The present invention relates to a rotary opening and closing system for restraining at any desired rotary opening and closing position or "where you put it" a bed-base of a bed, even of a type including a base storage space.

Driving systems for rotary opening and closing a bed-base and allowing the bed-base to be restrained at a plurality of desired rotary positions both in the opening and closing movements of said bed-base are already known.

However, the above prior systems are very construction-wise complex since they usually comprise a plurality of levers or linkage mechanisms.

In particular, in a bed including an article storing bed-base, the bed operating mechanical means have a large size and must necessarily be made of iron materials because of the high forces required for operating the bed-base.

A further drawback of prior bed-base rotary operating or driving mechanisms is that, at the start of the bed-base opening movement, it is necessary to apply a high force and, for closing the bad-base it is also necessary to apply a high restraining power to prevent the bed-base from abruptly falling-off.

Yet another drawback of prior rotary bed-base operating mechanisms is that they comprise large size and powerful gas springs applying a very strong force to the bed-base operating mechanism with a possible failure thereof.

Yet another drawback of prior art bed-base rotary operating mechanisms is that they comprise a large number of mechanical parts which must be assembled by very complex and slow assembling operations.

Yet another drawback of prior rotary bed-base operating mechanisms is that, as the bed-base must be changed, it is also necessary to change the actuating gas springs.

Yet another drawback of prior rotary bed-base operating mechanisms is that if an excessive load is applied during the closing of the bed-base, their gas springs cause the overall bed-base to abruptly fall on the bed bottom article storage part, with a consequent great safety problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above and yet other drawbacks of prior mechanisms for rotatively operating bed-bases, by providing a rotary opening and closing bed-base system which is adapted to restrain the bed-base at any desired rotary position both in the opening and closing operations thereof.

Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating mechanism without operating levers for opening/closing the bed-base, thereby providing very high safety constructional features.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed- base operating mechanism or system by which both the bed-base and mattress may be easily operated by a "single user finger".

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating mechanism in which the bed-base and mattress assembly may be held at a stop or restrained position at each point of the bed-base and mattress assembly rotary movement, even at a very small distance from a resting/closing position thereof, thereby preventing the bed-base and mattress assembly from abruptly downward falling.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a bed- base and mattress rotary operating system including gas springs of very small operating power, thereby increasing the bed-base and mattress assembly life, because of the very small operating stress on the components thereof.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a bed- base and mattress operating system which may be made starting from light materials such as non-metal or wood materials for the bed-base and plastics materials for many other components of the rotary operating systems.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system which may be made starting from a recycled high strength plastics materials, for example glass fiber nylon, thereby providing a very strong system.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system the main components of which may be made by existing advanced injection molding apparatus.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system which is very advantageous from a mere economic standpoint.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary operating system allowing the bed-base and other bed components to be very quickly and easily assembled and disassembled without requiring assembling or disassembling tools, with very quick and simple assembling or disassembling operations in particular for performing both cleaning and other optional driving operations.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating system including customized gas spring systems also providing a strong braking power, with self-event safety advantages, even in abrupt bed-base closing movements.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating system which also supports a large variable operating load, without the need of changing its gas spring system.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating system which has a very reduced overall size to be practically invisible, with the exception for the gas springs and related attachments.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating system the main components of which are all arranged within the bed-base volume.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary bed-base operating system which also has a very pleasant aesthetic aspect.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects are achieved by a rotary opening system for bed-bases according to the main claim.

Further characteristics of the inventive system being defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of the invention which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the inventive rotary bed-base operating system according to the present invention, being applied to a bed-base in an open position thereof;

Figure 2 is a perspective detailed view showing the inventive operating system applied on a bed in an open position of the latter;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the invention being applied to a bed in an open position thereof;

and

Figure 4 is a further longitudinal cross-section view of the invention being applied to a bed in a closed position thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the above mentioned figures, the rotary opening system for restraining at any desired rotary opening position a bed-base, according to the present invention, substantially comprises a bed-base (1) pivoted on a side (2, 2a) of the bed, by a pair of pivot pins (3, 3a) underlying the plane of the mattress (4) and being arranged at a set distance from the bed-base head (1), thereby providing a suitable opening angle, substantially corresponding to a ninth of a full 360° angle, without causing the bed-base (1) from interfering against the bottom (5) of the bed. Said system comprises moreover a pair of gas springs (6, 6a) operating between the bed-base (1) and bed side (2, 2a) and being arranged at the sole pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) allowing said gas springs (6, 6a) to provide a resilient force balancing, at each rotary point, the bed-base (1 ) and related mattress (4) weight; said pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a) being designed for each size and operating stroke of the gas springs (6, 6a) to allow the bed-base (1) to be restrained at each desired rotary position, both in the opening and closing movements of the bed-base.

