Height-adjustable chair arm assembly

In a chair having a seat assembly, a back projecting upwardly from and adjacent a rear edge of the seat assembly, and a height-adjustable arm assembly mounted on and disposed adjacent one side of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly in cantilevered relation therefrom, the improvement wherein said arm assembly comprises:

• an arm attachment bracket fixed to said seat assembly and including a vertically elongate support tube disposed adjacent said one side of said seat assembly, said support tube defining therein a lengthwise and vertically elongate guide bore which is open at the upper end thereof;
• a vertically elongate support column lengthwise movably supported within said bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part which is disposed at an elevation spaced upwardly above said seat assembly;
• a horizontally elongate armrest mounted on the upper end part of said support column and projecting horizontally therefrom so as to terminate at a free end, said armrest having a hub part which is horizontally rotatable supported on the upper end part of said support column for permitting said armrest to be horizontally swingably displaced about a substantially vertical axis relative to said support column, said chair including a multi-position resilient detent arrangement cooperating between said armrest and said support column for permitting the armrest to be maintained in a plurality of different positions which are horizontally angularly displaced from one another about said swivel axis;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between the support column and the support tube for permitting the support column to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to the support tube at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported on and carried by said support column and being movable between a release position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged with one of a series of latching stops which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support tube;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest through said support column for displacing said latch member into a released position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever extending lengthwise of and pivotally supported on said armrest and terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed on an underside of said armrest adjacent the free end thereof, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support column and having a lower end cooperating with said latch member and an upper end cooperating with said activating lever.

In a chair having a seat assembly, a back projecting upwardly from and adjacent a rear edge of the seat assembly, and a height-adjustable arm assembly mounted on and disposed adjacent one side of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly in cantilevered relation therefrom, the improvement wherein said arm assembly comprises:

• an arm attachment bracket fixed to said seat assembly and including a vertically elongate support tube disposed adjacent said one side of said seat assembly, said support tube defining therein a lengthwise and vertically elongate guide bore which is open at the upper end thereof;
• a vertically elongate support column lengthwise movably supported within said bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part which is disposed at an elevation spaced upwardly above said seat assembly;
• a horizontally elongate armrest mounted on the upper end part of said support column and projecting horizontally therefrom so as to terminate at a free end, said armrest having a hub part which is horizontally rotatable supported on the upper end part of said support column for permitting said armrest to be horizontally swingably displaced about a substantially vertical axis relative to said support column;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between the support column and the support tube for permitting the support column to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to the support tube at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported on and carried by said support column and being movable between a release position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged with one of a series of latching stops which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support tube;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest through said support column for displacing said latch member into a released position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever extending lengthwise of and pivotally supported on said armrest and terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed on an underside of said armrest adjacent the free end thereof, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support column and having a lower end cooperating with said latch member and an upper end cooperating with said activating lever, said activating lever being horizontally rotatably connected to said upper end of said activating rod so as to effect movement of said activating rod vertically along said support column while permitting said horizontal swinging displacement of said armrest relative to said support column.

In a chair having a seat assembly, a back projecting upwardly from and adjacent a rear edge of the seat assembly, and a height-adjustable arm assembly mounted on and disposed adjacent one side of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly in cantilevered relation therefrom, the improvement wherein said arm assembly comprises:

• an arm attachment bracket fixed to said seat assembly and including a vertically elongate support tube disposed adjacent said one side of said seat assembly, said support tube defining therein a lengthwise and vertically elongate guide bore which is open at the upper end thereof;
• a vertically elongate support column lengthwise movably supported within said bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part which is disposed at an elevation spaced upwardly above said seat assembly;
• a horizontally elongate armrest mounted on the upper end part of said support column and projecting horizontally therefrom so as to terminate at a free end;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between the support column and the support tube for permitting the support column to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to the support tube at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member pivotally supported on and carried by said support column and being movable between a release position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged with one of a series of latching stops which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support tube;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest through said support column for displacing said latch member into a released position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever extending lengthwise of and pivotally supported on said armrest and terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed on an underside of said armrest adjacent the free end thereof, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support column and having a lower end cooperating with said latch member and an upper end cooperating with said activating lever, said activating lever moving said activating rod vertically, said lower end of said activating rod and said latch member including cooperating cam surfaces which are inclined such that vertical movement of said activating rod effects pivoting of said latch member from said latching position to said release position.

In a chair having a seat assembly and a pair of height-adjustable arm assemblies mounted on and disposed adjacent opposite sides of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly in cantilevered relation therefrom, the improvement wherein said arm assembly comprises:

• an arm attachment bracket fixed to said seat assembly and including a vertically elongate support tube disposed adjacent one side of said seat assembly, said support tube defining therein a lengthwise and vertically elongate guide bore which is open at the upper end thereof;
• a vertically elongate support column lengthwise movably supported within said bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part;
• an armrest mounted on the upper end part of said support column;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between the support column and the support tube for permitting the support column to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to the support tube at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported on and carried by said support column and being movable between a release position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged sidewardly with one of a series of latching stops which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support tube;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest through said support column for displacing said latch member to said release position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed on an underside of said armrest, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support column and having a lower end cooperating with said latch member and an upper end cooperating with said activating lever such that said activating lever moves said activating rod vertically, said latch member having an inclined cam surface, and said lower end abutting against said cam surface such that movement of said activating rod vertically effects sideward movement of said latch member to said release position.

