US1943563A

US1943563A - Folding leg table

Info

Publication number: US1943563A
Application number: US620764A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert V Stoner; Ervin A Schlaak
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1932-07-05
Filing date: 1932-07-05
Publication date: 1934-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1951-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1934. R v STQNER r AL 1,943,563

FOLDING LEG TABLE Filed July 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Robert V152? oner and BY ErvinA 60/7/6616 ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1934. R. v. STONER ET AL 1,943,563 FOLDING LEG TABLE 4 Filed July 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Robert V Stoner and grl/injl dchiaa/a,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 15, 1934 UNITED STATES FOLDING: LEG TABLE Robert V. Stoner and Ervln AZ. Schlaak.

' Muncie, Ind.

Application July 5, 1932. Serial No. 620,764

9 Claims. (Cl. 45-11) The object of our invention is to produce an cfiicient, inexpensive folding-leg table of such character that the legs may, by simple manipulation of any one leg, be easily shifted from tablesupporting positions to folded positions substantially parallel with the table-top, or vice versa.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Fig. 1 is an under plan of our improved table with the legs in folded, or collapsed, positions;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary side elevation wiht the legs extended to top-supporting positions;

Fig. 3 a fragmentary under plan showing the legs extended;

Fig. 4 a fragmentary section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings indicates the main frame of the table top, shown in the present instance.

as a four-sided skirt formed of sheet metal.

Secured in each corner of frame 10 is a corner plate '11 and extending diagonally between the corner plates are

beams

12, 12, conveniently formed of sheet metal, so arranged as to sup-' port the middle of the top plate 13, the upper face of which may or may notbe overlaid with a finishing cover and padding, as is well known in the art.

Extending between, and secured to two opposite sides of frame 10 is a beam 14, conveniently formed of sheet metal, and also conveniently attached to the diagonal beams 12 by spot welding or otherwise secured to the under face of each corner plate is a U-shaped bracket 15 in which is pivoted, on pin 16, a leg 17, the brackets being so arranged that the legs may be folded to positions parallel with sides of frame 10 and parallel with the plane of the table top.

The legs 1'7 are connected, in opposite pairs, by

cross-bar braces

20, 20 each of which is pivotally anchored at its ends upon the adjacent leg pivot pins 16.

At the junction of the

beams

12, 12 and 14, is a lever 21 medially pivoted on pin 22. Pivoted on

pins

23, 23 carried by beam 14 near its ends are two levers 24, 24 (shown in the drawings as conveniently sheet metal disks). Pivoted to each lever 24 are two

links

25, 25, which are extended in opposite directions and each pivotally connected with an adjacent leg 1'7. Oppositely-extending

links

26, 26 are pivotally connected to the opposite arms of lever 21 and each ofthese links is pivotally connected to one of the levers 24.

It will be noted, by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3, that levers 22 and 24, 24 and

links

26, 26 are so related that the arcs of movement of the pivotal connections between links 26 and their respective levers 24, resulting from a swing of the legs from one extreme to the other, is such that the links 26 pass through positions radial to levers 24 and that the extreme positions of links 26 are upon opposite sides of these radii.

It will also be noted that the resultant movement of lever 21 is a complete oscillation, i. e., a swing first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, for each movement of the legs either from folded position to extended position, or vice versa. Consequently, the legs may be yieldingly held either in folded position or in extended position by a restraining means always acting upon lever 22 in one direction only relative tothe fulcrum of said lever. We have indicated such restraining means as the two

springs

30, 30, each of which is anchored to an end of lever 21 and to the cross beam 14, said springs acting in the same rotative direction at all times on lever 21.

Any suitable limiting means may be provided for limiting the throws of levers 24 and we have indicated one form of such limiting means as an arcuate groove 31 impressed in beam 14, and a pimple 32 impressed in lever 24 and nested in groove 31.

When the legs are swung to extended position (Fig. 4) they swing into engagement with the end walls of the brackets 15, as indicated at 35, and in these positions links 25 are being urged outwardly by springs 30 so as to be held against the end walls of the brackets 35 so that the legs are firmly braced against accidental collapse.

