U.S. patent number 3,690,724 [Application Number 05/179,648] was granted by the patent office on 1972-09-12 for chair arm support.
Invention is credited to Ormond S. Douglas, 501 Ross, Warnell M. Byrd, 121 Anita Drive.
United States Patent |
3,690,724 |
|
September 12, 1972 |
CHAIR ARM SUPPORT
Abstract
Support adapted for mounting on the arm of a chair, for support
of objects such as glasses, cups, ash trays, or the like, within
convenient reach of the occupant of the chair. The support has two
flat panels, one flushly against the other, which rest upon the
chair arm, and each has a downturned outer edge which grips a side
of the chair arm. The relative positions of the panels are
adjustable so that the support may be mounted on chair arms of
diverse widths and on chair arms having sides angular one to the
other.
Inventors: |
Ormond S. Douglas, 501 Ross
(Dayton, TX 77535), Warnell M. Byrd, 121 Anita Drive (PA
City, FL 32401) |
Family
ID: |
22657415 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/179,648 |
Filed: |
September 13, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/188.18;
D7/620; 108/44 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
7/624 (20180801); A47C 7/62 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/62 (20060101); A47c 007/62 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/194,188
;248/145.6,311,314,42.41,224 ;108/44,45 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: James T. McCall
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carl B. Fox, Jr.
Claims
We claim:
1. Support apparatus for mounting upon the arm of a chair,
comprising first panel means having a flat portion adapted for
placement upon the upper surface of an arm of a chair and having a
downturned edge portion adapted to be disposed against one side of
said chair arm, second panel means having a flat portion adapted
for placement flushly upon said flat portion of said first panel
means and having a downturned edge portion adapted to be disposed
against the other side of said chair arm and having inturned ends
disposed beneath opposite end portions of said first panel means,
and connection means for holding said flat portions of said first
and second panel means together whereby said downturned edge
portions thereof are maintained against said respective sides of
said chair arm.
2. The combination of claim 1, said connection means comprising lug
means extending from said flat portion of one said panel means, and
perforation means through said flat portion of the other said panel
means, said lug means being removably receivable into said
perforation means.
3. The combination of claim 2, said perforation means comprising
plural spaced perforations disposed laterally of the chair arm on
which said panel means are disposed, said lug means being removably
receivable in such one of said perforations depending on the width
of the chair arm as will insure that said downturned panel portions
are pressed firmly against the opposite sides of said chair arm to
hold the support apparatus secured thereon.
4. The combination of claim 3, said downturned panel portions being
at least somewhat flexible whereby to engage the opposite sides of
the chair arm under tension.
5. The combination of claim 4, said flat portion of said second
panel means having object holding means at its upper surface.
6. The combination of claim 5, said holding means including an
upstanding tubular formation adapted to receive the bottom portion
of a vessel having a handle, said formation having at least one
vertical slot therethrough to receive the handle of said
vessel.
7. The combination of claim 3, said first and second panel means
being mutually pivotal about said lug whereby said downturned panel
portions will engage parallel and nonparallel opposite sides of the
arm of a chair.
Description
The invention contemplates chair arm supports wherein a flat panel
is disposed upon the arm of a chair, the panel having plural
perforations crossways of the chair arm and having a downturned
edge which is adapted for gripping of a side of the chair arm. A
second panel is placed flushly above the first, and carries at its
underside a lug adapted to enter such one of the perforations of
the first panel as will cause adequate gripping with the chair arm.
The second panel also has a downturned outer edge for gripping the
opposite side of the chair arm. The support is particularly adapted
for mounting on upholstered furniture which has a certain amount of
resiliency. The downturned panel portions are also somewhat
resilient, so that the lug may be moved by relative movements of
the panels to enter a perforation such that the downturned portions
of the two panels tightly grip the chair arm so that the support
will be firmly secured in place.
The upper surface of the upper panel is provided with receptacles
for receiving objects such as glasses, cups, ash trays, or the
like, so that same may be placed upon the support on the arm of a
chair within convenient reach of the occupant of the chair, and at
the same time providing against knocking off such objects from the
support which might result in spillage to cause damage either to
the chair or to objects located adjacent thereto. The cup or glass
receptacle may be vertically slotted to receive the handle of a
coffee cup.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the
following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,
reference during the course of the description being made to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical cross
section, showing a preferred embodiment of apparatus according to
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the apparatus shown in
FIG. 1, taken at line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the
apparatus being shown disposed upon a chair arm the inner and outer
sides of which are not parallel.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken at line
4--4 of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings in detail, a first panel member 10 is
disposed upon the upper surface of a chair arm 11. Downturned edge
portion 12 of panel 10 is engaged with one side of chair arm 11.
