FR2656204A1 - FOLDING BASE FOR SOFA BEDS AND THE LIKE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The frame described comprises a first (4) and a second frame (5) connected to a fixed structure (2) by a primary control mechanism (3) which guides the movements of the frames from a closed condition to a closed condition. opening in which they are deployed horizontally, in a coplanar manner. The primary control mechanism (3) comprises a first (8) and a second lever (9) pivoted on the fixed structure (2) and interconnected by a first connecting rod (12), a third lever (15) engaged between the first lever and the second frame, a second connecting rod (18) engaged between the third lever (15) and an extension (9a) of the second lever (9) and a slide lever (20) articulated on the extension (9a) and engaged sliding on the first frame (4). A guide and support member (22) attached to the third lever (15) provides a sliding bearing housing for the slide lever (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a folding frame for sofa beds and

  similar, of the type comprising: a fixed supporting structure; at least a first and a second frame pivoted consecutively one on the other and simultaneously movable with a closing condition in which they are arranged in a substantially "L" configuration, the second frame being arranged horizontally at the base of the fixed support structure, in an open condition in which said first and second frames are aligned horizontally and coplanarly, in an elevated position relative to the support structure 'and a primary control mechanism which connects the first and the second frame to the load-bearing structure and governs the reciprocal displacements thereof during the movements from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa. As is known, there are sofa beds, convertible armchairs or other similar articles, the folding frame of which comprises two or more frames which, fixed to a fixed supporting structure by suitable control mechanisms, can be carried in one condition closure in which they are suitably folded over one another to define the structure of a sofa or armchair, on condition of opening in which they are deployed in reciprocal coplanar alignment, to define the

structure of a bed.

  In more detail, a known type of frame provides for the presence of a first and a second frame, connected to the fixed support structure by a primary control mechanism, and of a third frame connected consecutively to the second frame after y to have interposed a frame

  intermediate and an auxiliary closing mechanism.

  In the closed condition, the first and second frames are arranged in a substantially L-shaped configuration, the second frame being arranged horizontally at the base of the supporting structure, while the third frame extends horizontally above of the second frame The transition from this closing condition to the opening condition first provides for the deployment of the first and the second frame by a lifting action and simultaneous translation in front of the frame as a whole. The deployment of the third frame, in

  causing its rotation of 1800 from the second frame.

  In this type of frame, the primary control mechanism comprises, on each side of the support structure, a first and a second lever having their support points on the support structure at mutually spaced locations and connected to each other by a first connecting rod. A third lever is also provided, one of the ends of which is pivoted on the first lever at the same pivot point of the first connecting rod, and connected in rotation to the second frame near the pivot point of the first frame. A second connecting rod connects the third lever at the end of an extension of the second lever At the location where the second connecting rod is pivoted on the extension of the second lever is articulated one of the ends of a slide lever whose other end is engaged so sliding to the first frame in order to properly guide its movements during the transition from the opening condition to the iron condition meture and vice versa In open condition, the sliding lever strikes against a stop integral with the second frame, to keep the first frame oriented horizontally, opposing the weight of the frame itself

  and that of a potential user.

  Although the frames described above are able to accomplish the tasks entrusted to them, they presently present problems, because in the open position the set of reciprocally aligned frames has the possibility of turning so not desirable around the upper end of the third lever If the user concentrates his weight near the free end of the first frame, this position can lead to dangerous situations due to the possible tumbling of the frames The frames described above there are also problems with maneuverability during the transition from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, since the slide lever tends to stop in

its movement.

  The main object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the known art, by means of the production of a folding frame which ensures excellent safety in use, both in closed condition and in open condition, as well as 'a

improved maneuverability.

  This goal and others that will emerge more

  clearly from the description that follows, are

  essentially achieved by a folding frame for sofa beds and the like, characterized in that said primary control mechanism comprises, on each side of said frame: a first and a second lever pivoted on the fixed supporting structure, at spaced locations one the other; a first connecting rod pivoted on one end of the first lever and on said second lever; a third lever engaged with the first lever at the pivot point of the first link and rotatably connected to the second frame, near the pivot point of the first frame; a second connecting rod actively engaged between the third lever and one of the ends of an extension portion presented) by the second lever; a sliding lever pivoted on the end of the extension portion of the second lever and having one end slidably engaged with the first frame, on said third lever being fixed at least one guide and support element intended to provide a housing for sliding support with the slide lever in order to guide the movements of the first frame when passing from the closed condition to the open condition and vice-versa, and also to support said first frame in the

opening condition.

