US2546439A - Knockdown table or stool - Google Patents

Description

March 27, EQB] GREEN 2,546,43

KNOCKDOWN TABLE OR STOOL Filed July 26, 1946 Arum/Mew;

Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates generally to stools and tables and more particularly to devices of this type which may readily be collapsed and carried from place to place for use on outings, etc.

While numerous collapsible stools and tables have previously been developed, these have generally been relatively complicated devices, or like the folding canvas stool have been sufficiently non-rigid to cause their field of usefulness to be severely restricted. Other collapsible stools and chairs, such as the Well known folding chair, have been developed which have been quite simple and comparatively rigid; but these have been relatively heavy, and even in their collapsed condition have occupied a considerable amount of space.

It is therefore the major object of my invention to provide a light-weight collapsible stool which is very simple in construction and operation.

It is another object of my invention to provide such a stool which occupies a very small space when in its collapsed position, but which provides a very rigid support when it is in its erected position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a table having the same general features and advantages of my improved collapsible stool, and particularly suitable for use with the latter.

Still another object of my invention is to provide such a stool and table which may be inexpensively manufactured and may be readily produced in large quantities.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, and from the drawings illustrating that form in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the forward side of my improved stool in collapsed position;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view of the rear side of my stool;

' Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of my improved stool in erected position;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a table with the supporting legs removed, built in accordance with the teachings of my invention; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the table taken at 55 in Fig. 4.

From the following description of my device, it will become apparent that, with few exceptions, the principal difference between my collapsible stool and my collapsible table is one of size, the stool having a smaller seat or supporting surface and shorter legs, and the table having a larger 2 face near the edge thereof. As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the handle [I consists of a U-shaped member having an outwardly extending ear I2 at the end of each of its arms, and these are held I to the supporting surface 5 I! by brackets i3 which are firmly connected thereto. When the supporting device is to be carried, the handle i i may be turned to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the fingers of the hand may be placed be tween the grip of the handle and the edge of the supporting surface It. When the supporting device is in its erected position, the handle i i hangs downwardly from the under side of the supporting surface, where it is out of the way.

Centrally located with respect to the supporting surface II] is an attaching plate M which is held to the supporting surface in any suitable manner as by screws, rivets, or spot welding. The attaching plate M is preferably formed of metal, and has a plurality of sockets !5, three being a preferred member, attached to its under surface by welding; and each of the sockets is adapted to receive a detachable leg l6 which fits therein and is held by releasablemeans such as a bayonet catch, screwthreads, or other suitable means. As indicated in Fig. 3, the sockets I5 are adapted to hold the legs 15 so that the latter extend downwardly and slightly outwardly to provide a firm support for the supporting surface it, and thus there is little likelihood of the supporting device being tipped over under normal conditions of use. While the sockets 15 may be attached directly to the underside of the supporting surface It, it is generally preferable to use the attaching plate I l, since in this way the supporting surface It is stiffened if the latter is formed of metal, and a weldable material is provided for attaching the sockets l5 if the supporting surface is formed of wood.

The legs it are formed of wood or metal, and may be solid or hollow as desired. If the legs are formed of hollow material, such as aluminum tubing, they are preferably closed at their lower ends so that dirt and other material will not be forced up into them. The other ends of the legs are provided with fastening means such as screwthreads H, the pins of a bayonet catch, or other suitable means cooperating with the fastening means of the sockets I5.

To retain the legs I6 when the supporting device has been collapsed, I provide a clamp 29 attached to the under surface of the attaching plate I4, and provide it with a screw and wing nut 2| which may be tightened to grip the legs l6 firmly. As shown in Fig. 5, I prefer to form the clamp 2t so that the individual legs are tightly and individually held, for in this way the possibility of loss of one or more of the legs is materially reduced. When the supporting device is in collapsed condition, the legs it may be held by the clamping member as as indicated in Fig. 2;

If the supporting device is to be a stool, the supporting surface l and the legs I6 will be of a size suitable for such use. If the device is to be used as a table the construction may be exactly the same but with the parts enlarged in size so that a larger Supporting surface I0 is provided, and the legs [6 hold the latter farther above the ground. Normally however, a table has a top or supporting surface which is three or four feet in diameter or more, and it becomes difiicult to carry a device of this size. Consequently, in Fig. 4 I have illustrated one method by which the top or supporting surface of the table may be made smaller for convenience in carrying.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the supporting surface of a table formed in accordance with this design includes a central portion Illa to which leaf portions lOb are pivotally attached by hinges 22. The portions [0a and "lb may be metal or wood, but if formed of metal, it will generally be found desirable to stifien them in some manner, such as by forming beads in them or by providing flanges along their edges. If these members, however, are made of wood or of a heavier gauge metal, such stifiening will not be required. A handle II is provided with ears l2 which fit in brackets l3,'similarly to the previously described form, and an attaching plate [4 is provided with sockets l5 and a clamping member 20 having a bolt and wing nut 2 I. The sockets l5 are adapted to receive legs (not shown) which are held in the sockets by suitable attaching means similar to those used in the previously described form, and the legs may be removed from the sockets and held in the clamping member 20 for convenience in carrying.

