US2337712A - Sofa bed - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 28, 1943. M. Fox 2,337,712

SOFA BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1942 @y @am ma; @ma gym.

Dec. 28, 1943. M FQX soFA BED Filed sept. 12, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 28, 1943. M. FOX

SOFA BED Filed Sept. 12, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,Fig l avi/14ML Eff/47 @M221 VMM,

Patented Dec. 2S, 1943 SOFA BED Martin Fox, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Seng Company, a corporation of Illinois Application September 12, 1942, SerialNo. 458,100

2 Claims.

This invention relates to sofa beds, and more particularly to the type in which two sections forming a seat portion and a back portion are hingedly connected together and movably mounted on a supporting frame by means of pitmans i so that the device may readily be converted to either a sofa or bed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an attractive, easily operable structure which is thoroughly reliable in operation but can be constructed with a minimum of strategic materials, such as iron and steel. The present structure has its parts so designed that most of the mechanism may be made of wood.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible sofa wherein the back section and seat section are hinged together and provided with an automatically engageable latch which serves to hold the two sections in proper angular relation when either of the sections is moved from the horizontal bed position to proper angular relation to form a sofa. As both of the sections and the latch are movable as a unit on the pitmans, it is very convenient to tilt the seat section upwardly so that the latch is readily accessible for release by the operators hand or foot.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention with the mechanism arranged to form a sofa; Figure 2, a sectional view of the structure in the same position as shown in Figure 1, taken as indicated at the section line of Figure 5; tion similar to Figure 2 showing the seat structure tilted upwardly to make the latch accessible from the front of the structure; Figure 4, a sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing the structure with the back section and seat section in horizontal position to form a bed; Figure 5, a fragmentary plan view of the structure opened to form a bed; and Figure 6, a fragmentary sectional view showing a modied form of latch.

In the embodiments illustrated, a supporting base frame is in the form of a box having end panels "I, a back panel 8, and a front panel 9. A bottom wall I0 with the side panels, forms a container which may serve to hold pillows, and other bed clothing, if desired. Suitable legs Illa and arm rests II, shown in dotted lines, may be provided, if desired.

A back section I2 is movably mounted on the end panel 1 in the base frame by means of a pair of rear pitmans I3 and shorter front pitmans I4.

Figure 3, a sec- The rear pitmans I3 are connected in the supporting base frame, as indicated at I5, and to the seat section, as indicated at I5. The shorter pitmans I4 are pivoted to the base frame, as indicated at Il, and to the seat frame, as indicated at I8. It will be understood that the linkage arrangement is the same at each end of the supporting frame.

A seat section I9 has an extension 20 which is hinged to the back section I2 at the pivot I8. When the sections are turned to the position illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen that their connected central portions are supported by the pitmans I3 and I4 and as the free end of the back portion I2 rests on the top of the panel 8, it is rigidly held in position. The seat section I9, hinged to the back section at I8 and having its free end resting on the top of the front panel 9, is also firmly positioned so that a con- Vertible bed may be formed thereon. It will be understood that each of the sections is formed to receive a suitable upholstered cushion which will also serve as a mattress when the device is transformed into a bed.

In the form shown in Figures 1 5, inclusive, pawls 2| are pivotally mounted at 22 in brackets 23 secured to the back section I2. The pawls are connected for simultaneous operation by means of a cross bar 24 which extends from one end of the structure to the other. A small tension spring 25 is shown extending from the cross bar 24 to the back section I2 and yieldingly urges the pawls upwardly into engagement with lugs 26 provided on the rear end of the seat section I9. While a spring is preferred for this purpose, it will be understood that the pawls may be weighted or other yielding means substituted to produce the same effect.

When the structure is extended to form a bed, as illustrated in Figure 4, it will be understood that it is merely necessary to raise either of the sections I2 or I9 to proper angular relation with the companion section to form a sofa. The two sections and the latch are thus brought to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the structure is ready for use as a sofa. In this position the inner end portion of the seat frame is restrained against further backward movement by means of a stop 1a..

To transform the structure from a sofa to a bed, the two sections and latch are turned as a unit to the position shown in Figure 3 which makes the latch 24 easily accessible from the front of the structure. By depressing the latch,

the seat frame may be lowered into the position shown in Figure 4.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 6, the supporting structure, seat section, and back section are constructed the same as described above and accordingly the same reference numbers apply. However, in this form a modied form of latch is illustrated. An arm 2l is pivotally mounted at 28 on an extension 29 of the back section. The arm is provided with a notch 30 to engage a short stud 3! carried by a yoke 32 which is rigidly secured to the back section I9. If desired, arms 21 may be provided at each end of the structure and may be connected by a cross bar 33 which is accessible to release the latch when the structure is turned up to the position illustrated in Figure 6.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

, I claim:

1. A sofa bed, comprising: a supporting base frame having elevated front and rear panels; a back section linked to said base frame by means of a pair of spaced pitmans at each end of the base frame, the rear pitmans being longer than the front pitmans; a seat section hinged to said back section so that it may form a horizontal eX- tension thereof when the back section is swung down to form a bed wherein the central connected portions of the sections are supported by the pitmans and the free portions rest on the elevated panels of the supporting base frame and when forming a sofa said seat section having its rear end portion resting on the end panels of the base frame and the front end portions resting on the front panel so as to incline the seat upwardly at the front; and a releasable latch on the sections for holding them in the angular relation required for sitting position, saidY sections and latch being movable as a unit which may be swung forwardly to expose the latch for release from the front of the structure.

2. A sofa bed as specified in claim l, in which 20 the latch has pawls pivoted at opposite ends of

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