Since the inventive system has preset limit parameters including: the start and end rotary angle of the bed-base (1), the size and operating stroke of the gas springs (6, 6a) and the differential or delta force of the insertion force and extension force of said springs (6, 6a), it has been found that a diagram showing the amount of power or energy necessary to turn the bed-base (1) with a constant turning speed, by applying a force from point to point, is linear for a single pair of points (7, 7a - 8, 8a), to which must be applied the gas springs (6, 6a) with an applying force advantageously slightly less than that necessary for driving the bed-base; thus the bed-base (1) may be restrained at any desired rotary position both in the opening and closing movements thereof.

The inventive system comprises moreover a L-shape bracket (9, 9a), fixedly connected to the bed-base (1) by coupling screws, and a pivot pin (3, 3a) to be engaged in an inclined hollow and lip (10, 10a) of a rotary plate (11 , 11a), fixedly connected to the bed side (2, 2a) through connecting screws; said pins (3, 3a), upon assembling, coupling the bed-base (1) to the bed proper (2, 2a) without using assembling tools, while allowing a rotary movement of the bed-base from a closed horizontal position to a position opened defining an opening angle of about a ninth of a full 360° angle, with the brackets (9, 9a) arranged at a suitable distance from the head of the bed-base (1) allowing the bed-base (1) to be opened without interference between the bed-base (1) and the bed bottom (5).

As shown, a further gas spring (6, 6a) operating between the bed-base (1) and the bed side (2, 2a) is further provided, which, through a fork (12, 12a), is screwed to the bed-base (1) and further including a contoured socket support (13, 13a) threaded to the bed side (2, 2a), and being so arranged that the pins (14, 14a) of said fork (12, 12a) and the central portion of the hollow part (15, 15a) of the socket support (13, 13a) coincide with the sole point pair (7, 7a - 8, 8a) allowing the gas spring (6, 6a) to provide the above working operation thereby, with the bed-base (1) in an open condition, it will be sufficient to cause the eyelet foot element (16, 16a) of the gas springs (6, 6a) to slide into the slanted hollow (15, 15a) of the socket support (13, 13a) to operatively apply the system without the need of using assembling tools.

Moreover, to allow the system to operate by the same gas springs (6, 6a) even in a presence of weights different from the optimum ones, it is sufficient to screw on the socket support (13, 13a) at one of the two further positions on the bed side (2, 2a) one of which (17, 17a) is related to comparatively large loads and two of which (18, 18a - 19, 19a) for comparatively less loads, without changing the bed-base (1) opening slanting.

The system allows moreover to greatly containing the forces applied by the gas springs (6, 6a), thereby causing an application of a comparatively low stress on the component materials, and allowing to use non metal materials: for example injection molded plastics material for the components (9, 9a - 11 , 11a - 12, 12a - 13, 13a), and a wood material for the bed-base (1 ), with a very high practical handling advantages with the further possibility of carrying out a very high yield making process.

Furthermore, advantageously, it is also possible to use gas springs (6, 6a) providing an instantaneous great braking effect in case of an abrupt increase of the pressure on the bed-base (1) / mattress (4) assembly during the closing operation, with a consequent great advantage from a safety standpoint, while using gas springs (6, 6a) which may be easily made by available technical gas spring making processes.

From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

While the invention has been hereinabove disclosed by way of a merely exemplary and not limitative example, it should be apparent that it is susceptible to several modifications and variations, all of which will come within the scope of the invention.

Thus, for example, by adding to the invention system small or more sophisticated modifications and variations, the inventive system could also be used for other different applications, and in different fields, for example, in a furniture field, or for any other purposes.