US3598441A

US3598441A - Wall-mounted extendable bed

Info

Publication number: US3598441A
Application number: US842977A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Damiani
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-07-18
Filing date: 1969-07-18
Publication date: 1971-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-10

Abstract

A foldable or exteriorly extendable bed and vehicle body construction comprised of a roof panel, which forms a part of the sidewall of the vehicle, and inwardly folding side and end panels interlocked to prevent entrance from the outside whether the bed is folded or extended, and with the unit preassembled into a frame and inserted as a unit into a frame opening in the sidewall of the vehicle and secured therein by screws or the like. Tension springs and torsion bars counterbalance the bed panels so that minimum force is required to operate them, and, if released, the unit will not continue a moving cycle to damage. A longitudinal hinge between the side and bottom panel is articulated to prevent binding of the parts and the loaded, extended bed is supported mainly through the end panel to stationary brackets.

Description

United States Patent [72] inventor John H. Damiani 15633 Arrow Hyw., lrwindale, Calif. 91706 [21] Appl. No. 842,977 [221 Filed July [8,1969 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [54] WALL-MOUNTED EXTENDABLE BED 22 Claims, 20 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 296/23, 296/26 [5 l] Int. Cl 860p 3/38 [50] Field oiSearch 296/23, 23.2, 26; 52/72 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,644,892 l0/I927 Noble 296/232 l,857,08l 5/1932 Fontaine ABSTRACT: A foldable or exteriorly extendable bed and vehicle body construction comprised of a roof panel, which forms a part of the sidewall of the vehicle, and inwardly folding side and end panels interlocked to prevent entrance from the outside whether the bed is folded or extended, and with the unit preassembled into a frame and inserted as a unit into a frame opening in the sidewall of the vehicle and secured therein by screws or the like. Tension springs and torsion bars counterbalance the bed panels so that minimum force is required to operate them, and, if released, the unit will not continue a moving cycle to damage. A longitudinal hinge between the side and bottom panel is articulated to prevent binding of the parts and the loaded, extended bed is supported mainly through the end panel to stationary brackets.

If'flfili? PATENTEn-Auslonn sum 1 OF 5 WALL-MOUNTED EXTENDABLE BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. This invention is in the field of wall-mounted, foldable and extendable beds providing exterior bed extensions for campers, trailers, other vehicles and stationary constructions.

2. Foldable and extendable camper beds are known in the art, but have various disadvantages in complexity of assembly, lack of proper counterbalancing during opening and closing operations, and in final positive support for the loaded extended bed. Also, the appearance of the bracing for the extended bed has been unattractive and has often been ineffective in requiring external support to the ground. Such prior art constructions are represented by the U.S. Pat. No. 1,431,783 to Diefenderfer; No. l,857,08l to Fontain; No. 2,038,00l to Reading; and applicant's prior US. Pat. No. 3,290,085; and by French Pat. No. l,236,538.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A foldable and extendable vehicle bed according to the present invention is comprised of top, bottom, side and end panels hingedly mounted together within an exterior frame and mountable in an opening in a vehicle body by securement of the frame therein. The top panel of the bed also forms part of the sidewall of the vehicle when in folded position and is connected to one edge of the inwardly foldable sidewall by a longitudinal extending hinge. The opposite side of the sidewall connects to the bottom wall of the extended bed by an articulated hinge which permits this hinge point to pass through an in-line position for the side and bottom panels whereby the hinge point collapses over center toward an upward position when the bed is folded. The inner edge of the top panel and the bottom panel are hinged to the frame by longitudinally extending hinges and the end panels are hinged to the bottom panel by transversely extending hinges. The end panels are swung into vertical position after the top, side and bottom panels are substantially extended and are locked at their upper ends to prevent access into the extended bed from the outside. The upper inner corners of the end panels interlock with stationary, force-absorbing brackets to not only positively lock the extended bed in position, but also to absorb the load thereon so that no further support, as by ground posts or other braces, need be provided. The bed panels in their folding and extending movements are counterbalanced by concealed coil springs which are connected by pivoted pushrods to the bed roof and by torque bars connected to the bottom panel and to the frame. As the position of the center of gravity changes during the extending and folding operations, the loads borne by the coil spring and torque bars likewise change, but they effectively counterbalance the panels throughout their movement so that minimum force is required for the opening and folding operations and upon release at any part of the cycle, the unit will not continue its movement to a damaging conclusion.

While the weight of the loaded bed is mainly carried through the end panels to stationary brackets, a small portion is carried by the counterbalancing mechanism, and the panels are prevented from moving to an inward direction by springloaded locking pins which may also bear a small part of the bed loading. All mechanisms are hidden from view from the inside when the unit is open and from view from the outside when the unit is closed. Roof (vehicle side) locks are manipulated from the inside only. All spring forces are absorbed directly by bedposts or by the bed frame.

