CA1040998A - Retractable footrest mechanism for reclining chairs - Google Patents
Retractable footrest mechanism for reclining chairsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1040998A CA1040998A CA213,792A CA213792A CA1040998A CA 1040998 A CA1040998 A CA 1040998A CA 213792 A CA213792 A CA 213792A CA 1040998 A CA1040998 A CA 1040998A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- chair
- footrest
- rails
- link
- movement
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47C1/00—Chairs adapted for special purposes
- A47C1/02—Reclining or easy chairs
- A47C1/031—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts
- A47C1/034—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts including a leg-rest or foot-rest
- A47C1/0342—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts including a leg-rest or foot-rest in combination with movable backrest-seat unit or back-rest
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47C3/00—Chairs characterised by structural features; Chairs or stools with rotatable or vertically-adjustable seats
- A47C3/02—Rocking chairs
- A47C3/03—Locking members
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47C7/00—Parts, details, or accessories of chairs or stools
- A47C7/50—Supports for the feet or the legs coupled to fixed parts of the chair
- A47C7/506—Supports for the feet or the legs coupled to fixed parts of the chair of adjustable type
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A retractable footrest for reclining chairs supported upon a pair of parallel rails movable endwise on the chair, for-ward to extend the footrest and backward to retract. The rails are tubular to house the operating link that rotates the footrest on the rail ends to present its supporting surface upwardly, and are supported from the seat and guided by a forward fulcrum roller and a guide track which confines and directs a roller on the rear end of the rail. Extension and retraction of the rails is by a drive linkage that magnifies a limited rotation to pro-duce a large linear movement.
A retractable footrest for reclining chairs supported upon a pair of parallel rails movable endwise on the chair, for-ward to extend the footrest and backward to retract. The rails are tubular to house the operating link that rotates the footrest on the rail ends to present its supporting surface upwardly, and are supported from the seat and guided by a forward fulcrum roller and a guide track which confines and directs a roller on the rear end of the rail. Extension and retraction of the rails is by a drive linkage that magnifies a limited rotation to pro-duce a large linear movement.
Description
Our invention relates to an extensible and retractable footrest for reclining chairs, and more particularly to mechanism for sup~orting a footrest on.a chair body for movement from a stowed position, where it mav serve as the front board of the chair, to an extended forwa~d position for supporting the out-stretched legs of the occupant above the floor.
The footrests commonlv used in reclining chairs, and in combination so-called "rocker-recliners~,quite commonly employ 'scissors, or "lazy tong", linkages to provide the considerable extension that is required to support the footrest sufficiently forwardly of the chair to perform its function. This has been particularly true as styling demands have required that the body of the chair be elevated somewhat above the floor, thus limiting not only-the height of the front board, which in turn becomes the supporting surface of the footrest, but also limiting the amount of available space in which to stow the operating mechanism be-r.ea~h the chair ~eat.
Lazy tongs or scissors linkages, while adequate for the purpose, have certain disadvantages which are overcome in the present invention. The multiplicity of operating pivot joints in a lazy tong linkage are multiple points for wear, and, in time, -after much usage, the footrest supported on such a linkage becomes loose and ~floppy~ whèn extended, and when stowed does not properly reassume its tightly retracted position at the front of the chair.
~ Furthermore, such linkages usually have little lateral ~trength or stability and are subject to damage from sideward ~ -thrust when the footrèst is extended. Moreover, any scissors ~ --linkage is capable of cutting off a finger, particularly when it ~8 retracted quickly, as is customary, by drawing in the footrest ~
- 30 from its extended position with the occupant's heels. ~ -The difficulties encountered with extension mechanisms of the above-described type are obviated in the footrest extension : "'` ' -1- ~
. . 7~ . .
~1 1 0~ 8 mechanism of the present invention, in which the footrest is supported upon a pair of rails which are extended and retracted ~n an essentially endwise movement by a suitable driving mechanism. The rails are formed to house a linkage for adjusting the angularity of the front board-footrest as the same is extended, ! and the support for the rails is further adjusted to change the effectiye angularity of the footrèst further as the chair is reclined.
j Broadly speaking, therefore, the present invention provides a footrest extension mechanism for a reclining chair comprising a footrest pivoted to the ends of a pair of parallel rails supported on the chair for essentially endwise movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair for extending and retract-ing the footrest, drive means connected to the rails to cause the movement, and means connected to the footrest to alter the angularity of the footrest relative to the rails as an incident to the endwise movement between a retracted position with a supporting surface thereof in a front plane of the chair . .
and a forward position with the supporting surface facing up-wardly to support the occupant's legs, the angularity-altering means being operable as aforesaid by connection with a portion of the chair with respect to which the rails are mova~le upon extension of the footrest to the forward position and being also -thereby movable relative to the rails, the rails being shaped `~ to provide protective masking of the angularity-altering means dusing movement thereof relative to the rails. ~ -~
The invention is described in detail in the accompany-~nq ~pecification in conjunction with the accompanying-drawings n which: - -.. ~ . , :
Pigure 1 is a somewhat fanciful isometric illustration ~i of a rocker-recliner equipped with our footrest, showing the -; olean lines of its s~mple rail suppor~ and also showing diagram-~atically how the load on the extended footrest is borne in the mb/,~r~ - 2 -~ ; , ,: . . ; .. : , : , chair;
Figure lA is a sideview of the footrest and the outer end of the near extension rail, showing their stowed relationship in full line and their relationship when extended by broken line;
Figure 2 is a side eIevation of our footrest extension mechanism as applied to a rocker-recliner chair;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of F~gure 2 to better illustrate the track by which the movement of the back end of each extension rail is supported during its movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair;
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, depicting the mounting of one of the driving links of the ; ext`ension mechanism, which when fitted for handle operation , becomes the driving lever for the extension of the footrest;
~ F~gure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 I to bètter illustrate the mounting of the front one of the two ¦ dr~ving links, its attachment to, and the support of, the cross-3 shaft which extends to similar linkage on the opposite side of . 20 the chair to unify the forward and rearward movement of the extension ` ~ , : ' , .
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mechanism;
FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2 to illustrate in more detail the front support for each extension rail; and FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic illustrations of the linkage of Figure 2 shown respectively in the fully-retracted position of the footrest for orientation with the detailed showing of Figure 2, and, thereafter, in an intermediate position, in fully-extended position, and, lastly, in a further adjusted posi-tion of even greater~angularity to the seat occasioned both by the .
elevation of the front of the seat~nd the lowering of the front ~ ~ support of the extension rails conjointly with the reclining of :~j the chair.
. By way of summary at the outset, the footrest extension . 15 and support mechanism of~ the invention comprises a pair of spaced parallel rails or.beams 10 which are supported from the underside of the seat of a reclining chair, and are driven from the fully re-. tracted position to full extension by linkage which is likewise sus-, . .
pended from the seat of the chair. The footrest 12 itself, which . 20 serves as the front panel of the chair when retracted, is pivotally mounted on the front ends of the rails 10, which are preferably .. tubular not only for greater beam strength but also for purpose of housing and concealing an adjusting link 14 by means of which the angularity of the footr~es~.12-i~s adjusted coincident with its 25 extension to its functional position forwardly of the chair seat.
~ The pair of supporting rails 10, one on each side of the `
3 ! . chair, are driven by identical operating linkages 16 only one of ~
which is .~pecifically illustrated in Figure 2, but whose counter- :
part will be understood to be its mirror image. The two linkages 30 16 are connected together for movement in unison by a cross-sha.t s 18 which extends transverselY of the chair, is supported for rota-tion in the seat bracket hardware..20 and ~o which one member of _3_ , . .
the linkage 16 at either side of the chair is attached as an arm.
In Figure 2, the cross-shaft 18 is illustrated as connecting the pair of forward drive links 2j2 at opposite sides of the chair so as not to present an obstacle to resilient deflection of the seat 5 cushion by the occupant's weight.
As indicated by Figure 2, and also by the diagrammatical illustrations 7 to 10 inclusive, the invention is illustrated in connection with a linkage 16 which is extended to the forward po-` sition by a hand lever 24, i.e., by action independent of relative 10 motion of other parts of the chair. As is well understood in this art, however, the footrest 12 could also be extended as an inci-dent to movement of the seat relative to any of the other chair parts as, for example, relative to the rocker portion of a rocker-recliner" to achieve footrest extension in the more or 15 less upright sitting position referred to as the "TV" position illustrated in Figure 1. In another setting, it could be ex-tended by reclining moiion o~ Ll-le bac~ of thc ^hair relative to : :`
the seat. In such instances, driving force or torque could be applied to activate the-extension and retracting linkage at any 20 convenient point, such as, for example, to another arm (not shown) connected to the cross shaft 18.
` Referring now to Figures 2 to 6 of the drawings for a .; more detailed description of our footrest extension mechanism 16, , the same, as previously noted, is suspended from a bracket 20 -` 25 affixed to the underside of the cushioned chair seat. In the present case, the bracket 20 is also that which supports the - ;
seat for relative movement with respect to the rocker element 26 ; .
