US2928105A

US2928105A - Convertible berth sofa

Info

Publication number: US2928105A
Application number: US544123A
Authority: US
Inventors: John A Bohnsack
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-11-01
Filing date: 1955-11-01
Publication date: 1960-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1977-03-15

Description

J. A. BOHNSACK CONVERTIBLE BERTH SOFA March 15, 1 960 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 1, 1955 Max.

ATTORNEYS PIC-5.7

March 15, 1960 J. A. BOHNSACK CONVERTIBLE BERTH SOFA 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 1, 1955 FIG.2

INVENTOR. lfflfifl 14. 5050500? syf 23,516

ATTORNEYS March 15, 1960 J. A. BOHNSACK 2,928,105

CONVERTIBLE BERTH SOFA Filed Nov. 1. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet s 66 6 1 a! Fl 6. 3

ATTORN EYS United States P e CONVERTIBLE BERTH SOFA John A. Bolmsack, Pottsville, Pa. Application November 1, 1955, Serial No. 544,123

9 Claims. (Cl. -43) This invention relates to convertible seats and beds and more particularly to a convertible sofa-bed having a back which is movable to and from an upright in which it serves as the back of the seat or sofa and to and from 'a horizontal position in which the back overlies the seat .and constitutes a mattress support in a position suitable for sleeping thereon.

. One object of the invention is to provide in a sofa bed of the type described a novel means for movably mount- .ing a seat wherein the seat is moved from a raised position to a lowered position when the back is moved from its upright to its horizontal position.

Another object of. the present invention is the provision of novel means for movably mounting the seat in a convertible sofa-berth whereby the seat is moved to a lowered position when the back of the sofa-berth is moved into its horizontal position.

Another object of this invention is the provision of novel means for lowering the seat of a convertible sofaberth to permit the back thereof to move into a horizontal position, the novel moving means comprising cooperating cam means operatively connected to the seat and to the movable back of the sofa-berth.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision in a convertible sofa-berth of novel bed clothes retaining means which is movable to and from a position in which the retaining means holds the bed clothes} in fixed relation to the'back of the convertible sofa-berth and movable to and from a retracted position in'which the bed clothes retaining means does not hinder occupancy of the berth.

A further object of the'present invention is to provide in a convertible sofa-berth novel bed clothes retaining means for holding the bed clothes in fixed relation to the bed which bed clothes retaining means is moved by cooperating cam means on the bed clothes retaining means and on the sofa-berth frame into and out of retaining relationship with the bed clothes on the backof the convertible sofa-berth. 1

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of novel ted clothes retaining means in a convertible sofa-berth in which the bed clothes retaining means is moved out of retaining relationship with the bed clothes on the movable back of said sofa-berth only when the back of the sofa-berth is moved beyond the angle of repose of the bed clothes thereon.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved means for locking the movable back of a convertible sofa-berth in the horizontal position thereof.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a generally new and improved convertible sofaberth of the type described for use in marine staterooms, railway cars and bedrooms and in general having a simple, compact and improved construction adapted for convenient movement of the back thereof between its two positions.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection withthe accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings: v Fig. l is a sectional view of a sofa-berth embodying the present invention, the sofa-berth being shown with the back thereof in its upright position so that the sofaberth is suitable for use as a sofa;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing the back of the sofa-berth disposed at the angle of repose of the bed clothes carried thereon;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Figs. 1 and 2 I illustrating the sofa-berth in horizontal position and in condition to be employed as a bed; 7

Fig.4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; p I

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Pig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 4; I

Referring now to the'drawings in detail, the sofa-berth lb embodying the present invention comprises a main frame 12, on which is pivotally mounted a berth pan or movable part 14- and a movable seat 16. Main frame 12 includes a pair of spaced vertical side members 18 which are connected in said spaced relation by an arcuate rear Wall or member 29 which extends between said side members 13 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner such as by welding to brackets 21 which are secured to sides 18. Further connecting side members 18 is a reenforcing bar 22 which may be secured to side members 16 by welding. A plate 24 extends between side plates 18 and is secured to the bulkhead or-wall B as by suitable securing members such as screw 26 in order to space member 20 from thewall or bulkhead. For

' further reenforcement of the frame, a channel 28 is connected to plate 2 l as by means of screws 30. Furthermore, a vertical plate 32 extends along the bottom of the frame between side members 18 and functions to connect the two members and thereby stiffen the main frame 12. A plate 33 is secured to plate 32 and extends upwardly thereof to prevent luggage from being pushed too far under the seat 16 so as to interfere with the oper-' ation of the sofa-berth.

