US1712266A - Foot rest for chairs - Google Patents

Description

y w; GRIMMICH 1,712,266

FOOT REST FOR CHAIRS Filed April 20 1925 INYE/VTO/FI Patented May 7, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GRIMMIOH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 EMIL J. PAIDAR GOM- IANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOOT BEST FOR CHAIRS.

This invention relates to improvements in foot rests tor chairs, surgical tables and the like, and particularly for reclining chairs, the toot rests for which have heretofore projected at substantially a right-angle and are permanently secured thereto in their operative posi tion or else pivotally suspended therefrom and tree at all times to swing upon their pivotal supports.

Foot rests permanently secured in their operative positions are subject to the objection that the occupant must adjust his body, legs and feet to thetoot rest, and which is not only unsatisfactory, but results in his discomfort, whereas ioo't rests tree to swing upon their pivotal supports or operated by the pressure of the t-eet of the occupants are not maintainable in any oi their adjusted positions.

The object of my invention, broadly stated, is to have a pivoted foot rest provided with means for detachably looking it in its operative position throughout the several adjustments of the chair, regardless of the position of the occupant therein, and detachably locked when moved to the extremity of its operative position.

More specifically stated, the object of my invention is a foot rest pivoted to and connected with its support by means of a shifting bearing or fulcrum for the pivot, and to maintain the foot rest yieldingly in its inoperative position by a compressible yielding means operating to detachably lock the foot rest to its suspending means against aeci-- dental detachment, and, by the :lorce of its compression, direct the foot rest to detachably locked engagement with its support.

lVith these ends in view, my invention finds embodiment in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects are attained, all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more fully pointed out in the claims.

In said drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reclining chair in which my invention finds emb0diinent.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail'side elevation of the apron of the chair and the foot rest, in their operative positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing the compression of the coiled spring indicated in dotted lines, when the foot rest is swung from the position shown in Figs. 1 and .2 to a plane parallel with the apron.

Fig, 4 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, showing the apron in a horizontal position and the toot rest in its operative position, at substantially a right-angle thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the foot rest after it has been swung from its operative position in Fig. 4 to a plane substantially parallel with the apron.

Similar characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

6 indicates a suitable pedestal upon which is mounted a reclining chair body, provided with a seat 7, back rest 8, head rest 9, arms 10, 10, and apron or leg rest portion 11, which seat, back, head rest, arms and apron, may be of ordinary construction, connected in the usual manne and operated from and to their inclined positions by means of a hand lever 12, and, as shown in the drawings, may be operated from either side of the chair and the chair moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to a position in which the back, seat and apron may be moved to their inclined and horizontal positions.

To the apron or leg rest 11 is secured an angular plate 13 by means of set-screws ll, 14:, which plate embraces the side and a portion of the bottom of the apron and is provided with an ear 15, projecting outwardly beyond the outer edge of the apron or leg rest, so that the bottom edge of the plate forms a stop for retaining the foot rest 17 against ac cidental movement, both when in its operative position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4t, and in its inoperative position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. i

Foot rest 17 is provided with an end bearing or bar 18, having therein an elongated slot 19, adapted to receive and provide a shifting fulcrum for a pintle 20, projecting inwardly from the ear 15, in which elongated slot 19 is a coiled spring 21, one end of which abuts against the end wall of the slot, and the other against the pintle 20, to provide a yielding support for the pintle throughout the movement of the foot rest.

In this connection, it is now to be noted that end wall of the slot in engagement with the pintle 20, and yieldingly retain theend bar 18 in contact with the shoulder 16 until the end bar is manually lifted to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4:.

The lifting of the end bar, as above described, compresses the spring so that when the end bar is swung to its inoperative position, that is to say, in a plane substantially parallel with that of the apron, the compressive force of the spring will then operate to automatically project the end bar to engagement with the shoulder 16, formed by the plate 13, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and automatically lock the foot rest against accidental disengagement from the shoulder.

For detaching the end bar from engagement with the shoulder 16, the foot rest is manually pulled outwardly until the end bar 18 is disengaged from the shoulder 16, whereupon on manually swinging the foot rest towards its operative position, the compressive force of the spring 21 will automatically depress the end bar to its operative position in locked engagement with the shoulder 16, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When a reclining chair is in its upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, the free end of the foot rest is in contact with and supported bythe floor'for the chair, so that if the footrest is out of its operative position before reaching the floor, it will .be, by its engagement with the floor, automatically moved by the floor to, and detachably locked in its operative position, and the position it should always occupy when the chair is in its upright position.

Vhen the foot rest is used in connection with a swivel chair, it is preferably provided with casters 22, 22, to prevent the dragging of the foot rest on the floor throughout the movement of the chair on its swivel.

Believing that I am the first to provide a pivoted foot rest with any means adapted for detachably locking it in its operative and inoperative positions; to utilize the floor support for a chair as a means for automatically swinging a pivoted foot rest from its inoperative to its operative position, and which is adapted to be manually operated, it is apparent that my invention is not to be limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, and that it not only includes the use of mechanical equivalents thereof, but any means by which itis possible and practicable to secure the new and useful results attributable to my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In a chair of the character described, an apron having extending side members, and a shoulder on each member, a foot rest having a pivotal and sliding relation with said members and yielding means for forcing the rear edge of the foot rest against said shoulders when said foot rest is in alinement with said apron, and for forcing the rear end of said foot rest beyond said shoulders when said foot rest is at an angle to said apron.

2. In a chair of the character described, an apron having forwardly extending side members, each side member having an inwardly directed pivot pin, a foot rest having a slot in each side for receiving a pivot pin, a spring between each pivot pin and the rear end of the slot, and a shoulder on one member, said spring serving to force the rear end of said foot rest against said shoulder when said foot rest is in alinement with said apron and serving to force the rear end of said foot. rest beyond said shoulder when said foot rest is substantially at a right angle to said apron.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of April. 1925.

\VILLIAM GRIMMICH.

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