.of a rocker base 28 as indicated in Figure 1, being supported thereon by means of suitable linkage 30. -We wish'it to be under-? 30 stood, however, that our footrest extension mechanism 16 is not confined in its application to only that seat support mechanism 30 shown here in part, but may be utilized with any reclining chair ,, , , , ., ..
~ `:
S~8 mechanism that offers either the possibility of hand-lever opera-tion of the linkage 16, or operation thereof by movement of the seat or back relative to another portion of the chair.
To avoid obscuring the footrest extension linkage 16, we show only a portion of the actual seat-support mechanism 30, in particular, the forward support link 32 pivoted at its upper end to the seat bracket 20 and at its lower end to a base bracket 34 of angle iron secured ~y screws 36, as indicated, to the rocker element 26 of the rocking base. It is contemplated, in any event, that, utilizing the aforesaid seat-support mechanism 30, the re-clining motion of the back of the chair is accompanied by a for-ward motion of the chair seat relative to the rocker element 26, and, as will be appreciated from the inclination of the front seat support link 32, by a rather fast rising of the front of the chair seat. This may be seen by c;pmparing Figures 9 and 10. Neither the forward nor the upward movement of the seat bracket 2~ is necessa~ to th~ operat,vn of the linkase 16 ins~fa. as 'ha exten-sion of the footrest 12 to its forward supporting position is con-~, cerned. However, we prefer to provide a further adjustment of the attitude of~the footrest relative to the-seat as the back is re-clined, and, inasmuch as the back and seat move conjointly during the recline of the back, we conveniently make that final further adjustment of the footrest 12 by ut~lizing the rotation of the - ~
,~ main support link 32 for the seat.
Referring still to Figures 2 to 6 inclusive for the de-tailQ of the construction, it may be noted that the footrest 12 i8 ~ecured to a mounting bracket 38 pivoted at the front end of the rail~or beam lO ~hAich is approximately co'extensive in length with the front-to-rear dimension of the~seat bracket 20. Each rail 10 is tubular, and rectangular of cross section, with its greater cross-sectional dimension upright. At its front end, the rail iQ upported on a roller 40 which in turn is supported by a . .
pair of parallel links 42 suspended from the seat bracket 20. The position of the link-support front roller 40 is determined by a link-rod 44 extending rea-wardly and pivoted to the front support link 32 of the seat. As the seat support link 32 is rotated to elevate the seat bracket 20, the seat support link 32 rotates rearwardly of the seat bracket 20 ~nd, through the control link-rod 44, draws the front su~porting roller 40 rearwardly, and slightly downwardly, with respect to the seat bracket 20.
At its rear end, each rail 10 is provided with an up-standing bracket 46 which supports a guide roller 48 positionedin a channel-shaped track 50 secured to, and facing outwardly from, the seat bracket 20. As the rail 10 is moved forward and back in the extens on ,and retraction movement, the guide roller 48 re-con~n~d mains e~..f_~d in its track 50 and transfers to the seat bracket 20 the upward thrust occasioned by loads exerted generally down-wardly on the footrest.
The linkage 16 for extending and retracting the rails 10 includes, at the forward end of the seat bracket 20, the drive link 22 which, as previously noted, is fixed as an arm to the cross shaft 18. Spaced rearwardl~ is yet another drive link 52, likewise pivoted to the seat bracket 20, and assuming an attitude approximately parallel with the forward drive link 22 when the ` mechanism is in the fully retracted position. The two links 22 and 52 are connected for movement in unison by an upper connecting 25 link 54. - -Secured to the rearward drive link 52 at its end remote , ~ . . . . . . .
from the seat bracket 20 is a rock lever 56, the forward end of :
which is pivoted to a lower restraining link 58 which extends forwardly and is pivoted to the ènd of the front drive link 22 at its end remote from the cros~ shaft 18. The rear end of the rock lever 56 is pivoted to a short drag link 60, whichin turn is pivoted to the rail 10 on a shoulder rivet 62 which also serves to :' ' .
C~8 stake the guide-roller bracket 46 to the back end of the rail 10.
In the illustrated case, the rear link 52 serves as the driver, having connected thereto an operating han~le 24 accessible to the occupant of the chair on the outside of the arm thereof.
For the sake of functional illustration, the handle is shown in Figure 2 in broken outline as an extension across the center of rotation of the rearward drive link 52, and it will be understood that fbr such purpose, the hand lever 24, being on the outside of the chair arm, and the linkage mechanism 16 being concealed inwardly thereof, a suitable short shaft (not shown) is provided to connect the handle lever 24 and the drive link 52 along or close tO their common axes of rotation, such detail being omitted in Figure 1 for sake of clarity.
In any event, when the rearward drive link 52 moves for-wardly relative to the seat bracket 20, whether driven by theaforesaid handle lever 24 or otherwise, it rotates the forward drive link 22 tnrough th~ u~per connectiny l nk 54 a..d s .ult~n-eously rotates the similar linkage on the opposite side of the -chair through the cross shaft 18 to which the front drive links 22 of both linkages arc secured.
As the two drive links 52 and 22 rotate forwardly and downwardly, the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end of the rear drive link 52, guided by the lower restraining link 58, rotates ~` forwardly (clockwise in Fig~ 2) at an accelerated pace relative to 25 the seat bracket 20, and through a path of movement such that ïts r~arward end rises only slightly above the level shown in Figure
The footrests commonlv used in reclining chairs, and in combination so-called "rocker-recliners~,quite commonly employ 'scissors, or "lazy tong", linkages to provide the considerable extension that is required to support the footrest sufficiently forwardly of the chair to perform its function. This has been particularly true as styling demands have required that the body of the chair be elevated somewhat above the floor, thus limiting not only-the height of the front board, which in turn becomes the supporting surface of the footrest, but also limiting the amount of available space in which to stow the operating mechanism be-r.ea~h the chair ~eat.
Lazy tongs or scissors linkages, while adequate for the purpose, have certain disadvantages which are overcome in the present invention. The multiplicity of operating pivot joints in a lazy tong linkage are multiple points for wear, and, in time, -after much usage, the footrest supported on such a linkage becomes loose and ~floppy~ whèn extended, and when stowed does not properly reassume its tightly retracted position at the front of the chair.
~ Furthermore, such linkages usually have little lateral ~trength or stability and are subject to damage from sideward ~ -thrust when the footrèst is extended. Moreover, any scissors ~ --linkage is capable of cutting off a finger, particularly when it ~8 retracted quickly, as is customary, by drawing in the footrest ~
- 30 from its extended position with the occupant's heels. ~ -The difficulties encountered with extension mechanisms of the above-described type are obviated in the footrest extension : "'` ' -1- ~
. . 7~ . .
~1 1 0~ 8 mechanism of the present invention, in which the footrest is supported upon a pair of rails which are extended and retracted ~n an essentially endwise movement by a suitable driving mechanism. The rails are formed to house a linkage for adjusting the angularity of the front board-footrest as the same is extended, ! and the support for the rails is further adjusted to change the effectiye angularity of the footrèst further as the chair is reclined.
j Broadly speaking, therefore, the present invention provides a footrest extension mechanism for a reclining chair comprising a footrest pivoted to the ends of a pair of parallel rails supported on the chair for essentially endwise movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair for extending and retract-ing the footrest, drive means connected to the rails to cause the movement, and means connected to the footrest to alter the angularity of the footrest relative to the rails as an incident to the endwise movement between a retracted position with a supporting surface thereof in a front plane of the chair . .
and a forward position with the supporting surface facing up-wardly to support the occupant's legs, the angularity-altering means being operable as aforesaid by connection with a portion of the chair with respect to which the rails are mova~le upon extension of the footrest to the forward position and being also -thereby movable relative to the rails, the rails being shaped `~ to provide protective masking of the angularity-altering means dusing movement thereof relative to the rails. ~ -~
The invention is described in detail in the accompany-~nq ~pecification in conjunction with the accompanying-drawings n which: - -.. ~ . , :
Pigure 1 is a somewhat fanciful isometric illustration ~i of a rocker-recliner equipped with our footrest, showing the -; olean lines of its s~mple rail suppor~ and also showing diagram-~atically how the load on the extended footrest is borne in the mb/,~r~ - 2 -~ ; , ,: . . ; .. : , : , chair;
Figure lA is a sideview of the footrest and the outer end of the near extension rail, showing their stowed relationship in full line and their relationship when extended by broken line;
Figure 2 is a side eIevation of our footrest extension mechanism as applied to a rocker-recliner chair;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of F~gure 2 to better illustrate the track by which the movement of the back end of each extension rail is supported during its movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair;
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, depicting the mounting of one of the driving links of the ; ext`ension mechanism, which when fitted for handle operation , becomes the driving lever for the extension of the footrest;
~ F~gure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 I to bètter illustrate the mounting of the front one of the two ¦ dr~ving links, its attachment to, and the support of, the cross-3 shaft which extends to similar linkage on the opposite side of . 20 the chair to unify the forward and rearward movement of the extension ` ~ , : ' , .
