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The present invention relates to an adjustable piece of reclining furniture comprising a carrier frame and a support surface which is fastened against the carrier frame and which is provided for supporting a person, wherein the carrier frame comprises two side members and wherein the support surface comprises a back part, a seat part which is pivotably connected to the back part, and a foot part which is pivotably connected to the seat part, wherein the support surface is adjustable between a series of positions comprising at least a first position for a more reclined posture of the person and a second position for a more seated posture of the person, wherein the carrier frame further comprises a transmission element which is connected to the side members and which is arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation which extends transversely with respect to the side members of the piece of reclining furniture, and wherein the transmission element is connected to the back part. The piece of reclining furniture according to the invention is preferably used as a piece of outdoor furniture, such as a piece of garden or beach furniture.
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To date, a large number of different designs of adjustable reclining or seating furniture are known. In their simplest form, use is made of an adjustable support element which allows the back part to be placed in various positions with respect to the seat part. The one end of the support part is fastened against the back part and the other end is placeable in a series of slots provided on the carrier frame. By manually placing the support element in a different slot, the back part can be placed at a different angle with respect to the seat part. This embodiment is totally impractical, given that it is necessary to get off of the piece of seating furniture in order to adjust the support surface. Moreover, there is the risk of the support part coming loose from the slots.
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The present invention relates to adjustable reclining or seating furniture, wherein the adjustment can be carried out entirely without, or with minimal assistance of, external force sources, while it should at the same time be possible to adjust the piece of furniture with a minimal exertion of force, directly by the user while they are leaning/sitting on the piece of furniture.
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It should thus be possible to re-adjust the piece of furniture, for example from a reclined position to a seated position and back or so as to occupy intermediate positions, essentially by the user simply performing a "natural movement", with the result that the piece of furniture "follows" when the user moves from the one position to the other.
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Such a type of reclining furniture, although for use in the health sector, is described in
WO 98/37791 , use being made here of a spring mechanism, for example a gas spring which is configured in such a way that a user can change the angular position between back part, seat part and possibly foot part by simply leaning forwards or backwards against the back part. The piece of furniture can be locked in the desired position by locking the spring mechanism. The gas spring used in
WO 98/37791 is connected to the back part and seat part and extends approximately in the middle region of the back part. Upon activation of the spring mechanism, the back part will move upwards by itself from a more reclined position to a more seated position. A return to the more reclined position will be effected by the exertion of a force on the back part. A similar adjustable piece of reclining furniture, in which the back part is driven by a gas spring extending in the middle portion of the piece of reclining furniture, is described in Japanese patent publication
JP S55 158722 U . The described pieces of reclining furniture have the drawback that the spring mechanism - which is provided between the back part and seat part - is easily accessible, which is not really a problem for indoor applications. However, when such a mechanism is used for outdoor applications, such as outdoor furniture in the form of, for example, a beach lounger, this will be very highly susceptible to environmental factors such as the weather or dust or sand blown by the wind, as a result of which the useful life thereof is greatly reduced.
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European
patent publication EP 3 078 300 A1 describes a lounger comprising a frame having two side members, a pivotably adjustable reclining surface, and a locking mechanism for locking the reclining surface in particular tilt positions. To aid the user when changing the tilt position, the locking mechanism comprises a gas spring. This gas spring is provided at its one end with an actuating pin which, when pushed, unlocks the gas spring, such that the tilt position can be changed, and is at its other end provided with a tow eye, by means of which the gas spring is pivotably fastened to the foot portion of the reclining surface. To guarantee stable operation, both sides of the lounger are provided, in each side member, with such a locking mechanism comprising a gas spring. Such an embodiment then has the drawback that both actuating pins have to be pushed when a change in the tilt position of the lounger is desired, which in itself is not so practical.
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The aim of the present invention is now to provide an adjustable piece of reclining furniture, of which, inter alia, the adjusting mechanism is less susceptible to wear as a result of environmental factors and which allows the user to adjust the position of the support surface in a simple manner.
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The aim of the invention is achieved by providing an adjustable piece of reclining furniture comprising a carrier frame and a support surface which is fastened against the carrier frame and which is provided for supporting a person, wherein the carrier frame comprises two side members and wherein the support surface comprises a back part, a seat part which is pivotably connected to the back part, and a foot part which is pivotably connected to the seat part, wherein the support surface is adjustable between a series of positions comprising at least a first position for a more reclined posture of the person and a second position for a more seated posture of the person, wherein the carrier frame further comprises a transmission element which is connected to the side members and which is arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation which extends transversely with respect to the side members of the piece of reclining furniture, and wherein the transmission element is connected to the back part, and wherein the piece of reclining furniture comprises at most one gas spring which extends in a longitudinal direction and which is accommodated in one of said side members, and which is connected to said transmission element in such a way that, upon activation of said gas spring, the support surface is adjustable by exertion of a force on the seat part or back part. In the case of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, the support surface can be adjusted after activation of the gas spring and by exerting a force on the seat part, as a result of which the angle between back part and seat part at the top of the support surface becomes smaller, or by - after activation of the gas spring - exerting a force on the back part, as a result of which the angle between back part and seat part at the top of the support surface becomes greater. The transmission element will, inter alia, ensure that the force exerted by the gas spring is transmitted uniformly to the back part.
