FOLDING TABLE

TABLE PLIANTE

English Abstract

A folding table has a table top with an upper working surface and an
underside, the underside having at least one rearwardly located leg retainer and at
least one forwardly located strut retainer. A leg assembly has an elongated
connecting member and a pair of legs extending from opposite ends of the
connecting member, each leg having a foot member extending from a lower end
thereof remote from the connecting member. An angularly movable strut is
pivotally secured at the rear to at least one of the legs and is releasably engageable
at the front with the strut retainer. The strut is angularly movable between a
working position in releasable engagement with the strut retainer to maintain the
tabletop in a working position and a retracted position between the legs when
released from the strut retainer. The or each leg retainer retains the connecting
member in engagement therewith while permitting angular movement of the
table top between a working position and a folded position in which the table
top is substantially parallel to the legs.

French Abstract

Cette invention concerne une table pliante dont le plateau comporte du côté arrière de sa face inférieure au moins une fixation de piètement et de l'autre côté au moins une pièce d'appui d'étrésillon. Le piètement se compose d'un raccord allongé entre une paire de pieds qui se prolongent par une partie horizontale s'éloignant dudit raccord. Un étrésillon mobile autour d'axe horizontal prévu dans au moins un des pieds, qui sont situés du côté arrière de la table, se cale de façon amovible dans la pièce d'appui d'étrésillon prévue sur la moitié avant de la face inférieure du plateau. L'étrésillon pivote entre une position de travail où il est calé de façon amovible dans la pièce d'appui d'étrésillon pour maintenir le plateau à l'horizontale et une position escamotée entre les pieds de la table, une fois libéré de ladite pièce d'appui d'étrésillon. Le raccord susmentionné est monté dans la ou les fixations de piètement solidaire(s) du plateau de façon à constituer un axe autour duquel le plateau peut pivoter entre une position horizontale et une position escamotée où il est sensiblement parallèle aux pieds de la table.

Claims

I CLAIM:


1. A folding table comprising:
a table top having an upper working surface and an underside,
said underside having at least one rearwardly located leg retainer and at least
one forwardly located strut retainer,
a leg assembly comprising an elongated connecting member and a pair of
straight legs extending from opposite ends of the connecting member, each leg
having a foot member extending perpendicular from a lower end thereof remote
from the connecting member whereby in use the legs are vertical and the foot
members extend forwardly therefrom, and
an angularly movable strut pivotally secured at the rear to at least one of the
legs and releasably engageable at the front with the strut retainer,
said strut being angularly moveable between a working position in releasable
engagement with the strut retainer to maintain the tabletop in a working position
and a retracted position between the legs when released from the strut retainer,each leg retainer retaining the connecting member in engagement therewith
while permitting angular movement of the table top between a working position and
a folded position in which the table top is substantially parallel to the legs,
said legs each having upper and lower portions in telescoping



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engagement, the lower leg portions being securable at different longitudinal
positions relative to the upper portions to vary the length of the legs,
the lower leg portion being angularly movable relative to the upper leg
portions about the longitudinal axes of the legs to enable the lower leg portions
to be securable in working positions in which the foot members are parallel to
one another and folded positions in which the foot members extend in opposite
directions side-by-side one another.


2. A folding table according to claim 1 wherein the underside of the table
top has a laterally-spaced pair of said rearwardly located leg retainers.


3. A table top according to claim 1 wherein each leg retainer retains the
connecting member in releasable snapping engagement therewith.


4. A table top according to claim 1 wherein each leg retainer comprises a
closely spaced pair of substantially identical leg retainer members which each
retain the connecting member in engagement therewith.


5. A folding table according to claim 1 wherein the underside of the table
top has a laterally-spaced pair of said forwardly located strut retainers.


6. A folding table top according to claim 1 wherein each strut retainer

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receives the strut in releasable snapping engagement therewith.

7. A folding table according to claim 1 wherein each strut retainer can
receive the strut in releasable engagement therewith at a plurality of positions
spaced from one another in a front to rear direction.