The movable part or berth pan 14 comprises a sheet metal bottom 34, sheet metal sides 36 which are preferably integralwith bottom 34 and front and

rear panels

38 and 40, respectively. Front panel 38 is made of sheet metal material and is formed into a triangular member with the free end 42 of the front panel extending away from the triangular member and in underlying relationship to the bottom 34 of berth pan 14. The underlying projecting portion 42 of front panel 38 is preferably welded to the bottom member 34 so as to secure the member 38 thereto and member 38 is also preferably welded to the sides 36 of the berth pan. Rear panel 40 isalso formed into a triangular memberwith projecting portion 44 thereof underlying bottom 34 of berth pan 14 and being welded thereto. The edges of rear panel 40 are preferably connected to sides 36 of berth pan 14 as by welding. It will be seen therefore that berth pan 14 is formed into a hollow rectangular member which is suitably reenforced by the triangular front and

rear panels

38 and 40. The berth pan is of suitable depth to support a foam rubber or other type mattress M therewithin.

Secured in underlying relationship to the bottom 34 of berth pan 14 are a pair of brackets 48 having ears 50 extending outwardly from the bottom of the pan. The brackets 4% may be secured to the bottom.34 of pan 14 in any suitable manner such as by means of rivets 52.

-'stantially upright position shown in Fig. l and to and from a substantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. '3; Disposed over the bottom of the upper portion of berth pan 14 is a suitable padding such as foam rubber cushioning 6% which is covered by suitable upholstery fabric 62 so as to adapt the berth pan to function as a back rest for the sofa-berth when the berth pan is in its substantially upright position as shown in Fig. 1. Foam 'r ubber cushioning 69 extends around the front bottom corner of berth pan 14 and overlies front panel 33 thereof "so as to give the sofa berth a finished appearance. top front edge of the upholstered front berth pan designated as is adapted to abut against cushioning 68 which overlies channel member 28 which forms the top part of main frame 12. By providing a cushioned engagement between the berth pan and main frame as hereinbefore described, it will be seen that the possibility of a person injuring himself as by crushing his fingers between the pan and the frame is substantially obviated. Furthermore, by providing the cushioned engagement as hereinbefore described, when it is desired to move the berth pan from its upright position to its horizontal position, the operator need merely insert his fingers between

portions

66 and 68 of the berth pan and frame, respectively, which insertion is facilitated by the resiliency of the cushioning at the point of engagement. This enables the operator to easily grip the upper front edge of the upholstered berth pan and move the berth pan out of its upright position and towards its horizontal position.

It is desirable that the berth pan in its horizontal position be disposed at the height at which a bed is normally disposed above the floor. In sofa-berth constructions, this desirable feature is often prevented by the interference of the seat with the moving of the berth pan to such a desired position. Furthermore, it is not feasible to dispose the seat closer to the fioor since the sofa-berth when employed as a sofa would be uncomfortable because the seat would be too close to the floor. In order to obviate these shortcomings, applicant provides novel means for moving the seat from a raised position when the sofa-berth is to be used as a sofa to a lowered position when the sofaberth is to be used as a bed. With the seat moved to a lowered position when the sofa-berth is to be used as a bed, the seat does not interfere with the berth moving to the desired position relative to the floor.

