Patent Publication Number: US-2010117415-A1

Title: Cushioned elbow support attachment for chair armrests

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 USC 119(e) of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/198,585, filed Nov. 7, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In present day situations persons often work at computer stations or desks for long periods of time, in which case the arms of the chair in which they are seated provide a rest for the user&#39;s elbows. Armrests typically present a surface of hard or relatively hard material, which is uncomfortable for the user, especially over a long period of time. Thus, it is known in the prior art to provide auxiliary pads for attachment to the upper surface of the chair arms. Such auxiliary pads are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,247,547, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,053, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,914, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,396. However, these devices all suffer from deficiencies with regard to the flexibility of their structures and manners of attachment to the armrests of the chair, which limit the comfort they provide to the user and the flexibility to allow easy attachment to a variety of armrest shapes. This invention alleviates the problems present in the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides a cushioned elbow support attachment for placement upon the upper surface of the armrest of a chair having an elongated sack-like cushion made of material having elastic properties and having a bottom surface. A plurality of smooth edge rounded pellets are contained in the cushion. Attachment means secure the cushion in place on the armrest with the bottom surface of the cushion in juxtaposition with the upper surface of the armrest. 
     The present invention further provides a cushioned elbow support attachment for placement upon the upper surface of the armrest of a chair, having an elongated sack-like cushion made of material having elastic properties and having a bottom surface. A plurality of smooth edged rounded pellets are contained within the cushion. An outer covering of material covers the cushion and has a bottom surface. Attachment means secure the cushion and the outer covering in place on the armrest with the bottom surface of the outer covering in juxtaposition with the upper surface of the armrest. 
     The invention still further provides a cushioned elbow support attachment for placement upon the upper surface of the armrest of a chair having an elongated sack-like cushion made of material having elastic properties and a plurality of smooth edged rounded pellets contained within the cushion. The smooth edged rounded pellets being circular or non-circular (for example, oblong) in shape, may consist of any natural or synthetic material, namely, polypropylene, sand, gel, beans, seeds, or any like material. The pellets may have a mid-point diameter of one-eighth of an inch and a length of three-sixteenths of an inch. An outer covering of material comprising a top piece and a bottom piece attached together at a side edge seam extending around said cushion covers the cushion. Spaced straps attached to the outer cover at the edge seam secure the cushion and the outer covering in place on the armrest with the bottom piece of the outer covering in juxtaposition with the upper surface of the armrest. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings, when considered in conjunction with the following description, are presented for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention sought to be protected. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the components of a first embodiment of the cushion of the elbow support attachment and a first attachment arrangement for the elbow support attachment. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the cushion shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the cushion of the inventive elbow support attachment. 
         FIG. 4  shows in more detail the operation of one of the attachment straps shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a desk chair with the elbow support attachment of  FIG. 1  installed on the armrests of the chair. 
         FIG. 6  is a close-up perspective view of the elbow support attachment of  FIG. 1  installed upon the armrest of the chair, with the user&#39;s forearm resting thereon. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the bottom of the cushion of the elbow support attachment showing another means for attaching the device to the armrest of a chair. 
         FIG. 8  is a view of a first attachment arrangement that can be used with the elbow support attachment cushion shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a view of a second attachment arrangement that can be used with the elbow support attachment cushion of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is a view of a third attachment arrangement that can be used with the elbow support attachment cushion of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 11  is a front view showing a first tension clip means for attaching the elbow support attachment cushion to the armrest of a chair. 
         FIG. 12  is a front view of a second tension clip means for attaching the elbow support attachment cushion to the armrest of a chair. 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged side view of a pellet used in the cushion of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The inventive elbow support attachment comprises a support cushion and means for attaching the cushion to the armrest of a chair.  FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing the components of the support cushion and a first strap arrangement to attach it to the arms of a chair. The cushion is designated by the numeral  1 . Cushion  1  comprises a top piece  2  and a bottom piece  3  which are joined together at their edges by sewing or other appropriate means to form a sack that is filled with a plurality of smooth edge rounded polypropylene pellets  4 . Top piece  2  and bottom piece  3  are made of material having elastic properties, such as polyester, lycra, spandex, cotton, or any combination thereof. The polypropylene pellets  4 , in combination with the expandable fabric top piece  2  and bottom piece  3 , provide a very pliable cushion  1  which molds to the shape of the armrest of the chair and to the user&#39;s arm, maximizing the stability of cushion  1  and the comfort provided to the user. This arrangement is shown in  FIG. 2 . Assembly of the cushion can be accomplished by attaching the edges of top piece  2  and bottom piece  3  together at their edges except for a small filler opening, through which pellets  4  are inserted prior to the opening being closed. While cushion  1  is shown in the drawings as being made with top piece  2  and bottom piece  3  comprising equal halves, the proportions of the two can vary, for example, with top piece  2  describing a larger portion of cushion  1  than bottom piece  3 . Alternatively, the cushion can be made of a single piece of material attached together at its side edges, or can be formed as a one-piece sleeve with the ends closed by appropriate means such as sewing. In addition, the shape of cushion  1  is not limited to that which is shown in the drawings. 
     Polypropylene pellets  4  advantageously are somewhat oblong in shape, as is shown in an enlarged view in  FIG. 13 . The ranges of dimensions are a mid-point diameter (D) of one-sixteenth to three-sixteenths of an inch and a length (L) of one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch. The preferred dimensions are a mid-point diameter (D) of one-eighth of an inch and a length (L) of three sixteenths of an inch. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , an outer top cover piece  6  and an outer bottom cover piece  7  can alternatively be installed about the cushion  1 . Outer top cover piece  6  and outer bottom cover piece  7  also can be made of fabric having elastic properties, or can be of non-elastic fabrics such as nylon, denim or neoprene, which provide more protection for cushion  1  and can be covered by decorative patterns. The presence of outer pieces  6  and  7  also facilitates the use of a number of different means for attaching cushion  1  to the armrests of chairs of varying types without compromising the integrity of the structure of inner cushion  1 . 
