Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6394553
-
Patent Number
6,394,553
-
Date Filed
Friday, June 9, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 28, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Friedman; Carl D.
- Dorsey; Dennis L.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 297 41135
- 297 41136
- 297 41137
- 297 41138
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An armrest assembly for a chair which can be adjusted in multiple aspects with the use of single actuating mechanism. The adjustment aspects of the preferred embodiment include a vertical adjustment with respect to the chair and a horizontal rotational adjustment. Such an armrest assembly can include an armrest base securable to a chair and having a tubular portion, a hollow armrest support slideably and rotationally disposed about the tubular portion and an armpad attached to the top of the hollow armrest support. A handle to disengage the actuating mechanism is provided.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to armrests for chairs and more particularly, to an armrest assembly which is adjustable in a plurality of aspects.
A wide variety of adjustable office chairs are presently available. In an attempt to adapt the chair to a particular user or task, various adjustment mechanisms have been provided. Such chairs may, for example, include vertically adjustable seat height mechanisms, swivel tilt mechanisms, and adjustable back height mechanisms. Additionally, such chairs may be provided with adjustable armrest assemblies. Many such chairs have been provided which have an adjustable height armrest, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,125 to Watson, et al. Other such chairs have armrests which can be adjustable laterally to effect the spacing between the armrests, or armrests which can be rotated in towards the user or out away from the user. It is also known for an armrest to provide adjustments in multiple aspects, such as his disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,267 to Peterson, et al., which discloses an armrest assembly wherein the armrest can be adjusted vertically and an armpad portion of the armrest can be moved laterally, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,578 to van Hekken, et al, which discloses an armrest which can be adjusted laterally, vertically, forwards and backwards and rotationally. The van Hekken, et al. patent is owned by the assignee of this application.
One concern with armrests which are adjustable in multiple aspects is that each such adjustment requires the user to initiate adjustment in each aspect using different adjustment mechanisms. This can be cumbersome for the user in that an adjustment in one aspect may affect the desired adjustment in another aspect, requiring multiple adjustments for each aspect until a comfortable position is achieved. Therefore, a need exists for an armrest providing a single mechanism which controls the adjustment of two or more aspects of the armrest, thereby allowing two or more aspects to be adjusted at the same time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an armrest assembly securable to a chair and simultaneously adjustable in two or more aspects with a single adjustment mechanism. Specifically, the armrest assembly disclosed herein provides for vertical height adjustment and rotational positioning using a single adjustment mechanism which is easily accessible to the user when the user's arm is in a resting position on the armrest.
The armrest assembly having features of the present invention described above includes a base having a means for attaching the armrest to the underside of the seat of a chair or to the frame of a chair. The base is connected to a tubular vertical post. The vertical post has an array of recesses aligned in rows and columns on one side thereof. A shroud is slideably and rotatably disposed on the vertical post. The shroud houses a locking mechanism consisting of a bar having a plurality of pins inserted therethrough which engage the recesses defined on the tubular vertical post, thereby locking the armrest in place. The pins are locked in place and released by a second bar which slides up and down adjacent to the first bar. The second bar has indentations defined therein to allow the pins to be disengaged from the recesses when the portion of the second bar having the indentations is positioned over the pins. An armpad portion is attached to the top of the slideable shroud portion. When a handle connected to the second bar is engaged by the user, the plurality of pins are disengaged from the recesses on the post, thereby allowing the shroud and armpad portions of the armrest to be adjusted vertically and rotated about a point approximately in the center of the armrest. When the desired position has been achieved, the user disengages the handle, thereby allowing the pins to engage the corresponding recesses on the tubular vertical post nearest the selected position, locking the armrest into position with respect to the post.
Other details, objects and advantages of the inventions will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings of the present preferred embodiments thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
shows a chair with the armrest assembly of the current invention attached thereto.
FIG. 2
shows an exploded detailed view of the armrest assembly of the current invention.
FIG. 2
a
shows an exploded view of the locking mechanism of the current invention.
FIG. 2
b
shows an enlargement of the locking bar and pins of the locking mechanism of
FIG. 2
a
rotated 180 degrees for clarity.
FIG. 3
shows a front elevational view of the armrest in a lowered position.
FIG. 4
shows a cross-section of the armrest assembly of
FIG. 3
having the locking mechanism engaged.