It will thus be seen that the table shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is of the drop leaf style; and to support the leaves l0b in their raised position, I provide a rotatable cross bar 23 which is .pivotally attached to the center portion Illa .by a rivet 24 or other suitable means, and which is located between the center portion and the attaching plate I 4. It will be seen in Fig. 5 that the rivet 24 holds the attaching plate to the center portion Illa, but this attachment is sufiiciently loose to permit the cross bar 23 to be rotated without difiiculty. To provide additional support for the attaching plate I4, I mount spacing members 25 between the at taching plate and the center portion a to insure that these two are held together rigidly without any possibility of wobbling. As shown, the spacers 25 are located so that the cross bar 23 may be rotated from the position where it supports the drop leaves lob, shown in solid outline, to the position where the leaves are no longer supported and the table may be collapsed for carrying, this position being shown in phantom outline. Other forms of support'for the drop leaves lob may of course be used, but I have found the form described to be very sturdy, While possessing the advantages of ease of operation and convenience of manufacture.

To use the collapsible stool first described, the wing nut 2! is loosened and the legs l6 are removed from the clamp 28. The appropriate ends of the legs 16 are then inserted in the sockets l5, and tightened so that the legs are firmly and securely held therein. To collapse the stool, it is only necessary to remove the legs I6 from the sockets l5, replace the legs in the clamp 26, and tighten the wing nut 2|. It will be noted that the handle H is mounted so as to be aligned with the legs l6 when the latter are held in the clamp 2!); and the center of gravity of the collapsed stool is thus immediately below the handle regardless of the position of the legs with respect to the clamp. The stool may thus be easily carried, and in fact two or more stools may be carried in each hand. The stools occupy a very small space when in their collapsed position, and consequently they may be placed in the luggage compartment of a car and carried with other outing equipment. If desired, the legs It may be chained together and to the attaching plate 14 to prevent one or more of them being lost, but with reasonable care in the operation of the clamp 26, such loss will be quite rare.

When using the collapsible table shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the legs are removed from the clamp 26 and inserted in the sockets 15 as just described. The drop leaves iflb are then raised and the cross bar 23 rotated to the position shown in solid outline in Fig. 4 where it supports the drop leaves to form a fiat table-top. When the table is to be collapsed, the legs are removed from the sockets l5 and placed in clamp 20; wing nut 2| is tightened; and the cross bar 23 is rotated to the position shown in phantom outline in Fig. 4. The drop leaves lfib are then rotated so as to be perpendicular to the upper surface of the center portion ma, and the table may be carried by the handle H. However, the size of the top of the table could be such that the lower edge of the center portion iBa would drag on the ground when the collapsed table is carried by the handle II. It may thus be generally preferable to carry the table by means of the legs held in clamp 20, using the handle H to aid in moving the table when the latter is stored in rather cramped quarters.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved form of collapsible supporting device which has many advantages over the similar devices heretofore available. While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, it will be apparent that modifications may be made therein which do not in any way depart from the spirit of the invention as disclosed herein, and I do not wish to be limited to the particular form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown, except as covered by my claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible supporting device such as a stool or table which includes: a relatively thin generally circular supporting element; a relatively thin generally circular reinforcing member connected to the under surface of said supporting element, said reinforcing member having a smaller diameter than said supporting element and being centered with respect thereto, thereby providing an annular margin of said supporting member without substantial reinforcement; a plurality of outwardly and downwardly extending socket members on the under surface of said reinforcing member near the edge thereof, said socket members being open at their lower ends and provided with holding means; and a plurality of rigid leg members each mounted in one of said socket means and releasably engaging the holding means thereof, whereby said leg members may selectively be placed in said socket members to form said supporting device, or removed there from to collapse said device.

2. In a collapsible supporting device such as a stool or table having a generally circular supporting element and a generally circular reinforcing member of smaller diameter than said element and attached thereto, with means for: releasably holding rigid leg members, the combination which includes: socket members for releasably holding said leg members attached to the under surface or" said reinforcing member near the edge thereof and projecting downwardly and outwardly therefrom, said socket members being circumferentially spaced from each other and so arranged as to leave a diametrically extending area passing between said socket members, said area having a width equal to at least two of said leg members in side-by-side relation; and a centrally disposed releasable clamping means mounted on said reinforcing member and adapted to hold all of said leg members in parallel relationship and parallel to the plane of said supporting element, said clamping means being so disposed relative to said socket means as to confine said leg members within said area,

whereby said leg members project radially be- 20 yond said socket means but without interfering therewith when said leg members are held by said clamping means.

LEON GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 117,277 I-Iallowell July 25, 1871 317,141 Johnston May 5, 1885 786,732 Crandall Apr. 4, 1905 1,129,322 Metcalf Dec. 8, 1914 1,218,357 Bauer Mar. 6, 1917 1,448,171 Waderlow Mar. 13, 1923 1,747,691 Bellows Feb. 18, 1930 1,839,783 Bloom Jan. 5, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 334,356 France Dec. 19, 1903 759,833 France Feb. 10, 1934-.

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