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mechanism;
FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2 to illustrate in more detail the front support for each extension rail; and FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic illustrations of the linkage of Figure 2 shown respectively in the fully-retracted position of the footrest for orientation with the detailed showing of Figure 2, and, thereafter, in an intermediate position, in fully-extended position, and, lastly, in a further adjusted posi-tion of even greater~angularity to the seat occasioned both by the .
elevation of the front of the seat~nd the lowering of the front ~ ~ support of the extension rails conjointly with the reclining of :~j the chair.
. By way of summary at the outset, the footrest extension . 15 and support mechanism of~ the invention comprises a pair of spaced parallel rails or.beams 10 which are supported from the underside of the seat of a reclining chair, and are driven from the fully re-. tracted position to full extension by linkage which is likewise sus-, . .
pended from the seat of the chair. The footrest 12 itself, which . 20 serves as the front panel of the chair when retracted, is pivotally mounted on the front ends of the rails 10, which are preferably .. tubular not only for greater beam strength but also for purpose of housing and concealing an adjusting link 14 by means of which the angularity of the footr~es~.12-i~s adjusted coincident with its 25 extension to its functional position forwardly of the chair seat.
~ The pair of supporting rails 10, one on each side of the `
3 ! . chair, are driven by identical operating linkages 16 only one of ~
which is .~pecifically illustrated in Figure 2, but whose counter- :
part will be understood to be its mirror image. The two linkages 30 16 are connected together for movement in unison by a cross-sha.t s 18 which extends transverselY of the chair, is supported for rota-tion in the seat bracket hardware..20 and ~o which one member of _3_ , . .
the linkage 16 at either side of the chair is attached as an arm.
In Figure 2, the cross-shaft 18 is illustrated as connecting the pair of forward drive links 2j2 at opposite sides of the chair so as not to present an obstacle to resilient deflection of the seat 5 cushion by the occupant's weight.
As indicated by Figure 2, and also by the diagrammatical illustrations 7 to 10 inclusive, the invention is illustrated in connection with a linkage 16 which is extended to the forward po-` sition by a hand lever 24, i.e., by action independent of relative 10 motion of other parts of the chair. As is well understood in this art, however, the footrest 12 could also be extended as an inci-dent to movement of the seat relative to any of the other chair parts as, for example, relative to the rocker portion of a rocker-recliner" to achieve footrest extension in the more or 15 less upright sitting position referred to as the "TV" position illustrated in Figure 1. In another setting, it could be ex-tended by reclining moiion o~ Ll-le bac~ of thc ^hair relative to : :`
the seat. In such instances, driving force or torque could be applied to activate the-extension and retracting linkage at any 20 convenient point, such as, for example, to another arm (not shown) connected to the cross shaft 18.
` Referring now to Figures 2 to 6 of the drawings for a .; more detailed description of our footrest extension mechanism 16, , the same, as previously noted, is suspended from a bracket 20 -` 25 affixed to the underside of the cushioned chair seat. In the present case, the bracket 20 is also that which supports the - ;
seat for relative movement with respect to the rocker element 26 ; .
.of a rocker base 28 as indicated in Figure 1, being supported thereon by means of suitable linkage 30. -We wish'it to be under-? 30 stood, however, that our footrest extension mechanism 16 is not confined in its application to only that seat support mechanism 30 shown here in part, but may be utilized with any reclining chair ,, , , , ., ..
~ `:
S~8 mechanism that offers either the possibility of hand-lever opera-tion of the linkage 16, or operation thereof by movement of the seat or back relative to another portion of the chair.
To avoid obscuring the footrest extension linkage 16, we show only a portion of the actual seat-support mechanism 30, in particular, the forward support link 32 pivoted at its upper end to the seat bracket 20 and at its lower end to a base bracket 34 of angle iron secured ~y screws 36, as indicated, to the rocker element 26 of the rocking base. It is contemplated, in any event, that, utilizing the aforesaid seat-support mechanism 30, the re-clining motion of the back of the chair is accompanied by a for-ward motion of the chair seat relative to the rocker element 26, and, as will be appreciated from the inclination of the front seat support link 32, by a rather fast rising of the front of the chair seat. This may be seen by c;pmparing Figures 9 and 10. Neither the forward nor the upward movement of the seat bracket 2~ is necessa~ to th~ operat,vn of the linkase 16 ins~fa. as 'ha exten-sion of the footrest 12 to its forward supporting position is con-~, cerned. However, we prefer to provide a further adjustment of the attitude of~the footrest relative to the-seat as the back is re-clined, and, inasmuch as the back and seat move conjointly during the recline of the back, we conveniently make that final further adjustment of the footrest 12 by ut~lizing the rotation of the - ~
,~ main support link 32 for the seat.
Referring still to Figures 2 to 6 inclusive for the de-tailQ of the construction, it may be noted that the footrest 12 i8 ~ecured to a mounting bracket 38 pivoted at the front end of the rail~or beam lO ~hAich is approximately co'extensive in length with the front-to-rear dimension of the~seat bracket 20. Each rail 10 is tubular, and rectangular of cross section, with its greater cross-sectional dimension upright. At its front end, the rail iQ upported on a roller 40 which in turn is supported by a . .
pair of parallel links 42 suspended from the seat bracket 20. The position of the link-support front roller 40 is determined by a link-rod 44 extending rea-wardly and pivoted to the front support link 32 of the seat. As the seat support link 32 is rotated to elevate the seat bracket 20, the seat support link 32 rotates rearwardly of the seat bracket 20 ~nd, through the control link-rod 44, draws the front su~porting roller 40 rearwardly, and slightly downwardly, with respect to the seat bracket 20.
At its rear end, each rail 10 is provided with an up-standing bracket 46 which supports a guide roller 48 positionedin a channel-shaped track 50 secured to, and facing outwardly from, the seat bracket 20. As the rail 10 is moved forward and back in the extens on ,and retraction movement, the guide roller 48 re-con~n~d mains e~..f_~d in its track 50 and transfers to the seat bracket 20 the upward thrust occasioned by loads exerted generally down-wardly on the footrest.
The linkage 16 for extending and retracting the rails 10 includes, at the forward end of the seat bracket 20, the drive link 22 which, as previously noted, is fixed as an arm to the cross shaft 18. Spaced rearwardl~ is yet another drive link 52, likewise pivoted to the seat bracket 20, and assuming an attitude approximately parallel with the forward drive link 22 when the ` mechanism is in the fully retracted position. The two links 22 and 52 are connected for movement in unison by an upper connecting 25 link 54. - -Secured to the rearward drive link 52 at its end remote , ~ . . . . . . .
from the seat bracket 20 is a rock lever 56, the forward end of :
which is pivoted to a lower restraining link 58 which extends forwardly and is pivoted to the ènd of the front drive link 22 at its end remote from the cros~ shaft 18. The rear end of the rock lever 56 is pivoted to a short drag link 60, whichin turn is pivoted to the rail 10 on a shoulder rivet 62 which also serves to :' ' .
C~8 stake the guide-roller bracket 46 to the back end of the rail 10.
In the illustrated case, the rear link 52 serves as the driver, having connected thereto an operating han~le 24 accessible to the occupant of the chair on the outside of the arm thereof.
For the sake of functional illustration, the handle is shown in Figure 2 in broken outline as an extension across the center of rotation of the rearward drive link 52, and it will be understood that fbr such purpose, the hand lever 24, being on the outside of the chair arm, and the linkage mechanism 16 being concealed inwardly thereof, a suitable short shaft (not shown) is provided to connect the handle lever 24 and the drive link 52 along or close tO their common axes of rotation, such detail being omitted in Figure 1 for sake of clarity.
In any event, when the rearward drive link 52 moves for-wardly relative to the seat bracket 20, whether driven by theaforesaid handle lever 24 or otherwise, it rotates the forward drive link 22 tnrough th~ u~per connectiny l nk 54 a..d s .ult~n-eously rotates the similar linkage on the opposite side of the -chair through the cross shaft 18 to which the front drive links 22 of both linkages arc secured.
As the two drive links 52 and 22 rotate forwardly and downwardly, the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end of the rear drive link 52, guided by the lower restraining link 58, rotates ~` forwardly (clockwise in Fig~ 2) at an accelerated pace relative to 25 the seat bracket 20, and through a path of movement such that ïts r~arward end rises only slightly above the level shown in Figure
2. The forward motion of the rock lever 56, being in turn trans-mitted to the extension rail 10 at its rearward end through the drag link 60, propels the footrest 12 forwardly from its stowed position, snugged to the front of the chair, to its extended po-~ 8ition, ready to support the feet or legs of the occupant.
:'' . -~ The footrest 12 proper, as earlier indicated, is pivotally .,~ , . .