Seat 16 is constituted by a pair of relatively heavy side plates 7% which are secured in spaced relation by means of a front member 72 and a rear member 74. Rear member 74 is formed into a hollow reenforcing member which is secured to side plates 70 in any suitable manner as by welding. Front member 72 is formed from heavy gauge sheet metal into an inverted U-shaped member which also is secured to side plates 70 in any suitable manner as by welding. Extending parallel to side plates 70 are a plurality of spaced leaf springs 76 which are secured to front member 72 in any suitable manner as by welding and which engage a flanged portion 78 of rear member 74 to thereby hold said springs in fixed relation within the seat construction. Overlying rear member 74, side members 70, springs 76 and front member 72 is foam rubber or other cushioning which is covered by suitable upholstery fabric 82. In order to secure the upholstery fabricadjacent the front of seat 16, a spring member 84 is welded to the front member 72 along a portion of the surface thereof, the front end of member 84 being self-biased into engagement with the horizontal portion of front member 72. The fabric 82 may be disposed between member 72 and member 84 and held in fixed relation thereto by the spring bias of the member 84. Secured to side plates 70 of seat 16 as by welding are a pair of depending plates 86. Plates 86 are connected to rearwardly extending levers 88 as by bolts 90 and levers 88 are connected at their other ends to the side plates 18 of frame 12 by means of pivot pins 92. In this manner, seat 16 is pivotally mounted on main frame 12 for pivotal movement to and from the position shown in Fig. l and to and from the position shown in Fig. 3.

To maintain seat 16 in the position shown in Fig. 3, in which position the seat is lowered to permit the berth pan 14 to move into its horizontal position, stop means 94 are provided. Stop means 94 comprises a pair of side plates which are welded to side frame members 18 and extend forwardly of said side frame members. Secured to side members 96 is a front member 98. Front member 93 is adapted to fit within inverted U-shaped front member '72. of seat 16 to permit the seat to move downwardly relative to the main frame and to the stop means. When the seat. is lowered in a manner to be. described hereinafter, the upper edgeof front member 98 engages the horizontal portion of front member 72 of seat 16 and thereby prevents further lowering movement of the seat.

In order to effect movement of the seat as hereinbefore described, a pair of rollers or cam followers 100 are rotatably mounted on pins 102 which are fixedly secured to side levers 88. Rollers 100 are adaptedto engage a pair of cam tracks 104 which are secured to brackets 48 on berth pan 14 in any suitable manner as by welding. Cam tracks 104 are so shaped and proportioned that when berth pan 14 is in its upright position as shown in Fig. 1, the cam tracks 104 underlie rollers 100 and thereby partially support seat 16, the remainder of the support for seat 16 being provided by frame 12 at pivot 92. The cam track is shaped so that seat 16 is in its raised position when berth pan 14 is in its upright position thereby adapting the sofa-berth for use as a sofa. Furthermore, cam track We is shaped so that when the berth pan is moved toward its horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3, the seat 16 will slowly move toward its lowered position under the bias of gravity and under the control of cam track 104 which is partially supporting the seat. At the point where the seat engages stop means 94 so as to prevent further downward movement of the seat, cam tracks 104 move out of engagement with rollers 100 and remains out of engagement through the rest of the movement of the berth pan 14 toward its horizontal position. When it is desired to convert the sofa-berth from a bed to a sofa, the reverse events take place: during the first part of the movement of the pan 14 from its horizontal position to its upright position, seat 16 remains in its lowered position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When the pan reaches some intermediate position, for instance, the position shown in Fig. 2, cam track 104 re-engages the bottom surface of rollers 100 and commences to lift seat 16 due to the formation of cam tracks 104 and this lifting movement is continued until berth pan 14 moves into its upright position as shown in Fig. 1, in which position seat 16 is supported in its raised position by the cam followers or rollers 100 and the cam tracks 104, as well as by the pivoted levers 88. I

Pursuant to another highly desirable feature of the present invention, novel means are provided in the sofaberth for preventing bed clothes and other articles carried by the berth pan or mattress from moving relative to the berth pan. Particularly, the bed clothes retaining means functions to prevent various bed clothes and other articles from falling off the berth pan and mattress and dropping down between the berth pan and the closed back plate 20 so as to interfere with the ordinary operation of the sofa-berth. The bed clothes retainingmeans comprises a retainer bar 112 extending the length of the mattress M and carried at the ends thereof by a pair of arms 114 movably mounted on the berth pan in a manner who described hereinafter. Particularly, arms 114 are fixedly secured to brackets 116 which are pivotally mounted as at 119 on fixed brackets 118 secured to the sides of the berth pan 14 as by rivets,120.i Preferably, arms 114 supporting retainer member 112 are slightly resilient so as to provide some contact pressure between the retainer member and the bed clothes carried by the mattress. cars 12; on which are carried bearings 123 for rotatably mounting rollers 124 which function as cam followers and whichfit into cam tracks 12% which are welded to the sides 18 of main frame 12. Cam tracks 126 are formed so that they are in engagement with the cam folposition as shown in Fig. l, cam followers or rollers 124.

