Abstract:
A rotating and sliding tray is affixed to an arm of a geriatric chair to afford a service tray for the occupant that is neatly and securely stored at the side of the chair. The tray is slidably mounted on a movable and rotating holster so that vertical, longitudinal and rotational movement are all accomplished to place the tray in front of the occupant.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to adjustable tray tables for chairs, and, more particularly, adjustable tray tables for geriatric, or geri chairs, or the like. In particular, the present invention allows the tray table on a chair, such as a geri chair, to be moved from its storage position into its service position when the geri chair is parked in very close quarters, either alongside a wall or in between other geri chairs. 
     2. Background of the Prior Art 
     As geri chairs become more and more common around hospitals and convalescent homes, it is many times necessary to arrange a number of chairs within narrow confines when meal time approaches. When the meal is served, it is necessary to arrange a tray in front of the geri chair occupant to support whatever food will be served. Many times it is very awkward, when using current geri chair/tray combinations, to move the tray from its storage position to its service position when there is not a large space around the chair. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The Modified Geriatric Chair is a hospital geriatric chair with a rotating and sliding tray affixed to one side of the chair arms. Two anchor brackets project outwardly and laterally from the arm rest. The outer ends of the brackets hold a stationary side tube in a parallel, spaced-apart relation to the arm. A slider tube rides inside the stationary tube and has its front end fixed to the front end of a tray holster. The rear end of the tray holster, is fixed to a slider cuff that rides end of the tray holster which is fixed to a slider cuff that rides side of the side tube. The forward-backward movement of the slider cuff is limited by the two brackets. 
     The front and rear ends of the tray holster are connected by a flat band so that the band is in parallel, spaced-apart relation to the slider tube. The band carries two parallel guide bushings and the bushings allow sliding movement of, in a transverse direction, two guide rods. The guide rods are fixed in a spaced-apart relation, to the underside of the tray. 
     Two brackets project laterally from the front and rear ends of the opposite arm rest and carry a guide rail in a spaced-apart parallel relation to the arm rest. The tray has a curved bracket running under the upward-side for sliding under the guide rail. 
     The tray is stored, in a stationary, vertical position at the side of the geri chair. Initially, the tray is raised straight up by grasping the curved bracket and lifting up (see FIG. 1). Then, the tray is moved forward as the slider tube moves inside the side tube (see FIG. 2). The tray is then rotated 90 degrees (FIG. 3) and rested on the guide rail and, then, moved back toward the occupant as much as desired (FIG. 4). 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modified chair tray that moves easily from its storage position to its service position. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a modified chair tray that moves easily from its storage position to its service position when the chair is in extremely tight quarters, either against a wall or next to other chairs. 
     It is a still further object of the invention to provide a modified chair tray that moves easily, even when in extremely close quarters, and is sturdy and dependable for use. 
     These and other objects and many attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is perspective view of the modified geriatric chair tray affixed to a geri chair with an arrow indicating vertical movement of said tray; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the modified geri chair tray after the vertical movement of said tray with an arrow indicating forward movement of said tray; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tray in the forward vertical position with an arrow indicating rotational movement to the horizontal initial position; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tray in its horizontal resting position with a phantom outline and arrow indicating previous position and movement, respectively; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the tray in the horizontal resting position taken along lines V--V of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a view taken along lines VI--VI of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a view taken along lines VII--VII of FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 8 is a view taken along lines VIII--VIII of FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 shows generally a chair 20 with the modified tray 80 of the present invention attached thereto. 
     FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 depict the movement of tray 80 and will be described below. Chair 20 is made from cold drawn steel tubular framing, or other suitable material as is known in the industry, and has front legs 21, 22 and rear legs 23 (not shown), 24 attached to the bottom of seat 25 and back portion 26 with arm rests 27, 28 projecting horizontally and then vertically to join with seat 25. 
     Although the drawings show tray 80 attached to the right side (as the patient is seated therein) of chair 20, it is to be understood that tray 80 may also be attached to chair 20 from the left side thereof. In that instance, the following description as to where on chair 20 items are attached and how they move thereon would be modified accordingly. 
     FIG. 5 shows a plan view of tray 80 (with tray surface 81 in phantom), as taken along lines V--V in FIG. 4. There are two spaced-apart, rectangularly shaped, front and rear anchor brackets 33f, 33r (with 33f shown partially in phantom) made of a solid material, each fixedly attached at one end to project outwardly in the horizontal plane from arm rest 27. Brackets 33f, 33r are joined at their outer ends to a guiding and bracing means in the form of a hollow side tube 37 of predetermined diameter and length, and of similar material as is used to make chair 20, that has its axis parallel to the axis of arm rest 27. Brackets 33f, 33r are separated by wheel chair arm rest pad 29 and, together with side tube 37, provide a sturdy base from which a slider tube 46 and a slidable, pivoting transposing means in the form of a tray holster 40 move about. Side tube 37 has an adjustable locking mechanism 42 (to be described below) attached adjacent an orifice near the front end thereof at the 180° radial (when viewing side tube 37 from the front) for stopping motion of slider tube 46, holster 40 and tray 80 at a desired location. 
