US20130180940A1 - Auxiliary Support Installed onto Chair Armrest - Google Patents

Abstract

An auxiliary support to be installed onto a chair armrest is disclosed. The auxiliary support includes a first adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and has one end formed as a rotating end that is vertically connected to a connecting end of the armrest, a second adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and forward and backward and has one end formed as a rotating end that is transversely connected to a connecting end at an opposite end of the first adjusting arm, and a supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable for supporting a portable device (e.g. a tablet computer or a book). Thereby, a user sitting in the chair can put the portable device on the auxiliary support and operate it comfortably.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Technical Field
• The present invention relates to an auxiliary support to be installed onto a chair armrest for supporting a portable device. The auxiliary support allows multidirectional adjustment so that a user sitting in the chair can operate the portable device comfortably. The auxiliary support thus frees the user hands from holding the portable device, so the user can freely use his/her both hands to do other works.
• 2. Description of Related Art
• Led by the fervent love to Apple iPad, tablet computers have rapidly swept across the market of consumer electronics. This urges manufactures to invest more in developing portable devices, such as those operating with Android. Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 8 or Windows Phone to further fuel the battle in the near future. These portable devices feature for touch control, which is easier to operate and provides users with fresh and pleased using experience totally different from traditional desktop computers and laptop computers. Besides, they are portable in nature, so they can be used anywhere conveniently.
• When sitting in a chair before a desk, a user may have to take care of other works in addition to operating a portable device. In this case, the user has to hold the portable device with one hand, and operate it with the other hand. Before finishing the operation and resting the portable device on the desk, the user's hands will never be free to do other works. Repeatedly taking up and putting down the portable device is absolutely an inconvenience to the user. If the working space on the desktop is insufficient, the user can be terribly troubled and inefficient in dealing with his/her works.
• For making the operation of the portable device more convenient, some proposals have been made. For example, China Patent No. CN201120110079 has provided a device that is mainly composed of a fixing rod, a first rotating rod, an adapter, a second rotating rod and a supporting tray. The fixing rod is fixedly connected to a chair. The first rotating rod is pivotally connected to the fixing rod. The adapter and the first rotating rod are pivotally connected. The second rotating rod and the adapter are also pivotally connected. The supporting tray is attached to the second rotating rod, so the supporting tray can be positioned in various directions and angles. After the support is fixed to the chair, a portable device can be placed on the supporting tray, so that a user sitting in the chair can easily operate the portable device without holding it in hand. This allows the user to freely use his/her both hands to do other works and frees the user from the concern about where to put the portable device. Also, by using this support, the portable device will not take space on the desktop.
• However, since the prior-art support has the fixing rod fixed to the bottom of the chair seat, and has the first rotating rod pivoting outward, is would be difficult to adjust the altitude and position of the portable device placed on the supporting tray. For example, when the first rotating rod pivots upward to bring the supporting tray to a desired altitude, and then the second rotating rod pivots inward to draw the supporting tray toward the user, it is likely that the supporting tray is too far to be reached by the user's hands. In this case, the user may have to adjust the first rotating rod upward or downward to ensure that the supporting tray, after the second rotating rod pivots, is reachable to his/her hands. Nevertheless, doing this can cause the altitude of the supporting tray changed, in turn making the portable device be positioned too high or too low.
• In addition, the prior-art support has the supporting tray pivotable, inclinable and movable along the second rotating rod. Thus, adjustment of the supporting tray requires many operational steps. This not only complicates the operation of the supporting tray, but also makes the adjustment of the supporting tray difficult and inconvenient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Hence, for remedying the inconvenience in adjusting an existing auxiliary support that is installed on a chair for supporting a portable device, the present invention provides an auxiliary support that is directly installed onto an armrest that is vertically adjustable. The auxiliary support includes a first adjusting arm that is pivotally connected to the armrest so can pivot up and down, and a second adjusting arm that is connected to a connecting member at a terminal of the first adjusting arm so can pivot up and down and forward and backward, and a supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable. Thus, a portable device positioned on the supporting tray, can be easily adjusted to a position allowing a user sitting in the chair to operate it comfortably by operating the first and second adjusting arms and vertically adjusting the armrest. Thereby, the auxiliary support of the present invention provides improved convenience and usability, so is more practicable.
• The technical scheme used by the present invention to solve the technical problem is providing the auxiliary support comprising a first adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and has one end formed as a rotating end that is vertically connected to a connecting end of the armrest, a second adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and forward and backward and has one end formed as a rotating end that is transversely connected to a connecting end at an opposite end of the first adjusting arm, and a supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable. In the foregoing scheme, the connecting end of the first adjusting arm and the rotating end of the second adjusting arm are connected by a connecting member, the connecting member having one end formed as a rotating end and an opposite end formed as a connecting end, a rotatable positioning unit being provided between the rotating end of the connecting member and the connecting end of the first adjusting arm, and another rotatable positioning unit being provided between the connecting end of the connecting member and the rotating end of the second adjusting arm.
• In the foregoing scheme, a rotatable positioning unit is provided between the rotating end of the first adjusting arm and the connecting end of the armrest.
• In the foregoing scheme, the rotatable positioning unit comprises a guiding portion that is formed centrally in the connecting end and is for receiving a toothed member pushed outward by a spring, the connecting end and the toothed member both annularly formed with teeth to always engage with each other, the rotating end also having teeth for engaging with the teeth of the toothed member, a fastening member pivotally fastening the rotating end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton being attached to an outer side of the rotating end, so that pins of the pushbutton pass through the rotating end and abut against the toothed member.
• In the foregoing scheme, the connecting end has an outer periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a retaining portion to be received in the limiting recess.
• In the foregoing scheme, the supporting tray has a lower edge thereof provided with a lower retaining portion, and two lateral retainers are slidably attached a lower surface of the supporting tray so as to be expanded and retracted with respect to two sides of the supporting tray, in which each said lateral retainer has an outer end provided with a holding portion.
• In the foregoing scheme, a stationary case is attached to an outer side of the lower retaining portion of the supporting tray.
• In the foregoing scheme, each of the lateral retainers has two legs for passing through two through holes formed on the supporting tray and being slidably received in two channels formed at the lower surface of the supporting tray and covered by a covering plate, and each of the two legs is terminated with an inward bent hook portion that is to be retained by a stop portion formed in the channel.
• In the foregoing scheme, each of the channels is partially narrowed to provide a narrowed segment for closely fitting the corresponding leg.
• In the foregoing scheme, the second adjusting arm has a terminal thereof fixedly connected to a spherical joint that has a ball part, and a universal unit corresponding to the supporting tray is provided to receive the ball part.
• In the foregoing scheme, the spherical joint has a lower end thereof provided with a fixing portion to be fixedly connected with the connecting seat at the terminal of the second adjusting arm, the fixing portion has an upper end thereof formed as the ball part, and the universal unit comprising a lower hemispherical recess formed on the supporting tray and a combining member that is fixed to the supporting tray and has a lower surface thereof formed with an upper hemispherical recess so that the ball part is rotatably received between the upper and lower hemispherical recesses.
• In the foregoing scheme, a raised retaining portion that is formed like a continuous circle near a top of the ball part and defines therein moving area, while two symmetrical raised retaining portions are formed at two sides of a ceiling of the upper hemispherical recess so that the two raised retaining portions are received in the moving area.
