Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TABLE ASSEMBLY
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of tables. In particular, it
relates to a
removable table for use in cars, vans and similar vehicles.
Background of the Invention
[00021 In many settings, particular for passengers in vehicles, it is
desirable to have a
table surface available for work, recreation and/or storage. However, given
the space
limitations found in many vehicles, particularly minivans and passenger vans,
it is not
particularly desirable for the table to be permanently mounted in the vehicle.
As a result,
there has been an effort to design a removable table for use in these
settings.
[0003] One such design is based on U.S. Patent No. 5,383,644 to Huse for a
removable pedestal. This patent discloses a pedestal mounting assembly with a
removable post. The post includes a key, which fits into a key slot in the
base to allow
the post to be attached to the base and rotated into a mated position.
Additionally, the
mating between the post and the base is be accomplished by a set of oppositely
spaced
teeth on each. The post is designed to support a removable seat, such as on a
boat and, as
such, the teeth extend over a substantial portion of the post, and multiple
rotations of the
post are required to secure it to the base.
[00041 Another design is found in U.S. Patent No. 4,117,784 to Piretti for a
disassemblable table. This patent discloses a table which can be readily
assembled and
disassembled. The table consists of a top, pole and base, with the base
consisting of
several foot members. The foot members lock to a central hub in the base via a
tongue-
and-groove mechanism, and the pole and top are secured via a threaded rod. The
foot
member design of the Piretti table makes it unsuitable for use in a vehicle as
the base is
insufficiently stable to maintain the top level during motion.
[0005] A similar design is found in U.S. Patent No. 4,178,858 to Ponzellini
for a
disassemblable table. This patent also discloses a table which can be readily
assembled
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and disassembled. The table consists of a top consisting of several arm
members, a pole
and a base, with the base consisting of several foot members. The arm and foot
members
have cylindrical elements that are trapped with the tubular pole and secured
by an
expandable locking mechanism with the pole. As in Piretti, this design is more
suited to
use in a conventional table setting and not for use in a vehicle.
[0006] Yet another design is found in U.S. Patent No. 5,560,303 to Severin for
a
dismantleable standing table. This patent discloses a standing table with a
top, a support
and a base. The various components are joined together by threaded rings,
including a
centering ring to align the parts. The threaded rings form part of the
individual
components, allowing the entire table to be (dis)assembled by hand, without
needing
tools.
[0007] There is a need to provide a removable table assembly which can be
installed
and removed rapidly, with a minimum amount of user effort. Ideally, the table
assembly
should not require any tools for installation. The base of the table assembly
preferably
takes up little vertical space, permitting use of the table assembly where
space availability
is limited, such as in passenger vehicles like minivans. Finally, the table
assembly should
be stable enough that the top surface remains level under stress and during
motion of the
vehicle.
[0008] It is an object of this invention to partially or completely fulfill
one or more of
the above-mentioned needs.
Summary of the Invention
100091 The invention consists of a table, comprising: a) a base, the base
being
suitable for mounting in a vehicle, having a collar with one or more base
pins; b) a pillar,
the pillar being detachably coupled to the base, the pillar having one end
with one or
more hockey-stick shaped slots corresponding to and capable of receiving the
base pins, a
lock/release mechanism for securing the pillar to the base, and one or more
slots at an end
opposite to the one end; c) a table top, the top being detachably coupled to
the pillar, the
top having a lock-release mechanism for securing the top to the pillar, the
lock-release
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mechanism containing one or more elements which engage the one or more slots
on the
pillar; wherein the base, the pillar and the table top combine to form the
table.
100101 Preferably, the lock/release mechanism on the table top is a handle
biased by a
spring mechanism, the handle extending from a lower surface of the table top.
Optionally, the spring mechanism is a pair of leaf springs.
100111 The invention further includes a method of assembling the inventive
table.
