US1488144A - Sofa bedstead - Google Patents

Description

March 25 1924. 1,48%,fl441 J. D. BELL SOFA BEDS TEAD Original Filed Dec. 8, 1920 Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

[TED STATES JOSEPH D. BELL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SOFA BEDSTEAD.

Application filed December 8, 1920, Serial No. 429,188. Renewed August 16, 1923.

T o (INTO/(0)12 7' f m a 1 concern Be it known that I, Josurn D. Bram, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sofa Bcdsteads, of which the. following is a specification.

This invention relating to sofa bedsteads has particular reference to the folding back and seat type in which a sectional mattress frame is moved from a concealed position to an extended operative position by inverting the seat.

The primaryobjeet of the present invention is to provide a sofa bedstead of the character described of generally improved construction, particularly with regard to the means for supporting the sectional mattress frame and for guiding it to and from its operative and concealed positions. In this construction, I have aimed to employ but a minimum number of parts so designed that they may be produced at a relatively low cost, and will support and guide the mattress frame in such manner that very little effort is required for moving it to and from the concealed and operative positions.

I have also aimed to provide a construction in which the mattress frame may be any of various dimensions to suit the different requirements in mattress sizes, and in which the supporting and guiding structure may be of uniform size and be fitted to any mattress frame.

Another object is to provide a novel means for. supporting the back rest in both the sofa and bedstead positions.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those familiar with this art as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following de-.

housing, an invertible seat, a mattress frame composed of a plurality of sections, and means for so supporting and guiding the sections that they may be moved from an extended operative position in which the seat is inverted, to a concealed position with the seat upright, in which latter position a rear bed section is disposed in an upright position at the rear of the seat. In the present invention, I have provided novel means operative between the mattress frame sections and the housing and seat, whereby the bed sections may be moved to and from operative and concealed positions by the action of inverting the seat and return-' ing it to upright position.

In the drawing, I have shown only such parts of a sofa bedstead as are necessary for an understanding of the present invention, it being observed that the housing, seat, back and mattress section are shown in a somewhat conventional and diagrammatic manner. The housing includes ends 5 and 6 joined by a back structure 7 and a front board 8. The seat 9 may be pivotally con nected to the front board 8 or. to the housing in any suitable manner, such for example as by pivotal connections 11, or by the usual strap hinges, if desired. In the present case, legs 12 are employed for supporting the seat in inverted position, but it should be understood that my invention is in no Way limited to the use of these legs as any other means might be employed to the same end.

The mattress frame is composed of at least two sections, namely, front and rear sections designated generally by characters 13 and 14. In the present instance, these sections are pivotally connected together by bolts 15, which also constitute guide ele ments or pins and co-operate with tracks or guides as will be presently described. A footsection 16 havin a foot rest 17 may be employed if desired, but these parts are not essential. The front frame section is supported by a pair of swinging links 18 p-ivotally mounted at 19 on the ends of the seat frame and the rear section 14 by a pair of swinging links 21 pivotally mounted at 22 on the ends of the housing. The adjoining ends of the front and rear frame sections are supported when in alignment against breaking downwardly by the parts 15 resting on the track portions 23. These tracks may be of any suitable construction,

one being attached to the inner side of each end housing, formin a continuous guide extending in a nera oblique path from an upper forwar point to a lower point at the rear portion of the housing. These tracks may be of any suitable shape to be determined b the particular dimensions and style of t e sofa davenport and to imart to the mattress frame sections in conunction with the swinging links, the desired movement for carrying said sections to and from their operative and concealed positions. In the present illustration each track has a horizontally disposed upper portion 23 just referred to, and a downwardly and rearwardly curved or inclined portion 24 terminating in a substantially horizontal rear portion 25. These tracks are also shown in the form of slotways, but it should be understood that my invention is not limited to this construction, as any equivalent guide structure might be employed in conjunction with the swinging lin s. It will be noted that each track will function properly with but a single lower guidin surface upon which its respective guide pin 15 rests, and that the upper surface inherent in a slotway structure is not essential. Contractile springs 26 may be employed for cushioning the movement when inverting the seat and for assisting in turning the seat over to upright position. At present, the springs are connected to arms 27 fixed to the seat and to plates 28 fixed to the end housings 5 and 6, these plates being turned inwardly to provide stops 29 upon which the seat rests when in upright osition.

