US2497552A

US2497552A - Collapsible furniture leg

Info

Publication number: US2497552A
Application number: US632239A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ledel Carl
Original assignee: SAM SCHUSTER
Current assignee: SAM SCHUSTER
Priority date: 1945-12-01
Filing date: 1945-12-01
Publication date: 1950-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 1967-02-14

Description

Feb. 14, 1950 Q LEDEL COLLAPSIBLE FURNITURE LEG Filed Dec. l, 1945 IMI. Il

r s Mw m ,M .Y 1. mw ..U l/ f 2 n@ WJ 2J 2 i Fig. liana d upon the line 3-3 upon Fig.

Patented Feb. 14 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE FURNITURE LEG Carl Ledel, Los Angeles, Califi, assignor of one'- third to Peter Rice and one-third to Sam Schuster, both ofLos Angeles, Calif.

Application December 1, 1945, Serial No. 632,239

3 Claims. (Cl. S11-99) This invention relates to collapsible or foldable 4 furniture legs, such as collapsible table legs and like devices wherein any arm or pivotally mounted member may be adjusted to any position about its axis of swinging movement or held in such .Y adjusted position.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved construction which will enable a table Y leg or like pivotally mounted member to be turned about its axis of rotation into either of a plurality of positions and readily locked therein by 1a. relatively simple and sturdy construction which Vwill facilitate unlocking ofv the leg or member to permit of` its turning.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a construction of the above described type wherein there is a leg or member pivotally mounted by a pivot bolt or the equivalent which 1 extends through a stationary quadrant and to providea keeper that is interposed between thev leg or member and the quadrant that urged to engage the quadrant but which may be is normally disengaged therefrom to unlock the leg or member by forcing it into a recess accommodating it that is disposed in the leg or member.

, With thel foregoing and other objects in view,

1' whichy will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the underside of a card table and illustrating the construction embodying the present. invention as having been applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a partial view in vertical section through a portion of the card table illustrated in taken substantially 2. Referring to the accompanying drawings fFg. 3 is avertical section wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the invention has been illustrated as having been applied to a card table although it will be readily understood that it may be employed on any other article of furniture where it is desirable to collapse or fold a leg. The card table illustrated consists of side rails IU suitably connected together at their ends and supporting a table top II. Legs I2 support the table where the rails III, which are angularly arranged with respect to each other, are joined together. The legs are pivotally connected to their respective rails such as by bolts I3 the heads of which indicated at I4 are disposed inwardly vand unev nuts of which indicated at l5 may be l 25 is merely depressed to disengage the locking 24 against the face of the quadrant, frictionally top whenihe 1eg is in its upright position. This quadrant to the adjacent rail. A lug 22 may be lbearing against the face oi the quadrant wherein pivoted on the bolt I3 and swung into line position the keeper snaps tion the top of the leg indicated at 21 is so posirecessed in the outer sides of the rails, and covered over by a covering or plug not shown.

Against the inner face of the leg there is positioned a metal quadrant I6 having an arcuate edge I1 inwhich there are formed rectangular notches I8 and I9 90 apart. At one end of this 'quadrant there is provided a laterally bent ear 20 adapted to receive screws 2I to attach the bent laterally from the top edge of the quadrant and bear against the under surface of the table top I I. A keeper 23 is provided the upper portion of which is recessed in the face of the leg between the leg and the quadrant. The bolt or pivot pin I3 extends through the keeper. The lower portion of the keeper is provided with a locking block 24 that is receivable in either of the notches I8 or I9. The keeper possesses inherent resiliency and is thus normally biased to exercise a portion the locking block 24 is urged outwardly into a notch. The bottom of the keeper is bent laterally to provide a handle 25 by which it may be depressed into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. The leg I2 is recessed as indicated at 26 to accommodate this depressing movement of the keeper.

When the leg is in its upright position the locking block 2liy of the keeper fits the lower notch I9 and locks the leg against collapse. When it is desired to fold or collapse the leg the handle I9'. The leg may then be the dotted line position indicated on Figs. 1 and 2. During this swinging movement if the handle 25 is released the keeper merely urges the locking block block from the notch resisting the folding movement of the leg to a slight extent. When the leg reaches the dotted the locking block 24 into the notch I8 to lock the leg in collapsed position. To thereafter extend the leg the reverse of the operations above described is caused to take place. In the preferred form of constructioned as to abut the undersurface of the table topmay be trimmed such as at 28 to enable collapse.

