US2014651A - Hammock - Google Patents

Description

Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED SATES A'i' QFFHQE New England Bedding Company,

Medford,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 2, 1933, Serial No. 659,296

1 Claim.

This invention relates to articles of furniture of the general type comprising a seat or bed portion supported for substantially continuous back and forth movement, usually of comparatively small amplitude. Couch hammocks are representative of articles of this general class and are therefore selected for illustrating the features of this invention. These hammocks are commonly provided with a seat' having a frame comprising substantially rigid longitudinal and transverse members and the seat may be suspended for oscillatory movement between a pair of standards resting upon the floor and usually so connected together to render the entire device portable. It is highly desirable that devices of this general class be capable of smooth and easy oscillatory motion free from jerkiness and also from impacts of the seat frame which are likely to disturb the comfort of the user.

In accordance with this invention these objectives may be attained by providing a two-point support for the movable frame or seat member, the parts preferably being so constructed and arranged as to provide only one pivotal support at each end of the movable frame with the pivots arranged with their axes similarly disposed substantially in the same vertical plane. The movable frame is supported from these pivots by suspension members which are substantially rigid in the direction of motion or swing thereof. When the movable frame is suspended in this manner a smooth and easy swinging movement is assured since the frame always oscillates or swings about the same longitudinal axis and jerkiness or other irregular movement which is so common in similar devices having, for example, four points of suspension or having chains, cables or other suspension members Which are yielding as distinguished from rigid in the direction of motion of the movable seat frame.

An important feature of this invention resides in an improved and simplified means for preventing engagement and/or impacts between the movable seat frame and objects such as the supporting standards which are disposed in close proximity to its normal path of movement and which if struck by the moving seat frame may transmit an objectionable shock or jar to the occupant. For this purpose resilient means may be disposed between the movable frame and supporting standards or other substantially rigid structure. In order that this resilient means may offer minimum resistance to motion of the movable seat frame, the parts may be so constructed and arranged that the resilient means acts between the stationary supports and the movable frame only through the pivotal supports or connections between these members, thereby assuring minimum resistance to continued motion of the seat frame. Conveniently, the members 5 carrying the pivotal supports such as the upper ends of the supporting standards, or the upper end portions of the movable suspension members, or portions of both the standards and the suspension members may be of resilient material 101 in the form of flat leaf springs normally under tension to resist the least tendency of the seat frame to move longitudinally. These resilient members therefore are effective instantaneously to restore the movable frame to its proper course, 5 and they are adapted to accomplish this with a comparatively easy motion consistent to the comfort of the occupant.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 isa front side elevation of a couch hammock;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the hammock shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating in vertical section the pivotal mounting or support for one end of the movable seat frame.

In the illustrated embodiment the couch hammock comprises a stationary frame formed of end standards IE3 and H, each of these standards comprising vertically disposed angle bars l2 and i3 arranged face to face and joined at their upper ends by a crosspiece such as the angle l4 and connected at their lower ends by a comparatively long floor angle l6. These end standards it and H may be connected together to form a unitary frame in any usual or approved manner, preferably by means of the longitudinally disposed angle bar II which may be connected at its ends to a centrally disposed vertical angle bar l8 secured between the floor angle it and an angle bar I9 extending between and united to the bars l2 and i3 of the standard. The space between the vertically disposed angles 12 and it of each standard may be closed by a web comprising a piece of sheet metal 28 extendlng substantially from the lower transverse angle is to the top transverse angle i l and secured as by spot welding along the flanges of the angles l2 and I3.

The movable seat frame comprises longitudinally and transversely disposed structural members such as angle bars 2! and 22, respectively, arranged to form the seat proper or bed portion. The back member for this frame may have any approved construction, but preferably comprises 55 the end angles 23 and 24 connected by longitudinally disposed strips 26, and a top angle bar 21 which may have its end portions curved downwardly, as shown. This back member may also include one or more transversely extending strips such as the member 28 disposed intermediate the ends of the longitudinal members to assure a rugged and durable construction. The back member may be joined to the seat or bed portion of the movable frame by any approved construction (not shown). The movable seat frame is provided with end portions in the. form of metal sheets 29 secured as by spot welding to the back and seat portions and having their upper edges bent or otherwise formed to provide suitable arm rests, as indicated at 3|.

