US1695102A - Bearing for reversible furniture backs - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11, 1928. 1,695,102

. l. HOFFMAN BEARING FQR REVERSIBLE!` FURNITURE BACKS Filed Deo. 2o, 1926 A 37 iwf,

/A/ VEA/TOR: 8 /R V//VG HOFFMAN i 25` 25'- BY gmmm' Patented Dec.- 11, 1928.

IRVING HOFFlllIAN,` OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IBARING FOR REVERSIBLE FURNITURE BACKS.

Application filed December 20, 19,26. Serial No. 155,829.

My inventionrelates to improvements in a bearing for reversible furniture backs, and particularly relates `to improvements in Aa bearing for supporting` the back of a chair or s ofa, adapting the back to be rotated and reversed end for end and also permittingrthe same to be raised and lowered whenit is desired to reverse the back. The object of.

my invention is to construct a bearing having lo novel locking means for holding the back in the lowered position and'also Afor preventing accidental displacement of the back from its support upon a bearing; a further object is to provide an automatic releasing device l5 arranged in a convenient place upon the chair within .easy reach ofthe foot, for releasing the back Vfrom engagement with the locking device whereby the back may be y partially raised, and also lfor fully unlocking the back, permitting the same to be, removed from the furniture for cleaning purposes.

Referring to the accompanying` drawings,

Fig. 1, is a vert-ical central sectional View of my improved bearing; Fig. 2, is a sectional plan view, as on line 2 2 Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sectional viewson lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 1, respectively; Fig. 5, is a partial vertical sectional view on line 5 5 Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a partial vertical sectional 3o 4view online 6 6 Fig. 1; Fig. 7, is an inverted plan view of the shaft shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 8, is a plan view of the follower plate, shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 9, is a rear view of the frame of a chair, showing my kimproved bea-ring,

drawn on a smaller scale, and Fig. 10, is a vertical sectional View on line 10-10 Fig. 9.

My improved bearing comprises a casing 12, in which is slidably and rotatably mounted a shaft 15. Upon the upper end of said shaft is rigidly mounted a brace rib 16, which in turn is rigidly secured to the chair back 17, as shown in Fig. 9, for supT porting the back and adapting the'latte'r to be raised and rotated, forreversing the back end for end, relatively'to the chair frame 18, and also adapting the back 17 to be depressed for securing the back uponv said frame.

The casing 12 of the bearingis formed of a body member 2O forming a longitudinal housing for the shaft 15 and a back plate 21 provided with screw holes along its vertical side edges whereby the casing may be secured to the inner surface of the rear panel 19 of the chairr frame and interlocked with the guides 2,3 and 24 upon the back 17 and the vchair posts 25, as shown in'Figs.- 9 and l0.

yThe body member 20 is of U-shaped crosssection, having a semi-cylindrical portion 28 parallel side walls 29, and outwardly proj ect-I ing flanges 30, which latter are secured by rivets 31 to the outer vertical edges of the` back plate 21. A bottoni plate 32 is formed by the lower portion of the back plate'which is bent at right angles to the latter andinter.- locked with the flanges 33 on the body member 20, thusr forming a closed bottom end upon thccasing. f

A detachable top plate 35 secured upon the upper end of the casing 12 by screws 36 which engage outwardly turned flanges or ears 34, formed upon the top of the bodymember 20. The top plate 35 is provided with a central aperture for the free passage v of the shaft 15 which latter is partly guided in the top plate 35. Said top plate 35 is elongated, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to extend `over the frame of the furniture, and said plate is provided with holes 37 for screws by which it may be secured to said frame, thus forming an additional means for rigidly securing the bearing to the frame. i

Vithin the casing 12 is loosely mounted a follower plate 38 which is supported upon the spring 40 and in 'turn supports the shaft l5.- The followerI plate 38, conforms in shapewiththe cross section ofthe body member 2O and is provided with a fiat side 39 which slides upon the back plate 21 of the casing and prevents the follower plate from turning.

rI he follower plate 38 has formed therein a central opening 42 which is occupied by the reduced conical end 41 of the shaft 15 for centering the shaft. The follower plate 3,8-forms a lateral bearing for the lower end of the sha-ft 15, and the topplate 35 forms a bearing for said shaft at the upper end of lthe casing, thus forming a rigid bearing for supporting thev shaft in a vertical position when carrying the weight of the back of the furniture in the raised position, as shown in Fig. 10, and duringy the swinging of the back when it is being reversed end fo'rend.

The shaft 15 is'provided at its lower end with a shoulder 43 adapted to rest upon the follower plate 38. Uponsaid shoulder 43 are ribs or lugs 44, shown. in Figs. 1 and 7, and the follower plate`38 is provided with transverse grooves 45, shown in Fig. 8, adapted to receive said ribs 44 when the shaft is rotated to brin the ribs in alignment with said grooves, t us forming a stop for retarding the rotation of the shaft, and as the back 17 is secured upon the upper end of the shaft 15 in a plane parallel with the ribs 44 on the shaft, the ribs and follower plate grooves will tend to position the back 17 in alignment with the end posts 25 of the furniture, thus insuring the free engagement of the guide members 23 on the ends of the back 17 with the guide members 24 on the posts 25 when the back is depressed against the spring 40, after the back has been reversed.

