US3422467A - Convertible couch - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 21, Q WiBERG CONVERTIBLE COUCH Sheet Filed Feb. 24, 1967 Ole Wiberg INVENTOR.

Jan. 21, 1969 o. WIBERG 3,422,467

CONVERTIBLE COUCH Filed Feb. 24, 1967 Sheet 3 of 2 I Ole Wiberg INVENTOR.

BY I gf Attorny United States Patent M 3,422,467 CONVERTIBLE COUCH Ole Wiberg, Voldumvey 21, Vanlose, Denmark Filed Feb. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 618,437 Claims priority, application Austria, Feb. 25, 1966, A 1,815/ 66; Feb. 28, 1966, A 1,826/ 66, A 1,827/ 66 US. Cl. -12 5 Claims Int. Cl. A47c 17/16, 21/02 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Convertible piece of furniture with a seat and a backrest swingably interconnected by a pair of pivoted arms which allow the backrest to be swung across the seat into a position coplanar therewith in which legs secured to the rear surface of the backrest come to rest on the floor, the backrest also carrying a spring-loaded windup roller from which a cover sheet anchored to the rear edge of the seat is unwound to stretch across the coplanar seat and backrest surfaces.

The invention relates to a piece of seating furniture transformable into a bed, having a backrest swinga-ble into the plane of the seating surface by arms linked to the frame of the seat cushion. The known furniture pieces of this kind, the so-called folding couches, are so constructed that the backrest is articulated to the seat by a hinge joint; the frame bearing the seat may serve to receive the bed-clothes whenever the furniture piece is used as a sofa.

Manufacture of such furniture is comparatively expensive and complicated since normally this needs three frames, i.e., a frame each for the seat and for the backrest and finally a frame supporting both these subassem-blies.

Moreover, this known type of furniture, which may be provided with swiveling feet, has the disadvantage of serving at best as a couch for one person but being too narrow for use as a comfortable double bed.

It is the object of my present invention to obviate these disadvantages. Accordingly, I provide rigid feet which lie at the rear of the backrest in seating position, these feet suppOrting the backrest on the floor after it has been pivoted into the plane of the seating surface.

The construction according to the invention enables the manufacture of such furniture in a far simpler manner than heretofore which also provides a larger reclining surface sufficient even for two persons.

Further features and advantages of the invention are described below more in detail with reference to several embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment in seating position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the assembly in an intermediate position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same piece of furniture in a reclining position;

FIG. 4 illustrates, in an end view and partially cut away, a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view showing a further modification in seating position; and

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing the last embodiment in reclining position.

The furniture piece shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 comprises a frame 2 provided with feet 1 and having a seat cushion 3 attached to or placed on it. Arms 5 are pivotally secured at 4 to opposite sides of seat frame 2, a back-rest 7 being linked at 6 to the ends of the arms 5 opposite to the pivots 4. The arrangement is such that the joint 6 lies in Patented Jan. 21, 1969 the upper area of the backrest 7 when the furniture piece is in the seating position of FIG. 1.

The backrest 7, is provided on opposite sides of its rear surface, as viewed in its seating position, with feet 8 also serving as side walls of a receptacle 9 for the bedclothes having one long side formed by the backrest 7 and the other long side by a wall 10.

In the seating position of the furniture piece (FIG. 1), the feet and side walls 8 rest on wedge-shaped shoulders 11 secured to the base the frame 2, thus establishing the desired rearwardly inclined position of the backrest. In order to limit the swing of the backrest, the feet 8, moreover, are also formed as shoulders cooperating with the arms 5. Of course, separate abutments could also be provided for this purpose.

Furthermore, this embodiment of my invention includes a pair of arms 12 extending from opposite sides of the rear surface of the backrest 7 as viewed in seating position, these arms bearing at their outer ends an automatic windup roller which, under the influence of a spring force tends to rotate unidirectionally, e.g. as conventionally used for rolling up window shades but without the usual ratchet mechanism. The windup roller 13 carries a covering 14 which is rolled up in seating position, the other end of the covering being suitably attached to the back of the cushion 3.

