Office Chair Armrest Assembly With Tool-Free Adjustable Pad
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armrests for office chairs are complex assemblies requiring tools for assembly, leading to logistical challenges in storage and transportation due to their bulky nature.
Innovation Solution
A simplified armrest design featuring a tubular L-shaped bracket with a plug and tube system that allows for tool-free assembly, enabling adjustments in width, height, depth, and angularity through sliding, rotating, and stepwise movements, allowing components to be assembled and disassembled easily.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional armrests are assembled with multiple small metal and plastic parts, then adjustment functionality is improved, but assembly complexity increases requiring tools and specialized labor
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is divided into three main separable components: a bracket, a tube with plug, and a pad. These segments can be assembled and disassembled independently using simple insertion-fitting operations without tools, while each component maintains its structural integrity and adjustment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is inserted into the tube, and the tube with plug assembly is then inserted into the bracket. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional elements to be compactly integrated while maintaining ease of assembly through sequential insertion operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If armrests are factory assembled with all components, then adjustment functionality is improved, but storage and transportation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is divided into three main separable components: a bracket, a tube with plug, and a pad. These segments can be assembled and disassembled independently using simple insertion-fitting operations without tools, while each component maintains its structural integrity and adjustment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest design incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms allowing the tube to slide within the bracket and the pad to rotate relative to the tube. These dynamic features enable width, height, depth, and angularity adjustments while maintaining a compact form factor for storage and transport.
3Strength
If traditional armrest assembly requires tools and specialized labor, then connection strength is improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion-fitting mechanism is designed to be self-aligning and self-securing. The plug automatically engages with the tube, and the tube with plug assembly automatically engages with the bracket through simple insertion motions. The design incorporates self-limiting features that prevent over-insertion and ensure proper positioning without requiring tools or specialized assembly skills.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical fastening systems requiring screws, bolts, or clips are replaced with a simple insertion-fitting mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for threading, tightening, or complex fastening operations, reducing assembly time while maintaining sufficient connection strength for the application.
Data Source
AI summary
An armrest, in particular for office chairs, comprising a support bracket (16) connected to the chair, a tube (34) connected to the vertical part (24) of said bracket, and an arm support pad, characterized in that the tube presents at one end a flange (36) comprising rotation guides for a plate (66), said plate presenting an aperture (66) for the insertion of the lower end of the tube and being provided with rotation guides (38) cooperating with said flange (36) for the rotation of said plate (66) about said tube (34), said plate (66) and said pad (80) being constrained by mutually cooperating slide guides (74, 78) which enable said pad (80) to translate relative to said plate (66) with said flange (36) interposed between them.