U.S. patent application number 12/880555 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-09 for salon chair with swivel footrest.
Invention is credited to Elizabeth Taylor.
Application Number | 20110133527 12/880555 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44081297 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110133527 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Taylor; Elizabeth |
June 9, 2011 |
SALON CHAIR WITH SWIVEL FOOTREST
Abstract
A salon chair with a footrest is provided which swivels to a
side to provide complete clearance for a user, especially an
elderly or ambulatory-impaired person, to more easily get into and
from a seated position in the salon chair. The footrest is
pivotally attached to the seat of the salon chair and swings to the
side. Once the user is seated the footrest may be swiveled into a
foot support position in front of the salon chair.
Inventors: |
Taylor; Elizabeth; (Leawood,
KS) |
Family ID: |
44081297 |
Appl. No.: |
12/880555 |
Filed: |
September 13, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61285040 |
Dec 9, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/183.1 ;
297/423.37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/5066 20180801;
A47C 1/06 20130101; A47C 1/11 20130101; A47C 7/506 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/183.1 ;
297/423.37 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/50 20060101
A47C007/50; A47C 31/00 20060101 A47C031/00 |
Claims
1. In combination with a salon chair having a seat with a lower
surface, a footrest comprising: a plate pivotally secured to the
lower surface of the seat of the salon chair, a leg having a first
end secured so said plate and a second end, and a foot pad secured
to said second end of said leg, said leg pivotable between a
generally forwardly extending position to present a foot support
for a user seated in the salon chair and a generally sidewardly
extending position to present an unobstructed area in front of the
salon chair.
2. The footrest of claim 1 further comprising a locking mechanism
coupled to said plate to releasably secure said leg in said
generally forwardly extending position.
3. The footrest of claim 2 wherein said locking mechanism includes
a spring-biased locking lever coupled to said locking mechanism to
releasably secure said leg in said forwardly extending
position.
4. In combination with a salon chair having a seat with a lower
surface, a footrest comprising: a pivot assembly having a top plate
and a pivot plate, said top plated secured to the lower surface of
the seat, said pivot plate pivotally coupled to said top plate, a
leg having a first end secured to said pivot plate and a second
end, and a foot pad secured to said second end of said leg, said
leg pivotable between a generally forwardly extending position to
present a foot support for a user seated in the salon chair and a
generally sidewardly extending position to present an unobstructed
area in front of the salon chair.
5. The footrest of claim 4 further comprising a locking mechanism
coupled to said pivot plate to releasably secure said leg in said
generally forwardly extending position.
6. The footrest of claim 4 wherein said locking mechanism includes
a spring-biased locking lever coupled to said locking mechanism to
releasably secure said leg in said forwardly extending
position.
7. The footrest of claim 4 wherein said top plate includes a pivot
spud extending from a lower surface of said top plate and having a
longitudinal axis, and said pivot plate includes an aperture
axially aligned with said longitudinal axis of said pivot spud and
adapted to receive said pivot spud.
8. The footrest of claim 7 further comprising a fastener passing
from a lower surface of said pivot plate into said pivot spud to
rotatably secure said pivot plate to said pivot spud.
9. The footrest of claim 4 further comprising a first indent in
said lower surface of said top plate radially spaced from said
longitudinal axis of said pivot spud, and a spring pin extending
from an upper surface of said pivot plate and radially aligned with
said first indent when said leg is in said generally forwardly
extending position.
10. The footrest of claim 9 further comprising a second indent in
said lower surface of said top plate radially spaced from said
longitudinal axis of said pivot spud, said spring pin radially
aligned with said second indent when said leg is in said generally
sidewardly extending position.
11. The footrest of claim 10 wherein said first indent is spaced
approximately ninety degrees from said second indent.
12. The footrest of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of
indents spaced along a radially extending arc from said first
indent to said second indent.
13. The footrest of claim 4 further comprising a handle extending
radially from said pivot plate to aid in pivoting said pivot plate
about said longitudinal axis of said spud.
