US2745113A

US2745113A - Foldable sofa bed and lock therefor

Info

Publication number: US2745113A
Application number: US354687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Coopersmith Rudolph
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-05-13
Filing date: 1953-05-13
Publication date: 1956-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-15
Also published as: GB753986A

Description

May l5, 1956 R. cooPERsMlTH FOLDABLE SOFA BED AND LOCK THEREFOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1953 May 15, 1956 R. cooPERsMlTH 2,745,113

FOLDABLE SOFA BED AND LOCK THEREFOR Filed May 13, 1955 4 Sheer.s-S`nee*rI 2 f MVN/me.'

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May 15 1956 R. cooPERsMl-n-l 2,745,113

FOLDABLE SOFA BED AND LOCK THEREFOR Filed May 13. 1953 4 Sheets-S'neet 3 May 15, 1956 R. cooPl-:RsMl'rH 2,745,113

F'LDABLE SOFA BED AND LOCK THEREF'OR Filed May l5. 1953 4 Sheets-3h98?, 4

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United States Patent' FLDABLE SF BED AND LCK THEREFR Rudolph Coopersmith, Clayton, Mio. Application May 13, 19.53., Serial No. .354,687

9 Claims. (Cl. 5-31) This invention relates to foldable sofa bed combinations and particularly to foldable mechanisms including locking means therefor constituting an improvement over a prior application of Rudolph Coopersmith, filed August 16, 1952, bearing Serial Number 304,784, y now abandoned, and entitled Locking Mechanism for Foldable Furniture Frame. i

An object of this invention is'to provide an improved foldable sofa bed having a foldable frame incorporating a supporting member and a lock for retaining the frame in folded position. l

Another object of this invention resides in the. foldable frame and lock means arranged to retain the frame when folded and to automatically release the frame uponfunfolding actuation thereof.

A further object resides iny the provision of a mattress supporting frame capable of folding with the mattress and of locking the frame and mattress in folded position so that the folded mattress may be utilized as the seat of the assembly.

The invention consists in a multi-section foldable frame for a combination sofa and bed, leg means automatically moved into frame supporting position when the frame is unfolded, and locking means for retaining the frame in folded condition, but releasable upon unfolding of the frame, whereby the assembly may be more easily operatedand possible damage to the parts of the frame avoided.

The invention also consists inthe parts and combination of parts hereinafter to be particularly described and pointed out in connection with an assembly presently preferred and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside elevational View of the frame'for a sofa bed in its unfolded position as a bed,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the sofa bed frame shown in its folded position to function as a sofa,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of a portion of the frame in its unfolded position to illustrate a frame supporting leg and lock,

Fig. 4 is a top View of the frame portion shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, but showing a partly folded positio-n thereof,

Fig. 6 is a further view of fragmentary portions of the frame in nearly completely folded position,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View of the frame in the fully folded position of a portion of the frame,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the fully folded frame portion in condition for the final movement thereof into the sofa frame structure,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary View of the folded frame portion in condition to'b'e withdrawn for unfolding, and unlocking,

Fig. l() is a side elevational view of a frame assembly for a sofa bed in its unfolded position to act as a bed,

2. and `in which amodied arrangement ofl parts is disclosed,

Fig. l1 is a fragmentaryy portion in elevation of the sofa bed assembly shown in'Fig.v 10,

Fig. 12 isa further fragmentary portion in elevation of the sofa bed of Fig. 10, but shown in folded position,

Fig. 1-3 is'a view similar to Fig. l2 in which a modified locking device is disclosed,

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the locking and unlocking means in position similar to that in Fig. 9, but at a different stage in its operation,

Fig. 15 is an end elevational-view of the assembly shown in Fig. 13.y along the line 15-15 thereof, and

Fig; 16 isa greatlyenlarged but fragmentary view of the assembly shown in Fig. l2.

inthe prior `application of Rudolph Coopersmith bearing Serial Number-304,784, the sofa bed construction is provided with ay supporting leg for the outer end of the frame when inthe bed forming position, and the supporting' leg carries a locking device which moves into operative'position for retaining the bed frame in its .folded sofa forming position. While this locking device is advantageous and new in the art, the locking device mustbe manually adjusted into its unlocked position when unfolding the frame, 'i The device herein disclosed constitutes an improvement in that it is automatically actuated into its Vunlocked'position by the act of unfolding the frame into its bedforming position.