FIG. 4
a
shows a cross-section of the armrest assembly of
FIG. 3
having the locking mechanism disengaged.
FIG. 5
shows a front elevational view of the armrest assembly of the current invention in an extended position.
FIG. 6
shows a cross-sectional view of the armrest assembly of
FIG. 5
having the locking mechanism engaged.
FIG. 7
shows a right side elevational view of the armrest assembly of the current invention.
FIG. 8
shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the armrest assembly of
FIG. 7
showing the locking mechanism in an engaged position.
FIG. 9
shows a right side elevational view of the armrest assembly of the current invention in the extended position.
FIG. 10
shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the armrest assembly of
FIG. 9
showing the locking mechanism in a disengaged position.
FIG. 11
shows a top view of the armrest assembly of the current invention illustrating in phantom lines, the rotational limits of the armpad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the various figures, where like reference numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views,
FIG. 1
shows a pair of armrests
10
of the current invention attached to a chair.
FIGS. 2
,
2
a
and
2
b
show exploded and detailed views of the preferred embodiment of the current invention. The armrest assembly consists generally of base
12
comprising an attachment member
14
configured to be connected to the base or frame of a chair with a securing mechanism (not shown). Connected to attachment member
14
, and generally formed as one piece with attachment member
14
is vertical member or post
16
, which in the preferred embodiment is tubular in shape, although any shape could be used. Defined on post
16
is a plurality of recesses
18
, which in the preferred embodiment, are concave in shape and arranged in rows and columns. In the preferred embodiment, there are thirty-six recesses
18
, arranged in nine rows of four recesses each, however, any number of rows and columns of recesses
18
may be utilized.
The moveable portion
26
of the armrest assembly comprises a generally cylindrical hollow shroud member
27
topped by member
31
. Armpad
60
is secured to the top of shroud member
27
via a plurality of screws (not shown) which extend up through holes
28
in member
31
. Defined on one side of shroud member
27
is housing
29
which houses locking mechanism
40
. Hollow area
32
defined by shroud member
27
accepts post
16
of base
12
, allowing moveable portion
26
to move vertically and rotate laterally with respect to base
12
. Post
16
has bearings
20
, disposed in grooves defined therein to aid in the tightness of fit of movable portion
26
. Defined on the interior diameter of hollow
32
is groove
33
, which is preferably rectangular in shape. Stop member
22
, connected to the top of post
16
by screw
23
, defines tongue
19
thereon. Tongue
19
engages groove
33
to limit the rotational and vertical movement of moveable portion
26
with respect to base
12
. In addition, the orientation of stop member
22
controls the amount of rotation of armrest
10
. By orienting member
22
180 degrees to that shown in
FIG. 2
, all rotation of the armrest
10
can be eliminated. Likewise, by orienting member
22
only 90 degrees, or by changing the thickness of tongue
19
, the degree or limits of rotation of armrest
10
can be altered. An example of the possible range of rotational motion available to movable portion
26
is shown in
FIG. 11
, and an example of the range of vertical movement is shown by comparing
FIGS. 3 and 7
with
FIGS. 5 and 9
. Note that these figures are in no way meant to limit the scope of the invention to the ranges of movement shown therein.
Locking mechanism
40
comprises bar
42
, which may be rectangular in shape, best shown in FIG.
2
. Bar
42
defines a plurality of holes
41
located, in the preferred embodiment, at the bottom portion of bar
42
. A corresponding plurality of pins
48
are slideably disposed within holes
41
. Bar
42
is preferably composed of glass-reinforced nylon and is made as a single piece using an injection molding process well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Pins
48
, which are slideably disposed in holes
41
defined in bar
42
, are shaped having top member
57
slightly larger than body member
58
such that the pins cannot extend completely through holes
41
. Additionally, pins
48
preferably have a convex end
56
opposite top member
57
. Convex end
56
is shaped and sized to mate with recesses
18
defined in post
16
. In the preferred embodiment, the number of holes
41
and pins
48
is four, however, any number of holes and pins may be utilized. Preferably, pins
48
are composed of glass-reinforced nylon and are made using an injection molding process. When in place in housing
29
, pins
48
engage a corresponding number of recesses
18
to inhibit the movement of movable member
26
with respect to base
12
.