From the above-described construction it will be appreciated that the improved collapsible leg is orf relatively simple yet highly durable design'. The keeper and the quadrant may be easily con structed and assembled together with the legs and are easily mounted on the frame of the table. When it is desired to collapse or extend the leg this may be easily accomplished by merely depressing the handle and when the leg reaches either of its two extreme positions it is automatically locked therein by the locking block 24 being snapped into the corresponding peripheral notch.

While the invention has. been described in conjunction with a collapsible table leg it will be readily understood that it is equally applicable to any other type of device wherein a leg or arm is pivotally mounted with respect to an adjacent structure to which the quadrant may be attached and relatively to which the leg or arm is adapted to pvot.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible leg construction including two rails angularly arranged, a leg, a single quadrant for the leg construction comprising a substantially flat plate having an arcuate edge, pivot means extending through one of the rails and the leg and the quadrant to hold the parts together preventing axial movement thereof, the

positioned between the quadrant and the leg and through which pivot means extends, the keeper being disposed longitudinally of the leg and being biased to engage the quadrant, means on the leg for carrying the keeper with the leg when the leg is pivoted, the leg being recessed adjacent the edge of the quadrant to accommodate the keeper when the keeper is depressed, the keeper having a locking portion to nt in the notches whereby the keeper may optionally engage the quadrant to lock the leg in collapsed or erect position.

2. A collapsible leg construction comprising two rails angularly arranged, a leg, asingle quadrant for the leg construction comprising a substantially .flat plate having an arcuate edge, pivot means extending through one of the rails and the leg and the quadrant to hold the above meni tioned parts together preventing axial movement of any of the parts, the pivot means positioning one side of the leg directly against said one rail and the opposite side of the leg directly against the quadrant, means for rfastening the quadrant to the other rail, the arcuate edge of theV quadrant having its center of curvature substantially at the pivotal axis of the leg, the quadrant having at least two notches along its arcuate edge spaced approximately 90 from one another, a strip-like keeper for theV quadrant disposed longitudinally of the leg and having the pivot means extending therethrough, the leg having a recess in the side Wall thereof on which the quadrant is positioned located intermediate the edges of said side wall, the keeper fitting in the recess, the portions of said side Wall of the leg bounding the edges olf the keeper serving to carry the keeper with the leg when the leg is pivoted, the keeper being biased to engage the quadrant, the leg being further recessed adjacent the edge of the quadrant to accommodate the keeper when the keeper is depressed, the keeper having a locking portion to nt in the notches whereby the keeper may optionally engage the quadrant to lock the leg in collapsed or erect position.

3. A collapsible leg construction comprising two rails angularly arranged, a leg, a single quadrant for the leg construction comprising a substantially at plate having an arcuate edge, a pivot pin extending through one of the rails and the leg and the quadrant, means on the pivot pin for holding the above-mentioned parts together preventing axial movement of any of the parts, the leg being sandwiched 1between the quadrant and said one rail, means for fastening the quadrant to the other rail, the arcuate edge of the quadrant having its center of curvature substantially at the pivotal axis off the leg, the quadrant having at least two notches spaced approximately from one another along its arcuate edge, a strip-like keeper for the quadrant disposed longitudinally of the leg, means preventing longitudinal movement of the keeper relative to the leg, the leg having a recess in the side wall thereof on which the quadrant is positioned located intermediate the edges of the side wall, the keeper fitting in the recess, the portions of said side wall of the leg bounding the edges of the keeper serving to carry the eeper with the leg when the leg is pivot-ed, said keeper being biased to engage the quadrant, the leg being further recessed adjacent the edge of the quadrant to accommodate the keeper when the keeper is depressed whereby, when the keeper is in one olf the notches the leg is held in one position whereupon the keeper may be depressed to release the leg and the leg swung approximately 9GD where the keeper will engage the other notch to lock the keeper in a second position. CARL LEDEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STA'ESl PATENTS Number Name Date 772,293 Reese Oct. 11, 1904 1,652,267 Beiger Dec. 13, 1927 1,882,915 Rickson Oct. 18, 1932 1,885,384 Snow Nov. 1, 1932 2,047,389 Sinclair July 14, 1936 2,215,093 Boardman Sept. 17, 19.40 2,271,332 Ellington Jan. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 442,555 Great Britain Jan. 11,. 1935