US839118A - Couch. - Google Patents

Description

:No. 839,118. PATE T D DEC. 25, 1906.

R. J.' CROUCH.

COUCH.

APPLICATION FILED HA3. 6, 1906.

50 of the rocker, and the other en alongthe bottom of the part A'and fixed, as

' To all whom it may concern.-

i l'Be itknown that'I, FRANK J. CROUCH, a .citizen of the United States, residing in'the city and county of San Francisco and State 'of'California, have invented new and useful UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. FRANK J. CROUCH, OF sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNO TO JOHN I HOEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COUCH.

Improvements in Couches, of'which the fol lowingis a specification, Y

yinvention relates to improvements in 1 It consists-in the combination of mechanism and in details of construction whereby parts of the couch may be so transposed as to transform it into a bed, and vice versa.

5 Referring tothe accompanying drawings,

Figure '1 is an end view of couch withseat andbackfin normal positions. Fig. 2 shows the back horizontal and seat vertical 'preparatory to extending. Fig. 3 shows the I parts extended to form a bed. 9

y The drawings and specification herein illustrate a means by which the movements and transformations are effected; but these may be modified without materially altering the character of the invention.

Ais a'base upon which the seat portion part A is here-representedjin the form of a box, the central portion of which may serve for the reception of bedclothing and other articles necessary for a bed. and notreq'uired when the apparatusv is in the form of a couch. The parts B and C are hinged together, as shown at 2'. The devices are located at each end ofithe box and preferably inclosed in narrow chambers to separate the mechanism from the central containing portion of the box. Any suitable means for providing the necessary strength .of thehinge attachments maybe employed. In the: present case I have shown hea plates fixed to the portions B and O and havmg suflicient strength to resist such strains asmay be brought upon the parts.-

3 is arocker,-one of which is located at eachend of the couch. These rockers are 'connectedby rods or bars 4 with the hinges I 2, and the radius of curvature of the rockers is about this hinge 2 as a center. Straps 5 have' one end of each fixed to (apposite ends 1s extended shown at 6. The rockers are sufliciently .wide to receivetwo' of these-straps, one being Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Marchfi, 1906. Serial No- 304,307.

- Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

fastened at one end ofthe rocker and the other to the opposite end, and the two fit the curved surface of the rocker side byside, the rocker being sufliciently thick for this purpose. The opposite ends being fixed at 6, it will be seen that by reason of the flexibility of the straps 5 the rocker may rockupon its curved surface, and the straps will alter-' nately wind and unwind uponvthis surface ,and by;reason oftheir opposite ends being fixed the rockers cannot slide during the movements of the-parts of the couch.

7 is a distance-rod, of which there'is one at each end in conjunction with the other parts of the apparatus. One end of each of these rods is pivoted to thepart O, as shown at 8,

and the other end is shown at 9.

10 is an arm having one end pivoted to the part B as shown at 1 1, and the other end aving a notch 12 formed in it which is adapted to engage with a yoke or catch 13, which is fixed to the rear and lower portion of the part 0, so that when-the seat portion B of the couch lies substantially horizontal upon the part A and the back 0 is turned up about pivoted to the part A, as

its hinge 2, thislatch-bar' 10 extends from the 'lower inner angle of the part B to the lower outer angle of the art C diagonally and in a line exterior to the inge 2-. Thus the hinge and the two parts of attachment of the latch-bar form a braceat each end which is "suflicient to retainthe back in its vertical position under the conditions ofuse as a T couch. When it is desired to disengage these latches to allow the part 0 to be turned down, the'clisenga'gement is effected by first moving the partB in such a manner with relation to the part 0 that the notch 12, the

side of which is 'atsuch an angle as to permit a movement, will slide over the latch or shoulder 13 until the latter rests upon a curved projection '14, which extends beyond the 1 notch 12. Then by suddenly moving the part B in'the opposite direction the action of this curve will cause'the bar to slide throu h or over the latch or shoulder 13, and in so oing the latch will jump entirely over thenotch 12, and then the lower edge of the barlO will rest upon the latch or shoulder and will slide freely upon it, thus allowing the two partsB and C to lie in a horizontal position and in the same plane.

When the couch is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the part B lies horizontally, the part C stands vertically, the notch 12 of the bar 10 is engaged with the latch or shoulder 13, and the rockers 3 are turned backwardly un- 5 til the rear end of the curvature rests substantially upon the bottom of the box A. The bars 7 will stand substantially vertical between their attachments 8 and 9, and the rockers are prevented from the tendency to to rock forwardly by small elevations or shoulders 15, fixed in the bottom of the box A. These conditions prevailing, and it being desired to convert the couch into a bed, the part B is drawn forward and slightly lift- :5 ed at the same time, the part counterbalancing it in such a manner that the movement is easy.

The first forward movement of the part B causes the rockers 3 to rock over the eleva- 2o tions 15 and by reason of the radial arms 4, fixed to the rockers and pivoted upon the hinges 2,. the rocker-arms will rock upon their curved surfaces, the straps preventing any sliding movement of the rockers during 2 5 this movement. The distance-rods 7 at the same time move about the pivotal points 9, and thus the tendency will be to tilt and move the structure B and 0 about its bearers 3 as the latter rock forwardly and 0 to eventually bring the part 0 down into a horizontal position. The whole of this portion of the structure will then be advanced, so that the junction of the parts B and 0 lies substantially central above the part A, as 3 5 shown in Fig. 2. It is then desirable to disengage the latch-bar 10 from its -latching point or shoulder 18, and this is effectedby first moving the part B about the hinge 2-, so

as to' disengage the notches 12 of the latchbars 10 from the latches'or shoulders 13, as previously described. Then by a sudden forward movement of the part B the notch 12 will be caused to jump over the latch or shoulder 13 on account of the incline or 5 curvature of the outer end of the bars 10, and the bars 10 will then rest and be slidable upon the latches or shoulders 13, so that the part B may be depressed into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the couch will be transformed into a bed.

It will be noted that by reason of the sliding forward movement of the parts during the operation the junction of the two parts B and G will stand substantially central of the 55 support A, the distance-rods 7 standing at such an angle as to brace the parts and prevent their sliding in either direction. 'outer edges of the parts B and C will then project so little beyond the sides of the supports that no legs or supplemental supportsof any kind will be necessary. A person may lie upon the extreme outer edge on either side without danger of tilting the bed, as the parts are sufficiently heavy and well 95 balanced to prevent such a result.

The

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and a back member hinged together, an anchored 7o rocking mechanism by which said members may be advanced upon the base and tilted about their junction-point, a locking means by which said members are normally retained at right angles with each other, said means being disengageable to allow the members to be extended into a horizontal position upon the base.

2. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together, a link connecting the back member with the rear of the base by which the seat and back members are normally retained at right angles with each other, means disengaging said mechanism to allow the back and seat to be extended hori- 8 zontally and supported upon the base, and an anchored rocker having a radial arm connecting itwith the hinge-joint of the seat and back members.

3. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together and movable forward and back upon the base, curved segments adapted to rest upon the base having radial arms connecting with the hinges of the seat and back members whereby said mem- 5 bers may be advanced and tilted with relation to the base, and distance rods or links whereby the forward movement is controlled.

4. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together, latches by which they are normally maintained at right angles, segments having their curved peripheries adapted to rock upon the bottom of the base, radial arms connecting said segments with the hinges of the seat and back and distancerods having one end pivoted in the base, and the other ends pivoted to the rear lower an gle of-the back.

5. In a bed-couch, a-base, seat and back members hinged at their junction, latches by which said members are normally held at right angles with each other, segments having radial arms connectin them with the hinges and the curved perip eries adapted to rock upon the base, flexible straps extended from opposite ends of the curved se ments, and having their outer ends fixed to t 1e floor of the base.

6. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and back hinged together at their junction, a latch by 120 which said seat and back are normally retained at right angles with each other, segments adapted to rock Within the base and having radial arms connecting them with the hinges of the seat and back, flexible straps sccured at the ends of the curved segments and having their opposite ends extended and fixed to the floor of the base whereby the seat and back may be advanced and tilted, and the movement controlled with relation I30 to the base and distance-rods, having their ends pivoted respectively to the base and to the rear lower angle of the back.

7. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and back hinged together at their junction, capable of extending into a common plane, an anchored rocking mechanism by which said seat and back may be advanced and tilted upon the hinged junction lying substantially central upon the base, the edges of said base forming the sole support for the projecting sides of the bed structure.

9. In a bed-couch, a base, a sectional hinged bed-bottom, slidable and turnable upon the base having its outer overhanging edges supported upon the edges of the base, hinges connecting the junction of said bedseotions, latches by which said sections may be locked at right angles with each other, and an anchored rocking mechanism whereby said locked sections may be moved backwardly to bring the front edge of the forward. section and the back of the rear section substantially into the plane of the front and rear edges of the base.

10. In a bed-couch, abase, hinged sections extensible to form a bed, and foldable to form a seat and back and locking means therefor, curved segments with flexible straps connecting their ends with the base, radial arms pivotally connecting the segments with the hinge-joints of the seat and back whereby a cooperative forward, tilting and rocking movement of the seat and back sections and segments is eflected to advance and retract said sections upon the base and elevations over which the segments rock, and by which they are substantially held when the seat and back have been moved to their rearmost position on the base.

11. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together at their junction, segments adapted to rock upon the base and having radial arms pivoted to said hingejoints whereby the seat and back may be ad- I,

vanced and tilted in conjunction with the rocking movement of the segments, distancerods by which the advance movement, is limited, latches connecting the lower and rear portions of the seat and back members, forming with the hinges a lock to maintain said members at right angles with each other, said latches having notches and inclined contiguous surfaces whereby the latches may be disengaged from the interlocking shoulders, and the latch-bars allowed to slide thereover to extend the back and seat into a common horizontal plane.

' 12. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back sections hinged at their junction, an automatically-disengageable latch retaining .said sections at substantially right angles, means comprising rocking segments and pivoted distance-rods whereby the seat and back are advanced and tilted. with the hinged junction substantially central upon the base, said seat and back extended in a plane and supported upon the edges'of the base.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK J CROUCH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES EDELMAN, ALBERT I. GRAVES.

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