US3690725A

US3690725A - Rocking mount for chairs

Info

Publication number: US3690725A
Application number: US18647A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Faulkner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-03-11
Filing date: 1970-03-11
Publication date: 1972-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-12

Abstract

A rocking device for furniture, specifically for chairs. At each side of the chair a pair of members are arranged in a relatively flat crossed configuration and are rigidly fixed at their upper ends to a chair frame and at their lower ends to a stationary chair base. Each member is stiffened in its central region and flexible in its end regions, the ends of the member providing both a pivotal action and a spring action to produce a frictionless rocking motion of the chair frame on the chair base with positive and predictable path control and without any moving surfaces in frictional contact.

Description

United States Patent Faulkner 1 1 ROCKING MOUNT FOR CHAIRS [72] Inventor: William G. Faulkner, Jupiter, Fla.

[73] Assignee: Peter S. Fletcher, Delray Beach,

Fla.

221 Filed: March 11, 1970 211 App1.No.: 18,647

52 U.S.Cl ..297/2ss, 297/1510? 51 Iut.Cl ..A47c 3/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..297/25s, 261,264, 268,

270272, 297/DIG. 7, 18, 32, 33, 56; 248/372, 373, 376, 392, 398, 399; 267/36, 40, 47, 22, 142,

V [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,516 2/1898 Hess ..267/47 805,846 11/1905 Flindall ..297/32 X 1 Sept. 12,1972

3,339,971 9/1967 Fletcher ..297/271 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 528,615 11/1940 Great Britain ..297/264 Primary Examiner-James C. Mitchell AttorneyAmster & Rothstein 5 7 ABSTRACT A rocking device for furniture, specifically for chairs. At each side of the chair a pair of members are arranged in a relatively flat crossed configuration and are rigidly fixed at their upper ends to a chair frame and at their lower ends to a stationary chair base. Each member is stiffened in its central region and flexible in its end regions, the ends of the member provid ing both a pivotal action and a spring action to produce a frictionless rocking motion of the chair frame on the chair base with positive and predictable path control and without any moving surfaces in frictional contact.

- 22 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures -W VPTICAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE CENTER OF GRAVITY 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 GRANNY ROCKER D THEORETICAL FOUR (BAR LINKAGE c JFK PLATFORM -CAM ROCKER E LSTIFFENED CROSS SPRING F NORMAL (EQUILIBRIUM) POSITION K PRACTICAL FOUR- K BAR LINKAGE 5 SINGLE PIVOTA l l I 2 4 6 8 10 REARWARD DISPLACEMENT .OF CENTER OF GRAVITY 55a l l 40a 464 32 35 IXVFINTOR.

WILL MM 6. PAUL/(M5? A 'ITURNIC YS Patented Sept. 12, 1972 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 'ITORNH YS Patented Sept. 12,1972 3,690,725

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 mr" 1; 5r

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 12, 1972 3,690,725

6 Sheets-Sheet 4 265x FIG. 6

Patented Sept. 12, 1972 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 44 SN mQ Qww Q3 0 Qvw 1 M g m as m Patented Sept. 12, 1972 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 1 ROCKING MOUNT FOR CHAIRS The present invention relates generally to furniture and particularly to an improved rocking chair device. Rocking devices according to the invention are useful both in platform rockers and in reclining chairs which have a rocking capacity.

In the development of rocking chairs, it was long ago established that the use of a fixed platform upon which a chair frame was mounted for rocking movement was an improvement over the traditional rocker in which the chair rocked directly on a pair of curved rocker runners supported on the floor. The use of a stationary platform eliminated the problems of damage to the floor, non-uniform rocking due to variations in the floor surface and hard rocking usually due to friction or non-uniformity in the contact between the curved runners and the supporting surface. Originally, the platform was simply a base which provided a uniform and flat surface upon which the curved members rested. Later, this simple structure was improved by providing a carefully shaped rocking cam on the frame of the chair which generally engaged against a flat supporting surface on the base with spring arrangements connected between chair frame and base to hold the frame on the base to avoid misalignment and separation and also to aid in control of the rocking motion.

A number of commercially successful devices have been used for the purpose of providing rocking movement for chairs. These mechanisms include the traditional, old fashioned rocker with runners resting on the floor, the platform rockers with rocking cams, the more involved fourbar linkage systems with supplemental spring restoring mechanisms, and the simple single pivot devices which rely completely upon the use of springs for the restoring force during the rocking motion. Each of these mechanisms hav'einherent disadvantages.

For example, the concept of a rocking cam inherently has disadvantages. Since there remains a point of moving contact between the cam and the surface upon which it is supported, foreign particles may find their way under the cam and impede proper rocking movement. Further, any unevenness in the cam or support surface will produce a continued inconsistency in rocking movement. Also, the moving surfaces of the cam often produce noise problems. In addition, the provision of a rocking cam requires the addition of a significant amount of weight since the cam requires a more complicated and bulky construction.

In order to reduce the side of the rocking cam, it is necessary to add auxiliary springs to provide the necessary restoring force. Prior attempts to provide a viable alternative to the rocking cam have included pairs of coiled tension springs mounted one behind the other so that they are alternately stretched during the rocking movement forwardly and backwardly. These devices, while useful to some degree, are less than completely satisfactory in providing the consistently smooth, well balanced, trouble free and simple structure which is desired. Other mechanisms and their inherent problems are discussed below.