The present' foldable sofa bed construction is more fully shown and described, as to details ofl the means and provisions for supporting ya foldable mattress, in a cti-pending` patent application of Rudolph Coopersmith,

kbearing Seriai'Number 67,183, tiled December 24, 1948,

and entitled Sofa Bed. It is'only necessary here to describe thev frame portionsk which relate to the present improvements, and reference may be had to the co-pending application for further details of the complete assembly. v

VThe following description will, for convenience, relate to the several parts ofl the foldable sofa bed structure at one side thereof, and it is understood that the structure has identical counterparts for the opposite lside.

Moreover, the description of parts for thesofa .bed shownin` Fig. 1 andy the reference numerals identifying such parts will be applied to the similar parts for the sofa bed shownl in Fig. vl0, as the structure of both sofa beds is essentiallyv the same.

11 is provided with a front partial upholstery board 15 Fig. 2 to form a spring edge for the sofa. The box which cooperates with a movable upholstery board 16 when the frame is folded into the position of Fig. 2.

The mattress (not shown) is adapted to be carried on a multi-section bed frame structure B consisting of the frame sections `17, 18, 19 and 2t). Frame section 17 includes the sidemember 21 connected to a bracket arm 22 extending at an angle to the main bracket 23 which, in turn, is pivotally supported in a support 24 iixed in the back frame 14. 'The outer end of member 21 is pivotally connected with the adjacent end of side member 25 of the frame section 18. Side member `2S extends forwardly and is vpivotally connected with the adjacent end of a side member 26 of the frame section 19. The latter section 19 carries a box frame structure 27 for the support of a plurality of coiled springs 28 which extend across the front of the assembly when in the foldedposition of frame 27 also carries the upholstery board 16.

Frame section 20 is provided with a side member 30 having one end pivotally connected with the outer end of W Patented May `15, 1955 i side member 26 forthe frame section 19, and its outer end finished by a transverse rail 31 extending across the width of the assembly. The frame section 20 is provided with a supporting leg 32 having the floor engaging foot element 33, and the leg 32 is pivoted at 34 to the side member 3l) adjacent the rail 31. A support 35 (Figs. l and 3) iixed to the upper end of leg 32 is directed at right angles thereto and parallel with the sidemember 35. Support 35 carries a lockingelement 36 pivoted at 37 thereto for limited pivoting movement by means of a pin 38 fixed in the support 35 and extending into a short slot 39 formed in the locking element 36 near one end thereof. The element 36 is provided with a notch 4Q in one edger and a beveled nose 41 for a purpose presently to be described. A latch actuating element 42 is pivoted on the element 36 (Figs. l and 3) at pin 43 and extends at right angles to the element 36 in its normal position. The locking'element 36 is urged in one direction of its movement about the pivot piu 37 by a suitable spring 44 anchored on the element 36 at pin 46 .and on the fixed support 35 at pin 47, so that the notch 49 is normally adjacent the end 45 of support 35. The latch actuator element 42 normally rests against a stop pin i8 in support 35, and is provided with an angular edge 49, as will be described presently.

The means for controlling the folding and unfolding actuation of leg 32 comprises a lever 5t) pivoted at pin 51 to the upper end of the leg 32 and pivoted at 52 to the side member 26 of frame section 19 inwardly of the pivot element 53 connecting frame sections 19 and 2t?, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 4. Since the

pivots

52 and 53 are spaced apart, it will be appreciated that folding action of side member 3i) relative to side member 26 will cause pivoting movement of leg 32 and also angular movement of the support 35, as best seen in Fig. 5.

