JP7637205B2 - Movable leg cushion - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a movable leg cushion, and more specifically to a movable leg cushion adapted to a carrier.

In daily life, chairs or stools are used frequently and usually do not cause any inconvenience. However, in a conference room, a coffee shop or an important public place, silence is required. Therefore, if noise is generated from the movement of a chair or stool, then the noise will annoy, irritate or annoy a person. This, of course, will upset the person.

Conventionally, there are several types of assembled leg cushions on the market to allow chairs or stools to be moved conveniently and quietly without making noise. For example, leg cushions with soft rubber sleeves have a sound-deadening effect but are not convenient to move. On the other hand, leg cushions with hard rubber fixed on them are slidable but require more force to move and may not be able to do so. Needless to say, these two types of leg cushions cannot satisfy the comfort of users because they do not consider both convenience in quietness and mobility.

In view of the above, the "Moveable Leg Cushion" was conceptualized with a proactive innovative spirit to solve the problems as mentioned above, and the present invention was finally realized through continuous research and experimentation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a movable leg cushion that is attached to the support legs of a carrier so that the cushion can move freely back and forth when the carrier is not loaded with a specific weight. In contrast, when the carrier is loaded with a specific weight, the carrier can be automatically braked. In this way, the movable leg cushion has the advantage of being easy to use and moving the carrier without generating noise, and the importance of the movable leg cushion is recognized, especially in places where quietness is required.

In order to achieve the above object, the movable leg cushion according to the present invention is attached to the support leg of the carrier. The movable leg cushion includes a housing, a movable inner sleeve, an elastic member, and at least one roller. The housing has a fixed connection member fixedly disposed on its exterior, and an abutment portion and a storage space provided inside. The movable inner sleeve is slidably disposed in the storage space and is movable relative to the housing so that the movable inner sleeve can be moved to a moving position or a braking position. The elastic member is disposed between the housing and the movable inner sleeve within the housing. The at least one roller is pivotally disposed on the movable inner sleeve. When the movable inner sleeve is located in the moving position, the at least one roller is spaced from the abutment portion by a moving distance. On the other hand, when the movable inner sleeve is located in the braking position, the at least one roller presses against the abutment portion.

According to the present invention, the abutment portion relates to an arc-shaped structure that conforms to the contour of the at least one roller, thereby allowing the abutment portion to perfectly fit the contour of the at least one roller when in contact with each other to achieve braking purposes.

Also, according to the present invention, the movement distance is 1 mm.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a movable leg cushion is attached to the support leg of the carrier. The movable leg cushion includes a housing, a movable inner sleeve, an elastic member, and at least one roller. The housing has a fixed connection member fixedly disposed on its exterior and a receiving space provided therein. The movable inner sleeve is slidably disposed within the receiving space and is movable relative to the housing such that the movable inner sleeve can be moved to a moving position or a receiving position. The elastic member is disposed within the housing between the housing and the movable inner sleeve. The at least one roller is pivotally disposed on the movable inner sleeve. When the movable inner sleeve is located in the moving position, the at least one roller extends over a lower edge of the housing, and when the movable inner sleeve is located in the receiving position, the at least one roller is received in the receiving space without extending over the lower edge of the housing.

According to the present invention or other aspects of the present invention, the movable leg cushion further comprises an outer member sleeved to the housing.

Also according to the present invention or other aspects of the present invention, the movable leg cushion further comprises a fastening nut that is screwed to the fixed connection member and is positioned between the outer member and the support leg to ensure that the movable leg cushion is firmly screwed to the support leg.