The structure comprises a unitary. self-supporting. framed unit easily insertable into a vehicle opening and requiring minimal operating force to move into its extended and folded positions. It is securely interlocked and frame supported to prevent access from the exterior and to support the loaded extended bed without exterior support while loading only the vehicle body. Counterbalancing springs and torque bars are relatively hidden and counterbalance the elements of the bed throughout their movement. The articulated hinge between the side and bottom panels permits their ready movement through dead center, aligned position to collapse on opposite sides thereof without binding.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folded bed and vehicle body according to the present invention mounted on the bed of a conventional pickup truck;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing beds extended from the opposite sides of a vehicle body;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the extended bed of FIG. 2, indicating in phantom the folded position and the collapsing of the side and bottom panels through center;

FIG. 3a is a detail sectional view on the line 3a-3a of FIG. 3 showing the locking and force-absorbing connections for the upper inner corners of the end panels;

FIG. 3b is a detail sectional view on the line 3b-3b of FIG. 3 showing the load-supporting bracket for the end panel corner;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing the articulated hinge between the side and bottom panels, taken within the circular arrow 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a is a detail view of a modified form of hinge construction;

FIG. 5 is a partial elevational view, with frame elements sectioned, showing the torque bars connected between the bottom panel and the frame;

FIG. 6 is an interior side elevational view of the foldable bed according to the present invention folded and locked in vertical position;

FIG. 7 is a view from the interior with the roof, side and bottom panels extended and one end panel raised in place;

FIG. 8 is a detail sectional view of the interlocking means between the folded end and bottom panels, taken on the line 8-8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a partial end view showing the push and manipulating rod connections to the roof panel;

FIG. 10 is a detail sectional view through the roller connection of the manipulating rod to the roof panel;

FIG. 11 is a detail sectional view of the locking elements for the free end of the roof manipulating rod;

FIG. 12 is a detail view showing the interior roof panel lock;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged detail view of the tension spring which operates on the push rod connected to the roof panel;

FIG. 14 is a detail broken-away, horizontal sectional view of the enclosed tension springs and their connections;

FIG. 15 is a detail sectional view on the line 15-15 of FIG. 14 taken at bed panel level, showing the torsion bars and rainwater deflector;

FIG. 16 is a detail sectional view on the line 16-16 of FIG. 14 showing the connection of a tension spring to a roof pushrod; and

FIG. 17 is a detail view illustrating the sealing between panel units in their extended positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The specific embodiment of the invention selected for illustration in the drawing is a camper bed for a removable vehicle body which may be carried in a standard pickup truck. It is shown in FIG. I in closed, folded position on a standard pickup truck 2] having a body or bed 22 in which is removably disposed a generally boxlike, hollow vehicle body 23 providing living quarters. With the vehicle body on the truck bed, the tailgate of the truck is ordinarily removed and access to the interior of the vehicle body 23 provided from a rear door (not shown). One or both of the sides 24 of the vehicle body 23 are provided with openings within which are secured frames 25 supporting the foldable beds, the frames including flanges which are secured to the sides 24 by screws or bolts at 26. A roof panel 27 of the extended bed forms a continuation of the side 24 of the vehicle when the bed is folded.

FIG. 2 shows the beds extended from opposite sides of the vehicle body 23 and each comprising a roof panel 27 previously referred to, a side panel 28, and an end panel 29, and an opposite end panel 31 (not shown), and a bottom panel 32 of which only one short end wall 38 shows in FIG. 2. The roof panel 27 is hinged to the frame 25 by a longitudinally extending, piano-type hinge 33.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 3 through 5, the roof panel 27 is hinged adjacent its outer end to the side panel 28 by a longitudinally extending hinge 34 which may be similar to the piano-type hinge 33. The middle portion of the side panel 28 may be provided with sliding windows of the like at 35. The bottom end of the side panel 28 is hinged by a longitudinally extending, articulated hinge 36 to the outer edge of the bottom platform 37 of the bottom panel 32. The bottom platform 37 has short, vertical (when extended)

structural end walls

38 and 39 on which the

end panels

29 and 31 are hinged by transversely extending hinges 41 and 42, respectively. The platform 37 also supports sidewalls 43 and 44 which, with the

structural end walls

38 and 39, form a box configuration within which is disposed a mattress 45. The bottom platform 37 is hinged to the bed-supporting frame 25 by a longitudinally extending hinge 46 exteriorly of its inside edge so that the folded bed may assume the vertical position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3.

