US2779391A - Reclining chair - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1957 E. M. KNABUSCH EI'AL 2,779,391

RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets -Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 10, 1953 1957 E. M. KNABUSCH ETAL 2,779,391

RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1953 E. M. KNABUSCH .ET AL 2,779,391

Jan. 29, 1957 RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 10, 1953 Jan. 29, 1957 E. M. KNABUSCH ETAL 2,779,391

RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 10. 1953 E. M. KNABUSCH .ET AL 2,779,391

Jan. 29, 1957 RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 10, 1953 Jan. 29, 1957 E. M. KNABUSCH ETAL RECLINING CHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed NOV. 10, 1953 United States Patent RECLINING CHAIR Edward M. Knabnsch and Edwin J. Shoemaker, Monroe, Mich assignors to La-Z-Boy Chair Company, Monroe, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application November 10, 1953, Serial No. 391,182

9 Claims. (Cl. 155-406) This invention relates generally to chairs and more particularly to reclining chairs of the type illustrated in applicants copending patent application for Reclining Chair, Serial No. 342,336, filed March 16, 1953.

The chair illustrated in the aforementioned copending patent application is of the type in which the chair seat and back are pivotally supported on a base and counterbalanced so that by leaning back in the chair a user may move the chair back downwardly and forwardly and the chair seat forwardly and upwardly, simultaneously, into a reclining position, and so that by sitting up in the seat the user can return the chair to its upright sitting position. A leg or foot rest is supported adjacent the front edge of the chair seat, which is actuatable with the chair seat and back so that when the chair is moved to its reclining position the foot rest will be raised to a generally horizontal position and when the chair is moved to its upright or sitting position the foot rest will move to a generally vertical inoperative position wherein it will appear as the lower front part of the chair. While applicants aforementioned patent application illustrated a leg rest structure wherein the leg res-t could be manually raised or lowered when the chair was in its fully upright position, it has been found that chair users may wish the leg rest fully raised when the chair is not fully reclined or may wish the leg rest in varying raised positions, irrespective of the position of the chair seat and back.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reclining chair of the aforementioned type, in which the leg rest may be supported in a fully or partially raised position, irrespective of the position of the chair seat and back members.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a chair of the aforementioned type in which the user may selectively raise and lower the leg rest with movement of the chair seat and back members, or in which the user may raise the leg rest to a desired position and thereafter move the chair seat and back members without affecting the position of the leg rest.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a chair of the aforementioned type in which the leg rest may be released for movement with the chair seat and back by the user fully reclining the chair.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novel automatic leg rest actuating supporting and releasiug mechanism interconnected with the chair seat and back supporting mechanisms, so as to be automatically actuatable in accordance with the manner in which the user positions the chair seat and back members.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a chair of the aforementioned type, which is properly balanced so that the chair seat, back and leg rest members can be easily actuated in accordance with the manner in which the user distributes his weight thereon.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an It is a still further object of this invention to provide a reclining chair of the aforementioned type, which is attractive in appearance, quiet in operation, and durable in use.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a chair of this invention in its upright or sitting position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the chair of this invention, partly in section and partly in elevation with the seat and back cushions removed for purposes of clarity, and illustrating the chair in its upright or sitting position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the chair seat, back and leg rest supporting and actuating mechanisms, as well as the adjacent chair portions on one side of the chair;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the chair in a partially reclined position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view similar to Figs. 2 and 4, illustrating the chair in its fully reclined position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the chair partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the leg rest in its inoperative or upright position in solid lines and in a partially raised position in dot dash lines, with the chair seat and back members being in their upright or sitting positions, for both positions of the leg rest.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, taken along the line 77 thereof; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, taken along the line 88 thereof; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7, illustrating a still different latch arrangement; Fig. 10 is a. View partially in section and partially in elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 8, taken along the line Ill-10 thereof; Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken along the line 11-11 thereof; and Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side View of the chair of this invention illustrated in Fig. 2, partially in section and partially in elevation, with the majority of the upholstery and operating linkage removed for purposes of clarity so as to illustrate a chair frame more clearly.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the chair includes a stationary wooden base or body structure, 13 having arms 15 on opposite sides thereof, front vertical leg portions 17 connected with the front of the arms, rear vertical leg members 19 connected with the back of the arms, a horizontally extending frame member 21 interconnecting the vertical back members 19, and side board or frame members 23 extending between the front and back vertical members 17 and 19 below the arms 15. Suitable braces and corner members are provided for interconnecting the aforementioned frame members rigidly to provide a strong chair frame structure. A channel shaped metal bar 25 extends horizontally between the side members 23 and is rigidly connected therewith.

