A portable automobile accessory which is insertable into the interior of an automobile to function as either an armrest or a tray, is comprised of a resilient body member, defined by four planar surfaces and one non-planar surface arranged to form two wedge-shaped ends positioned perpendicular to each other, and a rigid planar support member secured to the resilient body member. When the thin wedge end of the accessory is inserted intermediate bucket-style seats in an automobile, a smooth top surface is available to the user as an armrest. When the wide wedge end of the accessory is placed intermittent the user's leg and the car door, the rigid planar surface of the support member is available to the user as a tray for eating, writing or other similar activities.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the field of automobile accessories, and 
more specifically, to a utility device for use by the automobile 
occupants. The present invention provides a portable accessory for use as 
an armrest in conjunction with bucket style seats in automobiles, as well 
as a lap tray. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Armrests are an integral part of most chairs and seating structures 
designed to accommodate people for an extended period of time. Most of the 
seating facilities in buses, trains, planes, and movie theaters, for 
example, contain arm rest structures for increased comfort; however, 
automobile seats, particularly bucket-style seats, are an exception. 
Early automobiles, which contained rudimentary seating facilities, were 
completely devoid of armrest structures of any kind. Eventually, 
automobile manufacturers began to include armrests, located on the driver 
and passenger doors, to increase comfort as well as to provide a 
convenient location for door handles, window controls, ash trays, and door 
locks. More recently, in automobiles with conventional bench style seats, 
manufacturers have included pivoted center armrests which are integrated 
with the seat back and can be raised to form part of the seat back or 
lowered onto the bench between the driver and front passenger seats. In 
automobiles with bucket-style seats, though, integration of an armrest 
into the seat back or between the bucket seats is not practical due to the 
seat design and the distance between the seats. 
Tray type structures have also been incorporated into seat backs in trains 
and aircraft, allowing the occupant to utilize the tray which is pivotally 
attached to the seat in front of him. Such structures are not practical 
for automobile interiors. However, with the advent of drive-in banks and 
fast food franchises and other similar establishments, the need for an 
automobile interior tray has evolved. Accordingly, there is a need for a 
tray which can be utilized within the interior of an automobile without 
encroaching the already limited space of the automobile interior. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an armrest 
accessory for use in automobiles containing bucket-style seats. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an armrest 
accessory for use in automobiles with bucket-style seats which is 
portable, and can be utilized by either the driver or the front passenger. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable 
armrest accessory for use in automobiles with bucket-style seats which can 
be easily positioned or removed without attachment devices such as snaps, 
straps, or Velcro strips. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automobile 
accessory which serves as both a portable armrest for use in automobiles 
with bucket-style seats, and also provides a flat retangular surface for 
use as a portable tray for eating, writing, or other activities. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved with 
a portable automobile accessory which can be inserted into the interior of 
an automobile to function as either an armrest or a tray. 
According to on embodiment of the present invention, a portable armrest is 
comprised of a rigid rectangularly shaped support member secured against a 
resilient wedge-shaped body and covered by fabric which surrounds both the 
support member and the resilient body. The resilient material may be a 
urethane foam or a similar material which is capable of recovering its 
original shape after extended periods of deformation. The resilient body 
is defined by four substantially planar surfaces and one sloped surface. 
These surfaces are configured so that two wedge-shaped ends are formed, 
one long and narrow in shape and the other short and wide in shape. Both 
wedges ends have a flat surface and slightly sloped surface and are 
positioned into an L-shape so that their flat surfaces are perpendicular 
and their sloped surfaces join to form a single non-planar surface. In 
this manner, both a flat top and a flat side surface are available 
regardless of which wedge end is used to anchor the accessory within the 
automobile interior. 
In the present embodiment, the support member is a rectangularly shaped 
board made of a rigid material such as Masonite. The largest planar 
surface of the resilient body is secured (e.g., glued) to the support 
member. Besides supporting and adding rigidity to the otherwise resilient 
resilient body, the support member provides a flat, rigid surface when the 
accessory is used as a tray. 
