U.S. patent application number 10/903423 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-23 for self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair.
Invention is credited to Ing-Jye Jimmy Tsai.
Application Number | 20060061149 10/903423 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36073184 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060061149 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai; Ing-Jye Jimmy |
March 23, 2006 |
Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair
Abstract
A self-leveling mechanism for an article mounted to a chair is
disclosed. The chair has an arm member movable from a first
position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the
first position. The article has an upper surface having an angular
relationship with respect to the support surface on which the chair
rests. The mechanism includes a pivot member that mounts the
article to the movable arm member of the chair. The movable arm
member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular
relationship between the support surface and an upper surface of
the article the same without manual adjustment of the pivot member
by a user when the movable arm member is moved from the first
position to the second position. The mechanism can maintain items
on a tablet mounted to the armrest during reclining action by
keeping the tablet horizontal.
Inventors: |
Tsai; Ing-Jye Jimmy;
(Burlington, NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
QUARLES & BRADY LLP
411 E. WISCONSIN AVENUE
SUITE 2040
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202-4497
US
|
Family ID: |
36073184 |
Appl. No.: |
10/903423 |
Filed: |
July 30, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/160 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/68 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/160 |
International
Class: |
A47B 39/00 20060101
A47B039/00; A47B 83/02 20060101 A47B083/02 |
Claims
1. A chair comprising: a base for supporting the chair on a support
surface; a seat supported by the base; an arm member supported by
and movable with respect to the base, the arm member being movable
from a first position to a second position, the second position
being reclined with respect to the first position; an article
mounted to the arm member, the article having an upper surface, the
upper surface of the article having an angular relationship with
respect to the support surface; and leveling means attached to the
article, the leveling means keeping the angular relationship
between the support surface and the upper surface of the article
the same without manual adjustment when the movable arm member is
in the first position or the second position.
2. The chair of claim 1 wherein: the article is a tablet.
3. The chair of claim 1 wherein: the leveling means comprises a
pivot member that mounts the article to the movable arm member, the
movable arm member pivoting with respect to the pivot member to
keep the angular relationship between the support surface and the
upper surface of the article the same when the movable arm member
is moved from the first position to the second position.
4. The chair of claim 3 wherein: the pivot member has a hollow
upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin
inserted in the upper end of the pivot member.
5. The chair of claim 4 wherein: the article is mounted to the
pivot member by a pin inserted in a socket mounted in the upper end
of the pivot member, and the socket extends through a top surface
of the movable arm member.
6. The chair of claim 3 wherein: the leveling means further
comprises a linkage and a rotatable disc, the linkage being
attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member, the
disc moving the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of
the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with
respect to the pivot member.
7. The chair of claim 6 wherein: the leveling means further
comprises a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a direction
away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the
first position.
8. The chair of claim 3 wherein: the pivot member has at least one
outwardly extending pin that rests on an upper surface of a frame
member of the movable arm member such that the movable arm member
pivots with respect to the pivot member.
9. A self-leveling mechanism for an article mounted to a chair that
rests on a support surface, the chair having an arm member movable
from a first position to a second position, the second position
being reclined with respect to the first position, the article
having an upper surface having an angular relationship with respect
to the support surface, the mechanism comprising: a pivot member
that mounts the article to the movable arm member of the chair, the
movable arm member pivoting with respect to the pivot member to
keep the angular relationship between the support surface and an
upper surface of the article the same without manual adjustment of
the pivot member when the movable arm member is moved from the
first position to the second position.
10. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein: the pivot member has a hollow
upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin
inserted in the upper end of the pivot member.
11. The mechanism of claim 10 wherein the pivot member extends
through a top surface of the movable arm member.
12. The mechanism of claim 9 further comprising: a linkage and a
rotatable disc, the linkage being attached to the disc and to a
bottom end of the pivot member, the disc moving the linkage in a
direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that
the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
13. The mechanism of claim 12 further comprising: a stop that
limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable
disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
14. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein: the pivot member has at least
one outwardly extending pin that rests on an upper surface of a
frame member of the movable arm member such that the movable arm
member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
15. A chair comprising: a base for supporting the chair on a
support surface; a seat supported by the base; an arm member
supported by and movable with respect to the base, the arm member
being movable from a first position to a second position, the
second position being reclined with respect to the first position;
a tablet mounted on the chair, the tablet having an upper surface
having an angular relationship with respect to the support surface;
and leveling means for keeping the angular relationship between the
support surface and the upper surface of the tablet the same
without manual adjustment when the movable arm member is in the
first position or the second position.