A generally rectangular chair seat frame 27 is movably supported on the chair body 13, as is a chair back frame 29 and a leg rest frame 31. As: can be best seen in Fig. 1, the chair body 13 is upholstered and a seat cushion 33 is carried by the seat frame 27 while a back cushion 35 is carried by the seat back frame 2%. Likewise, a leg rest upholstered cushion 37 is carried by the leg rest frame 31. Thus the chair in its finished form is completely upholstered. The chair seat, back and leg rest are all movably supported on the chair body. This is accomplished by means of a fixture 39 on each side of the chair and by means of a leg rest supporting mechanism 40 extending fore and aft of the chair intermediate the sides thereof and connected with the seat frame and leg rest frame, as will be more fully brought out in detail.

Each fiXture39 includes a parallelogram linkage structure for supporting the chair seat frame 27 on the chair body 13. This structure includes a pair of parallel, generally vertically extending links 41 and 43, which are pivotally connected at their upper ends at A and 4-7 respectively to a horizontally extending bar 49, which is rigidly connected with the chair body sideframe member 23. The lower ends of links 41 and 43 are pivotally connected at 51 and 53 to a lower rigid bar 55, which in turn is connected to a wooden bar 57 rigidly connected with the sides of the chair seat frame 27. The links 41 and 43', in conjunction with the upper and lower bars 49 and 55, therefore define a parallelogram type linkage for supporting the chair seat frame on the chair body. It should be noted that when the chair is in the upright position, as shown in Fig; 2, the links 41 and 43 extend downwardly and somewhat forwardly from their pivots and 47, for a reason which will hereinafter appear.

The chair back frame 29 is pivotally supported on the parallelogram seat linkage through a plurality of links and pivotal connections. A rigid str'aplike bar 59 is rigidly connected with a vertical side frame portion of the back frame, adjacent the lower end thereof, and is provided intermediate the ends thereof with a laterally projecting pin A second straplike link or bar 63 has its upper end slotted or recessed at 65 to receive the pin 63., while the lower end of the link 59' is connected to the link 63 by a cap screw 67 so that the bars or links 59 and 63 function as a single link but are separable to permit the chair back to be disassembled from the chair seat when the chair is shipped. An elongated arm 71 has its rear end pivotally connected to link 63 at 75, just above the bottom of the back frame 29. The forward end of link 71 is pivotally connected at 76 to the lower end of a vertically extending link 77, the upper end of which is pivoted at 45 to the rigid bar 49. A short link 79 is connected with the pivots 76 and 51 to operatively connect the arm 71 with the parallelogram linkage. The arm 77 is provided with a projection or lanced stop 81, which is adapted to abut the upper edge of the arm 71 when the chair is in its fully reclined position, to limit the amount of reclining movement of the chair. A similar stop 83 is provided on the bar 49 for engaging parallelogram link 43 to limit the reclining movement of the chair.

A link 87 has its lower end pivotally connected to the back end of the rigid bar 49 below the chair back, and its upper end pivotally connected at with the link 63, so as to connect the chair back frame 29 with the chair base or body frame 13. A link 89 operatively connects the link 63 with the parallelogram seat linkage and is therefore pivotally connected at its lower end to pivot 53 and at its upper end is pivotally connected at 91 to link 63 adjacent to but spaced from the lower end thereof. The aforesaid fixture structure on each side of the chair seat frame 27 permits the seat frame and the back frame to be moved between an upright or sitting position and a reclining position. As the chair seat frame 27 moves forwardly, it likewise moves up wardly, due to the parallelogram linkage support, and the back frame 29 fulcrums about the movable pivots '75 and 91, the latter of which moves forwardly and up wardly and the former of which moves forwardly and downwardly. Thus, the chair back frame does not pivot about fixed points, but pivots about the forwardly moving pivots 75 and 91 so that the lower end of the chair back frame moves forwardly and downwardly as the chair seat frame moves forwardly and upwardly. Therefore, the bottom edge of the chair back cushion 35 moves toward the back edge of the chair seat cushion 33, thereby maintaining a proper relationship at all times between the chair back and seat to properly support the user in all chair positions, without causing the users back to slide relative to the chair back, which would be undesirable and would cause bunching of the users clothing, as well as other uncomfortable effects.

