US20060061149A1 - Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair - Google Patents
Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair Download PDFInfo
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- US20060061149A1 US20060061149A1 US10/903,423 US90342304A US2006061149A1 US 20060061149 A1 US20060061149 A1 US 20060061149A1 US 90342304 A US90342304 A US 90342304A US 2006061149 A1 US2006061149 A1 US 2006061149A1
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- Prior art keywords
- chair
- pivot member
- arm member
- movable arm
- article
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47C7/00—Parts, details, or accessories of chairs or stools
- A47C7/62—Accessories for chairs
- A47C7/68—Arm-rest tables ; or back-rest tables
Definitions
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,862 describes a device for supporting a tablet via an armrest including a mounting socket that is firmly mounted to the armrest and a tablet with a pin that is inserted in the socket where the tablet can be removed by removing the pin from the socket.
- a mounting socket that is firmly mounted to the armrest
- a tablet with a pin that is inserted in the socket where the tablet can be removed by removing the pin from the socket.
- the materials resting on the tablet surface fall off the tablet due to tilting of the tablet during reclining.
- the invention includes leveling means attached to the article.
- the leveling means keeps the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same without manual adjustment by a user when the movable arm member is in the first position or the second position.
- the leveling means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the armrest during reclining action of the armrest by keeping the top surface of the tablet horizontal.
- the leveling means may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc.
- the linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member.
- the disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- the leveling means may further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
- the invention provides a self-leveling mechanism for an article mounted to a chair that rests on a support surface where the chair has an arm member movable from a first position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the first position.
- the article e.g., a tablet
- the mechanism includes a pivot member that receives the article and mounted to the movable arm member of the chair.
- the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship between the support surface and an upper surface of the article the same without manual adjustment of the pivot member by a user when the movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second position.
- the pivot member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member.
- the pivot member may extend through a top surface of the movable arm member.
- the mechanism may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc.
- the linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member.
- the disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- a stop is provided that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
- the pivot member may have one or more outwardly extending pins that rest on an upper surface of a frame member of the movable arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- the invention provides a chair including a base for supporting the chair on a support surface, a seat supported by the base, and an arm member supported by and movable with respect to the base.
- the arm member is movable from a first position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the first position.
- a tablet is mounted on the chair, and the tablet has an upper surface having an angular relationship with respect to the support surface.
- the chair further includes leveling means for keeping the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the tablet the same without manual adjustment by the user when the movable arm member is in the first position or the second position.
- the leveling means may be mounted on a location other than the arm rest. In one form, the leveling means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the chair during reclining action of the armrest by keeping the tablet horizontal.
- the leveling means may include a pivot member that mounts the article to the chair such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same when the movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second position.
- the pivot member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member.
- the leveling means may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- the leveling means may further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
- FIG. 1 is a top front left perspective view of a recliner having a self-leveling mechanism according to the invention.
- FIG. 2 is a side view of the recliner of FIG. 1 in an unreclined position and having the side panel and associated covering removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the recliner of FIG. 1 in a reclined position and having the side panel and associated covering removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame of an armrest of the recliner of FIG. 1 showing selected parts of the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention.
- FIG. 3 a supported reclined position illustrated in FIG. 3 .
- the top surfaces 22 a , 22 b of the arm members 16 a , 16 b are generally horizontal.
- the arm members 16 a , 16 b tilt rearward on the base 20 such that the top surfaces 22 a , 22 b are inclined rearward by a few degrees (see FIG. 3 ).
- the arm member 16 a forms a cavity 24 therein that houses the tablet supporting mechanism 18 .
- the arm member 16 a is generally vertically aligned and the top surface 22 a of the arm member 16 a has an opening 26 spaced back from a front edge 28 thereof.
- the tablet supporting mechanism 18 is generally housed within cavity 24 and includes, among other components, a cam disc 30 , a linkage 32 , a pivot tube 34 , a bezel structure 36 , a table assembly 38 and a stop member 40 .