,, ~ - -7-.
,, ,~ , ,' , ,, mounted on the front end of the two extension rails 10 by means of an angle bracket 38 pivoted to each of said rails. It will be appreciated that to render the footrest usable, it must be rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2 in order to present its up-5 holstered surface at an appropriate angle to the occupant's legs.
For this purpose, we have provided the operating llnk 14, prefer-ably in the form of a rod which has a circular section and which is housed within the extension rail 10. The rod 14 is provided with a right angle bend.,64 and 66 at each end. Extending toward ,., 10 the viewer in Figs. 1 A and 2,'thè bend 64 is passed through a suit-" able hole in the footrest brack`et 38, and the bend 66 at its rear-ward end, also extending toward the viewer, passes outwardly through a window 68 in the outer side wall of the tubular rail 10 7 and through a suitable pivot hole near the rearward end of the ':
15, rock lever 56. Thus, as the extension rail 10 ls propelled for- ~
~ wardly by the linkage 16, the rotation of the rock lever 56 causes -7` movement of the concealed rod-iink 14 rearwardly witnin and reia- ,.
, ,tive to the rail 10, drawing the footrest bracket 38 rearwardly, . or c~ounterclockwise as seen in Figure 1, to appropriately adjust -', 20 the angle of the front face of t,he footrest 12.
,~ Note.from Fig. 1 A that the forward end of the rail is ~''':, . . . : . .
also relieved at,an angle to provide a stop and support for the . bent end 64 of the link rod when the footrest is laid back in the extended position. This relieves the link rod 14 of any longitu- -~
~ ,,..., ,. ~, ~ 25 dinal compressive force from downward load on the footrest, and . ~ ', .~ also assures tha~ the extension linkage 16 is likewise free of ' ~ load from the weight of the occupant't outstretched legs. ' '.
.`~ The motion of the rod link 14 at its rearward end is, - very nearly a straight-line motion and the window 68~in the side ~, 30 wall of the rail is therefore essentially a longitudinal extending - '' ' ~lot which may be of dimension.only slightly greater than the . diameter of the rod link 14 to provide necessary clearance. As , ,, -8- .
~; .
the forward movement proceeds, the rock lever 56 at the end of the rear drive link 52 rotates sufficiently that the rod-link pivot 66 moves across the pivot of the lever 56 to the drag link 60. The necessary clearance to accommodate this movement at full exten-sion of the~support rail 10 is provided by means of a notch 70cut into the lower edge of the drag link 60.
Further detail of the above-described parts, as we have made them to accommodate the foregoing movements, are shown ln Figure 2, augmented by the several sectional views of Figures 3 to 6 inclu`sive.
~ ~ The sea~ bracket 20 in its forward portion is an inverted channel, and in its rearward portion is angle-shaped in cross sec-tion, having only an inner vertical flange 72 of gradually in-creasing depth from front to rear. This is to provide a conven-ient point of attachment for the rearward portion of a seat-sup-porting mechanism. ~ -Secured to the vertical flange 7~ of the seat ~racket, --- and-extending from its very rearward end forwardly well into the ; channel-shaped forward portion thereof as well, is the channel-shaped roller guide 50 the contacting surfaces of which are V-shaped to receive the beveled guide roller 48 at the back end of the extension rail 10. The roller 48 itself is journaled upon a shoulder rivet 74 at the upper end of the bracket 46 which en-c~rcles the extreme rearward end of the extension rail 10 (compare ~igs. 2 and 3). The bracket 46 is staked to the rear end of the ` rail by a pair of rivets, one of which, the shoulder rivet 62, provides the point of connection for the drag link 60 to the rail 10. The rail 10 itself is chopped at an angle to reduce its depth to provide clearance from the base member 28 on the rearward rock-' 30 ing motion of the chair. The roller guide 50 is preferably formed from light gauge steel and projection-welded to the inner vertical .~
~ flange 72 of the seat bracket.
~ .
_g_ 104(~
At the forward, channel-shaped end of the seat bracket 20 are mounted the double support links 42 which support the front fulcrum roller 40. As indicated in the sectional view of Figure 6, the parallel links 42 extend into the inverted channel of the seat bracket, and are jou~naled~n a pivot pin 76 and maintained thereon in spaced relation by an upper roller 78 whlch is of molded Nylon or the link.t Clearance space is occupied by spacing washers 80, and the side of the journal pin opposlte its head is .
isecured by a self-locking push-on fastener 82 of the Tinnerman ~pe. At the lower end of the~ parallel links 42, the roller 40, ; likewise of molded Nylon, is journaled on the front end 84 of the rod-shaped control link 44 which extends rearwardly to the seat ; support~link 32. The control link is bent at each ends at right ` angles to its shank and in opposite directions, the outer end 84 providing the journal for the fulcrum roller 40 extending toward .~ :
the viewer in Figure 2, and~maintained in assemble relation with the parallel links 42 by means of a Cotter key. Its opposite end - -86, (Fig. 6) which provides its pivotal connection-to the seat ~ . .
support link 32, is bent away from the viewer, and similarly fas- -20 tened in assembled relation with that link. - -~
` It will be noted from Figure 6 ~at-~oth rollers, the lower support or fulcrum roller 40 and the upper spacing roller 78 are flanged not only to maintain clearance between the exten-sion rail 10 and the~parallel front suspension links 42 for silent operation, but also to provide lateral stability to the extended footrest.
Moving rearwardly to the operating linkage 16 ~ se, it will be noted by comparison of Figures 2 and S that the coordin-ating cross shaft 18 is preferably square in cross section to~fac-$L$tate the r$g$d mounting of ~be forward drive link 22 thereto.
, . . ..
- From P$gure 5, it will be noted that the cross shaft 18 passes i through both flanges of the seat bracket 20, channel-shaped at J ;
,~ . .
.
,. . . . . . . . .. . .
~U4~
that point, through an oversize clearance hole 88 in the lnner flange, and snugly through a bushing 90, also of molded plastic, by means of which the cross shaft 18 is journaled in a suitabLy finished hole in the outer flange of the seat bracket 20. The bushing 90 is provided with a conforming square hole to receive the shaft 18, and also with an outer flange which serves to space the front drive link 22 from the seat-bracket 20. To fix the front }ink 22 firmly to the shaft 18 as an arm, its upper end is fQrmed as a channel and pierced to receive the shaft, with the 1~ flanges of the channel flanking the square shaft 18 on opposite sidès. The flanges are suitably pierced, and the shaft end drilled, to receive a keying bolt or drive pin 94.
Moving farther rearwardly to the rear drive link 52 and to a comparison of Figures 2 and 4, it will be noted that the rear drive link S2 is pivoted to the outer flange of the seat bracket `~ 20 by ~eans of a shoulder rivet-96, and is offset immediately out=
wardly to provide clear~gP f~r t~ end bb of tne link-rvd i4 d~
the rear end of the rock lever 56 crosses under the drive link 52 .. . . .
. and the upper connecting link 54 on the extension, and retraction : 20 movement. At its lower`end, the drive link 52 is offset inwardly.
The. rock lever 5~ is offset outwardly at the location of ` i~3 piv~otal connection to the rear d~ive link 52, so that the two mating offsets of the link 52 and lever 56 position the lever fairl~y close to t~he o~ter side wall of the extension rail 10 for ~`
.' ~1` ~.
~i 25 convenient pivotal cd~nection at`66 to the end of the link rod 14 that passes through the extension rail from back to front to vary -~
the angle of the footrest. That connectio~iS similarly maintained .~ by a Cotter key or suitable substit~e. - ~ ;
The operation of the extension linkage 16 will best be understood by examining the series of-diagrammatic drawings, ; Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, in which the extension rail 10, the ~eat b~acket 20, and the base bracket 34, are shown as they actually ,' -11-' .
.. . . . ,;, ."~,, ., . . - . _ are, and the extension linkage 16 and the front link 32 of the seat-support linkage are represented as single lines along the axes of those members.
Figure 7 depicts the footrest 12 and extension linkage 16 in the position of Figure 2 to aid in orienting the simplified ` line drawing of Fig. 7 with its fully-illustrated counterpart, Flg. 2. The footrest 12 and associated extension linkage 16 are shown installed in a chair of the rocker-recliner type, which is indicated only in outline form to illustrate the location of the footrest mechanism of the invention with respect to the body of the chair of which it is a part.
As in Figure 2, the simplified diagrammatic form of the linkage of Figs. 7 to 10 is illustrated as being operated by the hand lever 24 to extend the footrest 12 and, for that matter, to retract it as well, although, as will be understood by those skilled in this art, the footrest may also be retracted to the stowed po-sition if it . drawr. rea-wardly b~ the occuPart's heels, there ' being no locked toggle in the extension linkage 16 tending to re-sist retraction either by direct application of an inwardly dir-ected horizontal force to the footrest, or by a torque applied thereto in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings.
