Reclining Chair With Improved Actuation

The present invention relates to a wall-avoiding, reclining chair, the term "wall-avoiding" in the art meaning that the chair may be placed with the backrest adjacent a wall and moved into reclining position without the backrest striking the wall. More specifically, the present invention relates to such a chair wherein the wall-avoiding action is achieved through a linkage system which projects the seat and backrest unit forwardly relative to a fixed base when the chair moves to the TV or advanced reclining positions. In industry, the term "TV position" is applied to the position in which the chair is placed from the normal or generally upright position when the footrest is extended. Beyond the TV position, the chair may be placed into advanced or more pronounced reclining positions culminating in the fully reclined position. Such chairs as described above, as a general category, are old in the art and in this regard, reference may be had to Rogers U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,071,275 and 4,108,491.

With such wall-avoiding, reclining chairs of the prior art, the chair is manually actuated to the TV reclining position in several different ways, one for example, utilizing a manual actuating handle where the chair occupant grasps the handle and rotates it to transfer a manual force to the footrest mechanism for moving the footrest to the extended position. In other chairs such as those disclosed in Re' U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,958,827 and 3,941,417, actuation is achieved by the chair occupant applying pressure to the backrest which, through linkages, transfers forces to the footrest for extending the footrest into the TV position. Another actuating system utilizes the armrests of the chairs such as, for example, disclosed in Rogers U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,869 for driving the footrest to the TV position. In all of the aforementioned chairs actuating systems, a certain amount of force must be generated by the chair occupant either through his back, arms or hands for physically driving, through mechanical leverage, the footrest into the extended position.

In the chairs of the above-identified Rogers patents, wall-avoiding action is achieved solely through the operation of linkage mechanisms. This is to be contrasted with the wall-avoiding chairs of the above described Re' patents which chairs utilize a track and roller system for moving the seat and backrest away from a nearby wall to achieve wall-avoiding action. Although not disclosed in the aforementioned Re' patents, there exists in the prior art, wall-avoiding reclining chairs utilizing roller and track systems, wherein the tracks are inclined for projecting the chair through gravity into the TV position upon disengagement of a pall or other catch which holds the chair in the normal generally upright position. In some cases, a spring is utilized to move the chair back into the normal position, when the occupant leaves the chair.

In many instances, wall-avoiding chairs which achieve wall-avoiding action through means of a linkage system are preferred over chairs which achieve it through a track and roller system. This is because a linkage system can be constructed to operate more smoothly in providing wall-avoiding action as opposed to rollers which at times bind in the tracks and also create undesirable noise and feelings when the rollers move over obstacles which have accumulated in the tracks. In addition, the use of a linkage system for achieving wall-avoiding action allows a smaller front-to-rear chair dimension, thereby enhancing the various styling possibilities for the overall chair. Furthermore, the linkage system for providing wall-avoiding action also serves the dual purpose of achieving the necessary reclining balance for the various reclined positions of the chair.

Turning now to the present invention, it is directed to a wall-avoiding, reclining chair which achieves wall-avoiding action solely through means of a linkage system as opposed to a roller and track system. More specifically, the present invention provides a novel and improved linkage mechanism including an improved actuation system which does away with the necessity of manually actuating the chair to the TV position through means of the backrest, the armrest, or a handle-driving mechanism so as to minimize the effort and attention required by the chair occupant to actuate the chair to the TV position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved reclining chair which achieves wall-avoiding action solely through a linkage mechanism and yet is actuated to the TV position through means of an improved actuation system which minimizes the amount of energy and attention required of the chair occupant. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a chair as just described which is actuated into the TV position through the weight of the chair occupant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reclining chair which achieves wall-avoiding actuation through a novel and improved linkage system which, when the chair is in the normal or closed position, will be urged by the occupant's weight towards the TV position and wherein, a releasable lock mechanism is provided to prevent the chair from moving into the TV position. Included herein is such a chair including a release mechanism for releasing the lock mechanism to cause the chair to be automatically moved into the TV position by the weight of the chair occupant. It is also an object that the release mechanism be operable in one quick and simple action of the chair occupant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a chair which will achieve the above objects and yet, at the same time, will provide smooth operation between the various positions of the chair and which will further achieve comfortable reclining balance in the various reclined positions of the chair.