The lower end of the link 63 is curved or bent so that, when the chair is in its upright or sitting position, the extreme rear end 93 of the link 63 is disposed below and rearwardly of pivot 91. Elongated arm or link means 95, in the form of a front link or arm 97 and a rear link or arm 99, which have adjacent overlapping end portions, and are movable or slidable relative to each other fore and aft, is provided between the chair back, the linkage to the seat and theleg rest frame; The rear arm 99 is pivotally connected at 100 to the rear end 93 of link 63 and extends angularly forwardly and upwardly therefrom. The forward end of the arm 97 is bent so as to provide an arm portion 101, extending angularly from the remainder of the arm and the extreme forward end thereof is pivotally connected at 1% to the back or upper end of a link165. The opposite end of link is pivotally connected at 107 to a short link 199 which extends adjacent one side of the foot or leg rest and at substantially right angles thereto, and has its upper or forward end pivotally connected at 111 to an L-shaped bracket 113 which is rigidly connected with the foot rest frame 31 by any suitable means. A link 1.15 has one end thereof pivotally connected at 117 to the bracket I13 and the opposite end thereof pivotally connected to the lower or forward end of a link 1119 at 120. The upper or back end of link 119 is pivotally connected to a bracket 121, which is rigidly connected to a wooden member of the chair seat frame adjacent the front thereof. Link 119 is pivotally connected in termediate the ends thereof, at 123 to the front arm 97 of the arm means 95'. Link is pivotally connected at 125 intermediate its ends, to link 105 so that the outer portion of link 105, link 109, bracket 113, and the outer end of link 115 constitute a parallelogram linkage in conjunction with a second substantially para lelogram linkage provided by the inner end of link 3165, the back or lower end of link 115, the forward end of arm 97 and the lower or forward end of link 119. Thus, when link means 95 is moved forwardly, due to the chair seat and back members being reclined, as will be hereiuafter described in detail, the parallelogram linkage adjacent the foot rest frame will swing the leg rest frame outwardly and forwardly relative to the chair seat, to properly accommodate the legs of the user. The front and rear arm members 97 and 99 of arm means 95 are held in their overlapping, slidable relationship by means of bands or straplike members 129, and the front arm 97 has a lanced abutment or stop 131 thereon, against which the front end of the back arm 99 is adapted to abut so that forward movement of the back arm 99 will cause a similar movement of the front arm 97 when the back arm is in engagement with the abutment 131, but a lost motion connection is provided between the chair and seatback supporting linkage and the leg rest frame through the telescopic or sliding relationship of arms 97 and 99, as will be brought out more fully hereinafter.-

When the chair is in the upright position illustrated in. Figs. 1 and 2,. and moves toward its reclined position, the leg rest moves upwardly and forwardly at an accelerated rate, due to the fact that the pivot 1% between the rear end of link 63 and the rear end of the back arm 99 moves through an are about pivot 91 and is disposed forwardly of pivot 91- when the chair is fully reclined. This movement causes the leg rest to move forwardly at a faster rate than the chair seat and at the same time, due to the pivotal linkage connection between the leg rest frame, the seat frame 27, and the fixture 39, the leg rest is carried forwardly relative to the chair seat frame. Thus, the leg rest not only is quickly raised when the chair is reclined, but it moves forwardly to properly clear the upholstered base and provide a rest for supporting manner the users feet and legs in a comfortable manner. When the seat is fully reclined, the leg rest is disposed above the chair seat frame and above or in substantial alignment with the back or top of the chair back, so as to provide a contoured chair which will properly support the users body.

Although in a reclining chair of this type it is desirable that the user be able to easily control the chair position, while sitting in the chair, the chair also should be usable as an ordinary sitting chair and should not, therefore, recline except when desired. When the chair is in its upright position, the parallelogram fixture links 41 and 43 extend angularly downwardly so that the weight of the user thereon tends to rotate the lower ends of the links rearwardly and retain the chair in its upright position. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the chair back operating linkage is connected with the chair back frame 29, adjacent to but somewhat above thebottom thereof, pressure applied by the lower portion of the users back, against the lower portion of the chair back, as is normal when a person is sitting in a chair, will not tend to pivot the chair back toward its reclining position. However, if the upper portion of the users back is pressed against the upper portion of the chair back, a substantial leverage action is obtained, and when the weight is so applied to the chair back, the users weight on the chair seat and the parallelogram links 41 and 43 is reduced so that the chair will easily move to its reclining position or any position between its upright and fully reclined position. Thus, the fixtures 39 on each side of the chair are comprised of a plurality of links which are pivotally interconnected in the manner illustrated, to properly balance the chair and permit its comfortable use in any position. Furthermore, due to the position and arrangement of the links and pivots, as brought out, the position of the chair may be easily varied, even though the users legs and feet are supported on the leg rest.

