CN211459519U - Armrest and seating furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a handrail (10) for a sitting furniture (1). The armrest (10) comprises at least one inner portion (20, 30) intended to face a piece of seating furniture (1) of furniture (2) and an outer portion (40) intended to form the laterally outermost portion of the piece of seating furniture (1), the outer portion (40) being connected to said inner portion (20, 30). At least one of the outer portion (40) and the inner portion (30) is at least partially formed by injection molding. The utility model also provides a sitting furniture (1) comprising a sitting device (2) and at least one handrail (10).

Description

Armrest and seating furniture

Technical Field

The present invention relates to seating furniture (furniture) and components thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an armrest having an injection molded component and seating furniture including such an armrest.

Background

Seating furniture such as sofas have been in existence for a long time and are still considered to be produced as relatively labor intensive items, even though much development has been done. Typically, sofas or similar furniture are manufactured, at least to some extent, by manually joining components to form a structural portion of the furniture.

These components are typically complex-shaped pieces of wood-based materials, such as particle board, cardboard, and wood studs, that are joined together using adhesives, nails, or other similar fasteners to form the support structure of the seating furniture. A large amount of polyurethane foam is added to the support structure to provide comfort, hide defects in the handrail assembly, and support sharp edges and corners. A top layer of padding is then added to provide soft top comfort coupled with improved moisture and air permeability to form a smooth and comfortable layer under the fabric covering the furniture.

Injection molding (injection molding) is a process for shaping plastic materials and is commonly used in the furniture industry to produce, for example, weatherable outdoor furniture or small furniture parts such as brackets. The use of injection molding to manufacture indoor seating furniture such as sofas or armchairs has not been a generally suitable manufacturing technique. One reason may be that conventional seating furniture made of wood-based materials is considered to be of higher quality. Since injection molding is a complex manufacturing technique requiring a large initial investment in tools and machinery, many considerations need to be addressed in order to be able to use the technique to produce seating furniture that meets the high quality standards to which consumers are accustomed.

An example of the related art can be found in US3887234A, for example.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to provide an armrest and seating furniture which alleviate some of the problems of the prior art.

In a first aspect, an armrest for a piece of seating furniture is provided. The armrest comprises at least one inner portion intended to face the piece of seating furniture and an outer portion intended to form the laterally outermost portion of the piece of seating furniture. The outer portion is connected to the inner portion, and at least one of the outer portion and the inner portion is at least partially formed by injection molding. By manufacturing at least one of the outer portion and the inner portion by injection molding, the manufacturing time of the armrest may be reduced. Also, by dividing the armrest into separate parts, an increased degree of freedom in design is achieved.

In an embodiment, the outer portion is injection molded. This provides an increased design freedom with respect to the part of the armrest of the piece of seating furniture facing away from the armrest.

In embodiments taught herein, the entire outer portion may be injection molded as one piece, which facilitates assembly of the armrests, further reducing the overall production time of each armrest. Preferably, the outer portion is injection moulded from a material comprising a polymeric material, for example a plastics material.

The outer portion may include an upper portion, a bottom portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and an outer panel connected along its periphery (periphery) to the upper portion, the bottom portion, the front portion, and the rear portion. The outer panel reduces the amount of padding that must be added to obtain comfort in the handrail.

In one embodiment, the outer plate of the outer portion has a smooth outer surface. In some embodiments, the outer plate of the outer portion has an integral outer surface, e.g., a substantially flat outer surface. A smooth outer surface, i.e. a substantially flat surface or an integral surface, may extend continuously between the upper portion, the bottom portion, the front portion and the rear portion, so that the outer panel covers the entire area between these portions. Thus, a small amount of padding is still sufficient to obtain comfort. Preferably, the outer panel covers the entire portion of the outer portion facing away from the seat.

In one embodiment, the upper portion, the bottom portion, the front portion, and the rear portion of the outer portion together define a periphery that forms a connecting surface that connects the outer portion to the inner portion, thereby facilitating assembly of the armrest.

