Armrest joint for mounting an armrest to a workbench tabletop and workbench with armrest

Abstract

Armrest joint (1) for mounting an armrest (20) to a workbench top with at least one fastening element (3) for attachment to the underside of the workbench top and with mechanical functional parts for positioning and fixing the armrest (20) relative to the workbench top, characterized by a clamping lever (4), wherein the clamping lever (4) is operatively connected to the mechanical functional parts in such a way that the mechanical functional parts for positioning the armrest (20) relative to the workbench top can be transferred into a release function by means of the clamping lever (4), and after the desired position of the armrest (20) has been set by the functional parts transferred into the release function, the functional parts can be transferred into a fixing function by means of the clamping lever (4).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an armrest joint for mounting an armrest to a tabletop of a workbench, comprising at least one fastening element for fastening to the underside of the tabletop and having mechanical functional parts for positioning and fixing the armrest relative to the tabletop, according to the preamble of claim 1, as well as to a workbench having a tabletop and at least one armrest, which is mounted to the tabletop via the armrest joint according to the invention, according to claim 11.

[0002] A large number of armrests for workbenches are known from the prior art, which can be adjustably attached to the table top of these workbenches, in which the individual functional parts or elements for adjusting the armrests relative to the workbench must be individually adjusted using different fixing and adjusting elements.

[0003] DE 10 2020 132 854 A1, for example, discloses a watchmaker's workbench with two armrests, each attached to the underside of the workbench's tabletop. The armrests can be adjusted in their position relative to the tabletop in various ways. Firstly, the armrests can be rotated about their longitudinal axes. Furthermore, the armrests can be pivoted about a vertical axis relative to the contour line sections in such a way that they can be moved from a position parallel to the associated contour line sections to a position in which the longitudinal axis forms an angle with the linear contour line sections. Furthermore, it is provided that the armrests can be tilted downwards out of the plane of the tabletop.For this purpose, a bearing is provided around a tilting axis, which allows the armrests to be moved downwards around this tilting axis so that they extend along their longitudinal axis from below the table top diagonally upwards.

[0004] It is therefore unquestionable that the armrests known from the prior art must be connected to the tabletop via an armrest joint in order to achieve the desired armrest adjustments. However, as already described in the aforementioned prior art, a separate tilt axis is provided specifically for height adjustment.

[0005] As already described in the aforementioned state of the art, the watchmaking profession, for example, requires precise handling of a multitude of very small, delicate components in their daily work. To achieve this, it is important that the watchmaker has a good view of the components and can handle them well. This work is demanding and requires utmost concentration and smooth movements. The need for 3D adjustment options for armrests is recommended by, among others, the Swiss SUVA for ergonomic reasons, for use by watchmakers / precision mechanics and all possible workplaces where forearm support is necessary.Therefore, the design of such workplaces requires a particularly high level of ergonomics to prevent fatigue for as long as possible. This should be ensured, among other things, by armrests for the forearms of watchmakers, precision mechanics, goldsmiths, or dental laboratory technicians. To adjust the armrests, the individual positions of the armrests, controlled by various fixing and adjustment elements, must be adapted to the current sitting or standing position of the watchmaker, precision mechanic, goldsmith, or dental laboratory technician. Disclosure of the invention

[0006] The object of the invention is to improve the adjustment options of armrest systems known from the prior art. The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a simplified adjustment of armrests relative to the tabletop of a workbench via a kinematic system designed in such a way that adjustment of the armrest via the kinematic system, in particular via an armrest joint, is ensured with only a very small number of manual steps. Furthermore, the invention provides a possibility for the design of a workbench that similarly achieves the above object.

[0007] The above object is achieved by an armrest joint for mounting an armrest to a table top of a workbench having the features of claim 1, and by a workbench having a table top and at least one armrest which is mounted to the table top via the armrest joint according to the invention, having the features of claim 11.

[0008] For the purposes of this application, a “workbench” is to be understood as meaning, inter alia, a watchmaker’s workbench, a goldsmith’s workbench, a dental laboratory workbench or a precision mechanic’s workbench.

[0009] Further advantages, features and details of the invention emerge from the subclaims, the description and the drawings.

