The following definitions are our attempt to help anyone with the terminology associated with the futon furniture and sofa-bed industry.

Slat Rack:
Slat racks are the platforms on which the futon rests for both convertible futon sofa-bed frames and stationary platform beds.

Seat Rack:
The seat rack is the slat rack on which the user sits when a futon sofa-bed is in the sitting position.

Back Rest:
The back rest is the slat rack which the user leans back on when a futon sofa-bed is in the sitting position.

Tri-fold:
A convertible futon sofa-bed frame that utilizes three slat racks. The futon mattress can hang over the back of the frame, be folded under itself on the seat rack, or lay flat as a chaise lounge style seat. The tri-fold allows the futon mattress to fold twice along its
usually shorter width.

Bi-Fold:
A convertible futon sofa-bed frame that utilizes two slat racks. The bi-fold allows the futon mattress to fold once along its length.

Kicker:
The kicker is usually a small piece of wood or plastic that wedges itself between the seat rack and the back rest so the frame can be returned from a sleeper to a sofa in a simple, fluid motion. Several industry patents have been granted for the kicker.

Wall-Hugger:
A wall-hugger is a frame that can open to a sofa-bed without moving the base of the frame away from the wall. We categorize wall-huggers by their tolerance. A zero tolerance wall-hugger can be placed directly against the wall and still not touch the wall when converting. Other wall-huggers must be placed a short distance from the wall. These are called two, three, four etc. inch tolerance wall-huggers. Be sure to ask your manufacturer about the tolerance of their wall-hugger.