The articulated hinge 36 is shown in enlarged detail in FIG. 4 as comprising a first hinge 360 having one leg rigidly secured to the side panel 28 and its other leg free to rotate and rigidly secured to a free leg of a second hinge 36b whose other leg is rigidly secured to the bottom panel 37. A stop tab 36c operative in the closing direction is provided. As the side panel 28 and bottom panel 37 rotate relatively to each other, they may rotate about both the hinge points of the hinges, 36a and 36b until, in the extended position, they reach the positively locked condition shown in FIG. 4. In the opposite direction they are free to rotate about the two hinge points, without binding, through their aligned centerline positions indicated in phantom at 28a and 32a of FIGv 3, approximately at which point the tab 361' becomes effective as a stop to prevent further rotation ofthe hinge 36b in the closing direction which might induce binding. The side and top panels easily collapse at both sides of this aligned center position to move into the folded, vertical position shown in phantom lines at the right of FIG. 3 or into the extended position shown in full lines in FIG. 3. With a single hinge connection between the side and bottom panels, it has been found that their movement through dead center position in both directions is accompanied by binding or distortion of the parts unless the hinge is slot mounted or some other relief provided, such as shown by the slots at 36d in FIG. 4a.

Torque bars for continuously supporting the weight of the bed bottom, mattress and ends, as well as portions of the weight of the side, may be seen in FIGS. 3 and at 47 and 48. They have right-angularly bent end portions at 49 and 52, the ends 49 being rigidly secured to the sides of the frame 25 by brackets 52 and the ends 51 overlapping, as shown in FIG. 5, and being secured rigidly to the bottom of the platform 37 by brackets 53. The torque bars 47 and 48 are stressed so as to bias the bottom panel 32 into the vertical position shown in phantom in FIG. 3 and rotation of the bottom panel 32 in an extension direction, as shown in phantom at 3211 and in full lines in FIG. 3 is accompanied by torsion flexing of the bars so that they at all times exert a force on the bottom panel tending to return it to its folded vertical position, and thus, at all times, tend to counterbalance the weight of the bottom panel. mattress and end panels and varying portions of the weight ofthe side panel, depending upon the position of the parts. It is to be noted that these torsion bars are entirely hidden behind the panel 27 in the closed position of FIG. 1, and that they are hidden beneath the bottom panel 32 in the extended position of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Adjacent the upper outer end edges of the side panel 28 and projecting inwardly toward the vehicle body, are pins 54 adapted to be received in the complementary openings 55 in edge plates 55a and in the upper outer edges of the

end panels

29 and 31 so that the upper outside corners of the end panels are securely interlocked with the side panel 28 to prevent their being pushed inwardly from the outside. The pins 54 will be received within the openings 55 in the last inch or so of the outward extension of the parts when the end panels are finally moved outwardly and downwardly into their fully extended position, this last movement also serving to interlock the upper inner corners of the end panels in supporting the locking relation, as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, and as will now be explained.

Stationa'rily mounted in the bed frame at the upper corners thereof are brackets 56 in rigid, structural supporting relation. The brackets 56 have inwardly projecting flanges 57 adapted to be received within notches 60 in the upper inner corners of the

end panels

29 and 31. To the inner edges of the

panels

29 and 31 are mounted panel strips 30, as be cement and studs, and at the upper outer faces of the panel strips are mounted blocks 40 providing the notch 60 at its inner end. The upper ends of the panel strips 30 are provided with spring-biased locking plungers 58 having manipulatable handles 59 and biased outwardly into the locking position of FIG. 3a by springs 61. The ends of the locking plungers 58 are received in complementary holes 62 in the bed frame and primarily lock the

end panels

29, 31 and thereby all the panels of the bed against moving inwardly toward folded position. The plungers 58 may also absorb a portion of the outward force of the loaded bed, but this is primarily borne through the end panels by the strip and block engagement with the brackets 56. The interlocking of the flanges 57 in the notches 60 is accomplished in the last inch or so of the fully extended movement of the panel parts after the end panels have been raised into their vertical position and just prior to the full extension of the parts, such full extension placing the flange 57 in the notch 60 and permitting the plungers 58 to snap into the holes 62, whereupon the parts are rigidly secured in supported structural relation, as shown in full lines in FIG. 3a. The main load on the bed is then absorbed through the end panels and the bracket 56, a portion ofthe load also being borne by the counterbalancing torque bars and the tension springs to be described. The upper inner corners of the end panels are prevented from being pushed inwardly from the outside by the plungers 58. The

end panels

29 and 31 may also be provided with windows, as shown at 63.

In the folded position of FIG. 6, the then upper corners of the

end panels

29 and 31 are held to the wall 43 of the bottom panel 32, as shown more particularly in FIG. 8. The inner surfaces of the end panel corners are provided with retaining means such as ball-headed screws 64, the ball heads 65 of which are received within socket holes 66 in brackets 67 rigidly secured to the walls 43 of the bottom panels, as b6 screws 68. The ball heads 65 are frictionally held in the socket 66 in the position of FIG. 6 to hold the end panels from involuntarily swinging open, but may be readily released by manual lifting from the position at the left of FIG. 7. The closed end panels hold the mattress, bed clothing and the like in vertical position against the folded bottom panel.