     Further, the outer cover comprised of outer top cover piece  6  and outer bottom cover piece  7  may be openable so as to remove the inner cushion comprised of top piece  2  and bottom piece  3 . This feature allows the outer cover to be more easily washed once the inner cushion is removed. The outer covers  6  and  7  may be closeable by any means known in the art. Such means may include but are not limited to: zippers, buttons, snaps, hook and loop mechanisms, or any other mechanisms currently or later known. 
     The manners of attachment of the elbow support to the armrests of chairs, which are described below, apply to both the basic single layer embodiment of cushion  1  that is shown in  FIG. 2 , and the alternative two-layer construction shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     A first manner of attaching the cushion is shown in detail in  FIG. 1 . This system comprises a pair of straps  9  and  10 , each of which includes a toe section  11  upon which is one of the elements  12  of a hook and loop fastening system, that is, the hooks or the loops, a mid section  13 , upon which is the other element  14  of a hook and loop fastening system, and an end section  15  which terminates in a loop  16  through which a ring  17  is passed. As shown in  FIG. 1 , mid sections  13  and end sections  15  are attached to cushion  1  by sewing them into the seam connecting top piece  2  and bottom piece  3  or, if so provided of outer cover pieces  6  and  7 .  FIG. 4  illustrates how the toe section  11  of each strap is passed through its respective ring  17  and then doubled back to engage the hook and loop fastening system. In  FIGS. 5 and 6  the elbow support attachment is shown installed upon the upper surface of the armrest  20  of a desk chair by passing straps  9  and  10  around the armrests  20  and then securing them in place. Also, as shown in  FIG. 1 , an additional piece of hook or loop fabric  21  can be attached to the side of cushion  1  to secure long loose ends of toe sections  11  of straps  9  and  10 , if need be. A non-slip pad may be interposed between the cushion and the armrest to prevent the cushion from moving during use. 
     Alternative embodiments of the strap construction are also within the scope of the invention. For example, a first strap section carrying the hook portions of a hook and loop fastening system can extend from one side of the cushion, to mate with a second strap section carrying the loop portion of the hook and loop fastening system. Another example is making straps  9  and  10  of one-piece construction and passing them through cushion  1  or through loops attached to the exterior surface of bottom piece  3  or, in the case of the two layer construction described below, through outer bottom piece  7 . Straps with common buckle fasteners also can be used, as can separate straps that encircle the cushion and the arm of the chair upon which it is placed. 
       FIGS. 5 ,  6 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10  show the invention attached to a desk chair&#39;s armrest. As used herein, the term armrest can be broadly defined as a “secondary surface”. To that end, the present disclosure contemplates attaching the cushion  1  to any secondary surface. Such secondary surfaces may include: a shoulder strap, a mouse pad, a vehicle console or any other console, a keyboard tray, or any other surface where a user may benefit from applying the described cushion thereupon. 
       FIG. 7  shows the elbow support attachment in the form having an outer top piece  6  and an outer bottom piece  7 . Attached to outer bottom piece  7  is a strip of fabric  22 , which carries either the hook or the loop element  23  of a hook and loop fastening system. In  FIG. 8 , the other element  24  of the hook and loop fastening system is provided on two straps  25  which encircle armrest  20 . A similar system is shown in  FIG. 9 , where a connecting strap  26  attaches the two straps  25  together. The system shown in  FIG. 9  insures that cushion  1  can be positioned in a variety of locations on armrest  20 . In both of these arrangements, the straps can be attached to the arm of the chair by their own hook and loop systems or, alternatively, can be held in place by gluing or adhesive tape. A third version of this system is shown in  FIG. 10 , where a single panel  25  or a plurality of panels carrying the mating hook or loop element is attached to the top of armrest  20  of the chair by gluing or adhesive tape, which attaches directly to strip  22 . 
     Another manner of attachment is by means of tension clamps. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a tension clamp  30  has a pair of opposed upwardly facing spring-loaded clamping arms  31  and a pair of downwardly facing spring-loaded clamping arms  32 . Upwardly facing arms  31  can directly engage cushion  1  or, as shown in  FIG. 11 , can engage a hard base  33  that is placed beneath cushion  1 , or the downwardly facing tension loaded clamping arms can be attached directly to a hard base, upon which cushion  1  can be attached through any of the means described herein. This arrangement is particularly well suited to install the elbow support upon an armrest where structure inhibits the attachment of the aforementioned straps, such as those commonly found on stadium, theater, airline and other like seats. The arrangement shown in  FIG. 12  utilizes a pair of downwardly facing tension-loaded clamping arms  34 , which can be attached directly to cushion  1  by means such as sewing or passing through a loop. Clips  31 ,  32  and  34  can be made of any suitable material, such as metal or plastic. 
       FIG. 13  shows the use of smooth edge rounded polypropylene pellets in the size ranges set forth above contained in a sack of material which has elastic properties makes the inventive elbow support attachment very flexible, and therefore it can conform to a multitude of armrest shapes and sizes while still providing very comfortable elbow support for the user. The plurality of manners in which the elbow support can be attached allows it to be used with virtually any armrest style or shape. These factors also make the device easily installable and removable from the armrest upon which it has been placed. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered a most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangement, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements.