US3547487A

US3547487A - Chair bed

Info

Publication number: US3547487A
Application number: US755650A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin Shankman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-08-27
Filing date: 1968-08-27
Publication date: 1970-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-15

Description

United States Patent [72] inventor Martin Shankman 163 W. 24th St., Hialeah, Fla. 33010 [21] Appl. No. 755,650 [22] Filed Aug. 27,1968 [45] Patented Dec.15, 1970 [54] CHAIR BED 15 Claims, 15 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl. 297/111, 5/18, 5/20, 5/38, 297/105 [51] Int. Cl ..A47c 17/04, A47c 13/00 [50] Field 01' Search 297/63- 1561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,784,404 3/1957 Shankman 5/20 278,136 5/1883 Hammer.... 5/38X 1,702,955 2/1929 Zaday 5/18X Primary Examiner 1ames T. McCall Attorney-John H. Oltman ABSTRACT: A chair bed which includes a seat convertible into a bed by extension thereof, and a back normally upright and overlapping a portion of the seat, but swingable to a floor engaging position adjacent the seat. The back may be provided with a leg which extends to support the back above the floor when the back is swung down, and which retracts toward the back when the back is swung up on to the seat. The back preferably includes arm portions extending forwardly over side portions of the seat and movable with the rest of the back when it is swung off the seat.

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CHAIR BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although chair beds have been proposed previously, they have not been entirely satisfactory. For example, known chair beds have been typically bulky, and some of them have been difficult to convert into a bed. The seat of the chair must be small enough for comfortable sitting, and yet must convert into a fairly long structure when the article is used as a bed. The back of the chair must not interfere with conversion of the chair into a bed. These requirements have been difficult to meet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a chair bed which, when used as achair, is compact and has a seat small enough for comfortable sitting and which converts easily into a full length bed without interference from the back of the chair. In a preferred embodiment, the back of the chair is normally upright and overlaps a portion of the seat, thus defining a seating area of proper dimensions for comfortable sitting. When .the article is to be used as a bed, the back is swung rearwardly off the seat to a floor'engaging position, and the seat can then be extended easily to form a bed. In this embodiment, the seat includes an upper cushion and a lower cushion supported on a frame. The back is pivotally connected to the frame so that it can be swung off the seat. The cushions rest on a support which is movable along a track incorporated in the frame, and the support and cushions are pulled forwardly away from the back to extend the seat and expose a portion of the frame. The upper cushion is then positioned on the exposed potion of the frame to form a bed. The back may be provided with a leg which extends to support the back above the floor when the back is swung down, and which retracts toward the back when the back is swung up on to the seat. The back preferably includes arm portions normally extending forwardly but movable with the rest of the back when it is swung rearwardly and downwardly. The back, in its floor engaging position, forms a head board for the bed. In one alternate embodiment, the arms do not move with the back, but rather swing sideways off the seat. In another alternate embodiment, the back swings forward off thes'eat.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chair bed which is compact and can easily be converted from a chair into a bed without interference from the back.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair bed with a back which normally overlaps a portion of the seat of the article, and which can be moved off the seat preparatory to converting the article into a bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair bed with a back whichhas a stable upright position, but which can be swung rearwardly and downwardly to a' floor engaging position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair bed with a movable back having a retractable leg.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a chair bed with a frame and support structure which allows the seat of the chair bed to be readily extended to thereby convert it into a bed.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

ON THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair bed in accordance with the invention as it appears as used as a chair and indicating by dashed lines a partially extended position of the seat;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair bed as it appears when used as a bed;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the rear of the chair bed;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. I;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the rear of a chair bed forming another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the back of the chair bed of FIG. 6 in a lowered position, showing in particular an articulated leg for supporting the back;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment in which the arms have downward extensions normally resting on part of the frame;

FIG. 9 shows the embodiment of FIG. 8 as it appears when converted into a bed;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment wherein the arms of the chair swing sideways off the seat;

FIG. 11 shows the embodiment of FIG. 10 as it appears when converted into a bed;

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side view of another embodiment showing pivotal arms of the chair bed;

FIG. 14 shows the back and arms ofthe chairbed of FIG. 13 after they have been swung forward off the seat; and

FIG. 15 shows the embodiment of FIG. l 3after it has been fully converted to a bed.

AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS In FIG. 1, the chair bed 10 is shown as it appears when used as a chair, and in FIG. 2 the chair bed 10 is shown as it appears when used as a bed. The chair bed 10 includes a seat structure generally designated 12 and a back structure generally designated 14. By comparing FIGS. land 2, it may be seen that the chair of FIG. 1 is converted into the bed of FIG. 2 by swinging the back structure 14 rearwardly and downwardly off of the seat structure 12, and by extending and manipulating the seat structure 12 to form a bed structure 16. As indicated in FIG. 1 by dashed lines, the seat structure 12 can be partially extended without swinging down the back structure 14 so as to provide a lounging seat.

The seat structure 12 and the back structure 14 are supported by a frame 18 which includes side angle members 20 and 22 (FIG. 5) and end angle members 24 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 3) connected together at corners as by welding to form a rigid rectangular frame. Vertical angle members 26 are provided at the corners of the frame, and legs 28 are connected to members 26. The legs may have adjustable feet 30 attached thereto. In FIGS. 5 and 6 it may be seen that a flat spring 32 is attached to the

angle members

20, 22, and 24, and the spring has a top covering 34 of any suitable cloth material.

The frame 18 also includes two side angle members 36 and 38 (FIG. 5) which form a track which is used when the seat 12 is extended to form the bed 16, as will be explained further.

Referring to FIG. 1, it may be seen that the seat 12 includes an upper cushion 40 and a lower cushion 42 in superposed relation. These cushions rest on a support 44, the details of which are most clearly visible in FIGS. 4 and 5. The support 44 includes

side angle members

46 and 48, and at least one end angle member 50 (FIG. 4) connected together at corners to form a second frame. In the illustrated embodiment, wooden boards 52 are attached to

side members

46 and 48 and to end member 50 to form vertically extending sidewalls for the'second frame. A crossbar 54 is attached at its ends to the side boards 52, and when the chair bed is retracted to form a chair as in FIG. 1, the crossbar 54. is located above the track members 38 and just ahead of the corner members 26 of frame 18, as may be seen most clearly in FIG. 4. Bifurcated

legs

56 and 58 are attached to crossbar 54 near the side boards 52 and

support wheels

60 and 62 which ride respectively on the

tracks

36 and 38. At the front of the seat structure 12, two other bifurcated

legs

64 and 66 are attached-to the end board 52 (see FIG. 3), and these legs respectively support

floor engaging wheels

68 and 70.

The cushion 42 rests on a flat spring 72 which is attached to the

side members

46 and 48 and the end member 50. Spring 72 is covered with a suitable cloth layer 74. Of course, the side boards 52 and all cushions are normally covered with upholstery cloth.

To convert the seat structure 12 into a bed, the entire support 44 with the

cushions

40 and 42 on it is pulled longitudinally forward until the crossbar 54 contacts the front vertical members 26. The

wheels

60 and 62 ride along

track members

36 and 38 during this extension. The track members 38 are provided with

inclined ramps

74 and 76 at the ends thereof so that the

wheels

60 and 62 will stay either in the rearward position or the forward position unless they are forcibly moved up the appropriate" ramp. When the support and cushions have been extended, the spring 32 on frame 18 is exposed. The cushion 40 is connected to cushion 42 by a cloth hinge 78 so that top cushion 40 may be swung over on to the exposed springs 72 to form the bed structure 16 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

It is clear that the seat structure 12 could not be extended and manipulated to form a bed unless the back structure 14 is first removed from the seat structure. This is accomplished by swinging the back structure 14 from the upright position shown in FIG. I to the floor engaging position shown in FIG. 2 before extending the seat structure 12.

I The back structure 14 includes a rigid support 80 preferably formed of wood panels such as 82 and 84 and 86 connected together to form a hollow box. A front panel 88 is hingedly connected to the top panel 84 and may be swung open to the raised position shown in FIG. 4 to expose the interior 92 of the box. The interior space 92 is useful for storing pillows and perhaps blankets. The bottom panel 90 of the back support 80 rests on the upper cushion 40. A back cushion 94 is attached to ithe front panel 88. e

