US3135548A

US3135548A - Secondary leg-rest actuating means

Info

Publication number: US3135548A
Application number: US151575A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter S Fletcher; Wayne A Mcculty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-11-10
Filing date: 1961-11-10
Publication date: 1964-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-02
Also published as: DK103453C; GB1004509A; AT239996B; DE1250611B; FR1345782A; NO115712B; CH416983A; ES282308A1; LU42637A1; NL285148A

Description

J n 1964 P. s. FLETCHER ETAL 3,135,543

SECONDARY LEG-REST ACTUATING MEANS Filed NOV. 10, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR. FIG P5722 5. FLETCHEIQ/ June 2, 1964 P. s. FLETCHER ETAL 3,135,543

SECONDARY LEG-REST ACTUATING MEANS Filed Nov. 10, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 f INV EN TOR.

FIG. 5. 257.52 a. HERA 2.

y WAY/V5 M: CULT) Jun 96 P. s. FLETCHER ETAL 3,135,548

SECONDARY LEG-REST ACTUATING MEANS Filed Nov. 10, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.7.

INVENTOR. PET R 5'. FZE CHE Q.

l9 TTOENEY! June 2. 1 64 P. s. FLETCHER ETAL 3,135,548

SECONDARY LEG-REST ACTUATING MEANS Filed Nov. 10, 1961 4 SheetsSheet 4 FIG. 8.

FIG. 9.

INV EN TOR.

PETER 6. FLE7CA/ER y MY/VE' MQC'ULT) United StatCS a mo 3,135,548 SECONDARY LEG-REST ACTUATING MEANS Beach, Fla, assignors to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Filed Nov. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 151,575

11 Claims. (Cl. 297-89) The presentinvention'relates generally to reclining chairs and specifically to linkages used for mounting the leg-rests of reclining chairs for movement between an Peter S. Fletcher and Wayne A. McCulty, both of Delray extended leg-supporting position and a collapsed posithin mounting linkage tor a leg-rest for use with a thinline reclining chair. It is generally recognized that one of the best mounting means for a leg-rest in a reclining chair consists of the use of a lazy tong type of linkage connected at one end to the leg-rest and mounted at its other end upon the seat of the body-supporting unit of the reclining chair. The means for driving the leg-rest mounting linkage and thereby the leg-rest between its collapsed position and its extended leg-supporting position advantageously em ploys the relative motion between the seat of the bodysupporting unit and the structure upon which the seat is mounted for movement.

Such constructions have been recently applied to reclining chairs of the thin-line type. In this type of chair, a relatively clean and open design is employed wherein the chair arms are unupholstered and the frame of the chair is spaced well above the floor level. In such chairs it is an essential requirement that the linkage employed to mount the leg-rest for motion from its stored to its extended position be of a relatively small dimension in a vertical direction when in its collapsed position such that the linkage may be hidden'within the framework of the chair.

Theoretically, a lazy tong linkage is capable of being collapsed, by actuation means at one endof the lazy tong, such that the various links are completely collapsed one against the other. In practice, however, extremely slight differences in the eifective lengths of the individual links often produce a sagging effect. In a reclining chair, this may be manifested as follows: where a leg-rest platform is mounted at the end of a lazy tong linkage which, in turn, is secured to the seat of the reclining chair, the weight'of the'leg-rest platform and of the respective links of. the lazy tong linkage are sufficient to force the leg-rest platform to hang at a level lower than that desired or expected as a result of calculations based upon the theoretical lengths of the various links. The variances from the theoretical lengths of the links may be caused by a number of factors. Among these are manufacturingtolerances, slight misplacement of the pivot holes in the various links, original clearance plus wear between pivot pins and the pivot holes in the links which allow the pivots to act as short slots, errors inthe placement of the lazy tong linkage to the seat or support of the reclining chair and similar misplacement of'the locating points of the leg-rest platform on the end of the lazy tong linkage.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that relatively small cumulative errors within the total lazy tong linkage may, and often do, result in relatively large errors in the position of the leg-rest. Since :it is desirable that the leg-rest be tucked as tightly as possible under the seat in a thin-line reclining chair, it is desirable to rovide mountin means for such a leg-rest.

