Reclining and convertible seating furniture with trendelenburg feature

A footrest mounting arrangement for an article of furniture having a base, comprising:

• a footrest member;
• an extension and retraction mechanism interposed between the footrest member and the base for providing selective outward and upward movement of the footrest relative to the base;
• a footrest actuator for selectively operating the extension and retraction mechanism for moving the footrest;
• and
• a retainer arrangement for selectively maintaining the footrest in an angular orientation relative to the base, comprising a retainer member interconnected with the base and defining one or more engagement areas, and a movable latch member interconnected with the footrest actuator for selective engagement with one of the engagement areas, wherein the engagement member is movable toward a disengaged position when the footrest is fully raised and is maintained in the disengaged position when the footrest is lowered, and further comprising means for returning the engagement member to an engaged position when the footrest is lowered.

A Trendelenburg feature for an article of seating furniture having a base, comprising:

• a frame adapted for engagement with a support surface such as a floor;
• a pivot connection interposed between the base and the frame for providing pivoting movement of the base relative to the frame;
• and
• a latch arrangement interposed between the frame and the base for selectively retaining the base in either a horizontal orientation or in a Trendelenburg orientation.

A cable-type actuator, comprising:

• a housing defining a recess;
• a pull member partially overlying the recess;
• an actuator cable connected to the housing, wherein the actuator cable includes a sheath secured to the housing and an internal cable extending through the sheath, wherein the end of the internal cable is secured to the pull member;
• and
• wherein the pull member is pivotably mounted to the housing for movement from an inner, inoperative position to an outer, operative position, wherein movement of the pull member toward the operative position applies tension to the internal cable.