The covering of the accessory serves to protect both the support member and 
the resilient body. In the preferred embodiment, the covering means can be 
comprised of vinyl, leather or fabric or any combination thereof. 
In a substantial number of cars having bucket seats, the narrow 
wedge-shaped end of the accessory is easily inserted into the small 
crevice-like areas formed between the driver or front passenger seat and 
the intervening interior structures of the automobile. Once properly 
inserted, the accessory will remain in position without any physical 
attachment means. In this position, the top side of the accessory serves 
as a flat comfortable armrest for the driver or the passenger, depending 
on the positioning of the accessory within the automobile. 
As an alternate use, the accessory may be removed from the position 
adjacent the bucket seat and positioned over the use s lap with the top 
side positioned adjacent to the door and the wide wedge-shaped end of the 
accessory inserted between the user s leg and the door. In this manner, 
the rigid support member of the accessory serves as a smooth flat tray on 
which the user may eat, write or perform similar activities. 
The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description 
set forth below, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings. The invention is defined in the claims appended at the end of 
the detailed description, which is offered by way of example only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings, and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable 
accessory 10 is provided, comprised of rigid support member 12, resilient 
body 14 and covering means 26. In the preferred embodiment, support member 
12 is rectangular in shape and lies in the plane defined by the X and Y 
reference axes, having a height along the Y axis of 15 inches, a width 
along the X axis of 14 inches, and depth along the Z axis of about 1/8 to 
1/5 of an inch. Support member 12 is preferrably made of a rigid material 
such as Masonite or other particle board compositions having rigid 
characteristics. In the preferred embodiment, support member 12 is glued 
directly against resilient body 14. 
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, body 14 is comprised 
of a resilient material, such as a urethane foam, which is capable of 
recovering its original shape after extended periods of deformation. 
As shown if FIG. 1, resilient body 14 has five surfaces which collectively 
define a double wedge-type shape. Flat surface 16 of resilient body 14 
lies in the same plane and has the same dimensions as support member 12, 
enabling support member 12 to be secured directly against flat surface 16. 
Top surface 18 of resilient body 14 lies in the plane defined by the X and 
Z reference axes and is perpendicular to flat surface 16 and support 
member 12. In the preferred embodiment, top surface 18 has the dimensions 
of 14 inches along the X reference axis and 51/2 inches along the Z 
reference axis. Top surface 18 provides the surface on which the user can 
rest his arm. 
Sloped surface 20 of resilient body 14, is a non-planar surface which 
connects the non coincident X axis edges of top surface 18 and flat 
surface 16. In the preferred embodiment, sloped surface 20 has the 
dimensions of 14 inches along the X reference axis, 15 inches along the Y 
reference axis, and a depth along the Z reference which varies from 51/2 
inches at its maximum value along the Y axis (at the top) to less than 1/2 
inch at its minimum value along the Y axis (at the bottom). 
Sloped surface 20, in the preferred embodiment, may have a continuous 
curved shape, as described above, or, a sloping shape may be approximated 
by several small planar surfaces with coincident edges, as shown in FIG. 
1. The use of either a continuous curve for sloped surface 20 or a number 
of small planar surfaces to approximate a slope results in identical 
functionality of accessory 10. 
Two other surfaces, front surface 22 and rear surface 24 lie in the plane 
defined by the Y and Z reference axes. Rear surface 24 and front surface 
22 have the same dimensions, namely a height of 15 inches along the Y 
reference axis, and a width that varies along a Z axis from 51/2 inches to 
1/2 inch to accommodate the non-planar shape of the curved surface 20. 
The dimensions of surfaces 16-24 and support member 12, listed above, are 
approximations designed to accomodate the interiors of most modern 
automobiles. Slight variations to these approximate dimensions may be 
readily made without adversly affecting the functionality of accessory 10. 
Sloped surface 20 and flat surface 16 in conjunction with front and rear 
surfaces 22 and 24 collectively form narrow wedge end 10A of accessory 10. 
