U.S. patent application number 13/352439 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-18 for auxiliary support installed onto chair armrest.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hsuan-Chin Tsai. Invention is credited to Hsuan-Chin Tsai.
Application Number | 20130180940 13/352439 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48779265 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130180940 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai; Hsuan-Chin |
July 18, 2013 |
Auxiliary Support Installed onto Chair Armrest
Abstract
An auxiliary support to be installed onto a chair armrest is
disclosed. The auxiliary support includes a first adjusting arm
that is able to pivot up and down and has one end formed as a
rotating end that is vertically connected to a connecting end of
the armrest, a second adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and
down and forward and backward and has one end formed as a rotating
end that is transversely connected to a connecting end at an
opposite end of the first adjusting arm, and a supporting tray that
is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm and is
adjustably inclinable for supporting a portable device (e.g. a
tablet computer or a book). Thereby, a user sitting in the chair
can put the portable device on the auxiliary support and operate it
comfortably.
Inventors: |
Tsai; Hsuan-Chin; (Chai-Yi
Hsien, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tsai; Hsuan-Chin |
Chai-Yi Hsien |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
48779265 |
Appl. No.: |
13/352439 |
Filed: |
January 18, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/119.007 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/70 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/119.007 |
International
Class: |
A47G 29/00 20060101
A47G029/00 |
Claims
1. An auxiliary support to be attached to an outer side of a
vertically adjustable chair armrest, the auxiliary support
comprising a first adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down
and has one end formed as a rotating end that is vertically
connected to a connecting end of the armrest, a second adjusting
arm that is able to pivot up and down and forward and backward and
has one end formed as a rotating end that is transversely connected
to a connecting end at an opposite end of the first adjusting arm,
and a supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the
second adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable.
2. The supporting device of claim 1, wherein the connecting end of
the first adjusting arm and the rotating end of the second
adjusting arm are connected by a connecting member, the connecting
member having one end formed as a rotating end and an opposite end
formed as a connecting end, a rotatable positioning unit being
provided between the rotating end of the connecting member and the
connecting end of the first adjusting arm, and another rotatable
positioning unit being provided between the connecting end of the
connecting member and the rotating end of the second adjusting
arm.
3. The supporting device of claim 1, wherein a rotatable
positioning unit is provided between the rotating end of the first
adjusting arm and the connecting end of the armrest.
4. The supporting device of claim 2, wherein the rotatable
positioning unit comprises a guiding portion that is formed
centrally in the connecting end and is for receiving a toothed
member pushed outward by a spring, the connecting end and the
toothed member both annularly formed with teeth to always engage
with each other, the rotating end also having teeth for engaging
with the teeth of the toothed member, a fastening member pivotally
fastening the rotating end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton
having a plurality of pins being attached to an outer side of the
rotating end, so that the pins pass through the rotating end and
abut against the toothed member, thereby pushing the toothed member
to move and making the teeth of the toothed member and the teeth of
the rotating end disengage from or engage with each other.
5. The supporting device of claim 4, wherein the connecting end has
an outer periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for
providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a
retaining portion to be received in the limiting recess.
6. The supporting device of claim 1, wherein the supporting tray
has a lower edge thereof provided with a lower retaining portion,
and two lateral retainers are slidably attached a lower surface of
the supporting tray so as to be expanded and retracted with respect
to two sides of the supporting tray, in which each said lateral
retainer has an outer end provided with a holding portion.
7. The supporting device of claim 6, wherein a stationary case is
attached to an outer side of the lower retaining portion of the
supporting tray.
8. The supporting device of claim 6, wherein each of the lateral
retainers has two legs for passing through two through holes formed
on the supporting tray and being slidably received in two channels
formed at the lower surface of the supporting tray and covered by a
covering plate, and each of the two legs is terminated with an
inward bent hook portion that is to be retained by a stop portion
formed in the channel.
9. The supporting device of claim 8, wherein each of the channels
is partially narrowed to provide a narrowed segment for closely
fitting the corresponding leg.
10. The supporting device of claim 1, wherein the second adjusting
arm has a terminal thereof fixedly connected to a spherical joint
that has a ball part, and a universal unit corresponding to the
supporting tray is provided to receive the ball part.
11. The supporting device of claim 10, wherein the spherical joint
has a lower end thereof provided with a fixing portion to be
fixedly connected with the connecting seat at the terminal of the
second adjusting arm, the fixing portion has an upper end thereof
formed as the ball part, and the universal unit comprising a lower
hemispherical recess formed on the supporting tray and a combining
member that is fixed to the supporting tray and has a lower surface
thereof formed with an upper hemispherical recess so that the ball
part is received between the upper and lower hemispherical
recesses.