The intermediate frame section 1S is supported by a foldable leg 55 having the door engaging end element 56 thereon. Leg 55 is pivoted at `57 to the side member 25 inwardly of the pivot 54 connecting

frame sections

18 and 19, and a leg folding lever is pivotally connected thereto at pin 59 below the pivot 57. 'Folding lever 58 is pivoted at 6@ to the outer end portion of a lever member 61, and this lever 61 is, in turn, pivoted at 62 to the side member 25 intermediate its length. A holding spring 63 of heavy capacity is anchored to one end of the folding lever 58 and its opposite end is fixed in a diagonal brace 64 of a stationary angle bracket 65 carried by the boxlike frame 11 near the upholstery board 15. Lever 61 is pivoted at 66 to the bracket 65, and its outer end is connected to a longitudinally and angular-ly movable unlocking link 67 at pivot 68 adjacent the pivot 60 for the leg folding lever 58. A bracket '76 fixed on side member 25 carries a pin 71 which rides in a longitudinal slot 72 formed in the link 67, so that link 67 has both longitudinal and angular movement controlled by the pivoting motion of lever 61. The free end 73 of link 67, in the position shown in Fig. l, is adjacent a seat type bracket 74 xed on side member 25 adjacent bracket 76. Bracket 74 is provided with a seat plate 75 which supports the end 45 of the latch support 35 when the frame sections are folded, as in Fig. 2.

The folding operation of the mechanism will now be described, and reference will be made to various views of the drawings, beginning with Figs. l and 5. The transverse rail 31 at the outer end of the assembly is raised so that the side member 30 pivots about pin 53 (Fig. 5). This causes relative motion of link 5l) about its pivot pin 52, resulting in a thrust on the upper end of leg 32 to rotate the leg and the latch support 35 in a direction opposite to the direction of pivoting movement for side member 30, the latter being indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5. Thus, frame section 26 folds relative to frame section 19 until the member 30 abuts one end of stop element 73 which is reached when frame sectionsf20 and 19 are substantially in right angular (Fig. 2) position. Thereafter,

frame sections

20 and 19 fold together about the pivot 54 until the opposite end of stop element abuts the side member 25 'of frame section 18. At this time (Fig. 6), link 5@ has completed its action on the leg 32 so that the latter is folded adjacent side member 3l) and the latch support 35 is outwardly directed into its operating position. Also, the frame sections 20 and 1S are substantially parallel, with the frame section 20 spaced above frame section ,1S a distance matching the iength of the stop element 7S. This folding operation exposes the springs 2S and upholstery board 16 at the front of the assembly. It is, of course, understood that a mattress (not shown) will now assume a folded position, with the fold adjacent frame section 19.

In the View of Fig. 6, the support 35 locates locking element 36 and its actuator element 42 adjacent the bracket 74 and unlocking link 67. The arrow in Fig. 6 indicates the direction of linal folding motion of frame section 20, and Fig. 7 illustrates the automatic latching operation of these parts. As there shown, actuator element 42 has its angular edge 49 in abutment with the angularly turned end 73 of link 67 so that the element 42 pivots upwardly, thereby allowing locking element 36 to descend and move from its full line to its broken line position. The latter motion of element 36 is caused by its beveled nose 41 striking the edge of seat 75, and is limited by the length of slot 39 and pin 38. Element 36 is also under the influence and is opposed by spring 44. Now, the locking element 36 is free to pass the seat 75 of bracket 74 so that notch 4t) may snap over the adjacent edge of seat 75 to retain the end 45 of the latch support 35 upon the face of this seat for spacing and holding the

frame sections

20 and 18 against crushing loads on a mattress (not shown) folded therebetween when the assembly is utilized as a sofa. The foregoing will become clear upon further reference to Fig. 14.

The assembly is now ready for the linal folding operation which is accomplished by substantially simultaneously lifting and pushing inwardly on the upholstery board 16 against the force of the counter balancing spring 63. The result of this operation is that the frame section 1S pivots at pin 79 and lever member 61 pivots at 66 to cause side member 25 to assume a downwardly and rearwardly in clined position (Fig. 8), as frame section 17 starts its pivoting motion at bracket 24 through the swinging motion of member 23. The pivoting of lever member 61 at pivot 66 and also at pivot 62 in side member 25 forces link 58 to fold leg 55 upwardly and rearwardly against the force of the holding spring 63.

The angular pitch of frame sections 2li and 18 (Fig. 8) is guided by member 23 and frame section 17 underneath the back frame 14 of the structure 11. As lever member 61 swings about pivot 66, the unlocking link 67 slides and pivots about pin '71 in bracket 7@ so that its free end moves rearwardly of the actuator 42. The nal folded position of the assembly is shown in Fig. 2, and suitable sofa cushions (not shown) may be placed on the upper face of frame section 20 and against the back frame 14.

