Patent 11946229 was granted and assigned to Caterpillar Inc. on April, 2024 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A work machine comprises an armrest and a user control operable by the user to control tool or machine functions when the user's arm rests on the armrest. An armrest sensor is configured to sense the presence of the user's arm and to disable the control when the user's arm is removed from the armrest. The control may be mounted on the armrest and the armrest movable between enabling and disabling positions by the weight of the user's arm. A seat sensor may be configured to disable the control when the user leaves the seated position.