[0010] The armrest joint according to the invention for mounting an armrest to a table top of a workbench with at least one fastening element for fastening to the underside of the table top and with mechanical functional parts for positioning and fixing the armrest relative to the table top includes the technical teaching that by means of a clamping lever, wherein the clamping lever is operatively connected to the mechanical functional parts in such a way that the mechanical functional parts for positioning the armrest relative to the table top can be converted into a release function by means of the clamping lever, and after the desired position of the armrest has been set by the functional parts transferred into the release function, the functional parts can be converted into a fixing function by means of the clamping lever.

[0011] The feature “a clamping lever” should be understood as the number “one” in the sense of the present invention.

[0012] It also goes without saying that the functional parts can be converted from a release function to a fixation function and back again using the clamping lever, which means that both the release function and the fixation function can be implemented as often as required using the clamping lever.

[0013] For the purposes of the present invention, the “release function” is understood to mean the function that serves to adjust or position the armrest via the armrest joint.

[0014] In the context of the present invention, the “fixing function” is understood to mean the function in which the armrest is to be fixed relative to the table top of the workbench via the armrest joint after it has been adjusted and positioned.

[0015] In contrast to the known adjustment options for armrests using functional elements that can be released and fixed separately, the transfer or mechanical control of the functional parts or elements of the armrest joint according to the invention is carried out via a single clamping lever. Thus, by actuating only one clamping lever into a release position, the armrest can be adjusted relative to the workbench top, and by actuating only one clamping lever into a closed position, the adjusted position of the armrest can be fixed via the armrest joint according to the invention.

[0016] The armrest joint according to the invention advantageously combines the following properties, which are discussed in more detail below in the description of the figures: - easy installation under an existing table top; - Low installation height; - Adjustment of the 3D upholstered plate screwed to the armrest in space via a ball joint; - Correction of the cushion plate in height to the table (via a knurled nut); - Correction of the cushion plate in the distance from the table via a slide; - easy operation with just one clamping lever that releases and fixes all functions; - through the use of pure mechanics, which makes the armrest joint according to the invention wear-resistant and - by eliminating hydraulics with potentially leaking oils and leaking O-rings, which results in frequent maintenance intervals and the need to refill low oil levels due to oil loss.

[0017] The armrest joint advantageously comprises a ball housing with a ball socket for accommodating a ball head. The ball head is advantageously connected via a small web to a mounting plate, which serves for attachment to the underside of the armrest. To ensure that the clamping lever can act on the ball head mounted in the ball socket in the release or closed position, the clamping lever is operatively connected to the ball head via a pressure piece. This allows the clamping lever, via the pressure piece, to transfer the ball head in the ball socket of the ball housing from the release function to the locking function and back again.In order to ensure that an effective connection can be established between the clamping lever and the ball head via the pressure piece, the latter is advantageously guided through the clamping housing which is mounted in front of the ball housing and connected to the ball housing in order to be able to exert pressure on the ball head in the area of ​​the ball socket in such a way that the ball head cannot rotate in the ball housing, namely that it is held or fixed in its fixing function in the ball housing by the pressure piece which is effectively connected to the clamping lever.

[0018] Preferably, the fastening element for mounting the armrest joint according to the invention is a fastening slide, comprising at least one fastening plate, which is designed with a surface facing the table top for fastening to the underside of the table top. On the surface of the fastening plate opposite the surface facing the table top, the plate has two side walls that are orthogonal to the fastening plate and parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another.The side walls each have at least one or more recesses in the form of elongated hole guides which run parallel to the longitudinal extent of the fastening plate in the side walls and which enable a clamping housing which is guided in the elongated hole guides via a pressure bolt of the clamping lever and which is connected to the ball housing to be guided along the elongated hole guides parallel to the longitudinal extent of the fastening plate in the release function and to be held in the closed position of the clamping lever by pressing the side walls together and in the fixing function via the pressure bolt between the side walls.

[0019] To adjust the height of the armrest joint according to the invention, a knurled screw is advantageously guided through the clamping housing orthogonally to the pressure bolt operatively connected to the clamping lever, with one end resting on the mounting plate of the mounting slide. The part of the knurled screw guided through the clamping housing advantageously has, at least in sections, an external thread in the form of a threaded rod. The external thread, when passing through the clamping housing, engages, at least in sections, in a form-fitting and friction-locking manner with an internal thread formed at least in sections in the clamping housing.By screwing the knurled screw through the internal thread of the clamp housing and resting it on the mounting plate of the mounting slide, the angle between the mounting plate of the mounting slide and the clamp housing, which is guided between the side walls and is connected to the ball housing, can be advantageously adjusted by rotation around the pressure pin of the clamping lever. The height of the armrest, which is held in the ball housing via the ball head, can be adjusted relative to the table top. The armrest can be fixed in the set position by actuating the clamping lever in the clamping housing's fixing function. In this respect, the height of the arm support joint is also advantageously adjusted indirectly via the clamping lever, which itself has no direct operative connection with the knurled screw.

