U.S. patent application number 13/176164 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-27 for armrest adjustment member.
Invention is credited to Yu-Ting Chen, Chi-Ming Yang.
Application Number | 20120242132 13/176164 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46451595 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120242132 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Yu-Ting ; et
al. |
September 27, 2012 |
ARMREST ADJUSTMENT MEMBER
Abstract
An armrest adjustment member including an armrest support, an
outer sleeve, a positioning rod, a positioning part and an armrest
body is revealed. The armrest support is disposed with a guide slot
and symmetrical toothed bars on inner surfaces of the guide slot.
The outer sleeve with an opening on one side is mounted on an upper
part of the armrest support. The opening is mounted with a button.
The T-shaped positioning rod arranged in the outer sleeve includes
two top ends pivoted to the outer sleeve and a bottom end locked
into a toothed groove of the toothed bar moveably. The bottom end
is released from the toothed groove by pressing the button. The
positioning part is disposed above the outer sleeve and is mounted
between an armrest pad and an armrest base of the armrest body.
Thus the armrest is adjusted horizontally, vertically or
rotated.
Inventors: |
Chen; Yu-Ting; (Jubei City,
TW) ; Yang; Chi-Ming; (Jubei City, TW) |
Family ID: |
46451595 |
Appl. No.: |
13/176164 |
Filed: |
July 5, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/411.38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 1/0308 20180801;
A47C 1/0305 20180801; A47C 1/03 20130101; A47C 1/0307 20180801 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/411.38 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/54 20060101
A47C007/54 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 21, 2011 |
TW |
100205015 |
Claims
1. A multifunctional armrest adjustment member comprising: an
armrest support disposed with a vertical guide slot on an upper
part thereof while a lower part of the armrest support is connected
to a left side or right side of a seat; two symmetrical toothed
bars are respectively arranged at each of two corresponding inner
surfaces of the guide slot and the toothed bar having a plurality
of toothed grooves arranged from top to bottom; an outer sleeve
disposed around the upper part of the armrest support and having a
top plate with a post, two corresponding limit slots, and an
opening; the top plate is arranged at top of the outer sleeve and
the post is on a top surface of the top plate; the two
corresponding limit slots are mounted on an inner wall of a top end
of the outer sleeve; the opening for mounting a button is on one
side of the outer sleeve; a positioning rod whose top ends thereof
are pivoted to the limit slots of the out sleeve so as to form a
pivot shaft while a bottom end of the positioning rod is a locking
part locked into a toothed groove of the toothed bar moveably; a
middle part of the positioning rod is locked with and connected to
the button; a positioning part fastened on the post of the top
plate of the outer sleeve; and an armrest body arranged on top of
the outer sleeve and having an armrest pad and an armrest base; the
armrest pad and the armrest base are pivoted to each other on a
middle part thereof; a groove is disposed at an axis in a forward
and backward direction of the armrest body and the post on the top
plate of the outer sleeve passes through the groove to be fastened
to the positioning part; thus the positioning part is moveably
mounted between the armrest pad and the armrest base and the
armrest body is able to be moved forward, and backward or rotated
in relation to the positioning part; wherein by pressing the
button, the positioning rod is driven to rotate around the top end
thereof that is pivoted to the limit slots of the out sleeve; thus
the locking part on the bottom end of the positioning rod is
released from one toothed groove of the toothed bar and the outer
sleeve is moved upward in relation to the armrest support by the
positioning part of the armrest body.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the button includes at
least one fastening part while at least one bump corresponding to
the fastening part is arranged at a middle part of the positioning
rod and is fastened to the fastening part.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an elastic part is
disposed over the locking part of the positioning rod so that the
positioning rod is turned back to original position by an elastic
force of the elastic part after being rotated.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the positioning rod is
arranged with position holes for mounting the elastic part.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning part
is disposed with two symmetrical projecting curved parts while an
inner surface of the armrest base is arranged with two curve areas
corresponding to the two projecting curved parts of the positioning
part so that the curve area is rotated in relation to the curved
part.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pivot part for
pivoting and connection is arranged at a middle part of the armrest
pad and a pivot part is disposed on a middle part of the armrest
base so that the armrest pad is moved up and down in relation to
the armrest base like a seesaw and the pivot parts act as a pivot
shaft while applying pressure to a front end or a rear end of the
armrest pad.
