US2747202A - Folding beds - Google Patents

Description

W. D. DRIVER FOLDING BEDS May 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1953 l r F INVENTDR W/LFRED D. DRIVER W. D. DRIVER FOLDING BEDS May 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1953 INVENTOR W/LFRED D. OR/I E'R United States Patent FOLDING BEDS Wilfred 1D. Driver, Thessalon Township, Ontario, Canada Application August 17, 1953, Serial No. 374,702

4-Claims. (Cl. 5--2) My invention is directed to improvement in "bed structures of the type which can be retracted from an attitude suitable for use as a bed toanot-her attitude in which the bed and its supports are concealedand, together with surrounding accessories forms part of another useful "piece of furniture other than abed.

There are two principal or generic'types'of retractable bed structures; one of these is arranged to'slide into an alcove Without changing its attitude with respect to a supporting floor; the other type is usually hinged in's'ome way so as to fold into a comparatively shallow alcove or shell in which it resides in a substantially vertical attitude for storage and/or concealment.

The first of these types affords a simple andeasy means for providing a disappearing bed and does not'present much manufacturing difficulty, but suffers from the very serious defect that a large floor area is required "for'storing the'bed during the daily period of non use.

The second type possesses the advantage that the bed can'be stored in a-compa'ct'shell which uses theheight ofa room rather than a large floor dimension, but prior art constructions'of this type suffer from the disadvantage that the means for folding the bed (usually some'sort of hinge arrangement) has not been reliable, and'frequentfailure of the mechanism has constituted a continual cause for annoyance.

The present invention relates to bed-structures of the "folding type and a principal "object is "to provide in such a structure a reliable folding mechanism.

It is a further object to provide in-co-operation with said folding mechanism an improved arrangement for restraining the mattress and bedding frombeing-displaced when the bed is folded;

A furtherobject is to provide means for positioning the bed in its attitude for use without disturbing essential accessories forming part ofthe decor associated with the said other useful piece of furniture which is the means for concealment ofthe bed in its attitudeof non-use.

Still another object is to provide a folding "bed structure of the kind indicated which is hinged along its lesser dimensions so that the bed folds into a recess of practical height in a room and wherein means is'provided for preventing the concealing shell from tipping forward or backward when the centre of g-ravity of' t-he system changed during the actuationofthe folding mechanism.

It is to be understood of course that the folding mechanism is a two way organization, that is, it facilitates the "folding or the unfolding of the bed depending upon what attitude is required in its field of utility.

According to my teachings, in a folding bed structure,

I a folding and .restrainingflmechanism includes a group of interlocked lever systems comprising means for pivoting the bed structure at points 'oniits minor dimensions such as to make the said bed structurebehave as a cantilever ,2 about said pivot, supporting feet "pivoted lever fashion at the outerends of "the beds'tructure, a pair of blanket restraining pressure plates positioned oneadjacent each end of said bed structure, and for-the purposes of this specification, called paddles, supportmeans for said paddles, each having means at one end for pivoting a said paddle in cantilever'fashionandatfthe other end, means for being itself pivoted leverwiseabout-points adjacent an inner end of said bed structure, a shell or concealing alcove having rigidly positioned side panels arranged to lie adjacent to the 'ends-o'fthe :bed when in folded-attitude, a receptacle in each said side panel designed to receive a corresponding pivot of said bed structure, a link joining the upper arm of eachsaidsupporting foot to a point adacent the recep- -tacle postioned'to receive the pivot on the corresponding end of said .bed structure, tension means co-acting with the lower arm of each said'supp'orting foot positionedto urge the "arm inwardly against the urge of-a corresponding said link, tension means co-acting with each said paddle support positioned to urge 'the paddle forward toward the bed surface when the latter is in the folded attitude, link meansco acting with each paddle support and having one end fixed to a rearportion ofsaid shell and its other end attached to the outer end-of a said paddle support, the link being dimensioned to limit the outward movement of said paddle when the bed structure is being lowered to'the attitude of use, andtension means positioned to 'urge the bed structure when in closed'attitude to shift its equivalent centre of mass inwardly to maintain itself in closed attitude.

In a further aspect the invention may include means for .rece'ssinga part of the concealing decor in an aperture at least *one of whose dimensions is variable to provide an expandable chamber which'allows a decor piece to nest underneath the bed structure when the'latter is in use but which chamber is expandedin its said dimension when the 'bedis concealed,topresent a simulation including the said decor as part of a said other useful article of furniture.

