US3900905A

US3900905A - Bed and lounge

Info

Publication number: US3900905A
Application number: US490768A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence R Johnson; Jay T Kidder
Original assignee: TILT A BED CORP
Current assignee: TILT A BED CORP
Priority date: 1971-12-27
Filing date: 1974-07-22
Publication date: 1975-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 1992-08-26
Also published as: US3729753A; US3841702A

Abstract

A combination bed and lounge having a foldable mattress selectively usable as a bed and a seat. The mattress is supported on wheels and moves from a horizontal bed position to a seat position relative to an upright cabinet or wall. The head section of the mattress is guided upwardly into the cabinet by guide rails attached to the inside walls of the cabinet. A transverse cushion attached to the front of the cabinet alternatively serves as a bed head board and a seat back rest. Upright arm rests are removably mounted on opposite sides of the foot section of the mattress.

Description

United States Patent Johnson et a1.

BED AND LOUNGE Inventors: Clarence R. Johnson, Duluth; Jay T.

Kidder, Minneapolis, both of Minn.

Assignee: The Tilt-A-Bed Corporation,

Minneapolis, Minn.

Filed: July 22, 1974 Appl. No.: 490,768

Related U.S. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 355,940, April 30, 1973, Pat. No. 3,841,702, which is a division of Ser. No. 212,079, Dec. 27, 1971, Pat. No. 3,729,753.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1921 Bittel 5/310 [4 1 Aug. 26, 1975 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg [57] ABSTRACT A combination bed and lounge having a foldable mattress selectively usable as a bed and a seat. The mattress is supported on wheels and moves from a hori zontal bed position to a seat position relative to an upright cabinet-or wall. The head section of the mattress is guided upwardly into the cabinet by guide rails attached to the inside walls of the cabinet. A transverse cushion attached to the front of the cabinet alternatively serves as a bed head board and a seat back rest. Upright arm rests are removably mounted on opposite sides of the foot section of the mattress.

11 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEB maze I975 SZIIET 2 OF 3 FIG. 10

BED AND LOUNGE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 355,940 filed Apr. 30, 1973, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,702. Application Ser. 355,940 is a division of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 212,079 filed Dec. 27, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,753.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Folding beds and combination bed and lounges have been developed to provide efficient utilization of building space and flexibility in use of a room. Folding beds are used in apartment, cabins, recreational vehicles, mobile homes and like places where floor space is restricted. U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,383 discloses a combination bed and lounge having a back rest that is movable to a first generally horizontal position to cover a portion of a mattress thereby forming a lounge and movable to a second upright position away from the mattress to form a bed. While this structure provides a dual purpose, it does not reduce the floor space when the unit is used as a lounge. Removable and interchangeable arms for furniture are disclosed by Kris in U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,762 and Grant in U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,729. These arms are mounted on fixed side portions of the furniture.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention relates to a combination bed and lounge unit having a mattress means selectively movable to a bed position and a seat position. The mattress means has a first section and a second section pivotally connected together. Each section has a rigid base with upright side and end members forming a cavity. Resilient means, as springs, are located in the cavity. A cover including padding is positioned over the springs to provide the top of the mattress. Beam means are secured to the base of one section of the mattress means.

Wheel means are mounted on the beam means.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the combination bed and lounge unit of the invention showing the unit in the lounge position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the combination bed and lounge unit of the invention showing the unit in the bed position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing the unit in the lounge position; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along line l111 of FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the combination bed and lounge unit or bed lounge of the invention indicated generally at 20,

mounted in an upright wall 21 of a housing unit, as an apartment, mobile home, travel trailer, hotel, motel, condominium and the like. The bed and lounge unit 20 is a dual purpose unit usable as a lounge, sofa or seat as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. This unit can be converted from a lounge to a bed by moving the seat section in a forward-direction to a horizontal position.

The bed and lounge unit 20 comprises a transverse seat portion 22 located between

upright arm rests

23 and 24. Projected upwardly from the rear edge of the seat portion 22 is a back rest 26. The back rest 26 is movably connected to a housing or cabinet 27 having a chamber for receiving the head section of the mattress indicated generally at 28.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, mattress 28 has a base or a bottom box spring assembly 29 comprising a head section 31 and a foot section 32. Hinge assemblies 33 at opposite sides of the base 29 pivotally join the top portions of the adjacent parts of the

sections

31 and 32 together. Located over the box spring assembly 29 is a top mattress or cushion 34, preferably of flexible foam plastic or foam rubber.

