GB2513428A

GB2513428A - Adjustable armrest assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2513428A
Application number: GB1315650.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yao-Lung Yang; Yen-Tsung Lin
Original assignee: Karma Medical Products Co Ltd
Current assignee: Karma Medical Products Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-04-22
Filing date: 2013-09-03
Publication date: 2014-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2033-09-03
Also published as: AU2013101285A4; GB201315650D0; TWM463083U; GB2513428B

Abstract

An adjustable armrest assembly designed to be movably mounted upon the side part of a wheelchair 1 comprises an armrest unit 2, a support unit 3 and a control unit 4. The side part of the wheelchair defines a groove 112 which extends in a vertical direction and has a top opening 111 and a plurality of engaging holes 113. The support unit extends from the arm rest unit vertically downwards and into the groove. The unit is vertically movable relative to the groove and defines an accommodating space 31 within which the control unit is disposed. The control unit includes a vertically movable control handle 41 disposed within the accommodating space which is connected to an engaging member 42, such that vertical movement of the handle moves the engaging member between an engaged position, wherein it engages one of the engaging holes to prevent movement of the armrest and support units, and a released position, wherein it is disengaged from the one of the engaging holes, permitting movement of the armrest and support units. The handle is formed with an inner grip hole 412 which is in spatial communication with an outer grip hole of the support unit 32, into which a user places his/her fingers to control the handle.

Description

ADJUSTABLE ARMREST ASSEMBLY

The invention relates to an armrest device, more particularly to an adjustable armrest assembly.

Any standard wheelchair used by a user usually has an armrest assembly installed thereon. In order to meet the needs of different users, most of conventional armrest assemblies are adjustable in height with a bolt member or a lever being disposed for actuating the height adjustment. However, thisboitmemberorleverprotrudes out of the support to an extent that the movements of the user may be hindered and that harm may even be caused to the user thereby. Therefore, the structure of the conventional adjustable armrest assembly can be further improved.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable armrest assembly that can eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

According to thepresent invention, there isprovided an adjustable armrest assembly adapted to be movably mounted on a side part of a wheelchair. The side part defines a groove that extends in a vertical direction and that has an opening, and a plurality of engaging holes that are spaced apart in a vertical direction and that extend in a first horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The adjustable armrest assembly includes an armrest unit, a support unit and a control unit.

The armrest unit is adapted to be disposed above the side part. The support unit extends downward in the vertical direction from the armrest unit into the groove of the sidepart throughthe opening, ismovabie relative to the side part in the vertical direction, and defines an accommodating space, an outer grip hole and a through hole. The outer grip hole communicates spatially the accommodating space and the environmental space. The through hole is proximate to the engaging holes and is in spatial communication with the accommodating space.

The control unit is disposed in the support unit and includes a control handle and an engaging member. The control handle is disposed in the accommodating space, is movable in the vertical direction relative to the support unit, and is formed with an inner grip hole that is in spatial communication with said outer grip hole.

The engaging member is connected to the control handle, and engages movably the through hole. Vertical movement of the control handle drives the engaging member to move between an engaged position, where the engaging member engages one of the engaging holes so as to prevent movement of the support unit and the armrest unit in the vertical direction, and a released position, where the engaging member is disengaged from the one of the engaging holes to permit the vertical movement of the support unit and the armrest unit until the engaging member engages a desired one of the engaging holes.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a wheelchair mounted with a preferred embodiment of an adjustable armrest assembly according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the preferredembodirnentwitha cushion removedtherefrom; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the preferred embodirr.ent, illustrating an engaging member in an engaged position when a support unit located at a lowest position; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating the engaging member in a released position; and Fig. 5 is another view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating the engaging member in the engaged position when the support unit is located at a higher position.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment of an adjustable armrest assembly according to the present invention is adapted to be movably mounted on a wheelchair 1. The wheelchair 1 includes left and right side parts 11 (only the right side is shown in Fig.1) Each of the side parts 11 defines a groove 112 that extends in a vertical direction (Z) , and that has a top opening 111 and a plurality of engaging holes 113 spaced apart in the vertical direction (Z) and extending in a first horizontal direction (X) perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z) Wheninuse, twooftheadjustablearmrestassemblies are respectively installed on the side parts 11 of the wheelchair 1, each being height-adjustable independently from the other. Since the wheelchair 1 has a symmetrical structure in the left-right direction, only one of the adjustable armrest assemblies will be described in the following description for the sake of brevity. The adjustable armrest assembly includes an armrest unit 2, a support unit 3 and a control unit 4.

