JPH11127960A - Folding table - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively eliminate an inconvenience that fingers or clothes are pinched by a gap space which is surrounded by a top plate, a leg and a stay. SOLUTION: A leg 2 is pivotally attached to a top plate 1 in a manner to be turnable, and at the same time, a stay 3 for leg supporting is laterally bridged at a location to surround a gap space inside together with the top plate 1 and the leg 2 when the leg 2 is at a using location, and as the leg 2 is turned toward a housing location where the leg 2 is superposed with the lower surface 1A of the top plate 1, from the using location, the stay 3 retracts in the direction coming closer to the lower surface 1A of the top plate 1 with the turning of the leg 2 as well, and thus, the gap space is gradually deformed in a manner to become flat for the constitution of this folding table, and for such a folding table, a cover 4 for concealing is arranged at a location where the gap space can be almost always concealed from a side space while the leg 2 moves between the using location and the housing location.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a folding table suitably used as a conference table or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As this type of folding table, there is known a structure in which a top plate and legs are connected via a leg supporting stay. In this device, the legs are pivotally attached to the top plate, and when the legs are in the use position, they are interposed between the top plate and the legs to connect the two under a certain supporting strength. The stay is configured to be driven and retracted in a direction approaching the lower surface of the top plate as the legs are rotated to the storage position.

[0003]

However, in such a configuration, when the legs are in the use position, the stay is suspended along with the top plate and the legs so as to surround the clearance space inside. Becomes gradually flattened as the legs are rotated toward the storage position where the legs overlap the lower surface of the top plate. For this reason, there is a problem that a finger, clothing, or the like is easily pinched in such a clearance space.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a space, which is surrounded by legs, a top plate, and a stay, in which a finger, clothing, or the like is moved from a side space during operation of the legs. It is designed so that it cannot enter.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the folding table of the present invention, a leg is pivotally mounted on a top plate so as to be rotatable, and when the leg is in the use position, the folding table surrounds the clearance space inside together with the top plate and the leg. A stay for supporting the leg is laid horizontally at the position, and as the leg is rotated from the use position toward the storage position where the leg overlaps the lower surface of the top plate, the stay also approaches the lower surface of the top plate with the rotation of the leg. In the direction, whereby the gap space is also gradually deformed into a flat shape, and while the legs move between the use position and the storage position, the gap space is almost always concealed from the side space. It is characterized in that a cover for blindfolding is provided at the position where it can be obtained.

With such a configuration, even if a finger or clothing tries to enter the gap space while rotating the leg in the use position toward the storage position, the gap space is covered by the cover. Because it is hidden from the side space,
Its entry is prohibited. For this reason, even if the gap space is gradually deformed flat, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which a finger or clothing is pinched in the gap space.

In order to dispose the stay in a safe position and mount the cover out of the way, the stay is disposed inside the leg and the cover can be inserted between the inner surface of the leg and the outer surface of the stay. It is effective to keep it. In order to clearly see that the legs are in the proper use position and to be able to use the folding table safely, provide a display window on the cover or stay, and make sure that the display window is It is desirable to set at a position where at least a part can be concealed when it is turned to a side space side at a certain angle from the use position to the storage position side.

In order to prevent the cover from being obstructed at the storage position of the legs, as the legs are moved from the use position to the storage position, the cover is displaced in a direction approaching the lower surface of the top plate to store the legs. It is effective that the entire cover is positioned at a position where it does not protrude beyond the legs toward the side opposite to the top board. As one more specific embodiment of the present invention, the stay has one end pivotally attached to the top plate and the other end slidably engaged with a part of the leg, and the gap space is formed on the bottom surface of the top plate. A triangular shape has a first base angle at the corner between the base and the leg, a second base angle at the corner between the lower surface of the top plate and the stay, and a top angle at the corner at the corner between the stay and the leg. If the cover is configured so that the vertical angle gradually approaches 180 ° with the rotation of the leg and the base angle gradually approaches 0 °, and the cover is deformed flatly, the triangular gap at the position where the leg is used. The side surface should be able to conceal the space, the vicinity of the second bottom angle of this cover should be pivotally attached to a stay or top plate, and the other part should be supported by legs or a part of the stay. Is valid.