14. In combination with a salon chair having a seat with a lower
surface, a footrest comprising: a pivot assembly having a top plate
and a pivot plate, said top plate secured to the lower surface of
the seat and having a pivot spud extending from a lower surface of
said top plate, said pivot plate having an aperture axially aligned
with said pivot spud and adapted to receive said pivot spud, and a
fastener passing from a lower surface of said pivot plate into said
pivot spud to rotatably secure said pivot plate to said pivot spud,
a leg having a first end secured to said lower surface of said
pivot plate and a second end, said leg pivotable between a
generally forwardly extending position to present a foot support
for a user seated in the salon chair and a generally sidewardly
extending position to present an unobstructed area in front of the
salon chair, and a footrest secured to said second end of said
leg.
15. The footrest of claim 14 further comprising a first indent in
said lower surface of said top plate radially spaced from said
longitudinal axis of said pivot spud, and a spring pin extending
from an upper surface of said pivot plate and radially aligned with
said first indent when said leg is in said generally forwardly
extending position.
16. The footrest of claim 15 further comprising a second indent in
said lower surface of said top plate radially spaced from said
longitudinal axis of said pivot spud, said spring pin radially
aligned with said second indent when said leg is in said generally
sidewardly extending position.
17. The footrest of claim 16 wherein said first indent is spaced
approximately ninety degrees from said second indent.
18. The footrest of claim 16 further comprising a plurality of
indents spaced along a radially extending arc from said first
indent to said second indent.
19. The footrest of claim 16 further comprising a stop secured to
said top plate and adapted to engage said pivot plate when said leg
is in said generally forwardly extending position and when said leg
is in said sidewardly extending position to prevent said pivot
plate from rotating beyond said first indent away from said second
indent and beyond said second indent away from said first
indent.
20. The footrest of claim 14 further comprising a handle extending
radially from said pivot plate to aid in pivoting said pivot plate
about said longitudinal axis of said spud.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of co-pending
application Ser. No. 61/285,040, filed on Dec. 9, 2009, entitled
SALON CHAIR WITH SWIVEL FOOTREST.
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to salon or styling
chairs and, more particularly, to a footrest for a salon chair
which may be swiveled or pivoted to a side.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Salon, styling or barber's chairs are widely used by
beauticians, stylists, barbers and other individuals for performing
a service for an individual seated in the chair. The conventional
salon chair has a fixed footrest upon which the individual may rest
his or her feet while seated in the chair. Some footrests include
pivotally-mounted foot plates which may be pivoted up into a
non-use position to allow the individual to more easily get into
and from a seated position in the chair. After being seated in the
chair, the foot plates may be pivoted downward to a horizontal
position for foot support.
[0004] Chairs with fixed footrests present an obstacle to users
with ambulatory problems, particularly the elderly, both getting
into and out of these chairs. Even chairs with pivotally-mounted
footrests present difficulties to elderly users attempting to
navigate between the foot pads and positioning the foot pads
between the non-use and horizontal positions.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention provides a salon chair with a footrest
which swivels to a side to provide complete clearance for a user,
especially an elderly or ambulatory-impaired person, to more easily
get into and from a seated position in the salon chair. Once the
user is seated the footrest may be swiveled into a foot support
position in front of the salon chair.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the salon chair of the
present invention with the footrest pivoted partially to the right
of the chair:
[0007] FIG. 2 is a right side elevational view of the salon chair
of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the salon chair of FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the salon chair of FIG.
1.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the salon chair of
FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of a pivot assembly.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a right side view of the pivot assembly of FIG.
6.
[0013] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the pivot assembly
of FIG. 6.
[0014] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the top plate.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the top plate.
[0016] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the top plate with the stop
attached.
[0017] FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the pivot plate.
[0018] FIG. 13 is a side view of the pivot plate.