- Cam disc 30 may mounted to the side wall 66 of the arm member 16 a for rotation about a horizontal axis 42 proximate the lower portion of cavity 24 .
- Linkage 32 is an elongated rigid member having a first end pivotally linked proximate an upper edge of cam disc 30 .
- Pivot tube 34 acts as a pivot member and is an elongated rigid tube having an upper end and a lower end and is positioned within cavity 24 so as to be generally vertically oriented with the top end just below opening 26 .
- the lower end of post 34 is pivotally mounted to the second end of linkage 32 such that linkage 32 is generally horizontally oriented within cavity 24 .
- Bezel structure 36 includes a hollow socket 50 and a flange 52 that extends laterally from a top edge of the socket 50 .
- the lower end of the socket 50 may attached (e.g., by screws) to the top end of pivot tube 34 with socket 50 extending through opening 26 and an undersurface of flange 52 resting on or adjacent the top surface 22 a of arm member 16 a .
- a connecting object such as a disc with a threaded stud can be placed inside pivot tube 34 for attaching an end of the socket 50 or pin 58 .
- FIG. 4 there is shown one method for mounting the pivot tube 34 to the arm member 16 a .
- a frame 80 of the arm member 16 a has an upper surface 82 .
- the pivot tube 34 includes outwardly extending pins 35 a , 35 b that rest on the upper surface 82 of the frame 80 .
- a hold down bracket 85 is installed over the pins 35 a , 35 b of the pivot tube 34 such that the pins 35 a , 35 b of the pivot tube 34 may rotate in a space created between the lower surface of the hold down bracket 85 and the upper surface 88 of the frame 80 .
- Depressions may be formed in the upper surface 88 of the frame 80 if desired to provide seats for the pins 35 a , 35 b of the pivot tube 34 .
- a hole 76 in the hold down bracket 85 allows the upper end of the pivot tube 34 to pass through the hold down bracket 85 .
- the upper end of the pivot tube 34 accepts the bezel structure 36 as described above, and it should be appreciated that the bezel structure 36 is omitted in FIG. 4 for clarity.
- Stop member 40 is an L-shaped member that is secured to the side wall 66 of the arm member 16 a within cavity 24 such that, when the chair 10 is in the upright position of FIG. 2 , the joint formed by the pivotally linked linkage 32 and pivot tube 34 is adjacent the generally right angle formed by stop member 40 .
- the stop member 40 limits motion of the linkage 32 in a direction away from the rotatable disc 30 when the movable arm member 16 a is in the first position (see FIG. 2 ).
- Table assembly 38 includes a tablet 56 , a mounting bracket 57 attached to the tablet 56 , and a pin 58 that extends downward from the bracket 57 .
- Pin 58 is sized to be slidably received within the hollow socket 50 in the bezel structure 36 and, when received therein, is supported thereby for rotation about a vertical axis therethrough.
- the upper surface of the tablet 56 is horizontal and is parallel to the support surface 90 , that is, the angular relationship of the upper surface of the tablet 56 is at 0 degrees with respect to the support surface 90 .
- any angular relationship is possible by adjusting the length of pivot tube 34 and cam disc 30 relationship-relative positions (see FIG. 2 ).
- a locking release mechanism 11 may be included to effectively lock the chair 10 in the upright position unless affirmatively unlocked.
- a suitable linkage 67 is provided for movable leg rest members 17 a , 17 b as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the backrest 12 may be supported by the side wall 66 of the arm member 16 a by bracket 71
- the seat 14 may be supported by the side wall 66 of the arm member 16 a by bracket 72 .
- the pivot tube 34 In operation, when a person is sitting on seat 14 in an upright position (see FIG. 2 ), the pivot tube 34 is generally vertically oriented and hence, when tablet 56 is mounted to arm member 16 a , tablet 56 has a top surface that is horizontal.
- cam disc 30 rotates in the direction of Arrow A in FIG. 3 from the position illustrated in FIG. 2 toward the position illustrated in FIG. 3 .
- the linkage 32 moves, the lower end of tube 34 follows such that tube 34 remains generally vertical and tablet 56 remains horizontal.