The at least one interior portion may include a support structure configured to bear at least a portion of the load of the associated seating furniture.

The support structure may be a metal frame connected to the interior of the inner portion and/or the interior of the outer portion.

In another embodiment, at least one of the at least one interior portion is formed by injection molding, thereby further reducing manufacturing time of the armrest. The inner portion may be injection moulded from a material comprising a polymeric material, for example a plastics material.

The entire interior portion may be injection molded as one piece, thereby reducing the complexity of the armrest assembly.

Further, the inner portion may be configured to snap lock (snap-lock) to the outer portion. By providing a snap-lock function, the need for tools when assembling the armrest is eliminated.

In one embodiment, the inner portion has an upper portion, a bottom portion, a front portion, a rear portion and an outer panel connected along its periphery to the upper portion, the bottom portion, the front portion and the rear portion. The outer panel reduces the amount of padding that must be added to the interior portion to obtain comfort at the inside of the handrail.

In one embodiment, the outer plate of the inner portion has a smooth outer surface. Thus, a small amount of padding is still sufficient to obtain comfort. Preferably, the outer panel covers the entire portion of the inner portion facing the piece of furniture.

The upper, bottom, front and rear portions of the inner portion may together define a periphery forming a connecting surface for connection with the connecting surface of the outer portion, which facilitates assembly of the armrest.

The connecting surface of the inner part may be provided with a first set of connectors and the connecting surface of the outer part may be provided with a mating second set of connectors. Preferably, the first set of connectors is integrally formed in the injection moulded inner part by injection moulding. Preferably, the second set of connectors is integrally formed in the injection moulded outer part by injection moulding. Thus, a strong and firm connection is formed between the inner and outer parts, which gives the consumer a solid impression while reducing production time by simplifying assembly and also reducing the number of parts involved in the assembly.

The first set of connectors and the second set of connectors may form a snap-lock connector arranged to snap-lock the outer part to the inner part.

In one embodiment, the inner portion and the outer portion together form a hollow body, thereby reducing the amount of material, such as padding, used in producing the handrail.

In one embodiment, the armrest further comprises a support structure disposed within the hollow body and configured to bear at least a portion of the load of the associated seating furniture. The support structure gives the armrest the structural characteristics required to carry at least a portion of the weight of the piece of furniture, while allowing the amount of material used to achieve this purpose to be reduced.

The support structure may be a metal frame connected to the interior of the outer portion and/or the interior of the inner portion. The combination of the metal frame arranged within the armrest and the housing formed by the outer and inner parts provides high structural strength while significantly reducing the assembly time of the armrest.

In one embodiment, the armrest further comprises at least one spacer element arranged for maintaining a predetermined distance between the outer panel of the inner portion and the outer panel of the outer portion. The at least one spacer element is preferably integrally formed in at least one of the injection moulded outer portion and the injection moulded inner portion by injection moulding. The spacer elements provide improved structural strength and reliability to the handrail and stability to the outer panel.

Each spacer element may comprise a first spacer portion arranged on the inner side of the inner portion and a second spacer portion arranged on the inner side of the outer portion. The first and second spacing portions are arranged such that the first and second spacing portions engage or meet when the inner portion is connected to the outer portion.

The armrest may also include at least one leg attachment device configured to connect the associated leg to the armrest. Thus, the weight of the furniture to which the armrest is mounted is transferred through the armrest and onto the surface on which the furniture is placed.

The armrest may also include at least one piece of seating attachment configured to connect an associated piece of seating to the armrest. The seat attachment means is preferably integrally formed in at least one of the injection moulded outer portion and the injection moulded inner portion by injection moulding. This further reduces the number of parts required to assemble the seating furniture.

