Easily adjustable footrest

A footrest to be supported on a floor for which the height of the footrest from the floor and the angle of a foot support surface on the footrest with respect to the floor are independently adjustable. Projections on one portion of the footrest are movable in slots in another between spaced retaining portions in which the projections are frictionally retained to change the height of the footrest; and a platform defining the foot support surface is pivotable against the restraint of a friction clutch to change its angle with respect to the floor.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates generally to footrests. 
BACKGROUND ART 
The art is replete with descriptions of footrests and similar devices. 
Illustrative examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 269,780; 815,046; 1,217,246; 
2,248,369; 2,850,081; 2,912,046; 3,121,551; 3,271,075; 3,653,715; 
4,296,694; 4,310,193; 4,901,385; 5,294,180; 5,316,374; and 5,348,377; 
British patent documents 961,286 and 2,153,217; Swiss patent documents 
386,640 and 675,347; German patent document 1,193,215; and Misco Fall 1993 
Computer Products Catalog, page 125. 
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/142,582, filed Oct. 25, 1993, describes 
a footrest for use by a person working at a desk that has a base 
supporting above the floor a platform with a foot support surface for a 
user's feet. The platform is mounted on the base so that the height of the 
platform above the floor and the angle at which the foot support surface 
is disposed with respect to the floor are independently adjustable. 
Generally, the footrest described in that application included (1) the 
base that included means for defining a supported surface adapted to be 
supported on a floor, and spaced support portions projecting generally at 
fight angles away from that supported surface; (2) the platform that 
included a foot support portion having the foot support surface, and a 
pair of spaced supported portions projecting from the side of the foot 
support portion opposite the foot support surface; (3) a pair of 
intermediate support members; (4) pivotable means mounting a part of each 
of the supported portions of the platform on a part of a different one of 
the intermediate support members adjacent a first edge for pivotal 
movement of the platform around an axis parallel with the supported 
surface; and (5) adjustable means mounting a portion of each of the 
intermediate support members adjacent an opposite second edge thereof in 
fixed relationship on a different one of the spaced support portions of 
the base and affording adjustment of both of the attached portions between 
a first relative position with the axis spaced a first distance from the 
supported surface, and a second relative position with the axis spaced a 
second position from the supported surface. 
In that footrest, however, the adjustable means was provided by rows of 
apertures in the intermediate support members and in the support portions, 
different pairs of which apertures could be aligned to position the axis 
about which platform pivots at different distances from the supported 
surface on the base, after which fasteners could be inserted through 
aligned pairs of apertures and tightened to secure the intermediate 
support members to the base at the desired positions. Changing the 
distance between the axis and the supported surface required removal of 
the fasteners from the apertures and their subsequent replacement, which 
was time consuming and risked the loss of parts of the fasteners. 
Also in that footrest the angular relationship between the foot rest 
surface and the supported surface on the base was selected from several 
predetermined angular relationships that also required the use of 
fasteners generally in the manner described above and might not include 
the angular relationship that a specific user desired. 
DISLOCATE OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a footrest generally of the type described 
above that affords easy height adjustability without the necessity of 
removing and replacing fasteners; and which allows a user to select any 
desired angular relationship in a predetermined range between the foot 
support surface and a supported surface on the base, which selection can 
be made while the footrest is in use. 
Generally the footrest according to the present invention comprises (1) a 
base including means for defining a supported surface adapted to be 
supported on a floor, and spaced support portions projecting generally at 
fight angles away from the supported surface; (2) a platform including a 
foot support portion having a foot support surface adapted for receiving a 
person's feet, and a pair of spaced supported portions projecting from the 
side of the foot support portion opposite the foot support surface; (3) a 
pair of intermediate support members each having opposite first and second 
edges; (4) pivotable means mounting a part of each of the supported 
portions of the platform on a part of a different one of the intermediate 
support members adjacent its first edge for pivotal movement of the 
platform around an axis parallel with the supported surface; and (5) 
adjustable means mounting portions of each of the intermediate support 
members adjacent its second edge in fixed relationship on a different one 
of the spaced support portions of the base to provide pairs of attached 
portions and for affording adjustment of the attached portions between a 
first relative position with the axis spaced a first distance from the 
supported surface, and a second relative position with the axis spaced a 
second position from the supported surface. That adjustable means is 
provided in that for each of the pairs of attached portions, one of the 
portions has a projection projecting generally parallel to the supported 
surface, and the other of the portions has surfaces defining a slot 
receiving the projection. The slot includes a transfer portion extending 
generally at a fight angle to the supported surface, and spaced retaining 
portions each having an inlet end communicating with the transfer portion 
and a closed end. The retaining portions of the slot from their inlet to 
their closed ends each are oriented to cause, when the projection is in 
the retaining portion, the weight of the platform and the intermediate 
support portions to bias the projection toward the closed end of the slot. 