A pair of longitudinal transversely spaced

beams

36 and 37 are secured to the bottom of the foot section 32. Each beam has a forwardly extended portion 36A and 37A located under a portion of the head section 31. When the mattress 28 is in the bed position, beam portions 36A and 37A support the rear of head section 31.

Wheel assemblies

38 and 39 secured to the

beams

36 and 37 respectively support the mattress 28 on the floor or similar supporting surface 41.

Referring to FIG. 6, a transverse upright front panel 42 extends across the foot or outside end of the box spring section 32 to form a panel or closure to conceal the longitudinal beams and the

wheel assemblies

38 and 39. Secured to the mid-portion of the front panel 42 is a handle 43 used as a hand grip to facilitate the movement of the bed and lounge unit between the seat position and the bed position.

The housing or cabinet 27 has spaced

upright side walls

44 and 46 attached to a top wall 47. The upper portion of the front of the cabinet has a front panel 48. Secured to the panel 48 is a bed lamp or hood 49 accomodating electric lamps and the controls therefore. The front panel 48 can be part of the wall of the structure.

Mounted on the inside of the

side walls

44 and 46 are upwardly and rearwardly

extended guide rails

51 and 52. As shown in FIG. 9, fasteners 53 as screws, bolts and the like, are used to secure the guide rails 51 and 52 to the

side walls

44 and 46. The bottom of each guide rail has a stop 54 closing the bottom of the rail. As shown in FIG. 7, the head section 31 of the box spring assembly has forwardly directed

frame member

56 and 57 positioned adjacent the

rails

51 and 52. R0]-

lers

58 and 59 ride on the

rails

51 and 52. As shown in FIG. 9, roller 58 is mounted on an axle 61 secured to the frame member 57 with a U-bolt 62. The roller 59 is mounted on an axle attached to frame member 57 with a U-bolt. The

rollers

58 and 59 engage the stops 54 to fix the lower most and horizontal position of the box spring assembly section 31. When the box spring assembly section 31 is in the lower most position the rear portion of the section 31 rests on the forward portions 36A and 37A of the supporting

longitudinal beams

36 and 37.

As shown in FIG. 8, the box spring assembly section 31 has a rigid base 63, preferably of plywood. Secured to the top edges of the base 63 are angle irons 64. Upright edge members 66 are attached to the angle irons to define a cavity for a plurality of spring units 67. The edge members and spring units are covered with suitable padding 68. A fabric covering 69 covers the top and sides of the box spring assembly section 31. The box spring assembly section 32 is constructed in a similar manner.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the adjacent corners of the box

spring assembly sections

31 and 32 have

upright arms

71 and 72 that are pivotally joined together at their upper ends forming hinge assemblies 33. The adjacent springs across the box spring assembly can also be coupled together to form a continuous transverse hinge across the box spring assembly. The padding 68 and the covering is continuous on the top of the entire box spring assembly 29.

A transverse counter weight 73 is connected with a pair of cables 74 to the

frame members

56 and 57 to aid in the upward and forward movement of the forward section of the bed. The cables 74 are trained over pulleys 76 secured to the top wall 47 of the cabinet 27.

A cross beam 77, shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, extends between the

side walls

44 and 46 across the bottom of the housing. The cross member of beam 77 has a pair of

steps

78 and 79 having ramps and shoulders for the

forward wheels

38 and 39. As shown in FIG. 10, the

wheels

38 and 39 are positioned over the crest of the ramps, thereby holding the bed and lounge unit in the lounge position. The bed and lounge unit 20 can be held in the lounge position, as shown in FIG. 10, with releasable locks or spring biased detents (not shown) mounted on the

side walls

44 and 46 and engageable with the side beams 36 and 37. The cross beam 77 can be removed or positioned so that it does not obstruct the movement of

wheel assemblies

38 and 39.

A seat cover or seat cap 82 is positioned over the seat portion 22 of the mattress. Seat cover 82 has a forward or front portion 83 that extends downwardly and is releasably attached to the front panel 42. The seat cover 82 has downwardly directed sides and back or rear portion 84 that extends under the back rest 26. A transverse plate 86 is adjustably mounted on the bottom and rear side of the back rest. As shown in FIG. 7, the plate 86 has a pair of slots 87 receiving releasable fasteners 88 whereby the plate can be adjusted relative to the back rest 26. FIG. 1 1 shows the lower edge of plate 86 engaging and holding the cover 82 on the seat 22.