In order to transform the furniture piece from a settee into a bed, the backrest 7 is swung forwardly into the direction of the arrow P of FIG. 1 to such an extent that it comes to lie on the generally horizontal upper surface of seat cushion 3. In this position shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle 9 for bedclothes is freely accessible. A further pivotal movement in the direction of arrow R shown in FIG. 2 will then bring the backrest 7 into the reclining position, illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the cushion and the backrest lie in one plane. Now, the feet 8 rest on the floor and the arms 5 are prevented by shoulders 15 from swinging any further.

When the pieces of furniture is thus moved into its reclining position, the arms 12 are entrained by the legs 8 and cause the covering 14 to be unwound from the roller 13 and stretched over the reclining surface. Upon reconversion of the furniture piece, the covering is again wound up automatically by the spring-loaded roller 13.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 4, a compartment 9a for bedclothes 15 is formed by a rigid backwall 16 and side walls 17. Feet 18, rigidly fixed to the backrest 7, are swung between the side walls 17 and the cushion 3 when the furniture is in seating position and rest against the wall 16. In seating position, moreover, the swinging arms 19 pivoted at 4 and 6 are also covered by the forwardly extending side walls 17. The operation of the piece of furniture shown in FIG. 4 is the same as that of the unit illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6, in which I have used the same reference characters for similar parts as in FIGS. 1 to 3, differs from the first embodiment mainly in that the arms 20 are so shaped that, in seating position, they laterally bound the space behind the back cushion 7 while resting on shoulders 21 attached to the base frame. Feet 22 are attached to the rear surface of the back cushion. As may be seen from FIG. 6, the arms 20 protrude above the reclining surface in the sleeping position, thus forming a headrest and a foot rest, respectively.

It will be noted that, in each of the illustrated embodiments, the seat 3 has a rear edge (at left in FIGS. 2, 3 4 and 6) which in the seating position of FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 is located rearwardly of the fulcra 4 pivotally linking the arms 5, 19 or 20 to the seat. This rear edge is also disposed rearwardly of the rear surface of backrest 7,

linked with these arms at fulcra 6, when the backrest is in its generally upward seating position. The presence of this rear edge facilitates the mounting of a butments 11, 16 or 21 on the seat to provide a stop for the legs 8, 18 or 22, thereby limiting the rearward swing of the backrest and preventing its leftward displacement beyond the positions of FIGS. 1, 4 and 5.

I claim:

1. A piece of furniture comprising a seat with a generally horizontal upper surface, a backrest extending generally upwardly from said upper surface in a seating position, a pair of arms pivoted to said seat at a first pair of fulcra and pivoted to said backrest at a second pair of fulcra, the spacing of said pairs of fulcra being sufficient to allow said backrest to be swung forwardly from said seating position into an alternate position in which a front surface facing forwardly in said seating position is turned upwardly and is coplanar with said upper surface, leg means rigid with said backrest on a rear surface thereof opposite said front surface, said leg means coming to rest on the ground in said alternate position, said seat having a rear edge located rearwardly of said first pair of fulcra and of the rear surface of said backrest in said seating position, and abutment means at said rear edge for said leg means to limit the rearward swing of said backrest.

2. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 1 wherein said leg means comprises a pair of side walls forming part of a storage compartment behind said backrest.

3. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 2 wherein said abutment means comprises a pair of shoulders on said seat positioned for engagement by said side walls in said seating position.

4. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 1, further comprising a flexible cover sheet, first anchor means securing an end of said cover sheet to said sheet at said rear edge, and second anchor means securing another end of said cover sheet to said backrest, one of said anchor means including a spring-loaded windup roller, said anchor means being positioned to stretch said sheet across said front surface and said upper surface in said alternate position.

5. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 4 wherein said roller is secured to said backrest at said rear surface thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,494 3/1914 Fillmore et al 5-43 2,569,999 10/1951 Lowry 545 3,088,130 5/1963 Walstad 5-44 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

US. 01. X.R. 5-44

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