Adjustable armrest

An adjustable armrest for pivotally mounting to a pivot pin extending from a vehicle seat which includes a stop pin fixedly mounted to the seat in spaced relationship to the pivot pin, said armrest comprising:

• a molded shell for rotatably mounting to the pivot pin, said shell having an arcuate slot formed therein for receiving said stop pin to limit the rotational movement of said armrest about the pivot pin;
• a blocking member which is adjustably mounted to said shell for selectively occluding said arcuate slot for selectively limiting the rotation of said shell with respect to the seat, wherein said shell further includes an interlocking member mounted therein, and said blocking member is rotatably mounted to the pivot pin wherein said blocking member engages said interlocking member such that said blocking member and said shell can rotate about the pivot pin when said blocking member is engaged by said interlocking member, and wherein said blocking member is a cut-away gear having an abutment surface and a plurality of teeth, said gear rotatably mounted to the pivot pin such that said abutment surface of said gear can engage the stop pin;
• and
• a control mechanism mounted within said shell, said control mechanism having a locking end including said interlocking member defining an interlocking element, said locking element adapted to interengage said teeth of said gear, and an operating end opposite said locking end, said operating end extending outwardly from said shell;
• wherein said control mechanism is responsive to actuation of said operating end to control the interengagement between said interlocking element and said teeth of said gear for locking the armrest at a favored position, wherein said shell includes a plurality of transverse and longitudinal ribs for supporting said control mechanism and guiding the sliding movement of said control mechanism;
• and wherein said control mechanism further includes a bar having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, said second end defining said locking end of said control mechanism;
• a toggle having a body rotatably attached to said first end of said bar and having a tab extending outwardly from and generally perpendicularly to said body;
• and a button having a free end defining said operating end of said control mechanism and having an opposite end that has a track formed therein and a catch extending within said track, said tab positioned to move within said track.

An adjustable armrest for pivotally mounting to a pivot pin attached to a vehicle, and a stop pin mounted to the vehicle generally parallel to and spaced from the pivot pin, said armrest comprising:

• a molded shell for rotatably mounting to the pivot pin, said shell having an arcuate slot formed therein for receiving the stop pin to limit the rotational movement of said armrest about the pivot pin;
• and
• a blocking member which is adjustably mounted to said shell for selectively occluding said arcuate slot for selectively limiting the rotation of said shell with respect to the seat, and further including a control mechanism mounted within said shell, said control mechanism including an elongated control member extending outwardly from said shell, said control mechanism also including a locking end having an interlocking element extending outwardly therefrom;
• and wherein said blocking member comprises a gear having a radial surface defining an abutment, said gear rotatably mounted to the pivot pin such that the stop pin normally engages said abutment, said gear also having a plurality of teeth for normally engaging said interlocking element, wherein said control mechanism is responsive to actuation of said control member to cause movement of said interlocking element to control the interengagement between said interlocking element and said teeth of said gear, and wherein said gear and said shell can rotate about the pivot pin when said gear is engaged with said interlocking element, wherein said slot is arcuate and extends about 180.degree..

An adjustable armrest for a seat having a seat back with a pivot pin mounted generally perpendicular to the seat back, and a stop pin mounted to the seat generally parallel to the pivot pin, the armrest comprising:

• a molded shell having a socket for rotatably mounting said shell to the pivot pin and an outer peripheral wall, said wall having an opening;
• a control mechanism mounted within said shell, said control mechanism having an operating end that extends through said opening and having a locking end, said locking end having an interlocking member extending outwardly therefrom;
• a slot formed in said shell for receiving the stop pin;
• a cut-away gear having an abutment surface and a plurality of teeth, said teeth normally engaging said interlocking member, and said gear being rotatably mounted to the pivot pin such that the stop pin normally engages said abutment surface;
• and
• wherein said control mechanism is responsive to actuation of said operating end such that when said operating end is depressed a first time, said control mechanism causes linear movement of said interlocking member to disengage said interlocking member from said gear, and when said operating end is depressed a second time, said control mechanism causes linear movement of said interlocking member and causes said interlocking member to engage said gear at a selected position.

An adjustable armrest pivotally mounted to a pivot pin that is fixedly mounted to a seat, and a stop pin fixedly mounted to the seat generally parallel to and spaced from the pivot pin, said armrest comprising:

• a molded shell rotatably mounted to the pivot pin, said shell having an arcuate slot formed therein for receiving the stop pin;
• a cut-away gear having an abutment surface and a plurality of teeth, said gear being rotatably mounted to the pivot pin such that said abutment surface of said gear extends over said arcuate slot to abut the stop pin;
• a control mechanism mounted within said shell, said control mechanism including an interlocking member adapted to engage said teeth of said gear and a button opposite said interlocking member, said control mechanism being responsive to actuation of said button to control the engagement between said gear and said interlocking member to change the position of said abutment surface of said gear with respect to said arcuate slot;
• and
• wherein said shell has a mounting structure for supporting and guiding said control mechanism, and wherein said gear and said shell are collectively rotatable about the pivot pin when said gear and said interlocking member are interengaged.

An adjustable armrest rotatably attached to a pivot pin that is fixedly attached to a vehicle seat and a stop pin mounted to the seat generally parallel to and in spaced relationship to the pivot pin, the armrest comprising:

• a molded shell having a socket for rotatably mounting said shell to the pivot pin and an arcuate slot for receiving the stop pin;
• a first interlocking member rotatably mounted to the pivot pin and having an abutment surface which extends over said arcuate slot for selectively occluding said arcuate slot and abutting the stop pin;
• a linearly operating control mechanism mounted within said shell, said control mechanism including a button and a bar, said bar having a free end and a locking end opposite said free end, said free end extending outwardly from an opening in said shell and said locking end having a second interlocking member extending outwardly therefrom for engaging said first interlocking member;
• and
• wherein said control mechanism is responsive to actuation of said free end of said button to cause linear movement of said bar and hence control the interengagement between said first interlocking member and said second interlocking member such that said first interlocking member and said shell are collectively rotatable about the pivot pin when said first interlocking member is engaged with said second interlocking member.