As has been previously pointed out, one of the features of this chair is that the leg rest may be raised to a desired position and will thereafter remain in the raised position even though the chair is returned to an upright position, if the user so desires, as illustrated in Fig. 6. In order to support the leg rest in this manner, a leg rest supporting mechanism is provided and is best illustrated in Figs. 3, 6 and 8. As can be clearly seen therein, an elongated rod 135 extends fore and aft of the chair body 13 below the chair frame 27 and intermediate the side frame members 23. The rear end of the rod 135 is anchored to a bracket 137, which in turn is fixedly connected to the back of the chair seat frame 27 by any suitable means. The front end of the rod 135 is connected to the front cross member of the chair seat frame. It will be noted that the rear portion of the rod 135 is reduced in diameter at 139, for a reason which will hereinafter appear. A cylinder or slide 141 is slidably supported on the rod 135. The cylinder or slide 141 is divided into two separate halves or parts 143 and 145, the adjacent ends of which are spaced apart to provide a space 147 therebetween. It will be noted from Fig. 8 that the back face 149 of the cylinder part 143 is cut at an angle so that the gap between the adjacent faces of the cylinder parts is greater at the bottom than at the top. The cylinders are locked or interconnected relative to each other by means of a pivot bracket 151, which is disposed on the upper side of the cylinder parts and connected therewith by suitable means such as Welding. Disposed in the gap 147 between the cylinder parts is a washerlike member 153, which may be made of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, or the like, and which is normally urged into engagement with the angular face 149 of the front cylinder part 143, by means of a small coil spring 155, the back end of which is dis posed in a recess 157 in the front face of the cylinder part 145. The washerlike member 153 has a tang or depending tab 159, which projects downwardly below the cylinder 141. Slidably disposed on the cylinder 141 is a sleeve 161, which extends partially around the cylinder 141, but has its adjacent edges spaced from each other a sufiicient distance to permit the sleeve to slide fore and aft of the cylinder without interference with the pivot bracket 151. The under side of the sleeve 161 is provided with a slot 163, extending forwardly from the back end thereof, through which the: tang 159 of the washer member 153 extends. When the chair is in its upright position, such as illustrated in solid lines in Fig. 6, the back end of the cylinder 141 and the back of sleeve 161 will be in engagement with the bracket member 137,

.which acts as an abutment and positions the sleeve 161 in its forward position on cylinder 141, illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein the washer member 153 will be disposed in an angular or cocked relationship relative to the rod and in engagement with the angular face 149 on the cylinder part 143.

A link 167 is pivotally connected to the pivot bracket 151 on cylinder 141, and the forward end of the link 167 is pivotally connected to a bracket 169 connected to the under or back side of the leg rest frame 31, intermediate the side edges thereof. When the chair seat and back frames are reclined from the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the link means will move forwardly because of the engagement of the rear link or arm 99 with the lanced abutment 131 on the front link or arm 97, so as to swing the leg rest upwardly. The upward move ment of the leg rest will cause the cylinder 141 to slide forwardly along rod and after the washer member 153 has moved forwardly of the reduced rod portion 139, the leg rest will be held against downward movement, even if the seat and back are moved to their upright position. This results from the fact that the diameter of the aperture in the washer 153 is just slightly larger than the diameter of the enlarged portion of the rod 135. Therefore, when the Washer is angularly disposed it will bite into the rod and prevent rearward movement of the cylinder on the rod. However, as the washer aperture is considerably larger than the diameter of the reduced rod portion 139, the washer Will not bite into this portion of the rod even if it is angularly disposed or cocked. Thus, when the washer is in its angular or cooked position it will not be free to slide rearwardly relative to the rod enlarged portion and will therefore lock the cylinder against rearward movement on the rod. Therefore, the leg rest can be retained in any desired elevated position, even though the chair seat and back return to their upright position. The telescopic or sliding relationship between the arms 99 and 97 of the arm or link means 95 will permit the chair seat and back to move to their upright position without affecting the position of the leg rest, and the cylinder and washer member will support the leg rest in :a desired position relative to the chair seat.