- the linkage 32 , the cam disc 30 , the pivot tube 34 and the tablet 56 assume the position illustrated in FIG. 3 and the tablet 56 remains horizontal irrespectively of the reclined state of the chair 10 .
- the invention is not limited to supporting a tablet but may be used to support any article such as a computer or a television.
- the tablet supporting mechanism 18 may be mounted to other parts of the chair such as the seat or backrest, or components can be added to sense and react to any relative movement between chair arm and supporting surface.
- the disc 30 could mounted to the torque tube of a recliner operating handle such that the linkage 32 , cam disc 30 , pivot tube 34 and tablet 56 assume the position illustrated in FIG. 3 when the recliner operating handle is pulled upwardly and/or rearward.
- different shapes for the pivot tube 34 and socket 50 are also possible.
- the present invention provides a self-leveling tablet mechanism such that users my recline furniture with tablets and not lose the materials on the tablet surface due to tilting of the table.
- the mechanism keeps a tablet level as a chair arm changes angular position during the reclining function.
- the mechanism may attach to pre-existing recliner mechanisms.
- the invention acts as a leveling mechanism that keeps a tablet level as the arm of the chair moves up and down during the reclining function. As the arm tilts up, the mechanism is activated and tilts the tablet forward resulting in a level tablet.
Abstract
Description
- Not Applicable.
- Not Applicable.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a self-leveling mechanism for an article mounted to a chair, and more particularly to a self-leveling mechanism for a tablet mounted to a reclining arm of a reclining chair.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- It is known that articles such as writing tablets can be mounted to a chair. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,862 describes a device for supporting a tablet via an armrest including a mounting socket that is firmly mounted to the armrest and a tablet with a pin that is inserted in the socket where the tablet can be removed by removing the pin from the socket. However, when such devices are used with a chair having a reclining armrest, the materials resting on the tablet surface fall off the tablet due to tilting of the tablet during reclining.
- The use of a manually adjustable tablet is one solution to this problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,911 teaches an adjustable positioning system for chair-mounted tables where the table may be manually rotated by a user about a horizontal line by way of angle support using a support brake. However, the positioning of the table must be adjusted by the user who must manually place the table in a level position. Such manual positioning of the table may be difficult for older users or those in a healthcare setting.
- Therefore, there is a need for a self-leveling tablet mechanism such that users may recline furniture with tablets and not lose the materials on the tablet surface due to tilting of the tablet. Such a mechanism would keep a tablet level as a chair arm changes position during the reclining function.
- The foregoing need is addressed by the present invention that provides a self leveling tablet mechanism for use with a recliner wherein a tablet mounted to the recliner maintains a top surface parallel to a recliner supporting surface (typically a horizontal floor surface) despite different positions of the recliner and more specifically the recliner arm during reclining action. In this regard, to increase the comfort of a person reclining in a chair it is desirable to have armrests tip or tilt backward as the chair reclines. However, to maintain items on a table top or tablet mounted to the armrest during reclining action, the tablet top should/must remain horizontal. The present invention addresses this need.
- In one aspect, the invention provides a chair including a base for supporting the chair on a support surface, a seat supported by the base, and an arm member supported by and movable with respect to the base. The arm member is movable from a first position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the first position. An article (e.g., a tablet) is mounted to the arm member. The article has an upper surface. The upper surface of the article has an angular relationship with respect to the support surface. Typically, the upper surface of the article is horizontal and is parallel to the support surface, that is, the angular relationship of the upper surface of the article is at 0 degrees with respect to the support surface. However, any angular relationship is possible.
- The invention includes leveling means attached to the article. The leveling means keeps the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same without manual adjustment by a user when the movable arm member is in the first position or the second position. Thus, in one form, the leveling means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the armrest during reclining action of the armrest by keeping the top surface of the tablet horizontal.
