US2709120A

US2709120A - Table with detachable tray

Info

Publication number: US2709120A
Application number: US459183A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward S Tuttle
Original assignee: HARVELL Manufacturing CORP
Current assignee: HARVELL Manufacturing CORP
Priority date: 1954-09-29
Filing date: 1954-09-29
Publication date: 1955-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 1972-05-24

Description

May 24, 1955 E. s. TUTTLE TABLE WITH DETAGHABLE TRAY Filed Sept. 29, 1954 INVENTOR. [oz men 6. 72/771 E BY 6 m 4% /W ATTORNEY.

United States Patent TABLE WITH DETACHABLE TRAY Edward S. Tuttle, Long Beach, Ind., assignor to Harvell Manufacturing Corporation, Hubbard, Ohio, :1 corporation of Ohio Application September 29, 1954, Serial No. 459,183

2 Claims. (Cl. 311-83) This invention relates to a table with detachable tray. More particularly, the invention relates to a collapsible table using a tray as the top thereof and a pair or" pivoted crossed leg units as the supporting means therefor, the same being collapsible to substantially flat form.

Tray tables of this general type have been known and have universally been characterized by arrangements in which a tray mounts a bracket or clip permanently and this clip or bracket is employed to hold the tray in place on the leg, at the same time accommodating release of one side of the tray from the supporting leg structure so that the leg structure may be folded to compact form and the tray may be swung to a position parallel to the collapsed legs. Rivets or other means are required for the purpose of anchoring the clip or bracket to the tray, and the rivet heads detract from the appearance of the tray. The rivets usually are located in the bottom or central part of the tray so that the bottom of the tray is interrupted by the heads. The use of the rivets limits the usefulness of the device by preventing use of the tray separately from the supporting legs.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a tray table having novel means for detachably interconnecting a tray with the supporting leg structure to effectively hold a tray on the top of the leg structure so as to maintain the structure in erected position, which is releasable readily to permit disengagement of the tray from at least one of the leg structures to accommodate folding of the leg structure, and which serves also as a pivot to accommodate swinging of a tray structure connected to one leg structure relative to that leg structure.

A further object is to provide a tray table having a tray with an offset curved margin adapted to bear against a tubular run of a leg unit to be supported thereon, and a spring clip rotatably mounted upon the run and engageable with the tray detachably to slide over the margin of the tray to eifectively interconnectthe run and the margin, or to disengage the same at will.

A further object is to provide a spring clip adapted for use in connecting a tray to a leg unit, which is characterized by a part circular portion to fit around the leg and to pivot thereon, and by a configured portion adapted to engage over and bear substantially flat against a curved edge portion of a tray.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the tray table in erected position;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the tray table in erected position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the relation of the spring clip to the margin of the tray and to a run of the leg structure;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the spring clip in released position; and

'ice

Fig. 5 is an end view of the tray table in its collapsed position.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates the supporting structure; the numeral 12 designates the tray top; and the numeral 14 designates the spring clips which constitute the parts of my new tray table.

The supporting structure 10 is preferably formed from two substantially U-shaped members, pr ferably formed of light weight tubular metal stock. Thus each of the leg units includes an intermediate run or portion 16 and a pair of leg-forming end portions 18 extending in substantially right angles to the run portion and in a common plane. As best illustrated in Fig. 2, the intermediate portion 16 of one of the leg-forming units will be shorter than the intermediate portion of the other legforming unit so that one of the leg units may fit within the other. It will be understood that this is not essential, however, and that the legs of the runs 16 of the two leg units may be substantially equal, in which event the leg units will be arranged in somewhat staggered relation instead of in the interfitting relation illustrated in Fig. 2. The leg-forming portions 18 are pivotally interconnected intermediate their length at 20 in alignment so that the two leg-forming units may swing from the angularly disposed relation illustrated in Fig. l to the substantially parallel or compact relation illustrated in Fig. 5.

The tray 12 is preferably formed of metal and has a central portion 22 which is substantially flat and a curved offset marginal portion 24 extending continuously therearound and preferably terminating in an inturned beaded or curled edge portion 26. The overall length of the tray 12 will preferably be substantially equal to the overall length of the leg units in a horizontal direction. The offset margin 24 will preferably be of a width at least equal to or preferably slightly greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the tubing 16, as best illustrated in Fig. 3 and 4, so that the tubing may seat between the bead 26 and the central bottom panel 22 along the two longitudinal edges of the tray to afford support of the tray substantially full length thereof.

Each of the tubular members 16 of the support 10 carries at least one spring clip 14. The spring clips 14 are preferably formed from sheet metal having a crosssectional shape or configuration as best illustrated in Fig. 3. Thus one end portion of each clip 14 is bent to substantially arcuate or part circular configuration at 30. The curvature of the portion 30 is preferably such that the interior radius thereof substantially conformswith the exterior of the tube 16 to provide substantially continuous engagement between the portion 30 of the clip and the tube 16 throughout the full length of the portion 30 of the clip. The extent of the arcuate portion 30 of the clip is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 as being slightly less than an arc of 180 deg, but this is understood to be illustrative, and its extent may be greater than 180 deg. or somewhat less than illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The clip is bent reversely at 32 on an arc of comparatively small radius through an extent of approximately deg. The portion 32 merges with a substantially arcuate portion 34 of approximately deg. in extent. The radius, of curvature of the inner face of arcuate portion 34 substantially conforms with the radius of curvature of the outer surface of the head 26 of the tray. The remaining portion 36 of the length of the clip extends substantially tangentially from portion 34 and is bent to substantially conform with the transverse curvature of the offset portion 24 of the tray, as best seen in Fig. 3, and terminates in an outturned lip portion 38. The clip 14 is preferably formed of thin gauge sheet spring metal stock.

