US2724127A - Reclining head board for beds - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 22, 1955 v. A. TRIVAS ETAL 2,724,127

RECLINING HEAD BOARD FOR BEDS .Filed Feb. 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheac 1 I J l4 INVENT'OR. o o I O VLctor-AJrzz/as ATTO/EN E Y- Nov. 22, 1955 Filed Feb. 8, 1952 V. A. TRIVAS ETAL RECLINING HEAD BOARD FOR BEDS 3 Sheets-Sheet .2

mvgzvroza. VzctorA. Tr uuas Jacob Bunow ATTORNEY.

Nov. 22, 1955 v. A. TRlVAS ET AL 2,724,127

RECLINING HEAD BOARD FOR BEDS Filed Feb. 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNVElyTOR.

VwfiorA .Trbuas By Jab Bun/Q1 United States Patent 1 REGLINING HEAD BOARD. FOR BEDS Victor A..Trivas, Hollywood, and Jacob Bunow, Los Angeles, Calif.

. Application February 8, 1952, SerialNo..270,536

zelaims. (c1. s--53 invention relates to reclining head boards for beds and has as its general object to provide an improved reclining head? board arrangement.

In"gen'eral', a recliningheacl board will provide a comfortable back rest for a person sitting up in bed for reading, eating; sewing, etc; This is especially true where theheadboard is upholstered to provide a padded Oneof the important objects of surface as a back rest.

the. present inventionis to provide an arrangement in i which" anentire headboard (either unitary or in two separately operable sections) thefull width of the bed and the full height-"of the headboard, is adjustable from a normalvertical positionto a forwardly and downwardly inclined position in which it will provide a comfortable back' rest for a person sittingup in bed. Such a headboardrin its normal vertical position; will havea smooth, un'brokent appearance which" is just as decorativeas"the'fixed headboard would' bet In this respect the invention provides a definite improvement over prior proposals for a panel insert in a headboard, such panel insert'being shiftable to an inclined position to providea back rest.

A' further object of theinventionis to provide a headbo'ardand headframe assembly which may be applied tofa" Hollywood type bed in a very simple manner.

Statedsomewhat differently, theinvention contemplates a headboard and head frame assembly (embodying a standfor'supporting it upright) which may be purchased as" a unit and placed in thedesiredposition for the head' i type bed by the simple expedient of shoving the bed up against'thestand and fitting or securing the. bed to the stand;

A further object is to provide such a headboard and hea-dframeunit, in which the stand portion of the headframe provides a support for the near end of the bed, the legs of the latter being removed "for that purpose:

A furtherobject is to provide a headboard and frame arrangement in which the edges of the headboard" and thehead frame are of comparable thickness and adapted tobe aligned with each other in the normal vertical position of the headboard, whereby to present a relatively unbroken upholstered side edge contour.

A further object is to provide anxinclinable headboard arrangement providing for two different inclinations of the-headboard at the selection of the user.

Otherobjects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawings in which:

Figi l is a perspective view of a portion of i a bed with one form of my improved inclinable headboard mechanism associated therewith;

Fig: 2 is a sectional view thereof taken in a vertical longitudinal plane .of the bed;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the head frame thereof; Fig-a4 is a rear perspective view of the headboard and head frameuassembly;

, Fig. 5 is a. rear perspective view of a modifiedrformt.

ofeheadboard and head frame unit;

Fig: Sis-a side view thereof with the headboard shown' in its normalposition in full lines and its inclined position in dotted lines;

Fig. 7 isa cross sectional viewthereof showing the in-' clined position of the headboard;

Fig. 8 is arear view of a headboard (for a" twin size,

bed) embodying a furthermodificationof' the-invention;

Fig. 9 is a sideviewof a head portion ofabedequippecly with the headboard of Fig. 8, shown in its normal upright":

position;

Fig. 10 is a side viewof the same showing the headboard in a reclining position;

Fig. 11 is a rear-perspectiveview ofa double size bed:

equipped with a headboard embodying a pairof separate reclinable headboardsections of thegeneral typeshowrr in Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is a rear perspectiveview' of the same" showing one of the headboard sections in a reclining position;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary detail side view of the head rest of Fig. 8;

Fig. 14 is a detail of the hinge member'thereof; and

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a portion of" the hinge.

member.

