AU2013267021B2 - An article of furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

An article of furniture 10 includes a base 12. At least one rest 14, 16is displaceably arranged on the base 12, the at least one rest 14, 16 being displaceable between a substantially upright position and a reclining position relative to the base 12. A drive member 24 displacing the at least one rest 14, 16 relative to the base 12 is carried within the at least one rest 14, 16. A power supply unit 26 is arranged externally of the at least one rest 14, 16 for supplying power to the drive member 24. At least one seat cushion 18 is receivable on the base 12, the at least one seat 18 cushion carrying an operating mechanism 54. A securing means 66 releasably secures the at least one seat cushion 18 relative to the base 12, the operating mechanism 54 being connected to the power supply unit 26 via a connector arrangement 68 with at least a part 64 of the connector arrangement 68 being carried by the securing means 66. LLI) en en Ln rn r4to -, IAi

Description

An article of furniture

Cross-Reference to Related Applications [1] The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No 2012905380 filed on 7 December 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Field [2] This disclosure relates, generally, to an article of furniture and, more particularly, to an article of furniture including at least one rest.

Background [3] Modem furniture design is tending towards more delicate forms of furniture to provide a more modern, lighter and aesthetically appealing appearance to a room containing the furniture. There is also an increasing desire to have furniture where rests of the furniture are adjustable. These two requirements can be conflicting as the necessity to include mechanisms affording adjustability has a tendency to increase the bulk of the furniture.

[4] In this specification, the term "rest" is to be understood, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, to be a backrest or an armrest of the article of furniture. Although not necessarily applicable to the exemplary embodiments to be described, it will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the term "rest" also applies to a footrest of the article of furniture.

Summary [5] In an aspect, there is provided an article of furniture which includes a base; at least one rest displaceably arranged on the base, the at least one rest being displaceable between a substantially upright position and a reclining position relative to the base; a drive member for displacing the at least one rest relative to the base, the drive member being carried within the at least one rest; a power supply unit, arranged externally of the at least one rest, for supplying power to the drive member; at least one seat cushion receivable on the base, the at least one seat cushion carrying an operating mechanism; and a securing means for releasably securing the at least one seat cushion relative to the base, the operating mechanism being connected to the power supply unit via a connector arrangement with at least a part of the connector arrangement being carried by the securing means.

[6] The reference to “at least one rest” is to be understood, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, to mean either that the article of furniture has only one rest which is displaceable, for example, an armless chair with a displaceable backrest, or that the article of furniture has multiple rests, at least one of which is displaceable.

[7] The term “securing” is used in this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, to mean that the seat cushion is retained on the base but that it can still move to some extent relative to the base.

[8] The securing means may carry an anchoring formation. The article of furniture may include a mounting arrangement for mounting the at least one rest to the base, the anchoring formation of the securing means cooperating with the mounting arrangement for securing the at least one seat cushion to the base.

[9] The operating mechanism may include a controller for controlling displacement of the at least one rest, the controller being arranged within the at least one seat cushion. The part of the connector arrangement may be a first connector component carried by the securing means and the connector arrangement may include a second connector component carried by the base, the first connector component and the second connector component being releasably connectable together to connect the operating mechanism and the controller electrically.

[10] The operating mechanism may be mounted in a concealed location, in use, on the at least one seat cushion.

[11] The article of furniture may include multiple rests each of which is displaceably arranged relative to the base. Further, the article of furniture may include a plurality of seat cushions, each seat cushion including an operating mechanism and each operating mechanism including a plurality of switch arrangements, each switch arrangement controlling displacement of one of the rests.

[12] With this arrangement, it is not necessary to place the seat cushions in predetermined positions on the base and any cushion can be used to control displacement of a plurality of the rests. More particularly, and with reference to a three seater sofa, each of the two end seat cushions can control displacement of an associated armrest and backrest whereas a centre cushion only needs to control displacement of its associated backrest. However, by each cushion having at least two switch arrangements, the cushions can be placed anywhere on the base and it is not necessary to predetermine which cushion needs to be placed where on the base. This also has the benefit that the positions of the cushions on the base can be periodically swapped around so that some cushions are not subjected to greater wear than others.

Brief Description of Drawings [13] Embodiments of the disclosure are now described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which:- [14] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an article of furniture; [15] Fig. 2 shows a perspective, partially transparent, exploded view of the article of furniture with parts omitted for the sake of clarity; [16] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a frame of a rest of the article of furniture in a substantially upright position; [17] Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the frame in a reclining position; and [18] Figs. 5a - 5d show side views of movement of the frame from the upright position of Fig. 3 to the reclining position of Fig. 4.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments [19] In Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates an embodiment of an article of furniture in the form of a three-seater sofa. For ease of explanation, the disclosure will be described with reference to its application to a three-seater sofa. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure is equally applicable to other forms of articles of furniture such as, for example, a two-seater sofa, an armchair, a chaise, a bed, or the like, having one or more adjustable rests.

