US2374848A

US2374848A - Reclining chair

Info

Publication number: US2374848A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1945-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1962-05-01

Description

May 1, 1945. A. WOHLK ,8

RECLINING CHAIR Filed Feb. 16, 1944 INVENTOR. 4462- /V0//AK Patented May 1, 1945 UNITED :STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 f i 2,374,848

RECLINING-CHAIR Aage Wohlk, Great Neck, N. Y. Application February 16, 1944,.Serial N 0. 522,551

, 3 Claims.

This invention relates to chairs and particularly tothose of the type known as reclini chairs, in which the seat slides forwardly and the back tilts rearwardly, an exampleof which is shown in my Patent No. 2,143,098, dated Janu ary10 .19 39.

The object of the present invention is to provide a chair of the character mentioned, in which the back is capable of being moved to various degrees of inclination with respect to the seat solely by movements of the body of the seated person. The invention contemplates the provision of a means by which inclination of the back, accompanied by a forward shift of the seat, is accomplished by the operation of concealed mechanism so disposed and located that it is concealed by the upholstery of the chair. 3 An object also of the invention is to provid a greatly simplified back-tilting and seat-shifting mechanism wherein relatively few operating parts are required, thus not'only greatly simplifying the construction of the parts of the chair, but reducing the assembly work.

A feature of the invention resides in means by which the back of the chair is detachably connected to the seat whereby assembly of the chair is greatly facilitated due to the ease with which the back may be removed when desired.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the chair, with the seat and back of the chair in the normal position; Fig. 2 is a similar view, with the seat slightly slid forward, and the back inclined; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the seat and adjacent parts of the chair; Fig. 4 is a face view of the slot in which one of the guide pins for the chair back is moved during inclination of the back; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing one of the hinge connections between the chair seat and back; and Fig. '7 is a sectional view on the line 11 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

With reference to the structure shown in the drawing, I indicates the chair, which may be of any suitable design. The chair has a fixed seat frame composed of a front piece 2, rear piece 3 and the side bars 4 and 5. At the corners of the fixed and rigid seat frame thus constructed, are the vertical posts 8 and I connected at the top by the arms 8.

Mounted for sliding movement on top of the fixed seat frame, is the movable seat frame having'side members 9,a front member HI and a rear member I I The movable seat frame is provided with rollers l2 ridingin grooves l3 co'nstituting guide-ways in the top of the side bars 4- and 5 of the'fixed frame. whereby the movable seat frame slides easily backward and forwardly on top of the fixed frame. Instead of the rollers. l2, any suitable means may be employed to en-- able slidin movement of the movable seat frame on the fixed frame to be facilitated.

The movable seat is normally held in a retracted position, or in'the position shown in Fig 1, by means of the coil springs M'which are attached atone end to the front member I of the sliding seat frame, andfatthe other end are secured to the rear member 3 of the fixed seat frame.

Each of the side members 9-of the movable seat frame is provided with a spring shoe l rigidly secured to or forming a part of a plate portion l6 attached to the side or edge of the member 9 by the screws Ilia. Each shoe is positio'ned to resiliently bear against the edge of one of the side bars 4 and 5 andthus frictionally )5 act to retard the sliding movement of the seat and serve to counteract the pulling effect of the coil springs l4. Thus, when a person is seated on the seat and slides the seat forwardly, his weight, coupled with the frictional action of the shoes on the side bars 4 and 5 will serve to maintain the seat in the forward position in which it has been moved by the occupant, thereby also inclining the back, as shown in Fig.- 2, until the occupant arises from the scat, whereupon the seat will smoothly return to its retracted position shown in Fig. 1, under the influence of the springs I l. The spring shoes l5 also serve to take up side play or looseness and hold the movable seat against lateral movement or chatter.

At 1 I is shown the back of the chair, and which consists of a suitably upholstered frame including side bars I8. At its lower end, the back is hingedly attached to the rear portion of the sliding seat frame by means of hinges l9. hinge l9 has a leaf 20, secured by the screws 2! to the sliding seat frame. The second leaf 2| of each hinge fits within a sleeve or enclosure 22 attached to the side bars l8 of the back, as

shown in Figs, 6 and 7. In other words, the leaf 2! is slidable within one of the sleeves 22, so that by simple manual raising movement, the back of the chair may be at once separated from its hinged connection to the seat.

By the hinged connection of the back to the sliding seat, the back will tend to tilt rearwardly Each as the seat is slid forwardly, as shown in Fig. 2,

the back being guided in such tilting movement -by pins 23 projecting laterally from the side edges of the back, and moving up and down in guideways 24 arranged on the innersides of the rear posts 6 of the chair frame. Each of these guideways includes a slotted frame 25, reinforcing the guide-way slot 24, the guide-ways being each provided at the top with a lateral outlet 26 through which theguide pins 23-may be moved by manual lifting movement of the chair back} I In Fig. 1 of the drawing the chair is in its normal position, at which time the seat is fully retracted and the back is in its most nearly vertical position. To assume a reclining position,'a person seated on the chair slides the seat, for wardly by exerting back pressure on the back of the chair. As the seat moves forwardly, the hinged connection of the same with the back, causes the back to swing on the pins 23 in the guide-ways, causing the back to tilt rearwardl'y, as shown in Fig. 2. As the back tilts, the. guide pins 23 move downwardly in the guide-ways 24 to the extent required." As pressureon the back is released, the seat will slide rearwardly and the-back assumes its vertical or nearly vertical position.

It will be observed that when'the back is in its normal. or most nearly vertical position, the guide pins 23 are located below the outlets 26 of the guide-ways 24, so that in the normal use of the chair, the pins 23 cannot possibly move out through these lateral outlets. However, when it is desired to detach the back from the seat for cleaning, upholstering or other purposes, the seat i easily detached by being merely raised slightly until the pins can be moved through the outlets 26. Due to the detachable engagement of the leavesfZl of the hinges with the back of the chair,

this lifting movement of'the' back can be performed without interference by thehinges, and

' asv the lifting movement is continued the sleeves 22"are drawn from over the hinge leaves 21 and the back thus completely freed from the seat.

Thus, through the connection described, attachment of the back to theseat, and. the detachment of the back is speedily and easily performed with out the use of tools.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention,-it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto as the structure may be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention,

What I claim is: f

1. A reclining chair having a fixedseat frame, a movable seat frame mounted for backward and forward sliding movement on'the fixed frame, a back 'hingedly attached to the movable seat frame and adapted to assume a tilted position when the movable seat frame moves forwardly, spring means for normally retracting the movable seat frame, and spring shoes carried by the movable seat frame and frictionally operative against parts of the fixed frame for exerting limited frictional resistance to-sliding movement of-the movable frame. g

2. In a reclining chair, a fixed seat frame, a movable seat frame slidable thereon, spring means for retracting the movable frame, the fixed frame having side rails, the slidable frame having downwardly dependentsupports carrying spring shoes operative against the side rails of the fixedframe and exerting limited frictional resistance thereon to sliding movement ofthe movable frame.

3. In a reclining chair, a fixed seat frame, a movable seat frame resting on the fixed frame and slidable backwardly and forwardly thereon, spring means for retracting the movable frame, the fixed frame having spaced side bars, the movable frame having similar side bars disposed over those on the fixed frame, the slidable frame having spring shoes carried by its side bars and located within the 'fixed frame and frictionally operative against the side bars on the fixed frame to resist sliding movement of the movable frame.

' AAGE WOHLK.