US1911116A - Convertible chair and chaise-lounge - Google Patents

Description

May 23, H} 1 CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND CHAISE LOUNGE Filed May 25, 1930 1 II I -l Patented May 23, 1933 PATENT FFCE HARRY GUTTIN, F PORTLAND, MAINE CONVERTIBLE CHAlR AND CHAISE-LQUNGE Application filed May 26, 1930. Serial No. 455,629.

This invention relates to convertible chairs and more particularly to a chair adapted to be converted into a chaise-lounge.

Convertible chairs have been suggestedin the prior art and certain of these have included apparatus which might either be lowered, raised or collapsed to provide structures adapted to various uses. Such apparatus, however, has usually consisted of extraneous parts carried by the usual chair frame and did not utilize the chair frame itself except incidentally or in partial combination with other elements. So far as I am aware, no satisfactory device containing only the usual seat, back and cushions of any common style of chair has been produced prior to my 1nvention.

Such an article of furniture as my present invention would be of the greatest advantage, for example, in hospitals when it becomes de sirable to allow the patient during his convalescence to rest in sitting up position while at the same time keeping his feet from the floor. The small amount of floor space avail able under such conditions would not permit of the presence of the usual chaise-lounge whereas a chair could conveniently be accommodated. The value of my convertible chair in homes whether in living room, bedroom or den, will be readily appreciated. There are many occasions where such a piece of furniture as my convertible chair would be utilized advantageously in its capacity as a chaise-lounge, and particularly by the tired homemaker where circumstances or lack of space did not permit the presence both of a chair and a divan or couch in the same room.

In my invention the operating mechanism used to convert the chair into a chaise-lounge or vice-versa is all hidden beneath the upholstery. The lowering and raising levers and parts are conveniently disposed within the usual arm of the upholstered chair. During its use either as a chair or a chaise-lounge there is no visible evidence of its possible use in any other capacity.

In the drawing I have shown and in the specification described and illustrated an em bodiment of my invention together with the mechanism whereby the single structure is converted to its two uses.

Throughout the specification and drawing like reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a half plan View of a chair partly in section, a portion of the upholstery being removed to show the operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a chair, the upholstery being shown partly removed to disclose the operating mechanism, the paths travelled by the parts in assuming the two positions being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism in detail.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one-half of the seat cushion operating mechanism and Fig. is a small perspective showing an illustrative type of chair.

I have indicated at B the usual chair back which will be utilized as such in my structure while it is employed as a chair. At 0 I have illustrated the usual seat cushion which while the device is in use as a chair normally rests on the seat S. At A I have shown a chair arm of common construction and finish within which, under the upholstery, I have arranged a portion of the mecha nism for moving the parts to convert the chair into a chaise-lounge. This operating mechanism partly enclosed within the arm A extends as well within the upholstered back B and cushion C to support the same in their functions respectively as foot support and back rest in the chaise-lounge. When used as a chaise-lounge, as will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 2, the back B is lowered to supply the foot portion of the chaise-lounge and the cushion C raised to furnish the back rest. i

Referring to the apparatus for moving these members into their respective positions, I have provided bearings 10 onthe back walls of the chair arm frames preferably on the sides thereof which are attached to the chair. Similar bearings 12 are fastenedon the front inner wall members of the arm frames but positioned somewhat higher thereon than the bearing 10 on the back wall.

Rotatably mounted in the bearing 10 and extending laterally beyond said bearing on either side thereof a distance sufiicient to clear the frame of the arm is a rod 4. One end of said rod 4 is bent backwardly and upwardly and is fastened to the side of the frame of the back 13 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The opposite end of said rod 4 is turned downwardly within the arm casing and flat tened as at 4a and inwardly as at 4?) as appears in Fig. 3. There are a pair of these rods 4, one being mounted on each of the rear supports of the chair.

On the bottom of the arm frames are bearings 11 in which is rotatably mounted a lock comprising a rock shaft or a clutch rod 2 the inturned notched ends or detent portions 2a of which extend as clutches normally engaging the inturned ends 4?) of the rod 4 to hold the back erect under the force of the spring 15, and which clutches are released by the foot lever 1 carried by the rod 2, and which foot lever extends outwardly from the bottom of the chair.

Rotatably mounted in the front bearings 12 is a rock shaft or rod 5, each end of which is bent outwardly at right angles just beyond said bearings as at 56 and again bent at right angles as at 50. As appears in Figs. 1 and 4, this portion 50 of the rod or rock shaft extends entirely across the front of the chair and is enclosed within the cushion C. Carried by said rod ii'iwardly of said bearings 12, and guided by the portion 55 are a pair of arms 6 which are adapted to be fastened one on each side of the cushion C. Outwardly of said bearing 12 said rod 5 is bent inwardly and flattened as at 5a.

Surrounding the rod portion 50 is a stiff coil spring 8 one end of which is secured to a steel pin 9 in the rod portion 50 and the other end of which is anchored in a hole in the bar 6.

The rods 4 and 5 are united by links or bars 3, one of which is enclosed in each arm A. The bars 3 are pivotally connected at one end to the flattened ends 4a of the rods 4 forming bell crank levers, and at the opposite ends pivotally connected to the flattened ends 5aof the rod 5 also forming bell crank levers.

To convert the chair into a chaise-lounge the above described apparatus is operated as follows.