In summary, the present invention includes a wall-avoiding reclining chair in which the seat and backrest are mounted on a fixed base by means of a linkage mechanism which is dimensioned and arranged such that the weight of the chair occupant acting downwardly through the mechanism will automatically urge the mechanism to move into the TV position, that is, with the footrest extended and the seat displaced forwardly relative to the base.

The linkage mechanism includes front and rear primary seat mounting links utilized for mounting the seat and backrest relative to the fixed base. In the preferred embodiment, the front seat mounting link is connected to a footrest mechanism for actuating the footrest into extended position by virtue of the occupant's weight as described above. However, to prevent unwanted movement to TV position under the weight of the chair-occupant, the linkage mechanism is provided with a lock mechanism for restraining the footrest mechanism and the remainder of the linkage mechanism from moving into the TV position when the chair is in the normally, generally upright position.

In order to move into the TV position, the chair occupant must release or open the lock mechanism which, in the specific embodiment shown, is achieved through a release which includes the seat of the chair. For this reason, the seat is mounted for slight movement relative to the armrests and the main linkage mechanism to which the armrests are fixed and which mounts the seat and armrests relative to the fixed base. When the chair is in the closed or generally upright position, the chair occupant merely has to hold the armrests and move the seat forwardly a slight amount to release the lock mechanism thereby permitting the weight of the chair occupant to move the chair into the TV position. It is noted that the force required to release the lock mechanism for placing the chair into the TV position is very slight in contrast to conventional handle-operating mechanisms used to drive the footrest mechanism into the TV position. Once in the TV position, the chair of the present invention may be moved to advanced reclining positions with the footrest remaining extended, by the occupant exerting back pressure on the backrest which will cause the seat and backrest to move relative to and forwardly of the base. Furthermore in the preferred embodiment which is a three-way reclining chair, the backrest will move relative to the seat during movement into advanced reclining positions beyond the TV position. In order to return the chair to the normal or generally upright position from the TV position, the operator merely applies pressure on the footrest with his feet or legs to physically retract the footrest mechanism to closed position under the front of the seat.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side, elevational, view of a linkage mechanism or system constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention for a three-way, wall-avoiding, reclining chair; the mechanism being shown in the closed or normal position as would be seen from the inside of the chair and with the upholstery and other frame parts of the chair removed for clarity;

FIG. 1A is a side view similar to FIG. 1 but with a portion of the seat frame added and with other parts removed,

FIG. 1B is a top plan view of FIG. 1A but with a portion of the armrest shown and with the footrest portion removed;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 except as seen when the seat has been displaced slightly forwardly to release the lock mechanism for moving the chair to TV position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 except that the chair is in the TV position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a three-way, wall-avoiding, recliner chair illustrated with its basic frame parts only and which may incorporate the linkage mechanism (not shown) of the present invention; the chair being shown in the normal or generally upright or closed position corresponding to that of the linkage mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 except that the chair is shown in the position corresponding to that of the linkage mechanism shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view generally similar to FIG. 5 except that the chair is shown in the TV position corresponding to that of the linkage mechanism shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a view generally similar to FIG. 6 except that the chair is shown in the fully reclined position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown for illustrative purposes only, a three-way, wall-avoiding, recliner chair embodying the present invention in its preferred form. Referring to FIG. 4, the basic chair parts include a fixed base 10 which rests on the floor, a seat and armrest unit generally designated 12 mounted by a seat linkage system to be described, for movement relative to the base; a backrest 14 mounted relative to the seat for movement with the seat as a unit when the chair moves to TV position and for movement relative to the seat when the chair moves into advanced reclining positions beyond TV position, this mounting of the backrest being achieved through a backrest linkage to be described; and a footrest 18 movable by a footrest mechanism to be described for movement between a retracted position shown in FIG. 4 and an extended position projected forwardly from the chair shown in FIG. 6, this position also being referred to in industry as the TV position.

