US 6,276,011 · Granted 2001-08-21
The Adjustable Bed Frame That Moves Three Ways at Once
Imagine a bed where the head, seat, and leg sections can all move independently to find your perfect position for reading, relaxing, or sleeping. This patent describes the mechanical system—guided rails, sliding frames, and extendable arms—that lets you recline the backrest while the seat tilts forward and your legs angle up, all controlled by simple push-pull actuators.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a bed frame system with a stationary base frame and a sliding upper frame that holds three articulated sections: a backrest, seat, and leg support. What's protected is the specific arrangement of side guides, rollers, and extendable/retractable members (hydraulic or mechanical actuators) that raise the backrest and adjust the seat and leg positions relative to each other. Anyone manufacturing an adjustable bed using this same structural design—especially the coordinated movement of all three sections via guided rails and paired extensible members—would potentially infringe.
Why it matters
Adjustable beds had existed for decades, but this patent captures a cleaner, more practical mechanical design that separates the movements of the backrest, seat, and leg sections. By using synchronized sliding frames and guided rollers instead of individual motors for each section, the design became simpler and cheaper to manufacture. This kind of patent helps a furniture maker establish a product foothold and prevents direct copying while the market for premium adjustable beds grew substantially in the early 2000s.
Real-world use
Every time someone with an adjustable bed raises their head to watch TV, then extends the leg rest while keeping the seat level, they're using the precise mechanical choreography this patent locks down.
Original USPTO abstract
An adjustable bed which includes a first frame and a second slide frame upon and relative to the first frame. The first frame includes side guides along which roll rollers carried by slide rails of the slide frame. The slide frame includes a backrest frame, a seat frame and a thigh/leg frame. The backrest frame is defined by opposite pairs of head arms and back arms transversely connected by crossbars between the head arm and between the back arms. A pair of extendable/retractable members are connected one to each of the crossbars. The extendable/retractable members are relatively extended in a first position in which the backrest frame, seat frame and thigh/leg frames are disposed in a substantially horizontal plane and a second position in which the backrest frame is raised and the seat frame is closer to a head end of the frame. The thigh/leg frame is also defined in part by a pair of legs which are moved between a first position in substantial horizontal relationship and a second position angulated thereto. Extendable and retractable members move the pair of legs between the first and second positions by moving from a retracted position and vice versa.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,276,011
- Filing date
- 2000-03-17
- Grant date
- 2001-08-21
- Assignee
- Santino Antinori
- Inventor(s)
- ANTINORI SANTINO
- CPC class
- A61G7/015
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