This invention relates to a lounge chair comprising a base, a main body supported on the base in an angularly adjustable manner about a hinge having a predetermined hinge axis, and a means of controlling the angular displacement of the main body between two extreme position settings, respectively with the occupant in a lying-down and a sitting-up posture.

Known are lounge chairs wherein the main body, being dimensioned to accommodate an occupant in a comfortable fashion, is hinged to the base and allowed to tilt relatively to it, such that it can be given any selected angle of inclination by the user, and the setting can be retained by actuation of locking devices. Such lounge chairs leave something to be desired from the points of view of convenience of operation and ease of finding their optimum setting.

Lounge chairs have been suggested which include manually operated means for controlling the angular displacement of the main body, whereby the user can manually vary its inclination angle. An advantage of that approach is that, on reaching a desired position, the main body will retain that inclination. The approach fails, however, to fill all the user's demands. In fact, it is practically impossible to

change the main body inclination while lying comfortably down, because the actuation of the control means would then involve considerable exertion, often beyond the ability of a person of normal constitution

and even more so of an aged person.

Nor is the adoption of a control means having a very low drive ratio proposable, because although lighter to operate, its operation would take an excessively long time.

It has been proposed of having the control means operated electrically, but this solution, while being a neat one, does result in elaborate and expensive constructions.

The underlying problem of this invention is to provide a lounge chair as indicated, which has such constructional and functional features as to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks.

This problem is solved by a lounge chair as indicated being characterized in that it comprises an elastic means interposed between the base and the main body to bias the main body, from the extreme lying-down position, toward a position intermediate its extreme settings.

Further features and advantages of a lounge chair according to the invention will be apparent from

the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example and not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, whereof:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lounge chair according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a detail of the lounge chair in Figure 1 at its extreme position setting; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the lounge chair in Figure 1 at its opposite extreme position setting.

With reference to the accompanying drawing figures, shown generally at 1 is a lounge chair according to the invention.

The lounge chair 1 comprises a base 2 and a main body 3, both extending along a longitudinal direction a-a and being hinged to each other about a transverse hinge axis b-b.

The base 2 comprises two longitudinal stringers 4 which are connected at the middle to a box-type body 5 , having a flattened parallelepipedon-like shape with long sides extending across, short sides longitudinally, and intermediate sides vertically.

Defined on the box-type body 5 are a bottom wall 6 and two side walls being both denoted by 7, with

the hinge axis b-b passing through the walls 7.

The main body 4, which is formed in this embodiment by a frame 8 and a padding 9, is dimensioned to accommodate a single occupant. In particular, it is shaped to a swerving line profile with an apex 10 between a seat section 11 and a backrest section 12, said apex 10 lying substantially on the axis b-b; an apex 13 between the seat section 11 and a leg-supporting section 14; and an apex 15 between the backrest section 12 and a headrest section 16.

Said sections form, at the locations of the apices 10, 13 and 15, predetermined angles to each other which are selected to impart an anatomically appropriate overall shape to the main body, so that the occupant can be accommodated in full comfort.

In the embodiment, said relative angles are fixed. If desired, however, the frame 8 may be suitably jointed to allow the angles to be changed and retained at will.

The chair 1 also comprises a manually actuated control means 17 for displacing the main body 3 angularly through an arc A of aproximately 60° about the hinge axis b-b relatively to the base 2, between an

extreme position where the occupant would be lying down and an extreme position where the occupant would be sitting up.

The control means 17 comprises two identical knobs 18, being coaxial along a transverse axis c-c and each supported pivotally on the top end of a respective wall 7 of the box-type body 5; a shaft having a transverse axis d-d and being journalled on the bottom ends of the walls 7 and connected to the knobs 18 by respective drives 20; and a nut and screw assembly 21 wherein a screw 22 is supported rotatively on an element 23 freely pivotable around the shaft 19 and has an axis v-v perpendicular to the axis d-d, and a nut 24 is supported for free rotation on the frame 8 of the main body; a right-angle drive being arranged to rotatively interconnect the shaft 19 and the screw 22.

In the embodiment, each drive 20 comprises a cogged belt 26 stretched between a pulley 27 made rotatively rigid with the knob 18 and a pulley 28 made rotatively rigid with the shaft 19.

In this example, the right-angle drive 25 comprises a bevel gear pair 29 wherein one bevel gear 30 is rotatively rigid with the shaft 19 and the other bevel gear 31 is rotatively rigid with the screw 22.

It should be noted that the axis v-v of the

screw 22 lies perpendicular to the hinge axis b-b and locates a short distance therefrom, so that the nut and screw assembly will be enclosed fully within the

box-type body 5. In particular, the screw 22 is located on the backrest side with respect to the axis b-b.

Generally indicated at 32 is an elastic means interposed to the base 2 and main body 3 to bias the main body 3 , from the extreme lying-down and sitting-up positions, toward an intermediate position to said extreme settings. The intermediate position is approximately equidistant angularly from the extreme positions, at angles B = C = 30°.

The elastic means 32 comprises a pair of torsion springs, both denoted by 33 and having axes m-m.

These springs 33 are stretched between the bottom wall 6 and the frame 8, and have their ends engaged with said wall and said frame.

It should be noted that the axis m-m of the springs is perpendicular to the axis b-b and extends a short distance away therefrom, on the backrest side with respect to the axis b-b. In this way, the springs 33 can also be enclosed within the box-type body 5. They are in a compressed state when the main body is in a position between the extreme position with the

occupant lying down and the intermediate position, and in a tension state when the main body is in a position between the extreme position with the occupant sitting up and the intermediate position.

The lounge chair is completed by the provision of two armrests 34 on either sides thereof. Each armrest 34 is supported on the base 2, specifically on a respective longitudinal stringer thereof, pivotally about a vertical axis Z-Z.

The armrests can be shifted from a working position where they locate in the path by a person lying on the main body to reach the knob, to a position away from said path to allow the knob to be reached.

A major advantage of the lounge chair according to the invention is that it allows the user to change the main body setting until a desired optimum setting therefor is attained, and this with minimal exertion and without leaving the lying-down position on the main body.

Another advantage of the lounge chair according to the invention is that its construction is simple.

A further advantage is that the lounge chair of this invention has a compact base size, an advantage this one which is conducive to an aesthetically

appealing design.

Understandably, a skilled person in the art may make many changes and modifications unto the lounge chair described hereinabove as appropriate to fill

contingent and specific demands, without departing from the protection scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.