Adjustable arm

• US 4,767,231 A
• Filed: 08/28/1985
• Issued: 08/30/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frederick A. Wallis
• Original Assignee: Frederick A. Wallis
• Inventors: Wallis, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, David H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US06/779,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 403/53, 403/54, 403/55, 403/56, 403/61, 403/76, 403/90, 248/160, 248/276, 285/907, 285/184
• US Class Current: 403/56
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/106 for ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/14 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 ; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2078 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/022 by friction
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/065 with a special structure, e.g. reinforced or adapted for space reduction
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/29 employing universal joints
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/907 Electrical fixtures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32024 Single adjustment for plural axes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32032 Plural ball and socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32196 Articulate joint is ball and socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32311 Ball and socket

Abstract

An adjustable arm having a plurality of sections joined together by a ball and socket joint comprising a housing, a ball retained within the housing, a concave cup slidably mounted within the housing with clearance between the cup and the ball, a locking member slidably mounted in a recess in the ball so that one end projects beyond the ball and bears against the concave face of the cup a push rod passing through the section so that one end bears against the cup adjacent one end of the section and the other end bears against the locking member of the joint adjacent the other end of the section and means for applying a compressive force to the push rod to simultaneously lock all joints against relative movement.

Claims

1. An adjustable arm comprising a pair of spaced end sections and at least two intermediate sections, each section being adjustably connected to an adjacent section through a ball and socket connection, the ball and socket connection connecting adjacent intermediate sections to each other comprising a ball member affixed to one end of each of said joined intermediate sections, a housing member pivotally connected at its opposite sides to said jointed sectioned ends and having a recess receiving said ball members and a double ended rigid concave cup member slightly supported in said housing member recess and positioned between said ball members, a longitudinally extending cavity extending through each said jointed intermediate sections, and the ball member affixed thereto, a compression member slidably supported in each of said cavities and each engaging an opposite end of said concave cup member of said ball and socket joint, and means for applying a compressive force to said one of said compression members for urging said cup shaped member into frictional engagement with the other of said compression members for precluding pivotal movement of said joint.

2. An adjustable arm as claimed in claim 1 wherein a clearance is provided by making each of the ball members non-spherical and the dimensions of the compression member are such that it would coincide with the normal periphery of the ball member if it were spherical.

3. An adjustable arm as claimed in claim 1 wherein the compression members are tubular and are aligned with cavities in the concave cup member and the ball members of the ball and socket joint.