When it is desired to release the legrest to cause the same to move back to its vertical inoperative position, the chair is fully reclined and the sleeve 161 on the cylindrical slide 141 will, when the chair is substantially fully reclined, strike an abutment washer 171 disposed on rod 135, adacent the front thereof. The abutment Washer 171 is backed by a spring 173, so as to cushion the forward movement of the cylinder and sleeve, but when the sleeve strikes the abutment and at least partially compresses the spring, the sleeve will be moved rearwardly on the cylindrical slide and the wall defining the forward end of the sleeve slot 163 will engage the tang 159 of the washer member to move the bottom of the washer member rearwardly against spring and into a substantially vertical or perpendicular position relative to the axis of the rod 135. The sleeve due to frictional engagement with the cylinder will retain the washer in this position in spite of the action of the spring 155 and when the seat and back are moved toward their up right position the cylinder 141 will merely slide on the rod and the leg rest will be no longer supported so that it will swing downwardly toward its upright position. When the chair reaches its fully upright position, the sleeve in}; strikes the bracket 173 and is moved forwardly relative to the cylinder slide 141 so that the washer member 153 returns to its cocked or angular position, as previously described.

When the leg rest is in a substantially raised position and the supporting cylinder released, it will move by the force of gravity downwardly toward its vertical, inoperativtposition, as the chair seat and backare moved to their upright position. However, in order to insure that the leg rest will moveto a fully vertical and inoperative position between thefront legs 17 of the chair, so as to appear as an integral part of the chair and as the front wall thereof, a latch 181 has been formed on the back of the front arm or link 97 of each fixture 39. The latch 181 is in the form of an upwardly curved or bent portion on the end of the arm, which provides a shoulder 163:, which is adapted to be engaged by a pin T135 projecting from and carried by the lower curved end of the link 63. It will be noted that as the chair is reclined the pin 185 moves upwardly out of the path of the latch 181 and the latter moves forwardly of the pin and underneath the same. However, when the seat and back are moved toward their upright position, the shoulder 123 of the latch moves downwardly and behind the pin M55 and as the pin moves downwardly and rearwardly it engages the shoulder 183 which, being a part of the front link or arm 97, pulls the leg rest to its fully vertical and inoperative position as the chair seat and back are moved to theirfully upright position. The reduced diameter portion 139 or the rod 135 extends forwardly from the back end thereof far enough such that the 153 cannot bind or lock on the rod until the shoulder 183 of the latch 181 has passed beneath and beyond the pin 185. That is, the cylinder slide Mi. must be free to move rearwardly of the rod 135 until the pin 185 and latch 181 are free for movement relative to each other, otherwise the entire chair action would bind, but once the cylinder lock and washer member have move' forwardly beyond the reduced rod portion, the pin and latch arrangement is inoperative and the leg rest can be held in its raised position even when the chair seat and back are moved back to an upright position. Thus the pin and latch arrangement previously discussed insures the proper positioning of the leg rest when it is desired to have the same in its inoperative position, but does not interfere with retention of the leg rest in a substantially raised position, when desired.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 9, a spring actu ated, depressable latch member 131' is illustrated instead of the integral latch member 181, formed on the end of arm or link 97, as in the previous embodiment. The latch member 181 is pivotally supported on link 97 at Edi. and has a shoulder 183' formed on the front face thereof which is adapted to engage pin 185 carried by link es, as previously described. A spring 26-3 resiliently urges the front end of the latch member 181 upwardly, about pivot 281 and a projection 205 adjacent the bottom of the latch member engages a stop 207 on link 97, to limit the upward movement thereof. When the chair and leg rest are in their upright positions the pin 135 is in en gagement with shoulder 183 and has depressed or pushed the latch member downwardly against the action of spring 263-, as illustrated in Fig. 9. As the chair is reclined pin 155 moves upwardly and forwardly while the latch member passes therebeneath. Spring 2'63 swings the latch member upwardly relative to link Q7 so that shoulder 133 is in position to engage pill 185 when the chair and le rest are moved toward their inoperative position as previously described. After the pin 135 has engaged shoulder 18; and the link 97 moves to its rearmost position, pin 185 depresses the latch member so that the parts are again in the position illustrated in Fig. 9. The latch member 181' performs the same function as latch member 181 and operates in substantially the same mannet.-

