Abstract: There is provided a portable, folding chair with an enhanced seat and backrest. The seat includes a suspension system that is capable of providing an enhanced range of motion in seating directions. The backrest provides enhanced support through an enlarged support surface and improved disposition of the support surface relative to the chair frame. The seat and backrest can be used together on the same chair or independently. There is also provided an alternate seat employing a suspension system that is capable of providing an enhanced range of motion in seating directions and that has a low profile to be used in situations where storage space is a significant consideration.

Abstract: A connector assembly for connecting components of knockdown furniture includes two connector blocks which are rigidly mountable on the furniture components, and a tapered pin which interconnects the two connector blocks. Each connector block includes parallel tongues which are rigidly supported on a base plate in spaced apart relation. The tongues of each connector block are positioned in the spaces between the tongues of the other connector block. Each tongue has a tapered pin-receiving opening which is aligned with the openings of the other tongues. The transverse dimensions of these openings decrease progressively from one tongue to another. The tapered pin extends through the pin-receiving openings and it frictionally engages the tongues with sufficient friction to prevent movement of the tapered pin relative to both connector blocks.

Abstract: The headrest of an upholstered seating unit is hingedly supported by a spring which biases the headrest to a substantially vertical raised position. The spring prevents the headrest from moving from its raised position when an occupant's head rests against it, but greater forces will bend the spring and move the headrest to a generally horizontal lowered position. The illustrated spring is a pretensioned vertical helical spring which has its lower end mounted forwardly of an upper portion of the furniture frame. The headrest can be moved to its lowered position by a cable/conduit associated with a pair of relatively movable parts of the furniture unit.

Abstract: An article of furniture has a mechanism for supporting an extendible legrest. The mechanism includes a fixed bracket mounted near the front rail of the furniture frame, an upper rear link connected to the fixed bracket at a first pivot in front of the front rail, a lower rear link connected to the fixed bracket at a second pivot under the front rail, an upper front link connected to the upper rear link at a third pivot, and a lower front link connected to the lower rear link at a fourth pivot which is lower than the third pivot. A movable legrest bracket is connected to the upper front link at a fifth pivot, and is also connected to the lower front link at a sixth pivot. The sixth pivot is lower than the fifth pivot when the movable legrest bracket is at its stored position. The upper front link is connected to the lower rear link at a seventh pivot which is lower than the third pivot and is between the second and fourth pivots.

Abstract: A simple and economical six-bar linkage system keeps a reclining chair stable in its closed position, and permits it to assume any degree of recline between slight recline and full recline without need for friction devices or springs. This is accomplished by the stable balance of the linkage. Sequencing devices are likewise not needed; interaction of the components constrain the movement of the linkage, such that there is only one possible path of travel. The six links are: base frame, back frame, seat frame, drive link, carrier link, and legrest. A heart-rest position may be attained with assistance from an attendant.

Abstract: A chair assembly is mounted on a base member by a pivot that permits the chair assembly to tilt rearwardly from first position to a second position. The chair assembly includes a seat, a legrest that is forwardly extendible from the seat, and a back that is tiltable relative to the seat between a generally upright sitting position and a reclining position. When the chair assembly is at its rearwardly tilted second position, the legrest is in its extended position, and the back is in its reclining position, the head and ankles of an occupant are substantially at the same height for use in medical treatment in which the Trendelenburg is indicated. A releasable locking mechanism holds the cair assembly at a selected inclination angle relative to the base member. The locking mechanism has blades that are permanetly connected to the base and slidably connected to the tiltable chair assembly by a rod that extends through slots in the blades.

Abstract: A mattress is positioned on a flexible deck which is supported by tension members connected to a frame. In a preferred embodiment, the frame is formed of concave side rails, a horizontal head rail, and a horizontal foot rail. The upper surface of the deck is longitudinally concave and transversely convex. The mattress is tapered so that its upper surface is transversely and longitudinally crowned to counteract any potential sagging effect when a person lies on the mattress.

Abstract: An extensible legrest mechanism for a seating unit includes a movable legrest assembly mounted on a stationary support assembly. The legrest assembly has a pair of longitudinally movable struts which support a transverse leg-supporting member. The support assembly supports the struts in a cantilevered manner for longitudinal movement.The legrest assembly is biased toward its extended position by a spring, a reel, and a flexible member which is wound on the reel and is connected to one of the assemblies. A brake is mounted on the support assembly and has brake shoes which are engageable with the struts and are conformable to the struts to exclude air and to provide intimate physical contact which prevents longitudinal strut movement. The brakes are operated by a pair of brake levers which are biased to positions where the shoes engage the struts, and the levers are manually operated to oppose the bias and retract the brake shoes from the struts.