  Other features and benefits

  will emerge more clearly from the detailed description

  of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a folding frame for sofa beds and the like according to the invention, given below by way of nonlimiting example with the aid of the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows schematically and in partially broken side view, the btxti in question in the closed condition; Figure 2 is a side view of the frame during the deployment of the first and second frame during the transition from the closed condition to the open condition; Figure 3 shows, still in side view, the fully deployed frame, in open condition; Figure 4 shows, on a larger scale, a detail of the frame in open condition, in a form

  alternative execution of the invention.

  Referring to Figures 1 to 3, we have

  generally indicated in 1 a folding frame for sofas

  beds and the like according to the present invention.

  The frame 1 has a substantially rectangular fixed supporting structure 2, defining the size of the frame in its closed condition A first and a second frame, 4 and 5, are engaged in the supporting structure 2 by a primary control mechanism generally indicated at 3 , being pivoted one after the other

the other.

  In a known manner, each frame 4, 5 has a rectangular perimeter configuration, defined by longitudinal members 4 a, Sa and possibly spacers 4 b, between which there is a metal base, elastic slats or other elements intended to properly support a mattress associated with the frame 1 as a whole In the attached drawings, which represent - schematically only one of the sides of the frame 1, we can only see the side members 4 a, Sa and the possible spacers 4 b of the frames 4 and 5 It However, it must be taken into account that the metal bases or elastic slats, the mattresses and the general configuration of the frames are well known to those skilled in the art and in all

  cases not important to the effects of the invention.

  Preferably provision is made for a fixing bracket 6 to be fixed to each of the side members 5 a of the second frame 5, at the end adjacent to the first frame 4 It is through this bracket 6 that

  reciprocal of the frames takes place, at the point indicated in 7.

  According to the invention, the primary control mechanism 3 comprises, on each side of the support structure 2, a first and a second lever 8, 9 pivoted on the support structure at points 10, it reciprocally spaced A first connecting rod 12 has one end connected at 13 to the upper end of the first lever and the opposite end connected at 14 to the

second lever 9.

  At the pivot point 13 between the first lever 8 and the first connecting rod 12 there is the engagement of one of the ends of a third lever 15, the other end of which is pivoted on the fixing bracket 6, at a point 16 adjacent to point 7 of pivoting between the first frame 4 and the second frame 5 Near the center line of the third lever 15 there is the pivoting, at 17, of one of the ends of a second connecting rod 18 of which the opposite end is fixed, in 19, to the upper end of an extension 9 a

of the second lever 9.

  At the pivot point 19 between the second connecting rod 18 and the extension 9 a, one of the ends of a slide lever 20 is articulated, the other end of which is slidably connected to the first frame 4, near the center line of its longitudinal extension To this end, the slide lever 20 is provided with a loop 20 a which actively engages on a pivot 21 fixed to the corresponding spar 4 a of the first

frame 4.

  In an original manner, provision is made for at least one guide and support element 22 to be fixed on the third lever S, this element being intended to provide, as explained more clearly below, a sliding support housing for the lever slide 20 in order to guide the movements of the first frame 4 during its passage from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, and also in order to properly support the first frame when it is in its condition d 'opening In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the guide element 22 consists essentially of a square of substantially L-shaped conformation, the large side 22 a provides a sliding housing for the lever with slide 20 during movements passing from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, and the top 22 b of which provides a support for the slide lever when the frame is located

in open condition.

  At point 19 of the pivoting connection of the slide lever 20, of the second connecting rod 18 and of the extension 9a of the second lever 9 is fixed in rotation a square lever 23 having its fulcrum on the second frame 5, at 24 , and acting on a first tie 25 connected to a first support leg 26 fixed to the end of the second frame opposite to the first frame 4. A third frame 28 has also been provided, pivoted consecutively to the second frame 5 after the interposition d an intermediate frame 27, this third frame 28 being connected to the second frame 5 by means of a second control mechanism 29 The control mechanism 29, known per se, comprises, on each of the sides of the frame 1, a second tie rod 30 pivoted on the second frame 5 and acting on one of the ends 3 la of an "L" lever 31 having its point -7- of support on the intermediate frame 27 The lever 31 acts by its end 31 b opposite the second tie 30, on

  a second support leg 32 connected to the third frame 28.

