Chair having an armrest with a detachable face panel

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a chair, more particularly to a chair having an armrest with a detachable decorative face panel so as to provide the chair with a changeable appearance.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] A conventional chair generally has a backrest member, a seat member having a rear end connected to the backrest member, a pair of armrest members having rear ends connected to the backrest member at opposite lateral sides of the backrest member, and front and rear legs. One possible way of changing the appearance of the armrest members is to attach a decorative patch thereon. However, an unpleasant appearance would be left on the armrest member when the patch is removed or when the patch has been put on the armrest member for a long period of time. It is desirable to provide a chair having an armrest member with a changeable appearance for enhanced consumer appeal.

[0006] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a chair having an armrest with a detachable decorative face panel so as to provide a changeable appearance to the chair.

[0007] Accordingly, the chair of the present invention includes a backrest member, a seat member and a pair of armrest members. The backrest member has opposite lateral sides, upper and lower ends, and an intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends. The seat member has a rear end pivoted to the lower end of the backrest member. The armrest members are disposed on the lateral sides of the backrest member. Each of the armrest members has a rear end pivoted to the intermediate portion of the backrest member, and an outer wall surface formed with a mounting recess. Each of the armrest members includes a face panel disposed fittingly and detachably in the mounting recess.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the chair of the present invention;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment; and

[0012] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the preferred embodiment.

[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the chair according to the present invention is shown to include a backrest member 22, a seat member 21 with a rear end portion pivoted to a lower end of the backrest member 22, a pair of armrest members 4 extending forwardly from two opposite lateral sides of the backrest member 22, and front and rear supports 31, 32 adapted for supporting the chair on a ground surface.

[0014] The armrest members 4 are disposed respectively on the two lateral sides of the backrest member 22, and have rear ends pivoted to the backrest member 22 by means of a pair of horizontal pivot pins 410. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the armrest members 4 has an outer wall surface formed with a mounting recess 411. In the present embodiment, the mounting recess 411 is formed in a top side of a top wall 41 of the respective armrest member 4. The top wall 41 is formed with a plurality of rectangular engaging holes 412 within the mounting recess 411. Each of the armrest members 4 further has a decorative face panel 42 disposed fittingly and detachably in the mounting recess 411. The top wall 41 and the face panel 42 are each formed from a plastic material. The face panel 42 is formed with a plurality of downward protrusions 422 which extend downwardly through the engaging holes 412, respectively. Each of the downward protrusions 422 has a hooked distal end 423 for engaging releasably a bottom side of the top wall 41. In the present embodiment, the face panel 42 has an inverted U-shaped cross-section, and may be provided with a label for indicating purposes. Preferably, the face panel 42 is in a color different from that of the top wall 41, or is made from a material different from that of the top wall 41 so as to provide a different feeling of touch. Alternatively, the face panel 42 may be formed from a transparent plastic material, and a decorative piece (not shown) may be disposed within the mounting recess 411 between the face panel 42 and the top wall 41 so as to be visible through the face panel 42.

[0015] Each of the armrest members 4 further has a parallel pair of positioning plates 43 which extend downwardly from the top wall 41. The positioning plates 43 extend in a longitudinal direction of the armrest member 4, and are spaced-apart in a transverse direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction so as to define a downwardly opening longitudinal channel 44 therebetween. Each of the positioning plates 43 is formed with a plurality of locking grooves 432 that are displaced from one another in the longitudinal direction, and a slide slot 431 formed below and communicated with the locking grooves 432. The locking grooves 432 are inclined forwardly and upwardly from the slide slot 431. The slide slot 431 extends in the longitudinal direction of the respective armrest member 4. The slide slot 431 and the locking grooves 432 in one of the positioning plates 43 are aligned respectively with the slide slot 431 and the locking grooves 432 in the other one of the positioning plates 43.

[0016] The front support 6 includes two forwardly and downwardly inclined front legs 61 disposed on two opposite lateral sides of the seat member 21. The front legs 61 have lower ends connected to each other by a front cross-bar 62 that is adapted to be disposed on a ground surface, upper ends 612 extending toward the armrest members 4, respectively, and intermediate sections pivoted to a front end portion of the seat member 21 by means of a pair of pivot pins 311. The rear support 3 includes two rearwardly and downwardly inclined rear legs 32 disposed respectively on the lateral sides of the seat member 21. The rear legs 32 have lower ends connected to each other by means of a rear cross-bar 33 which is adapted to be disposed on the ground surface, upper ends 322 extending toward the armrest members 4, respectively, and intermediate sections pivoted to the rear end portion of the seat member 21 by means of a pair of known pivot connectors 321.

[0017] The upper ends 612, 322 of the front and rear legs 61, 32 are each formed as a circular disc with a pin hole 313, 323 formed therethrough. The upper ends 612, 322 of the front and rear legs 61, 32 that are disposed at the respective one of the lateral sides of the seat member 21 extend into the longitudinal channel 44 of an adjacent one of the armrest members 4, and are connected to each other by means of a connecting pin unit 5 which includes a pin portion 512 extending through the pin holes 313, 323, an enlarged head portion 511 secured to one end of the pin portion 512, and a cover plate 52 fastened to an opposite end of the pin portion 512 by means of a screw member 53. The pin portion 512 extends through the slide slots 431 in the positioning plates 43 of a respective one of the armrest members 4. The enlarged head portions 511 and the cover plate 52 are disposed on two opposite lateral sides of the positioning plates 43. The pin portion 512 is extendible into a selected one of the locking grooves 432 to permit adjustment in tilt of the backrest member 22.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 4, to adjust the tilt of the backrest member 22, the armrest members 4 are lifted to dispose the pin portions 512 in the slide slots 431. Then, the armrest members 4 are moved forwardly or downwardly so as to enable the backrest member 22 to turn forward or rearward relative to the seat member 21 and so as to slide the pin portions 512 along the slide slots 431. When the backrest member 22 is disposed at a desired inclination, the armrest members 4 are pushed downward to enable each of the pin portions 512 to extend into a selected pair of the locking grooves 432 in the respective armrest member 43, thereby positioning the backrest member 22 at the desired inclination.

[0019] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.