Locking bar
44
, which is rectangular in shape and complements bar
42
in shape, holds pins
48
in a locked engagement with recesses
18
when in a locked position. Locking bar
44
is preferably one-piece and preferably composed of glass-reinforced nylon and is manufactured using an injection molding process. Toward the lower portion of locking bar
44
are defined a plurality of indentations
43
, corresponding to the number of pins
48
which have been utilized. For each pin
48
, a corresponding indentation
43
having a deep area
62
, a sloped area
64
and a shallow area
63
is utilized. Indentations
43
are divided vertically by divider
65
. Features of locking bar
44
are best shown in
FIG. 2
b
. Locking bar
44
contacts bar
42
on surfaces
51
and is able to slide along bar
42
to an up, unlocked position, or a down, locked position. Spring
50
biases bar
42
in a down, locked position.
When in an up, unlocked position, indentations
43
in locking bar
44
allow pins
48
to disengage from recesses
18
, thereby allowing moveable portion
26
to move simultaneously both vertically and rotationally with respect to base
12
. Each of indentations
43
has two flat areas,
62
and
63
, sized to accept the top portions
57
of pins
48
. The flat areas
62
and
63
of indentations
43
are of differing depths, with area
62
being deeper than area
63
. Areas
62
and
63
are connected via sloped area
64
. This is best shown in
FIG. 2
b
and in cross-section in FIG.
4
. Locking bar
44
is able to slide up and down adjacent bar
42
on surfaces
51
, allowing indentations
43
to act as a wedge and be positioned over the top portions
57
of pins
48
. When bar
44
is in an up, unlocked position, pins
48
are allowed to enter deep area
62
of indentations
43
, thereby disengaging from recesses
18
on post
16
. As locking bar
44
slides into a down, locked position, sloped area
64
of indentations
43
forces pins
48
into engagement with recess
18
by a wedging-type action. When locking bar
44
is completely in a down position, pins
48
are fully engaged in recesses
18
and are locked in position by shallow area
63
of indentations
43
.
Integral to locking bar
44
is boss
49
, located on the top thereof and actuator
45
, best shown in
FIG. 2
b
. Spring
50
is held in place on top of locking bar
44
by boss
49
, and on the bottom of header member
52
by a circular depression (not shown). Spring
50
biases locking bar
44
in a down, locked position, thereby causing pins
48
to be pushed through holes
41
in bar
42
to engage recesses
18
, as described above.
Header member
52
, which is generally T-shaped, is held in place by screws
54
which engage holes
30
in moveable portion
26
. Header member
52
holds bar
42
, locking bar
44
and spring
50
in place within housing
29
. Actuator
45
extends through a hole defined in housing
29
(not shown). Ergonomic handle
46
fits over actuator
45
to allow the user of the chair to manually move locking bar
44
into a unbiased position. When in this unbiased position, pins
48
are pushed into deep area
62
of indentations
43
in bar
44
by any movement of movable member
26
by virtue of the convex/concave mating surface between pins
48
and recesses
18
. When pins
48
are in this disengaged position, the entire movable portion
26
of armrest assembly
10
is able to be moved vertically and also rotated, to simultaneously adjust the vertical height and rotational position to armpad
60
.
In an engaged, locking position, as best shown in the cross sectional views of
FIGS. 4
,
6
and
8
, locking bar
44
is biased in a downward position within housing
29
by spring
50
, causing shallow area
63
of indentations
43
to push pins
48
securely against bar
42
. Convex ends
56
of pins extend through holes
41
in bar
42
and engage a corresponding plurality of recesses
18
, depending upon the position of moveable portion
26
chosen by the user. Preferably, there will be a large number of recesses
18
, thereby allowing a wide range of possible positions for movable portion
26
. When the user wishes to change the vertical or rotational position of armrest
60
, actuator
45
with handle
46
is pulled upward. Any movement of moveable portion
26
forces pins
48
into deep area
62
of indentations
43
defined in locking bar
44
. This is best illustrated in the cross sectional views of
FIGS. 4
a
and
10
. With pins
48
no longer engaged with recesses
18
of post
16
, moveable portion
26
is free to move vertically and rotationally. When the user is satisfied with the positioning of armpad
60
, handle
46
is released and spring
50
biases bar
44
into the down, locked position. Pins
48
are forced through holes
41
by wedging action of sloped areas
64
of indentations
43
, and are held in the locked position by the shallow area
63
of indentations
43
. Moveable portion
26
may be moved slightly such that pins
48
are able to seek the nearest set of recesses
18
on post
16
corresponding to the selected position. Stop member
22
prevents moveable portion
26
from moving to an area having no recesses
18
defined therein.