[0020] A further aspect of the present invention is a workbench with a table top and with at least one armrest which is mounted on the table top via the armrest joint according to the invention.

[0021] The workbench is advantageously designed for use as a watchmaker's workbench, a goldsmith's workbench, a dental laboratory workbench, or a precision mechanic's workbench. However, other workbenches at which people sit or stand and require a support for their forearms to perform their work are also intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Other pieces of furniture, such as chairs, sofas, or armchairs, can also be equipped with armrests connected via the armrest joint according to the invention.

[0022] In order to avoid repetitions regarding the advantages of the workbench according to the invention, reference is made to the description of the advantageous embodiments of the armrest joint according to the invention and the disclosure by this description is fully incorporated and vice versa.

[0023] Preferred embodiments: Further measures improving the invention are presented in more detail below with the description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the figures. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. It should be noted that the embodiments illustrated in the figures are merely descriptive and are not intended to limit the invention in any way.

[0024] They show: Fig. 1 an armrest joint according to the invention in plan view from below; Fig. 2 the armrest joint according to the invention Fig. 1 in side view; Fig. 3 the armrest joint according to the invention Fig. 1 in frontal view of the ball housing; and Fig. 4 a clamping housing of the armrest joint according to the invention in a perspective view obliquely from the front.

[0025] In the different figures, identical parts are always provided with the same reference symbols, which is why they are usually only described once.

[0026] The Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show an armrest joint 1 according to the invention for mounting an armrest 20, with a cushion 21, which is fixed on a holding plate 22 (see Fig. 3). The holding plate 22 is connected to a mounting plate 2 by means of three fastening means (see Fig. 1, recesses in the form of through holes 23 in the mounting plate 2) are connected to the armrest joint 1. By means of a clamping lever 4, all functional parts for positioning and fixing the armrest 20 relative to the table top can be operated or mechanically controlled. The clamping lever 4 is operatively connected to the mechanical functional parts in such a way that the mechanical functional parts for positioning the armrest 20 relative to the table top can be converted into a release function by means of the clamping lever 4, and after the desired position of the armrest has been set by the functional parts transferred to the release function, the functional parts can be transferred to a fixing function by the clamping lever 20. The clamping lever 4 is connected to a pressure bolt 5, which is inserted into recesses 3.4 in the form of elongated hole guides in the side walls 3.2 and 3.3 of the fastening element 3 in the form of a fastening slide 30 parallel to the longitudinal extent XY of the fastening plate 3.1 of the fastening element 3 in the release function can be guided with the clamping housing 10, through which the pressure bolt 5 is guided, and which is connected to a ball housing 6. If the clamping lever 4 is moved into a closed position, this, in conjunction with the pressure bolt 5, causes the side walls 3.2 and 3.3 to be compressed, whereby the clamping housing 10 is held in the set position in the fixing function. For the height adjustment of the armrest joint 1 according to the invention, a knurled screw 11 is guided through the clamping housing 10 orthogonal to the pressure bolt 5 operatively connected to the clamping lever 4, which knurled screw is supported at one end on the fastening plate 3.1 of the fastening slide 30.The part of the knurled screw 11 that passes through the clamping housing 10 is designed, at least in sections, as an external thread in the form of a threaded rod, wherein the external thread, when passing through the clamping housing 10, engages, at least in sections, in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner with an internal thread that is formed, at least in sections, in the clamping housing 10. By screwing the knurled screw 11 through the internal thread of the clamping housing 10 and by being supported on the fastening plate 3.1 of the fastening carriage 30, the angle between the fastening plate 3.1 of the fastening carriage 30 and the angle between the side walls 3.2 and 3.3 guided clamping housing 10, which is connected to the ball housing 6, the armrest 20, which is received in the ball housing 6 via the ball head 8, can be adjusted in its height relative to the table top and can be fixed in the adjusted position by actuating the clamping lever 4 in the fixing function of the clamping housing 10. The clamping lever 4 is also operatively connected to the ball head 8 via a pressure piece 9, so that by means of the clamping lever 4 via the pressure piece 9, the ball head 8 in the area of ​​the ball socket 7 of the ball housing 6 can be transferred from the release function to the fixing function and back again. To activate the clamping lever 4, it has a push button 4.1.

