The invention herein pertains to furniture and in particular pertains to a recliner mechanism for operation of a leg support or rest.
Mechanical recliner assemblies have long been used in various furniture to allow a chair to repose as desired by the user. Oftentimes the leg rest extends forwardly of the chair cantilevered to a horizontal or other angled posture. The back is also usually tilted by such mechanisms which are generally formed from heavy metal parts to provide the support and durability needed. This added weight increases the manufacturing and shipping costs and the concerns of consumers due to the difficulty in moving the furniture in the home.
In order to overcome the problems and disadvantages of conventional recliners mechanisms and to lower the costs of assembly and manufacturing, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a retractable leg support for furniture which is light in weight, easy to operate and assemble.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a recliner mechanism in the form of a leg support which is always grounded and includes a frame supported on the floor by wheels.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a recliner mechanism which is affixed and concealed within the furniture in its retracted mode for aesthetic purposes.
It is also another objective of the present invention to provide a recliner mechanism and method having a frame moveable by a handle affixed to the side of the furniture which rotates an axle attached thereto.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a recliner mechanism in the form of a leg support which is grounded for supporting heavy loads up to 350 pounds or more.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a concealed recliner mechanism, particularly a leg support which is extendable while remaining grounded. Furniture having the mechanism is useful for various locations, such as in physicians' waiting rooms. The mechanism is operated by a handle affixed to the outside of the furniture and includes a tubular frame with legs. Beneath the seat of the furniture an internal axle is affixed to a pair of arms formed from V-sections which extend and retract as desired. The mechanism rolls along the floor for support on wheels attached to the legs to allow the support of heavy loads up to 350 pounds or more (159 kg) without distortion or breaking. When retracted the mechanism creates an aesthetic appearance for the furniture.
For a better understanding of the invention and its operation, turning now to the drawings, in
To better illustrate its operation or method, various views of recliner mechanism 20 in a retracted position are shown in
Recliner mechanism 20 as seen in
In
As shown in
In order to facilitate movement of chair 10 front legs 15, 15′ include wheels 16, 16′ respectively and side frame members 24, 24′ have wheels 28, 28′ affixed thereto.
The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
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