US2640998A - Adjustable bed lamp - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1953 c. R. MYRE ADJUSTABLE BED LAMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27, 1949 CLIFFORD R. MYRE June 9, 1953 c. R. MYRE 2,640,998

ADJUSTABLE BED LAMP Filed April 27, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N V E NTOR CL'FFORD MYRE M-Q'Q consisting of mating members 20 held together with a clamping screw 2I provides a socket 22 in which the ball terminal I8 of the stud I1 is received and releasably gripped, said mating members 20 being provided with jaw portions 23 adapted to grip the top rail I3" of the end frame I3 of the bed adjacent the back-rest I0, or any other suitable supporting structure similarly disposed relative to said back-rest I0. Such other suitable supporting structure for the bracket I9 and the "guide I6 carried thereby may, for example, consist of a movable stand X including a base 39, a post 40 upstanding from said base, and. an arm 4I extending horizontally from said post 40, said arm 4I being adapted to occupy a position adjacent the top rail I 3 of the end frame I3 of the bed and adapted to be embraced by the mating members 20 of the bracket I9 in' the same manner that the top rail I3 of the bed is shown to be embraced by said mating members 2!] in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing. Thus, the support or guide I 6 will occupy an elevated position and, within a normal range of angular adjustment universally, will extend generally lengthwise of the bed and upwardly pointed toward the front thereof.

Slidable within the guide I6 is a plunger-like mounting 24 the forward end of which projects from the forward end of said guide I6. A lamp socket 25 secured to said projecting end of said mounting I6 is supplied with an electric lamp 26 and is fitted with slackened wires 21 for electrically connecting the same with any convenient outlet supplying electric current.

Motion transmitting means operated by the back-rest I of the bed A-upon the tilting of said back-rest from one position of adjustment to another are supplied to move the mounting 24 in the guide I6. Said motion transmitting means functions to advance the mounting 24 .in said guide I6, causing the lamp 26 to be-carried forwardly and upwardly in correspondence with the movement of back-rest I0 as it is tilted forwardly and upwardly. When said back-rest I0 is reversely tilted rearwardly and downwardly, said motion transmitting means functions to retract the mounting 24 in'said guide I6, causing the lamp 26 to be carried rearwardly and downwardly in accord with such movement of said back-rest. This shifting of the lamp 26 in ac- .cord with the shifting of the back-rest I0 presents the light of the lamp 26 in position relative to the back-rest I0 wherein such light is best suited to the needs of the person supported by said back-rest, or to the needs of an at tendant treating such person. Said motion transmitting means includes a tubular element B and a push-pull wire 28 slidable therein, said element B consisting of a flexible conduit 29 and a tubular coupling 30. One end of said conduit 29 is connected with the rear end of the tubular guide I6 in continuation thereof and the corresponding end of the push-pull wire 28 is socketed in and secured to the butt end of the mounting 24 as by means of a pin 3|. One end 'of the tubular coupling 30 is connected with the other end of said flexible conduit 29 in continuation thereof. The opposite end of said tubular coupling 30 is pivotally connected with a side frame member Iil of the back-rest I0 by means of a pivot pin 32 spaced a substantial distance from the pivotal axis 33 of said backrest I0. Along its inner side, the tubular coupling 36 is formed with a slot 34 longitudinally thereof. This .slot 34 slidably receives the. end

4 of a binding or anchoring post 35 screwed into the rail I2 of the bed A. Said post 35 is formed with an aperture 36 therein transversely thereof which receives the end of the push-pull wire 28 within said tubular coupling. A set screw 31 threaded endwise into said anchoring post 35 engages the push-pull wire 28 in the aperture 36 in said post clamping said wire to the post. An access opening 38 in the tubular coupling 30 opposite said slot 34 therein enables said set screw 31 to be reached with a screw driver or similar tool from the outer side of said coupling 30. The tubular coupling 3!] depends from the back-rest I0 and the flexible conduit 29 bows downwardly from the lower end of said coupling thence upwardly to the tubular guide I6.

The various parts hereinbefore described are proportioned and arranged so that the lamp 26 is fully retracted rearwardly and downwardly at the head of the bed A when the back-rest I0 is swung rearwardly and downwardly into a position flatwise of the bed as seen in Fig. 2. Upward forward tilting of the back-rest ID from this flatwise position into a raised position more or less approaching an upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, decreases the length of the tubular element B between the anchoring post 35 and the guide I6 with th result that the push-pull wire 28 is caused by the flexible conduit 29 to advance the mounting 24 in the guide I6, such advancement of said mounting depending upon the extent to which the back-rest I0 is tilted upwardly and forwardly; Conversely, the length of said tubular element B between said anchoring post 35 and guide I6 is increased as the back-rest I0 is swung downwardly and rearwardly, the result being that the mounting 24 is retracted in the guide I6, the extent of its retraction depending upon the extent to which said back-rest I0 is tilted downwardly and rearwardly. Said movement of the lamp-carrying mounting 24 relative to the tilting of the backrest II] may be accomplished by omitting the tubular coupling 30 and substituting therefor an arm projecting forwardly from the bed-rest I0 beyond the pivotal axis 33 thereof. In such case, the flexible conduit 29 will be anchored to the bed rail I2 and the push-pull wire 28 will be attached to the free end of such forwardly projecting arm. However, the illustrated construction is preferred by reason of its simplicity of application to a bed and for the further reason that the tubular coupling 30 serves to prevent the buckling of that portion of the pushpull wire 28 projecting from the flexible conduit 29.

From the foregoing it will be understood that I have provided an exceedingly simple, durable and efficient bed lamp structure for beds of the type having a tiltably adjustable back-rest, such structure operating automatically to shift the lamp in relation to the shifting of the backrest of such bed, whereby the light from the lamp is best suited to the needs of the occupant of the bed or his or her attendant in whatever position the occupant may be supported by the back-rest of the bed.

Changes in th specific form of my invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1s:

l 1. An adjustablelamp structure fora bed have ing a tiltably adjustable back-rest, an end frame adjacent thereto and a stationary part beneath said back-rest, said structure comprising a tubular guide, means for universally adjustably supporting said guide on the end frame of the bed in an overhead position extending generally lengthwise of the bed, a plunger-like mounting slidable in said tubular guide and projecting at its forward end from the forward end of said tubular guide, a lamp carried by said mounting at its said forward end, a tubular element ineluding a flexible conduit connected at one end thereof with said tubular guide at its rear end in continuation thereof and a tubular coupling adapted to be pivotally attached at one end thereof to the back-rest of the bed in a depending position, said coupling being attached at its other end to the other end of said conduit and constituting an extension thereof, said coupling having therein a slot longitudinally thereof, an anchoring post adapted to be secured to said stationary part of the bed and slidably received in said slot in said coupling, and a push-pull wire contained within said tubular guide, flexible conduit and coupling, one end of said wire being connected with said mounting at the rear end thereof and the other end of said wire being adapted to be connected with said anchoring post, the distance measured along the axis of said tubular element between said anchoring post and guide varying with movement of th backrest when the lamp structure is connected for use, whereby, upon the upward tilting of the back-rest, the mounting is caused to be advanced in said guide and, upon the downward tilting of said back-rest, said mounting is caused to be retracted in said guide.

2. An adjustable lamp structure for a bed having a back-rest adjustabl tiltable upwardly and forwardly and reversely tiltable downwardly and rearwardly and having also a stationary part adjacent said back-rest, said structure comprising a support adapted to be located adjacent the bed, a mounting supported by said support for movement generally lengthwise of the bed above the back-rest, a lamp carried by said mounting, a tubular element including a flexible conduit connected with said support and a tubular coupling connected with said conduit in continuation thereof, said coupling being adapted to be pivotally attached to said back-rest and having therein a slot longitudinally thereof, an anchoring post adapted to be secured to said stationary part of the bed and slidably received in said slot in said coupling, and a push-pull wire contained within said tubular element, one end of said wire being connected with said mounting and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected with said anchoring post, the distance measured along the axis of said tubular element between said anchoring post and support varying with movement of the back-rest when the lamp structure is applied to the bed for use, whereby, upon the upward and forward tilting of the back-rest, the mounting is caused to be moved forwardly with the back-rest and, upon the downward and rearward tilting of the back-rest, the mounting is caused to be moved rearwardly with said backrest.

3. An adjustable lamp structure for a bed having a tiltably adjustable back-rest and a stationary part adjacent said back-rest said structure comprising a support adapted to be located adjacent the bed, a mounting movably supported by said support, a lamp carried by said mounting, a tubular element including a flexible conduit connected with said support and a tubular coupling connected with said conduit in continuation thereof, said coupling being adapted to be pivotally attached to said back-rest and having therein a slot longitudinally thereof, an anchoring post adapted to be secured to said stationary part of the bed and slidably received in said slot in said coupling, and a push-pull wire contained within said tubular element, one end of said wire being connected with said mounting and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected with said anchoring post, the distance measured along the axis of said tubular element between said anchoring post and support varying with movement of the back-rest when the lamp structure is applied to the bed for use, whereby, upon the tilting of the back-rest, the push-pull wire will cause said mounting to be shifted in one direction when the back-rest is raised and will cause said mounting to be shifted in a reverse direction when said back-rest is lowered.

4. A self-adjustable lamp structure for a bed having an adjustably tiltable back-rest and a stationary part adjacent thereto, said structure comprising a support adapted to be located in position adjacent the bed, a mounting movable on the support, a lamp carried by the mounting, a tubular element extending from the support,

a push-pull wire within said tubular element connected with said mounting, one of said tubular elements and wire being adapted to be connected with said stationary part of the bed and the other thereof being adapted to be connected with the tiltable back-rest of the bed, whereby, when the lamp structure is applied to the bed for use, motion from the back-rest, as it is tilted into an altered position of adjustment, will be imparted to said mounting to reposition said lamp relative to the back-rest in its altered position.

5. A self-adjustable lamp structure for a bed having an adjustably tiltable back-rest and a stationary part, said structure comprising a support adapted to be located in position adjacent the bed, a mounting movable on the support, a lamp carried by the mounting, a tubular element extending from the support and adapted to be connected with one of the said back-rest and stationary part of the bed, motion transmitting means within the tubular element adapted to be connected with the mounting and with the other of said back-rest and stationary part of the bed, said motion transmitting means, when the lamp structure is applied to the bed for use, being adapted to be actuated by the back-rest upon the tilting thereof from one of its adjusted positions to another and, in turn, to act upon said mounting to reposition the lamp relative to the back-rest in its altered position of adjustment.

CLIFFORD R, MYRE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,773 Waters May 26, 1931 2,457,752 Travis Dec. 28, 1948 2,500,744 Beem Mar. 14, 1950

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