It will thus be seen that the structure of this invention provides an improved reclining chair wherein the leg rest position and action can be automatically controlled to provide the ultimate in comfort and ease of operation for the user,

What is claimed is: I p

1. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members interconnecting said members and for supporting the same on said body and permitting said members to move between a reclining and upright position, said mechanism including structure for moving said leg rest member between a generally inoperative vertical position and a raised generally horizontal position as said back and seat members move between an upright position and a reclined position, said structure including link means connected with said leg rest member and link means connected with said seat and back members, a lost motion connection between said seat and back member link means and said leg rest member link means to permit said seat and back members to move from a reclining position to an upright sitting position without returning said leg rest member to its inoperative position, means connected with said leg rest member and said seat member for releasably supporting said leg rest member in a raised position after said sea; andback members have moved to an upright position, and means operatively connected with said leg rest supporting means actuatable upon the application of pressure by a portion of a users body against one of 0 said members to release said leg rest supporting means so that said leg rest member will return to its said inoperative position.

2. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members for supporting the same on said body and permitting said members to move between a reclining and a sitting position, said mechanism including structure for moving said leg rest member between a generally inoperative vertical sitting position and a raised generally horizontal reclining position, when said back and seat members are moved between a sitting position and a reclined position, said structure including a lost motion connection permitting said seat and back members to move from a reclining to a sitting position without affecting a raised position of said leg rest member with respect to said seat member, means connected with said leg rest member and said seat member for supporting said leg rest member in a raised position after said seat and back members have been returned to a sitting position, said means including a release mechanism automatically actuatable upon movement of said seat and back members to a substantially fully reclined position to permit said leg rest member to return to its generally inoperative position upon movement of said seat and back members to a sitting position.

3. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members for supporting the same on said body and permitting said members to move between a reclining and a sitting position, said mechanism including structure for moving said leg rest member between a generally inoperative vertical sitting position and a raised generally horizontal reclining position, when said back and seat members are moved between a sitting position and a reclined position, said structure including link means connected with said leg rest member and link means connected with said seat and back members, a lost motion connection between said seat and back member link means and said leg rest member link i'neans permitting said seat and back members to move from a reclining to a sitting position Without affecting a raised position of said leg rest member with respect to said seat member, a rod member extending fore and aft of and connected with said seat mem ber, a link member pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof with said leg rest member, a member slidable on said rod, said link member being pivotally connected adjacent its opposite end to said slide member, means carried by said slide member for locking the same on said rod in a predetermined position against rearward move ment, and means for releasing said lock means.

4. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members for supporting the same on said body and permitting said members to move between a reclining and a sitting position, said mechanism including structure for moving said leg rest member between a generally inoperative vertical sitting position and a raised generally horizontal reclining position, when said back and seat membersare moved between a sitting position and a reclined position, said structure including a lost motion connection permitting said seat and back members to move from a reclining to a sitting position without affecting a raised position of said leg rest member with respect to said seat member, a rod member extending fore and aft of and connected with said seat member, slide means slidably supported on said rod member and having a transversely extending opening intermediate the ends thereof, one face of which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rod member and the opposing face of. which is angularly disposed relative to said one face and to said rod member axis, a washerlike member sleeved on said rod member and disposed in said slide means opening and having a projection extending beyond the confines of said slide means, resilient means engaging said washerlike member and urging the same against said angular face so as to cause binding of said Washer memher on said rod against rearward movement, a tubular member sleeved on said slide means and adapted to move fore and aft relative thereto, said sleeve member having an aperture therein through which the projecting portion of said washer member extends, a link pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof with said leg rest member and adjacent the other end thereof with said slide means, abutment means disposed adjacent opposite ends of said rod member for engaging said sleeve member and moving the same fore and aft on said slide means so as to engage said washerlike member and move the same between a cocked position relative to said rod member and a perpendicular position relative to said rod member, whereby said slide means will move forwardly along said rod member when said leg rest is moved from its inoperative position to a raised position and when said seat and back members are raised to an upright position said washerlike member will lock said slide member against rearward movement on said rod member to re tain the leg rest member in its raised position, and whereby when said seat and back members are substantially fully reclined said sleeve member will engage one of said abutments and move relative to said slide means to move said washerlike member to its perpendicular position to permit said leg rest member to return to its inoperative position when said seat and back members return to their sitting position, and whereby when said seat and back members are in substantially their upright sitting position said sleeve member will engage the opposite abutment member to move said sleeve member away from said washer and permit said resilient means to again position said washer in a cocked position relative to said rod member for a subsequent locking operation.

5. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, and a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members for supporting said members on said body for movement between an upright sitting position and a reclining position, said mechanism embodying a parallelogram linkage supporting said seat member on said body, additional linkage pivotally connecting said seat back member to said body and with said parallelogram linkage so that said seat member will advance forwardly and upwardly as said back member Swings downwardly and forwardly, link means including a pair of overlapping, telescopically disposed link members, means interconnecting said seat member, one of said link members and said leg rest memso that fore and aft movement of said one link member will cause pivotal movement of said leg rest member between an inoperative generally vertical position and a raised generally horizontal position, the other of said link members being connected adjacent its back end with said seat back member, means retaining said link memhere in an overlapping sliding relationship relative to each other, complementary abutments on said link members engagcable upon forward movement of said other link member to cause forward movement of said one link member and upward swinging movement of said leg rest member when said back member is reclined, whereby, after said leg rest member has been raised, sliding motion between said link members can occur which will move said abutments away from each other when said back member returns to its upright position to permit said leg rest member to remain in its raised position, means connected with said leg rest member and said seat member for releasably supporting said leg rest member in its raised position with respect to said seat member after said back and seat members have returned to their upright position, and means selectively operable to release said leg rest supporting means to permit said leg rest member to return to its inoperative position when said back member returns to its upright position.

6. In a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, and a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members for supporting said members on said body for movement between an upright sitting position and a reclining position, said mechanism embodying a paralellogram linkage supporting said seat member on said body, additional linkage pivotally connecting said seat back member to said body and with said parallelogram linkage so that said seat member will advance forwardly and upwardly as said back member swing downwardly and forwardly, link means including a pair of overlapping, telescopically disposed link members, means interconnecting said seat member, one of said link members and said leg rest member so that fore and aft movement of said one link member will cause pivotal movement of said leg rest member between an inoperative generally vertical position and a raised generally horizontal position, the other of said link members being connected adjacent its back end with said seat back member, means retaining said link members in an overlapping sliding relationship relative to each other, complementary abutment means on said link members so that forward movement of said other link member will cause forward movement of said one link member and upward swinging movement of said leg rest member when said back member is reclined, whereby, after said leg rest member has been raised, sliding motion between said link members can occur when said back member returns to its upright position to permit said leg rest member to remain in its raised position with respect to said seat member, means connected with said leg rest member and said seat member for releasably supporting said leg rest member in its raised position after said back and seat members have returned to their upright position, means selectively operable to release said leg rest supporting means to permit said leg rest member to return to its inoperative position when said back member returns to its upright position, and complemental latch means on said back member and said one link member engageable only when said leg rest member is adjacent its fully inoperative position to posi tively connect said one linkmember with said back member so that movement of said back member will cause positive and corresponding movement of said one link member to insure said leg rest being moved to its completely inoperative position when said back member moves to its completely upright position after said leg rest supporting means have been released' 7. A mechanism for operating a leg support at the forward edge of a chair having a seat and back, including, in combination, elongated link means having overlapping slidable front and rear link members, said front link member being connectible to the leg support and adapted to extend. toward the rear of the chair, means retaining said link members in their overlapping slidable relationship, an arm rigidly connectible to the chair back so as to extend downwardly therefrom, a link element, a pivot for securing said link element and said arm together, said arm extending below said pivot and rearwardly thereof, a second pivot connecting said rcarwardly extending end of said arm to the rear of said rear link member, complemental abutment means on said link members engageable to cause said link members to move as a unit forwardly, whereby rearward tilting movement of said arm will. cause said first pivot to move forwardly and said second pivot to move forwardly therewith, as well. as rotation of the rearwardly extending portion of said arm about said first pivot so as to impart additional forward movement to said link means and cause substantial and rapid movement of the leg support, and whereby forward tilting movement of said arm will cause rearward movement of said rear link member without imparting similar movement to said front link member, a support device connectible between the leg support and the chair seat, including a member connectible to the seat and a link member connectible to the leg support and sli-dably supported on the said member connectible to the seat, lock means operatively interconnected with said link member and said member which is connectible to the seat for locking the link member against rearward movement on said member connectible to the seat when said link means has been moved forwardly, said lock means being automatically releasable upon a predetermined forward movement of said link means to release said supporting device and permit said front link memher to move rearwardly with said rear link member, and complemental latch members on said arm and front link member engageable to cause said front and rear link members to move rearwardly together after a predetermined rearward movement of said front link member relative to said rear link member.

