Tiltable armrest assembly and chair including same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an armrest assembly and a chair including the same, and particularly to a fixed bracket part fixed to both left and right ends of a seat panel part and having an internal space opening upward, a lifting part provided on an upper part of the fixed bracket part so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a tilting arm pad part provided on an upper end of the lifting part so as to be tiltable and slidable in the front-rear direction, and a safety cover part that links with the tilting arm pad part when tilting and does not link with the tilting arm pad part when sliding, and covers a space between the lifting part and the tilting arm pad part, and a sliding guide slot is formed in the tilting arm pad part so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the safety cover part, thereby providing an advantage of greatly improving user convenience.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tiltable armrest assembly and a chair including the same, and more particularly to an armrest assembly capable of tilting and sliding movement, which can minimize user inconvenience when tilting the backrest, and a chair including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] FIG. 1 is an assembly example showing a part of a chair in which an armrest assembly according to the prior art is integrally assembled with a seat panel.

[0003] Generally, as shown in Fig. 1, a chair includes a seat plate 10 provided in the form of a cushion for a user to sit on, and a backrest 20 disposed above and below the rear end of the seat plate 10 to support the back of the user. A foot portion 30 supported on the bottom surface is provided below the seat plate 10, and armrests 40 on which a user can rest their arms may be assembled to the seat plate 10.

[0004] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the backrest 20 is provided so that its upper end can be tilted in the front-to-rear direction (preferably backward) around its lower end to improve the convenience of the user, and the armrest 40 is also provided so that its height can be adjusted in the up-down direction to suit the height of the user.

[0005] However, in the case of chair 1 in which armrest assembly 40 according to the conventional technology configured as described above is integrally assembled with the seat plate, when back plate 20 is tilted backward, the user's arms are placed at an angle backward, whereas armrest assembly 40 is provided integrally with the seat plate, and therefore the angle of the user's arms and the angle of the upper surface of armrest assembly 40 are different, causing inconvenience to the user.

[0006] In addition, when the back panel 20 is tilted backward, the user's arms are also moved backward by a certain distance, but since the armrest assembly 40 is provided so that its height can be adjusted only in the vertical direction, the user's arms are relatively far away. That is, as shown in Fig. 1, the distance between the back panel 20 and the armrest assembly 40 is "D1" before the back panel 20 is tilted, but when the back panel 20 is tilted, the distance becomes "D2", which may cause the user's arms to get caught or cause the above-mentioned inconvenience.

[0007] Also, although not shown in the drawings, even if the armrest assembly 40 is provided so as to be capable of sliding in the forward and backward directions at the same time as tilting, a gap may be generated between the tilting arm pad portion that is tilted and the fixed bracket portion that fixes it during tilting, which may cause the user's fingers or other parts of the body to become caught in the gap and result in injury. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an armrest assembly and a chair including the same, in which the height can be adjusted so that the tilt angle can be adjusted by sliding the tilting arm pad part of the armrest assembly in the forward and backward directions in response to the tilting angle of the back panel part.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a height-adjustable armrest assembly and a chair including the same, which can prevent injury to a user by designing a structure in which a safety cover part is linked only to the tilt movement when a tilting arm pad part tilts and slides.

[0010] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] One embodiment of the armrest assembly of the present invention includes a fixed bracket portion fixed to both left and right ends of a seat panel portion and having an internal space that is open upward, a lifting portion provided on an upper portion of the fixed bracket portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a tilting arm pad portion provided on the upper end of the lifting portion so as to be tiltable and slidable in the front-to-rear direction, and a safety cover portion that links with the tilting arm pad portion when it is tilted and does not link with it when it is slid, and covers the space between the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion.

[0012] Here, the tilting arm pad portion may be formed with a sliding guide slot for allowing sliding movement in a front-rear direction with respect to the safety cover portion.

[0013] In addition, the safety cover portion may include a guide protrusion that is engaged with the tilting arm pad portion in a tilting direction and is guided in a sliding direction by a sliding guide slot formed on the tilting arm pad portion so as to be slidable in a forward and backward direction.