The specific path characteristics of various types of prior art rocking devices and the rocking devices in the present invention are compared in the graph of FIG. 1 which is discussed in detail below. One of these prior art constructions is a four-bar linkage in which the stationary link is on a base supported on the floor and a movable link is the rocking frame (including the seat and back rest). This movable link is mounted on the fixed link by a pair of crossed movable links which are pivoted at the lower ends on the fixed base line and at that their upper ends to the movable link on the rocking frame. An example of this type of unit for a rocking chair is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,342 issued on Dec. 25, 1962 to J. S. Babbitt. Theoretically, this concept provides a large variety of path movements for the rocking motion of a chair but, as a practical matter, only a restricted range of paths can be made because of the extremely high forces which are otherwise produced. It is for example, theoretically possible to produce the excellent path characteristics provided by the old fashioned on-the-floor rockers, but in that case, the forces in the four-bar linkage would be so high that the links themselves would have to be impractically thick to prevent buckling and the pivotal connections would be subjected to such high pressure that they would bind and wear out very quickly. A further disadvantage of such units is that they require auxiliary restoring springs which are generally undesirable additions to any devices of this type. This type of structure does, of course, provide the advantage of dependable repeatability in path movement since the path is rigidly defined by the linkage structure.

Still other types of mounting devices have been proposed for chairs to give them a rocking movement. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 60l,573 issued to J. E. Long on Mar. 29, 1898, a pair of long, curved, crossed springs were provided for each side of a chair in which one spring of each pair had a link connection at one of its ends to the base and a rigid connection at its other end to the seat. This type of arrangement is similar to the hobby horse mounting mechanism shown in the patent of July 19, 1881 issued to A. Goodspeed, U.S. Pat. No. 244,586. The devices in these'patents produce an up and down motion as well as a rocking movement. They have not found their way into modern commercial usage in the chair field because of their tendency to give the bouncing effect which is inherent in this type of structure. These springs are relatively long and are flexible over their entire length so that any curving of the springs induces buckling, all of which features combine to provide indeterminent path characteristics which are undesirable for modern rocking chairs and are especially undesirable for rocker-reclining chairs.

One important disadvantage of all known prior rocking devices is that they are not fully acceptable for use in a combination rocker reclining chair. In the socalled rocker-recliner, it is desirable to have a predictable and precise relationship between the rocking frame and the base so that a positive and reliable rocker lock means may be used. In all the prior devices, it is impossible to get both a predictable and precise relationship and a good rocking motion. Therefore, it is within the contemplation of the present invention that a rocking chair mechanism be provided which will be useful in a rocking reclining chair. In chairs of this type, it has been found desirable to provide some kind of locking mechanism coupled between the rocking frame, the movable body-supporting unit and the stationary chair base in order to preclude either rocking movement or reclining movement depending on the mode of operation desired by the chair occupant. It is one of the main purposes of the present invention to provide a rocking structure which inherently produces consistent and precise alignment between the rocking frame and the stationary base to enable the good operation of a rocker-recliner lock device in a foolproof manner. I

In accordance with the present invention there is provided in the environment of a rocking chair which has a base supported on the floor and a rocking frame having appropriate body-supporting means, an improved rocking mounting means supporting the rocking frame on the base. The rocking mounting means comprises two pairs of crossed mounting members, one pair on each side of the rocking chair. Each of the members are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the stationary base and at their upper ends to the rocking frame. Each of the members is stiffened in its middle region so that it is resistant to deformation in that middle region at least the end sections of each member are formed of flexible and resilient material which, when elastically deformed, provide the movement between the rocking frame and base. The members of each pair are completely free of any direct contact between each other and the rocking means includes no other connections between the rocking frame and the base.

The above brief description, as well as further advantages and features of the present invention, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the paths of movement followed by the center of gravity of the rocking frame in several prior art types of rockers and in a chair incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing a rocking chair incorporating a rocking device in accordance with the present invention broken away to show the rocking device;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the rocking device of FIG. 2 shown in full line in one extreme position of rocking and in dotted line in the opposite extreme position of rocking;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of-the rocking chair of FIG. 1 showing the various paths of movement of the center of gravity of the rocking frame and occupant for a number of different designs of rocking devices ac cording to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a different embodiment of the rocker device invention shown mounted in a rocking chair and showing the approximate path of movement of the center of gravity of the rocking mass using that rocking device;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a variation of the rocking device shown in FIG. 5 showing the changed path of movement due to the variation;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a still further variation of the rocking device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is still a further side elevational view of a rocking device which is a still further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of still another rocking device in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a rocking device in accordance with the present invention mounted in a rocking chair which has reclining features and showing the mounting linkage for the reclining motion of the chair.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 generalized curves characterizing the motion of rocking mechanisms of several different types. The curves drawn are the actual paths followed by an assumed center of gravity of the rocking system. The rocking system comprises the arm frame, seat and back rest of the chair in question as well as the chair occupant. Normally, the center of gravity is located approximately at the hip joint of the chair occupant. The vertical scale of the graph in FIG. 1 shows the relative vertical displacement of the center of gravity and the horizontal axis shows the relative rearward horizontal displacement of the center of gravity. The curves of FIG. 1 show only the rearward portion of the rocking movement.

Curve A is the path which is to be followed for a simple, single pivot mechanism. The curve is completely circular and the radius of the curve would be the distance between the center of gravity and the pivot point. This system has two main flaws. First, the rocking motion of the chair is not the most desirable, and second, the inherent instability of a single pivot requires the addition of substantial spring restoring means. Whereas it is desirable to have a flat or generally rising path of motion for the center of gravity, the single pivot construction produces exactly the opposite result. The path is downward and the chair occupant has a feeling of moving downhill and toppling, and the system provides no inherent restoring power at all. The only way a single pivot mechanism can work at all is by the provision of strong restoring springs. Although they provide their intended function, they produce high stresses, both in the springs and in the pivot, which result in wear, breakage, noise, and other undesirable features.