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The arrangement of the gas spring in a side member (longitudinal member) of the piece of reclining furniture means that said gas spring can be easily protected, for example by fitting a specific casing or protective structure over or against the side members, as a result of which the gas spring is protected from environmental factors, such as the weather, sand blown by the wind, etc. This has the advantage that the gas spring is far less susceptible to wear, as a result of which its useful life is extended. The use of a gas spring also affords the advantage that the position of the support surface is continuously adjustable.
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An additional advantage is that only one gas spring is required for adjusting the support surface, as a result of which the piece of reclining furniture can be operated with one hand, and this can be done both by the person sitting in the piece of reclining furniture and by someone standing next to the piece of reclining furniture, for example a hotel employee who every evening has to place all of the pieces of reclining furniture back into their first position.
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In the case of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, only one gas spring is required, without this jeopardizing the stability of the unit. This is due to the presence of the transmission element which will transmit the force exerted by the gas spring of the one side member (the one in which the gas spring is accommodated) to the other side member, as a result of which a uniform force will be exerted on the back part. The transmission element is preferably a stiff curved element. The curved shape contributes to the force transmission.
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In a preferred embodiment of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, the piece of reclining furniture comprises a coupling structure which is provided for operatively connecting the gas spring to an end of the transmission element. The coupling structure is in particular provided for converting the linear movement of the gas spring into a rotating movement, such that the transmission element will rotate about its axis of rotation upon activation of the gas spring. The transmission element can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise. The direction of rotation is determined by the movement of the gas spring. The transmission element preferably comprises two ends, wherein the one end is provided so as to rotate in the one side member, preferably in a bearing sleeve provided therein, and wherein the other end is provided so as to be operatively connected via the coupling structure to the gas spring which is accommodated in the other side member. The two ends of the transmission element are preferably provided in a slide bearing provided in the respective side members. This affords the advantage that the transmission element and the back part connected thereto will carry out a smooth rotating movement.
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The gas spring preferably comprises a piston rod which is displaceable between a retracted position and an extended position, and the gas spring is mounted in such a way that the piston rod is in the extended position when the support surface is in its first position. Due to the fact that a gas spring will extend automatically upon activation thereof, such an arrangement affords the advantage that the support surface will automatically move to its first position, when the gas spring is activated. The gas spring fitted in the piece of reclining furniture preferably has a push-out force of at minimum 500 N, in particular a push-out force of at minimum 800 N, more particularly a push-out force of 950 N.
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According to a more preferred embodiment of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, the gas spring is provided so as to be able to be blocked in an arbitrary position for blocking the adjustable support surface in at least one intermediate position between the first and second position.
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In a particular embodiment of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, the construction of the piece of reclining furniture is such that, by rotation of the transmission element and the back part connected thereto, the seat part will also pivot and in so doing the angle between the back part and seat part at the top of the support surface will decrease or increase. The foot part is preferably slidably fastened against the carrier frame in a horizontal direction. In this way, the foot part can be slid forwards or backwards. Due to the fact that the seat part is pivotably connected to the foot part, the foot part will move forwards or backwards during displacement of the seat part as a result of a rotation of the back part.
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In an advantageous embodiment of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention, the piece of reclining furniture comprises only one operating lever for activating the gas spring.
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The present invention will now be explained in more detail by means of the following detailed description of an adjustable piece of reclining furniture according to the present invention. The sole aim of this description is to give illustrative examples and to indicate further advantages and features of this piece of reclining furniture, and can thus by no means be interpreted as a limitation of the area of application of the invention or of the patent rights defined in the claims.
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Reference numerals are used in this detailed description to refer to the attached drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 shows a perspective illustration of an adjustable piece of recliningfurniture according to the invention;
- Figure 2 shows the piece of reclining furniture shown in Figure 1 without a covering, the side members being visible;
- Figure 3 shows an exploded illustration of the carrier frame of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention;
- Figure 4 shows a perspective illustration of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention in its first position;
- Figure 5 shows a side view of the piece of reclining furniture shown in Figure 4 ;
- Figure 6 shows a perspective illustration of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention in its second position;
- Figure 7 shows a side view of the piece of reclining furniture shown in Figure 6 ;
- Figure 8 shows a perspective illustration of a possible embodiment of a gas spring which is placeable in a side member of the piece of reclining furniture;
- Figure 9 illustrates the connection between the gas spring and the transmission element.
