1. An adjustable armrest for a chair comprising:
a horizontal armrest support;
a rear armpad assembly fixedly connected to the horizontal armrest support;
a front armpad assembly positioned adjacent to the rear armpad assembly and configured to translate along the horizontal armrest support in a lengthwise direction;
a vertical member connected to the horizontal armrest support to bear the horizontal armrest support, the vertical member including a gas-charged piston to vertically adjust a height of the horizontal armrest support;
a manually operated control positioned on the vertical member to actuate the gas-charged piston to vertically adjust a height of the horizontal armrest support; and
wherein the horizontal armrest support is configured to pivot around a connection point to the gas-charged piston.
2. The adjustable armrest of claim 1 wherein the horizontal armrest support further comprises a track bar having an outer shell, a hollow interior within the outer shell, and a channel formed in a top surface of the outer shell running the length of the track bar.
3. The adjustable armrest of claim 2 wherein the gas-charged piston is attached to a bottom surface of the track bar.
4. The adjustable armrest of claim 2 wherein the front armpad assembly further comprises a t-shaped member configured to mate with the hollow interior of the track bar and slide within the channel and hollow interior of the track bar.
5. The adjustable armrest of claim 2 wherein the front armpad assembly is further configured to slide along the track bar relative to the rear armpad assembly to increase the length of the horizontal armrest support to a length at least sufficient to support a forearm of a user from elbow to wrist.
6. The adjustable armrest of claim 2 wherein the track bar further comprises a stop plug to prevent the front armpad assembly from sliding past an endpoint of the track bar.
7. The adjustable armrest of claim 1 wherein the connection point further comprises a rotation mechanism positioned between the horizontal armrest support and the vertical member and configured to allow for rotation of the horizontal armrest support about the vertical member.
8. The adjustable armrest of claim 1 wherein the manually operated control further comprises a push-button control, the push-button control configured to actuate the gas-charged piston and vertically translate the horizontal armrest support when pressed and prevent actuation of the gas-charged piston when released.
9. The adjustable armrest of claim 8 wherein the gas-charged piston is configured so that when the push-button control is pressed and a downward force is applied to the horizontal armrest support that is greater than an upward force provided by the gas-charged piston, the horizontal armrest support lowers.
10. A chair comprising:
a backrest portion;
a seating portion; and
an adjustable armrest, wherein the adjustable armrest comprises:
a pneumatic cylinder assembly affixed to the seating portion;
a horizontal member mounted on the pneumatic cylinder assembly and including a track, a fixed top surface portion, and a slideable top surface portion, wherein the fixed top surface portion is fixedly mounted to the track and the slideable top surface portion is configured to slide along the track;
a rotation mechanism positioned between the horizontal member and the pneumatic cylinder assembly and configured to rotate the horizontal member about the pneumatic cylinder assembly; and
a push-button control configured to control the pneumatic cylinder assembly to vertically adjust the horizontal member;
wherein the slideable top surface portion and the fixed top surface portion comprise a slideable armpad assembly and a fixed armpad assembly respectively, and wherein the slideable armpad assembly is configured to slide within the track to modify a distance between the slideable armpad assembly and the fixed armpad assembly and modify a length of the horizontal member.
11. The chair of claim 10 wherein the push-button control is configured to activate the pneumatic cylinder assembly to raise or lower the horizontal member when depressed and fix a position of the pneumatic cylinder assembly to maintain the horizontal member at a current height when not depressed.
12. The chair of claim 10 wherein the rotation mechanism is configured to allow the horizontal member to rotate about the pneumatic cylinder assembly in a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction.
13. The chair of claim 10 wherein the horizontal member has a range of rotation about the pneumatic cylinder assembly of at least 45 degrees.
14. (canceled)
15. The chair of claim 10 wherein the slideable top surface portion is at a greater distance from the rotation mechanism than the fixed top surface portion.
16. The chair of claim 10 wherein the track includes a stop plug to prevent the slideable top surface portion from sliding past an endpoint of the track.
17. A method of manufacturing an adjustable armrest comprising the steps of:
constructing a horizontal member having a fixed member and a slideable member, wherein the slideable member is configured to extend horizontally from the fixed member to increase the length of the horizontal member;
constructing a vertical member having a gas-charged piston that, when activated, is configured to cause the horizontal member to be vertically adjusted; and
pivotably mounting the horizontal member on the vertical member so that the vertical member is supporting the horizontal member and the horizontal member can horizontally pivot about the vertical member;
wherein constructing the horizontal member further comprises constructing a pair of armpads, wherein each of the pair of armpads is configured to at least partially form one of the fixed member and the slideable member.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of constructing the horizontal member further comprises:
forming a track bar having an outer shell, a hollow interior within the outer shell, and a channel formed in a top surface of the outer shell running the length of the track bar;
screwing the fixed member to the track bar;
mounting a t-shaped member on the slideable member;
positioning the t-shaped member within the hollow interior and channel of the track bar to slidingly engage the slideable member with the track bar.