The unfolding operation to convert the sofa into its bed form is carried out by substantially reversing the previously described operations. A feature of this assembly is seen to reside in the means for automatically locking the frame section 20 in its folded position and to prevent crushing the folded mattress (not shown) by utilizing the locking support 35 to support also the otherwise free end (at transverse member 31) of side member 30 at a fixed distance from side member 25. The portion of a mattress (not shown) supported by frame section 17, when the assembly is used as a bed (Fig. l), moves to the lower rear portion of frame 11 when the conversion to a sofa (Fig. 2) is made.

A further feature of the assembly is shown in Fig. 9, where automatic unlocking of element 36 takes place during the operation of withdrawing the folded frame sections 2li and 18 toward the position in Fig. 8. At this time, unlocking link 67 is caused to move from the position of Fig. 2 into the position of Fig. 9 by motion of lever member 61, to which it is pivotally connected at pin 68. Lever member 61 pivots at pin 62 relative to side member 25 in the direction of the arrow. The end 73 of link 67 is bent at right angles to link 67 so that it hooks over the edge of actuator 42 and draws this part back along the stop pin 48, so that the latch element 36 is pivoted about its pivot 43 in element 36 into the position Where notch 4t) is free of the seat 75. This is caused to occur at the proper time in the unfolding operation, such that the transverse member 31 may move upwardly to clear the back frame 14 under the resilient reaction or spring-back of the folded mattress (not shown) when the latch element 36 is moved to unlatched position by link 67. Thereafter, the unfolding operation may be continued Without the need, as is found in prior construction, of the user moving to each side of the frames and separately manually unlatching the frame sections, such as sections 20 and 1S.

Fig. 14, when taken with Figs. 7-9, shows the relative location of the unlocking link 67 to the several parts and elements of the locking means. For example, bracket 70 is secured at the inside of the side angle member 25 adjacent bracket 74, but the bracket 74 has a seat plate 75 extending at right angles to and outwardly of the member 25 with its outer end turned upwardly to form a flange. Link 67 is located at the outside of bracket 70 with its end 73 turned out into the plane of the element 42 and is held by pin 71 above the seat plate 75. Element 42 is located at the outer side of link 67, and the

parts

35 and 36 are on the outside of element 42 so that no interference occurs with or is caused by link 67.

Referring now to Figs. 10, 11 and l2, the modified sofa frame S comprises the previously described side structure 10, the principal frame 11, supporting

legs

12 and 13, and the back frame 14. Frame 11 is'provided with the partial upholstery board 15 which cooperates With a movable upholstery board 16 when the frame is folded intothe sofa forming position, as in Fig. 2.

A multi-section bed forming frame B consists of the v previously described

frame sections

17, 13, 19 and 20.

Section 17 includes the side member 21 connected to a bracket arm 22 extending at an angle to the main bracket 23 which, in turn, is pivotally connected to the support 24 carried in the back frame 14. The outer end of member 21 is pivotally connected at 79 with the adjacent end of side member 25 of section 18. Member 25 extends into pivotal connection at 54vwith the adjacent end of the side member 26 of the section 19. Section 19 carries a box frame 27 for the support of a plurality of coiled springs 28 which extend across the front of the assembly in the folded sofa forming position of Fig. 2 to form a spring edge for the sofa. Box frame 27 also carries the upholstery board 16.

As heretofore described, frame section 20 has the side member 30 pivotally connected at 53 with the outer end of side member 26 for section 19, and the outer end of member 3@ is finished by a transverse rail 31. Section 2t) (Figs. l2 and 16) has a supporting leg 32 pivoted at 34 on the member 31B. The support 35 is fixed adjacent the pivot 34 to the leg 32. Support 35 carries a locking element 36 pivoted at 37 thereto for limited angular movement by means of a pin 38 in the support 35 moving in a slot 39 in the locking element 36. Element 36 has the notch 4@ and a beveled nose 41, and an actuating element 42 is pivoted on element 36 at pin 43. The element 36 is urged in one direction by a spring 44 anchored between a pin 46 on element 36 and a pin 47 on thesupport 35, and a spring 80 (shown best in Fig. 16) retains element 42 in abutment with a stop pin 4S in support 35 so that element 42 is positioned at right angles to the element,36,`but allows element 42 to yield when engaged at 49.