Furthermore, according to the present invention or other aspects of the present invention, the fixed connection member relates to a set screw for threadedly fastening the movable leg cushion to the support leg.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a movable leg cushion according to a first embodiment of the present invention positioned below a carrier, and FIG 1A is an enlarged view of the indicated portion of FIG 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the movable leg cushion according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the movable leg cushion according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the moveable leg cushion in a moving state according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the moveable leg cushion in a braking state according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a movable leg cushion in a moving state according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the moveable leg cushion in a braking state according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a perspective view showing a movable leg cushion according to a first embodiment of the present invention arranged under a carrier, and FIG. 1A, which is an enlarged view of the indicated portion of FIG. 1. As shown, each of the movable leg cushions 1a is attached to a support leg 101 of a carrier 10. In the first embodiment, the carrier 10 relates to a chair or stool suitable for a person to sit on, but not limited thereto, i.e., any carrier on which goods are loaded. According to the present invention, the movable leg cushion allows the carrier 10 to easily move forward and backward when no load is applied, and allows the carrier 10 to automatically brake and come to a standstill when a load is applied. Thus, the movable leg cushion 1a has the advantage of moving the carrier 10 conveniently and without noise generation, which will recognize the importance of the movable leg cushion, especially in places where silence is required.

Referring further to FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of the movable leg cushion 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3, which is an exploded view of the movable leg cushion 1a. As shown, the movable leg cushion 1a includes a housing 2, a movable inner sleeve 3, an elastic member 4, two rollers 5, an outer member 6, and a fastening nut 7.

In the first embodiment, the housing 2 is made of plastic material, and a fixed connecting member 21 is fixedly arranged on the outside of the housing 2, which according to this embodiment is related to a set screw for screw-fastening the movable leg cushion 1a to the support leg 101. The housing 2 is provided with an abutment 22 (see FIG. 4A) and an accommodation space 20 on the inside. In the first embodiment, the abutment 22 is related to an arc-shaped structure that matches the outer shape of the roller 5, so that the abutment 22 can completely fit the outer shape of the roller 5 when in contact with each other to achieve the purpose of braking. The movable inner sleeve 3 is slidably arranged in the accommodation space 20 and is movable relative to it inside the housing 2 so that the movable inner sleeve 3 can be moved to a moving position or a braking position. The elastic member 4 is arranged between the housing 2 and the movable inner sleeve 3 in the housing 2 to urge the movable inner sleeve 3 to return from the braking position to the moving position. The two rollers 5 are pivotally disposed on the movable inner sleeve 3 by the axle 31, and move the movable leg cushion 1a along the direction in which the rollers 5 rotate. In the first embodiment, the outer member 6 is made of aluminum material and sleeved in the housing 2 to increase rigidity and aesthetic appearance. In addition, the fastening nut 7 is screwed to the fixed connecting member 21 and positioned within between the outer member 6 and the support leg 101. In this way, when the user first fastens the fixed connecting member 21 to the support leg 101, a wrench or other fastener can be used to screw and tighten the fastening nut 7 to ensure that the movable leg cushion 1a is firmly screwed to the support leg 101.

Furthermore, please refer to FIG. 4A, which is a cross-sectional view showing the movable leg cushion 1a in a moving state according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B, which is a cross-sectional view showing the movable leg cushion 1a in a braking state. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the carrier 10 is not loaded with a specific weight and the elastic member 4 is not yet compressed by a force, the movable inner sleeve 3 can be located in a moving position, so that the roller 5 is separated from the abutment portion 22 by a moving distance D. According to this embodiment, the moving distance D is 1 mm, but is not limited thereto, i.e., it may be other values. That is, the two rollers 5 can move back and forth freely without being hindered by the abutment portion 22. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the carrier 10 is loaded with a specific weight, the elastic member 4 is subjected to a compression force. As a result, the movable inner sleeve 3 can be located in a braking position, so that the roller 5 presses the abutment portion 22 and does not separate from the abutment portion 22 by the moving distance D. Under such circumstances, the two rollers 5 abut in accordance with the arc-shaped structure of the abutment portion 22 to prevent the roller 5 from moving back and forth. In this embodiment, each of the rollers 5 has a floating load capacity of approximately 5-6 kg. Thus, if the rollers 5 are overloaded with such a weight, the movable inner sleeve 3 will remain in a braking position and the rollers 5 will not be able to move forward or backward. Furthermore, each of the rollers 5 can support a total weight of 50 kg, beyond which the rollers 5 will likely be damaged.

