US3322459A - Multiple position rocker-recliner - Google Patents

Description

y 30, 1967 E. HAMPTON 3,322,459

MULTIPLE POSITION ROCKER-RECLINER Filed June 21, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HARDWARE 8 MEANS u INVENTOR. EDWARD L. HAMPTON ATTORNEY y 30, 1967 E. 1.. HAMPTON ULTIPLE POSITION ROCKERRECLINER f5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1965 INVENTOR. EDWARD L. HAMPTON ATTORNEY y 30, 1967 E. L. HAMPTON MULTIPLE POSITION ROCKER'RE CLINER 5 Sheets-Sheet I- Filed June 21, 1965 INVENTOR. EDWARD L. HAMPTON BY 3 2 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,322,459 MULTIPLE POSITION ROCKER-RECLINER Edward L. Hampton, Louisville, Ky., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lear Siegler, Inc., Santa Monica, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,262 9 Claims. (Cl. 29785) This invention relates to improvements in multiple position recliners.

The principal object of the present invention is to combine a rocker and a multiple position recliner into a multiple position rocker-recliner of simple design which is easy to make and assemble and easy to use as a rocker, when desired, and as a recliner, when desired, with the transition from one type of operation to the other capable of being easily and quickly made.

Other important objects are: to permit rocking about a rocking axis and contemporaneously prevent rocking about a reclining axis; to permit reclining about a reclining axis and contemporaneously prevent rocking about a rocking axis; to improve the ease and smoothness of movement into-and out of a fully reclined position; and to raise the front end of the seat to a desired extent during reclining movement into a fully reclined position.

In accomplishing the foregoing objectives, I mount the multiple position hardware, which carries a seat assembly, upon a hardware base to provide a reclinable assembly. I mount this reclinable assembly rockably upon a fixed stationary platform base through an interposed rocker box having a top plate and a bottom plate, which are secured to (and integrated with) the reclinable assembly and the platform base, respectively, to form a rockingreclining assembly upon the platform base. With my arrangement, I can provide this combination in a chair structure having a seat height within the conventional range, which is highly desirable.

I have also been able to form the combination out of conventionally constructed elements such as: (1) hardware means of the conventional type providing (a) 2- phase reclining movement between 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively corresponding to upright, semi-reclined and fully reclined positions, (b) a transverse axis about which the recliner reclines during the 2nd motion phase, and (c) a guide arm, which moves with the recliner during the 2nd motion phase; and (2) a rocker box of the conventional type having a transverse axis about which the rocking chair rocks.

In accordance with my invention, said guide arm is latched, in said lst position, to the hardware base, upon which it is mounted, so as to prevent the upright recliner from rocking about the reclining axis in said 1st position. As a consequence, the chair structure may remain stationary in its upright position or be rocked about its rocking axis, if and when rocking action is desired. Likewise, when the chair reclines, it is desirable to prevent rocking action about the rocking axis. This may be accomplished by providing the hardware means with a stop arm, which is centered upon the reclining axis and positioned to engage the platform base during the 2nd motion phase and, through such engagement, bias the rocker box forwardly so as to prevent it from being rocked rearwardly and forwardly about its rocking axis so long as the recliner is in a position ranging from 2nd to 3rd.

A rocker-recliner, constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGS. 1-4 are diagrammatic views corresponding, in FIG. 1, to a front end elevation showing the chair in its 1st position, and in FIGS. 24, to side views showing the chair in its 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively, but omitting the hardware means;

FIGS. 5-7 are views taken along line 55 of FIG. 1 but showing the hardware means in its 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively, FIG. 5 also indicating the relationship between the hardware means and the other parts of the rocker-recliner chair;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the stop arm in its platform base engaging 2nd position;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the elbow linkage as it appears in FIG. 5, with part of the base frame broken away for the sake of clearness;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the hardware means in the vicinity of the pivotal connection between the backrest and the rear end of the seat, this view corresponding to the 1st position of FIG. 5 but showing the parts as they appear from the inner side of the connection instead of the outer side thereof;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a 3-bar linkage as it appears in the 1st and 2nd positions of the chair;

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view of a 3-bar linkage which is suspended from the rear half of the seat;

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the 3-bar linkage shown in FIGS. 1213, this view also showing the spring which connects the front end of that linkage to the rear end of the seat;

FIGS. 15-17 are fragmentary views showing the seat raising arm in its 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary view of a modified latching means to prevent the chair from being rocked about its reclining axis when the chair is in its lst position; and

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a modified type of rocker box.

