Patent Publication Number: US-10758052-B1

Title: Height adjustment structure of armrest

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a height adjustment structure of an armrest which contains an extension configured to drive the engagement protrusion to move inward and outward so that the engagement protrusion is removed from or is engaged into one of multiple recesses, thus adjusting the height of the armrest. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     A conventional height adjustment structure of an armrest is applicable for various chairs so as to adjust a height of the armrest according to using requirements. 
     The conventional height adjustment structure contains an engagement protrusion mating with a spring so as to be lifted or descended, but a support arm is lifted to a maximum height gradually when adjusting its height and the support arm is pressed to a minimum height (when the engagement protrusion is located on the maximum height of the support arm, it moves into a dead point, and the engagement protrusion is removed when the support arm is pressed to the minimum height, so the support arm is lifted and is descended limitedly), thereafter the support arm is lifted again, thus causing inconvenient adjustment. 
     Furthermore, a drive button exposes outside the armrest so that when a user moves the drive button upward, an engagement structure is removed from one of multiple recesses so as to change a height of the armrest. After releasing the drive button, the engagement structure is engaged into another recess adjacent to the one recess, thus adjusting the height of the armrest quickly. 
     However, the drive button and the engagement structure are driven in a swinging manner (For example, the drive button swings to drive the engagement structure to swing. Alternatively, the engagement structure is swung to engage in the one recess or another recess, thus the engagement structure is not adjustable freely because of its limited swing angle), thus adjusting the height of the armrest unstably. 
     The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a height adjustment structure of an armrest which contains an accommodation sleeve configured to accommodate a fixer and a slider, a cap covered on tops of the slider and the accommodation sleeve and connected with a support arm, a bottom of the fixer being coupled with a pedestal, and a pull member being received in the slider, wherein the pull member includes an extension extending out of a first window of the accommodation sleeve from a top of the pull member so as to pull an engagement protrusion to horizontally remove from or engage into one of multiple recesses of the fixer, thus adjusting a height of the armrest. 
     The pull member is slid in the slider upward and downward to drive the engagement protrusion to horizontally move inward and outward, such that the engagement protrusion is horizontally removed from or is engaged into the one recess of the fixer, and a height of the support arm is adjustable relative to the fixer (the pedestal). Thereby, the user freely adjusts the height of the support arm based on usage requirements. 
     The engagement protrusion is horizontally removed from or is engaged into the one recess of the fixer stably (the engagement protrusion moves into the one recess after extending out of the slider), thus adjusting a height of the armrest smoothly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the assembly of a height adjustment structure of an armrest according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the exploded components of the height adjustment structure of the armrest according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the exploded components of a part of the height adjustment structure of the armrest according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view along Z-Z′ showing the operation of the height adjustment structure of the armrest according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is another cross sectional view Z-Z′ showing the operation of the height adjustment structure of the armrest according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a height adjustment structure of an armrest according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an accommodation sleeve  1  configured to accommodate a fixer  2  and a slider  3 . A cap  5  is covered on tops of the slider  3  and the accommodation sleeve  1  and is connected with a support arm  7 , a bottom of the fixer  2  is coupled with a pedestal  8 , and a pull member  4  is received in the slider  3 , wherein the pull member  4  includes an extension  41  extending out of a first window  11  of the accommodation sleeve  1  from a top of the pull member  4  so as to pull an engagement protrusion  6  to horizontally remove from or engage into one of multiple recesses  23  of the fixer  2 , thus adjusting a height of the armrest. 
