US1260348A - Adjustable back for sofa-beds. - Google Patents

Description

D. F. DYKE.

ADJUSTABLE BACK FOR SOFA BEDS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1916.

1,260,348 Patented Mar. 20 1918.

Z5 Ewan i024- jar/EJ512033 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DARRELL F. DYKE, OI GHICAGQILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO THE SENG COMPANY, 0'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE BACK FOR SOFA-BEDS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

lamented Mar. 2e, milk Application filed November 16, 1916. Serial No. 131,630.

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Back for Sofa-Beds, of which:

the followin is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in adjustable hacks for sofa-beds of that class wherein to adjust the bed to operative position it is first necessary to turn the seat, and to permit of the latter operation, to elevate the back, whereby to release the seat from itsengagement with the back.

The principal ob'ects of the invention are to provide a simpie as well as economical mechanism for connecting the sofa-back to the sofa-frame, whereby said back may be raised and lowered with comparatively little effort and when raised will automatically remain in such-position.

Other obects and advantages ofthe invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the a pended claims.

Referring to the rawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sofabed embodying the invention, the back being illustrated in its raised position and shown partly broken awa at one end to expose the mechanism covere thereby.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view, parts being broken away, and the back shown elevated.

Figs. 3. and 4am side and bottom views, respectively, of a detail of construction hereinafter referred to. 7

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures of the draw- 0 illustrate the ap lication and operation of the invention, liave shown the same in connection with the conventional form of sofa-bed, or rather, so much thereof as is necessary. The frame-work, as is usual in this type of bed, comprises the opposite ends 1, the connecting back-portion 2, and the overturning or forwardly swinging seat 3, the frame, in this instance, havin one or more standards 4, projectin upwar ly from its rear edge, between whic and the seat 3, rests the lower ed e of the adjustable sofaback 5, when the atter is lowered and the structure is in what might be termed sofaform, (see dotted lines Fig. 2.)

To each end of the soia-back 5, preferably at the outer sides of the vertical end, ,bars"" thereof, is secured by ordinary screw'sffif metal secnringplate 6, the same beblg'gloi'v cated adjacent the lower edge of the ba iii? Pivoted to the upper ends of each of such, plates 6, as indicated at 7, is an sameness 8, at the lower bent end of which is locatedIf laterally disposed pintle 9. Similarly piyji oted, as at 10, to the lower end of each 'of'lflo the plates 6, is a bell-crank levecllfth? upper end of which is angularl disposedg'fas at 12, the two lovers at each sir c of the shfa-' back being 0 )positely disposed.

Bolted to t e underside of the usual. cross "10 piece of the sofa-frame, (which cross-piece 'I have indicated as 13,) near each end of the same, is an angular sheet-metal bracket 14, (see detail Figs. 3 and 4-,) and each com prises an upper securing portion 15, the front end of which is downwardly disposedftc form a slightly inclined spring-btifierlb, and a dependlng side flange 17. The se curing portion 15, is provided with ordinary screw-receiving holes, and the side flange as with a hole 19, the hole 19 of each bracket being for the urpose of receiving the pin tle 9 of the adjacent levers or links 8.

Preferably angular sheetmetal brackets 20, are located vertically below the brackets '"85 let and project somewhat beyond thelatter. To the brackets 20, the beli-cra11k levers 11 M are pivoted, as at 21, the points of pii otbe ing coincident with the angles of the leversf A coiled spring 22, may have its upper ioe end connected with the end of that branch" or member of the bell-crank opposite that w pivoted to the s0fa-back, the lower endioff the spring being made fast to an eye 23,6011? venientl located in the back 2 of the name It wil be seen that the springsiti'i care -so located with relation to the pivots- 21, widens? a; are the fulcrums of the bell-crank levers.ll!1;- that as said levers 11 are moved on their fuie crums, the springs will pass to one side'only a m of said fulcrums, and when this occurs fthfoc; levers 11 will be upwardly disposed and the i all sofa-back raised or elevated to its uppermost; a. position, the sprin s combining to maintain these partsthus. en, however, the'sofa a-aoti back is lowered to the position shown dotted lines (Fig. 2,) the springs will-be=.- under somewhat greater tension, but beings? in substantial alinement with the ivots21,ti:' will exert little if any influence. hey'hre," f however, in such position that the slightest upward movement of the sofa back will serve to carr the springs rearward and beyond the f crums 21 of the bell-crank levers and thus cause them to combine and aid in the elevation of the sofa-back. Of course, in lowering the back, the weight of the lat ter, to a certain extent, counterbalances the stren h and tendency of the springs, the one a out counterbalancing the other. Thus it will be apparent that but slight exertion is necessary in either the lowerin or raising operation of the sofa-back and t at the latter may be easily and noiselessly accomplished.

An arrangement of links and levers, combined with suitable springs, will be found ve useful in that class of sofa-beds to which 'I have referred, as their presence will greatly reduce the labor now necessa in operating the bed to open and closed pos1- tions. Moreover, by the employment of the bell-crank levers 11, it will be seen that the springs exert the greatest leverage when the sofa-back is wholly raised, so that no further means is re uired for locking or holdin the back thus e evated and while the bed is in use as such. It will be understood that 'I have merely herein typified my invention, and that there are other arrangements of levers and links that will accomplish similar results, and I do not desire to be understood as limiting my invention to the exact details described and illustrated.

So, also, as to the forms and constructions of brackets employed for connecting the links and levers to the sofa-frame. The bracketv embodying the spring-butter 16 will be found useful and beneficial, the spring-buffer serving the purpose of cashioning and deadenin the noise of closing the back, but, as will be apparent, other forms of brackets may be used. The standards. 4 will be found useful as stops for the back when lowered, and for this purpose, combine with the bumpers 16.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is:

1. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with a sofa-frame having a back rovided with an overhanging top rail, of a vertically movable sofaback, a pair of upper links pivoted at their outer. ends to the opposite ends of the back and having their inner ends angularl disposed to t eir remaining portions and pivoted to the back of the sofa-frame below the overhanging top-rail, whereby the latter is cleared when the movable back is elevated, a pair of lower links pivoted at their outer ends to the opposite ends of the back and at their inner ends to the back of the sofaframe, and 'means for retaining the back in either its raised or lowered position.

2. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with the sofa-frame having a back rovided with an overhanging top-rail, 0% a vertically movable sofaback, a pair of upper links pivoted at their outer ends to the opposite ends of the back and having their inner ends angularly disposed to their remaining portions and pivoted to the back of the sofa-frame below the overhanging top-rail, whereby the latter is cleared when the movable back is elevated, a pair of lower bell-crank levers pivoted at their outer ends to the movable back and at their angles to the sofa-frame, and counterbalancing springs connected to the bell-crank levers at the inner endsof the latter and to the sofa-frame and so positioned with relation to the pivot points between the an les of the bell-crank levers and the sofarame as to be placed under tension when the movable back is lowered and to aid in raising the latter after an initial movement of the same.

3. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with the frame, of a vertically movable sofa-back, links pivoted to the ends of the back and at their inner ends to the sofa-frame, bell-crank levers pivoted at their inner ends to the back below the points of pivot of the links, and having their fulcrum points located at their angles, and counterbalancing springs connected to the opposite ends of said bellcrank levers and adapted to counterbalance the weight of the sofa-back and so positioned with relation to said fulcrum points as to be substantially in line therew th when the back is lowered and at one side of said points when the back is elevated, whereby the back is held in such elevated position.

4. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable back, the combination with the main-frame, ofia vertically movable back, a pair of links pivoted to the ends of the movable back, angular sheet-metal brackets havin 1aterally disposed openings and forwar ly and downwardly. disposed extensions forming spring-buffers, pintles connecting the rear ends of the links and said openings of the brackets, a pair of bent bell-crank levers pivoted at their bent ends to the ends of the back below the links, brackets extending from the mainframe and upon which the bell-cranks are fulcrumed, and a air of counterbalancin springs connects to the main-frame an at their 0 posite ends to the rear free ends of the be] -cranks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DARRELL F. DYKE.

Witnesses:

F, H. ELWERT, J OHN M. Bnos'r.

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