[0014] The seat may further include a tilting coupling portion that interconnects the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion and sets the tilting rotation point of the tilting arm pad portion rearward with respect to a front-rear middle portion.

[0015] In addition, the tilting connection portion may include a pivot connection portion integrally formed with an upper end portion of the lifting portion and providing the tilting rotation point of the tilting arm pad portion, and a pivot link portion having a lower end portion hinged to the inside of the lifting portion and an upper end portion hinged to the tilting arm pad portion, and rotating the front end portion of the tilting arm pad portion in an up and down direction in response to an external force provided by a user.

[0016] The pivot joint may be coupled to a rear end slot formed inside the tilting arm pad portion so as to slide relative to the rear end slot.

[0017] In addition, the tilting arm pad portion may include a binding pad that is coupled to an upper end of the lifting portion, and a support pad that is coupled to an upper portion of the binding pad and supports a user's arm, and the safety cover portion may be tilted in conjunction with the tilting arm pad portion by engaging the guide protrusion in a tilting direction with the sliding guide slot formed in a sliding direction between the binding pad and the support pad.

[0018] In addition, a U-shaped safety space that is open rearward may be formed between an upper end of the lifting portion and the safety cover portion.

[0019] One embodiment of a chair including an armrest assembly according to the present invention includes a seat panel portion on which a user sits, a pair of armrest assemblies provided on both left and right ends of the seat panel portion and on which the user can rest their arms, and a back panel portion provided at the rear end of the seat panel portion and whose upper end is tiltable in the front-to-rear direction around its lower end, and the pair of armrest assemblies include a fixed bracket portion fixed to both left and right ends of the seat panel portion and having an internal space that opens upward, a lifting portion provided on an upper portion of the fixed bracket portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a tilting arm pad portion provided at the upper end of the lifting portion so as to be tiltable and slidable in the front-to-rear direction, and a safety cover portion that links with the tilting arm pad portion when it is tilted and does not link with it when it is slid, and covers the space between the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion.

[0020] Here, the tilting arm pad portion may be formed with a sliding guide slot for allowing sliding movement in a front-rear direction with respect to the safety cover portion. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to an armrest assembly and a chair including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention, the tilting arm pad part of the armrest assembly is slid forward and backward to adjust the inclination angle in response to the tilting angle of the back panel part, and when the tilting arm pad part tilts and slides, the safety cover part is designed to be structured so that it only moves with the tilt movement, thereby preventing injury to the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is an assembly example showing a part of a chair in which an armrest assembly according to the prior art is integrally assembled with a seat panel portion. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the exterior of an armrest assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention and a chair including the armrest assembly; [Diagram 3] 13 is a perspective view showing a manner in which an armrest assembly is joined to a seat panel portion. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an armrest assembly in the configuration of FIG. 2. [Figure 6a] 6 is an exploded perspective view of the armrest assembly in the configuration of FIG. 5, seen from one side and the other side. FIG. [Figure 6b] 6 is an exploded perspective view of the armrest assembly in the configuration of FIG. 5, seen from one side and the other side. FIG. [Figure 7] 6A and 6B are cutaway perspective and sectional views showing the internal configuration of a lifting section and a tilting arm pad section in the configuration of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 6A and 6B are cutaway perspective and sectional views showing the internal configuration of a lifting section and a tilting arm pad section in the configuration of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the tilt and slide modes of the tilting arm pad portion and the safety cover portion of the configuration shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of height adjustment by a lifting section in the configuration of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a height adjustable armrest assembly and a chair including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are assigned the same numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if a detailed description of related known configurations or functions is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0025] In describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as 1, 2, A, B, (a), (b) and the like may be used. Such terms are merely intended to distinguish the components from other components, and do not limit the essence, order, or procedure of the components. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0026] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an armrest assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention and a portion of the appearance of a chair including the same, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing how the armrest assembly is connected to the seat plate portion, Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the armrest assembly in the configuration of Figure 2, and Figures 6a and 6b are exploded perspective views of one side and the other side of the armrest assembly in the configuration of Figure 5.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, a chair 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a seat panel portion 300 for a user to sit on, a backrest portion 400 that is tiltable in the front-to-rear direction (preferably backward) at the rear end of the seat panel portion 300 and supports the back of the user, a foot portion (not shown, see reference numeral 30 in Figure 1) that is provided at the lower end of the seat panel portion 300 and supported on the bottom surface, and a pair of armrest assemblies 100 connected to both left and right ends of the seat panel portion 300.