While certain embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular embodiments disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and not limiting to the scope of the invention, which should be awarded the full breadth of the following claims and any and all embodiments described thereby.
Claims
- 1. An adjustable armrest assembly for a chair comprising:a first portion capable of being attached to said chair, said first portion comprising: a horizontal portion connected to said chair; and a vertical tubular portion connected to said horizontal portion, said tubular portion defining a plurality of recesses arranged in rows and columns thereon; a second portion coupled to said first portion such that said second portion can move simultaneously in two or more aspects with respect to said chair, said second portion comprising a hollow, generally cylindrical portion slideably and rotationally disposed about said vertical tubular portion of said first portion; and a locking mechanism to hold said second portion in a locked relationship with said first portion, said locking mechanism comprising: a first bar disposed within said hollow cylindrical portion, adjacent said vertical tubular portion, said first bar having a plurality of holes defined therein, such that said plurality of holes overlaps said plurality of recesses; a plurality of pins, slideably disposed within said plurality of holes defined in said first bar, such that said pins can engage a portion of said plurality of recesses; and a second bar, slideably disposed adjacent said first bar, said second bar slideable between two positions; wherein said second bar, when in said first position, locks said plurality of pins in engaging contact with a portion of said plurality of recesses, and wherein said second bar, when in said second position, allows said plurality of pins to disengage from said portion of said plurality of recesses.
- 2. The adjustable armrest assembly of claim 1 wherein said two or more aspects of motion comprise:a vertical motion with respect to said chair; and a horizontal rotational motion.
- 3. The armrest assembly of claim 1 further comprising:an armpad cushion portion; and wherein said second portion further comprises: a receiving portion, connected to said hollow cylindrical portion, to which said armpad portion is attached.
- 4. The armrest assembly of claim 1 wherein said second bar defines a plurality of indentations corresponding to said plurality of pins, wherein said pins can disengage from said plurality of recesses and slide into said plurality in indentations when said second bar is in said second position.
- 5. The armrest assembly of claim 1 wherein said locking mechanism further comprises:a spring, biasing said second bar in said first position; and an actuator, connected to said second bar, allowing a user of said chair to move said bar from said first position to said second position.
- 6. The armrest assembly of claim 5 wherein said actuator extends through a hole defined in said hollow cylindrical position, to allow said user to move said second bar.
- 7. The arm rest assembly of claim 1, wherein said user may move said second portion vertically with respect to said chair and may simultaneously rotate said second portion horizontally when said second bar is moved to said second position.
- 8. The arm rest assembly of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical hollow portion defines a groove on the interior diameter thereof and further comprising:a stop portion connected to said tubular portion; a tongue portion, connected to said stop portion, said tongue portion extending into said groove; wherein said rotational and vertical motion of said second portion is limited when said tongue contacts the outermost limits of said groove.
- 9. The armrest assembly of claim 8 wherein said groove is rectangular in shape.
- 10. An armrest assembly for a chair comprising:a horizontal member capable of being attached to said chair; a post, connected to said horizontal member; a hollow member slideably engaged with said post, such that said hollow member can simultaneously move vertically and rotationally with respect to said post; and a locking mechanism to hold said hollow member in a locked relationship with said first portion, said locking mechanism comprising: a plurality of recesses defined on said post, a plurality of pins for engaging said plurality of recesses; and means for holding said pins in an engaged relationship with said recesses.
- 11. The armrest assembly of claim 10 further comprising a spring to bias said locking mechanism to maintain said locked relationship between said hollow member and said post.
- 12. The armrest assembly of claim 11 further comprising an actuator, connected to said locking mechanism, for manually disengaging said locking mechanism, thereby allowing simultaneous vertical and rotational movement of said hollow member with respect to said post.
- 13. The armrest assembly of claim 10 wherein said means for holding comprises:a bar, having a plurality of indentations defined therein, said bar slideably disposed adjacent said post and slideable between two positions; wherein said bar, when in said first position, covers said pins and holds said pins in engaging contact with said recesses; and wherein said bar, when in said second position, allows said plurality of pins to move into said indentations, thereby disengaging said pins from said portion of said plurality of recesses.
US Referenced Citations (48)