Brackets 116 are provided with 1 To further prevent any inadvertant falling of articles off the bed so as to interfere with the normal operation of 'the sofa-berth, a longitudinal plate 130 is pivotally,

mounted on the upper rear edge of berth pan 14 as by piano hinge 132. The upper end of the plate 130 is wrapped around end bars 134- so as to provide the plate are engaged by the righthand portion 128 of cam track 126. Accordingly',in this position, the'ca'm track tends to rotate arms 114 and retainer member 112 in a counterclockwise direction and therefore urges the retainer member 1112 against the bed clothes on the mattress to thereby retainthe bed clothes in fixed relation tothe mattress.

The lower right hand portion 128 of cam track 126 is arcuate and concentric with pivot 56 for berth pan 14. Accordingly, during the first portion of movement of the berth pan away from its upright position and towards its horizontal position, there is no. change in position of the bed clothes retaining means relative to the mattress and bed clothes thereon. Accordingly, while the berth pan is in asubstantially upright position, the 'bed clothes retaining means remains in fixed relation thereto and in engagement with the bed clothes to thereby prevent the bedv clothes from moving relative to the mattress and;

falling off the mattress and down into the mechanism. This co'n dition persists until the berth pan is moved to an intermediate position, as shown in Fig. 2, at which time the roller engages a portion of cam track 126 which is not concentric with pivot 56 and which causes the bed clothes retaining means to move away from the mattress.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the intermediate position is at the angle of repose of the bed clothes on the mattress, which angle has been found to be approximately degrees from the vertical. At the intermediate position shown in Fig. 2, cam follower or roller 124 moves into engagement with the-left hand portion of cam track 126 and as the berth pan is continued to be moved towards its horizontal position, the cam track prevents the bed clothes retaining means 110 from moving therewith but instead moves it clockwise relative to the berth pan and away from the bed clothes. As the movement of the berth pan continuestowards its horizontal position, the bed clothes retaining means 110 continues to move away from its retaining position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and when the berth pan is moved into its horizontal position shown in Big. 3, the bed clothes retaining means has been moved by means of the cam follower and cam track arrangement hereinbefore de- 130 with a smooth finished appearance and to provide a suitable mounting for rollers 137 which ride on tracks 139 which overlie rear member 20. Rollers137 are biased by hair pin springs 136 into engagement with tracks 139, the springs engaging at their other ends fixed pins143 secured to the sides of berth pan 14. Accordingly,- the rollers 137 are constantly in engagement with tracks 139 and plate 136 is closely adjacent back plate 2d of frame 12 and thereby prevents any articles on the bed frorn dropping into the, mechanism of the sofa-berth. Pursuant to another feature of the inclusion of retaining plates 134 in this invention, the

rollers 137 biased bysprings 136 into engagement with 7 tracks 139 further serve as a brake to prevent overly rapid scribed to a position in which the arms 114extend rearwardly of the berth and the retainer member 112 is closely adjacent rear member 20 of the main frame. In this position, the bed clothes retaining means is out of obstructing relationship with the berth and, accordingly, the berth may be used as a bed. When the sofa berth is to be converted from a bed to a sofa, the reverse events take place. Specifically, as the berth pan is rotated about its pivot 56 in a clockwise direction, cam track and cam follower arrangement 124-126 immediately commences to rotate the bed clothes retaining means 119 in a counter-clockwise direction so as to move retainer member 112} toward the mattress. As the berth pan moves into its intermediate position shown in Fig. 2, retainer member 112 is moved into engagement with the bed-clothes and thereafter the retainer member 112 is maintained in engagement with the bed clothes so as the berth pan as by rivets 12d.

movement of the berth pan to and from its two extreme positions. Accordingly, the. possibility of someone. be-

:ing injured by overly quick movement of the berth pan to. and from its two extreme positions is substantially obviated.

In accordance with another highly desirable feature of the present invention, berth pan 14- may have mounted thereon a suitable head rest or head board 135. Head board is preferably mounted on the berth pan 14 as by spaced brackets 13% which are suitably secured to the head board and are also seemed to the side of Of course, the head board; is included at only one end of the berth pan and provides a suitable support for a pillow on the berth. Furthermore, it will be obvious that if desired, the head board maybe eliminated from the construction without departing from the invention.

In accordance with another highly desirable feature of this invention, novel means are provided for stopping the berth pan when it is moved into its horizontal position and'for locking the berth pan in said horizontal position. The means for stopping the berth pan in. its horizontal position comprises a pair of angle brackets are which are suitably secured to side plates 1% of frame 12 as byscrews 148. Secured to the lower surface of the outwardly extending portions of angle brackets 146 are resilient pads 152 which may be made of rubber and which are preferably securedto the portion 150 as. by screws 154. Pad 152 is so positioned in proportion that when the berth pan moves into its horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3, brackets 54 extending outwardly from the ends of berth pan 14 engage the bottom of pads 152 to thereby prevent further movement of the pan about its pivot.

The] novel means for holding or locking the berth pan 14 in its horizontal position comprises a pair of fixed latch members 140 which are suitably sec'uredto side walls 18 of'frame 12 as by screws. It is .toibe noted that fixed latch members 141 are provided with V-shaped, notches 142 which are adapted to engage movable latch members 144 which are pivotally mounted on the berth pan. Particularly, movable latch members 144 are fixedly mounted on a shaft 145 which is rotatably carried by a pair of plates 149 that are welded to the sides of berth pan 14. adjacent the back thereof and depend therefrom. Accordingly, latch members 144 operate in unison. Latch members 144. are each provided with a latching surface 151 which is adapted to interengage the latch surfaces 141 of notch 142 in the associated, fixed latch member 140 so as to prevent movement of the pan 14 out of its horizontal position. In order, to

effect pivotal movement of movable latch members 144 the fixed latch members 140, a longitudinally movable bar 153 is pivotally connected to one of the latch members 144 as by a pivot pin 155. Bar 153 is provided with slot 158 so as to guide the bar 153 in its longislot has disposed therewithin a pin 1 66 which is fixedly mounted on the side of berth pan 14 and cooperates with slots 158 so as to guide the bar 153 in its longitudinal path of movement. from the position shown in Fig. 3, an actuator 162 is pivotally mounted on the side of berth pan M as by pivot pin 164. Actuator 162 is provided with a suitable means for gripping it so as to pivot the actuator about its pivot pin. As shown herein, the means for gripping actuator 162 is an elongated slot 166 in the portion of actuator 162 extending above the top of the berth pan which slot is sufficiently large to permit an operator to insert his fingers therewithin and serves as a handle so as to grip the actuator and pivotally move it. Actuator 162 is provided with an extension or protrusion 168, which extension is adapted to engage longitudinally movable bar 153 in a notch 176 provided adjacent the front end of the bar. With the latching arrangement as hereinbefore described, when it is desired to unlock berth pan 14 and move it out of its horizontal position, an operator need only grip the actuator and pivotally move it in a clockwise direction whereby to cause bar 154 to move to the left as viewed in Fig. 3 and thereby pivot movable latch members 144 counter-clockwise to disengage them from fixed latch members 140. With the latch members disengaged, the pan is free to be rotated in a clockwise direction so as to move the pan from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3 to the upright position shown in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent inadvertent unlatching of the latch members Nth-144 when the pan is in its horizontal position, a supplementary locking arrangement is provided to prevent actuator 162 from being inadvertently moved. This supplementary or auxiliary latching arrangement includes a locking dog 172 which is pivotally mounted on berth pan 14 as at 173. Locking dog 172 has a portion thereof extending above the top of the berth pan and is provided with a protrusion 174 which is adapted to interengage a notch 176 in actuator 162 and thereby prevent inadvertent pivotal movement of the actuator. In order to hold locking dog 172 in locking relationship with actuator 162, a hair pin spring 178 is wound around a fixed pin 189 mounted on berth pan 14 and the left hand arm 182 of spring 178 engages locking dog 172 and biases it in a clockwise direction, in which direction the interengaging portions of the locking dog and actuator are intereugaged. The other arm 184 of spring 178 extends downwardly and engages the portion of longitudinally movable bar 153 adjacent a notch 186 therein so as to normally bias the bar to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 so that movable latch member 144 is normally biased towards its interengaging position with fixed latch member 14d. When it is desired to move the berth pan 14 from its horizontal position to its upright position, the operator pivotally moves the locking dog E72 in a counter-clockwise direction by pressing down on the portion thereof which extends above the berth pan and thereafter pivots actuator 162 in a clockwise direction, which movement will move bar 153 to the left as viewed in Fig. 3 andpivot movable latch members 144 in a counter-clockwise direction so as to cause unlatching thereof. It isto be noted that since actuator 162 provides a handle part for the berth pan, when the actuator is moved upwardly so as to rotate it is a clockwise direction in order to unlatch the latch parts 140-444 the force of said last mentioned movement will further be effective for pulling the berthpan upwardly in a clockwise direction so as to move it towards its upright position as shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, once the locking dog 172 is moved out of locking relationship with actuator 162, the operator In order to move bar 153' actuator in order to unlock the pan from its horizontal position and commence moving the pan towards its upright position. Furthermore, as may best be seen in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the locking arrangement hereinbefore described is covered by a plate 188 in order to prevent unauthorized access to the berth pan lock and in order to provide a suitable guide for the longitudinally movable bar 153.