Path B is the path followed by the center of gravity of a practical four-bar linkage system. Path C shows another path for an optimized four-bar linkage system, but it is not practical commercially to build a system which produces this path because of the high buckling forces which would cause high friction in the pivot points and tend to make them bind and wear out quickly. The four-bar linkage system comprises a fixed horizontal base, a movable seat rail and a pair of crossed movable links, the lower ends of which are pivoted to the ends of the base with their respective upper ends pivoted to the normally horizontal seat rail. It will be seen that Path B (the kind of path provided by commercial four-bar linkage systems) produces a path which is only a slight improvement over the path of a single pivot device and, therefore, still requires the use of strong spring restoring forces. Although, the theoretical system of Path C does not have such a requirement for spring restoring forces, the commercial construction of such a device is not feasible.

Path D is the path of a conventional old fashioned rocking chair with the rocker runners resting on the floor. Both the path and the self-restoring aspects of this chair are excellent. On the other hand, chairs of this type have great disadvantages from an operational viewpoint, in regard to styling and from the point of view of usefulness in a combination rocking reclining chair. Obviously the rocker runners required to provide the path of movement as shown in FIG. 1 are very long in length and, in fact, have to extend substantially beyond the rear of the chair. The operational charac teristics of this kind of rocker vary tremendously de pending upon the nature of the rocking surface; for example, if such a chair is used on a heavy pile rug its rocking characteristics are very much different than if the chair is used on a hardwood floor. Of course, no practical reclining mechanism can be incorporated in a chair with a rocking system of this sort. Furthermore, this type of rocking mechanism permits only a very restricted range of chair styles.

Path E illustrates the path of movement of one of the most successful prior rocking mechanisms, the platform cam rocker. In this device, there is a fixed platform which has an upwardly facing supporting surface and a rocking frame which has, at its bottom, a shaped rocking cam. Although some of the disadvantages of the old fashioned rocker are eliminated, they are not all done away with and some new disadvantages are introduced. Specifically, because the size of the cam surfaces is reduced (for style and cost purposes), the platform rockers require auxiliary springs both for restoring the chair to an equilibrium position and to attach the rocking frame to the base. The springs further serve to prevent the rocking movement from exceeding its designed limits. Although the surface variations which create such a tremendous problem with the old fashioned rocker have been substantially reduced by platform cam rockers, there still is a moving contact point between two surfaces which, if rough or uneven, may produce noise and bumpiness, or may cause an irregular path either as an initial error or as the rocker cams wear. Furthermore, these platform rockers have an alignment problem and are still less than perfect in maintaining precisely the position of the rocking frame with respect to the platform base. There is still possible both rotational misalignment and horizontal slipping of the cams on the base. It will be appreciated that such alignment and slipping are significant disadvantages in a rocking chair having a reclining action, especially where a rocker lock is necessary. As an additional problem resulting from slippage, the performance of the chair changes due to the fact that the spring action is thereby varied.

Finally, path F shows a typical path of movement for a rocking chair incorporating a rocking device in accordance with the present invention. One of the advantages of the present invention is that a wide variety of paths can be produced with relatively minor design changes in the construction of the rocking device. The path shown here is illustrated as one presently preferred path and is the approximate path which results from'the structure shown in the drawings of FIG. 1. Since the normal useful rocking range is within thirty degrees of tilt from the equilibrium position, it will be seen that the path P for a chair incorporating the invention has the desirable flat characteristic in the useful range. It moves downhill toward its equilibrium position (although it can vary from this if so desired). It is not required to move downhill at the relatively high rate of the old fashioned rocking chair because it inherently has restoring spring forces, as will be excommercial crossed four-bar linkage devices as shown in path B.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chair 10 has a stationary base 12 and a rocking frame 14. The base has front and

rear legs

16, 18, respectively and side rails 20 as well as cross members 22 shown in dotted line configuration. The rocking frame 14 may be conventionally constructed and has cross rails 24, arms 26 and a back rest 28. A seat cushion 30 rests upon appropriate constructions in the rocking arm frame 14.

The rocking frame 14 is mounted on the stationary base 12 for rocking movement. There is provided a rocking device, generally designated by the numeral 32, which provides the rocking function.

The rocking device 32 is secured to both the stationary base 12 and the rocking frame 14. Two of the rocking devices 32 are provided for the chair 10, one in each of its two sides. The rocking device 32 shown in FIG. 2 has an upper seat rail 34 and a lower base rail 36 which are interconnected by the crossed

members

38, 40. The

rails

34, 36 may be made from conventional angle iron. Attachment of the lower base rail 36 to the stationary base 12 is simply accomplished by two screws or bolts 42 and, similarly, the upper seat rail 34 is secured to the rocking frame 114 by two screws or bolts 44. In a typical furniture factory, the finished sta tionary base 12 and the finished rocking frame 14 are brought together at a given point on the assembly line by the simple expedient of joining the two parts together by means of a pair of rocking devices 32.