When used as an armrest, narrow wedge end 10A anchors accessory 10 in a 
vertical position within the automobile interior so that top surface 18 is 
available to the user. Sloped surface 20 and top surface 18 in conjunction 
with front and rear surfaces 22 and 24 collectively form wide wedge end 
10B. When used as a tray, wedge end 10B may be urged against one of the 
doors, by the user's thigh, to anchor accessory 10 within the automobile 
interior, so that flat surface 16 is available to the user. With this 
design, either of two flat rectangular surfaces is available to the user 
depending upon which wedge end, 10A or 10B, secures the armrest accessory 
within the automobile interior. 
In the preferred embodiment, an external covering means 26 tightly 
surrounds resilient body 14 and support member 12 and is sewn securely in 
place. Covering means 26 can be comprised of vinyl, leather, fabric or any 
combination thereof. 
The purpose of the external covering means 26 is to protect the resilient 
body 14 and aesthetically enhance the appearance of accessory 10. If a 
urethane foam with a hardened surface is used to form resilient body 14, 
external covering 26 may be eliminated completely without adversly 
affecting the functionality of accessory 10. 
Having described the elements which comprise accessory 10, a description of 
its functionality and applications follows. When used in the armrest mode, 
armrest accessory 10 is positioned adjacent to the right side of the 
driver seat or the left side of the front passenger seat. In most 
automobiles containing bucket-styled seats, intermittent interior 
structures exist between the bucket seats. Separating the bucket seats 
from the intermittent interior structure are two narrow, crevice-like 
areas of varying depth, usually several inches deep. 
As shown in FIG. 2, narrow wedge end 10A of accessory 10 can be inserted 
into either of these narrow crevice-like areas. Support member 12 of 
accessory 10 adds rigidity to resilient body 14 enabling easy insertion 
and supports resilient body 14 in an upright position once accessory 10 is 
in place. Resilient body 14 is adaptable to spaces of varying widths. Upon 
insertion into the crevice-like area, resilient body 14 contracts to adapt 
to the width and shape of the crevice walls. Once inserted, resilient body 
14 expands against the walls of the crevice area with enough pressure to 
secure accessory 10 firmly in place. 
Once in the upright position the user may comfortably rest his arm shown in 
phantom in FIG. 2, on top surface 18. The weight of the user's arm is 
supported by support member 12 and resilient body 14, with additional 
support provided by the intermittent interior structure over which 
resilient body 14 is positioned. 
The design of accessory 10 provides the user with a portable armrest which 
is rigid enough to comfortably support the weight of his and yet resilient 
enough to conform to most automobile interiors and remain secured in place 
without special attachment means such as snaps, straps or Velcro strips. 
When accessory 10 is used as a tray, the invention is merely repositioned 
to achieve a secondary functionality. In this mode, as shown in FIG. 3, 
the user places accessory 10 directly over his leg closest to the door 
with sloped surface 20 adapting to the shape of the leg. In this position, 
top surface 18 lies adjacent and parallel to the door. Rigid support 
member 12 is now perpendicular to the user's posture, providing the user 
with a flat, rectangular surface of approximately 11/2 square feet which 
is usable for writing, eating or other activities. In this position, the 
user applies pressure with his leg to wide wedge end 10B securing top 
surface 18 against the door. The user's leg supports accessory 10 under 
the weight of the user's activities and maintains support member 12 in a 
relatively horizontal position. In this mode, resilient body 14, absorbs 
forces normal to support member 12 and prevents translation of these 
forces to the user's leg. 
The symmetrical design of accessory 10 allows the accessory to be used as 
both an armrest or a tray by either the driver or the front passenger. Use 
of accessory 10 as a tray by the driver is not recommended when the 
automobile is in motion. 
Having thus described one particular embodiment, various alterations, 
modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the 
art. Such alterations, modifications and improvements as are made obvious 
by this disclosure are intended to be part of this disclosure though not 
expressly stated herein, and are intended to be in the spirit and scope of 
the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is intended to be 
exemplary only and not limiting. The invention is limited only as defined 
in the following claims and equivalents thereto.