GB2578503A

GB2578503A - Foldable armrest Structure

Info

Publication number: GB2578503A
Application number: GB1910826.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ru Chen Yi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-10-26
Filing date: 2019-07-30
Publication date: 2020-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-30
Also published as: GB2578503B; TWM574869U; GB201910826D0

Abstract

An armrest, such as for an office chair, having a mounting portion 10, a body 20 and a button 30. The mounting portion attaches to the underside of the seat and at another end has a cylindrical connecting end 11 for engaging with the armrest body; the connecting end has a recess 110, and a groove 111 around its outer surface having a projection 113. The body has a circular end 21 that fits around the mounting portion connecting end via a circular recess (210, figure 3), an aperture 211 in the wall circular end wall and a protrusion (212, figure 3) in the circular recess. The adjustable armrest body pivots around the fixed mounting portion. The protrusion (212, figure 3) of the arm rest body fits in the groove 111 of the mounting portion and engages with the groove projection 113 to limit rotation of the body. The button 30 is positioned in the mounting portion recess 110 and passes through the aperture 211 of the armrest body, such that the button must be pressed into the mounting portion for rotation of the arm support body, and for attachment of the armrest body to the mounting portion.

Description

FOLDABLE ARMREST STRUCTURE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention provides a structural design that adopts the field of technology related to office chairs, and more particularly to technology that provides a foldable armrest structure.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Office chairs of the prior art can be roughly divided into chairs having armrests or no armrests, wherein chairs provided with armrests are generally manufactured with fixed armrests. Hence, at times when it is necessary to take in the armrests, such as when placing the chair under a table, then fixed armrests hinder and prevent this from happening. Thus, in practical use, there still exists shortcomings in chairs with fixed armrests that are in need of further improvement.

Although nowadays there are office chairs with conventional armrests that are foldable, however, their structures are not only complex, moreover, bolts are required to lock and join together all connections between a fixing mount and an armrest body, and are thus extremely inconvenient to assemble.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention lies in providing a foldable armrest structure that is simple, easily manufactured and assembled, as well as being completely safe with regard to preventing coming apart.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides a foldable armrest structure comprising a fixing mount that is fixed to the bottom portion of a seat, an armrest body, and a press component. A rear side of a pivot connecting end of the fixing mount is further provided with a radial holding cavity facing the center thereof and further provided with a limiting groove close to the end surface of the fixing mount. The outer end surface of the cylindrical pivot connecting end is also provided with a notch that connects with the limiting groove, and an elastic clasp hook is formed in the limiting groove in an upper portion of the notch. The bottom end of the armrest body is configured with a pivot connecting mount that mounts on the pivot connecting end of the fixing mount. The pivot connecting mount is provided with a radial through hole that runs through to the outer surface thereof, and a protruding connecting piece is further configured inside the pivot connecting mount. The protruding connecting piece mounts exactly in the limiting groove by means of the notch of the fixing mount, and the -2 -fixing mount can be rotated to cause the elastic clasp hook and the protruding connecting piece to clasp together, which enables the armrest body and the fixing mount to use the clasping together to effect fixed positioning and rotation ability. The press component is elastically configured in the radial holding cavity of the pivot connecting end of the fixing mount and the radial through hole of the pivot connecting mount of the armrest body. Accordingly, in a normal state, the press component produces an outward top supporting elastic force effect in the radial holding cavity of the pivot connecting end and the radial through hole of the pivot connecting mount of the armrest body, whereby after the press component is pressed, the armrest body uses the protruding connecting piece in the limiting groove of the fixing mount to achieve the folding objective.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic view of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded schematic view of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded schematic view of the present invention from another viewing angle.

Fig. 4 is a three-dimensional schematic view of a local section of the -3 -present invention.

Fig. 5 is an assembled cross-sectional schematic view (1) of the present invention, showing a rotatable state of a fixing mount and an armrest body when a press component has been depressed but a 5 secure clasped state has not yet been formed.

Fig. 6 is an assembled cross-sectional schematic view (2) of the present invention, showing an unclasped state between a protruding connecting piece of the armrest body and a limiting groove of the fixing mount.

Fig. 7 is an assembled cross-sectional schematic view (3) of the present invention, showing a clasped state between the limiting groove of the fixing mount and the protruding connecting piece of the armrest body.

Fig. 8 is an assembled cross-sectional schematic view (4) of the present invention, showing a fixed position state between the fixing mount and the press component of the armrest body after dropping into a radial through hole.

