Article of furniture with a multi-section support surface

Claim 2

An article of furniture comprising a base frame and a plurality of support members providing a multi-section support surface for a user reclining on the article, said support members including a middle section pivotably mounted at the middle portion thereof on bearings relative to the base frame and first and second end sections mounted pivotably at a first end and a second end of said middle section on bearings at inner ends of said end sections for movement of said end sections through different open angles relative to said base frame and said middle section and at least one sectioN connected by at least one spring support system said base frame and said end sections having stop means for locking said end sections in desired positions relative to said base frame without being braced by another support member.

Claim 3

The article of claim 1, wherein at least one section (13, 17) is provided with at least one beam (15,17'') projecting therefrom, the beam connected by at least one spring support system (16'') to said middle section (13, 17) directly.

Claim 4

The article of claim 1, wherein said middle section (17) has a stop (20) for locking said middle section relative to said base frame (10, 10'').

Claim 5

The article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stop means containing a common stop device has a handle for loosening and securing said stops of at least two sections simultaneously.

Claim 6

The article of claim 4, wherein said common stop device is mounted on said base frame or a bracket thereof.

Claim 7

The article of claim 4, wherein said common stop device is mounted on one of said sections or a beam (17'') of a section.

Claim 8

The article of claim 4, wherein said common stop device is a step-wise acting mechanism wherein said stops (34, 36, 48, 49) are released or locked in groups or individually one after the other or simultaneously.

Claim 9

The article of claim 4, wherein said stop device is a slip clutch for at least one of the stops.

Claim 10

The article of claim 8, wherein said beam (18) is a vertical bracket projecting down from said base frame.

Claim 11

The article of claim 1, wherein at least one end section has a beam (15) is so disposed relative to the line of action of the spring support system (16, 16'', 16'''', 38, 49) connected thereto that - on the end section (12, 13) connected to that beam being pivotably displaced in such a direction as to increase the force exerted thereon by the spring system - the effective lever arm exerted on that end section by the spring system increases for a determined range of inclination.

Claim 12

The article of claim 1, wherein said bearings of the middle section are mounted on a horizontal axle (11) connected to said base frame and are situated in the two middle quarters of the length of said middle section (17).

Claim 13

The article of claim 1, wherein said spring support system has a non-linear characteristic.

Claim 14

The article of claim 1, wherein said spring support system is a pneumatic spring also functioning as a stop.

Claim 15

The article as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the end sections is connected by said at least one spring support system to said middle section.

Claim 16

The article of claim 1, wherein said stop means have a common stop device with a stepwise acting mechanism, in one end position of which said stop means have means for simultaneous release.

Claim 17

The article of claim 1, wherein one end section (12) is connected to the base frame (10) by a first spring system and wherein said middle section (17) has a second spring system with one end connected to said middle section and a second end connected to said base frame.

Claim 18

The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said end sections is connected to said middle section by said at least one spring support system and said spring support system has a non-linear characteristic.

Claim 19

The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said end sections is connected to said middle section by said at least one spring support system comprising a pneumatic spring also functioning as a stop.

Claim 20

The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said end sections is connected to said middle section by said at least one spring support system comprising a gas spring also functioning as a stop.

Claim 21

The article of claim 1, wherein a beam (15) at an end section (12, 13) is fixed at a given angular position so that an increasing effective lever arm with respect to spring action line results.

Claim 22

The article of claim 1, wherein said spring support system is a gas spring also functioning as a stop.

Claim 23

The article of claim 1, wherein said stop means has a common stop device mounted on one of said section.

Claim 24

The article of claim 1, wherein said stop means has a common stop device with a stepwise acting mechanism wherein said stops (34, 36, 48, 49) are secured individually one after the other.

Claim 25

The article of claim 1, wherein said stop means has a stop device with a slip clutch for at least one of the stops.

Claim 26

An article of furniture comprising a base frame and a plurality of support members providing a multi-section support surface for a user reclining on the article, said support members including a middle section pivotably mounted at the middle portion thereof on bearings relative to the base frame and first and second end sections mounted pivotably at a first end and a second end of said middle section on bearings at inner ends of said end sections for movement of said end sections through different open angles relative to said base frame and said middle section and at least one section connected by at least one spring support system to said base frame and said end sections having stop means for locking said end sections in desired positions relative to said base frame without being braced by another support member, and at least one limiter device (32, 33, 35, 16'', 20, 37'', 37'''') associated with at least one end section (12), said limiter device becoming effective in dependence on the position of said movable middle section (17) relative to said base frame and being constructed as a bearing to support the end section, which is pivotably displaceable beyond the position at which the limiter device becomes effective to lift the end portion of the center section (17).

Claim 27

An article of furniture comprising a base frame and a plurality of support members providing a multi-section support surface for a user reclining on the article, said support members including a middle section pivotably mounted at the middle portion thereof on bearings relative to the base frame and first and second end sections mounted pivotably at a first end and a second end of said middle section on bearings at inner ends of said end sections for movement of said end sections through different open angles relative to said base frame and said middle section and at least one section connected by at least one spring support system to said base frame and said end sections having stop means for locking said end sections in desired positions relative to said base frame without being braced by another support member, and at least one limiter device (32, 33, 35, 16'', 20, 37'', 37'''') associated with at least one end section (12), said limiter device becoming effective in dependence on the position of said movable middle section (17) relative to said base frame and being constructed as a bearing to support the end section, which is pivotably displaceable beyond the position at which the limiter device becomes effective to lift the end portion of the center section (17).

Claim 28

The article of claim 26, wherein said limiter (37'', 37'''') is relatively adjusted with respect to a horizontal axle (11) supported by said base frame (10) on which said bearings of the middle section are mounted.