Also, as earlier mentioned, while we contemplate opera-tion of the illustrated form by means of the operating hand lever `~ ~4 at the side of the chair, conventionally at the occupant's right 2S side, and for this purpose have attached the operating lever 24 to ~ operate the r~a~ward drive link 52, we also contemplate operation ~;
`4, by other modes, for example, either,a shifting of the seat forward or backward with respect to the chair~arms and rocker base to a ~ `~
` non-reclined intermediate or "TVn position, or operation in some ~ `
instances by the reclining of thë chair back. In such case, the extension link~ge 16 might well be driven from a different point, for example, as also`previously suggested, by the application of a " ,:... .
- -12- ;
driving torque to the cross-shaft 18 in any feasible way, such as a suitably positioned arm connected by means of an operating link to another portion of the chair with respect to which the seat is relatively movable.
In Figure 7 the footrest is stowed, and thus serves as the front board or front panel`of the chair, being shown in solid outline within the broken outline of the chair itself. The opera-ting handle 24 extends diagonally forwardly within the grasp of the occupant of the chair. In a ro~ker-recliner chair, chosen to illustrate the applic * ion of the invention, it will be under-tood that it is conventional to lock or bldck the rocker base as i an incident to the extension of the leg rest. This may be achieved by a number of blocking mechanisms (no~ shown) which may for ex-ample, be folded legs extended for the purpose, or may be an im-proved selective rocker-recliner lock of our own devleopment.
However, inasmuch as the footrest extension mechanism here illus-trated and claimed is equally usable-in chairs of the non-rocking ` type, we have omitted illustration of the rocker blocking mechan-ism as not specifically relevant to the present invention.
Figure 8 shows the footrest advanced to an intermediate position. It~is not intended as a use position but merely to -illustrate the movement of the respective parts of the linkage 16 in the travel of the footrest 12 from its stowed to its fully-~` extended position.
Figure 9 shows the footrest 12 f~lly extended and cocked to a comfortable leg supporting angle by the rearward draw of the retracting link-rod 14 housed within the tubular extension rails ~ 10. It 5hould be noticed that the very substantial forward linear -' movement of the footrest on its extension rails is achieved through the multiplied throw of the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end of the drive link 52, and rotated thereon by the lower restraining link 58. This multiplication resu~ts from the different1al rota-, .
tion of the two drive links 52 and 22, due in turn to the differ-ences of the swing radii of the~pivot points of the connecting link 54 with respect to the pivot axes of the two drive links, and also from the differential forward movement of the outer ends of the driv~ links 52 and 22 due to their unequal lengths. By th device, the rock lever 56 is rotated rapidly relative to the seat bracket 20, and to the extension rail 10, through an arc of approx-imately 150 in the course of the entire extension movement, whereas, for example, the forward drive link ~2 rotates only lQ through approximately 90. In any event, the rock lever 56, not-withstanding the forward movement of its pivotal attachment to the drive link 52, moves rapidly forward to extend the footrest 12.
In reclining chairs having an intermediate so-called "TVn ` position, i.e., with leg rest extended but without appreciable re-cline of the back, and having as well as a range-of positions of further recline, we have found that the angularitv of the footrest ~cmfortable and suitable in the so-cailed "TV" posi~ior, i3 r.ot necessarily comfortable in positions of further recline, as, for eYample, wh~n the back of the chair is full~ reclined for sleeping purposes. In such instance, as the legs or feet are supported-: high without commensurate elevation of the front of the seat, the ~ ;
-; . .
supporting pressure of the footrest upon the legs tends to impair ~
circulation of the blood to the lower legs and feet, resulti~g-in -, the numbness commonly described as having one's feet "go to sleep".
To overcome that difficulty, we have made provision in our improved footrest mechanism for a further adjustment of the -~ angularity of the footrest relative to the seat when the back of .~ the chair is recli~ed. As will be evident from comparison of~ -~
;~ Figures 9 and 10, ~the extension linkage 16 ~ se has been - 30 omitted from Flg. 10 for clarity) this further angular adjustment wh~ch increases the permissible knee flexure of the occupant is accompli~hed by drawing the forward fulcrum roller 40 rearwardly ' :.
: . " 5 ~14~
, and downwardly, this-being convenIently accomplished by the rod link 44 connected between the suspension links 42 for the fulcrum roller 40 and the front support link 32 of the seat of the chair.
; The forward location of the seat support link 32 and its 5 `movement relative to the seat upon the reclining of the back of the chair, make it a logical operator for the retraction of the fulcrum roller 40 to drop the footrest 12 in Figure 10 from the dotted line position to the solid line position.` As will be readily understood, howe~er, by those skilled in the art of recliner-chair linkages, a slight retraction or a lowering of the~
fulcrum roller 40 might~also be readily achieved by a connection to any of several link members movable relative to the seat upon recline of the back. ~
~ By our improved-footrest mechanism herein illustrated and described, we have achieved a very considerable extension movement of the;footrest 12 without the use of exposed lazy-tong linkages, and, by so doing, we have eliminated not only tne danger, in~tabilit~, and wear problems associated with linkages of that kind, we have added to the stability of the footrest 12 and ` 20 greatly improved the appearance of the chair by reducing the foot-` rest support to a pai~ of attractive yet simple and strong func- ~ ~
tional rails or beams 10 in which the only operating link ex- ; ` 2 ~ tending forward to the footrest proper is hidden from view a~s well ~ `
as being removed as a source of danger to crawling children or ~;
household pets by being totally enclosed within the extension rails. `
Not only is there no "scissorsn relationship between any . :
, of the exposed portions of the mechanism, but, in further contrast to ~scissors footrest support linkages, the weight loa~ on our footre~t is carried by the rails 10, and not by the extension ~ 30 linkage 16, as a result of which our extension linkage members `
i are greatly relieved of wear.
; Moreover, the further adjus~ment of the angularity of ``
..
j ,, ., . . :
' -15-., , ,s, - -~ "
the footrest 12 occasioned b~ the retraction of the forward ful-crum roller 40 upon the recline of the chair is a significant addition to the comfort of the occupant by providing better dis-tribution of the weight of the legs between the seat and the foot-rest proper, in order to prevent impairment of circulation to thelower limbs during extended periods of occupancy while sleeping.
The features of the invention believed new and patent-able are set orth in the following claims:
~ . .~
; .
': ' ' ' ~:'' ' ;', : . ' : . . - .
;. - , ' , ; .
.' ` ' ' - " . . . .
. ' , .
'' J; '' '' . .' ~ '~:.
., . ~ . .
''; ' ' ' . -16-., , ,, , ~,
:'' . -~ The footrest 12 proper, as earlier indicated, is pivotally .,~ , . .
,, ~ - -7-.
,, ,~ , ,' , ,, mounted on the front end of the two extension rails 10 by means of an angle bracket 38 pivoted to each of said rails. It will be appreciated that to render the footrest usable, it must be rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2 in order to present its up-5 holstered surface at an appropriate angle to the occupant's legs.
For this purpose, we have provided the operating llnk 14, prefer-ably in the form of a rod which has a circular section and which is housed within the extension rail 10. The rod 14 is provided with a right angle bend.,64 and 66 at each end. Extending toward ,., 10 the viewer in Figs. 1 A and 2,'thè bend 64 is passed through a suit-" able hole in the footrest brack`et 38, and the bend 66 at its rear-ward end, also extending toward the viewer, passes outwardly through a window 68 in the outer side wall of the tubular rail 10 7 and through a suitable pivot hole near the rearward end of the ':
15, rock lever 56. Thus, as the extension rail 10 ls propelled for- ~
~ wardly by the linkage 16, the rotation of the rock lever 56 causes -7` movement of the concealed rod-iink 14 rearwardly witnin and reia- ,.
, ,tive to the rail 10, drawing the footrest bracket 38 rearwardly, . or c~ounterclockwise as seen in Figure 1, to appropriately adjust -', 20 the angle of the front face of t,he footrest 12.
,~ Note.from Fig. 1 A that the forward end of the rail is ~''':, . . . : . .
also relieved at,an angle to provide a stop and support for the . bent end 64 of the link rod when the footrest is laid back in the extended position. This relieves the link rod 14 of any longitu- -~
~ ,,..., ,. ~, ~ 25 dinal compressive force from downward load on the footrest, and . ~ ', .~ also assures tha~ the extension linkage 16 is likewise free of ' ~ load from the weight of the occupant't outstretched legs. ' '.
.`~ The motion of the rod link 14 at its rearward end is, - very nearly a straight-line motion and the window 68~in the side ~, 30 wall of the rail is therefore essentially a longitudinal extending - '' ' ~lot which may be of dimension.only slightly greater than the . diameter of the rod link 14 to provide necessary clearance. As , ,, -8- .
~; .
the forward movement proceeds, the rock lever 56 at the end of the rear drive link 52 rotates sufficiently that the rod-link pivot 66 moves across the pivot of the lever 56 to the drag link 60. The necessary clearance to accommodate this movement at full exten-sion of the~support rail 10 is provided by means of a notch 70cut into the lower edge of the drag link 60.