     The fixer  2  includes a groove  21  defined therein, two closed slots  22  formed on two sides of the groove  21  respectively, and the multiple recesses  23  arranged on one of the two sides of the groove  21  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
     The slider  3  includes an extending lid  31  (as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) slidably engaged with the groove  21 , a second window  36  formed on the extending lid  31  and corresponding to the first window  11 , two tabs  32  respectively extending from two sides of a lower end of the extending lid  31  and corresponding to the two closed slots  22  (the two closed slots  22  do not extend over the groove  21 ), such that when the slider  3  slides in the groove  21 , the slider  3  does not slide out of the fixer  2  by using the two tabs  32 . The slider  3  further includes a cutout  33  defined on one of the two sides of the extending lid  31  and corresponding to the one recess  23 , an elongated orifice  34  formed along a height of the cutout  33  on the extending lid  31 , and an abutting protrusion  35  extending from an inner wall of the extending lid  31 . 
     The pull member  4  is slidably accommodated in the slider  3  upward and downward, and the pull member  4  includes the extension  41  extending out of the first window  11  of the accommodation sleeve  1  from the top of the pull member  4  via the second window  36 , a receiving orifice  44  defined on a middle section of the pull member  4  so as to accommodate a holder  43 , and a tilted orifice  42  formed on a lower end of the pull member  4 , wherein a top and a bottom of the tilted orifice  42  correspond to and overlap with a left side and a right side of the elongated orifice  34  individually, when the pull member  4  slides upward and downward. 
     The engagement protrusion  6  abuts against the cutout  33  and inserts into the one recess  23 , and the engagement protrusion  6  includes a column  61  extending from a side thereof and inserted into the elongated orifice  34  via the tilted orifice  42 . 
     The pull member  4  is accommodated in the slider  3 , the abutting protrusion  35  extends out of the receiving orifice  44  of the pull member  4  so that a spring  45  of the pull member  4  is fitted into the abutting protrusion  35  and the holder  43 , and the pull member  4  slides normally, hence the column  61  of the engagement protrusion  6  is limited by the tilted orifice  42  and the elongated orifice  34 , extends out of the cutout  33 , and is engaged into the one recess  23 . When the engagement protrusion  6  is pushed inward, the slider  3  is accommodated into the groove  21  of the fixer  2 . After the cap  5  is connected on the top of the slider  3  (the cap  5  is in various shapes and is configured to connect the slider  3  with the accommodation sleeve  1 , then the cap  5  is coupled with the support arm  7 ), the fixer  2  is fitted into the accommodation sleeve  1  (In the meantime, the extension  41  extends out of the second window  36 , thus it is pushed into the accommodation sleeve  1  and extends out of the first window  11  so as to fit with a drive button  411  configured to be manually operated by a user), the cap  5  is covered on the top of the accommodation sleeve  1  and is coupled with the support arm  7 , such that the bottom of the fixer  2  is coupled with the pedestal  8  so as to form the armrest  10 . 
     In operation, the extension  41  is moved upward so as to drive the pull member  4  to slide in the slider  3  upward (as shown in  FIG. 4 , the holder  43  is slid toward the abutting protrusion  35  to press the spring  45 ), and the pull member  4  actuates the column  61  to move inward along the elongated orifice  34  by way of the tilted orifice  42 , such that the engagement protrusion  6  moves inward to remove from the one recess  23 , and a height of the support arm  7  is adjustable relative to the fixer  2  (i.e., the support arm  7 , the cap  5 , the accommodation sleeve  1 , the pull member  4 , and the slider  3  are lifted and descended relative to the fixer  2 ). When the extension  41  is released so that the spring  45  pushes the pull member  4  downward, the pull member  4  actuates the column  61  to move outward along the elongated orifice  34  by way of the tilted orifice  42  (as illustrated in  FIG. 5 ), and the engagement protrusion  6  is engaged into the one recess  23  via the cutout  33  based on an adjusting direction of the support arm  7 , thus fixing the armrest  10 . 
     The column  61  of the engagement protrusion  6  is actuated by the tilted orifice  42  of the pull member  4  to move leftward and rightward in the elongated orifice  34  of the slider  3  so that the engagement protrusion  6  is engaged into or is removed from the one recess  23  stably and smoothly, thus supporting the armrest  10  sufficiently. 
     While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have been shown and described, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.