In one embodiment, the armrest further comprises at least one backrest attachment device configured to connect the associated backrest to the armrest. The backrest attachment means is preferably integrally formed in at least one of the injection-molded outer portion and the injection-molded inner portion by injection molding. This also reduces the number of parts required to assemble the seating furniture.

In another embodiment, the armrest may include at least one seat attachment device configured to connect an associated seat to the armrest and at least one backrest attachment device configured to connect an associated backrest to the armrest. The seat attachment means and the backrest attachment means may be arranged on the support structure.

In one embodiment, the outer portion is at least partially injection molded from a material comprising a polymeric material, such as a plastic material. This provides a robust structure with low weight.

In one embodiment, the inner portion is at least partially injection molded from a material comprising a polymeric material, such as a plastic material.

Examples of polymeric materials suitable for use in embodiments of the present disclosure are thermoplastic, co-or filled polymers, wherein the basic polymer or copolymer is, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide (especially polyamide 12, polyamide 11, polyamide 6 or polyamide 66), polyoxymethylene, polycarbonate polyurethane, polycarbonate or polyester carbonate, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), acrylate-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA), styrene-acrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, Polyetherimide (PEI), Polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP). Additional polymers that may be suitable include Polyesters (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene succinate (PBS), Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and ethylene 2, 5-furandicarboxylate (PEF). The polymer may optionally be provided with fillers and/or fibers.

In one embodiment, at least one of the outer portion and the inner portion is injection molded from a material comprising a polymer, such as plastic, and 10% to 60% by weight of cellulosic fibers, such as wood fibers. An advantage of this embodiment is that the inner structure of the handrail will for the most part still be cellulose-based as in prior art handrails, but it will be injection moulded and thus be strong and have a low weight.

In a second aspect, there is provided a seating furniture comprising a seat and at least one armrest according to the first aspect attached to one lateral end of the seat.

In one embodiment, there is provided seating furniture comprising two armrests according to the first aspect attached to respective lateral ends of the seating furniture.

The seating furniture may further comprise a backrest attached to the at least one armrest.

Drawings

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a seating furniture;

figure 2 shows in particular a perspective view of the inside of the handrail;

figure 3 shows in particular a perspective view of the outer side of the armrest;

fig. 4 shows an exploded view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

figure 5 shows a perspective view of an interior portion of the armrest shown in figure 4;

figure 6 shows a perspective view of the support structure of the armrest shown in figure 4;

figure 7 shows a perspective view of an outer portion of the armrest shown in figure 4;

fig. 8 shows an exploded view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

fig. 9 shows a perspective view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

fig. 10 shows a perspective view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

fig. 11 shows a perspective view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

fig. 12 shows an exploded view of an armrest according to an embodiment;

figure 13 shows a perspective view of an interior portion of the armrest shown in figure 12; and

figure 14 illustrates a perspective view of an exterior portion of the armrest shown in figure 12.

Detailed Description

Referring initially to fig. 1, there is shown in fig. 1a seating furniture 1. The seating furniture 1 is in the shape of a sofa, but other seating furniture are also within the scope of the teachings herein, such as armchairs, sofa beds, and the like. The piece of seating furniture 1 comprises a seat 2 and a backrest 3. However, the backrest 3 should not be considered limiting, as the teachings herein are also applicable to seating furniture without a backrest.

On each side of the seating furniture 2, an armrest 10 is arranged, as is customary in the art, the left armrest 10 being generally a mirror image of the right armrest 10. Each handrail 10 is provided with padding for providing a soft exterior and fabric for covering the padding. Each armrest 10 must be able to withstand loads from the person leaning on it and from other similar loads that are anticipated.

Some details will be given with simultaneous reference to fig. 2-7, in which an armrest 10 according to one embodiment is shown in fig. 2-7. The armrest 10 comprises at least one inner portion 20, 30 intended to face the piece of furniture 2. The armrest 10 also comprises an outer portion 40, this outer portion 40 being intended to form the laterally outermost portion of the seating furniture 1. The outer portion 40 is connected to the inner portions 20, 30.

The outer portion 40 is formed by injection moulding and may be made of a material such as a polymer, e.g. polypropylene, or a composite material, preferably a composite of cellulosic fibres, e.g. wood fibres, and a polymer material, e.g. a plastics material. About 10% to 60% wood can be used for such composites. Hemp plastic composites are also contemplated, wherein hemp may constitute between about 10% and 60% of the composite. The material may be wholly or to some extent recycled material. The above materials are applicable to all injection molded parts mentioned herein, and are not specific to the embodiment of fig. 2-7 or the outer portion 40.

Preferably, the entire outer portion 40 is injection molded as one piece.

Thus, the inner portions 20, 30 and the outer portion 40 constitute structural parts of the handrail 10, which reduces production time compared to prior art solutions, while providing a rigid and robust structure of the handrail 10.

With particular reference to fig. 7, the outer section 40 has an upper section 41, a bottom section 42, a front section 43, a rear section 44 and an outer panel 45, the outer panel 45 being connected along its periphery to the upper section 41, the bottom section 42, the front section 43 and the rear section 44. Together, upper portion 41, bottom portion 42, front portion 43, and rear portion 44 define a periphery that forms a connecting surface 46, the connecting surface 46 being configured to facilitate connection of inner portions 20, 30 to outer portion 40. The outer plate 45 has a smooth outer surface and covers the entire part of the outer portion 40 facing away from the seat 2. Thus, only a small amount of padding is required to obtain comfort.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2-7, the upper portion 41 has a circular shape that forms part of the substructure of the uppermost portion of the handrail 10. As can be seen in fig. 7, the front section 43, the bottom section 42 and the rear section 44 are substantially perpendicular to the outer panel 45, but they may also be at an angle that is not perpendicular to the outer panel 45. The front portion 43, the bottom portion 42, the rear portion 44 and the upper portion 41 together with the outer plate 45 define the shape of the outer portion 40.

The inner portion 30, which is also preferably formed by injection molding, can be connected to the outer portion 40, thereby forming a substantially hollow body of the armrest 10.

In particular, with reference to fig. 5, the inner portion 30 has an upper portion 31, a bottom portion 32, a front portion 33, a rear portion 34 and an outer plate 35, the outer plate 35 being connected along its periphery to the upper portion 31, the bottom portion 32, the front portion 33 and the rear portion 34. The outer plate 35 has a smooth outer surface and covers the entire portion of the inner portion 30 facing the seat 2. Thus, only a small amount of padding is required to obtain comfort. Together, the upper portion 31, the bottom portion 32, the front portion 33, and the rear portion 34 of the inner portion 30 define a periphery that forms the connecting surface 36, and the connecting surface 36 is configured to connect to the connecting surface 46 of the outer portion 40. In the embodiment of fig. 2 to 7, the bottom portion 32, the front portion 33 and the rear portion 34 are substantially formed as edges projecting from the outer plate 45 towards the outer portion 40, which edges thus form, together with the upper portion 31, the connecting surface 36. The upper section 31 is preferably curved, i.e. the outer plate 35 transitions into a curved surface forming the upper section 31, the upper section 31 being curved to cooperate with the outer section 40.

It is also conceivable to produce only the inner part 30 or only the outer part 40, as the case may be, by injection molding. For example, if outer portion 40 has a relatively simple geometry and inner portion 30 has a complex geometry, it may be beneficial to manufacture only inner portion 30 by injection molding and use another manufacturing technique for outer portion 40. This also relates to other embodiments described herein.

As shown in fig. 4, a support structure 20, preferably in the shape of a metal frame, can be arranged inside the hollow body of the handrail 10. The support structure 20 is preferably made of metal, such as steel or aluminum, however, composite, plastic or wood-based materials are also considered feasible and within the scope of the teachings herein. Support structure 20 may be connected to the interior of outer portion 40 and/or to the interior of inner portion 30.

To facilitate the connection of the inner and outer portions 30, 40, a first set of connectors 37 is provided on the inner portion 30 and a second, mating set of connectors 47 is provided on the outer portion 40. The connectors 37, 47 are preferably arranged on the peripheral connecting surfaces 36, 46 on the outer part 40 and the inner part 30, respectively, such that the connectors 37, 47 engage and lock the two parts 30, 40 together in a snap-lock manner. By providing snap- lock connectors 37, 47, the inner and outer portions 30, 40 can be assembled into the armrest 10 without the use of any tools. Preferably, the connectors 37, 47 are integrally formed with the inner and outer portions 30, 40, respectively, during the injection molding process.

In particular, referring to fig. 6, the support structure 20 may include a seat attachment device 14 and a backrest attachment device 15, shown here in the shape of plates attached to the support structure 20. The plates 14, 15 comprise holes in which screws or tool-less fasteners (fasteners) can be arranged to attach the seat 2 and/or backrest 3 to the armrest 10. The armrest 10, and more specifically the supporting structure 20, is therefore configured to carry at least part of the load of the seating furniture 1, which thus reduces the complexity and the load-bearing capacity of the piece of furniture 2 itself.

Preferably, the armrest 10 also includes leg attachment devices 12, as shown in fig. 4. The leg attachment means 12 are provided in the shape of two metal plates 12 attached to the front and rear sides of the lower side of the support structure 20, and the legs 13 of the supporting furniture 1 are directly attached to these metal plates. The weight of the piece of furniture 1 is thus transmitted through the arm-rest 10 and onto the surface on which the piece of furniture 1 rests. As also shown in fig. 4, the outer and inner portions 40, 30 are provided with cutouts corresponding to the arrangement of holes in the leg attachment means 12 to allow the legs to be attached after the handrail 10 has been assembled.

Both the inner portion 30 and the outer portion 40 preferably include a plurality of vertical strengthening ribs 38, 48a disposed on the inside of the respective outer plates 35, 45, which improves the structural strength of the handrail 10. Further, as seen in fig. 7, the outer portion 40 may be provided with a horizontal reinforcing wall 49 extending substantially across the middle of the circular upper portion 41, and a plurality of semicircular ribs 48b are arranged to extend vertically upward from the horizontal wall. The semicircular ribs support the upper portion 41 of the outer portion 40 and the upper portion 31 of the inner portion 30 that conforms to the circular shape of the semicircular ribs 48 b.

Turning to fig. 8, another embodiment of the armrest 10 is shown. The armrest 10 shown in fig. 8 comprises an inner portion 20 in the shape of the support structure 20 and an outer portion 40 made by injection moulding. As mentioned above, the support structure 20 is preferably a metal frame, such as a steel frame. The support structure 20 is preferably covered by a relatively large amount of padding (not shown) configured to cover the uneven structure of the outer portion 40 to form a smooth inner surface in place of the injection molded inner portion 30, thereby allowing the handrail 10 to be manufactured with even fewer parts.

In fig. 9 to 14, a further embodiment of the armrest 10 is shown. The armrest 10 includes an outer portion 40 that is manufactured by injection molding and is configured to be coupled to an inner portion 30 that is also manufactured by injection molding. As mentioned above, it is also conceivable to manufacture only the inner part 30 or only the outer part 40 by injection moulding.

As also previously described, and as shown with reference to fig. 14, the outer section 40 has an upper section 41, a bottom section 42, a front section 43, a rear section 44, and an outer panel 45, the outer panel 45 being connected along its periphery to the upper section 41, the bottom section 42, the front section 43, and the rear section 44. Together, the upper portion 41, the bottom portion 42, the front portion 43, and the rear portion 44 define a periphery that forms a connecting surface 46.

