Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Our invention relates to an extensible and retractable
footrest for reclining chairs, and more particularly to mechanism
for sup~orting a footrest on.a chair body for movement from a
stowed position, where it mav serve as the front board of the
chair, to an extended forwa~d position for supporting the out-
stretched legs of the occupant above the floor.
The footrests commonlv used in reclining chairs, and in
combination so-called "rocker-recliners~,quite commonly employ
'scissors, or "lazy tong", linkages to provide the considerable
extension that is required to support the footrest sufficiently
forwardly of the chair to perform its function. This has been
particularly true as styling demands have required that the body
of the chair be elevated somewhat above the floor, thus limiting
not only-the height of the front board, which in turn becomes the
supporting surface of the footrest, but also limiting the amount
of available space in which to stow the operating mechanism be-
r.ea~h the chair ~eat.
Lazy tongs or scissors linkages, while adequate for the
purpose, have certain disadvantages which are overcome in the
present invention. The multiplicity of operating pivot joints in
a lazy tong linkage are multiple points for wear, and, in time, -
after much usage, the footrest supported on such a linkage becomes
loose and ~floppy~ whèn extended, and when stowed does not properly
reassume its tightly retracted position at the front of the chair.
~ Furthermore, such linkages usually have little lateral
~trength or stability and are subject to damage from sideward ~ -
thrust when the footrèst is extended. Moreover, any scissors ~ -
-linkage is capable of cutting off a finger, particularly when it
~8 retracted quickly, as is customary, by drawing in the footrest ~
- 30 from its extended position with the occupant's heels. ~ -
The difficulties encountered with extension mechanisms
of the above-described type are obviated in the footrest extension
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~1 1 0~ 8
mechanism of the present invention, in which the footrest is
supported upon a pair of rails which are extended and retracted
~n an essentially endwise movement by a suitable driving
mechanism. The rails are formed to house a linkage for adjusting
the angularity of the front board-footrest as the same is extended,
! and the support for the rails is further adjusted to change the
effectiye angularity of the footrèst further as the chair is
reclined.
j Broadly speaking, therefore, the present invention
provides a footrest extension mechanism for a reclining chair
comprising a footrest pivoted to the ends of a pair of parallel
rails supported on the chair for essentially endwise movement
forwardly and rearwardly of the chair for extending and retract-
ing the footrest, drive means connected to the rails to cause
the movement, and means connected to the footrest to alter
the angularity of the footrest relative to the rails as an
incident to the endwise movement between a retracted position
with a supporting surface thereof in a front plane of the chair
. .
and a forward position with the supporting surface facing up-
wardly to support the occupant's legs, the angularity-altering
means being operable as aforesaid by connection with a portion
of the chair with respect to which the rails are mova~le upon
extension of the footrest to the forward position and being also -
thereby movable relative to the rails, the rails being shaped
`~ to provide protective masking of the angularity-altering means
dusing movement thereof relative to the rails. ~ -~
The invention is described in detail in the accompany-
~nq ~pecification in conjunction with the accompanying-drawings
n which: - -
.. ~ . , :
Pigure 1 is a somewhat fanciful isometric illustration
~i of a rocker-recliner equipped with our footrest, showing the
-; olean lines of its s~mple rail suppor~ and also showing diagram-
~atically how the load on the extended footrest is borne in the
mb/,~r~ - 2 -
~ ; , ,: . . ; .. : , : ,
chair;
Figure lA is a sideview of the footrest and the
outer end of the near extension rail, showing their stowed
relationship in full line and their relationship when extended
by broken line;
Figure 2 is a side eIevation of our footrest extension
mechanism as applied to a rocker-recliner chair;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of
F~gure 2 to better illustrate the track by which the movement of
the back end of each extension rail is supported during its
movement forwardly and rearwardly of the chair;
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,
depicting the mounting of one of the driving links of the
; ext`ension mechanism, which when fitted for handle operation
, becomes the driving lever for the extension of the footrest;
~ F~gure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2
I to bètter illustrate the mounting of the front one of the two
¦ dr~ving links, its attachment to, and the support of, the cross-
3 shaft which extends to similar linkage on the opposite side of
. 20 the chair to unify the forward and rearward movement of the
extension
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mechanism;
FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2
to illustrate in more detail the front support for each extension
rail; and
FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic illustrations of
the linkage of Figure 2 shown respectively in the fully-retracted
position of the footrest for orientation with the detailed showing
of Figure 2, and, thereafter, in an intermediate position, in
fully-extended position, and, lastly, in a further adjusted posi-
tion of even greater~angularity to the seat occasioned both by the .
elevation of the front of the seat~nd the lowering of the front
~ ~ support of the extension rails conjointly with the reclining of
:~j the chair.
. By way of summary at the outset, the footrest extension
. 15 and support mechanism of~ the invention comprises a pair of spaced
parallel rails or.beams 10 which are supported from the underside
of the seat of a reclining chair, and are driven from the fully re-
. tracted position to full extension by linkage which is likewise sus-
, . .
pended from the seat of the chair. The footrest 12 itself, which
. 20 serves as the front panel of the chair when retracted, is pivotally
mounted on the front ends of the rails 10, which are preferably
.. tubular not only for greater beam strength but also for purpose
of housing and concealing an adjusting link 14 by means of which
the angularity of the footr~es~.12-i~s adjusted coincident with its
25 extension to its functional position forwardly of the chair seat.
~ The pair of supporting rails 10, one on each side of the `
3 ! . chair, are driven by identical operating linkages 16 only one of ~
which is .~pecifically illustrated in Figure 2, but whose counter- :
part will be understood to be its mirror image. The two linkages
30 16 are connected together for movement in unison by a cross-sha.t
s 18 which extends transverselY of the chair, is supported for rota-
tion in the seat bracket hardware..20 and ~o which one member of
_3_
, . .
the linkage 16 at either side of the chair is attached as an arm.
In Figure 2, the cross-shaft 18 is illustrated as connecting the
pair of forward drive links 2j2 at opposite sides of the chair so
as not to present an obstacle to resilient deflection of the seat
5 cushion by the occupant's weight.
As indicated by Figure 2, and also by the diagrammatical
illustrations 7 to 10 inclusive, the invention is illustrated in
connection with a linkage 16 which is extended to the forward po-
` sition by a hand lever 24, i.e., by action independent of relative
10 motion of other parts of the chair. As is well understood in this
art, however, the footrest 12 could also be extended as an inci-
dent to movement of the seat relative to any of the other chair
parts as, for example, relative to the rocker portion of a
rocker-recliner" to achieve footrest extension in the more or
15 less upright sitting position referred to as the "TV" position
illustrated in Figure 1. In another setting, it could be ex-
tended by reclining moiion o~ Ll-le bac~ of thc ^hair relative to : :`
the seat. In such instances, driving force or torque could be
applied to activate the-extension and retracting linkage at any
20 convenient point, such as, for example, to another arm (not shown)
connected to the cross shaft 18.
` Referring now to Figures 2 to 6 of the drawings for a
.; more detailed description of our footrest extension mechanism 16,
,
the same, as previously noted, is suspended from a bracket 20 -
` 25 affixed to the underside of the cushioned chair seat. In the
present case, the bracket 20 is also that which supports the - ;
seat for relative movement with respect to the rocker element 26
; .
.of a rocker base 28 as indicated in Figure 1, being supported
thereon by means of suitable linkage 30. -We wish'it to be under-
? 30 stood, however, that our footrest extension mechanism 16 is not
confined in its application to only that seat support mechanism 30
shown here in part, but may be utilized with any reclining chair
,, , , , ., ..
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mechanism that offers either the possibility of hand-lever opera-
tion of the linkage 16, or operation thereof by movement of the
seat or back relative to another portion of the chair.