The back structure 14 also includes hollow

boxlike arms

96 and 98 having

top boards

100 and 102 covered with suitable upholstered material. These arms move along with the back support structure 80 when the back structure 14 is pivoted downwardly and rearwardly, and they assume the upright position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Attached to the back panel 82 of back support 80 is a U- shaped brace 106 which is pivotally connected to brackets I08 and 110 (FIG. 3) by suitable pivot pins, the brackets being attached to end angle member 24 of frame 18. Attached to the upper central portion ofbrace 106 is a leg 112. This leg is attached to the brace by a suitable pin structure 114 engaging a bracket 116 to allow pivotal movement of leg 112. Leg 112 may be made freely pivotal and may be fairly heavy so that when the back structure 14 is pivoted to the rear and downwardly, the leg 112 automatically extends to the vertical position shown in FIG. 4 where it-engages the fioor to hold the back structure 14 raised off the floor. Then when the back structure is swung back up on to the seat structure 12, the leg 112 automatically retracts to the position shown in FIG. 4.

A modified leg structure 118 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The rest of the chair bed 10 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is identical to that shown in FIGS. 15, except that wheels 30a are provided on the back legs so the same reference numerals are used for like parts. The bottom ofleg 118 is connected by linking

arms

12 and 122 to a lower end member 124 on frame 18. Pivot connections 126 are provided to allow movement of

links

120 and 122. When the back structure 14 is pivoted to the rear and downwardly as shown in FIG. 7, the

links

122 and 124 cause leg 118 to extend and contact the floor to hold back structure 14 off the floor. Then when the back structure 14 is raised on to the seat structure 12. the leg 118 automatically retracts much like the leg 112 as shown in FIG. 4.

' The embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 is identical to the embodiment of FIGS. lexcept that support panels 130 are rigidly attached to the sidewalls 52, and downwardly extending panels 132 are attached to

arms

96 and 98 and back 80. The bottom edges of panels 132 rest on the top edges of support panels 130 when the chair bed is set up for use as a chair (see FIG. 8). The panels 132 hug the sides of seat cushions 40 and 42 to help prevent the back 14 from swinging rearwardly when a person sits in the chair. However, the back 14,

arms

96 and 98 and panels 132 can all be swung off the seat to the position illustrated in FIG. 9, and the seat structure can then be extended to convert the chair to a bed in exactly the same manner as described previously in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1012 is also very similar to that of FIGS. 15, and the same reference numerals are used for like parts. In this embodiment, the

arms

96 and 98 have downward extensions 134 which are hingedly connected to the sidewalls 52 by hinges 135 at the bottom thereof, so that the arms can swing from the normal position thereof (shown in solid lines in FIG. 10) sideways to an extended'position thereof wherein they clear the seat. The back cushion 94 and panel 88 are notched at 136 to receive

arms

96 and 98 and thus normally hold them in an upright position. However, when the back 14 is swung rearwardly off the seat, the

arms

96 and 98 can be swung oppositely outward to clear the seat. The seat can then be extended in exactly the same manner described previously to form a bed as shown in FIG. 11.

FIGS. 13-15 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which the back 14 is connected to arms 140 which are pivotally connected at their lower ends by pins 142 to the sidewalls 52 of the seat structure. In all other respects, this embodiment is identical to that of FIGS. 1'-5, and the same reference numerals are used for like parts. The back 14 and arms 140 can be swung forwardly to a floor engaging position as shown in FIG. 14. Then the back and the seat structure 12 can be moved forwardly off the frame 18 to the position shown in FIG. 15, and the cushion 40 can be swung t0 the rear on to the frame 18. This converts the chair into a bed.

Thus, the invention provides a chair bed which, when used as a chair, is unusually compact and may have an attractive appearance. The article is easily converted into a bed by swinging the back structure off the seat and extending the seat structure as described above. The construction of the chair bed is relatively simple, and thus it may be manufactured economically.

Iclaim:

1. A chair bed including in combination av frame, seat cushion means supported on said frame providing a chair seat, back cushion means normally substantially upright and ovcrlapping a substantial rear portion of the top of said seat cushion means and providing a back rest extending upwardly from said chair seat, and means connecting said back cushion means to said frame for swinging movement of said back cushion means off of said seat cushion means so that said back cushion means clears said seat cushion means to facilitate extension and manipulation thereof to form a bed, said frame including track members extending horizontally from front to rear of said seat cushion means above floor level, and said seat cushion means including a first cushion, a second cushion on said first cushion, support means near said track members and carrying said cushions thereon, and wheels connected to said support means and riding on said track members, said seat cushion means being longitudinally fully extensible from said frame with said first and second cushions both carried on said support means during such extension and with said wheels riding on said track members during such extension, a stationary portion of said frame being exposed when said support means is extended, and said second cushion then being movable from said first cushion to position the same on said exposed frame portion to provide a bed.