The crossed members or

arms

38, 40 of the rocking device 32 are made of spring steel and are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the lower base rail 36 and at their upper ends to the upper seat rail 34. Specifically, arm 38 has a first securement region 38a at its lower end at which the arm 38 is rigidly secured to the lower base rail 36 by means of a pair of rivets 46. There is a bend 38b formed in the arm 38 immediately adjacent to securement portion 38a such that the remainder of the arm 38 extends upwardly at a small angle. A first spring section 38c extends beyond the bend line 38b and is oriented such that the cross section of the first spring section 380 is parallel to the ground. The cross section is rectangular with the length of the rectangle being substantially greater than the width such that vertical forces on the arm 38 will cause the spring section 38c to bend but horizontal forces will be resisted. The arm 38 has a twist section 38d at the upper end of the first spring section 38c such that the next portion of the arm 38 is a stiffened non-spring section 38e. The rectangular cross section of the stiffened section 38e has its greater dimension perpendicular to the ground such that bending forces on the arm 38 due to the rocking motion are not effective to cause deformation of that stiffened section 38s. At a further 90 twist 38f, located at the upper end of the stiffened section 3812, the material of the arm 38 is once again twisted 90 such that the next portion of the arm 38 constitutes a second spring section 38g. The second spring section 38g is, like the first spring section 380, deformed by the application of bending forces produced by rocking action. At the upper end of the second spring section 38g, there is a bend 38h formed in the material of the arm 38 and the arm 38 terminates in a second and upper securement section 381'. A pair of rivets 46 secure the second securement section 38i to the forward end of the upper seat rail 34. Thus, member or arm 38 is rigidly secured at its lower and rearward end to the lower base rail 36 and is rigidly secured at its upper and forward end to the upper seat rail 34.

The second member or arm is identical with the first arm except that it is oriented such that it is rigidly secured to the front of the lower rail 36 at its lower and front end and is rigidly secured to the rear of the upper seat rail 34 atits upper and rearward end. The points of securement of the second member 40 are in approximate vertical alignment with the points of securement of the first member or arm 38 is such that the two

rails

34, 36 are substantially parallel to each other and the arms cross each other at their midpoints. The transverse spacing is such that the arms do not contact each other. Although a specific description of each of the several sections in the second arm 40 will not be given, numbers 40a through 401 at points have been placed on FIG. 2 at locations completely analogous to the points designated by the numerals 38a through 381 on arm 38.

The action of the rocking device 32 is illustrated in FIG. 3. The weight of both the chair occupant and the rocking frame is supported by members or

arms

38, 40 which are placed in compression but which deform insignificantly due to such compression. When the chair occupant shifts his weight forwardly or otherwise creates a turning movement in the rocking frame 14, an increased vertical load is placed on the front of the seat rail 34 and a relatively decreased load is placed on the rear of the seat rail 34. This causes the front of the seat rail 34 to move downwardly and the rear of the rail 34 to move upwardly. This movement causes the spring sections 380 and 38g of the first member 38 to bend concave downwardly and, conversely, causes the spring section 400 and 40g of the second member 40 to bend concave upwardly. It will be understood from examining FIG. 3 that, while the

respective spring sections

40c and 40g deform, there is negligible deformation in the stiffened

sections

38e, 40e. The restriction of flexure in the

arms

38, 40 to the spring sections produces a flatter and more desirable rocking motion for the chair 10.

In operation, there is absolutely no moving contact between parts in the rocking device 32 and, hence, there is no wear. There are none of the adverse effects encountered in other types of rocking devices where there are frictional engagements or moving contact elements. The alignment between the chair and seat is maintained at all times and efficient trouble free operation is provided.

In FIG. 4, there are schematically illustrated some variations in the path of rocking motion produced by the rocking device 32 which can be obtained by relatively minor design changes. Specifically, the assumed center of gravity of the rocking unit and the chair occupant of the chair is shown at the point labeled CG. Four paths of movement, labeled P1, P2, P3, and P4, illustrate the movement of the center of gravity CG for various cross member angles. The cross member angle is defined as either the front or rear included angle measured between the two cross members or arms when the rocking device is in its centered position with front and rear included angles equal. Path P1, the flattest of the paths, corresponds to a cross member angle of 20 path P2 for an angle of 40; path P3 for an angle of 60; and path 4 for an angle of It will thus be appreciated that by decreasing the cross member angle, a flatter path for rocking is achieved. Conversely, by increasing the angle, a much more curved path of rocking movement is obtained. Another way of expressing this is that with small cross member angles, the effective center of rotation of the center of gravity is further below the center of gravity than when the cross member angle is relatively large.

It has been found that best results are produced where the cross member angle is between 20 and 40, although satisfactory performance v can be obtained with cross member angles as low as 15 and as high as 90.

In FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a chair 10A, similar in all respects to the chair 10, is shown with a somewhat different form of rocking device which is generally designated by the numeral 50. The, structural elements of the chair 10A are, in all respects, the same as those described for the chair 10, and it is noted that they are designated in the drawings by numbers similar to those of the chair 10, but followed by the letter A.

In a manner completely analogous to the mounting of the rocking device 32, the rocking device 50 has an upper seat rail 52 secured to the rocking frame 14A by bolts 44A and a lower base rail 54 secured to the base 12A by bolts 46A. A pair of members or arms 56 and 57 are mounted in crossed fashion between the

rails

52, 54 in a manner analogous to the members in chair 10 to provide the desirable rocking motion for chair 10A.

Each of the members or arms 56, 57 is made up of two individual parts preferably formed of spring steel and joined together to form a complete member having a rigid center region or portion and flexible end region or portions. Specifically arm 56 has a first part 58 which has a first securement section 58a, a bend at 58b,

a spring section 58c and an end section 58d (which is stiffened as described below). A second part of the arm 56 is designated by the numeral 60 and is a mirror image of the first part 58. It has securement section 60a, a bend at 60b, a spring section 60c and an end section 60d. The

end sections

58d and 60d of the two parts 58 and 60 are rigidly secured together by rivets 62 to form the stiffened center region of the arm 56. The double thickness of the arm 56 in this region effectively resists elastic deformation while the single thickness regions 58c and 600 provide a spring movement.

