Granted Patent B2

US 12,478,185 · App. 18/121,112 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

Inventors: Jason D. Rains (Evensville, TN); Larry P. LaPointe (Temperance, MI); Jaime A. McPherson (Signal Mountain, TN); Ryan M. Nowicki (Chattanooga, TN)

Assignee: La-Z-Boy Incorporated

A47C1/0244A47C1/0242A47C1/143

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A furniture member comprising:

a seat bottom frame;

a seatback frame movable relative to the seat bottom frame among a plurality of positions including an upright position and a fully reclined position; and

a reclining mechanism including a front support member, a rear support member, and a pair of linkages, wherein the seatback frame is coupled to the seat bottom frame by the pair of linkages;

wherein the front support member is attached to the seat bottom frame and the rear support member is attached to the pair of linkages,

wherein the rear support member is movable relative to the seat bottom frame between a first position and a second position, wherein movement of the seatback frame between the upright position and the fully reclined position causes corresponding and simultaneous movement of the rear support member and the linkages such that the rear support member is moved into the first position when the seatback frame is moved into the upright position and the rear support member is moved into the second position when the seatback frame is moved into the fully reclined position,

wherein each of the linkages includes a first link, a second link, and a third link coupled together to move the seatback frame between the upright position and the fully reclined position,

wherein the rear support member is fixedly attached to the third link of each of the linkages, and wherein the rear support member and the third links are rotatable relative to the first and second links.

2 . The furniture member of claim 1 , wherein the rear support member is U-shaped.

3 . The furniture member of claim 1 , wherein the rear support member is fixedly attached at one end to the third link of one of the linkages and fixedly attached at another end to the third link of another one of the linkages.

4 . The furniture member of claim 3 , wherein the rear support member and the third link are movable relative to the seat bottom frame and the seatback frame as the seatback frame moves between the upright position and the fully reclined position.

5 . The furniture member of claim 4 , wherein the first link is non-rotatably attached to the seatback frame and is rotatably attached to the seat bottom frame, and wherein the second link extends between and is rotatably coupled to the first link and the third link.

6 . The furniture member of claim 1 , wherein the reclining mechanism includes a gas spring that is rotatably attached to the front support member and the rear support member.

7 . The furniture member of claim 6 , wherein movement of the gas spring controls movement of the rear support member between a plurality of positions including the first and second positions.

8 . The furniture member of claim 6 , wherein the gas spring urges the rear support member toward the first position to urge the seatback frame toward the upright position.

9 . The furniture member of claim 6 , wherein the gas spring is in an extended position when the furniture member is in the upright position and the gas spring is in a retracted position when the furniture member is in the fully reclined position.

10 . The furniture member of claim 1 , wherein the reclining mechanism includes a linear actuator that is rotatably attached to the front support member and the rear support member, and wherein actuation of the linear actuator powers and controls movement of the rear support member between a plurality of positions including the first and second positions.

11 . The furniture member of claim 1 , wherein the rear support member includes a first end and a second end, and wherein the first and second ends of the rear support member are each attached to the respective ones of the linkages.

12 . A furniture member comprising:

a seat bottom frame;

a seatback frame movable relative to the seat bottom frame among a plurality of positions including an upright position and a fully reclined position;

a reclining mechanism including a front support member, a rear support member, a pair of linkages, a gas spring, a release mechanism, and a cable, wherein the gas spring extends between the front and rear support members and the cable extends between the release mechanism and the gas spring, wherein the seatback frame is coupled to the seat bottom frame by the pair of linkages;

the front support member is fixedly attached to the seat bottom frame and the rear support member attached to the pair of linkages; and

the rear support member is movable relative to the seat bottom frame and the seatback frame between a first position and a second position, wherein movement of the seatback frame between the upright position and the fully reclined position causes corresponding and simultaneous movement of the rear support member such that the rear support member is moved into the first position when the seatback frame is moved into the upright position and the rear support member is moved into the second position when the seatback frame is moved into the fully reclined position,

wherein each of the linkages includes a first link, a second link, and a third link coupled together to move the seatback frame between the upright position and the fully reclined position,

wherein the rear support member is fixedly attached to the third link of each of the linkages, and wherein the rear support member and the third links are rotatable relative to the first and second links.

13 . The furniture member of claim 12 , wherein the release mechanism is operable to move between an actuated position and a non-actuated position.

14 . The furniture member of claim 13 , wherein the release mechanism includes a release lever that is rotatably coupled to a base bracket.

15 . The furniture member of claim 12 , wherein the gas spring is rotatably attached to the front support member and the rear support member, and wherein movement of the gas spring between an extended position and a retracted position controls movement of the rear support member between a plurality of positions including the first and second positions.

16 . The furniture member of claim 15 , wherein the gas spring is in the extended position when the furniture member is in the upright position and the gas spring is in the retracted position when the furniture member is in the fully reclined position, and wherein the gas spring urges the rear support member toward the first position to urge the seatback frame toward the upright position.

17 . The furniture member of claim 16 , wherein the gas spring includes a rod and a tube, and wherein the rod slidably moves within the tube in a telescoping manner to move the gas spring between the retracted position and the extended position.

18 . The furniture member of claim 12 , wherein the rear support member is U-shaped.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (343)