An articulated, manually operable rod for manipulating the bed panels is shown in FIGS. 9- l l, as comprising a hollow rectangular rod 71 having a handle 73. The opposite end of the rod 71 is rigidly secured to an eye 74 through which extends a split loop 75 having horizontal portions 76 forming axles on which rotate a pair of

wheels

77 and 78. A bracket 83 is secured adjacent an end of panel 27 and has a depending web 79 supporting a ledge 82 extending parallel to the roof 27 on which the

wheels

77 and 78 ride. The bracket 83 is shown in FIG. 10 as having a rigidifying leg 84 to which the pushrod 99 is pivoted. The rod 71 is normally maintained in secured position against the roof panel 27, as shown in full lines in FIG. 9, by means of the ball head rivet 85 received in a socket 86 mounted in the bracket 83 secured to the roof panel 27. In pulling on the rod 71, it is moved downwardly by its handle 72 to disengage the ball 85 from the socket 86 and then pulled outwardly, the

rollers

77, 78 moving to the end of the web 79, to the position shown in phantom at 88 enabling the operator to pull on the panel 27 in the direction of the arrow associated therewith. For pushing movement on the manipulating rod 71 in its extended position shown in phantom at 89, the loop 75 is engaged with the inner end of the web 79 and the rod pushed upwardly and outwardly, as shown by the arrow. To return the rod to latched position, the loop 79 is permitted to move beneath the ledge 82 and the

wheels

77, 78 may be freely moved to their outer position and the rod latched at 85, 86.

The roof and side panel is counterbalanced by tension springs and pushrods shown more particularly in FIGS. 9, 13, I4 and 16, where the frame 25 includes vertically extending channels 91 providing a chamber 92 at each side of the frame and within each of which is supported a tension spring 93. The upper ends of the springs 93 are threaded onto external nut members 94 rigidly secured to the frame 25. The lower ends of the springs 93 are formed into hooks96 which extend around pins or shafts 97 which extend through slots 98 in the opposed bight walls of the channels 91. On the exterior ends of the shafts 97 are rotatably mounted the lower ends of pushrods 99 whose upper ends are pivoted at 101 to the legs 84 of brackets 83 rigid with the roof panels 27 to exert forces from the tension springs 93 tending to swing the roof panel upwardly, that is, clockwise about its pivot 33, as viewed in FIG. 9. Upon the shaft 97 just inside the slot 98 is mounted a vertically movable strap 102 which moves with the shaft 97 and thereby covers the slot 98 to enclose the spring 93 as it is extended and contracted.

Spring guides 103 are provided inside springs 93 to prevent buckling of the springs and the exertion of tilting moments on the shafts 97. The ends of the spring guides 103 are bifurcated at 104, with the legs of the bifurcations having openings closely receiving the shafts 97 and with one of the legs secured thereby, as by holding setsercws 105. The loops 96 of the spring ends engage the shafts 97 between the legs I04 and the bifurcated ends of the spring guides prevent the springs from tilting the shafts 97 and thereby prevent binding ofthe parts at the free end of the springs. It will be understood that the above-described structure of springs 93 and pushrods 99 are duplicated at opposite ends of the frame 25 and roof panel 27.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 6, it will be seen that there is an overcenter trunk-type latch 110 mounted on a bracket 111 rigidly secured to the wall 43 forming a part of the bottom panel 32. The loop 112 of this lock engages with a stationary frame hook 113 to rigidly lock the folded bed in position as shown in FIG. 6 and in phantom vertical in FIG. 3. Expansible rubber latches 106 are hinged to the back of panel 27 at its opposite ends at 107 and interlock with bifurcated brackets secured to the

walls

38, 39 of the bottom panel, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 12. The folded bed will thereby be latched in the position of FIG. 6 and at the right-hand vertical phantom of FIG. 3, taking a minimum of the interior space within the vehicle body. There will therefore be central space within the vehicle body for other installations to supply additional facilities such as a sink with supply and holding tanks, stove, refrigerator, toilet, tabletop, benches, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, short rain deflectors ll4 are provided between the

end walls

38, 39 and the frame beneath the panel strips 30, thereby preventing rain from entering the interior of the vehicle beneath the panel strips. 'l'hese deflectors are inclined strips extending from the panel strips 39 at their tops to the outside of the vehicle body at their bottoms and have side flanges 115 which may be riveted or otherwise secured to the ends of the bed bottom.