7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one end, a
front end or a rear end, of both the armrest pad and the armrest
base is disposed with at least one elastic part so that the armrest
pad is turned back to original position by an elastic force of the
elastic part after being released from the pressure applied.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning part
and the armrest base are respectively arranged with at least one
bump and at least one grid groove; the bump is corresponding to the
grid groove and is able to slide forward, backward and rotate in
the grid groove.
9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the number of the
bumps is two and the bumps are respectively disposed on a front end
and a rear end of a bottom surface of the positioning part while
the grid groove includes linear lines in a fore-and-aft direction
and curved lines in a left-and-right direction.
10. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bump is disposed
on a bottom surface of the positioning part elastically so as to
contact against the grid groove of the armrest base elastically.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an armrest adjustment
member, especially to an armrest adjustment member that enables an
armrest moving vertically or horizontally, rotating, or moving up
and down like a seesaw. Moreover, the armrest adjustment is with
simple structure and multiple functions.
[0002] There are various designs of armrests available now. In
order to make sitting more comfortable, the armrest can be adjusted
in different directions according to figure of people sit in
chairs.
[0003] Generally, an armrest includes an armrest body and an
armrest support. The armrest body consists of an armrest surface
and a lower seat. The armrest body is disposed on a top surface of
the armrest support while the armrest support is fastened and fixed
on the left side and the right side of a chair seat. The armrest
adjustment involves adjusting the width of the armrest in the
horizontal direction and the height of the armrest in the vertical
direction. A horizontal adjustment part is for sliding the armrest
forward or backward or rotating the armrest and usually is disposed
on the armrest body. A height adjustment part is for adjusting
height of the armrest and is arranged at the armrest support. Refer
to US Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0084103, an armrest for an office chair is
revealed. The armrest is with a rotational, longitudinal and
lateral adjustment mechanism. However, the armrest has a lot of
components and completed structure. This leads to difficulty in
assembly and high production cost. Thus mass production is supposed
to be difficult and the competitiveness is undermined. There is
great room for improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to
provide an armrest adjustment member in which of an armrest body
and an outer sleeve are connected by a positioning part. The outer
sleeve is mounted on an armrest support so that the armrest body
can be moved forward and backward or rotated in relation to the
positioning part. The armrest body can drive the outer sleeve to
move vertically in relation to the armrest support. Moreover, the
armrest body consists of an armrest pad and an armrest base pivoted
with each other. Thus the armrest pad is moved up and down in
relation to the armrest base like a seesaw. The armrest adjustment
member is with simple structure, fewer components, easy assembling
and multiple adjustment functions.
[0005] Furthermore, the movement among the components is smoother
due to simplified structure and fewer components of the present
invention. This meets users' operation requirements.
[0006] In order to achieve the above objects, a multifunctional
armrest adjustment member of the present invention includes an
armrest support, an outer sleeve, a positioning rod, a positioning
part and an armrest body. A guide slot is disposed on an upper part
of the armrest support. Two symmetrical toothed bars are
respectively arranged at each of two corresponding inner surfaces
of the guide slot. A lower part of the armrest support is connected
to a seat. The outer sleeve is disposed around the upper part of
the armrest support. An opening is arranged at one side of the
outer sleeve for mounting a button. The positioning rod is set in
the outer sleeve. The top end of the positioning rod is pivoted to
a top end of an inner wall of the outer sleeve while the bottom end
of the positioning rod is locked into the toothed bar in the guide
slot. The positioning rod can be driven by the button pressed so as
to be released from the toothed bar and moved along with the outer
sleeve. The positioning part is fixed on the outer sleeve. The
armrest body, including an armrest pad and an armrest base, is
arranged at the top of the outer sleeve. The middle parts of the
armrest pad and the armrest base are pivoted to each other, with
the positioning part mounted therebetween. Thus the armrest can be
moved forward and backward or rotated in relation to the
positioning part. The armrest body drives the outer sleeve to move
vertically by the positioning part and the armrest pad is moved up
and down in relation to the armrest base like a seesaw. In
accordance with the above structure, the armrest adjustment member
of the present invention provides multiple functions including
horizontal adjustment, height adjustment or rotation of the armrest
body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to
the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of an embodiment
according to the present invention from another viewing angle;
[0009] FIG. 3 is an explosive view of an embodiment according to
the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment in FIG. 1
for showing an up and down movement;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing a forward and backward
movement of an embodiment according to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing a rotation of an
embodiment according to the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 7A is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment of the
present invention before a vertical movement;
[0014] FIG. 7B is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment of the
present invention after a vertical movement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Refer from FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a multifunctional armrest
adjustment member of the present invention includes an armrest
support 10, an outer sleeve 20, a positioning rod 30, a positioning
part 40 and an armrest body 50. A vertical guide slot 11 is
disposed on an upper part 101 of the armrest support 10. Two
symmetrical toothed bars 12 are respectively arranged at each of
two corresponding inner surfaces of the guide slot 11. The toothed
bar 12 has a plurality of toothed grooves 121 arranged from top to
bottom. A lower part 102 of the armrest support 10 is connected to
a left side or right side of a seat (not show in figure).
