Sofa table and mechanism for use with a sofa having a foldable bed

• US 5,322,344 A
• Filed: 03/11/1993
• Issued: 06/21/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ultra-Mek
• Original Assignee: Ultra-Mek
• Inventors: Rogers, W. Clark, Hoffman, D. Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US08/029,765
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 297/417, 297/191, 297/411, 297/146, 297/238, 297/113, 297/194, 5/12.1, 5/13, 5/43, 5/45, 5/46
• US Class Current: 297/188.04
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 17/86 Parts or details for beds, sofas or couches only not fully covered in a single one of the sub-groups A47C17/02, A47C17/04, A47C17/38, A47C17/52, A47C17/64, or A47C17/84; Drawers in or under beds
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/70 of foldable type

Abstract

A mechanism for use with a sofa table movable between a retracted closed position and a generally horizontal open position is disclosed. The mechanism is particularly suited for use with a sofa to which is attached a foldable bed. The mechanism comprises: a mounting link adapted for mounting the mechanism to a sofa frame; a lower pivot link pivotally interconnected to the mounting link; a table mounting bracket pivotally interconnected to the lower pivot link and adapted to be fixed to a sofa table; and an upper pivot link pivotally interconnected to the mounting link and further pivotally interconnected with the table mounting bracket. The lower pivot link includes a bend between its pivots disposed toward the upper pivot link within which the head portion of a foldable bed in its fold position can reside when the sofa table is in its closed position.

Claims

1. A seating unit comprising:

(a) a seat assembly including;

(i) a support frame;

(ii) a seat attached to said support frame having a generally horizontal seat surface;

(iii) a backrest attached to said support frame upward and rearward of said seat surface and having a generally upright and forwardly facing backrest surface, said backrest surface having a recessed area; and

(iv) a pair of mounting panels fixed to said support frame rearwardly of said recessed area of said seat surface;

wherein said seat, said backrest, and said support frame enclose a cavity for storing a foldable bed;

(b) a foldable bed having a head portion, said bed being mounted to said support frame and being foldable from a generally horizontal open position to a folded closed position within said cavity of said seat assembly, wherein said head portion is disposed generally upright and generally beneath said backrest;

(c) a pair of mechanisms for moving a sofa table between an open position and a closed position, each of said pair of mechanisms comprising;

i) means for mounting said mechanism to said mounting panels;

ii) a lower pivot link pivotally interconnected to said attaching means;

iii) table mounting means pivotally interconnected to said lower pivot link; and

iv) an upper pivot link pivotally interconnected to said panel mounting means upwardly of the pivot of said mounting means and said lower pivot link and further pivotally interconnected to said table mounting means;

wherein said lower pivot link includes a bend between its pivots disposed toward said upper pivot link; and

(d) a sofa table comprising;

i) a support frame which includes means for attaching said sofa table to said one of said table mounting means;

ii) a decorative surface attached to said sofa table support frame;

iii) a support surface attached to said sofa table support frame generally opposite and facing away from said decorative surface;

said sofa table being movable between a generally upright closed position, in which said sofa table resides within said recessed area with said decorative surface facing generally forward and being generally parallel with said backrest surface, and in which said lower pivot link adjacently overlies said head portion of said folding bed when said bed is in its closed position, and a generally horizontal open position, in which said decorative surface faces and is adjacent said seat surface and said support surface faces generally upwardly.

2. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein said upper pivot link includes a bend disposed toward said lower pivot link.

3. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein said panel mounting means comprises a mounting link.

4. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein said table mounting means comprises a mounting bracket.

5. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein said mechanism comprises means for halting the motion of said mechanism as it reaches the open position.

6. A seating unit according to claim 4, wherein said halting means comprises a stop pin attached to said upper pivot link.

7. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein said seating unit is a sofa.

8. A seating unit according to claim 1 wherein in its open position, said foldable bed resides at a height which is sufficiently low that said sofa table can move to its open position.

9. A mechanism suitable for use with a retractable sofa table comprising:

(a) means adapted for mounting said mechanism to a sofa frame;

(b) a lower pivot link pivotally interconnected to said attaching means;

(c) sofa table mounting means pivotally interconnected to said lower pivot link and adapted to be fixed to a sofa table; and

(d) an upper pivot link pivotally interconnected to said sofa frame mounting means, and further pivotally interconnected with said sofa table mounting means;

wherein said lower pivot link includes a bend between its pivots disposed toward said upper pivot link;

so that in a first closed position, said table mounting bracket is in a first rotative orientation relative to said mounting means, and in a second open position, said table mounting bracket is in a second rotative orientation relative to said mounting means, the angular difference between the first rotative position and the second rotative position being between about 90° and

140°

.

10. A mechanism according to claim 9, wherein said upper pivot link includes a bend disposed toward said lower pivot link.

11. A mechanism according to claim 9, wherein said upper pivot link further comprises a second bend between said first bend and said pivot with said sofa frame mounting means, said second bend being disposed away from said lower pivot link.

12. A mechanism according to claim 9, further comprising means for halting the motion of said mechanism as it reaches the second relative rotative position.

13. A mechanism according to claim 12, wherein said halting means comprises a stop pin.

14. A mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said stop pin is attached to said upper pivot link.