CN105377080A - Seat unit that converts into a bed - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a seating unit with a folding bed, which comprises: a base having an interior cavity and a rear wall; a folding bed comprising separate and separate head, middle and seat portions, wherein in a folded position the middle and seat portions are arranged generally horizontally and positioned in a vertically stacked relationship, and the head portion is arranged generally vertically and positioned adjacent to the walls of the base, and in an unfolded position the head, middle and seat portions are arranged generally horizontally and aligned sequentially with each other; and a bed folding mechanism attached to the base and the head, middle and seat portions, which controls movement of the bed between the folded position and the unfolded position.

Description

Seat unit that converts into a bed

related application

This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/907,038, filed November 21, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein.

technical field

The present invention relates generally to furniture, and more particularly to a furniture unit convertible into a bed.

Background technique

Furniture units that convert into beds are popular with consumers due to their versatility. Many consumers find it very convenient to have a sofa or seat that can provide a bed for guests, as such a unit can eliminate the need for an additional separate bed. A common sofa bed design includes its own full mattress that is folded into the cavity of the sofa when not in use. One such example is described in US Patent No. 4,200,941 to Gill et al. Sofa beds of this type can be quite heavy and often require not only a separate mattress but a relatively complex mechanism for controlling the unfolding and folding of the mattress.

Other furniture units do not have a complete mattress, but instead consist of separate sections that serve as a support surface for a sofa and unfold to form a flat, mattress-like sleeping surface. Various examples of this basic concept are disclosed in US Patent 2,740,131 to Vogel et al., US Patent 5,195,194 to Bradley, and US Patent 7,547,182 to Murphy; the entire disclosures of each patent are hereby incorporated herein. The bed disclosed in the latter patent to Murphy includes three separate sections that serve as a mattress for the bed: a seat section, a middle section, and a head section. The folding mechanism controls the head, middle, and seat portions in a folded position (where the head, middle, and seat portions are positioned in a vertically stacked relationship, with the head below the middle portion and the seat portion in the middle above the upper part, and the head and middle part are positioned in the cavity of the bed cover and the seat part of the "seat" used as a sofa) and the unfolded position (where the head, middle part and seat part are arranged horizontally and sequentially ground alignment to form the sleeping surface).

Despite the existence of these various folding beds, it is desirable to provide other furniture units that can accommodate folding beds.

Contents of the invention

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention relate to a seating unit comprising a folding bed. The seating unit includes: a base having an interior cavity and a rear wall; a folding bed comprising a single and separate head, middle and seat portion, wherein in the folded position, the middle and seat portions are substantially horizontal arranged and positioned in a vertically stacked relationship, the head is arranged substantially vertically and positioned adjacent to the rear wall of the base, and in the deployed position, the head, middle and seat are generally and a bed folding mechanism attached to the base and head, middle and seat parts, the bed folding mechanism controls movement of the bed between a folded position and an unfolded position.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a seating unit comprising a folding bed, the seating unit comprising: a base having an interior cavity; a folding bed comprising a plurality of sections, wherein in the folded position, each bed section is are folded over each other and stored in the base cavity, and the seat portion is used as a seat of the seating unit, in the unfolded position, the bed portions are arranged substantially horizontally and sequentially aligned with each other, the seat portion is positioned on the base the front of the bed; a bed folding mechanism attached to the base and bed, the bed folding mechanism controls the movement of the bed between the folded position and the unfolded position; and a back cushion assembly attached to the base, which can be raised position and lowered position.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a seating unit comprising a folding bed, the seating unit comprising: a base having an interior cavity; a folding bed comprising a plurality of sections, wherein in the folded position, the bed sections are opposite When folded over each other and stored in the base cavity, and the seat portion is used as a seat of the seating unit, in the unfolded position, the bed portions are arranged substantially horizontally and sequentially aligned with each other, wherein the seat portion is positioned at the front of the base; a bed folding mechanism attached to the base and bed section, the bed folding mechanism controlling the movement of the bed between the folded and unfolded positions; and a central leg assembly mounted to the middle section, the central leg assembly Locations exist between the midsection and the seat section and extend in the deployed position to support the midsection from below.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a side view of a seating unit showing the bed in its folded position and the backrest in a lowered position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the seating unit of Figure 1 with the backrest in a raised position.

3 is a side view of the seating unit of FIG. 1 with the bed in an intermediate position between the folded and unfolded positions.

Figure 4 is a side view of the seating unit of Figure 1 with the bed in its deployed position.

5 is a top view of the seating unit of FIG. 1 with the bed in the deployed position of FIG. 4 .

6A is a side view of the deployment mechanism of the seating unit of FIG. 1 , with the mechanism in the collapsed position of FIGS. 1 and 2 .

6B is a side view of the deployment mechanism of FIG. 6A with the mechanism in the intermediate position of FIG. 3 .

6C is a side view of the deployment mechanism of FIG. 6A in the deployed position of FIG. 4 .

6D is a top view illustrating one half of the deployment mechanism of FIG. 6A in the deployed position of FIG. 4 .

