GB2275185A

GB2275185A - An adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamiere

Info

Publication number: GB2275185A
Application number: GB9400779A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dieter Heimann; Gerhard Geisler
Original assignee: Stanzwerk Wetter Sichelschmidt GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Stanzwerk Wetter Sichelschmidt GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1993-02-02
Filing date: 1994-01-17
Publication date: 1994-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-17
Also published as: GB9400779D0; ITMI931019V0; IT230608Y1; DE9301415U1; GB2275185B; ITMI931019U1; FR2700934B3; FR2700934A3

Abstract

In order to provide an adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamiere comprising an underframe or base which has a substantially rectangular shape and having an elongate sitting or lying surface and a backrest arranged on one narrow side of the sitting or lying surface as well as armrests, which extend parallel to part of the sitting or lying surface, attached in the region of the backrest, which, with regard to positioning, can be adapted easily to the requirements of the user, it is proposed that the backrest (3) should be pivotable the side of the frame from an upright sitting position about an axis (5) fixed to the frame or a shaft fixed to into a reclining or lying position. Preferably the reclining function is motor driven via an adjustable length spindle (7) shown only in dashed line form. Preferably also, the lying surface is pivotally bifureated at (8) so that the lying contour can be simultaneously changed as seen in Fig. 5. <IMAGE>

Description

An adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamiere The invention relates to an adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamire comprising an underframe or base which has a substantially rectangular overall shape and having an elongate sitting or lying surface an a backrest arranged on one narrow side of the sitting or lying surface as well as armrests, which extend parallel to part of the sitting or lying surface, attached in the region of the backrest.

Adjustable bed/seats of this kind are known in the state of the art. With this type of adjustable bed/seat it is disadvantageous that the positions of the individual elements relative to one another are permanently predetermined by the manufacturer and so the user cannot adapt the adjustable bed/seat according to his personal requirements.

Starting from this state of the art the basic objective of the invention is to provide an adjustable bed/seat of this general type which, with regard to positioning, can be adapted easily to the requirements of the user.

In order to achieve the said objective the invention proposes that the backrest should be pivotable about an axis fixed to the frame, or a shaft fixed to the side of the frame, from an upright sitting position into a shallow reclining or lying position.

This construction makes it possible for the user to pivot the backrest according to the desired sitting position, reclining position or lying position so that it is possible to obtain a simple adaptation to different requirements of the user.

Preferably it is provided for this purpose that a motor-operated positioning drive engages, as the pivoting drive for the backrest, with a lever which is permanently fixed to the backrest or the shaft.

Such motor-operated positioning drives are known in the state of the art. They are actuated by means of a remote control which may, for example, be incorporated in the armrest of the seat or can also be supplied as a separate element of the seat, and the motor-operated positioning drives operate according to the principle of a threaded spindle. One end of the positioning drive can for this be held fixed to or pivotably coupled to the frame whereas the other end of the positioning drive, in other words the extendable element of the positioning drive, is connected to the element to be positioned, in other words with the backrest or with a positioning lever fixed to the backrest.

A preferred further development consists in arranging that the sitting/lying surface is divided transversely, preferably into two approximately equally long sitting or lying surface parts having auxiliary frames and upholstered pads, and in that the first part immediately adjacent to the backrest is mounted so that it is pivotable about an axis extending parallel to the pivot axis for the backrest, which is located near the end of the first part which faces towards the backrest.

As a result of this construction it is possible also to pivot the sitting surface proper of the sitting/lying surface from a horizontal position into an inclined position so that a comfortable sitting or lying position for the user can be established.

This embodiment can be installed both in the case of adjustable bed/seats wherein the backrest is not pivotable, in other words it is mounted rigidly on the frame, and in the case of convertible bed/seats the backrest of which is designed to be pivotable.

A preferred further development, which can also be regarded as advantageous in itself, consists in arranging that beneath the first part which is adjacent to the backrest, an articulated-lever-like pivoting device is fixed to the frame and the free end of the articulated lever is pivotably attached near the end of the first part which is adjacent to the second sitting/lying surface part and, in particular, a motor-operated positioning drive is coupled to a positioning lever of the pivoting device by means of which the inclination of the first part can be altered.

