Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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TABLE ASSEMBLY
Field of the Invention
100011 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.
100031 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 i:ncludes 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.
100041 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.
[00061 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.
[00071 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.
[00081 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 comprises a table, comprising: a) a base, the base being
suitable
for mounting in a vehicle, the base having a collar with one or more base pins
along the
interior of the collar; b) a pole, the pole being detachably coupled to the
base, the pole
having with one or more llockey-stick shaped slots at one end corresponding to
and
capable of receiving the base pins, a first lock/release mechanism for
securing the pole to
the base, and one or more apertures at an end opposite to the one end; and c)
a table top,
the table top being detachably coupled to the pillar, the top having a second
lock/release
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mechanism for securing the top to the pillar, the second lock/release
mechanism
containing one or more eletnents which engage the one or more apertures on the
pole,
wherein the base, the pole and the table top combine to form the table.
[0010] 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.
100111 The table can further include one or more straps located underneath the
table
top, the straps allowing the pole to be secured to the table top when the pole
is
disengaged from the base and the table top.
[0012] The invention further includes a method of assembling the inventive
table.
[0013] 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
[0014] 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 a table according to a preferred embodiment
of
the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the table of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded view of a table top and support pole according to a
preferred embodimerit of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a cross-section along line A-A of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the table top of Figure 4 with the top
removed;
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Figure 6 is an exploded view of a pole and base according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a cross-section along line B-B of Figure 1;
Figure 8 is a close-up view of Figure 6;
Figure 9 is an alternate cross section along line B-B of Figure 1;
Figure 10 is a close-up view of the base of Figure 6; and
Figure 11 is a bottom view of the table of Figure 1 with the pole in a stored
position.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[00151 The invention presented herein in a preferred embodiment comprises a
table
10 as shown in Figure 1. 'The table 10 consists of a table top 100 which is
detachably
coupled to a support pole 200, which is in turn detachably coupled to a base
300. The
base 300 is secured, preferably permanently, to a surface, such as the
interior of a
passenger vehicle, preferably a passenger van or minivan.
[00161 The elements comprising table 10 are shown more clearly in the exploded
view of Figure 2. AS best shown in Figure 3, the top 100 consists of an upper
half 110,
ideally planar and smooth, and a lower half 120. The two halves 110 and 120
are joined
to form the table top 100. Secured inside the halves is a handle 130 that is
used to engage
and/or disengage the top 100 from the support pole 200. As shown in Figures 4
and 5,
the handle 130 is snapped in place on the interior of lower half 120 by a tab
connector
155 and a spring 140 is usecl to keep the handle 130 under tension and secure
the top 100
to the pole 200. Alternatively, variations on the handle 130, spring 140 and
other locking
mechanisms can be used to secure the top 100 to the pole 200. A cover 135 is
used to
protect the handle 130 and spring 140 from damage due to weight resting on the
table top
100. Straps 150 are attached to the underside of lower half 120 and are used
to secured
the support pole 200 to the table top 100 when disassembled, as shown in
Figure 11.
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[00171 As shown in Figure 6, the support pole 200 is a hollow, cylindrical
tube
terminating in a sleeve 210 which enables support pole 200 to be detachably
secured to
base 300. The interior of pole 200 contains a lock/release mechanism assembly
comprises a spring 220 with an activation button 230 and a locking pin 240.
Button 230
is used to actuate spring 220 to engage and disengage locking pin 240 from
base 300 as
shown in cross-section in Figures 7 and 8. Preferably, both button 230 and
locking pin
240 are surrounded by 0-rings 250 to provide a more secure fit. As best shown
in Figure
9, sleeve 210 has one or mo:re hockey-stick shaped slots 260 that are used in
cooperation
with base pins 330 in base 300 to secure pole 200 to the base 300. Preferably,
a shoulder
215 on sleeve engages 0-ring 310 to provide a firm seal between pole 200 and
base 300.
Alternatively, shoulder 215 and slots 260 can be formed as part of the end of
pole 200,
eliminating the separate sleeve 210.
100181 The pole 200 preferably has an aperture at its top end to allow for
passage of
the handle 130 from the table top 100. Also, preferably, there is a slot 205
(best seen in
Figure 11) in the top end to ensure that pole 200 can only be inserted the
table top 100 in
one position, resulting in adc[itional stability for the assembled table 10.
[00191 The base 300, as shown in Figure 10, has a collar 350 for securing the
pole
200. The collar 350 contains one or more pins 330 which track the slots 260 in
the pole,
and a locking pin aperture 360, which receives the locking pin 240 in the pole
200.
Preferably, collar 350 include a locking pin mark 370 to indicate the position
for insertion
of the locking pin 240 into the collar 350, to ensures that the pole 200 has
only one
position from which it can be inserted into the base 300.
[00201 To attach the pole 200 to the base 300, the sleeve 210 is inserted into
the
collar 350, aligning the pins 330 to the slots 260. After insertion, the pole
200 is rotated
along the direction of the slots 260 until the locking pin 240 engages the
aperture 360. At
this point, preferably the pins 330 have traversed substantially the full
length of the slots
260. The "hockey stick" shape of the slots 260 provides an additional frictive
element to
resist counter-rotation of the pole 200.
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[00211 The table 10 provides the stability and support traditionally
associated with a
screw-threaded design, however, the combination of slots 260 and pins 330
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 200 to the
base
300 is 120 degrees, as opposed to a screw-thread design, which requires
multiple 360-
degree rotations.
[00221 Additionally, the table 10 requires less of the pole 200 to be secured
within
the base 300 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
200 to the base 300 and is well-suited for use in vehicles.
[00231 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.
[00241 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. It is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this
description but
by the claims that follow.
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