2. The chair bed as claimed in claim 1 and further including leg means pivotally connected to said back cushion means to support said back cushion means when the' same is moved to the rear of said seat cushion means and to retract when said back cushion means is upright and overlapping said seat cushion means.

3. The chair bed as claimed in claim 1 in which said back cushion means includes a cushion and a support backing therefor, and said means connecting said back cushion means to said frame includes a brace connected to said support backing and also pivotally connected to said frame.

4. The chair bed as claimed in claim 3 and further including leg means pivotally connected to said back cushion means to support said back cushion means when the same is swung to the rear of said seat cushion means and to retract toward said back cushion means when the same is moved to an upright position overlapping said seat cushion means.

5. The chair bed as claimed in claim 4 in which said leg means is pivotally connected to said brace.

6. The chair bed as claimed in claim 5 in which said leg means is freely swingable from the pivotal connection thereof.

7. The chair bed as claimed in claim 5 in which said leg means includes a linkage connected to said frame for extending and retracting the same.

8. The chair bed of claim 1 in which said back includes arm portions extending forwardly thereof when said back is upright and movable with said back when said back is swung rearwardly and downwardly.

9. The chair bed of claim 1 in which said back is hollow and includes a door so that articles may be stored in said back, the articles being accessible by opening the door.

10. The chair bed of claim I in which said back is connected to arms which are pivotally connected to said support means so that said back can be swung forwardly off said seat.

11. The chair bed 'of claim 1 in which said support means has arms hingedly connected thereto for sidewise movement away from said seat, and said back has means for holding said arms at the sides of said seat.

12. A chair convertible into a lounge or a bed including in combination, a frame, movable seat cushion means supported on said frame providing a chair seat, back cushion means normally upright and overlapping a substantial rear portion of the top of said seat cushion means and providing a back rest extending upwardly from said chair seat, means connecting said back cushion means to said frame for swinging movement of said back cushion means off said seat cushion means to facilitate conversion of the same into a bed, said frame includ ing track members near said seat cushion means extending between front and rear thereof, and saidseat cushion means including a support having wheels riding on said track membars to facilitate extension thereof, a first cushion carried on said support, and a second cushion carried on said first cushion, said support means being fully extensible relative to said frame while carrying said first and second seat cushions to expose said frame, and said second cushion then being movable from said first cushion to position the same on said ex posed frame to provide a bed, said back cushion means being pivotable off said seat cushion means during such conversion to bed form, said support means alternatively being partially extensible relative to said frame while carrying said first and second seat cushions without swinging said back cushion means off said seat cushion means to position rear edges of said first and second cushions near a forward face of said back cushion means in order to provide a lounge chair.

13. The chair bed as claimed in claim 12 in which said back cushion means has a closed hollow storage area therein with a forwardly facing access door having a back cushion affixed thereto.

14. The chair bed as claimed in claim 12 in which said back cushion means has arms projecting forwardly therefrom and carried thereby so that said back cushion means may be swung to the rear off said seat cushion means to position said arms upright and thus form a headboard for a bed.

15. A chair convertible into a lounge or a bed including in combination, a frame, movable seat cushion means supported on said frame providing a chair seat, back cushion means normally substantially upright and overlapping a considerable rear portion of the top of said seat cushion means and providing a back rest extending upwardly from said chair seat, pivot means providing pivotal movement of said back cushion means off said seat cushion means to facilitate conversion of the same into a bed, said seat cushion means including a movable support, a first cushion carried on said support, and a second cushion carried on said first cushion, said support being fully extensible relative to said frame while carrying said first and second seat cushions to expose said frame, and said second cushion then being movable from said first cushion to position the same on said exposed frame to provide a bed, said back cushion means being pivoted off said seat cushion means during such conversion to bed form, said support means alternatively being partially extensible relative to said frame while carrying said first and second seat cushions without swinging said back cushion means off said seat cushion means to position rear edges of said first and second seat cushions near a forward face of said back cushion means in order to provide a lounge chair.