8. A folding table according to claim 1 wherein each strut retainer
comprises a closely-spaced pair of substantially identical strut retainer members
which each receive the strut in a releasable engagement therewith.


9. A folding table according to claim 1 wherein the strut comprises a pair
of laterally-spaced side members each pivotally secured at a rear end to a
respective leg and a transverse member extending between the front ends of the
side members, said transverse member being received by each strut retainer in
releasable engagement therewith in the working position.


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Description

2 1 5~924
FOLDING TABLE


This application is a divisional of application serial no. 2,110,875 filed
December 7, 1993.




This invention relates to folding tables. There are of course many known
different kinds of folding tables. However, there is still a need for a versatile folding
table which is of simple yet attractive construction and which can be easily erected
and folded.

According to the invention, a folding table comprises a table top having an
upper working surface and an underside, the underside having at least one
rearwardly located leg retainer and at least one forwardly located strut retainer, a leg
assembly comprising an elongated connecting member and a pair of legs extending
15 from opposite ends of the connecting member, each leg having a foot member
exten~ling from a lower end thereof remote from the connecting member and an
angularly moveable strut pivotally secured at the rear to at least one of the legs and
releasably engageable at the front with the strut retainer. The strut is angularly
moveable between a working position in releasable engagement with the strut
20 retainer to maintain the table top in a working position and a retracted position
between the legs when released from the strut retainer. The or each leg retainerretains the connecting member in engagement therewith while permitting angular
movement of the table top between a working position and a folded position in

21~ 2 ~
which the table top is substantially parallel to the legs.




The underside of the table top may have a laterally-spaced pair of
rearwardly located leg retainers, and the or each leg retainer may retain the
connecting member in releasable snapping engagement thelewi~l. The or each
S leg retainer may comprise a closely spaced pair of substantially identical leg
retainer members which each retain the connecting member in engagement


thel~wilh


The underside of the table top may have a laterally-spaced pair of
forwardly located strut retainers, and the or each strut retainer may receive the
10 strut in releasable snapping engagement therewi~l. The or each strut retainer
may receive ~e strut in releasable engagement therewith at a plurality of
positions spaced from one another in a front to rear direction. The or each
strut retainer may comprise a closely-spaced pair of substantially identical strut
retainer members which each receive the strut in releasable engagement
15 therewith.




The strut may comprise a pair of laterally-spaced side members each
pivotally secured at a rear end to a respective leg and a transverse member
extending between the front ends of the side members, the transverse member
being received by the or each strut retainer in releasable engagement therewith


215992~

in the working position. The legs may each have upper and lower portions in
telescoping engagement, the lower leg portions being securable at dirrerenl
longit-l~lin~l positions relative to the upper portions to vary the length of the
legs.


S The lower leg portions may be angularly movable relative to the upper
leg portions about ~e longit~l(lin~l axes of the legs, the lower leg portions being
securable in working positions in which the foot members are parallel to one
another and folded positions in which the foot members extend in opposite
directions side-by-side one ano~er.


One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of
example, with referellce to the accompanying drawings, of which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folding table in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention, the table top being in a horizontal working
position,
Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the portion of a table leg indicated by the
arrow 2 in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the table with the table top in an inclined
working position and showing ~e underside of the table top,
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the table in the fully folded condition,
Fig. S is a sectional detailed view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 of a rear

~lS9~
portion of a table top showing a leg retainer and part of the leg assembly, and
Fig. 6 is a similar view along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 of a front portion of
the table top showing a strut retainer and part of the strut.




Referring to the drawings, a folding table 10 has an integrally molded
S plastic table top 12 in the form of a rectangular panel with rounded corners, the
table top 12 having an upper working surface 14 and an underside 16. The
underside 16 has a laterally-spaced pair of rearwardly located integral leg
retainers 18 and a laterally-spaced pair of forwardly located integral strut
retainers 20. A leg assembly 22 of tubular steel comprises a transverse
connecting member 23 and a pair of legs straight 24, 26 extending from
opposite ends of the connecting member 23, each leg 24, 26 having an
elongated foot member 28, 30 respectively ext~n~1ing perpendicularly from the
lower end thereof.




