US3065024A

US3065024A - Adjustable reclining chair with coordinated leg-rest control means

Info

Publication number: US3065024A
Application number: US771991A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fletcher Peter Stewart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-11-05
Filing date: 1958-11-05
Publication date: 1962-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1979-11-20

Description

Nov. 20, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,065,024

ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 5, 1958 INVENTOR. PETER STEWH RT FLETCHER A TTOR VE Y5 Nov. 20, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,065,024

ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS Filed NOV. 5, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INI'ENTOR. PE FER STEWHRT FLETCHER ATT'ORIVE Y5 Nov. 20, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,065,024

ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR. PETER srewmzr FLETIHFR MHZ A TffR/VE )5 P. s. FLETCHER 3,065,024 ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS Nov. 20, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 5, 1958 PETER STEWART FLETCHEI A I'TORIVEYS Nov. 20, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 1958 r INVENTOR. 8&0 82% PETER srzwmzrnrrmm Lat mm s 1?! FEE/m L I C:

Nov. 20, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR WITH COORDINATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEANS 6 SheetsSheet 6 Filed NOV. 5, 1958 SIG:

INVENTOR. PETER STEWART FLETCHER ATTORIV United States Patent Ofiice 3,055,024 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 3,065,024 ADJUSTABLE REQLHNING CHAIR WETH Cit-ORDE- NATED LEG-REST CONTROL MEAN Peter Stewart Fletcher, Boynton Beach, Fla, assignor to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla. Filed Nov. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 771391 6 Qlairns. (Cl. 297-89) This invention relates to articles of furniture and in particular to a new and improved reclining chair of the type in which body-supporting means are rockably mounted on a support and a leg-rest is mounted for coordinated movement with the body-supporting means.

This application contains subject matter which is common with that of my co-pending United States patent ap plications, Serial Nos. 495,684 and 495,685 both filed March 21, 1955 and both now abandoned, and consti tutes a coutinuation-in-part of said application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair of the above-described type with a mechanism for propelling a leg-rest forwardly and upwardly during movement of the body-supporting means from a sitting position into a reclined position, the leg-rest mechanism being so arranged and constructed that the leg-rest is positioned a relatively long distance from the front edge of the seat when the seat is in an extreme reclined position, so that tall persons having long legs may rest comfortably on such a reclining chair.

Another obpect of the invention is the provision, in a reclining chair of the type described, of an improved legrest linkage construction for actuating and guiding the legrest in its coordinated movement with the body-supporting means, the linkage having a single connection to the seat whereby its movement is independent of movement of the seat and can be controlled to provide desired paths of movement relative to the body-supporting means without changing the general structure of the linkage.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a leg-rest actuating and guiding linkage of the character described which is so arranged and constructed as to provide a leg-rest movement in which substantially all of the outward translation of the leg-rest relative to the seat is accomplished during the initial movement of the bodysupporting means at a time when the occupants legs are disposed vertically, and during the further movement of the body-supporting means the leg-rest is rotated substantially vertically relative to the seat, thereby preventing the usual rubbing motion of the leg-rest against the legs, which rubbing motion is uncomfortable and undesirable when the full weight of the occupants legs is on the leg-rest.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a reclining chair in which the body-supporting means in the nature of a back-rest and seat is movably mounted on a support frame and a leg-rest is provided with a leg-rest linkage responsive to movement of the body-supporting means. The leg-rest linkage includes a control link, a pair of rearwardly-extending links pivotally connected at spaced points to the leg-rest and a pair of depending links pivotally connected at spaced points to the control link. Pivot means are provided connecting the pair of rearwardly-extending links with the pair of depending links, with one depending link connected to both rearwardly-extending links and the other depending link connected to one of the rearwardly-extending links. The single connection of the leg-rest linkage to the seat is provided by an upstanding extension on one of the depending links which is pivotally connected to the forward portion of the seat, the other depending link terminating at the control link. The leg-rest linkage is actuated by drive means which is responsive to movement of the body-supporting means and is connected to the control link for coordinated movement of the leg-rest linkage with the body-supporting means. To provide an initial forward movement and a subsequent upward movement of the leg-rest, the depending link which has the extension connected to the seat, is inclined rearwardly and downwardly.

The above brief description as well as additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an adjustable reclining armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a diflierent embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side well being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of still another embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a further embodi ment of an adjustable reclining armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a different embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of still another embodirnent of an armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall being broken away; and

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view .similar to that shown in FIG. 10, wherein however the movable members of the chair are in a different position.

