Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOLDING AND UNFOLDING STRUCTURE FOR
HANGING TABLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hanging table and
particularly to a folding and unfolding structure for hanging
tables.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many people have paid much attention to leisure life
quality and household activities nowadays. Many community
gardens, backyards, public parks or house balconies often
serve as people's gathering and chatting venues. To provide
resting or meet visual art requirement, many of those locations
have fixed table tops attached to balustrades to hold potted
landscapes, leisure parasols, lamp sets, tea sets or the like.
In order to provide a table top for hanging on handrail,
U.S. patent No. 8,857,347 discloses a "Foldable Hanging
Table" which can be hung on a construction structure
equipped with a loading top edge. The foldable hanging table
includes a table panel, a suspension structure and a folding
assembly. The suspension structure includes a support rack
hinged on the table panel and a suspension arm straddled the
construction structure to lean on the loading top edge. The
folding assembly includes a swivel frame hinged on the table
panel and a driven member hinged respectively on the support
rack and the swivel frame. The driven member includes an
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anchor portion to confine swivel of the swivel frame against
the table panel and a drive portion connected to the anchor
portion and operable to release the anchor portion from the
swivel frame so that the swivel frame can be swiveled to
facilitate folding and enhance supporting force of the table
panel. The folding or unfolding structure of the hanging table
in the aforesaid technique is quite complex that makes
operation more difficult and usability lower. Moreover, the
existing technique and design also do not provide a stabilizing
structure when the table panel is at the unfolding state. Hence
the unfolding table panel could be folded automatically in the
event of moving up or down caused by incidental bumping of
users. That could cause serious problems such as falling and
damage of the goods placed on the table panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide
improved usability and structural stability of products.
To achieve the foregoing object the present invention
provides a folding and unfolding structure for a hanging table
which includes a support rack, a table panel which is hinged
on the support rack and has a loading rib located on a back
side and a suspension fastening structure located at an upper
end of the support rack to be anchored on a building structural
body. The support rack has a suspension arm at the upper end
that is connected to the suspension fastening structure and
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,
,
hung on and fastened to a loading top edge of the building
structural body. The hanging table also includes at least one
folding and unfolding structure pivotally bridged the loading
rib and the support rack. The folding and unfolding structure
includes a first swivel rack hinged on the loading rib and a
second swivel rack hinged on a lower edge of the support rack.
The first swivel rack has an anchor and loading fork latchable
on the second swivel rack and a movable coupling pin
pivotally coupled on the second swivel rack. The second
swivel rack has a housing space to accommodate swivel
movements of folding and unfolding of the first swivel rack
and a guide slot for sliding of the movable coupling pin.
In one embodiment of the invention the movable coupling
pin has a pin knob located on at least one end thereof, and the
second swivel rack has a swivel latch member hinged thereon
that has a latch notch latchable with the pin knob to provide
anchoring thereof.
In another embodiment the second swivel rack includes a
load receiving member latchable with the first swivel rack and
the anchor and loading fork for anchoring thereof.
In yet another embodiment the table panel includes a
hinge end which has at least two pintles hinged on the support
rack.
In yet another embodiment the first swivel rack has a first
elastic pad to provide impact buffer between the first swivel
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rack and the back side of the table panel in a folding state.
In yet another embodiment the second swivel rack has a
second elastic pad to provide impact buffer between the
second swivel rack and the first swivel rack in the folding
state.
The folding and unfolding structure for a hanging table of the
invention thus formed, compared with the conventional techniques,
provides many advantages, notably:
1. The table panel can be unfolded easier and quicker when in
use, and folded downward rapidly when not in use.
2. Through the swivel latch member latched on the pin knob
the folding and unfolding structure can make the unfolding table
panel more secured and stable when in use.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and
advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent
from the following detailed description, which proceeds with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the
invention at an unfolding state.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded view based on FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the folding and unfolding
structure in an unfolding assembly condition based on FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the swivel latch member and the
pin knob in a latched condition based on FIG. 3.
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FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the invention at a folding state
based on FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a schematic right side view based on FIG. 5.