The shaft 15 is held down against the action of the spring 40 by a latch plate 48 slidably mounted in a transverse guide plate 49, having bent side edges forming channel guides 50 for the latch plate 48, and also having an upwardly bent member 51 which is detachably secured upon the back plate 21 by fastening devices 52, shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The guide plate 49 and latch plate 48 have holes formed therethrough for the free passage of the shaft 15.

The shaft 15 is provided with a series of notches 55 into which the beveled edge 53 of the latch plate 48 may enter and lock the shaft 15 against an upward movement by the action of the Vspring 40. A spring 58 tends to slide the latch plate 48 into engagement with the notches 55 formed upon the shaft. Said notches 55 are in the form of ratchet teeth havinvr square shoulders 59 which are automatica ly engaged by the latch plate 48 and also provided with beveled surfaces 60 which permit the shaft to be forced downwardly past the latch plate, thereby providing an adjust-able locking means by which the back of the chair may be locked Vtightly adjacent tothe upholstery of the arms and seat of the chair, and thus providing for variations in the thickness of the upholstering, which is not uniform on all chairs and sofas.

The guide plate 49 is provided with flanges 56 forming bearings for a shaft 63 on which is pivoted a releasing lever having a knob 66 adapted to be pressed downwardly, or inwardly by foot pressure for sliding the latch plate 48 against the action of the spring 58 to release the shaft 15 from the latch plate, allowing the large spring 40 to lift the shaft 15 and the back 17 into the elevated position, shown in Fig. 10, in which with a notch adapted to be automatically engaged b the latch plate 48, when the shaft and back 17 are lifted too high, thus preventing the shaft 15 from being forced out of the casing. By an additionalaction of the foot against the knob 66 the latch plate 48 may be again disengaged from the shaft 15 allowing the shaft to be lifted out of the casing when it is desired to remove the back from the body of the furniture.

By providing a bearing for reversible backs of furniture having the latch plate 48 and releasing lever 68 located at the upper' part of the bearing instead of at the lower end of the bearing, the releasing lever may be positioned at a convenient distance above the floor, and by having the releasing lever projecting rearwardly from the side of the bearing, said lever knob may project through an opening formed in the back panel 19 of the frame and a finishing plate secured upon the vertical surface of said back panel, thus giving the furniture a finished appearance and also providing a releasing lever which may be operated by pressing downwardly upon the knob 66, which latter is located in a more accessible position than if located at the lower end of the bearing and projecting below the back panel 19 of the furniture.

I claim:

1. A bearing member for a reversible back of an article of furniture, comprising a casing adapted to be rigidly secured to the body of the furniture, a shaft slidably and rotatably mounted in said casing upon which said back is mounted, a follower plate slidably mounted in the casing, means associated with the shaft and the follower plate tending to engage the shaft when in a certain radial position, means for holding the follower plate against rotation in the casing and a spring for supporting said follower plate.

2. A bearing member for a reversible back of an article of furniture, comprising a casing adapted to be rigidly secured to the body of the furniture, a shaft for supporting the back of the furniture, said shaft slidably and rotatably mounted insaid casing, a follower plate slidably mounted in said body upon which said shaft is supported, a spring upon which the follower plate is supported, a transverse rib upon said shaft, said follower plate having formed therein a transverse groove adapted to be occupied by said rib when the shaft is in a certain radial position and means for holding said follower plate against rotation in said casing.

3. A bearing for a reversible back of an article of furniture, comprising a body member of U-shaped cross section, aback plate to which said body member is secured, said back plate having apertures formed therein adapted for securing said back plate to an article of furniture, a shaft slidably and rotatably mounted in the body member upon which the furniture back is mounted and a spring associated with said shaft. adapted for supporting theshaft inthe body member.

4. A bearing, a shaft slidable longitudinally in said bearing, said bearing comprising a portion of U-shaped cross section having outwardly turned flanges, a back plate secured to said flanges, said back plate having means for securing the same ina fXed position, a top plate detachably secured to said bearing forming a guide for said shaft, a follower plate slidably mounted in said U-shaped portion forming a guide for the lower end of said shaft, means for holding the follower plate against rotation in the bearing, means associated with the shaft and follower plate tending to retard the rotation of the shaft, and a spring for lifting the follower plate.

5. A bearing comprising a casing, a shaft having one end thereof slidably mounted in the casing, a spring tending toforce the` shaft out of the casing, a guide plate secured in said casing at right angles to the shaft, a latch plate slidably mounted in said guide plate, a spring tending to force the latch plate into engagement with the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted upon the casing, a

part upon the latch plate extending outside of the casingadapted to be engaged by said lever for disengaging the latch plate from the shaft, and said shaft having means thereon for engagement with the latch plate.

6. A bearing `comprising a casing adapted to be secured in a, xed position, a shaft having one end lslidably mounted in the casing, a follower plate slidably mounted in the casing, a spring in the casing upon which the follower plate and shaft are supported, means for holding the follower plate against rotation in the casing, means co-acting between the shaft and follower plate tending to hold the shaft in a certain radial position, a guide plate havinga hole therein through which the shaft passes, a latch plate slidably mounted in the guide plate, said latch plate having a hole formed therein through which the shaft passes, said shaft having notches formedtherein adapted to be occupied by said latch plate, means for detachably securing said guide plate to the casing, a leverpivotally mountedupon said guide plate outside of the casing for disengaging the latchv plate from the shaft and a spring tend-v ing to engage the latch plate with the shaft.

ln testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

IRVING HOFFMAN.

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