In a still further aspect the invention may include means incorporated in the structure'of the said shell for maintaining alow'centre of gravity of the assembly so that when the bed portion is extended for use, the said shell remains 'i'na fixed attitude while the movable portion of the assembly is changing its attitude.

These teachings wil'l'now b'emore intimately disclosed in the following description of apractical and preferred embodiment of the invention, the text being aided by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of a bed and shell in the closed attitude, the concealment being in the form of asimulated fireplace and showing a simulated grate and andirons as a concealing decor'piece.

Figure '2 depicts, in perspective, the bed structure of the invention in open attitude.

Figure 3 depicts the attitude of Figure 2 with the bedding and most of Ih'e bed spring removed to show details of a cavity having a variable dimension which expands to accommodate a simulated grate assembly.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary end view of the embodiment described showing the bed mechanism (partly in section) in closed attitude.

Figure .5 is a fragmentary end view showing the bed mechanismin the open attitude for use.

Figure 6 is a skeleton end view showing somewhat diagrammatically the mechanical system for restraining and actuating the folding bed arrangement according to my teachings and depicts the systemin open attitude.

Figure 7 depicts the arrangement shown in Figure 6 in the closed attitude.

Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figures 6 and 7 but depicting the bed in transit from the closed to the open attitude.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary depiction of a paddle and its actuating lever referred to a line normal to that from which it is viewed in Figure 6.

Figure 10 is a sectional view of a supporting foot and shows details of a pivoting means therefor.

Figure 11 depicts a pivot block assembly for supporting the bed and providing a link anchorage.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section showing a bed, pivot, pivot block and link anchorage in assembled relation.

Referring now to these drawings, 1 is a shell designed to receive a bed structure which'is covered on one side by a structure 2, 3 designed to simulate a fireplace, and to partly contain in its recessed portion an imitation fire grate 4 with accessory decorative andirons and/or the like.

A decorative molding trims each of the two vertical front corners of the fireplace but is divided in three parts 8, 21 and 22. 8 is a leg piece designed to sup port the bed when in open attitude, 21 is a brace attached to the end-board of the bed and 22 is a permanent corner moulding on the edge of a containing side of the shell 1. The portion shown in Figure 1 as the face of When the bed is open for use the moldings 8, 8 appear as front supports for the bed and the interior of the shell above the bed level may contain conveniences such as shelves, recesses such as 10 or drawers or the like as part of its content.

7 which are so controlled by a mechanism of the invention (to be described) as to press against the bedding when the bed is folded for concealment, and thus preand closed attitudes.

Nested beneath the bed-spring assembly 16 is a trayshaped member which forms a recess having a back wall 11 attached to side walls 11' and hinged by mechanisms 12, 13 and 14 at each side wall 11' so that it can move freely between forward and rearward positions. opening 15 in the back rail of the bed frame limits rearward movement of the tray. When the bed assembly is folded for concealment this tray is moved backward automatically by gravitation. In this way thefireplace recess is increased in depth to give the impression of a deep hearth, but when the bed is down, the tray falls forward and downward with the bed frame and thus increases the clearance between its back 11 and the bed-spring 16 so as to allow the springs to sag without fouling against the back 11. This arrangement of a hearth aperture having in effect a telescoping rear portion enables the Whole structure to be made more shallow in depth than would otherwise be possible. Each hinge block 12 may have an abutment to engage hinge link 13 when the tray is in rear vertical attitude so as to limit its movement backwardly, thereby not relying wholly upon the limits of aperture 15 to act as a stop. Ample clearance is provided for the fire grate 4 in either positions of the bed assemtle top when the bed 1's folded. The remaining portion of the mantlepiece is the top rail of the shell 1.

Up to this point the main feature of novelty disclosed is that of the telescoping hearth. The rest of the aspect somewhat resembles similar folding beds of theprior art.

The"

At this point, however, similarity to prior art ends and the featured means for actuating the bed through its attitudes from closed to open and back again is now discussed.

It is desirable to have a structure of this type so designed that the operation of opening and closing the bed can be performed easily by a small or Weak person without undue expenditure of effort, and with a minimum of operations.

In prior art concepts various ropes, cables, and/or counterweights have been employed to aid in insuring a smooth operation of the opening and closing mechanisms. These devices frequently fail and moreover often jam for the reason that they involve unequal strain efforts upon the framework, and these strains are usually on top portions and/or ends or corners so that they tend to pull the assembly out of shape after a time and the user has trouble opening and closing the assembly.

According to the present invention these ropes, pulleys and moving counterweights have been replaced by cantilever systems, that is, by the use of pivot mountings which are positioned to balance the moving parts, some times with the aid of compensating springs where an exact balance is desirable.

