US2451763A - Folding table with sectional top - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 19, 1948. M. J. MlsKo FOLDING TABLE WITH SECTIONA'L TOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1946 d l x l l l i l ll 2 f /9 2 L c/ 1, M Hummm C 1 f a A J 6 8 2./ f 5 5 l. v "En 7 J lif IIII L :L llllllll M oct. 19, 194s. M. J. Ml'sKo FOLDING TABLE WITH SECTIONAL TOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25, 1946 Patented ct. 19, 1948 UNIT ED -S TATfE-S l f T .OLP F ICE v.roLnINaffranticWITH sEc-.frIoNAL .Tor

vMichael J. lllisko-Inglewoodfalifl .AppueationlJanuary-iza 194sseria1N0,.s43393 cclaims. (cmu-*89) This invention relates generally to the class vof Y' l furniture andpertains particularly toV an improved folding table structure.

A primary object of the present .invention .is. to

provide va table ofv a rectangular form which is divided into -sections which are adapted to'be folded one over the otherso ,as to reduce the table to a small compact unitwhereby-it maybe conveniently transported .or stored away.

Another object of the invention' is to--provide a table `of the .type lcommonlyeemployed or,p1ay ing cards, which is .-divide'd. intofour .parts along perpendicular lines fand' wherein .the four parts areso joined togethenthat.theymay'be. readily folded .up toliepne upon the other .so-that the completed `table structurewillbe reduced. to. approximately one-fourth of the originalsize, facilitating itsready .packing intoamotor vehicle or storage space, vor its convenient transportation. from one place to another.

y Still vanother objectof the invention is topi-.o- Vide in a.folding tablestructure Aof .thecharacter stated, .a novel hinge .unitfor .facilitating the separation oftwo portions ofthe table top and thefoidingof suchportions .together Yone over theother.

.The invention willbebest.understoodrom a consideration of the following .detailed "descriptiontaken in connection withthe accompanying drawings -forming' a part rof .the specification, with the understanding, however, that the inventionis not ,connedrtoa strict conformity with the showing .of` thedrawings butmay. be changed or Inodi1ied..sov long asi, such changes .ormodications. mark no material 1 departure from. the salient features of the invention as .expressed in the appended claims.

.In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a table constructed in accordance with thepresentinvention and set upfor use;

Figure'2 is a View in top planand `on an enlarged. scale, of the table top, a portion of `the same being broken away to show the .hingecoupling between twosections and the legs vbeing shown in dotted outline beneath the top;

Figure 3 is a view illustrating two, halves of the table .drawn apart .upon .the coupling hinge .and with one of the .quarter portions ofheachfhalf folded into position againstthe other-.quarter portions, preparatory to. foldingthetwohalf sections over one upon the otherto thefposition shown. in `dotted outline:

Figure 4 is a sideviewrof thecou-plingzhinge bar;

` tion of the hinge bar in association with the pivoted locking member;

.Figure Slis a detailed longitudinalsection.ofone ofthe extensible legs;

'.Figure9 is a sectional view taken substantiallyv of the type known as a pianohingeis. preferred and is illustrated in'Fgure'. Thus it will be seen thatwhile the table top as a whole is made upzoffour sections, it is actually 'divided into two separable portions which are designated 3 and M, Athe portion IBbeing madeup of thetwo quarters A and B and the portion Ill being made up of 'the two quarters C and D. j

The opposingsides of .thetwo portions i3 and i4 are bordered upon the under side ofthe' top panel I5 by the flanges I6 and the outerfsides of the sections have upon the under sides ofthe panels,.the outside encircling anges I1 which, whenthe top is setup for use as shown in Figure 1, make .the usual complete bordering flange for the table top.