19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of mounting a push-button control on the vertical member, the push-button control configured to actuate the gas-charged piston and vertically translate the horizontal member when pressed and prevent actuation of the gas-charged piston when released.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of pivotably mounting further comprises positioning a rotation mechanism between the horizontal member and the vertical member to rotate the horizontal member about the vertical member.
21. (canceled)
22. A method of manufacturing an adjustable armrest comprising the steps of:
constructing a horizontal member having a fixed member and a slideable member, wherein the slideable member is configured to extend horizontally from the fixed member to increase the length of the horizontal member;
constructing a vertical member having a gas-charged piston that, when activated, is configured to cause the horizontal member to be vertically adjusted; and
pivotably mounting the horizontal member on the vertical member so that the vertical member is supporting the horizontal member and the horizontal member can horizontally pivot about the vertical member;
wherein the step of constructing the horizontal member further comprises:
forming a track bar having an outer shell, a hollow interior within the outer shell, and a channel formed in a top surface of the outer shell running the length of the track bar;
screwing the fixed member to the track bar;
mounting a t-shaped member on the slideable member;
positioning the t-shaped member within the hollow interior and channel of the track bar to slidingly engage the slideable member with the track bar.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An optical fiber amplifier, comprising:
an amplifying unit, which is doped with a rare-earth element, amplifying a signal light;
a pump light source unit supplying optical energy for amplifying the signal light; and
an ASE returning unit returning, to said amplifying unit, a light having a wavelength that is longer than a wavelength with which an ASE light occurs with a maximum efficiency, and shorter than an amplification band among ASE lights occurring when the signal light is amplified.
2. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein
said amplifying unit is an erbium-doped fiber.
3. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein
an L-band signal light is amplified.
4. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein
said ASE returning unit is a reflection filter reflecting a predetermined wavelength.
5. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein
said ASE returning unit is an optical resonator resonating an ASE light.
6. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 5, wherein
the optical resonator comprises
a pair of light reflecting units, and
an optical amplifying medium arranged between the pair.
7. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 5, wherein
the optical resonator is a laser fiber grating.
8. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 5, wherein
the optical resonator comprises
amplifying units, and
a light reflecting unit arranged between the amplifying units.
9. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 5, wherein
the optical resonator is arranged as a system different from a transmission system of the signal light, and optically coupled by the transmission system and a coupler.
10. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 6, wherein
said pair of light reflecting units are fiber gratings.
11. A signal light amplifying method, comprising:
amplifying a signal light by using an amplifying medium, which is doped with a rare-earth element;
supplying optical energy for amplifying the signal light; and
using as a pump light a light having a wavelength that is longer than a wavelength with which an ASE light occurs with a maximum efficiency, and shorter than an amplification band among ASE lights occurring when the signal light is amplified in the amplifying step.
12. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 11, wherein
an erbium-doped fiber is used in the amplifying step.
13. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 11, wherein
an L-band signal light is amplified.
14. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 11, wherein
an ASE light is used as a pump light in the amplifying step by using a reflection filter reflecting a predetermined wavelength in the step where the ASE light is used as the pump light.
15. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 11, wherein
an optical resonator resonating an ASE light is used in the step where the ASE light is used as the pump light.
16. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 15, wherein
the optical resonator comprises
a pair of light reflecting units, and
an optical amplifying medium arranged between the pair.
17. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 15, wherein
the optical resonator is a laser fiber grating.
18. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 15, wherein
the optical resonator comprises
amplifying media in the amplifying step, and
a light reflecting unit arranged between the amplifying media.
19. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 15, wherein
the optical resonator is arranged as a system different from a transmission system of the signal light, and optically coupled by the transmission system and a coupler.
20. The signal light amplifying method according to claim 16, wherein
the pair of light reflecting units are fiber gratings.
21. An optical fiber amplifier, comprising:
an amplifying unit, which includes an optical fiber doped with a rare-earth element as a amplifying medium, amplifying a signal light;
a pump light source unit supplying optical energy for amplifying the signal light; and
an ASE returning unit returning, to said amplifying unit, a light having a wavelength that is longer than a wavelength in which every points along the optical fiber have highest gain, and shorter than an amplification band among ASE lights occurring when the signal light is amplified.