US3644946A

US3644946A - Adjustable bed

Info

Publication number: US3644946A
Application number: US37722A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard W Swatt
Original assignee: Acme Spring Co
Current assignee: Acme Spring Co
Priority date: 1970-05-15
Filing date: 1970-05-15
Publication date: 1972-02-29
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-28

Abstract

An adjustable bed comprising a rectangular frame on which are mounted rigid bedboard sections supporting a coil spring directly thereon. The bedboard comprises a stationary seat section mounted on the frame, and head and thigh sections pivoted at fixed points relative to the frame and seat section and tiltable relative thereto. A foot section is pivoted to the thigh section for relative rotative movement therebetween. The foot section is connected to the frame by pivoted levers and the head and thigh sections have lever arms pivotally mounted thereon at one end and carrying rollers at their opposite ends mounted on trackways on the frame. Separate motor actuators individually rotate the arms pivotally mounted on the head and thigh bedboard sections to tilt them as the rollers ride on the trackways on the frame. The actuators are individually operated in opposite directions to adjust the bed by manual control.

Description

L: Unite States atent Swatt [54] ADJUSTABLE BED [72] Inventor: Leonard W. Swatt, Los Angeles, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Acme Spring Company, Los Angeles,

Calif.

[22] Filed: May 15,1970

[21] Appl.No.: 37,722

[52] U.S.Cl ..5/68,5/69 [51] lnt.Cl. A6lg7/00,A61g7/10 [58] FieldofSearch ..5/63,66-69 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,815,742 7/1931 Schiffhouer.... ..5/68 2,500,742 3/l950 Taylor ..5/68 3,061,843 11/1962 SingeretaL. .....5/66 3,127,619 4/1964 Bronstien ..5/68 3,447,176 6/1969 Spitz ..5/91

Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht [5 7] ABSTRACT An adjustable bed comprising a rectangular frame on which are mounted rigid bedboard sections supporting a coil spring directly thereon. The bedboard comprises a stationary seat section mounted on the frame, and head and thigh sections pivoted at fixed points relative to the frame and seat section and tiltabie relative thereto. A foot section is pivoted to the thigh section for relative rotative movement therebetween. The foot section is connected to the frame by pivoted levers and the head and thigh sections have lever arms pivotally mounted thereon at one end and carrying rollers at their opposite ends mounted on trackways on the frame. Separate motor actuators individually rotate the arms pivotally mounted on the head and thigh bedboard sections to tilt them as the rollers ride on the trackways on the frame. The actuators are individually operated in opposite directions to adjust the bed by manual control.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,644,946

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 [NV/W2 Zia/MR0 I44 5144477 BY ,M? M

Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,644,946

2 Sheets-Sheet 3 ADJUSTABLE BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. This invention lies in the field of power driven adjustable beds to provide contoured support.

2. Manual and power-driven adjustable beds are well known and have long been used in hospitals and for invalid care. Such beds are provided with pivotal sections in end-to-end relation and are variously elevated to position different portions of a patients body as desired for comfort or treatment. Conventionally, such beds have employed link fabric or straps peripherally attached to the sides and ends of frame sections for mattress support and have elevated the bed sections by various combinations of levers and arms connected to or rolling against the bed sections.

Adjustable beds have also been supplied for general use in homes for comfort in reading, television viewing and the like, but these have, in general, followed the constructions previously adopted for hospital beds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a power-driven adjustable bed for home use which has standard level bed height and mounts a coil-type spring on an adjustable bedboard foundation. It incorporates a low rectangular frame on which are mounted relatively tiltable head, seat, thigh and foot sections controllably moved to a desired contour position, and it is the primary object of the invention to provide an improved, positive and reliable bed of low height which may be power contoured by the occupant to desired positions.

A bottom rectangular frame is formed of wide rails having furniture surfaces thereon giving a pleasing, finished appearance. A seat section of a bedboard is rigidly mounted on the frame, and head and thigh sections of the bedboard are pivotally mounted at the head and foot edges thereof to be tiltable relative thereto and to the frame. Actuating arms are pivotally mounted adjacent the free ends of the head and thigh sections and carry rollers at their free ends which are disposed for rolling guidance within trackways mounted on the frame. Individual actuators, manually controlled by the bed occupant, swing the pivoted arms relative to the head and thigh sections to effect the desired tilting thereof as the rollers move in the trackways.

A foot bedboard section is pivoted to the edge of the thigh section and connected by lever arms to the frame to determine its position relative to the thigh section and the frame. The last-mentioned lever arms are engaged with stops rigid with the frame to support the foot of the bedboard in its lowered position.

A rail-type spring of horizontally spaced vertical coils is relatively permanently mounted and supported on the upper surfaces of the bedboard sections.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable bed according to the present invention elevated into a contour position;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the bed in flat position;

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, with the bed sections in elevated position;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the lines 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the lines 6-6 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The adjustable bed according to the present invention comprises a base frame 11 of rectangular form with a head rail 12, a foot rail 13, and

side rails

14 and 15 rigidly connected together at the ends through reinforcing blocks 16. The platform 11 is supported on casters 17 and the rails l2-15 are desirably relatively wide and made of furniture wood having a finished exterior surface to present a pleasing appearance. Generally centrally of the frame 11, the siderails l4 and 15 are interconnected adjacent their bottoms by a transverse board 18 rigidly connected thereto to reinforce the frame and serve as a support for the bed actuators.

A bedboard 19 is desirably made up of a plurality of sections in the form of wood panels arranged end-to-end to form the complete bedboard and, when lowered, resting on the top edge of the frame 11, as shown in FIG. 2. On the top edges of the

siderails

14 and 15 is rigidly mounted a stationary seat section panel 21 of the bedboard 19. To the head edge of the seat section 21 is hinged a head section panel 22, as by a hinge 23. A thigh section panel 24 is hingedly mounted to the foot edge of the seat section 21, as by a hinge 25. A foot section panel 26 is hingedly mounted to the foot edge of the thigh section 24, as by a hinge 27.

Upon the upper surface of the bedboard 19 is relativelypermanently mounted a coil spring 28 having the bottoms of its coils 29 rigidly attached, as by staples, to the upper surfaces of the

bedboard panel sections

21, 22, 24 and 26. The head and foot sections of the spring 28 may be finished off by

edge wires

31 and 32, respectively, with the side edges therebetween unfinished to facilitate ready bending of the spring 28 to follow the contour established by the bedboard sections as they are elevated. The spring 28 therefore becomes a permanent part of the bedboard and bed which can be taken off only by dismantling the same from its relatively permanent attachment to the bedboard sections. At the foot end ofthe foot section 26 is mounted a bracket 33 adapted to be engaged by the foot ofa conventional mattress 34 disposed on the spring 28, the bracket 33 restraining the mattress 34 from sliding off the spring 28 toward the foot of the bed.

An elongated, U-shaped bracket 35 having

short legs

26 and 37 is rigidly secured to the bottom surface of the head bedboard section 22 adjacent the head end thereof, as by screws 38. Pivotally mounted on the

opposite legs

36 and 37 are a pair of

arms

39 and 41 interconnected by a bar 42 welded thereto in a substantially H-shape, the

arms

39 and 41 thereby swinging as a unit about their pivotal connection with the

legs

36 and 37 of the bracket 35. At the outside ofthe free ends of the

arms

39 and 41 are mounted

rollers

43 and 44, respectively, which are preferably of Nylon or other quiet plastic material. The

rollers

43 and 44 are supported for rolling movement in U-shaped

channels

45 and 46, respectively, and respectively mounted on the

side rails

14 and 15, as by screws 47. Tension springs 48, interconnecting the ends of the

arms

39 and 41 and brackets 49 rigidly secured to the inner face of the head rail 12, bias the free ends of the

arms

39 and 41 toward the head of the bed.

Generally centrally of the bar 42 are rigidly mounted a pair of spaced, rigid supporting strips 51 between which is pivotally mounted the outside nut member 52 of an actuator 50 within which telescopes a screw 53 to expand and contract the actuator. The screw 53 is rotated in opposite directions by an electric motor 54 through a reduction gearing, indicated generally at 55. The motor 54, reduction gearing 55, and the adjacent end of screw 53 are mounted on a supporting bracket 56 which is pivotally mounted by lugs 57 to the upstanding walls 58 of a bracket 59 rigidly secured to the board 18, as by screws 61. The motor 54 is of the reversing field type to rotate in opposite directions under the command of a pushbutton hand controller 62. The electrical circuitry between the pushbutton hand controller 62, the motor 54, and the motor to be later described for the thigh section of the bedboard is conventional, the pushbuttons of the controller 62 reversing the fields of motors to rotate them in opposite directions to raise and lower the bedboard sections.

An elongated, U-shaped bracket 65 having short legs 66 and 67 is rigidly secured to the undersurface of the thigh bedboard section 24 adjacent the foot end thereof, as by screws 68. Pivotally mounted on the opposite legs 66 and 67 are a pair of

arms

69 and 71, respectively. A bar 72 rigidly connects the

arms

69 and 71 in an H-configuration so that the arms rotate together about their pivotal mountings. On the free ends of the

arms

69 and 71, at the outside thereof, are rotatably mounted

rollers

73 and 74 of Nylon or other quiet plastic material. The

rollers

73 and 74 are supported and guided for rolling movement within

U-shaped channels

75 and 76 rigidly mounted on the inner surfaces of the opposite siderails 14 and 15, as by screws 77.

