Armrest arrangements for vehicle seating

Abstract

Vehicle seats are commonly used to transport passengers travelling on different classes of fare, for which seats of different width are often provided. Seats of different width are also desirable to accommodate passengers of different sizes. Adjustable seating units are known which include backrest and bottom parts for a plurality of seats abreast, fixed armrests at the sides and intermediate armrests which can be moved laterally between two or more predetermined positions to separate and define seats of different widths. To improve the appearance and comfort provided by such adjustable seating units, a shroud is provided to fit on or over two intermediate armrests when they are positioned close together between wider seats, the shroud being anchored to the seating unit, for example being mounted on arms pivotally connected to the seating unit, so as to be movable between an operative position, fitting the intermediate armrests, and a stored position. In its stored position, the shroud may be concealed at least partially by a part of the seating unit, such as a movable portion of the backrest or of the bottom part. The shroud may be upholstered and may include recesses for receiving articles to be stored or facilities which are required to be available only when it is in its operative position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.