  After the foregoing description of

  especially structural point of view, the functioning of the

  frame of the invention is as follows.

  The frame 1 lends itself to be carried from a closed condition to an open condition, illustrated

  respectively in Figures 1 and 3.

  Under the closed condition (FIG. 1), the first and second frames 4 and 5 are arranged in a substantially L-shaped configuration, the second frame 5 being arranged horizontally at the base of the supporting structure 2, while the third

  frame 28 is parallel and superimposed on the second frame 5.

  In the open condition, on the contrary (Figure 3), all the frames 4, 5, 27, 28 are coplanar and aligned horizontally, in the raised position by

  compared to the supporting structure 2 -

  Assuming that the frame 1 is in the closed condition, the deployment of the frames 4, 5, 27 and 28 to pass to the open condition first provides that the user acts on a spacer 27 a associated with the intermediate frame 27 to raise and move forward all of said frames This movement, which in a conventional manner is favored by the action of at least one spring 33 acting between the carrying structure 2 and a lower extension 9 b of the second lever 9, causes the Simultaneous rotation of the first lever 8 and the second lever relative to the support structure Following this rotation, the third lever 15 rotates around its pivot point 13 connecting it to the first lever 8 and the second connecting rod 18 follows it in its movement In this way it gives rise, by acting on the fixing bracket 6, to the lifting of the

second frame 5.

  Simultaneously, the slide lever 20 causes the deployment of the first frame 4 which has

coplanar to the second frame 5.

  As can be seen in Figure 2, during the movements described above the slide lever 20 comes to rest on the long side 22 a of the guide and support bracket 22 In this situation the slide lever 20 is properly guided for optimally transmitting the movements to the first frame 4 during the transition from the closed condition to the open condition, without the risk that unwanted mechanical stops may occur. The rotation of the second lever 9 and the simultaneous lifting of the second frame 5 cause the angle lever 23 to control, through the first tie 25, the deployment of the first foot 26 which, in the closed condition, was arranged parallel to the

  second frame and close to it.

  At the end of said lifting action and

  simultaneous forward translation of frame 1, the first-

  frame 4 and the second frame 5 will be deployed coplanarly in the raised position relative to the support structure 2, the first leg 26 resting on the floor. As can be easily seen in Figure 3, in this situation the first frame will be supported in an original way, in the region of the pivot 21, by the slide lever 20 which in turn will bear on

the top 22 b of the square 22.

  The deployment of the frame 1 under the condition of opening ends, in a manner known per se, by an action on the second foot 32 with a view to tumbling the third frame 28 from the second frame 5 In more detail, the second foot 32 is rotated so that it moves away from the second frame 28, which causes, by virtue of the connection existing between the lever in "L" 31 and the second tie 30, the deployment of the intermediate frame 27 and the third frame At the end of the operation, therefore, the intermediate frame 27 -9- and the third frame 28 will be coplanar and in alignment with the first and second frame 4, 5 and the second leg 32 will rest on the floor, as

shown in figure 3.

  Referring now to FIG. 4, according to the alternative embodiment shown in this figure, the guide element 22 comprises a support plate 33 rigidly engaged, at its fixed end 33 a, at the third lever 15 and carrying at least a roller rotating about a horizontal axis and intended to act against the slide lever 20 In more detail, provision is preferably made for the presence of a first roller 34 disposed near a free end 33 b of the plate 33 in view of providing a support housing for the slide lever 20 in its open condition, as clearly shown in FIG. 4 A second roller 35 is also engaged in rotation at the fixed end 33 a of the plate 33, this roller preferably being arranged in coincidence with the pivot point 17 between the second connecting rod 18 and the

third lever 15.

  Ort finally provides a third roller 36 disposed at an intermediate point between the first roller 34 and the second roller 35, its position being offset from

  to the alignment direction of the other two rollers.

