper end to seat plate 50 and is
pivoted at its lower end at 70 to one end of a slotted link 72 and
to the rearward end of a first long link 74.
Slotted link 72 is pivoted at 76 at its opposite end to the forward
end of base plate 34 and has a slot 78 therein adjacent its forward
end in which pivot 70 is slidable.
First long link 74 is pivoted at its approximate midsection at 80
to the approximate midsection of a first elevator link 82 and is
pivoted at its forward end at 84 to the rearward end of a second
elevator link 86.
First elevator link 82 is pivoted at its upper end at 88 to seat
plate 50 adjacent the forward end thereof and is pivoted at its
lower end at 90 to the lower rearward end of a second long link
92.
Second elevator link 86 is pivoted at its approximate midsection at
94 to the approximate midsection of second long link 92 and is
pivoted at its lower end at 96 to the lower rearward end of a small
foot stool link 98.
Second long link 92 is pivoted at its forward end at 100 to one end
of a large foot stool support plate 102 to which large foot stool
46 is fixed; large footstool support plate 102 is pivoted at its
opposite end at 104 to a small footstool support plate 106 to which
small footstool 48 is fixed.
Small footstool link 98 is pivoted at its forward end at 108 to
small footstool support plate 106 and is pivoted at 110 rearwardly
of its forward end to the lower end of a connecting link 112 which
is pivoted at its opposite end at 114 to large footstool support
plate 102.
A buffer-retainer tension spring 116 is mounted at one end on
slotted link 72 and is mounted at its opposite end on first long
link 74, the spring acting much in the manner of a buffing device
to buffer chair tilting as it approaches fully reclined position
and additionally to insure that the leg-supporting unit remains
retracted when the chair is in upright position.
The functions of slotted link 72 are three-fold: (1) it serves as a
carrier for the buffer-retainer spring 116; (2) it precludes
reclining of the chair without a concomitant extension of the
leg-supporting unit; and (3) it precludes retraction of the
leg-supporting unit while the chair is in fully reclined
position.
A stop pin 118 on seat plate 50, when contacted by a leading edge
of L-link 66, limits the range of outward movement of the
leg-supporting unit.
A first stop surface 120 of rise bar 60, when it contacts base
plate 34, limits the range of downward movement of the
body-supporting unit.
In the chair upright position, second long link 92 abuts first long
link 74 to limit the range of rearward movement of the
leg-supporting unit, with a flat 93 on the rearwardly facing face
of link 92 being receivable in a notch 75 on the forwardly facing
face of link 74.
In use, when the chair is moved from upright position to an
intermediate reclining position, rise bar 60 remains in a generally
horizontal position, with first stop surface 120 thereof in contact
with base plate 34, and with the large and small foot stools
extended, the ease of such extension being controlled by spring
116, while L-link 66 contacts stop pin 118 to preclude further
leg-supporting unit extension.
When the chair is moved from intermediate reclined position, to a
fully reclined position, rise bar 60 pivots at 62 relatively to
base plate 34, pivot pin 70 moves forwardly in slot 78 of slotted
link 72 to preclude closing of the leg-supporting unit while in the
fully reclined position, and a second stop surface 122 of rise bar
60 contacts base plate 34 to limit the range of reclining movement
of the body-supporting unit.
Chassis C is slidably related to base B by means of front and rear
rollers 130 and 132 respectively which extend outwardly from plate
42 at each side wall 26 of the chassis, front roller 130 being
rideable in front slot 22 of plate 18 and rear roller 132 being
rideable in rear slot 24 therein.
The rides 23 and 25, together with spring 116 control or lessen any
falling sensation as reclining takes place, it being understood
that the greater the upward slope of each rise, the more difficult
forward movement of the chassis becomes.
In the chair upright position of FIG. 4, the rollers are disposed
at the rear ends of their respective slots 22 and 24.
As the body-supporting unit is moved to the intermediate reclining
position of FIG. 5, the rollers slide along the slots to a position
wherein they are disposed somewhat forwardly of the approximate
midsections of the slots.
Movement of the body-supporting unit to fully reclined position
moves the rollers to the forward extremities of the slots as shown
in FIG. 6, with the rises 23 and 25 and spring 116 controlling such
movement as aforesaid.