Referring to fig. 13, the inner portion 30 has an upper portion 31, a bottom portion 32, a front portion 33, a rear portion 34, and an outer plate 35, the outer plate 35 being connected along its periphery to the upper portion 31, the bottom portion 32, the front portion 33, and the rear portion 34. The upper portion 31, the bottom portion 32, the front portion 33, and the rear portion 34 of the inner portion 30 together define a periphery that forms a connecting surface 36. The connecting surface 36 of the inner portion 30 is preferably configured to connect to the connecting surface 46 of the outer portion 40.

A first set of connectors 37 is provided on the inner portion 30 and a second, mating set of connectors 47 is provided on the outer portion 40. The connectors are preferably arranged on the peripheral connecting surfaces 36, 46 on the outer part 40 and the inner part 30, respectively, such that the connectors 37, 47 engage and lock the two parts 30, 40 together in a snap-lock manner. By providing snap- lock connectors 37, 47, the inner and outer portions 30, 40 can be assembled into the armrest without the use of any tools. This means that the assembly can be performed quickly while minimizing the risk of eventual errors or faults, such as damaged threads and the like. The connectors 37, 47 are preferably formed in an integral manner on the inner portion 30 and/or the outer portion 40 during the injection molding process.

The embodiment shown in fig. 9 to 14 is configured as a non-load-bearing arm rest (10), i.e. the arm rest 10 will be mounted to the seat 2 and/or backrest 3 in such a way that it is supported by the seat 2 and/or backrest 3. For this purpose, a seat attachment device 14 may be provided, as can be seen in fig. 11. The seat attachment means 14 is in the shape of a cylindrical protrusion, preferably arranged on a bottom portion 32 of the inner portion 30. The cylindrical protrusion may include a hole for attaching a screw or similar fastener, or be configured for use with a tool-less fastener to facilitate assembly. Preferably, the seat attachment means 14 is formed in an integral manner with the inner portion 30 during the injection moulding process. It is also possible to arrange the seat attachment means 14 on the outer portion 40 in an integral manner during the injection moulding process.

A backrest attachment means 15 may also be provided, the backrest attachment means 15 preferably being arranged on the rear portion 34 of the inner portion 30 (see fig. 12). The backrest attachment means 15 are preferably in the shape of wedge-shaped protrusions that can be attached to corresponding brackets on the backrest 3 in a sliding manner, i.e. pushing the armrest 10 to slide against the backrest 3 in a downward movement until the armrest 10 is in contact with the piece of furniture 2, whereupon the attachment means 15 slide into corresponding tracks in the backrest 3. The backrest attachment means 15 are preferably formed in one piece in the injection molding process, and the backrest attachment means 15 can also be arranged on the outer portion 40.

In addition, the armrest 10, or more specifically the inner sides of the outer panels 35, 45 on the inner and outer portions 30, 40, respectively, may be provided with a plurality of vertical ribs 38, 48a to provide structural strength to the armrest.

To further improve the structure of the armrest 10, a spacer element 11 is provided (see fig. 13 to 14). The spacer element 11 comprises a first spacer portion 11a arranged on the inner side of the inner portion 30 and a second spacer portion 11b arranged on the inner side of the outer portion 40. The two parts 11a, 11b are configured to engage each other when the two parts 30, 40 are assembled, which means that the respective outer plates 35, 45 of the inner and outer parts 30, 40 are connected, thereby giving the handrail 10 improved structural strength and a more solid impression to the user. Thus, the spacer elements maintain a predetermined distance between the outer plates 35, 45 on the inner and outer portions 30, 40, respectively, and are preferably formed as an integral member in the respective inner and outer portions 30, 40 during the injection molding process. In order to further improve the spacer element 11, a snap-locking feature may be provided such that the first 11a and second 11b spacer portions lock in a state of engagement with each other.