7 is a rear perspective view illustrating one front leg of the seating unit of FIG. 1 in the folded position of FIGS. 1 and 2 .

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the front leg of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a bottom front perspective view illustrating one receding of the seating unit of FIG. 1 in the intermediate position of FIG. 3 .

10 is a front bottom perspective view illustrating the rear leg of FIG. 9 in a deployed position.

11 is a bottom rear perspective view illustrating the rear leg of FIG. 9 in the folded position of FIG. 10 .

12 is a rear perspective view illustrating the rear leg of FIG. 11 in the intermediate position of FIG. 9 .

13 is a rear perspective view illustrating the rear leg of FIG. 11 in the deployed position of FIG. 10 .

Figure 14 is a top view of the seating unit of Figure 1 , showing the bed in its folded position and with the pads removed for clarity.

Figure 15 is a top view of the seating unit of Figure 2, showing the bed in its deployed position and with the cushion removed for clarity.

Figure 16 is a bottom perspective view of the seat portion showing the seat frame with its subframe and sinusoidal springs.

detailed description

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is not intended that the invention be limited to the illustrated embodiments; rather, these embodiments are intended to fully and fully disclose the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. Thicknesses and dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for clarity. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be considered to have meanings consistent with their meanings in the relevant art context, and will not be done in an idealized or overly formal manner. interpretation, unless expressly so stated herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "comprising" and/or "comprising" used in this specification is to describe the existence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or parts, but not to exclude one or more the presence or addition of an additional feature, integer, step, operation, element, component, and/or group thereof. As used herein, the word "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In addition, for ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "below", "below", "under", "above", "on" and the like may be used herein to describe an element or element as shown in the drawings. The relationship of a feature to another component or feature. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below or below" other elements or features would then be oriented above the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Referring now to the drawings, a seating unit generally designated by the reference numeral 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-13 . Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 5, the seating unit 10 includes: a base 11 with a front wall 12, a rear wall 13 with a backrest 13a, and opposite side walls 14 (see FIG. 5) with arms 14a; these walls 12, 13 , 14 define a cavity 17 . The folding bed 15 includes a seat portion 16 with an underlying seat frame 18 , a middle portion 20 with an underlying middle panel 22 , and a head 24 with an underlying head panel 26 . The middle panel 22 and the head panel 26 are planar panels, usually constructed of wood, that underlie most or all of the pad that provides a comfortable surface for sleeping. The seat frame 18 includes two open square subframes, and is described hereinafter and in commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 13/900,311, filed May 22, 2013 (the entire disclosure of which is hereby It is described in more detail in .

14-16, the seat frame 18 includes two open square sub-frames 302 attached in side-by-side relationship via cross-members 304a, 304b. In each subframe 302 , vertical panels 305 , 306 , 307 extend downwardly from the edges of the U-shaped main panel 310 , and a vertical panel 308 spans the open end of the main panel 310 to form a generally square opening 311 . The cross members 304a, 304b are mounted to the underside of a reinforcing plate 312 that underlies the “legs” of each main plate 310 . In some embodiments, opening 311 measures between about 14 and 26 inches from back to front. A sinusoidal spring 314 extends between the vertical plates 305 and 307 across the opening 311 of the subframe 302 . A pad 316 is then secured to the upper side of the main panel and a seat cover is added over the vertical panels 305, 306, 307, 308 and pad 316 to provide an aesthetically pleasing seat pad assembly.

The bed 15 may be positioned in a folded position (where the seat and middle portions 16, 20 are disposed generally horizontally and positioned in a vertically stacked relationship, and the head 24 is disposed generally vertically and positioned in relation to the base The rear wall 13 of 11 and the position adjacent to the backrest 13a (see FIGS. 1 and 2 )) and the deployed position (wherein the seat portion, the middle portion and the head portion 16, 20, 24 are horizontally arranged and sequentially aligned form a movement between sleeping surfaces (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5)).

Movement of the sections 16, 20, 24 of the bed 15 is controlled by a pair of bed folding mechanisms 30, which will be described in more detail below. The bed folding mechanisms 30 are mirror images of each other ( FIGS. 5 and 14 ) around the vertical plane P that bisects the seating unit 10 perpendicular to the front wall 12 ; therefore, only one bed will be discussed herein. The folding mechanism 30 is described, it being understood that the description applies to the other mechanism as well. The two leg-folding mechanisms 100 are also mirror images of each other around the plane P, so only one leg-folding mechanism 100 will be described in detail below.

For clarity, the bed 15 will be described as being initially in the deployed position of FIGS. 4 and 5 ; and then moved to the collapsed position of FIGS. 1 and 2 . As used herein, the terms "lateral," "outward," and their derivatives to describe the relative positions of parts denote directions defined by vectors originating in a vertical plane P that will be perpendicular to the front The seating unit 10 of the wall 12 is bisected and extends towards either side wall 14 . In contrast, the terms "inwardly," "inwardly," and their derivatives mean the opposite direction to the "outwardly" direction. Collectively, the “inward” and “outward” directions include the “transverse” axis of the seating unit 10 . The "rear" of the unfolded bed 15 is located at the end of the bed 15 closest to the rear wall 13 of the base 11 and the backrest 13a (ie, towards the head 24), and the "front" of the bed 15 is located closest to the seat 16 ends. The “front” and “rear” directions include the “longitudinal” axis of the bed 15 .