In a further aspect, this cantilever arrangement is supplemented by a toggle action whereby the cantilever system can be locked in the closed attitude without the use of latching devices, and whereby they unlock themselves as soon as the system is urged to move outwardly toward the position of use as a bed. These features will become evident by inspection of the drawings, particularly Figures 6 to 12 inclusive.

In Figures 6, 7 and 8 it is seen that the bed framework including the portion forming the front of the fireplace is Pivoted at 26 on a forward portion of each of the wings or side wall extensions of the shell 1. In each end of the shell are situated the paddles 6,

When the bed is nearly closed the cantilever formed by the two parts of the bed lying on each side of the pivot and the spring arrangement are substantially in balance, but as the bed swings outward this balance tends to become impaired for the reason that the pivot is not at the centre of the gravity of the assembly when in the horizonal attitude. The pivot block 27 has an L-shaped portion and at 28 and 29 a spring linkage is fixed and acts as a tether for a chain linkage 31 (about which more will be said later) and a spring 32 is attached to this tether by way of a selected link in the chain 31. The other end of the tension spring 32 is fastened to a point on the end rail of the bed near the outer end. Inspection of Figures 6, 7 and 8 in turn will disclose that when the bed is closed the spring and tether act like a toggle and helps to open the bed for the reason that the force of the tension spring 32 is acting from a point above and outwardly of the pivotal point.

- A foot member 8 is pivoted at 18 and when associated with spring 33 and chain 31 also becomes part of a centilever system. The length of the chain 31 is adjustable by a turn knuckle 39. As the bed swings outwardly the cantilever system 45, 18, 46 swings about its pivot under the control of chain 31 and spring 33 so that by the time the bed frame has reached a horizontal attitude, the support foot 8 has reached an attitude normal to that which it presented when the bed was in the closed attitude.

Owing to the tolerances which it is necessary to countenance'when manufacturing an article, it is desirable to allow the leg member 8 a small amount of controlled side play. Figure 10 shows a section through a leg 8 and a fragment of the bed frame to which it is pivoted. The pivot bolt 18 and nut 19 are not tightened up firmly but are restrained by spring 20. An edge of the leg member 8 is set in past the side wall of the shell '1 to make a neat fit of the molding effect shown in Figure l and the slight easement of the pivot action provided by the spring 20 enables the leg 8 to seat itself in the side Wall even if, over a period of time, the woodwork of the casing changes its dimension slightly, as these constructions usually do in spite of careful selection and preparation of raw materials.

It will be noted in Figure 11 that the seat of the pivot 26 is slightly offset. This is done merely to assure that the pivot seat has an ample bearing surface. This seat is slotted to facilitate assembly.

An advantageous feature of the slotted seat is that the bed frame can be readily removed from the shell as occasion may require. Obviously it also facilitates assembly of the bed frame in the shell.

My invention also contemplates means for preventing the bed clothing from becoming displaced when the bed is folded away for concealment,

When the bed is made up after use and presents the appearance such as that depicted in Figure 2, there is usually a blanket folded at one end and there may be a pillow set (not shown) at another end. These articles as well as the bed coverings and even the mattress itself will tend to crumple up when the bed frame is folded unless some means is provided for restraining them. This means should desirably function automatically in synchronism with the folding action, and to achieve this object it must be integrated with the chosen arrangement for moving the bed structure from one attitude to another.

In the present case the bed is pivoted to act like a cantilever and a means has been devised which functions dependently upon the position of the inner arm of the lever to move a paddle so as to cause the latter to press against the end of the bed coverings while the bed is being folded and to retain this pressure while. it is folded. It is further devised that when the bed is unfolded, the paddle retains pressure against'the bedding until after the bed has reached an angle whereat the risk of the bedding crumpling is removed and then, as the bed falls to its final horizontal attitude, the paddle retracts into a recess in the shell.

The paddles, one at each end of the bed are shown in retracted position at 6, 7 in Figure 2 and details of the actuating mechanism for the paddles are evident from inspection of Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Looking now at one of these paddle systems we have a paddle 7 supported crosswise of the bed and hinged at 37 on a transverse axis intermediate of its length. The hinge has a pintle 36 on which paddle pivots. An actuating arm 35 carrying the hinge pivot or pintle 36 at its outer end, is pivoted on the end rail of the bed about half Way between the pivot 26 and the. inner edge of the bed frame. One end of paddle 7 is Weighted as at 37 so that the paddle will swing on the pivot 36 to a substantially vertical position as the bed is pulled down for use.