  Advantageously, when the frame t is operated to bring it from the closed condition to the open condition, the slide lever 20 is intended to slide, in succession, on the third roller 36, on the second roller 35 and on the first roller 34 of the guide and support element 22 In this situation all the rollers 34, 35, 36 advantageously serve to guide the movements of the slide lever 20 according to a substantially arcuate sliding profile defined by an arc of circumference 37 tangent to the surfaces of the rollers themselves, in order to optimally transmit the movements to the first frame 4 during the transition from the condition of - closing to the condition of opening, without the risk that

  unwanted mechanical stops may occur.

  It should be noted that in the open condition, the support of the first frame 4 by the support of the slide lever 20 on the top 22 b of the bracket 22 or on the first roller 34 eliminates any possibility of overturning the frames if by chance the user had to weigh with all his weight on the free end of the first frame Indeed, in this situation the pivot 21 would tend to cause the rotation of the slide lever) 20 around the edge 22 b of the angle of guide and support 22 or around the first roller 34, but the connection between the slide lever and the extension 9 a of the second lifting lever would oppose

this rotation.

  The present invention achieves the aims.

  By virtue of the elimination of any possibility of overturning the frames, the frame in question offers

  improved job security.

  In addition, with particular reference to the embodiment of FIG. 4, it should be emphasized that the low coefficient of rolling friction presented by the rollers 34, 35, 36 as well as the arcuate sliding profile which they offer to the movements of the slide lever 20, eliminate any possibility of mechanical stops when switching from the closed condition to the open condition and ensure

  improved maneuverability to the frame as a whole.

  Obviously, numerous modifications and variants can be made to the invention thus conceived without departing from its scope of

protection that characterizes it.

11 -

Claims (4)

R E V E N D I C A T I O N S   1 Folding frame for sofa beds and the like, comprising: a fixed supporting structure (2); at least a first (4) and a second frame (5> pivoted consecutively one on the other and simultaneously movable with a closing condition in which they are arranged in a substantially "L" configuration, the second frame ( 5) being arranged horizontally at the base of the fixed support structure (2)> in an open condition in which said first (4) and second (5) frames are aligned horizontally and coplanarly, in a raised position relative to the support structure (2); a primary control mechanism (3) which connects the first (4) and the second frame (5) to the support structure (2) and governs the reciprocal movements during the movements of the closing condition under the condition of opening and vice versa, characterized in that said primary control mechanism (3) comprises, on each side of said frame (2): a first (8) and a second lever (9> pivoted on the structure door use fixed (2), at places spaced from each other; a first connecting rod (12> pivoted on one end of the first lever (8) and on said second lever (9); - a third lever (15) engaged with the first lever (8) at the pivot point of the first connecting rod (12) and connected in rotation to the second frame (5), near the pivot point of the first frame (4); a second connecting rod (16) actively engaged between the third lever (15) and one of the ends d '' an extension portion (9a) presented by the second lever (9); a slide lever <20) pivoted on the end of the extension portion (9a) of the second lever (9) and having one end ( 9 a) slidably engaged with _ 12 -   the first frame (4), on said third lever (15) being fixed at least one guide and support element (22) intended to provide a sliding support housing to the slide lever (20) in order to guide the movements of the first frame (4) when passing from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, and also of supporting said first frame (4) in the opening condition.   2 frame according to claim 1, characterized in that said guide and support element (22) essentially comprises a square having a substantially "L" configuration, one side (22 a) of which is intended to guide the lever in a sliding manner slide (20) when switching from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, and the top (22 b) is intended to provide a support housing for the slide lever (20) in its condition opening hours.  3 frame according to claim 1, characterized in that said guide and support element (22) comprises a support plate (33) rigidly engaged with the third lever (15) and carrying at least one roller rotating about a horizontal axis and intended to act against the slide lever (20) in order to guide the movements of the first frame (4) during the transition from the closed condition to the open condition and vice versa, as well as supporting the   first frame (4) in the opening condition.   4 frame according to claim 3, characterized in that said guide and support element (22) comprises: a first roller (34) disposed near a free end (33 b) of the plate (33) in view of providing a support housing for the slide lever (20) in its open condition; a second roller (35) disposed near a fixed end (33 a) of the plate anchored to the third lever (15); 13 - a third roller (36) disposed at an intermediate point between the first roller (34) and the second roller (35), its position being offset with respect to the direction of alignment of the two other rollers to guide the latter with them movements of the slide lever (20) along a substantially arcuate sliding profile io