To avoid obscuring the footrest extension linkage 16, we
show only a portion of the actual seat-support mechanism 30, in
particular, the forward support link 32 pivoted at its upper end
to the seat bracket 20 and at its lower end to a base bracket 34
of angle iron secured ~y screws 36, as indicated, to the rocker
element 26 of the rocking base. It is contemplated, in any event,
that, utilizing the aforesaid seat-support mechanism 30, the re-
clining motion of the back of the chair is accompanied by a for-
ward motion of the chair seat relative to the rocker element 26,
and, as will be appreciated from the inclination of the front seat
support link 32, by a rather fast rising of the front of the chair
seat. This may be seen by c;pmparing Figures 9 and 10. Neither
the forward nor the upward movement of the seat bracket 2~ is
necessa~ to th~ operat,vn of the linkase 16 ins~fa. as 'ha exten-
sion of the footrest 12 to its forward supporting position is con-
~, cerned. However, we prefer to provide a further adjustment of the
attitude of~the footrest relative to the-seat as the back is re-
clined, and, inasmuch as the back and seat move conjointly during
the recline of the back, we conveniently make that final further
adjustment of the footrest 12 by ut~lizing the rotation of the
- ~
,~ main support link 32 for the seat.
Referring still to Figures 2 to 6 inclusive for the de-
tailQ of the construction, it may be noted that the footrest 12
i8 ~ecured to a mounting bracket 38 pivoted at the front end of
the rail~or beam lO ~hAich is approximately co'extensive in length
with the front-to-rear dimension of the~seat bracket 20. Each
rail 10 is tubular, and rectangular of cross section, with its
greater cross-sectional dimension upright. At its front end, the
rail iQ upported on a roller 40 which in turn is supported by a
- 5
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pair of parallel links 42 suspended from the seat bracket 20. The
position of the link-support front roller 40 is determined by a
link-rod 44 extending rea-wardly and pivoted to the front support
link 32 of the seat. As the seat support link 32 is rotated to
elevate the seat bracket 20, the seat support link 32 rotates
rearwardly of the seat bracket 20 ~nd, through the control link-
rod 44, draws the front su~porting roller 40 rearwardly, and
slightly downwardly, with respect to the seat bracket 20.
At its rear end, each rail 10 is provided with an up-
standing bracket 46 which supports a guide roller 48 positionedin a channel-shaped track 50 secured to, and facing outwardly from,
the seat bracket 20. As the rail 10 is moved forward and back in
the extens on ,and retraction movement, the guide roller 48 re-
con~n~d
mains e~..f_~d in its track 50 and transfers to the seat bracket
20 the upward thrust occasioned by loads exerted generally down-
wardly on the footrest.
The linkage 16 for extending and retracting the rails 10
includes, at the forward end of the seat bracket 20, the drive
link 22 which, as previously noted, is fixed as an arm to the
cross shaft 18. Spaced rearwardl~ is yet another drive link 52,
likewise pivoted to the seat bracket 20, and assuming an attitude
approximately parallel with the forward drive link 22 when the
` mechanism is in the fully retracted position. The two links 22
and 52 are connected for movement in unison by an upper connecting
25 link 54. - -
Secured to the rearward drive link 52 at its end remote
, ~ . . . . . . .
from the seat bracket 20 is a rock lever 56, the forward end of :
which is pivoted to a lower restraining link 58 which extends
forwardly and is pivoted to the ènd of the front drive link 22 at
its end remote from the cros~ shaft 18. The rear end of the rock
lever 56 is pivoted to a short drag link 60, whichin turn is
pivoted to the rail 10 on a shoulder rivet 62 which also serves to
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C~8
stake the guide-roller bracket 46 to the back end of the rail 10.
In the illustrated case, the rear link 52 serves as the
driver, having connected thereto an operating han~le 24 accessible
to the occupant of the chair on the outside of the arm thereof.
For the sake of functional illustration, the handle is shown in
Figure 2 in broken outline as an extension across the center of
rotation of the rearward drive link 52, and it will be understood
that fbr such purpose, the hand lever 24, being on the outside of
the chair arm, and the linkage mechanism 16 being concealed inwardly
thereof, a suitable short shaft (not shown) is provided to connect
the handle lever 24 and the drive link 52 along or close tO their
common axes of rotation, such detail being omitted in Figure 1 for
sake of clarity.
