Reclining chair

Claim 2

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on the floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat, and (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; (D) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; and (E) base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrestmounting member; the improvement comprising: extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of forcetransmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate extension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrest-mounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of forcetransmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardlyand rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 3

The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein each armrest has a front portion and a rear portion, and wherein said armrest-mounting members are mounted only at the rear portions of the armrests to thereby leave the associated front portions unconnected to each other; and wherein each extension member is laterally spaced from its associated front armrest portion to thereby define a clearance space therewith; and further comprising a footrest, a pair of footrest-mounting members, and footrest drive linkage means operatively connecting the footrest-mounting member to the seat drive linkage means, for successively extending the footrest in one direction from an end-limiting folded position to an end-limiting fully extended position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, and also for successively retracting the footrest in the opposite direction back to the folded position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly, said footrest drive linkage means being receivable in and movable through each clearance space.

Claim 4

The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said base drive linkage means includes a pair of front drive bell cranks each pivotally connected to its associated pivot pin and having a pair of arms and a bridging bracket, said arms and said bracket of each pair of front bell cranks all being of one-piece construction.

Claim 5

The improvement as defined in claim 3; and further comprising an elongated bridging member extending between and fixedly connected to each bridging bracket to thereby prevent undesired lateral shifting of the front drive bell cranks relative to each other.

Claim 6

The improvement as defined in claim 3, wherein each bracket of a front drive bell crank is of one-piece with one of said arms, and wherein the other of said arms extends generally normally of said one arm.

Claim 7

The improvement as defined in claim 3, wherein said base drive linkage means further includes a base-mounting bracket and an elongated base link having one end pivotally mounted to the base-mounting bracket, and its opposite end pivotally connected to said front drive bell crank.

Claim 8

The improvement as defined in claim 3, wherein said base drive linkage means also includes connecting means for pivotally connecting each front drive bell crank to the seat drive linkage means, said connecting means including an elongated connecting link having one end region pivotally connected to the seat drive linkage means, and its opposite end region pivotally connected to the front drive bell crank at the juncture of the two arms thereof.

Claim 9

The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein each extension member is constituted by metal material.

Claim 10

The improvement as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a back, a backrest-mounting member, and backrest drive linkage means operatively connected to the seat drive linkage means, for successively moving the back from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, and also operative for successively moving the back from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly.

Claim 11

The improvement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising means for mounting each movable track on the base for said reciprocating movement relative thereto, and means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks, whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 12

The improvement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and also comprising stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat in its upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 13

The improvement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and also comprising rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 14

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on the floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat and having a bottom surface which faces and is located above the floor, and (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; and (D) seat drive linkage means operative connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) a pair of elongated movable tracks located at opposite sides of the seat, each movable track having an armrest-supporting wall on which the bottom surface of the respective armrest is fixedly mounted; (b) means for mounting each movable track on the base for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative thereto so that the interconnected armrests move forwardly and rearwardly as a unit together with the movable tracks relative to the base; and (c) means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks, whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 15

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on the floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat and having a bottom surface which faces and is located above the floor, and (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; and (D) seat drive linkage means operative connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) a pair of elongated movable tracks located at opposite sides of the seat, each movable track having an armrest-supporting wall on which the bottom surface of the respective armrest is fixedly mounted; (b) means for mounting each movable track on the base for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative thereto so that the interconnected armrests move forwardly and rearwardly as a unit together with the movable tracks relative to the base; and (c) means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks, whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 16

The improvement as defined in claim 13, wherein each movable track has a generally planar front portion which is located at a predetermined elevation relative to the base, and a rear offset portion which is located at an elevation lower than said predetermined elevation; and wherein each reinforcement element has a generally horizontal planar part fixedly mounted in said rear offset portion of each movable track, each planar part having a thickness such that the upper planar surface of the latter lies in substantially the same horizontal plane as the upper planar surface of the planar front portion of the movable track, said planar part and said planar portion together defining said armrest-supporting wall.

Claim 17

The improvement as defined in claim 14, wherein each reinforcement element also has a generally vertical planar part of one-piece with its associated generally horizontal planar part, said track-mounting means being mounted on each vertical planar part.

Claim 18

The improvement as defined in claim 14, wherein each planar front portion extends over a major portion of the length of the respective movable track, and wherein each respective rear offset portion extends over the remaining minor portion of the track length.