• In the foregoing scheme, a notch is formed in the lower hemispherical recess of the supporting tray for receiving a pushed member, and a pushing element is screwed into the supporting tray corresponding to the pushed member, so that the pushed member is pressed by the pushing element to tightly abut against the ball part.
• The benefits of the present invention include that the disclosed auxiliary support, when installed onto the armrest, allows the supporting tray supporting a portable device to be easily adjusted to a position where the portable device can be easily operated by means of adjusting the first and second adjusting arms up/down, right/left and forward/backward, and vertically adjusting the armrest. Additionally, when the auxiliary support is not in use, the first and second adjusting arms and the supporting tray can be folded and retraced at the outer side of the armrest, so the auxiliary support will not take space and hinder the user's motions. Furthermore, the combination of the spherical joint and the universal unit allows the supporting tray to be positioned in any direction simply and easily yet prevents the supporting tray from being over inclined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a connecting end and a rotating end of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the connecting end and the rotating end of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting end and the rotating end of the present invention.
• FIG. 8 illustrates operation of the connecting end and the rotating end of the present invention.
• FIG. 9 illustrates pivot limits of a first adjusting arm of the present invention.
• FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a supporting tray of the present invention.
• FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a supporting tray of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting tray and a second adjusting arm of the present invention.
• FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting tray and the second adjusting arm of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 14 andFIG. 15 illustrate adjustment of the supporting tray of the present invention.
• FIG. 16 is an exploded view of a lateral retainer of the supporting tray of the present invention.
• FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the lateral retainer of the supporting tray of the present invention taken in a different direction.
• FIG. 18 illustrates adjustment of the lateral retainers on the supporting tray of the present invention.
• FIG. 19 illustrates the lateral retainer of the supporting tray of the present invention being stopped when pulled outward.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Referring toFIG. 1 andFIG. 2, according to the present invention, anauxiliary support1 is attached to connecting end a₁at an outer side of a verticallymovable armrest2. Theauxiliary support1 includes afirst adjusting arm11 whose rotating end a₂is pivotally conned to the connecting end a₁of thearmrest2, so that thefirst adjusting arm11 is allowed to pivot up and down. Thefirst adjusting arm11 further has an opposite connecting end a₁, which is coupled to a rotating end a₂of a connectingmember13, so that the connectingmember13 is allowed to pivot right and left. The connectingmember13 further has an opposite connecting end a₁, which is coupled to a rotating end a₂of asecond adjusting arm12, so that thesecond adjusting arm12 is allowed to pivot front and back. Thesecond adjusting arm12 further has an opposite end coupled with an adjustablyinclinable supporting tray14.
• Referring also toFIG. 3 andFIG. 4, between each of the connecting ends a₁of thearmrest2, thefirst adjusting arm11 and the connectingmember13 and its corresponding rotating end a₂of thefirst adjusting arm11, the connectingmember13 or thesecond adjusting arm12, there is a rotatable positioning unit A. In addition to the connecting end a₁and the rotating end a₂, the rotatable positioning unit A further has a toothed member a₃, a spring a₄, a fastening member a₅, and a pushbutton a₆. The detailed configuration of the rotatable positioning unit A can be seen inFIG. 5,FIG. 6 andFIG. 7. The connecting end a₁is centrally formed with a guiding portion a₁₁for positioning the toothed member a₃and guiding it to move. A spring a₄is arranged between the toothed member a₃and the connecting end a₁so that the toothed member a₃is resiliently propped outward by the spring a₄. The toothed member a₃and the connecting end a₁have teeth a₃₁and a₁₂that always engage with each other. The connecting end a₁has its outer periphery formed with a limiting recess a₁₃for providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end a₂has a retaining portion a₂₂to be received in the limiting recess a₁₃. The rotating end a₂also has teeth a₂₁for engaging with the teeth a₃₁of the toothed member a₃. In addition, a fastening member a₅can pass through the rotating end a₂and fixed to the guiding portion a₁₁of the connecting end a₁, so that the rotating end a₂is pivotally fixed and rotatable. A pushbutton a₆including a plurality of pins a₆₁has the pins a₆₁passing through the rotating end a₂and then abut against the toothed member a₃. Thus, as shown inFIG. 