As shown in FIG. 6 and 10, the back rest 26 includes a support panel 89 attached to the lower edge of the front panel 48 with a transverse hinge 91. A pair of pivoted friction linkages 92 connected to the

side walls

44 and 46 and the panel 89 are used to retain the back rest in its adjusted positions, shown in broken lines in FIG. 6. Linkages 92 can be arranged so that the back rest 26 will automatically move forward and up when the mattress 28 is moved from the seat position to the bed position.

In use, with the bed and lounge unit 20 in the seat position shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10, the mattress 28 is transversely bent approximately across the mid-portion with the head portion extended upwardly to the cabinet 27. The top section 31 of the box spring assembly is supported with the

rollers

58 and 59 on the upper ends of the guide rails 51 and 52. The

wheels

38 and 39 are in their lock or hold positions over the step or ramps 78 and 79 in the cross beam 77. The space between the head portion of the mattress and panel 89 can be used to store pillows and extra blankets.

The conversion of the bed and lounge unit 20 from the seat position to the bed position is accomplished by initially raising the back rest 26 as shown in broken lines in FIG. 6. The handle 43 is then used to pull the mattress, forcing the

wheels

38 and 39 over the

steps

78 and 79. The mattress moves out to its bed position shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. When the

rollers

58 and 59 engage the stops 54 at the end of the guide rails 51 and 52, the mattress 28 is in its horizontal or prone position. The back rest 26 is then moved back to its down position, shown in full lines in FIG. 6, to provide a head board for the bed.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the combination bed and lounge and mattress means of the invention, it is understood that various changes in shape and structure may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a combination bed and lounge having mattress means selectively movable to a bed position and a seat position wherein: said mattress means has a first section and a second section, each section having a rigid base having sides and ends, upright edge members secured to the sides and ends of the base forming a cavity, resilient means located in said cavity, means located over said cavity to cover the resilient means, means pivotally connecting the first section to the second section, said means pivotally connecting the first section to the second section comprising a first hinge connected to adjacent edge members on one side of the base and a second hinge connected to adjacent edge members on the other side of the base, each hinge having a first member secured to one edge member, a second member secured to the adjacent edge member, and pivot means pivotally connecting the first and second members to each other, said pivot means being located between the adjacent sides of the first section and second section, elongated beam means secured to the base of the second section, said beam means having an end section extended below the base of the first section to support a portion of the first section, and wheel means operatively connected to the beam means to movably support the second section.

2. The structure of claim 1 including: elongated beam means secured to the base of the second section, and wheel means operatively connected to the beam means to movably support the second section.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein: the beam means include a first beam and a second beam spaced from the first beam, each of said beams having an end section extended below the base of the first section.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein: the wheel means comprise a first wheel on one end section and a second wheel on the other end section.

5. The structure of claim 3 wherein: the wheel means include a first pair of wheels on the end sections of the beams and a second pair of wheels operatively connected to another section of each beam.

6. In a combination bed and lounge having mattress means selectively movable to a bed position and a seat position wherein: said mattress means has a first section and a second section, each section having a rigid base having sides and ends, upright edge members secured to the sides and ends of the base forming a cavity, resilient means located in said cavity, means located over said cavity to cover the resilient means, means pivotally connecting the first section to the second section, elongated beam means secured to the base of the second section, the beam means including a first beam and a second beam spaced from the first beam, each of said beams having an end section extended below the base of the first section, wheel means operatively connected to the beam means to movably support the second section, wheel means including a first pair of wheels on the end sections of the beams and a second pair of wheels operatively connected to another section of each beam.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein: the resilient means comprise a plurality of springs engageable with said base.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein: the means pivotally connecting the first section to the second section comprise a first hinge connected to adjacent edge members on one side of the base and a second hinge connected to adjacent edge members on the other side of the base.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein: the first hinge and second hinge each have pivot members located adjacent a top section of the upright angle members.

10. The structure of claim 6 wherein: the means pivotally connecting the first section to the second section comprise a first hinge connected to adjacent edge members on one side of the base and a second hinge connected to adjacent edge members on the other side of the base, each hinge having a first member secured to one edge member, a second member secured to the adjacent edge member, and means pivotally connecting the first and second members to each other.

1 l. The structure of claim 10 wherein: the means pivotally connecting the first and second members are located adjacent top sections of the upright edge members.

Claims

11. The structure of claim 10 wherein: the means pivotally connecting the first and second members are located adjacent top sections of the upright edge members.