EP3190925B1

EP3190925B1 - Bed with rotary opening and closing system for restraining at any desired rotary opening and closing position a mattress-base

Info

Publication number: EP3190925B1
Application number: EP15790248.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giulio Manzoni
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-09-09
Filing date: 2015-08-31
Publication date: 2018-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2035-08-31
Also published as: EP3190925A1; TR201809357T4; CN106604663A; PL3190925T3; TW201609025A; WO2016038437A1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bed comprising a rotary opening and closing system for restraining at any desired rotary opening and closing position. Driving systems for rotary opening and closing a mattress-base and allowing the mattress-base to be restrained at a plurality of desired rotary positions both in the opening and closing movements of said mattress-base are already known.
However, the above prior systems are very construction-wise complex since they usually comprise a plurality of levers or linkage mechanisms.
In particular, in a bed including an article storing mattress-base the bed operating mechanical means have a large size and must necessarily be made of iron materials because of the high forces required for operating the mattress-base. A further drawback of prior mattress-base rotary operating or driving mechanisms is that, at the start of the mattress-base opening movement, it is necessary to apply a high force and, for closing the mattress-base it is also necessary to apply a high restraining power to prevent the mattress-base from abruptly falling-off.
Yet another drawback of prior rotary mattress-base operating mechanisms is that they comprise large size and powerful gas springs applying a very strong force to the mattress-base operating mechanism with a possible failure thereof.
Yet another drawback of prior art mattress-base rotary operating mechanisms is that they comprise a large number of mechanical parts which must be assembled by very complex and slow assembling operations.
Yet another drawback of prior rotary mattress-base operating mechanisms is that, as the mattress-base must be changed, it is also necessary to change the actuating gas springs.
Yet another drawback of prior rotary mattress-base operating mechanisms is that if an excessive load is applied during the closing of the mattress-base, their gas springs cause the overall mattress-base to abruptly fall on the bed bottom article storage part, with a consequent great safety problem.
Other examples of known beds with opening and closing system are disclosed in JP S55 66556 U and US 2013/019402 A1 .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above and yet other drawbacks of prior mechanisms for rotatively operating bed-bases, by providing a rotary opening and closing mattress-base system which is adapted to restrain the mattress-base at any desired rotary position both in the opening and closing operations thereof.
Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating mechanism without operating levers for opening/closing the mattress-base, thereby providing very high safety constructional features.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating mechanism or system by which both the bed-base and mattress may be easily operated by a "single user finger".
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating mechanism in which the mattress-base and mattress assembly may be held at a stop or restrained position at each point of the mattress-base and mattress assembly rotary movement, even at a very small distance from a resting/closing position thereof, thereby preventing the mattress-base and mattress assembly from abruptly downward falling.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a mattress-base and mattress rotary operating system including gas springs of very small operating power, thereby increasing the mattress-base and mattress assembly life, because of the very small operating stress on the components thereof.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a mattress-base and mattress operating system which may be made starting from light materials such as non-metal or wood materials for the bed-base and plastics materials for many other components of the rotary operating systems.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system which may be made starting from a recycled high strength plastics materials, for example glass fiber nylon, thereby providing a very strong system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system the main components of which may be made by existing advanced injection molding apparatus.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system which is very advantageous from a mere economic standpoint.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system allowing the mattress-base and other bed components to be very quickly and easily assembled and disassembled without requiring assembling or disassembling tools, with very quick and simple assembling or disassembling operations in particular for performing both cleaning and other optional driving operations.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating system including customized gas spring systems also providing a strong braking power, with self-event safety advantages, even in abrupt mattress-base closing movements.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating system which also supports a large variable operating load, without the need of changing its gas spring system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating system which has a very reduced overall size to be practically invisible, with the exception for the gas springs and related attachments.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating system the main components of which are all arranged within the bed-base volume.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary mattress-base operating system which also has a very pleasant aesthetic aspect.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects are achieved by bed having a rotary opening system according to the main claim.