The stay includes first and second stay elements pivotally connected at one end to each other. The opposite pivotal end of the first stay element is pivotally connected to the top plate, and the opposite of the second stay element. The pivot end is pivotally attached to the leg, and both stay elements are set so as to be connected in a substantially straight line at the position where the leg is used. The gap space defines the corner between the lower surface of the top plate and the leg as the first base angle. A triangle having a second base angle at the corner between the lower surface of the top plate and the first stay element and a vertex angle at the corner between the first stay element and the leg is formed with the rotation of the leg. In the case where the vertical angle gradually approaches 180 ° and the base angle gradually approaches 0 ° and is deformed to be flat, the cover may cover the triangular clearance space at the use position of the leg. A first cover element having the shape as a reference shape and a lower portion of the reference shape cut substantially parallel to the top plate;
A second cover element having a side surface shape capable of concealing a gap space opened below the first cover element, and connecting the nearest portions of the two cover elements to each other to form a second bottom of the first cover element. It is effective that the vicinity of the corner is pivotally attached to the first stay element or the top plate, and the vicinity of the apex angle is pivotally attached to the leg.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the folding table of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, legs 2 are attached to the lower surface of a top plate 1 via stays 3 so as to be foldable. More specifically, the top plate 1 is formed by fixing a support frame 11 made of a square pipe to a lower surface 1a near an edge 1b on the long side of the top plate body 10 having a rectangular shape in plan view. 11a is the top plate lower surface 1 together with the lower surface 1a of the top plate body 10.
A, and a leg 2 is attached to the end of the support frame 11.
A bracket 12 having a U-shaped flat cross section for pivotally supporting is mounted.

The leg 2 is also made of a square pipe, the upper end of which is inserted into the inside of the bracket 12, and is turned around a horizontal axis 12b parallel to the short side inserted between the opposed walls 12a of the bracket 12 at that position. It is pivotally connected. That is, when the leg 2 is in the use position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the leg 2 takes an orthogonal posture with respect to the support frame 11, and when rotated to the storage position shown in FIG. It takes a parallel posture in which it is in contact with or in close proximity, and at this time, the entire leg 2 is configured so as to be able to closely overlap with the lower surface 1A of the top plate.

The stay 3 is a long first stay element 31 having a U-shaped cross section at the disposition position, and one end of the first stay element 31 is partially fitted to one end of the first stay element 31. The second stay element 32 is formed in combination with a short plate-like second stay element 32, and both stay elements 31, 32 are arranged inside the inner side surface of the leg 2, and the first stay element 31 The other end of the second stay element 32 is pivotally connected to the support frame 11 via a horizontal shaft 31a, and the other end of the second stay element 32 is pivotally connected to the leg 2 via a horizontal shaft 32a.
The nearest ends of the first and the second 32 are connected to each other via a horizontal shaft 33 in a state where they are fitted to each other.

When the leg 2 is in the use position shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal shaft 33 is moved to a position passing through a thought point existing on a straight line connecting the horizontal shafts 31a and 32a. The end upper wall 31X of the stay element 31 is brought into contact with the upper surface 32X of the second stay element 32 to reliably prevent the leg 2 from falling down,
When the turning motion is applied to the leg 2 again while passing the thought point, the stay elements 31 and 32 gradually protrude upward or leftward from the horizontal shaft 33 as shown in FIG. When the legs 2 reach the storage position shown in FIG. 6, they can be completely hidden behind the wall formed by the overlap of the support frame 11 of the top plate 1 and the legs 2. It has become.

By the way, in such a configuration, at the use position, as shown in FIG. 7, the right angle between the lower surface 1A of the top plate and the leg 2 is the first base angle θ1, and the lower surface 1A of the top plate and the A gap space S is formed which forms a triangle having the largest area with a corner angle between the first stay element 31 and the second base angle θ2 and a corner angle between the first stay element 31 and the leg 2 as an apex angle θ3. As shown in FIG. 8, the gap space S gradually deforms flattening in the direction in which the apex angle θ3 approaches 180 ° and the base angles θ1 and θ2 approach 0 ° as the leg 2 rotates. Since the gap space S is open to the side space during the turning operation of the leg 2, if the gap space S is deformed flat if left unattended, it becomes easy to pinch a finger or clothing.