FIG. 17 shows a manner of sealing the mating edges of the side and end panels by the compressible rubber gaskets 116 to prevent entrance of wind, rain and foreign matter thereat.

The operations in manipulating the bed according to the present invention to extend it for occupancy or to fold it for storage are as follows:

To open a bed from the position shown in FIG. 6 and in the vertical phantom of FIG. 3, the latches I06 and H0 are disengaged and the roof panel 27 and the bottom panel 32 are pushed outwardly. In this operation, the hand of the manipulator may move the bottom panel by pressing on an end panel, such as 29, and pushing on the roof through the manipulating rod 71. With the aid of the coil springs 93, this will unfold the top, side and bottom panels, but not quite to their full extent, the torque bars 47 and 48 and the tension springs 93, preventing full extension when released. In this movement, the side panel 28 and the bottom panel 32 will have passed through their line center positions 28a and 32a shown in phantom in FIG. 3, and then collapsed over center, but not quite to their full open position, being restrained by the springs as stated above. The

end panels

29 and 31 are now released by disengaging the ball head 65 from the socket 66 and the end panels are raised one at a time toward vertical position, such as shown for the panel 31 in FIG. 7. During this vertical movement of an end panel, the notch 60 passes past the flange 57 into alignment therewith, and then the end panel is pushed straight outwardly at the top, thereby fully extending he top, side and bottom panels at that side, engaging the flange 57 in the notch 60 and causing the spring-biased plunger 58 to snap into the hole 62. This locks the upper inner corner of the end panel in its vertical position, prevented from movement by the plunger 58 and outwardly engaging the bracket 56 in structural supporting relation for the loaded bottom panel 32. During this last outward movement of the end panel 31, the hole 55 at its outer, upper edge receives the pin 54 extending inwardly from the side panel 28, thereby locking the outer corner ofthe end panel 31 against being pushed inwardly from the outside. With the elevating and final outward movement of the panel 31 completed to interlock it in rigid position with the frame and the side panel, the end panel 29 is similarly treated and likewise interlocks its upper corners with the frame and the side panel against inner movement from the outside. The bed is now in fully extended and locked position, as shown in full lines in FIG. 3, and the load on the bed will be taken up partly by the tension springs 93 and the torque bars 47 and 48, but principally by direct support from the

end panels

29 and 31 upon their upper corner brackets 56. At the same time, engagement of the flanges 57 on brackets 56 in the notches 60 prevents the upper inner corners of the end panels from being pressed inwardly from the outside. Thus, the bottom panel 32 is positively prevented from moving downwardly by the bracket 56 and the end panels are prevented from being moved inwardly from the outside by pins 54 and the flanges 57 and the assembly is prevented from being collapsed inwardly by the plungers 58 in the holes 62. The extended bed is thus solidly locked in position against any manipulation from the outside.

To retract the bed into the folded position of FIG. 6 and at the right-hand phantom position of FIG. 3, the plungers 58 on the end panels are pulled inwardly against their springs 61, thus releasing them from the holes 62 so that the panel can move inwardly sufficiently to clear the flanges 57 from the notches 60, whereby the end panels can be folded inwardly about their

hinges

41, 42 into the horizontal position of panel 29 in FIG. 7. The roof, side and bottom panels move slightly upwardly under the influence of the springs 93 and the torque bars 47, 48. The manipulating rod 7I may now he disengaged and used at position 89 to push upwardly on the roof while manually pressing downwardly on the innermost end of the bottom panel 32, interiorly of the hinge 46. This moves the roof, side and bottom panels to their positions of 27a, 28a, and 32a, shown in phantom in FIG. 3, whereafter the side and bottom panels pass over center and collapse upwardly. The manipulating lever 71 then is used to pull downwardly on the roof at position 88, thereby fully collapsing and folding the panels into the vertical position shown in interrupted lines at the right-hand side of FIG. 3 and in FIG. 6, whereupon the manipulating lever 71 is secured into its position shown in full lines in FIG. 9, and the latches 106 and H0 engaged to rigidly lock the parts in folded position. As the end panels 29 and 3] are folded inwardly against the bottom panel, the ball heads 65 thereon entered the sockets 66 to hold the end panels against the wall 43 of the bottom panel. The parts are therefore locked in their minimal thickness to take up a minimum of space within the vehicle body.

During the upward movement of the extending operation and the downward movement of the closing operation, the roof and side panels are primarily supported by the coil springs 93 which also support the roof and a decreasing part of the load of the side during the downward movement of the extending cycle due to a significant change in the position of the center of gravity of the side during this operation. These springs likewise support the roof and an increasing part of the load of the side during the upward movement thereof in the collapsing or folding operation for the same reason.

