U.S. patent application number 10/059974 was filed with the patent office on 2003-02-13 for armrest of chair with cushion.
Invention is credited to Chen, Chao Ken.
Application Number | 20030030317 10/059974 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21685758 |
Filed Date | 2003-02-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030030317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen, Chao Ken |
February 13, 2003 |
Armrest of chair with cushion
Abstract
An armrest of a chair with a cushion is arranged at one side of
a chair and is movable for adjusting the position and orientation
thereof. The armrest comprises a slidable platform and a parallel
linkage means. The slidable platform has a retaining seat and a
sliding seat. The retaining seat is fixed to a predetermined
position at one of two sides of the chair. The sliding seat is
supported by the retaining seat and is movable with respect to the
retaining seat. A parallel linkage means including a main linkage
and a pair of swinging linkages is pivotally connected to two ends
of the main linkage. Another ends of the swinging linkages not
being connected to the main linkage are pivotally connected
retaining seat. The main linkage has a cushion. By the supporting
of the parallel linkage means, the user can move the cushion to
different positions or be at any orientation.
Inventors: |
Chen, Chao Ken; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Chao Ken Chen
235 Chung-Ho
Box 8-24
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
21685758 |
Appl. No.: |
10/059974 |
Filed: |
January 30, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/411.35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 1/03 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/411.35 |
International
Class: |
A47C 007/54 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 8, 2001 |
TW |
090213477 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An armrest of a chair with a cushion being arranged at one side
of a chair and being movable for adjusting the position and
orientation thereof; the armrest comprising: a retaining seat
fixedly installed to a predetermined position at one side of a
chair; a parallel linkage means including a main linkage and a pair
of swinging linkages pivotally connected to two ends of the main
linkage; another ends of the swinging linkages not being connected
to the main linkage being pivotally connected to the retaining
seat; the main linkage having a cushion; wherein by the supporting
of the parallel linkage means, the user can move the cushion to
different positions or be at any orientation.
2. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the retaining seat is fixed to one of a supporting frames
at two sides of the chairs.
3. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the retaining seat is fixed to two sides of a chair
back.
4. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
further comprising a safety cover which covers the retaining
seat.
5. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the parallel linkage means is formed by four parallel
linkages.
6. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a plurality of stop means are installed between the
swinging linkages and the sliding seat, the stop means includes a
plurality of concave cavities which are installed in the retaining
seat and the swinging linkages, and stop devices; the concave
cavities are coupled with the stop devices so as to retain the
swinging linkages to predetermined positions.
7. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 6,
wherein the concave cavities are formed in the retaining seat; and
the stop devices are installed in the swinging linkages; each
sliding seat has at least one elastic sheet; one end of the elastic
sheet is fixed, and another end extends out and has an elastic free
end; the free end has a tip facing to a surface of the concave
cavity; wherein by the elastic force of the elastic sheet, the tip
falls into the concave cavity, thereby, the swinging linkage is
retained at a predetermined position.
8. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a plurality of fixed limiting elements are formed at two
sides of the retaining seat for confining the swinging linkages to
move within a sector region.
9. An armrest of a chair with a cushion being arranged at one side
of a chair and being movable for adjusting the position and
orientation thereof; the armrest comprising: a slidable platform
having a retaining seat and a sliding seat; the retaining seat
being fixed to a predetermined position at one of two sides of the
chair; the sliding seat being supported by the retaining seat and
being movable with respect to the retaining seat; a parallel
linkage means including a main linkage and a pair of swinging
linkages pivotally connected to two ends of the main linkage;
another ends of the swinging linkages not being connected to the
main linkage being pivotally connected retaining seat; the main
linkage having a cushion; wherein by the supporting of the parallel
linkage means, the user can move the cushion to different positions
or be at any orientation.
10. The armrest of a chair as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
retaining seat and the sliding seat are formed with dovetail blocks
and dovetail grooves, respectively; thereby, the retaining seat and
sliding seat are coupled or adjusted.
11. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 9,
wherein the slidable platform includes a stop means; the stop means
has a plurality of stop positions and a stop device which are
installed at the retaining seat and the sliding seat, respectively,
by coupling the stop positions and the stop device, the sliding
seat is fixed at a predetermined position temporarily.
12. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 9,
wherein a plurality of stop positions are concave cavities arranged
along the sliding direction of the sliding seat; the stop device is
an elastic sheet installed to the retaining seat; one end of the
elastic sheet is fixed to the retaining seat, and another end
thereof extends out and has an elastic free end; the free end has a
tip facing a surface of the concave cavity of the sliding seat; the
tip falls into the concave cavity due to the elastic force of the
elastic sheet so that the sliding seat is retained in a
predetermined position temporarily.
13. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 9,
wherein the slidable platform is further installed with a limiting
means; the limiting means includes a stopper fixed to the retaining
seat and a limiting post installed in the sliding seat; by the
interaction of the limiting post and the stopper, the sliding seat
is prevented from separating with retaining seat.
14. The armrest of a chair with a cushion as claimed in claim 13,
wherein the stopper is a protruding element which is installed on
the retaining seat facing to the sliding seat; and the limiting
post is a stud installed in the sliding seat.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an armrest of a chair with
a cushion, and particularly to an armrest installed at one of two
sides of a chair, wherein the position and orientation thereof can
be adjusted as desired.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Armrests are installed at two sides of a chair. In early
age, the armrest is fixed. Namely, the position and orientation
thereof can not be installed as desired. Therefore, the user's arms
can not be well located.
[0003] Some movable armrests are developed for improving the
defects in the prior art, while these designs are not perfect. In
one prior art design, a movable armrest is disclosed, while the
armrest only moves forwards and backwards. Another one end of the
armrest is pivotally connected, so that the armrest may be rotated
around the pivotal point. However, in this prior art, the position
of the armrest can not be adjusted to complete match the
requirement of user's arm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is
to provide an armrest of a chair with a cushion, wherein the
position and orientation thereof is adjustable so that the two arms
of the user may be supported comfortably.
[0005] To achieve above object, the present invention provides an
armrest of a chair with a cushion, wherein, the armrest is arranged
at one side of a chair and is movable for adjusting the position
and orientation thereof. The armrest comprises a slidable platform
and a parallel linkage means. The slidable platform has a retaining
seat and a sliding seat. The retaining seat is fixed to a
predetermined position at one of two sides of the chair. The
sliding seat is supported by the retaining seat and is movable with
respect to the retaining seat. A parallel linkage means including a
main linkage and a pair of swinging linkages pivotally connected to
two ends of the main linkage. Another ends of the swinging linkages
not being connected to the main linkage are pivotally connected
retaining seat. The main linkage has a cushion. By the supporting
of the parallel linkage means, the user can move the cushion to
different positions or be at any orientation.
[0006] The various objects and advantages of the present invention
will be more readily understood from the following detailed
description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention, wherein
the connections of the elements of the present invention is
illustrated.
[0009] FIG. 3A shows the bottom of the platform of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 3B is a lateral view showing the platform and the
parallel linkage means of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 shows that the present invention is installed to a
chair.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a lateral view of the present invention, wherein
the slidable platform is confined by a limiting means.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a partial view showing the limiting means of the
slidable platform and the stop means.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 6 showing the stop
means of the slidable platform.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the present invention,
wherein a safety cover is added to the parallel linkage means.
[0016] FIGS. 9-11 are schematic views about the operation of the
present invention, showing examples for adjusting the cushion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the armrest of a chair with a
cushion of the present invention is illustrated. The armrest of the
present invention has the following components.
[0018] A slidable platform 10 is formed by a retaining seat 11 and
a sliding seat 12. The retaining seat 11 is fixed to a fixing
position at two sides of a chair 20 (referring to FIG. 4). The
sliding seat 12 is supported by the retaining seat 11 and is
slidable with respect to the retaining seat 11.
[0019] A parallel linkage means 30 includes a main linkage 31 and a
pair of swinging linkages 32a, 32b pivotally connected to two ends
of the main linkage 31. Another ends of the swinging linkages 32a,
32b are pivotally connected to the sliding seat 12. Therefore,
other than being fixed to a surface of the retaining seat 11, the
sliding seat 12 can be one linkage in a parallel linkage means 30.
The main linkage 31 serves for bearing the cushion 40 (referring to
FIGS. 3A and 3B). By the supporting of the parallel linkage means
30, the user can move the cushion 40 to different positions or be
at any orientation (referring to FIGS. 9 to 11) so that the arms of
the user can be supported comfortably.
[0020] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
sliding seat 12 faces to a front or rear sides of the chair 20.
Thereby, the user may move the sliding seat 12 and cushion 40
according to the lengths of the arms. There are many ways for
combining the retaining seat 11 and cushion 40 so that the two can
move with respect to one another. FIG. 2 shows a design in that
dovetail blocks 110 and dovetail grooves 120 are disclosed. Two
lateral sides of the retaining seat 11 can be added with dovetail
blocks 110 and two lateral sides of the retaining seat 11 are
formed with dovetail grooves 120. Therefore, the sliding seat 12
and retaining seat 11 can be coupled and movable with respect to
one another.