8 andFIG. 9, in response to pushing or releasing the pushbutton a₆, the toothed member a₃moves transversely, thereby making the teeth a₃₁of the toothed member a₃and the teeth a₂₁of the rotating end a₂disengage from or engage with each other, in turn allowing the components of the rotating end a₂(such as thefirst adjusting arm11, thesecond adjusting arm12 and the connecting member13) to pivot. Moreover, since the retaining portion a₂₂of the rotating end a₂is limited by the limiting recess a₁₃of the connecting end a₁, the pivot angle of the components of the rotating end a₂is limited in a predetermined range.
• Furthermore, the connection between thesecond adjusting arm12 and the supportingtray14 is shown in detailed inFIG. 10 throughFIG. 13. Thesecond adjusting arm12 has its terminal provided with a connectingseat121 that is connected to a spherical joint31. The spherical joint31 includes a fixingportion311 inserted into and fixedly held by the connectingseat121. The fixingportion311 is formed atop with aball part312. Near the top of theball part312, a raised retainingportion313 is formed like a continuous circle that defines therein movingarea314.
• Additionally, the supportingtray14 has a universal unit corresponding to the spherical joint31 for receiving theball part312. The universal unit comprises a lowerhemispherical recess141 provided on the supportingtray14, anotch142 formed at one side of the lowerhemispherical recess141, a pushingelement35 screwed into the supportingtray14 from outside and corresponding to thenotch142, and a pushedmember34 received in thenotch142, so that by rotating the pushingelement35, the pushedmember34 is pushed or released.
• A combiningmember32 is fixed to the supportingtray14 and facing the lowerhemispherical recess141. The combiningmember32 is its lower surface formed with an upperhemispherical recess321. At two side of the ceiling of the upperhemispherical recess321, there are symmetrical raised retainingportions322. The two raised retainingportions322 are allowed to move within the movingarea314 of the spherical joint31. Finally, acover33 is inlaid to the supportingtray14 for covering the whole universal unit.
• Thereby, as shown inFIG. 14 andFIG. 15, in virtue of the spherical joint31 having theball part312 and the universal unit received between the upper and lowerhemispherical recesses321,141, the supportingtray14 can be inclined in any direction. Meanwhile, the raised retainingportion313 of the spherical joint31 and the raised retainingportion322 in the upperhemispherical recess321 jointly limit the inclining angle of the supportingtray14, so as to prevent the supportingtray14 from being over inclined and making the portable device drop. Also, the easy rotatory operation of the pushingelement35 can make the supportingtray14 positioned reliably. Thus, the overall adjusting and positioning operation of the supportingtray14 is simpler and easier, and can adjust and position the supportingtray14 as a user desires more rapidly and more precisely.
• Then, referring toFIG. 16 throughFIG. 19, the supportingtray14 at the terminal of thesecond adjusting arm12 has its lower edge provided with alower retaining portion146, and astationary case147 is attached to the outer side of thelower retaining portion146. Twolateral retainers15 are slidably attached the lower surface of the supportingtray14 to be expanded and retracted with respect to two sides of the supportingtray14. Each of thelateral retainers15 has a holdingportion150 formed at an outer end thereof and has twolegs151 each terminated with an inwardbent hook portion152. After the twolegs151 pass through two throughholes140 formed on the supportingtray14, they are slidably received in twochannels143 formed at the lower surface of the supportingtray14 and covered by a coveringplate16. Each of thechannels143 is partially narrowed to provide a narrowedsegment144 for closely fitting thecorresponding leg151. Thehook portion152 at the terminal of theleg151 is to hook astop portion145 formed in thechannel143, so that thelateral retainer15 can be pulled outward or pushed inward, for fittingly holding a portable device placed on the supportingtray14.
• Thus, when a portable device (e.g. a tablet computer or the like) is positioned on the supportingtray14, the first and second adjustingarms11,12 and the connectingmember13 can be operated to move the supportingtray14 up or down and forward or backward. Plus the vertical adjustability of thearmrest2, the supportingtray14 can be easily adjusted to a position allowing a user to operate the portable device comfortably. When theauxiliary support1 is not needed, the first and second adjustingarms11,12 and the supportingtray14 can be folded and retraced at the outer side of thearmrest2, so theauxiliary support1 not in use will not take space and hinder the user's motions.