The operator stands at the rear and to one side of the chair, places his hand on the back B and presses firmly downward. At the same time the clutch 2a is released by the foot lever 1 through the rod 2. The pressure on the back causes the rods 4 to turn in the bearings 10, thus raising the bars 3 which in turn raise the ends of the rod 5 by turning it in the bearing 12 as shown in Fig. 2. The rotation of the rods causes the torsion springs 8 to function and raise the members 6, carrying with them the cushion C to which they are engaged, which cushion now becomes the back of the chaise-lounge. Stops 7 on the bars 6 engage the portions 5?) of the rod 5 and limit thedistance the cushion is raised by the bars 6 and hold it securely in place.

The back B has now become the leg rest of the chaise-lounge and two wooden projections 14 on the back thereof serve as legs.

To return the chair to its original position the operator grasps the chair back and liftsit to original position. This causes the rods 4 again to rotate and the bars 3 to swing downwardly carrying with them the ends 5a of the rod 5 thus releasing the pressure on the springs 8 and lowering the members 6 and the attached cushion C to its normal position on the seat S.

The strong spring 15 looks the clutch con trolling the rods 4 and holds the chair back in normal position.

' Various modifications in the construction and operation of my device may obviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

lVhat I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a "device of the class described, a frame including front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a substantially horizontally disposed seat between said front and rear supports, a back normally vertically inclined relative to said seat, and pivotally connected to said rear supports, and a seat cushion covering said seat, and pivotally connected to said front supports, means mounted on said frame adapted on pressure simultaneously to swing said cushion and back on their pivots to raise the one to vertical position and lower the other to horizontal position, and means for maintaining said members in either position.

2. In a device of the class described, comprising a frame, having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, a back normally vertically inclined relative to said seat, and a seat cushion normally covering said seat, means operatively connecting said back and cushion to each other and to said frame, including a pair of back carrying rods mounted on said rear supports, a pair of links connected at their rear ends to said rods, a rock shaft carried by said forward supports and extending across the front of said frame and operatively connected to the forward ends of said links, a pair of cushion carrying arms mounted on said rock shaft, and a releasable lock including a rock shaft disposed transversely of said rear cross member and having detent portions releasably engageable with the lower ends of said back carrying rods, and an actuator for said rock shaft.

3. In a device of the class described, comprising a frame, having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, a back normally inclined relative to said seat, and a seat cushion normally covering said seat, means operatively connecting said back and cushion to each other and to said frame, including a pair of back carrying rods mounted on said rear supports, a pair of links connected at their rear ends to said rods, a rock shaft carried by said forward supports and extending across the front of said frame and operatively connected to the forward ends of said links, a pair of cushion carrying arms mounted on said rock shaft, a torsion spring on said rock shaft connected to said cushion carrying arms whereby said arms are maintained in erect position, means for locking said back in normal position, means for disengaging said lock so that said back may be lowered to a substantially horizontal position and said cushion raised to a substantially vertical position through said operating means.

at. In an upholstered device of the class described, comprising a frame, having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, hollow arms carried by said frame lateral of said seat, a back normally vertically inclined relative to said seat, and a seat cushion normally covering said seat, means operatively connecting said back and cushion to each other and to said frame, including a pair of back carrying rods mounted on said rear supports, a pair of links within said hollow arms and connected at their rear ends to said rods, a rock shaft carried by said forward supports and extending across the front of said frame beneath said upholstery and operatively connected to the forward ends of said links, a pair of cushion carrying arms mounted on said rock shaft, a releasable lock including a rock shaft disposed transversely of said rear cross member beneath said upholstery and having detent portions releasably engageable with the lower ends of said back carrying rods, and an actuator for said rock shaft.

5. In an upholstered device of the class described, comprising a frame, having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, a back normally Vertically inclined relative to said seat, and a seat cushion normally covering said seat, means operatively connecting said back and cushion to each other and to said frame, including a pair of back carrying rods mounted on said rear supports, each rod having a portion engaging the side of the back and having its lower end turned downwardly and flattened, said flattened portion turned inwardly, means Within said hollow arm engaging the flattened ends of said rods and operatively connected to said cushion, a releasable lock for holding said back in erect position, including a rock shaft, said shaft journaled transversely of said cross member and having detent portions releasably engageable with the inturned flattened ends of said back carrying rods, and an actuator for said rock shaft.

6. In an upholstered device of the class described, comprising a frame, having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, hollow arms carried by said frame lateral of said seat, a back normally vertically inclined relative to said seat, and a seat cushion normally covering said seat, means operatively connecting said back and cushion to each other: and to said frame, including a pair of back carrying rods mounted on said rear supports, a pair of links within said hollow arms and connected at their rear ends to said rods, and means operatively connected to the forward ends of said links and engaging said cushion, means for locking said back and cushion in normal position, and means disengaging said lock so that said back may be lowered to a substantially horizontal position and said cushion naised to a substantially vertical position through said operating means.

7. In a device of the class described, a frame having front and rear supports and cross members connecting the same, a normally horizontal seat disposed between said front and rear supports, a back normally erect relative to said seat, and an auxiliary seat normally overlying said seat, means operatively connecting said back and auxiliary seat to each other and to said frame, including a back carrying rod pivotally mounted on said rear support, a link connected at its rear end to said rod, a member pivotally connected to said front support and operatively connected to the forward end of said link, an auxiliary seat carrying arm mounted on said member and movable therewith, said member simultaneously swinging said back and auxiliary seat, the one to vertical and the other to horizontal position, and means for maintaining said back and auxiliary seat in either position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARRY GUTTIN.

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