[0021] For preventing the sliding seat 12 sliding away from the
retaining seat 11. The slidable platform 10 is further installed
with a limiting means. The limiting means includes a stopper 111
fixed to the retaining seat 11 and a limiting post 121 installed in
the sliding seat 12. By the interaction of the limiting post 121
and the stopper 111, the sliding seat 12 is prevented from
separating with retaining seat 11 (referring to FIGS. 5 and 6). The
stopper 111 is positioned on the retaining seat 11 at a side facing
the sliding seat 12. The stopper 111 is a protruding element or a
plate-like element. It is preferred that the limiting post 121 is
movable, such as studs screwed to the sliding seat 12. Therefore,
the limiting post 121 is selectable so that it can move to a
position resisting against the stopper 111 for preventing the
sliding seat 12 from separating with the sliding seat 12. Moreover,
the limiting post 121 may be moved to an unlocking position so that
as desired, the sliding seat 12 can be taken down from the
retaining seat 11.
[0022] In another preferred embodiment, a stop means is installed
between the sliding seat 12 and the retaining seat 11. Through this
stop means, the sliding seat 12 can be positioned in different
predetermined positions. The stop means includes a plurality of
stopping points and stop devices. FIG. 1 discloses one embodiment,
wherein a plurality of stop positions are through holes or concave
cavities 50 arranged along the sliding direction of the sliding
seat 12. The stop device is an elastic sheet 51 installed to the
retaining seat 11. One end of the elastic sheet 51 is fixed to the
retaining seat 11 (for example, a screw 52 screwed to the retaining
seat 11), and another end thereof extends out and has an elastic
free end. The free end has a tip 510 facing a surface of the
concave cavity 50 of the sliding seat 12. The tip 510 can fall into
the concave cavity 50 due to the elastic force of the elastic sheet
51 so that the sliding seat 12 is retained in a predetermined
position temporarily (referring to FIGS. 5 to 7). Abovesaid example
is only one preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the
present invention, even the positions of the concave cavity 50 and
elastic sheet 51 are interchanged, the same effect can be achieved.
The number of the concave cavity 50 and distances therebetween are
adjustable as desired.
[0023] The parallel linkage means 30 serves for supporting the
cushion 40. In one preferred embodiment, the parallel linkage means
30 are four parallel linkages which includes a main linkage 31 and
swinging linkages 32a, 32b. The main linkage 31 and swinging
linkages 32a, 32b are pivotally by studs 33 and washers 34, wherein
the swinging linkages 32a, 32b may rotate below the main linkage 31
so that the linkages are overlapped (referring to FIG. 3A).
[0024] Besides, one swinging linkages 32a do not rotate, while the
other linkage 32b rotate as illustrated in FIG. 9. Therefore, it
may rotate along the swinging linkage 32a so as to adjust the
orientation of the cushion 40. In another preferred embodiment of
the present invention, a plurality of stop means are installed
between the swinging linkages 32a, 32b and the sliding seat 12. The
stop means includes concave cavities 50a as described above, and
the stop devices 53a and 53b installed to the swinging linkages
32a, 32b. The concave cavities 50a are formed on the sliding seat
12. The two stop devices have the same structure. They may move
with the rotation of the swinging linkages 32a, 32b. The stop
devices have at least one elastic sheet 54 which is identical to
the above elastic sheet 51. One end of the elastic sheet 54 is
fixed, while another end thereof extends out and has an elastic
free end. The free end has a tip 540 facing a surface of the
concave cavity 50a of the sliding seat 12. The tip 540 can fall
into the concave cavity 50a due to the elastic force of the elastic
sheet 54 so that the swinging linkages 32a, 32b are retained in a
predetermined position temporarily (referring to FIGS. 9 to
11).
[0025] The concave cavities 50a are distributed at a round section
with a center of a pivotal point. The pivotal point is the pivotal
point of the swinging linkages 32a, 32b and the sliding seat 12.
Each time the swinging linkages 32a, 32b move to different
positions or orientations. To prevent the swinging linkages 32a,
32b to over-rotate to become unused, two sides of the sliding seat
12 can be installed with a plurality of light emitting elements 122
which are fixed so as to confine the swinging linkages 32a, 32b in
a predetermined sector region (referring to FIG. 9).
[0026] The way for installing the retaining seat 11 to the two
sides of the chair 30 is, for example, to install the retaining
seat 11 to the supporting elements 21 at two sides of the chairs 30
(referring to FIG. 4). The supporting elements 21 are possibly
fixed to the supporting frames at two sides of the chair 30, or the
retaining seat II is fixed to the two sides of the back of the
chairs 30 directly.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 8, to prevent the exposed parallel
linkage means 30 from hurting the user, in the present invention, a
safety cover 60 is used. The safety cover 60 covers the upper side
of the sliding seat 12 for shielding the swinging linkages 32a, 32b
and the stop means.
[0028] The present invention is thus described, it will be obvious
that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not
to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the
present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious
to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *