US3373453A - Vertically adjustable bed - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1968 R. GOODMAN VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1966 ..Q A. R mm 1. m N T I L A a w March 19 1968 R. GOOD MAN VERTIQALLY ADJUSTABLE BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1966 IN VE N TOR. R0 barf Good man.

March 19, 1968 .R. GOODMAN VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Filed Sept. 13, 1966 INVENTOQ Roberi Goodman, i g AORNIE'V United States Patent Office 3,373,453 VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BED Robert Goodman, 5325 Westminster Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19131 Filed Sept. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 579,158 10 Claims. (Cl. --63) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable bed having a bottom support means upon which is positioned a frame. The frame is movable in a vertical direction into any incremental position of vertical adjustment. A bed-spring is supported on the frame and is provided with pivotal head and foot sections that are individually movable from a horizontal to various inclined positions. The vertical adjustment of the frame is effected by pivotally interconnected cross-bars at each end of the bed. The cross-bars are, preferably, connected, above their pivotal connection, by a tension spring. These cross-bars serve both to support the frame and to adjust it vertically. They also automatically retain the frame in each vertical position.

This invention relates to an adjustable bed frame, and it particularly relates to a bed frame which is vertically adjustable and which may also, if desired, have a separately adjustable contour-type spring frame.

Although there have heretofore been vertically adjustable bed frames, all such previous bed frames have been subject to one or more defects. They have either not been sufficiently sturdy and rigid in their vertically adjusted positions, or they have not been capable of adjustment to any desired degree of height within predetermined limits, or they have been too complicated to be commercially feasible, or they have been too diflicult to adjust. In addition, in such prior bed frames, it was generally not possible to accommodate a variably adjustable contour-type bed spring which could be separately and individually adjusted.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to overcome the various disadvantages of prior adjustable bed frames by providing a vertically adjustable bed frame which is adjustable to infinitely small increments of height and which is nevertheless sturdily and rigidly supported in all vertical positions of adjustment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed frame of the aforesaid type which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed frame of the aforesaid type in combination with an individually and separately adjustable contour bed spring.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a bed frame and contour bed spring combination embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view as seen from line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view as seen from the reverse position relative to the view of FIG. 2, and at an angle from right to left as viewed in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 but showing an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGS. 2 and 4 but showing another alternate embodiment of the invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of 3,373,453 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 the drawings wherein similar characters refer to similar parts, there is shown in FIG. 1 a bed, generally designated 10, having a lower frame portion, generally designated 12, and an upper spring frame, generally designated 14.

The spring frame 14 is of the contour-type which comprises a head section 16, a front intermediate section 18, a rear intermediate section 20 and a foot section 22. These sections are pivoted to each other and are relatively pivotally adjust-able from a flat position to a contour position such as illustrated in FIG. 1. The linkage and actuating mechanism for supporting and adjusting the spring frame 14, as well as the spring frame itself, are generally standard equipment and, by themselves, form no part of the present invention except in the combination shown. Since the spring frame 14 and its associated linkage and actuating mechanism, per se, are standard equipment, the details thereof need not be described herein.

The linkage supporting the spring frame 14 is supported by a pair of side bars 24 and 26 forming part of the lower frame portion 12. The bars 24 and 26 are constructed of metal angle-irons and are in turn supported on a pair of side bars 28 and 30 which support head and foot plates 32 and 34 at opposite ends, and also support side protectors 36 and 38. A pair of front and rear transverse bars 40 and 42 connect the side bars 24 and 26 at the head and the side bars 28 and 30 at the foot end.

As best seen in FIG. 2, a pair of cross bars 44 and 46 are provided at the head end and a similar pair of cross bars are provided at the foot end. Each pair of bars 44 and 46 are pivoted to each other at 48, the bar 44 having a roller 50 at its upper end and the bar 46 having a roller 52 at its lower end. The roller 50 on bar 44 is movable in a guide channel 54 on the bar 42 while the lower end of the bar 44 is pivotally connected at 56 to a bottom support platform bar 58 having a caster 60 at each end. The roller 52 on bar 46 is movable in a guide channel 62 on the platform bar 58 while the upper end of the bar 46 is pivotally connected at 64 to a flange 66 on the bar 42.

The platform bar 58 at the foot end also supports a bracket 68 to which is connected a fork 70. The fork 70 supports one end of a jack screw cylinder 72 having a threaded shaft 74 extending therefrom. An electric reversible motor 76 is operatively connected through gears (not shown) to the shaft 74 to move the shaft in opposite directions. The shaft 74 is connected to the upper end of a fork 78 which is connected at its lower end to a rotatable rod 80-. At each end of the rod 80 is connected one end of a lever 82 while, at the opposite end of each lever 82 is a link 84. Each link 84 is pivotally connected to a bar 44. The bars 44 are connected to each other by a longitudinal brace bar 86. An intermediate longitudinal brace rod 88 connects the levers 82 to each other. The cross bars 44 and 46 are connected by a coil spring 90.

In the operation of the vertical adjusting mechanism described above, when it is desired to move the whole bed frame structure from a higher to a lower position, the motor 76 is actuated in one direction to move the jack shaft 74 outwardly. This operates the levers 8-5 and links 84 to pull the upper ends of the bars 44 down. As the bars 44 pivot downwardly, causing the rollers 50 to ride laterally in the guides 54, the degree of angle opening between the bars 44 and 46 is reduced, causing the rollers 50 and 52 to come toward each other. As the pivot points 56 and 64 are, in effect, the similar ends of an equal and opposite triangle, they also move toward each other at exactly the same rate of speed. This causes the bed frame to descend in a continuously level position. When it is desired to raise the bed frame, the motor is actuated in the reverse direction.

The above-described vertical adjusting mechanism is extremely simple, yet the scissors-like cross-bar arrangement of the bars 44 and 46 provide a sturdy support in 3 all positions of adjustment, this support being effected throughout the entire width of the bed frame. The springconnected scissors arrangement and the rollers 50 and 52 also permit the frame to stay in its horizontal position throughout the vertical adjustment.

In addition to being a simple, yet sturdy and effective vertical adjustment arrangement, as described above, this arrangement also permits the contour spring frame to be used in all vertical positions, and amply supports it during its own adjustments and without interfering, in any way, with such adjustments.

In FIG. 4, there is shown a modified form of the device wherein all the parts are identical to those of the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, except that the reversible motor 100, which actuates the jack screw shaft 102 within cylinder 104, is provided with a handle 106 connected to the motor shaft 108. By means of this construction, it the motor should become inoperative, the handle 106 can be used to crank the mechanism.

FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment whereby, instead of a motor, the jack shaft 200, extending through cylinder 202, is provided with a manual operating handle 204.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a bed, a bottom support means, a frame supported on said bottom support means for vertical adjustment, at least two pairs of cross-bars, one at each end of said frame, the cross-bars of each pair being pivotally connected to each other intermediate their respective ends, one of the cross-bars of each pair having a roller at its upper end movable in a guide means on said frame and being pivoted to said support means at its lower end, and the other cross-bar of each pair having a roller at its lower end movable in a guide means on said support means and being pivoted at its upper end to said frame, a drive means, linkage including links pivotally connected to each other, said linkage being connected at one end to said drive means and at the other to one cross-bar of one pair to move said one cross-bar around its pivoted connection with the other cross-bar of the pair, and connecting means between each pair of cross-bars to provide simultaneous pivotal movement of each pair, said crossbars forming both a supporting and a vertical adjusting means for said frame.

2. The bed of claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a jack-screw assembly having a motor operatively connected thereto.

3. The bed of claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a jack-screw assembly having a manually operable handle.

4. A vertically adjustable bed comprising an upper frame and a lower frame, the upper frame being supported by the lower frame, support means for said lower frame, at least two vertical adjusting means connecting said lower frame to said support means, said adjusting means being spaced from each other longitudinally of said bed andeach comprising a pair of cross-bars pivotally connected to each other intermediate their respective ends, one of the cross-bars of each pair having a roller at its upper end movable in a guide means on the lower frame and being pivoted to said support means at its lower end, and the other cross-bar of each pair having a roller at its lower end'movable in a guide means on said support means and being pivoted at its upper end to said lower frame, a drive means, linkage including links pivotally connected to each other, said linkage being connected at one end to said drive means and at the other end to one cross-bar of one pair to move said one crossbar of the pair, and connecting means between the said one cross-bar and the corresponding cross-bar on the other pair, said connecting means being constructed and arranged to move said corresponding cross-bar around its pivotal connection with its other cross-bar in synchronism with said one cross-bar, said cross-bars forming both a supporting and a vertical adjusting means for said frame.

5. The bed of claim 4 wherein said drive means comprises a motor-driven jack screw assembly.

6. The bed of claim 4 wherein said drive means comprises a manually-actuated jack-screw assembly.

7. The bed of claim 4 wherein said drive means comprises a jack-screw assembly, a motor operatively connected to said jack-screw assembly, and a manually operable handle connected to said motor shaft for selective operation alternately with said motor.

8. The bed of claim 1 wherein a tension means is connected between the cross-bars of each pair.

9. The bed of claim 4 wherein said upper frame comprises a contour spring frame having separately movable head, foot and intermediate sections, said contour spring frame being vertically movable with said lower frame in all selected positions of contour adjustment.

10. The bed of claim 4 wherein a tension means is connected between the cross-bars of each pair.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,802,219 8/1957 Travis 567 2,807,808 10/ 1957 Wetzler 563 3,081,463 3/ 1963 Williams et a1. 5-63 3,110,476 11/1963 Farris 254122 3,191,195 6/1965 Schlackman et a1. 566 X 3,237,921 3/1966 Jay 254-122 3,245,366 4/1966 Fox 108147 X 3,308,485 3/1967 Evans 5-63 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner,

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