The projections on the portions are movable along the transfer portions of 
the slots between their spaced retaining portions to afford adjustment the 
attached portions between their first and second relative positions. 
The slots can be in the spaced support portions of the base and the 
projections can be on the intermediate support members, in which case the 
retaining portions of the slots each extend toward the supported surface 
of the base from their inlet to their closed ends. 
Alternatively, the slots can be in the intermediate support members and the 
projections can be on the spaced support portions of the base, in which 
case the retaining portions of the slots each extend away from the 
supported surface of the base from their inlet toward their closed ends. 
The surfaces defining the retaining portions of the slots can be tapered 
from their inlet ends to their closed ends such that they will 
frictionally engage the opposite sides of the projections adjacent their 
closed ends to help hold the projections therein against inadvertent 
forces tending to displace them, such as may be experienced when the foot 
rest is moved from place to place. 
Also, for each of the pairs of attached portions the portion from which the 
projection projects can have a through opening, and the projection can 
comprise a bolt extending through that opening and the slot, and 
releasable means comprising that bolt can be provided for forcefully 
pressing the pair of attachment portions together in a direction parallel 
to the supported surface to further retain the projections or bolts in 
desired retaining portions of the slots. 
Preferably, the pivotable means mounting a part of each of the supported 
portions of the platform on a part of a different one of the intermediate 
support members for pivotal movement of the platform around an axis 
parallel with the supported surface comprises (1) a bolt extending through 
the intermediate support member and the supported portion with the axis of 
the bolt parallel with the supported surface, (2) a friction washer 
through which the bolt extends positioned between the intermediate support 
member and the supported portion, and (3) adjustable means comprising the 
bolt for pressing the support member and the supported portion towards 
opposite sides of the friction washers to restrict pivotal movement of the 
platform relative to the base while affording such movement in response to 
application of a sufficient amount of force along the foot support surface 
by the feet of a person using the footrest.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawing there is illustrated a footrest according to 
the present invention generally designated by the reference numeral 10. 
Generally, the footrest 10 comprises (1) a base 12 including means for 
defining a supported surface 13 adapted to be supported on a floor, and 
spaced support portions 14 projecting generally at fight angles away from 
the supported surface 13; (2) a platform 16 including a foot support 
portion 17 having a foot support surface 18 adapted for receiving a 
person's feet, and a pair of spaced supported portions 19 projecting 
generally at fight angles away from the side of the foot support portion 
17 opposite its foot support surface 18; (3) a pair of intermediate 
support members 20 each having opposite first and second edges 21 and 22; 
(4) pivotable means 24 mounting a part of each of the supported portions 
19 of the platform 16 on a part of a different one of the intermediate 
support members 20 adjacent its first edge 21 for pivotal movement of the 
platform around an axis 26 parallel with the supported surface 13; and (5) 
adjustable means 28 mounting portions of each of the intermediate support 
members 20 adjacent its second edge 22 in fixed relationship on a 
different one of the spaced support portions 14 of the base 12 to provide 
pairs of attached portions and for affording adjustment of the attached 
portions between a first relative position (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6) with the 
axis 26 spaced a first distance from the supported surface 13, and a 
second relative position (FIGS. 5 and 7) with the axis 26 spaced a second 
greater distance from the supported surface 13. For each of the pairs of 
attached portions, one of the portions has a projection 30 projecting 
generally parallel to the supported surface 13, and the other of the 
portions has surfaces defining a through slot 32 through which the 
projection 30 extends. As is best seen in FIG. 8, each slot 32 includes a 
transfer portion 34 extending generally at a fight angle to the supported 
surface 13, and spaced retaining portions 35. Each of the retaining 
portions 35 of each slot 32 has an inlet end 36 communicating with the 
transfer portion 34 and an opposite closed end 37. The retaining portions 
35 of each slot 32 from its inlet end 36 to its closed end 37 is oriented 
to cause, when the projection 30 is in the retaining portion 35 and the 
supported surface 13 is on a floor, the weight of the platform 16 and the 
intermediate support members 20 to bias the projection 30 toward the 
closed end 37 of the slot 32. The projections 30 on the portions are 
movable along the transfer portions 34 of the slots 32 between their 
spaced retaining portions 35 to afford adjustment of the attached portions 
between their first and second relative positions. 