Each leg retainer 18 comprises a closely-spaced pair of identical leg
15 retainer members 32 which each have hook portions 34 to retain the connecting
member 23 in releasable snapping engagement therewi~l and permit the table
top 12 to be moved angularly relative to the leg assembly 22 in a manner which
will be described in more detail later.




Each leg 24, 26 has upper and lower portions 36, 38 in telescopic

~15g9~4
engagement, the lower leg portions 38 being slidable over the upper leg
portions 36. Each upper leg portion 36 is integral with the relevant end of the
connecting member 23, and each lower leg portion 38 is integral with the
respective foot member 28, 30, the foot members 28, 30 thus also being of
S tubular steel. Each lower leg potion 38 has a series of vertically-spaced
apertures 40 on its laterally outer and inner sides, and each upper leg portion
36 contains a resiliant U-shaped catch member 42 adjacent its lower end as
shown in Fig. 2. The catch member 42 has a pair of projections 44 which
project through apertures 46 in the upper leg portion 38 on opposite sides
10 thereof. The projections 44 are snappingly engageable in selected pairs of
apertures 40 in the lower leg portions 38 to enable the length of the legs 24, 26
to be adjusted as indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 1.




For folding purposes, as will be described in more detail later, the lower
leg portions 38 can be rotated about their longilll~lin~l axis to the laterally-

15 inwardly extending positions shown in dotted outline in Fig. 3. Each lower legportion 38 also has an aperture 48 on a front surface so that one of the
projections 44 can snap thereinto to retain the lower leg portions 38 in the
inwardly folded position.




An angularly movable strut 50 is pivotally secured at the rear to the
20 upper leg portions 36. The strut 50 is a metal rod bent to provide a transverse

2ls9g~il
member 51 at the front and a pair of laterally-spaced side members 52
extending rearwardly from opposite ends thereof. Each side member 52 has
a bent free end portion 54 at the rear extending into an aperture 56 in the
respective upper leg portion 36 to pivotally secure the strut 50 thereto. Each
5 strut retainer 20 comprises a closely-spaced pair of identical strut retainer
member 58 which each have a series of hook portions 60 spaced from one
another in the front to rear direction which can each retain the transverse strut
member 51 in releasable snapping engagement therewith.




Fig. 1 shows the table in the fully erected position with the table top 12
10 horizontal, i.e. perpendicular to the legs 24, 26. It will be understood that to
retain the table top 12 in the horizontal position, the transverse strut member
51 is snapped in to the strut retainer hook portion 60 furthest from the front of
the table top 12. The foot members 28, 30 extend forwardly from the vertical
legs 24, 26 beneath the table top 12. If it is desired to position the table top
15 12 in an inclined manner as indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 1 and shown in
more detail in Fig. 3, the transverse strut member 51 is snapped into strut
hooked portions 60 nearer the front of the table top 12.




The table can be completely folded as shown in Fig. 4, by swinging the
foot members 28, 30 inwardly as previously described and, releasing the
20 transverse strut retainer 51 from the retainer hook portions 60 and pe-",il~;n~

21~992~

the strut 50 to pivot downwardly to a near vertical position. The table top 12
can then be pe~nittecl to swing dowllw~dly in the same manner so as to be
parallel to the legs 24, 26.




The foot members 28, 30 can be left in the forwardly extending position
S shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and the strut 50 and table top 12 put in the near
vertical position so that the members 28, 30 can be slid under the side or rear
of a chair or couch with the table top 12 adjacent the side or rear of the chair
or couch. The table is thus then readily accessible for future use, it merely
being necessary to slide the table out and position the table top 12 by means of
10 the strut 50.




It will be clear from the above description of a prefeled embodiment that
the present invention provides a folding table which is of simple yet attractive
construction and which can be easily erected and folded.




Other embodiments of the invention will be readily apparellt to a person
15 skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended
claims.

Representative Drawing