Additionally, some of the components of the bed folding mechanism 30 are illustrated herein as a series of pivotally interconnected links. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the pivot between the linkage or other components can take various configurations, such as pivot pins, rivets, combinations of bolts and nuts, etc., any of which may be suitable for use in the present invention. Additionally, the shape and configuration of the linkage itself may vary, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Additionally, some links may be omitted entirely in some embodiments, and others may be included in some embodiments.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 , 5 , 6C and 6D , the bed folding mechanism 30 includes a front mounting bracket 41 secured to the inner surface of the side wall 14 . A serpentine rear mounting bracket 40 is fixed to the rear of the front mounting bracket 41 . The L-shaped head link 42 is connected to the rear mounting link 40 at the pivot 44; the head link 42 extends upwardly from the pivot 44 and then forwardly, wherein the head link 42 is fixed to the head support 43, which The head bracket 43 is fixed to the side of the head plate 26 accordingly. Pivot 44 provides an axis about which head 24 rotates during movement between the folded and unfolded positions.

The front mounting bracket 41 includes two arc-shaped slots 41a, 41b. An obliquely disposed extension 46 is generally vertically mounted to the front end of the front mounting bracket 41 . The middle bracket 48 is secured to the underside of the middle plate 22 and is attached to the upper end of the extension 46 at a pivot 50 . The pivot 50 defines an axis about which the intermediate portion 20 rotates during movement between the folded position and the unfolded position.

Connecting link 52 is attached to head link 42 at pivot 54 and extends forwardly therefrom to pivot 56 with intermediate bracket 48 . During movement between the folded and unfolded positions, connecting link 52 couples the movement of head 24 with the movement of intermediate portion 20g.

The seating unit 10 includes two distinct linkages that can assist the user in folding and unfolding the bed 15 : a deployment assist assembly 60 and a folding assist assembly 72 . Referring to FIG. 6C , the deployment assist assembly 60 includes a spring 62 attached at its forward end to the apex of the extension 46 . A spring link 64 is attached at its forward end to the middle bracket 48 at the pivot 56 and extends downward and rearward to attach to the rear end of the spring 62 . Control link 68 is attached to the lower end of extension 46 at pivot 69 and extends upwardly to pivot 67 with spring link 64 . The control link 68 also includes a pin 68 a received in the forward end of the slot 41 a of the front mounting bracket 41 . In the deployed position of Figures 4 and 6C, the spring 62 is generally, if not completely relaxed.

Still referring to FIG. 6C , the fold assist assembly 72 includes a spring 74 attached to the rear end of the rear mounting bracket 40 and extending forwardly therefrom. Spring link 76 is attached at its lower end to spring 74 and at its upper end to the forward end of rear mounting bracket 40 at pivot 78 . The spring link 76 includes two pins 76a, 76b; the pin 76a is received in the slot 41b of the front mounting bracket 41 . Slotted link 80 has a slot 80a that receives pin 76b at its rear end. Control link 82 is attached to front mounting bracket 41 at pivot 84 and extends generally upwardly therefrom; slotted link 80 is attached to the central portion of control link 82 at pivot 83 . Transition link 86 is attached at its rear end to the upper end of control link 82 at pivot 88 and extends downward and forward therefrom to pivot 90 with connecting link 52 . In the deployed position of Figures 4 and 6C, the spring 74 is in tension.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-13 , the bed 15 includes two generally U-shaped legs 94 . The legs 94 are mounted below the seat portion 16 and are positioned between the folded position (where the upright posts 95 of the legs 94 extend laterally toward each other and are generally horizontally disposed below the seat portion 16) and the unfolded position (wherein the vertical legs 94 of the legs 94 The uprights 95 are disposed vertically below the seat portion 16 and are supported on the underlying surface to provide support for the seat portion 16 from below) for movement therebetween. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance between upright posts 95 of legs 94 is between about 16 and 24 inches.

As indicated above, the folding of the legs 94 is controlled by two leg folding mechanisms 100 (only one of which will be described herein). Each leg folding mechanism 100 comprises a front middle part bracket 102, which is installed below the leg ends of the middle part 20; 13). A seat portion bracket 104 having side flanges 104 a and end flanges 104 b is installed under the seat portion 16 . Frames 102 and 104 connected at pivot 105 are adjacent to each other when bed 15 is in the deployed position of FIGS. 10 and 13 .

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 , the geared link 106 is mounted to the front mid bracket 102 at a pivot 108 and extends forwardly therefrom. A gear 110 having teeth 112 is mounted to the seat frame 104 at a pivot 116 for rotation about a transverse axis. Geared link 106 is attached to gear 110 at pivot 114 . A star wheel 120 having an extension 126 is secured to one upright post 95 of the leg 94 and is attached to the end flange 104b of the seat mounting bracket 104 at a pivot 124 defining a longitudinal pivot axis. The teeth 122 of the star wheel 120 mesh with the teeth 112 of the gear 110 .