[0028] For ease of explanation, the pair of armrest assemblies 100 are identical except that they are formed symmetrically in the left-right direction. Therefore, in the drawing of FIG. 2, the description of the armrest assembly 100 provided at the left end of the seat panel portion 300 will replace the description of the armrest assembly provided at the right end.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 to 6b, the pair of armrest assemblies 100 are provided with seat connecting blocks 130 at their horizontally extending lower ends, and can be firmly fixed to both ends of the left and right lower surfaces of the seat panel portion 300 using fastening members (not shown) as an intermediary.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 to 6b, the armrest assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a fixed bracket part 141 fixed to both left and right ends of the seat panel part 300 and having an internal space 141s opening upward, a lifting part 150 provided on the upper part of the fixed bracket part 141 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a tilting arm pad part 140 provided on the upper end part of the lifting part 150 so as to be tiltable in the forward and backward directions, and a safety cover part 210 which is linked when the tilting arm pad part 140 is tilted and is not linked when the tilting arm pad part 140 is slid, and which covers the space between the lifting part 150 and the tilting arm pad part 140.

[0031] Here, the armrest assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a tilting coupling part (not shown) which interconnects the lifting part 150 and the tilting arm pad part 140 and tilts the tilting arm pad part 140 together with the safety cover part 210 around an arbitrary tilting rotation point, or slides only the tilting arm pad part 140 in the forward and backward directions.

[0032] As shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the lower portion of the fixed bracket portion 141 may be formed in a curved shape extending upwardly with the middle portion as its center so that the above-mentioned seat connecting block 130 is horizontally connected to the lower surface of the seat panel portion 300, and the upper portion of the fixed bracket portion 141 may be formed in a curved shape extending upwardly with the middle portion as its center so as to form the internal space 141s.

[0033] That is, the fixed bracket portion 141 is bent into an "L" shape, and the lower end of the horizontal portion is connected to the lower portion of the seat plate portion 300 via the seat connecting block 130, and the internal space 141s corresponding to the upper end of the vertical portion is connected to the lifting portion 150 so that the height can be adjusted by moving it up and down.

[0034] The lower end of the lifting part 150 may be fitted into the lower part at the upper side of the internal space 141s of the fixed bracket part 141, except for the upper end of the lifting part 150. The lifting part 150 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction within the range of the internal height defined by the internal space 141s of the fixed bracket part 141, thereby making it possible to adjust the overall height of the armrest assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] More specifically, the lifting part 150 may include a lifting box 151 forming an installation space in which the pivot lock part 154 and the lifting connecting member 155 described later are provided, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b.

[0036] The internal space 141s of the fixed bracket part 141 may be provided with a locking case 152 which is provided to surround one side of the lifting box 151 and has a number of locking holes 152a formed in the vertical direction so that the lock pin 154a of the pivot lock part 154 can be inserted and locked, and a guide panel 153 which is provided to surround the other side of the lifting box 151 and is fixed to the fixed bracket part 141 and has a lifting guide slot 153a formed therein to guide the vertical movement of the lifting box 151.

[0037] Here, the lock pin 154a of the rotation lock portion 154 is a part provided within the rotation radius of the rotation lock portion 154, and may be formed so as to rotate forward within the internal space 141s of the fixed bracket portion 141.