The seat and armrest unit 12 includes a seat 12a and armrests 12b which, according to the present invention, are movable relative to each other for only a slight duration in order to release a lock mechanism for automatically actuating the chair from the closed or generally upright position illustrated in FIG. 4 to the TV position illustrated in FIG. 6 by means of the chair-occupant's weight. This of course will be described in detail below.

The chair is moved to advanced or more pronounced reclining positions by the chair occupant simply applying back pressure to the backrest; FIG. 7 illustrating the fully reclined position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B, the seat frame includes side rails generally designated 30 interconnected by front and rear cross pieces 31 and 22. For purposes of easing assembly in mass production of the chairs, side rail 30 is comprised of two pieces, one being in the form of an elongated link 13 and the other an elongated rail 15 having a generally inverted L shaped configuration and overlying link 13 to which it is fixed by bolts 21. Link 13 and rail 15 are preferably made from steel while cross pieces 31, 32 are made from wood. However, it will be clear that any other suitable materials may be employed. Further in the specific embodiment shown, cross pieces are fixed to rails 30 by steel brackets 17 and 19 having flanges 17a and 19a to which the cross pieces are screwed or bolted. Brackets 17, 19 are fixed to rail 30 by screws or bolts as best shown in FIG. 1A. As will be described more fully below, seat rails 30 are mounted by links 22, 23 to the chair mechanism to be movable relative thereto a slight amount for the purpose of releasing a lock mechanism to allow the chair to be moved into a reclining position.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 1B, armrest frames 12b each include an upper armrest rail 33 and a lower armrest rail 34 interconnected by front and rear vertical frame members 35 and 36 which are fixed to the side rails 30 of the seat frame. As will become clearer below, armrests 12b are fixed to the chair mechanism by means of brackets 41, 42 shown in FIG. 1B. Although the base frame members may be made from any suitable material such as wood, they are shown in FIG. 1 as being made from steel angle side members (one shown) joined by cross pieces (not shown). Although not shown, low friction glides may be provided at the four corners of the base.

The seat and armrest frame parts have been shown and described as being made from wood, although any other suitable material may be employed. Referring to FIG. 5, the frame of the backrest may also be made with a similar construction, that is, cross pieces 37 joined by vertical pieces 38 to form a generally rectangular configuration. Vertical pieces 38 are interconnected to the chair mechanism by means of a backrest linkage to be described below.

For purposes of clarity, the upholstery has not been shown, however, any suitable upholstery may, of course, be fabricated on the frame. It should be understood that the above-described and illustrated chair frame has been utilized for purposes of disclosing the invention and that other frame constructions and materials may be employed in carrying out the present invention.

The linkage system (also referred to as "mechanism") for mounting and operating the various parts of the chair described above includes two linkage mechanisms, one on each side of the chair, one mechanism being a mirror image of the other. For purposes of the present invention, only one linkage mechanism need be described, and with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown the mechanism that is positioned on the left-hand side of the chair, that is, the side that will be positioned on the left of the chair occupant.

The linkage for mounting the seat and armrest unit to the base will be referred to herein as the "seat mounting linkage" or "seat linkage". The backrest is mounted relative to the base by the same seat mounting linkage.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1B, the seat mounting linkage in the preferred embodiment shown, includes a seat link generally designated 40 which is elongated and extends in the forward-rearward direction of the chair and includes sections 40a and 40b fixed to, but spaced laterally from, each other with section 40b depending below section 40a. Armrest 12b is fixed to seat link 40 by means of flanges 41, 42 projecting outwardly from seat link 40 as best shown in FIG. 1B. Apertures shown in FIG. 1B are provided through flanges 41 and 42 for receiving any suitable fasteners such as screws for positively securing the armrest.

