US3512314A - Portable layover units - Google Patents

Description

w.. "1-." esbk s a ETAL 3,512,314 1 I v EMBL'E- 'LIAYOVER UNITS Filed April 17) 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS WAR/PEN Z' GEORGE DONALD E MASON ATT NEYS i-Ma y19,"1"97o WJTGEflE E 3,512,314 I PORTABLE LAYO'VER- UNITS Fild April 17, 1969 T 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

INVENTORS WAR/"PEN I GEORGE DONALD E. MASON TTORNEY United States Patent 3,512,314 PORTABLE LAYOVER UNITS Warren T. George, 1611 Clark Ave., and Donald E.

Ngasozn, 2120 Wyoming Ave., both of Billings, Mont. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 651,160,

July 5, 1967. This application Apr. 17, 1969, Ser.

Int. Cl. E04h 1/12; A47c 17/38, 1/02 US. Cl. 52-29 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable rest facility or unit especially suited for public waiting rooms such as in railroad stations and air terminals, and comprising body-supporting lounge means movable from a tilted, non-usable position to a substantially horizontal usable position by an operating mechanism which is check controlled and which has suitable timing means for regulating the period of time that the body supporting lounge means remains in the usable position.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 651,160, filed July 5, 1967, for Portable Layover Units which is now abandoned.

This invention relates to a portable check controlled rest unit which may be suitably positioned in a waiting room of a transportation terminal or the like for use by a weary traveler who needs rest but does not have sufficient time to engage the services and accommodations of the usual hotel or motel lodgings.

In todays highly mobile society, the volume of travelers has increased greatly and the necessity of providing rest facilities at passenger terminals between rail, air and bus connections has increased to a concomitant extent. For the more part, the length of waiting time imposed upon the passenger between connections is only a few hours. His demands, therefore, are only for simple and inexpensive accommodations.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a rest unit having a body supporting lounge means which assumes a non-usable position until certain control mechanisms are activated.

A further object is to provide a self-service rest unit which is check operated, as by coin, credit card, etc., and timer controlled serving to reduce the expenses of administration, registration and service normally associated with the rental of sleeping facilities.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rest r unit as described above wherein an electrical alarm is provided and switch means are provided to actuate the alarm in accordance with a signal from the timing mechanism. The alarm may be in the form of an audible signal or a vibrator or the like attached to the lounge means. Alternatively, the alarm may be actuated from a remote station such as a clerks desk or station-masters desk in he be aroused at a certain time not coincidental with the use period of the portable unit defined by the number of coins or the like inserted in the coin control mechanism. or the like inserted in the coin control mechanism.

The portable rest unit of this invention comprises basically a supporting Wall, a body supporting lounge means in the form of a chair or a bed or a similar structure. The lounge means is mounted for vertical movement at one end along the wall whereby the lounge means as a whole is movable from a substantially horizontal usable position to a tilted non-usable position. Power means are provided on the wall for moving the lounge means from the horizontal usable position to the tilted non-usable position. The power means comprises a motor which is ac- "ice tuated in response to check-operated electrical control means, and elevating means in the wall operably connected to and driven by the motor. Connecting means are provided for connecting one end of the lounge means to the elevating means whereby said lounge means moves to the tilted position upon actuation of the motor means. The elevating means may be in the form of an endless chain which is passed over driven sprockets. Alternatively, the elevating means may be a worm drive or screw type member mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and being provided with suitable nut means connected to one end of the bed whereby the worm means may be driven by the motor causing vertical movement of the nut means and the one end of the lounge member.

In one embodiment of the invention a suitable housing is provided for the lounge means having an opening therein and a door for closing the opening. The movement of the housing from place to place is facilitated by the placement of wheels or roller hearings or the like on the bottom edges of the housing. The door is mounted for sliding movement in a trackway and suitable lock means are provided for preventing the door from assuming a closed position when the lounge member is in the tilted non-usable position.

Another embodiment of the invention employs nonenclosed lounge means which may be a chair or a bed or the like which is mounted at one end on a vertical upstanding wall having the power means referred to earlier along with the associated control means and elevating means for moving the lounge member from a horizontal position to a tilted position.

In the embodiment having the housing, a plurality of units may be integrally joined together making use of common walls. In the second embodiment, a plurality of lounge members and power means may be positioned at suitable points along a portable upstanding vertical wall separated by a partition wall for purposes of privacy.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following detailed description when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the rest unit showing the lounge means in tilted non-usable position;

FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic schematic of the control circuitry;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention showing the lounge means in their horizontal usable position; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 showing the lounge means in the tilted, non-usable position. 1

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 10 indicates the preferred embodiment of the portable rest unit of this invention. The unit 10 is generally comprised of a rear wall 12, end walls 14 and 14 and front walls 16 and 17 secured together to form a housing. The housing is supported on a plurality of casters 18 for ease of transport. The casters are provided with means (not shown) to lock them against movement once the unit 10 has been emplaced. Suitable brackets 15 are provided on the rear wall 12 in order to affix the unit to a building wall when desired. Within the housing and perpendicular to the rear wall 12 is a partition 20 dividing the rest unit into two symmetrical compartments each having a greater width nearest the partition 20.

An accordion roof 22 is provided over each compartment. The root is slidable in tracks 23- in order to allow the occupant to select the degree of privacy desired.

Walls 16 and 17 are provided with access openings 19 and 19' which are adapted to be closed by folding type doors 24 hung on rollers 25 from a track 27 above the access openings. Each door has a biasing means such as a cord and weight assembly 21 for biasing the doors to a normally open position. The doors, of course, allow entrance to and exit from their respective compartments and can be locked in the closed position on latch 26.

Within each compartment body-supporting lounge means in the form of a bed 28 is supported at one end by swivelled rollers or casters 30. The other end of the bed has projections 42 which are secured by a pair of endless chains 32 separately mounted on upper and lower sprocket wheels. The upper sprocket wheels 34 are mounted on a common idler shaft while the lower sprocket Wheels 35 are rigidly mounted on a driving shaft 36 driven by a motor 38. The motor is itself rigidly secured to the partition 20. Of course, the chains, sprockets and motor can be housed within the partition 20 in order to permit a more aesthetic appearance within the compartment.

In order to limit the downward movement of the bed, a limit switch 40 is provided and upward movement is stopped by limit switch 41.

A projection 42 extends from the bed and normally supports a pivot arm 44 when the bed is in its tilted or unusable position. The pivot arm 44 is secured to a bar 46 which is pivotally mounted in the front Wall 16 just above the door 24. The bar at its other end has a downwardly projecting ear 48 which, when the pivot arm is raised to the solid line position shown in FIG. 2, will engage a cam 49 on the door 24 to thereby lock the door in the open position. The pivot arm will fall by gravity to the phantom line position shown in FIG. when the bed is lowered. As the bed is lowered, lug 48 will disengage cam 49. Thus when the bed is lowered, the door 24 will no longer be locked in the open position and the door can be manually closed against its bias and locked from within by the latch 26.

A control panel 50 on the partition 20 for controlling the electric circuit is coin operated and includes a clock timer 52. When the proper coins are deposited in the control panel, the circuit will be closed by switch 53 and the timer set for a predetermined period. Simultaneously, the motor 38 will be activated to lower the bed 28 until the limit switch 40 interrupts the circuit to motor 38. After the timer runs the selected time, switch 55 drops and a vibrator motor 60 is activated to oscillate the bed and Waken the occupant. After a suitable length of viration time, as determined by timer unit 57, the motor 38 is energized to lift the bed to its inclined position. Although an audible alarm could be used, the vibratory alarm is preferred since an audible alarm would be disconcerting to adjoining occupants. The vibrator mechanism can also be combined with a remote paging system wherein a depalture or call desk employee initiates the alarm system via a relay 59. In this way, the occupant could rest secure knowing that he would not miss his scheduled transportation.

In operation, the rest units may be manually rolled to a suitable location in a passenger terminal when and as desired. Because of their compactness and because all of the components are secured within the housing so as not to interfere with its mobility, the units are quickly and easily emplaced.

