US3379473A - Rocker lock for reclining platform rocking chair - Google Patents

Description

Apri 23, i968 N. W. MIZELLE 3,379,473

ROCKER LOCK FOR RECLINXNG PLATFORM ROCKING CHAIR Filed May l2, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l pri 23, w68 N. w. MIZELLE ROCKER LOCK FOR RECLINING PLATFORM BOOKING CHAIR 2 Sheets-5heet 2 Filed May l2, 1967 hired 3,333,473 Patented Apr. 2S, lig

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ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLSURE A rocker lock for reclining platform rocking chairs, in which a pair of links pivotally connected substantially end-to-end are pivotally mounted one on a movable seat and the other on the rear of the chair frame, with roller means on one of the links. The links in upright position of the chair are at a large obtuse angle, with the roller high enough that it permits normal rocking. As the chair reclines the seat approaches the rear of the chair frame and the angle of the links closes so as to move the roller onto a back bar of the platform and prevent rocking. With continued reclining the roller moves across the back bar.

Background of the invention position. However, this requires that means be provided 1 to lock the chair against rocking movement when it is moved to reclining position, because if it is not locked the shift in balance during reclining causes the chair to rock to its maximum rearward position, and this adversely affects the orientation of the chair in reclining position by pitching it too far back.

Several such rocker locks have been devise, some consisting of a iixed arm at each side of the seat with a roller at its lower end, so that lowering of the seat during reclining movement places the rollers on the platform frame to prevent rocking movement; and some consisting of complex linkage systems so that movement of the back or the leg rest locks the chair against rocking.

No such mechanisms heretofore devised have been particularly satis-factory. Those which have stop unlits on both sides of the chair are almost impossible to align so that both units strike the platform at the same time; and if they do not they place a torsional strain on the arm rest frame. While there have been heretofore some rocker locks having a single unit at the center of the chair, all of them have been characterized by relatively complex and expensive linkages. Some prior art rocker locks have been diicult to adjust so that they would not interfere with normal rocking when the chair is upright.

Sinn/'nary of the invention The principal object of the present invention is to provide, for a reclining platform rocking chair, a rocker lock 4which is simple, inexpensive, effective, easy to install and adjust, and readily arranged so as not to interfere wit-h rocking when the chair is upright.

The objects of the invention are achieved by providing a rocker lock unit as described in the abstract. The rocker loc-k roller in upright position of the chair is high enough that it cannot interfere with rocking. The use of a parir of folding links to shift the roller downwardly onto the platform frame permits a lock unit to be readily designed to tit any reclining chair mechanism merely by selecting links of the correct lengths.

Rocker locks are most effective on three position chairs,

i.e., those which recline first to an intermediate position for TV viewing and when may then be moved to a full reclining posiiton. The rocker lock ybecomes effective when the chair reaches TV position; and the lock of the present invention merely rolls across the back rail as the chair is moved from TV position to full reclining position.

Brief description of the drawings lFIG. l is a fragmentary vertical section-al View of a chair embodying the invention, with the reclining mechanism omitted for clarity and the chair in upright position;

WIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of said chair with the rocker lock in the position of FIG. 3;

PEG. 3 is a fragmentary view like FIG. l with the chair in an intermediate reclining position; and

FlG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 with the chair in full reclining position.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to FIGS. l and 2, a chair includes a platform, indicated generally at di?, having side frame members 11, a rear cross frame member l2, and a front cross frame member i3. The side frame members 1l have coplanar upper surfaces 14 on which a rocking chair frame, indicated generally at 15, is supported. The chair frame l5 includes ya pair of arm members 16 having arcuate bases 17' which rest upon the surfaces 14, a rear crossbar 18 and a front crossbar r9; As is well known in the art, rocker spring units 2t? are secured to the side rails 11 and to the arm members 16 to normally retain the chair frame l5 in a predetermined position from which it may rock forwardly and rearwardly.

A seat frame, indicated generally at 2l, includes side frame members 22, a rear cross rail 2,3 and a front cross rail 22a. The seat frame 22 and a back, indicated generally at 24, 'are supported from the chair frame le' on any suitable linkage, not shown, which permits the seat and back to move from the upright position of FIG. 1 to a iirst reclining position as seen in FlG. 3 and to a full reclining position as seen in yFiG. 4. A typical linkage which permits such double reclining action is disclosed in Mizelle Patent No. 3,269,769, issued Aug. 30, 1966.

