ASSEMBLY OF BACKUP FOR DUAL LEGS REFERENCE CRVAGAPA TO RELATED RISK The present application corresponds to a continuation-in-part of the patent application of the U.S.A. Serial No. 5 08 / 100,915 filed on August 9, 1993. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to furniture articles of the type having an extendable leg support assembly and in particular to a backrest assembly. ? > dual leg that has a primary leg back panel and a secondary leg back panel, interconnected by an articulation mechanism for concurrent articulated movement between stored and extended portions. Traditionally, furniture items of type
reclinerories (ie chairs, sofas, sofas or sofas for two, sectional, etc.) are equipped by a drive mechanism to operatively interconnect seat assemblies for a stationary frame structure for reclining movement between a "vertical" portion and various
"reclined" positions. As a further comfort feature, the drive mechanism can be adapted to move an extendable leg support assembly between a retracted (ie "stored") position and an elongated position
(ie "extended"). The drive mechanism
Typically, it includes a combination of various mechanical joints that can be selectively actuated to cause either coordinated or independent knee movement of the seat assembly relative to the extensible movement of the leg support assembly. As is known, most conventional leg support assemblies include an upholstered legrest panel and a pair of scissor-type articulations, which interconnect the legrest panel to the actuator mechanism, for movement between stored positions and l 'extended. In the extended position, a space is created between a front edge of the seat and a trailing edge of the leg support panel, such that only the feet of the occupant of the seat and the lower part of the legs are supported on the seat panel. backrest for legs. In an effort to
To provide additional support for legs, it has been proposed to incorporate a second leg support panel (i.e. a half-ottoman) into the leg support assembly between the seat and the primary leg support panel, to provide a surface of support for legs
substantially uninterrupted. In essence, such a "dual" legrest mount is operable to convert the recliner chair into a chair that is a meridian (chaise lounge). Several examples of recliner chairs equipped with a dual legrest mount are described in the
Patents of the U.S.A. Nos. 2,774,412 (Luc hardt); 2,871,917 (Shliephacke); 2,914,114 (Fletcher); 3,537,747 (Rodgers); 4,674,794 (Pine); and 5,090,768 (Re). However, most conventional dual leg backrest assemblies have a joint mechanism that is relatively complex, bulky and expensive to manufacture. Commonly, this complexity is due to the need to provide and maintain adequate spacing between the two leg panels during the articulated joint movement between them. In addition, some backrest mountings for legs, dual,
! < ? ' conventional, require that the secondary leg support panel be thinner than the primary leg re-panel, to again maintain adequate spacing between them during articulated movement. In this way, while some montages of
backrest for dual, conventional legs, operate satisfactorily for intended purpose, furniture manufacturers are currently striving to develop a
1 improved articulation mechanism for reduced complexity, increased structural strength and more uniform operation
as for improved comfort and convenience of the occupant. In addition, there is a continuing desire to develop an improved articulation mechanism that reduces manufacturing and assembly costs, while promoting improved product quality.
According to this, the present invention is generally directed to providing an improved "dual" legrest assembly for use in furniture articles. Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved articulation mechanism for a dual legrest assembly that reduces its overall complexity and cost, while providing uniform operation and improved comfort to the occupant of the seat. Another object of the present invention is to provide an articulation mechanism for a leg support assembly, which can be installed in furniture articles without requiring significant modification of the article and essentially in substitution by a traditional leg support assembly. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a recliner chair is equipped with a dual legrest mount, which has a primary legrest back panel and a secondary legboard, interconnected by a single articulation mechanism for movement concurrent articulation between "stored" and "extended" positions. Various other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will now be apparent to a person skilled in the art from the study of the following written description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary reclining chair having the dual legrest assembly of the present invention illustrated in a fully retracted or "stored" position; Figure 2 is another perspective view of the recliner chair or chair showing the dual elongated legrest assembly to a fully "extended" position; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation view of the recliner chair showing the articulation mechanism for the dual legrest mounting in a fully retracted condition; Figure 4 is a view of the articulation mechanism for the dual leg backrest assembly and in a partially extended condition; Figure 5 illustrates the articulation mechanism for the dual legrest mounting in the fully extended condition; Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation view of a recliner chair, generally similar to the recliner chair illustrated in Figure 3, illustrating an alternate embodiment of the articulation mechanism for the dual legrest mounting of the present invention in a fully condition retracted; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the articulation mechanism illustrated in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a view of the articulation mechanism illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, in a partially extended condition; Figure 9 illustrates the articulation mechanism shown in Figures 6 to 8 in a fully extended condition. DESCRIPTION DBTAT.EVER OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an improved "dual" leg support assembly is described as being adapted for use in furniture articles for one person and multiple persons (ie, chairs, sectional , sofas, confidantes (love seats), etc,). More particularly, an improved articulation mechanism is described which is operable to cause coordinated articulated movement of a primary leg support panel and a secondary (ie half-ottoman) leg support panel. Further, while the particular embodiment discloses teachings of manually operating the improved articulation mechanism by means of a well-known handle-type drive mechanism.It will be understood, however, that the principles of the present invention apply equally to other drive systems known to those skilled in the art. For example, the articulation mechanism of the present invention may be actuated alternately in response to the reclining movement of the seat assembly or by a motor-driven pin drive system. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the novel dual-leg backrest assembly of the present invention is universally applicable to incorporate and use virtually any reclining-type article or piece of furniture to convert it into a chaise lounge. ip ^ Finally, since the particular form of the article of furniture does not
• v comprises per part of the invention, only those portions or components therein necessary for a clear understanding of the invention will be described with any specificity. With reference to the drawings, and particularly the
Figures 1 and 2, an exemplary rocking chair / armchair 10, is illustrated to include an upholstered armchair frame 12, which is supported for rocking movement, from a stationary platform-like base mount 14. A cushioned seat member 16 and a member cushioned seat backrest 18 are supported
from the chair frame 12 and define a seat assembly. The seat assembly is held in the chair frame 12 by any convenient reclining mechanism to allow its knee movement between a "vertical" portion and a fully "reclined" portion. The armchair 10 also
illustrates that it includes an extendable leg support assembly 20 movable between a "stored" portion (Figure 1) and a fully "extended" portion (Figure 2) in response to manual actuation of a convenient operating mechanism such as by rotation of a handle 22. As will be detailed, the angular rotation of the handle 22 is adapted to cause a driving mechanism, such as the pulse rod 23, to move a pair of articulation mechanisms 24 to move synchronously between retracted positions and elongated, to cause the concurrent articulated movement of a (V primary leg support 26 and a secondary leg support panel 28 between its stored positions and extension, respectively.) In the stored position, the secondary leg support panel 28 is held in a position behind and generally parallel to the primary 5-leg backrest panel 26 to hide from view. However, when