DIAGRAMMATIC FIGS. 14 The rocker-recliner indicated in diagrammatic FIGS. 1-4, comprises: (A) a fixed platform base; (B) a rocker box on the base; and (C) a rocking-reclining assembly on the rocker box.

Platform base The fixed platform base is composed of a base frame having a pair of laterally-spaced floor-engaging members 1 and a cross member 2 extending from the upper end of one platform base member 1 to the other and rigidly interconnecting both.

' Rocker box The rocker box includes: a bottom plate 3 rigidly secured to the cross member 2 of the platform base frame and thereby so integrated with the platform base as to become a part thereof; and a top rocker plate 4 pivotally mounted on the bottom plate 3 for back-and-forth rocking movement about a transverse axis 5, which is rearwardly offset from a vertical plane passing transversely through the mid-portion of the box. The front ends of the bottom and top plates 3 and 4 are interconnected through vertical double-action springs 6 which cushion the extreme portion of the forward rocking movement by compression and the extreme portion of the rearward rocking movement by tension.

Rocking-reclining assembly The top rocker plate 4 is so integrated with the hardware base 7 as to cooperate therewith in forming a rockable base for the hardware means and the seat assembly carried by the hardware means. By seat assembly, I mean the seat and the associated parts such as the backrest and legrest.

ROCKING MOVEMENT When the rocker-recliner is not occupied, it will automatically assume its 1st position wherein it extends upright as seen in FIG. 2. This upright rocker-recliner may be rocked about the transverse axis 5 of the rocker box. When rocked, it will pass back and forth through its stationary upright position without undergoing any change in the positional relationship, which its parts 4 and 7-10 enjoy in FIG. 2. In other words, the top plate 4 of the rocker box and the hardware base 7, and the seat assembly 8-10 rock back and forth as a fixed unit with the backrest upright and the legrest retracted.

RECLINING MOVEMENT The reclining movement proceeds in 2 phases, during both of which the platform base 1-2, rocker box 3-6 and the hardware base 7 of the rocking-reclining assembly remain fixed and stationary in the position shown in both FIGS. 3 and 4. In other words, the reclining movement is confined to the parts mounted on hardware base 7 and is relative to that base.

In the 1st phase of reclining movement, the hardware means on hardware base 7 functions (a) to move the seat 8 translationally rearward from its 1st position to a 2nd position wherein the recliner is semi-upright or semireclined as shown in FIG. 3, (b) to maintain the backrest 9 in a fixed position relative to the seat 8, and (c) to extend the legrest 10 forwardly and upwardly relaitve to the front end of the seat.

In the 2nd phase of reclining movement, the hardware means functions (a) to move the seat 8 rotationally from its 2nd position to a 3rd position wherein it is fully reclined as shown in FIG. 4, (b) to move the backrest 9 translationally with the rear end of the seat 8 and also rotates it rearwardly relative to the rear end of the seat, and (c) to carry the legrest bodily upward with the front end of the seat and, preferably, contemporaneously retract the legrest to a slight angular extent.

HARDWARE MEANS (FIG 5) The hardware means 11 (mounting the legrest 10 and the backrest 9 on the seat 8 and mounting the seat on the hardware base 7) will be initially described as it appears in the FIG 5 structure which conventionally includes: (a) a base bracket; (b) a seat bracket; (c) a backrest bracket; (d) a legrest bracket; (e) a normally-contracted lazytong linkage; and (f) seat mounting means.

Conventional base bracket A horizontally-elongate base bracket 14 is mounted rigidly on the hardware base 7. This bracket 14 has a 1st base pivot 15 at its rear end and a 2nd base pivot 16 at an intermediate location preferably spaced forwardly from said 1st base pivot 15.

Conventional seat bracket A horizontally-elongate seat bracket 1, upon which the seat 8 is mounted rigidly, extends slightly above and more or less parallel to the base member 14 in the upright position shown in FIG. 5. This seat bracket has a 1st seat pivot 19 at its rear end and horizontally-spaced 2nd and 3rd seat pivots 20 and 21 at its front end.

