US3525492A - Adjustable and collapsible support for an adjustable table - Google Patents

Description

w. FRIEDMAN ET AL Aug. 25, 1970 A ADJUS'I'LABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR AN ADJUSTABLE TABLE Filed May 16 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ug 1970 w; FRIEDMAN ETAL 3,525,492

ADJUSTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR AN ADJUSTABLE TABLE Filed May 16, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8

INVENTORS W/N. TEA FRIED/l4 3,525,492 ADJUSTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR AN ADJUSTABLE TABLE Walter Friedman, New York, and Aaron Kaufman, Rosedale, N.Y., assignors to Re-ly-on Metal Products Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 16, 1969, Ser. No. 825,245 Int. Cl. F16m 11/38 US. Cl. 248188.6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable and collapsible table having supporting legs adjustable between open table supporting and closed collapsed positions, the supporting legs being connected to a table base by swivel mounts structured so that when the legs are manually moved to an open position, they will be automatically locked in that position, yet by a forced manual movement of the legs to their closed collapsed position they will be self-disengaged' from their locked position and will resistingly hold to such closed position until again manually moved therefrom.

This invention relates to an adjustable and collapsible table and more particularly to adjustable and collapsible supporting legs for such a table.

In the adjustable and collapsible table for which the adjustable and collapsible supporting legs of the present invention are designed, the table is supportingly mounted on an elongated bar shaped base and a pair of bar shaped legs transversely spaced thereon, each of said legs being connected to said base by a swivel mount constructed so that each leg is swivelly movable on the base between an open position transverse to said'base and a closed collapsed position generally parallel to the base.

The prime object of the present invention is directed to the devising of a swivel mount for each leg of the table structured so that (a) when the leg is manually moved relatively to the table base to an open position, the leg will be automatically locked in that position adequately to allow the opened table to be moved, as being rolled from place to place, b) the structure being such as to permit nevertheless a forced manual movement of the legs self-disengaged from such locked position to a closed collapsed position, and (c) the structure being moreover such that the legs when manually moved to their closed position will resistingly hold to such closed position until again manually moved. An ancillary object of the invention is the provision of a swivel mount of this character constructed out of such simple parts as to require a minimum of repair or other supervisory attention by the user.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing object and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, our invention relates to an adjustable and collapsible support for an adjustable table as more particularly defined in the appended claims and as described in the following specification and shown in the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable and collapsible table embodying the adjustable and collapsible support of the present invention, the table being shown in open position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same showing the table in a closed or collapsed condition;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view shown in perspective of the parts of the adjustable and collapsible table support;

FIG. 4 is a view of the parts shown in FIG. 3 in assembled relation, the parts of the table support being shown in open and locked position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the United States Patent 0 3,525,492 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 "Ice parts of the table support in closed and collapsed condition;

FIG. 6 is a view of FIG. 4 taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view of FIG. 5 taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view of a detail taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a corresponding view of a detail taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings and having reference first to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the adjustable and collapsible table to which the support of the invention is applied is featured by a table top T joined to, mounted and supported on a table base B by means of an interconnecting standard S which, as shown, is laterally offset and positioned at one side of the table top and base. The table top T is vertically adjustable with reference to the table base B to positions of different heights, two such positions being shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings and is also adjustable angularly to horizontal, inclined and vertical position, the latter two of which are shown respectively in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The table base B comprises an elongated bar shaped base member 10 and a pair of bar shaped legs 12, 12 transversely spaced on the base member 10, each mounting at its end the rolling casters 14, 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Each of said legs 12, 12 is connected to the base member 10 by a swivel mount generally designated as 18 constructed so that each leg is swivelly movable on the base member between an open position transverse to the base as depicted in FIG. 1 of the drawings and closed collapsed position generally parallel to the base member 10 as depicted in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The base member 10 and the legs 12, 12 are preferably formed as tubular members having a rectangular or square cross sectional dimension as depicted in the various views of the drawmgs.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 9 of the drawings, which depict the structure of one of the legs 12 and its connection by means of the swivel mount 18 to the bar base member 10, each swivel mount 18 comprises two superposed and reversely positioned companion discs 20, 22, the disc 20 being united to the table base member 10 and the disc 22 being united to the leg 12. The discs 20, 22 are stamped steel discs in which raised spaced rings 24, 24, on each of the discs are stamped out of the material of the discs to provide suitable weld contacts 26, 26 for welding connection to the members 10 and 12, as will be readily apparent from the illustration thereof in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The disc 20 is of a construction the same as the disc 22 (being, however, arranged reversely thereto) with the exception that the disc 22 is formed with a central hole 28 while the disc 20 is provided at its central hole 30 with a depending drawn out tubular part 32 which is internally threaded as at 34 (FIG. 3).

Each of the discs 20, 22 is provided with similar interlocking means for effecting the locking together of the discs, and, therefore, the locking together of a leg to the base member when the leg is moved to an open position. The said interlocking means comprises for each disc at least one, but preferably two, resilient members 36, 36 integral with the disc and arranged diagonally of the disc and at least one, but preferably two, orifices 38, 38 in the disc also arranged diagonally of the disc and preferably at right angles to the diagonal of the resilient members 36, 36.