Referring now to theformof the invention disclosed in Figs: 1-4 inclusive, theinvention provides a unit comprising, in general, an inclinable headboard'id'and'a head frame 11 upon which the headboard 10 ismounted.

Frame 11 comprises a stand portionincludinglaterallyspaced uprights 12 (Fig. 3), atransverse'beam 13-suitably secured to uprights 12'and disposed in a vertical plane, a sill 14secured to the-lower portion of beam 13" and projecting horizontally forwardly therefrom, and a reference to the. bedstead.

Thehead frame further includes an intermediate transverse frame member 18, spaced above member IS, and a pair of vertical'side members 19 the outeredges of which are adapted to be substantially flush with the sid'es of the" bedstead and the springs 30 andmattress: 2i) supported thereon as indicated in Fig. 1.

Headboard 10 is preferably upholsteredas indicated-,

and side members 19 are likewise upholstered or coveredwith the same material, the side edges thereof lying" substantially in a common plane with the sideedges": of headboard 10 so as to give the appearance of a substantially unbroken continuation thereof when the headboard is in the normal upright position shown in Fig.2.

To the rear side of headboard 10 are secured a phi-1 rality of hinges 21, on a common transverse horizontal hinge axis. The head frame includes an upper portion consisting in upward extensions 22 of uprights 12abovecross member 18,- and a horizontal transverse member 23 bridging between the upper ends thereof. portion constitutes a support means for headboard 10..

Hinges'ZI-are secured to transverse member 23, whereby headboard 10 is hinged to the head frame forswinging" movement from thenormal vertical position shown-in full lines of Fig. 2 to a forwardly inclined position" such as that shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and4 and in" dotted lines in Fig. 2.

To the lower extremity of headboard 10, through a series of hinges 24, is hinged, on a transverse horizontalaxis,. a panel: 25 which normally. is folded upwardly": behind. headboard 10,. just forwardly of; support means 22, as indicated in Fig. 2. Extensions 22 are of reduced.

thickness as compared to the lower portions of uprights Patented Nov. 22, 1955.

Such upper 12 to provide an offset shoulder 26 of sutficient width to match the thickness of panel 25. Thus there is provided, between the respective vertical planes of side frame members 19 and intermediate cross member 18 on the one hand, and support means 22 on the other hand, a space to accommodate panel 25 in its folded position, with headboard 10 disposed generally in the plane of members 18, 19.

In the first position of forward tilting of headboard 10, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, panel 25 has the rear portion thereof supported upon shoulders 26, and thus the panel functions as a brace to support the headboard in the forwardly inclined position. tion of forwardinclination, panel 25 is disposed substantially in the plane of headboard 10, hinges 24 being so disposed that the adjacent edge of panel 25 engages the lower edge of headboard 10 to stiffen the combination of panel and headboard so that with the lower edge of panel 25 resting against the mattress as indicated in Fig. 2, the two will be substantially rigidified in a common plane to accept rearwardly directed loads imposed on the headboard.

As indicated in Fig. 3, and also in Fig. l, the headboard and head frame structure just described may comprise one half of a double headboard and frame assembly, to be used in connection with twin beds. In this case, intermediate cross member 18, as shown in Fig. 3, may constitute approximately one half of a full length cross member, joining the two head frames together, the bridging portion of the cross member being indicated at 31. The same may be true of cross member 13, with a bridging portion 31' (Fig. 3).

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the head frame structure is generally the same as that shown in Figs. 1-4 and similar reference numerals have been used to designate the various parts thereof. Fig. 5 illustrates the bedstead and mattress shifted forwardly with reference to the stand portion of the frame so that all of the sill 14 is visible. It will be understood, however, that the normal position of the bedstead is as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, with the head portion of the bedstead resting upon the sill 14. These figures illustrate how the head legs of the bedstead may be removed and the bedstead supported upon and secured to sill 14 (note securing elements 32 of Fig. 7). Headboard 10a is, in this form of the invention, hinged by hinges 33, to one edge of a swinging panel 34 the opposite edge of which is hinged, by means of hinges 35, to the upper end of upright extensions 22a. Uprights 12a in this case are of the same thickness as extensions 22a (the two members constituting the continuous, uniform thickness bar in each case) and the thickness of upholstered cross member 13a is substantially the same as that of headboard 10a. Side uprights 19a are upholstered as indicated at 36, with a thickness corresponding to that of the side edges of upholstered headboard 10a, whereby in the normal upright position of the headboard, shown in full lines in Fig. 6, the bed side edges appear to be substantially uninterrupted continuation of upholstered side edges 36a.

