ES1320997U - Mechanism for furniture with a lifting front (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Furniture mechanism with a lifting front, for furniture such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofa modules, and the like, comprising a backrest (1), a seat area (2) and a front (3) in the front area that has a first position eminently perpendicular to the seat area (2) and a second position elevated and coplanar with it, where the seat area (2) comprises a support base (4) and, on it, a first support material (5) suitable for the seat of a user, with a first end (5.1) facing the backrest (1) and a second end (5.2) opposite, characterized in that it comprises: - two longitudinal guides (6) each arranged on one of the sides of the furniture in its lower area; - a frame (8) located under the furniture between both guides (6), comprising a first end (8.1) facing the front of the furniture, a second opposite end (8.2) connected to said guides (6) by means of two sliding wheels (9), such that they allow a retracted position of the frame (8) located under the seating area (2) and a displaced position according to the direction of the guides (6) towards the outside of the seating area (2), and at least two support wheels (10) located closer to the first end (8.1), and; - two sets (11) of articulated bars fixed to one side of the first end (8.1) of the frame (8) respectively, where both sets (11) are parallel and have connection means to the dorsal face (3.2) of the front (3) of the furniture; where the front (3) comprises a second support material (12) on its front face (3.1), joined to the second end (5.2) of the first support material (5), such that the union between both first and second support materials (5, 12) configures an axis of rotation (13) of the front with respect to the rest of the furniture, in the movement of the frame (8) between its collected position and its displaced position. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Mechanism for furniture with lifting front

Technical field of the invention

The present invention corresponds to the technical field of extendable furniture or furniture with lifting fronts, such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofa modules, or similar, which have the extension or elevation of the front to increase the length of the seating area of the furniture.

Background of the Invention

Today, there is a wide variety of seating furniture available, such as armchairs, sofas, and chaise lounges. These armchairs offer the option of extending the seat length so the user can lean back or rest their feet more comfortably on the end of the furniture.

This final section is usually made up of a raised front to create a continuous seat, thus providing greater length for resting. These pieces of furniture are ideal for maximizing space utilization, especially in homes with limited space, as they can expand when in use and collapse to take up less space during the rest of the day.

There are different types of this furniture and several ways to achieve greater seat length.

As an example of the state of the art, the following documents can be mentioned, whose ownership is the applicant himself, with reference numbers ES1295456, ES1292345 and ES1241314.

Reference document ES1295456 defines a sliding seat that can be transformed into a chaise longue. It features a drawer below the seat that moves horizontally and linearly. It also features a frame attached to the seat cushion so that both move together as the drawer moves. Furthermore, the backrest is attached to the seat cushion and, at the end of its movement, also reclining when stretched out by the seat.

The problem with this type of mechanism is that the seat shifts from its initial position, requiring the user to reposition themselves from the original position before converting it into a chaise longue. They must either get up and sit back in the correct position or slide their body to reach the correct position, which is uncomfortable.

Reference document ES1241314 defines a sliding system for sofas in which the seat extends thanks to its two-part structure. A front section forms the visible seat in its initial position, and a rear section is hidden inside the sofa and connected to the front section. This means that when the front section is moved forward, the rear section is also moved, allowing both sections to be positioned consecutively, extending the initial seat.

In this sofa, the problem is the same as in the previous document, that is, the user must get up to extend the sofa and replace themselves in the seat once it has been extended, since the area that previously served as a seat is displaced forward in the new extended position.

In the case of reference document ES1292345, a mechanism is proposed for a relaxation chair featuring a footrest whose lower end is slightly raised from the floor in the initial position and, in the reclining position, is elevated at an angle of almost 90° relative to its initial position. The footrest is moved by a scissor mechanism that raises the footrest, moves the seat, and tilts the backrest.

In this case, the problem that arises is that since the distal part of the footrest is completely in the air without any type of lower support, it is a rather unstable area that, although it can support the user's feet, does not allow the support of a greater weight, running the risk of destabilization of the seat if someone were to sit in this area, which could tip forward or even cause it to break, since it is not designed and intended to support any weight.

Therefore, although the seating surface is being extended, not all of it is usable as a seat, which can cause accidents due to some people's lack of awareness of this fact, such as children, who lean on the extended area without realizing that it does not offer sufficient resistance.