Seat link 40 is mounted to base 10 by linkage including what will be termed a "front primary seat mounting link" 44 and a "rear primary seat mounting link" 45 pivotally mounted to forward and rearward locations of base 10 by pivots 47 and 48, respectively, see FIGS. 1 and 5. As best shown in FIG. 3, seat link 40 is mounted with respect to primary seat mounting links 44, 45 through intermediate means which includes what will be termed a "carrier link" 50 extending in the forward-rearward direction of the chair, and a pair of what will be termed "front and rear secondary seat mounting links" 52 and 54. Front secondary seat mounting link 52 has a generally V shape and is pivotally mounted to the seat link section 40a by pivot 53 and is pivotally connected to the front end portion of carrier link 50 by pivot 53a. Rear secondary seat mounting link 54 is pivotally mounted to seat link 40 by pivot 55 and is pivotally connected to the carrier link 50 at an intermediate location on the carrier link by pivot 56. In turn, carrier link 50 is mounted at its rear end by pivot 58 to rear primary seat mounting link 45. The forward end portion of carrier link 50 is mounted with respect to the front primary seat mounting link 44 by means of the front secondary seat mounting link 52 which is pivoted at 57 to link 44. It will thus be noted that the front secondary seat mounting link 52 has one leg pivoted by pivot 53 to seat link 40 and another leg 52b which has just been described as pivoted by pivot 57 to primary seat mounting link 44.

In moving from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the TV position shown in FIG. 3, the front and rear primary seat mounting links 44 and 45 pivot clockwise (as viewed in FIGS. 1, 3) about their pivots 47 and 48 to the base 10 with the top of link 44 moving along an arc to the top of its arc and then downwardly away from the top of its arc and with link 45 moving along an arc downwardly away from the top of its arc; it being clear from FIG. 1 that in the normal or closed position, link 44 is positioned to the left of a line perpendicular to the plane of the base passing through its pivot 47, and link 45 is positioned to the right of a line perpendicular to the base 10 and passing through pivot 48. That is to say, that in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the top of link 44 is before the top of its arc, while the top of link 45 is beyond the top of its arc. It should further be noticed that during movement from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the TV position shown in FIG. 3, links 44, 45 move as though they were included with seat link 40 and base 10 in a four-bar linkage. Thus, the distance between the top pivots 57 and 58 of links 44 and 45 is the same when the chair is in the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the TV position shown in FIG. 7. It should further be noted that in achieving this condition, carrier link 50 and its associated secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 have not moved relative to the seat link 40 when the chair moves between the closed position of FIG. 1 and the TV position of FIG. 3. It should further be noted that the movement of the chair to the TV position shown in FIG. 3 from the closed position of FIG. 1, causes the seat link 40 to move forwardly (while swinging into recline position) relative to the base 10 while primary seat mounting links 44, 45 swing in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIGS. 1, 3) forwardly relative to the base and seat link 40. This movement is achieved by virtue of the weight of the chair occupant which, because of the dimensioning and arrangement of the links 44 and 45 in relation to the base 10 and the seat link 40, will cause the links 44 and 45 to move clockwise into the TV position as described. As will be described below in detail, and in accordance with the invention, a lock mechanism is provided for preventing the chair from moving into the TV position of FIG. 3 from the closed position of FIG. 1 until such time as the chair occupant releases the lock mechanism and thus permits the occupant's weight to drive the primary seat mounting links 44 and 45 into the TV position as described above.

When the chair moves into the TV position, the footrest generally designated 18 is automatically unfolded into its extended position as shown in FIG. 3. This is achieved through a footrest linkage and an operative or driving connection between the footrest linkage and one of the primary seat mounting links, preferably, the front primary seat mounting link 44. The footrest linkage in the embodiment shown is of the pantograph or lazy-tong type and includes footrest mounting links 60 and 62 mounted to seat link 40 by pivots 63 and 64, respectively as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Links 60 and 62 move generally parallel to each other. In addition, the footrest linkage includes a second pair of generally parallel extension links, namely 65 and 66; link 65 being pivotally connected by pivot 67 to footrest mounting link 62 and also being pivotally connected by pivot 68 at an intermediate portion thereof to footrest mounting link 60. The footrest linkage further includes another pair of links, namely 70 and 74, the latter being an L-shaped bracket utilized to mount footrest 18. Link 70 is pivotally connected by pivot 79 at one end to the forward end of link 65 and is pivotally connected by pivot 73 at its opposite end to another footrest link 72; the latter being pivotally connected by pivot 76 to bracket 74. Link 70 is further pivotally connected by pivot pin 71 at an intermediate section thereof to an intermediate section of link 66, the latter being pivotally connected by pivot 75 to bracket 74.

It will be appreciated from FIG. 3 that the footrest linkage is composed of three sets of four-bar linkages, the first four-bar linkage being constituted by links 74, 72, a portion of 66, and a portion of link 70; the second four-bar linkage being constituted by portions of links 66, 70, 65 and 60; and the last four-bar linkage being constituted by links 60, 62, a portion of link 65, and a portion of the seat link 40. These four-bar linkages move between an open position when the footrest is extended and a closed or substantially closed position when the footrest is retracted. The closed position of the footrest linkage is positively determined by a stop 77 fixed on footrest link 66 to be engageable with bracket 74 as shown in FIG. 1. Another stop 80 is fixed to footrest link 65 to be engageable with the edge of footrest mounting link 60 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to define the closed position of the footrest linkage.

The footrest linkage just described above is moved to extended position when the chair moves to TV position by a driving force emanating from the front primary seat mounting link 44. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the preferred embodiment shown, this is carried out by means of a bell crank 82 mounted by pivot 83 to the seat link section 40b to swing in response to movement of front primary seat mounting link 44 which movement is transmitted to bell crank 82 by means of a connecting link 84 having one end pivotally connected by pivot 85 to an intermediate portion of front primary seat mounting link 44. The opposite end portion of connecting link 84 is pivotally connected to the end of one leg of bell crank 82 by pivot 86. The upper ends of bell crank 82 and its associated connecting link 84 are received in the space between seat link sections 40a and 40b. The lower leg of bell crank 82 is pivotally connected to one of the footrest mounting links, preferably 62 by a connecting link 87. Pivot 88 interconnects link 87 with the lower leg of bell crank 82 while pivot 89 interconnects the opposite end of link 87 with an intermediate portion of footrest mounting link 62.

It will thus be seen that an operative or driving connection is established between the front primary seat mounting link 44 and the footrest mounting link 62 such that when the former is moved to a clockwise direction from the closed position of FIG. 1 to the TV position of FIG. 3, it will rotate the bell crank 82 about pivot 83 through means of its connecting link 84 which will move connecting link 87 forwardly for unfolding the footrest link 62 and, in turn, the entire footrest mechanism from the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 to the extended position shown in FIG. 3. As noted above, the primary energy or force for achieving such movement of the footrest to TV position is derived from the weight of the occupant directly downwardly in the chair causing the front and rear primary seat mounting links 44, 45 to move relative to the base which remains fixed and the seat link 40 which moves forwardly relative to the base.

In order to provide a positive stop position for bell crank 82 when the footrest has been moved to extended position, a stop 81 is fixed to the seat link section 40b to project into the space between seat link sections 40a and 40b for engaging the rear edge of bell crank 82 when the footrest has been moved to the extended position, see FIG. 3.

In order to retract the footrest linkage from its extended position shown in FIG. 3 to the closed position shown in FIG. 1, it is necessary to reverse the sequence of movements described above and this is accomplished by the occupant merely exerting pressure on the footrest with the bottom of his legs or feet to fold the footrest mechanism into the retracted position.

Since the linkage mechanism which supports the seat and backrest unit relative to the base will urge the chair to the TV position under the weight of the occupant as described above, it is necessary to prevent such movement when the chair is in the closed position and until such time as the chair occupant desires to move into the TV position. This is achieved by a lock mechanism which releasably prevents movement of the front and rear primary seat mounting links 44 and 45 in response to the occupant's weight.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in the preferred embodiment, the lock mechanism includes what will be referred to as a "knuckle linkage" including a first knuckle link 90 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to an intermediate portion of footrest mounting link 62 by the same pivot 89 which connects link 87 which interconnects footrest mounting link 62 and bell crank 82. The knuckle linkage further includes a second knuckle link 92 having its forward end pivotally connected by a pivot 93 to one end of the first knuckle link 90; the second knuckle link 92 being pivotally mounted on section 40b of seat link 40 by pivot 94. The knuckle links 90, 92 are arranged such that in the closed position of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1, the upper edge of knuckle link 90 will engage a stop 95 fixed to one side of knuckle link 92. In addition, in this position, the mounting pivot 89 of the first knuckle link 90 is at an elevation such that any forces tending to open the linkage mechanism to place the chair in TV position would tend to urge the knuckle link 90 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 which, in turn, would keep knuckle links in their closed or locked positions (determined by stop 95) which, of course, would prevent extension of link 87 interconnecting the footrest mounting link 62 and bell crank 82, thus maintaining the mechanism in closed position.

