Common carriers, such as passenger airlines, bus lines, train lines, and passenger vehicles frequently include passenger seats. To increase a passenger's comfort and enjoyment, many passenger seats include movable arm rests, which may be raised to a stowed position to increase the amount of room available for a passenger, and may also be lowered to a deployed position to provide a location for a passenger to rest his or her arms, access certain amenities, or have a support for other objects, such as personal electronic devices, books, or other objects.
Conventionally, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the raised and deployed positions of these arm rests have been controlled by up-stop mechanisms and down-stop mechanisms that contact the arm rest at the appropriate location along the rotational path of the arm rest to prevent further rotation in that direction. In most cases, the down-stop mechanism is located in a location that presents a pinching hazard when the arm rest is lowered to the deployed position. Thus, it may be desirable to provide a down-stop mechanism that does not pose a pinch hazard.