In an alternative embodiment, the spacer element 11a of the inner part 30 is hollow, so that a screw or other suitable fastening element can be inserted from the outside into the spacer element 11a and screwed into the spacer element 11b of the outer part 40. Such a configuration may be further explained, for example, with reference to fig. 9, which shows three cavities extending inwardly from the plate 35. Obviously, these cavities correspond to the spacer elements 11a shown in fig. 13. It should be noted that such cavities may alternatively be positioned on the outer plate 45 of the outer portion 40 to be associated with the spacer elements 11 b; in such a case, providing the cavity will not change the appearance of the outer panel 45 from a smooth, substantially flat, unitary, or continuous appearance as described above.

Preferably, about three spacer elements 11 are arranged in the handrail 10, however, depending on e.g. the size of the handrail 10, fewer or more spacer elements 11 may be used.

When the inner portion 30 and the outer portion 40 form a substantially hollow handrail 10, the handrail 10 can be filled with a material to change the acoustic properties and/or weight of the handrail 10. The handrail 10 may also present a higher quality impression to the consumer, for example, by adding a filler material that gives the handrail a firmer impression. Such material may be, for example, foam or other material having acoustic damping properties. This is not limited to one single embodiment, but may be applied to any of the embodiments provided herein. Since the handrail 10 shown in figures 9-14 is a non-load bearing handrail 10, a support structure of the type shown in figure 4 is generally not required.

It should be mentioned that the inventive concept is in no way limited to the embodiments described herein, and that several modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, the term "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms "a", "an", "first", "second", etc. do not exclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims (30)

1. An armrest (10) for a piece of seating furniture (1), characterized in that said armrest (10) comprises:

at least one inner portion (20, 30), said inner portion (20, 30) being intended to face a seat (2) of said piece of seating furniture (1); and an outer portion (40), the outer portion (40) being intended to form a laterally outermost portion of the seating furniture (1), the outer portion (40) being connected to the inner portions (20, 30), and wherein at least one of the outer portion (40) and the inner portion is at least partially formed by injection moulding.

2. The armrest (10) of claim 1, wherein the outer portion (40) is injection molded.

3. The armrest (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer portion (40) has a first upper portion (41), a first bottom portion (42), a first front portion (43), a first rear portion (44) and a first outer plate (45), the first outer plate (45) being connected along its periphery to the first upper portion (41), the first bottom portion (42), the first front portion (43) and the first rear portion (44), the first outer plate (45) of the outer portion (40) having a smooth outer surface, and the first outer plate (45) covering the entire portion of the outer portion (40) facing away from the seat (2).

4. The armrest (10) of claim 3, wherein the first upper portion (41), the first bottom portion (42), the first front portion (43), and the first rear portion (44) of the outer portion (40) together define a periphery that forms a first connecting surface (46) that connects the outer portion (40) to the inner portions (20, 30).

5. The armrest (10) of claim 1, wherein the at least one inner portion (20, 30) comprises a support structure configured to bear at least a portion of the load of the associated seating furniture (1).

6. The armrest (10) of claim 5, wherein the support structure is a metal frame connected to an interior of the inner portion and/or an interior of the outer portion (40).

7. The armrest (10) of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one interior portion (20, 30) is formed by injection molding.

8. The armrest (10) of claim 7, wherein the entire interior portion is injection molded as one piece.

9. The armrest (10) of claim 7, wherein the inner portion is configured to snap lock to the outer portion (40).

10. The armrest (10) according to claim 4, wherein the inner section has a second upper section (31), a second bottom section (32), a second front section (33), a second rear section (34) and a second outer plate (35), the second outer plate (35) being connected along its periphery to the second upper section (31), the second bottom section (32), the second front section (33) and the second rear section (34), the second outer plate (35) of the inner section having a smooth outer surface and the second outer plate (35) covering the entire part of the inner section facing the piece of seating furniture (2).

