Migdoel Miranda Montalvo of Cedar Park recently received U.S. Patent 8,201,8889 for “Armrest Device."

Texas Business Patent of the Day: You probably thought that resting your arm on an arm rest while you sit in a chair can’t be improved, but it can.

Migdoel Miranda Montalvo of Cedar Park recently received U.S. Patent 8,201,889 for “Armrest Device."

Miranda Montalvo applied for the patent almost three years ago on August 19, 2009.

 The invention relates generally to armrests, more particularly to an armrest accessory or supplementary item placed between adjacent chairs sharing a dividing section wherein the user's arm rests, according to the patent documents.

Normally row seats are equipped with armrests serving dual functions such as providing comfort by means of a space to place one's arm and establishing the limits of space for the person sitting in the chair. However, said armrest for placing one's arm provides a limited space that basically is used by a single person. For example in a theater, stadium, airplane, public transportation vehicle, or anywhere else where at least two seats are sharing a small divisional section the users are limited to use the same armrests area. The limited armrest area results in users experiencing a degree of discomfort due to physical contact with the person sharing the armrest area or the feeling of invasion of personal space. 

In order to avoid discomfort some companies have placed double width armrests in between seats such that both persons seated in adjacent chairs can comfortably rest upon it. However providing double width armrests does not completely avoid one person to invade the other's space. This practice also increases the total row length limiting the capacity of seats and/or reducing the seating space for passengers. 

Further, in order to keep away from physical contact it is also likely for a person to lean towards one side while using a single armrest. The side to which the people will lean usually depends on the person's handedness, that is, a right-handed person will be more likely to lean to his/her right. If a right-handed person is seated to the left of a left-handed person, both individuals will be most comfortable leaning on the armrest between them. This can lead to conflict between the individuals that share the armrest, as well as discomfort. 

However, Miranda Montalvo’s invention overcomes the disadvantages of the previous armrests by providing an armrests accessory or supplementary item placed between adjacent chairs sharing a dividing section comprising a first structure, wherein said first structure includes a first arm resting section or lower part and a top part section wherein said first arm resting section and said top part combines to avoid the physical contact between armrest users. 

As a result, it is an object of the design to provide a vertically dual armrest accessory with space for the arms of two persons sitting in adjacent seats. 

Another object is to provide an armrest accessory that avoids contact and/or reduces the transfer of arm motion between two persons sitting in adjacent seats. 

Another object is to provide a dual armrest for two persons sitting in adjacent seats with an ergonomic and comfortable structure. 

Another object is to provide a dual height armrest for individual seating arrangements. 

Another object is to provide a comfortable arrangement of dual armrests to provide symmetric comfort for the person sitting in a chair situated in a row of chairs. 

Yet another object is to provide an adjustable armrest with a mechanism for locking the armrest in the desired position.