CA2581853A1 - Table assembly - Google Patents

Table assembly Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2581853A1
CA2581853A1 CA002581853A CA2581853A CA2581853A1 CA 2581853 A1 CA2581853 A1 CA 2581853A1 CA 002581853 A CA002581853 A CA 002581853A CA 2581853 A CA2581853 A CA 2581853A CA 2581853 A1 CA2581853 A1 CA 2581853A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
pillar
base
lock
release mechanism
slots
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002581853A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
John Frederick
Rob Meadus
Todd Michals
Gabriel Lam
Tom Modick
Don Miller
Joel Hartman
Dave Smith
Mike Boyer
Steve Swailes
Steve Jakubiec
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Progressive Moulded Products Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Progressive Moulded Products Ltd filed Critical Progressive Moulded Products Ltd
Priority to CA002581853A priority Critical patent/CA2581853A1/en
Priority to US12/049,598 priority patent/US20080223261A1/en
Priority to CA002626202A priority patent/CA2626202A1/en
Publication of CA2581853A1 publication Critical patent/CA2581853A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B13/00Details of tables or desks
    • A47B13/003Connecting table tops to underframes
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B13/00Details of tables or desks
    • A47B13/02Underframes
    • A47B13/023Underframes with a central column
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B91/00Feet for furniture in general

Landscapes

  • Passenger Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

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 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.

Description

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 - 1 - 71095-14 (KB) 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 - 2 - 71095-14 (KB) 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.
- 3 - 71095-14 (ICB) 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.
- 4 - 71095-14 (KB) 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.

- S - 71095-14 (KB)

Claims (6)

1. 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 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.
2. The table of claim 1, wherein the lock/release mechanism on the table top comprises a handle biased by a spring mechanism, the handle extending from a lower surface of the table top.
3. The table of claim 2, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a pair of leaf springs which are compressed by actuation of the handle to enable the table top to engage the pillar.
4. A method of assembling a table, comprising:

a) securing a pillar to a base mounted in a vehicle, via aligning the pillar with the base and rotating the pillar relative to the base such that hockey-stick shaped slots in the pillar engage with base pins in the base; and b) securing a table top to the pillar, via actuating a lock/release mechanism on the top, engaging the top with slots in the pillar, and de-actuating the lock/release mechanism.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the lock/release mechanism comprises a handle, which is actuated/deactuated against a spring mechanism, compressing the spring mechanism to enable engagement of the top with the pillar, and securing the top to the pillar via the force of the spring mechanism.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the spring mechanism is a pair of leaf springs.
CA002581853A 2007-03-15 2007-03-15 Table assembly Abandoned CA2581853A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002581853A CA2581853A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2007-03-15 Table assembly
US12/049,598 US20080223261A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2008-03-17 Table assembly
CA002626202A CA2626202A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2008-03-17 Table assembly

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002581853A CA2581853A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2007-03-15 Table assembly

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2581853A1 true CA2581853A1 (en) 2008-09-15

Family

ID=39761351

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002581853A Abandoned CA2581853A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2007-03-15 Table assembly
CA002626202A Abandoned CA2626202A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2008-03-17 Table assembly

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002626202A Abandoned CA2626202A1 (en) 2007-03-15 2008-03-17 Table assembly

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US20080223261A1 (en)
CA (2) CA2581853A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2479050B (en) * 2010-03-23 2013-10-09 Thinking Egonomix Pty Ltd A furniture leg assembly
US8894121B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2014-11-25 Paccar Inc Table with a rotatable tabletop
CN107157110A (en) * 2017-05-24 2017-09-15 罗卫玲 A kind of glass round table
US20190261771A1 (en) * 2018-02-28 2019-08-29 Varidesk, Llc Variable height desk
US20190289998A1 (en) * 2018-03-26 2019-09-26 Steven John Lysne RV-18 Cafe Table
US11148761B2 (en) * 2019-01-24 2021-10-19 Smoker Craft, Inc. Bar lounger
US10918203B1 (en) * 2019-09-06 2021-02-16 Itc Incorporated Pedestal leg assembly
US11304509B2 (en) * 2019-09-06 2022-04-19 Itc Incorporated Pedestal leg assembly
DK180941B1 (en) 2021-04-27 2022-07-05 Scancastor Eng A/S Table Assembly System

Family Cites Families (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1156083A (en) * 1913-10-16 1915-10-12 Julius J Karges Display-stand.
US4117784A (en) * 1971-09-14 1978-10-03 Societa Anonima Castelli s.a.s. Di C. Castelli & C. Disassemblable table
US3864048A (en) * 1972-11-17 1975-02-04 Alene Mccall Parker Quick-Acting Releasable Tube Connectors
IT1077108B (en) * 1977-04-29 1985-05-04 Castelli Sas Anonima REMOVABLE TABLE WITH ONE OR MORE SUPPORT COLUMNS
US4845915A (en) * 1988-06-27 1989-07-11 Stageright Corporation High impact panel corner
US5485793A (en) * 1993-02-08 1996-01-23 Crowell; Anthony D. Vehicle desk
US5383644A (en) * 1993-04-14 1995-01-24 Moeller Marine Products Removable pedestal
DE4405617C2 (en) * 1994-02-22 1996-07-25 Werner Severin Removable standing table
CA2157079A1 (en) * 1995-08-28 1997-03-01 Koen De Winter Table assembly
US6315252B1 (en) * 1997-10-17 2001-11-13 Jefrey S. Schultz Removably mounted computer stand for automobiles and the like

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20080223261A1 (en) 2008-09-18
CA2626202A1 (en) 2008-09-15

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