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The piece of reclining furniture (1) according to the present invention and as depicted in the attached figures comprises a carrier frame (2) and a support surface (3) which is fastened against the carrier frame (2) and which is provided for supporting a person. The carrier frame (2) is preferably made of aluminium or wood. The carrier frame (2) comprises two side members (4) which extend in the length direction and which are arranged parallel to one another. The side members (4) in question are provided at their one end with front support parts (11) (legs) and are provided at their other end with a rear support part (12). The support parts (11; 12) may possibly be provided with wheels in order to be able to easily move the piece of reclining furniture (1).
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The piece of reclining furniture (1) comprises a support surface (3) on which a person is able to lie or sit and which is fastened to the carrier frame (2). The support surface (3) is constructed from three interconnected parts, namely: a back part (5), a seat part (6) which is pivotably connected to the back part (5), and a foot part (7) which is pivotably connected to the seat part (6). The foot part (7) is not pivotable with respect to the seat part (6), but is slidable forwards or backwards in a horizontal plane. To this end, the piece of reclining furniture comprises two transverse rods (13) which are fixedly connected to the side members and which extend transversely with respect to the side members (4) of the piece of reclining furniture (1). In the embodiments depicted, the front transverse rod (13) extends between the front support parts (11). Two sliding rods (14) extending in the longitudinal direction are provided between said transverse rods (see Figure 3). The transverse rods (13) and sliding rods (14) together form a carrier structure over which the foot part (7) is slidable. For smooth sliding, the foot part (7) is provided on its underside with sliding blocks.
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The support surface (3) is adjustable between a series of positions comprising at least a first position for a more reclined posture of the person (see Figures 4 and 5) and a second position for a more seated posture of the person (see Figures 6 and 7). To adjust the support surface (3), the carrier frame (2) comprises a transmission element (8) which is rotatably connected to the longitudinal members (4) and which is arranged so as to be able to rotate about an axis of rotation (16) which extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the piece of reclining furniture (1). The transmission element is connected to the back part (5) and preferably has, as shown inter alia in Figure 6 and 9, a curved shape. The piece of reclining furniture according to the present invention comprises only one transmission element (8). Said transmission element (8) is connected to the back part (5) such that the back part will co-rotate (tilt) upon rotation of the transmission element (8). The transmission element (8) comprises two ends, wherein, as illustrated in Figure 9, the one end is provided so as to rotate in a bearing sleeve (17) provided in the one side member, wherein the other end is provided so as to rotate in a bearing sleeve (17) provided in the other side member.
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Due to the fact that the various parts of the support surface (3) are connected to one another, rotation of the back part will result in a pivoting movement of the seat part with respect to the back part (5). The pivoting of the seat part (6) with respect to the back part (5) will also have the effect that the foot part (7) is moved forwards or backwards over the underlying carrier structure.
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In practice, the support surface will be formed from a number of wooden slats which extend parallel next to one another and which extend transversely with respect to the side members, and, as shown in Figure 1, from a covering material formed from PVC-coated polyester fibres which have been woven to form a mesh fabric. Such covering material is known on the market under the brand name Batyline®.
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According to the present invention, only one side member is provided with a gas spring (9) (pressure pump) which extends in the same direction as the side members (4). This gas spring (9) will aid the user when adjusting the position of the piece of reclining furniture (1). Figure 8 shows such a gas spring (9). The gas spring (9) in question is connected to the above-described transmission element (8) in such a way that, upon activation of the gas spring (9), the support surface (3) is adjustable by exertion of a force on the seat part (6) or back part (5). Depending on the desires of the user, the gas spring can be mounted in the left-hand or right-hand side member (4). This choice is determined as a function of the hand (left or right) with which the user wishes to activate the gas spring (9). For the activation of the gas spring (9), an operating lever (10) which is connected directly to the gas spring is provided. The operating lever (10) is also incorporated in the side member (4) in which the gas spring (9) is located.
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A gas spring consists of a cylindrical part and a piston rod which, after activation, will move from a retracted position to an extended position. In the case of the piece of reclining furniture (1) according to the present invention, the one part of the gas spring will engage with an end of the transmission element (8) and the other end (namely the end of the piston rod) will be mounted against the frame of the side members. For the connection of the one part of the gas spring to the end of the transmission element (8), the piece of reclining furniture (1) comprises, as illustrated in Figure 9, a coupling structure (18) which is provided for operatively connecting the gas spring (9) to the end of the transmission element (8). This coupling structure (18) will convert the linear movement of the gas spring (9), in particular the piston rod, into a rotating movement, such that the transmission element will rotate about its axis of rotation upon activation of the gas spring. The direction of rotation will be determined by the movement (retraction or extension) of the piston rod.
