Abstract:
An adjustable armrest that attaches to zero-radius turning mowers includes a telescoping armrest and a clamping bracket. The armrest provides a horizontal support for an operator&#39;s arm and is covered with a layer of foam padding for comfort. The clamping bracket is attachable to a steering handle at a prescribed location. In this manner, after the operator attaches an adjustable armrest on each of the steering handles the forearms and wrists are supported and the armrests pivot with the steering handles in order to preserve the comfortable supportive functioning of the armrests.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in a notarized Official Record of Invention on Jun. 11, 2010, that is on file at the offices of Montgomery Patent and Design, LLC, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to armrest assemblies, and in particular, to an armrest assembly attachable to the steering control mechanism of a zero-radius turning mower. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many Americans spend countless hours maintaining and beautifying their lawns and landscape. As a matter of pride and personal expression, these people manicure their grass, plant and maintain flowers, shrubs, bushes, and trees all for the sake of enhancing the aesthetic qualities of their property. On properties with large areas of grass to cut, zero-radius turning riding mowers are very popular. These mowers utilize two (2) operating levers which are pushed forwards and backwards to control the movement of the mower. This steering control allows for much faster cutting times, particularly when there are many obstacles on the lawn, such as trees and shrubs. Due to the reduced cutting times and increased productivity, these zero-radius turning mowers are the preferred machine for those in the commercial lawn care industry. These types of mowers allow their users to cut relatively large areas of grass in a minimal amount of time while allowing the rider to sit in comfort. 
     While these mower are typically supplied with armrests mounted next to the seat, the operating levers require almost continual adjustment and the user is either forced to hold their arms up off of the armrest resulting in discomfort in arm, shoulder, and back muscles, or they must slide their arms continuously back and forth over the armrest resulting in skin irritation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor has therefore recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and lack in the art and observed that there is a need for a device by which zero-radius turning mowers can be operated with improved comfort without the disadvantages as described above. In accordance with the invention, it is an object of the present disclosure to solve these problems. 
     The inventor recognized these problems and has addressed this need by developing an attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly that allows for the cutting of grass using a zero-radius turning mower in a manner which provides increased comfort. The inventor has thus realized the advantages and benefits of providing a handle bracket which is releasably fastened to an exterior of a steering handle of the mower steering assembly. The handle bracket is positioned adjacent to an end gripped by the operator. An armrest assembly is affixed in a generally perpendicularly orientation to the handle bracket in order to provide support for a forearm and wrist area of the operator while manipulating the steering handles. The armrest assembly is positioned generally parallel to the end gripped by the operator such that they are positioned in an appropriate location relative to the location of the hands when operating the mower. 
     The armrest assembly is telescopic and includes a tubular inner armrest affixed to a convex exterior of the handle bracket and a tubular outer armrest which is telescopingly coupled over the inner armrest. A position lock mechanism is provided for locking the outer armrest and the inner armrest together and against telescopic or rotational movement. 
     Furthermore, the described features and advantages of the disclosure may be combined in various manners and embodiments as one skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The disclosure can be practiced without one (1) or more of the features and advantages described in a particular embodiment. 
     Further advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental view of an attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly, according to a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly, according to the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly, according to the preferred embodiment; and, 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a armrest assembly, according to the preferred embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly 
               11  mower 
               12  steering handle 
               20  handle bracket 
               21  flange 
               22  flange aperture 
               23  U-bolt 
               24  fastener 
               25  armrest assembly 
               30  outer armrest 
               31  outer aperture 
               35  inner armrest 
               36  inner aperture 
               37  welding 
               38  angle “A” 
               39  angle “B” 
               40  detent pin 
               41  ring 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In accordance with the invention, the best mode is presented in terms of a preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 4 . However, the disclosure is not limited to a single described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the disclosure and that any such work around will also fall under its scope. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure, and only one particular configuration may be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , depicting an attachable armrest for a mower steering assembly (herein described as a “device”)  10 , where like reference numerals represent similar or like parts. In accordance with the invention, the present disclosure describes a forearm and wrist support particularly adapted for use with a zero-radius turning mower  11  or similar lawn care machine. The device  10  is variable to a user&#39;s desire and fit. The device  10  sustains the user&#39;s forearm and wrist during utilization of the mower  11 . 