The positioning drive can be constructed in a similar manner to that described above so that similar coupling and operating mechanisms are also provided.

A preferred, but also independently inventive further development consists in arranging that the second part is pivotably fixed to the first part in the region of the respective upholstered pad supporting auxiliary frames, so that the pivot axis is aligned parallel to the pivot axis of the first part, and that the second part rests on the furniture underframe.

Hereby it is arranged that on pivoting the first part the second part is also correspondingly folded (in the opposite direction to the direction of pivoting of the first part) and the second part is positioned only loosely on the underframe of the piece of furniture so that the second part can follow the movement of the first part and the displacement relative to the underframe of furniture item caused by the pivoted position. This embodiment too can be used and is advantageous both in the case of adjustable bed/seats in which the backrest is permanently fixed and in the case of adjustable bed/seats in which the backrest is pivotable.

A further preferred development consists in arranging that the backrest is permanently connected to the first sitting/lying part at its lower end which faces towards the frame, in a fixed angular position and is pivotable together with the first sitting/lying part.

As a result of the fact that the backrest is permanently connected to the first sitting/lying part, when the backrest is pivoted, or when the first sitting/lying part is pivoted, a simultaneous pivoting movement of the corresponding other part occurs. In all cases the angular setting between the backrest and the first sitting/lying part is hereby always maintained. With this development too, for actuation purposes a motor-operated positioning drive with remote control is particularly advantageous and is provided according to a preferred feature of the invention.

A further particularly preferred development consists in arranging that the lower end of the backrest is mounted and guided in the frame in such a manner that during the guidance of the backrest from the upright sitting position into a level lying position it can be displaced in a positively controlled translatory manner from the backrest end of the frame towards the, opposite, foot end of the adjustable bed/seat and in that, so far as the vertical projection is concerned, an upper, free end edge of the backrest does not project, or projects only slightly, beyond the position of alignment, at the backrest end, with the furniture frame, either on reaching the lying position of the backrest or in an intermediate setting between the lying and sitting positions, and the two sitting/lying parts together with the lower end of the backrest, or an auxiliary frame holding the sitting/lying parts and the backrest, is or are coupled to be necessarily displacable in the longitudinal direction of the furniture item according to the angular setting of the backrest.

This construction is particularly useful and necessary when the bed/seat is positioned, for example, with its backrest against a wall or near another piece of furniture, where, as a result of the construction in accordance with the invention, on pivoting the backrest out of the upright sitting position into the level lying position, a translatory displacement of the lower end of the backrest and of the first and second sitting/lying parts occurs as a result of which the free end edge of the backrest remains inside the line of alignment formed by the underframe of the bed/seat whereas the free end of the second sitting/lying part is increasingly pushed beyond the front end edge of the underframe or base of the bed/seat which, however, is not disadvantageous during use. As a result of this construction, in all cases it is also possible to locate the said bed/seat with the back of the backrest directly against a wall surface or the like. Pivoting of the elements is not thereby impaired.

A particularly advantageous and preferred further development consists in arranging that the motor-operated positioning drive for altering the inclination of the first sitting/lying part is coupled to the positioning lever of the pivoting device by means of a positioning rod which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the furniture item and is pivotably coupled to one end of a lever which is located underneath the second sitting/lying part and is pivotably linked to the frame, and the free end of which bears against the underside of the frame of the second sitting/lying part, preferably indirectly by means of a roller rotatably mounted at the end of the lever, and in particular near the free end of the second part, the positioning rod being coupled to the positioning lever of the first part with a limited dead travel so that, on actuating the positioning device out of the horizontal position, first of all the second part pivots about its pivot axis, formed at the coupling position to the first part, with its free end moved upwards from the horizontal position, with an increased displacement movement the first part pivots upwards out of the horizontal position and when the highest pivoted position of the first part is reached the second part is aligned horizontally or with its free end sloping downwards.

This construction has the advantage that when the positioning drive is actuated in order to pivot the first and second sitting/lying parts, initially the second sitting/lying part is pivoted upwards out of the horizontal position about the pivot axis which is formed by the connection with the first sitting/lying part. Only with an increasing pivoting movement is the dead travel of the positioning rod exceeded and the positioning rod engages with the appropriate positioning lever for pivoting the first sitting/lying part, which correspondingly is pivoted upwards from the horizontal position about the axis near the backrest.

Thereby the second sitting/lying part, which is pivotably linked to the end of the first part facing towards the backrest, for example by means of a strap hinge, is moved with it so that, with an increasing amount of displacement, oppositely directed slopes of the first sitting/lying part and of the second sitting/lying part result, which is beneficial to comfort during use.

An embodiment of the invention is described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an adjustable bed/seat in side view partially cut away; and Figures 2 to 5 show the same in different positions.

The adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamière comprises an underframe 1 having a substantially rectangular overall or basic shape and has an elongate sitting or lying surface 2 and a backrest 3 arranged on one narrow side of the sitting/lying surface 2. In the region of the backrest an arrangement of armrests 4 is provided in which on one side of the bed/seat the armrest extends approximately to the middle of the sitting/lying surface 2, whereas on the other side the armrest is built considerably shorter.

The backrest 3 is pivotable about an axis 5 from an upright sitting position, which is shown for example in Figure 1, into a more level or shallow reclining or lying position, such as can be seen for example in Figure 2. For this purpose a motor-operated positioning drive 7 engages, as a pivoting drive for the backrest 3, with a lever 6 which is permanently fixed to the backrest 3. The positioning drive 7 is constructed like a spindle drive so that on actuating the electric motor of the positioning drive 7 the length of the positioning drive 7 is shortened or increased, as a result of which the corresponding pivoting of the backrest 3 about the axis 5 is produced by means of the lever 6.

The sitting/lying surface 2 is divided transversely (at 8), preferably into two approximately equally long sitting/lying surface parts 9 and 10 comprising auxiliary frames 11 and 12 and upholstered pads. The first part 9, which is immediately adjacent to the backrest 3, is mounted to be pivotable about an axis 13 extending parallel to the pivot axis 5 for the backrest 3. The said axis can, for example, be formed by a strap hinge. This axis 13 is located near the end of the first part 9 which faces towards the backrest 3 and in particular in the region of the auxiliary frame 11 and the underframe 1. Beneath the, adjacent to the backrest 3, first part 9 an articulated-lever-like pivoting device 14 is fixed to the frame and the free end of the articulated lever is pivotably attached at 15 near the end of the first part 9 which is adjacent to the second sitting/lying surface part 10.In addition, an electric motor-operated positioning drive 16 is indirectly coupled to a positioning lever 17 by means of which the slope of the first part 9 can be altered. The second part 10 is pivotably coupled to the first part 9 in the region of the respective upholstery-supporting auxiliary frames 11 and 12, preferably by means of a strap hinge. The pivot axis 18 is arranged parallel to the pivot axis 13 and to the pivot axis 5. The second part 10 merely rests on the underframe 11 of the adjustable bed/seat (on its auxiliary frame 12) so that when the first sitting/lying part 9 is pivoted out of the position corresponding to Figure 1 into a position corresponding for example to Figure 4 the longitudinal displacement of the part 10 caused by the pivoting of the first part 9 can occur.

The motor-operated positioning drive 16 for setting the slope of the first sitting/lying part 9 is coupled with the positioning lever 17 of the pivoting device 14 by means of a positioning rod 19 which extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bed/seat and is pivotably coupled to one end of a lever 21 located beneath the second sitting/lying part 10 and pivotably coupled to the side of the frame at 20. The free end of the said lever 21 bears against the underside of the frame 12 of the second sitting/lying part 10 by means of a roller 22 rotatably mounted at the lever end. The bearing support occurs near the free end of the second sitting/lying part 10. The positioning rod 19 is pivotably coupled to the positioning lever 17 of the first part with a limited dead travel. The dead travel is formed by an elongated hole 23 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod. Thereby it is arranged that on actuating the positioning device 16, initially the second part 10 pivots about its pivot axis 18 formed at the position of coupling to the first part 9 so that its free end moves upwards out of the horizontal position, as can be seen in Figure 3. With increasing displacement the first part 9 is pivoted upwards out of the horizontal position when, in fact, the dead travel in the lever 19 at 23 is bridged. This can be seen in Figures 4 and 5. On reaching the highest pivoted position (see Figures 4 and 5) the first part 9 has moved relative to the second part with its free end sloped upwards.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment example but can be altered in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable bed/seat in the form of an ottoman or recamiere comprising an underframe or base which has a substantially rectangular overall shape and having an elongate sitting or lying surface and a backrest arranged on one narrow side of the sitting or lying surface as well as arrests, which extend parallel to part of the sitting or lying surface, attached in the region of the backrest, characterized in that the backrest (3) is pivotable about an axis (5) fixed to the frame, or a shaft fixed to a side of the frame, from an upright sitting position into a shallow reclining or lying position.