With the timer 52 in the zero position, the bed 28 will be the inclined position as shown in FIG. 1 and the door 24 will be locked in the open position. When a traveler desires to occupy the compartment, he merely enters it and deposits the requisite coins in the control panel 50 to set the timer 52 for the desired period. Upon deposit of the coins, the electrical circuit will be closed by switch 53 and the motor 38 will be activated to lower the bed 28 to the horizontal position until the limit switch 40 is contacted. Upon downward movement of the bed, the arm 44 will rotate the bar 46 and unlock the door so that the occupant may close and latch it. The occupant may then use the bed until the timer runs out. When the time does run out, the vibrator 60 is activated to awaken him and after a suitable time lag, the motor 38 is energized in the reverse direction to raise the bed to its inclined, unusable position. As the bed 28 reaches its inclined position, bar 46 will pivot to thereby lock the door in its open position.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. An upright wall 62 has two body-supporting lounges in the form of contoured chairs 64 and 66 attached thereto at one end for vertical movement at said one end along said wall from a substantially horizontal position as shown in FIG. to a tilted nonusable position as shown in FIG. 5. Mounted on the wall are coin-control panels 68 which are substantiaily identical to the panels of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The same power means including a sprocket and chain arrangement and a motor driving one of the sprockets is employed in the vertical Wall for each chair as shown. The motor is controlled by the timer means, control circuit and limit switches in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The same circuit of FIG. 3 is used with the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5. The chain and sprockets are shown in phantom in FIG. 5 and are indicated by the numerals 70 and 72 respectively. The chairs shown therein are connected to the chains by an extension 74 of the arm supports 76. Rollers 78 or other suitable anti-friction means are provided at the foot of the chairs.

The operation of the rest unit of FIGS. 4 and 5 is substantially identical to the operation of the units of FIGS. 1 and 2.

In place of the contoured chairs of FIGS. 4 and 5 chairs of a more upright structure may be adapted to the supporting and operation mechanism. Further, single units with only one chair as opposed to the multiple units shown may be employed as desired. Similarly, the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 may consist of a single housing unit with a single bed. The system is so designed that chairs and beds may be interchangeably used with the difierent types of supporting and operating mechanism.

Further, standard chairs and beds can be adapted for use in the combination disclosed herein; that is, one would merely use suitable connector means to attach one end of a standard bed or chair to the elevating means. Rollers or the like could be applied to the other end. Previously known coin operated chairs or the like involved complicated mechanical construction of the chairs themselves.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable layover unit comprising a housing having four outside walls including spaced first and second longitudinal walls, a head wall connecting first ends of said first and second walls, a foot wall connecting the second ends of said first and second walls, friction-reducing, ground engaging means supporting said unit, a bed within said housing movable from a horizontal position to a generally vertical position and back to a horizontal position, generally vertically oriented power means on said head wall for moving said bed to an angle with respect to the horizontal, one end of said bed being attached to said power means and being movable in a generally vertical plane, the other end of said bed being free to move in a generally horizontal plane, said first longitudinal wall having an access opening therein, a door in said opening, support means supporting said door in said opening, said means permitting movement of said door from a closed position across said opening and a second open position, and automatic lock means extending between said power means and support means preventing said door from assuming said closed position when said bed is tilted.

2. The layover unit described in claim 1 wherein said power means includes a chain having a vertical run, a connector offering one end of said bed to said run and an electric motor for moving said end between a lower and an upper position.

3. The layover unit described in claim 1 wherein coinoperated electrical means controls the operation of said power means.

4. The layover unit described in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a top wall having an opening therein and a member for closing said opening.

5. The layover unit of claim 1 wherein said access opening is adjacent said head wall.

6. The layover unit of claim 1 wherein said lock means comprises a rod rotatably secured over said opening, a lug extending radially outwardly from said rod and said door having a stop disposed under said lug when in its open position and a pivot arm aflixed to said rod and pivoted by said bed as it travels toward its tilted position and thereby rotating said lug in front of said stop.

7. The layover unit described in claim 3 wherein said coin-operated electrical unit includes a timing mechanism which will run an amount of time proportionate to the amount of coins deposited.

8. The layover unit described in claim 7 wherein an 6 electrical alarm is enclosed in said housing and switch means actuates said alarm in accordance with a signal from said timing mechanism.

9. The layover unit described in claim 8 wherein said alarm is a vibrator attached to said bed.

10. The layover unit described in claim 9 including a remote station and call means at said station for actuating said vibrator.

11. The layover unit described in claim 1 wherein the other side of said head wall is a part of a second layover unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,335 8/1914 Carter 5-147 1,205,316 11/1916 Barnum 5147 1,785,865 12/1930 House 5l47 2,564,762 8/ 1951 Howard et a1 19469 X HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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