Chair and/or bed arrangement

• US 4,675,926 A
• Filed: 04/16/1985
• Issued: 06/30/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molnlycke AB (Investor AB)
• Original Assignee: Molnlycke AB (Investor AB)
• Inventors: Bergling, Thomas, Lindblom, Hans-Olov
• Primary Examiner(s): Grosz, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US06/726,897
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 5/60, 5/66, 5/67, 5/68, 5/69, 74/606 R, 74/607
• US Class Current: 5/618
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 19/045 with entire frame height or inclination adjustments
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/041 by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/002 having adjustable mattress frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2186 Gear casings

Abstract

A bed comprises a base (1), a frame (2), which is vertically adjustable relative to the base by means of pivot arms (3), lying members (7-9), which are adjustable relative to the frame (2) by means of second pivot arms (12, 13) and power devices on the frame for causing the pivot arms to move. The frame (2) is designed as a container generally closed at all sides, said power devices being enclosed within said container, the pivot shafts of the pivot arms extending into the interior of the container through wall portions thereof. (FIG. 2).

Claims

1. A chair and/or bed arrangement comprising a base, at least one sitting and/or lying member, which is pivotable about a horizontal axis by means of at least one first pivot arm, at least one first power exerting device for actuating said first pivot arm, a container generally closed at all sides, said first power exerting device being housed within said container, said container being supported relative to the base by means of a supporting device, said first pivot arm having a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container, the supporting device comprising at least one second pivot arm which is similar to said first pivot arm and having a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container through a wall portion thereof, a second power exerting device for actuating the second pivot arm being also housing within said container the container constituting a supporting connection between the first and second pivot arms and serving as a transmitter of support forces between the sitting and/or lying member and the base, the container having the character of a box girder having top, bottom and side walls, said girder being longitudinally elongated and having a substantially smaller width than the sitting and/or lying member, and the pivot shafts for the first and second pivot arms penetrating through the side walls of the girder.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1;

characterized in that the container has a generally uniform cross section.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second pivot arms are pivotable in generally vertical planes, and the container side walls through which said pivot shafts extend are generally vertical side walls.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that each power exerting device comprises a motor connected to drive a screw, said motor and screw being hingedly connected to the container, and the screw engaging a nut hingedly connected to a lever rigidly attached to a respective one of the pivot shafts.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the sitting and/or lying member includes a back member, a seat member and a leg memer, said seat member being hingedly connected to said back member and said leg member, there being at leat two of said first pivot arms for pivoting the back member and the leg member in a vertical plane, said first power exerting device being arranged for common operation of the two first pivot arms, said first power exerting device being operable to actuate the first pivot arm associated with the back member via a transmission allowing such a free movement that when the back member is pivoted upward from a generally horizontal lying position, a foot end of the leg member is pivoted dowardly, but when the back member is in a horizonal lying position and the foot end of the leg member is pivoted upwardly, the back member remains in said horizontal lying position.

6. A chair and/or bed arrangement comprising a base, at least one sitting and/or lying member, which is pivotable about a horizontal axis by means of at least one first pivot arm, at leasts one first power exerting device for actuating said first pivot arm, a container generally closed at all sides, said first power exerting device being housed within said container, said container being supported relative to the base by means of a supporting device, said first pivot arm having a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container, the supporting device comprising at least one second pivot arm which is similar to said first pivot arm and has a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container through a wall portion thereof, a second power exerting device for actuating the second pivot arm being also housed within said container, the container constituting a supporting connection between the first and second pivot arms and series as a transmitter of support forces between the sitting and/or lying member and the base, the container having at least two portions detachable from each other, one of said portions being connected to the pivot shaft of the second pivot arm for adjusting the container relative to the base and to the power exerting device for said second pivot arm, the other of said portions being connected to the pivot shaft of the first pivot arm for adjusting the sitting and/or lying member relative to the container and to the power exerting device for said first pivot arm.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that one of the two container portions is arranged on top of the other of the two container portions.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the two container portions are in the form of U-shaped profiles having generally vertical branches directed towards and connected to each other, and the branches of each of the profiles at their outer ends are selectively provided with grooves and projections for engaging corresponding projections and grooves respectively in the branches of the other of said profiles.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the two profiles are identical in cross section and one of the branches has a groove and on the other of the branches there is a projection.

10. A chair and/or bed arrangement comprising a base, at least one sitting and/or lying member, which is pivotable about a horizontal axis by means of at least one first pivot arm, at least one first power exerting device for actuating said first pivot arm, a container generally closed at all sides, said first power exerting device being housed within said container, said container being supported relative to the base by means of a supporting device, said first pivot arm having a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container, the supporting device comprising at least one second pivot arm which is similar to said first pivot arm and having a pivot shaft extending into the interior of the container through a wall portion thereof, a second power exerting device for actuating the second pivot arm being also housed within said container, the container constituting a supporting connection between the first and second pivot arms and serving as a transmitter of support forces between the sitting and/or lying member and the base, said sitting and/or lying member including a back member, a seat member and a leg member, means hingedly connecting said seat member to said back member and said leg member, there are being two of the first pivot arms for pivoting the back member and the leg member in the vertical plane, a frame including a support member for cooperating with the leg member to form a pivot point therefor, said pivot point being located between on one hand the hinge connection between the leg member and the seat member and on the other hand the hinge connection between the leg member and the first pivot arm associated with the back member, and the support member being arranged on a vertically pivotable link for supporting the leg member and seat member so that they form a generally planar surface or otherwise assume a predetermined mutual angular relation when the vertically pivotable link and the leg member are pivoted upwardly by means of the first pivot arm associated with the leg member.