[0038] A hook engaging end 153b may be protruded from the outer surface of the lower end of the guide panel 153, and a hook fastening groove (not shown) into which the hook engaging end 153b is hook-fastened may be formed on the lower side of the internal space 141s of the fixed bracket part 141.

[0039] That is, the locking case 152 and the guide panel 153 are connected to each other, and the hook engaging end 153b formed on the outer surface of the lower end of the guide panel 153 so as to protrude outward may be hook-fastened to a hook fastening groove provided on the inner side of the lower end of the internal space 141s of the fixed bracket part 141.

[0040] The guide panel 153 can play a role in guiding the up and down movement of the lifting box 151, which moves in the up and down direction when the height of the tilting arm pad unit 140, which will be described later, is adjusted.

[0041] To this end, the guide panel 153 has a pair of lifting guide slots 153a formed long in the vertical direction and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and the other side of the lifting box 151 covered by the guide panel 153 may have a pair of lifting guide protrusions 151a formed thereon, which are inserted into the pair of lifting guide slots 153a, respectively.

[0042] 6a and 6b, a lifting body 144 may be integrally formed on the upper end of the lifting box 151. The lifting body 144 is a portion to which the tilting arm pad unit 140 is connected at the upper end thereof via a pivot joint unit 220 and a pivot link unit 230, which will be described later, so as to be capable of tilt movement or sliding movement.

[0043] More specifically, the tilting arm pad unit 140 may be coupled to an upper end of the lifting body 144 via a tilting coupling unit (not shown) including a pivot coupling unit 220 and a pivot link unit 230 .

[0044] As shown in Figures 2 to 6b, the tilting coupling portion is formed integrally with the lifting body 144 of the lifting portion 150, which will be described later, and is formed in a hinge shape to provide a tilting rotation point for the tilting arm pad portion 140. The tilting coupling portion may include a pivot coupling portion 220 protruding upward, and a pivot link portion 230 whose lower end is hinged to a hinge fixing point 230F inside the lifting portion 150 and whose upper end rotates vertically based on the hinge fixing point 230F at the lower end in response to the application of an external force, thereby causing the front end portion of the tilting arm pad portion 140 to rotate vertically.

[0045] More specifically, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the tilting arm pad portion 140 may include a connecting pad 145a that is connected to the upper end of the lifting portion 150, a support pad 145b that is connected to the upper part of the connecting pad 145a and supports the user's arm, and an inner pad 145c that is connected between the connecting pad 145a and the support pad 145b and mediates the connection of the support pad 145b to the connecting pad 145a.

[0046] Here, the connecting pad 145a may be formed with a rear end slot 146 that guides the tilting arm pad portion 140 when it slides forward and backward based on the pivot connecting portion 220 integrally formed on the upper end of the lifting body 144.

[0047] A hinge-shaped upper end portion forming a tilting rotation point of the pivoting coupling part 220 is inserted into the rear end slot 146, and a support wheel (not shown) may be provided at the upper end of the pivoting coupling part 220, which is engaged with the rear end slot 146 in the tilting direction of the coupling pad 145a and rotates when the coupling pad 145a slides in the sliding direction.

[0048] More specifically, the rear end slot 146 may be formed to have a step at both left and right ends so that the pair of support wheels are engaged in the tilting direction, and may be formed long in the front-rear direction. Here, the support wheel provided in the rotation coupling part 220 provides an arbitrary tilting rotation point within the range of the rear end slot 146 when the tilting arm pad part 140 tilts in the up-down direction, and guides the sliding movement of a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction within the range of the rear end slot 146 when the tilting arm pad part 140 slides in the front-rear direction.

[0049] At least one elastic member 221 may be interposed in the pivot joint 220. The at least one elastic member 221 is compressed by an external force provided by the user when the user tilts the backrest 120 backward and naturally pushes the rear end of the tilting arm pad unit 140 with his / her elbow or pulls the tilting arm pad unit 140 backward with his / her hand, and then, when the external force of the user is removed, the elastic member 221 serves to apply an elastic force that restores the tilted tilting arm pad unit 140 to its original position.