Referring now to FIG. 1, 10 generally indicates a support comprising

side walls

12 and 14 connected with each other in any suitable manner.

A back-rest 16 and a seat 18, constituting the bodysupporting means of the chair, are swingably mounted on said support It? at 20. If desired, however, the pivotal connections between the support ll lt and the back rest 16 on one hand and the seat 18 on the other hand could be spaced from each other.

On each side of the chair the upper end of a guiding link 22 is swingably mounted on the support 10 at 24. Furthermore, on each side of the chair a downward ex= tension 26 is rigidly connected with the back-rest 16. The rear end of a control link 28 is pivoted at 34) to the lower end of the downward extension 26 of the back rest 16. Furthermore, said control link 28 is pivoted at an intermediate point. 32 thereof to the lower end of the guiding link 22.

At its forward end, the control link 28 carries a leg-rest linkage which supports a leg-rest 46. The leg-rest linkage includes a pair of

links

36 and 48 which are pivotally mounted at spaced points on the front end of the control link 23 by respective pivots 34 and 54, and which depend from said control link. The leg-rest linkage also includes a pair of rearwardly-extending links 38 and which are mounted at spaced points on the leg-rest 46 by

respective pivots

44 and 58. Connecting means, in the nature of pivotal connections, are provided to couple 3 the depending pair of

links

36 and 48 with the rearwardly-extending pair of

links

38 and 50. In the form of reclining chair illustrated in FIG. 1, the front depending link 36 is connected to both of the rearwardly-extending links; a pivot 56 connecting it to an intermediate point on the rearwardly-extending link 50 and a pivot 40 connecting it to the rear end of the rearwardly-extending link 38. The other depending link 48 is connected to only one rearwardly-extending link, a pivot 52 connecting it to the rear end of the rearwardly-extending link 58.

The front depending link 36 has an upstanding rigid extension 36a which projects upwardly above the pivot 34 on the control link 28, and is connected to the lower forward portion of the seat 18 by a pivot 42. On the other hand, it will be observed that the rear depending link 48 terminates at its pivotal connection 54 on the control link.

When the occupant of the chair leans the weight of his body against the back-rest 16 for urging the same into the reclined position shown in dotted line at 16' in FIG. 1, the mechanism described above causes a movement of the seat 18 from the sitting position, shown in full line, to the reclining position shown in broken line at 18. At the same time, the leg-rest 46 is propelled forwardly and upwardly from a retracted position beneath the forward end of the seat to an extended position, shown in broken line at 46', in which it is substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat and its rear end 60' is spaced forwardly of the front end 62' of the seat. The legrest is spaced forwardly a considerable distance from the front end of the seat so that a tall person having long legs may comfortably rest on the chair in the reclined position.

It will be observed that a pair of connected four-bar linkages is formed by the two pairs of links, one fourbar linkage being formed by the depending link 48, the portion of the control link 28 between pivots 34 and 54, the portion of the depending link 36 between pivots 34 and 56, and the portion of the rearwardly-extending link 50 between pivots 52 and 56. The other four-bar linkage is formed by the portion of the depending link 36 between the pivots 40 and 56, the portion of the rearwardly-extending link 50 between the pivots 56 and 58, the rearwardly-extending link 38, and the portion of the leg-rest between the

pivots

44 and 58. While pairs of interconnected four bar linkages have hitherto been utilized, as such, in leg-rest linkages for reclining chairs, an important feature of this invention resides in the mounting of the linkage on the control link 28 with only a single connection of the linkage to the seat 18. The legrest linkage is thus controlled by and guided by the control link 28, and its path of movement is not limited by the seat. Hence, upon rearward tilting movement of the back-rest, the leg-rest may be made to move in a variety of selected paths determined by regulating the path of movement of the control link 28.

As an example, it will be observed that the front depending link 36 is inclined rearwardly and downwardly from its pivotal connection 42 with the seat. Thus, when the leg-rest linkage is actuated the link 36 will pivot first forwardly and downwardly, then upwardly about its pivotal connection 42, causing the control link 28 to move forwardly and then upwardly relative to the seat. As a result, the leg-rest is guided in a first path of movement which is essentially forward, and a subsequent path of movement which is essentially upward. This has the effect of confining the outward or forward movement of the leg-rest to the initial reclining movement of the chair at a time when the users legs are hanging downwardly. When the users legs are raised to such a position that their weight is supported by the leg-rest, the leg-rest is travelling upwardly in the second phase of movement. Consequently, the rubbing action of the leg- Test against the legs, usually encountered in a reclining chair of this type, is wholly or substantially eliminated.

The reclining chair shown in FIG. 2 is generally similar in construction to the chair of FIG. 1 and like parts are designated by similar reference numerals, although for clarity, the numerals are preceded by the numeral 1, that is to say, they are part of a series. In this view, the rockable arrangement of the back-rest 116 and the seat 118 on the support and the arrangement of the

linkage

122, 126 for actuating and guiding the control link 128 is the same as that described above in connection with FIG. 1.

Again the chair illustrated in FIG. 2 has a pair of depending

links

148 and 136 connected at spaced points to the forward end of the control link 128 by spaced pivots 134 and 154. The leg-rest 146 is carried by the pair of rearwardly extending

links

138 and 150, the latter being connected to spaced points on said leg-rest by

respective pivots

144 and 158. The interconnection of the pairs of links to form the connected four bar linkages differs somewhat from that shown in FIG. 1. The front depending link 136 is pivoted at to the rear end of the rearwardly-extending link 138 and is also pivoted at 166 to an intermediate point on the rearwardly-extending link 150. The rear depending link 148 is pivoted at 168 to the rear end of the link 150.

The front depending link 136 again has an upstanding rigid extension 136a which is pivotally connected at pivot 1-42 to the seat 118. The link 136 is rearwardly and downwardly inclined in the manner previously described.

The sitting position of the chair and the corresponding retracted position of the leg-rest is shown in full line in FIG. 2, while the reclining position of the chair and extended position of the leg-rest is shown in broken line. The coordinated movement of the leg-rest is the same as that described previously in connection with FIG. 1.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, again the rockable arrangement of the back-rest 216 and the seat 218 on the support 210 and the arrangement of the

linkage

222, 226, for actuating and guiding the control link 228 are the same as those described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, the leg-rest linkage comprises a depending pair of

links

236, 248 and a rearwardly-extending pair of

links

238, 250. The front depending link 236 has an upstanding extension 236a pivoted to the seat 218 at pivot 242 and is mounted on the control link 228 at 234. The rear depending link 248 is pivotally mounted on the control link 228 by pivot 254. The front ends of the rearwardly-extending

links

238, 250 are connected to the leg-rest 246' by

respective pivots

244 and 258. The rear depending link 248 in this instance is connected to both rearwardly-extending

links

238 and 250 by

respective pivots

270, 274, while the front depending link 236 is connected to the middle of link 238 by pivot 272. The front depending link 236 is again inclined rearwardly and downwardly from its seat pivot 242.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair is shown in full line in FIG. 3, while the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is shown in broken line.

The embodiment of a chair shown in FIG. 4 again incorporates the same rockable arrangement of the backrest 316 and seat 318 on the support 310 as the embodiments shown in the previously described FIGS. 1-3. Furthermore, again the arrangement of the guiding and actuating linkage 322, 326 for control link 328 is the same as that described in said FIGS. 1-3. The front depending link 336 is pivotally mounted on the front end of the control link 328 by pivot 334 and has an upstanding links 333 and 356 by

respective pivots

374 and 370, while the front depending link 336 is in this instance connected to the lower rearwardly-extending link 338 by a pivot 375. The front depending link is inclined rearwardly and downwardly to provide an initial forward and subsequent up ward movement of the leg-rest as previously described.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair are shown in full line in FIG. 4, while the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is shown in broken line.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the back-rest 416 and the seat 418 are rigidly connected with each other so as to form an integral unit generally indicated by 476. Said unit 476 includes a rigid downward extension 473 which is swingably mounted on the support 413 at 469, so that said unit 476 may perform rocking movements.

A first guiding link 422 is swingably mounted on the support 416 at 424. A second guiding link 482 is swingably mounted on the support 410 at 484. A control link 428 is pivoted to the lower ends of said two guiding links 422 and 482 at 4-32 and 486' respectively.

The leg-rest control substantially corresponds to the mechanism shown in FIG. 1. Again the pair of depending links 436 and 443 are pivotally mounted at spaced points on the forward end of the control link .28 by

pivots

434 and 454. The front depending link 436 has an upstanding extension 436:; connected to the seat at 442. The front ends of the rearwardly-extending pair of links 433 and 456 are pivoted to spaced points on the leg-rest 446 by respective pivots 444 and 458. The front depending link 4-36 is connected to both rearwardly extending

links

438 and 456 by

respective pivots

446 and 656, while the rear depending link is connected to link 450 by pivot 452. The front depending link 436 again extends rearwardly and downwardly from its seat pivot 442.