       FIG. 1  shows an environmental view of the device  10 . During use, a pair of devices  10  are preferably utilized, in which each device  10  is removably attached to the steering assembly of the mower  11 , preferably at each steering handle  12 . On a zero-radius turning mower  11 , the steering handles  12  are generally a tubular-shape extremity and provide a gripping lever for the user to manipulate the direction of the mower  11 . The device  10  supports the user&#39;s left and right forearm and wrist while the mower  11  is being used. The device  10  can be attached at a desired position upon the steering handles  12 . The device  10  is attached to the steering handles  12  by engaging and fastening a handle bracket  20  with a pair of U-bolts  23  (see  FIG. 2 ). The U-bolts  23  are preferred because of the circular cross-sectional geometry of the handles  12 . When the device  10  is utilized, the user rests his or hers forearms and wrist upon an outer armrest  30 . The device  10  may be manufactured in various sizes to accommodate a variety of mower  11 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a rear perspective view of the device  10 . The handle bracket  20  encompasses approximately half of the perimeter surface of the steering handle  12  and provides an attachment surface for the device  10 . The handle bracket  20  has an arcuate-profile, a generally semi-cylindrical shape and includes a pair of perpendicular flanges  21  upon opposing outer perimeter edges which provide a surface for the pair of U-bolts  23  to pass through. Each flange  21  includes a pair of flange apertures  22  on opposing end portions. Opposing flange apertures  22  on opposing flanges align to enable placement of the U-bolts  23 . The handle bracket  20  is positioned at a desired location on the steering handle  12  with the concave surface of the handle bracket  20  facing an exterior surface of the steering handle  12 . The handle bracket  20  is fastened into position by engaging the pair of U-bolts  23  from an opposing exterior side surface of the steering handle  12 . The U-bolts  23  are inserted through the corresponding opposing flange apertures  22  and fastened around the steering handle  12  by a pair of fasteners  24 . The U-bolts  23  are preferably “U”-shaped double-ended bolts which include threads upon each end which are threadably engaged by the pair of fasteners  24 . The fasteners  24  are preferably a nut or similar fastening hardware. The handle bracket  20  and U-bolts  23  are fabricated from materials such as, but not limited to: stainless steel, plastic, or the like. 
       FIG. 3  shows a front perspective view of the device  10  and  FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the armrest assembly  25 . The device  10  also includes an armrest assembly  25  which provides a surface for the user to rest their forearm and wrist upon. The armrest assembly  25  is illustrated being perpendicular to the handle bracket  20  and attached to the convex surface of the handle bracket  20  by welding  37 , yet it can be appreciated that other positions and material joining techniques can be utilized without limiting the scope of the device  10 . The armrest assembly  25  includes a length adjustable outer armrest  30  and a fixed inner armrest  35 . Each handle  30 ,  35  is preferably tubular shaped with the outer armrest  30  having a slightly larger diameter than the inner armrest  35  to allow telescoping engaging of the outer armrest  30  over the inner armrest  35 . The handles  30 ,  35  can include various lengths as desired by manufacturing. The outer armrest  30  is preferably fabricated from a foam or padded material and the inner armrest  35  is preferably fabricated from a material similar to the handle bracket  20 . 
     The inner armrest  35  is affixed on an end portion of the convex surface of the handle bracket  20  preferably by welding  37  and it can be appreciated that the angle of the inner armrest  35  relative to the handle bracket  20  can be oriented at varying degrees as desired by the manufacturer and style of the mower  11 .  FIG. 3  depicts an angle “A”  38  and an angle “B”  39  to illustrate the various positions in which the inner armrest  35  can be positioned as desired. Angle “A”  38  and angle “B”  39  are preferably manufactured in various angles as to comply with various steering handles  12 . 
     The outer armrest  30  includes plurality of parallel outer apertures  31  disposed through a lower surface and the inner armrest  35  includes an inner aperture  36  also disposed through a lower surface. As the outer armrest  30  slidingly engages over the inner armrest  35 , a prescribed outer aperture  31  is aligned with the inner aperture  36  in order to adjust the overall length of the armrest assembly  25  as desired by the user. The handles  30 , are securely fastened to each other by inserting a detent pin  40  within the aligned outer aperture  31  and inner aperture  36 . The detent pin  40  has a generally cylindrical shaft sized to removably fit through the aligned apertures  31 ,  36  and includes an attached ring  41  to enable easy removal. Other mechanisms can also be used to removably fasten the handles  30 ,  35 . 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure and only one particular configuration has been shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     In accordance with the invention, the preferred embodiment can be utilized by the user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the device  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The method of utilizing the device  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the device  10 ; positioning the handle bracket  20  onto the steering handle  12 ; inserting the U-bolts  23  into the flange apertures  22  and engaging the fasteners  24  onto the U-bolts  23 , thereby fastening the handle bracket  20  onto the steering handle  12 ; removing the detent pin  40  from the outer aperture  31  and inner aperture  36  and positioning the inner armrest  30  to a desired position; replacing the detent pin  40  into the desired outer aperture  31  and inner aperture  36 ; repeating the abovementioned steps for another steering handle  12  as desired; and, allowing for the cutting of grass using a zero-radius turning mower  11  in a manner which provides increased comfort. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit to the precise forms disclosed and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain principles and practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.