In order to provide for supporting this movable seat frame for oscillatory or swinging movement, suspension members 32 and 33 are secured to the end members 29, preferably by spot welding and arranged to extend upwardly at an angle to each other. These suspension members come substantially together at their upper ends where they may be integrally joined, as shown, or otherwise formed to provide aunitary mounting for a pivot bolt 34, Fig. 3. This pivot bolt has a journal portion 36 which fits within the inner race of an anti-friction bearing such as the ball bearing 37, the latter being mounted in an angle bracket 38 secured to the transverse angle M.

It will be seen that this construction provides for suspending the movable or swinging seat frame from only two points of support comprising the pivotal mountings provided by the pivot bolts 34 and the cooperating anti-friction bearings 31, these parts being arranged so that the pivotal axes are disposed at substantially the same elevation and substantially in the same vertical plane. This assures ease of operation since each end of the movable frame is adapted to swing about the same axis through its entire amplitude of motion. The suspension members 32 and 33 are substantially rigid in a direction transversely of their length or in the direction of motion of the movable frame and therefore these suspension members serve to maintain the movable frame at the same radius from the pivotal axes during the full amplitude of motion of this frame. This avoids the irregular motion and changes in acceleration due to the change over from one pivotal support to another which occurs in similar devices having, for example, two or more points of support for each end of the movable frame. As the suspension members 32 and.33 are in the form of solid bars or strips they are continually effective for maintaining the movable frame at the same radiusabout its pivotal mountings. In this respect these suspension members are superior to chains, cables and like elements which permit one side of the frame to tilt upwardly or otherwise to move out of its proper course or partake of irregular motion. In contrast it will be evident that this invention adds considerably to the stability and riding qualities and due to these improvements a device according to this invention is well adapted to continue its motion with ease and comfort to the user. Moreover, the movable frame may be kept in motion indefinitely with but little effort.

Resilient means are also provided for restraining the movable frame from longitudinal movement. In order to incorporate this resilient means into a simple and eflicient construction of this kind without further complication or adding materially to the expense of the construction,

the suspension members 32 and 33 are made of resilient material, being similar to and in fact constituting flat leaf springs with their lower parts rigidly secured to the ends of the seat frame,

as described, and the parts are so proportioned and arranged that after these suspension members have been secured to the movable frame, they tend normally to extend upwardly preferably in substantially vertical planes spaced from the bearings 31. In mounting these suspension members on the stationary supports, the upper ends of the suspension members are flexed or bowed outwardly within their elastic limit so as to place these members under tension as they are brought into alignment with the bearings 31 and mounted therein. Once the device is assembled in this manner the tension of the bowed upper portions of the suspension members causes the latter to be effective continually for restraining longitudinal sway of the movable frame, and should any such movement take place it is practically impossible for it to become of sufficient magnitude to cause the swinging frame to strike or even to rub against the stationary supports or other nearby stationary objects. Moreover it is assured that any longitudinal sway of whatever proportions will be corrected by resilient or spring action, which is in harmony with and contributes materially to an easy and comfortable motion. It will also be evident that the improved construction and arrangement, whereby the resilient means is caused to act through the pivotal connections, further contributes to the simplicity of the device. It will also be apparent from this disclosure that the resilient means may be incorporated in the upper ends of the stationary 9 standards or in these standards as well as in the suspension members. In some cases it may be desirable to cause the resilient means to function independently of the suspension or supporting members as by attaching separate springs to the pivot bolts or to the mounting thereof.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of. the appended claim.

I claim:

A hammock comprising a pair of rigidly mounted spaced supporting members, means carried by said supporting members providing pivotal antifriction mountings disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane, a movable carriage member disposed between said supporting members, and suspension means for supporting said carriage member for swinging movement, said means comprising a pair of V-shaped leaf springs rigidly secured at their divergent ends to the ends of said carriage member and at their convergent ends to said pivotal mountings, said leaf springs being inwardly bowed and substantially rigid in the direction of the swing of said carriage member and being flexible transversely of the direction of swing of said carriage member thereby to restrain said carriage member from movement transversely of its direction of swing.

GUSTAVE A. JOHNSON.

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