US2828810A

US2828810A - Adjustable headrest

Info

Publication number: US2828810A
Application number: US576869A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chester J Barecki; Oscar J Nelson
Original assignee: American Seating Co
Current assignee: American Seating Co
Priority date: 1956-04-09
Filing date: 1956-04-09
Publication date: 1958-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 1975-04-01

Description

April 1, 1958 Filed April 9. 1956 WITNESS c. J. BARECKI ETAL ADJUSTABLE HEADRE ST' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR flz'wler J. Barech' fluafl J. fiction BY @MM ATTORNEY April 1, 1958 c; J. BARECKI ET AL. 2,828,810

ADJUSTABLE HEADREST Filed April 9, 1956 a Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS IN VENTOR BY flawed ATTORNEY A ril 1, 1958 c. J. BARECKI ET AL 2,828,810

ADJUSTABLE HEADREST Filed April 9, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 3 WI TN E55 M 4,9 x 011M111, 91% w INVENTOR ADJUSTABLE HEADREST Chester J. Barecki and Oscar J. Nelson, Grand Rapids, Mich assignors to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 9, 1956, Serial No. 576,869

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-177) The present invention relates to an adjustable headrest for a chair, and particularly to a chair of the reclining type commonly installed in intra-city motorbusses, railroad cars and airplanes.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide a chair having an adjustable headrest which may be moved to a selected one of several positions of angular adjustment relative to the chair back proper; to provide an integrated chair back and headrest which presents the appearance of a conventional chair, the connections between the chair back and the headrest which provide for adjustability being concealed within the structure; to provide such an adjustable headrest which, from a normal rearward position in substantial alignment with the chair back proper can be tilted forwardly, thus affording the occupant the same comfort that is sometimes otherwise achieved by the use of a pillow, this feature being particularly desirable when the occupant desires to have the chair back in a reclined position and at the same time desire to read; and in general to provide such a structure which is simple and sturdy in construction, reasonably economical in manufacture and attractive in appearance.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective View of the upper part of a chair back, with portions of the upholstery broken away to show the mechanism for the new adjustable headrest;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the upper part of the chair back frame and of the frame for the headrest connected thereto, the former being hereinafter referred to as the back frame and the latter being hereinafter referred to as the head frame;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Figures 1 and 2; 1

Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are vertical sectional views of the back and head frames and the mechanism whereby the headrest is adjusted, the upholstery being omitted in these views, and the several views illustrating different selected positions of the headrest;

Figure 8 is a similar vertical sectional view, greatly enlarged; and

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 3 but illustrating the reclined position of -the chair back with the headrest tilted forwardly to serve as a pillow for the chair occupant, the outline of the occupants head and shoulders being fragmentarily indicated by a broken line.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals, in the several views, the back frame comprises spaced tubular metal uprights 10 connected at their upper ends by a horizontal tubular metal crossbar 11. The head frame comprises an inverted U-shaped metal tube having an upper bight portion 12 and depending legs 13 which have secured to their lower ends bearing members 14 which 2,828,810 Patented Apr. 1 1958 are journalled on the crossbar 11 inwardly of the back frames uprights 10.

At one side of the chair back, as here shown the left side as viewed in Figure 2, a bracket 15 is fixedly secured as by welding to the upper surface of the crossbar 11 adjacent the left bearing 14. This bracket 15 has cutwardly extending upper and lower arms designated 16, 17 respectively, and these arms have vertically aligned

openings

18, 19 therein (see Figure 8) in which a sliding pawl or detent 20 is disposed for up and down sliding movement. As best seen in Figure 8, the detent 20 has a cam surface 21 at its upper end, a notch 22 in its front surface adapted to engage the brackets upper arm 16 adjacent the opening 18 therein to lock the detent in a lowered position, and a collar 23 thereon between the

arms

16, 17 of bracket 15. A spring 24 is interposed between the collar 23 and the brackets lower arm 17 for normally urging the detent 20 upwardly.

A ratchet member 25 comprises a metal plate having an upper portion 26 (see Figure 8) mounted as by welding on the inside wall of the left hand depending leg 13 of the head frame, and having a middle portion 27 extending downwardly-inwardly from the upper portion 26 and a lower portion 28 depending from the middle portion 2'7 above the detent 20. This lower portion 28 of the ratchet member has its bottom edge serrated to provide a series of ratchet teeth 25 arranged concentrically about the head frames pivotal connection to the back frame, the rearward edges of which ratchet teeth are adapted to engage the upper front surface of detent 20 to prevent rearward movement of the head frame when it has been tilted forwardly the desired distance. The forward edges of the ratchet teeth 29 are formed so as to cam the detent 2i) slightly downwardly during forward movement of the head frame so that the teeth pass over the detent.

The forward edge of the rearwardmost ratchet tooth 30 is enlarged so as to cam the detent 2t farther downwardly and forwardly into locking engagement of the detents notch 22 with the upper arm 16 of bracket 15 (see Figure 7). This limits the forward movement of the head frame and also locks the detent 20 out of engagement with the ratchet member 25 to permit free swinging movement of the head frame rearwardly as illustrated in Figure 8.

The rearward edge of the forwardmost ratchet tooth 31 is elongated so as to contact the detent 20 to limit the rearward movement of the head frame and at the same time to move the detent rearwardly out of engagement with the brackets upper arm16 thus permitting the detent 21 to be moved by spring 24 back into engagement with the ratchet member for the next trip forward of the head frame, as seen in Figure 3f Figures4, 5 and 6 illustrate intermediate selected positions of angular adjustment of the head frame relative to the back frame.