Therefore, in this embodiment, while the leg 2 moves between the use position and the storage position, the blind space shown in FIGS. Cover 4 is provided. The cover 4 has an inverted trapezoidal first cover element 41 in which a triangle capable of concealing the triangular space S at the use position of the leg 2 is used as a reference shape and a lower part of the reference shape is cut in parallel with the top plate 1. And a strip-shaped second cover element 42 that can conceal the remaining gap space S that opens downward without being concealed by the first cover element 41. 42 are connected to each other via a support shaft 41a provided on the cover element 41, and the first cover element 41
The support shaft 4 provided near the second base angle θ2 of the cover element 41
1b via the engaging portion 42b provided on the second cover element 42 near the apex angle.
Is pivoted on a horizontal axis 32a of Specifically, the support shaft 4
1a is a clip-like member that is lightly pressed into a hole 42a provided in the cover 42, and the support shaft 41b is a first stay element 31.
The engaging portion 42b has a large-diameter head that is inserted into and locked in the darma hole 31b provided on the side wall of the second stay element 32. It has a semi-hole shape that can be lightly pressed into the diameter portion. Then, from the use position to the storage position, as shown in FIG. 3 → FIG. 5 → FIG.
When the first cover element 41 is rotated, the pivot position of the first cover element 41 by the support shaft 41b is rotated about the horizontal axis 31a of the first stay element 31, and the first cover element 41 is pivoted by the engagement portion 42b of the second cover element 42. The position is rotated about the horizontal axis 12b, which is the rotation fulcrum of the leg 2, and is gradually and almost folded around the pivot point by the support shaft 41a in a V-shape, while almost completely concealing the gap space S. Move the whole body up, and
When the support frame 11 of the top plate 1 is
Cover 3 behind the wall formed by the polymerization of
The whole can be concealed. As described above, the cover 4 is composed of the two cover elements 41 and 42 because, when a single cover is formed, the cover projects beyond the leg 2 toward the side opposite to the top plate at the storage position of the leg 2. This is because it hinders the stacking and storage of the tables.

In this embodiment, a display window 5 for safety display is provided on the outer surface of the second cover element 42. The display window 5 is formed by a seal, coloring, or the like. When the leg 2 is in the use position shown in FIG. 3, the display window 5 is exposed to the side space, and the leg 2 is slightly rotated from this position toward the storage position. Even if it does, a part of it will begin to hide behind the first cover element 41. That is, only when the entire display window 5 is exposed to the side, it is possible to display that the leg 2 is at the proper use position.

In the folding table of the present embodiment configured as described above, even if a finger or clothing attempts to enter the clearance space S while the leg 2 in the use position is rotated toward the storage position. The space S is almost completely hidden from the side space by the two cover elements 41 and 42 constituting the cover 4. Therefore, the clearance space S
Even if is gradually deformed flat, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which a finger or clothing is pinched in the gap S, and it is possible to reliably improve the safety of the folding table.

In this embodiment, both stay elements 31, 32 constituting the stay 3 are arranged inside the leg 2, and the cover 4
Are formed in a thin plate shape that can be inserted into the gap between the inner surface of the leg 2 and the outer surfaces of the stay elements 31, 32, so that they are disposed in a limited space without taking up space. In addition, by eliminating bulkiness, interference with the surroundings can be effectively avoided, and even if it is made of resin or the like, it is possible to avoid being easily damaged.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display window 5 is provided by utilizing the cover 4 and is completely exposed only when the leg 2 is in the proper use position. In addition, since the completion of the work can be confirmed on the display window 5, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the leg 2 is incompletely taken out such as to cause the leg 2 to fall down at the time of use even when the work is performed quickly. It is possible to more effectively improve the safety of the folding table.

Further, in this embodiment, the cover 4 is displaced in a direction approaching the top plate lower surface 1A as the leg 2 is moved from the use position toward the storage position, and the entire cover 4 is moved in the storage position of the leg 2. Is positioned so as not to protrude beyond the top side of the legs 2, so that even when the top plate 1 is stacked up and down and stored, the next top is placed on the top main body 10 of the previously stored folding table. The lower surface 11a of the support frame 11 of the folding table can be reliably brought into contact, and the stability can be reliably improved.

The specific structure of each part is not limited to those shown in the illustrated embodiment. For example, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a stay 104 has a horizontal shaft 102a having one end pivotally attached to the top plate 101 and the other end provided on a part of the leg 102.
Also, when a single unit is slidably engaged through a guide groove 104a, a gap space T as shown in FIG. 12 is formed.
The entry corner between A and leg 102 is a first base angle α1, the entry corner between top plate lower surface 101A and stay 104 is a second base angle α2, and the entry corner between stay 104 and leg 102 is apex angle α3.
And the gap space T gradually becomes closer to 180 ° with the rotation of the leg 102 so that the apex angle α3 approaches 180 °.
α2 deforms flatly in a direction approaching 0 °. However, in such a single stay structure, generally, the stay 1
04 has a relatively wide shape, and the clearance space T is smaller than the clearance space S generated when the stay 4 of the above embodiment is employed. , The cover 103 is pivotally connected to the stay 104 in the vicinity of the second bottom angle α2, and the other portion is connected to the leg 102 or the stay 104. The cover 103 is always moved upward while the gap T is concealed with the rotation of the leg 102 when the leg 102 is rotated, and when the cover 103 is folded to the storage position, the cover 103 is bulkier toward the top side than the leg 102. You can set the upper and lower width so that there is no.