Claim 19

The improvement as defined in claim 13; and further comprising a pair of stationary tracks fixedly mounted on the base, and wherein said track-mounting means includes a rotary top wheel mounted at the rear of each movable track for rolling movement on a respective stationary track.

Claim 20

The improvement as defined in claim 17; and further comprising auxiliary track-mounting means including a rotary bottom wheel mounted at the front of each stationary track for rolling movement on a respective movable track.

Claim 21

The improvement as defined in claim 18, wherein each stationary track has a generally horizontal rolling surface, and wherein said top wheel rollingly engages the upper side of said rolling surface, and wherein said bottom wheel rollingly engages the lower side of said rolling surface.

Claim 22

The improvement as defined in claim 19, wherein each stationary track and its associated movable track have opposing walls spaced laterally apart of each other; and further comprising anti-friction spacer means intermediate said opposing walls for maintaining the latter in spaced relation during said reciprocating movement with minimal friction loss.

Claim 23

The improvement as defined in claim 13, wherein each armrest-mounting member is mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat; wherein the chair also includes base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrestmounting member; and further comprising extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of force-transmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate extension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrestmounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of force-transmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardly- and rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 24

The improvement as defined in claim 13; and further comprising abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and also comprising stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat in its upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 25

The improvement as defined in claim 13; and further comprising front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and also comprising rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 26

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat, and (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (D) seat drive linkage means operative connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and (b) stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat in its upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 27

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat, and (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (D) seat drive linkage means operative connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and (b) stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat in its upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 28

The improvement as defined in claim 24; and further comprising a pair of stationary tracks mounted on the base at opposite sides of the seat, and wherein said abutment means includes a pair of abutments each fixedly connected to a respective stationary track, and wherein said stop means includes a pair of stops each fixedly connected to a respective movable track.

Claim 29

The improvement as defined in claim 24; and further comprising elastomeric means mounted intermediate said stop means and said abutment means.

Claim 30

The improvement as defined in claim 26, wherein said elastomeric means constitutes an endless band mounted on said abutment means; and further comprising means for retaining said band on said abutment means.

Claim 31

The improvement as defined in claim 27, wherein said abutment means includes a pair of abutments each extending downwardly in direction towards the base, and wherein said retaining means constitutes a transversely-extending projection on each abutment for securing the respective band on the latter.

Claim 32

The improvement as defined in claim 24, wherein each armrest-mounting member is mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat; wherein the chair also includes base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrest-mounting member; and further comprising extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of force-transmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate eztension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrest-mounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of force-transmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardly- and rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 33

The improvement as defined in claim 24; and further comprising means for mounting each movable track on the base for said reciprocating movement relative thereto, and means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks, whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 34

The improvement as defined in claim 24; and further comprising front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and also comprising rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 35

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat, and (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; (D) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair-supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and (b) rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 36

In a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type comprising (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base and having a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, said armrest assembly including (1) a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat, and (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; (D) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair-supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and (b) rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 37

The improvement as defined in claim 32, wherein each caster wheel assembly includes an L-shaped bracket having a generally horizontal arm mounted at the underside of the base rearward region, and a generally vertical arm of onepiece with the horizontal bracket arm and on which the respective rotary wheel is rotatably mounted.

Claim 38

The improvement as defined in claim 32; and further comprising a footrest, a pair of footrest-mounting members, and footrest drive linkage means operatively connecting the footrest-mounting member to the seat drive linkage means, for successively extending the footrest in one direction from an end-limiting folded position to an end-limiting fully extended position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, and also for successively retracting the footrest in the opposite direction back to the folded position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly.