The foot support portion 17 of the platform 16 comprises a generally flat 
plate 40 that helps to define the foot support surface 18 and is formed 
along its forward and rear edges to have downwardly curved edge portions 
41. Attached to the side of the plate 40 opposite the foot support surface 
18 (i.e., by rivets or otherwise) is a generally U-shaped plate 42 that 
includes the two spaced supported portions 19. 
The intermediate support members 20 include generally flat major portions 
having the first and second edges 21 and 22 that lie along the outer 
surfaces of the supported portions 19 and the inner surfaces of the 
support portions 14. 
The pivotable means 24 mounting a part of each of the supported portions 19 
of the platform 16 on a part of a different one of the intermediate 
support members 20 adjacent its first edge 21 for pivotal movement of the 
platform 16 comprises a bolt 44 (e.g., 1/4-20 thread) extending through 
apertures 45 and 46 respectively in each of the pairs of intermediate 
support members 20 and supported portions 19 with the axis of the bolt 44 
parallel with the supported surface 13, a friction washer 47 (e.g., a 1.25 
inch diameter 0.031 inch thick washer 47 of the material commercially 
designated "Santoprene" available from Climatek, Minneapolis, Minn.) 
through which the bolt 44 passes positioned between the adjacent pairs of 
intermediate support members 20 and supported portions 19, and adjustable 
means provided by the bolt 44, a washer 49, and a nut 48 for pressing the 
intermediate support members 20 and supported portions 19 towards opposite 
sides of the friction washers 47 to create friction therebetween. That 
friction can be adjusted by tightening the bolt 44 relative to the nut 48 
to restrict pivotal movement of the platform 16 relative to the base 12 
while affording such movement in response to application of a sufficient 
predetermined amount of such force along the foot support surface 18 by 
the feet of a person using the foot rest 10. The bolt 44 may have a 
manually engageable fluted head 50 to facilitate such adjustment, and the 
nut 48 may be a lock nut with a nylon insert. 
The intermediate support members 20 also include generally flat tab 
portions 56 projecting at right angles to their major portions at opposite 
ends of their first edges 21 and oriented to be engaged by the adjacent 
side of the plate 40 to limit the range of angles through which the 
platform 16 can be pivoted relative to the base 12. 
The projections 30 included in the adjustable means 28 may be bolts in the 
form of thumb screws (e.g., 1/4-20 thread) having washers 58 under their 
heads adapted to slide along the support portions 14. A nut 60, which may 
be a butterfly wing nut, and a flat washer 61 may be used on each thumb 
screw 30, and the thumb screw 30 and nut 60 may be manually tightened if 
desired to press the support portion 14 and intermediate support members 
20 together. 
Static-dissipating sheet steel can be used to make the base 12 and 
intermediate support members 20 (e.g., 18 gauge), and the platform 16 
(e.g., 16 gauge). Self-adhesive polymeric friction pads 62 may be 
adhesively attached at the comers of the sheet metal portion of the base 
12 to define the supported surface 13 and provide resistance to sliding 
for the footrest 10 on smooth or carpeted floors. Self-adhesive polymeric 
strips (not shown) may be adhered to the lower surface of the plate 40 in 
a position where they will cushion engagement of the platform 16 with the 
tab portions 56. The foot support surface 18 of the platform 16 may be 
defined by a sheet 64 of non-slip material adhered to the plate 40 such 
as, for example, the product marketed by Minnesota Mining and 
Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minn. commercially designated 3M 
Safety-Walk which provides a nonslip surface that restricts shoes from 
slipping on it. The finish for the sheet steel parts of the footrest 10 
may be a pearl gray epoxy coating for compatibility with office 
surroundings. 