12. The supporting device of claim 11, wherein a raised retaining
portion that is formed like a continuous circle near a top of the
ball part and defines therein moving area, while two symmetrical
raised retaining portions are formed at two sides of a ceiling of
the upper hemispherical recess so that the two raised retaining
portions are received in the moving area.
13. The supporting device of claim 11, a notch is formed in the
lower hemispherical recess of the supporting tray for receiving a
pushed member, and a pushing element is screwed into the supporting
tray corresponding to the pushed member, so that the pushed member
is pressed by the pushing element to tightly abut against the ball
part.
14. The supporting device of claim 3, wherein the rotatable
positioning unit comprises a guiding portion that is formed
centrally in the connecting end and is for receiving a toothed
member pushed outward by a spring, the connecting end and the
toothed member both annularly formed with teeth to always engage
with each other, the rotating end also having teeth for engaging
with the teeth of the toothed member, a fastening member pivotally
fastening the rotating end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton
having a plurality of pins being attached to an outer side of the
rotating end, so that the pins pass through the rotating end and
abut against the toothed member, thereby pushing the toothed member
to move and making the teeth of the toothed member and the teeth of
the rotating end disengage from or engage with each other.
15. The supporting device of claim 14, wherein the connecting end
has an outer periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for
providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a
retaining portion to be received in the limiting recess.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to an auxiliary support to be
installed onto a chair armrest for supporting a portable device.
The auxiliary support allows multidirectional adjustment so that a
user sitting in the chair can operate the portable device
comfortably. The auxiliary support thus frees the user hands from
holding the portable device, so the user can freely use his/her
both hands to do other works.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Led by the fervent love to Apple iPad, tablet computers have
rapidly swept across the market of consumer electronics. This urges
manufactures to invest more in developing portable devices, such as
those operating with Android. Microsoft is expected to launch
Windows 8 or Windows Phone to further fuel the battle in the near
future. These portable devices feature for touch control, which is
easier to operate and provides users with fresh and pleased using
experience totally different from traditional desktop computers and
laptop computers. Besides, they are portable in nature, so they can
be used anywhere conveniently.
[0005] When sitting in a chair before a desk, a user may have to
take care of other works in addition to operating a portable
device. In this case, the user has to hold the portable device with
one hand, and operate it with the other hand. Before finishing the
operation and resting the portable device on the desk, the user's
hands will never be free to do other works. Repeatedly taking up
and putting down the portable device is absolutely an inconvenience
to the user. If the working space on the desktop is insufficient,
the user can be terribly troubled and inefficient in dealing with
his/her works.
[0006] For making the operation of the portable device more
convenient, some proposals have been made. For example, China
Patent No. CN201120110079 has provided a device that is mainly
composed of a fixing rod, a first rotating rod, an adapter, a
second rotating rod and a supporting tray. The fixing rod is
fixedly connected to a chair. The first rotating rod is pivotally
connected to the fixing rod. The adapter and the first rotating rod
are pivotally connected. The second rotating rod and the adapter
are also pivotally connected. The supporting tray is attached to
the second rotating rod, so the supporting tray can be positioned
in various directions and angles. After the support is fixed to the
chair, a portable device can be placed on the supporting tray, so
that a user sitting in the chair can easily operate the portable
device without holding it in hand. This allows the user to freely
use his/her both hands to do other works and frees the user from
the concern about where to put the portable device. Also, by using
this support, the portable device will not take space on the
desktop.
However, since the prior-art support has the fixing rod fixed to
the bottom of the chair seat, and has the first rotating rod
pivoting outward, is would be difficult to adjust the altitude and
position of the portable device placed on the supporting tray. For
example, when the first rotating rod pivots upward to bring the
supporting tray to a desired altitude, and then the second rotating
rod pivots inward to draw the supporting tray toward the user, it
is likely that the supporting tray is too far to be reached by the
user's hands. In this case, the user may have to adjust the first
rotating rod upward or downward to ensure that the supporting tray,
after the second rotating rod pivots, is reachable to his/her
hands. Nevertheless, doing this can cause the altitude of the
supporting tray changed, in turn making the portable device be
positioned too high or too low.
[0007] In addition, the prior-art support has the supporting tray
pivotable, inclinable and movable along the second rotating rod.