In a chair having a seat assembly and a height-adjustable arm assembly disposed on one side of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly therefrom, the improvement wherein said arm assembly comprises:

• a vertically elongate support tube disposed adjacent said one side of said seat assembly, said support tube defining therein a lengthwise and vertically elongate guide bore which has an open end;
• a vertically elongate support column lengthwise movably supported within said bore and projecting vertically from said open end;
• an armrest which is supported on said seat assembly by said support tube and said support column which extend vertically therebetween;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between the support column and the support tube for permitting the support column to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to the support tube at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported on and carried by said support column and being movable between a released position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged sidewardly with one of a series of latching stops which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support tube;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism connected to said latch member for displacing said latch member to said release position, said latch-activating mechanism including a manually-engageable actuator, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support column and having a drive end cooperating with said latch member and an opposite end cooperating with said actuator such that said actuator moves said activating rod vertically, said drive end of said activating rod and said latch member having cooperating surfaces such that movement of said activating rod vertically effects sideward movement of said latch member to said release position, said latch-activating mechanism further including biasing means acting sidewardly on said latch member for moving said latch member to said latching position while effecting vertical movement of said activating rod.

In a chair having a seat assembly, a back projecting upwardly from a location adjacent a rear edge of the seat assembly, and a pair of height-adjustable arm assemblies mounted on and disposed adjacent opposite sides of said seat assembly and projecting upwardly in cantilevered relation therefrom, the improvement wherein each arm assembly comprises:

• an arm upright fixed to said seat assembly and including a vertically elongate support segment disposed on one side of said seat assembly, said support segment defining therein a vertically elongate guide bore which is open at an upper end thereof;
• an armrest having a vertically elongate slide tube lengthwise movably supported within said guide bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part which is disposed at an elevation spaced upwardly above said seat assembly, said armrest further having a horizontally elongate arm element mounted on the upper end part of said slide tube and projecting horizontally therefrom;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between said support segment and said slide tube for permitting said slide tube to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to said support segment at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported and carried in said slide tube and being movable between a release position and a latching position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged with one of a series of latching notches which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support segment;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest into said support segment for displacing said latch member between said release position and said latching position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating arm extending lengthwise of and movably supported on said arm element and terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed at an underside of said arm element adjacent an end portion thereof, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support segment and having an upper end cooperating with said activating arm and a lower end engaging a roller which cooperates with a cam surface of said latch member.

A height-adjustable arm assembly for a chair, comprising:

• an arm upright including a vertically elongate support segment, said support segment defining therein a vertically elongate guide bore which is open at an upper end thereof;
• an armrest having a vertically elongate slide tube lengthwise movably supported within said guide bore and projecting upwardly therefrom and terminating at an upper end part, said armrest further having a horizontally elongate arm element mounted on the upper end part of said slide tube and projecting horizontally therefrom;
• a releasable latch arrangement coacting between said support segment and said slide tube for permitting said slide tube to be stationarily fixedly positioned relative to said support segment at any one of a plurality of selectable height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member movably supported and carried by said slide tube and being movable between a latching position and a release position, said latch member when in said latching position being engaged with one of a series of latching notches which are formed in lengthwise-spaced relation along said support segment;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism extending from said armrest into said support segment for displacing said latch member between said latching position and said release position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever extending lengthwise of and pivotally supported on said arm element and terminating in a manually-engageable button part disposed at an underside of said arm element adjacent an end portion thereof, and an activating rod extending interiorly and lengthwise of said support segment and having an upper end cooperating with said activating lever and a lower end engaging a roller which cooperates with a cam surface of said latch member.

A height-adjustable arm assembly for a chair, comprising:

• an arm upright including an elongate support segment, said support segment defining therein a guide bore which is open at one end thereof, said support segment having a series of latching notches formed therein;
• an armrest having a slide tube and an arm element, said slide tube having a first end which is supported within said guide bore and a second end which is attached to said arm element;
• a latch arrangement for permitting said slide tube to be positioned relative to said support segment at any one of a plurality of height positions, said latch arrangement including a latch member being movable between a latching position and a release position, said latch member being engaged with one of the series of latching notches when in said latching position;
• and
• a latch-activating mechanism for moving said latch member between said latching position and said release position, said latch-activating mechanism including an activating lever supported on said arm element, and an activating rod extending into said support segment, said activating rod having an upper end cooperating with said activating lever and a lower end engaging a roller which cooperates with a cam surface of said latch member.