16. The chair of claim 15 wherein: the leveling means comprises a
pivot member that mounts the tablet to the chair, the pivot member
pivoting to keep the angular relationship between the support
surface and the upper surface of the tablet the same when the
movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second
position.
17. The chair of claim 16 wherein: the pivot member has a hollow
upper end, and the tablet is mounted to the pivot member by a pin
inserted in the upper end of the pivot member.
18. The chair of claim 17 wherein: the tablet is mounted to the
pivot member by a pin inserted in a socket mounted in the upper end
of the pivot member.
19. The chair of claim 18 wherein: the socket extends through a top
surface of the movable arm member.
20. The chair of claim 16 wherein: the leveling means further
comprises a linkage and a rotatable disc, the linkage being
attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member, the
disc moving the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of
the pivot member rotating such that the movable arm member pivots
with respect to the pivot member.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates to a self-leveling mechanism
for an article mounted to a chair, and more particularly to a
self-leveling mechanism for a tablet mounted to a reclining arm of
a reclining chair.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] It is known that articles such as writing tablets can be
mounted to a chair. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,862 describes
a device for supporting a tablet via an armrest including a
mounting socket that is firmly mounted to the armrest and a tablet
with a pin that is inserted in the socket where the tablet can be
removed by removing the pin from the socket. However, when such
devices are used with a chair having a reclining armrest, the
materials resting on the tablet surface fall off the tablet due to
tilting of the tablet during reclining.
[0007] The use of a manually adjustable tablet is one solution to
this problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,911 teaches an
adjustable positioning system for chair-mounted tables where the
table may be manually rotated by a user about a horizontal line by
way of angle support using a support brake. However, the
positioning of the table must be adjusted by the user who must
manually place the table in a level position. Such manual
positioning of the table may be difficult for older users or those
in a healthcare setting.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a self-leveling tablet
mechanism such that users may recline furniture with tablets and
not lose the materials on the tablet surface due to tilting of the
tablet. Such a mechanism would keep a tablet level as a chair arm
changes position during the reclining function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The foregoing need is addressed by the present invention
that provides a self leveling tablet mechanism for use with a
recliner wherein a tablet mounted to the recliner maintains a top
surface parallel to a recliner supporting surface (typically a
horizontal floor surface) despite different positions of the
recliner and more specifically the recliner arm during reclining
action. In this regard, to increase the comfort of a person
reclining in a chair it is desirable to have armrests tip or tilt
backward as the chair reclines. However, to maintain items on a
table top or tablet mounted to the armrest during reclining action,
the tablet top should/must remain horizontal. The present invention
addresses this need.
[0010] In one aspect, the invention provides a chair including a
base for supporting the chair on a support surface, a seat
supported by the base, and an arm member supported by and movable
with respect to the base. The arm member is movable from a first
position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the
first position. An article (e.g., a tablet) is mounted to the arm
member. The article has an upper surface. The upper surface of the
article has an angular relationship with respect to the support
surface. Typically, the upper surface of the article is horizontal
and is parallel to the support surface, that is, the angular
relationship of the upper surface of the article is at 0 degrees
with respect to the support surface. However, any angular
relationship is possible.
[0011] The invention includes leveling means attached to the
article. The leveling means keeps the angular relationship between
the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same
without manual adjustment by a user when the movable arm member is
in the first position or the second position. Thus, in one form,
the leveling means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the
armrest during reclining action of the armrest by keeping the top
surface of the tablet horizontal.
[0012] The leveling means may include a pivot member that mounts
the article to the movable arm member such that the movable arm
member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular
relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of
the article the same when the movable arm member is moved from the
first position to the second position. In one form, the pivot
member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the
pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot
member. In another form, the article is mounted to the pivot member
by a pin inserted in a socket mounted in the upper end of the pivot
member, and the socket extends through a top surface of the movable
arm member. The pivot member may have one or more outwardly
extending pins that rest on an upper surface of a frame member of
the movable arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with
respect to the pivot member.
[0013] The leveling means may further include a linkage and a
rotatable disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom
end of the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction
away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable
arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member. The leveling
means may further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage
in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm
member is in the first position.
[0014] In another aspect, the invention provides a self-leveling
mechanism for an article mounted to a chair that rests on a support
surface where the chair has an arm member movable from a first
position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the
first position. The article (e.g., a tablet) has an upper surface
having an angular relationship with respect to the support surface.
The mechanism includes a pivot member that receives the article and
mounted to the movable arm member of the chair. The movable arm
member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular
relationship between the support surface and an upper surface of
the article the same without manual adjustment of the pivot member
by a user when the movable arm member is moved from the first
position to the second position. In one form, the pivot member has
a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member
by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member. The pivot
member may extend through a top surface of the movable arm
member.