[0050] The support pad 145b and the inner pad 145c cover the upper part of the coupling pad 145a when the aforementioned pivot coupling part 220 and the pivot link part 230 are inserted and coupled to the coupling pad 145a, thereby preventing the pivot coupling part 220 and the pivot link part 230 from being observed from the outside, thereby preventing a deterioration in the appearance.

[0051] Meanwhile, the pivot link portion 230 may be configured such that the pivot push portion 230R, which is the upper end portion, is supported on the lower surface of the inner pad 145c of the tilting arm pad portion 140, centering on the lower end portion connected to the hinge fixed point 230F that is provided to be connected to the upper end portion of the lifting body 144.

[0052] Here, the front end of the tilting arm pad part 140 is lifted up or lowered down by an angle at which the rotating push part 230R of the rotating link part 230 rotates, so that a tilt movement in the up and down direction can be performed.

[0053] In this manner, the tilting arm pad unit 140 can be tilted up and down by the pivot link unit 230 at the portion corresponding to the relatively front end centered on the upper end of the pivot connection unit 220, which forms an arbitrary tilting pivot point located relatively at the rear end, and can slide forward and backward within the limits of the aforementioned rear end slot 146 in response to an external force applied when the user pushes the rear end of the tilting arm pad unit 140 with his / her elbow or pulls it backward with his / her elbow resting on the rear end.

[0054] Meanwhile, the armrest assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a safety cover part 210 that hides the pivot joint part 220 and the pivot link part 230 from the outside and covers the space between the lifting part 150 and the tilting arm pad part 140, as shown in Figures 2 to 6b.

[0055] The safety cover part 210 is coupled to the tilting arm pad part 140 by a guide protrusion 240 that protrudes upward and is inserted into the inside of the tilting arm pad part 140, and can tilt in conjunction with the tilt movement of the tilting arm pad part 140.

[0056] More specifically, the aforementioned guide protrusion 240 may be inserted into the connecting pad 145a of the tilting arm pad portion 140, and a sliding guide slot 148 may be formed long in the front-rear direction so as to be engaged in the tilting direction of the tilting arm pad portion 140 and inserted so as not to interfere in the sliding direction.

[0057] The guide protrusion 240 provided on the safety cover portion 210 may be fastened to a protrusion fastening end 240 h provided on the upper end portion of the safety cover portion 210 .

[0058] Here, as described above, the guide protrusion 240 may be engaged with both left and right ends of the sliding guide slot 148 during the vertical tilt movement of the tilting arm pad unit 140, and the safety cover unit 210 may tilt in conjunction with the guide protrusion 240. For this purpose, it is preferable that the width length of the lower end of the sliding guide slot 148 that opens toward the protrusion fastening end 240h is smaller than the outer diameter of the roller-shaped guide protrusion 240.

[0059] Therefore, the safety cover part 210 is engaged with the tilting arm pad part 140 in the tilting direction by the guide protrusion 240, and in the sliding direction is not interfered with by the sliding guide slot 148, allowing the sliding movement of the tilting arm pad part 140 relatively, thereby not being linked to the sliding movement of the tilting arm pad part 140.

[0060] In this way, the safety cover part 210 tilts in conjunction with the tilting arm pad part 140 in the tilting direction of the tilting arm pad part 140, and completely blocks the space between the tilting arm pad part 140 and the lifting part 150 (especially the lifting body part 144) to prevent the user's fingers and other body parts from being pinched. However, the safety cover part 210 does not need to be interlocked during the forward and backward sliding movement of the tilting arm pad part 140, and the safety cover part 210 has a non-interference structure with respect to the sliding guide slot 148 described above so that the sliding movement of the tilting arm pad part 140 is not interfered with.

[0061] Here, it is preferable that the safety cover part 210 is formed to have a size sufficient to cover at least the distance between the front ends of the tilting arm pad part 140 and the lifting part 150 when tilted in conjunction with the tilting arm pad part 140.