Fig. 9 is an assembled cross-sectional schematic view (5) of the present invention, showing a folded state after clasping together the 20 limiting groove of the fixing mount and the protruding connecting piece -4 -of the armrest body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, which show a foldable armrest structure of the present invention, comprising: A fixing mount 10, which is fixed to the bottom portion of a seat, wherein the fixing mount 10 is fitted with a cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 and a planar locking end 12. The rear side of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 is further provided with a radial holding cavity 110 facing the center thereof. In the present embodiment, the radial holding cavity 110 is rectangular shaped, the horizontal orientation of which is at the rear area of the locking end 12; moreover, a length of limiting groove 111 is formed in the outer surface of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 close to the outer end surface thereof and is concentric therewith. The outer end surface of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 is also provided with a notch 112 that connects with the limiting groove 111, and an elastic clasp hook 113 is formed in the limiting groove 111 in an upper portion of the notch 112. In the present embodiment, the elastic clasp hook 113 protrudes as a reverse hook strip from the limiting groove 111, and the plastic body of the reverse hook strip 113 is used to achieve an appropriate restoring elastic force. -5 -

An armrest body 20, a bottom end of which is fitted with a pivot connecting mount 21 that is mounted on the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10. A circular aperture 210 is provided inside the pivot connecting mount 21 that is provided with a radial through hole 211 near to the rear end surface, and the radial through hole 211 runs through to the outer surface of the pivot connecting mount 21. In the present embodiment, the radial through hole 211 is slightly smaller than the correspondingly shaped radial holding cavity 110 of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10; moreover, a protruding connecting piece 212 is further configured inside the circular aperture 210 close to the bottom end edge thereof. The protruding connecting piece 212 mounts exactly in the limiting groove 111 by means of the notch 112 of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10. Furthermore, the fixing mount 10 can be rotated to cause the elastic clasp hook 113 and the protruding connecting piece 212 to clasp together, which enables fixed positioning and rotation of the armrest body 20 relative to the fixing mount 10.

And a press component 30, which is elastically configured in the radial holding cavity 110 of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 of the 20 fixing mount 10 and the radial through hole 211 of the pivot connecting -6 -mount 21 of the armrest body 20. The press component 30 is provided with a button 31 and an elastic member 32, wherein the outer end edge of the button 31 is provided with a closing surface that mounts exactly into the radial through hole 211 of the pivot connecting mount 21 of the armrest body 20, while enabling the outer end edge of the button 31 to slightly protrude out the radial through hole 211. The button 31 is further provided with a mounting edge 310 that extends into the radial holding cavity 110 of the pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10 and into the rear end of the radial through hole 211. A space is reserved between the mounting edge 310 and the bottom portion of the radial holding cavity 110 to enable inward displacement of the button 31. The elastic member 32 is configured on the inner side of the button 31, and in the present embodiment, the inner end edge of the button 31 is further provided with a protruding body 311, which enables one end of the elastic member 32 to mount thereon with the other end of the elastic member 32 butting against the bottom portion of the radial holding cavity 110 of the fixing mount 10. Accordingly, in a normal state, the press component 30 produces an outward top supporting elastic force effect on the radial holding cavity 110 of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10 and the radial through hole 211 of the -7 -pivot connecting mount 21 of the armrest body 20.

In the foldable armrest structure disclosed in the above description, the limiting groove 111 has a central angle greater than 90 degrees extending from one end of the radial holding cavity 110 upwardly to the top end portion of the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11, and is a concentric groove formed in the cylindrical pivot connecting end 11. And the notch 112 is formed at one end of the top end portion of the limiting groove 111.

In the foldable armrest structure disclosed in the above description, the fixing mount 10 is formed as a plastic body, the elastic clasp hook 113 protrudes as a reverse hook strip from the limiting groove 111, and the plasticity of the reverse hook strip is used to achieve an appropriate restoring elastic force.

Referring to Fig. 3. when assembling the above-described structural members of the present invention, the press component 30 is first retained within the radial holding cavity 110 of the pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10, the user depresses the press component 30 and then mounts the fixing mount 10 into the circular aperture 210 of the pivot connecting mount 21 of the armrest body 20 (as shown in Fig. 4).

At which time, the notch 112 of the pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing -8 -mount 10 directly corresponds to the protruding connecting piece 212 within the circular aperture 210, and the protruding connecting piece 212 is able to enter the limiting groove 111 of the fixing mount 10, (as shown in Figs. 4 and 6) through the outer peripheral surface of the pivot connecting end 11 of the fixing mount 10 butting against the butting surface of the pivot connecting mount 21. Then the fixing mount 10 is rotated toward the elastic clasp hook 113, whereupon, because the elastic clasp hook 113 protrudes as a reverse hook strip from the limiting groove 111 and its plastic body is provided with an appropriate restoring elastic force, the elastic clasp hook 113 is immediately subjected to the pressing down of the protruding connecting piece 212, after which the elastic clasp hook 113 springs back and returns to its original position. Furthermore, the fixing mount 10 uses the mutual clasping of the elastic clasp hook 113 and the protruding connecting piece 212 to achieve confinement within the limiting groove 111 that prevents separation therefrom. Moreover, the fixing mount 10 uses hooking of the protruding connecting piece 212 inside the pivot connecting mount 21 of the armrest body 20 into the limiting groove 111 to prevent separation (as shown in Fig. 7).