Claim 39

The improvement as defined in claim 32, wherein each armrest-mounting member is mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat; wherein the chair also includes base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrest-mounting member; and further comprising extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of force-transmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate extension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrest-mounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of force-transmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardly- and rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 40

The improvement as defined in claim 32; and further comprising means for mounting each movable track on the base for said reciprocating movement relative thereto, and means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks, whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 41

The improvement as defined in claim 32; and further comprising abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and also comprising stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat in its upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 42

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrest-mounting members being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; and (5) base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrest-mounting member; the improvement comprising: extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of force-transmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate extension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrest-mounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of force-transmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardly- and rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 43

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest at a predetermined location below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrest-mounting members being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; and (5) base drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat drive linkage means to the base, said base drive linkage means having for each armrest-mounting member a pivot pin which is located both forwardly and downwardly of the respective predetermined location of the associated armrest-mounting member; the improvement comprising: extension means for transmitting the force generated at each armrest-mounting member during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly directly to its associated pivot pin, said extension means including a pair of force-transmitting elongated extension members, each having one end region at a respective armrest-mounting member, an opposite end region at the respective pivot pin, and an intermediate extension portion which extends from said one end region downwardly and forwardly of the associated predetermined location of the respective armrest-mounting member to said opposite end region, each extension member being made of force-transmitting rigid material for transmitting the forwardly- and rearwardly-directed forces generated during said reciprocating movement of the armrest assembly at the armrest-mounting members thereof directly to their respective pivot pins, whereby each pivot pin is reliably reciprocably guided along a longitudinal horizontal path relative to the base.

Claim 44

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat and having a bottom surface which faces and is located above the floor, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; and (3) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) a pair of elongated movable tracks located at opposite sides of the seat, each movable track having an armrest-supporting wall on which the bottom surface of the respective armrest is fixedly mounted; (b) means for mounting each movable track on the base for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative thereto so that the interconnected armrest-mounting members move forwardly and rearwardly as a unit together with the movable tracks relative to the base; and (c) means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 45

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat and having a bottom surface which faces and is located above the floor, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; and (3) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) a pair of elongated movable tracks located at opposite sides of the seat, each movable track having an armrest-supporting wall on which the bottom surface of the respective armrest is fixedly mounted; (b) means for mounting each movable track on the base for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative thereto so that the interconnected armrest-mounting members move forwardly and rearwardly as a unit together with the movable tracks relative to the base; and (c) means for reinforcing each track at the location of said track-mounting means thereon, said reinforcing means including a pair of reinforcement elements each fixedly mounted on a respective movable track and each having said track-mounting means mounted thereon, each reinforcement element being constituted by a material which is more resistant to deformation as compared to the material of the movable tracks whereby each movable track is strengthened in the vicinity of its track-mounting means where most of the weight of the user and of the armrest assembly is concentrated.

Claim 46

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat; said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrest-mounting members being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and (b) stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat-mounting members in their upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 47

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base, including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat; said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrest-mounting members being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) abutment means on each of the movable tracks and movable together with the same during said reciprocating movement; and (b) stop means fixedly mounted at the rear of the base and extending into the path of movement of the abutment means, said stop means being operative for arresting movement of the seat-mounting members in their upright position, and also for preventing further rearward movement of the armrest assembly and its movable tracks past said abutment means.

Claim 48

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; and (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair-supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and (b) rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.

Claim 49

Hardware for a wall-clearing reclining chair of the type having (A) a base for supporting the chair on a floor; (B) a seat located generally above the base; and (C) a movable armrest assembly mounted for longitudinal horizontal reciprocating movement relative to the base including a pair of armrests each located at an opposite side of the seat, said hardware including (1) a pair of seat-mounting members each located at an opposite side of the seat; (2) means for interconnecting the armrests including a pair of armrest-mounting members mounted on each armrest below the seat; (3) a pair of movable tracks each mounted for said reciprocating movement relative to the base, said interconnected armrests being mounted on the movable tracks to move forwardly and rearwardly together with the latter as a unit; and (4) seat drive linkage means operatively connecting the seat-mounting members to the armrest-mounting members, for successively moving the seat-mounting members from an end-limiting upright position to an end-limiting fully reclined position, all in response to forward movement of the armrest assembly, said seat drive linkage means also being operative for successively moving the seat-mounting members from the fully reclined position back to the upright position, all in response to rearward movement of the armrest assembly; the improvement comprising: (a) front base support means located at a forward region of the base, said front base support means being liftable from a chair-supporting position in which the front base support means engages the floor and supports the base forward region, to a tilted chair position in which the front base support means is elevated above the floor; and (b) rear base support means located at a rearward region of the base, said rear base support means including a pair of caster wheel assemblies at opposite sides of the base rearward region, each caster wheel assembly having a rotary wheel in constant rolling engagement with the floor during the entire lifting movement of said front base support means, whereby the chair is easily rolled for cleaning underneath the same.