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The gas spring (9) is mounted in such a way that the piston rod is in the extended position when the support surface (3) is in its first position. This affords the advantage that the support surface will automatically return to its first position after activation of the gas spring. This is particularly advantageous in the hotel sector when the staff have to bring all of the loungers back into the first position at the end of the day. Where applicable, only the gas spring has to be activated, without there being a need to still exert a force on the back part (5) in order to overcome the force of the gas spring, which is still the case in many of the known loungers.
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In the piece of reclining furniture (lounger) (1) according to the invention, use is made of a gas spring (9) with a push-out force of 950 N, a push-in force of 1530 N, a diameter of 22 mm, and a length in the extended position of 235 mm, and a length in the retracted state of 193 mm. The gas spring is preferably continuously adjustable.
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In order to largely protect the gas spring (9) and also the side members, the piece of reclining furniture (1) according to the present invention comprises a casing or housing (15) which is releasably fittable against the side members (4). In this way, the gas spring is protected from environmental factors, such as the weather, sand blown by the wind, etc. This has the advantage that the gas spring is far less susceptible to wear, as a result of which its useful life is extended. The use of a gas spring also affords the advantage that the position of the support surface is continuously adjustable. Figure 1 shows a piece of reclining furniture (1) in which the side members (4) are provided with a specific housing (15). The housing is made of wood, aluminium or another suitable material. Figure 2 shows a piece of reclining furniture without a housing, the side members being visible.
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The construction of the piece of reclining furniture (1) is such that, during a displacement from the first position to the second position, the back part (5) pivots with respect to the seat part (6) and in so doing the angle between the two parts (5; 6) at the top of the piece of reclining furniture (1) decreases, and wherein the construction of the piece of reclining furniture is such that, during a displacement from the first position to the second position, the seat part (6) pivots with respect to the foot part and in so doing the angle between the two parts at the bottom of the piece of reclining furniture (1) decreases. Furthermore, during a displacement from the first position to the second position, the foot part (7) will undergo a horizontal sliding movement. When the support surface (3) is in its second position, it will be arranged at an angle of approximately 58° with respect to the horizontal (reclining) surface.
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The gas spring (9) exerts a pressure which assists the user when displacing said support surface from the second position to the first position. The user of the piece of reclining furniture according to the invention can easily adjust the position of the support surface (3), by simply performing a "natural movement", with the result that the piece of furniture "follows" when the user moves from the one position to the other.
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The piece of reclining furniture according to the present invention is also provided with a safety mechanism so as to avoid damage. When the piece of reclining furniture (1) is in its second position and an excessive force is exerted on the end of the back part (5), the gas spring (9) will still unlock and the back part (5) will move in the direction of its first position. This is done to prevent damage to the piece of reclining furniture (1).
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The present invention also affords protection for a separate built-in mechanism (adjusting mechanism) (cassette system) which is suitable for being placed in (build into) an adjustable piece of reclining furniture (1) comprising a carrier frame (2) and a support surface (3) which is fastened against the carrier frame (2) and which is provided for supporting a person, wherein the carrier frame (2) comprises two side members (4) and wherein the support surface (3) comprises a back part (5), a seat part (6) which is pivotably connected to the back part (5), and a foot part (7) which is pivotably connected to the seat part (6), wherein the support surface (3) is adjustable between a series of positions comprising at least a first position for a more reclined posture of the person and a second position for a more seated posture of the person. The built-in mechanism in question comprises a gas spring which is provided so as to be built into one of the side members (4) of the carrier frame and which is suitable for engaging with a transmission element (8) which is connected to the side members (4), which extends transversely with respect to the side members of the piece of reclining furniture (1) and which is connected to the back part (5) of the piece of reclining furniture. The gas spring (9) is configured such that, upon activation of the gas spring (9), preferably by displacement, pushing or pulling, of an operating lever (10), the support surface (3) is adjustable by exertion of a force on the seat part (6) or back part (5). For the connection of the one part of the gas spring to the end of the transmission element (8), the built-in mechanism comprises, as illustrated in Figure 9, a coupling structure (18) which is provided for operatively connecting the gas spring (9) to the end of the transmission element (8). This coupling structure (18) will convert the linear movement of the gas spring (9), in particular the piston rod, into a rotating movement, such that the transmission element will rotate about its axis of rotation upon activation of the gas spring. The direction of rotation will be determined by the movement (retraction or extension) of the piston rod.