The means for controlling the folding and unfolding actuation of leg 32 comprises a lever 50 pivoted at pin 51 to the upper end of the leg 32 and pivoted at 52 to the side member 26 of frame section 19 inwardly of the pivot element 53 conne-:

ting frame sections

19 and 20, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 4. Since the

pivots

52 and 53 are spaced apart, it will be appreciated that folding action of side member 30 relative to side member 26 will cause pivoting 4movement of leg 32 and also angular movement of the support 35, as best seen in Fig. 5. The intermediate frame section 13 is supported by a foldable leg 55 having the floor engaging end element 56 thereon. Leg 55 is pivotedat 57 to the side member 25 inwardly of the pivot 54 connecting

frame sections

18 and 19, and a leg folding lever 58 is pivotally connected thereto at pin 59 below the pivot 57. Folding lever 53 is pivoted at 66 to the outer end portion of a lever member 61, and this lever 61 is, in turn, pivoted at 62 to the side member 25 intermediate its length. A holding spring -63 of heavy capacity is anchored to one end of the folding lever 58 and its opposite end is fixed in a diagonal brace 64 of a stationary angle bracket 65 carried by the box-like frame 11 near the upholstery vboard 15.

The lever 61 is pivoted at 66 tothe bracket 65 at pin 66, and its outer end is connected by pin 63 to a modi lied longitudinally and angulariy movable unlocking link 67. This link 67 is formed with an angularly directed end portion S2 adjacentthe pivot 68. A modified bracket 76 fixed on the outer side of side member 25 is formed with an elongated slot 72 to receive and guide the pin 71 `carried in the adjacent end portion of link 67. The slot 'i2' determines the movement of link 67 in the directionk of the bracketl 7d. ln the bed forming position of the bed structure B', the out turned free end 73' of link 67 is located adjacent a seat type bracket 74 also fixed to the outer side of side member25 with the bracket 79T. The bracket 74 projects outwardly (like bracket 74, Fig. 14) and has a seat '75 which is adapted to be engaged by the end of latch support 35 when the frame sections are folded,as in Fig. l2, to the sofa forming position. The spring 80 holds element 42 in proper position which is against the stop pin 4S.

The folding operation of the modified assembly is similar to the assembly `of Fig. 1, except that the link 67 has the motion shown in the full line and broken line views of Fig. l2. Thus, the free end 73 of this link 67 is maintained closely adjacent the outer side of bracket '70', and the link 67 does not attain the angular position assumedby link 67 as in Fig. 2. v'1" his motion avoids having link 67 move into a position Where it might cause damage to the mattress (not shown). ln other respects. line 67 acts in like manner so that its end 73 operates the element 42 for releasing the latch 36 automatically, as the bed structure B is unfolded.

A further modified form of latch device is shown in Fig. 13 and in Fig. 15, and like parts will be designated, wherever possible, in accordance with the foregoing description. rl`he side member 30 of section 2li) carries the leg 32 pivoted at pin 34, and folding link 56 is pivoted at 51 to this leg. A modified support 83 is fixed to the leg 32, and this supportA 83 carries the latch element 36' at pivot 37. A pin 38 in the support 83 engages in a slot 39 4formed in andv adapted to limit motion of element 36. In this case the arrangement is such that the spring 44 may be anchored at pin 47 in the support S3 and they opposite end engaged with the pin 46 in the actuating element 42. Further, the actuating element 42 is piv oted at pin 84 in element 36 and has limited angular movement underthe control of a pin v85' in element 36' engaging in a slot 86 in thek element 42. Spring'44 serves the dual function of positioning latch element 36 about its pivot 37 to one limit of slot 39, and of positioning the actuating element 42 at one end of the slot 86, whereby spring opposed limited motion of these parts is possible. Heretofore, two

springs

44 and 80 have been shown in the modified assembly of Fig. ll, and in Figs. 3 and 7 the element 42 is dependent upon the effect of gravity to maintain it in proper position. The advantages of the dual function spring 4d are positive positioning of both

parts

36 and 42 and a simple and economical assembly. Other portions of the fragmentary disclosure of Fig. l3 are substantially like those described for Fig. l2. A further feature of the element 3o resides in the provision of a narrow width notch dii which is formed with one edge 8'7 adapted to engage the upper surface of seat 75 of bracket 74', thereby making it possible to reduce the length of support 83 with consequent savings in weight at no sacrifice in the rigid character of this part. The seat 75 is provided with an outer upturned flange to hold the edge 7 against outward movement.

With any of the present latch means it is pointed out that the foldable sections are heldin a predetermined spaced relation so that the transverse rail 3l may freely move or pass under the back frame 145 without obstruction. Thus it is possible now to employ an inner spring mattress, or a mattress of increased thickness. Such a mattress in prior sofa bedscould be used only with great difficulty as the resistance to folding prevented clearance at the back frame ld, and the spring-back tendency defeated the desired operation. The present sofa bed construction avoids all of these difficulties and provides a positive means for holding the frame sections as desired at all times.

The foregoing has described a preferred embodiment of the invention, and it will be observed that a simplified folding assembly with both automatic latching and unlatching means has been provided in an easily operated and trouble free mechanism. it is, of course, understood that certain modifications of the automatic means in addition to those herein disclosed may be made without departing from the scope of the present improvement.

What is claimed is:

l. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a bed frame pivotally secured at one end to said sofa frame and comprising a series of pivotally connected sections foldable within said sofa frame into a seat forming arrangement, said bed frame being also unfoldable into a bed forming arrangement in which the sections extend in substantial alignment with each other, the seat forming arrangement providing a first section extending horizontally in position to serve as a support for seat cushions and having a free end and another substantially horizontally extending section parallel to and spaced below said first section; latch means pivotally mounted on said first section near the free end thereof and extending into engagement with said spaced second section for releasably retaining said first section and second section in spaced relation; a link connected with said second section and movable relative 'to said second section to engage said latch means; and a lever member pivotally` connected with said sofa frame and said second section and having a connection with said link, said lever member moving in a predetermined direction on unfolding movement of said bed frame and having relative movement with respect to said second section effective for operating said link to engage and release said latch means to permit unfolding of said bed frame into its bed forming arrangement.

2. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a plurality of foldably connected frame sections constituting a bed frame movably connected adjacent the inner end of one section to said sofa frame for swinging displacement of the folded sections into and out of said sofa frame, said bed frame including intermediate frame'sections foldaoly connected and an outer section foldably connected to one of said intermediate sections, said outer section having a free outer end; a leg pivotally connected adjacent the said outer end of said outer section of said bed frame for supporting the latter; latch mechanism carried by said leg for movement therewith; a leg pivoting link pivoted on one of said intermediate sections of said bed frame and on said leg; a bracket carried on one of said intermediate sections of Said bed frame intermediate its inner and outer ends, the folding of said bed frame sections into said sofa frame causing said leg pivoting link to fold said leg and move said latch mechanism into position toengage said bracket and hold said outer section and intermediate sections of said bed frame in folded relation, said latch mechanism automatically latching with said bracket in the folded relation of said bed frame sections; and vunlatching means operatively connected with one of said intermediate bed frame sections and said sofa frame to `unlatch said latch mechanism upon unfolding of said bed frame sections.

3. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a bed frame pivotally secured at one end to said sofa frame and including a series of pivotally connected sections foldable into said sofa frame into a seat forming arrangement, said bed frame being also unfoldable into a bed forming arrangement in which the sections extend outwardly in substantially extended alignment with each other, the seat forming arrangement providing a first section in horizontal position to serve as a support for seat cushions and having a free end and a second section substantially parallel with and spaced below said first section; a supporting leg pivoted to the free end of said first section; an unfolding link connected between said leg and another Section of said bed frame for locating said leg adjacent said first section-in the seat forming arrangement of said bed frame; latch means connected to said leg and extending at right angles thereto and said first section for engaging said second section to retain said first and second sections in fixed spaced relation; a lever member pivotally connected with said sofa frame and said second section for elevating said latter section in the bed forming arrangement; and an unlatching link connected with said lever member and positioned adjacent said latch means for automatically unlatching the latter upon unfolding of said bed frame into its bed forming arrangement, said unfolding link operating upon relative pivoting of said first section and said another section to swing said leg into extended position at right angles to said rst section for supporting the free end of said latter section in the bed forming arrangement and swinging said latch means adjacent said first section.