Conventional backrest bracket A backrest bracket 24, upon which the backrest 9 is mounted, is pivoted at 25 to the rear end of the seat bracket 18. It has its lower end portion 26 projecting downwardly beyond pivot 25 as an extension 26.

Conventional legrest bracket A suitable legrest bracket, upon which the legrest 10 it adapted to be mounted rigidly, is of the highdegged type formed in two (upper and lower) parts 28, 29. These parts, which are pivoted together at 30, respectively provide an upper legrest pivot 31 and a lower legrest pivot 32.

Conventional lazytong linkage A normally contracted lazytong linkage 33 is used to mount the upper and lower legrest bracket parts 28-29 on the front end portion of the seat bracket member 18. This linkage is mounted on the seat through said 2nd and 3rd seat pivots 20 and 21. It may be extended and retracted back-and-forth between a rearwardly-retracted 1st position and forwardly-extended relatively elevated 2nd and 3rd positions.

The lazytong linkage 33 illustrated is of the convention overlapped multiple V type comprising: (a) a 1st V extending from the 2nd seat pivot 20 on the front end of the seat bracket 18 to the upper legrest pivot 31 on the upper legrest bracket 28; and (b) a tandem arrangement of 2nd and 3rd Vs extending from the 3rd seat pivot 21 on the front end of the seat bracket 18 to the lower legrest pivot 32 on the lower legrest bracket 29.

These three Vs comprise: a 1st V composed of seat link 34 and legrest link 35 pivoted together in tandem; a 2nd V composed of seat link 36 and interposed link 37 pivoted together in tandem; and a 3rd V composed of interposed link 38 and legrest link 39 pivoted together in tandem. The adjacent ends of the interposed links 37 and 38 of the 2nd and 3rd Vs are pivoted together to connect the 2nd and 3rd Vs in tandem.

The 1st V seat link 34 crosses (and is pivotally connected to) the 2nd V interposed link 37 while the 1st V legrest link 35 crosses (and is pivotally connected to) the 3rd V interposed link 38. Additionally, the 3rd V legrest link 39 and the upper legrest bracket part 28 are pivotally interconnected through an interposed link 40 so that legrest bracket parts 28-29 and links 39-40 cooperate to form a 4-bar linkage which amplifies the movement of legrest bracket part 28 over that of 29 for a given impetus.

Seat mounting means The seat-mounting means mounts the seat 8 on the hardware base 7 for 1st phase translational and 2nd phase rotational reclining movement. The seat-mounting means illustrated conventionally comprises: (1) a rear baseseat link 41 pivotally interconnecting the 1st base and 1st seat pivots 15 and 19; and (2) an elbow linkage (see FIG. 8) pivotally interconnecting the 2nd base pivot 16 with the 3rd seat pivot 21, this elbow linkage including (a) a vertical seat link 36a, which preferably comprises the upper half of the seat link 36, (b) a horizontal basemounted guide link 42, and (c) an elbow pivot 43 pivotally connecting the front end of the base-mounted guide-link 42 to the lower end of the seat link 36a.

In the 1st or FIG. 5 position of the chair, the front end of the seat 8 is supported on the hardware base 7 by resting the mid-portion or elbow of the elbow linkage (i.e. the front end portion of the guide link 42) gravitationally upon a suitable fixed flange or stop of the base bracket 14. Also, the seat supporting links at both ends of the seat (i.e. the seat link 36a and the rear base-seat link 41) incline forwardly upward from their respective lower end pivots, e.g. elbow pivot 43 and 1st base pivot 15.

181 PHASE OF RECLINING MOVEMENT The chair occupant effects the 1st phase of reclining movement simply by holding the arms of the chair (i.e. the upper ends of the H-shaped hardware base 7) while urging the seat 8 (or backrest 9 or both) horizontally rearward. When the seat moves from its 1st FIG. 5 position to its 2nd FIG. 6 position, the forwardly-inclined seat-supporting links 36a and 41 swing rearwardly about their respective lower end pivots 43 and 15 to positions in which they incline rearwardly upward. They reach their 2nd positions when a stop 44 on the rearwardlymoving seat bracket 18 engages the upper edge of the rear base-seat link 41. During this 1st phase movement, the guide link 42 and elbow pivot 43 of the elbow linkage function as a stationary pivot or stop holding the midportion of the 2nd V seat link 36 of the lazytong linkage 33 stationary while permitting the upper end of that seat link 36 to swing rearwardly with the seat. As a consequence, the lower end of seat link 36 swings forwardly to effect the full extension of the legrest.

2ND PHASE OF RECLINING MOVEMENT The chair may be easily and quickly rotated from its 2nd or TV position into its fully reclined 3rd or FIG. 3 position simply by the act of the occupant in urging the backrest rearwardly. This rearward pressure forces the seat 8 and its rear supporting link 41 to rotate rearwardly about the 1st base pivot 15 until the 3rd position is reached.

The 3rd position is reached when the front edge of the extension 26 of backrest bracket 24 strikes a rearwardly inclined stop 45 which is fixedly mounted on the seat bracket 18 at a location where it is spaced forwardly from the backrest pivot 25 but arranged to face rearwardly toward pivot 25. In this connection, it may be noted that, during this 2nd phase movement, the backrest 9 not only moves bodily with the rear end portion of the seat bracket 18 as the latter moves rotationally about the 1st base pivot 15, but it also moves rearwardly relative to the seat bracket 18 by moving rotationally about its own pivot, the backrest pivot 25.

During the 2nd phase movement, the front end portion of the seat moves rotationally upward about the 1st base pivot '15. It carries with it the extended legrest and swings the elbow linkage upwardly. The elbow linkage may be pivoted to the base at the same place, i.e. 1st base pivot 15. If it were, the fully extended legrest would move bodily upward with the front end portion of the seat as a fixed unit thereon. However, since the elbow linkage is preferably pivoted to the base at the 2nd base pivot 16, it has a shorter radius which causes it to effect a slight retraction of the upwardly-moving (extended) legrest. The magnitude of this retraction is designed to maintain the legrest 10 more or less in the horizontal attitude which it had in its 2nd position.

INVENTIV E STRUCTURE 1st restraining means to prevent the upright chair from rocking about its reclining axis This may be easily and simply accomplished by providing a 1st restraining means comprising: (a) a latching or locking link 48, which has its long axis aligned with the long axis of the lower half of the seat link 36 when that seat link is in its 1st FIG. 5 position; (b) a pivot 49 connecting the upper end of that locking link 48 pivotally to the ,base bracket 14, the pivot 49 preferably being more Or less aligned axially with elbow pivot 43; and (c) a pin-and-slot connection 5051 con necting the lower end of that locking link 48 pivotally and slidably to the seat link 36, this connection, as shown in FIGS. 9-10, comprising slot 50 on locking link 48 and pin 51 fixed on the 2nd V seat link 36.

To rock the seat about the reclining axis 15, it is necessary to move the front end of the seat up and down in relation to the underlying base 14. In the 1st position of the chair, the locking link 48 prevents such reltaive movement and this makes it impossible for the seat to rock about its reclining axis 15. Due to the slot 50, the locking link 48 has no effect in the 2nd and 3rd positions of the chair.

2nd restraining means to prevent the semi-reclined or fully-reclined recliner from rocking about the rocking axis This may easily and simply be accomplished by pro viding a 2nd restraining means comprising: an arm 54 extending the rear base-seat link 41 beyond its first base pivot 15 at an angle such that it performs no function in its 1st position, that it engages a metal pad or track 55 in its 2nd position and that, in moving to its 3rd position, it maintains its engagement with pad 55. In its 3rd position, it may closely approach (but preferably it should not pass through) a plane 15a extending vertically through the 1st base pivot 15. The outer end of the arm 54 preferably is provided with a yieldably-covered contact roller 54a to maintain pad contact during the second phase movement without interposing an objectionable drag on such movement.

The stop arm 54 may be directed rearwardly in its first position at an angle such that its outer end is at a lower elevation. If this is done, it may pass through plane 15a. When it is done, care must be exercised to make certain that the outer end of arm 54 will not strike platform base or the floor when the upright chair is rocked about rocking axis 5.