In any event, when the rearward drive link 52 moves for-
wardly relative to the seat bracket 20, whether driven by theaforesaid handle lever 24 or otherwise, it rotates the forward
drive link 22 tnrough th~ u~per connectiny l nk 54 a..d s .ult~n-
eously rotates the similar linkage on the opposite side of the -
chair through the cross shaft 18 to which the front drive links 22
of both linkages arc secured.
As the two drive links 52 and 22 rotate forwardly and
downwardly, the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end of the rear
drive link 52, guided by the lower restraining link 58, rotates
~` forwardly (clockwise in Fig~ 2) at an accelerated pace relative to
25 the seat bracket 20, and through a path of movement such that ïts
r~arward end rises only slightly above the level shown in Figure
2. The forward motion of the rock lever 56, being in turn trans-
mitted to the extension rail 10 at its rearward end through the
drag link 60, propels the footrest 12 forwardly from its stowed
position, snugged to the front of the chair, to its extended po-
~ 8ition, ready to support the feet or legs of the occupant.
:'' . -
~ The footrest 12 proper, as earlier indicated, is pivotally
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mounted on the front end of the two extension rails 10 by means of
an angle bracket 38 pivoted to each of said rails. It will be
appreciated that to render the footrest usable, it must be rotated
counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2 in order to present its up-
5 holstered surface at an appropriate angle to the occupant's legs.
For this purpose, we have provided the operating llnk 14, prefer-
ably in the form of a rod which has a circular section and which
is housed within the extension rail 10. The rod 14 is provided
with a right angle bend.,64 and 66 at each end. Extending toward ,.,
10 the viewer in Figs. 1 A and 2,'thè bend 64 is passed through a suit-
" able hole in the footrest brack`et 38, and the bend 66 at its rear-
ward end, also extending toward the viewer, passes outwardly
through a window 68 in the outer side wall of the tubular rail 10
7 and through a suitable pivot hole near the rearward end of the ':
15, rock lever 56. Thus, as the extension rail 10 ls propelled for- ~
~ wardly by the linkage 16, the rotation of the rock lever 56 causes -
7` movement of the concealed rod-iink 14 rearwardly witnin and reia- ,.
, ,tive to the rail 10, drawing the footrest bracket 38 rearwardly,
. or c~ounterclockwise as seen in Figure 1, to appropriately adjust
-', 20 the angle of the front face of t,he footrest 12.
,~ Note.from Fig. 1 A that the forward end of the rail is ~''':,
. . . : . .
also relieved at,an angle to provide a stop and support for the
. bent end 64 of the link rod when the footrest is laid back in the
extended position. This relieves the link rod 14 of any longitu- -~
~ ,,..., ,. ~,
~ 25 dinal compressive force from downward load on the footrest, and . ~ ',
.~ also assures tha~ the extension linkage 16 is likewise free of '
~ load from the weight of the occupant't outstretched legs. ' '.
.`~ The motion of the rod link 14 at its rearward end is,
- very nearly a straight-line motion and the window 68~in the side
~, 30 wall of the rail is therefore essentially a longitudinal extending - ''
' ~lot which may be of dimension.only slightly greater than the
. diameter of the rod link 14 to provide necessary clearance. As
,
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the forward movement proceeds, the rock lever 56 at the end of the
rear drive link 52 rotates sufficiently that the rod-link pivot 66
moves across the pivot of the lever 56 to the drag link 60. The
necessary clearance to accommodate this movement at full exten-
sion of the~support rail 10 is provided by means of a notch 70cut into the lower edge of the drag link 60.
Further detail of the above-described parts, as we have
made them to accommodate the foregoing movements, are shown ln
Figure 2, augmented by the several sectional views of Figures 3 to
6 inclu`sive.