As best shown in Figures 11-13, the stop link 130 has a horizontal plate 130a and a vertical plate 130b. Two slots 130c, 130d are present in the vertical plate 130b and receive pins 104c, 104d respectively mounted to the inner surface of the vertical flange 104a of the seat portion bracket 104 . Tab 132 extends forward from horizontal plate 130a. The mounting extension 138 is secured to the seat portion bracket 104 and extends inwardly therefrom. Pin 138a extends downward from the horizontal plate of mounting extension 138 and engages a groove in the rearward edge of horizontal plate 130a of stop link 130 . The vertical plate of the mounting extension 138 has a hole 138c through which the tab 132 extends. Strut 134 is pivotally attached to star wheel extension 126 at pivot 136 . The opposite end of the strut 134 has a pin 134a that extends into a slot 138b in the vertical plate of the mounting extension 138 . The strut 134 also has a protrusion 134b that engages the tab 132 when the bed 15 is in the deployed position (see FIG. 10 ). The spring 140 is mounted to the side flange 104a of the seat portion bracket 104 via a pin 104d, and is mounted to the forward end of the stop link 130 at the upright 130e.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 , brackets 150 are mounted to the underside of the leg ends of the seat portion 16 . The vertical plate 151 is fixed to the bracket 150 and includes a circular arc-shaped groove 150a. Tab 150c extends inwardly; post 150d is mounted on tab 150c. Extension member 152 is mounted to upright post 95 of leg 94 and extends to pivot 160 with vertical plate 151 . One branch of extension member 152 extends laterally and includes pin 152a received in slot 150a (another embodiment of this portion of the leg-fold mechanism is described in aforementioned US Patent Application Serial No. 13/900,311).

Referring again to FIGS. 2 , 4 and 5 , the bed 15 also includes a central leg assembly 180 , as seen in FIG. 5 , mounted toward the center of the bed. The center leg assembly 180 includes a mounting bracket 184 secured to the underside of the middle plate 22 . Center leg 182 is mounted to mounting bracket 184 at pivot 186 . Respective pneumatic cylinders 188 are attached to mounting bracket 184 at pivot 189 and to central leg 182 at pivot 190 . Cross member 192 spans the lower portion of central leg 192 .

The seating unit 10 also includes a back cushion assembly 200 which can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The back cushion assembly 200 includes a mounting bracket 202 secured to the side panel of the backrest 13a. Upper and lower swing links 204, 208 are attached to mounting bracket 202 at pivots 206, 210, respectively. Mounting bracket 212 is attached to upper and lower swing links 204 , 208 at pivots 216 , 218 . A back panel 213 (on which one or more back pads 214 are mounted) is secured to the mounting bracket 212 . Spring 220 is attached to upper swing link 204 and mounting bracket 212 .

To move the bed 15 from the deployed position of FIGS. 4 , 5 , 6C and 6D to the folded position of FIGS. 1 and 2 , the user lifts the front end of the seat portion 16 and moves it rearward. This action also lifts the intermediate portion 20 , supported by the intermediate portion bracket 48 , to begin pivoting about the pivot 50 relative to the base portion 11 (counterclockwise from the vantage point of FIGS. 2-4 ). As can be seen in FIG. 3 , when the intermediate portion 20 is pivoted relative to the seat portion 16 about the pivot 105 , the seat portion 16 remains generally horizontal. Rotation of the middle portion 20 also pushes the connecting link 52 rearwardly, thereby driving the head 24 to rotate counterclockwise about the pivot 44 . This movement continues until the pin 42a on the head link 42 touches the lower edge of the connecting link 52 (see FIG. 6A ), at which point the head 24 has reached its final position inside the cavity 17 and is generally upright ( See Figure 2). When the middle part 20 reaches the inverted orientation inside the cavity 17, the rotation of the middle part 20 about the pivot 50 stops (Fig. 2). The seat portion 16 completes its movement in a generally horizontal but slightly inclined orientation ( FIG. 2 ), wherein a rail 18 a mounted under the front end of the seat frame 18 is supported on top of the front wall 12 .

The first part of the folding action is assisted by the folding assist assembly 72 . It is conceivable based on inspection of FIGS. 3 , 4 , 6B and 6C that when connecting link 52 drives head 24 to rotate about pivot 44 , connecting link 52 also drives transition link 86 rearwardly. This movement causes control link 82 to rotate counterclockwise about pivot 84 . Rotation of control link 82 pushes slotted link 80 rearwardly, thereby utilizing tension in spring 74 to pull spring link 76 to rotate clockwise about pivot 78 . The folding movement of the part is thus assisted by the tension in the spring 74; as shown in Figure 3, the assistance stops when the pin 76a of the spring link 76 reaches the rear end of the slot 41b.

