Patent US3255101A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US4380838A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4380838A
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US
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Conformable support system for furniture
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1981-04-08
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Granted: 1983-04-26
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Expires: 2001-04-08
Abstract
Abstract An article of furniture, such as a bed or a chair, provides improved comfort by supporting a human body resting thereon and adaptively conforming to the body contours in contact with the support surface while providing a distribution of support forces that does not vary significantly as the contour changes. A segmented frame pivotally supported on pairs of balance levers which in turn are pivotally attached to a firm base provides a floating action. When ratios of distances of lever ends from their pivot points are selected in inverse ratio to the weights of the human body sections to be supported by attached frame segments, the resulting distribution of support forces matches the distribution of weight in the body and tends to relieve muscle tension.
Inventors
- 👤 Milton Lutchansky
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 06:47
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47C; A47C1/00; A47C1/14; A47C1/143; A47C31/00; A47C31/12; A47C31/123; A47C31/126
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
An article of furniture for supporting the human body in sitting and reclining positions with a preselected support force distribution which adapts itself to body contours comprising, in combination: a rigid base; a frame for supporting a mattress or the like divided longitudinally into a plurality of segments, at least one of which is independent of other segments; cross bracing members for intermediate segments of said frame; a membrane resiliently stretched transversely of each of said segments; and at least one balance lever intermediately pivoted to said base and endwise attached to adjacent segments of said frame on each long side thereof to support said segments.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
106 words
An article of furniture for supporting the human body in sitting and reclining positions with a preselected support force distribution which adapts itself to body contours comprising, in combination: a rigid base; a frame for supporting a mattress or the like divided longitudinally into a plurality of segments, at least one of which is independent of other segments; cross bracing members for intermediate segments of said frame; a membrane resiliently stretched transversely of each of said segments; and at least one balance lever intermediately pivoted to said base and endwise attached to adjacent segments of said frame on each long side thereof to support said segments.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 1 in which the end segments of said frame are substantially U-shaped, said membrane is continuous and is resiliently connected to all segments of said frame, and the intermediate pivots on said balance levers are distant from the ends thereof in inverse ratio to the weights to be supported at said ends.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 1 in which said frame is divided into four independent floating segments: a U-shaped first segment for supporting the head of a human body, a second segment crossbraced for supporting the upper torso of a human body, a third segment crossbraced for supporting the pelvic and upper leg sections of the human body, and a U-shaped fourth segment crossbraced for supporting the lower leg section and feet of the human body.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 3 in which each of said first through fourth frame segments are pivotally attached to ends of a pair of balance levers on the long sides of said segmented frame.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 3 in which said first and second frame segments are pivotally attached to opposite ends of a first pair of said balance levers and said third and fourth frame segments are pivotally attached to opposite ends of a second pair of balance levers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 3 in which said first frame segment is fixedly attached to ends of a pair of said balance levers; and said second, third and fourth frame segments are pivotally attached to ends of pairs of balance levers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 3 in which said first frame segment is rigidly attached to one end of each of a pair of said balance levers, said second frame segment is pivotally attached to the opposite ends of each of said first pair of said balance levers, and said third and fourth frame segments are pivotally attached to opposite ends of a second pair of balance levers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 1 including non-pivoted lower torso and leg sections in which said frame comprises only two pivoted segments: a first U-shaped head segment pivoted from base struts at intermediate points along the open ends thereof, and a second upper torso segment pivoted at the extremities of the open ends of said first segment; said second segment being crossbraced at upper and lower extremities thereof, and one or more contiguous membranes being stretched across said first and second segments.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The article of furniture defined in claim 3 in which a first frame segment is pivotally attached at intermediate points to said base and at end points to said second segment, and said third and fourth segments are directly attached to said base.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-04-25 | 1986-10-25 | 1987-04-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-04-25 | 1990-10-25 | 1991-04-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-04-25 | 1994-10-25 | 1995-04-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |