Chair Armrest Assembly With Sliding and Arcuate Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable armrests for office chairs lack comprehensive adjustability, as they often only allow for limited movement in one direction or type of rotation, failing to accommodate individual user preferences effectively.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable armrest assembly featuring a mounting member with a sliding mechanism allowing longitudinal movement and rotational adjustment, utilizing frictional engagement between slide elements to maintain adjusted positions, enabling both fore and aft sliding and rotational motion across a horizontal plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple adjustment mechanisms are added to achieve comprehensive adjustability, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple adjustment functions (longitudinal sliding and rotational movement) into a single integrated mechanism. The first slide element and second slide element work together as a unified system, where the first slide element provides longitudinal adjustment and the second slide element provides rotational adjustment, both controlled from the same mounting structure without requiring separate independent mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting member is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously. It includes both the first slide element for longitudinal movement and the second slide element for rotational movement, allowing a single component to provide comprehensive adjustability in multiple directions rather than requiring separate specialized mechanisms for each function.
2Ease of operation
If frictional engagement is used to restrain slide elements after adjustment, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The slide elements automatically restrain themselves after adjustment through frictional engagement between the slide elements and the mounting member. The system uses its own components (the friction surfaces between slide elements and mounting member) to maintain position without requiring external locking mechanisms or additional restraining devices, achieving self-service positioning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a robust, reliable, and cost-effective adjustable armrest that can be moved longitudinally and rotated to accommodate various user positions, ensuring comfort and adjustability while being easy to assemble and maintain.
Implementation Method 1
The first slide element is restrained after adjustment with respect to the upper base by frictional engagement between the upper base and the first slide element. The second slide element is restrained after adjustment with respect to the first slide element by frictional engagement between the second slide element and the first slide element.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable armrest assembly for a chair includes a mounting member connected to the chair. The mounting member has an upper base. A first horizontal slide element is slidably mounted to the upper base and is adjustably slidable in a first direction with respect to the upper base. The first slide element is restrained after adjustment with respect to the upper base by frictional engagement between the upper base and the first slide element. A second horizontal slide element for slidably mounting to the first slide element is slidable in an arcuate path crossing the first direction. The second slide element is restrained after adjustment with respect to the first slide element by frictional engagement between the second slide element and the first slide element.