Spring 34. is positioned above the pivot and has one end fastened at point 52 and the other fixed to a point on the block 27 near the anchor point 47.

A chain anchor block 42 is mounted on the rear side part of the shell 1 about half way up from the bottom, and a motion limiting leash 41 attached between anchor 42 and point 43 on the paddle support arm 35 limits the forward motion (as shown in Fig. 8) of the arm 35 and at this point in the downward movement of the unfolding bed, the paddle leaves the surface of the bedding while the bottom arm of the cantilever, that is, the rear portion of the bed, moves upward carrying paddle support arm 35 with it. This shifts the relation between the anchor points of spring 34 and the pivot 38 so that the chain leash 41 now starts to urge the arm 35 backward into the recess of shell 1 and the paddle 7 then nests itself within the shell as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6.

When the bed starts to fold, the back portion of the bed recedes downward until the position of Fig. 8 is again reached whereupon the paddle is pulled forward by spring G 34 to the limits of, chain leash '41. Further movement to. close the bed causes tension on spring 34 to increase and press the paddle 7 against the bed clothes. As the bottom portion of the bed drops to the final position for a vertical attitude, the spring 34 remains tense but the chain 41 relaxes and the paddle conforms to the surface of the bedding holding it firmly in place.

It will be evident that a similar toggle action takes place in the case of the paddle support armas was noted in the case of the bed frame counter-balancing, and these two toggles work simultaneously being interlocked in their action because they have one common con-tributing change in motionthat invoked by the cantilever pivoting of the bed and the double joint present in the joint action of the two pivots 2-6 and 38. Pivot 38 may be said to rotate about pivot 26.

Figure 9 shows an end view of the paddle 7, support and actuating arm 35 and the end rail 17 of the bed and the means 38' for pivoting the arm 35 on the rail 17.

The mechanism shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 and 9 are of course also duplicated on the other end of the bed and they operate in unison.

A part of the recess in shell 1 may desirably contain a weight mass 50 in the region 51. This steadies the shell and tends to prevent it from tipping forward when the bed is being unfolded. The weight mass 50 may be made up of ordinary house bricks or other suitable weighting material.

An important feature of "a fireplace whether real or simulated is the hearth aperture. This should. be as deep as possible in order to enhance realism. However since the bed spring must be given space in which to sag with the weight of an occupant, a fire hearth to be associated with the present construction, or one similar to it, must be capable of being telescoped in some way if the closed attitude of the assembly isto avoid being made unwieldy.

Figures 4 and 5 more clearly show how this, telescoping action has been achieved in the present construction. The fire place is comprised of two main parts, and this arrangement was briefly described earlier in the specification, but it will be noted that the moveable section generally denoted by the numeral 53 and earlier described as a tray is. approximately in line with pivot 26 so that as the bed swings one way or the other the tray 53 can oscillate about the links 13 cantilever-fashion and can telescope on fireplace frame 25 under the action of gravity. It will be gathered that since the upper pivot points of links 13 are located rearwardly of dead centre of the lower pivot points of the links at all times, thetray 53 automatically swings backward when the bed is raised on pivots 26. Since grate assembly 4 is desirably a moveable object (to facilitate house cleaning) it may not always be ideally located and the freedom provided by the double jointed mounting of the tray 53 is therefore an important feature in the construction since it always insures that the inner tray part 53 will always telescope when the bed is lowered so as not to foul the bed spring and will always return again to a deep cavity attitude when the bed is raised to its closed position.

It will be evident from what has already been said about the cantilever structure of the bed frame that the bed may be lowered and raised with little effort on the part of the user. This is brought about by the. novel arrangement at each end of the bed of the chain 31, springs 32, 33 and 34 as well as the leash 41. In the unfolding operation of the bed, the bed frame (denoted as a whole by the numeral 54) is pulled down manually to swing on the pivots 26. As the bed is swung away from its vertical closed position the springs 32 and. 33 function to aid in counteracting the downward gravitational stress of the bed in the down movement.

In functioning, the springs 32 and 38 shift their points of. stress from the short chain loop 29 to the long stretch of chain 31 including the section 28. Section 28 is the part of chain 31 which extends from the connecting point 44 of chain loop 29 to the point 47 at which this chain is fastened to the top of the L-part of block 27. Connecting point 47 is above and at the inner side of pivot axis 26. Chain loop 29 is also connected to the L-part of block 27 but at a point 48 which is lower and nearer to the pivot axis 26 than point 47. This arrangement has the advantage that the springs do exert an opening force on the bed in its fully closed position. In the lowering of the bed the legs '8 are swung to unfolded positions by the action of the chains 31, The spring 34 also comes into action to aid in balancing the lowering of the bed when the leashes 41 are pulled taut. The unfolding action of the bed is simple and positive and the cantilever system allows the bed to rest firmly on the floor. It might be mentioned at this time that panels 55 are attached to the ends of the bed frame to conceal the springs 32, 33 and the chain 31 as well as the upper part of legs 8.