5A is a cross-sectional view showing the movable leg cushion in a moving state according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the movable leg cushion in a braking state according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown, another type of movable leg cushion 1b is disclosed. In the second embodiment, the movable leg cushion 1b has a basic structure similar to that of the movable leg cushion 1a in the first embodiment, except that the second embodiment has a braking mode different from that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the housing 2' is made of a plastic material, and a fixed connection member 21 is fixedly arranged on the housing 2' at its exterior, which according to this embodiment relates to a set screw for screw-fastening the movable leg cushion 1b to the support leg 101. The housing 2' is provided with an accommodation space 20' inside it (no abutment is provided in the second embodiment). The movable inner sleeve 3' is slidably arranged in the accommodation space 20' and is movable relative to it inside the housing 2' so that the movable inner sleeve 3' can be moved to a moving position or a receiving position. The elastic member 4' is disposed between the housing 2' and the movable inner sleeve 3' in the housing 2' so as to urge the movable inner sleeve 3' to recover from the receiving position to the moving position. The two rollers 5 are pivotally disposed on the movable inner sleeve 3' to move the movable leg cushion 1b along the direction in which the rollers 5 rotate. In the second embodiment, the outer member 6' is made of aluminum material and sleeved on the housing 2' to increase the rigidity and aesthetic appearance. In view of the fact that the two rollers 5 need to be received in the receiving space 20', either the movable inner sleeve 3' or the outer member 6' according to the second embodiment has a structural design with a height greater than that of the movable inner sleeve 3 or the outer member 6 of the first embodiment to increase the height of the receiving space of the receiving space 20'. In addition to this, the fastening nut 7 is screwed to the fixed connecting member 21 and positioned within between the outer member 6' and the support leg 101. In this manner, when a user first fastens the fixed connection member 21 to the support leg 101, a wrench or other fastener can be used to screw in and tighten the fastening nut 7 to ensure that the movable leg cushion 1b is firmly threadedly fixed to the support leg 101.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the carrier 10 is not loaded with a certain weight and the elastic member 4' is not yet compressed by a force, the movable inner sleeve 3' can be located in the moving position, so that the roller 5 extends over the lower edge of the housing 2' and the roller 5 can move back and forth freely. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the carrier 10 is loaded with a certain weight, the elastic member 4' is subjected to a compression force. This causes the movable inner sleeve 3' to be located in the receiving position, so that the roller 5 does not extend over the lower edge of the housing 2' and is received in the receiving space 20'. In this way, the housing 2' supports the weight and the roller 5 cannot move back and forth. In the second embodiment, each of the rollers 5 has a floating load capacity of about 5 to 6 kg. Thus, when the roller 5 is overloaded with such a weight, the roller 5 retreats into the receiving space 20' of the housing 2' and the housing 2' touches the floor and cannot move back and forth. On top of that, each of the rollers 5 can support a total weight of 50 kg, beyond which the roller 5 will probably be damaged.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims (7)

a movable leg cushion attached to a support leg of the carrier,
a housing having a fixed connection member fixedly disposed on an exterior thereof and an abutment portion and an accommodation space provided inside the housing;
a movable inner sleeve slidably disposed within the receiving space and movable relative to the housing to a moving position or a braking position;
a resilient member disposed within the housing between the housing and the movable inner sleeve;
at least one roller pivotally disposed on the movable inner sleeve;
Equipped with
A movable leg cushion, wherein when the movable inner sleeve is located in the moving position, the at least one roller is spaced from the abutment portion by a moving distance, and when the movable inner sleeve is located in the braking position, the at least one roller presses against the abutment portion. The movable leg cushion of claim 1, wherein the abutment portion is associated with an arc-shaped structure. The movable leg cushion of claim 1, wherein the movement distance is 1 mm. The movable leg cushion of claim 1 further comprising an outer member sleeved onto said housing. The movable leg cushion of claim 4 , further comprising a fastening nut threadedly fastened to the fixed connecting member and positioned within between the outer member and the support leg. The movable leg cushion of claim 1 , wherein the fixed connection member is associated with a set screw. The movable leg cushion of claim 1 , wherein the carrier is associated with a chair or a stool.