~ ~ The sea~ bracket 20 in its forward portion is an inverted
channel, and in its rearward portion is angle-shaped in cross sec-
tion, having only an inner vertical flange 72 of gradually in-
creasing depth from front to rear. This is to provide a conven-
ient point of attachment for the rearward portion of a seat-sup-
porting mechanism. ~ -
Secured to the vertical flange 7~ of the seat ~racket,
--- and-extending from its very rearward end forwardly well into the
; channel-shaped forward portion thereof as well, is the channel-
shaped roller guide 50 the contacting surfaces of which are V-
shaped to receive the beveled guide roller 48 at the back end of
the extension rail 10. The roller 48 itself is journaled upon a
shoulder rivet 74 at the upper end of the bracket 46 which en-
c~rcles the extreme rearward end of the extension rail 10 (compare
~igs. 2 and 3). The bracket 46 is staked to the rear end of the
` rail by a pair of rivets, one of which, the shoulder rivet 62,
provides the point of connection for the drag link 60 to the rail
10. The rail 10 itself is chopped at an angle to reduce its depth
to provide clearance from the base member 28 on the rearward rock-
' 30 ing motion of the chair. The roller guide 50 is preferably formed
from light gauge steel and projection-welded to the inner vertical
.~
~ flange 72 of the seat bracket.
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104(~
At the forward, channel-shaped end of the seat bracket
20 are mounted the double support links 42 which support the front
fulcrum roller 40. As indicated in the sectional view of Figure
6, the parallel links 42 extend into the inverted channel of the
seat bracket, and are jou~naled~n a pivot pin 76 and maintained
thereon in spaced relation by an upper roller 78 whlch is of
molded Nylon or the link.t Clearance space is occupied by spacing
washers 80, and the side of the journal pin opposlte its head is .
isecured by a self-locking push-on fastener 82 of the Tinnerman
~pe. At the lower end of the~ parallel links 42, the roller 40,
; likewise of molded Nylon, is journaled on the front end 84 of the
rod-shaped control link 44 which extends rearwardly to the seat
; support~link 32. The control link is bent at each ends at right
` angles to its shank and in opposite directions, the outer end 84
providing the journal for the fulcrum roller 40 extending toward
.~ :
the viewer in Figure 2, and~maintained in assemble relation with
the parallel links 42 by means of a Cotter key. Its opposite end - -
86, (Fig. 6) which provides its pivotal connection-to the seat
~ . .
support link 32, is bent away from the viewer, and similarly fas- -
20 tened in assembled relation with that link. - -~
` It will be noted from Figure 6 ~at-~oth rollers, the
lower support or fulcrum roller 40 and the upper spacing roller
78 are flanged not only to maintain clearance between the exten-
sion rail 10 and the~parallel front suspension links 42 for silent
operation, but also to provide lateral stability to the extended
footrest.
Moving rearwardly to the operating linkage 16 ~ se,
it will be noted by comparison of Figures 2 and S that the coordin-
ating cross shaft 18 is preferably square in cross section to~fac-
$L$tate the r$g$d mounting of ~be forward drive link 22 thereto.
, . . ..
- From P$gure 5, it will be noted that the cross shaft 18 passes
i through both flanges of the seat bracket 20, channel-shaped at
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that point, through an oversize clearance hole 88 in the lnner
flange, and snugly through a bushing 90, also of molded plastic,
by means of which the cross shaft 18 is journaled in a suitabLy
finished hole in the outer flange of the seat bracket 20. The
bushing 90 is provided with a conforming square hole to receive
the shaft 18, and also with an outer flange which serves to space
the front drive link 22 from the seat-bracket 20. To fix the
front }ink 22 firmly to the shaft 18 as an arm, its upper end is
fQrmed as a channel and pierced to receive the shaft, with the
1~ flanges of the channel flanking the square shaft 18 on opposite
sidès. The flanges are suitably pierced, and the shaft end drilled,
to receive a keying bolt or drive pin 94.
Moving farther rearwardly to the rear drive link 52 and
to a comparison of Figures 2 and 4, it will be noted that the rear
drive link S2 is pivoted to the outer flange of the seat bracket
`~ 20 by ~eans of a shoulder rivet-96, and is offset immediately out=
wardly to provide clear~gP f~r t~ end bb of tne link-rvd i4 d~
the rear end of the rock lever 56 crosses under the drive link 52
.. . . .
. and the upper connecting link 54 on the extension, and retraction
: 20 movement. At its lower`end, the drive link 52 is offset inwardly.