the handle 22 is rotated to synchronously move the articulation mechanisms 24 toward its elongated state, the secondary leg support panel 28 bends outward or "unfolds" to establish a support surface for 0 legs generally continuous and uninterrupted between the front edge of the seat cushion 16 and the trailing edge of the primary leg support panel 26. In general, the present invention is directed primarily to the novel construction of the articulation mechanisms 24. Although one more discussion Detailed description of the mechanical structure and operation of the dual leg backrest assembly 20 will be provided in the following paragraphs, ensuring a prior overview of your operation. Initially, when an occupant of the chair 10 pulls up the handle 22 with a counter-clockwise rotation, the resulting rotation of the pulse rod 23 causes articulation mechanisms 24 to move forward to an elongated position. (Figure 2 block 5). To store the legrest assembly 20, the chair occupant simply "pulls down the handle 22 in a clockwise direction which in turn causes the articulation mechanism 24 to move to a position. fully retracted (Figures 1 and 3). Alternatively, the seat occupant can for reclining seats simply
apply a downward force with your foot on the backrest panel for primary legs 26 which in turn causes the articulation mechanisms to retract 24. Typically, a spring-directed switching mechanism (not shown) is provided that acts on the drive mechanism and / or mechanisms
articulation 24, to assist in fully extending and retracting the articulation mechanisms 24 and in turn, the leg support panels 26 and 28. With particular reference now to Figures 3 to 5, the functional and structural aspects of the components
associated with the dual leg backrest assembly 20, will be described in greater detail. As will be appreciated, while only one articulation mechanism 24 is illustrated, a substantially identical articulation mechanism is provided on the opposite lateral edge of the chair 10. Accordingly, each articulation mechanism 24, includes a primary articulation assembly 30 to cause movement extendable of the primary leg support panel 26 and a secondary articulation assembly or otomano media 32, to cause concurrent and coordinated movement of the secondary leg support panel 28. As will be detailed, the secondary articulation assembly 32 is operatively supported of the primary articulation assembly 30, for articulated movement in response to movements of the primary articulation assembly 30. The primary articulation assembly 30 includes an angled clamp 34 supported by suitable fasteners to a side edge of a rigid frame board 36 associated with primary backrest panel for legs 26. As such, the frame board 36 is pivotally connected in a rear pivot 38 and a front pivot 30, with one end of an elongate rear board hinge 42 and a shorter front board hinge 44, respectively, of the hinge mechanism 24. The opposite end of the front board joint 44 is pivoted at 46 to one end of a connector joint 48, which in turn is pivoted centrally at 50 with an enlarged segment 52 of the rear board joint 42. In addition, the opposite end of the connecting link 48 is pivoted at 54 to the upper end of a long support link 56. Similarly, the opposite end of the backboard link 42 is pivoted at 5 58 with one end of a curved pivoting hinge 60 which pivots in a central pivot 62 to an intermediate segment of the articulation of the elongated support 56. The other end of the curved pivoting joint 60 is supported by m It is mounted on a front support shaft 64 for rotation with respect to the (f pivot 66. In an illustrated embodiment, the support shaft 64 is fixed non-rotatably to opposite side frame portions of the chair frame 12, to act as a member. of rigid upper cross rail. While not illustrated, convenient fasteners are also provided for
maintain the desired spacing between the pair of articulation mechanisms 24 in the support shaft 64. Another connection point is the pivot 68 interconnecting the curved bottom end of the support articulation 56 and a first end of a momentum joint 70, the other extreme
of which has a square hole 72 through which the square pulse rod 23 extends. As such, the angular movement of the pulse rod 23 causes concurrent angular movement of the impulse joint 70 and vice versa. In this way, the selective rotation of the pulse rod 23
by means of the handle 22, causes the impulse articulation 70 to rotate, which acts through the pivot 68 to move the long support articulation 56. This movement of the support articulation 56 causes the curved articulation 60 to oscillate with respect to the pivot " fixed "66 under the pivot connection 62 that the
curved articulation 60 has with the long support articulation 56. The action of the curved articulation 60 which oscillates with respect to the fixed pivot 66 acts to move the rear board joint 42 outwards and upwards. In addition, the pivot 54 at the upper end of the elongated support hinge 56 causes the connector hinge 48 to oscillate relative to the pivot 50, such that the front hinge joint 44 also moves outwardly and upwardly. This extensible action of the primary articulation assembly 30, is carried out simultaneously with both mechanisms of
left hand and right hand joint 24 when there is sufficient angular rotation of the pulse rod 23. In this way, the rack board 36 and the primary leg panel 26 are movable between their "stored" vertical position and their elongated position " extended ". The impulse joint 70 is preferably U-shaped with parallel long and short legs joined by a base portion that superimposes the pulse rod 23. Both legs have square aligned holes through which the square pulse rod extends. When the assembly of