It should also be noted (Fig. 3) that the links 25 are so associated with their levers 24 that,- as the legs reach their full-extended position, each link 25 lies substantially radially with relation to the fulcrum of its lever 24, so that the operator may, by a pressure on the inner ends of one or more of the, links 25, spring the links, and the levers 24 to which they are attached, slightly past this dead center, thus firmly locking the legs against collapse. When the parts are manipulated in this way the legs may not be collapsed until the inner ends of those links 25 which have thus been displaced, are swung back across the dead center.

We claim as our invention: I

1. A table comprising a top, a plurality "or leg units pivotally supported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions either sub- 11 stantiallyparallel with or normal to the plane of the top, a plurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to the top, one for each leg unit. a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, an intermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers, and a plurality of links, one for each of the first-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of said first-mentioned levers with the intermediate lever.

2. A table comprising a top, a plurality of leg units pivotally supported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions either substantially parallel with or normal to the plane of the top, a plurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to the top, one for each leg unit, a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, an intermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers, and a plurality of links, one for each of the first-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of said first-mentioned levers with the intermediate lever, said last-mentioned links being so arranged relative to the first-mentioned levers that movement of the legs from one extreme position to the other in either direction will carry said last-mentioned links through neutral positions radially of the first-mentioned levers to which they are connected.

3. A table comprising a top, a plurality of leg units pivotally supported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions either substantially parallel with or normal to the plane of the top, a plurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to the top, one for each leg unit, a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, an intermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers, a plurality of links, one for each of the first-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of said firstmentioned levers with the intermediate lever, said last-mentioned links being so arranged relative to the first-mentioned levers that movement of the legs from one extreme position to the other in either direction will carry said last-mentioned links through neutral positions radially of the first-mentioned levers to which they are connected, and a spring arranged to act upon said last-mentioned links with a forcecomponent lengthwise of the link to hold them in either extreme.

4. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported on the top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either to substantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of the top, two levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to the top and respectively adjacent opposite sides ofthe top and eccentric to the table top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms on each of said levers and pivoted respec-- tively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers, and a pair of links connecting said intermediate lever respectively with the first-mentioned levers.

5. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported on the top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either to .ally supported on the top respectively adjacent opposite sides of the top and eccentric to the table top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms on each of said levers and pivoted respectively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs, one pair of said links being so associated with the lever and legs to which they are connected that when the legs reach tablesupporting position said pair of links may be moved beyond a dead center to the lever to which they are connected, means for limiting movement of said last-mentioned lever past said dead center, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers and a pair of links connecting said intermediate lever respectively with the first-mentioned levers.

6. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported on the top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either to substantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of the top, two levers pivotally supported on the top respectively adjacent opposite sides of the top and eccentric to the table top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms of each of said levers and pivoted respectively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers, and a pair of links connecting said intermediate lever respectively with the first-mentioned levers, said last-mentioned links being so arranged relative to the levers which they connect that they will pass through a dead center relative to their first-mentioned levers when the legs are in an intermediate position.

7. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported on the top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either to substantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of the top, two levers pivotally supported on the top respectively adjacent opposite sides of the top and eccentric to the table top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms of each of said levers and pivoted respectively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs, one pair of said links being so associated with the lever and legs to which they are connected that when the legs reach table-supporting position said pair of links may be moved beyond a dead center to the lever to which they are connected, means for limiting movement of said last-mentioned lever past said dead center, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate the first-mentioned levers and a pair of links connecting said intermediate lever respectively with the first-mentioned levers, said last-mentioned links being so arranged relative to the levers which they connect that they will pass through a dead center relative to their first-mentioned levers when the legs are in an intermediate position.

8. A table comprising a top, a plurality of legs pivotally supported on said top and movable to positions substantially parallel with or normal to the plane of the top, a plurality of levers, one for each leg pivotally supported by the top eccentric ofthe top and on axes normal to the top, a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of said levers and one of said legs, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top within the .group of first-mentioned levers,

supported by the top within the group of firstmentioned levers, and a plurality of links each pivoted to said intermediate lever and to one of said first-mentioned levers, said last-mentioned links being so arranged relative to their respective first-mentioned levers that they will pass through a dead center when their respective legs in an intermediate position.

ROBERT V. STONER. ERVIN A. SCHLAAK.