[0016] The outer sleeve 20 is disposed around an outer surface of
the upper part 101 of the armrest support 10 with proper allowance.
An opening 21 is arranged at a side surface of the outer sleeve 20
for mounting a button 60 having a fastening part 61. A top plate 22
with a post 221 is covered on the outer sleeve 20. Two
corresponding limit slots 23 are mounted on an inner wall of a top
end of the outer sleeve 20.
[0017] The positioning rod 30 is a T-shaped bar pivoted in the
outer sleeve 20. The top two ends of the T-shaped bar are
corresponding to and pivoted in the limit slots 23 of the outer
sleeve 20. The positioning rod 30 includes a locking part 31 on a
bottom end thereof. The locking part 31 is corresponding to the two
symmetrical toothed bars 12 on the guide slot 11 of the armrest
support 10 and is locked into one of the toothed grooves 121 of the
toothed bar 12. Two bumps 32 are arranged at a middle part of the
positioning rod 30. The bump 32 is corresponding to and fastened to
the fastening part 61 of the button 60. When the button 60 is
pressed, the positioning rod 30 is driven to move around the top
end (as a pivot shaft) thereof. Thus the locking part 31 is
released from the toothed groove 121 of the toothed bar 12 and the
positioning rod 30 is able to be moved up and down in relation to
the armrest support 10 along with the outer sleeve 20. Moreover,
position holes 33 for mounting an elastic part 70 are disposed over
the locking part 31 of the positioning rod 30. A post 34 is
arranged at the positioning rod 30. The post 34 is corresponding to
the elastic part 70 and used for limiting movement of the elastic
part 70.
[0018] The positioning part 40 is disposed above the outer sleeve
20. The positioning part 40 includes two symmetrical projecting
curved parts 41 at the middle part thereof, an insertion hole 42 at
a center between the two projecting curved parts 41, a fastener 43
such as a locking screw passing through the insertion hole 42 to be
fastened on the post 221 of the top plate 22 of the outer sleeve
20, and two bumps 44.
[0019] The armrest body 50 is disposed on top of the outer sleeve
20. The armrest body 50 includes an armrest pad 51 and an armrest
base 52. Two pivot parts 53, pivoted and connected to each other,
are respectively arranged at the middle part of both the armrest
pad 51, and the armrest base 52 correspondingly. A groove 54 is
disposed at an axis in the forward and backward direction of the
armrest body 50. The post 221 on the top plate 22 of the outer
sleeve 20 passes through the groove 54 to be fastened to the
positioning part 40 by the fastener 43. Thus the positioning part
40 is moveably mounted between the armrest pad 51 and the armrest
base 52. The armrest base 52 further includes two curve areas 55 on
an inner surface thereof corresponding to two projecting curved
parts 41 of the positioning part 40. Thus the curve area 55 can be
rotated in relation to the curved part 41. Moreover, at least one
elastic part 57 such as a spring is arranged at one end (the front
end or the rear end) of both the armrest pad 51 and the armrest
base 52. Furthermore, the shape and the structure of the
positioning rod 30, the positioning part 40 and the armrest body 50
are symmetrical designs, such as fore-and-aft symmetry or mirror
symmetry. Due to symmetry, there is no limit while assembling
theses parts. They can be switched from left to right side (or
right to left side), from fore to aft, or vice versa. This helps
assembly operation and materials management. In addition, the
number of the components required is reduced.