- The leveling means may include a pivot member that mounts the article to the movable arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same when the movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second position. In one form, the pivot member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member. In another form, the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in a socket mounted in the upper end of the pivot member, and the socket extends through a top surface of the movable arm member. The pivot member may have one or more outwardly extending pins that rest on an upper surface of a frame member of the movable arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- The leveling means may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member. The leveling means may further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
- In another aspect, the invention provides a self-leveling mechanism for an article mounted to a chair that rests on a support surface where the chair has an arm member movable from a first position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the first position. The article (e.g., a tablet) has an upper surface having an angular relationship with respect to the support surface. The mechanism includes a pivot member that receives the article and mounted to the movable arm member of the chair. The movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship between the support surface and an upper surface of the article the same without manual adjustment of the pivot member by a user when the movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second position. In one form, the pivot member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member. The pivot member may extend through a top surface of the movable arm member.
- The mechanism may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member. Optionally, a stop is provided that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position. The pivot member may have one or more outwardly extending pins that rest on an upper surface of a frame member of the movable arm member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member.
- In yet another aspect, the invention provides a chair including a base for supporting the chair on a support surface, a seat supported by the base, and an arm member supported by and movable with respect to the base. The arm member is movable from a first position to a second position that is reclined with respect to the first position. A tablet is mounted on the chair, and the tablet has an upper surface having an angular relationship with respect to the support surface. The chair further includes leveling means for keeping the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the tablet the same without manual adjustment by the user when the movable arm member is in the first position or the second position. The leveling means may be mounted on a location other than the arm rest. In one form, the leveling means can maintain items on a tablet mounted to the chair during reclining action of the armrest by keeping the tablet horizontal.
- The leveling means may include a pivot member that mounts the article to the chair such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member to keep the angular relationship between the support surface and the upper surface of the article the same when the movable arm member is moved from the first position to the second position. In one form, the pivot member has a hollow upper end, and the article is mounted to the pivot member by a pin inserted in the upper end of the pivot member. The leveling means may further include a linkage and a rotatable disc. The linkage is attached to the disc and to a bottom end of the pivot member. The disc moves the linkage in a direction away from the bottom end of the pivot member such that the movable arm member pivots with respect to the pivot member. The leveling means may further include a stop that limits motion of the linkage in a direction away from the rotatable disc when the movable arm member is in the first position.
- These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims.
-
FIG. 1 is a top front left perspective view of a recliner having a self-leveling mechanism according to the invention. -
FIG. 2 is a side view of the recliner ofFIG. 1 in an unreclined position and having the side panel and associated covering removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention. -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the recliner ofFIG. 1 in a reclined position and having the side panel and associated covering removed to show the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame of an armrest of the recliner ofFIG. 1 showing selected parts of the self-leveling mechanism according to the invention. - Like reference numerals are used to depict like parts throughout the Figures.
- Referring to
FIGS. 1-4 , a self leveling tablet mechanism according to the invention is shown and will be described in the context of arecliner 10 including abackrest 12, aseat 14, twoarm members 16 a, 16 b wherearm member 16 a houses or supports a self-levelingtablet supporting mechanism 18. Abase 20 supports thechair 10 on asupport surface 90. Theseat 14, thearm members 16 a, 16 b and thebackrest 12 may be attached directly or indirectly to thebase 20 for support by the base 20 in a conventional manner. Thebackrest 12 and theseat 14 are mounted between thearm members 16 a, 16 b so that thebackrest 12 and theseat 14 can be moved between an upright position illustrated inFIG. 2 and a supported reclined position illustrated inFIG. 3 . When in the upright position (FIG. 2 ), in the illustrated embodiment, the top surfaces 22 a, 22 b of thearm members 16 a, 16 b are generally horizontal. When in the reclined position thearm members 16 a, 16 b tilt rearward on the base 20 such that the top surfaces 22 a, 22 b are inclined rearward by a few degrees (seeFIG. 3 ). - As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3 , thearm member 16 a forms acavity 24 therein that houses thetablet supporting mechanism 18. Thearm member 16 a is generally vertically aligned and the top surface 22 a of thearm member 16 a has anopening 26 spaced back from afront edge 28 thereof. Thetablet supporting mechanism 18 is generally housed withincavity 24 and includes, among other components, acam disc 30, alinkage 32, apivot tube 34, abezel structure 36, atable assembly 38 and astop member 40.Cam disc 30 may mounted to theside wall 66 of thearm member 16 a for rotation about ahorizontal axis 42 proximate the lower portion ofcavity 24.Linkage 32 is an elongated rigid member having a first end pivotally linked proximate an upper edge ofcam disc 30. -
Pivot tube 34 acts as a pivot member and is an elongated rigid tube having an upper end and a lower end and is positioned withincavity 24 so as to be generally vertically oriented with the top end just belowopening 26. The lower end ofpost 34 is pivotally mounted to the second end oflinkage 32 such thatlinkage 32 is generally horizontally oriented withincavity 24.Bezel structure 36 includes ahollow socket 50 and aflange 52 that extends laterally from a top edge of thesocket 50. The lower end of thesocket 50 may attached (e.g., by screws) to the top end ofpivot tube 34 withsocket 50 extending throughopening 26 and an undersurface offlange 52 resting on or adjacent the top surface 22 a ofarm member 16 a. Optionally, a connecting object such as a disc with a threaded stud can be placed insidepivot tube 34 for attaching an end of thesocket 50 orpin 58. - In
FIG. 4 , there is shown one method for mounting thepivot tube 34 to thearm member 16 a. A frame 80 of thearm member 16 a has an upper surface 82. Thepivot tube 34 includes outwardly extending pins 35 a, 35 b that rest on the upper surface 82 of the frame 80. A hold down bracket 85 is installed over the pins 35 a, 35 b of thepivot tube 34 such that the pins 35 a, 35 b of thepivot tube 34 may rotate in a space created between the lower surface of the hold down bracket 85 and the upper surface 88 of the frame 80. Depressions may be formed in the upper surface 88 of the frame 80 if desired to provide seats for the pins 35 a, 35 b of thepivot tube 34. Ahole 76 in the hold down bracket 85 allows the upper end of thepivot tube 34 to pass through the hold down bracket 85. The upper end of thepivot tube 34 accepts thebezel structure 36 as described above, and it should be appreciated that thebezel structure 36 is omitted inFIG. 4 for clarity. -
Stop member 40 is an L-shaped member that is secured to theside wall 66 of thearm member 16 a withincavity 24 such that, when thechair 10 is in the upright position ofFIG. 2 , the joint formed by the pivotally linkedlinkage 32 andpivot tube 34 is adjacent the generally right angle formed bystop member 40. Thestop member 40 limits motion of thelinkage 32 in a direction away from therotatable disc 30 when themovable arm member 16 a is in the first position (seeFIG. 2 ). -
Table assembly 38 includes atablet 56, a mountingbracket 57 attached to thetablet 56, and apin 58 that extends downward from thebracket 57.Pin 58 is sized to be slidably received within thehollow socket 50 in thebezel structure 36 and, when received therein, is supported thereby for rotation about a vertical axis therethrough. Typically, the upper surface of thetablet 56 is horizontal and is parallel to thesupport surface 90, that is, the angular relationship of the upper surface of thetablet 56 is at 0 degrees with respect to thesupport surface 90. However, any angular relationship is possible by adjusting the length ofpivot tube 34 andcam disc 30 relationship-relative positions (seeFIG. 2 ). - A locking release mechanism 11 may be included to effectively lock the
chair 10 in the upright position unless affirmatively unlocked. Asuitable linkage 67 is provided for movable leg rest members 17 a, 17 b as shown inFIG. 3 . Thebackrest 12 may be supported by theside wall 66 of thearm member 16 a bybracket 71, and theseat 14 may be supported by theside wall 66 of thearm member 16 a bybracket 72. - In operation, when a person is sitting on
seat 14 in an upright position (seeFIG. 2 ), thepivot tube 34 is generally vertically oriented and hence, whentablet 56 is mounted toarm member 16 a,tablet 56 has a top surface that is horizontal. When the person pushes back onbackrest 12 and theseat 14,backrest 12 andarms 16 a, 16 b rotate toward the reclined position,cam disc 30 rotates in the direction of Arrow A inFIG. 3 from the position illustrated inFIG. 2 toward the position illustrated inFIG. 3 . As thelinkage 32 moves, the lower end oftube 34 follows such thattube 34 remains generally vertical andtablet 56 remains horizontal. Eventually, when thechair 10 is fully reclined, thelinkage 32, thecam disc 30, thepivot tube 34 and thetablet 56 assume the position illustrated inFIG. 3 and thetablet 56 remains horizontal irrespectively of the reclined state of thechair 10. - While one example of a self leveling tablet mechanism has been shown and described, other versions of the invention are possible. For example, the invention is not limited to supporting a tablet but may be used to support any article such as a computer or a television. Also, the
tablet supporting mechanism 18 may be mounted to other parts of the chair such as the seat or backrest, or components can be added to sense and react to any relative movement between chair arm and supporting surface. Further, it is contemplated that thedisc 30 could mounted to the torque tube of a recliner operating handle such that thelinkage 32,cam disc 30,pivot tube 34 andtablet 56 assume the position illustrated inFIG. 3 when the recliner operating handle is pulled upwardly and/or rearward. Of course, different shapes for thepivot tube 34 andsocket 50 are also possible. - Therefore, the present invention provides a self-leveling tablet mechanism such that users my recline furniture with tablets and not lose the materials on the tablet surface due to tilting of the table. The mechanism keeps a tablet level as a chair arm changes angular position during the reclining function. The mechanism may attach to pre-existing recliner mechanisms. The invention acts as a leveling mechanism that keeps a tablet level as the arm of the chair moves up and down during the reclining function. As the arm tilts up, the mechanism is activated and tilts the tablet forward resulting in a level tablet.
- Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
Claims (20)
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US10/903,423 US20060061149A1 (en) | 2004-07-30 | 2004-07-30 | Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair |
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US10/903,423 US20060061149A1 (en) | 2004-07-30 | 2004-07-30 | Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair |
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US20060061149A1 true US20060061149A1 (en) | 2006-03-23 |
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US10/903,423 Abandoned US20060061149A1 (en) | 2004-07-30 | 2004-07-30 | Self-leveling tablet mechanism for a chair |
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US20080066094A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-03-13 | Technology, Patents & Licensing, Inc. | Control of Data Presentation in Multiple Zones Using a Wireless Home Entertainment Hub |
US20080068152A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-03-20 | Technology, Patents & Licensing, Inc. | Control of Data Presentation from Multiple Sources Using a Wireless Home Entertainment Hub |
US20080141316A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-06-12 | Technology, Patents & Licensing, Inc. | Automatic Adjustment of Devices in a Home Entertainment System |
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US8634573B2 (en) | 2006-09-07 | 2014-01-21 | Porto Vinci Ltd. Limited Liability Company | Registration of devices using a wireless home entertainment hub |
JP2016120772A (en) * | 2014-12-24 | 2016-07-07 | コイト電工株式会社 | Table device for seat |
CN105795773A (en) * | 2016-05-12 | 2016-07-27 | 钦州学院 | Sofa deck chair provided with computer desk |
US10045627B2 (en) | 2016-01-25 | 2018-08-14 | Steelcase Inc. | Worksurface assembly, body support member having a worksurface and method for the use and assembly thereof |
US10399680B2 (en) * | 2014-04-07 | 2019-09-03 | Geven S.P.A. | Displacement mechanism of a tray table mounted on an armrest of a seat, in particular an airplane seat |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: STEELCASE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, MICHIGAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TSAI, ING-JYE JIMMY;REEL/FRAME:015324/0784 Effective date: 20041011 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: STEELCASE INC., MICHIGAN Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:STEELCASE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:020360/0944 Effective date: 20071017 Owner name: STEELCASE INC.,MICHIGAN Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:STEELCASE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:020360/0944 Effective date: 20071017 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO PAY ISSUE FEE |