In a similar manner, member or arm 57 is composed of two individual parts 64 and 66 formed of the same material as arm 56 and are shaped in conformity with parts 58 and 60 of arm 56. The parts 64 and 66 form a stiffened center region of the composite member 57 where the metal thickness is doubled leaving two flexible springs at the end of the arm where metal is of a single thickness. The respective sections of parts 64 and 66 are numbered in a like manner to the numbering for parts 58 and 60. It will be appreciated that upon a rocking force being applied by the chair occupant, the spring regions of the arms or members 56, 57 will elastically deform and the stiffened middle regions will remain effectively rigid producing a controlled rocking movement for the chair A similar to that provided by the rocking device 32 for chair 10 illustrated in FIG. 3. With the particular dimensional relationship shown in FIG. 5, the center of gravity CG of the chair 10A follows a path generally as shown in the superimposed curve in that drawing. Again, with variations in the cross member angle, the length of the rigid and flexible portions of the members, the cross sections of the spring regions and the elasticity of the material used, a designer can vary the path and the character of the rocking movement of the chair.

The path of movement of the center of gravity can be varied by changing the relative proportions of the spring regions and the stiffened regions of the rocker mounts made in accordance with the present invention. For example, in FIG. 6, there is shown a chair designated by the numeral 108 which is similar to the chair 10A in all structural respects except for the specific construction of the rocker mount incorporated in that chair. The rocker mount is generally designated by the numeral 70 and is generally the same as the rocker mount 50 shown in chair 10A in FIG. 5. How ever, the rocker mount 70 has crossed members of a somewhat different proportion. The rocker mount 70 has a seat rail 71 and a base rail 72 joined respectively to the seat frame 148 and the stationary base 12B in a typical manner. A pair of crossed

arms

73, 74 are secured at their upper and lower ends respectively to the front and rear of the seat rail 71 and base rail 72 in a manner similar to that described above for rocker mount 50. However, the proportional dimensions of the spring sections and the stiffened sections of the

individual arms

73, 74 are significantly different in the rocker mount 70 from the proportions shown in rocker mount 50. The

arms

73, 74 are each constructed of two

pieces

75, 76 and 77, 78 which are joined together forming a central stiffened portion exactly in the same manner as that described above in connection with arm 56 and 57 for rocker mount 50. However, the relative lengths of stiffened and flexible regions are significantly different; the arms have relatively long flexible spring portions adjacent their ends and relatively short stiffened center portions where the

pieces

75, 76 and 76, 77 overlap and are rigidly secured together. This greater proportion of spring region (all other things being equal), produces a much freer motion and also produces a more downwardly curved displacement path for the center of gravity CG. This path is shown schematically in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 7 a still further variation in the mounting device is shown. In FIG. 7 there is shown a rocking mount generally designated by the number 80 in which steps have been taken to create a non-symmetrical path action. Specifically, there is shown a chair 10C with structural elements the same as the chair 10A, all of which are indicated in the drawings with similar numbers followed by the letter C. The rocker mount 80 has a seat rail 82 and a base rail 84 attached in the chair in the manner described above.

A pair of crossed

arms

86, 88 are rigidly secured at their ends to the seat rail 82 and base rail 84 in the same way the crossed arms are secured in the rocking mounts 50 and 70. However, the

arms

86,88 differ from the

arms

56,57 and 73,74 in that they are nonsymmetrical. Specifically, arm 86 has a first relatively long part 90 an a second relatively short part 92 with the two parts being joined rigidly together where they overlap to form an off-center intermediate stiffened region. This intermediate stiffened portion of arm 86 is closer to the front of the arm. Similarly, the spring arm 88 comprises a first relatively short part 94 and a second relatively long part 96 which are rigidly joined together to form an off-center stiffened intermediate region. Again, the stiffened region is toward the front portion of the arm. The operations of the rocking mount 80 are the same as for the rocking mounts described above except that the path of movement is not symmetrical. As shown in FIG. 7, the path of movement of the center of gravity CG for chair 10C has a flatter slope in its forward rock than it does in its rearward rock showing a stiffer kind of action forwardly than rearwardly. In this regard, it may duplicate more closely the kind of feeling that a chair occupant gets from an old fashioned, on-the-floor rocker where the rocking runners were shaped to provide a hard forward rock and a relatively soft rearward rock.

FIG. 8 shows another variation of a rocker mount in accordance with the present invention in which the individual arms are formed of rod material stiffened with tubing. This illustrates the fact that any type or combination of materials can be used to give spring end regions and a stiffened or rigid intermediate regions. In FIG. 8, there is shown a rocker mount 100 which consists of a seat rail 102, which has appropriate means to secure it to a rocking frame, and a base rail 104, which has securement means to attach it to a base. A pair of crossed members or arms 106,108are secured between the upper and lower ends of the seat and frame rails 102,104 and functions to support. seat rail 102 above the stationary base rail 104 in a manner similar to that described above for the other rocking mounts.

The member or arm 106 has a first spring section 110 at its lower and rearward end and a second spring section 112 at its upper and forward. end, both of which are formed of rod material. U-shaped rivets 114 secure the arm 106 to the rearward end of the base rail 104 and to the forward end of the seat rail 102. Intermediate the two spring sections 110,112 is a stiffened portion 116 which is formed of tubing material which has an inside diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the rod of the spring sections 110,112. The rod which forms the spring sections 1 10, 112 may be continuous through the entire length of the stiffened section 116 or, alternatively, the arm 106 may be fabricated of three separate pieces which are joined together by inserting and rigidly securing the rod of the spring sections 110,112 into the ends of the tubing. The other arm 108 is similar and has a pair of

spring sections

118, 120 with a stiffened tubular section 122 therebetween. The ends of the arm 108 are secured to the forward end of the base rail 104 and the rearward end of the seat rail 102 by the U-rivets 114.