[20] The sofa 10 includes a base 12 and a pair of opposed armrests 14. Each of the armrests 14 is displaceably and removably mounted to the base 12. Further, in this embodiment, the sofa 10 includes three individually adjustable backrests 16, each of which is displaceably and removably mounted to the base 12. A greater or fewer number of backrests 16 could be provided, some of which are adjustable and some of which are fixed relative to the base 12. It is also contemplated that only one or more of the armrests 14 may be adjustable relative to the base 12 with the backrest, whether made up of a single element or multiple elements, being fixed.

[21] The sofa 10 also includes three individual seat cushions 18 removably mounted on the base 12. It will be appreciated that a greater or fewer number of seat cushions 18 could be provided instead of the three seat cushions 18 illustrated.

[22] Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, each armrest 14 and backrest 16 is removably mountable to the base 12 via a mounting arrangement 20. More particularly, the mounting arrangement 20 for each armrest 14 or backrest 16 comprises a pair of spaced mounting pins 22. Each mounting pin 22 is of a conductive material, the purpose of which will be described in greater detail below.

[23] A drive member in the form of an electric motor 24 is mounted within each armrest 14 and each backrest 16 as shown in the case of the backrest 16 in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

[24] The sofa 10 includes a power supply unit in the form of a rechargeable battery pack 26. The battery pack 26 is mounted within the base 12 so as to be substantially invisible externally of the base 12. The battery pack 26 provides power to each motor 24 via a control unit or controller 28. An output from the controller 28 is fed by a pair of conductors 30 to a pair of spaced knock-ins 32 arranged in the base 12. The base 12 is a metal framed based such as a steel or aluminium base. Thus, each knock-in 32 insulates the mounting pins 22 from the base 12. Each knock-in 32 includes an internal conductive portion, such as a passage or bore having a conductive lining connected to the conductor 30, the conductive portion being engaged by its associated mounting pin 22. It will be appreciated that the conductive portion within the knock-in 32 is electrically insulated from the frame of the base 12.

[25] Each armrest 14 or backrest 16 has a pair of spaced knock-ins 34, each receiving an opposed end of the mounting pin 22. Once again, these knock-ins 34 insulate the mounting pins 22 from a frame 36 of the armrest 14 or backrest 16. A conductor 38 leads from an insulated, internal conductive portion within the knock-in 34, to the motor 24 to provide power from the battery pack 26 to the motor 24 when the pin 22 is received in its associated knock-ins 32 and 34.

[26] The sofa 10 includes a plurality of legs 40. Each leg 40 is removably attachable to an underside of the base 12 of the sofa 10. One of the legs 42 includes a connector or jack 44 to which a charging unit 45 is removably connectable. The connector 44 is positioned to be substantially concealed when the leg 42 is mounted to the base 12. Thus, the provision of the connector 44 is discrete and does not adversely affect the aesthetics of the sofa 10. Generally, it is envisaged that the leg 42 will be arranged close to a wall of a room in which the sofa 10 is located which further minimises the likelihood of the connector 44 being visible.

[27] The leg 42, as with all of the other legs 40, has an asymmetric attaching formation 46 for attachment to the underside of the base 12. More particularly, the asymmetric attaching formation 46, in this embodiment, comprises a pair of spaced pins 48, the pins 48 being of different diameters to each other. The asymmetric attaching formation 46 facilitates attaching of the legs 40 to the underside of the base 12 in only one orientation. In the case of the leg 42 having the connector 44, this is important so that the motor 24 runs in the correct direction.

Other forms of asymmetric attaching formations 46 may be provided instead such as, for example, pins of different lengths, pins of different shapes, or the like.

[28] The pins 48 of the leg 42 are received in socket defining elements 50 arranged in the base 12. The socket defining elements 50 are connected via conductors 52 to the battery pack 26. It will be appreciated that these socket defining members 50 insulate the pins 48 from the metal frame of the base 12. It is also envisaged that, if desired, each attaching position for a leg 40 in the base 12 may have socket defining elements 50 electrically connected to the battery pack 26 so that the leg 42 can be plugged into any of those positions as desired.

[29] The sofa 10 includes an operating mechanism 54 for facilitating operation of each armrest 14 and each backrest 16. More particularly, the operating mechanism 54 controls reclining or raising of the armrest 14 or backrest 16 as the case may be. In the illustrated embodiment shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that the armrests 14 are shown in a partially reclined position while the backrests 16 are shown in a raised, or upright, position. As indicated above, the armrests 14 and the backrests 16 are individually adjustable.