The assembly hereinbefore described is upholstered as an integrated unit, there being a continuous pad of resilient upholstery material such as sponge rubber '32 disposed over the front surface of the back frame, the

head frame, the ratchet member and the detent. There is desirably provided a shield 33 secured as by welding to the head frames bight portion 12 and to its left hand bearing 14, which shieldseparates the adjustment mechanism from the upholstery pad 32. The entire assembly is enveloped in a single upholstery cover 34 thus providing a chair back which is of conventional appearance but which has the adjustable headrest feature built into it.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides an upholstered chair back having a joint near its upper end whereby the upper portion of the back can be tilted forwardly to a selected one of several angularly adjusted positions relative to the lower portion of the back. While but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted .without departing from the spirit of .the invention as the same is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. An adjustable headrest for a chair having a back frame, said headrest comprising: a head frame pivotally connected to the top of the back frame; a ratchet member mounted on the head frame and provided with a series of ratchet teeth; and a detent mounted on the back frame for sliding movement to a position of engagement with the ratchet member whereby to permit forward movement of the head frame to selective positions of angular adjustment of the head frame relative to the back frame while preventing rearward movement of the head frame; means on the ratchet member for automatically disengaging the detent from the ratchet member when the head frame reaches a limit of forward movement; and other means on the ratchet member for automatically engaging the detent with the ratchet member when the head frame reaches a limit of rearward movement.

2. An adjustable headrest according to claim 1 characterized by having a continuous resilient upholstery pad disposed over the front of the back frame, the head frame, the ratchet member and the detent, and an upholstery cover enveloping the entire assembly.

3. An adjustable headrest for a chair having a back frame comprising spaced uprights connected at their upper ends by a horizontal cylindrical cross-bar, said headrest comprising: an inverted U-shaped head frame having its legs pivotally mounted at their lower ends on said cross-bar, a ratchet member mounted on the inside wall of one of the legs of the head frame and provided at its bottom with a series of ratchet teeth; a detent mounted on the cross-bar for sliding movement to a position of engagement with the ratchet member whereby to permit forward movement of the head frame to selective positions of angular adjustment of the head frame relative to the back frame while preventing rearward movement of the head frame; means on the ratchet member for automatically disengaging the detent from the ratchet member when the head frame reaches a limit of forward movement; and other means on the ratchet member for automatically engaging the detent with the ratchet member when the head frame reaches a limit of rearward movement.

4. An adjustable headrest according to claim 3 characterized by having a shield secured to the head frame forwardly of the ratchet member and detent, a continuous resilient upholstery pad disposed over the front of the back frame, the shield and the head frame, and an upholstery cover enveloping the entire assembly.

5. An adjustable headrest for a chair having a back frame including spaced uprights connected at their upper ends by a horizontal tubular crossbar, said headrest comprising: an inverted U-shaped tubular head frame having secured to the lower ends of its legs bearing members journalled on said crossbar inwardly of the back frames uprights; a bracket fixedly secured to the crossbar adjacent one of said bearings and having upper and lower arms provided with aligned openings therein; a detent slidably disposed in said openings and having a cam surface at its upper end, a notch in its front surface adapted to engage the brackets upper arm adjacent the opening therein to lock the detent in a lowered position, and a collar thereon between the brackets arms; a spring interposed between the collar and the bracket for normally urging the detent upwardly; a ratchet member comprising a plate having an upper portion mounted on the inside Wall of the leg of the head frame adjacent said bracket, a middle portion extending downwardly-inwardly from the upper portion and a lower portion depending from the middle portion above said detent, said lower portion having its bottom edge serrated to provide ratchet teeth the rearward edges of which are adapted to engage the upper front surface of the detent to prevent rearward movement of the head frame and the forward edges of which are formed so as to cam the detent slightly downwardly and thus pass the detent during forward movement of the head frame, the forward edge of the rearwardmost tooth being enlarged so as to cam the detent farther downwardly and forwardly into locking engagement of the detents notch with the brackets upper arm when the head frame reaches a limit of forward movement thus disengaging the detent from the ratchet member, and the rearward edge of the forwardmost tooth elongated so as to move the detent rearwardly out of locking engagement with the brackets upper arm when the head frame reaches a limit of rearward movement thus permitting the detent to engage said ratchet member.

6. An adjustable headrest for a chair having a back frame, said headrest comprising: a head frame pivotally connected to the top of the back frame; a ratchet member rigidly mounted on the head frame and provided with a series of ratchet teeth arranged concentrically about the head frames pivotal connection to the back frame; a detent mounted on the back frame for movement to positions of engagement with or disengagement from one or another of said ratchet teeth to secure the head frame in angular adjustment relative to the back frame; means associated with the ratchet member for automatically disengaging the detent from the ratchet member when the head frame reaches a limit of forward movement; other means associated with the ratchet member for automatically engaging the detent with the ratchet member when the head frame reaches alimit of rearward movement; a continuous resilient upholstery pad disposed over the front of the back frame, the head frame, the ratchet member and the detent; and an upholstery cover completely enveloping the entire assembly of the back frame, the head frame, the ratchet member, the detent and the continuous upholstery pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,973 Bissell et al Feb. 22, 1881 576,480 Stern Feb. 2, 1897 702,304 Hulse et al June 10, 1902 881,492 Schiller Mar. 10, 1908 2,636,552 Long Apr. 28, 1953