It will be manifest that when the mattress frame is in the extended position shown in Fig. 1, the front and rear frame sections are supported in alignment by the links 18 and 21 and by the guide pins 15 resting on the track portions 23. When it is desired to convert the bedstead into a sofa, the foot section 16 will be folded up and the seat raised and swung rearwardly upon its pivots 11 to an upright position in the housin Upon initially swinging the seat upwardl the links 18 will be swung rearw-ardly by the seat, thereb moving the guide pins 15 r-earwardly a ong their respective tracks and swinging the rear frame section 14 rearwardly upon its links 21. As this movement is continued the guide pins 15 will gravitate along the track portions 24, causing the mattress frame to break downwardly at the juncture of the sections 13 and 14, thereby guiding the front section 13 downwardly into the lower portion of the housing and causing the rear section 14 to be tilted in a. counter clockwise direction viewing Fig. 1, on the pivots 31 of the links 21 during the rearward swinging movement of the latter. The-result is that when the seat has been turned over to its upright position-resting on the stops 29, the front' frame section 13 will be horizontally disposed beneath the seat and the rear section 14 vertically disposed at the rear of the seat in substantially L-shaped relation, thereby avoidin sharp bends or folds in the mattress an allowin greater room for a thick mattress or bed mg than is posible with those constructions in which the main bed sections fold one above the other, beneath the seat.

It will be further observed that with a construction of the character described, the dimensions of the front and rear mattress sections with regard to length and width, may be changed at will without disturbing the o erative relation of the swinging links and t- 1e tracks. Consequently, the long way of the mattress frame may extend lengthwise between the end housings 5 and 6, this t pe of bed being often desired for want of oor space. In such instance, the rear portion of the rear frame section 14 may be cut off at any point up to the pivotal connections 21 and the foot board 16 may be eliminated, the housing being lengthened so that the occupants lay lengthwise between the end housings.

My invention also contemplates the pro-- vision of a novel back-supporting means. I propose to support the back 32 from the seat 9 in both positions of the latter and to this end I employ a plurality of brackets 33. These brackets, fixed to the seat 9, are so arched and pivotally connected at 34 to the back as to support the same above the floor and beneath the seat when the latter is inverted. In this position the tendency of the back is to drop at its rear portion, due to the fact that the fulcrum points 34 are closer to the front edge, and this movement is restricted by yielding or cushioning stops in the form of flat spring elements 35 attached to the brackets 33. The seat may be supported solely by these brackets 33, or if desired, the legs 12 may be utilized as brackets, furnishing additional support for the back. To this end, each leg 12 is equipped with a fixed rearwardly projecting arm 36 pivotally connected to the back as shown, ,and is further equipped with a spring element 37 functioning the same as the spring elements 35. When the seat is moved to its upright position, the back which will then be supported on top of the seat, may be swung in a clockwise direction about the fulcrum points 34, viewing Fig. 2, to the full line position shown thereon. In this position, it is desired that the back shall have a limited amount of vertical play so that its lower edge will accommodate itself to variations in the top of the seat, thereby insuring that the back will fit and rest upon the seat. To this end, I provide each bracket 33 and 36 with an elongated opening 38, through which the back ivot bolts-pass, allowing the desired vertica play when the back is in upright position.

It is believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of the objects prefaced above, and while I have illustrated but a single embodiment, it should be understood that considerable change might be made in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sofa bedstead, a housing, a back, an invertible seat, a folding mattress frame comprising a plurality of sections, of which in the concealed position, a front section is disposed beneath the seat and a rear section in an upright position at the rear of the seat, and means supporting the mattress frame and upon which it is movable to and from its concealed and extended positions, comprising one pair of swinging links between the seat and front frame section and another between the housing and rear frame section, and a track at each side of the mattress frame for uiding the adjoining ends of the front and rear frame sections in a general oblique path extending from an upper'forward point to a lower-rear point with respect to the housing, whereby to support the folding frame intermediate the swingiug links when the frame is in extended position and to guide the folding sections to the concealed position.

2. In a sofa bedstead, the combination of a housing, an invertible seat, a mattress frame including a front and a rear section, swinging links supporting the front section from the seat and the rear section from the housing, and guides at each side of the mattress frame upon which the frame sections intermediate said links are slidable for guiding the front frame to a concealed position beneath the seat and the rear frame section to an upright position at the rear of the seat.

3. In a sofa bedstead, the combination of a housing, an invertible seat, a mattress frame composed of a front and .a rear sec-.

tion, means pivotally supporting the front section upon the seat, means pivotally supporting the rear section upon the housing, and means for supporting the adjoining ends of the frame sections against breaking downwardly when the mattress frame is in extended position and for guiding in co-operation with the first and second named-

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