FIGS. 7 through 10 are schematic views of the table panel in
consecutive unfolding conditions based on FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS
Please refer to FIGS. 1 through 5 for an embodiment of
the folding and unfolding structure for a hanging table 10 of
the invention. The hanging table 10 comprises a support
rack 10, a table panel 20 hinged on the support rack 11 and a
suspension fastening structure 30 (similar to that of the
conventional techniques) located at an upper end of the
support rack 11 and fastened to a building structural body 50.
The support rack 11 has a suspension arm 111 at the upper end
that is connected to the suspension fastening structure 30 and
hung on and fastened to a loading top edge 51 of the building
structural body 50. The table panel 20 has a loading rib 22 on
a back side. The loading rib 22 and the support rack 11 are
pivotally bridged by at least one folding and unfolding
structure 40. The folding and unfolding structure 40 includes a
first swivel rack 41 hinged on the loading rib 22 and a second
swivel rack 42 hinged on a lower edge of the support rack 11.
The first swivel rack 41 has an anchor and loading fork 411
latchable on the second swivel rack 42 and a movable
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coupling pin 412 pivotally coupled on the second swivel rack
42. The second swivel rack 42 has a housing space 421 to
accommodate swivel movements of folding and unfolding of
the first swivel rack 41 and a guide slot 422 for sliding of the
movable coupling pin 412. The anchor and loading fork 411
allows the table panel 20 to be positioned proximate a
horizontal position and also enables the first swivel rack 41
and the second swivel rack 42 to rapidly latch with each other
and support the gravity of goods placed on the table panel 20.
In this embodiment the movable coupling pin 412 has a pin
knob 413 located on at least one end thereof The second
swivel rack 42 also has a swivel latch member 43 hinged
thereon. The swivel latch member 43 has a latch notch 431 to
latch the pin knob 413. It is to be noted that the second swivel
rack 42 further has a load receiving member 423 to be latched
by the first swivel rack 41 and the anchor and loading fork
411 for positioning. The load receiving member 423 has to
bear forces, hence must be made of a sturdy and durable
material. In addition, the table panel 20 has a hinge end 21
which has at least two pintles 211 located thereon to hinge on
the support rack 11. Furthermore, the first swivel rack 41 has
a first elastic pad 414 located thereon to provide impact buffer
between the first swivel rack 41 and the backside of the table
panel 20 during folding movement, and the second swivel rack
42 also has a second elastic pad 424 located thereon to
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provide impact buffer between the second swivel rack 42 and
the first swivel rack 41 during folding movement.
Please also refer to FIGS. 5 through 10 for the invention
in use conditions. FIG. 6 illustrates the table panel 20 being
moved downward at a folding state, the first elastic pad 414 of
the first swivel rack 41 presses the back side of the table panel
20, while the second elastic pad 424 of the second swivel rack
42 presses the first swivel rack 41, meanwhile, the swivel
latch member 43 hinged on the second swivel rack 42 does not
yet latch on the pin knob 413. When the table panel 20 is
raised upward in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 7 it
can swivel against the support rack 11 about the pintles 211,
consequentially the hinged junction of the first swivel rack 41
and the second swivel rack 42 is driven and moved toward a
lower left corner, and the movable coupling pin 412 is sliding
in the guide slot 422, while the anchor and loading fork 412 is
moved above the top edge of the second swivel rack 42 as
shown in FIG. 8. When the surface of the table panel 20 is
swiveled over the horizontal surface and the anchor and
loading fork 411 is swiveled corresponding to the load
receiving member 423, the table panel 20 can be swiveled
downward counterclockwise via a force in the opposite
direction until the table panel 20 is proximate the horizontal
position with the anchor and loading fork 411 latched
downward on the load receiving member 423 for anchoring as
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shown in FIG. 9, then the table panel 20 is at a fully unfolding
state with the pin knob 413 of the movable coupling pin 412
moved to a lower side of the guide slot 422. In order to make
the unfolding table panel to be anchored in a secured manner
the latch notch 431 of the swivel latch member 43 can be
swiveled to latch on the pin knob 413. In the event that
folding the table panel 20 is desired again, proceed the
movements previously discussed in a reverse sequence.
Operation principle is similar but in reverse order, hence
details are omitted herein. As a result, through the folding and
unfolding structure for hanging tables of the invention not
only the table panel can be easily and quickly unfolded when
in use, the table panel also can be folded rapidly downward
after use is finished, and the table panel also can be
maintained securely and steadily at the unfolding state when
in use.
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