US2496094A - Folding leg for furniture - Google Patents

Description

Jami, 3L 13.95%

v. E. JOHNSON FOLDING LEG FOR FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1948 21 V/czor 6 Job/7500 Jan. 3L W50 v. E. JOHNSON ZAQGMM- FOLDING LEG FOR FURNITURE Filed Aug. 19, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 an/van im- V/cfor A? Johnson Patented Jan. 31, 1950 UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING LEG .FOR FURNITURE Victor E. Johnson, Royal Oak, Mich.

Application August 19, 1948, Serial No. 45,189

6 Claims. l

The invention relates to improvements in folding legs for tables, beds, cots or other articles of furniture, as well as for any object that is to be supported by one or more legs.

One object of the invention is to provide a sturdy construction which is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object i to provide a means of holding the leg more rigidly than similar prior devices when the leg is in its lowered position, and also to provide a means of firmly holding the leg in its folded position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the invention showing the leg in its lowered position, parts being broken away and in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the leg .in its lowered position, the folded position being shown in broken lines Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a second form of the device showing the leg adaptable for use on tubular metal furniture or the like.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fi 5.

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of a third form of the device showing the leg adaptable for use on an angle metal bar of a metal bed spring or the like.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a fourth form of the device showing the leg adaptable for use on a large table or the like.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation with parts in section of a fifth form of the device showing the leg adaptable for use on a card table or the like.

The drawings may be considered as disclosing preferred constructions and while they will be specifically described, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the :invention as claimed,

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. .1, 2 and 3,the numeral In denotes a portion of an article of furniture or other object that is to be supported in a horizontal position by one or more folding legs I I. It may be a side bar or rail of a bed frame to support heavy table. :The leg II has a flat upper end I2 from which projects a centrally-positioned screw stud I3 to enter an internally screw threaded form of tongues I8 which notonly lock the sleeve I6 within the casing I! but stop endwise movement of the cylindrical nut I5 in its bearing sleeve. The casing [1, which serves to attach the leg mounting means to the object I0, is preferably .formed from heavy sheet metal bent into U-form and comprises aiflat rectangular bottom wall J9 from which rises flat, parallel side walls 2i) and 21. The latter are outturned at their up per ends to form attaching .fianges 22 which abut the underside .of the bar or rail I B and to which they are secured by screws 23 Mother fastenings. The length of the "sleeve I6 corresponds substantially with the length of the U-shaped casing I1 as seen in Fig. 1; and the exterior of the sleeve contacts with the bottom I9 and side walls 29 and -2I as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The tongues I8 are integral, rectangular extensions formed centrally on the ends of the bottom wall I9 and they are bent upwardly and inwardly so that their extremities contact with the flat ends of the cylindrical nut I5 to hold the latter against endwise movement in the sleeve I6. The lower portions 'of the'tongues are bent into notches '24 formed in the lower portions of the edges of the sleeve I6 to lock the latter in the casing against both endwise and rotary movements.

The leg it may be variously constructed but as shown is formed of a metal tube in the upper end of which is a'fil-ler plug 25 of hard wood ormetal. The lower end of the screw stud 53, which may be threaded or plain, issecured in a central bore in the plug by a transverse pin, rivet or similar fastening 26. The screw stud passes through an arcuate slot '2! formed in the sleeve E6 and an angular slot 28 one half of which. is formed in the bottom wall 19 'and'the other half in the side wall 2'! of the casing as seen in Fig. 3. The construction is such that when the leg H extends downwardly or in its supporting position and is rotated clockwise, the screw stud I3 will be threaded into the nut !5 until the flat end I2 of the leg is forced tightly against the bottom Wall IQ .of the casing. That will cause the leg to be'very rigidly held in its lowered oroperat'ive' position. When the leg is to be moved to its folded position parallel to the length of the bar or object 10, the leg is turned counter-clockwise to thread the stud partially out of the nut until the flat end I2 can clear the corner of the casing formed by the juncture of the walls l9 and 2!. The leg may then be swung through an arc of 90 until the flat end of it is opposite the wall 2|, and by then turning the leg in a clockwise direction its fiat end may be forced against wall 2|, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, to rigidly hold the leg folded.

in full lines in its lowered position and in dotted lines in its folded position.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character set forth comprising an outer casing for attachment to a piece of furniture, said casing having a horizontally disposed bottom wall and a vertically disposed side wall, said bottom and side walls each having a slot, said slots communicating with each other to form a single slot, a cylindrical nut rotatably disposed within said casing, and a leg having a screw stud fixedly attached to and projecting The form shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is par- I ticularly adapted for use in connection with chairs or seats made from tubular metal as shown in my pending application, Serial No. 649,174, filed February 21, 1946, for Combination furniture. In this form the leg I I and the cylindrical nut l5 are the same as in the preferred form, but the casing H is slightly changed and the bearing sleeve it may or may not be one of the horizontal tubes of the seat, table or other object to be supported by the leg. While the sleeve it may be connected to the article or object in any way, as shown it forms one of the tubular bars of a seat frame and corresponds to the bar or rail ll! of the first described form. The casing IT has a fiat bottom wall and upright side walls as seen in Fig. 6 but the upper ends of the side walls are curved inwardly toward each other to fit the top portion of the sleeve l5 in which the cylindrical nut is mounted for rotation. Rivets or the like it are passed through the casing and the sleeve or element It at the opposite ends of the cylindrical nut IE to fasten the casing and to serve as stops to prevent endwise movement of the nut. The slots in the sleeve and casing are thesame as in the first form. The operation of this form is also the same as will be understood on reference to Fig. 5 which shows the leg in its upright operative position in full lines and in its folded position in dotted lines. The form shown in Fig. 7 is the same as the preferred form except the walls 26 and 2% of the casing ll have their upper ends 22 bent inwardly into overlapping relation so that they may be riveted as at 23 to the angle metal bar it of a spring frame of a cot, bed or the like.