[0062] Meanwhile, a U-shaped safety space S that opens backward may be formed between the upper end of the lifting part 150 and the rear end of the safety cover part 210. The U-shaped safety space S serves as a safety space to prevent a body part of the user from being pinched and injured when the tilting arm pad part 140 slides backward and the rear end of the tilting arm pad part 140 approaches the backrest part 120, regardless of whether the backrest part 120 is tilted or not.

[0063] Figures 7 and 8 are cutaway oblique views and cross-sectional views showing the internal configuration of the lifting section and tilting arm pad section of the configuration in Figure 5, Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the tilt and slide manner of the tilting arm pad section and safety cover section of the configuration in Figure 5, and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner of height adjustment by the lifting section of the configuration in Figure 5.

[0064] As shown in Figures 7 to 10, the armrest assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include lifting locking parts 154, 155, and 158 that lock or unlock the lifting part 150 and the fixed bracket part 141 using a lifting button part 158 ​​that rotates inside the lifting body 144.

[0065] 7 and 8, the lifting locking parts 154, 155, 158 may include a lifting button part 158 ​​whose upper end is hinged to have a predetermined rotation point inside a lifting body 144 forming an upper exterior of the lifting part 150 and whose lower end is partially exposed to the outside of the lifting part 150 when rotated, a rotation lock part 154 formed inside a lifting box 151 which forms a lower exterior of the lifting part 150 and is inserted into the internal space of the fixed bracket part 141, and which has a lock pin 154a formed therein to be engaged with one of a plurality of engagement holes 152a of a locking case 152 which is provided so as to protrude from the lifting box 151 to cover one side of the lifting box 151 when rotated, and a lifting connecting member 155 which connects the lifting button part 158 ​​and the rotation lock part 154.

[0066] The lifting button unit 158 ​​may be provided in the form of a block exposed on the outside of the lifting body 144 so that the user can push it with a finger or the like, and may be connected to an upper end of the lifting connecting member 155 .

[0067] Although not shown in the drawings, the lifting button portion 158 may include an elastic member that can elastically return to its original position when the external force caused by the user's pushing action is removed.

[0068] Here, the lifting button portion 158 may have an inner end exposed so as to be connected to the internal space of the lifting box 151, and inside the lifting box 151, the upper end of the lifting connecting member 155 may be hingedly connected to the lifting button portion 158, and the lower end of the lifting connecting member 155 may be hingedly connected to the rotation lock portion 154.

[0069] The pivot lock part 154 is a member that is rotatably provided around a predetermined hinge point (drawing reference number not shown) in the internal space of the lifting box 151, and a lock pin 154a is formed to extend radially from the hinge point, and the lower end of the lifting connecting member 155 may be connected to the pivot lock part 154 so as to transmit a rotational force to the pivot lock part 154 without interfering with the lock pin 154a.

[0070] Here, the lock pin 154a of the rotation lock part 154 is exposed to the outside through a pinhole (drawing symbol not shown) formed at the lower end of the lifting box 151, and may be engaged with any one of a number of locking holes 152a formed at intervals in the vertical direction in a locking case 152 provided to cover one side of the lifting box 151.

[0071] More specifically, the lifting button unit 158 ​​is provided on the underside of the front end of the lifting body 144 so that a user can easily push it using the index finger or middle finger, and the rotation lock unit 154 may also be provided such that the lock pin 154a is exposed to the outside through a pinhole formed on the underside of the front end of the lifting box 151 or is hidden inside.

[0072] Here, when the user pushes the lifting button portion 158 into the lifting body 144, the lifting connecting member 155 is pulled upward and the rotation lock portion 154 is rotated in the same direction, and at the same time, the lock pin 154a of the rotation lock portion 154 is disengaged from one of the locking holes 152a, so that the user can apply an external force in the vertical direction to the lifting portion 150 to adjust the height of the tilting arm pad portion 140.

[0073] Although not shown in the drawings, a predetermined elastic member may be interposed in the rotation lock part 154 so as to elastically restore and rotate to the original position depending on whether or not an external force from the user is applied via the lifting connecting member 155. Here, the elastic member may be provided to provide an elastic force in a direction in which the lock pin 154a of the rotation lock part 154 is inserted into and locked in one of the locking holes 152a when no external force from the user is applied.

[0074] The forward and backward sliding operation process of the tilting arm pad portion 140 of the armrest assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings (particularly, FIG. 9) as follows.

[0075] 9(a), when a user pushes the rear end of the tilting arm pad unit 140 with his / her elbow or applies an external force pulling it backward with his / her elbow, the front end of the tilting arm pad unit 140 is lifted based on the rotation point of the rotation joint unit 220, and in this case, the upper end of the rotation link unit 230 rotates based on the hinge fixing point 230F at the lower end to support the tilt movement of the tilting arm pad unit 140. At this time, the safety cover unit 210 moves in the tilt moving direction in conjunction with the tilting arm pad unit 140 by the guide protrusion 240 inserted into the sliding guide slot 148 and provided to be locked in the tilt moving direction, thereby closing the gap between the lifting unit 150 and the tilting arm pad unit 140, thereby preventing the user's fingers from being pinched in the gap.

[0076] At the same time, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the user applies an external force by pushing the rear end of the tilting arm pad portion 140 with his / her elbow or pulling it backward with his / her elbow resting on the rear end, the front end of the tilting arm pad portion 140 is guided in its forward / backward sliding movement by the guide protrusion 240 of the safety cover portion 210 inserted into the sliding guide slot 148, and the rear end of the tilting arm pad portion 140 is guided in its forward / backward sliding movement by the support wheel of the pivot coupling portion 220 inserted into the rear end slot 146.

[0077] In this case, the rear end of the tilting arm pad portion 140 and the rear end of the lifting body 144 provide a sufficient safety space S to protect the user's arms, etc., regardless of whether the backrest portion 400 is tilted or not, which has the advantage of preventing injury to the user.

[0078] Meanwhile, a process of adjusting the height of the tilting arm pad portion 140 of the armrest assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings (particularly, FIG. 10) as follows.

[0079] First, in FIG. 10(a), the tilting arm pad portion 140 is adjusted to the lowest height, and when the user pushes and rotates the lifting button portion 158 with the index finger or middle finger to reset the height of the tilting arm pad portion 140 on which the user actually places his / her arm (or elbow), the lifting button portion 158 rotates around the upper rotation point and rotates so as to be inserted into the inside of the lifting body 144. At this time, when the lifting connecting member 155 moves upward along the connecting portion of the inner end of the lifting button portion 158, the rotation lock portion 154 rotates in conjunction with the rotation, and the lock pin 154a disengages from one of the multiple locking holes 152a of the locking case 152.

[0080] Here, while pushing the lifting button portion 158, the user moves the tilting arm pad portion 140 in the vertical direction by applying an external force thereto, and then when the user releases the push operation of the lifting button portion 158 at the desired height (for example, the maximum height as shown in FIG. 10(b)), the rotation lock portion 154 rotates to return to its original position by an elastic member (not shown), and the lock pin 154a is inserted and fixed into the locking hole 152a that matches the pin hole among the multiple locking holes 152a, thereby locking the rotation lock portion 154.

[0081] In this manner, the armrest assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention only requires interconnecting the lifting button portion 158 and the rotation lock portion 154 using the wire-shaped lifting connecting member 155, which provides the advantage that the external design of the lifting button portion 158 and the internal design of the lifting connecting member 155 within a narrow space are very easy.

