Apparatus and method for furniture with adjustable platform height and membrane sidewalls
OwnerJohn R. Bisgaardinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and corresponding apparatus that includes: a frame; one or more adjustable-height sidewalls connected to the frame, wherein the sidewalls are selectively raisable; a body support platform; and a membrane that is connected to the frame and extends from the frame over the sidewalls and is configured to support the body support platform within the one or more sidewalls at any selected one of a plurality of different heights.
Claims23
A furniture apparatus with adjustable platform height and membrane sidewalls for holding an occupant, the apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- one or more sidewalls connected to the frame, wherein the one or more sidewalls are adjustable-height sidewalls;
- a body-support platform that is at least partially surrounded by the one or more sidewalls;
- one or more membranes connected to the body-support platform, wherein the one or more membranes extend from the body-support platform over the one or more sidewalls to outside of the one or more sidewalls;
- a membrane-motion system operably coupled to the frame and configured to selectively move at least part of one or more of the one or more membranes relative to the one or more sidewalls, wherein the one or more membranes extend over the sidewalls, to support the body-support platform within the one or more sidewalls, and the membrane-motion system selectively moves the at least part of one or more of the one or more membranes in order to raise or lower the body-support platform to a selected one of a plurality of different heights;
- a controller;
- and
- one or more sidewall actuators operably coupled to the one or more adjustable-height sidewalls, wherein the controller is configured to control the one or more sidewall actuators to raise or lower the sidewalls in order to raise or lower the body support platform.
A furniture apparatus with adjustable platform height and membrane sidewalls for holding an occupant, the apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- one or more sidewalls connected to the frame;
- a body-support platform that is at least partially surrounded by the one or more sidewalls;
- one or more membranes connected to the body-support platform, wherein the one or more membranes extend from the body-support platform over the one or more sidewalls to outside of the one or more sidewalls;
- a membrane-motion system operably coupled to the frame and configured to selectively move at least part of one or more of the one or more membranes relative to the one or more sidewalls, wherein the one or more membranes extend over the sidewalls, to support the body-support platform within the one or more sidewalls, and the membrane-motion system selectively moves the at least part of one or more of the one or more membranes in order to raise or lower the body-support platform to a selected one of a plurality of different heights;
- a controller;
- and
- one or more dispensing actuators operably coupled to the one or more membranes, wherein the controller is configured to control the dispensing actuators to collect or release the one or more membranes in order to raise or lower the body support platform.
A method for adjusting a furniture piece that includes a body-support platform, a plurality of sidewalls, a frame, a membrane-motion system, and one or more membranes, the method comprising:
- suspending the body-support platform from the one or more membranes by extending the membranes over the sidewalls and affixing the one or more membranes to the membrane-motion system operably coupled to the frame;
- and
- raising or lowering the body support platform by selectively collecting or releasing material of the one or more membranes by the membrane-motion system;
- rotationally or laterally moving the body-support platform by selectively moving different portions of the one or more membranes by:
- selectively moving the sidewalls;
- or
- selectively dispensing or collecting various portions of the one or more membranes;
- or
- both selectively moving the sidewalls and selectively dispensing or collecting various portions of the one or more membranes, and further including automatically controlling powered actuators.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.