Means to improve the ease and smoothness of the I 2nd phase motion This is accomplished by interconnecting the seat and the backrest with a spring which yieldably resists the rearward movement of the backrest from its 2nd to its 3rd position and correspondingly assists the return movement of the backrest from its 3rd to its 2nd position. v

To this end: the downward extension 26 of the backrest bracket 24 is pivotally connected to the rear end of a forwardly elongate spring-stretching arm 58; the front end 59. of that arm 58 is spaced below and supported from a midportion of the seat 8 by an interposed midportion seat link 60 havingan upper midportion seat pivot 61 and a lower floating-pivot 62 (for the arm 58); and the front end 59 of arm 58 is yieldably connected through spring 63 to a rearwardly spaced rear end portion of the seat. The downward extension 26 of the backrest, the forwardly-extending spring-stretching arm 58 and its frontend-supporting seat link 60 constitute a 3-bar linkage which is bodily suspended from and supported on the seat bracket 18 at its rear and front ends through the backrest pivot 25 and interposed seat link pivot 61.

With this arrangement, the spring 63 remains in an unchanged condition during the 1st motion phase because there is no relative movement at that time between the seat and the backrest or between any of the 3-bar linkage parts (26, 58, 60). However, during the 2nd motion phase, there is relative movement between the seat and the backrest which widens or enlarges the angle formed within the 3-bar linkage by the backrest extension 26 and the forwardly elongate spring-stretching arm 58. As a result thereof, the spring 63 is stretched.

The spring 63, in thus yieldably resisting the backward 2nd phase movement of the backrest into its fully reclined position, prevents that movement from being rapidly and roughly accomplished. Furthermore, it stores spring energy which facilitates the return movement of the backrest from its 3rd to its 2nd position.

Means to raise the front end of the seat during the 2nd reclining phase of movement of the seat one way or another. However, I find it desirable to raise the front end of the seat in order to place it in a more comfortable position for fully-reclined purposes.

This can be readily accomplished by providing the midportion seat link 60 (at the front end of the 3-bar linkage) with a pivot 66 (which is rearwardly offset from a transverse plane passing through pivots 61-62 and is also spaced rearwardly and downwardly from its upper midportion-seat pivot 61) and by connecting that offset pivot 66 to the base member 14 through an interposed seatraising link 67 which is pivotally mounted at its lower end on base member 14 through fixed base pivot 68 for movement between 1st and 2nd (FIGS. 14-15) positions cor responding to the forwardly-inclined and rearwardly-inclined 1st and 2nd positions of the seat supporting links 41 and 36a. In its 1st position, the long rear edge of the seat-raising link 67 engages stop 69 on the long rear edge of the adjacent link 60 of the 3-bar linkage.

As the seat and the 3-bar linkage move rearwardly during the 1st phase motion, the upper end of the seat-raising link 67 swings rearwardly about the fixed base pivot 68 at its lower end. It swings in unison with seat-supporting links 41 and 36a from a corresponding forwardly-inclined FIG. 5 position to a corresponding rearwardly-inclined FIG. 6 position. During this 1st phase motion, link 67 does not perform any particular function.

During the 2nd phase movement, the front end portion of the seat moves rotationally upward about the 1st base pivot 15 while the extreme rear end portion of that seat on the back side of pivot 15 moves rotationally downward. At the same time, the backrest 24 not only moves bodily downward with the rear end of the seat but it also moves rotationally rearward about its backrest pivot 25 on the seat; hence, the downward-extension 26 of the backrest moves rotationally forward. As a result, the forwardly-extending spring-stretching arm 58 of the 3-bar linkage moves forward carrying with it the pivot 62 at the lower front corner of that 3-bar linkage. This forward movement of pivot 62 compels the lower end of link 60 to rotate forwardly (and the upper end of link 60 to rotate rearwardly) about the offset pivot 66 between the upper end portions of link 60 and the seat-raising arm 67. From this it will be seen that during the 2nd phase motion, seat-raising link 67 provides, at its upper end offset pivot 66, not only a relatively fixed support for the front end of the 3-bar linkage but also a relatively fixed center about which the seat pivot 61 (at the front upper end of the 3-bar linkage) moves rotationally upward and rearward so as to raise the front end portion of the seat to its 3rd position shown in FIG. 7.