2. An adjustable bed/seat according to claim 1, characterized in that a motor-operated positioning drive (7) engages, as the pivoting drive for the backrest (3), with a lever (6) which is permanently fixed to the backrest (3) or the shaft.

3. An adjustable bed/seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sitting or lying surface (2) is divided transversely, preferably into two approximately equally long sitting/lying surface parts (9, 10) having auxiliary frames (11, 12) and upholstered pads, and in that the first part (9), immediately adjacent to the backrest (3), is mounted so that it is pivotable about an axis (13) extending parallel to the pivot axis (5) for the backrest (3), which is located near the end of the first part (9) which faces towards the backrest (3).

4. An adjustable bed/seat according to claim 3, characterized in that beneath the first part (9), which is adjacent to the backrest (3), an articulated-lever-like pivoting device (14) is fixed to the frame and the free end of the articulated lever is pivotably attached near the end of the first part (9) which is adjacent to the second sitting/lying surface part (10) and a motor-operated positioning drive (16) is coupled to a positioning lever (17) of the pivoting device (14) by means of which the inclination of the first part (9) can be altered.

5. An adjustable bed/seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second part (10) is pivotably fixed to the first part (9) in the region of the respective upholstered pad supporting auxiliary frames (11, 12) so that the pivot axis (18) is aligned parallel to the pivot axis (13) of the first part (9), and in that the second part (10) rests on the underframe (1) of the said piece of furniture.

6. An adjustable bed/seat according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the backrest (3) is permanently connected to the first sitting/lying part (9) at its lower end which faces towards the frame (1), in a fixed angular position and is pivotable together with the first sitting/lying part (9).

7. An adjustable bed/seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lower end of the backrest (3) is mounted and guided in the frame (1) in such a manner that during the guidance of the backrest (3) from the upright sitting position into a level lying position it can be displaced in a positively controlled translatory manner from the backrest end of the frame towards the, opposite, foot end of the adjustable bed/seat and in that, so far as the vertical projection is concerned, an upper, free end edge of the backrest does not project, or projects only slightly, beyond the position of alignment, at the backrest end, with the furniture frame (1), either on reaching the lying position or in an intermediate setting between the lying and sitting positions, and the two sitting/lying parts (9, 10) together with the lower end of the backrest (3), or an auxiliary frame holding the sitting/lying' parts (9, 10) and the backrest (3), is or are coupled to be necessarily displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the furniture item according to the angular setting of the backrest (3).

8. An adjustable bed/seat according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the motor-operated positioning drive (16) for altering the inclination of the first sitting/lying part (9) is coupled to the positioning lever (17) or pivoting device (14) by means of a positioning rod (19) which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the furniture item and is pivotably coupled to one end of a lever (21) which is located underneath the second sitting/lying part (10) and is pivotably linked to the frame, and the free end of which bears against the underside of the frame (12) of the second sitting/lying part (10), preferably indirectly by means of a roller (22) rotatably mounted at the end of the lever, and in particular near the free end of the second part (10), the positioning rod (19) being coupled to the positioning lever (17) of the first part (9) with a limited dead travel so that, on actuating the positioning device (16) out of the horizontal position, initially the second part (10) pivots about its pivot axis (18), formed at the coupling position to the first part (9), with its free end moved upwards from the horizontal position, with an increased displacement movement the first part (9) pivots upwards out of the norizontal position and when the highest pivoted position of the first part (9) is reached the second part (10) is aligned horizontally or with its free end sloping downwards.

9. An adjustable bed/seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.