ARM REST

ACCOUDOIR

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An arm rest for driver's seats, e.g. in forestry machines,
comprising an arm rest bar which carries an arm rest pad and
at its rear end is pivotally connected to a pivotable link
which by pivotal motion permits rising and lowering of the rear
end of the arm rest bar, whereas the arm rest bar at the front
end thereof is supported by a support rod. The upper end of
the support rod is pivotally connected to the arm rest bar
by means of a connecting member whereas the lowermost end is
movably guided through a turnable and lockable lock or control
member.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An arm rest for a driver's seat of a machine
comprising: an arm rest bar; an arm rest pad carried by said
bar; a normally horizontal link adapted at one end to be pivotably
supported on the machine for relative movement about a first
horizontal axis, and pivotably secured at its other end to said
bar at the rear portion of said bar for relative movement about
a second horizontal axis spaced therefrom, whereby pivotable
motion about said spaced horizontal axes enables raising and
lowering the rear end of said arm rest bar; a bracket secured
to the front end of said arm rest bar, and adapted to support
a universally movable controller of the machine; a normally
vertical support bar having at its upper end a pivotable con-
nection with said bracket for enabling relative movement about a
third horizontal axis; and a control member adapted to be
supported on the machine and guiding the lower end of said
support rod for vertical movement between locked positions, and
enabling pivoting of the lower end of said support rod about a
fourth horizontal axis.
2. An arm rest according to claim 1, comprising a
pair of telescopic tubes adapted to be mutually locked at a
selected position for adjustment of the length of said arm rest
bar in a direction toward and away from the back of the seat.
3. An arm rest according to claim 1, including a
connecting member having a pivotable connection with said bracket
for relative movement about a fifth horizontal axis and carrying
a universally movable holding bracket for the controller.
4. An arm rest according to claim 1, forming part of
a driver's seat in a forestry machine.

Description

The present invention generally relates t~ an arm rest,
particularly for driver's seats, e.g., in forestry machines.
U.S. Patent Specifications Nos. 1,420,924 and 3,140,119
as well as French Patent Specifica-tion No. l,225,390 illustrate
various known adjustable arm rests. However, despite the
existence of these and other adjustable arm rests, it has been
observed that the sick-leave among machine drivers because of
arm-, shoulder- and neck diseases is greatly increasing.
Doctors and physiotherapists claim that one of the reasons for
such diseases is a too static working position, inter alia
due to the lack of arm rests that are easily adjustable, and above
all adjustable to a sufficient extent.
The present invention provides an arm rest
for a driver's seat such as is used in forestry machines which
remedies the above mentioned drawbacks and which difEers from the
previously known arm rests in that; it may be raised and lowered
both at the front end and at the rear end; it may be inclined
at both the front end and at the rear end; it is adapted for
mounting a combination controller which is adjustable into any
desired longitudinal, lateral and inclined position; it affords
the possibility of a fast adjustment into the desired working
position within 15 to 30 seconds~ in comparison with normally
about 2 to 4 min.; and in that the arm rest pad is adjustable
into a position closer to or further away from the back of the
chair.
According to the present invention the arm rest
comprises an arm rest bar; an arm rest pad carried by said bar;
a normally horizontal link adapted at one end to be pivotably
supported on the machine for relative movement about a first
horizontal axis, and pivotably secured at its other end to said
bar at the rear portion of said bar for relative movement about
~i ~
~ a second horizontal axis spaced therefrom, whereby pivotable

~ B~
motion about said spaced horizontal axes enables raising and
lowering the rear end of said arm rest bar; a bracket secured .
to the front end of said arm rest bar, and adapted to support a
universally movable controller of the machine; a normally
verticaly support bar having at its upper end a pivotable con-
nection with said bracket for enabling relative movement about a
third horizontal axis; and a control member adapted to be sup-
ported on the machine and guiding the lowerend of said support
rod for vertical movement between locked positions, and enabling
pivoting o~ the lower end of said support rod about a fourth
horizontal axis.
In one embodiment of the present invention the arm
rest bar comprises a pair of telescopic tubes adapted to be
mutually locked at a selected position for adjustment of the
length of said arm rest bar in a direction toward and away from
the back of the seat.
In another embodiment of the present invention the arm
rest includes a connecting member having a pivotable connection
with said bracket for relative movement about a fifth horizontal
axis and carrying a universally movable holding bracket for the
controller.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawing in which the single Figure is a
side elevation of an arm rest in àccordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
Referring to the Figure, the arm rest according to the
invention is secured to one side of a driver's seat 10, of for
example a forestry machine, while a similar arm rest is mounted
on the other side ofthe seat 10. As usual, the seat 10 has a
seat pad 11 and a back support 12 which is adjustable into
desired inclined positions around an axis 12.
On the back support 13, or on a special support panel,

there is affixed a bracket 1~ which carries a pivot 15 to
pivotally journal one end of a link 16 for relative movement about
a first horizontal axis. The other end of the link 16 carries
a pivot 17 to pivotally journal one end of a second link or bracket
18 which is rigidly connected to an arm rest bar 19 for relative
movement about a second horizontal axis.
The arm rest bar 19 is telescopic and comprises a rear
outer tube l9A and a front inner tuhe l9B which are mutually
lockable by means of a lock screw 20 having a knob. The outer
tube l9A slidably car~ies an arm rest pad 21 which is lockable
in any desired adjustment position by means of a screw 22 having
a knob.
At its front end the inner tube l9B is provided with a
bracket or connecting member 23 to hold a pivot 24 which pivotally
carries for relative movement about a horizontal axis herein-
after referred to as a fifth horizontal axis,~ a preferably univer-
sally movable holding bracket 25 for a combination controller 26
which is shown only diagrammatically. Further, the bracket 23
also serves to pivotally journal one end of a support rod 27 ~for
movement about a third horizontal axis,~if desired in the shape
of a toothed rack, which passes movably through a turnable and
lockable locking or controlling member 28 at the foremost end of
the seat pad ll(and enabling the relative pivoting of the lower
end of the support rod 24 about a fourth horizontal axis.~
Preferably, the pivots 13, 15, 17 and 24 are of the
known self-arresting type, each having an adjustment knob.
In a simplified embodiment it is believed possible
to omit the pivot 17 and to combine the links 16, 18 into one
simple link, which at the front end thereof is pivotally con-
nected to the arm rest bar 19 by means of a single journal pin.