It can also be seen from FIGS. 2 , 3 , 6A and 6B that when the middle portion 20 rotates counterclockwise about the pivot 50 and drives the connecting link 52 to move backward, the spring link that drives the deployment assist assembly 60 rearward 64 causes it to rotate slightly counterclockwise about pivot 67 relative to control link 68; additionally, control link 68 rotates slightly counterclockwise about pivot 69. However, during this initial part of the folding action, the spring 62 develops very little tension. Once the fold assist assembly 72 has ceased to assist folding ( FIGS. 3 and 6B ), continued rearward movement of the connecting link 52 pushes the spring link 64 rearward, which continues the counterclockwise rotation of the control link 68 . Rotation of the control link 68 lengthens the spring 62 thereby providing some resistance to the folding of the bed 15 (which may help prevent the bed 15 from falling or "slamming" when the bed closes due to its weight). When the pin 68a reaches the rear end of the slot 41a, the rotation of the control link 58 stops (FIGS. 2 and 6A).

The folding of the legs 94 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7-13 . As can be seen in FIGS. 9 , 10 and 13 , in the deployed position, the upright posts 95 of the legs 94 extend downwardly and away from the seat portion 16 . At the forward end of leg 94, pin 152a of extension 152 is positioned in the upper end of slot 150a. As shown in Figures 9, 10 and 13, at the rearward end of the leg 94, the stop link 130 is positioned in the forward direction (held in place by the cam 103), thereby positioning the pins 104c, 104d at This places the spring 140 in tension. Tab 132 extends through aperture 138c of mounting extension 138; engagement of tab 132 with protrusion 134b prevents inward movement of pin 134a in slot 138b, which in turn prevents star wheel 120 and attached leg 94 from about pivot 124 rotate. This rotation is also prevented by engaging the teeth 122 of the star wheel 120 with the teeth 112 of the gear 110 .

When the operator lifts the seat portion 16 to move the bed 15 to the folded position, pivoting of the intermediate portion 20 relative to the seat portion 16 about the pivot 105 rotates the cam 103 relative to the stop link 130 which causes the spring 136 Can be retracted to pull the stop link 130 rearward, thereby pulling the tab 132 of the stop link 130 rearward in the hole 138c of the mounting extension 138 . As tab 132 is pulled significantly away from protrusion 134 ( FIGS. 9 and 12 ), star wheel 120 and adjacent leg 94 are free to rotate about pivot 124 . Continued relative rotation of the middle portion 20 to the seat portion 16 pulls the geared linkage 106 forward, which action causes the gear 110 to rotate clockwise about the pivot 116 (from the perspective of FIG. 9 ). Rotation of the gear 110 rotates the star wheel 120 about the pivot 124 so that the upright post 95 of the leg 94 pivots along the longitudinal axis and extends inwardly to fold the seat portion 16 underneath and to fold the middle portion 20 above (FIGS. 11). During this rotation, the post 134a of the strut 134 moves inwardly within the slot 138b of the mounting extension 138 . Rotation of the foot end upright post 95 also rotates the extension 152 about the pivot 160 relative to the vertical plate 151 of the leg support 150, causing the pin 152a to move down inside the slot 150a, which provides stability and smoothness to the movement of the leg 94. sex.

Deployment of the bed 15 from the folded position of FIG. 1 to the deployed position of FIGS. 4 and 6 is initiated by lifting the edge of the seat portion 16 and pulling the edge away from the base 11 of the seating unit 10 . The bed folding mechanism 30 and the leg folding mechanism 100 reverse the above-mentioned motion so that the bed 15 can be unfolded, and the legs 94 are fully extended when the geared linkage 106 moves fully forward (approximately in the positions of FIGS. 3 , 9 and 12 ). Extends downward and becomes locked in the vertical arrangement when tab 132 enters hole 138c of mounting extension 138c and engages protrusion 134b of strut 134 ( FIGS. 4 , 10 and 13 ). Movement stops when the rear edge of the head link 42 hits the pin 40a on the rear mounting bracket 40 (FIG. 6C). Fold prevention assembly 60 assists in the unfolding operation until control link 68 is rotated sufficiently clockwise that tension in spring 62 is substantially absent (approximately the point in the motion shown in FIGS. 3 and 6B ). Generally at this point in the motion, deployment arresting assembly 72 begins to resist deployment. Forward movement of connecting link 52 pulls slotted link 80 forward, which rotates spring link 76 counterclockwise about pivot 78 and creates tension in spring 74 . This biasing of the bed 15 away from the deployed position prevents the bed 15 from slamming down into the deployed position due to its weight.

Additionally, during deployment of the bed 15 , the central leg assembly 180 deploys the central leg 182 . In the collapsed position of FIG. 2 , the central leg 182 is generally parallel to the middle portion 20 and the pneumatic cylinder 188 is retracted. As the middle section 20 rotates away from the seat section 16 , the pneumatic cylinder 188 urges the center leg 182 to rotate about the pivot 186 . Early in the unfolding action, the central leg 182 squeezes the seat pan 118 of the seat portion 16; the contact of the central leg 182 with the seat pan 118 helps the bed 15 to unfold as the pneumatic cylinders are biased toward their extended position. When the pneumatic cylinder 188 is extended, the central leg assembly 180 is fully extended (FIG. 4).