Patented June 2, 1964 which occupies a minimum space and which, by positive action, may be completely collapsed when the chair is in its upright sitting position.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means within a reclining chair for providing a small size leg-rest mounting linkage. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby a leg-rest mounting linkage may be positively collapsed such that it occupies a minimal amount of space in a vertical dimension when the leg-rest is in its collapsed, inactive position.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention there is provided a reclining chair which includes a body-supporting unit movable between a reclined position and an upright sitting position. The reclining chair further includes a leg-rest and a lazy tong linkage mounting the leg-rest for movement between an extended leg-supporting position and an inactive collapsed position wherein the lazy tong linkage and the leg-rest are collapsed beneath the body-supporting unit. Actuating means are provided for the leg-rest linkage to actuate same in response to movement of the bodysupporting unit. In this environment there is provided secondary actuating means operable at the end of the movement of the body-supporting unit from its reclined to its upright sitting position which is eilective' to position and a second or follower member positioned to be contacted by the first member at the completion of said motion. The second member is connected, directly or indirectly to the lazy tong linkage and is operable, when engaged by the first member, to positively force the lazy tong linkage into a closely collapsed configuration.

The above brief description, as well as further objects,

features and advantages of the present invention, will best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair incorporating constructions according to the present invention shown in its upright sitting position with portions broken away for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view. similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the chair in its intermediate tilted position;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the chair in its fully reclined position;

RIG. 3A is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the linkage used in the chair;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged and diagrammatical View of a portion ofthe leg-rest mounting linkage of the chair of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical view of aleg-rest mounting linkage generally of the type shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrating the possibility of large order errors in the placement of the leg-rest platform as a result of relatively small differences in the actual length of linkage members from their theoretical values;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair similar to that shown in FIG. 1 incorporating a second FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 illustrating the chair in its intermediate tilted position.

In FIGS. 1 through a thin-line reclining chair is illustrated which is generally designated by the numeral 10. The chair 10 includes a body-supporting unit 12 which in turn includes the rigid seat 14 and back-rest 16 which are mounted within the frame 18 for movement from the upright sitting position of FIG. 1 to the intermediate position of FIG. 2 and then to the fully reclined position of FIG. 3. The conventional thin-line frame 18 includes the legs 20, the top arms 22, the side rails 24 and the structural cross members 26.

The body-supporting unit 12 is mounted on a rear guide link 28 by pivotal connection 30 at the rearward portion of the seat. The guide link 28 is secured to the frame 18 at the pivot 32 which is mounted on the side member 24. A front guide link 34, pivotally connected to the front of the seat 14 at the pivot 36, is pivotally connected at 38 to the carrier member 40. The carrier member 40 in turn is secured at its rearward end to the mounting pivot 42 on the frame 18 and normally rests upon the front structural cross member 26 when the chair is in its upright sitting position and in its intermediate tilted position. The upright sitting position of the body-supporting unit 12 is determined in this illustrative embodiment by the stop pin 43 on the carrier member 40 which contacts a notch 43a on an extension of the front guide link 34. The notch 43a is constructed according to standard practice and provides an accurately located stop surface on the link 74.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the bodysupporting unit 12 is guided for movement from its upright sitting position as illustrated in FIG. 1 to its intermediate tilted position illustrated in FIG. 2 by the pivotal movement of the rear guide link 28 about the pivot 32 and the front guide link 34 about the pivot 38. This movement is effective to move the body-supporting unit rearwardly and to tilt the front slightly upwardly.

The motion of the body-supporting unit, as guided by the front and rear guide links 34, 28, is halted at the completion of this first movement phase by a stud projecting from the pivot 42 (see FIG. 2). The sequencing mechanism 44 which is secured between the rear guide link 28 and the carrier member 40 is effective to insure the correct sequence of the two phases of motion of the chair. The sequencing mechanism comprises a generally triangular shape plate 46 having a two-directional slot 48 formed therein. The plate 46 is pivoted at 50 to the carrier member 40 and is further pivoted at 52 to a connecting link 54 which in turn is pivoted to the rear guide link 28 at pivot 56. A fixed pin or stud 58 is mounted on the frame 18 on the side member 24 and is received within the twodirectional slot 48 of the plate 46. As the body-supporting unit 12 is moved through its first movement phase, the connecting link 54 is effective to pivot the plate 46 in a clockwise direction about the pivot 50. Relative movement is thus effected between the fixed pin 58 and the slot 48 and movement through the first movement phase is halted when the fixed pin 48 reaches the central branching point of the two-directional slot 48. It will be appreciated, of course, that the first portion of the slot 48 describes an are about tthe pivot 50. The second portion of the slot is also arcuate and is defined by the movement of the plate 46 during the second movement phase.