[0027] In Fig.Figure 4 shows a clamp housing 10 of the armrest joint according to the invention in a perspective view obliquely from the front. The opening for the pressure piece 9 can be seen at the front. The bore 100 formed on the top serves as a passage for the knurled screw 11. The recess 55 serves as a passage for the pressure pin 5 through the clamp housing 10. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2020 132 854 A1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Armrest joint (1) for mounting an armrest (20) to a table top of a workbench with at least one fastening element (3) for fastening to the underside of the table top and with mechanical functional parts for positioning and fixing the armrest (20) relative to the table top, characterized by a clamping lever (4), wherein the clamping lever (4) is operatively connected to the mechanical functional parts in such a way that the mechanical functional parts for positioning the armrest (20) relative to the table top can be converted into a release function by means of the clamping lever (4), and after the desired position of the armrest (20) has been set by the functional parts converted into the release function, the functional parts can be converted into a fixing function by the clamping lever (4). [2] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 1, characterized bya ball housing (6) with a ball socket (7) for receiving a ball head (8), which is connected to a mounting plate (2) for fastening to the armrest (20), wherein the clamping lever (4) is operatively connected to the ball head (8) via a pressure piece (9) in such a way that by means of the clamping lever (4) via the pressure piece (9) the ball head (8) in the ball socket (7) of the ball housing (6) can be transferred from the release function to the fixing function and back. [3] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the fastening element (3) is designed in the form of a fastening slide (30), with at least one fastening plate (3.1) which is designed for fastening to the underside of the table top and with two side walls (3.2 and 3.3) which are orthogonal to the fastening plate (3.1) and parallel to one another and spaced apart, each with at least one recess (3.4) in the form of an elongated hole guide which runs parallel to the longitudinal extent (XY) of the fastening plate (3.1) in the side walls (3.2 and 3.3). [4] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 3, characterized bythat a pressure bolt (5) which is operatively connected to the clamping lever (4) and lying orthogonally to the longitudinal extent (XY) of the fastening plate (3.1) engages through the recesses (3.4) of the side walls (3.2 and 3.3) and through a clamping housing (10) guided between the side walls (3.2 and 3.3) in the longitudinal extension (XY) of the fastening plate (3.1) in such a way that the clamping housing (10) can be transferred from the release function to the fixing function and back via the clamping lever (4) of the pressure bolt (5) in operative function with the side walls (3.2 and 3.3). [5] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 4, characterized by that the terminal housing (10) and the ball housing (6) are operatively connected to one another. [6] Armrest joint (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the pressure piece (9) which is operatively connected to the clamping lever (4) reaches through the clamping housing (10) to the ball socket (7) of the ball housing (6). [7] Armrest joint (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a knurled screw (11) is guided through the clamping housing (10) orthogonally to the pressure bolt (5) of the clamping lever (4), which is supported with one end on the fastening plate (3.1) of the fastening slide (30). [8] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 7, characterized by that the knurled screw (11) is designed in the form of a threaded rod with a knurled nut (11.1) as a head, wherein the threaded rod engages in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner in an internal thread formed in the clamping housing (10). [9] Armrest joint (1) according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized bythat the angle between the fastening plate (3.1) of the fastening slide (30) and the clamping housing (10) guided between the side walls (3.2 and 3.3) can be adjusted with the knurled screw (11) in the release function of the clamping housing (10) by rotation around the pressure bolt (5) of the clamping lever (4). [10] Armrest joint (1) according to claim 9, characterized by that by adjusting the angle between the fastening plate (3.1) of the fastening slide (30) and the clamping housing (10) guided between the side walls (3.2 and 3.3), which is connected to the ball housing (6), the armrest (20) received in the ball housing (6) via the ball head (8) can be adjusted in its height relative to the table top and can be fixed in the set position by actuating the clamping lever (4) in the fixing function of the clamping housing (10). [11] Workbench with a table top and with at least one armrest (20) which is mounted on the table top via the armrest joint (1) according to one of the preceding claims. [12] Workbench according to claim 11 with two armrests (20) for supporting and supporting the forearms of a person standing or sitting at the workbench. [13] Workbench according to claim 11 or 12 for use as a watchmaker's workbench, as a goldsmith's workbench, as a dental laboratory workbench or as a precision mechanic's workbench.

Images