The rocking mount 100 may also provide with diagonal cross bracing if necessary or desirable. In FIG.

8, there are illustrated cross braces 124, 126 which diagonally interconnect a pair of the mounts 100 on 0pposite sides of a chair. The

braces

124, 126 extend from the rear of the seat rail 10?. downwardly to the front of the base rail 104 on the opposite rocking mount 100. A number of openings may be provided for these braces so that they can be attached without any interference with each other. The use of such diagonal cross bracing is not, of course, necessary to the practice of the inventor.

The function of the rocking device 100 is similar to the function of the other rocking devices described above and it incorporates a similar degree of flexibility in design. The rocking motion is dependent upon the resiliency of the materials used in the components, the shape and size of the components and the relative length of the

spring sections

110, 112, 118, 120 and the stiffened

portions

106, 122.

A still further variation on the same basic idea is shown in FIG. 9 where there is a chair generally designated by numeral D which chair has all of the basic structural parts shown and described in the previous drawings, which parts are indicated in FIG. 9 by the same numerals-with the added letter D. A rocker device 130 is bolted into the chair 10D and comprises a seat rail 132, a base rail 134 and a pair of crossed

arms

136, 138. Each of the arms is composed of four pieces and, for purposes of simplicity, only the structure of arm 138 is described. There are

spring sections

140, 142 at either end of the arm 136 which are rigidly secured to the seat rail 132 and the base rail 134 by means of rivets or the like. The mid portion of the arm 136 is formed of two parallel pieces of

fiat metal

144 and 146 with the

spring sections

140, 142 sandwiched therebetween and secured thereto by rivets 148 or the like. Although these arms are somewhat similar to the arms 56, 57 shown in FIG. 5, they differ in that the individual elements of the stiffened mis-sections are separated and are not homogeneous with the spring sections. In fact, in structures of this type, it is easy to employ material having different properties and the

pieces

144 and 146 may be formed of a material which is stiffer than that used for the spring parts.

In FIG. 10, there is illustrated a rocker mount 150 in a chair generally designated by the numeral 10E. Chair 10E is a rocker-recliner, that is, it has the usual elements of a reclining chair and in addition, it is mounted on a stationary base by a rocker device so that it may function as a rocking chair. The structural elements similar to those in the prior figures are identified by the same numbers used there followed by the letter E. The rocker mount 150 in chair 10E is generally similar to rocker mount 50 shown in FIG. 5. For clarity, the crossed arms in rocker mount 150 are shown in cross hatched form. Behind the rocking device 150 there can be seen a reclining chair fixture, generally indicated by the numeral 170, which enables the seat and back rest to move through the conventional two movement phases.

The rocker mount 150 comprises first and second crossed

arms

152, 154. The first arm is made up of two

pieces

156, 158 which are joined together by conventional rivets at their overlapping ends to form a stiffened midsection with the single thickness portions providing spring section as explained above, At its upper front end the arm 152 is secured to a bracket 162 which forms part of the seat rail 164 and, at its lower end, the arm 152 is secured to the base rail 166. The second arm 154 is similarly constructed and is secured at its lower end to the front of the base rail 166 and at its rearward and upper end to bracket 168 which is in turn secured to the seat rail 164. In motion, the rocker mount provides functions similar to the rocker mounts described above.

The reclining chair linkage 170 is generally illustrated in FIG. 10 and mounts the seat 30E and back rest 28E on the seat rail 164 such that the chair can exhibit the normal functions of a multiple movement reclining chair. The linkage 170 allows for movement from an upright position to a TV position and then to a fully reclined position and the rocker mount 150 allows the body supporting portions of the chair to perform a rocking function in accordance with the description given above. The reclining chair linkage 170 mounts the body supporting unit, which consists of the seat and the back rest, and also mounts the leg rest 172 on the seat rail 164 for movement between the upright sitting position as shown and various reclining positions. The linkage 170 includes a lazy tong arrangement 174 which mounts the leg rest 172, a seat and back rest control arrangement 176 and a lock arrangement 178. As the seat and back rest are moved from the upright sitting position as shown in FIG. 10 to a reclined position, the back rest 28E, which is rigidly mounted on the back rest link 180, pivots about the back rest pivot 182. The back rest pivot 182 is on a stationary extension 184 of the seat rail 164. This pivoting motion of the back rest produces a forward movement of the lower portion of the back rest link which, through a connecting link 186, causes extension of the long tong leg rest linkage 174. This is accomplished by connection of the connecting link 186 at pivot 188 through a plurality of control links 190, 192, 194 to the leg rest linkage 174 at pivot 196. This connection causes extension of leg rest in the manner well known.

The lock device 178 is activated by an actuating link 198 connected to link 192 at pivot 200 and is effective upon commencement of reclining movement of the reclining linkage 170 to pivot the locking lever 202 about its pivotal connection to the base 12E such that its locking extension 204 is engaged within a locking kerf 206 in the back rest link 180. This prevents rocking movement when the chair 10E is reclined. A connecting link 208 effectively precludes movement of the rocker lock and thereby precludes reclining movement, when the chair 10E is in an extended rocking position. The special advantages available in an integrated design as shown in FIG. 10 are possible due to the freedom of design which exists because of the precise and repeatable path movement resulting from the present invention. This permits effective and simple rocker and recliner lock mechanisms as well as an overall effectively simpler more dependable and better acting combined rocker-recliner structure. In general, the invention allows for an overall design approach which produces more desirable results than have heretofore been available by taking an existing reclining chair linkage and adding it to an existing rocker arrangement; rather it allows for an overall rockerrecliner design offering improved and moreprecisely controlled results.