11. The armrest (10) of claim 10, wherein the second upper portion (31), the second bottom portion (32), the second front portion (33), and the second rear portion (34) of the inner portion together define a periphery forming a second connection surface (36) for connection with the first connection surface (46) of the outer portion (40).

12. The armrest (10) according to claim 11, wherein the second connecting surface (36) of the inner portion is provided with a first set of connectors (37) and the first connecting surface (46) of the outer portion (40) is provided with a mating second set of connectors (47), the first set of connectors (37) being integrated in the injection molded inner portion by injection molding and the second set of connectors (47) being integrated in the injection molded outer portion (40) by injection molding.

13. The armrest (10) of claim 12, wherein the first set of connectors (37) and the second set of connectors (47) form a snap-lock type connector arranged to snap-lock the outer portion (40) to the inner portion.

14. The armrest (10) of claim 7, wherein the inner portion and the outer portion (40) together form a hollow body.

15. The armrest (10) according to claim 14, further comprising a support structure arranged inside the hollow body and configured to bear at least a portion of the load of the associated seating furniture (1).

16. The armrest (10) of claim 15, wherein the support structure is a metal frame connected to an interior of the outer portion (40) and/or an interior of the inner portion.

17. The handrail (10) of claim 14, further comprising at least one spacer element (11) arranged for maintaining a predetermined distance between the second outer plate (35) of the inner portion and the first outer plate (45) of the outer portion (40), the at least one spacer element (11) being integrally formed in at least one of the injection-molded outer portion (40) and the injection-molded inner portion by injection molding.

18. The armrest (10) of claim 17, wherein each spacer element (11) comprises a first spacer portion (11a) arranged on an inner side of the inner portion and a second spacer portion (11b) arranged on an inner side of the outer portion (40), wherein the first spacer portion (11a) and the second spacer portion (11b) are arranged such that the first spacer portion (11a) and the second spacer portion (11b) engage when the inner portion is connected to the outer portion (40).

19. The armrest (10) of claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one leg attachment device (12) configured to connect an associated leg (13) to the armrest (10).

20. The armrest (10) of claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one seating attachment device (14) configured to connect the associated seating furniture (2) to the armrest (10), the seating attachment device (14) being integrally formed in at least one of the injection molded outer portion (40) and the injection molded inner portion by injection molding.

21. The armrest (10) of claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one backrest attachment device (15) configured to connect an associated backrest (3) to the armrest (10), the backrest attachment device (15) being integrally formed in at least one of the injection molded outer portion (40) and the injection molded inner portion by injection molding.

22. The armrest (10) according to any one of claims 5 to 6 and 15 to 16, wherein further comprising at least one seating attachment device (14) configured to connect the associated seating furniture (2) to the armrest (10) and at least one backrest attachment device (15) configured to connect the associated backrest (3) to the armrest (10), and wherein the seating attachment device (14) and the backrest attachment device (15) are arranged on the support structure.

23. The armrest (10) of claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer portion (40) and the inner portion is at least partially injection molded from a material comprising a polymeric material.

24. The armrest (10) of claim 2, wherein the entire outer portion (40) is injection molded as one piece.

25. The armrest (10) of claim 2, wherein the outer portion (40) is injection molded from a material comprising a polymeric material.

26. The armrest (10) of claim 7, wherein the inner portion is injection molded from a material comprising a polymeric material.

27. The handrail (10) of any one of claims 23, 25 and 26, wherein the polymeric material is a plastic material.

28. Piece of seating furniture (1), characterized in that the piece of seating furniture (1) comprises a piece of seating furniture (2) and at least one armrest (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 27, the at least one armrest (10) being attached to one lateral end of the piece of seating furniture (2).

29. Seating furniture (1) according to claim 28, comprising two armrests (10) according to any of claims 1 to 27, the two armrests (10) being attached to respective lateral ends of the seat (2).

30. Seating furniture (1) according to any of claims 28 to 29, further comprising a backrest (3) attached to the at least one armrest (10).

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