Tip-Up Bed and Post Tensioned Bedding Retainer

This invention may employ the torsion bar pivoting, construction shown in my application Ser. No. 603,489 filed concurrently herein and entitled Adjustable Torsion Bar Assembly which application is herein incorporated by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a tip-up bed which is pivotably movable from a horizontal position to a vertical storage position combined with a bedding and pillow retainer for retaining bedding and pillow(s) against a mattress top surface when the bed is tilted from its horizontal use position to its vertical storage position.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S Pat. Nos. 3,386,110, 4,070,715 and 4,318,195 all show tip-up bed constructions more particularly combinations of tip-up beds with auxiliary furniture units which are moved by appropriate pivoting such as torsion bars to and from a horizontal use position to a vertical storage position. Fixed curved bedding and pillow cavities have been heretofore employed within the recess of the storage unit in which the bed is stored in vertical position. However, these fixed cavities have occasioned the movement and disarray of the pillow and bedding when the tip-up bed is moved from a horizontal to a vertical position and oft times the jamming or catching of the pillows and upper parts of the bedding in the cavity when the bed is being moved into and out of the storage position results in inoperability of the overall unit.

The present invention solves the above problems by providing a flexible bedding and pillow retainer which is flexed by the downward movement of the head upper edge of the mattress as it is tipped on a pivot axis from the horizontal to the vertical. The head upper edge of the mattress slides on the inner surface of a concavely curved rectangular flexible panel and is adapted to flex the panel rearwardly decreasing its radius of curvature as the head edge moves downwardly from its horizontal position to a vertical position. The horizontal edges along the width of the flexible panel are freely movable in a pair of open channels freely holding the bottom and top horizontal edges of the panel. The panel moves generally horizontally under the inwardly pressing action of the head upper edge of the moving mattress. The curved retainer panel has a concave surface facing the pivoting mattress and bed. The panel has a radius of curvature greater than the pivot axis of curvature of the bed and mattress and the centers of curvature of the panel and bed mattress are displaced from one another. The locus of the center of curvature of the panel is aligned linearly with the pivot axis of the bed and mattress and a point along the arc from the mattress head upper edge in the vertical bed mattress position to the lower edge of the panel. As the bed is raised from its horizontal use position the cavity between the back edge of the mattress and the bedding cavity becomes increasingly smaller. This causes the panel to flex further rearwardly and to tension the panel above the moving contact point between the mattress head upper edge and the facing surface of the panel against the pillows and bedding preventing the loose bedding and pillow(s) from falling downwardly or becoming jammed. When lowering the bed, the head upper edge of the mattress scoops the bedding back out of the cavity with the bedding and the pillow being generally in the same position as it entered the cavity as the bed was traversing from the horizontal position to the vertical storage position.

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevation view of the tip-up bed unit in horizontal use position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective cut-away partial view of the bedding and pillow retainer mounted in a pivot frame supporting a tip-up bed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 parallel to the pivot frame ends showing the functioning of the bedding and pillow retainer in various pivot modes of the mattress and bed.

FIG. 1 illustrates the combination of a tip-up bed 11 comprising a bed frame 12, mattress 13, and appropriate bedding 18 and pillow(s) 19. Bed 11 is mounted in a storage unit or wall recess 14 and is pivotable from the shown horizontal position to a vertical position around a pivot frame assembly 9 mounting spaced pivots 30 or a torsion bar assembly, as seen in the related application, at the ends 17, 17a of the pivot frame. Attached to pivot frame assembly 9 is a bedding and pillow retainer assembly 20 comprising a concavely curved flexible panel 21 held by a pair of top and bottom horizontal open channels 22 and 23. Open channels 22 and 23 face rearwardly at an angle of about 35.degree. from the vertical and 30.degree. from the horizontal toward the inner wall 14a of the storage unit 14 or wall recess. The longitudinal edges 21b and 21a at the bottom and top of panel 21 are freely confined under compression in the open channels 22,23. As the bed 11 is pivoted along arc 15 from the horizontal position to a vertical position around pivots 30 the mattress head upper edge 24 slides downwardly on the front surface 41 of panel 21 and flexes the panel rearwardly toward the rear surface 14a. In so doing the pillow 19 and upper portions of the bedding 18 are kept in place by being tensioned and confined in a moving cavity 40 formed between the front surface of panel 21 and the mattress upper portions under the pillow(s).