It should now be evident that my invention provides a folding bed having advantageous new features wherein the pivotal points of the system are philosophically shifted with each change in cent-re of gravity as the attitude of the bed is changed, yet the physical positions of the actual pivots are firm in their respective fittings, affording a very practical article of manufacture which is completely self adjusting and automatic in use; every necessary function connected with the folding and concealing and the unfolding for use is effected by the application to the system of one single urging force.

Minor modifications of the described construction will occur :to those skilled in the art and the exemplified embodiment is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of my teachings a-s defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising an upright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said Walls defining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normal horizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal opening serving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, a mattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted in said shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontal bed whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of a cantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, said inner short arm being swingable inwardly and said outer long arm being swingable outwardly when said bed is swung from its vertical closed position to its open horizontal position, said pivotal connection of the bed supporting structure forming a part of a folding and restraining mechanism comprising a tensioned coil spring having an outer end attached to said bed support ing structure at a point on said outer long arm of the cantilever remote from said pivotal connection and at the inner side of a vertical plane containing the pivot axis of the bed when the bed is closed, said spring extending inwardly to terminate in an inner end short of said pivotal connection, a first flexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a point inwardly of and slightly above said pivotal connection, and a second flexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a point slightly above said pivotal connection and substantially in a vertical plane containing the pivotal axis of this connection, whereby in the lowering of the bed the direction of the moment of the spring force exerts an initial opening force and then counters the major portion of the opening movement of the bed.

2. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising an upright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said walls defining a storage ch ber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normal horizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal openlngserving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, a mattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted in said shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontal bed whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of a cantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, said inner short arm being swingable inwardly and said outer long arm being swingable outwardly when said bed is swung from its vertical closed position to its open horizontal position, said pivotal connection of the bed supporting structure forming a part of a folding and restraining mechanism comprising a tensioned coil spring having an outer end attached to said bed supporting structure at a point on said outer long arm of the cantilever remote from said pivotal connection and at the inner side of a vertical plane containing the pivot axis of the bed when the bed is closed, said spring extending inwardly to terminate in an inner end short of said pivotal connection, a first flexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a point inwardly of and slightly above said pivotal connection, a second flexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a point slightly above said pivotal connection and substantially in a vertical plane containing the pivotal axis of this connection, whereby in the lowering of the bed the direction of the moment of the spring force exerts an initial opening force and then counters the major portion of the opening movement of the bed, a leg pivoted to the distal end of said outer long arm of the bed support structure to swing between folded and unfolded positions, and a flexible member connecting said leg to at least one of said flexible elements and operative to unfold said leg while the bed is being lowered for use.

3. A folding bed. arrangement of the character described comprising an upright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said walls defining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normal horizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal opening serving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, a mattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted in said shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontal bed, whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of a cantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, a paddle arranged transversely of said bed to overlie said bed coverings, an upright actuating arm pivoted at a lower end to said short arm of said bed supporting structure, said actuating arm extending upwardly from said pivoted connection and being hingedly connected to the medial section of said paddle, resilient means pressing said actuating arm toward said longer arm of said bed support structure to cause the paddle to bear on the bed coverings, and restraining means having a connection with said shell for reversely turning said actuating arm about its pivot as said bed is swung down to horizontal attitude.

4. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising an upright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said walls defining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normal horizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal opening serving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, a mattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted in said shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontal bed, whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of a cantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, a paddle arranged transversely of said bed to overlie said bed coverings, an upright actuating arm having a lower end pivoted to said short arm of said bed supporting structure to swing in a plane transversely of said bed to and away from the centre line of said bed, a hinge bar carried by the upper end of said actuating arm to overlie said bed coverings, means hingedly connecting said hinge bar to the medial portion of said paddle, resilient means pressing said actuating arm toward said longer arm of said bed supporting structure to cause said paddle to bear on said bed coverings, and restraining means connected to said shell for reversely turning said actuating arm about its pivot as said bed is swung 5 down to horizontal attitude.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 428,212 Jacobson May 20, 1890

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