US 4,398,311 AGranted

Folding sofa-bed mechanism

AssigneeKinematic Industries, Inc.

InventorMelvin P. Spitz

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Abstract

A folding bed frame for sofa-beds in which a plurality of frame sections, including a foot section, knee section, body section and head section are pivoted in end-to-end relation so as to be foldable between an extended bed-forming position and a retracted sofa seat-forming position; wherein front and rear support and guiding link assemblies coact to control movements of the body section and head section during movements to the extended bed-forming position and to the retracted sofa seat-forming position. The link assemblies are supported by front and rear anchor links, the front anchor link being pivotally supported at its inner end at a front pivot point on an anchor frame plate and the rear anchor link being a rocker lever pivotally supported between its inner and outer ends at a rear pivot point on the anchor frame plate in substantially horizontal alignment with the front pivot point. A control link is pivotally connected to the front anchor link on one side of the front pivot point and to an end of the rear anchor link on an opposite side of the rear pivot point. The mounting arrangement operates to move the frame sections, during folding and unfolding operations, through a path having greater floor clearance, and thus permits a number of advantageous changes such as increased bed length and greater depth of the space for the folded mattress, while still utilizing the restricted dimensions dictated by the furniture framing structure.

Claims26

Dependent claims

In a folding sofa-bed construction including a bed frame having a plurality of frame sections, one of which is an inner head section and another an adjacent body section, said sections being pivotally interconnected in end-to-end relation for selective unfolding movement to an extended coplanar bed-forming position and folding movement to a folded retracted sofa seat-forming position in which the body section is disposed generally horizontally along the base of the sofa frame and the head section extends generally upright in a space at the rear of the sofa seat behind a back center rail, mechanism for supporting and controlling the movements of said frame sections during movement of the bed frame to said extended and retracted positions, comprising:

(a) a stationary elongate substantially horizontal anchor frame plate;
(b) rear support linkage means pivotally connected between a rear pivot point on said anchor frame plate and a rear portion of said body section, said rear linkage means including an anchor link having a pivotal linkage suspension point of connection at its outer end and being pivoted at its inner end at said rear pivot point;
(c) front support linkage means pivotally connected between a front pivot point of said anchor frame plate and said body section forwardly of the connection of said rear support linkage means, said front linkage means including an anchor link having a pivotal connection at its outer end and being pivoted at its inner end at said front pivot point;
and
(d) means interconnecting said front and rear anchor links operative during a portion of the swinging movement of said front anchor link in one direction, in response to unfolding and folding movements of the frame sections, to actuate the rear anchor link in a swinging direction opposite to that of the front anchor link.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.