Thus, adjustment of the supporting tray requires many operational
steps. This not only complicates the operation of the supporting
tray, but also makes the adjustment of the supporting tray
difficult and inconvenient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Hence, for remedying the inconvenience in adjusting an
existing auxiliary support that is installed on a chair for
supporting a portable device, the present invention provides an
auxiliary support that is directly installed onto an armrest that
is vertically adjustable. The auxiliary support includes a first
adjusting arm that is pivotally connected to the armrest so can
pivot up and down, and a second adjusting arm that is connected to
a connecting member at a terminal of the first adjusting arm so can
pivot up and down and forward and backward, and a supporting tray
that is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm
and is adjustably inclinable. Thus, a portable device positioned on
the supporting tray, can be easily adjusted to a position allowing
a user sitting in the chair to operate it comfortably by operating
the first and second adjusting arms and vertically adjusting the
armrest. Thereby, the auxiliary support of the present invention
provides improved convenience and usability, so is more
practicable.
[0009] The technical scheme used by the present invention to solve
the technical problem is providing the auxiliary support comprising
a first adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and has one
end formed as a rotating end that is vertically connected to a
connecting end of the armrest, a second adjusting arm that is able
to pivot up and down and forward and backward and has one end
formed as a rotating end that is transversely connected to a
connecting end at an opposite end of the first adjusting arm, and a
supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the second
adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable. In the foregoing
scheme, the connecting end of the first adjusting arm and the
rotating end of the second adjusting arm are connected by a
connecting member, the connecting member having one end formed as a
rotating end and an opposite end formed as a connecting end, a
rotatable positioning unit being provided between the rotating end
of the connecting member and the connecting end of the first
adjusting arm, and another rotatable positioning unit being
provided between the connecting end of the connecting member and
the rotating end of the second adjusting arm.
[0010] In the foregoing scheme, a rotatable positioning unit is
provided between the rotating end of the first adjusting arm and
the connecting end of the armrest.
[0011] In the foregoing scheme, the rotatable positioning unit
comprises a guiding portion that is formed centrally in the
connecting end and is for receiving a toothed member pushed outward
by a spring, the connecting end and the toothed member both
annularly formed with teeth to always engage with each other, the
rotating end also having teeth for engaging with the teeth of the
toothed member, a fastening member pivotally fastening the rotating
end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton being attached to an
outer side of the rotating end, so that pins of the pushbutton pass
through the rotating end and abut against the toothed member.
[0012] In the foregoing scheme, the connecting end has an outer
periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for providing a
predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a retaining
portion to be received in the limiting recess.
[0013] In the foregoing scheme, the supporting tray has a lower
edge thereof provided with a lower retaining portion, and two
lateral retainers are slidably attached a lower surface of the
supporting tray so as to be expanded and retracted with respect to
two sides of the supporting tray, in which each said lateral
retainer has an outer end provided with a holding portion.
[0014] In the foregoing scheme, a stationary case is attached to an
outer side of the lower retaining portion of the supporting
tray.
[0015] In the foregoing scheme, each of the lateral retainers has
two legs for passing through two through holes formed on the
supporting tray and being slidably received in two channels formed
at the lower surface of the supporting tray and covered by a
covering plate, and each of the two legs is terminated with an
inward bent hook portion that is to be retained by a stop portion
formed in the channel.
[0016] In the foregoing scheme, each of the channels is partially
narrowed to provide a narrowed segment for closely fitting the
corresponding leg.
[0017] In the foregoing scheme, the second adjusting arm has a
terminal thereof fixedly connected to a spherical joint that has a
ball part, and a universal unit corresponding to the supporting
tray is provided to receive the ball part.
[0018] In the foregoing scheme, the spherical joint has a lower end
thereof provided with a fixing portion to be fixedly connected with
the connecting seat at the terminal of the second adjusting arm,
the fixing portion has an upper end thereof formed as the ball
part, and the universal unit comprising a lower hemispherical
recess formed on the supporting tray and a combining member that is
fixed to the supporting tray and has a lower surface thereof formed
with an upper hemispherical recess so that the ball part is
rotatably received between the upper and lower hemispherical
recesses.
[0019] In the foregoing scheme, a raised retaining portion that is
formed like a continuous circle near a top of the ball part and
defines therein moving area, while two symmetrical raised retaining
portions are formed at two sides of a ceiling of the upper
hemispherical recess so that the two raised retaining portions are
received in the moving area.
[0020] In the foregoing scheme, a notch is formed in the lower
hemispherical recess of the supporting tray for receiving a pushed
member, and a pushing element is screwed into the supporting tray
corresponding to the pushed member, so that the pushed member is
pressed by the pushing element to tightly abut against the ball
part.