Edge portion 12 may be engaged with whichever side of the chair arm
as may be desired. Panel 10 has a plurality of spaced openings or
perforations therethrough, in a direction across the arm of the
chair and laterally of the length of the upper surface of panel
10.
A second panel 16 is disposed flushly against the upper surface of
panel 10. Panel 16 has downturned edge portion 17 which is adapted
for gripping either side of a chair arm in the same manner as edge
portion 12 previously described, but at the opposite side of the
chair arm from edge portion 12.
At its underside, panel 16 has a downwardly projecting integral lug
19. As is best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the lug 19 is
disposed into one of the perforations 14 through panel 10, to hold
the two panels together in proper position. The proper panel
positions and the proper insertion of lug 19 is such that the
downturned panel portions 12, 17 indent somewhat into the opposite
sides of the chair arm, the downturned portions 12, 17 at the same
time being resiliently sprung outward so that the downturned
portions 12, 17 are firmly in gripping engagement with the opposite
sides of the arm of the chair. With the panels thus relatively
tensioned one with respect to the other, the lug 19 is firmly held
within the perforation 14 through which it is disposed so that it
is not likely to be accidentally dislodged. Plural lugs may be
used, and the lug may be at the upperside of panel 10 with the
perforation then in panel 16.
Panel 16 has inturned ends 16a, 16b which bend down and under the
main part of panel 16 to beneath the opposite end portions of panel
10. Ends 16a, 16b hold the panels 10, 16 flushly together, yet
relative movable laterally. The panel material is at least somewhat
resiliently bendable so that panels 10, 16 and ends 16a, 16b will
bend to permit movements of the lug 19, or lugs, to the
perforations. Ends 16a, 16b serve also to insure that the lug will
not be accidentally dislodged from the perforation into which it
has been disposed with the apparatus mounted upon the arm of a
chair.
The lug 16 is shown to be flaringly enlarged toward a flat end 19b
which engages against an end of the perforation, and the
perforations are shown correspondingly shaped, but these shapes may
be modified.
Panel 16 has disposed at its upper surface a pair of fittings 21,
22 adapted to receive objects which are desired to be supported on
the chair arm. Fitting 21 is in the form of a vertical cylindrical
tubular receptacle, into which objects such as a glass, a coffee or
tea cup, or the like, may be placed. For replacement of cups
therein, fitting 21 has a pair of vertical slots 24, 25 through
which the handle 27 of a cup 28 is disposed. The slots 24, 25 are
positioned at opposite rearward angles of fitting 21 so that the
slots are disposed toward the occupant or user of a chair
regardless of which chair arm the apparatus is disposed upon. If
the apparatus is disposed on the right hand chair arm, then slot 24
will be directed toward the chair occupant. If, on the other hand,
the support apparatus is mounted on the left hand chair arm, then
slot 25 will be directed toward the chair occupant. In either case,
the cup handle may be disposed through either slot 24 or 25 as
desired by the user.
Fitting 22 is a short vertical tubular cylindrical fitting adapted,
for example, to receive and support an ash tray 31. As will be
clearly understood, the sizes and natures of the fittings 21, 22
may be varied as desired in order that they may receive and support
any desired object upon the chair arm.
The apparatus may be made of any suitable material, such as metal
or plastic. If made of plastic, the thicknesses of panels 10 and 16
will in most cases be thicker than would be the case if the panels
were made of metal. The panels may, of course, be made of any
suitable thickness, depending on what is desired by the maker in
accordance with the concepts of the invention. The materials should
be fairly rigid yet should be resilient sufficiently that proper
gripping of the chair arm may be readily realized and such that the
lug or lugs 19 may be moved to any of the perforations as
desired.
While two fittings or receptacles 21, 22 are shown, it will be
apparent that any number of receptacles may be provided, to receive
any types of objects as may be desired.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the apparatus is shown disposed upon the
arm 35 of a chair, the opposite sides 36, 37 of which are not
parallel. As will be observed, the panels 10 and 16 in this case
are relatively pivoted in position so that the downturned portions
12, 17 are each parallely against a side of the chair arm. Thus,
the panel dispositions automatically adapt to the shape of the
chair arm in order to result in the maximum gripping relation to
fully support the apparatus upon the chair arm. In addition, as has
been mentioned, the plural openings 14 provide that the chair arm
upon which the apparatus is used may be of virtually any width.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described
and shown in the drawings, many modifications thereof may be made
by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of
the invention, and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all
forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following
claims.
* * * * *