[0015] The mechanism may further include a linkage and a rotatable
disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of
the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away
from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm
member pivots with respect to the pivot member. Optionally, a stop
is provided that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away
from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first
position. The pivot member may have one or more outwardly extending
pins that rest on an upper surface of a frame member of the movable
arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to
the pivot member.
[0016] In yet another aspect, the invention provides a chair
including a base for supporting the chair on a support surface, a
seat supported by the base, and an arm member supported by and
movable with respect to the base. The arm member is movable from a
first position to a second position that is reclined with respect
to the first position. A tablet is mounted on the chair, and the
tablet has an upper surface having an angular relationship with
respect to the support surface. The chair further includes leveling
means for keeping the angular relationship between the support
surface and the upper surface of the tablet the same without manual
adjustment by the user when the movable arm member is in the first
position or the second position. The leveling means may be mounted
on a location other than the arm rest. In one form, the leveling
means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the chair during
reclining action of the armrest by keeping the tablet
horizontal.
[0017] The leveling means may include a pivot member that mounts
the article to the chair such that the movable arm member pivots
with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship
between the support surface and the upper surface of the article
the same when the movable arm member is moved from the first
position to the second position. In one form, the pivot member has
a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member
by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member. The
leveling means may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc.
The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the
pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away from
the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member
pivots with respect to the pivot member. The leveling means may
further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a
direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member
is in the first position.
[0018] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood upon consideration
of the following detailed description, drawings, and appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a top front left perspective view of a recliner
having a self-leveling mechanism according to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side view of the recliner of FIG. 1 in an
unreclined position and having the side panel and associated
covering removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to
the invention.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side view of the recliner of FIG. 1 in a
reclined position and having the side panel and associated covering
removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to the
invention.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame of an armrest of
the recliner of FIG. 1 showing selected parts of the self-leveling
mechanism according to the invention.
[0023] Like reference numerals are used to depict like parts
throughout the Figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a self leveling tablet mechanism
according to the invention is shown and will be described in the
context of a recliner 10 including a backrest 12, a seat 14, two
arm members 16a, 16b where arm member 16a houses or supports a
self-leveling tablet supporting mechanism 18. A base 20 supports
the chair 10 on a support surface 90. The seat 14, the arm members
16a, 16b and the backrest 12 may be attached directly or indirectly
to the base 20 for support by the base 20 in a conventional manner.
The backrest 12 and the seat 14 are mounted between the arm members
16a, 16b so that the backrest 12 and the seat 14 can be moved
between an upright position illustrated in FIG. 2 and a supported
reclined position illustrated in FIG. 3. When in the upright
position (FIG. 2), in the illustrated embodiment, the top surfaces
22a, 22b of the arm members 16a, 16b are generally horizontal. When
in the reclined position the arm members 16a, 16b tilt rearward on
the base 20 such that the top surfaces 22a, 22b are inclined
rearward by a few degrees (see FIG. 3).
[0025] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the arm member 16a forms a cavity
24 therein that houses the tablet supporting mechanism 18. The arm
member 16a is generally vertically aligned and the top surface 22a
of the arm member 16a has an opening 26 spaced back from a front
edge 28 thereof. The tablet supporting mechanism 18 is generally
housed within cavity 24 and includes, among other components, a cam
disc 30, a linkage 32, a pivot tube 34, a bezel structure 36, a
table assembly 38 and a stop member 40. Cam disc 30 may mounted to
the side wall 66 of the arm member 16a for rotation about a
horizontal axis 42 proximate the lower portion of cavity 24.
Linkage 32 is an elongated rigid member having a first end
pivotally linked proximate an upper edge of cam disc 30.
[0026] Pivot tube 34 acts as a pivot member and is an elongated
rigid tube having an upper end and a lower end and is positioned
within cavity 24 so as to be generally vertically oriented with the
top end just below opening 26. The lower end of post 34 is
pivotally mounted to the second end of linkage 32 such that linkage
32 is generally horizontally oriented within cavity 24. Bezel
structure 36 includes a hollow socket 50 and a flange 52 that
extends laterally from a top edge of the socket 50. The lower end
of the socket 50 may attached (e.g., by screws) to the top end of
pivot tube 34 with socket 50 extending through opening 26 and an
undersurface of flange 52 resting on or adjacent the top surface
22a of arm member 16a. Optionally, a connecting object such as a
disc with a threaded stud can be placed inside pivot tube 34 for
attaching an end of the socket 50 or pin 58.
[0027] In FIG. 4, there is shown one method for mounting the pivot
tube 34 to the arm member 16a. A frame 80 of the arm member 16a has
an upper surface 82. The pivot tube 34 includes outwardly extending
pins 35a, 35b that rest on the upper surface 82 of the frame 80. A
hold down bracket 85 is installed over the pins 35a, 35b of the
pivot tube 34 such that the pins 35a, 35b of the pivot tube 34 may
rotate in a space created between the lower surface of the hold
down bracket 85 and the upper surface 88 of the frame 80.
Depressions may be formed in the upper surface 88 of the frame 80
if desired to provide seats for the pins 35a, 35b of the pivot tube
34. A hole 76 in the hold down bracket 85 allows the upper end of
the pivot tube 34 to pass through the hold down bracket 85. The
upper end of the pivot tube 34 accepts the bezel structure 36 as
described above, and it should be appreciated that the bezel
structure 36 is omitted in FIG. 4 for clarity.
[0028] Stop member 40 is an L-shaped member that is secured to the
side wall 66 of the arm member 16a within cavity 24 such that, when
the chair 10 is in the upright position of FIG. 2, the joint formed
by the pivotally linked linkage 32 and pivot tube 34 is adjacent
the generally right angle formed by stop member 40. The stop member
40 limits motion of the linkage 32 in a direction away from the
rotatable disc 30 when the movable arm member 16a is in the first
position (see FIG. 2).
[0029] Table assembly 38 includes a tablet 56, a mounting bracket
57 attached to the tablet 56, and a pin 58 that extends downward
from the bracket 57. Pin 58 is sized to be slidably received within
the hollow socket 50 in the bezel structure 36 and, when received
therein, is supported thereby for rotation about a vertical axis
therethrough. Typically, the upper surface of the tablet 56 is
horizontal and is parallel to the support surface 90, that is, the
angular relationship of the upper surface of the tablet 56 is at 0
degrees with respect to the support surface 90. However, any
angular relationship is possible by adjusting the length of pivot
tube 34 and cam disc 30 relationship-relative positions (see FIG.
2).
[0030] A locking release mechanism 11 may be included to
effectively lock the chair 10 in the upright position unless
affirmatively unlocked. A suitable linkage 67 is provided for
movable leg rest members 17a, 17b as shown in FIG. 3. The backrest
12 may be supported by the side wall 66 of the arm member 16a by
bracket 71, and the seat 14 may be supported by the side wall 66 of
the arm member 16a by bracket 72.
[0031] In operation, when a person is sitting on seat 14 in an
upright position (see FIG. 2), the pivot tube 34 is generally
vertically oriented and hence, when tablet 56 is mounted to arm
member 16a, tablet 56 has a top surface that is horizontal. When
the person pushes back on backrest 12 and the seat 14, backrest 12
and arms 16a, 16b rotate toward the reclined position, cam disc 30
rotates in the direction of Arrow A in FIG. 3 from the position
illustrated in FIG. 2 toward the position illustrated in FIG. 3. As
the linkage 32 moves, the lower end of tube 34 follows such that
tube 34 remains generally vertical and tablet 56 remains
horizontal. Eventually, when the chair 10 is fully reclined, the
linkage 32, the cam disc 30, the pivot tube 34 and the tablet 56
assume the position illustrated in FIG. 3 and the tablet 56 remains
horizontal irrespectively of the reclined state of the chair
10.
[0032] While one example of a self leveling tablet mechanism has
been shown and described, other versions of the invention are
possible. For example, the invention is not limited to supporting a
tablet but may be used to support any article such as a computer or
a television. Also, the tablet supporting mechanism 18 may be
mounted to other parts of the chair such as the seat or backrest,
or components can be added to sense and react to any relative
movement between chair arm and supporting surface. Further, it is
contemplated that the disc 30 could mounted to the torque tube of a
recliner operating handle such that the linkage 32, cam disc 30,
pivot tube 34 and tablet 56 assume the position illustrated in FIG.
3 when the recliner operating handle is pulled upwardly and/or
rearward. Of course, different shapes for the pivot tube 34 and
socket 50 are also possible.
[0033] Therefore, the present invention provides a self-leveling
tablet mechanism such that users my recline furniture with tablets
and not lose the materials on the tablet surface due to tilting of
the table. The mechanism keeps a tablet level as a chair arm
changes angular position during the reclining function. The
mechanism may attach to pre-existing recliner mechanisms. The
invention acts as a leveling mechanism that keeps a tablet level as
the arm of the chair moves up and down during the reclining
function. As the arm tilts up, the mechanism is activated and tilts
the tablet forward resulting in a level tablet.
[0034] Although the present invention has been described in detail
with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will
appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other
than the described embodiments, which have been presented for
purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the
scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the
description of the embodiments contained herein.
* * * * *