     Tray holster 40 is slidably and rotatingly attached to geri chair arm 27 by means of a slider tube 46 and slider cuff 47 associated with side tube 37. Slider tube 46 is a sturdy, hollow tube of slightly smaller diameter than side tube 37 so as to allow frontwards and backwards sliding and rotating motion inside side tube 37. Attached to front end 46f of slider tube 46 to project laterally away from said tube is a front holster bracket 49f. Slider cuff 47 is a circular band of predetermined width and of a diameter slightly larger than side tube 37 that completely encircles tube 37 so as to slide over and rotate around tube 37 in between anchor brackets 33f and 33r. Attached to slider cuff 47 at the 240° degree radial (when viewing cuff 47 from the front) to project laterally away from side tube 37 is a rear holster bracket 49r similar to front holster bracket 49f. Front and rear holster brackets 49f, 49r are fixedly joined by tray holster 40, which is in a substantially parallel relationship to side tube 37 at all times. 
     Tray holster 40 is spaced laterally from side tube 37 a predetermined distance to allow convenient movement of tray 80 and its associated parts. Holster 40 is comprised of a holster band 42 and, in joining relation thereto, front and rear holster brackets 49f, 49r respectively. Front and rear holster brackets 49f, 49r are L-shaped brackets of predetermined dimensions as is known in the industry, and are oriented to face one another. Holster band 42 is joined to the outer surfaces of the respective right-angle portions of front and rear brackets 49f, 49r. 
     Holster band 42 is a flat piece of predetermined length and width to conform to the width of brackets 49f, 49r. Attached to the outer-facing side thereof in a transverse direction, and permanently joined thereto, are two hollow guide rod tubes 60f, 60r of predetermined length. Guide rod tubes 60f, 60r are spaced apart on band 42 a predetermined distance to provide stability of movement of tray 80, and are of similar construction. Tubes 60f, 60r are of similar material as side tube 37 and are made with a predetermined diameter. Tubes 60f, 60r have front and rear bushings 61f, 61r, respectively, joined at the front and rear edges, respectively, and serve to regulate and guide movement of two tray guide rods 63f, 63r, as is known in the art. 
     Tray guide rods 63f, 63r span the width of tray 80 and are permanently attached to right and left corner brackets 70, 71, respectively, (as viewed by the occupant) which are fixed to the underside of the tray. Tray 80 is a substantially rectangularshaped, flat piece constructed of known materials with a semicircular shape cut out of the side facing the geri chair occupant to facilitate different sizes of the upper body. It would be considered within the art to adapt different tray shapes to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 shows that tray 80 has a guide rail 73 fixed underneath the left-hand edge thereof (as viewed by the geri chair occupant) to matingly slide adjacent to a guide bar 74. Guide bar 74 is attached to left side geri chair arm rest 30 by two laterally depending brackets 77f, 77r similar to brackets 33f, 33r depending from right-side arm rest. In addition, guide rail 73 has a lower, shorter member 75, parallel to rail 73, to fit underneath bar 74 as in FIG. 6. Guide rail 73 is substantially as long as the side of tray 80 and is spaced apart and parallel to the underside of tray 80. Member 75 is an L-shaped extension from rail 73 spaced apart from rail 73 a distance larger than the width of bar 74. In this manner, rail 73 and member 75 act as the upper and lower portions of a sandwich to the guide bar 74 as tray 80 is moved forward and backward when in its horizontal position. 
     OPERATION OF GERIATRIC CHAIR TRAY 
     In its storage mode, tray 80 hangs by means of slider tube 46 being inserted inside of side tube 37 and slider cuff 47 resting on, and encircling, the rear portion of side tube 37 (see FIG. 1). Slider tube 46 can be locked in place by an adjustable locking mechanism 82. As shown in FIG. 7, mechanism 82 is comprised of a tubular-shaped housing 83, fabricated from material similar to side tube 37, depending in a perpendicular manner from the underside of tube 37. Mechanism 82 is a spring-biased/plunger mechanism that has a plunger 84 forced through side tube opening 85 and into either one of a plurality of serially-placed slider tube openings 86a through i by compression spring 87 to lock slider tube 46 in place once tray 80 is in its horizontal, service position in front of the chair occupant, or into slider tube opening (not shown) to hold tray 80 in its storage position. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, arrows A, B, C and D show the typical movement of tray 80 to go from a storage position alongside chair 20 (FIG. 1) to a service position in front of an occupant (FIG. 4, occupant not shown). Tray 80 can be raised vertically to the limit allowed by rods 63f, 63r as shown by arrow A in FIG. 1, and then plunger 84 pulled to allow slider tube 46 to move forward (carrying holster 40 and tray 80) as shown by arrow B (FIG. 2). FIG. 3 shows tray 80 in its forwardmost, vertical position and ready to be rotated to a horizontal position as depicted by arrow C. As seen in FIG. 3, once tray 80 rotates through 90° of arc, openings 86a, 86b, . . . 86i are also rotated 90° and aligned with mechanism 82. 
     FIGS. 4 and 8 show that tray 80 is now moved in a horizontal mode towards the occupant (arrow D). As seen in FIG. 8, bar 74 acts as a guide for tray 80 as it is moved towards chair 20. Rail 73 rests on, and slides over, bar 74 and when tray 80 reaches a predetermined point in the rearward direction, member 75 slips under bar 74 to prevent the side of tray 80 from being tilted upwardly. Plunger 84 is forced downward during the rearward movement of tray 80 until a convenient location is chosen, at which time it is released into opening 85 in slide tube 37 and the adjacent concentric opening in slider tube 46. 
     Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings, and it is therefore understood that within the scope of the disclosed inventive concept, the invention may be practiced other than specifically described.