[0021] The benefits of the present invention include that the
disclosed auxiliary support, when installed onto the armrest,
allows the supporting tray supporting a portable device to be
easily adjusted to a position where the portable device can be
easily operated by means of adjusting the first and second
adjusting arms up/down, right/left and forward/backward, and
vertically adjusting the armrest. Additionally, when the auxiliary
support is not in use, the first and second adjusting arms and the
supporting tray can be folded and retraced at the outer side of the
armrest, so the auxiliary support will not take space and hinder
the user's motions. Furthermore, the combination of the spherical
joint and the universal unit allows the supporting tray to be
positioned in any direction simply and easily yet prevents the
supporting tray from being over inclined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention taken
in a different direction.
[0024] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention taken in
a different direction.
[0026] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a connecting end and a
rotating end of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the connecting end and the
rotating end of the present invention taken in a different
direction.
[0028] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting end and
the rotating end of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 8 illustrates operation of the connecting end and the
rotating end of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 9 illustrates pivot limits of a first adjusting arm of
the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a supporting tray of the
present invention.
[0032] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a supporting tray of the
present invention taken in a different direction.
[0033] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting tray and
a second adjusting arm of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting tray and
the second adjusting arm of the present invention taken in a
different direction.
[0035] FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 illustrate adjustment of the supporting
tray of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 16 is an exploded view of a lateral retainer of the
supporting tray of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the lateral retainer of the
supporting tray of the present invention taken in a different
direction.
[0038] FIG. 18 illustrates adjustment of the lateral retainers on
the supporting tray of the present invention.
[0039] FIG. 19 illustrates the lateral retainer of the supporting
tray of the present invention being stopped when pulled
outward.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0040] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, according to the present
invention, an auxiliary support 1 is attached to connecting end
a.sub.1 at an outer side of a vertically movable armrest 2. The
auxiliary support 1 includes a first adjusting arm 11 whose
rotating end a.sub.2 is pivotally conned to the connecting end
a.sub.1 of the armrest 2, so that the first adjusting arm 11 is
allowed to pivot up and down. The first adjusting arm 11 further
has an opposite connecting end a.sub.1, which is coupled to a
rotating end a.sub.2 of a connecting member 13, so that the
connecting member 13 is allowed to pivot right and left. The
connecting member 13 further has an opposite connecting end
a.sub.1, which is coupled to a rotating end a.sub.2 of a second
adjusting arm 12, so that the second adjusting arm 12 is allowed to
pivot front and back. The second adjusting arm 12 further has an
opposite end coupled with an adjustably inclinable supporting tray
14.
[0041] Referring also to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, between each of the
connecting ends a.sub.1 of the armrest 2, the first adjusting arm
11 and the connecting member 13 and its corresponding rotating end
a.sub.2 of the first adjusting arm 11, the connecting member 13 or
the second adjusting arm 12, there is a rotatable positioning unit
A. In addition to the connecting end a.sub.1 and the rotating end
a.sub.2, the rotatable positioning unit A further has a toothed
member a.sub.3, a spring a.sub.4, a fastening member a.sub.5, and a
pushbutton a.sub.6. The detailed configuration of the rotatable
positioning unit A can be seen in FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. The
connecting end a.sub.1 is centrally formed with a guiding portion
a.sub.11 for positioning the toothed member a.sub.3 and guiding it
to move. A spring a.sub.4 is arranged between the toothed member
a.sub.3 and the connecting end a.sub.1 so that the toothed member
a.sub.3 is resiliently propped outward by the spring a.sub.4. The
toothed member a.sub.3 and the connecting end a.sub.1 have teeth
a.sub.31 and a.sub.12 that always engage with each other. The
connecting end a.sub.1 has its outer periphery formed with a
limiting recess a.sub.13 for providing a predetermined angular
range, and the rotating end a.sub.2 has a retaining portion
a.sub.22 to be received in the limiting recess a.sub.13. The
rotating end a.sub.2 also has teeth a.sub.21 for engaging with the
teeth a.sub.31 of the toothed member a.sub.3. In addition, a
fastening member a.sub.5 can pass through the rotating end a.sub.2
and fixed to the guiding portion a.sub.11 of the connecting end
a.sub.1, so that the rotating end a.sub.2 is pivotally fixed and
rotatable. A pushbutton a.sub.6 including a plurality of pins
a.sub.61 has the pins a.sub.61 passing through the rotating end
a.sub.2 and then abut against the toothed member a.sub.3. Thus, as
shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in response to pushing or releasing the
pushbutton a.sub.6, the toothed member a.sub.3 moves transversely,
thereby making the teeth a.sub.31 of the toothed member a.sub.3 and
the teeth a.sub.21 of the rotating end a.sub.2 disengage from or
engage with each other, in turn allowing the components of the
rotating end a.sub.2 (such as the first adjusting arm 11, the
second adjusting arm 12 and the connecting member 13) to pivot.