It will be appreciated that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a rocker mount structure wherein a wide variety of design scope is given to the designer with regard to the path of rocking movement in a rocking chair. Rocker mounts manufactured in accordance with the invention provide a wide area of aesthetic design possibilities. They are extremely dependable in that they have absolutely no frictional characteristics whatsoever and are dependable and repeatable in their paths of movement. The rocker mounts in accordance with the present invention are extremely useful in the chairs in which the repeatability of the path of movement as between the rocker frame and the base is significant such as in a rocker'recliner.

Although there are a number of different varieties of structures in accordance with the present invention that have been described herein, it will be appreciated if still further varieties can be contemplated and produced by skilled mechanics.

What I claim is:

1. In a rocking chair of the type having a stationary base to be supported on a floor and a body-supporting unit having a seat and back rest and mounted in a frame, said body-supporting unit being movable in a rocking motion, the improvement comprising:

pivotless rocking-mounting means for mounting said body-supporting unit on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising:

means for securement of said mounting means to said body-supporting unit,

means for securement of said mounting means to said stationary base, and

two pairs of cross members, one pair on each side of said rocking chair, each of said cross members being rigidly secured at their lower ends through said base mounting means to said stationary base and rigidly secured at their upper ends through said body-supporting, mounting means to said body-supporting unit, one member of each of said pairs being inclined upwardly from the rear of said base to the front of said body-supporting means and the other member of each pair being upwardly inclined from the front of said base to the back of said body-supporting unit.

each of said members being resistant to deformation in its middle region and being elastically deformable at its end regions adjacent to said mounting means for producing flexure at its end regions in comparison to its middle region,

said members of each pair being free of any frictional contact between them.

2. A rocking chair having a rocking frame mounted for rocking movement on a stationary base, the improvement comprising a pivotless rocking mounting device having a pair of cross members, one of said members being rigidly connected at its lower end to the forward portion of said base and at its upper end to the rearward portion of said rocking frame, the other of said members being connected at its lower end to the rearward portion of said base and its upper end to the forward portion of said arm frame, each of said cross members having stiffened middle regions and resilient end regions, said middle and end regions being proportioned to provide path-guiding action and restoring force for the rocking movement of said rocking frame with respect to said stationary base.

3-. In a rocking chair, a rocking-mounting means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cross members are stiffened in said middle regions by means of being thicker in said middle regions than in said elastically deformable end regions. 7

4. A rocking-mounting means in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said cross members is formed of a single homogeneous piece of material having a cross section greater in dimension in one direction than in the perpendicular direction, said greater dimension being oriented in the horizontal plane in said elastically deformable end regions and being oriented in the vertical plane in said middle region.

5. A chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein said chair has recliner means mounting said body-supporting unit within said frame.

6. A chair in accordance with claim 5, having means to prevent rocking movement in response to reclinging movement.

7. A chair in accordance with claim 5 having means to prevent reclining movement in response to rocking movement.

8. A chair in accordance with claim 5, having means to prevent reclining movement in response to rocking movement and to prevent rocking movement in response to reclining movement.

9. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stiffened middle region of each of said cross members is centered along the length of said members.

10. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stiffened middle region of each of said cross members is longer than said resilient end regions.

11. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stiffened middle region of each of said cross members is shorter than said resilient end regions.

12. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said resilient end regions of at least one of said cross members are of different lengths such that said stiffened middle region is off center.

13. A chair in accordance with claim 12 wherein said stiffened middle region is off center of said cross member toward the front of said chair.

14. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein each of said cross members is made of a single homogeneous piece of material.

15. A chair in accordance with claim 14 wherein each of said pieces of material has a cross section having a short and a long section having a short and a long dimension at to each other with the longer dimension being in a first orientation in said resilient end regions and being in a perpendicular orientation thereto in said stiffened middle region.

16. A chair in accordance with'claim 2 wherein said stiffened middle regions are formed of multiple layers of material and said resilient end regions are formed of a single layer of the same material.

17. A chair in accordance with claim 16 wherein a layer in said stiffened middle region extends and forms at least one of said resilient end regions.

18. A rocking reclinging chair of the type having a stationary base and a rocking frame mounted thereon for rocking movement and having a body-supporting means comprising a seat and back rest mounted within said rocking frame for multiple movement from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position and to a fully reclined position,

multiple movement means mounting said body-supporting means in said rocking frame for said multiple movement, said multiple movement mounting means including locking means for precluding reclining movement operable in response to rocking movement and for precluding rocking movement in response to reclining movement, and pivotless rocking-mounting means mounting said rocking frame on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising:

a pair of cross members on each side of said chair, one of said members of each pair being rigidly connected on its lower forward end to the forward portion of said stationary base and at its upper rearward end to the rearward portion of said rocking frame, the other of said members of each pair being connected at its lower rearward end to the rearward portion of said base and at its upper forward end to the forward portion of said frame,

each of said cross members having a relatively stiffened middle region resisting deformation in a vertical plane and having resilient end regions which elastically bend to provide rocking movement of said rocking frame relative to said base, said middle and end regions being proportioned in length and elastically to provide positive pathguiding action and restoring force for said rocking movement.

19. In a rocking chair, a rocking-mounting means in accordance with claim 18 wherein said cross members are stiffened in said middle regions by means of being thicker in said middle regions than in said elastically deformable end regions.