[0019] FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the pivot plate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that
may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are
not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated or
minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,
specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not
to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis
for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one
skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
[0021] Moreover, except where otherwise expressly indicated, all
numerical quantities in this description and in the claims are to
be understood as modified by the word "about" in describing the
broader scope of this invention. Practice within the numerical
limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated
to the contrary, the description of a group or class of materials
as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the
invention implies that mixtures or combinations of any two or more
members of the group or class may be equally suitable or
preferred.
[0022] Referring to the figures, a salon chair with a swivel
footrest is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. Salon
chair 10 includes a horizontal seat 12, an upright seat back 14
attached by supports 16 to the horizontal seat 12 and a pair of
arms 18 extending from the upright seat back 14 to the horizontal
seat 12.
[0023] The horizontal seat 12 is mounted to a pedestal 20. The
pedestal 20 includes a base 22, a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder
24 which drives a piston 26 to raise and lower the horizontal seat
12 by means of an operating lever 28. The upper end of piston 26 is
rigidly attached to the horizontal seat 12 by conventional means
not shown. The lower end of the piston 26 is rotatably supported
within the cylinder 24 which in turn is supported by the base
22.
[0024] A footrest 30 is pivotally coupled to a bottom surface 31 of
the horizontal seat 12 by bracket 33 and fasteners (not show).
Footrest 30 includes a downwardly extending leg 32 and a foot pad
34 attached to the lower end of the leg 32. A spring-biased locking
lever 36 releasably secures the footrest 30 in a forwardly
extending position 38 and releases the footrest 30 to swivel or
pivot to any number of generally laterally extending positions 40
and 42 (for example). Leg 32 may be a single fixed length member or
may include means to adjust the length (not shown) to accommodate
various lengths of user's legs.
[0025] When a user approaches the salon chair 10 to sit down the
locking lever 36 may be activated to release the footrest 30 by
pulling up or pushing down on the locking lever 36. The footrest 30
may now be pivoted to one side in a laterally extending position 40
or 42 to present a clear and unobstructed area in front of the
salon chair 10. The user may now easily get into a seated position
in the salon chair 10 with the footrest 30 and foot pad 34 out of
the way. This is particularly important for users with decreased
mobility or stability such as an elderly or ambulatory-impaired
person. Additionally, the act of getting into a seated position
requires the individual to turn around to sit down. With the
footrest 30 and foot pad 34 out of the way, this action is more
easily accomplished without the added difficulty of stepping over
the footrest of a conventional salon chair or having to back into a
salon chair with pivoting foot plates. With the footrest 30 pivoted
to one side, the salon chair 10 becomes as safe as a regular chair
for a user to get into and out of a seated position. This increased
safety is advantageous to all users, not just users with decreased
mobility or stability.
[0026] Once the user is seated, the footrest 30 may be pivoted to
the forwardly extending position 38 to provide foot support for the
user. Once pivoted to the forwardly extending position 38 the
footrest 30 is automatically locked in place until released again
by operation of the locking lever 36.
[0027] The pivoting footrest 30 may be provided with a new salon
chair 10 or may be mounted to a conventional salon chair after
removal of the fixed conventional footrest or pivoting foot plates
and supporting structure. The pivoting footrest 30 may also be used
with styling and barber's chairs.
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 6-14, a pivot assembly is generally
indicated by reference numeral 50. The pivot assembly 50 includes a
top plate 52, a pivot plate 54, and a handle 56. The top plate is
mounted to the lower surface 31 of the horizontal seat 12. The top
plate 52 includes an aperture 58 for receiving a pivot spud 60. The
pivot spud 60 may be press fit or threadably received within the
aperture 58. Aperture 58 is axially aligned with an aperture 62 in
pivot plate 54. Aperture 58 is adapted to receive pivot spud 60.