Movement of the body-supporting unit 12 from the intermediate position of FIG. 2 to the fully reclined position of FIG. 3 through the second movement phase may be seen by progressively viewing FIGS. 2 and 3. When plate 46 moves sufiiciently such that the pin 58 is positioned at the middle of the slot 48 (see FIG. 2), the rearward motion of the body-supporting unit 12 with respect to the stationary frame 18 is substantially blocked. The rearward motion of the body-supporting unit may be blocked by any other suitable means. For example, the pivot 42 may be in the form of a standard headless pin having a projecting body positioned to engage link 28 in the position of the chair as shown in FIG. 2. At that point, further rearward shifting of the chair occupants weight is effective to pivot the body-supporting unit 12 about the point 30, the mounting point for the body-supporting unit 12 on the rear guide link 28. This movement constitutes the second movement phase and is halted by the abutment of the fixed pin 58 against the lowermost end of the slot 48 within the plate 46. It will be appreciated that the forward portion of the carrier member 40 is tilted upwardly thus allowing the front guide link 34 to rise such that the body-supporting unit 12 is moved into its fully reclined position.

In this environment, there is provided a movable legrest 60 which is mounted on a leg-rest linkage, generally designated by numeral 62. The leg-rest linkage 62 is of the lazy tong type and includes a first pair of

links

64, 66 pivotally interconnected at 68. Link 64 is pivoted at 70 to the forward end of the seat 14 and link 66 is pivoted to a point on the leg-rest 60 at 72. A second pair of pivotally interconnected links includes link 74, which is an integral extension of the front guide link 34, and link 76 connected to link 74 at pivot point 78. The link 74 is pivotally connected to the carrier member 40 at 38, it being an integral part of link 34, and link 76 is pivotally connected to the leg-rest 60 at pivot point 80 spaced from pivot point 72. The two pairs of links are themselves pivotally interconnected at point 82 which is intermediate the ends of the

links

64 and 76. It will be appreciated that as the seat 14 is moved through the first movement phase upwardly and rearwardly,, the front guide link 34 effectively moves its integral extension 74 through a clockwise rotation about the pivot point 38 on the carrier member 40. Alternatively, this movement may be considered as a movement of the whole link 3474 which is driven through a clockwise rotation about the pivot 36 on the seat 14 by means of the relative motion between the seat 14 and the carrier member 40. From either viewpoint, the rotation of the link 74 is effective to actuate the legrest mounting linkage 62 to move same from the collapsed position illustrated in FIG. 1 to the extended position illustrated in FIG. 2. Of course, there is substantially no further relative motion between the leg-rest 60 and the bodysupporting unit 12 as the body-supporting unit is moved from its intermediate tilted position to its fully reclined position. When the chair is moved from the intermediate position to the upright sitting position, the relative motion between the seat 14 and the carrier member 40 is effective to actuate the leg-rest mounting linkage 62 such that it is moved from its extended position of FIG. 2 to the collapsed position of FIG. 1, thus folding the leg-rest 60 beneath the seat 14.

Reference will now be made to the diagrammatical view of FIG. 5 for a description of the problem solved by the present invention. The various link members in FIG. 5 correspond to those described in connection with the chair of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The dark line configuration of the leg-rest linkage 62 is that which is desired in order to produce a minimum dimension from the bottom of the legrest 60 to the bottom of the seat 14 when the leg-rest linkage 62 is in its collapsed position and is that expected by a theoretical consideration of the linkage. However, only the slightest variation in dimensional fidelity need be present in order to produce the situation illustrated by the dotted line configuration of the linkage 62. Specifically, it will be seen in FIG. 5 that there is a near in-line relationship between the link 76 and the link 64, as defined by the relationship of the

pivots

80, 82 and 70, when the linkage 62 is in its collapsed position. The pivot point 82 interconnecting those links may move downwardly thus placing the linkage in the position illustrated by the dotted lines in FIG. 5. This downward movement may be caused by the simple shifting of the various links about their interconnecting pivot pins such that the pivots may, for small order changes, act as short slots rather than theoretical pivot points. It will be appreciated that only a 86, engageable with the first member.

very slight change in the effective length of the link 76 or link 64 is necessary to produce the downward movement of the pivot point 82 as illustrated in FIG. 5. It will be further appreciated that a relatively small downward movement of the pivot point 82 will be amplified to a larger downward movement of pivot 68 and a still larger downward movement of the lower portion of the legrest 62.