The. rock lever 5~ is offset outwardly at the location of
` i~3 piv~otal connection to the rear d~ive link 52, so that the two
mating offsets of the link 52 and lever 56 position the lever
fairl~y close to t~he o~ter side wall of the extension rail 10 for ~`
.' ~1` ~.
~i 25 convenient pivotal cd~nection at`66 to the end of the link rod 14
that passes through the extension rail from back to front to vary -~
the angle of the footrest. That connectio~iS similarly maintained
.~ by a Cotter key or suitable substit~e. - ~ ;
The operation of the extension linkage 16 will best be
understood by examining the series of-diagrammatic drawings,
; Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, in which the extension rail 10, the
~eat b~acket 20, and the base bracket 34, are shown as they actually
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are, and the extension linkage 16 and the front link 32 of the
seat-support linkage are represented as single lines along the
axes of those members.
Figure 7 depicts the footrest 12 and extension linkage
16 in the position of Figure 2 to aid in orienting the simplified
` line drawing of Fig. 7 with its fully-illustrated counterpart,
Flg. 2. The footrest 12 and associated extension linkage 16 are
shown installed in a chair of the rocker-recliner type, which is
indicated only in outline form to illustrate the location of the
footrest mechanism of the invention with respect to the body of
the chair of which it is a part.
As in Figure 2, the simplified diagrammatic form of the
linkage of Figs. 7 to 10 is illustrated as being operated by the
hand lever 24 to extend the footrest 12 and, for that matter, to
retract it as well, although, as will be understood by those skilled
in this art, the footrest may also be retracted to the stowed po-
sition if it . drawr. rea-wardly b~ the occuPart's heels, there
' being no locked toggle in the extension linkage 16 tending to re-
sist retraction either by direct application of an inwardly dir-
ected horizontal force to the footrest, or by a torque applied
thereto in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings.
Also, as earlier mentioned, while we contemplate opera-
tion of the illustrated form by means of the operating hand lever
`~ ~4 at the side of the chair, conventionally at the occupant's right
2S side, and for this purpose have attached the operating lever 24 to
~ operate the r~a~ward drive link 52, we also contemplate operation ~;
`4, by other modes, for example, either,a shifting of the seat forward
or backward with respect to the chair~arms and rocker base to a ~ `~
` non-reclined intermediate or "TVn position, or operation in some ~ `
instances by the reclining of thë chair back. In such case, the
extension link~ge 16 might well be driven from a different point,
for example, as also`previously suggested, by the application of a
" ,:... .
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driving torque to the cross-shaft 18 in any feasible way, such as
a suitably positioned arm connected by means of an operating link
to another portion of the chair with respect to which the seat is
relatively movable.
In Figure 7 the footrest is stowed, and thus serves as
the front board or front panel`of the chair, being shown in solid
outline within the broken outline of the chair itself. The opera-
ting handle 24 extends diagonally forwardly within the grasp of
the occupant of the chair. In a ro~ker-recliner chair, chosen to
illustrate the applic * ion of the invention, it will be under-
tood that it is conventional to lock or bldck the rocker base as
i an incident to the extension of the leg rest. This may be achieved
by a number of blocking mechanisms (no~ shown) which may for ex-
ample, be folded legs extended for the purpose, or may be an im-
proved selective rocker-recliner lock of our own devleopment.
However, inasmuch as the footrest extension mechanism here illus-
trated and claimed is equally usable-in chairs of the non-rocking
` type, we have omitted illustration of the rocker blocking mechan-
ism as not specifically relevant to the present invention.
Figure 8 shows the footrest advanced to an intermediate
position. It~is not intended as a use position but merely to -
illustrate the movement of the respective parts of the linkage 16
in the travel of the footrest 12 from its stowed to its fully-
~` extended position.