8. in a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members, including elon gated link means comprising a front link member and a rear link member, means connecting said seat member, said front link member and said leg rest member so that fore and aft movement of said front link member will cause pivotal movement of said leg rest member between an inoperative generally vertical position and a raised generally horizontal position, said front link member extending toward the rear of the seat, an arm rigidly connected to said seat back member so as to extend downwardly therefrom, a link element, a pivot securing said link element and said arm together, said arm extending below said pivot and rearwardly thereof, a second pivot connecting said rcarwardly extending end of said arm to the rear of said rear link member, whereby the rearward tilting movement of said seat back member and said arm causes said first pivot to move forwardly and said second pivot to move forwardly therewith, as well as rotation of the rearwardly extending portion of said arm about said first pivot, said mechanism also including parallelogram linkage supporting said seat on said body and connected with said arm and link element so that rearward tilting movement of said seat back causes forward and upward movement of said seat member, said front and rear link members being disposed in an overlapping sliding relationship relative to each other, means for retaining said link members in said relationship, complemental abutment means on said link members for causing said members to move together in a forward direction so that rotation of the rearwardly extending portion of said arm will impart forward movement to said link members and cause substantial and rapid movement of the leg rest and so that after said leg rest has been raised, return movement of said seat and back members will not impart a similar movement to said leg rest and will permit said leg rest to remain in a raised position with respect to said seat member, a rodlike member extending fore and aft of and connected with said seat memher, the rear portion of said rod being of a smaller diameter than the forward portion thereof, a slide member disposed on said rod member, actuatable lock means carried by said slide member and normally engaging said rodlike member to prevent rearward movement of said slide member on said rodlike member after said lock means is disposed forwardly of said rod reduced portion, a link member connected with said slide member and with said leg rest, means adjacent the front of said rodlike member for engaging said lock means and actuating the same to release said slide member to permit rearward sliding on said rodlike member, a latch means on the rear portion of said front link member, a pin carried by said arm and cngageable with said latch means when said seat back member is adjacent it upright position to return said leg rest to its fully inoperative position.

9. in. a seat construction, a body, a seat member, a back member, a leg rest member, mechanism between said body and each side of said members, including elongated link means comprising a front link member and a rear link member, means interconnecting said seat member, said front link member and said leg rest member so that fore and aft movement of said front link member will cause pivotal movement of said leg rest member between an inoperative generally vertical position and a raised generally horizontal position, said front link member extending toward the rear of said seat member, an arm rigidly connected to said sea-t back member so as to extend downwardly therefrom, a link element, a pivot securing said link element and said arm together, said arm extending below saidpivot and rearwardly thereof, a second pivot connecting said rearwardly extending end of said arm to the rear of said rear link member, whereby the rearward tilting movement of said seat back member and said arm causes said first pivot to move forwardly and said second pivot to move forwardly therewith, as well as rotation of the rearwardly extending portion of said arm about said first pivot, said mechanism also including parallelogram linkage supporting said seat on said body and connected with said arm and link element so that rearward tilting movement of said seat back causes forward and upward movement of said seat member, said front and rear link members being disposed in an overlapping sliding relationship relative to each other, means for retaining said link members in said relationship, complemental abutments on said link members engageable to cause said members to move together in a forward direction so that rotation of the rearwardly extending portion of said arm will impart forward movement to said link members and cause substantial and rapid movement of the leg rest and so that after said leg rest has been raised, return movement of said seat and back members will cause said link members to slide relative to each other and move said abutments away from each other so as not to impart a similar movement to said leg rest and so as to permit said leg rest to remain in a raised position relative to said seat member, and means connected with said leg rest 13 member and said seat member for releasably supporting 2,541,938 said leg rest member in a raised position after said seat 2,578,311 and back members have moved to an upright position. 2,651,055 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 2672919 UNITED STATES PATENTS 195,395 Pope Sept. 18, 1877 3,687

14 v Rideout Feb. 13, 1951 Lorenz Dec. 11, 1951 Billet et a1. Sept. 8, 1953 Luekhardt Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 28, 1883

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