When a person resting on the chair rocks the unit 476 around the pivot 48% from the sitting position shown in full lines into the reclined position 476 shown in broken line, the leg-rest 446 is moved upwardly and forwardly by means of the above-described linkage from the retracted position shown in full line to the extended position shown in broken line at 446'. In said extended position 446, the upper edge of the leg-rest is at a larger distance from the front edge of the seat than in the retracted position. In this instance the drive for the leg-rest movement is produced by the upward movement of the seat at pivot 442, but the leg-rest movement is still substantially independent of the seat and is guided and controlled entirely by control link 328 to produce the movements previously described. The control link movement is in turn controlled by the guiding links 422 and 482, and its movement cooperates with the downwardly and rearwardly-inclined link 436 to produce an initial forward and subsequent upward movement of the legrest.

In the various embodiments of reclining chairs heretofore illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the front depending link has been provided with an upstanding extension connected to the seat and constituting the only connection of the legrest linkage to the seat. In accordance with my invention, alternate structures may be produced in which the rear depending link has the upstanding extension connected to the seat. FIGS. 6 to 11 illustrate such forms of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the back-rest 516 and seat 518 are made as independently-movable elements and both are mounted on the support 510 at a common pivot 526. The control link 528 is supported and guided by the guiding link 522 which is connected by pivot 532 to an intermediate point on the control link. The rear end of the control link 528 is connected by pivot 53% to a depending extension 526 of the back-rest 516 for actuation in response to tilting movement of said back-rest.

A pair of depending

links

534 and 538 are mounted at the forward end of the control link 528 by

respective pivots

546 and 550. A pair of rearwardly-extending

links

536 and 540 are connected at spaced points on the leg-rest 552 by

respective pivots

554 and 556. The rear depending link 538 is connected to the ends of both rearwardly-extending

links

536 and 540 by respective pivots 562 and 544. The front depending link 534 is connected to an intermediate point on the link 536 by a pivot 542.

In this instance, the rear depending link 538 has the upright rigid extension 538a extending above the pivot 550 and connected to the forward end of the seat 518 by pivot 548. Again, the leg-rest linkage is mounted for movement independently of the seat, because of this single seat connection, the path of movement of the leg-rest being determined by the movement of the control link 523. Again, the link connected to the seat, in this instance the rear depending link 538, is inclined rearwardly and downwardly to provide an initial forward movement of the legrest and a subsequent upward movement, as previously described.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, again the rockable arrangement of the back-rest 616 and the seat 618 on the support 619 and the arrangement of the guiding

linkage

622, 626, 628 are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

Again the chair illustrated in FIG. 7 has a pair of depending

links

634 and 638 connected at spaced points to the forward end of the control link 628 by spaced

pivots

646 and 650. The leg-rest 652 is carried by the pair of rearwardly-extending

links

636 and 640, the latter being connected to spaced points on said leg-rest by

respective pivots

654 and 656. The interconnection of the pairs of links to form the connected four bar linkages differs somewhat from that shown in FIG. 6. The front depending link 634 is pivoted at 642 to the rear end of the rearwardlyextending link 636, and is also pivoted at 666 to an intermediate point on the rearwardly-extending link 6%. The rear depending link 638 is pivoted at 644 to the rear end of the link 640.

The rear depending link 638 again has an upstanding rigid extension 638a which is pivotally connected at pivot 643 to the seat 618. The link 638 is rearwardly and downwardly inclined in the manner previously described.

The sitting position of the chair and the corresponding retracted position of the leg-rest is shown in full line in FIG. 7, while the reclining position of the chair and extended position of the leg-rest is shown in broken line. The coordinated movement of the leg-rest is the same as that described previously in connection with FIG. 6.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, again the rockable arrangement of the back-rest 716 and the seat 718 on the support 710 and the arrangement of the linkage 772, 726 for actuating and guiding the control link 728 are the same as those described above in connection with FIGS. 6 and 7. Furthermore, the leg-rest linkage comprises a depending pair of

links

734, 738 and a rearwardly-extending pair of

links

736, 740. The rear depending link 738 has an upstanding extension 733a pivoted to the seat 718 at pivot 748 and is mounted on the control link 728 at th. The front depending link 734- is povtally mounted on the control link 728 by pivot 746. The front ends of the rearwardly-extending

links

736, 740 are connected to the leg-rest 752 by

respective pivots

754 and 756. The front depending link 734 in this instance is connected to both rearwardly-extending links 736 and 749 by

respective pivots

766, 768, while the rear depending link 738 is connected to the end of link 740 by pivot 77%). The rear depending link 738 is again inclined rearwardly and downwardly from its seat pivot 748.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair is shown in full line in FIG. 8, while the extreme re clined position of the movable members of the chair is shown in broken line.