Accordingly, the reclining chair 16 according to the present invention provides secondary actuating means effective to completely close the leg-rest mounting linkage 62 in response to the final movement of the body-supporting unit 12 from the intermediate titlted position to the upright sitting position. The secondary actuating means in the chair 10 includes a first member, herein designated by the numeral 84, which is movable in response to the final movement of the body-supporting unit from the intermediate tilted position'to the upright sitting position and a second member, herein designated by the numeral The first member 84 forms an integral extension of the link 64 and forms a U-shaped structure with the link 64 with the bight of the U-shaped structure pivoted about the pivot 70. It will be appreciated that a force directed upwardly on the first member 84 in the position shown in FIG. 1, will exert a force tending to close the leg-rest linkage 62. The second member comprises a pin 86 conveniently positioned on the carrier member 46, although it will be appreciated that the second member 86 may be positioned on any structure which is fixed relative to the motion of the first member 86 as the body-supporting unit 12 is moved into the upright sitting position. The pin or second member 86 is a headless pin as shown in FIG. 3A and includes a body 86:: adapted to contact the first member 84, a shank 86b, and a head 860 which is upset to secure the pin 86 to the carrier member 40. The interengagement of the first member 84 and the second member 86 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 4 wherein the member 64-84 is illustrated in full line configuration in the-collapsed position of the leg-rest mounting linkage62 and in phantom in its position at the intermediate tilted position'of the reclining chair and at a further position spaced between those two limits. It will be appreciated from viewing FIG. 4 that the second member or holding member 86 is stationary with respect to movement of the engaging member 84. As the rigid body 6484 is pivoted about the point 70, the engagement surface 84a on the engaging member 84 moves about the second member 86 and, as the seat 14 is lowered with respect to the carrier member 41), contact is made between the second member 86 and the first member 84. The second member 86 exerts an upward force upon the first member 84 which imparts a counterclockwise thrust to the link 64 about the pivot 70. Such a counterclockwise thrust to the link 64 about the pivot 70 is, of course, effective to raise the pivotal interconnection 82 of the two crossed links of the leg-rest linkage and thereby raise the leg-rest 60 from the dotted position illustrated in FIG. 5 to the dark line position illustrated therein.

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the secondary actuating means provided, the sequence of operations as the seat 14 is moved from the intermediate tilted position of FIG. 2 to the upright sitting position of FIG. 1 Will be described. As the seat 14 moves forwardly and downwardly as guided by the rear guide link 28 and the front guide link 34, the pivot point 78 is similarly moved forwardly and downwardly. As the same time, the extension 74 of the front guide link 34 is moved in a counterclockwise rotation thus providing the conventional actuation of the lazy tong linkage 62 which is effective to draw the leg-rest 68 downwardly and inwardly to pull same, with the linkage 62, below the seat 14. As the leg-rest linkage 62 collapses, the

linkage unit

64, 84 turns through a counterclockwise rotation such that the engaging surface 84a of the first member 84 faces downwardly toward the second member or pin 86. As the seat 14 is lowered, the engaging surface 84a of the first member 84 contacts the pin 86 thus giving a further or secondary counterclockwise impetus to the link 64. This is effective to raise the pivot point 82 and thereby to raise the other various links and pivot points of the leg-rest mounting linkage 62 and thereby to firmly tuck the leg-rest platform 60 tightly beneath the seat 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 there is shown a reclining chair designated by the numeral which incorporates a second embodiment according to the present invention. The various components of the chair 110 are, in many instances, identical with those described in connection with chair 10 of FIGS. 1 through 4. Therefore, those elements will be indicated by similar numbers in the 100 rather than 10 series and description thereof will not be repeated.

The leg-rest mounting linkage 162 of the chair 114 is similar to that of chair 18 described above and includes a pair of first pivotally

interconnected links

164, 166 interconnected at 168. This first pair of links is connected at 172 to the leg-rest 160 and, by an extension 186, to a pivot point 187 at the forward end of a carrier mem ber 148. A second pair of links 174, 176 are interconnected at 178 and are connected at one end to the legrest 16il-at 186 and at the other end to the carrier member 148 at 138, link 174 being an integral extension of the front guide link 134. It will thus be appreciated that the lazy tong linkage 162 mounts the leg-rest 168 on the carrier member for swinging motion with respect thereto. The front guide link 134 acts as an actuating mechanism to raise and lower the leg-rest 168 in response to relative movement between the seat 114 and the carrier member 149 during the first movement phase The secondary actuating means in the reclining chair 116 comprise a pin 18% on the forward end of the seat 114 as the first member and an extension 190 of the link 164- as the second member.

The leg-rest linkage 162 is actuated through the forward guide link 134 to raise the leg-rest in response to movement during the first movement phase of the chair 110. When the seat 114 is again lowered to its position as shown in FIG. 6, the front guide link 134 drives its integral extension 174 through a counterclockwise motion about the point 138 thus collapsing the lazy tong linkage 162 beneath the seat as shown in FIG. 6. At the completion of this movement, the pin 188, moving downwardly, contacts the engaging surfaces a of the second member 190 to force the link 164 into a further counterclockwise rotation about its pivot point 187 on the carrier member 146. This counterclockwise rotation is effective to lift the pivot point 168 at the further end of the link 164 as well as the central pivot 182 through an upward movement thereby to positively assure that the lazy tong linkage 162 assumes a completely collapsed position beneath the seat 114. Conversely, when the seat 114 is raised, the pin 188 elevates and allow the extension 190 of the link arm 164 to pivot in a clockwise direction, unobstructed, about the pivot 187.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 8 and 9 for a still further embodiment of the present invention within the reclining chair 219. The reclining chair 218 similarly incorporates elements which, in many instances, are identical to those found in chair 11) illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Those identical elements are indicated by similar numerals in the 200 series and, for the sake of brevity, will not be described.

The leg-rest mounting linkage 262 for reclining chair 210 is virtually identical to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 and diagrammatically shown in FIG. 5. It comprises the first pair of

links

264, 266 which are pivotally interconnected at 268. The link 264 is pivoted to the seat 2 14 at 270 and the link 266 is pivoted to a point 272 on the leg-rest 266. A second pair of

interconnected links

274, 276 are pivotally interconnected at 278. Link 274 is an integral extension of the front guide link 234, and therefore, is pivoted to the carrier member 240 at point 238. The link 276 is pivoted at its forward end to the leg-rest 260 at point 280. The first and second pair of links are pivotally interconnected at 282 intermediate the ends of

links

264 and 276 respectively. The leg-rest 260 is actuated, as described above in connection with chair 10, by the relative motion between the seat 214 and the carrier member 240 through the rotation of the first guide link 234 which rotates its integral extension, link 274, of the leg-rest linkage 262. Forward and downward movement of the seat 214, from the intermediate tilted position illustrated in FIG. 9 to the upright sitting position illustrated in FIG. 8, is effective to rotate the link 274 in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot point 238, and, thereby to collapse the legrest mounting linkage 262 below the seat 214 as shown in FIG. 8.