The armrest unit 2 is adapted to be disposed above the side part 11. The support unit 3 extends downward in the vertical direction (Z) from the armrest unit 2 into the groove fl2 of the side part 11 through the top opening 111, is movable relative to the side part 11 in the vertical direction (Z), and defines an accommodating space 31 therein, an outer grip hole 32 andathroughhole34. Theoutergriphole32 communicates spatially the accommodating space 31 and the environmental space. The through hole 34 is proximate to the engaging holes 113 and in spatial communication with the accommodating space 31.

The support unit 3 includes a hollow outer support seat 35 and a hollow inner support seat 36. The outer support seat 35 is fixedly connected to a bottom side of the armrest unit 2 and has an upper seat portion 351 that is formed with the outer grip hole 32, and a lower seat portion 352 that is opposite to the upper seat portion 351, and that is formed with a connecting hole 355. In this embodiment, the outer grip hole 32 extends throughtheupperseatportion35linasecondhorizontal direction (Y) transverse to the vertical direction (Z) and the first horizontal direction (X) (i.e. , the second horizontal direction KY) is the left-right direction).

The inner support seat 36 is disposed in the lower seat portion 352 of the outer support seat 35 and has a top surrounding portion 361, a bottom surrounding portion 362 and a shoulder portion 363. The bottom surrounding portion 362 is disposed under the top surrounding portion 361, has a width in the first horizontal direction (X) smaller than that of the top surrounding portion 361, and is formed with the through hole 34. The connecting hole 355 is registered with the through hole 34. The shoulder portion 363 interconnects the top and bottom surrounding portions 361, 362. The support unit 3 may alsobeconfigureddifferentlythanasdescribedherein, such as being configured as two pieces connected together in the second horizontal direction (1) instead of in the vertical direction (Z) , or being molded into one piece.

The armrest unit 2 includes a rod 21 that is fixedly connected to the support unit 3 and that extends along the first horizontal direction (X) , and a cushion 22 wrapped around the rod 21. Since the structure of the armrest unit 2 is well known to those skilled in the art, it will not be described hereinafter for the sake of brevity.

The control unit 4 is disposed in the support unit 3 and includes a control handle 41 and an engaging member 42. The control handle 41 is disposed in the accommodating space 31, is movable in the vertical direction (Z) relative to the support unit 3, and is formed with an inner grip hole 412 that is in spatial communication with the outer grip hole 32 and that is defined by a hole edge 411. Preferably, the control handle 41 has a color different from that of the support unit 3, and is substantially brighter than that of the support unit 3 (e.g., the control handle 41 is bright yellow, bright orange/red, etc., whereas the support unit 3 is black, dark blue/green, etc.) to clearly mark a location of the hole edge 411. The engaging member 42 is connected to the control handle 41 and engages movably the through hole 34. vertical movement of the control handle 41 drives the engaging member 42 to move between an engaged position (see Figs. 3 and 5), where the engaging member 42 extends outwardly of the through hole 34 and the connecting hole 355 and engages one of the engaging holes 113 so as to prevent movement of the support unit 3 and the armrest unit 2 in the vertical direction (Z) , and a released position (see Fig. 4), where the engaging member 42 is disengaged from a previously engaged one of the engaging holes 113 to permit the vertical movement of the support unit 3 and the armrest unit 2 such that the engaging member 42 can engage a desired one of the engaging holes 113.

The control handle 41 abuts against the shoulder portion 363 when the engaging member 42 is in the engaged position.Theupperseatportion35l, thetopsurrounding portion 361 and the shoulder portion 363 cooperatively define the accommodating space 31. The bottom surrounding portion 362 and the shoulder portion 363 cooperatively define a control space 33 that is in spatial communication with the accommodating space 31 and the through hole 34.

The control unit 4 further includes a wire 43 movably disposed in the control space 33 and connected to the engaging member 42, a bridge 44 interconnecting the control handle 41 and an end of the wire 43 that is distal from the engaging member 42, and a resilient member 45 installed in the through hole 34 for biasing the engaging member 42 toward the engaged position. The hole edge 411 of the control handle 41 is visible in the second horizontal direction (1) when the engaging member 42 is in the engaged position. The wire 43 is a metal wire in this embodiment, but the material thereof is not limited to what is disclosed herein. The bridge 44 is composed of a plurality of parts that are interconnected with one another. A highest part 441 of those parts is connected to the wire 43. The highest part 441 is rotatable tomove in the vertical direction (Z) relative totherestoftheparts, therebysirnultaneouslypulling the wire 43 along with it so as to adjust the length of the wire 43 from the control handle 41 to the engaging member 42 and thus change the length of a portion of the engaging member 42 which is exposed from the outer support seat 35 when the engaging member 42 is in the engaged position. The resilient member 45 is a compression spring that has opposite ends abutting respectively against a top portion of the bottom surrounding portion 362 of the inner support seat 36 andtheengagingmember42,andtheconfigurationthereof is not limited to what is disclosed herein.