The rocker lock of the present invention consists of a linkage, indicated generally at 25, which comprises a long rst link 25 which is piv-oted at 27 on a bracket 28 on the rear seat rail 23; a short second link 29 which is pivoted at 3? on a bracket 31 on the rear crossbar 18; a pivot 32 which connects the free end 26a of the rst link 26 with a point near the free end 29a of second link 29; .and a cross pin 33 in the second link 29 'between the pivot 32 and the free end 29a of the link 29 which carries roller means 34 consisling of a lpair of rollers 34a and 3412 `(FIG. 2) which flank the links 26 `and 29. Although link 26 in the illustrated embodiment is pivoted at 27 to the rear seat rail 23, it will be appreciated that the link could be pivoted to any point on the seat frame, :and that rear rail 23 has been selected to minimize the length of the link. Additionally, while the rearmost end of link 26 is shown as being pivoted to a intermediate point on link 29, it could be pivoted to the end of link 29 so as to be coincident with the axis of roller means 34.

In the upright position of FIG. l the links 2.6 and 29 are at va large obtuse yangle, with the pin 33 seated in a notch in rst link 26, and the roller means 34 above any part of the arcuate surfaces 17 which support the chair upon the platform surfaces 14 so there is no interference with rocking of the chair.

As the chair is moved toward the rst reclining position of FlG. 3, which is a comfortable position for TV viewing, the seat frame 21 moves linkage 25 .rearwardly toward the `rear crossbar 1S and -folds the links so that the long link 26 swings the short link 29 downwardly and rearwardly about its pivot 30 to a generally vertical position and brings the roller means into contact with a rear plate 12a on the rear cross frame member 12. With the rocker lock linkage in the position of FIG. 3 the seat can no longer be rocked rearwardly.

As the seat frame 21 and zback yframe 25 are -moved to the full reclining position of FIG. 4 the hack `of the seat moves upwardly as the seat continues to move rearwardly; and the roller means 34 moves slightly rearwardly on the wear plate 12a as arms 16 rock crossbar 18 slightly downwardly so t-hat in Ifull reclining position of the chair the rollers occupy the position of FIG. 4 and the linkage 25 Iand roller means 34 continue to prevent rocking action of the chair. It will be appreciated that depending upon the specific reclining mechanism that has been selected link 29 and roller means 34 could move -forwardly in moving to the full reclining position, but in all instances, the rollers means -Will remain in engagement with the Wear plate 12a to prevent rocking laction of the chair.

As the chair is again moved to upright position the linkage is extended by the forward movement of the seat 22, and the roller means 34 returns to the position of FIG 1 so the chair 15 is free to rock on the platform 10.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clean ness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations s'hould be understood therefrom, as modications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a chair which has a platform that includes a rear cross 1frame member and a chair frame including a rear crossbar member and arm members with means which rock on the platform and in which a Seat member land back member are mounted in the -frame for movement from an upright position to a reclining position with the seat member moving toward the rear crossbar member during such movement, rocker lock means comprising: a iirst link pivotally connected to the seat member;

a second link pivotally connected to the rear crossbar member; a pivot connecting the free end of one of said links to the other of said links; and a r-oller journaled on said other of said links, said links being so related to one 4another and to the members with which they are connected that the links in upright position of the seat and -back members for-m a large obtuse angle to one another and the roller is `a substantial distance above the platform, While movement of the seat member and back member toward reclining position folds the links and causes the roller to rest on the rear cross frame member of the platform at a predetermined point in said movement toward reclining position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which there is a single rocker lock mounted on the longitudinal median plane of the chair.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the relationship of the links to the rock means of the arm members is such that in upright position of the chair the roller is in a plane above .any part of the rock means which contact the platform `during rocking movement of the chair.

4. The device -of claim 1 in which the first link is substantially longer than the second link, and the pivotal connection is at the free end of the first link and near the free end of the second link.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,094,353 6/1963 Mizelle 297-85 y3,096,119 7/1963 Fletcher 297-85 3,162,482 12/1964 Katz. 297-85 '3,243,226 3/ 1966 Katz 297-85 3,269,769 8/1966 Mizelle 297--85 3,300,243 l/1967 Mizelle 297- 3,322,459 5/ 1967 Hampton 297-85 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

GLENN FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

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