Referring to Fig. 8, when the elastic clasp hook 113 mutually clasps -9 -with the protruding connecting piece 212, the position of the press component 30 extends exactly and drops into the radial through hole 211 of the pivot connecting mount 21, and the mounting edge 310 at the rear end of the button 31 is retained within the radial through hole 211, thereby preventing the button 31 of the press component 30 from coming apart. Moreover, the armrest body 20 is subjected to the press component 30 extending into the radial through hole 211 of the pivot connecting mount 21 that securely fastens the position thereof to form a perpendicular normal operating state that prevents rotation of the armrest body 20. When wanting to fold away the armrest body 20, the user inwardly depresses the press component 30, whereupon the armrest body 20 separates from the fastening effect of the press component 30 to assume a rotatable state. Furthermore, the stopping effect of the protruding connecting piece 212 within the limiting groove 111 is used to produce a retaining point after folding the armrest body folding (as shown in Fig. 9).

From the aforementioned description it can be understood that the foldable armrest structure of the present invention is unprecedented in the related industry, and accords with the requirement of originality for a 20 patent invention. Moreover, its comprehensive original design accords with the requirement of advancement for a patent invention. In addition, the foldable armrest structure is simple, easily manufactured and assembled, as well as being completely safe with regard to preventing coming apart, and thus provided with industrial usability.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1 A foldable armrest structure, comprising: a fixing mount, which is fixed to a bottom portion of a seat, the fixing mount is fitted with a cylindrical pivot connecting end and a planar locking end, wherein a rear side of the cylindrical pivot connecting end is further provided with a radial holding cavity facing the center thereof; moreover, a length of limiting groove is formed in the outer end surface of the cylindrical pivot connecting end close to the outer surface thereof and is concentric therewith, the limiting groove is also provided with a notch that connects with the limiting groove, and an elastic clasp hook is formed in the limiting groove in an upper portion of the notch; an armrest body, a bottom end of the armrest body is fitted with a pivot connecting mount that is mounted on the cylindrical pivot connecting end of the fixing mount, a circular aperture is provided inside the pivot connecting mount, and a radial through hole, which runs through to the outer surface of the pivot connecting mount, is provided within the circular aperture towards the rear end surface of the pivot connecting mount, the radial through hole is slightly smaller than the correspondingly shaped radial holding cavity of the cylindrical -12-pivot connecting end of the fixing mount; moreover, a protruding connecting piece is further configured inside the circular aperture close to the bottom end edge thereof, and the protruding connecting piece mounts exactly in the limiting groove by means of the notch of the cylindrical pivot connecting end of the fixing mount; furthermore, when the fixing mount is rotated, the elastic clasp hook is caused to clasp together with the protruding connecting piece, which enables fixed positioning and rotation of the armrest body relative to the fixing mount; a press component, which is elastically configured in the radial holding cavity of the pivot connecting end of the fixing mount and the radial through hole of the pivot connecting mount of the armrest body, wherein the press component is provided with a button and an elastic member, the end edge of the button is provided with a closing surface that mounts exactly in the radial through hole of the pivot connecting mount of the armrest body, and the outer end edge of the button slightly protrudes out the radial through hole; moreover, the button is provided with a mounting edge that extends into the radial holding cavity of the pivot connecting end of the fixing mount and into the rear end within the radial through hole, a space is reserved between the mounting edge and the bottom portion of the radial holding cavity to enable inward displacement of the button, the elastic member is configured on the inner side of the button, and the inner end edge of the button is further provided with a protruding body, which enables one end of the elastic member to mount thereon with the other end butting against the bottom portion of the radial holding cavity of the fixing mount, whereby in a normal state, the press component produces an outward top supporting elastic force effect in the radial holding cavity of the pivot connecting end and the radial through hole of the pivot connecting mount of the armrest body.
2. The foldable armrest structure for according to claim 1, wherein the limiting groove has a central angle greater than 90 degrees extending from one end of the radial holding cavity upwardly to the top end portion of the cylindrical pivot connecting end, and is a concentric groove shape in the cylindrical pivot connecting end; the notch is formed at one end of the top end portion.
3. The foldable armrest structure for according to claim 1, wherein the fixing mount is formed as a plastic body, the elastic clasp hook protrudes as a reverse hook strip from the limiting groove, and the plasticity of the reverse hook strip is used to achieve an appropriate -14-restoring elastic force.