In this case, as a structure for supporting other parts of the cover 103, as shown in FIGS.
There is a structure in which a projection 103a is provided on a part of the outer surface of the cover 103, and the projection 103a is supported by a buffer 120 provided on a part of the leg 102 near the position where the leg 102 is used. When the table is stacked and stored, the cushion body 120 is used when the leg 2 is placed on the top plate 101 of the lower table.
A portion of the buffer body 120 is extended to a position where the projection 103a can be supported at an initial stage of rotation from the use position of the leg 102, and a support surface is provided. 120a. Further support may be provided by this support surface 120a, but the horizontal shaft 10 pivoting the stay 104 to the leg 102 may be used.
The lower edge of the cover 103 may be set to be carried on the 2a. The lower edge of the cover 103 has a leg 1
The escape hole 103Y is provided to avoid the buffering of the horizontal shaft 102a when the 02 moves to the storage position.
The display window 10 is located on the side wall of the display window 10 at a position where it can be exposed through the escape hole 103Y when the leg 102 is in the use position.
If the display window 5 is provided, the display window 10
Since 5 starts to be concealed by the cover 103, the same display effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Note that the leg 10
When the cover 103 is pulled out from the folded position to the use position, in the illustrated example, the cover 103 returns to the gap concealing position by its own weight, but the returning operation may be appropriately assisted by a spring or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A semi-cylindrical engaging recess 104X is provided in a face plate portion of the stay 104 facing the side, and a leg 102 is formed in the engaging recess 104X.
The projection 103X provided on the opposing surface of the cover 103 may be configured to be carried at the initial stage of rotation from the use position. In this case, when the leg 102 is rotated from the folded state shown in FIG. 14 to the use position shown in FIG. 13, the leaf spring 130 as shown in the drawing is used to surely return the cover 103 to the original state. Adoption is also effective. This leaf spring 130 has a base end 130a fixed to the cover 103,
The distal end 130b having the bent portion is a free end, and is configured such that when the leg 102 is folded from the use position in FIG. 13 to the storage position in FIG. 14, the leaf spring 130 is crushed flat. is there. By doing so, the leg 102
When the cover 103 is again rotated to the use position, the cover 103 is surely pushed down by the reaction force caused by the distal end 130a of the leaf spring 130 elastically contacting the lower surface 111a of the support frame 111, and the engagement recess 104X and the projection are again formed. 103X can be reliably returned to the engagement position.

Further, if the cover is formed in a semi-hole shape so that the vicinity of the second bottom angle of the cover can be directly inserted into and supported by a horizontal shaft pivotally connecting the stay and the support frame, the support shaft, the daruma hole and Can be dispensed with, and the cover can be easily attached to an existing table. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such as preventing the cover from falling off by movably engaging other parts of the cover with the elongated holes provided in the stay.

[0025]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects. That is, the folding table of the present invention is configured so that the gap space can be almost completely hidden from the side space by the cover while the legs in the use position are rotated toward the storage position. Even if the gap space is gradually flattened, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which a finger or clothing is pinched in the gap space, and it is possible to reliably improve the safety of the folding table.

When the stay is arranged inside the leg and the cover is formed in a thin plate shape which can be inserted into the gap between the inner surface of the leg and the outer surface of the stay, the cover is limited in a limited space. It is possible to dispose it without taking it, and by avoiding the interference with the surroundings by eliminating the bulk as described above, it is possible to effectively avoid damage even if made of resin or the like. In addition, using a cover or stay, a display window that completely exposes only when the leg is in the proper use position is provided, and when the product is taken out of the storage position and deployed, the completion of work can be confirmed with this display window With such a configuration, even when the work is performed quickly, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the legs fall down during use, and the safety of the folding table can be more effectively improved.