4. The sofa bed set forth in claim 3, wherein said latch means includes a support fixed to said leg and a latch element pivoted to said support for limited movement relative to Said support, said latch element having a notch therein; and a seat on said second section engaged by said notch.

5. The sofa bed set forth in claim 3, wherein said second section is provided with a seat engaged by said latch means in the seat forming arrangement of said foldable bed frame, and a bracket is carried by said second section adjacent said seat, said unlatching link being operatively connected to said bracket for guiding said unlatching link in its unlatching operation of said latch means.

6. The sofa bed set forth in claim 5, wherein said latch means includes a notched latch element engageable with said seat, and a latch operating element carried by said latch element in position to be engaged by said unlatching link to withdraw said notched latch element from engagement with said seat upon unfolding of said bed frame into its bed forming arrangement.

7. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a bed frame foldable into said sofa frame from an unfolded extended bed forming arrangement, said bed frame including a lirst frame section swingably connected to said sofa frame for movement into and out of said sofa frame, and a second frame section operatively connected to said first frame section for folding movement relative to the latter frame section into a substantially parallel position but spaced therefrom; latch means operatively carried on one of said frame sections and including a support, a notched element pivoted to said support, an actuator element pivoted to said notched element, said elements having limited movement, and resilient means connected to said elements for yicldingly urging them into one position of limited movement to engage said notched element with the other of said frame sections; and unlatching means carried on the other of said frame sections in position to operate said latch means by said actuator element against said resilient means toward another position of limited move ment to disengaged position.

8. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a bed frame foldable into said sofa frame from an unfolded extended bed forming arrangement, said bed frame including a irst frame section swingably connected to said sofa frame for movement into and out of said sofa frame, and a second frame section operably connected to said rst frame section for folding movement relative to the latter frame section into a substantially parallel position but spaced therefrom; latch means operatively mounted on one of said frame sections and including a support, a notched element pivoted on said support for limited movement between latched and unlatched positions, an actuator elcment pivoted on said notched element for limited displacement relative thereto between operative and inoperative positions, and spring means connected between said support and one of said elements for normally yieldingly retaining said elements respectively in said latched and operative positions; and cooperating unlatching means on the other of said frame sections movable upon unfolding of said bed frame to engage said actuator element and displace the same and move said notched element to unlatched position.

9. A sofa bed comprising: a sofa frame; a bed frame foldable into said sofa frame from an unfolded extended bed forming arrangement, said bed frame including a rst frame section swingably lconnected to said sofa frame for movement into and out of said sofa frame, and a second frame section connected to said first frame section for folding movement relative to the latter frame section into a substantially parallel position but spaced therefrom; latch means operatively mounted on one of said frame sections and including a support, a notched element pivoted on said support for limited movement between latched and unlatched positions, an actuator element pivoted on said notched element for limited displacement rel alive thereto between operative and inoperative positions, and spring means connected between said support and one of said elements for normally yieldingly retaining said elements respectively in said latched and operative positions; seat means on the other of said frame sections engaged by said notched element and by which the said frame sections are retained in spaced relation with one edge of the notch in said notched element resting upon said seat means for the latched position thereof; and cooperating7 means adjacent said seat means adapted to engage said actuator element in its operative position for moving said notched element to its unlatched position.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,057,665 Pease Apr. 1, 1913 1,081,272 Klopping Dec. 9, 1913 1,120,911 Davis Dec. 15, 1914 1,136,173 Seng et al Apr. 20, 1915 1,143,974 Klopping June 22, 1915 1,210,432 De Does Ian. 2, 1917 1,265,073 Freedman et al May 7, 1918 1,267,399 Goldstein May 28, 1918 2,656,547 Winikotl' Oct. 27, 1953 2,676,335 Goodman Apr. 27, 1954