A propeller link 134, pivoted at its upper end at 136 to backrest
32 and at its lower end at 138 to plate 18, propels and controls
the range of movement of the body-supporting unit relative to the
platform.
The key to the invention is in propeller link 134 for it propels
the body-supporting unit and chassis forwardly as reclination
occurs, as well as rearwardly on assuming the upright position,
with the rollers 130 and 132 riding in the slots 22 and 24
respectively.
In the chair upright position roller 132 rests in a slight recess
or groove 24' provided adjacent the rearward end of slot 24, the
groove serving as an impediment to unwanted sudden sliding movement
of the roller relative to the slot.
In effect, in movement from upright to intermediate position, the
rear roller must be lifted out of groove 24' with the chassis
rotating about front roller 130 as reclination occurs.
The single propeller link 134 of FIGS. 1 - 7 is replaced in the
modified form of FIGS. 8 - 10 by a trio of links.
The leg-supporting unit and reclining linkage have been omitted in
FIGS. 8 - 10 for purposes of simplicity.
Herein, a primary propeller link 234 is pivoted at its upper end at
236 to one end of a secondary propeller link 240 and at its lower
end at 238 to plate 18, with secondary propeller link 240 being
pivoted at its opposite end at 242 to the rearward end of base
plate 34.
A control link 244 is pivoted at one end at 246 to backrest 32 and
at its opposite end at 248 to the approximate midsection of primary
propeller link 234.
The trio of links operates directly on the chassis through the
connection 242 with base plate 34, while operating on the
body-supporting unit through control link 244, wherefore
rectilinear movements of the chassis and body-supporting units
relative to the platform are effected.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 - 13, the leg-supporting unit and
reclining linkage have once again been omitted for simplicity.
In this form of the invention, the propelling means comprises a
roller 334 fixed to backrest 32 and rideable in a cam slot 336
provided in an extension 338 of plate 18.
As reclination occurs, the captured roller drives the chassis and
body-supporting unit forwardly. On assuming the upright position
the chassis and body-supporting unit is driven rearwardly.
The somewhat dog-leg shape of slot 336 provides a dwell for the
intermediate reclining or TV position as shown in FIG. 12.
The embodiment of FIGS. 14 - 19 has been modified for use with a
chair of the type having a separable seat and back.
In this instance a double-track system is employed, such a system
being necessary since, with chairs of this type, the components
travel farther away from the wall. Thus, a double track was
designed so that all of the sliding means would be under cover of
the chair.
Basically, however, the sliding and motivating means are the same
as those shown for use with the unitary seat and back chair of
FIGS. 1 - 13.
Herein, a platform B' supports a chassis C' mounting a
body-supporting unit D' and a leg-supporting unit L'.
The means interconnecting platform B', chassis C', body-supporting
unit D' and leg-supporting unit L' includes a pair of linkage
mechanisms, there being one at each side of the body-supporting
unit inwardly of the respective adjacent side wall of the chassis
so as to be concealed from view. Only one such linkage mechanism is
herein defined, they being identical for all practical purposes,
one being a right hand and one being a left hand mechanism.
The mechanism shown is identical to that shown and described in my
U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,521 of June 16, 1964. However, it could be of
any of the types as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,201 of Dec.
18, 1962, or No. 3,166,353 of Jan. 19, 1965 or No. 3,359,034 of
Dec. 19, 1967, to name but a few, or their kinematic equivalents,
for purposes of exemplification.
Since the mechanism is described in detail in the aforementioned
U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,521, such detailed description will not be
repeated here.
As body-supporting unit D' is reclined, chassis C' moves linearly
relative to platform B' away from a wall, not shown, to provide the
necessary clearance for the body-supporting unit relative to the
wall as the chair elements move between the upright position of
FIG. 14 and the partially reclined position of FIG. 15 and/or the
fully reclined position of FIG. 16.
In the form of the invention seen in FIGS. 14 - 19, platform B'
comprises pairs of front and rear legs 410 and 412 respectively
disposed at each side of the chair and interconnected by side rails
414 extending in a front-to-rear chair direction and by
transversely extending cross-bars 416 interconnecting the side
rails in known manner.
Chassis C' includes a pair of spaced, upright side walls 426 of any
conventional configuration and disposed at each side of the chair,
each side wall additionally constituting a chair arm.
Body-supporting unit D' includes a seat 430 and a back 432, which
are separable, as shown.
As part of the reclining mechanism, a generally horizontally
disposed base plate 434, extending along the front-to-rear chair
axis, is stationarily fixed as by a bolt 436 to one of a pair of
cross bars 440 extending transversely relative to and between
chassis side walls 426, the cross bars being fixed at their
opposite ends to a plate 442 mounted on each side wall. Screws or
bolts 444 attach base plate 434 to plate 442.
Leg supporting unit L may be of the one-part type or of the
two-part type, as shown herein. The two-part type is constituted by
a large foot stool 446 and a small foot stool 448 pivotally
interconnected. The leg supporting unit, whichever its type, is
mounted, by means of said linkage mechanisms, relative to the
forward area of seat 430, for constrained movements between a fully
retracted position, as viewed in FIG. 14 and a fully extended
position, as viewed in FIGS. 15 and 16.
A rise bar 460 pivoted at 462 to base plate 434 serves as the
primary means of interconnection between the leg-supporting unit,
body-supporting unit and chassis.
A back-link 464 is fixed at one end as by screws 466 to back 432
and is pivoted at its opposite end at 468 to seat 430, to
interconnect the seat and back.
A pivot link 470 pivoted at one end at 472 to link 464 is pivoted
at its lower end at 474 to base plate 434 to further interconnect
the body-supporting unit and chassis.
A first vertically oriented slotted plate 420 is fixed to each side
rail 414, extends upwardly therefrom, and is provided with a pair
of spaced, generally horizontally extending, aligned, front and
rear slots 422 and 424 respectively.
A second vertically oriented slotted plate 480 is disposed inwardly
of and in spaced parallelism to first slotted plate 420 and is
provided with a pair of spaced, generally horizontally extending,
aligned front and rear slots 482 and 484 respectively, which slots
are disposed above the plane of slots 422 and 424 of first plate
420.
A first set of front and rear rollers 425 and 427 respectively is
provided, with front roller 425 being rideable in front slot 422,
and with rear roller 427 being rideable in rear slot 424.
The front rollers 425 at each side of the chair are interconnected
by a cross rod 425' and the rear rollers 427 are interconnected by
a cross rod 427', the cross rods extending through the adjacent
second slotted plates 480.
A second set of front and rear rollers 486 and 488 respectively
extends outwardly from plate 442 with front roller 486 being
rideable in front slot 482, and with rear roller 488 being rideable
in rear slot 484.
As the body-supporting unit is reclined, the chassis slides
relative to the base in two stages: to the position shown in FIG.
15, wherein the second set of rollers 486 and 488 slides to the
forward ends of slots 482 and 484 of second plate 480; and to the
position shown in FIG. 16, wherein the first set of rollers 425 and
427 slides to the forward ends of slots 422 and 424 of first plate
420.
In the first stage of movement, from upright to intermediate
position the chassis and both plates 420 and 480 remain stationary,
with plate 442 moving to carry the body-supporting unit forwardly
as the rollers 486 and 488 ride in their respective slots 482 and
484.
In the second stage of movement from intermediate to fully reclined
position, the chassis and plate 480 are moved forward relative to
the stationary plate 420, with the rollers 425 and 427 riding in
their respective slots 422 and 424.
Of course, these operations are reversed when the body-supporting
unit is returned from fully-reclined position to upright
position.
A propeller link 490, pivoted at its upper end at 492 to link 464
and at its lower end at one of the cross bars 416 to the platform
propels and controls the range of movement of the body-supporting
unit relative to the platform.
The propeller link 490 propels the body-supporting unit and chassis
forwardly as reclination occurs, as well as rearwardly on assuming
the upright position, with the two sets of rollers riding in the
two sets of slots.
Of course, the modified propeller means of FIGS. 8 - 13 could be
employed in lieu of the single propeller link 490.
Plate 442 is unconstrained. Thus, it is possible that the chassis
could move relative to slots 422 and 424 before plate 442 moves
relative to slots 482 and 484.
However, this contingency can be avoided by the simple expedients
of extending a spring, not shown, between plates 420 and 480, or by
placing a slight groove or depression, also not shown, at the rear
extremity of groove 424, whereby a slight restraint is placed on
roller 427.
While rollers rideable in slots have been described and shown, it
will be understood that any appropriate slide means may
interconnect the several chair components.
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