In the normal upright position of headboard 10a, panel 34 is vertical (in the plane of extensions 22a) and rests flatly against the rear face of the headboard as shown in Fig. 6, its upper edge being disposed just below the upper extremity of headboard 10a, sufficiently to be concealed, and its lower extremity registering with the upper ends of extensions 22a. In the forwardly inclined position of the headboard, panel 34 extends forwardly,

In the second posi so that the axis of hinges 33 is shifted downwardly subform of the invention in which the head frame includes a solid panel 41 having legs 42 and having brackets 43 rigidly secured thereto and projecting forwardly therefrom for attachment to the bedstead 16, whereby the head frame becomes an integral part of the bedstead. Projecting upwardly from panel 41, and spaced inwardly from the sides thereof, are a pair of supports 22b to the upper ends of which are pivoted, at 44, a pair of hinge straps 45. Swinging bridge 34b has the ends thereof abutted against the inner faces of hinge straps 45 and secured thereto, as by means of nails 46 extending through openings 46a in straps 45 and embedded in panel 10b. Attached to the swinging ends of straps 45, by means of pivots 47, are angle brackets 48 which are also connected to the top cross member 49 of the frame portion of headboard 10b. The headboard as illustrated in Fig. 8, also includes side upright members 50 and a bottom horizontal member 51. The finished headboard is upholstered as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Swinging bridge member 34b functions to brace and rigidify the hinge straps 45 in a common transverse plane, so that the axis of hinge pivots 47 may remain parallel to that of pivot 34. The primary hinging connection between uprights 22b and the headboard 10b is, however, through the metal hinge part 45, 48 of Fig. 14, the use of these parts facilitating the manufacture and assembly of the headboard and head frame combination, and making the same more durable. These hinge parts are adapted to interengage with a locking action to limit the downward breaking of the hinges which they cooperatively provide at pivots 47. Such locking action is derived from engagement of brackets 48 against abutment shoulders 52 at the ends of straps 45. The locking engagement occurs when straps 45 reach the horizontal positions of Fig. 10, in the downward swinging movement thereof.

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the headboard and frame arrangement of Fig. 8, embodied in a double bed, there being two headboard sections 100, somewhat narrower than the headboard 10b, two sets of uprights 220, both attached to a common panel 41c, two swinging panels 340, and two sets of hinge hardware 45, 48. Thus the headboards are individually adjustable as indicated in Fig. 12. I

It will be apparent that the arrangement of Figs. 8-15 are generally similar to that of Figs. 5-7 insofar as the connection of the headboard to the head frame is concerned.

It will be apparent that in either form of the invention,

the headboard may be shifted from its normal vertical position to its forwardly projected inclined position by simply grasping it, lifting it slightly and moving it forwardly or rearwardly as the case may be. It is possible for a person sitting in the bed to accomplish this by simply reaching around the side edge, near the lower corners of the headboard and pulling it lightly forward. In I the form shown in Figs. l4, when it has been shifted sufficiently far forward, panel 24 will automatically drop to the intermediate position shown in Fig. 2, which is the preferred position of inclination. In the forms shown in Figs. 5-l5, the weight of the headboard will urge it downwardly as the lower portion thereof is pulled forwardly. Conversely, by lifting slightly against the lower edge of the headboard and pushing it rearwardly, the upper portion of the headboard will swing upwardly automatically, until the normal vertical position is reached.

When the headboard reaches the reclining position, it remains supported by its own weight, between the two hori- I zontal lines of support provided by the mattress and by the forward edge of bridge 34 respectively.

In the forms shown in Figs. 5l5, a number ofintermediate positions may be selected, each one determined by the particular position where the lower edgeof the headboard is allowed to rest against the mattress In these various selected positions, the inclination of the headboard will vary anywhere from the vertical position to the position of maximum forward inclination shown in full lines in Fig. 7.

The forward edge of bridge 34 is beveled to accommodate the forward inclination of the headboard 10, as shown in Fig. 7.

As shown in Fig. 7, the upholstered portion of the headboard may include cushioning coil springs interposed between the frame and the upholstery cover of the headboard, to provide maximum cushioning comfort.

We claim:

1. An attachment for a bed, of the Hollywood type including a bedstead all portions of which have a maximum height not exceeding the height of the upper level of the mattress supported thereon, adapted to have a headboard panel attached thereto, said attachment com prising: upright support means adapted to be attached to the head end of said bedstead and to project upwardly therefrom; a transverse bridge element and hinge means hingedly connecting said bridge element to the top of said upright support means on a horizontal axis adjacent the lower edge of said bridge element; and hinge means connected to said bridge element on a hinge axis adjacent the upper edge thereof, and adapted for attachment to said headboard panel adjacent the upper edge thereof, said bridge element having a normal position projecting upwardly from the top of said upright support means, with the headboard panel in a normal position in a vertical plane having its lower edge adjacent the level of the upper surface of the mattress, and said bridge element being adapted to swing from said normal position downwardly and forwardly so as to lower the upper edge of said headboard panel and require the projection of said headboard panel to a position inclined downwardly and forwardly with its lower edge resting on the mattress; said hinge means including a pair of metal hinge straps attached to the respective ends of said bridge element and projecting beyond both the upper and lower edges thereof; pivot elements extending through the end portions of said hinge straps which project below the lower edge of said bridge element when in normal position and anchored in said vertical support means; and angle brackets each having one ear pivotally attached to an end portion of a respective hinge strap which projects beyond the upper edge of said bridge member and another car, at right angles to said first ear, for attachment to the rear face of said headboard panel.

2. An attachment for a bed, of the Hollywood type including a bedstead all portions of which have a maximum height not exceeding the height of the upper level of the mattress supported thereon, adapted to have a headboard panel attached thereto, said attachment comprising: upright support means adapted to be attached to the head end of said bedstead and to project upwardly therefrom; a transverse bridge element and hinge means hingedly connecting said bridge element to the top of said upright support means on a horizontal axis adjacent the lower edge of said bridge element; and hinge means connected to said bridge element on a hinge axis adjacent the upper edge thereof, and adapted for attachment to said headboard panel adjacent the upper edge thereof, said bridge element having a normal position projecting upwardly from the top of said upright support means, with the headboard panel in a normal position in a vertical plane having its lower edge adjacent the level of the upper surface of the mattress, and said bridge element being adapted to swing from said normal position downwardly and forwardly so as to lower the upper edge of said headboard panel and require the projection of said headboard panel to a position inclined downwardly and forwardly with its lower edge resting on the mattress; said hinge means including a pair of metal hinge straps attached to the respective ends of said bridge element and projecting beyond both the upper and lower edges thereof; pivot elements extending through the end portions of said hinge straps which project below the lower edge of said bridge element when in normal position and anchored in said vertical support means; and angle brackets each having one ear pivotally attached to an end portion of a respective hinge strap which projects beyond the upper edge of said bridge member and another ear, at right angles to said first ear, for attachment to the rear face of said headboard panel; said upright support means comprising a pair of supporting bars adapted to be connected to the bed at their lower ends and connected at the upper ends only by said bridge element and hinge straps and pivots, said bridge element having a straight edge adjacent the axis of said pivots, and said supporting bars having squared upper ends adapted to be engaged by the straight edge and the bridge element when in normal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 588,622 Ware Aug. 24, 1897 1,404,448 Kroupa Jan. 24, 1922 2,263,050 Rein Nov. 18, 1941 2,492,430 Koch Dec. 27, 1949 2,554,799 Sprunger May 29, 1951 2,642,585 Piliero June 23, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,916 Great Britain July 20, 1911 240,757 Switzerland Jan. 31, 1946

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