Based on the above, it is necessary to find a way to solve the extension function of a piece of furniture, such as a sofa or armchair module, using a mechanism that can resolve these problems.

Description of the invention

The mechanism for furniture with a lifting front presented here is intended for furniture such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofa modules, and the like, which comprise a backrest, a seating area and a front in the front area that has a first position eminently perpendicular to the seating area and a second position that is elevated and coplanar with it.

The seating area comprises a support base and, above it, a layer of support material suitable for a user's seat, with a first end facing the backrest and a second end facing away from it.

This mechanism comprises two longitudinal guides, each arranged on one of the sides of the furniture in its lower area.

It also comprises a frame located beneath the furniture between both guides, with a first end facing the front of the furniture and a second, opposite end connected to said guides by means of sliding wheels. These wheels allow the frame located beneath the seat to be retracted and a position shifted, according to the direction of the guides, toward the outside of the seating area.

The frame also comprises at least two support wheels located closer to its first end.

Likewise, the mechanism has two sets of articulated bars, each one fixed to one side of the first end of the frame respectively.

These two sets of bars are parallel and have means of connection to the back of the front of the furniture.

On the other hand, the front of this piece of furniture comprises a layer of support material on its front face, which is joined to the second end of the layer of support material of the seat area, such that the union between both layers of support material configures an axis of rotation of the front with respect to the rest of the furniture, when the frame (8) moves between its retracted position and its displaced position.

The mechanism for furniture with a lifting front proposed here represents a significant improvement in the state of the art.

This is because a mechanism is achieved that extends the seating area by moving only the front of the furniture, so that both the backrest and the seat remain motionless in their original position, allowing the user to remain seated in the same position both when the front is perpendicular to the seat and when it is moved to a position with the front raised on the same plane as the seat.

Furthermore, this mechanism provides strong and resistant support for the front on the ground in its raised position, as the sets of articulated bars located under said front act as support legs for the front on the frame and the frame is also supported on the ground by means of support wheels, so there is a support with sufficient structural rigidity to allow stability of the front in its extended position.

In this way, the footrest area in its raised position is adapted to support weight in a stable manner, expanding the usable surface of the furniture, since the raised area is no longer limited to a footrest, but allows normal seating for people in this area as well without risk of breakage.

Furthermore, this stability prevents the sofa from tipping over if a person applies weight to it from the seat.

It is therefore a very effective mechanism that achieves more efficient use of the sofa and greater comfort and safety in its use.

Brief description of the drawings

In order to assist in a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical embodiment thereof, a series of drawings are provided as an integral part of said description, where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of a mechanism for furniture with a lifting front, with the front in a first position perpendicular to the seating area, for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of a mechanism for furniture with a lifting front with the front in a second raised position, for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the furniture of Figure 2 with both side panels placed in place, for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

In view of the figures provided, it can be seen how in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mechanism for furniture with a lifting front proposed here is indicated for furniture such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofa modules, and the like, which comprise a backrest (1), a seating area (2) and a front (3) in the front area that has a first position eminently perpendicular to the seating area (2) and a second position that is elevated and coplanar with it.

The seating area (2) comprises a support base (4) and, on it, has a first support material (5) suitable for seating a user, with a first end (5.1) facing the backrest (1) and a second end (5.2) opposite. In this embodiment, the furniture is considered to be formed by a sofa module that has this option of a lifting front (3).

This mechanism comprises two longitudinal guides (6), each arranged on one of the sides of the furniture in its lower area. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal guides (6) are located on two side panels (7) of the furniture, as shown in Figure 3.

It also has a frame (8) located under the furniture between both guides (6). This frame (8) comprises a first end (8.1) facing the front of the furniture, a second opposite end (8.2) connected to said guides (6) by means of sliding wheels (9) and at least two support wheels (10) located closer to the first end (8.1).

The sliding wheels (9) connected to the guides (6) allow a retracted position of the frame (8) located under the sofa module, as shown in Figure 1, and a position displaced according to the direction of the guides (6) towards the outside of it, as can be seen in Figure 2.

