US2961036A

US2961036A - Leg-rest and control arrangement for chair

Info

Publication number: US2961036A
Application number: US647795A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fridtjof F Schliephacke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-03-22
Filing date: 1957-03-22
Publication date: 1960-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-22

Description

Nov. 22, 1960 F. F. SCHLIEPHACKE 2,961,036

LEG-REST AND CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR CHAIR Filed March 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 6, 2 F/F/DTJOF sou/2,940:

BY M4411 Nov. 22, 1960 F. F. SCHLIEPHACKE 2,961,035

LEG-REST AND CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR 0mm Filed March 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet z United States Patent 9 LEG-REST AND CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR CHAIR Fridtjof F. Schliephacke, Berlin-Schrnargendorf, Germany, assignor to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Filed Mar. 22, 1957, Ser. No. 647,795 Claims. (Cl. 155-106) The present invention relates to articles of furniture, and in particular to an improved leg-rest and control arrangement for the type of a chair including a support and body supporting means having a seat and a back-rest rockably mounted on the support.

It is known to construct a chair including a seat and back-rest rockably mounted on a support and a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of the seat with provision for coordinating movement of the seat and legit is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide an improved linkage control coordinated to movement of the back-rest of the chair which is effective to move the leg-rest upwardly and outwardly in relation to the seat of the chair in response to the reclining movement of the back-rest.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features of the present invention, the improved leg-rest and control arrangement comprises a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of the seat of the chair, a pivotally mounted arm, a first controlling link crossing the pivotally mounted arm and having both a pivotal and slidable connection to said arm, and a second pivotally mounted controlling link, said second controlling link pivotally mounting said arm and having a pivotal connection to said first controlling link at a location spaced rearwardly of the pivotal and slidable connection. The spacing between the pivotal mount for the second controlling link and its pivotal connection to the first controlling link is greater than the spacing between the pivotal mount for the arm on said second controlling link and its pivotal and slidable connection to the first controlling link whereby the second controlling link describes a greater are than the first arm which in turn is effective to turn the leg-rest both upwardly and outwardly in relation to the forward end of the seat. Coordination of the improved =foot-rest linkage to the back-rest and the seat is achieved by a further linkage means of known construction.

The above brief description as well as further objects and advantages of the invention will best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a number of preferred embodiments, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of reclining chair demonstrating features of the present invention, with a portion of one side wall broken away to disclose the details of the operating mechanism at the one side of the chair;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, with portions broken away, illustrating the chair in Fig. 1 and showing the coordinated position of the seat and leg-rest when the ployed at each side of the chair in Fig. l for coordinating the movement of the seat and the leg-rest to the back-rest;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating a further embodiment of reclining chair demonstrating features of the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the chair illustrated in Fig. 4, but showing the coordinated position of the seat and leg-rest when the back-rest is in the reclined position.

Referring now specifically to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, there is shown a first embodiment of the invention which, except for the improved leg-rest arrangement, is subject to a latitude of variations and change. Specifically, it will be seen that in Fig. 1 the chair 10 has a frame 12, body-supporting means 14 having a seat 16 and a back-rest 18, and a leg-rest 20 disposed adjacent and beneath the forward end of the seat 16 and mounted for coordinated movement with the back-rest 18. In this illustrative form of invention, identical linkage arrangements are employed at each side of the chair for coordinating movement of the seat 16 and the leg-rest 20 to the back-rest.

mechanism at the adjacent side of the chair, which adjacent side has been exposed by removal of portions of the support or frame 12.

The back-rest 18 of the body-supporting means 14 is rockably mounted on the support 12 at the pivot 38. The seat 16 is mounted on the same pivot by means of a pair of rearwardly projecting bars 40 which are fixed to the seat 16 and pivotally mount the seat 16 on the support 12 at the pivot 38. The illustrative rockable mount for the seat 16 and the back-rest 18 on the support is coaxial, but the respective pivotal connection for the seat and the backrest on the support could be spaced from each other.

