Patent Application
20160302579
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of furniture, specifically chairs with armrests.
Row seating is employed in airplanes, movie theaters, waiting rooms, and other similar locations. Their great advantage is that they provide seating for large numbers of people in close proximity of each other.
A major disadvantage of row seating as currently offered by the industry is that the armrests are narrow and is difficult to use at the same time for both people sitting in the seats on both sides of the armrests.
Another disadvantage is that these armrests are unsanitary. Though common practice is to wipe them down between movies when there is some obvious evidence of a need, e.g., some sort of liquid on the material, these armrests can go entire days without proper cleaning.
Travelers often seek some method to expand the space they take while on planes. For these individuals, the size of the armrest is nearly irrelevant—they want to take it all. For the passengers unlucky enough to be seated next to such people, travel can be very uncomfortable. Faced with pushing back against a large and often unruly individual is socially awkward and uncomfortable to many people, who tend to just tolerate the boorish behavior rather than risk an even more unpleasant plane flight by adding a tense conversation.
The frequent traveler needs a device that can increase the armrest size available to him, provide some simple barrier to the spatial encroachments by his neighbors, and ensure a sanitary surface on which to rest his arms and elbows.
The present disclosure a portable armrest divider for use by those in row seating who desire armrests that are wider, more sanitary, or have a separation than the installed armrests provide.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
For a better understanding of the disclosure, and to show by way of example how the same may be carried into effect, reference is now made to the detailed description of the disclosure along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts, which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The disclosure is primarily described and illustrated hereinafter in conjunction with various embodiments of a folding Portable Armrest Divider 11. The specific embodiment discussed herein is, however, merely is illustrative of specific ways to make and use the disclosure and do not limit the scope of the disclosure to the specific context disclosed.
In the embodiment shown in the figures, the Left Side 110 and Right Side 120 are mirror images of each other, with the Section Divider 130 connectedly hinged between them so they can be folded together as a three-page book, as shown in
The Armrest Divider 100 is typically mounted on a vehicle armrest, and held in place by two adjustable Mounting Straps 140 that extend from the exterior Sides 110, 120 of the Armrest Divider 100, down and around the vehicle's stock armrest, and fixed in place by an Adjustable Buckle 150 below the armrest.
The Armrest 100 is currently built using flat inelastic Mounting Straps 140 in conjunction with the Adjustable Buckle 150, but an alternative embodiment could use elastic Mounting Straps 140 and a non-adjustable buckle, or even just elastic loops that fit over a seat's armrest to hold them in place.
Though the Left Side and 110 and Right Side 120 are mirror images in this embodiment, the invention does not require that the two sides be alike. The three parts of the Armrest Divider 100 can be all three alike, or substantially different, except that all three of the major components must attach together on one side.
The Armrest Divider 100 must be constructed to hold the central Divider Section 130 vertically in place. There are many means for holding the Divider Section vertical, including the use thick, hinged surfaces as demonstrated and shown in
As the Armrest Divider 100 is currently constructed, a user mounts the invention by: 1) opening the Left and Right Sides 110 and 120, 2) locating the Armrest Divider 100 on top of the armrest on which the Armrest Divider 100 is to be mounted, 3) joining the two ends of the Mounting Straps 140 under the armrest using the Adjustable Buckle 150, and 4) tightening the Mounting Straps 140 so the Armrest Divider 100 is held in place.
To remove the Armrest Divider 100 from a mounted position on a vehicle armrest, a user simply releases the Adjustable Buckle 150, folds the Armrest Divider 100, and picks up the folded Armrest Divider 100 for storage.
It is considered within the ambit of one skilled in the art to construct an Armrest Divider 100 that uses other methods of holding the invention in place. For example, for row seats that have a construction disallowing the straps from encircling the stock armrest, a set of fold-out rails that extend from the bottom of the Left and Right Sides 110 and 120, or a pair of spring-loaded clamps attached at the ends of the device that extend down and grasp the stock armrest.