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2-4 , the pad 24a of the head portion 24 has a front edge that slopes rearwardly from top to bottom, and the pad 20a of the middle portion 20 has a rear edge that slopes forward from bottom to top. The rear edge of pad 24a meets the front edge of pad 20a to form a seam therebetween that is more "tight" than the seam would be if the mating edges were not sloped as described above.

It should also be noted that in FIGS. 2-4 , which illustrate the folding and unfolding of the bed 15 , the back cushion assembly 200 is in a raised position. In this position, the spring 220 is under tension. Thus, the spring 220 maintains the "on center" condition between the pivots 206, 210, and 218, which maintains the back cushion assembly 200 in the raised position. As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the back pad 214 can be lowered by applying a downward force to the back pad 214 and/or back panel 213, which causes the upper and lower swing links 204, 208 to rotate clockwise about the pivots 206, 210. . The upper and lower swing links 204, 208 rotate through the "on center" state (when the links 204, 208 are generally horizontal), after which the spring 220 biases the back cushion assembly 200 to the position shown in FIG. lower position. The assembly 200 typically remains in this position for most of the time the seating unit 10 is in use, being raised only when the bed 15 is deployed.

Some advantages of this seating unit are described in the aforementioned US Patent Application Serial No. 13/900,311. One advantage of the arrangement and movement of the legs 94 can be seen, for example, with reference to FIG. 14 . In prior art folding beds that fold and unfold similarly (i.e., the seat and head maintain their orientations in the folded and unfolded positions, and the middle portion is inverted from its orientation in the folded position to the unfolded position), Solid panels are included in the cushion, middle, and head of the seat below to provide support, such as described in US Patent Publication No. 2011/0010847 to Murphy. While the combination of a solid board and pad usually provides an acceptable sleeping surface, it often does not provide a comfortable surface for the seated occupant when the bed is in its folded position, as the weight of the seated occupant may "lower the bottom" of the pad ”, thereby forcing the occupant to feel the hard surface of the seat pan as support. By including an open sub-frame 302 on which the cushion of the seat portion 16 is mounted, the seat portion 16 can provide a seating surface similar to a conventional seating unit. The upright posts 95 of the legs 94 are positioned adjacent the vertical panels 305 , 307 of the subframe 302 so as not to significantly affect the seating comfort provided by the pads 316 and springs 314 .

Additionally, a typical seating unit will have sufficient width that multiple people can sit on it (eg, a loveseat will have two points for seating, a couch will have three points, etc.). However, prior art multi-seat seating units would only include a single wide pad covering the entire seating portion. This provides an appearance that may be undesirable to some consumers. However, the seat portion 16 may provide a multi-padded appearance to a multi-seat seating unit, which may be more desirable to consumers.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that seating units according to embodiments of the present invention may take a number of different configurations. For example, while legs supporting the seat portion in the unfolded position and pivoting about a longitudinal axis may be used with a seat unit folded in the described manner, such legs may also be used with a different kind of seat unit. For example, the seating units described in US Patents 2,740,131, 4,200,191 and 4,737,996 and US Patent Publications 2007/0283491 and 2011/0010847 may be suitable for use with the present invention. In addition, either one or both of the folding assisting unit and the folding preventing unit may be omitted when necessary.

Additionally, the embodiments of the seating unit described and illustrated herein may provide other advantages. For example, by locating the head 24 in an upright orientation in the folded position, the designer may have more flexibility in the design of the pads used for the seat, middle, and head. Thicker pads can be used for these sections because only two sections (seat and middle) are stacked vertically inside the base cavity when the seating unit is in the folded position. This can provide passengers with more comfortable seating and/or more comfortable sleeping, and can enable this type of folding bed to be used in conjunction with a wider variety of sofas, including "off the floor" types.

Additionally, by including the back cushion assembly 200, the designer has the flexibility to use any thickness of cushion, rather than being limited to a certain thickness where the head of the bed also serves as the backrest. Also, in some furniture units, the back cushion is removed and set aside before the bed is unfolded. The back cushion assembly 200 keeps the back cushion neat and organized, even when the bed is unfolded.

In addition, the presence of the center leg assembly 180 can increase the stability of the bed 15 after the bed 12 is unfolded and an occupant is supported. Additionally, the use of pneumatic cylinders or means to bias the middle and seat portions toward the deployed position may assist in the act of unfolding the bed when the middle and seat portions are folded.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that seating units according to embodiments of the present invention may take a number of different configurations. For example, either one or both of the folding assisting unit and the folding preventing unit may be omitted when necessary. Additionally, the mechanism for rotating the legs supporting the seat portion may vary. For example, instead of utilizing intermeshing gears to cause rotation of the legs, the mechanism could use a series of pivoting links. Additionally, while the illustrated embodiment is configured so that the legs are generally fully deployed to the neutral position shown in FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the mechanism may be configured so that the legs are deployed early or late in the motion of the bed.