The torque bars 47 and 48 primarily support the weight of the bottom panel 32 with the mattress and end panels during the entire extending and retracting operations as well as an increasing portion of the load of the side during the downward movement of the extending operation and a decreasing portion of the load of the side during the upward motion of the collapsing operation because of the change in the position of the center of gravity of the side. Both spring systems operate to prevent complete extension of the panels when released in the opening operation so that final extension must be effected through the

end panels

29 and 31 to permit the engagement of the pins 54 in the edge holes 55 and the flanges 57 in the notches 60 in the final movement outwardly of the end panels and the full extension of the bed into its locked and supported position.

Normally the weight of the loaded bottom panel is supported through the end panels and the brackets 56. A safety feature is provided wherein if the supporting brackets 56 should break due to excessive load, the panels will bind on each other to prevent the unit from collapsing entirely downwardly. It will be noted that the coil springs 93 are at all times concealed, being protected even through the slots 98 by the sliding strips 102. Likewise, the torque bars 47 and 48 are always concealed from the inside of the bed, as are all of the operating and supporting mechanisms when the bed is fully extended.

A particular feature of this invention lies in the articulated hinge 36 which prevents binding and distortion in the movements ofthe side and bottom panels as they move through the opening in the frame 25, near the fully collapsed closed position in both the opening and closing cycles.

Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of the invention.

lclaim:

1. in an extendable and foldable bed and vehicle body con struction, in combination:

a substantially box-shaped vehicle body providing living space therein;

a substantially vertical wall for said vehicle body having an opening therein; I

a unitary bed, mechanism and supporting frame mounted in said opening in readily assemblable and disassemblable relation as a unit;

a bed roof panel hingedly mounted adjacent the top of said frame by a longitudinally extending first hinge, said roof panel when folded forming a continuation of the wall of said vehicle body to close the opening therein;

a side panel for said bed hinged to said roof panel adjacent the free end thereof by a second hinge having a longitudinally extending axis parallel to the axis of said first hinge;

a bed bottom panel having an extended exterior end hinged to the extended bottom end of said side panel by a third hinge having a longitudinal axis parallel to the axes of said first and second hinges;

a fourth hinge mounting the bottom panel to the bottom of the frame a substantial distance from the interior end of said bottom panel, said fourth hinge having a longitudinally extending axis parallel to the axes of said first three hinges; end panels for the extended bed hinged to the opposite ends of said bottom panel at fifth and sixth hinges having axes substantially transverse to the axes of said first four hinges whereby upon extension of said roof, side and bottom panels by rotation about their hinge axes, the end panels may thereafter be elevated into vertical position about their transverse axes; means interlocking said end panels to the other elements of the bed and frame, and including: first means locking one upper corner of said end panels to said side panel thereby preventing said end panels from folding movement about their transverse axes; and second means locking the other upper corner of said end panels to said frame thereby preventing said end panels from onward movement whereby said foldable bed is securely locked in the assembled position. 2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which: said first locking means comprise rigid fixed pins projecting inwardly from said side panel and recesses in said end panels adapted to receive said pins; and

said second locking means comprise releasable springbiased plungers projecting from said end panels and recesses in said frame adapted to receive a portion of said plungers.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 including:

spring means biasing said top, side and bottom panels to counterbalance them and preventing full extension thereof when released so that the end panels may be elevated before the bed is fully extended thereby clearing their interlocking means and positioning them relative thereto so that outward and downward movement of the end panels fully extends the bed and engages the interlock means for the upper corners of the panels to lock the bed in position.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said counterbalancing spring means comprises:

torque bars interengaging the bottom panel and the frame and biasing the bottom panel into an upward folded position.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said spring means comprises tension springs at the opposite sidewalls of the frame and exerting their forces thereon; and

pushrods engaged by said springs and pivotally secured to the roof panel to bias it in an upward direction.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 including means entirely enclosing said springs from access from both the interior and exterior of the extended bed.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 in which said springs and pushrods are entirely enclosed from access from the interior of the bed and only said pushrods are exposed at the exterior of the extended bed.

8. The combination defined in claim 5 in which said springs have fixed and free ends, with their free ends surrounding spring guides having bifurcated ends;

short shafts extending through the legs of said bifurcated ends and secured thereto, the free ends of said springs engaging said shafts between said legs which thereby prevent tilting of said shafts and said pushrods being pivoted on the ends of said shafts remote from the ends engaged by the spring guides and springs.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 in which such springs are enclosed within chambers provided in said frame, said chambers being provided with slots through which said short shafts extend; and

slides mounted on said short shafts and closing said slots as the shafts move therealong.

10. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said counterbalancing spring means comprises:

a spring system including torque bars interconnecting the bottom panel and the frame and tension springs operating on pushrods engaging the roof panel, said torsion bars and tension springs operating together to counterbalance the bed panels and prevent their full extension when released after preliminary panel movement to the exterior of the vehicle body.

11. The combination defined in claim 1 in which:

said third hinge is relieved to provide multiple rotational hinge axes so that the side and bottom panels will pass through an opening in the frame, near the fully collapsed closed position, in both opening and closing directions without binding.

12. The combination defined in claim 1 in which:

said third hinge is articulated to rotate about a pair of axes so that the side and bottom panels will pass through an opening in the frame, near the fully collapsed closed position, in both opening and closing directions without bind- 13. 'l he combination defined in claim 12 including:

stop means positively limiting the rotation of said articulated hinge in the hinge-opening, bed-collapsing toward closed position, direction,

14. The combination defined in claim 12, including:

means positively limiting the movement of said articulated hinge in the extended position to restrict the relative rotation of the side and bottom panels to a substantially rightangular one with the bed extended,

15. The combination defined in claim 12 in which said articulate hinge comprises a first leg rigidly connected to the bottom of said side panel and having a first rotating axis;

a second leg rigidly connected to said bottom panel and having a second rotating axis offset and parallel to said first rotating axis; and

third and fourth legs rotating about said first and second axes and rigidly connected only to each other.

16. The combination defined in claim 15 in which said third and fourth legs of the articulated hinge positively bottom against a rigid part to limit the relative rotation between the side and bottom panels in the extended direction.

17. The combination defined in claim 1 including:

stationary brackets engaged by the inner upper corners of the end panels and serving to absorb, through the end panels, substantially the major portion of the load on the extended bed.

18. The combination defined in claim 17 including:

latch means for holding the end panels in their extended positions in engagement with said structural supporting brackets.

19. The combination defined in claim 1 including:

means for latching said bottom, side and roof panels in vertical position interiorly of the vehicle body; and

means for latching said end panels to the bottom panel within the vehicle body to occupy minimal space therein and to hold the mattress and other equipment against the bottom panel.

20. The combination defined in claim 19 including:

means latching the top of the bottom panel to the top of the frame at the inside of the vehicle; and

means latching the bottom of the roof panel at the inside of the vehicle so that said bed may be opened only from the inside of the vehicle.

21. The combination defined in claim 1 including:

a manipulating rod for the roof panel of the bed having a free, manually engageable end and an opposite end engageable with the roof panel so as to be movable therealong from a substantially inoperable position in which the manipulatable rod is locked to the roof panel to an operative position intermediate the top and bottom of the roof panel at which point push and pull forces may be exerted on the roof panel to raise and lower the same and the panels associated therewith.

22. The combination defined in claim 21 in which the attachment of the force-applying end of the roof panel is through a bracket attached to the interior face of the roof panel adjacent an end thereof; and

roller means supported on said bracket and movable toward the hinged side thereof for force-applying engagement with the upper end of the bracket.

233 33 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 598,441 Dated August 10, 1971 Inventor-(a) John H. Damiani It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

ABSTRACT, line 6, change "preassembled" to --preassembled.

Column 1 line 39, change "locked" to'-- -interlocked line 70, insert a hyphen between "frame" and "supported".

Column 2, line 11, change "pickup" to'-pick up.

Column 3, line 55 change "52" to 5l-.

Column 4, line 17, change "be" to -byline 52, change "b6" to -by-.

Column 5, line 44, change "overcenter" to -overcenter-; line 64, change '39" to --30-. I

Column 6, line 10, insert hyphen, between "line" and "center"; line 19, after "extending" change "he" to the-.

Column 8, line 17, change "onward" to i nward-; line 23, delete hyphen after "spring-.

Signed and sealed this mtn day of March 1972.