In the angle formedat each corner ofthetop by the bordering. flanges '11, ,a .suitablehinge bracket I8lis secured, between one portionlof which and the inner side of a bordering flange l"l`ispivotally mountedv the upper.end of a two u part telescopingleg I9.

the locking pin 24 which' is .carried by 1a spring leaf 25 upon the upper leg section and extends through a suitable aperture for engagement in one of the notches 23 as shown in Figure 8. Thus it will be seen that when the legs I9 are shortened to the desired extent each one may be folded into position against the under side of the top panel of the quarter section to which it is hingedly attached and consequently these sections may be folded one against the other byv means of the hinge connections II and I2, as shown in Figure 3 and the legs will be housed between them. When it is desired to use the table the legs can be extended after being swung down to a position rperpendicular with the table top, merely by pulling outwardly upon the portions 2| thereof until the desired length is obtained.

The opposing flanges I6 of the sections A and C have formed therethrough coinciding openings 26 and secured to the under sides of the adjacent panels I5 and at opposite sides of the openings 26, are the spaced parallel guide bars 21, each of which abuts at one end against the inner side of a flange I6 and each of which has formed in its inner edge a guide slot 28. The bars 21 of one section are in alignment with the corresponding bars of the adjacent section and they receive between them the three part coupling hinge generally designated 29, and which cornprises the central section 30 and the end section 3| which are hingedly joined to the central section by the hinge members 32 so that the sections may be disposed in end aligned relation or may be folded inwardly onto or toward the center section as desired. This hinge bar extends transversely of the space between the opposing flanges I6, through the laligned openings 26 so that one end section 3| 'and a portion of the central section 30 lies between the two guide bars 21 under one table top section and the other hinge bar end portion 3| and a part of the central portion 36 lies between the guide bars 21 of the adjacent top section.

Each of the hinge bar parts 3| carries in its opposite edges, the movement limiting pins 33. These pins slidablyengage in the slots or channels 28 of the adjacent guide bars 21 and they are limited in their movement outwardly in the channels `by the flanges I6 as illustrated in the Figures 2 and 9.

One of the guide bars 21 of each pair carried by a table top section A and C, has pivotally mounted in a recess 34, Figure 7, an eccentric locking wedge 3 5. The eccentric wedge is mounted upon the pivot 36 and it has an arm 31 by means of which it may be oscillated to extend the tapered or wedge portion 35 inwardly where it will be forced beneath the adjacent portion 3l of the hing-e bar and the guide as shown in Figure 5. Thus the hinge part 3| will be wedged tightly against movement and the adjacent quar- -ter section of the table top will be locked to the hinge bar. When it is desired to shift the top section the arm 31 is oscillated in the proper direction to withdraw the wedge locking edge 35 and the table top portion may then be drawn outwardly on the locking end away from the other portion and when the locking members of both portions are released i-t will be seen that such portions I3 and I4 can be readily separated so as to move the hinged ends of the "hinge bar away from their respective top portions to the extent illustrated in Figure 3.

The qu-arter sections B and D may be suitably coupled together so as to establish a rigid connection between them when the table top is set 4 up for use, by the provision of aligned pairs of guide bars 38 upon the under sides of the top panels I5, corresponding to the guide bars 21 and slidably mounted between 4these guide bars 38 to extend across the joint or space between the quarter sections B and D is a single piece rigid coupling bar 39. The spaced guides 3B upon one of the quarter sections is of suicient length to receive the entire coupling 4bar 39, thus allowing the quarter sections to be independently swung into position against the parts A and C to which they are respectively coupled by the hinges and I2. After the two table portions I3 and I4 have been separated and quarter sec- -tions B and D have been swung to position beneat-h the adjacent respective sections A and C so that the structure appears as it is shown in full lines'in Figure 3, one of the portions may then be swung on the double hinge bar 429 into the dotted outline position shown in Figure 3 to produce 'the completely folded table structure.

From the foregoing it will be readily 'apparent -that there has been provided in the present invention, a novel table structure which can be readily folded into a small compact unit for storage, transportation or other easy handling and which lmay be easily and quickly unfolded and set up for use to provide a rigid and safe table for any desired use.