Each of the resilient members 36 comprises an arcuate piece drawn out of the disc material, as best shown in FIG. 3, and having its ends integral with the disc, this arcuate piece being formed to impart resiliency thereto,

this being accomplished by curving the arcuate shaped locking member 36 in sinusoidal form, as clearly depicted in the drawings, a projecting ball 40 being pressed out of the arcuate piece at the center crest of its form so as to project beyond the rotating surface of the disc.

The locking members 36, 36 of each disc are so positioned and related to the orifices 38, 38 therein that in the open position of a leg 12 the ball 40 of a resilient member on each disc seats in the orifice 38 of a companion disc for interlocking the legs in such open position. This is depicted particularly in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8 of the drawings where it is shown that the lower disc 22 is interlocked with the upper disc 20 by having the balls or teats 40, 40 of each locking member 36 of each disc lodged or seated in the orifices 38, 38 of the companion contiguous or superposed disc. When each leg is moved from this open and interlocked position (FIGS. 4, 6 and 8) by being rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 42 to a leg closing or collapsed position as depicted in FIG. of the drawings, each locking member 36 is automatically disengaged from its seated orifice 38 and is moved to a position as depicted in FIGS. 5, 7 and 9 of the drawings where each ball member 40 of one of the discs 22 lies astride the contiguous ball member 40 of the companion disc 20, the latter being depicted in said FIGS. 5, 7 and 9 of the drawings.

To fully and effectively carry out the functioning of the member 36 to its seating orifice 38, we provide a self-locking scrcew threaded element threadedly received by a part of a leg bar and having its end arranged for forcible and self-locking engagement with a wall of the base bar, said locking element functioning by its action to effect the locking of the legs in their open position by the means (36, 38') above described. This locking element comprises a headed screw threaded element 44 located at the axis of the swivel mount 18 received by the central openings 28 and 46 of the leg bar 12 and threadedly received by the threaded part 32 of the disc 20. The head 48 of the screw element 44 seats in a well 50 formed in the bottom wall of the tubular leg 12, and the screw element 44 is so proportioned that its end 52 is arranged for forcible and self-locking engagement with the bottom wall 54 of the base bar as best shown in' FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings.

As a result of this interrelated construction the following functions are accomplished: (a) When the legs 12 are manually moved relatively to the table base 10 to the open position depicted in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8 of the drawings, the legs will be automatically locked in that position to allow the opened table to be moved from place to place as being rolled on a supporting surface by the coasters 14, 14; (b) The design of the structure is such, however, as to permit a forced manual movement of the legs from their open to a closed position, such movement causing a self disengagement of the locking members (36, 38) and (c) the structure is moreover such that the legs when manually moved to their closed or collapsed position (FIG. 5) resistingly hold to such closed position until again manually moved therefrom. It is found that the single screw threaded element 44 holds to a self-locking condition, thereby rendering it unnecessary for the user or operator to unscrew or to retighten the screw 44 for either permitting movement of the legs or eifecting the secure interlocking of the legs.

For vertically adjusting the table top T the standard S is made to comprise inner and outer tubular members 56 and 58 telescopically movable one within the other and a locking means 60 for interlocking these tubular members, the table top T being mounted on a horizontal branch 62 of the tubular member 56 and being lockable in the described pivoted adjustment thereon by means of the locking element 64.

The use and operation of the adjustable and collapsible table and the adjustable and collapsible support therefor and the many advantages thereof will be in the main fully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. It will be further apparent that changes may be made in the described structure without departing from the coverage thereof set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. An adjustable leg structure for a collapsible table comprising a bar shaped table base and a pair of spaced bar shaped legs supporting said base, each of said legs being connected to said base by a swivel mount and being swivelly movable between an open position transverse to said base and a closed collapsed position generally parallel to said base, each swivel mount comprising two superposed reversely positioned companion discs, one united to the table base and the other united to a leg, each disc being provided with at least one integral resilient member formed with a projecting ball and with an orifice spaced therefrom, the said companion discs being arranged so that when the legs are in or moved to open position, the ball of a resilient member on each disc seats in the orifice of the companion disc for locking the legs in such open position, and means located at the axis of the swivel mount for locking the legs in their open position.

2. The adjustable leg structure of claim 1 in which said locking means comprises a self-locking screw threaded element threadedly received by a part of a leg bar and having its end arranged for forcible and selflocking engagement with a wall of the base bar, said locking means functioning by the self-locking action to lock the legs in their open positions, permit forced movement of the legs to their closed position and hold the legs in their closed position.

3. The adjustable leg structure of claim 2 in which the bar shaped base and the bar shaped legs are metallic tubular members.

4. The adjustable leg structure of claim 1 in which each disc has two integral resilient members arranged on a diagonal of the disc and two orifices arranged diagonally of the disc at right angles to said diagonal.

5. The adjustable leg structure of claim 2 in which the bar shaped legs are metallic tubular members and in which the screw threaded element is threadedly received in a wall of one of the discs, has a head which in looking position seats in a wall of the tubular leg opposed to said first mentioned wall and the end of which screw-threaded element is arranged for forcible and selflocking engagement with a wall of the base bar c0ntiguous to said first mentioned wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,030,775 2/1936 Twiss 248-167 2,572,205 10/1951 Shanks 248188.6 2,821,310 1/1958 Holly 211-178 2,893,568 7/1959 Scholz 211-178 3,096,964 7/1963 Fox 248-425 3,188,986 6/1965 La Vigne 108-136 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,022,098 3/ 1966 Great Britain. 407,452 8/1966 Switzerland.

MARION PARSONS, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R,

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