An appropriate linkage arrangement is interconnected between the reclinable back-rest 18 and the seat 16 to transmit the movement of the back-rest 18 to the seat 16, whereby in response to reclining movement of the backrest, the seat is displaced to the inclined position illustrated in Fig. 2. This linkage arrangement includes a guiding link 44 and first and second connecting

links

48, 50. The guiding link 44 has a pivotal connection 60 at its upper end to the support 12. Intermediate its ends, the guiding link 44 has a pivotal connection 79 to one end of the connecting link 48, the other end of said connecting link having a pivotal connection 58 to the lower end of the back-rest 18 at a point spaced below the pivot 38 of thei body-supporting means 14 on the support 12. The seat.

connecting link 50 has its upper end pivotally connected to the seat 16 at the pivot 64 and has its lower end pivotally connected to a lateral extension of the guiding link 4 at the pivot 66. The extension is integral with the guiding link 44 at a point spaced above the pivot-a1 connection 79. The described linkage arrangement is effective to' Extending across the arm 70 is a first controlling link 76 which is connected at its rearward end to the guiding link 44 and at its forward end to the leg-rest 20. At a location intermediate its ends, the first controlling link.

Patented Nov. 22, 1960 Accord I ingly, it will suflice to describe the details of the linkage 76 hasapivotal and slidableconnection tothe arm 70. The pivotal connection at the rearward end of the first controlling link to the guiding link 44 has been designated by thereference numeral 62; the pivotal. connegtionatthe few 3 nd 0f rst controlling: link to the 1eg-rest ZO 'hasbeendesignated by the reference numeral 86; and the pivotal and slidable connection between the first con trolling link 76 and the arm 70 includes the pin 805011 the link 76, and the elongated slot 82formed in the Intermediatethe lower end of thearm, 7i) and the le rest 20 is afurther connectinglink 92 which has a pivotal connection; 94; at its forward end to the leg-rest 20 at a.

location spaced belowthe-pivotal connection 86,-and a pivotal. connection 90 at its rearward end to thelower trolling link 96 has its upper hooked end pivotally mounted on the seat 16 at'the pivot 99 and supports the arm 70 which-is connected thereto at pivot 72. The second controlling link 96has a pivotalconnection 98' at its lower end to the first controllinglink. 76 at a location spaced rearwardly relative to the pivotal and' slidable connection between the first controlling link 76 and the arm 70. The spacing between the pivotal connection 99 of the second controlling link 96 ,v on the seat and its pivotal connection 98 to the first controlling link 76' is, greater than the spacing betweenthe pivotal connection 72 of the arm '70 on the second controlling link 96 and the'pivotal and

slidable connection

80, 82 between the arm 70 and the firstcontrolling link76, the pin till-being at the upper end of the slot 82 as shown inFig. 1. Thus, in response to reclining movement of the back-rest, the second controlling link 96 will traverse a greater are than that traversed by the arm 70 whereby the leg-rest 2%) is translated both outwardly and upwardly in. response to the drive imparted to the first controlling link via the guidinglink 44 and the connecting link 48. The function ,of the second controlling link% is to'guide the pin 80- in the slot 82 of the first controlling link 76 so that the pin 80 is urged downwardly toward the lower end of the slot (Fig. 2) in response to movement of the backrest into the reclined position to provide an efiectively longer support for the legs of the person using the chair.

The purpose of the present irnproved linkage arrangement may he more fully appreciated by considering typical but nonetheless illustrative dimensionsof a chair. The average seat length is approximately 21 and the average leg-rest length is approximately lit". Thus the overall, dimensionfor supportingthe portioniof. the-persons-torsoiromthe hip. pivot to the feet is approximately However, experience indicates that this dimension should be of the order of 38", and that a 49" support is optimum. By the linkage arrangement described whereby the leg-rest 2%) is transmitted outwardly as well as forwardly relative to the, seat, and with the slot 82 approximately 2" in length, it is possible-to exceed the minimum permissible dimension and totarrive at optimum conditions. In this connection the overall height or width of the .legfrest cannot exceed 10" for the seat level should be at approximately 177; and 7" are required for the depth of-the seat and for clearance betweenthe lower end of the leg-rest and the floor support.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there is illustrated a modification of the chair of Figs. lto 3 which is substantially identical to the: embodiment: illustrated in Figs; 1 to 3. inclusive.

Accordingly,- the corresponding parts haverbeen nat y hesame. r f r n e. num r s as mployed n.

Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, but aspart of a series. In lieu of a support, seat and back-rest having a coaxial pivot or spaced apart pivots, in this embodiment the seat 116 and back-rest 118 are rigid with each other and together constitute the body supportingunit 114 which is pivoted on the support 112 at the pivot;138.

The leg-rest 120 is disposed; adjacent to and beneath the forward end of theseat116 and is supported thereon by identical linkage/arrangementsarranged at each side of the. chair. The linkage arrangements each embody an arm 170 pivoted on the second controlling link 196 and havingva' pin-.and"slot,connection,180,'182 to a first controlling link 176, The first controlling link 176 is pivotally connected'at 186' to theleg-rest 120 and a connecting link 192 is pivotally connected between the lower end of the arm 170 and the leg-rest 120 at the

respective pivots

190, 194; The second controlling link 196 is pivoted on the seat at. the pivot l99 and has a pivotal connection 198 to the first controlling link 176 at a location spaced rearwardly of the pin and slot connection 180, 182. A guiding link 144. has its upperend pivotally mountedon the supportv 112 at the pivotal connection The lower end of the guidiugilink 14-4 is pivotally connected at the pivotal connection 162 to the rearward end of the first controlling link 1%. i

In this embodiment, whenthe back-rest 118 is urged, rearwardly to the reclined position, the unitary seat 116 is moved therewith and the legrest12tl is extended outwardly, upwardly andforwardlytas seenin Fig. 5 by the linkage arrangement which is coordinated to the bodysupporting unit 114.

From the foregoing illustrative invention, itwill be appreciated that in accordance with the present invention an improved leg-rest control an rangement is provided which. is compatible with the space andlstructural limitations imposed for, chairs of this type, yet provide for the extension of the legtrest in relation to the seat to comfortably accommodate theuser in the reclined position. A latitude of modifications, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and accordingly the appended claims should be construed broadly and in a. manner consistent, with the spirit and scopeof the invention. In some instances, some features of the invention will be used without a, corresponding use of other features.

What Iclaim is:

1. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support member and abodysupporting member having'a seatand a back-rest movably mounted on said support for rearward movement to various reclining positions, said arrangement corn-v prising a leg-restv adapted to be moved to an elevated leg-supporting position as said body-supporting member moves .rearwardly, an arm, a first controlling link, means providing a pivotal and slidable connection between said firstcontrolling link and said arm, a second controlling link, means pivotally mounting said second controlling link on said seat ata first pivotal mount, meansipivotally' mounting said arm on said controlling link at a second pivotal mount spaced fromv said first pivotal mount of said second control-link on said seat for turning move ment relative to said second controlling link and said seat, said arm turning in a forwardly directed are about said second pivotal mount as said body-supporting means and said second controlling link move rearwardly, means providinga pivotal connection between said second controlling iink and said first controlling link, means pivotally connecting said first controlling link to said leg:rest, means operatively connecting said arm to, said leg-rest, and means connecting said first controlling link to atleast one of said members for coordinating the movement of said leg-rest to movement of said back-rest,

2., An improved leg-rest and control arrangement: according to claim 1 wherein said last-named; means;

embodiments of the,

includes at least one guide link pivotally mounted on said support.

3. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support member and a bodysupporting member having a seat and a back-rest movably mounted on said support for rearward movement to various reclining positions; said arrangement comprising a leg-rest adapted to be moved to an elevated leg-supporting position as said body-supporting member moves rearwardly, an arm, a first controlling link, means providing a pivotal and slidable connection between said first controlling link and said arm, a second controlling link, means pivotally mounting said second controlling link on said seat at a first pivotal mount, means pivotally mounting said arm on said second controlling link at a second pivotal mount spaced from said first pivotal mount of said second control link on said seat for turning movement relative to said second controlling link and said seat, said arm turning in a forwardly directed are about said second pivotal mount as said body-supporting means and said second controlling link move rearwardly, means providing a pivotal connection between said second controlling link and said first controlling link, means providing a pivotal connection between said first controlling link and said legrest, a connecting link pivotally connecting said arm to said leg-rest, and means connecting said first controlling link to one of said members for coordinating the movement of said leg-rest to movement of said backrest.

4. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said body-supporting member includes a seat and back-rest mounted on said support for inclining and reclining movement respectively and wherein said last-named means includes a connecting link pivotally connected to said first controlling link and to said back-rest.

5. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said body-supporting member includes a rigid seat and back-rest and wherein said last-named means includes a guiding link pivotally mounted on said support member and pivotally connected to said first controlling link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,745,469 Lorenz May 15, 1956 2,750,988 Luckhardt June 19, 1956 2,781,825 Lorenz Feb. 19, 1957 2,788,058 Luckhardt Apr. 9, 1957 2,888,978 Schliephacke June 2, 1959