Further characteristics of the inventive system being defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of the invention which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bed according to the present invention, in an open position thereof;
Figure 2 is a perspective detailed view showing the inventive bed in an open position;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the invention bed in an open position thereof; and
Figure 4 is a further longitudinal cross-section view of the invention bed in a closed position thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the above mentioned figures, the bed having the rotary opening system for restraining at any desired rotary opening position a mattress-base, according to the present invention, substantially comprises a mattress-base (1) pivoted on a side (2, 2a) of the bed, by a pair of pivot pins (3, 3a) underlying the plane of the mattress (4) and being arranged at a set distance from the mattress-base head (1), thereby providing a suitable opening angle, substantially corresponding to a ninth of a full 360° angle, without causing the mattress-base (1) from interfering against the bottom (5) of the bed.
Said system comprises moreover a pair of gas springs (6, 6a) operating between the mattress-base (1) and bed side (2, 2a) and being arranged at the sole pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) allowing said gas springs (6, 6a) to provide a resilient force balancing, at each rotary point, the mattress-base (1) and related mattress (4) weight; said pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) being designed for each size and operating stroke of the gas springs (6, 6a) to allow the mattress-base (1) to be restrained at each desired rotary position, both in the opening and closing movements of the mattress-base (1). Since the inventive system has preset limit parameters including: the start and end rotary angle of the mattress-base (1), the size and operating stroke of the gas springs (6, 6a) and the differential or delta force of the insertion force and extension force of said springs (6, 6a), it has been found that a diagram showing the amount of power or energy necessary to turn the mattress-base (1) with a constant turning speed, by applying a force from point to point, is linear for a single pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a), to which must be applied the gas springs (6, 6a) with an applying force advantageously slightly less than that necessary for driving the mattress-base, thus the mattress-base (1) may be restrained at any desired rotary position both in the opening and closing movements thereof.
The inventive system comprises moreover a L-shape bracket (9, 9a), fixedly connected to the mattress-base (1) by coupling screws, and a pivot pin (3, 3a) to be engaged in an inclined hollow and lip (10, 10a) of a rotary plate (11, 11a), fixedly connected to the bed side (2, 2a) through connecting screws; said pins (3, 3a), upon assembling, coupling the mattress-base (1) to the bed proper (2, 2a) without using assembling tools, while allowing a rotary movement of the mattress-base from a closed horizontal position to a position opened defining an opening angle of about a ninth of a full 360° angle, with the brackets (9, 9a) arranged at a suitable distance from the head of the mattress-base (1) allowing the mattress-base (1) to be opened without interference between the mattress-base (1) and the bed bottom (5).
As shown, a further gas spring (6, 6a) operating between the mattress-base (1) and the bed side (2, 2a) is further provided, which, through a fork (12, 12a), is screwed to the mattress-base (1) and further including a contoured socket support (13, 13a) threaded to the bed side (2, 2a), and being so arranged that the pins (14, 14a) of said fork (12, 12a) and the central portion of the hollow part (15, 15a) of the socket support (13, 13a) coincide with the sole point pair (7, 7a - 8, 8a) allowing the gas spring (6, 6a) to provide the above working operation thereby, with the mattress-base (1) in an open condition, it will be sufficient to cause the eyelet foot element (16, 16a) of the gas springs (6, 6a) to slide into the slanted hollow (15, 15a) of the socket support (13, 13a) to operatively apply the system without the need of using assembling tools.
Moreover, to allow the system to operate by the same gas springs (6, 6a) even in a presence of weights different from the optimum ones, it is sufficient to screw on the socket support (13, 13a) at one of the two further positions on the bed side (2, 2a) one of which (17, 17a) is related to comparatively large loads and two of which (18, 18a - 19, 19a) for comparatively less loads, without changing the mattress-base (1) opening slanting.
The system allows moreover to greatly containing the forces applied by the gas springs (6, 6a), thereby causing an application of a comparatively low stress on the component materials, and allowing to use non metal materials: for example injection molded plastics material for the components (9, 9a - 11, 11a - 12, 12a - 13, 13a), and a wood material for the mattress-base (1), with a very high practical handling advantages with the further possibility of carrying out a very high yield making process.
Furthermore, advantageously, it is also possible to use gas springs (6, 6a) providing an instantaneous great braking effect in case of an abrupt increase of the pressure on the mattress-base (1) / mattress (4) assembly during the closing operation, with a consequent great advantage from a safety standpoint, while using gas springs (6, 6a) which may be easily made by available technical gas spring making processes.