The secondary actuating means according to the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises a bell crank lever 292 which is pivotally mounted at 294 on the bracket 296 which in turn is secured to the cross brace 226. The bell crank lever 292 has a first arm 292a which is of a length sufficient for the end of the first arm 292a to contact an extension of the pivot pin 282 from below when the linkage 262 is in its collapsed configuration. The second arm 292b of the bell crank lever 292 extends generally upwardly and rearwardly from its pivot point 294 and is provided with a fixed pin 298 which is contacted by the bottom of the seat 214 as the seat is lowered at the end of its movement from the tilted position of FIG. 9 to the upright sitting position of FIG. 8. The contact of the pin 298 by the seat 214 is effective to drive the bell crank lever 292 in a clockwise direction about its pivot 294 which is elfective to move the end of the first arm 292a upwardly. It will be appreciated that the upward movement of the arm 292a will effect a contact between that arm and the extension of the pivot pin 298 thereby moving the link 264 upwardly about its pivot 272 and, thereby, lifting the various components of the linkage 262 to positively place that linkage in a completely collapsed position. A third arm 2920 is provided to limit the counterclockwise rotation of the bell crank lever 292. As the seat 214 moves upwardly and rearwardly during the first movement phase, the bottom of the seat rises off the pin 298 allowing the crank arm 292 to turn under the influence of the actuated leg-rest linkage. As the leg-rest linkage is actuated, the extension of pivot pin 282 moves downwardly to drive the arm 292a downwardly until the pin 282 clears the forward end of the arm 292a. Thereafter, the engagement of the arm 2920 with the bracket 296 on the underside of the cross rail 226 prevents further rotation of the crank 292.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides secondary actuation means for a reclining chair leg-rest mounting linkage which effectively provides a closing force for that linkage as the chair is moved from its tilted to its upright sitting position. The provision of such a secondary actuating force insures that the legrest mounting linkage is completely collapsed thereby insuring a minimum space occupancy by the linkage. The constructions according to the present invention thereby effectively compensate for the relatively small variations of the effective length of leg-rest linkage components as compared to the theoretical lengths thereby preventing the relatively large variation in the position of the leg-rest which often results from the mechanical multiplication of these slight variations.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure. A variety of differing mechanical arrangement may be envisioned which may effectively incorporate the present invention in other embodiments than those specifically illustrated herein. Therefore, the claims should be interpreted broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A reclining chair having a support, a body-supporting unit mounted on said support and movable between a reclining position and an upright sitting position, a legrest, a lazy tong linkage mounting said leg-rest for movement from an extended leg-supporting position to an inactive position wherein said lazy tong linkage is collapsed beneath said body-supporting unit, actuating means for said leg-rest movement connected to said lazy tong linkage and operable in response to movement of said bodysupporting unit from said upright sitting position to said reclining position for moving said leg-rest to said extended position, and secondary actuating means for said leg-rest mounting linkage operable at the end of the movement of said body-supporting unit from said reclining to said upright sitting position for positively closing said lazy tong linkage to tightly tuck said leg-rest beneath said body-supporting unit, said secondary actuating means including a first member movable in response to the final movement of said body-supporting unit from a reclining position into the upright sitting position and a second member positioned to be contacted by said first member at the completion of said motion of said body-supporting unit, said second member operable to positively force said linkage into a closely collapsed configuration when contacted by said first member, said secondary actuating means being in an inactive disengaged position before said final movement of said body-supporting unit into the upright sitting position.

2. A reclining chair having a support, a body-supporting unit mounted on said support and movable between a reclining position and an upright sitting position, a leg-rest, a lazy tong linkage mounting said leg-rest for movement from an extended leg-supporting position to an inactive position wherein said lazy tong linkage is collapsed beneath said body-supporting unit, actuating means for said leg-rest movement connected to said lazy tong linkage and operable in response to movement of said body-supporting unit from said upright sitting position to said reclining position for moving said leg-rest to said extended position, and secondary actuating means for said leg-rest mounting linkage operable at the end of the movement of said body-supporting unit from said reclining to said upright sitting position for positively closing said lazy tong linkage to tightly tuck said leg-rest beneath said body-supporting unit, said secondary actuating means including an engaging member movable in response to the final movement of said body-supporting unit from a reclining position into the upright sitting position and a follower member positioned to be contacted by said engaging member at the completion of said motion of said body-supporting unit, one of said members being on said lazy tong linkage and operable to positively force said linkage into a closely collapsed configuration when contacted by the other of said members, said secondary actuating means being in an inactive disengaged position before said final movement of said body-supporting unit into the upright sitting position.

3. A reclining chair according to claim 1 in which said first member is an engagement surface integral with a link of said lazy tong linkage and said second member is a contact engageable with said engagement surface and fixed relative to said final motion of said body-supporting unit from a reclining position to said upright sitting position.

4. A reclining chair according to claim 1 in which said first member is a pin mounted on said body-supporting unit and said second member is an engagement surface on said lazy tong linkage engageable with said pin as said body-supporting unit is moved into said upright sitting position.

5. A reclining chair according to claim 1 in which said first member is a lever pivotally mounted on said i support and rotatable about said pivot in response to movement of said body-supporting unit with respect to said support into said upright position, and said second member is a contact on said lazy tong linkage engageable with said lever when said lever is pivoted in response to said movement of said. body-supporting unit.

6. In a reclining chair having a seat, a leg-rest, a lazy tong linkage mounting said leg-rest for movement relative to said seat from a stored position under said seat wherein said lazy tong linkage is collapsed beneath said seat to an active position outwardly and forwardly f said seat, and actuation means for said lazy tong linkage for moving said leg-rest between its active position and its stored position, secondary actuating means for insuring the complete collapse of said lazy tong linkage when moved into the stored position of said leg-rest comprising means on said lazy tong linkage other than said actuation means for receiving a force at the end movement of said leg-rest from its extended to its stored position and means operable as said leg-rest is moved during a final movement to said stored position for imparting said force for completely collapsing said lazy tong linkage beneath said seat, said secondary actuating means being in an inactive disengaged position before said final movement.