I claim:

l. A folding table `comprising `a Itop divided along two right angularly rela-ted lines to form four sections, hinge means disposed on one of said lines and coupling the sections together in pairs to for-m `the top in two portions, the sections of one portion -being foldable against the sections of lthe other portion along `one of said lines, a pair of `opposed guides carried by adjacent sections of the -two portions and alined tran-sversely of the other one -of the two division lines, a hinge lbar slidably supported between the said guides and across the division between the two portions and comprising a long center part and end `parts each h'ingedly connected to an end of the center part, a sliding coupling Ibetween opposite longitudinal edges of each en-d part of the hinge bar and a pair of guides of one section whereby the center part of the hinge bar may be vdisposed in a position between the -two -table portions upon separation of one portion from the other, means for locking the end parts of the hinge bar to the guides when the two table portions are moved together on the hinge bar, means for establishing a rigid connection between the other two sections of the two table portions when the portions and sections are in a common plane, and a leg carried by each of said sections.

2. A folding table of lthe character stated in claim l, wherein said guides are in the form of spaced parallel strips secured to the underside of the table top and having longitudinal slots in their opposed faces, lan-d the said sliding coupling between the opposite longitudinal edges of Ithe end parts of the hinge anda pair of guides constituting pin members carried by said longitudinal edges and slidably engaging in said slots.

v3. A folding table of the character stated in claim l, in which the said means for locking the end parts of the -hinge bar to the guides, comprises an eccentrically pivoted plate supported upon a guide of each pair and adapted when oscillated in one direction to move Iin-to wedging engagement with a longitudinal edge of an adjacent end part of the hinge bar.

4. A folding table of the character stated in claim 1, wherein each pair or guides comprises relatively long spaced parallel strips secured to the underside of -a top section, said strips having slots formed longitudinally in the opposed inner faces thereof, the said par-ts of the hinge "par being `flat and interposed 'between the grooved edges of the guide strips and adapted to Ilie in a common plane against the underside of the tabl-e top when the portions of the table top are in a common plane, the sliding coupling between each end part of the hinge bar and a pair of guides comprising pins carried in the opposite longitudinal edges of the end parts and slidably engaged in said slots.

5. A folding table of the 4cliaracter stated in claim 1, wherein ea-ch pair of guides comprises relatively long spaced parallel strips secured t-o the underside of a t'op section, said strips having slots formed longitudinally in the opposed inner faces thereof, the said parts of the hinge bar being flat and interposed between the grooved edges of the guide strips and adapted to lie in a common piane against the underside of the table top when the portions of the table top are in la common plane, the sliding coupling between each end part yof the hinge bar and a pair of guides comprising pins carried in the opposite longitudinal edges of the end parts and slid-ably engaged in Isaid slots, the s-aid slots of the two pairs of guides opening through the ends of the guides which are adjacent to the ends of the opposite pair, flanges extending along the adjacent edges of the t-op sections and each having an openingthrough lwhich the hinge 'bar extends, the iianges extending across and closing Ithe open ends of the slots of the guides.

6, A fol-ding table of the character stated in c-laim 1, wherein each pair of guides comprises relatively long spaced parallel strips secured to the underside of a top section, said strips having slots formed longitudinally in Lthe opposed inner faces'thereof, the vsaid par-ts of -the hinge bar 'being ila-t and interposed between the grooved edges of the guide strips and adapted to lie in a common plane against the underside of the table top when the -portions lof the table top are in a common plane, the sliding coupling between each end part of the hinge Vpar and a pair of guides compris-ing pins carried in the opposite longitudinal edges of the end parts and slidably engaged in sai-d slots, and said means for locking the end parts of the hinge bar to the guides comprising a plate member having a tapered rounded edge and eccentrically pivotally mounted upon a guide of each pair and adapted when oscillated in one direction to have said tapered edge projected inwardly toward and in binding .engagement with the adjacenten-d part of the hinge bar to lock the latter against movement.

MICHAEL J. MISKO.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

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