dual legrest 20 is extended to its fully "extended" position, a cold deformed stopper 74 in the long leg of the thrust joint 70 contacts a stop shoulder 76 formed at the lower end of the knee joint. long support 56 when the long leg of the impulse joint 70 and the support articulation 56 are almost in relative co-linear alignment. Due to the engagement of the stop tab 74 and the stop shoulder 76, further extension of the primary link assembly 30 is inhibited, such that the primary leg support panel 26 is maintained in an elevated and generally horizontal position. In addition to the above structure, each hinge mechanism 24 includes a secondary hinge assembly 32 that is supported from and interactively associated with the primary hinge assembly 30 to cause articulated movement of the secondary leg support panel 28, in response to articulated movement. of the primary leg support panel 26. The secondary articulation assembly 32 includes a board hinge 82 having an angled segment 84 adapted to be attached to a side edge of a rigid frame board 86 associated with the leg support panel secondary 28, The distal end of the board joint 82 is pivotally connected in a pivot 88 to an end of a curved connected joint 90, the opposite end of which is connected in the pivot 46 to the front board joint 44 and the joint connector 48. Even more, an intermediate displacement section 92 of the joint of board 82 is pivotally connected to a pivot 94, with a central segment of the rear board joint 42. As can be seen more clearly from the sequential review of Figures 3 to 5, the rotation of the pulse rod 23 causes the primary link assembly 30 to move the primary leg support panel 26 in a generally vertical oriented (stored) alignment position and generally horizontal (extended) alignment. As also illustrated, the front edge of the seat member 16 in this *. particular mode, it is caused to move forward in concert with the articulation of the articulation mechanisms 24, to provide a pre-determined relationship between them. Thus, in this case, the knee mechanism is adapted to work in coordination with the extensible movement of the backrest assembly for legs 20. Further, the secondary link assembly 32 is adapted to cause the secondary backrest leg panel 28 moves from a position behind and substantially parallel to the primary leg support panel 26, in the stored position to the alignment generally coplanar with respect to it, in the extended portion. Still further, the secondary leg support panel 28 pivots an arcuate path relative to the pivot 94 and travels through this arcuate path due to the interconnection between the board joint 82 and the front board joint 44 via the connector joint 90. Due to the novel yet simplified hinge assembly of the present invention, a desired displacement between the back-up panels is maintained for
legs, so that the thickness of the backrest panels for legs, upholstery, 26 and 28 can be identical to promote a more attractive stylized and improved support and comfort of improved leg support. A further feature of the present invention
I - is that several of the articulations described above have been configured to act as shields to inhibit access or any tightening points during the extensible movement of the articulation mechanism 24, between the joints and / or between the leg support panels. This feature
is seen more clearly in Figures 3 to 5 wherein portions of the angle bracket 34, enlarged segment 52 of the backboard joint 42 and connection link 48 are illustrated to overlap. With particular reference to Figures 6 to 9,
describes an alternative embodiment for the dual legrest mounting of the present invention. More particularly, a modified articulation mechanism is described which is operable to cause coordinated articulated movement of a primary leg support panel and a backup panel for
secondary legs. As with the embodiment described with respect to Figures 1 to 5, the modified articulation mechanism can be manually operated by well-known handle mechanisms or alternatively, can be actuated in response to the reclining movement of the seat assembly or
by means of a displaced drive system with motor. Since the particular form of the article of furniture does not comprise part of this invention, only those portions or components thereof necessary for a clear understanding of the modified articulation mechanism will be described with some specificity. As such, those components illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 that are identical or substantially similar in structure and / or function to those previously described with respect to Figures 3 to 5, will now be identified with numbers with prime reference. With continued reference to Figures 6 to 9, the functional and structural aspects of the components associated with the dual leg backrest assembly 100 will be described with greater specificity. In general, the mounting of the dual legrest can be replaced by the mounting backup
for dual legs 20 inside the recliner / rocking chair 10. In operation, the dual legrest assembly can be moved between a "stored" position and a fully "extended" portion in response to manual actuation of a convenient operating mechanism such as by rotation of a handle 22 *.
As previously described, the angular rotation of the handle 22 'is adapted to cause a driving mechanism such as the driving rod 23' which moves a pair of articulation mechanisms 102 to move synchronously between retracted and elongated positions to cause an articulated movement
concurrent of a primary leg support panel 26 'and a secondary leg support panel 28' between stored and extended positions, respectively. In the stored position, the secondary leg support panel 28 'is maintained in a position behind and generally parallel to the primary leg support panel Q' to be hidden from view. However, when the handle 22 'is rotated to synchronously move the articulation mechanisms 102 toward its elongated state, the secondary leg support panel 28 is pivoted on an arcuate path to establish a generally continuous leg support surface. and uninterrupted between a front edge of the seat cushion 16 'and a trailing edge of the primary leg support panel
26 '. As will be appreciated, while only one articulation mechanism 102 is illustrated, a substantially identical articulation mechanism 0 is provided on the opposite lateral edge of the chair 10 '. Agree with this, each hinge mechanism 102 includes a primary hinge assembly 30 ', to cause extensible movement of the primary leg support panel 26' and an ottoman hinge 104, to cause concurrent and coordinated movement of the secondary leg support panel 28 ' . As will be detailed, the Ottoman articulation 104 operatively holds the primary articulation assembly 30 'for articulated movement in response to its movement. While the drawings reflect minor structural changes to the individual joints of the primary articulation assembly 30 ', it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the components and the pivotable (ie pantographic) scissors-type extensible action generated in that manner, is substantially identical to that previously described for the primary articulation 30 of the articulation mechanism 24. More particularly, the primary articulation assembly 30 'includes an angled clamp 34' supported by suitable fasteners to a side edge of a rigid frame board 36 ' associated with the primary leg support panel 26 '. As such, the board frame 36 'is pivotally connected at a rear point 38' with one end of the elongate backboard hinge 42 '. In addition, the frame board 36 'is pivotally connected in a front pivot 40' to one end of a shorter front board joint 44 '. The opposite end of the front board joint 44 'is pivotally connected in the pivot 46' with one end of a connector joint 48 '. The opposite end of the connecting link 48 'is pivotally connected at the pivot 54' to the upper end of a long support articulation 56 '. Still further, the connector link 48 'is pivotally connected at the pivot 50' to an intermediate segment of the backboard joint 42 '. Similarly, the opposite end of the rear board hinge 42 'is pivotally connected at the pivot 58' to one end of a curved pivoting hinge 60 'which in turn is pivotally connected at a central point 62' to an intermediate segment of the elongated support articulation 56 '. The opposite end of the curved pivot hinge 60 'is held coaxially from a front support shaft 64' for rotation with respect to a pivot 66 '. In the illustrated embodiment, the supporting arrow 64 'is fixed non-rotatably to the opposite side frame portions of the chair frame 12' to act as a rigid upper transverse rail member. A curved bottom end of the support articulation 56 'is pivotally connected to the pivot 68' with one end of a thrust joint 70 ', the other end of which has a square hole 72' through which the extension extends. square impulse rod 23 '. As such, the angular movement of the pulse rod 23 'causes concurrent angular movement of the impulse joint 70' and vice versa. In a manner similar to that previously described, the selective rotation of the pulse rod 23 'by the handle 22' causes the impulse joint 70 'to rotate, which at the same time acts through the pivot 68' to move the articulation of the long support 56 '. This action causes the curved hinge 60 'to oscillate with respect to the fixed pivot 66' to move the backboard hinge 42 'outwards and upwards. Concurrently, the pivot 54 'on the upper end of the long support articulation 56', causes the connector joint 48 'to pivot with respect to the central pivot 50' in such a way that the front board joint 44 'also moves. outward and upward. As best illustrated in Figure 9, once the primary articulation assembly 30 'is in the fully "extended" or elongated position, the impulse rod 23', pivots 68 'and pivot 62' and thus the articulation of impulse 70 ', and the long support articulation 56 ', are approximately in line with one another. Due to the overall configuration of the primary articulation assembly 30 'the alignment of various articulations, including the impulse articulation 70' and the long support articulation 56 ', remains a self-enclosing condition. Accordingly, the primary articulation assembly 30 'can easily support the varying weight of the legs of different occupants, placed on the frame board 36' without adversely affecting the operation of the dual legrest mounting 100. Further, the alignment of the impulse joint 70 'and the long support articulation 56' in conjunction with the stop tab 74 'prevents unwanted retraction when the dual legrest assembly 100 is in the fully "extended" or elongated position. As will be appreciated, this extensible action of the primary articulation assembly 30 'is carried out simultaneously with both the left and right hand articulation mechanisms 102, where there is sufficient angular rotation of the impulse rod 23'. As such, the frame board 36 'and the primary leg panel 26' are movable between their "stored" vertical position and "extended" elongated position. In addition to the above structure, each articulation mechanism 102 includes an ottoman articulation 104 which is supported from and interactively associated with the primary articulation assembly 30 'to cause articulated movement of the secondary leg support panel 28', in response to articulated movement. of the primary leg support panel 26 '. And in particular, Ottoman joint 104 has an angled clamp segment 106 that is provided with perforations 108, sized for receiving suitable threaded fasteners, to hold a side edge of a rigid frame board 86 'associated with back panel for secondary legs 28 '. As best seen from Figure 7, the clamp segment 106 is directed inwardly such that the length of the frame board 86 'may be less than that of the frame board 86'. This assembly is preferable when the primary leg support panel 26 'is equipped with the extendable leg support feature described in US Pat. No. 5,088,789 under the title "R? ttro-Fittable Extendable Legrest Apparatus" (Retro-adaptable Extensible Leg Support Apparatus). The Ottoman joint 104 also includes an enlarged, generally rectangular, articulation segment 110 having an embossed portion 112 with respect to which the ottoman joint 104 is pivotally connected by the pivot 50 'to the connector joint 48' and the backboard articulation. 42 'of the primary joint assembly 30'. In addition, the Ottoman joint 104 includes an outwardly extending offset flange segment 114, which is pivotally connected to the pivot 54 'to the upper end of the support link 56' and the linker 48 '. As can be clearly seen from the sequential review of the
Figures 6, 8 and 9, the rotation of the pulse rod 23 'causes the primary hinge assembly 30 * to move the primary leg support panel 26' between a generally vertical oriented (stored) alignment and generally horizontal (extended) alignment ). Still further, the ottoman articulation 104 is adapted to cause the secondary leg support panel 28 ', ε to move from a position behind and substantially parallel to the primary leg support panel 26' in the stored portion (Figure 6) to a alignment slightly at an angle adjacent to that in the extended portion (Figure 9). Still further, the secondary leg support panel 28 'pivots in an arcuate path relative to the pivot 54' and travels through this arcuate path due to its common pivotable connection with the rear board joint 42 'and connector joint 48'. on pivot 50 '. In this way, due to the novel yet simplified construction of the articulation mechanisms 102 of the present invention, a suitable spacing between the backrest panels for legs is maintained, such that the thickness of the backrest panels for upholstered legs 26 'and 28' may be identical if desired, to promote more attractive styling and improved leg comfort and support. As previously described, a front edge of the seat member 16 'can be supported for forward movement in concert with the articulation of the link mechanisms 102 to provide a pre-determined relationship therebetween. In this application, the reclining mechanism is adapted to work in coordination with the extendable movement of the dual leg backrest assembly 100. However, this coordinated reclining / extending assembly is neither required nor critical to the novelty of the present invention. The above discussion describes and illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A person skilled in the art will readily recognize from this discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations may be practiced without departing from the real spirit and fair scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.