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Futon frame

The popularity of futons has increased over the past several years because they are relatively inexpensive while at the same time being capable of being used for both sitting and sleeping. The demand for foldable futons has increased due to the flexibility of use in that these futons may function as either a sofa or a bed. The dual functionality of the foldable futons makes them both cost effective and space saving. Foldable futons abrogate the need to have a separate sofa and bed. Like sofas they provide a place to sit. They also can be converted into a bed by causing the seat portion and the back portion to become coplanar. In almost all cases they must be purchased unassembled and then assembled in the home of the end user, by the end user. Convertible futon frames are convertible between a sitting position for use as a couch or sofa and a horizontal bed position. These frames generally include a seat portion for supporting the lower parts of an individual and a back portion for supporting the back of an individual when the futon frame is in a sitting position. Manually operated futon frames have a seat and a back linked to the seat for guided relative motion to permit adjustment between a sofa position and a bed position. The seat and back are pivotally connected to each other, and the back is connected to each adjacent side of the frame by respective link arms having one end pivotally connected to the back and another end pivotally connected to the associated side of the frame. Foldable futon frames are made from either metal or wood. Metal futon frames are typically more durable than wooden futon frames. On the other hand, wooden futon frames are often more appealing, aesthetically, than metal futon frames. However, wooden futon frames suffer another drawback in addition to reduced durability, when compared to metal frames. Front operating futon frames may include pins located at opposite ends of the back portion and slots located in a support which supports the frame with respect to the supporting surface such as a floor or other ground support. The pins travel within the slots as the bed is moved between the sitting position and the bed position to guide the back portion and to hold the back portion in the appropriate position when the futon frame is in the seating position and bed position.

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