(19) |
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(11) |
EP 1 712 156 A1 |
(12) |
EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
(43) |
Date of publication: |
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18.10.2006 Bulletin 2006/42 |
(22) |
Date of filing: 11.04.2005 |
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(51) |
International Patent Classification (IPC):
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(84) |
Designated Contracting States: |
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AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI
SK TR |
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Designated Extension States: |
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AL BA HR LV MK YU |
(71) |
Applicant: Stema S.r.l. |
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20050 Ronco Briantino (MI) (IT) |
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(72) |
Inventor: |
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- Zorzetto, Renato
20050 Ronco Briantino (MI) (IT)
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(74) |
Representative: Pizzoli, Antonio et al |
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Società Italiana Brevetti S.p.A,
Via Carducci 8 20123 Milano MI 20123 Milano MI (IT) |
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(54) |
Reclining support for backs of sofas or chairs |
(57) Reclining support for backs (4, 5), which comprises upper fixing members (2) and
lower fixing members (3) for fixing portions (4, 5) of a back, wherein some fixing
members (2, 3) are pivoted to a horizontal shaft (6) which is in turn pivoted to fixed
supports (7) through first levers (8) perpendicular to this shaft (6), second levers
(9) being pivoted between some fixing members (2) and the fixed supports (7) for making
up an articulated quadrilateral (2, 7, 8, 9).
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[0001] The present invention relates to a reclining support for backs, and in particular
to a support which can be mounted onto reclining chairs or sofas.
[0002] Known reclining supports comprise upper and lower fixing members for fixing two portions
of a back which can be reclined in a different and/or independent manner from each
other. For this purpose, the fixing members are generally mounted onto a fixed support
by means of horizontal pins, so that each portion of the back can be manually rotated
by the user. However, these known supports have a poor comfort of use since they do
not allow a smooth movement of all the portions of the back.
[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a reclining support
free from said disadvantage. Said object is achieved with a support, the main features
of which are disclosed in the first claim and other features are disclosed in the
subsequent claims.
[0004] Thanks to the articulated quadrilaterals made up of some fixing members, of the fixed
supports and of the first and second levers, the support according to the present
invention allows to rotate the two portions of the back with a smooth movement, especially
if these articulated quadrilaterals are mutually connected by a horizontal shaft.
[0005] According to a particular aspect of the invention, the horizontal shaft can be connected
to the fixed supports by pulling elastic means, so as to facilitate the transformation
from the upright position of the back to the reclined position, and vice versa.
[0006] Further advantages and features of the support according to the present invention
will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed and non-limiting
description of an embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
- figure 1 shows a side view of a reclining support in an upright position;
- figure 2 shows a front view of the support of figure 1;
- figure 3 shows a partial top view of the support of figure 1;
- figure 4 shows a side view of the support of figure 1 in a reclined position;
- figure 5 shows a front view of the support of figure 4; and
- figure 6 shows a partial top view of the support of figure 4.
[0007] Figures 1 to 3 show a reclining support 1, which comprises in a known way upper fixing
members 2 and lower fixing members 3 which are provided with perforated plates for
fixing two portions 4, 5 (partially shown with broken lines in figure 1) of a back.
[0008] According to the invention, the fixing members 2, 3 are pivoted to a horizontal shaft
6, in turn pivoted to a pair of fixed supports 7 through a pair of first levers 8
perpendicular to this shaft. The fixed supports 7 can be fixed to the structure of
a chair or a sofa. A pair of second levers 9 are pivoted between the upper fixing
members 2 and the fixed supports 7, while a pair of pulling elastic means, for example
two springs 10, are fixed between the horizontal shaft 6 and the fixed supports 7,
more precisely a pin 11 protruding inside each fixed support 7.
[0009] Referring also to figures 4 to 6, it is seen that at least one of the two portions
4, 5 of the back can be inclined by pushing or pulling this portion, for example the
upper portion 4. The upper fixing members 2 thus rotate around the horizontal shaft
6, which is pushed forwards by the movement of a pair of articulated quadrilaterals
made up of an upper fixing member 2, of a fixed support 7, of a first lever 8 and
of a second lever 9. This reclining movement of the back is opposed by springs 10
up to the overcoming of a deadlock, beyond which it is instead assisted. Therefore,
for restoring the back in the upright position, it is sufficient to push or pull portion
4 of the back up to overcome said deadlock, after which springs 10 pull the horizontal
shaft 6, thereby restoring the reclining support 1 to its initial position.
1. Reclining support for backs (4, 5), which comprises upper fixing members (2) and lower
fixing members (3) for fixing portions (4, 5) of a back, characterized in that some fixing members (2, 3) are pivoted to a horizontal shaft (6) which is in turn
pivoted to fixed supports (7) through first levers (8) perpendicular to this shaft
(6), second levers (9) being pivoted between some fixing members (2) and the fixed
supports (7) for making up an articulated quadrilateral (2, 7, 8, 9).
2. Support according to the previous claim, characterized in that the second levers (9) are pivoted between the upper fixing members (2) and the fixed
supports (7).
3. Support according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that both the upper fixing members (2) and the lower fixing members (3) are pivoted to
the horizontal shaft (6).
4. Support according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that pulling elastic means (10) are fixed between the horizontal shaft (6) and the fixed
supports (7).
5. Support according to the previous claim, characterized in that said pulling elastic means (10) comprise springs fixed between the horizontal shaft
(6) and pins (11) protruding inside the fixed supports (7).