Moreover, since the retaining portion a.sub.22 of the rotating end
a.sub.2 is limited by the limiting recess a.sub.13 of the
connecting end a.sub.1, the pivot angle of the components of the
rotating end a.sub.2 is limited in a predetermined range.
[0042] Furthermore, the connection between the second adjusting arm
12 and the supporting tray 14 is shown in detailed in FIG. 10
through FIG. 13. The second adjusting arm 12 has its terminal
provided with a connecting seat 121 that is connected to a
spherical joint 31. The spherical joint 31 includes a fixing
portion 311 inserted into and fixedly held by the connecting seat
121. The fixing portion 311 is formed atop with a ball part 312.
Near the top of the ball part 312, a raised retaining portion 313
is formed like a continuous circle that defines therein moving area
314.
[0043] Additionally, the supporting tray 14 has a universal unit
corresponding to the spherical joint 31 for receiving the ball part
312. The universal unit comprises a lower hemispherical recess 141
provided on the supporting tray 14, a notch 142 formed at one side
of the lower hemispherical recess 141, a pushing element 35 screwed
into the supporting tray 14 from outside and corresponding to the
notch 142, and a pushed member 34 received in the notch 142, so
that by rotating the pushing element 35, the pushed member 34 is
pushed or released.
[0044] A combining member 32 is fixed to the supporting tray 14 and
facing the lower hemispherical recess 141. The combining member 32
is its lower surface formed with an upper hemispherical recess 321.
At two side of the ceiling of the upper hemispherical recess 321,
there are symmetrical raised retaining portions 322. The two raised
retaining portions 322 are allowed to move within the moving area
314 of the spherical joint 31. Finally, a cover 33 is inlaid to the
supporting tray 14 for covering the whole universal unit.
[0045] Thereby, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, in virtue of the
spherical joint 31 having the ball part 312 and the universal unit
received between the upper and lower hemispherical recesses 321,
141, the supporting tray 14 can be inclined in any direction.
Meanwhile, the raised retaining portion 313 of the spherical joint
31 and the raised retaining portion 322 in the upper hemispherical
recess 321 jointly limit the inclining angle of the supporting tray
14, so as to prevent the supporting tray 14 from being over
inclined and making the portable device drop. Also, the easy
rotatory operation of the pushing element 35 can make the
supporting tray 14 positioned reliably. Thus, the overall adjusting
and positioning operation of the supporting tray 14 is simpler and
easier, and can adjust and position the supporting tray 14 as a
user desires more rapidly and more precisely.
[0046] Then, referring to FIG. 16 through FIG. 19, the supporting
tray 14 at the terminal of the second adjusting arm 12 has its
lower edge provided with a lower retaining portion 146, and a
stationary case 147 is attached to the outer side of the lower
retaining portion 146. Two lateral retainers 15 are slidably
attached the lower surface of the supporting tray 14 to be expanded
and retracted with respect to two sides of the supporting tray 14.
Each of the lateral retainers 15 has a holding portion 150 formed
at an outer end thereof and has two legs 151 each terminated with
an inward bent hook portion 152. After the two legs 151 pass
through two through holes 140 formed on the supporting tray 14,
they are slidably received in two channels 143 formed at the lower
surface of the supporting tray 14 and covered by a covering plate
16. Each of the channels 143 is partially narrowed to provide a
narrowed segment 144 for closely fitting the corresponding leg 151.
The hook portion 152 at the terminal of the leg 151 is to hook a
stop portion 145 formed in the channel 143, so that the lateral
retainer 15 can be pulled outward or pushed inward, for fittingly
holding a portable device placed on the supporting tray 14.
[0047] Thus, when a portable device (e.g. a tablet computer or the
like) is positioned on the supporting tray 14, the first and second
adjusting arms 11, 12 and the connecting member 13 can be operated
to move the supporting tray 14 up or down and forward or backward.
Plus the vertical adjustability of the armrest 2, the supporting
tray 14 can be easily adjusted to a position allowing a user to
operate the portable device comfortably. When the auxiliary support
1 is not needed, the first and second adjusting arms 11, 12 and the
supporting tray 14 can be folded and retraced at the outer side of
the armrest 2, so the auxiliary support 1 not in use will not take
space and hinder the user's motions.
* * * * *