Further detail of the above-described parts, as we have made them to accommodate the foregoing movements, are shown ln Figure 2, augmented by the several sectional views of Figures 3 to 6 inclu`sive.
~ ~ The sea~ bracket 20 in its forward portion is an inverted channel, and in its rearward portion is angle-shaped in cross sec-tion, having only an inner vertical flange 72 of gradually in-creasing depth from front to rear. This is to provide a conven-ient point of attachment for the rearward portion of a seat-sup-porting mechanism. ~ -Secured to the vertical flange 7~ of the seat ~racket, --- and-extending from its very rearward end forwardly well into the ; channel-shaped forward portion thereof as well, is the channel-shaped roller guide 50 the contacting surfaces of which are V-shaped to receive the beveled guide roller 48 at the back end of the extension rail 10. The roller 48 itself is journaled upon a shoulder rivet 74 at the upper end of the bracket 46 which en-c~rcles the extreme rearward end of the extension rail 10 (compare ~igs. 2 and 3). The bracket 46 is staked to the rear end of the ` rail by a pair of rivets, one of which, the shoulder rivet 62, provides the point of connection for the drag link 60 to the rail 10. The rail 10 itself is chopped at an angle to reduce its depth to provide clearance from the base member 28 on the rearward rock-' 30 ing motion of the chair. The roller guide 50 is preferably formed from light gauge steel and projection-welded to the inner vertical .~
~ flange 72 of the seat bracket.
~ .
_g_ 104(~
At the forward, channel-shaped end of the seat bracket 20 are mounted the double support links 42 which support the front fulcrum roller 40. As indicated in the sectional view of Figure 6, the parallel links 42 extend into the inverted channel of the seat bracket, and are jou~naled~n a pivot pin 76 and maintained thereon in spaced relation by an upper roller 78 whlch is of molded Nylon or the link.t Clearance space is occupied by spacing washers 80, and the side of the journal pin opposlte its head is .
isecured by a self-locking push-on fastener 82 of the Tinnerman ~pe. At the lower end of the~ parallel links 42, the roller 40, ; likewise of molded Nylon, is journaled on the front end 84 of the rod-shaped control link 44 which extends rearwardly to the seat ; support~link 32. The control link is bent at each ends at right ` angles to its shank and in opposite directions, the outer end 84 providing the journal for the fulcrum roller 40 extending toward .~ :
the viewer in Figure 2, and~maintained in assemble relation with the parallel links 42 by means of a Cotter key. Its opposite end - -86, (Fig. 6) which provides its pivotal connection-to the seat ~ . .
support link 32, is bent away from the viewer, and similarly fas- -20 tened in assembled relation with that link. - -~
` It will be noted from Figure 6 ~at-~oth rollers, the lower support or fulcrum roller 40 and the upper spacing roller 78 are flanged not only to maintain clearance between the exten-sion rail 10 and the~parallel front suspension links 42 for silent operation, but also to provide lateral stability to the extended footrest.
Moving rearwardly to the operating linkage 16 ~ se, it will be noted by comparison of Figures 2 and S that the coordin-ating cross shaft 18 is preferably square in cross section to~fac-$L$tate the r$g$d mounting of ~be forward drive link 22 thereto.
, . . ..
- From P$gure 5, it will be noted that the cross shaft 18 passes i through both flanges of the seat bracket 20, channel-shaped at J ;
,~ . .
.
,. . . . . . . . .. . .
~U4~
that point, through an oversize clearance hole 88 in the lnner flange, and snugly through a bushing 90, also of molded plastic, by means of which the cross shaft 18 is journaled in a suitabLy finished hole in the outer flange of the seat bracket 20. The bushing 90 is provided with a conforming square hole to receive the shaft 18, and also with an outer flange which serves to space the front drive link 22 from the seat-bracket 20. To fix the front }ink 22 firmly to the shaft 18 as an arm, its upper end is fQrmed as a channel and pierced to receive the shaft, with the 1~ flanges of the channel flanking the square shaft 18 on opposite sidès. The flanges are suitably pierced, and the shaft end drilled, to receive a keying bolt or drive pin 94.
Moving farther rearwardly to the rear drive link 52 and to a comparison of Figures 2 and 4, it will be noted that the rear drive link S2 is pivoted to the outer flange of the seat bracket `~ 20 by ~eans of a shoulder rivet-96, and is offset immediately out=
wardly to provide clear~gP f~r t~ end bb of tne link-rvd i4 d~
the rear end of the rock lever 56 crosses under the drive link 52 .. . . .
. and the upper connecting link 54 on the extension, and retraction : 20 movement. At its lower`end, the drive link 52 is offset inwardly.
The. rock lever 5~ is offset outwardly at the location of ` i~3 piv~otal connection to the rear d~ive link 52, so that the two mating offsets of the link 52 and lever 56 position the lever fairl~y close to t~he o~ter side wall of the extension rail 10 for ~`
.' ~1` ~.
~i 25 convenient pivotal cd~nection at`66 to the end of the link rod 14 that passes through the extension rail from back to front to vary -~
the angle of the footrest. That connectio~iS similarly maintained .~ by a Cotter key or suitable substit~e. - ~ ;
The operation of the extension linkage 16 will best be understood by examining the series of-diagrammatic drawings, ; Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, in which the extension rail 10, the ~eat b~acket 20, and the base bracket 34, are shown as they actually ,' -11-' .
.. . . . ,;, ."~,, ., . . - . _ are, and the extension linkage 16 and the front link 32 of the seat-support linkage are represented as single lines along the axes of those members.
Figure 7 depicts the footrest 12 and extension linkage 16 in the position of Figure 2 to aid in orienting the simplified ` line drawing of Fig. 7 with its fully-illustrated counterpart, Flg. 2. The footrest 12 and associated extension linkage 16 are shown installed in a chair of the rocker-recliner type, which is indicated only in outline form to illustrate the location of the footrest mechanism of the invention with respect to the body of the chair of which it is a part.
As in Figure 2, the simplified diagrammatic form of the linkage of Figs. 7 to 10 is illustrated as being operated by the hand lever 24 to extend the footrest 12 and, for that matter, to retract it as well, although, as will be understood by those skilled in this art, the footrest may also be retracted to the stowed po-sition if it . drawr. rea-wardly b~ the occuPart's heels, there ' being no locked toggle in the extension linkage 16 tending to re-sist retraction either by direct application of an inwardly dir-ected horizontal force to the footrest, or by a torque applied thereto in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings.
Also, as earlier mentioned, while we contemplate opera-tion of the illustrated form by means of the operating hand lever `~ ~4 at the side of the chair, conventionally at the occupant's right 2S side, and for this purpose have attached the operating lever 24 to ~ operate the r~a~ward drive link 52, we also contemplate operation ~;
`4, by other modes, for example, either,a shifting of the seat forward or backward with respect to the chair~arms and rocker base to a ~ `~
` non-reclined intermediate or "TVn position, or operation in some ~ `
instances by the reclining of thë chair back. In such case, the extension link~ge 16 might well be driven from a different point, for example, as also`previously suggested, by the application of a " ,:... .
- -12- ;
driving torque to the cross-shaft 18 in any feasible way, such as a suitably positioned arm connected by means of an operating link to another portion of the chair with respect to which the seat is relatively movable.
In Figure 7 the footrest is stowed, and thus serves as the front board or front panel`of the chair, being shown in solid outline within the broken outline of the chair itself. The opera-ting handle 24 extends diagonally forwardly within the grasp of the occupant of the chair. In a ro~ker-recliner chair, chosen to illustrate the applic * ion of the invention, it will be under-tood that it is conventional to lock or bldck the rocker base as i an incident to the extension of the leg rest. This may be achieved by a number of blocking mechanisms (no~ shown) which may for ex-ample, be folded legs extended for the purpose, or may be an im-proved selective rocker-recliner lock of our own devleopment.
However, inasmuch as the footrest extension mechanism here illus-trated and claimed is equally usable-in chairs of the non-rocking ` type, we have omitted illustration of the rocker blocking mechan-ism as not specifically relevant to the present invention.
Figure 8 shows the footrest advanced to an intermediate position. It~is not intended as a use position but merely to -illustrate the movement of the respective parts of the linkage 16 in the travel of the footrest 12 from its stowed to its fully-~` extended position.
Figure 9 shows the footrest 12 f~lly extended and cocked to a comfortable leg supporting angle by the rearward draw of the retracting link-rod 14 housed within the tubular extension rails ~ 10. It 5hould be noticed that the very substantial forward linear -' movement of the footrest on its extension rails is achieved through the multiplied throw of the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end of the drive link 52, and rotated thereon by the lower restraining link 58. This multiplication resu~ts from the different1al rota-, .
tion of the two drive links 52 and 22, due in turn to the differ-ences of the swing radii of the~pivot points of the connecting link 54 with respect to the pivot axes of the two drive links, and also from the differential forward movement of the outer ends of the driv~ links 52 and 22 due to their unequal lengths. By th device, the rock lever 56 is rotated rapidly relative to the seat bracket 20, and to the extension rail 10, through an arc of approx-imately 150 in the course of the entire extension movement, whereas, for example, the forward drive link ~2 rotates only lQ through approximately 90. In any event, the rock lever 56, not-withstanding the forward movement of its pivotal attachment to the drive link 52, moves rapidly forward to extend the footrest 12.