In order to release the lock mechanism described above, it is merely necessary to pivot the knuckle linkage 90, 92 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 to cause their separation and thus, lower the elevation of pivot 89 as illustrated in FIG. 2 at which point the force transmitted to bell crank 82 and link 87 by the occupant's weight will become immediately effective to rotate bell crank 82 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 2 which, in turn, will cause connecting link 87 to unfold the footrest mounting link 62, thereby causing the remainder of the footrest to move into the extended TV position.

Movement of the knuckle linkage 90, 92 to release the lock imposed on the footrest mechanism as described above is accomplished by what will be termed a "release" which, in the embodiment disclosed herein, uniquely utilizes the seat of the chair instead of a hand-operated release mechanism as utilized in the embodiments disclosed in my related U.S. application Ser. Nos. 6/199,595 and 264,144. In the preferred form of the release according to the present invention, it includes the seat rail 30 and its link 13, and the links 22, 23 which mount the seat rail to the seat link 40 as described above. The release linkage additionally includes a connecting link 96 operatively interconnecting knuckle link 92 and the rearwardly positioned mounting link 23 of the seat rail 30. Connecting link 96 is pivotally connected at its forward end by pivot pin 97 to a rear end portion of knuckle link 92, and the rear end of connecting link 96 is pivotally connected by pivot pin 98 to the lower end portion of seat rail mounting link 22.

It will thus be seen that when the chair is in the closed position of FIG. 1, should the chair occupant desire to move into TV position, he merely has to hold the armrests and move the seat 12a forwardly a slight amount relative to the armrests 12b and the seat link 40 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. This will cause the rearwardly positioned seat rail mounting link 23 to pivot clockwise about pivot 27 as shown in FIG. 2. This motion will be transferred by connecting link 96 to knuckle link 92 to pivot the latter in a counterclockwise direction about pivot 83 as viewed in FIG. 2. Knuckle link 92 in turn will pivot knuckle link 90 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, thus freeing the footrest linkage and the front primary mounting link 44 to pivot the chair to be moved into the TV position of FIG. 3 under the weight of the chair occupant. During the latter movement, knuckle link 90 will continue to be unfolded from knuckle link 92 until it reaches the position shown in FIG. 3.

When the footrest is moved from the extended position shown in FIG. 3 back to its retracted position shown in FIG. 1 which as noted above is accomplished by the occupant applying pressure with his legs and feet on the footrest, the knuckle links 90 and 92 will move from their position shown in FIG. 3 back to the closed position shown in FIG. 1. However, in order to assist the final closing movement of the knuckle linkage from the position such as shown in FIG. 2 to the closed position shown in FIG. 1, a spring means is provided which, in the specific form shown, is a tension spring 98 (shown in phantom lines) having one end anchored about a stud 91 projecting from a small crank portion on the end of footrest mounting link 62. The other end of spring 98 is fixed about a stud 99 fixed to one end of knuckle link 90.

During return of the footrest to its retracted position by the force of the occupant's feet, when the lock mechanism reaches the position, for example shown in FIG. 2, spring 98 will be tensioned to a sufficient degree to cause knuckle link 90 to positively pivot about its pivot 89 into the locked position (shown in FIG. 1) which will be determined upon engagement of knuckle link 90 with stop 95 on knuckle link 92. Although the tension on the knuckle linkage imposed by the spring 98, when in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, is not as great as the tension when the knuckle linkage is in the position shown in FIG. 2, the weight of the occupant will have the effect of maintaining the lock mechanism in the closed position of FIG. 1 as described above. Similarly, but with opposite effect, the spring 98 will have a slight biasing effect tending to maintain the footrest in its extended position when the chair is in the TV position, however, more significant will be the effect of the occupant's weight which will maintain the footrest in the extended position.