(SEA 4 Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,IJR. I ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Y Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. In an extendable and foldable bed and vehicle body construction, in combination: a substantially box-shaped vehicle body providing living space therein; a substantially vertical wall for said vehicle body having an opening therein; a unitary bed, mechanism and supporting frame mounted in said opening in readily assemblable and disassemblable relation as a unit; a bed roof panel hingedly mounted adjacent the top of said frame by a longitudinally extending first hinge, said roof panel when folded forming a continuation of the wall of said vehicle body to close the opening therein; a side panel for said bed hinged to said roof panel adjacent the free end thereof by a second hinge having a longitudinally extending axis parallel to the axis of said first hinge; a bed bottom panel having an extended exterior end hinged to the extended bottom end of said side panel by a third hinge having a longitudinal axis parallel to the axes of said first and second hinges; a fourth hinge mounting the bottom panel to the bottom of the frame a substantial distance from the interior end of said bottom panel, said fourth hinge having a longitudinally extending axis parallel to the axes of said first three hinges; end panels for the extended bed hinged to the opposite ends of said bottom panel at fifth and sixth hinges having axes substantially transverse to the axes of said first four hinges whereby upon extension of said roof, side and bottom panels by rotation about their hinge axes, the end panels may thereafter be elevated into vertical position about their transverse axes; means interlocking said end panels to the other elements of the bed and frame, and including: first means locking one upper corner of said end panels to said side panel thereby preventing said end panels from folding movement about their transverse axes; and second means locking the other upper corner of said end panels to said frame thereby preventing said end panels from inward movement whereby said foldable bed is securely locked in the assembled position.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which: said first locking means comprise rigid fixed pins projecting inwardly from said side panel and recesses in said end panels adapted to receive said pins; and sAid second locking means comprise releasable spring-biased plungers projecting from said end panels and recesses in said frame adapted to receive a portion of said plungers.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 including: spring means biasing said top, side and bottom panels to counterbalance them and preventing full extension thereof when released so that the end panels may be elevated before the bed is fully extended thereby clearing their interlocking means and positioning them relative thereto so that outward and downward movement of the end panels fully extends the bed and engages the interlock means for the upper corners of the panels to lock the bed in position.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said counterbalancing spring means comprises: torque bars interengaging the bottom panel and the frame and biasing the bottom panel into an upward folded position.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said spring means comprises tension springs at the opposite sidewalls of the frame and exerting their forces thereon; and pushrods engaged by said springs and pivotally secured to the roof panel to bias it in an upward direction.

8. The combination defined in claim 5 in which said springs have fixed and free ends, with their free ends surrounding spring guides having bifurcated ends; short shafts extending through the legs of said bifurcated ends and secured thereto, the free ends of said springs engaging said shafts between said legs which thereby prevent tilting of said shafts and said pushrods being pivoted on the ends of said shafts remote from the ends engaged by the spring guides and springs.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 in which such springs are enclosed within chambers provided in said frame, said chambers being provided with slots through which said short shafts extend; and slides mounted on said short shafts and closing said slots as the shafts move therealong.

10. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said counterbalancing spring means comprises: a spring system including torque bars interconnecting the bottom panel and the frame and tension springs operating on pushrods engaging the roof panel, said torsion bars and tension springs operating together to counterbalance the bed panels and prevent their full extension when released after preliminary panel movement to the exterior of the vehicle body.

11. The combination defined in claim 1 in which: said third hinge is relieved to provide multiple rotational hinge axes so that the side and bottom panels will pass through an opening in the frame, near the fully collapsed closed position, in both opening and closing directions without binding.

12. The combination defined in claim 1 in which: said third hinge is articulated to rotate about a pair of axes so that the side and bottom panels will pass through an opening in the frame, near the fully collapsed closed position, in both opening and closing directions without binding.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 including: stop means positively limiting the rotation of said articulated hinge in the hinge-opening, bed-collapsing toward closed position, direction.

14. The combination defined in claim 12, including: means positively limiting the movement of said articulated hinge in the extended position to restrict the relative rotation of the side and bottom panels to a substantially right-angular one with the bed extended.

15. The combination defined in claim 12 in which said articulate hinge comprises a first leg rigidly connected to the bottom of said side panel and having A first rotating axis; a second leg rigidly connected to said bottom panel and having a second rotating axis offset and parallel to said first rotating axis; and third and fourth legs rotating about said first and second axes and rigidly connected only to each other.

17. The combination defined in claim 1 including: stationary brackets engaged by the inner upper corners of the end panels and serving to absorb, through the end panels, substantially the major portion of the load on the extended bed.

18. The combination defined in claim 17 including: latch means for holding the end panels in their extended positions in engagement with said structural supporting brackets.

19. The combination defined in claim 1 including: means for latching said bottom, side and roof panels in vertical position interiorly of the vehicle body; and means for latching said end panels to the bottom panel within the vehicle body to occupy minimal space therein and to hold the mattress and other equipment against the bottom panel.

20. The combination defined in claim 19 including: means latching the top of the bottom panel to the top of the frame at the inside of the vehicle; and means latching the bottom of the roof panel at the inside of the vehicle so that said bed may be opened only from the inside of the vehicle.

21. The combination defined in claim 1 including: a manipulating rod for the roof panel of the bed having a free, manually engageable end and an opposite end engageable with the roof panel so as to be movable therealong from a substantially inoperable position in which the manipulatable rod is locked to the roof panel to an operative position intermediate the top and bottom of the roof panel at which point push and pull forces may be exerted on the roof panel to raise and lower the same and the panels associated therewith.

22. The combination defined in claim 21 in which the attachment of the force-applying end of the roof panel is through a bracket attached to the interior face of the roof panel adjacent an end thereof; and roller means supported on said bracket and movable toward the hinged side thereof for force-applying engagement with the upper end of the bracket.