100121 Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be
apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof,
taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
100131 The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example
only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to
like
elements, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the table of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the top of the table of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the support pole of the table of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the base of the table of Figure 1; and
Figure 5 is a transparent view of the pole-base assembly of the table of
Figure 1.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
100141 The invention presented herein consists of a table 10 as shown in
Figure 1.
The table 10 consists of a table top 20 which is detachably coupled to a
support pole 30,
which is in turn detachably coupled to a base 40. The base 40 is preferably
permanently
mounted to a surface, such as the interior of a passenger vehicle, preferably
a passenger
van or minivan.
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100151 The table top 20 is shown more clearly in the exploded view of Figure
2. The
top 20 consists of an upper surface 22, ideally planar and smooth, and a lower
surface 24.
The two surfaces 22 and 24 are joined to form the top 20. Inside the surfaces
is a handle
26 that is used to engage and/or disengage the top 20 from the support pole
30. As
shown, the handle 26 is mounted to a pivot 27 and a pair of leaf springs 28
that provide
tension to secure the top 20 to the pole 30. Alternatively, variations on the
handle 26,
springs 28 and overall locking mechanisms can be used to secure the top 20 to
the pole
30. A cover 25 is used to protect the locking mechanism assembly from damage.
100161 The support pole 30, shown in Figure 3, is comprised of a pillar 31, a
button
assembly 34 and a sleeve 38. The pillar has a hole 33 at the top to allow for
passage of
the handle 26 from the table top 20. Preferably, there is also a slot 32 in
the top end to
ensure that the table top 20 can only be inserted in one position, resulting
in additional
stability for the assembled table 10. The button assembly 34 is located within
the pillar
31 and uses a spring arm 36 in conjunction with a locking pin 37 to detachably
secure the
pillar to the base 40. A button 35 protrudes from the exterior of the pillar
31 to allow
actuation of the spring arm 36. The sleeve 38 has one or more hockey-stick
shaped slots
39 that enable secure attachment to the base 40. Alternatively, the sleeve 38
and slots 39
can be formed as part of the base end of the pillar 31.
[00171 The base 40, as shown in Figure 4, has a collar 42 for securing the
pole 30.
The collar 42 contains one or more pins 44 which track the slots 38 in the
pole, and a
locking pin hole 46, which receives the locking pin 37 in the pole 30. A
locking pin slot
48 is provided for insertion of the locking pin 37 into the collar 42, and
ensures that the
pillar 30 has only one position from which it can be inserted into the base
40.
100181 To attach the pole 30 to the base 40, the sleeve 38 is inserted into
the collar
42, aligning the pins 44 to the slots 38. After insertion, the pole 30 is
rotated along the
direction of the slots 30 until the locking pin 37 engages the hole 46. At
this point,
preferably the pins 44 have traversed substantially the full length of the
slots 38. The
"hockey stick" shape of the slots 38 produces an additional frictive element
to resist
counter-rotation of the pole 30. The engaged pole-base assembly is shown in
Figure 5.
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100191 The table 10 provides the stability and support traditionally
associated with a
screw-threaded design, however, the combination of the slots 38 and pin 44
produces that
result with a minimal amount of rotation required. As shown in the preferred
embodiment herein, the maximum rotation required to secure the pole 30 to the
base 40 is
120 degrees, as opposed to a screw-thread design, which requires multiple 360-
degree
rotations.
100201 Additionally, the table 10 requires less of the pole 30 to be secured
within the
base 40 than known designs. A theoretical screw-threaded pole would require
several
inches of thread to provide a reasonable amount of stability. The space
requirements for
such a design would preclude its use in a vehicle such as a minivan. By
contrast, the
table 10 presented herein requires substantially less space to engage the pole
30 to the
base 40 and is well-suited for use in vehicles.
[0021] While the above invention has been presented in the context of mounting
to
passenger vehicles the invention is equally applicable to detachable tables
for use in any
configuration or situation.
[00221 This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of
the
invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of
illustration
and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above teaching
and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended the scope of
the invention be
limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.
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