Operation In view of the foregoing, it should suffice to summarize the operation of the chair.

In the 1st position, it will be clear that the upright chair may remain stationary or be rocked about the transverse rocking axis 5. During its rocking movement, the locking or latching link 48 prevents the chair from being rocked about its reclining axis 15.

The chair may be moved from its 1st to its 2nd position simply by holding the arms of the chair while using the body to urge the seat and backrest horizontally rearward. During this 1st phase movement, the horizontal guide link 42 of the elbow linkage remains stationary compelling the seat link 38 of the 2nd V to rock about elbow pivot 43 and thereby extend the legrest linkage from its 1st fully-retracted FIG. 5 position to its 2nd fully-extended FIG. 6 position.

In the 2nd position, the stop arm 54 engages the platform base pad 55 to prevent the recliner from being rocked about its rocking axis 5. It will also be noted that the locking or latching link 48 has now moved from its vertical FIG. 5 locking position, which prevented relative vertical movement of the seat rotationally about the reclining base pivot 15, to its horizontal FIG. 6 nonlocking position, which does not prevent the relative movement of the seat rotationally about the reclining base pivot 15.

The recliner may be moved from its 2nd (FIG. 6) to its 3rd (FIG. 7) position simply by holding the arms of the chair and again using the body to urge the backrest rearwardly. When this is done, the chair will rotate rearwardly about the 1st base pivot 15 and thus move rotationally from the 1st FIG. 6 position to the 2nd position shown in FIG. 7. During this 2nd phase movement, the stop arm 54 more or less maintains engagement with the base pad 55 to prevent the chair from being rocked about its rocking axis 5.

It may be noted that, during the 2nd motion phase, the lazytong linkage moves bodily with the seat but not as a fixed unit. This linkage is slightly retracted to maintain the horizontal attitude of the legrest. Slight retraction is effected by moving the elbow pivot 43 circularly about the 2nd base pivot 16 rather than about the 1st base pivot 15. In this way, pivot 43 travels along a circular path which diverges rearwardly from the circular path it would travel if it moved about the 1st base pivot 15.

The locking or latching result achieved in the 1st position can also be achieved by the modification shown in FIG. 18. Here the elbow linkage is latched to the base bracket 14 in the 1st position of the chair by means of a latching arm 78 which is pivoted at 79 to the horizontal guide link 42 of the elbow linkage. The lower end of this latch arm 78 is biased rearwardly by a spring 80 which connects its upper end with the adjacent front seat link 36a of the elbow linkage. The spring 80 yieldably urges the (lower end of the) arm 78 (rearwardly) into its latching position wherein it latches the elbow linkage 4236a to the base bracket 14.

The spring biased latch arm 78 is forced out of its 1st or latching position, against the bias of spring 80, when the upper end of the seat link 36a moves rearwardly with the seat during the 1st motion phase. At this time, a shoulder or lug 81 on the upper front edge of latch arm 78 is engaged by the rear upper end edge of the front seat-link 360, as it pivots about elbow joint pivot 43. Through this engagement, the seat link 36a swings the latch arm 78 about its pivot 79 in the unlatching direction.

In place of the fixed pivot type of rocker box (which is briefly described in this application and which is described and illustrated in detail in the copending commonly-owned application of Hunt and McMahan, S.N. 379,431, filed June 22, 1964, and now Patent 3,263,955, which issued Aug. 2, 1966), I may employ a rocker box of the phantom pivot type shown in FIG. 19 which comprises a base member 84, a rocker member 85 positioned over and spaced upwardly from the base member; an X-shaped arrangement of rearwardly and forwardly declining legs 86, 87 vertically arranged between said members and pivotally secured to both for relative forwardbackward rocking movement about a phantom transversely-extending rearwardly offset horizontal axis which travels forwardly and rearwardly (i.e. a series of instantaneous axes); and double action spring means 88 arranged between the front halves of a rocker plate and base member and secured to both for tension and compression cushioning purposes. This type of rocker box may be constructed in the integral box form indicated in FIG. 1 or in right and left halves. It is described and illustrated in detail in the commonly-owned copending application of Edward L. Hampton, S.N. 374,887, filed June 15, 1964, and now Patent 3,249,331, which issued May 3, 1966.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A multiple position rocker-recliner comprising; a platform, a rocker assembly mounted on said platform and including a rockable base disposed for rocking movement about a transverse rocking axis, a seat assembly including a seat and a backrest, and hardware means operatively interconnecting said seat assembly and said rockable base for providing two-phase reclining movement of said seat assembly relative to said rockable base between first, second and third positions which respectively correspond to upright semi-reclined and fully reclined positions, said hardware means and said seat assembly being rockable with said rockable base about said transverse rocking axis, said hardware means including a base-seat link pivotally connected to said seat, pivotally connected to said rockable base, and having an arm extending beyond the pivotal connection to said rockable base to engage said platform substantially throughout reclining movement between said second and said third positions for preventing-rocking movement.

2. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base-seat link is inclined forwardly from the pivotal connection thereof to said rockable base to the pivotal connection thereof to said seat when in said first position.

3. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 2 wherein said arm of said base-seat link extends substantially rearwardly from the pivotal connection of said base-seat link to said rockable base when in said first position.

4. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 1 including means pivotally connecting said backrest to the rear portion of said seat, said backrest including an extension extending below said means pivotally interconnecting said seat and said backrest, an arm pivotally connected to said extension and extending forwardly therefrom, and spring means interconencting the forward end of said arm and said seat for biasing said backrest toward said upright position.

5. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 4 wherein said hardware means includes a midportion link pivotally connected to the forward end of said arm and pivotally connected to a midportion of said seat, said midportion link, said arm, and said extension of said backrest forming a three-bar linkage, and raising means interconnecting said three-bar linkage and said rockable base for raising the forward end of said seat during movement from said second position to said third position.

6. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 5 wherein said raising means includes a seat-raising link pivoted to said rockable base and inclining forwardly therefrom in said first position to a pivotal connection to said midportion link.

7. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 6 wherein said seat-raising link is pivotally connected to said midportion link at a point which is between the ends thereof.

8. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 7 wherein said base-seat link is inclined forwardly from the pivotal connection thereof to said rockable base to the pivotal connection thereof to said seat when in said first position.

9. A rocker-recliner as set forth in claim 8 wherein said arm of said base-seat link extends substantially rearwardly from the pivotal connection of said base-seat link to said rockable base when in said first position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,559 1/1937 Bloom 16-191 3,093,409 l/ 1963 Fletcher 297-89 3,141,700 7/1964 Fletcher 297-271 3,163,464 12/1964 Martin et a1. 297- 3,226,155 12/1965 Whiteford 297-85 3,243,226 3/1966 Katz 297-85 3,243,227 3/ 1966 Katz 297-85 3,244,448 4/1966 Re 297-85 3,249,331 5/1966 Hampton 248-376 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. JAMES T. MCCALL, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A MULTIPLE POSITION ROCKER-RECLINER COMPRISING; A PLATFORM, A ROCKER ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM AND INCLUDING A ROCKABLE BASE DISPOSED FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT A TRANSVERSE ROCKING AXIS, A SEAT ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A SEAT AND A BACKREST, AND HARDWARE MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTING SAID SEAT ASSEMBLY AND SAID ROCKABLE BASE FOR PROVIDING TWO-PHASE RECLINING MOVEMENT OF SAID SEAT ASSEMBLY RELATIVE TO SAID ROCKABLE BASE BETWEEN FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD POSITIONS WHICH RESPECTIVELY CORRESPOND TO UPRIGHT SEMI-RECLINED AND FULLY RECLINED POSITIONS, SAID HARDWARE MEANS AND SAID SEAT ASSEMBLY BEING ROCKABLE WITH SAID ROCKABLE BASE ABOUT SAID TRANSVERSE ROCKING AXIS, SAID HARDWARE MEANS INCLUDING A BASE-SEAT LINK PIVOALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SEAT, PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID ROCKABLE BASE, AND HAVING AN ARM EXTENDING BEYOND THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION TO SAID ROCKABLE BASE TO ENGAGE SAID PLATFORM SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT RECLINING MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND SAID THIRD POSITIONS FOR PREVENTING ROCKING MOVEMENT.

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