US1718506A - Folding bed - Google Patents

Description

J. B. WELLS FOLDING BED June 25, 1929.

Filed April 23, 1925 ORNEY Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES B. WELLS, OF STEILACOOM, WASHINGTON.

FOLDING BED.

Application filed April 23, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in folding beds and more particularly to beds of that character in which the bed frame proper is rigid and is foldable into and from a caster supported housing provided therefor as distinguished from being folded into a wall opening, or the like; the principal object of this invention resides in the means for and manner of suspending the bed .frame within the housing and in the provisionof grooves of novel form located within the 1nside walls of the housing', for receiving guide rollers on the bed frame whereby the bed is supported properly while open or while folde'd into the housing and whereby its movement while being moved from one position to the other is properly guided.

Other objects reside in the various details of construction and combination of parts embodied in the invention andin their mode of operation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding bed embodied by the present invention, showing the same in open position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same when closed; one side wall of the housing being removed for better illustration.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part of the housing, showing one of the guide grooves in its inner face.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- 1 designates, in its entirety, the bed housing, which comprises a horizontal base portion Q, supported at its four corners by casters 3, and w'hereon there is erected the opposide walls 4 and 5, back wall 6 and horizontal top wall 7 forming the housing into and from which the bed is foldable.

8 designates the bed frame comprising opposite side members 9 and 10 and head and foot members 11 and 12, all of which are rigidly joined to form a rectangular frame in which springs of a suitable character, as designated at 13 are mounted to serve as the bedding support.

The frame 8 is provided at its outer end with paired supporting legs 15 pivotally fixed by pins 16 to opposite corners of the frame in such manner that they may be folded from supporting position, as shown in Figure 1, upwardly and over the end to lie Serial No. 25,207.

upon the top edges of the side rails of the frame as shown in Figure 2. The inner end of the frame is suspended from within the housing by means of a pair of angular links 18 having their upper ends pivotally fixed by pins 19 to t-he inner faces of the opposite side walls 4 and 5 and having their lower ends pivotally fixed by pins 2() to the outer sides of the opposite side members of the bed frame at such spaced distance from the inner end of the frame that when the frame is folded into the housing its lower end will be permitted to swing downwardly close to the base 2.

Fixed to the outer faces of the side beams of the bed frame, at their inner ends, are rollers 25 that are adapt-ed to follow within vertically directed guide grooves 26 formed in the inner faces of the side walls of the housing as shown in Figure 3. These grooves are arcuately curved about center points forwardly of the said walls so that, with respect to vertical lines through their lower ends, they curve rearwardly, then forwardly across the slide and then at their upper ends are turned rearwardly to form seats 27 in which the rollers 25 will seat when the bed is open.

Across the head and Afoot portions of the bed frame, are cross bars 30 having supporting leg portions 31 whereby they are hingedly attached to the frame and which permits them to be folded upwardly to positions shown in Figure 1, to serve as head and foot guards, or to be folded down against the frame, as shown in Figure 2, when the bed frame is to be folded into the housing.

For the purpose of assisting in raising the bed, also to facilitate its being lowered, I have provided a pair of spring arms 35 which at their lower endsare wound about a cross rod 36 extended across the lower part of the front of the housing and which at their upper ends connect with the ends of a cross bar 37 that is slidable within two guide bars 38 fixed longitudinally to the under edges of the side rails of the frame in spaced relation thereto. When the bed frame is raised, these spring arms bear upwardly against the frame to assist in. the raising, and when the frame is lowered, they act to retard it and let it down easily so that the person lowering it will have no diiiculty in getting the supporting legs in position.

With the device so constructed, when it is to be raised from open position, as shown in Figure 1, to closed position, the operator first lifts upwardly on the outer end of the bed frame and then swings the supporting legs 15 upwardly and over the end and then downwardly against the top ofthe frame. The foot baril() is likewise pushed downwardly against the frame as shown in Figure 2. The

operator then pulls outwardly on the frame while at the same time lifting it so as to drawthe guide rollers 25 from the seats 2T and into the upper ends of grooves 26. The outer end of the frame is then swung u1- wardly andv moves to position within the frame as shown in Figure 2, while the guide rollers 25 travel downwardly in grooves 26. ln lowering the bed, the operation is just reversed, but it is to be noted that, due to the certain curvature given 'the slots 26 and the relation of these slots to vertical lines thro u gli their lower ends, the tendency of the bed to drop quickly is overcome; this beingl due to the fact that the rollers 25 during the lowering of the bed through the latter part of its travel are following up the forwardly inclined upper portions of the slots and this movement is opposed by the pull on the bed in the vopposite direction by the suspended links 18.

It is to be noted that when the bed is lowered, the head end ofthe bed frame is supported by the two links 18 and since these are connected to the frame at points forwardly of the supporting pins 19, the weight of the frame tends to move it inwardly and in thisway the rollers 25 are held firmly in the seats 27.

Having thus described my invention, what l I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: In a folding bed, a bed frame, a housing into and from which said frame may be folded, having guide grooves in its opposite side walls, said grooves being curved arcuately so that, with respect to vertical lines through their lower ends, *they are first directed rearwardly and upwardly and then forwardly and upwardly across the lines and then terminate at their upper ends in rear- 'wardly curved offset seats, a pair or angular links pivotally fixed at their upper ends to the side walls of the housing at points above 4and rearwardly of the vertical lines through the seats and at their lower end to the side members of said bed frameand by means of which said frame is suspended for foldable movement into and from the housing, supporting legs hingedly attached to the outer end of said frame, guide rollers mounted on -the side members of the frame at its inner end and adapted for travel within said guide grooves as the frame moves between closed and open positions and to move into said seats when the frame is fully opened; said suspending links being so attached to the housing and frame that they will act, due to the weight of the frame thereon, to retain the said rollers against said seats and a spring fixed to the housing and bearing against the bed frame to yieldably support the latter when folded into the housing.

Signed at San Diego, San Diego County, California, this 9th day of February, 1925.

' JAMES nwnLLs.

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