20. A rocking-mounting means in accordance with claim 18 wherein each of said cross members is formed of a single homogeneous piece of material having a cross section greater in dimension in one direction than in the perpendicular direction, said greater dimension being oriented in the horizontal plane in said elastically deformable end regions and being oriented in the vertical plane in said middle region.

21. In a rocking chair of the type having a stationary base and body-supporting unit having a seat and back rest mounted in an arm frame, said body-supporting unit being movable in a rocking motion, the improvement comprising:

rocking-mounting means for mounting said bodysupporting unit on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising: cross members, said cross members being spaced laterally from each other and free of frictional contact with each other, each of said cross members being rigidly secured at its lower end to said stationary base and rigidly secured at its upper end to said body-supporting unit, one of said members being inclined upwardly from the rear of said base to the front of said body-supporting means and one of said members being upwardly inclined from the front of said base to the rear of said body-supporting unit. each of said members having a stiffened intermediate region, and having spring end regions intermediate said stiffened regions and said ends for producing flexure at said end regions when aidb -s t unit is rockedo said base. 22. K rocfli ri g li ir' l 'ia ving a support base and a rocking unit for rocking motion thereon, said unit including a seat and back rest, a'rocking control means connected between said support base and said rocking unit for controlling said rocking motion,

said rocking control means comprising at least one pair of cross members, each member having:

a. a substantially rigid intermediate section,

b. first securement means rigidly connecting the upper end of said cross member to said rocking unit,

c. second securement means rigidly connecting the lower end of said cross member to said support base,

d. spring end sections between said first securement means and said intermediate section and between said intermediate section and said second securement means,

c. said spring end sections flexing when said rocking unit is rocked back and forth and controlling the path and the frequency of oscillation of said rocking motion.

Claims

1. In a rocking chair of the type having a stationary base to be supported on a floor and a body-supporting unit having a seat and back rest and mounted in a frame, said body-supporting unit being movable in a rocking motion, the improvement comprising: pivotless rocking-mounting means for mounting said bodysupporting unit on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising: means for securement of said mounting means to said bodysupporting unit, means for securement of said mounting means to said stationary base, and two pairs of cross members, one pAir on each side of said rocking chair, each of said cross members being rigidly secured at their lower ends through said base mounting means to said stationary base and rigidly secured at their upper ends through said body-supporting, mounting means to said body-supporting unit, one member of each of said pairs being inclined upwardly from the rear of said base to the front of said body-supporting means and the other member of each pair being upwardly inclined from the front of said base to the back of said body-supporting unit. each of said members being resistant to deformation in its middle region and being elastically deformable at its end regions adjacent to said mounting means for producing flexure at its end regions in comparison to its middle region, said members of each pair being free of any frictional contact between them.

3. In a rocking chair, a rocking-mounting means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cross members are stiffened in said middle regions by means of being thicker in said middle regions than in said elastically deformable end regions.

15. A chair in accordance with claim 14 wherein each of said pieces of material has a cross section having a short and a long section having a short and a long dimension at 90* to each other with the longer dimension being in a first orientation in said resilient end regIons and being in a perpendicular orientation thereto in said stiffened middle region.

16. A chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stiffened middle regions are formed of multiple layers of material and said resilient end regions are formed of a single layer of the same material.

18. A rocking reclinging chair of the type having a stationary base and a rocking frame mounted thereon for rocking movement and having a body-supporting means comprising a seat and back rest mounted within said rocking frame for multiple movement from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position and to a fully reclined position, multiple movement means mounting said body-supporting means in said rocking frame for said multiple movement, said multiple movement mounting means including locking means for precluding reclining movement operable in response to rocking movement and for precluding rocking movement in response to reclining movement, and pivotless rocking-mounting means mounting said rocking frame on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising: a pair of cross members on each side of said chair, one of said members of each pair being rigidly connected on its lower forward end to the forward portion of said stationary base and at its upper rearward end to the rearward portion of said rocking frame, the other of said members of each pair being connected at its lower rearward end to the rearward portion of said base and at its upper forward end to the forward portion of said frame, each of said cross members having a relatively stiffened middle region resisting deformation in a vertical plane and having resilient end regions which elastically bend to provide rocking movement of said rocking frame relative to said base, said middle and end regions being proportioned in length and elastically to provide positive path-guiding action and restoring force for said rocking movement.

21. In a rocking chair of the type having a stationary base and body-supporting unit having a seat and back rest mounted in an arm frame, said body-supporting unit being movable in a rocking motion, the improvement comprising: rocking-mounting means for mounting said body-supporting unit on said stationary base, said rocking-mounting means comprising: cross members, said cross members being spaced laterally from each other and free of frictional contact with each other, each of said cross members being rigidly secured at its lower end to said stationary base and rigidly secured at its upper end to said body-supporting unit, one of said members being inclined upwardly from the rear of said base to the front of said body-supporting means and one of said members being upwardly inclined from the front of said base to the rear of said body-supporting unit. each of said members having a stiffened intermediate region, and having spring end regions intermediate said stiffened regions and said ends for producing flexure at said end regions when said body-supporting unit is rocked on said base.

22. A rocking chair having a support base and a rocking unit for rocking motion thereon, said unit including a seat and back rest, a rocking control meAns connected between said support base and said rocking unit for controlling said rocking motion, said rocking control means comprising at least one pair of cross members, each member having: a. a substantially rigid intermediate section, b. first securement means rigidly connecting the upper end of said cross member to said rocking unit, c. second securement means rigidly connecting the lower end of said cross member to said support base, d. spring end sections between said first securement means and said intermediate section and between said intermediate section and said second securement means, e. said spring end sections flexing when said rocking unit is rocked back and forth and controlling the path and the frequency of oscillation of said rocking motion.