Adjacent the middle of the crossbar 72 are rigidly mounted a pair of spaced, rigid supporting strips 81 between which is pivotally mounted the outer nut portion 82 of an actuator 80 in which is telescopically received a screw 83 to expand and contract the actuator.

The screw 83 is rotated in opposite directions by an electric motor 84 through a reduction gearing generally indicated at 85, the motor 84, reduction gearing 85 and adjacent end of the screw 83 being supported on a bracket 86 pivotally mounted by lugs 87 on the upstanding walls 58 of the bracket 59.

A pair of brackets 88 are mounted on the under surface of the foot bedboard section 26 adjacent the opposite foot corners thereof, as by screws 89. Upon the upper surfaces of the

U-shaped channels

75 and 76 are rigidly secured lugs 91 and 92. Lever

arms

93 and 94 are pivotally mounted at their opposite ends to the

brackets

88, 99 and the

lugs

91, 92 so that the foot end of the bedboard section 26 is supported by and its movement restricted to the movements of the

lever arms

93 and 94. The

U-shaped guide channels

75 and 76 are also provided with rigid stop lugs 95, 96 adjacent their foot ends engaged by the

levers

93, 94 in the lowered position of the bedboard sections to support the foot section 26, as shown in FIG. 2.

Magnetic strips

97 and 98 are rigidly secured to the under surface of the bedboard seat section 21 outside the siderails l4 and and the hand controller 62 is provided with an end magnet 99 which engages with either of the

magnetic strips

97, 98 to hold the controller beneath the bedboard section, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The controller has UP and DOWN pushbuttons 101 for the

motors

54 and 84 which can be pushed with the controller attached, as in FIG. 1, or the controller can be readily detached and held in the hand of the operator while the height of the bed is being adjusted.

The operation of the adjustable bed of this invention will now be described. The bed is shown in its lowered flat position in FIG. 2. To raise the head section 22 of the bedboard 19, the appropriate UP pushbutton 101 controlling the motor 54 will be pressed, whereupon the screw 53 will be rotated to expand the telescoping actuator 50 thereby rotating the

arms

39, 41 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. As the telescoping nut 52 moves outwardly and the

arms

39, 41 rotate, the

rollers

43 and 44 roll toward the head end of the

guide channels

45, 46, aided in this movement by the tension springs 48. Rotation of motor 44 and screw 53 may be stopped at any desired point in the elevation of the head section 22, the maximum elevation being illustrated in FIG. 3, where the actuator 50 has reached its maximum expansion with the

rollers

43 and 44 adjacent the head ends of the

guide channels

45, 46. To lower the head section 22, the corresponding DOWN pushbutton 101 of the control 62 is pressed, thereby rotating screw 53 in the opposite direction to retract the actuator 50 and rotate the

arms

39, 41 counterclockwise, moving the

rollers

43, 44 toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 3, and dropping the head section 22 of the bedboard. In this tilting movement of the headboard section 22, it rotates at the hinge 23 about the upper head corner ol'thc fixed seat section 21.

To raise the thigh section 24, the appropriate pushbutton 101 of the controller 62 is pressed to rotate the screw 83 and collapse the telescoping actuator 80. This moves the

arms

69, 71 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, and the

rollers

73, 74 move toward the left, as shown in FIG. 2, to be stopped at any tilted upward position of the thigh section 24. FIG. 3 shows this section 24 moved to its extreme position with the actuator fully collapsed to the limit of its retracting ability and with the

rollers

73, 74 adjacent the inner ends of the

guide channels

75, 76. In this movement upwardly, the thigh section 24 rotates about the hinge 25 at the upper corner of the foot end of the fixed seat section 21 of the bedboard.

As the thigh section 24 tilts upwardly, the foot section 26 also moves upwardly because of its connection to the thigh section at the hinge 27 at the lower corners of the sections. The foot section 26 is supported at one end by the hinge 27 and at the opposite end by the

lever arms

93, 94 connected to the

brackets

88, 89. FIG. 3 shows the foot section at its maximum upward position, as controlled by the thigh section 24. If the thigh section is stopped at an intermediate position, the foot section, as well, will stop at an intermediate position, again controlled by its connection to the thigh section at the hinge 27 and by the

arms

93 and 94 supporting its foot end. To lower the thigh and foot sections, the appropriate DOWN pushbutton 101 is pressed to rotate the motor 84 and screw 83 in the reverse direction to expand the telescoping actuator 80 whereby the

arms

68 and 69 rotate in a counterclockwise direction toward the position of FIG. 2, the

lever arms

93 and 94 lowering the foot section 26 at the same time that the thigh section 24 tilts downwardly. In the position of FIG. 2, the bedboard sections are supported on the upper edge of the frame 11, and the extending foot section 26 is additionally supported by the engagement of the

arms

93 and 94 with the stop lugs 95 and 96. In the position of FIG. 2, the

arms

93 and 94 are received within slots in the footrail 13 which provide clearance to permit the

arms

93 and 94 and the footboard section 26 to assume the horizontal position.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An adjustable bed comprising:

a substantially rigid rectangular frame formed of head, foot and side rails;

a bedboard mounted to engage the upper edge ofsaid frame and comprised ofa plurality of panels arranged in end-toend relation;

one of said panels being fixed to the upper edge of said frame intermediate the head and foot thereof;

a second of said panels comprising a head section having a fixed pivot and extending from the head end of said fixed panel;

first arm means for rotatably tilting the head section, the first arm means having one pivotally connected end and an opposing free end;

a first actuator for independently driving the first arm means by its free end to rotate the arm means about its pivotally connected end to rotate the head about its fixed pivot into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame;

means along which the free end of said first arm means is guided;

a third of said panels having a fixed pivot and extending from the foot end of said fixed panel;

second arm means for rotatably tilting the third panel, the second arm means having one pivotally connected end and an opposing free end;

a second actuator for independently driving the second arm means by its free end to rotate the arm means about its pivotally connected end to rotate the third panel about its fixed pivot into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame;

means along which the free end of said second arm means is guided;

support means for mounting each actuator to said frame;

and

spring means relatively permanently affixed to the upper surfaces of said bedboard panels so as to form a unit therewith 2. The bed defined in claim 1 and further including:

a fourth panel hingedly mounted to the foot end of said third panel to move therewith; and

means for supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth panel, said spring means being relatively permanently attached to all said panels.

3. The-bed defined in claim 2, including:

said frame rails having a substantial vertical width and being formed of wood with a furniture outer surface to present a finished appearance.

4. The bed defined in claim 2, in which:

the means for supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth panel comprises a pair of lever arms at the opposite sides of the foot end of said fourth panel pivoted respectively to said panel and to fixed parts; and

stop means engaging said lever arms in the lowered position of the fourth panel to support the foot end of the bed.

5. An adjustable bed comprising:

a substantially rectangular frame formed of head, foot and side rails;

a fixed bed section mounted on the siderails of said frame intermediate the head and foot thereof;

a second bed section mounted on a fixed pivot adjacent the head end of said fixed bed section;

a third bed section mounted on a fixed pivot adjacent the foot end of said fixed bed section;

a pair of arms pivotally connected to said second bed section adjacent the head end thereof;

rollers on the free ends of said arms;

guides on said siderails for supporting and guiding movement of said rollers;

a pair of arms pivotally mounted to said third bed section adjacent the foot end thereof;

rollers in the free ends of said last-mentioned arms;

guides on the siderails for supporting and guiding movement of said last-mentioned rollers; and

independent actuators for rotating the pairs of arms pivoted to the second and third bed sections independently of each other, whereby as the rollers at the ends of the arms move in their guides, the second and third bed sections will rotate about their fixed pivots independently into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame.

6. The bed defined in claim 5 including:

a fourth section pivotally mounted to the foot end of said third section; and

means supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth section as it moves in response to movement of the third section.

7. The bed defined in claim 5, including:

means rigidly connecting each pair of arms together for common movement as a unit, the pairs being independently rotatable by their actuators.

8. The bed defined in claim 5, in which said guides for said rollers are in the form of U-shaped trackways mounted on the opposite side rails adjacent the head and foot thereof and facing inwardly of the frame to receive the rollers therein.

9. The bed defined in claim 5 including:

spring means biasing the arms pivoted on the second bed section toward the position in which they tilt the head section upwardly.

10. The bed defined in claim 6 in which said fixed bed section supports the seat of the occupant;

the second bed section is the head section of the bed;

the third section is the thigh section of the bed;

the fourth section is the foot section of the bed; said actuator for the head section moving telescopically and expanding to move the rollers on the end of its pivoted arms toward the head of the bed to elevate the head section; and

said actuator for the thigh section moving telescopically and contracting to move the rollers on its pivoted arms toward the center of the frame to elevate the thigh section of the bed.

11. The bed as defined in claim 10 including:

a support rigidly interconnecting the siderails of the frame;

and

means on said support pivotally mounting the relatively stationary ends of the actuators for limited swinging movement as the head and thigh sections are separately tilted thereby.

12. The bed defined in claim 1, in which:

each said means along which the free ends of said first and second arm means are guided is connected to said siderails for guiding and additionally supporting said free ends, the pivoted end of the first arm means being connected to said head section and the pivoted end of the second arm means being connected to said third panel.

Claims

1. An adjustable bed comprising: a substantially rigid rectangular frame formed of head, foot and side rails; a bedbOard mounted to engage the upper edge of said frame and comprised of a plurality of panels arranged in end-to-end relation; one of said panels being fixed to the upper edge of said frame intermediate the head and foot thereof; a second of said panels comprising a head section having a fixed pivot and extending from the head end of said fixed panel; first arm means for rotatably tilting the head section, the first arm means having one pivotally connected end and an opposing free end; a first actuator for independently driving the first arm means by its free end to rotate the arm means about its pivotally connected end to rotate the head about its fixed pivot into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame; means along which the free end of said first arm means is guided; a third of said panels having a fixed pivot and extending from the foot end of said fixed panel; second arm means for rotatably tilting the third panel, the second arm means having one pivotally connected end and an opposing free end; a second actuator for independently driving the second arm means by its free end to rotate the arm means about its pivotally connected end to rotate the third panel about its fixed pivot into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame; means along which the free end of said second arm means is guided; support means for mounting each actuator to said frame; and spring means relatively permanently affixed to the upper surfaces of said bedboard panels so as to form a unit therewith

2. The bed defined in claim 1 and further including: a fourth panel hingedly mounted to the foot end of said third panel to move therewith; and means for supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth panel, said spring means being relatively permanently attached to all said panels.

3. The bed defined in claim 2, including: said frame rails having a substantial vertical width and being formed of wood with a furniture outer surface to present a finished appearance.

4. The bed defined in claim 2, in which: the means for supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth panel comprises a pair of lever arms at the opposite sides of the foot end of said fourth panel pivoted respectively to said panel and to fixed parts; and stop means engaging said lever arms in the lowered position of the fourth panel to support the foot end of the bed.

5. An adjustable bed comprising: a substantially rectangular frame formed of head, foot and side rails; a fixed bed section mounted on the siderails of said frame intermediate the head and foot thereof; a second bed section mounted on a fixed pivot adjacent the head end of said fixed bed section; a third bed section mounted on a fixed pivot adjacent the foot end of said fixed bed section; a pair of arms pivotally connected to said second bed section adjacent the head end thereof; rollers on the free ends of said arms; guides on said siderails for supporting and guiding movement of said rollers; a pair of arms pivotally mounted to said third bed section adjacent the foot end thereof; rollers in the free ends of said last-mentioned arms; guides on the siderails for supporting and guiding movement of said last-mentioned rollers; and independent actuators for rotating the pairs of arms pivoted to the second and third bed sections independently of each other, whereby as the rollers at the ends of the arms move in their guides, the second and third bed sections will rotate about their fixed pivots independently into desired tilted positions with respect to the frame.

6. The bed defined in claim 5 including: a fourth section pivotally mounted to the foot end of said third section; and means supporting and guiding the foot end of said fourth section as it moves in response to movement of the third section.

7. The bed defined in claim 5, including: means rigidly connecting each pair of arms tOgether for common movement as a unit, the pairs being independently rotatable by their actuators.

9. The bed defined in claim 5 including: spring means biasing the arms pivoted on the second bed section toward the position in which they tilt the head section upwardly.

10. The bed defined in claim 6 in which said fixed bed section supports the seat of the occupant; the second bed section is the head section of the bed; the third section is the thigh section of the bed; the fourth section is the foot section of the bed; said actuator for the head section moving telescopically and expanding to move the rollers on the end of its pivoted arms toward the head of the bed to elevate the head section; and said actuator for the thigh section moving telescopically and contracting to move the rollers on its pivoted arms toward the center of the frame to elevate the thigh section of the bed.

11. The bed as defined in claim 10 including: a support rigidly interconnecting the siderails of the frame; and means on said support pivotally mounting the relatively stationary ends of the actuators for limited swinging movement as the head and thigh sections are separately tilted thereby.

12. The bed defined in claim 1, in which: each said means along which the free ends of said first and second arm means are guided is connected to said siderails for guiding and additionally supporting said free ends, the pivoted end of the first arm means being connected to said head section and the pivoted end of the second arm means being connected to said third panel.