It is to be noted that in the position of the parts illustrated by Fig. 1, the center of gravity of the seat back 14 and the parts carried thereby is at the right of the pivot constituted by the pivot pins 56. On the other hand, in moving the seat back 14 forwardly toward the berth forming position, the weight of the seat 16 transmitted to the cam tracks 104 by the rollers 102 acts as a counterweight to facilitate said forward movement of the seat back 14 and also when the seat back 14 is being moved from the berth forming position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1 the weight of the seat 16 similarly acts as a counterweight to oppose rapid movement of the seat back to the position shown in Fig. 1. Further in this connection it is to be noted that the counterweight action of the seat in is transmitted by the cam tracks 104 to the seat back 14. Further it is to be noted that in the position of the parts illustrated by Fig. 2, the seat back 14 is substantially balanced so that it may be moved gently and with the applicationof but little force either to its berth'forming position shown in Fig. 3 or rearwardly toward its seat back position illustrated in Fig. 1.

Although I have herein shown and described one form of the present invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame and a movable part forming a back rest for said sofa in oneposition and a bed in a substantially horizontal position, a movable seat for said sofa extending forwardly of said back rest, means pivotally mounting said movable seat rearwardly thereof on said frame, said movable part and said seat carrying cooperating cam means for supporting said seat in one position when said movable part is in said one position, said cam means being adapted to control movement of said seat toward a second position below said one position thereof when said movable part is moved to its substantially horizontal position, said seat being engaged by said movable part when the latter is in said substantially horizontal position.

2. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame and a movable part forming a back rest for said sofa in one position and a bed in a substantially horizontal position, a movable seat for said sofa, a cam carried by said movable part and a cam follower carried by said seat, said cam underlying said cam follower when said movable part is in said one position for supporting said seat in one position in which the entire top surface of said seat is at a predetermined level, said cam being so shaped that when said movable part is moved from said one position toward said horizontal position, said seat moves to a second position in which said entire top surface is substantially below said predetermined level to prevent interference thereby with said movable part being moved into said horizontal position, said seat supporting said movable part in said horizontal position thereof.

3. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame and a movable part forming a back rest for said sofa in one position and a bed in a substantially horizontal position, a seat pivotally mounted on said main frame rearwardly of said seat for movement to and from first and second positions, said. movable part and said seat carrying cooperating cam means for supporting said seat in said first position when said movable part is in said one position, said cooperating cam means being, adapted to control the pivotal movement of said seat out of said first positiontoward said second position when said movable part is moved toward its substantially horizontal position, whereby to prevent interference of said movement of said movable part by said seat, said seat providing a support for said movable part when the latter is in said substantially horizontalposition. i

4. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame, a first movable part pivotally mounted for movement to and from one position and to and from a substantially horizontal position, said movable part forming a back rest for said sofa'in said one position and a bed in said horizontal position, a second movable part pivotally mounted on said main frame rearwardly of said second movable part for movement to and from a first position in which it defines a seat and a second position substantially below said first position and in which it supports said first movable part, said movable parts carrying cooperating cam means for supporting said second movable part in said.

and a movable part forming a back rest for said sofa in one position and a bed in a substantially horizontal posif tion, a movable seat for said sofa, said movable part and said seat carrying cooperating cam means for supporting said seat in one position in which the entire top surface of said seat is at a predetermined level when said movable part isin said one position, said cam means being adapted to controlmovement of said seat toward a second position-in which said entire top surface is substantially below said predetermined level when said movable part is moved to its substantially horizontal position, said cooperating cam means being further adapted to become disengaged prior to said movable part moving into said substantially horizontal position whereby to withdraw support from said seat and thereby permit said seat to move into its second position, whereby to prevent said seat from interfering with the movement of said movable part into its second position, said seat being in supporting engagement with said movable part when the latter is in said substantially horizontal position...

6. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame and a movable part forming a back rest for said sofa in one position and a bed in a substantially horizontal position, a movable seat for said sofa, said movable part and said seat carrying cooperating cam means for supporting said seatin one position in which the entire'top surface of said seat is at a predetermined level when said movable part is in said one position, said cam means being adapted to control movement of said seat toward a second position in which said entire top surface is substantially below said predetermined level when said movable part is moved to its substantially horizontal position, said cooperating cam means being further adapted to become disengaged prior to said movable part moving into said substantially horizontal position whereby to withdraw support from said seat and thereby permit said seat to move into its second position, whereby to prevent said seat from interfering with themovement of said movable part into its second position, and stop means engageable with said seat for holding the latter in said second position, in which it supports, the movable part in said substantially horizontal position, the portion of said cooperating cam means carried by said seat being so positioned when said seat is in said second position thatwhen said movable part is moved out of said substantially horizontal position and to said one position, said cooperating cam means reengage during said movement whereby to move said seat to said first position when said movable part is moved to said one position.

7; In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame and a movable. part forming a back rest for said sofa in one position and a bed in a substantially horizontal position, a seat operatively pivotally mounted on said main frame rearwardly of the seat and movable to and from an upper position in which said seat and said movable part in said one position cooperate to form a sofa and movable to and from a lower position in which said seat underlies and supports said movable part in said substantially horizontal position, a cam follower operatively carried by said movable seat, a cam'operatively carried by said movable part and being engageable with and disengageable from said cam follower, said cam and cam follower being arranged so that when said movable part is in said one position said cam underlies said cam follower to support said seat in said raised position, and when said movable part is moved toward its substantially horizontal position said seat moves toward its lower position and prior to saidmovable part moving into said second position, said cam and cam means become dis- "engaged to thereby permit said seat to drop to said lower position. 7

8. In a convertible sofa-berth having a main frame, a movable part pivotally mounted for movement to and from one position and to and from a substantially horizontal position, said movable part forming a back rest for said'sofa in said one position and abed in said horizontal position, a movable seat extending forwardly of said movable part,"a pair of rearwardly extending bracket arms fixedly securedto said seat at their forward ends and pivotally secured to said main frame adjacent their rear ends, a cam follower mounted on each of said bracket arms, a pair of cam tracks fixedly secured to said movable part and adapted to engage the lower surfaces of said cam followers when said'movable part is in said one position whereby to support said seat in a raised position, said cam tracks being shaped so that when said movable part is pivotally moved toward its horizontal position, said seat pivotally moves toward a lowered position in which said seat underlies a portion of said movable part in said horizontal position and prior to said movable part reaching said horizontal position said cam tracks move outof engagement with said cam followers whereby to permit said, seat to move to said lowered position under the influence of gravity, stop means for holding said seat in said lowered position, said seat in said lowered position being adapted to engage said movable part in its horizontal position whereby to support said movable part in said horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,683,958 Conhaim et al. Sept. 11, 1928 v 1,948,841 Cane Feb. 27, 1934 2,111,521 Wunderlich Mar. 15, 1938 2,144,651 Feldman Jan. 24, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,819 Austria Dec. 27, 1906 467,008 Great Britain June 9, 1937 476,353 Canada Aug. 28, 1951