Convertible bed

Abstract

A bed includes a footboard, headboard, and side rails extending between the footboard and headboard. The bed also includes removable mattress-support slats that can be mounted on the side rails to support a mattress between the footboard and headboard.

1 . A convertible bed comprising
 a mattress-support frame including a variable-width headboard having a narrow width in a first mode of the bed and a relatively wider width in an alternative second mode of the bed, a variable-width footboard having a narrow width in a first mode and a relatively wider width in the alternative second mode of the bed, a first and second variable-length side walls arranged to lie in laterally spaced-apart relation to one another, the first variable-length wide wall being arranged to interconnect companion first sides of the variable-width headboard and footboard and having a short length in the first mode of the bed and a relatively longer length in the alternative second mode of the bed, the second variable-length side wall being arranged to interconnect opposite companion first and second sides of the variable-width headboard and footboard, and having the short length in the first mode of the bed and the relatively longer length in the alternative second mode of the bed, and   releasable lock means for blocking variation in width of each of the variable-width headboard and variable-width footboard and blocking variation in length of each of the variable-length side walls in the first mode to provide the mattress-support frame with a small size to support a narrow and short first mattress and, alternatively, in the second mode to provide the mattress-support frame with a relatively larger size to support a relatively wider and longer second mattress.   
     
     
         2 . The convertible bed of  claim 1 , wherein each short slat in a set of relatively short slats included in the convertible bed is arranged to interconnect the first and second variable-length side walls in the first mode of the bed to support the narrow and short first mattress on the mattress-support frame between the variable-width headboard and footboard and, alternatively, wherein each long slat in a set of relatively longer long slats is arranged to interconnect the first and second variable-length side walls in the second mode of the bed to support the relatively wider and longer second mattress on the mattress-support frame between the variable-width headboard and footboard. 
     
     
         3 . The convertible bed of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-width headboard includes a first movable headboard segment and a second movable headboard segment that is mounted for movement relative to the first movable headboard segment when unlocked to vary the width of the variable-width headboard. 
     
     
         4 . The convertible bed of  claim 3 , wherein the first movable headboard segment is E-shaped and the second movable headboard segment is Pi-shaped and arranged to engage the E-shaped first movable headboard segment in interlocking relation during relative movement therebetween between drawn-together and spread-apart positions. 
     
     
         5 . The convertible bed of  claim 4 , wherein the releasable lock means comprises a headboard segment-motion lock including a relatively short headboard cap that is coupled to the first and second movable headboard segments in their drawn-together positions to establish a narrow-width headboard and a relatively longer long headboard cap that is coupled to the first and second movable headboard segments in their spread-apart positions to establish in wide-width headboard. 
     
     
         6 . The convertible bed of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-width footboard includes a first movable footboard segment and a second movable footboard segment that is mounted for movement relative to the first movable footboard segment when unlocked to vary the width of the variable-width footboard. 
     
     
         7 . The convertible bed of  claim 6 , wherein the first movable footboard segment is C-shaped and the second movable footboard segment is U-shaped and arranged to engage the C-shaped first movable footboard segment in interlocking relative during relation movement therebetween between drawn-together and spread-apart positions. 
     
     
         8 . The convertible bed of  claim 7 , wherein the releasable lock means comprises a footboard segment-motion lock including a relatively short footboard cap that is coupled to the first and second movable footboard segments in their drawn-together positions to establish a narrow-width footboard and a relatively longer long footboard cap that is coupled to the first and second movable footboard segments in their spread-apart positions to establish in wide-width footboard. 
     
     
         9 . The convertible bed of  claim 1 , further comprising a variable-width mid-section arranged to interconnect the variable-length side walls and lie between the variable-width headboard and footboard and wherein the variable-width mid-section has a short width in the first mode of the bed and a relatively wider width in the second mode of the bed. 
     
     
         10 . The convertible bed of  claim 9 , wherein the variable-width section remains coupled to the variable-length side walls during a change in length of the variable-length side walls. 
     
     
         11 . (Embodiment of  FIGS. 10-8 ) The convertible bed of  claim 1 , wherein each of the variable-width headboard and footboard includes a plurality of vertically oriented movable segments arranged to be moved relative to one another to vary the width of said variable-width headboard and footboard. 
     
     
         12 . A bed kit including components capable of being assembled in the field in one way to produce a mattress-support frame having a small size to support a narrow and short first mattress to provide a small bed and in another way to produce a mattress-support frame having a relatively larger size to support a relatively wider and longer second mattress to provide a large bed, the bed kit comprising
 a variable-width headboard including interlocking and relatively movable first and second movable headboard segments, the second movable headboard segment being mounted for movement relative to the first movable headboard segment to expand or contract the width of the variable width headboard, a first bed leg coupled to the first movable headboard segment, and a second bed leg coupled to the second movable headboard segment,   a variable-width footboard including interlocking and relatively movable first and second movable footboard segments, the second movable footboard segment being mounted for movement relative to the first movable footboard segment to expand or contract the width of the variable-width footboard, a third bed leg coupled to the first movable footboard segment, and a fourth bed leg coupled to the second movable footboard segment,   a first variable-length side wall including a first rail associated with the headboard and a second rail associated with the footboard and mounted for movement relative to the companion first rail to expand or contract length of the first variable-length side wall,   a second variable-length side wall including a first rail associated with the headboard and a second rail associated with the footboard and mounted for movement relative to the companion first rail to expand or contract the length of the second variable-length side wall,   a headboard segment-motion lock comprising a short headboard cap configured to provide means for locking the first and second movable headboard segments of the variable-width headboard in a drawn-together first relative position to establish a narrow width of the variable-width headboard and a relatively longer long headboard cap configured to provide means for locking the first and second movable headboard segments of the variable-width headboard in a spread-apart second relative position to establish a relatively wider wide width of the variable-width headboard,   a footboard segment-motion lock comprising a short footboard cap configured to provide means for locking the first and second movable footboard segments of the variable-width footboard in a drawn-together first relative position to establish a narrow width of the variable-width footboard and a relatively longer long footboard cap configured to provide means for locking the first and second movable footboard segments of the variable-width footboard in a spread-apart second relative position to establish a relatively wider wide width of the variable-width footboard,   a first side-wall lock arranged to lock the first and second rails of the first variable-length side wall in a drawn-together first relative position to establish a short length of the first variable-length side wall and in a spread-apart second relative position to establish a relatively longer long length of the first variable-length side wall,   a second side-wall lock arranged to lock the first and second rails of the second variable-length side wall in a drawn-together first relative position to establish a short length of the second variable-length side wall and in a spread-apart second relative position to establish a relatively longer long length of the second variable-length side wall,   a set of relatively short slats, and   a set of relatively longer long slats,   wherein only short slats in the set of relatively short slats are arranged to interconnect opposing rails in the first and second variable-length side walls to establish a first mode of the bed when the narrow width is established for each of the variable-width headboard and footboard and the short length is established for each of the variable-length side walls, and   wherein only long slats in the set of relatively longer long slats are arranged to interconnect opposing rails in the first and second variable-length side walls to establish an alternate second mode of the bed when the relatively wider wide width is established for each of the variable-width headboard and footboard and the relatively longer long length is established for each of the variable-length side walls.   
     
     
         13 . The bed kit of  claim 12 , wherein the narrow and short mattress is a toddler-bed mattress and relatively wider and longer second mattress is a twin-bed mattress.