As example, non-limiting dimensions for the foot rest 10, the length of the 
base 12 between the support portions 14 can be about 16 inches, the width 
of the base 12 can be about 11.5 inches, and the height of the support 
portions 14 can be about 2 inches. The plate 40 of the platform 16 can 
have a width of about 14 inches, and a length of about 22 inches. The 
distance between the supported portions 19 can be about 7/32 inch less 
than the distance between the support portions 14, and the length and 
height of each supported portion 19 can be about 9.5 inches and 1.625 
inches respectively. The height of each of the intermediate support 
members 20 between their first and second edges 21 and 22 can be about 3.5 
inches. The widths of the transfer portions 34 and of the slots can be 
about 0.281 inch. The widths of the retaining portions 35 of the slots 32 
can be about 0.281 inch at their inlet ends 36 and the retaining portions 
32 can taper smoothly to a width of about 0.244 inch at their closed ends 
37 which is suitable to frictionally engage the sides of the projections 
30 when, as illustrated, the projections 30 are 1/4-20 thumb screws. The 
retaining portions 35 of the slots 32 can extend at angles with respect to 
the edges 21 and 22 of about 45 degrees, the closed ends 37 of the 
retaining portions 35 of the slots 32 may be spaced by about 3/4 inch in a 
direction normal to the supported surface 13 so that when the foot support 
surface 18 is parallel with the supported surface 13, the distance between 
the foot support surface 18 and the supported surface 13 can be changed 
between 4 and 43/4 inches. The tab portions 56 may be shaped to afford 
pivoting movement of the platform 16 through an angle 92 of about 40 
degrees. 
The height of the footrest 10 between its supported surface 13 and axis 26 
can be adjusted without having to remove the thumbscrews 30 by (if 
necessary) loosening the wing nuts 60 on the thumb screws 30, sliding the 
thumb screws 30 out of the retaining portions 35 of the slots 32 which 
might require impacting the platform 16 to release the thumb screws 30 
from frictional engagement with the surfaces defining the retaining 
portions 35 of the slots 32, moving the thumb screws 30 along the transfer 
portions 34 of the slots 32 and into the other retaining portions 35 of 
the slots 32. Once in those retaining portions 35 of the slots 32, the 
weight of the platform 16 and the intermediate support members 20 will 
bias the thumb screws 30 toward the closed ends 37 of the slots 32 and 
into frictional engagement with the surfaces defining it. The thumb screws 
30 then may, or may not, be tightened If a user prefers not to tighten the 
thumb screws 30, he may prefer to substitute lock nuts with nylon inserts 
for the wing nuts 60. 
A user can place the thumb screws 30 at corresponding ends of the 
intermediate support members 20 in different ones of the retaining 
portions 35 of the slots 32 to tip the edges 21 and 22 of the intermediate 
support members 20 with respect to the supported surface 13, and thereby 
obtain an intermediate adjustment for the height of the footrest 10 and 
allow the foot support surface 18 to be inclined at a greater angle with 
respect to the supported surface 13 than when the thumb screws 30 are all 
in corresponding ones of the retaining portions 35 of the slots 32. 
If desired, the platform 16 may be locked at a predetermined angle by 
aligning pairs of the apertures 66 and 67 in the supported portions 19 and 
in the intermediate support members 20 respectively and fastening a screw 
through them. 
The present invention has now been described with reference to one 
embodiment thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 
many changes can be made in the embodiment described without departing 
from the scope of the present invention. For example, the adjustable means 
28 could be changed to the adjustable means 28a illustrated in FIG. 9 in 
which slots 32a are formed in the intermediate support members 20a instead 
of in the support portions 14; in which case the projection 30a would be 
mounted on the support portion 14a and the retaining portions 35a of the 
slot 32a would project away from the supported surface and toward the 
platform. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited 
to the structures and methods described in this application, but only by 
the structures and method described by the language of the claims and the 
equivalents thereof.