7. In a reclining chair having a body-supporting unit movable between a reclining position and an upright sitting position, a leg-rest, a lazy tong linkage mounting said leg-rest for movement from an extended leg-supporting position to an inactive position wherein said lazy tong linkage is collapsed beneath said body-supporting unit, and actuating means for said leg-rest movement connected to said lazy tong linkage and operable in response to movement of said body-supporting unit from said upright sitting position to said reclining position for moving said leg-rest to said extended position, the improve ment comprising secondary actuating means for said legrest mounting linkage operable at the end of the movement of said body-supporting unit from said reclined to said upright sitting position for positively closing said lazy tong linkage to tightly tuck said leg-rest beneath said body-supporting unit, said secondary actuating means including a first member movable in response to the final movement of said body-supporting unit from a reclining position into the upright sitting position and a second member on said lazy tong linkage positioned to be contacted by said first member at the completion of said motion of said body-supporting unit, said second member being operable to positively force said linkage into a closely collapsed configuration when contacted by said first member, said secondary actuating means being in an inactive disengaged position before said final movement of said body-supporting unit into the upright sitting position.

8. In a reclining chair including a support, body-sup porting means including a seat and back-rest, means mounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement between an upright sitting position and a reclined position, a leg-rest, a leg-rest mounting linkage including two quadric linkages mounting said leg-rest on said chair for movement from a folded position beneath said seat to an extended leg-supporting position in front of said seat, and primary leg-rest actuating means connected to one link of said leg-rest mounting linkage for actuating said leg-rest mounting linkage in response to tilting motion of said body-supporting means, the improvement comprising a secondary actuation means connected to one link of said quadric linkages and to said body-supporting means for turning said one link to a predetermined position when said body-supporting said leg-rest is folded beneath said seat.

9. In a reclining chair including a support, body-supmounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement between an upright sitting position and a reclined position, a leg-rest, a leg-rest mounting linkage including two quadric linkages mounting said leg rest on said chair for movement from a folded position beneath said seat to an extended leg-supporting position in front of said seat, and primary leg-rest actuation means connected to one link of said quadric linkages of said leg-rest mounting linkage for actuating said leg-rest mounting linkage in response to tilting motion of said body-supporting means, the improvement comprising a secondary actuation means connected to another link of said quadric linkages and to said body-supporting unit for turning said other link to a predetermined position when said body-supporting unit is moved to said upright sit ing position and when said leg rest is folded beneath said seat for insuring the accurate movement of said legrest into its folded position.

16. In a reclining chair including a support, bodysupporting means including a seat and back-rest, means mounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement between an upright sitting position and a reclined position, a leg-rest, a lazy tong leg-rest mounting linkage mounting said leg-rest on said chair for movement from a folded and substantially horizontal position beneath said seat to an extended leg-supporting position in front of said seat, and primary leg-rest actuation means connected to one link of said lazy tong leg-rest mounting linkage for actuating same in response to tilt ing motion of said body-supporting means, the improvement comprising a secondary actuation means connected to one link of said leg-rest mounting linkage and to said body-supporting unit for turning said one link to a predetermined position when said body-supporting unit is moved to said upright sitting position and when said legrest is folded beneath said seat for insuring the accurate movement of said leg-rest into its folded and substantially horizontal position.

11. In a reclining chair including a support, bodysupporting means including a seat and back-rest, means mounting said body-supporting means on said support for tilting movement between an upright sitting position and a reclined position, a leg-rest, a lazy tong leg-rest mounting linkage including two quadric linkages mounting said leg-rest on said chair for movement from a folded and substantially horizontal position beneath said seat to an extended leg-supporting position in front of said seat, and primary leg-rest actuation means connected to one link of said lazy tong leg-rest mounting linkage for actuating same in response to tilting motion of said body-supporting means, the improvement comprising a secondary actuation means connected to another link of said lazy tong linkage and to said body-supporting unit for turning said other link to a predetermined position when said body-supporting unit is moved to said upright sitting position and when said leg-rest is folded beneath said seat for insuring the movement of said leg-rest into its folded and substantially horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS