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US 5,290,087 AGranted
Armrest with impact dependent dimension
AssigneePrince Corporation
InventorDavid J. Spykerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle accessory such as an armrest includes a core to which there is positioned a collapsible member extending outwardly from at least one edge of the core at a side thereof and which upon receiving a lateral force in a direction toward the core, expands by collapsing and to increase its height. A cushioning material is positioned over the collapsible member which can be covered by a suitable upholstery material.
Claims29
An armrest for a vehicle comprising:
- a core member defining an armrest having a first predetermined height;
- and
- arm means movably coupled to said core member and including cam means engaging said core member in response to an impact force thereby moving said arms means for increasing the first predetermined height of said armrest in response to an impact force.
An armrest for a vehicle comprising:
- a core defining an armrest having a predetermined length, width, and height;
- collapsing means coupled to said core for changing dimension in response to an impact force for increasing the predetermined height of said armrest in response to an impact force wherein said collapsing means includes at least one arm pivotally coupled to said core and having cam means engaging said core for moving said arm in response to an impact force.
An armrest for a vehicle comprising:
- a core having a generally rectangular cross section including a top, bottom, and sides to form a low profile, relatively thin armrest;
- means including a pair of spaced arms coupled to said core and to each other and extending to at least one of said sides of said core for providing a first side dimension for the armrest when in use, said arms movable toward said at least one side in response to an impact force applied to said armrest for providing a second side dimension greater than said first side dimension in response to an impact force wherein said spaced arms include convergent legs at one end spaced from said one side of said core and said ends of said convergent legs are hinged together;
- and
- wherein each of said convergent legs of said spaced arms further include cam means immediately adjacent a corner of said core for urging said convergent legs to a coplanar position in response to an impact force applied to said one side of said armrest.
1 more element
A cushioned vehicle accessory having a profile with a thin edge positioned where it can be engaged by an occupant, said accessory comprising:
- a core member having an edge facing the interior of a vehicle with a dimension of less than about two inches;
- expanding means coupled to said core member and extending to at least one side of said core member facing a vehicle occupant when said accessory is mounted in a vehicle for providing a first edge dimension for the accessory when in use, said means expanding in response to an impact force applied to said one side of said core for providing a second edge dimension greater than said first edge dimension in response to an impact force said expanding means including at least one arm movably mounted to said core member, said arm including cam means engaging said core for moving said at least one arm to provide said second edge dimension in response to an impact force;
- and
- means for covering said core member and said at least one arm.
1 more element
A cushioned vehicle accessory having a profile with a thin edge positioned where it can be engaged by an occupant, said accessory comprising:
- a core having a generally rectangular cross section with a top, bottom, and at least one side, said core having a height less than about two inches;
- expanding means coupled to said core member and extending to at least one side of said core facing a vehicle occupant when said accessory is mounted in a vehicle for providing a first side dimension for the accessory when in use, said means expanding in response to an impact force applied to said one side of said core for providing a second side dimension greater than said first side dimension in response to an impact force wherein said expanding means includes at least a pair of spaced arms which are hinged to each other, and wherein said spaced arms include convergent legs at one end spaced from said at least one side of said core and hinge means coupling said ends of said convergent legs;
- and
- wherein each of said convergent legs of said spaced arms further includes cam means immediately adjacent a corner of said core for urging said convergent legs to a coplanar position in response to an impact force applied to said at least one side of said accessory.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.