[0020] Refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the positioning part 40
and the armrest base 52 are respectively arranged with the bump 44
and a grid groove 56. The bump 44 is corresponding to the grid
groove 56 and is able to slide forward and backward in the grid
groove 56, as an arrow A indicated in FIG. 5. Or the bump 44 is
rotated in the grid groove 56, as an arrow B indicated in FIG. 6.
Moreover, the moved position and the position of the bump 44 are
controllable. Refer to FIG. 3, the number of the bumps 44 is two.
The bumps 44 are respectively disposed on the front end and the
rear end of the bottom surface of the positioning part 40. As shown
in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the grid groove 56 includes linear lines in a
fore-and-aft direction (the arrow A in FIG. 5) and curved lines in
a left-and-right direction (the arrow B in FIG. 6). The bump 44 is
disposed on the bottom surface of the positioning part 40 so as to
contact against the grid groove 56 of the armrest base 52
elastically and there is friction resistance existed between the
positioning part 40 and grid groove 56. Thus the stability of the
assembly and the smoothness of movement are improved.
[0021] Refer to an arrow C in FIG. 4, while applying pressure to
the front end or rear end of the armrest pad 51, the armrest pad 51
is moved up and down in relation to the armrest base 52 like a
seesaw and the pivot parts 53 act as the fulcrum (pivot shaft). By
elasticity of the elastic part 57, the armrest pad 51 is turned
back to the original position after being released from the
pressure applied.
[0022] Refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, while operating the armrest body
50 to move forward/backward in relation to the positioning part 40,
as the arrow A indicated in FIG. 5, the positioning part 40 remains
static and the bump 44 on the bottom of the positioning part 40 is
against the grid groove 56 of the armrest base 52 while the groove
54 of the armrest body 50 moves forward/backward along the post 221
on the top plate 22 of the outer sleeve 20.
[0023] Refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, while operating the armrest body
50 to rotate in relation to the positioning part 40, as the arrow B
indicated in FIG. 6, the positioning part 40 remains static and the
curved part 41 of the positioning part 40 rotates within the curve
area 55 of the armrest base 52. At the same time, the bump 44 on
the bottom of the positioning part 40 also rotates along the grid
groove 56 of the armrest base 52.
[0024] Refer to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, they respectively show the
armrest body 50 before and after the upward movement. While
pressing the button 60, as an arrow D indicated in the FIG. 7B, the
button 60 drives the positioning rod 30 to rotate around the top
end of the positioning rod 30 (two ends of the T-shaped bar). Thus
the locking part 31 of the positioning rod 30 is released from one
toothed groove 121 of the toothed bar 12 and now the elastic part
70 is compressed. Then the armrest body 50 is moved upward to the
desired height, as an arrow E indicated in the FIG. 7B. The outer
sleeve 20 is moved upward by the positioning part 40 of the armrest
body 50 and the positioning rod 30 is also moved upward along with
the outer sleeve 20. When the button 60 is released, the
positioning rod 30 is turned back to the original position by
elastic recovery force of the elastic part 70. And the locking part
31 of the positioning rod 30 is locked into another toothed groove
121 of the toothed bar 12. The height adjustment of the armrest
body 50 is completed. The armrest body 50 can also be adjusted to
move downward in the same way.
[0025] In summary, the armrest adjustment member of the present
invention can adjust horizontal and vertical movement, rotation and
up and down movement (like a seesaw) of the armrest body 50, having
multiple functions. While adjusting the forward and backward
movement of the armrest body 50, the rotation of the armrest body
50 can also be adjusted at the same time. Moreover, due to simple
structure and fewer components, the manufacturing cost is reduced.
Furthermore, the assembly cost is down because of easy
assembling.
[0026] Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur
to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its
broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and
representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly,
various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit
or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the
appended claims and their equivalent.
* * * * *