The embodiment of a chair shown in FIG. 9 again incorporates the same rockable arrangement of the backrest 816 and seat 818 on the support 810 as the embodiment shown in the previously described FIGS. 68. Furthermore, again the arrangement of the guiding and

actuating linkage

822, 826 for control link 82-8 is the same as that described in said FIGS. 6-8. The rear depending link 838 is pivotally mounted on the forward end of the control link 828 by pivot 850 and has an upstanding extension 838a which is pivoted to the seat 818 at 848. The front depending link 834 is pivotally mounted at its top end on the control link 828 by pivot 846 at a point spaced forwardly of the pivot 850. The rearwardly-extending pair of

links

836 and 848 are pivoted to the legrest 852 at 854 and 856 respectively. The rear depending link 838 is connected to both rearwardly-extending

links

836 and 840 by respective pivots 872 and 871, while the front depending link 834 is in this instance connected to the lower rearwardly-extending link 836 by a pivot 873. The rear depending link 838 is inclined rearwardly and downwardly to provide an initial forward and subsequent upward movement of the leg-rest as previously described.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair are shown in full line in FIG. 9, while the extreme reclined position of the movable mebers of the chair is shown in broken line.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the back-rest 916 and the seat 918 are rigidly connected with each other so as to form an integral unit generally indicated by 974. Said unit 974 includes a rigid downward extension 976 which is swingably mounted on the support 910 at 978, so that said unit 974 may perform rocking movements.

A first guiding link 922 is swingably mounted on the support 910 at 924. A second guiding link 980 is swingably mounted on the support 910 at 982. A control link 928 is pivoted to the lower ends of said two guiding

links

922 and 980 at 932 and 984 respectively.

A pair of depending

links

934 and 938 are pivotally mounted at spaced points on the forward end of the control link 928 by pivots 946 and 951). The rear depending link 938 has an upstanding extension 938a connected to the seat at 948. The front ends of the rearwardly-extending pair of

links

936 and 948 are pivoted to spaced points on the leg-rest 952 by

respective pivots

954 and 956. The front depending link 934 is connected to both rearwardly-extending links 936 and 940 by

respective pivots

942 and 968, while the rear depending link 938 is connected to link 940 by pivot 944. The rear depending link 938 again extends rearwardly and downwardly from its seat pivot 948.

When a person resting on the chair rocks the unit 974 around the pivot 978 from the sitting position shown in FIG. 10 into the reclined position shown in FIG. 11, the leg-rest 952 is moved upwardly and forwardly by means of the above-described linkage from the retracted position shown in FIG. 10 to the extended position shown in FIG. 11. In said extended position of FIG. 11, the upper edge of the leg-rest is at a larger distance from the front edge of the seat than in the retracted position. In this instance the drive for the leg-rest movement is produced by the upward movement of the seat at pivot 948, but the leg-rest movement is still substantially independent of the seat and is guided and controlled entirely by control link 928 to produce the movements previously described. The control link movement is in turn controlled by the guiding

links

922 and 980, and its movement cooperates with the downwardly and rearwardly-inclined link 938 to produce an initial forward and subsequent upward movement of the leg-rest.

It should be observed that in the various embodiments of the invention illustrated herein, either one or the other of the two depending links are connected to the seat, but in either instance the single connection to the seat provides a movement of the leg-rest which is not controlled by the seat. In addition, in each instance the depending link which is connected to the seat is inclined downwardly and rearwardly from such point of connec tion.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous additions, changes, and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

For example, each of the embodiments may be provided with means for limiting the sitting and extreme reclined positions and furthermore with means for locking the movable members of the chair in any desired position.