Before use, as in Fig. 3, the engaging member 42 is in the engaged position and engages one of the engaging holes 113, and the control handle 41 abuts against a top side of the shoulder portion 363 such that the support unit 3 and the control unit 4 are unable to move in the groovell2ofthesidepartll, thussecuringtheposition of the armrest unit 2 for a user' s arm (not shown) to rest thereupon.

Referring to Fig. 4, when the height of the armrest unit2istobeadjusted, theuser'spalmisplacedthereon, having his/her fingers downwardly and partially inserted into the inner grip hole 412 of the control handle 41. When the user tightly grips the control handle 41 and pulls the hole edge 411 upward, the control handle 41 will move away from the shoulder portion 363 in the vertical direction (Z). Simultaneously, thewire43will pull the engaging member 42 to the released position to be disengaged from the one of the engaging holes 113 and to retract into the connecting hole 355. At this time, the resilient member 45 is compressed and has an active resilient force. In addition, the support unit 3 and the control unit 4 can vertically move together in the groove 112 of the side part 11 to adjust the height of the armrest unit 2.

If the height is to be adjusted from the one in F'ig.4 tothatinFig.5, theuserwilldoaspreviouslydescribed, andsimplyreleasethecontrolhandle4loncethesupport unit 3 and the control unit 4 have reached the desired height. Releasing the grip will liberate the resilient force of the resilient member 45, thereby returning the engaging member 42 to the engaged position to engage thedesiredengagingholell3forsecuringthenewheight of the armrest unit 2.

In conclusion, by virtue of the improvement in

structural design of the present invention, no components hinder any movement of the user or injure the user during the height adjustment of the armrest unit 2, and the armrest assembly is ergonomic and easy to use, thus the purpose of this invention is served.

Claims

The Claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. An adjustable armrest assembly adapted to be movably mounted on a side part of a wheelchair, the side part defining a groove that extends in a vertical direction and that has an opening, and a plurality of engaging holes that are spaced apart in the vertical direction and that extend in a first horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, said adjustable armrest assembly comprising: an armrest unit adapted to be disposed above the side part; a support unit extending downward in the vertical direction from said armrest unit into the groove of the side part through the opening, movable relative to the side part in the vertical direction, and defining an accommodating space, an outer grip hole that communicates spatially said accommodating space and the environmental space, and a through hole that is proximate to the engaging holes and that is in spatial communication with said accommodating space; and a control uniu disposed in said support unit and including a control handle that is disposed in said accommodating space, that is movable in the vertical direction relative to said support unit, and that is formed with an inner grip hole in spatial communication with said outer grip hole, and an engaging member that is connected to said control handle, and that engages movably said through hole, wherein vertical movement of said control handle drives said engaging member to move between an engaged position, where said engaging member engages one of the engaging holes so as to prevent movement of said support unit and said armrest unit in the vertical direction, and a released position, where said engaging member is disengaged from said one of the engaging holes to permit the vertical movement of said support unit and said armrest unit until saidengagingmember engages a desired one of the engaging holes.
2. The adjustable armrest assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said inner grip hole is defined by a hole edge, said control handle of said control unit having a color different from that of said support unit, said hole edge of said control handle being visible in a second horizontal direction transverse to the vertical direction and the first horizontal direction when said engaging member is in the engaged position.
3. The adjustable armrest assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the color of said control handle is substantially brighter than that of said support unit to clearly mark a location of said hole edge.
4. The adjustable armrest assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control unit further includes a wire connected to said engaging member, a bridge interconnecting the control handle and an end of the wire that is distal from said engaging member, and a resilient member installed in the through hole for biasing said engaging member toward the engaged position.
5. The adjustable armrest assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said support unit includes: a hollow outer support seat fixedly connected to a bottom side of said armrest unit, and having an upper seat portion that is formed with said outer grip hole, and a lower seat portion that is opposite to said upper seat portion, and that is formed with a connecting hole which is registered with said through hole; and a hollow inner support seat disposed in said lower seat portion of said outer support seat and having a top surrounding portion, a bottom surrounding portion that is disposed under said top surrounding portion, that has a width in the first horizontal direction smaller than that of said top surrounding portion, and that is formed with said through hole, and a shoulder portion that interconnects said top and bottom surrounding portions, said control handle abutting against said shoulder portion, saidupper seat portion, said top surrounding portion and said shoulder portion cooperatively defining said accommodating space, said bottom surrounding portion and said shoulder portion cooperativelydefininga control space that is in spatial communication with said accommodating space and said through hole, said wire being movably disposed in said control space.
6. The adjustable armrest assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said armrest unit includes a rod fixedly connected to said support unit and extending along the firsthorizontal direction, andacushionwrappedaround said rod.
7. The adjustable armrest assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.