[0082] A height adjustable armrest assembly and a chair including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is to be understood that various modifications and equivalent implementations are possible by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0083] To provide an armrest assembly and a chair including the same, capable of preventing injury to a user by adjusting the inclination angle as the tilting arm pad part of the armrest assembly is slid forward and backward in response to the tilting angle of the back plate part, and by designing a structure in which a safety cover part is linked only to the tilt movement when the tilting arm pad part tilts and slides, [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 Chair 100 Armrest assembly 130 Sheet Joint Block 140 Tilting arm pad part 141 Fixed bracket part 144 Lifting Body 145a Bonding Pad 145b Support pad 145c inner pad 146 Rear end slot 148 Sliding Guide Slot 150 Lifting section 151 Lifting Box 152 Lock King Case 153 Guide Panel 154 Rotation lock part 154a Lock pin 155 Lifting connecting member 158 Lifting button part 210 Safety cover part 220 Rotating joint 221 Elastic Members 230 Rotating link

Claims

1. A fixed bracket portion is fixed to both left and right ends of the seat plate portion and has an internal space that is open upward; a lifting part provided on an upper part of the fixed bracket part so as to be movable in an up-down direction; a tilting arm pad part provided at an upper end of the lifting part so as to be tiltable and slidable in a front-rear direction; a safety cover portion which engages with the tilting arm pad portion when tilting and which does not engage with the tilting arm pad portion when sliding, and which covers the space between the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion.

2. 2. The tiltable armrest assembly according to claim 1, wherein the tilting arm pad portion is formed with a sliding guide slot for allowing sliding movement in a front-rear direction relative to the safety cover portion.

3. The safety cover portion is 2. The tiltable armrest assembly of claim 1, further comprising a guide protrusion that is engaged with the tilting arm pad portion in the tilting direction and is guided in the sliding direction by a sliding guide slot formed in the tilting arm pad portion so as to be slidable in the forward and backward directions.

4. 3. The tiltable armrest assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a tilting coupling portion interconnecting the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion and setting the tilting rotation point of the tilting arm pad portion rearward with respect to a front-rear intermediate portion.

5. The tilting joint is a pivot joint part integrally formed on an upper end of the lifting part and providing the tilting pivot point of the tilting arm pad part; 5. The tiltable armrest assembly of claim 4, further comprising: a pivot link portion whose lower end is hinged to the inside of the lifting portion and whose upper end is hinged to the tilting arm pad portion, and which pivots the front end of the tilting arm pad portion in an up and down direction in response to an external force applied by a user.

6. 6. The tiltable armrest assembly according to claim 5, wherein the pivot joint is coupled to a rear end slot formed inside the tilting arm pad portion so as to slide relative to the rear end slot.

7. the tilting arm pad unit includes a connection pad connected to an upper end of the lifting unit, and a support pad connected to an upper portion of the connection pad and supporting a user's arm, The safety cover portion is 4. The tiltable armrest assembly according to claim 3, wherein the guide protrusion is engaged in the sliding guide slot formed in the sliding direction between the connecting pad and the support pad in the tilting direction and tilted in conjunction with the tilting arm pad portion.

8. The tiltable armrest assembly according to claim 5 , wherein a U-shaped safety space that is open rearward is formed between the upper end of the lifting portion and the safety cover portion.

9. A seat plate portion on which a user sits; a pair of armrest assemblies provided at both left and right ends of the seat plate portion on which a user can rest their arms; A back panel portion is provided at the rear end of the seat panel portion, and the upper end portion is tiltable in the front-rear direction around the lower end portion. The pair of armrest assemblies include: A fixed bracket portion fixed to both left and right ends of the seat plate portion and having an internal space that is open upward; a lifting part provided on an upper part of the fixed bracket part so as to be movable in an up-down direction; a tilting arm pad part provided at an upper end of the lifting part so as to be tiltable and slidable in a front-rear direction; The chair includes a safety cover portion which is linked to the tilting arm pad portion when the tilting arm pad portion is tilted and is not linked to the tilting arm pad portion when the tilting arm pad portion is slid, and which covers the space between the lifting portion and the tilting arm pad portion.

10. The chair according to claim 9, wherein the tilting arm pad portion is formed with a sliding guide slot for allowing sliding movement in the front-rear direction relative to the safety cover portion.

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