What is claimed is:

1. A reclining chair including a support, body-supporting means including a seat and a back-rest, means movably mounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement, a leg-rest, a leg-rest linkage, said leg-rest linkage including a control link, a first pair of links pivoted together with the free end of one link pivoted to the control link at its forward end at a first control pivot, a second pair of links pivoted together with the free end of one link pivoted to the control link at a second control pivot spaced from said first control pivot, the free ends of the other links of said pairs being operatively connected to said leg-rest, and coordinated means coupling said pairs of links to constrain said leg-rest to move in a predetermined path relative to said control link, mounting means mounting said control link on said support for turning movement relative to said seat, said mounting means including a guide link pivotally mounted on the support and pivoted to an intermediate point on said control link, said turning movement of said control link being determined substantially by the action of said guide link to guide said control pivots in predetermined paths relative to said support, actuating means operatively connecting one of said pairs of links and said control link to said body-supporting means including a rigid extension of one of said one links of said pairs of links beyond its pivotal connection to said control link, said extension being operatively connected to said seat, said actuating means also including means operatively connecting the body-supporting means to the rear portion of said control link for coordinating movement of said leg-rest with the movement of said body supporting means, said pairs of links being actuated at one rate and said control link at another rate by said actuating means in dependence on said tilting movement of said body-supporting means to guide said leg-rest relative to said support in a path determined by said path of said leg-rest relative to said control link, said paths of said control pivots, and said rates of actuation of said pairs of links and said control link.

2. A reclining chair including a support, body-supporting means including a seat and a back-rest, means movably mounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement, a leg-rest, a leg-rest linkage, said leg-rest linkage including a control link, a first pair of links pivoted together with the free end of one link pivoted to the control link at its forward end at a first control pivot, a second pair of links pivoted together with the free end of one link pivoted to the control link at a second control pivot spaced rearwardly from said first control pivot, the free ends of the other links of said pairs being operatively connected to said leg-rest, and coordinated means coupling said pairs of links to constrain said leg-rest to move in a predetermined path relative to said control link, mounting means mounting said control link on said support for turning movement relative to said seat, said mounting means including a guide link pivotally mounted on the support and pivoted to an intermediate point on said control link, said turning movement of said control link being determined substantially by the action of said guide link to guide said control pivots in predetermined paths relative to said support,

actuating means operatively connecting one of said pairs of links and said control link to said body-supporting means including a rigid extension of one of said one links of said pairs of links beyond its pivotal connection to said control link, said extension being operatively connected to said seat, said actuating means also including a portion of said body-supporting means connected to the rear portion of said control link for cordinating movement of said leg-rest with movement of said bodysupporting means, said pairs of links being actuated at one rate and said control link at another rate by said actuating means in dependence on said tilting movement of said body-supporting means to guide said leg-rest relative to said support in a path determined by said path of said leg-rest relative to said control link, said paths of said control pivots, and said rates of actuation of said pairs of links and said control link.

3. A reclining chair according to claim 2 in which said actuating means includes a depending extension of said back-rest connected to the rear portion of the control link.

4. A reclining chair according to claim 2 in which said one link of the first pair has said rigid extension.

5. A reclining chair according to claim 2 in which said one link of the second pair has said rigid extension.

6. A control arrangement for use in a reclinable chair construction including: a support, a trio of body supporting components consisting of a seat mounted on said support and a back rockable on said support between sitting and reclining positions and a leg rest supported relative to said seat for movement between an inoperative generally vertically disposed position and an operative generally horizontally disposed forwardly extended position, a pair of coacting linkage systems, each linkage systern of said pair thereof consisting of; an extension comprising the lower portion of said back extending downwardly from its connection at said support, a primary link pivotally connected to a forward portion of said seat, a secondary link spaced from said seat and back and support, said extension and primary and secondary links being spaced from each other, an actuating link interconnecting and in pivotal engagement with said extension and primary and secondary links, a pair of spaced leg rest links including a primary leg rest link and a secondary leg rest link each having forward end portions pivotally connected to said leg rest, one of said primary and secondary links being pivotally connected to one of the leg rest links of said pair thereof and the other of said primary and secondary links pivotally interconnecting the two leg rest links of said pair thereof, said extension and primary and secondary and actuating links and the leg rest links of said pair thereof constituting a shiftable linkage system with the interconnection of said secondary and actuating links being shiftable forwardly relative to the interconnection of said primary link and said seat upon the forward movement of said extension and with the distance between the pivotal connection connecting said seat and primary link and the pivotal connection connecting said secondary and actuating links increasing as said back is moved from the sitting position to the reclined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,672,919 Luckhardt Mar. 23, 1954 2,693,845 Hoffman Nov. 9, 1954 2,750,988 Luckhardt June 19, 1956 2,779,391 Knabusch Jan. 29, 1957