Reclining Seating Unit with Headrest

• US 20090072593A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,669,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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;

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, 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 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; and

wherein the headrest moves generally parallel to the backrest as the chair moves from the upright to the reclined position.

2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the seating unit further comprises at least one ottoman, the ottoman being disposed below the seat when the seating unit is in the upright position and in front of the seat and generally horizontally disposed when the seating unit is in the fully reclined position.

3. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the reclining seating unit is a 3-way reclining seating unit, such that the seating unit moves to an intermediate TV position between the upright and fully reclined positions in which the at least one ottoman is positioned in front of the seat and generally horizontally disposed.

4. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the lower edge of the headrest is positioned at the second distance when the seating unit is in the TV position.

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

6. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the headrest has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright or fully reclined position.

7. 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 coupled with the connecting link.

8. The seating unit defined in claim 7, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

9. The seat unit defined in claim 7, 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.

10. 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; and

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 that is coupled to the reclining mechanism and attached to the body and headrest, wherein the headrest rests atop the body when the seating unit is in the upright position and separates from the body when the seating unit is in the fully reclined position, and wherein the headrest has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright or fully reclined position.

11. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the seating unit further comprises at least one ottoman, the ottoman being disposed below the seat when the seating unit is in the upright position and in front of the seat and generally horizontally disposed when the seating unit is in the fully reclined position.

12. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the reclining seating unit is a 3-way reclining seating unit, such that the seating unit moves to an intermediate TV position between the upright and fully reclined positions in which the at least one ottoman is positioned in front of the seat and generally horizontally disposed.

13. The seating unit defined in claim 12, wherein the separation of the headrest from the body is substantially the same in both the TV and fully reclined positions.

14. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the separation of the headrest from the body is between about 2 and 8 inches in the reclined position.

15. The seating unit defined in claim 10, 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.

16. The seating unit defined in claim 15, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

17. The seating unit defined in claim 15, 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.

18. A headrest mechanism for a reclining seating unit, the seating unit having a base, a seat, a backrest and a reclining mechanism, the seating unit being capable of moving 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, the headrest mechanism comprising:

a headrest drive link adapted to be connected to the reclining seating unit, a conversion link pivotally attached to the headrest drive link at a first pivot and adapted to be attached to a body of the backrest at a second pivot that is different than the first pivot, and a connecting link adapted to be pivotally attached with a headrest of the backrest via a third pivot, wherein the conversion link is coupled with the connecting link, and wherein the second pivot is intermediate of the first and third pivots.

19. The headrest mechanism defined in claim 18, wherein the conversion link is directly pivotally coupled to the connecting link.

20. The headrest mechanism defined in claim 18, 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.

21. 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;

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, 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 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 reclined position and has substantially the same rotative orientation relative to the body whether the seating unit is in the upright or fully reclined position; and

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

22. 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;

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, 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 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 or fully reclined position.