Arm tray for chair

• US 4,662,676 A
• Filed: 09/11/1985
• Issued: 05/05/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ken Havelock
• Original Assignee: Ken Havelock
• Inventors: Havelock, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, James T.
• Application Number:
  US06/774,999
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 211/70.7, 297/194, 297/160, 297/161, 297/DIG. 4, 108/26, 108/25, 248/309, 248/312, 248/316, 248/309.2, 248/500
• US Class Current: 297/160
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/624 located on side of seat, e.g. on armrest
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/70 of foldable type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/705 of detachable type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/04 Wheelchair

Abstract

An arm tray for a chair comprising a flat tray with a wide front portion and a narrow rear portion that is attached to the arm of a chair by an adjustable hook and pile fabric fastener that wraps around the arm of the chair and an adjustable length removable brace extending between the chair and the tray. The brace is removably attached to a swivel on the underside of the tray and fits on a clip removably attached to the chair leg. The tray includes depressions for a plate and silverware and openings for a napkin and beverage container. Upon projections in the silverware depression fit into openings in the silverware to hold the silverware in place. Removable clips fit on the edge of the tray and extend over the plate depression to hold the plate in place. The beverage container opening has removable sleeves for different sized beverage containers.

Claims

1. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a front portion on which articles are placed;

releasable fastener means for attaching the tray to the arm of the chair; and

holding means for retaining eating utensils on the tray, the holding means comprising a plate depression for a plate, an opening in the tray for a beverage container, and separate depressions for individual items of silverware, the depressions for the silverware including releasable retainers for resiliently holding the silverware down on the tray.

8. An arm tray according to claim 1 wherein the beverage container opening comprises an opening in the tray and a removable sleeve that fits in the opening, the sleeve having an outwardly extending flange adjacent an upper end thereof that prevents the sleeve from falling through the opening, the inner diameter of the sleeve conforming to the outer diameter of the beverage container so as to hold the beverage container in the opening, the sleeve being replaceable with a sleeve having a different inside diameter to conform with a different sized beverage container.

2. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a wider front portion on which articles are placed;

a releasable fastener means for attaching the rear portion of the tray to the arm of the chair, the fastener means comprising flexible fastener strips including hook and pile fasteners attached to the underside of the rear portion of the tray, such that the strips can be wrapped around the arm of the chair and overlapped with the hook and pile fasteners being engaged so as to lock the strips together, the fastener strips fastening the rear portion of the tray securely down on the arm of the chair, the rear portion of the tray being removable simply be separating the hook and pile fasteners, the fastener strips being long enough to permit the rear portion of the tray to be mounted on chair arms with a wide variety of different cross sectional areas, and the length of the support member being adjustable to hold the tray level on different sizes and shapes of chairs;

a removable brace means for suporting the front portion of the tray, the brace means comprising an elongated support member attached at an upper end to the underside of the tray and extending downwardly to a lower end adapted to be supported by the chair, the support member comprising upper and lower portions that fit together in telescoping fashion, the brace including locking fastener means for locking the upper and lower portions at a plurality of desired telescoped positions, the upper end of the support member being pivotally attached to the underside of the tray; and

releasable brace fastener means for releasably supporting the lower end of the support member on the chair, the tray being removable from the chair by releasing the hook and pile fastener strips and releasing the support member from the chair, the brace fastener means for supporting the lower end of the support member comprising a resilient clip releasably attachable to the chair.

3. An arm chair according to claim 2 wherein the arm of the chair is supported by a cylindrical arm support that extends upwardly from a frame to the arm of the chair, the resilient clip comprising a resilient C-clip that clips over the arm support and rests on the frame, the C-clip having an upwardly inclined support arm thereon that fits in an opening in the lower end of the support member and supports the support member.

4. An arm chair tray according to claim 2 wherein the upper and lower portions are mating tubular members, with each having a plurality of aligned holes spaced longitudinally along the tubular member, the holes in the tubular members mating at selected extension lengths of the brace, the fastener means comprising a pin that fits through the mating openings.

5. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a wider front portion on which articles are placed;

a releasable fastener means for attaching the rear portion of the tray to the arm of the chair;

holding means for retaining eating utensils on the tray, the holding means comprising a plate depression for a plate, an opening in the tray for a beverage container, and separate depressiions for individual items of silverware, the depressiions for the silverware including releasable retainers for resiliently holding the silverware down on the tray;

a removable brace means for supporting the front portion of the tray, the brace means comprising an elongated support member attached at an upper end to the underside of the tray and extending downwardly to a lower end adapted to be supported by the chair; and

releasable brace fastener means for releasably supporting the lower end of the support member on the chair, the tray being removable from the chair by releasing the fastener means for the tray from the arm and releasing the support member from the chair.

6. An arm tray according to claim 6 wherein the rear portion of the tray is relatively narrow and includes a padded upper surface for elbow support, the front portion becoming wider as the tray extends forwardly from the rear portion to the front edge of the tray, the silverware depression being formed transversely in the tray adjacent the rear portion of the tray, the plate depression being formed forward of the silverware depressions, and the beverage opening being formed forward of and to the right of the plate depression, the arm tray further comprising a napkin opening through the tray for holding a napkin.

7. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a wider front portion on which articles are placed, the tray further comprising silverware depressions in the upper surface of the tray generally shaped in the configuration of the individual items of silverware, each silverware depression having sufficient room at least at one point to provide finger access between the tray and the silverware items each having at least one opening therein, the depressions having mating projections extending upwardly therefrom that fit into and resiliently engage the openings in the silverware to hold the silverware down on the tray;

a releasable fastener means for attaching the rear portion of the tray to the arm of the chair, the fastener means comprising flexible fastener strips including hook and pile fasteners attached to the underside of the rear portion of the tray, such that the strips can be wrapped around the arm of the chair and overlapped with the hook and pile fasteners being engaged so as to lock the strips together, the fastener strips fastening the rear portion of the tray securely down on the arm of the chair, the rear portion of the tray being removable simply by separating the hook and pile fasteners;

a removable brace means for supporting the front portion of the tray, the brace means comprising an elongated support member attached at an upper end to the underside of the tray and extending downwardly to a lower end adapted to be supported by the chair; and

releasable brace fasteners for releasably supporting the lower end of the support member on the chair, the tray being removable from the chair by releasing the hook and pile fastener strips and releasing the support member from the chair.

9. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a front portion on which articles are placed;

releasable fastener means for attaching the tray to the arm of the chair; and

holding means for retaining eating utensils on the tray, the holding means comprising separate depressions for individual items of silverware, the depressions including releasable retainers for resiliently holding the silverware down on the tray, the silverware depressions being generally shaped in the configurations of the individual items of silverward, each silverware depression having sufficient room at least one point to provide finger access between the tray and the silverware to lift the silverware from the depression, the silverware items having at least one opening therein, the depressions having mating projections extending upwardly therefrom that fit into and resiliently engage the openings in the silverware to hold the silverware down on the tray.

10. An arm tray according to claim 9 wherein the holding means for retaining eating utensils further comprises a plate depression for a plate, and an opening in the tray for a beverage container.

11. An arm tray that is easily and releasably attachable to the open arm of a chair comprising:

a generally flat tray having a rear portion adapted to be positioned over the arm of the chair and a wider front portion on which articles are placed;

releasable fastener means for attaching the tray to the arm of the chair; and

holding means for retaining eating utensils on the tray, the holding means comprising a plate depression in the upper surface of the tray positioned adjacent the outer edge of the tray at least at one point, the arm tray further including a resilient plate clip that fits over and resiliently engages the edge of the tray at said one point, the plate clip including an upper portion that protrudes over the edge of the plate depression so as to hold down a plate in the plate depression, the plate clip including a C-clip portion that fits over and resiliently engages the edge of the tray and an outwardly extending upper portion that protrudes over the edge of the plate depression, the upper portion being upwardly movable to permit removal of the plate from the tray, the outwardly extending upper portion of the plate clip including a downwardly extending flange that fits downwardly into plate depression at the edge thereof to hold the clip in position on the tray, the part of the upper portion extending outwardly over the plate depression from the downwardly extending portion being movable upwardly to permit removal of a plate from the tray.

12. An arm tray according to claim 11 wherein the plate depression is adjacent the edge of the tray in at least two locations on opposite sides of the tray, the arm tray incluiding at least two plate clips for holding a plate in the plate depression.