GB2275183A - Adjustable footrest - Google Patents

Abstract

A footrest comprises a footplate 18 upon which the feet of a user can rest and means 37 for adjusting the height of the plate which can he operated by the foot of a user. The footplate is spring biased towards its upper position and post 37 can be operated by foot to unlock the adjusting means and allow the height to be set. <IMAGE>

Description

FOOTREST This invention relates to footrests.

Footrests are used in particular by office employees and it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved footrest which can be simply and easily operated.

According to the present invention, a footrest comprises a footplate upon which the feet of a user can rest and means for adjusting the height of the plate which can be operated by the foot of a user.

Preferably the footplate is lockable in position at a selected height. The means for operating the adjustment of the height may comprise a bar projecting through the plate and movable by the foot of a user across a slot.

Preferably the footplate is connected to a base by a scissor mechanism and the scissor; mechanism preferably is connected to means for locking it at a selected height.

Movement of the means for adjusting the height preferably causes a bar connected to the scissor mechanism to move into a selected slot.

The footplate is preferably spring-biased towards an upper position.

The invention also comprises within its scope, but is not limited thereto, the various mechanisms described subsequently as set forth below.

It is particularly advantageous that the foot must be on the footplate before any movement of the plate can occur and thus sudden accidental operation of the plate can not occur.

The invention may be performed in various ways and one specific embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompany drawings in which: Figure 1 - is a basic assembly view with the footplate cut away Figure 2 - is a plan view and Figure 3 - is a side view In the Figures the footrest comprises a rectangular base indicated generally at 10 made of two side members 11 and 12 and front and back members 13 and 14. Secured in the side members 11 and 12 adjacent the front is a front bar 15 extending between them, and adjacent the rear is a corresponding rear bar 16 which extends through slot 17 in side members 11 and 12 adjacent the rear thereof.

A footplate 18 is adapted to receive the feet of a user and may conveniently be coaed with a suitable material such as rubber. The footplate is supported by side members 20 and 21 and rear member 22 and a front member 23. The footplate is set at a fixed 10 tilt angle and is connected to the base by means of scissor mechanisms.

The scissor mechanisms comprise on each side inner and outer arms 24 and 25 pivoted at their centres 26. The front ends of arms 24 are connected to bar 15 and the rear ends to a bar 26. The bar 26 slides in slots 27 in plates 28 which extend downwardly from side members 21 and 22.

The inner arms 25 are pivotally connected at their rear ends 20 to bars 16 and at their front ends to a bar 30 which extends across the footrest but is of shorter length than the distance between the inner scissor arms 25.

Tension springs 31 extend between the bars 15 and 16 and are clamped around each bar. These bias the scissor mechanisms into an upper position.

The bar 30 is fixed to side flanges 32 of an operating platform 33. The side flanges 32 have at their rear three spaced slots 34, 35 and 36 into which the bar 26 can fit and correspond to three settings of the footrest, ie, an upper, intermediate or lower position.

The footplate is actuated by a foot operated control mechanism and comprises an actuating bar 37 which projects up through a slot 38 in the platform 18. The bar 37 is connected at its lower end to a channel shaped plate 40 and biased into the right-hand position by a tension spring 41, the right-hand end of which is fixed to the underside of the footplate. The lower arm of the channel member 40 has a cam 42 on it, on which slides a wheel 43 mounted on a bracket 44 attached to operating platform 33.

In operation a user can adjust the height of the footplate by moving the bar 37 across the slot 38.. This is conveniently operated by the toe portion of a shoe of a user. Movement of the bar 37 across the slot 38 causes the rear end of the operating platform to move upwardly and thus to move slot 34 out of engagement with bar 26. To move to a lower position, the bar is kept at the left-hand end of the slot until the required height position is required and then moved backwards so that the bar 26 can move into slot 35 or 36 depending upon the position required.

It will be appreciated that the mechanism may have other slots than those indicated at 35 and 36 and can have move than three positions according to the number of slots provided.

Claims (8)

1. A footrest comprising a footplate upon which the feet of a user can rest and means for adjusting the height of the plate which can be operated by the foot of a user.

2. A footrest as claimed in Claim 1, in which the footplate is lockable in position at a selected height.

3. A footrest as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the means for operating the ajustment of the height comprises a bar projecting through the plate and movable by the foot of a user across a slot.

4. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, in which the footplate is connected to a base by a scissor mechanism.

5. A footrest as claimed in Claim 4, in which the scissor mechanism is connected to means for locking it at a selected height.

6. A footrest as claimed in Claim 5, in which movement of the means for ajusting the height causes a bar connected to the scissor mechanism to move into a selected slot.

7. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, in which footplate is spring biased towards an upper position.

8. A footrest substantially described herein with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.