[30] To improve the aesthetics of the sofa 10, the operating mechanism 54 is arranged to be in a concealed location in use. More particularly, the operating mechanism 54 is, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, carried on a side 56 of each seat cushion 18. It is to be noted that the operating mechanism 54 contains two pairs of switches 58. The switches of each pair of switches 58 are capacitive, touch switches. Each pair of switches 58 is connected by a pair of conductors 60 to a controller (not shown) which includes a touch sensor interface 62 for each pair of switches 58 located within the seat cushion 18.

[31] Each touch sensor interface 62 is, in turn, connected to, and terminates in, a first pair of connectors 64. Each pair of connectors 64 is carried on a securing strap 66. Each seat cushion 18 contains a pair of spaced securing straps 66.

[32] With regard to the touch sensor interface 62, each switch 58 is in the form of a touch stud or plate. An output from the touch stud or plate is connected to a touch sensor module of the interface 62 which measures change in capacitance when one of the studs 58 is touched by a user’s finger. An output of each module is connected to a combining circuit for data and power in order to reduce cabling from the touch sensor interface 62 from four wires to two wires. The controller 28 has a pair of window comparators which are used to extract data from a signal from the touch sensor interface 62.

[33] The connectors 64 comprise a first connector component of a connector arrangement 68. The connector arrangement 68 includes a second connector component 70. The second connector component 70 comprises a pair of spaced connectors 72 on each knock-in 32. Each connector 72 is connected via a conductor 74 to the controller 28.

[34] The connectors 64 on the securing strap 66 connect to the connectors 72 on the knock-ins 32 to create a closed circuit between the touch sensor interface 62 and the controller 28 so that manipulation of the switches of the pair of switches 58 raises or lowers the associated backrest 16 or armrest 14.

[35] The securing straps 66 are provided to facilitate securing of the cushions 18 on the base 12. The securing straps 66 permit a limited degree of lateral movement of the cushions 18 in the direction of arrows 76. Each securing strap 66 defines an anchoring formation in the form of an eyelet 78 through which one of the mounting pins 22 projects, the eyelet 78 being insulated from the mounting pin 22. The mounting pin 22 holds the securing strap 66 captive when the backrests 16 are mounted on the pins 22. The securing straps 66 thus limit the degree of lateral movement of the cushions 18 relative to the base 12 but still allow angular displacement of the backrests 16 relative to the base 12.

[36] Referring now to Figs. 3-5 of the drawings, the operation of the armrest 14 or backrest 16 as the armrest 14 or backrest 16 moves from its upright position to its reclining position or vice versa is described in greater detail. For ease of explanation, the operation will be described with reference to one of the backrests 16 but it will be appreciated that exactly the same principle of operation is applicable to each armrest 14.

[37] In Fig. 3 of the drawings, it is noted that an output from the electric motor 24 is connected to a gear arrangement 86. The gear arrangement 86 is a worm and roller gear assembly. The worm gear of the gear arrangement 86 is arranged in a housing 88 from which a shaft 90 extends. A free end of the shaft 90 is connected at 92 to a mounting bracket 94 suspended from a cross-member 96 of the frame 36 of the backrest 16. When the backrest 16 is in an upright configuration, as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 5a of the drawings, the shaft 90 is extended out of the housing 88 under the action of the worm gear of the gear arrangement 86.

As the backrest 16 pivots from its upright position to a reclining position as shown in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5d of the drawings, the shaft 90 is drawn into the housing 88 under the action of the worm gear of the gear arrangement 86.

[38] The motor 24 is mounted via mounting lugs 98 (Fig. 4) on a cross-beam 100 of the frame 36. The cross-beam 100 is, in turn, arranged between, and connected to, a pair of displacement mechanisms, each in the form of a composite linkage assembly 102.

[39] Each composite linkage assembly 102 comprises a first, fixed element, or plate, 104 arranged on one of the knock-ins 34 of the backrest 16. The assembly 102 further includes a second, fixed element, or mounting plate, 106 mounted to the frame 36.

[40] Each composite linkage assembly 102 comprises a linkage 108 having a pair of links 110 (Figs. 5a-5d) and 112. The link 110 is pivotally connected to the mounting plate 106, the pivotal connection to the mounting plate 106 defining a centre of pivoting of the frame 36 as shown at 114. A first end of the link 110 is connected at a pivot point 116 to the plate 104. An opposed end of the link 110 carries the cross-beam 100 on which the motor 24 is mounted.

[41] A first end of the link 112 is pivotally connected to the plate 104, proximate a free end of the plate 104, at a pivot point 118. An opposed, second end of the link 112 is pivotally connected to the mounting plate 106 at a second pivot point 120.

