Patent ID: 6030032
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: A47C,Y10T

Abstract:
An armrest for use in a chair which includes an upright back frame, a horizontal seat frame having a rear end pivoted to a bottom end of the back frame, and a leg frame having a bottom end supported on a ground surface and a top end, said armrest comprising:a hollow horizontal armrest frame having a rear end adapted to be mounted pivotally on a lateral side of the back frame, said armrest frame being formed with a longitudinally extending channel that has a bottom opening;a mounting seat disposed in said channel, said mounting seat having a front end and a rear end which is adapted to be mounted on the top end of the leg frame, said mounting seat having opposite front and rear walls at said front and rear ends respectively, and a parallel pair of side walls that interconnect said front and rear walls so as to define a space among said front, rear and side walls, said front and rear walls being formed with aligned through holes that have an axis parallel to said armrest frame, each of said side walls having an inner surface facing said space and formed with a retaining groove that is registered with said retaining groove on the other one of said side walls and that is transverse to said channel, each of said retaining grooves being defined by a vertical shoulder proximate to said front wall, and an inclined shoulder distal to said front wall, said inclined shoulder inclining downwardly and forwardly relative to said vertical shoulder;a shaft extending slidably through said through holes in said front and rear walls of said mounting seat and having two opposite ends secured to said armrest frame;a locking plate disposed in said space of said mounting seat and having opposite vertical edges that extend respectively into said retaining grooves, said locking plate having upper and lower sections and being formed with a locking hole between said upper and lower sections, said locking hole being defined by a hole-defining peripheral wall and being slightly larger than cross-section of said shaft to permit extension of said shaft therethrough, said locking plate being movable between a locking position, in which said locking plate abuts against said inclined shoulders on said side walls of said mounting seat and in which said locking plate inclines relative to said shaft such that said hole-defining peripheral wall of said locking plate frictionally engages said shaft for locking said armrest frame at a desired position relative to said mounting seat, and a releasing position, in which said hole-defining peripheral wall of said locking plate is disengaged from said shaft to permit adjustment of relative positions between said armrest frame relative to said mounting seat; anda biasing spring disposed between said front wall of said mounting seat and said locking plate and sleeved on said shaft for biasing said locking plate to said locking position.