In the erected position of the tray table, the runs 16 of the leg portions engage the lower concave surfaces of the margins 24 of the tray at opposite sides of the tray, and at least one clip at each side of the tray and at each of the runs 16 serves to interconnect the tray with the support 10. The relation of the clip 14 to the tray and support, while serving to hold the same in operative position, is illustrated in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that the portion 36 extends in substantially continuous contact with the upper surface of the curved marginal portion of the tray. The portion 34 passes around and in substantially continuous contact with thebead 26 of the tray, and the portion 30 of the clip extends in substantially continuous contact with the run 16 of the supporting structure. The parts are so related that the portion 30 of the clip is substantially diametrically opposed to the portion 36 of the clip, and the clip serves to draw and hold together in the Fig. 3 position the tray and the support run 16 and to resist displacement thereof. Thus lateral displacement of the runs 16 in an outward direction is resisted by both the head 26 of the tray and the portions 30, 32 of the clip, as well as by portion 26 of the clip which engages the margin of the tray. Movement in an inward direction of the runs 16 relative to the tray is resisted by the free end portion 30 of the clip, as illustrated at the left in Fig. 3, and by the curvature of the tray itself. The combination of the spring action, coupled with the configuration of the clip to conform with the configuration ofthe tray and the runs 16 of the support, holds the tray firmly in position upon the support and also resists pivoting of the two support units about the pivot axis 20 thereof when both runs 16 of the support are connected to the tray by the clips. Consequently, the tray is held firmly and the table is solid and will support substantial weight thereon even though retainedin place solely through the functioning of only two spring clips 14, as seen in Fig. 1. It will be understood that more than two such clips may be employed if desired.

When it is desired to collapse the tray table from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 5, one of the spring clips 14 is released from the tray by rotating the same about the run 16 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the mid portion of clip part 36 and clip part 30 engage and grip the tubular run 16. Distortion of the spring clip is required for this purpose, and such distortion occurs at the portion 36 thereof which is grasped or engaged at its end portion 38 for that purpose. In other words, a user can pressendwise and upwardly against the portion 38 in a manner to release the portion 36 from engagement with the tray and facilitate rotation of the clip portion 34) or bodily sliding of the clip portion 30 around the circumference of the runs 16 until the clip has completely disengaged the tray. Upon disengagement of one of the clips from the tray, the support portion 10 is free to pivot about its axis 20, as to the position illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the runs 16 are located at opposite ends of a collapsed leg structure, so that the leg structure lies substantially flat. The tray 12 can swing freely and bodily relative to the run 16 to which it remains connected by a clip 14, as illustrated at the top in Fig. 5, and thereby can move to a position substantially flush with the leg structure so that it can be stored along with the supporting structure as a unit in a very small space. In this connection, as seen in Fig. 5, when the leg structure to which the tray remains connected by one clip in the Fig. 5 position is such that 4 its leg portions 18 are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the opposite end marginal portions of the tray, those end margins may bear substantially flat against the leg portion 18, as seen in Fig. 5, so that the overall width of the collapsed unit will be quite narrow.

The two spring clips 14 are preferably of similar construction and, consequently, either one or both or all thereof may be disconnected at will, thus making possible the complete separation of the tray from the support, so that the tray may be used independently of its supporting structure if that is desired.

One of the important considerations and advantages of this invention is the fact that by making possible the complete separation of the tray from the supporting leg structure, the use of rivets is eliminated. Consequently, the use of rivets as detracting from the appearance of the tray or as forming interruptions to the normal fiat bottom surface of the tray, as in conventional prior constructions, is eliminated.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A table comprising a support including a pair of parallel horizontal members of substantially circular cross-sectional shape, a tray having a transversely configured upwardly oifset marginal rim, and a pair of clips each detachably connecting a rim of said tray in sup ported engagement on one of said support members, each clip comprising a spring metal plate having curved end portions and an intermediate connecting portion, one of said end portions being substantially part of a circle and fitting snugly and rotatably around a portion of said support member, the other curved end portion being disposed opposite said part-circular portion with its concave surface confronting the concave surface of said part-circular portion and being of a shape substantially conforming with the top convex surface of said tray rim to overlie said tray rim and hold it yieldingly in engagement with said support, the intermediate portion of said clip projecting out of the outline of said part-circular clip portion and merging substantially tangentially with said other curved clip portion and extending around the edge of said rim, a mid portion of said other curved clip end portion being substantially diametrically opposed to and spaced from the mid portion of said part-circular clip portion to engage and grip said support member when said tray is removed therefrom.

2. A table as defined in claim 1 wherein the width of said tray rim is greater than the cross-sectional diameter of said support member, and the edge of the tray is defined by a downturned head around which said intermediate clip portion fits.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,663 Swaney Sept. 6, 1887 1,496,388 Stern June 3, 1924 2,020,585 Stansberry Nov. 12, 1935 2,278,691 Cotter Apr. 7, 1942 2,514,735 Wilson et al July 11, 1950 2,547,420 Sumner Apr. 3., 1951 2,666,681 Adler Jan. 19, 1954 2.675,286 Derman Apr. 13, 1954