Abstract: A chair or sofa has a reclining back connected to a base by a mechanism which has a user-lockable, vertically oriented gas spring mounted behind the seat surface. The upper and lower ends of the gas spring are connected to upper and lower transverse members which are, in turn, connected to mounting plates on the back and base of the chair or sofa. The mounting plates are pivotally interconnected to provide reclining movement of the back.

Abstract: A mattress is supported on a flexible deck which is surrounded by and connected to a foldable frame. A back section of the frame is movable between a horizontal sleeping position and a vertical seating position.A supplemental back spring is attached to the frame and has a flex wire section and a collapsible section. The flex wire section provides horizontal support to the mattress in the seating position, and the collapsible section of the spring resists hammocking or sagging of the deck when the mattress is in the sleeping position.

Abstract: A resilient furniture seat support is provided with spring assemblies formed of base springs which have upper springs mounted thereon. Each base spring is formed of a length of wire with forward and rear mounting portions which are connectible to the front and rear rails of a seat frame. The upper springs have base portions connected to and supported by the base spring, resilient vertically collapsible midportions, and upper attachment portions adapted for attachment to transverse border wires or crosswires. Two upper springs have their attachment portions connected together. The base spring has a resilient vertically collapsible section, and an attachment portion is located at the upper end of this collapsible section. The upper attachment portion of the base spring is attached to the upper attachment portion of one of the upper springs.

Abstract: A bedding unit such as a box spring has springs with lower portions mounted on the frame of the unit, upper portions connected to the wire grid of the unit, and midportions which are collapsible to support the grid resiliently on the frame. The upper portion of a corner spring includes a vertically uncompressible loop which contacts the frame when the midportion is collapsed, thereby limiting the deflection of the spring. The loop also prevents the filler material fo the unit from collapsing inwardly. The main springs of the unit have upper portions which have hooks for engaging the grid wires of the unit. These hooks are located at opposite ends of the wire which forms the spring. The upper portions have transverse bars which are connected to the hooks by connecting sections.

Abstract: A novel unlocking mechanism is provided in a recliner which has a stationary frame, left and right mechanisms for supporting a seat frame for movement on the stationary frame and for supporting and operating a legrest for movement between retracted and extended positions. The locking mechanism is spaced from and located between the recliner mechanisms, and it is formed of pivoted links, one of which is a toggle link which occupies an immovable over center position when the seatframe is in its rear position. A release wire operating the unlocking lever is used to move the toggle member from its own center position so that the locking mechanism can collapse and the seat frame may move to its forward position. The release wire has an exposed unlevered pull handle which is readily accessable to a user of the recliner.

Abstract: A bedding unit spring has an upper portion attached to a grid, a lower portion attached to a frame, and a vertically collapsible midportion which connects the upper portion to the lower portion. The upper portion of a spring may have two transverse bars at its ends, a third transverse bar at its center, and a center bar formed of two sections which are on opposite sides of the third transverse bar. The center bar sections are directed toward the midportions of the end transverse bars. A deflection limiter member is attached to the spring to limit the collapsing movement of the spring and to increase the effective stiffness of the spring. It is formed of a wire which has an abutment portion and two connector bar portions. The connector bar portions extend at different inclination angles from the abutment portion to the spring.

Abstract: A mechanism for a convertible seating/sleeping article of furniture has a base which moves on a floor, a seat support member supported on the base by a scissors linkage, and a back support member which is connected to the seat support member by a first pivot. A back-lowering link is pivotally connected at second and third pivots, respectively, to one of the scissors links and to the back support member. When the mechanism is in its seating configuration, the first pivot is near a line which extends between the second and third pivots to prevent inadvertent movement of the members to their seating positions.A support leg is pivoted at the rear of the back support member, and a link swings the support leg outwardly when the back support member moves to its sleeping position.The seat-supporting scissors linkage includes a first link which is in a same vertical plane as the base, and a pair of parallel links which are pivoted to and are on opposite sides of the first link.

Abstract: A rectangular mattress support frame has side rails formed of rail sections which are pivotally interconnected for movement between a folded seating position and an unfolded sleeping position. In the sleeping position, side rail portions projecting forwardly of the furniture frame are supported on a forward support leg and a center support leg. When a first rail section at the forward end of the side rail is pivoted upwardly, a linkage moves the forward support leg toward the first rail section, and this linkage also produces upward pivotal movement of a second rail section relative to a third rail section. The center leg is moved to a partially raised position in response to pivotal movement between the second and third rail sections, and it is moved to a fully raised position when a fourth rail section at the rear end of the side rail moves from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position.