Additionally, the configuration of the legs themselves may vary. For example, although each leg is illustrated as a single generally U-shaped member, the legs could also be configured as a U-shaped loop. Alternatively, the seating unit may comprise four separate leg members each being a straight member, rather than two legs each having two upright posts. In other embodiments, only two or three upright posts may be included instead of four. Other configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Finally, in some embodiments, either or both of the center leg assembly 180 and the back pad assembly 200 may be omitted.

The foregoing is illustrative of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many changes are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Revise. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the appended claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims (41)

1. comprise a seat unit for folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity and rear wall;

Folding bed, it comprises separately and the head separated, pars intermedia and seat portion, wherein in folding position, described pars intermedia and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and be locate with the relation of vertical stacking, and described head is arranged vertically substantially and is positioned at the position adjacent with the described rear wall of described base portion, and at expanded position, described head, pars intermedia and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and sequentially alignd each other; And

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described head, pars intermedia and seat portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position.

2. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the motion between described folding position and expanded position, described head is around single pivotal line pivotable.

3. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described pars intermedia is attached to each other with described seat portion with being into pivoting relationship.

4. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described head comprises the pad of the leading edge with inclination, and described pars intermedia comprises the antemarginal pad with inclination.

5. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, also comprises the backrest cushion component being attached to described base portion, and described backrest cushion component can move between the position raised and the position of reduction.

6. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, also comprises:

A () is attached to the leg of described seat portion pivotally; And

B () is installed to the leg Foldable assembly of described pars intermedia and described seat portion, wherein said leg to be configured to be present in when described seat unit is in described folding position between described pars intermedia and seat portion and to be present in the below of described seat portion when described seat unit is in described expanded position.

7. seat unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein, described leg is pivotable around the axis of the be roughly level parallel with the longitudinal direction of described seat unit.

8. seat unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein, is positioned between described pars intermedia and described seat portion at leg described in described folding position.

9. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding auxiliary unit making described bed biased towards described folding position.

10. seat unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding prevention unit that described bed is biased towards expanded position.

11. seat units as claimed in claim 1, also comprise the center leg assembly being installed to described pars intermedia, described center leg assembly to be present in folding position between described pars intermedia and described seat portion and to extend to support described pars intermedia from below at expanded position.

12. seat units as claimed in claim 11, wherein, described center leg assembly comprises makes described center leg element bias with the bias unit extended, and wherein said center leg element bias also makes described pars intermedia and seat portion be biased towards described expanded position to extend.

13. 1 kinds of seat units comprising folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity;

Folding bed, it comprises multiple part, wherein in folding position, described bed portion is folded relative to each other and is stored in described base portion cavity, wherein seat portion is used as the described seat of described seat unit, and at expanded position, described bed portion is arranged by less horizontal and sequentially alignd each other, and wherein said seat portion is positioned at the front of described base portion;

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described bed portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position; And

Backrest cushion component, it is attached to described base portion, and it can move between the position raised and the position of reduction.

14. seat units as claimed in claim 13, wherein, described multiple part of described folding bed also comprises head and pars intermedia, wherein in described folding position, described centre and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and be locate with the relation of vertical stacking, described head is arranged vertically substantially and is positioned at the position adjacent with the described rear wall of described base portion, and at described expanded position, described head, pars intermedia and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and sequentially alignd each other.

15. seat units as claimed in claim 14, wherein, in the motion between described folding position and described expanded position, described head is around single pivotal line pivotable.

16. seat units as claimed in claim 13, wherein, described backrest cushion component comprises the interconnective connecting rod in multiple one-tenth pivoting relationship ground, and the wherein said one-tenth pivoting relationship interconnective connecting rod construction in ground be arranged so that described backrest cushion component when the position of backrest cushion component is in described rising towards the location bias of described rising and when backrest cushion component is in the position of described reduction towards the location bias of described reduction.

17. 1 kinds of seat units comprising folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity;

Folding bed, it comprises multiple part, wherein in folding position, described bed portion is folded relative to each other and is stored in described base portion cavity, and seat portion is used as the described seat of described seat unit, and at expanded position, described bed portion is arranged by less horizontal and sequentially alignd each other, and described seat portion is positioned at the front of described base portion;

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described bed portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position; And

Center leg assembly, it is installed to described pars intermedia, and described center leg assembly to be present in described folding position between described pars intermedia and described seat portion and to extend to support described pars intermedia from below at described expanded position.

18. seat units as claimed in claim 17, wherein, described center leg assembly comprises makes described center leg element bias with the bias unit extended, and the biased of wherein said center leg assembly also makes described pars intermedia and seat portion be biased towards described expanded position to extend.

19. seat units as claimed in claim 17, wherein, described multiple part of described folding bed also comprises head and pars intermedia, wherein in described folding position, described pars intermedia and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and be to locate with the relation of vertical stacking and described head is arranged vertically substantially and is positioned near the described rear wall of described base portion, and at described expanded position, described head, pars intermedia and seat portion are arranged by less horizontal and sequentially alignd each other.

20. seat units as claimed in claim 19, wherein, in the motion between described folding position and described expanded position, described head is around single pivotal line pivotable.