Claims

A bed including a mattress-base (1), including an article storing space, wherein said mattress-base (1) is pivoted to two bed sides (2, 2a) on a pair of pivot pins (3, 3a) arranged under a bed mattress (4) and spaced at a set distance from the mattress-base (1) head, thereby providing a set opening angle, preferably of about a ninth of a full 360° angle, while preventing the mattress-base (1) from interfering against a bed bottom (5), said bed further including a rotary opening and closing system for restraining at any desired rotary opening or closing positions said mattress-base (1), said system further comprising two gas springs (6, 6a) operating between said mattress-base (1) and bed sides (2, 2a) and arranged in a sole pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) allowing said gas springs (6, 6a) to provide a balancing work which, at any desired point of the mattress-base (1) rotary movement, balances a pushing force of a weight of the mattress-base (1) and the mattress (4) supported by said mattress-base (1) to allow said mattress-base (1) to be restrained at any desired rotary point as a user of said bed performs both rotary opening and closing movements of said mattress-base (1), said sole pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) being selected based on a size and operating stroke of said gas springs (6, 6a), said system further comprising a pair of L-shaped brackets (9, 9a) fixedly coupled by coupling screws to said mattress-base (1), characterized in that each L-shaped bracket (9, 9a) including the pivot pin (3, 3a) for engaging in a slanted hollow portion of a rotary plate (11, 11a) having a plate lip (10, 10a), said rotary plate (11, 11a) being fixedly coupled by coupling screws to each of the bed sides (2, 2a), said pivot pins (3, 3a) connecting said mattress-base (1) to the bed sides (2, 2a) to allow said mattress-base (1) to turn from a closed horizontal position to an opened position through said angle of about a ninth of a full 360° turning angle, said L-shaped bracket (9, 9a) being arranged at a distance from said mattress-base (1) head thereby allowing said mattress-base (1) to be freely opened without any interference between said mattress-base (1) and bed bottom (5).
Bed according to claim 1, characterized in that each said gas spring (6, 6a) is arranged between said base (1) and a said bed side (2, 2a), through a fork element (12, 12a) screwed to said base (1) and a contoured support socket (13, 13a) screwed to said bed side (2, 2a) each fork element (12, 12a) and said support socket having a pin (14, 14a) and a central portion coinciding with the sole pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) and wherein with the base (1) at an opened position it is sufficient to cause an eyelet foot element (16, 16a) of each said gas spring (6, 6a) to slide through a slanted hollow (15, 15a) of said support socket (13, 13a) to actuate said system without tools, and to perform a quick assembling of said system.
A bed, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support socket (13, 13a) is screwed at one of three positions provided on the bed sides (2, 2a), one position of which (17, 17a) is provided for larger loads and two positions (18, 18a - 19, 19a) for smaller loads, without causing a variation of an opening inclination of said base (1).
A bed, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said system further comprises adjusting means for adjusting the gas spring (6, 6a) forces thereby only slightly stressing the system non metal materials.
A bed, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said gas springs (6, 6a) provide an instantaneous strong braking effect for braking an abrupt increase of a pressure on a base (1) / mattress (4) assembly during a closing operation thereof.
A bed, according to claim 1, characterized in that a diagram of a start and final rotary angle of the base (1), a size and operating stroke of the gas springs (6, 6a) and a differential value between an insertion force and an extension force of said gas springs (6, 6a), said diagram representing an amount of energy necessary for causing the base (1) to turn with a constant speed, by applying a force from point to point, is linear for a single pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a), said points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) being those to which are applied said gas springs (6, 6a) with a force slightly less than a driving force for driving said base, thereby said base (1) may be restrained at any rotary set position both in an opening and in a closing operation thereof.