Claims (15)

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary support to be attached to an outer side of a vertically adjustable chair armrest, the auxiliary support comprising a first adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and has one end formed as a rotating end that is vertically connected to a connecting end of the armrest, a second adjusting arm that is able to pivot up and down and forward and backward and has one end formed as a rotating end that is transversely connected to a connecting end at an opposite end of the first adjusting arm, and a supporting tray that is connected to an opposite end of the second adjusting arm and is adjustably inclinable.

2. The supporting device ofclaim 1, wherein the connecting end of the first adjusting arm and the rotating end of the second adjusting arm are connected by a connecting member, the connecting member having one end formed as a rotating end and an opposite end formed as a connecting end, a rotatable positioning unit being provided between the rotating end of the connecting member and the connecting end of the first adjusting arm, and another rotatable positioning unit being provided between the connecting end of the connecting member and the rotating end of the second adjusting arm.

3. The supporting device ofclaim 1, wherein a rotatable positioning unit is provided between the rotating end of the first adjusting arm and the connecting end of the armrest.

4. The supporting device ofclaim 2, wherein the rotatable positioning unit comprises a guiding portion that is formed centrally in the connecting end and is for receiving a toothed member pushed outward by a spring, the connecting end and the toothed member both annularly formed with teeth to always engage with each other, the rotating end also having teeth for engaging with the teeth of the toothed member, a fastening member pivotally fastening the rotating end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton having a plurality of pins being attached to an outer side of the rotating end, so that the pins pass through the rotating end and abut against the toothed member, thereby pushing the toothed member to move and making the teeth of the toothed member and the teeth of the rotating end disengage from or engage with each other.

5. The supporting device ofclaim 4, wherein the connecting end has an outer periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a retaining portion to be received in the limiting recess.

6. The supporting device ofclaim 1, wherein the supporting tray has a lower edge thereof provided with a lower retaining portion, and two lateral retainers are slidably attached a lower surface of the supporting tray so as to be expanded and retracted with respect to two sides of the supporting tray, in which each said lateral retainer has an outer end provided with a holding portion.

7. The supporting device ofclaim 6, wherein a stationary case is attached to an outer side of the lower retaining portion of the supporting tray.

8. The supporting device ofclaim 6, wherein each of the lateral retainers has two legs for passing through two through holes formed on the supporting tray and being slidably received in two channels formed at the lower surface of the supporting tray and covered by a covering plate, and each of the two legs is terminated with an inward bent hook portion that is to be retained by a stop portion formed in the channel.

9. The supporting device ofclaim 8, wherein each of the channels is partially narrowed to provide a narrowed segment for closely fitting the corresponding leg.

10. The supporting device ofclaim 1, wherein the second adjusting arm has a terminal thereof fixedly connected to a spherical joint that has a ball part, and a universal unit corresponding to the supporting tray is provided to receive the ball part.

11. The supporting device ofclaim 10, wherein the spherical joint has a lower end thereof provided with a fixing portion to be fixedly connected with the connecting seat at the terminal of the second adjusting arm, the fixing portion has an upper end thereof formed as the ball part, and the universal unit comprising a lower hemispherical recess formed on the supporting tray and a combining member that is fixed to the supporting tray and has a lower surface thereof formed with an upper hemispherical recess so that the ball part is received between the upper and lower hemispherical recesses.

12. The supporting device ofclaim 11, wherein a raised retaining portion that is formed like a continuous circle near a top of the ball part and defines therein moving area, while two symmetrical raised retaining portions are formed at two sides of a ceiling of the upper hemispherical recess so that the two raised retaining portions are received in the moving area.

13. The supporting device ofclaim 11, a notch is formed in the lower hemispherical recess of the supporting tray for receiving a pushed member, and a pushing element is screwed into the supporting tray corresponding to the pushed member, so that the pushed member is pressed by the pushing element to tightly abut against the ball part.

14. The supporting device ofclaim 3, wherein the rotatable positioning unit comprises a guiding portion that is formed centrally in the connecting end and is for receiving a toothed member pushed outward by a spring, the connecting end and the toothed member both annularly formed with teeth to always engage with each other, the rotating end also having teeth for engaging with the teeth of the toothed member, a fastening member pivotally fastening the rotating end to the connecting end, and a pushbutton having a plurality of pins being attached to an outer side of the rotating end, so that the pins pass through the rotating end and abut against the toothed member, thereby pushing the toothed member to move and making the teeth of the toothed member and the teeth of the rotating end disengage from or engage with each other.

15. The supporting device ofclaim 14, wherein the connecting end has an outer periphery thereof formed with a limiting recess for providing a predetermined angular range, and the rotating end has a retaining portion to be received in the limiting recess.

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