Storage unit 14 is normally mounted on a floor surface 16. Bed 11 normally includes an appropriate bottom support leg or part 50 extending from the bed frame to the floor as seen in several of the prior art patents. In the related application Ser. No. 603,488 an auxiliary furniture unit such as a table or sofa is attached to the underside of the bed and acts in the bed horizontal position as a support for the cantilevered end of frame 12.

FIG. 2 shows the assembly of the panel 21 in channels 22 and 23. The channels are mounted by appropriate angular blocks 28 and 29 to pivot frame 9. Block 28 mounts the rear side of a relatively long leg 22a of channel 22 to a bar 31 extending longitudinally from pivot frame side 17 to pivot frame side 17a. Bottom channel 23 has a relatively long leg 23a mounted to block 29 and block 29 in turn is welded or otherwise attached to a bar 32 of pivot frame 9. Channel 23 may be mounted directly to another transverse bar across the bottom of sides 17, 17a. Relatively shorter legs 26, 27 extend parallel to legs 22a, 23a are connected thereto by a base 33 wider than the thickness of the flexible panel so the panel edges 21a, 21b can slidingly move in the open channels formed by the legs and base. Bed frame 12 includes a mattress retainer wall 12a and a flat mattress support area 12b. Mattress 13 thus abuts at its head end retainer walls 12a and on its flat bottom surface seats on surface 12b of the frame.

The assembly shown in FIG. 2 may be separately manufactured without the specific bed frame 12 and mattress 13 and shipped to a bed or furniture unit manufacturer. Blocks 28 and 29 may be adjustably mounted to the pivot frame so that the bedding retainer can be customized for the particular sized mattress which the bedding manufacturer desires to use with his unit.

FIG. 3 illustrates the actual functioning of the bedding retainer of the invention. In the bed horizontal position shown as dashed lines A the head of the mattress upper edge 24 which normally will be covered by a fitted bedsheet is spaced about one inch opposite from point 24a on fixed channel 22. As the bed moves into full line position B approaching about 45.degree. between the horizontal use and vertical storage positions the mattress head upper edge 24 begins sliding on the outwardly facing surface 41 of panel 21 as at point 24b and begins to move the panel rearwardly toward dotted panel portion 21c. At this time the upper end 21a of the panel slides downwardly in open channel 22 to compensate for the panel rearward movement to dotted position 21c. The panel is increased in tension by the increased bending of the panel which decreases the radius of curvature from the center locus of curvature 25. The increase in tensioning of the panel 21 acts outwardly above the moving contact point toward the pillow 19 and bed head end portions of bedding 18 to press and more securely hold the pillow and bedding against the head end surface of the mattress. As the bed passes its upper trajectory to dashed line vertical position C the panel is no longer pushed rearwardly but rather is released from position 21c so that panel 21 continues in tension and continues to press on the pillows and upper bedding portions. At position C the mattress upper edge 24 abuts the panel at point 24c. At that point 24c or the end of leg 27 or at the end 21b of panel 21 adjacent thereto or any point on the arc therebetween, the center of curvature 25 of the panel and the pivot axis 30 of the bed are linearly aligned, with the center of curvature 25 being outwardly displaced from the pivot axis 30 a distance of from about 3/4 to 1 inch. Thus the linear alignment is in the range of 30.degree. to 40.degree. from the vertical.

Frame 12 includes a rear head-end mattress retainer wall 12a and a support platform 12b which is pivotably mounted to pivot 30 to support mattress 13. A stop in the form of a horizontal wood bar 42 or the like extends across the storage unit 14 (FIG. 1) to prevent the mattress 13 from flopping rearwardly in the storage recess when the unit is in the vertical storage position.

When it is desired to move the bed unit from vertical position C back to horizontal position A, as the unit leaves point 24c where the mattress head upper edge 24 has been compressed against panel 21, edge 24 slides upwardly "scooping" the pillows from cavity 40 as the bed proceeds to position B and position A.

The above description of an embodiment of this invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Other embodiments of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art in view of the above disclosure.