Seating furniture with lift mechanism

• US 7,455,360 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Inventors: White, Nikki, Tacker, Bill, Graham, Kenneth, Ladner, Shelby
• Primary Examiner(s): Cranmer; Laurie K
• Application Number:
  US11/548,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 297/321, 297/323, 297/344.14, 297/344.16, 297/344.17, 297/344.19, 297/330, 297/DIG.10
• US Class Current: 297/330
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/029 by changing the length or the inclination of the legs varying the height of a seat by inclining the legs A47C3/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1067 adjusting the backrest relative to the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/14 Standing-up or sitting-down aids

Abstract

An article of seating furniture is provided with a lift mechanism. The article can be a chair with a base and a seat that is pivotally connected to the base. A back is coupled to the seat and may be either fixed to the seat or rotatably coupled to the seat. An actuator is mounted to the base extending towards the rear of the chair. The actuator is pivotally coupled to the base on one end and is pivotally coupled to the seat on the other end. The actuator moves the seat between a generally horizontal position and a raised position. With the back rotatably mounted to the seat, a linkage bar can be added that extends from base front to a bracket that mounts the back to the seat. The linkage bar reclines the back as the seat is raised from horizontal position to the raised position.

Claims

1. An article of seating furniture, comprising:

a base having a front panel, wherein said base has spaced apart sides;

a seat having a front portion and a rear portion;

a linkage coupled between a front portion of the base and the seat;

a back coupled to said seat;

a mounting yoke mounted to said seat, wherein said mounting yoke has a downwardly depending pair of arms;

a first biasing member positioned between the mounting yoke and the base, the first biasing member being rotatably coupled to the base proximate the front panel of the base, and being rotatably coupled to the mounting yoke, wherein said first biasing member is centrally positioned between said spaced apart sides;

a lift frame bracket fixedly coupled to said front panel of said base, said lift frame bracket serving as the pivotal mount for said first biasing member proximate the front panel of said base;

a back bracket having a first end, a second end and a middle portion, said first end coupled to said back, and said middle portion coupled to said seat,

wherein the first biasing member may be actuated to raise the seat from a seating position to an assisted position, with the seat motion controlled by the linkage, thereby allowing a user seated in the article of seating furniture to more easily exit the article of seating furniture;

a second biasing member mounted between said arms of the mounting yoke, wherein said second biasing member has a rod rotatably coupled to the second end of the back bracket; and

wherein the second biasing member can be actuated to move the rod, thereby exerting a forward motion on the second end of the back bracket, causing the back bracket to rotate about its connection to the seat and exerting a reclining motion on said back.

2. The article of seating furniture of claim 1, wherein the linkage is a four bar linkage.