21. 1 kinds of seat units comprising folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity;

Folding bed, it comprises multiple part, wherein, in folding position, described bed portion is folded relative to each other and is stored in described base portion cavity, at expanded position, described bed portion to be arranged and sequentially alignment and first portion are positioned at the front of described base portion each other by less horizontal;

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described bed portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position;

Collapsible legs, it is attached to described first portion; And

Leg fold mechanism, it is attached to described leg and described first portion, described leg fold mechanism is configured to make described leg from described first portion to downward-extension when described bed is in described expanded position, when described bed is in described folding position by the folded beneath of described leg in described first portion, described leg can around the axis pivotable parallel with described forward direction.

22. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described leg comprises at least one right cylinder, and wherein described in described folding position right cylinder laterally extend.

23. seat units as claimed in claim 22, wherein, at least one right cylinder described is two right cylinders, and in described folding position, each described right cylinder laterally extends.

24. seat units as claimed in claim 22, wherein, described right cylinder mutually divides and is interposed between about 16 and 24 inches.

25. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described multiple part comprises head and pars intermedia, and wherein said first portion is seat portion, and wherein head location described in described folding position in the below of described pars intermedia and described seat portion be positioned at above described pars intermedia, and wherein described in described folding position pars intermedia be squeezed from the orientation of expanded position described in it.

26. seat units as claimed in claim 25, wherein, in described folding position, described leg is positioned between described pars intermedia and described seat portion.

27. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described leg fold mechanism comprises:

Gear drive connecting rod, it is configured to longitudinally move when described bed moves between described folding position and described expanded position;

Gear, it is installed into around axis of pitch rotation, and

Star-wheel, it is attached to described leg, with described gear engagement, and is installed into and rotates around longitudinal axis.

28. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described first portion comprise pad and there is the seat frame being positioned at described pad central open area below, and wherein at leg described in described folding position below described mainboard.

29. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding auxiliary unit making described bed biased towards described folding position.

30. seat units as claimed in claim 21, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding prevention unit that described bed is biased towards described expanded position.

31. 1 kinds of seat units comprising folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity;

Folding bed, it comprises multiple part, wherein in folding position, described bed portion is folded relative to each other and is stored in described base portion cavity and seat portion is used as the described seat of described seat unit, at expanded position, described bed portion to be arranged and sequentially alignment and described seat portion are positioned at the front of described base portion each other by less horizontal; And

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described bed portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position;

Wherein said seat portion comprises multiple pad and the multiple corresponding sub-frame below described pad, and wherein each sub-frame is included in the central opening that it pads below accordingly.

32. seat units as claimed in claim 31, also comprise:

Collapsible legs, it is attached to described seat portion, and

Leg fold mechanism, it is attached to described leg and described seat portion, described leg fold mechanism is configured to make described leg from described seat portion to downward-extension when described bed is in described expanded position, and when described bed is in described folding position, described leg is folding below described seat portion, described leg can around the axis parallel with described forward direction pivotable.

33. 1 kinds of seat units comprising folding bed, described seat unit comprises:

Base portion, it has internal cavity;

Folding bed, it comprises multiple part, and wherein in folding position, described bed portion is folded relative to each other and is stored in described base portion cavity, at expanded position, described bed portion to be arranged and sequentially alignment and first portion are positioned at the front of described base portion each other by less horizontal;

Bed fold mechanism, it is attached to described base portion and described bed portion, and described bed fold mechanism controls the motion of described bed between described folding position and described expanded position;

Two collapsible legs, are attached to the contrary peripheral portion in described first portion separately, and

Leg fold mechanism, it is attached to described leg and described first portion, described leg fold mechanism is configured to make described leg from described first portion to downward-extension when described bed is in described expanded position, and by folding below described first portion for described leg, described leg is extended internally when described bed is in described folding position.

34. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, each leg comprises two right cylinders, and in described folding position, each described right cylinder laterally extends.

35. seat units as claimed in claim 34, wherein, the described right cylinder of each leg divides and is interposed between about 16 and 24 inches.

36. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, described multiple part comprises head and pars intermedia, and wherein said first portion is seat portion, and wherein head location described in described folding position below described pars intermedia and described seat portion be positioned at above described pars intermedia, and to be wherein squeezed from the orientation its expanded position at pars intermedia described in described folding position.

37. seat units as claimed in claim 36, wherein, are positioned between described pars intermedia and described seat portion at leg described in described folding position.

38. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, described leg fold mechanism comprises:

Gear drive connecting rod, it is configured to longitudinally move when described bed moves between described folding position and described expanded position;

Gear, it is installed into and rotates around axis of pitch; And

Star-wheel, it is attached to each leg, with described gear engagement, and is installed into and rotates around longitudinal axis.

39. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, described first portion comprises pad and has the seat frame being positioned at described pad central open area below, and is wherein below described mainboard at leg described in described folding position.

40. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding auxiliary unit making described bed biased towards described folding position.

41. seat units as claimed in claim 33, wherein, described bed fold mechanism comprises the folding prevention unit that described bed is biased towards described expanded position.