In reclining chairs having an intermediate so-called "TVn ` position, i.e., with leg rest extended but without appreciable re-cline of the back, and having as well as a range-of positions of further recline, we have found that the angularitv of the footrest ~cmfortable and suitable in the so-cailed "TV" posi~ior, i3 r.ot necessarily comfortable in positions of further recline, as, for eYample, wh~n the back of the chair is full~ reclined for sleeping purposes. In such instance, as the legs or feet are supported-: high without commensurate elevation of the front of the seat, the ~ ;
-; . .
supporting pressure of the footrest upon the legs tends to impair ~
circulation of the blood to the lower legs and feet, resulti~g-in -, the numbness commonly described as having one's feet "go to sleep".
To overcome that difficulty, we have made provision in our improved footrest mechanism for a further adjustment of the -~ angularity of the footrest relative to the seat when the back of .~ the chair is recli~ed. As will be evident from comparison of~ -~
;~ Figures 9 and 10, ~the extension linkage 16 ~ se has been - 30 omitted from Flg. 10 for clarity) this further angular adjustment wh~ch increases the permissible knee flexure of the occupant is accompli~hed by drawing the forward fulcrum roller 40 rearwardly ' :.
: . " 5 ~14~
, and downwardly, this-being convenIently accomplished by the rod link 44 connected between the suspension links 42 for the fulcrum roller 40 and the front support link 32 of the seat of the chair.
; The forward location of the seat support link 32 and its 5 `movement relative to the seat upon the reclining of the back of the chair, make it a logical operator for the retraction of the fulcrum roller 40 to drop the footrest 12 in Figure 10 from the dotted line position to the solid line position.` As will be readily understood, howe~er, by those skilled in the art of recliner-chair linkages, a slight retraction or a lowering of the~
fulcrum roller 40 might~also be readily achieved by a connection to any of several link members movable relative to the seat upon recline of the back. ~
~ By our improved-footrest mechanism herein illustrated and described, we have achieved a very considerable extension movement of the;footrest 12 without the use of exposed lazy-tong linkages, and, by so doing, we have eliminated not only tne danger, in~tabilit~, and wear problems associated with linkages of that kind, we have added to the stability of the footrest 12 and ` 20 greatly improved the appearance of the chair by reducing the foot-` rest support to a pai~ of attractive yet simple and strong func- ~ ~
tional rails or beams 10 in which the only operating link ex- ; ` 2 ~ tending forward to the footrest proper is hidden from view a~s well ~ `
as being removed as a source of danger to crawling children or ~;
household pets by being totally enclosed within the extension rails. `
Not only is there no "scissorsn relationship between any . :
, of the exposed portions of the mechanism, but, in further contrast to ~scissors footrest support linkages, the weight loa~ on our footre~t is carried by the rails 10, and not by the extension ~ 30 linkage 16, as a result of which our extension linkage members `
i are greatly relieved of wear.
; Moreover, the further adjus~ment of the angularity of ``
..
j ,, ., . . :
' -15-., , ,s, - -~ "
the footrest 12 occasioned b~ the retraction of the forward ful-crum roller 40 upon the recline of the chair is a significant addition to the comfort of the occupant by providing better dis-tribution of the weight of the legs between the seat and the foot-rest proper, in order to prevent impairment of circulation to thelower limbs during extended periods of occupancy while sleeping.
The features of the invention believed new and patent-able are set orth in the following claims:
~ . .~
; .
': ' ' ' ~:'' ' ;', : . ' : . . - .
;. - , ' , ; .
.' ` ' ' - " . . . .
. ' , .
'' J; '' '' . .' ~ '~:.
., . ~ . .
''; ' ' ' . -16-., , ,, , ~,
Claims (12)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A footrest extension mechanism for a reclining chair comprising a footrest pivoted to the ends of a pair of parallel rails supported on the chair for essentially endwise movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair for extending and retracting the footrest, drive means connected to said rails to cause said movement, and means connected to said footrest to alter the angularity of the footrest relative to said rails as an incident to said endwise movement between a retracted position with a supporting surface thereof in a front plane of the chair and a forward position with the supporting surface facing upwardly to support the occupant's legs, said angularity-altering means being operable as aforesaid by connection with a portion of the chair with respect to which said rails are movable upon extension of the footrest to said forward position and being also thereby movable relative to said rails, said rails being shaped to provide protective masking of said angularity-altering means during movement thereof relative to said rails.
2. The mechanism of Claim 1 wherein said rails are tubular and said angularity-altering means is a link enclosed within and movable longitudinally of at least one of said rails.
3. The mechanism of Claim 1 wherein the downward load of the weight of the occupant's legs upon said footrest when extended is borne by said rails substantially independently of said drive means and said angularity-altering means.
4. The mechanism of Claim 1 in accordance with Claim 2 wherein said link means is connected to said drive means, and the downward load of the weight of the legs of the occupant upon said footrest is borne by said rails substantially independ-ently of said drive means and said link means, but wherein a torque applied to said extended footrest by flexure of the occupant's knees will operate said drive and link means in reverse and retract the footrest.
5. The mechanism of Claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a motion multiplying drive linkage for each of said rails for moving the same forwardly and rearwardly, said linkage including a first drive link pivoted to the chair for movement of one of its ends forward and back relative to the chair, a rock lever pivoted medially thereof to said first drive link and having one of its ends restrained relative to its medial pivot and having its length apportioned relative to said medial pivot to move its end opposite said restrained end forwardly and rearwardly of the chair at a faster rate than the rate of move-ment of said first drive link, and means connecting said rock lever to its associated rail to propel the same upon movement of said drive link; means connecting said linkages for unison movement; and means for applying a driving effort to said first drive link to rotate the same to extend said footrest.
6. The mechanism of Claim 5 wherein said angularity-altering means is a link connecting the footrest to the rock lever of at least one of said drive linkages to rotate the foot-rest on its pivots as said rails are driven.
7. The mechanism of Claim 5 in accordance with Claim 6, wherein said rails are tubular and said link connecting said footrest and rock lever is housed within the tubular rail.
8. The mechanism of Claim 5, wherein said linkage also includes a second drive link, a connecting link pivoted to each of said first and second drive links to cause them to rotate in unison, and a restraining link pivoted to said second drive link and to said one end of said rock lever to multiply the throw of the end of said rock lever connected to propel said associated rail.
9. The mechanism of Claim 5 in accordance with Claim 8 wherein the chair has a seat and wherein both rails and both drive linkages are supported on the underside of the chair seat adjacent the sides thereof and the means connecting said linkages for unison movement is a cross-shaft extending from side to side of the chair beneath the seat between and secured to corresponding ones of said second drive links.
10. The mechanism of Claim 1 wherein the means for supporting said rails for endwise movement on the chair guide the rearward ends of the rails in a predetermined path and include at the front of the chair a bearing fulcrum engaging the rails to provide the forward support for said rails as the same move forward and back to extend and retract the footrest, said fulcrum being supported on the chair for movement as an incident to reclining movement of the chair to lower the foot-rest relative to the front of the chair seat as the chair reclines.
11. The mechanism of Claim 10 in which said bearing fulcrum at the front of the chair comprises a roller supporting an undersurface of each rail, and the footrest is lowered by shifting the roller axis by the relative movement of the chair parts in the reclining movement.
12. The mechanism of Claim 11 wherein each rail is supported by its own fulcrum roller which in turn is supported on the chair by a shiftable link connected by yet another link to one of the chair parts movable relative to the swing axis of said shiftable roller-support link by the reclining movement of the chair.
