US3772716A

US3772716A - Convertible bed

Info

Publication number: US3772716A
Application number: US00175051A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Ratcliff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-08-26
Filing date: 1971-08-26
Publication date: 1973-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-20

Abstract

A convertible bed for use in a dwelling of limited floor space, such as a travel trailer, camper or boat. The bed is supported from the ceiling of the dwelling by a series of cables and is movable between an upper storage position adjacent the ceiling to a lower sleeping position. One pair of cables is attached to the rear side edge of the bed, while a second pair of cables are attached to the ends of the bed, but spaced from the front side edge. To raise the bed from the lower sleeping position to the storage position, the front edge of the bed is depressed, causing the bed to pivot about the connection of the end cables to the bed, thereby tilting the rear side edge of the bed upwardly above the level of supports mounted on the walls of the dwelling. With the rear edge of the bed located above the level of the supports, the bed is pushed to the rear and the front edge is elevated to the storage position and locked in the storage position by means of slide bolts.

Description

United States Patent 1 Ratclifi CONVERTIBLE BED lnventor: John W. Ratclil'f, RR. 1, Marengo, 111. 60152 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney--Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall 1 Nov. 20, 1973 57 ABSTRACT A convertible bed for use in a dwelling of limited floor space, such as a travel trailer, camper or boat. The bed is supported from the ceiling of the dwelling by a series of cables and is movable betweenan upper storage position adjacent the ceiling to a lower sleeping position. One pair of cables is attached to the rear side edge of the bed, while a second pair of cables are attached to the ends of the bed, but spaced from the front side edge. To raise the bed from the lower sleeping position to the storage position, the front edge of the bed is depressed, causing the bed to pivot about the connection of the end cables to the bed, thereby tilting the rear side edge of the bed upwardly above the level of supports mounted on the walls of the dwelling.'With the rear edge of the bed located above the level of the supports, the bed is pushed to the rear and the front edge is elevated to the storage position and locked in the storage position by means of slide bolts.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PMENTEDNUVPOIQH 3.772.716 SHEET 2 CF 2 INVENTOR. JOHN W RATCLIFF Attorneys CONVERTIBLE BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an auxilliary bed for a dwelling of limited floor space in which the bed can be moved directly between the storage position to a sleeping position without the necessity of folding or extending components of the bed. As associated with a travel trailer, the bed extends across the width of the trailer, and in the lowered or sleeping position, is supported from the ceiling by a series of flexible cables or chains. One pair of cables is attached to the rear edge of the bed, while a second pair of cables is attached to the ends of the bed, but spaced from the front edge. In the lowered position, the bed is locked to the walls of the trailer by slide bolts or other locking mechanism.

To elevate the bed to the storage position, the front edge of the bed is tilted downwardly, causing the bed to pivot about the connection of the end cables to the bed and thereby elevating the rear edge of the bed above the level of supports which are mounted on the trailer wall adjacent the rear edge of the bed. With the rear edge of the bed tilted to a position above the supports, the front edge of the bed can then be pushed upwardly and moved to the rear so that the rear end of the bed will be supported on the supports. The front edge of the bed is then locked in the storage position by means of slide bolts or other locking mechanism.

The convertible bed of the invention can be stored as a unit without the necessity of folding the bed or contracting components of the bed. This provides a distinct advantage in that it is not necessary to remove the bedding when moving the bed to the storage position, nor is it necessary to fold or remove the mattress.

The bed can be readilymoved between the storage and sleeping position by a single person and as the bed is stored flat against the ceiling it is in an out-of-the-way location where it will not interfere with other activities in the travel trailer or dwelling.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a travel trailer incorporating the convertible bed of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bed as shown in the lowered position;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the bed in the lower position with parts broken away in section;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section showing the bed in the lower position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the bed in the storage position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the forward-most beam and showing the locking mechanism; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the supporting cable.

FIG. ll shows the convertible bed of the invention as associated with a travel trailer 2. While the drawings illustrate the bed associated with a travel trailer, it is contemplated that the bed may be utilized in any dwelling of limited floor space such as a camper, boat, cabin, aircraft, or the like.

The travel trailer 2 includes a pair of

side walls

3 and 4, an end wall 5, and a ceiling 6 which is connected to the upper ends of the side walls and end wall. The bed 1 is mounted so that the long dimension of the bed extends between the

side walls

3 and 4 of the trailer and the rear edge of the bed is located adjacent the end wall 5.

The bed' itself includes a series of beams or supports 7, which extends in spaced parallel relation along the length of the bed, and the beams are connected together by a rigid base 8, formed of plywood, wallboard, or the like, which is secured to the upper surface of the beams. As shown in the drawings, the beams are fabricated of tubular steel stock, but it is contemplated that the beams or supports 7 can take various forms. A matress 9, formed of foam plastic, or the like, is supported on the base 8.

Extending upwardly from front beam 7 are a series of tubular vertical supports 10, and a front face board 11 is secured to the vertical supports 10. The face board 11 has a height such that it extends above the level of the mattress 9, and when the bed is in the upper storage position, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper edge of the face board will be adjacent the ceiling so that the matress and any bedding will not be visible. The ends of the beams 7, as well as the ends of the vertical supports 10, are enclosed by plastic caps 12.

In accordance with the invention, the bed I is supported from the ceiling 6 when in the lowered or sleeping position by a pair of rear cables or chains 13 and a pair of front cables or chains 14. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the rear cables 13 are connected to the projecting ends of the rearmost beams 7 while the front cables 14 are attached to the projecting ends of the second beam 7 from the front of the bed. To provide the attachment of the

cables

13 and 14 to the beams, eyelets 15 are secured to the beam ends, and the lower ends of the cables are provided with snap hooks 16 which engage the eyelets. Similarly,.the upper ends of the cables are provided with snap books 17 which are adapted to engage eyelets secured to the ceiling 6. The use of the snap hooks enables the cables and the bed to be removed from the travel trailer if desired.

In the lowered or sleeping position, the bed is supported by the

cables

13 and 14 and the bed can be prevented from swinging in a fore and aft direction by engagement of slide bolts 19 with openings 20 formed in the

side walls

3 and 4. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, each slide bolt 19 is mounted for sliding movement within a tube 21 mounted between the legs of a U-shaped member 22 secured to the forward beam 7. A stem 23 is secured to each slide bolt and projects outwardly through a slot 24 in the tube 21, and the outer end of stem 23 carries a hand knob 25 to be grasped by the operator.

The slide bolts 19 are of standard construction and can be moved to the engaged position and locked therein by engagement of the stem 23 with a notch 26 that is connected to slot 24.

To elevate the bed to the upper storage position the front edge of the bed is pushed or tilted downwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, causing the bed to pivot about the connection of the front cables 14 with the beams and thereby tilting the rear edge of the bed upwardly to a position where the rear beams 7 will be above the level of the supports 27 which are secured to the

side walls

3 and 4 adjacent the end wall 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the supports 27 are generally horizontal and have a length such that they will not interfere with upward pivotal movement of the rear edge of the bed. The are inscribed by the rear edge of the bed as it pivots upwardly will clear the forward end of the supports 25.

With the rear beam 7 located above the supports 27, the front edge of the bed is then pivoted upwardly and the bed is pushed rearwardly so that the rear beam 7 will slide rearwardly along supports the 27 toward the end wall 5. With the bed flatwise adjacent the ceiling 6, slide bolts 19 can then be engaged with openings 28 in the

side walls

3 and 4 to hold the front edge of the bed in the storage position. As shown in FIG. 6, in this position the

cables

13 and 14 are slack.

As shown in FIGS. 3-S, the forward edge of each support 27 is provided with an upstanding lip 29 which prevents the rear beam 7 from sliding off of the supports when the front end of the bed is tilted downwardly.

To lower the bed from the storage position, the slide bolts 19 are released and the front edge of the bed is permitted to drop until the cables 14 are taut. The front edge of the bed can then be depressed, causing the rear edge to pivot upwardly so that the rearmost beam 7 will clear the lips 29 when the bed is pulled forwardly. The rear edge can then be lowered until the bed is in the horizontal sleeping position.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the bed is in the upper storage position, the upper edge of the faceboard 1 l is adjacent the ceiling, so the mattress and other bedding is not visible to occupants of the trailer. Moreover, the exposed beams 7 on the lower surface of the beds, in combination with the base 8, provide a beam ceiling effect which has an attractive appearance.

The convertible bed of the invention stores flat against the ceiling in a position where it will not interfere with normal activities in the trailer or other dwelling. The bed can have a substantial width and as it is stored as a unit, the necessity of folding or retracting any of the components of the bed is eliminated. The bedding can be maintained on the bed while it is in the storage position and this is a substantial advantage in that the removal and replacement of bedding not only requires considerable time, but additional storage space is required for the bedding, and storage space is normally at a premium in a travel trailer or other dwelling of limited floor space.

By use of the tilting principal, the bed can be easily moved between the storage and sleeping positions by a single person. All of the manipulation is applied to the forward edge of the bed and the rear edge of the bed can be located adjacent the end wall where it is not readily accessible.

The term cable as used in the specification and claims is intended to mean any flexible member, such as a chain, rope, straps, or the like. In addition, the terms ends" and side" as applied to the bed are used interchangeably and are not intended to designate the long and short dimensions of the bed.

I claim:

1. A bed construction for a dwelling, comprising a supporting structure, a bed supported by the supporting structure and movable between an upper storage position and a lower sleeping position, said bed having a front side and a rear side and having a pair of ends connecting said front and rear sides, a pair of flexible support members interconnecting the bed and the sup porting structure, pivotal connecting means for connecting the bed for vertical tilting movement with respect to said flexible support members, said pivotal connecting means being located at the ends of the bed and spaced from the front and rear sides of the bed, first support means connected to the supporting structure and located adjacent said upper position for supporting the rear side portion of the bed when it is in the upper position, downward tilting of the forward side of the bed, when the bed is in the lower position, causing the bed to tilt about said connecting means to thereby elevate the rear side to a level above the supporting means second support means for supporting the rear side portion of the bed when the bed is in the lower position, said second support means interconnects the rear side portion of the bed and the supporting structure, and locking means for locking the bed against swinging movement when the bed is in the lower position.

2. The bed of claim 1, wherein said supporting structure includes a pair of spaced vertical walls disposed parallel to and adjacent said ends, and said support means comprises a support bar secured to each wall, said support bar having a length substantially less than the front-to-rear dimension of the bed.

3. The bed of claim 1, wherein the distance between said pivotal connecting means and the rear side of the bed is greater than the distance between the upper and lower positions.

4. The bed of claim 1, wherein aaid connecting means is located between the front side and the midpoint of the front-to-rear dimension of the bed.

5. The bed construction of claim 1, wherein said bed includes a series of spaced parallel beams extending parallel to said front and rear sides, a solid non-folding base member supported on the beams, and a matress mounted on said base member, the ends of the beam located adjacent the rear side of the bed disposed to rest on said first support means when the bed is in the upper position.

6. The bed construction of claim 5, and including a facing member secured to the front side of the bed, the upper edge of the facing member extending to a level above the upper surface of the mattress whereby the upper edge of the facing member will be located adjacent the ceiling when the beds in the storage position and the mattress will not be visible.

7. The bed construction of claim 5, and including a stop extending upward from said first support means and spaced forwardly of the beam located adjacent the rear side of the bed, said stop preventing the bed when in its upper position from sliding forwardly from said first support means.

i i i

Claims

1. A bed construction for a dwelling, comprising a supporting structure, a bed supported by the supporting sTructure and movable between an upper storage position and a lower sleeping position, said bed having a front side and a rear side and having a pair of ends connecting said front and rear sides, a pair of flexible support members interconnecting the bed and the supporting structure, pivotal connecting means for connecting the bed for vertical tilting movement with respect to said flexible support members, said pivotal connecting means being located at the ends of the bed and spaced from the front and rear sides of the bed, first support means connected to the supporting structure and located adjacent said upper position for supporting the rear side portion of the bed when it is in the upper position, downward tilting of the forward side of the bed, when the bed is in the lower position, causing the bed to tilt about said connecting means to thereby elevate the rear side to a level above the supporting means second support means for supporting the rear side portion of the bed when the bed is in the lower position, said second support means interconnects the rear side portion of the bed and the supporting structure, and locking means for locking the bed against swinging movement when the bed is in the lower position.