Likewise, the mechanism has two sets (11) of articulated bars fixed to one side of the first end (8.1) of the frame (8) respectively. Both sets (11) are parallel and have connection means to the dorsal face (3.2) of the front (3) of the furniture.

On the other hand, in this sofa module the front (3) comprises a second support material (12) on its front face (3.1), joined to the second end (5.2) of the first support material (5) of the seating area (2). In this preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the second layer of support material (12) of the front (3) of the furniture is an extension of the first layer of support material (5) of the seating area, that is, both form a single body.

In other embodiments, both layers of support material could be independent bodies joined at their ends by means of joining means such as stitching.

In this way, the union between both first and second support material (5, 12) or in this specific case, the union of both materials in both areas, configures an axis (13) of rotation of the front (3) with respect to the rest of the sofa module, during the movement of the frame (8) between its collected position and its displaced position.

Thus, as shown in Figure 1, in the first position of the front (3), the frame (8) is collected in the lower area of the sofa module and the articulated bars of each set (11) are folded, keeping the front (3) of the sofa in its first position perpendicular to the seating area (2). On the other hand, when the frame (8) moves towards the front area of the sofa module, the articulated bars of both sets (11) unfold, pushing the front (3) forward and, as it is joined to the seating area (2) by the layer of support material (5, 12), said joint acts as an axis (13) of rotation of the front (3) which rises to its second position in which it remains coplanar with the seating area (2), expanding the useful surface of the latter.

According to another aspect, in this preferred embodiment, the mechanism comprises a sliding activation device formed by a motor (14) fixed underneath the sofa module, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This motor (14) comprises a linear actuator (15) parallel to the longitudinal guides (6), and the frame (8) is connected to said linear actuator (15), such that the activation of the motor (14) allows moving from the first position of the front (3) to its second position and vice versa, completely automatically and only by pressing a button for activating the motor (14). In this case, the user can activate the sliding of the frame (8) comfortably without moving from his position on the sofa and since, in addition, the seating area (2) does not undergo any modification, since the only part of the sofa that moves is the front (3), the user does not need to get up or reposition himself later.

In other embodiments, the actuating device is manual and the frame (8) is moved from its folded position to its displaced position by the user or another person pulling it forward. Similarly, to return the front (3) to its first position perpendicular to the seating area (2), the frame (8) must be pushed towards the back of the sofa, thereby causing the front (3) to rotate downwards to return to its first position.

Claims (1)

1- Furniture mechanism with a lifting front, for furniture such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofa modules, and the like, comprising a backrest (1), a seat area (2) and a front (3) in the front area that has a first position eminently perpendicular to the seat area (2) and a second position elevated and coplanar with it, where the seat area (2) comprises a support base (4) and, on it, a first support material (5) suitable for seating a user, with a first end (5.1) facing the backrest (1) and a second end (5.2) opposite, characterized in that it comprises - two longitudinal guides (6), each arranged on one of the sides of the furniture in its lower area; - a frame (8) located under the furniture between both guides (6), comprising a first end (8.1) facing the front of the furniture, a second opposite end (8.2) connected to said guides (6) by means of two sliding wheels (9), such that they allow a retracted position of the frame (8) located under the seating area (2) and a displaced position according to the direction of the guides (6) towards the outside of the seating area (2), and at least two support wheels (10) located closer to the first end (8.1), and; - two sets (11) of articulated bars fixed to one side of the first end (8.1) of the frame (8) respectively, where both sets (11) are parallel and have connection means to the dorsal face (3.2) of the front (3) of the furniture; where the front (3) comprises a second support material (12) on its front face (3.1), joined to the second end (5.2) of the first support material (5), such that the union between both first and second support materials (5, 12) configures an axis (13) of rotation of the front with respect to the rest of the furniture, in the movement of the frame (8) between its collected position and its displaced position. 2- Mechanism according to claim 1, comprising a sliding activation device formed by a motor (14) fixed under the furniture, comprising a linear actuator (15) parallel to the longitudinal guides (6), where the frame (8) is connected to said linear actuator (15). 3- Mechanism according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the second support material (12) of the front (3) of the furniture is an extension of the first support material (5) of the seat area (2). 4- Mechanism according to any of the previous claims, where the longitudinal guides (6) are located on two side boards (7) of the furniture.