Priority Applications (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US374486A US3869169A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1973-06-28 | Retractable footrest mechanism |
| CA213,792A CA1040998A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-11-15 | Retractable footrest mechanism for reclining chairs |
| AU75596/74A AU478315B2 (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-11-21 | Retractable footrest mechanism |
| JP49142598A JPS5174757A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-12-13 | Isuno ashidaihikidashikiko |
| DE2459908A DE2459908C3 (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-12-18 | Extension device for a footrest in an armchair |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US374486A US3869169A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1973-06-28 | Retractable footrest mechanism |
| CA213,792A CA1040998A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-11-15 | Retractable footrest mechanism for reclining chairs |
| AU75596/74A AU478315B2 (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-11-21 | Retractable footrest mechanism |
| JP49142598A JPS5174757A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-12-13 | Isuno ashidaihikidashikiko |
| DE2459908A DE2459908C3 (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-12-18 | Extension device for a footrest in an armchair |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1040998A true CA1040998A (en) | 1978-10-24 |
Family
ID=50391581
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA213,792A Expired CA1040998A (en) | 1973-06-28 | 1974-11-15 | Retractable footrest mechanism for reclining chairs |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3869169A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5174757A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU478315B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1040998A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2459908C3 (en) |
Families Citing this family (48)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4072342A (en) * | 1976-04-20 | 1978-02-07 | Pontiac Furniture Industries, Inc. | Recliner chair |
| US4226468A (en) * | 1978-03-13 | 1980-10-07 | Pontiac Furniture Industries, Inc. | Wall-clearing recliner |
| US4185870A (en) * | 1978-03-13 | 1980-01-29 | Pontiac Furniture Industries, Inc. | Seat-operated interlock |
| FR2430742B1 (en) * | 1978-07-12 | 1985-10-11 | Treca Ste Indle Cale Groupe | SOFT-REST SEAT |
| US4212494A (en) * | 1978-07-24 | 1980-07-15 | Kroehler Mfg. Co. | Rocker reclining chair with multi-position rocker lock |
| US4506925A (en) * | 1983-01-05 | 1985-03-26 | Leggett & Platt, Incorporated | Footrest mechanism for a reclining chair |
| US5312161A (en) * | 1990-04-17 | 1994-05-17 | Mars Suzanne P | Chair for the elderly |
| US5271660A (en) * | 1990-10-18 | 1993-12-21 | La-Z-Boy Chair Co. | Reclining sofa |
| US5217276A (en) * | 1990-10-18 | 1993-06-08 | La-Z-Boy Chair Company | Chair mechanism |
| US5222286A (en) * | 1991-10-11 | 1993-06-29 | La-Z-Boy Chair Co. | Modular reclining/tilt chair and method of making |
| US5292170A (en) * | 1991-08-06 | 1994-03-08 | La-Z-Boy Chair Co. | Recliner assist apparatus |
| US5435621A (en) * | 1991-10-11 | 1995-07-25 | La-Z-Boy Chair Company | Modular reclining chair and method |
| US5992931A (en) * | 1991-10-11 | 1999-11-30 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Modular power reclining chair |
| NL9200664A (en) * | 1992-04-09 | 1993-11-01 | Ligtvoet Products Bv | WHEELCHAIR. |
| NO176465C (en) * | 1992-10-19 | 1995-04-12 | Arne O Rykken | Device by a furniture part, especially a leg support part for a chair |
| US5570930A (en) * | 1993-08-09 | 1996-11-05 | La-Z-Boy Chair Company | Recliner chair seat assembly and method of upholstering |
| US5485979A (en) * | 1994-01-12 | 1996-01-23 | La-Z-Boy Chair Company | Chair base |
| US5507562A (en) * | 1994-07-28 | 1996-04-16 | Wieland Designs Inc. | Extensible foot rest |
| WO1997047219A1 (en) * | 1996-06-14 | 1997-12-18 | L & P Property Management Company | Three-way reclining furniture item |
| US6637813B2 (en) | 1999-04-23 | 2003-10-28 | L&P Property Management Company | Reclining mechanism and furniture item having pusher mechanism |
| US6231120B1 (en) * | 1999-04-23 | 2001-05-15 | L&P Property Management Company | Reclining mechanism and furniture item |
| US6988769B2 (en) * | 2004-05-20 | 2006-01-24 | La-Z-Boy Incorporated | Spring toggle furniture mechanism |
| US7695059B1 (en) | 2005-04-12 | 2010-04-13 | Lane Furniture Industries, Inc. | Adjustable leg rest assembly |
| DE202005006245U1 (en) * | 2005-04-19 | 2005-06-23 | Ciar S.P.A. | Sitting and / or lying furniture |
| US7850232B2 (en) * | 2007-03-09 | 2010-12-14 | Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. | Zero clearance recliner mechanism |
| GB0708053D0 (en) * | 2007-04-26 | 2007-06-06 | Leuven | Adjustable furniture |
| US20090156094A1 (en) * | 2007-12-13 | 2009-06-18 | Timothy Seckel | Ride-on toy having movable footrest |
| DE202008000302U1 (en) * | 2008-01-08 | 2008-03-20 | Hesse, Detlef | Leg rest fitting for a piece of furniture |
| US8967718B2 (en) | 2010-11-08 | 2015-03-03 | Ultra-Mek, Inc. | Rocking-reclining seating unit |
| US8911009B2 (en) * | 2010-11-08 | 2014-12-16 | Ultra-Mek, Inc. | Rocking-reclining seating unit |
| CN105361487B (en) | 2011-03-30 | 2018-12-18 | 美国皮革制品经营有限责任公司 | Chair and furniture |
| US8746802B1 (en) * | 2012-03-22 | 2014-06-10 | Fabio G. Delmestri | Chair base with retractable foot platform |
| US9962004B2 (en) * | 2014-10-16 | 2018-05-08 | L&P Property Management Company | Profile ottoman linkage |
| US10618472B2 (en) | 2015-08-04 | 2020-04-14 | T-Max (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. | Vehicle and vehicle step apparatus with multiple drive motors |
| US10890235B2 (en) * | 2015-08-14 | 2021-01-12 | L&P Property Management Company | Furniture lock out system |
| US10045625B2 (en) | 2015-11-30 | 2018-08-14 | Charles Johnson | Recliner footrest extension system and method |
| CA3046631C (en) | 2016-12-12 | 2021-10-12 | Ultra-Mek, Inc. | Power-assisted reclining lift chair with split seat |
| CA3046311C (en) * | 2017-01-26 | 2021-11-09 | Ultra-Mek, Inc. | Reclining high-leg seating unit |
| KR102463832B1 (en) * | 2018-01-29 | 2022-11-07 | 현대자동차주식회사 | Convenience apparatus for vehicle |
| US11198394B2 (en) | 2018-07-20 | 2021-12-14 | T-Max (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. | Vehicle running board apparatus and retractable device thereof |
| US10384614B1 (en) | 2018-07-20 | 2019-08-20 | T-Max (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. | Vehicle, running board assembly and drive assembly for running board |
| US10893991B1 (en) | 2018-09-11 | 2021-01-19 | Carlos Lara | Chair with extendable footrest |
| CN110012061B (en) | 2019-02-20 | 2022-02-08 | 杭州天铭科技股份有限公司 | Management device for vehicle equipment, vehicle, and server |
| WO2020177186A1 (en) | 2019-03-05 | 2020-09-10 | 杭州天铭科技股份有限公司 | Vehicle step bar device and vehicle |
| WO2020181617A1 (en) | 2019-03-11 | 2020-09-17 | 杭州天铭科技股份有限公司 | Adjustment apparatus, adjuster, and shock absorber |
| US11584387B2 (en) | 2019-09-16 | 2023-02-21 | T-Max (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. | Step apparatus for vehicle and vehicle |
| WO2021227617A1 (en) | 2020-05-11 | 2021-11-18 | 杭州天铭科技股份有限公司 | Vehicle pedal apparatus and vehicle |
| WO2021227616A1 (en) | 2020-05-11 | 2021-11-18 | 杭州天铭科技股份有限公司 | Vehicle footboard device and vehicle |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1151099A (en) * | 1914-04-13 | 1915-08-24 | Traverse City Chair Company | Morris chair. |
| US1951793A (en) * | 1932-02-27 | 1934-03-20 | Lewis X Herman | Chair device |
| US2875814A (en) * | 1957-06-18 | 1959-03-03 | Anton Lorenz | Reclining chairs |
| US2936819A (en) * | 1959-05-11 | 1960-05-17 | Harrold Tool Company | Reclining chair mechanism |
| US3295885A (en) * | 1965-04-20 | 1967-01-03 | Bruner T Barksdale | Rockable reclining chair construction |
| US3325210A (en) * | 1965-10-23 | 1967-06-13 | La Z Boy Chair Co | Adjustable leg rest locking device |
| US3370884A (en) * | 1966-03-23 | 1968-02-27 | Royal Dev Co | Chair with footrest |
| JPS5233454U (en) * | 1975-08-29 | 1977-03-09 |
-
1973
- 1973-06-28 US US374486A patent/US3869169A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1974
- 1974-11-15 CA CA213,792A patent/CA1040998A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-11-21 AU AU75596/74A patent/AU478315B2/en not_active Expired
- 1974-12-13 JP JP49142598A patent/JPS5174757A/en active Granted
- 1974-12-18 DE DE2459908A patent/DE2459908C3/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE2459908B2 (en) | 1979-08-02 |
| US3869169A (en) | 1975-03-04 |
| DE2459908C3 (en) | 1980-04-03 |
| DE2459908A1 (en) | 1976-07-01 |
| AU478315B2 (en) | 1976-05-27 |
| JPS5174757A (en) | 1976-06-28 |
| AU7559674A (en) | 1976-05-27 |
| JPS5547899B2 (en) | 1980-12-03 |
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