[42] The composite linkage assembly 102 comprising the first plate 104, the second, mounting plate 106 and the links 110 and 112 define a four-bar linkage in the form of a double rocker arrangement. This arrangement ensures that, when the backrest 16 is moved from its upright position, as shown in Fig. 5a of the drawings, to a fully reclining position, as shown in Fig. 5d of the drawings, the initial movement of the frame 36 relative to the base 12 of the sofa 10 is slightly away from the seat cushion 18 and upwardly from the base 12, as shown in Fig. 5b of the drawings. This movement minimises rubbing of the backrest 16 on the cushion 18 and/or the base 12 as the backrest 16 moves from its raised position to its reclining position.

[43] During the reclining operation of the backrest 16, the frame 36 pivots about the pivot point 114, for example, as shown in Fig. 5c of the drawings. Further pivoting about the pivot point 114 towards the position of the frame shown in Fig. 5d of the drawings and the motion of the composite linkage assembly 102 results in a leading bottom edge 122 of the frame 36, defined by sled-shaped components 124, moving towards a rear of the seat cushion 18 to minimise the size of a gap between the leading edge 122 of the backrest 16 and an upper, rear edge of the cushion 18 when the backrest 16 is in its reclining position.

[44] When the procedure is reversed, i.e. when the frame 36 is moved from its reclining position of Fig. 5d of the drawings to its upright position as shown in Fig. 5a of the drawings, once again, the composite linkage assembly 102 minimises rubbing between the front and bottom of the backrest 16 and the seat cushion 18 and base 12, respectively, while the backrest 16 is displaced to its upright position. In its fully upright position, the composite linkage assemblies 102 move the backrest 16 slightly forward towards the rear of the seat cushion 18, once again, to minimise the size of any gap between the rear of the seat cushion 18 and the backrest 16.

[45] It is a particular advantage of the described embodiments that an aesthetically appealing article of furniture 10 is provided. The provision of the motor 24 in each armrest 14 and backrest 16 and the battery being housed in the base 12 results in a far less bulky structure. Also, the independent adjustability of each armrest 14 and backrest 16 provides greater versatility. The use of the electric motor 24 and the gearbox arrangement 86 also provides that the position of each armrest 14 or backrest 16 is infinitely adjustable relative to the base 12 and neighbouring rests rather than being adjustable only in preset steps.

[46] Provision of two pairs of switches 58 on each seat cushion 18 further improves the versatility of the sofa 10 in that a user need not work out in which position each seat cushion needs to be placed. It is to be noted that if a seat cushion 18 is placed centrally on the base 12, it will only operate the central backrest 16 immediately behind that cushion and either both sets of switches could be used for that purpose or one of the sets of switches 58 will be disabled. Likewise, if a seat cushion 18 is placed at either end of the base 12, the pairs of switches 58 are configured only to operate the armrest 14 neighbouring that seat cushion 18 and not the armrest remotely arranged from that seat cushion 18. This also enables the seat cushions 18 to be swapped around on the sofa 10 as desired to minimise wear and also enables the seat cushions 18 to be swapped around with other items of modular furniture as desired.

[47] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (8)

1. THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

   1. An article of furniture which includes a base; at least one rest displaceably arranged on the base, the at least one rest being displaceable between a substantially upright position and a reclining position relative to the base; a drive member for displacing the at least one rest relative to the base, the drive member being carried within the at least one rest; a power supply unit, arranged externally of the at least one rest, for supplying power to the drive member; at least one seat cushion receivable on the base, the at least one seat cushion carrying an operating mechanism; and a securing means for releasably securing the at least one seat cushion relative to the base, the operating mechanism being connected to the power supply unit via a connector arrangement with at least a part of the connector arrangement being carried by the securing means.
2. 2. The article of furniture of claim 1 in which the securing means carries an anchoring formation.
3. 3. The article of furniture of claim 2 which includes a mounting arrangement for mounting the at least one rest to the base, the anchoring formation of the securing means cooperating with the mounting arrangement for securing the at least one seat cushion to the base.
4. 4. The article of furniture of any one of the preceding claims in which the operating mechanism includes a controller for controlling displacement of the at least one rest, the controller being arranged within the at least one seat cushion.
5. 5. The article of furniture of claim 4 in which the part of the connector arrangement is a first connector component carried by the securing means and the connector arrangement includes a second connector component carried by the base, the first connector component and the second connector component being releasably connectable together to connect the operating mechanism and the controller electrically.
6. 6. The article of furniture of any one of the preceding claims in which the operating mechanism is mounted in a concealed location, in use, on the at least one seat cushion.
7. 7. The article of furniture of any one of the preceding claims which includes multiple rests each of which is displaceably arranged relative to the base.
8. 8. The article of furniture of claim which includes a plurality of seat cushions, each seat cushion including an operating mechanism and each operating mechanism including a plurality of switch arrangements, each switch arrangement controlling displacement of one of the rests.