Further, as the legs are moved from the use position toward the storage position, the cover is displaced in a direction approaching the lower surface of the top plate, and the entire cover is moved to the side opposite to the top plate from the legs at the storage position of the legs. If it is configured to be positioned at the position where it does not protrude, when the top plate is stacked vertically and stored,
The lower surface of the support frame of the next folding table can be reliably brought into contact with the top plate body of the previously stored folding table, and the stability can be reliably improved.

When the above is specifically carried out, if the stay is constructed such that one end is pivotally connected to the top plate and the other end is slidably engaged with the leg, the stay is designed to have a relatively wide design. Can be narrowed when the device is in the use position, and the cover can be made up of a single small device that conceals the space and is not bulky at the storage position, thereby minimizing the number of parts.

When the cover is composed of two cover elements pivotally connected to each other by a link mechanism between the top plate and the legs, the distance between the top plate and the legs is reduced by 2 to prevent the legs from falling down. The present invention can also be suitably applied to a folding table of a type in which a relatively large gap space is formed by linking the two stay elements in a link mechanism.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the operation.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the operation.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of the operation.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of the operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 101 ... Top board 1A, 101A ... Lower surface 2, 102 ... Leg 3, 103 ... Stay 4, 104 ... Cover 5, 105 ... Display window 31 ... 1st stay element 32 ... 2nd stay element 41 ... 1st cover element 42: second cover element S, T: gap space θ1, α1: first base angle θ2, α2: second base angle θ3, α3: apex angle

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) A leg is pivotally attached to a top plate so as to be rotatable.
When the leg is in the use position, a stay for supporting the leg is horizontally laid at a position surrounding the clearance space inside together with the top plate and the leg, and the leg is moved from the use position to the storage position where the leg overlaps the lower surface of the top plate. With the rotation, the stay also retreats in the direction approaching the lower surface of the top plate with the rotation of the leg, whereby the gap space is also gradually flattened. A folding table, wherein a cover for blindfolding is arranged at a position where the gap space can be almost always concealed from a side space while moving between the positions. 2. The folding table according to claim 1, wherein the stay is disposed inside the leg, and the cover is a thin plate that can be inserted between the inner surface of the leg and the outer surface of the stay. 3. A display window provided on a cover or a stay, the display window being completely exposed to the side space when the leg is in the use position and fixed from the use position to the storage position. 3. The folding table according to claim 2, wherein the folding table is set at a position where at least a part thereof can be concealed when rotated by an angle. 4. The cover is displaced in a direction approaching the lower surface of the top plate as the legs are moved from the use position toward the storage position, and the entire cover protrudes beyond the legs at the storage position of the legs. 2. The folding table according to claim 1, wherein the folding table is configured to be positioned at a position where the folding table is not located. 5. A stay has one end pivotally connected to a top plate and the other end slidably engaged with a part of a leg. A triangle having a first base angle, a second base angle between the bottom surface of the top plate and the stay, and a vertex angle at the inside corner between the stay and the leg, the clearance space gradually increases with the rotation of the leg. In a configuration in which the angle approaches 180 ° and the base angle approaches 0 ° and deforms flatly, the cover has a side shape capable of concealing the triangular clearance space at the position where the leg is used. Then, the vicinity of the second bottom angle of this cover is pivotally attached to a stay or a top plate,
2. The folding table according to claim 1, wherein the other portion is supported by a part of the leg or the stay. 6. A stay includes first and second stay elements pivotally connected at one end to each other, and the opposite pivotal end of the first stay element is pivotally connected to the top plate, and the opposite of the second stay element. The pivot end is pivotally attached to the leg, and both stay elements are set so as to be connected in a substantially straight line at the position where the leg is used. The gap space defines the corner between the lower surface of the top plate and the leg as the first base angle. A triangle having a second base angle at the corner between the lower surface of the top plate and the first stay element and a vertex angle at the corner between the first stay element and the leg is formed with the rotation of the leg. In a configuration in which the apex angle gradually approaches 180 ° and the base angle gradually approaches 0 °, the cover is formed to have a side shape capable of concealing the triangular clearance space at the position where the leg is used. A first cover element having a reference shape and a lower portion of the reference shape cut substantially parallel to the top plate, and a first cover element below the first cover element; And a second cover element having a side surface shape capable of concealing a clearance space opening to the first cover element, and connecting the nearest parts of the two cover elements to each other, and setting the vicinity of the second bottom angle of the first cover element to the first stay element. Or pivot on the top plate,
2. The folding table according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity of the apex angle is pivotally attached to the leg.