It should also be noted that the amount of force required to release the lock mechanism to permit the chair to move into TV position is very slight requiring only slight forward movement of the seat 12a relative to the armrests sufficient to slightly unfold the knuckle link 90, 92 relative to each other. This is to be contrasted with the force heretofore that has been required to manually drive the footrest from retracted to extended position with the use of a manual handle. In the present case, once the lock mechanism is released, the chair linkage mechanism will automatically move into the TV position by virtue of the occupant's weight. No additional driving force or manipulation is required of the occupant throughout the movement of the footrest to the extended position.

It will be appreciated that although a specific lock mechanism and release has been disclosed herein, other lock mechanisms and released structures may be utilized in carrying the broad purposes of the invention.

It should be noted that although not shown, a shaft extends entirely across the chair between the flanges 95 (see FIG. 3) of the knuckle link 92 in the linkage mechanisms on the opposite sides of the chair so that both linkage mechanisms will operate in unison. This also helps to rigidify and stabilize the linkage mechanisms on opposite sides of the chair. In addition, the mechanisms of the preferred embodiment are further stabilized by cross members 45a and 47a which extend between the lower ends of the front and rear primary seat mounting links 44 and 45, see FIG. 1.

Backrest 14 is mounted to the seat by means of a backrest linkage including a backrest mounting link 100 which is fixed to vertical frame portion 38 of the backrest frame by fasteners received through apertures 101, see FIG. 1. Backrest link 100 has a generally L-shape and its bend portion is pivotally mounted relative to seat link 40 by what will be termed a "backrest drive" link 102, the latter having an upper portion 103 pivoted at 104 to the bend portion of backrest mounting link 100. At an intermediate portion thereof, backrest drive link 102 is pivoted by pivot 105 to seat link 40, see FIG. 1. The forward lower end of backrest link 100 is pivoted by pivot 106 to one end of a link 107 which, in turn, is pivotally mounted to seat link 40 by the same pivot 27 which pivots the seat rail mounting link 23 to the seat link 40. Links 100, 103, 107 and the rear portion of seat link 40 make up a four-bar linkage which after the chair is in TV position, may be actuated by the chair occupant applying back pressure to the backrest to move the backrest relative to the seat and to place the seat 40 in an advanced reclined position relative to the base 10 as will not be described.

In order to drive the seat and backrest into advanced reclining positions beyond TV position relative to the base 10, the backrest drive link 102 is operatively connected by link 110 to carrier link 50. In the specific form shown, backrest drive link 102 has its lower end pivoted by pivot 111 to one end of link 110 while the opposite end of link 110 is pivoted by pivot 112 to carrier link 50 adjacent to the rear end of the latter, see FIGS. 1 and 3.

As noted above, when the chair moves from the closed position of FIG. 1 to the TV position of FIG. 3, carrier link 50 and the secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 do not move relative to the seat, and it is only the seat link 40, the primary seat mounting links 44 and 45 that move relative to each other and the base 10 as in a four-bar linkage. Referring to FIG. 3, this is achieved by a sequencing mechanism which in the preferred embodiment includes a "sequencing" link 120 having its upper end pivotally mounted by pivot 121 to the inside surface of seat link section 40a. Link 120 has extending in its lower end portion, an elongated slot 122 receiving a pin 124 fixed to an intermediate portion of link 84 which link serves to transmit driving force from the primary front seat mounting link 44 to the bell crank 82 as described above. When the chair is in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, pin 124 will be in the lower end of slot 122 in the sequencing link 120 as shown in FIG. 1. This will have the effect of preventing the backrest from being moved relative to the seat. However, once the chair is moved out of the closed position towards the TV position, due to rotation of link 84, pin 124 will ride upwardly in slot 122 thereby permitting the backrest to be reclined relative to the seat by the occupant exerting pressure on the backrest while opening or extending his body. This will also cause the backrest drive link 102 acting through the link 110 to actuate the four-bar linkage comprised of seat link 40, portions of carrier link 50, and secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 causing the seat link 40 and the seat to swing into advance reclining positions forwardly and upwardly relative to the base. Although the advanced reclining positions of the linkage system are not shown in the drawings, reference may be had to my pending U.S. application Ser. No. 6/199,595 referred to above for an illustration of the fully advanced reclining position of the linkage system. The fully reclined position of the chair frame parts is however shown in FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings.

During movement of the chair towards the fully advanced reclining position, the secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 pivot forwardly (in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3) about their pivots 56 and 53a, thereby causing the seat link 40 to be swung forwardly by the upper end portions of secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54. During movement of the chair from the TV to the fully reclined position, the position of the footrest linkage relative to the seat remains the same but of course changes relative to the base as a unit with the seat.

Should the occupant desire to return to TV position or to a lesser reclining position, he merely has to remove or reduce pressure from the backrest which will cause the secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 to swing rearwardly (in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3). Although not shown, stops may be provided to help positively determine the TV position of FIG. 3 and also the closed position of FIG. 1. In this regard, reference may be had to stops 130 and 132 disclosed in my above-referenced prior copending application Ser. No. 6/199,595.

Assuming the chair is in the generally upright position with the linkage mechanism closed as shown in FIG. 1, an occupant may sit in the chair and the chair will remain in the closed position because of the lock mechanism which restrains the linkage mechanism from moving towards TV position under the weight of the occupant. When in this closed position, it is not possible to recline the backrest relative to the seat due to the sequencing mechanism 120, 124. When it is desired to move the chair into the TV position, the occupant merely grasps the armrests and moves the seat forwardly with his body a slight amount to activate the release mechanism 13, 23, 96 to unfold the knuckle links 90, 92 into the position shown in FIG. 2. The weight of the occupant will now become immediately effective to swing the primary front and rear seat mounting links 44, 45 forwardly in a clockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 1 towards the position shown in FIG. 3 during which time links 44, 45, seat link 40 and base 10 will act as though they were a four-bar linkage. This movement will advance the seat forwardly relative to the base to provide a certain amount of wall-avoiding action so that if the backrest is placed adjacent a nearby wall, it will avoid striking the wall. The latter movement of the linkage mechanism will cause bell crank 82 to be pivoted forwardly by virtue of a driving force emanating from front seat mounting link 44 acting through connecting link 84 to rotate bell crank 82 which, in turn, will actuate footrest mounting link 62 through connecting link 87 to extend the footrest.

During such movement of the chair mechanism, as soon as stop 124 rides up the slot 122 of the sequencing link 120, the backrest will be free for reclining movement relative to the seat. All the chair occupant need do is to apply back pressure on the backrest to achieve the latter which will also cause backrest drive link 102 acting through link 110 to swing secondary seat mounting links 52, 54 carrying with them the seat. During this latter movement, primary seat mounting links 44 and 45 will also continue to move relative to the base to provide further wall-avoiding action. The fully reclined position of the chair shown in FIG. 7 will be determined by engagement of stop 124 in the bottom edge of slot 122 in the sequence link 120. In between TV and fully reclined positions, the chair may be balanced in any advanced reclining position by virtue of the distribution of the occupant's weight.

To return to TV position, the operator merely has to lean forward in the chair redistributing his weight which will cause the secondary seat mounting links 52 and 54 to swing in reverse direction or rearwardly until a stop (not shown) on rear secondary seat mounting link 54 engages carrier link 50. Also at this point in time, a stop (not shown) on seat link 40 will engage link 107 to limit movement of the backrest relative to the seat.

Should the chair occupant then wish to return the chair to the normal or closed position, he merely applies pressure on footrest 18 with the back of his legs or feet which will not only fold the footrest to retracted position but also, will cause the primary front and rear seat mounting links 44, 45 to be rotated in reverse direction into the closed position shown in FIG. 1.

It will thus be seen from the above, that the present invention provides a recliner chair that achieves wall-avoiding action solely through means of a linkage system as opposed to a track and roller system and yet is uniquely actuated into TV position solely through the weight of the chair occupant without the assistance of any spring-loaded device. Although in the specific embodiment described, a seat-actuated release is employed to trigger actuation of the chair to TV position, other forms of releases, as illustrated in my above referenced, prior copending applications, may be employed within the broader scope of the invention.