The diameter of aperture 58 is slightly larger than the diameter of
pivot spud 60 so that the pivot plate 54 may freely rotate about
the pivot spud 60. A retaining screw or fastener 64 passing through
a washer 66 is threadably received within an aperture (not shown)
in the lower end of the pivot spud 60. The retaining screw 64 may
be tightened to hold the top plate 52 to the pivot plate 54. A thin
layer of grease or other lubricant (not shown) may be applied to
the lower surface 53 of the top plate 52 and the upper surface 55
of the pivot plate 54.
[0029] Top plate 52 includes a pair of apertures 68 through which
fasteners (not shown) may pass to secure the top plate 52 to the
lower surface 31 of the salon chair 10. Pivot plate 54 includes a
pair of apertures 70 to receive fasteners (not shown) to secure the
mounting bracket 33 to the pivot plate 54 and couple the leg 32 to
the pivot plate 54.
[0030] A spring pin 72 including a spring biased head 74 is press
fit or threaded into an aperture 76 through the lower surface 57 of
the pivot plate 54 such that the head 74 of the spring pin 72
extends above the upper surface 55 of the pivot plate 54. A first
aperture, depression or indent 78 in the lower surface 53 of the
top plate 52 is in axial alignment with the aperture 76 in the
pivot plate 54 when the plates 52 and 54 are in a first position. A
second aperture, depression, or indent 80 in the lower surface 53
of the top plate 52 is in axial alignment with the aperture 76 in
the pivot plate 54 when the pivot plate 52 is rotated to a second
position. In the preferred embodiment, apertures 78 and 80 in the
lower surface 53 of the top plate 52 are spaced ninety degrees
apart along an arc 81 extending radially from the longitudinal axis
of the pivot spud 60. It should be understood that additional
apertures, depressions or indents may be included along the arc 81
and may be spaced more than ninety degrees apart.
[0031] A stop 82 is welded or otherwise fastened to the rear
surface 84 of the plate 52 and extends below the lower surface 53
of the top plate 52. When the pivot plate 52 is in the first
position, the rear surface 86 of the pivot plate 54 contacts the
stop 82 to prevent the pivot plate from over-rotating beyond the
forwardly extending position 38 away from the sidewardly extending
position 42. When the pivot plate 52 is rotated to the second
position, the rear surface 86 of the pivot plate 54 contacts the
stop 82 preventing further rotation of the pivot plate 54. The stop
82 keeps the pivot plate 54 from over-rotating beyond the
sidewardly extending position 42 away from the forwardly extending
position 38.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6-8, when the footrest 30 is in a
forwardly extending position 38, the head 74 of the spring pin 72
extending from the upper surface 55 of the pivot plate 54 is
engaged with the aperture 78 in the lower surface 53 of the top
plate 52. In this orientation the footrest 30 is secured in the
forwardly extending position 38. The handle 56 may be used to pivot
the footrest 30 to a sidewardly extending position 42 in which the
head 74 of the spring pin 72 extending from the upper surface 55 of
the pivot plate 54 is engaged or seated in aperture 80 in the lower
surface 53 of top plate 52. In this orientation, the footrest 30 is
in the sidewardly extending position 42.
[0033] In the first position 38, the footrest 30 may be used by a
user to support his or her feet when sitting in the salon chair 10.
In the second position 42, the footrest 30 is pivoted out of the
way so that the user may easily get into a seated position in the
salon chair 10 or into a standing position from the salon chair 10
without having to climb over the footrest 30. When in the seated
position, the user can simply raise his or her legs as the footrest
30 is rotated from the second position 42 to the forward position
38 and then use the footrest 30 normally. To get up from the salon
chair 10, the user can simply raise his or her legs as the footrest
30 is rotated from the first position 38 to the side position 42.
When the footrest 30 is rotated to the side position 42, the user
can simply stand-up and walk away from the salon chair 10 without
having to climb over the footrest 30.
[0034] It is to be understood that while certain forms of this
invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited
thereto, except in so far as such limitations are included in the
following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.
* * * * *