Elevation system for a bed assembly

Claim 1

An adjustable bed unit for elevating the end section of a mattress which extends outwardly beyond a first end of an elongate foundation support beneath the mattress from the plane of the remainder of the mattress supported by a support surface of said foundation support which extends in a first plane, said elevation occurring about spaced axes transverse to the longitudinal axis of said mattress to create and maintain an area of said end section adjacent to the juncture of the end section with the remainder of the mattress in a smooth, substantially concave arcuately curved configuration comprising a housing means having a first housing end and a second opposed housing end spaced therefrom, said housing means being configured to fit beneath the end section of said mattress with said first housing end adjacent to the first end of said elongated foundation support, a pivoted end assembly means connected to said housing means to extend in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane when said housing means is positioned beneath said end section of said mattress, said pivoted end assembly means including an intermediate section having a first section end pivotally connected by a first pivot means to said housing means at said first housing end and a second section end opposite to said first section end, and a head section having a third section end pivotally connected by a second pivot means to said second section end and a free section end spaced therefrom, and elevating means mounted on said housing means within the confines thereof and connected to said pivoted end assembly means for simultaneously moving said intermediate and head sections in the same direction toward or away from said second plane with said free section end being maintained furthermost from said second plane when said end assembly means is moved from said second plane, said elevating means being operable upon initiation of said simultaneous movement of the head and intermediate sections to pivot said intermediate section about said first pivot means and to pivot said head section about said second pivot means to create a first angle between said intermediate section and said second plane and a second angle between said intermediate section and said head section, said elevating means including a unitary rigid yoke means for moving said pivoted end assembly toward and away from said second plane, said rigid yoke means including a first yoke section secured to said pivoted end assembly and a second yoke section extending at a fixed angle to said first yoke section from said first yoke section to a terminal end portion, and drive means connected to said terminal end portion and operative to move said terminal end portion along a path between said first and second housing ends.