Reclining seating unit with headrest

• US 7,669,921 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ultra-Mek Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ultra-Mek Incorporated
• Inventors: Murphy, Marcus L., Hoffman, D. Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LYNCH, PATRICK D
• Application Number:
  US11/856,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20090072593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 297/61, 297/75, 297/84, 297/85, 297/86, 297/391, 297/410
• US Class Current: 297/61
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/037 in combination with a leg-rest or foot-rest

Abstract

A reclining seating unit includes: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest that includes a body and a headrest that is positioned above the body; a reclining mechanism that interconnects the base, seat and backrest that controls the movement thereof between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed above the base and the backrest is generally vertically disposed at a first angle to the underlying surface above a rear portion of the backrest, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest is disposed at a second angle to the underlying surface, the second angle being less than the first angle; and a headrest mechanism coupled to the reclining mechanism and attached to the body and headrest. In the upright position, a lower edge of the headrest is positioned at a first distance from an upper edge of the body, and in the reclined position, the lower edge of the headrest is positioned a second distance from the upper edge of the body, the second distance being greater than the first distance. The headrest moves generally parallel to the backrest as the chair moves from the upright to the reclined position.

Claims

1. A reclining seating unit, comprising:

a base configured to rest on an underlying surface;

a seat;

a backrest that includes a body and a headrest that is positioned above the body, the headrest having front and rear surfaces;

an ottoman;

a reclining mechanism that interconnects the base, seat, ottoman and backrest that controls the movement thereof between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed above the base and the backrest is generally vertically disposed at a first angle to the underlying surface above a rear portion of the seat, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and extended in front of the seat and the backrest remains substantially at the first angle relative to the underlying surface, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest is disposed at a second angle to the underlying surface, the second angle being less than the first angle; and

a headrest mechanism coupled to the reclining mechanism and attached to the body and headrest, wherein in the upright position, a lower edge of the headrest is positioned at a first distance from an upper edge of the body, and wherein in the TV position and the fully reclined position, the lower edge of the headrest is positioned a second distance from the upper edge of the body, the second distance being greater than the first distance;

wherein the headrest moves generally parallel to the backrest as the chair moves from the upright to the TV position and the fully reclined position and has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright, TV or fully reclined position; and

wherein in the upright position, the front and rear surfaces of the headrest are fully visible.

2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the second distance is between about 2 and 8 inches in the reclined position.

3. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the headrest mechanism includes a headrest drive link, a conversion link pivotally attached to the headrest drive link and to the backrest body, and a connecting link pivotally attached with the headrest, wherein the conversion link is pivotally coupled with the connecting link.

4. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

5. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the conversion link is coupled to the connecting link via a control link connected to the conversion link and an extension link pivotally connected to the control link, the connecting link and the backrest body.

6. A reclining seating unit, comprising:

a base configured to rest on an underlying surface;

a seat;

a backrest that includes a body and a headrest that is positioned above the body;

an ottoman;

a reclining mechanism that interconnects the base, seat, ottoman and backrest that controls the movement thereof between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed above the base and the backrest is generally vertically disposed at a first angle to the underlying surface above a rear portion of the seat, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and extended in front of the seat and the backrest remains substantially at the first angle relative to the underlying surface, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest is disposed at a second angle to the underlying surface, the second angle being less than the first angle; and

a headrest mechanism coupled to the reclining mechanism and attached to the body and headrest, wherein in the upright position, a lower edge of the headrest is positioned above and at a first distance from an uppermost edge of the body, and wherein in the TV position and the fully reclined position, the lower edge of the headrest is positioned a second distance from the uppermost edge of the body, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and

wherein the headrest moves generally parallel to the backrest as the chair moves from the upright to the reclined position and has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright, TV or fully reclined position.

7. The seating unit defined in claim 6, wherein the difference between the first and second distances is between about 2 and 8 inches in the reclined position.

8. The seating unit defined in claim 6, wherein the headrest mechanism includes a headrest drive link, a conversion link pivotally attached to the headrest drive link and to the backrest body, and a connecting link pivotally attached with the headrest, wherein the conversion link is coupled with the connecting link.

9. The seating unit defined in claim 8, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

10. The seating unit defined in claim 8, wherein the conversion link is coupled to the connecting link via a control link connected to the conversion link and an extension link pivotally connected to the control link, the connecting link and the backrest body.

11. A reclining seating unit, comprising:

a base configured to rest on an underlying surface;

a seat;

a backrest that includes a body and a headrest that is positioned above the body, the headrest having front and rear surfaces;

an ottoman;

a reclining mechanism that interconnects the base, seat, ottoman and backrest that controls the movement thereof between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed above the base and the backrest is generally vertically disposed at a first angle to the underlying surface above a rear portion of the seat, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and extended in front of the seat and the backrest remains substantially at the first angle relative to the underlying surface, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest is disposed at a second angle to the underlying surface, the second angle being less than the first angle; and

a headrest mechanism coupled to the reclining mechanism and attached to the body and headrest, wherein in the upright position, a lower edge of the headrest is positioned at a first distance from an upper edge of the body, and wherein in the TV position and the fully reclined position, the lower edge of the headrest is positioned a second distance from the upper edge of the body, the second distance being greater than the first distance;

wherein the headrest moves generally parallel to the backrest as the chair moves from the upright to the TV position and the fully reclined position and has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright, TV or fully reclined position; and

wherein in the upright position, the front and rear surfaces of the headrest are fully visible; and

wherein the headrest mechanism includes a headrest drive link, a conversion link pivotally attached to the headrest drive link and to the backrest body, and a connecting link pivotally attached with the headrest, wherein the conversion link is coupled with the connecting link.

12. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

13. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the conversion link is coupled to the connecting link via a control link connected to the conversion link and an extension link pivotally connected to the control link, the connecting link and the backrest body.

14. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the second distance is between about 2 and 8 inches in the reclined position.