The form shown in Fig. 8 is also like the preferred'form with the exception that the walls 26' and 21' are not bent but are extended upwardly as at 22 to receive between them a bar lil of a heavy table or other object. One or more bolts or similar fastenings 23 may be passed through openings in the parts 22 and l to securely fasten the casing i l The form shown in Fig. 9 is particularly adapted for use on a card table having a light weight top member surrounded by a heavy reinforcing frame w composed of rectangular bars. In this form the leg, the nut and the bearing sleeve le are the same as in the preferred form but the casing 11 is of right angular shape to close a notch or recess 20 formed along the inner lowered edge of the bar It). The bottom 59 of the casing is extended at 22 and secured by a screw or similar fastening 23 to the bottom of bar "3. The slotted Wall 2l is extended upwardly as at 22 and secured by a screw 23 to the inner side of bar Ill. The parts are so proportioned that the bearing sleeve I6 is held in the recess 2% by the bottom Wall |9 and. the upright wall .H The tongues hold the nut against endwise movement and also prevent rotary movement of the sleeve. In Fig. 9 the leg is shown above its upper end, said stud passing through said slot and being screwed into said cylindrical nut, said bottom wall of said casing forming a seat for the upper end of said leg when said leg is rotated to screw said stud into said nut to hold the leg in a vertical position, said side Wall of said casing forming a seat for the upper end of said le when said leg is partially unscrewed from said nut, pivoted to swing said stud through said slot to move said leg to a horizontal position, and again rotated to screw said stud into said nut to hold said end of said leg against said side wall.

2. In a device of the character set forth, a leg having a flat upper end and a screw stud projecting from the center of said end, a cylindrical nut member having a transversely extending screw threaded bore to receive said stud, and means for rotatably mounting said member on an object to be supported by said leg, said means including a bearing in which said nut member is rotatably mounted and which has a slot through which said screw stud moves, and a sheet metal attaching casing within which said bearing is positioned, said casing having angularly-related, fiat bottom and side Walls formed with communicating slots through which said screw stud extends, said casing also carrying means to prevent endwise movement of said nut member and to fix said bearing and casing against 3 jecting from the center of said end, a cylindrical nut member having a transversely extending screw threaded bore to receive said stud, a cylindrical-bearing sleeve in which said nut member is rotatably mounted and which has an arcuate slotthrough which said screw stud moves, a

sheet metal attaching casing in which said sleeve is positioned and which has apertured portions to receive fastenings for attaching it to an object to be supported, said casing having angularlyrelated, fiat bottom and side walls formed with communicating slots through which said screw stud extends, and combined stop and fastening means on said casing to prevent 'endwise movement of said nut members in said bearing sleeve and to fasten said sleeve in said casing.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which said bearing sleeve has notches at its ends and said stop, and fastening means consists of tongues formed on the ends of said casing and bent to enter said notches and to also engage the ends of said nut member.

5. In a device of the character set forth, a horizontal tubular bar forming a part of a piece of.

tubular metal furniture, said bar having an arcuate slot, a cylindrical nut member rotatably mounted in said bar and straddling said slot, a sheet metal casing of greater length than said nut member arranged on the exterior of said bar and formed with a flat bottom wall and an up-- right side wall, said walls being formed with communicating slots in alignment. with the slot in said tubular bar, a leg having a flat upper end with a screw stud projecting centrally from said end and passing freely through said aligned slots and threaded into said nut member and transverse fastening elements passed through said tubular bar and the end portions of said casing, said elements being positioned at the ends of said nut member to prevent endwise movement of the latter in said tubular bar.

6. In a device of the character set forth, a horizontal rectangular bar forming a part of an object to be supported, said bar having a recess in its lower and inner edge, a right-angular sheet metal casing covering said recess and having apertured portions to receive fastenings for securing said casing to the bottom and inner side 6 of said bar, said casing having angularly-reiated bottom and side walls formed with communicating slots, a cylindrical bearing sleeve positioned within said casing and said recess and formed with an arcuate slot in alignment with said communicating slots, a cylindrical nut member rotatable in said bearing sleeve, a leg having afiat upper end and a screw stud projecting centrally from said end and extending through said aligned slots and threaded into said nut member, and stop lugs formed on the ends of said casing and bent over the ends of said bearing sleeve into engagement with the ends of said nutimember.

VICTOR-E. JOHNSON.

No references cited.

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