Patent ID: 6893096

Claim:
A mechanism for supporting and permitting selected adjustment of the position of a headrest relative to a back of a chair, the mechanism comprising an elongate mounting body, a first bracket to which a headrest may be connected, said first bracket being pivotally connected at a first pivot adjacent one end of said body, a second bracket for connecting to the chair back, said second bracket being pivotally connected at a second pivot adjacent an end of said body opposite said one end, a plurality of elongate parallel first plate members pivotally connected adjacent one set of their ends to said first bracket at a third pivot in a region spaced from said first pivot, said first plate members extending longitudinally of said body toward the opposite end of said body, said first plate members having elongate longitudinally extending first slots formed therein spaced from said third pivot, a plurality of elongate parallel second plate members pivotally connected adjacent one set of their ends to said second bracket at a fourth pivot in a region spaced from said second pivot, said second plate members extending longitudinally of said body toward said one end of the body, said second plate members having elongate longitudinally extending second slots formed therein spaced from said fourth pivot, said second plate members being interleaved with said first plate members in a region intermediate opposite ends of said body, with portions of said first and second slots aligned, a plate abutment adjacent one side of said body, an elongate locking member extending transversely of said body and slidably through aligned portions of said first and second slots, said locking member having a bearing portion thereon positioned to engage a plate member on the side of said interleaved portions of said first and second plate members opposite said abutment, biasing means urging said bearing portion toward said abutment to clamp said first and second plate members into a locking engagement to secure said first and second brackets against rotation about said first and second pivots, and a release mechanism manually operable to shift said bearing portion in a direction away from said abutment to permit relative sliding movement between said first plate members and said second plate members to adjust the angular positions of the first and second brackets relative to the body.