Figure 9 shows the footrest 12 f~lly extended and cocked
to a comfortable leg supporting angle by the rearward draw of the
retracting link-rod 14 housed within the tubular extension rails
~ 10. It 5hould be noticed that the very substantial forward linear
-' movement of the footrest on its extension rails is achieved through the multiplied throw of the rock lever 56 mounted at the lower end
of the drive link 52, and rotated thereon by the lower restraining
link 58. This multiplication resu~ts from the different1al rota-
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-13-
tion of the two drive links 52 and 22, due in turn to the differ-
ences of the swing radii of the~pivot points of the connecting
link 54 with respect to the pivot axes of the two drive links,
and also from the differential forward movement of the outer ends
of the driv~ links 52 and 22 due to their unequal lengths. By th
device, the rock lever 56 is rotated rapidly relative to the seat
bracket 20, and to the extension rail 10, through an arc of approx-
imately 150 in the course of the entire extension movement,
whereas, for example, the forward drive link ~2 rotates only
lQ through approximately 90. In any event, the rock lever 56, not-
withstanding the forward movement of its pivotal attachment to the
drive link 52, moves rapidly forward to extend the footrest 12.
In reclining chairs having an intermediate so-called "TVn
` position, i.e., with leg rest extended but without appreciable re-
cline of the back, and having as well as a range-of positions of
further recline, we have found that the angularitv of the footrest
~cmfortable and suitable in the so-cailed "TV" posi~ior, i3 r.ot
necessarily comfortable in positions of further recline, as, for
eYample, wh~n the back of the chair is full~ reclined for sleeping
purposes. In such instance, as the legs or feet are supported-
: high without commensurate elevation of the front of the seat, the ~ ;
-; . .
supporting pressure of the footrest upon the legs tends to impair ~
circulation of the blood to the lower legs and feet, resulti~g-in -,
the numbness commonly described as having one's feet "go to sleep".
To overcome that difficulty, we have made provision in
our improved footrest mechanism for a further adjustment of the -
~ angularity of the footrest relative to the seat when the back of
.~ the chair is recli~ed. As will be evident from comparison of~ -~
;~ Figures 9 and 10, ~the extension linkage 16 ~ se has been
- 30 omitted from Flg. 10 for clarity) this further angular adjustment
wh~ch increases the permissible knee flexure of the occupant is
accompli~hed by drawing the forward fulcrum roller 40 rearwardly
' :.
: . " 5 ~14~
,
and downwardly, this-being convenIently accomplished by the rod
link 44 connected between the suspension links 42 for the fulcrum
roller 40 and the front support link 32 of the seat of the chair.
; The forward location of the seat support link 32 and its
5 `movement relative to the seat upon the reclining of the back of
the chair, make it a logical operator for the retraction of the
fulcrum roller 40 to drop the footrest 12 in Figure 10 from the
dotted line position to the solid line position.` As will be
readily understood, howe~er, by those skilled in the art of
recliner-chair linkages, a slight retraction or a lowering of the~
fulcrum roller 40 might~also be readily achieved by a connection
to any of several link members movable relative to the seat upon
recline of the back. ~
~ By our improved-footrest mechanism herein illustrated
and described, we have achieved a very considerable extension
movement of the;footrest 12 without the use of exposed lazy-tong
linkages, and, by so doing, we have eliminated not only tne
danger, in~tabilit~, and wear problems associated with linkages
of that kind, we have added to the stability of the footrest 12 and
` 20 greatly improved the appearance of the chair by reducing the foot-
` rest support to a pai~ of attractive yet simple and strong func- ~ ~
tional rails or beams 10 in which the only operating link ex- ; `2 ~ tending forward to the footrest proper is hidden from view a~s well ~ `
as being removed as a source of danger to crawling children or ~;
household pets by being totally enclosed within the extension rails. `
Not only is there no "scissorsn relationship between any
. :
, of the exposed portions of the mechanism, but, in further contrast
to ~scissors footrest support linkages, the weight loa~ on our
footre~t is carried by the rails 10, and not by the extension
~ 30 linkage 16, as a result of which our extension linkage members `
i are greatly relieved of wear.
; Moreover, the further adjus~ment of the angularity of ``
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the footrest 12 occasioned b~ the retraction of the forward ful-
crum roller 40 upon the recline of the chair is a significant
addition to the comfort of the occupant by providing better dis-
tribution of the weight of the legs between the seat and the foot-
rest proper, in order to prevent impairment of circulation to thelower limbs during extended periods of occupancy while sleeping.
The features of the invention believed new and patent-
able are set orth in the following claims:
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