US3215483A

US3215483A - Work enclosing table

Info

Publication number: US3215483A
Application number: US281697A
Authority: US
Inventors: James C Nelson
Original assignee: Business Systems Inc
Current assignee: Business Systems Inc
Priority date: 1963-05-20
Filing date: 1963-05-20
Publication date: 1965-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-02

Description

Nov. 2, 1965 J. c. NELSON WORK ENCLOSING TABLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1965 J /wss C. NELSON INVENTOR Z/ ATTQZNEY Nov. 2, 1965 J. c. NELSON WORK ENCLOSING TABLE 3 t e e h 4 s t e m s 3 Filed May 20, 1963 INVENTOR.

%k ATTOQNE Y JAMES C. NELSON United States Patent 3,215,483 WORK ENCLGSING TABLE James C. Nelson, San Gabriel, Calif, assignor to Business Systems Incorporated, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,697 9 Claims. '(Cl. 312-249) This invention relates to an improved table or cabinet structure for mounting a work unit in a manner such that the unit may be easily enclosed when not in use, and just as easily exposed for easy access when the unit is to be used. As will appear, the device is in certain respects especially adapted and useful for supporting a tray of accounting cards such as are utilized in connection with conventional accounting machines for recording various types of information.

To attain the desired ready convertibility between open and closed conditions, a unit constructed in accordance with the invention includes a table or table-like structure adapted to support the card tray or other work unit, together with a housing for enclosing the work unit when on the table, and means mounting the housing for bodily movement between an active postion in which the unit is enclosed thereby, and an inactive or open position in which the housing is retracted to a location allowing easy access to the work unit. Preferably, the housing is mounted for upward and downward movement relative to the table, and acts to enclose the work unit in an upper position of the housing, and expose the unit in a lowered position. More specifically, the table may have a top surface for receiving the card tray, with the housing in its active position projecting upwardly above and about that surface, and in its retracted position being lowered to a location in which the housing is primarily located beneath the level of the table top, so that the user may have ready access to the card tray from any side when the housing is lowered.

The housing may be releasably retained in its upper work enclosing position by means of a suitable latch structure, preferably of the type which is automatically actuated to its holding condition in response to arrival of the housing at the raised position. The latch may be of a type which is then subsequently releasable by exertion of additional upward force against the housing, so that the entire opening and closing operation may be performed with maximum facility.

In the upper work enclosing position of the housing the top of the housing may be closed by a suitable cover or top wall, which is movable between a closed position of extension across the upper side of the otherwise open housing, and a laterally moved open position. In the open position, the cover may extend essentially vertically alongside or adjacent one of the side walls of the housing. In this connection, certain particular features of the invention reside in a unique combined swinging and sliding type mounting which is desirably employed for mounting the cover to shift between its open and closed positions. This mounting may include hinge means constructed to impart swinging movement to the cover, and slidably engageable with beads formed in the cover to allow for sliding movement of the cover relative to the hinge means, in addition to the swinging movement of the cover with the hinge means, so that after the cover has swung laterally to an upwardly projecting position, the cover may then slide downwardly relative to the hinge means to a position adjacent one of the side walls of the housing. Also, certain additional specific features of the invention reside in a particular preferred way of mounting the housing for its upward and downward movement relative to the table.

The above and other features and objects of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the typical embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which? FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, illustrating a cabinet embodying the invention as it appears with the housing in its upper closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the housing in its lowered open condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view with the apparatus in the FIG. 2 open condition, and with the card tray removed;

FIG. 4 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken essentially on line 44 of FIG. 1, and showing the top of the device closed;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the corner of the device which appears in the upper right hand corner of FIG. 3, and with a portion of the edge of the cover broken away to illustrate the rest of the mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the corner shown in FIG. 6, with the cover in partially closed condition;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 1, and showing the cover lock, with the cover in closed condition;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are fragmetary vertical sections taken on lines 1111 and 12-12 respectively of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 are vertical sectional views showing the interior of the latch device in several different conditions; and

FIG. 16 is a section taken on line 16-16 of FIG. 13.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cabinet assembly 10 embodying the invention includes a table section 11 on which there is supported a work unit, preferably an accounting card tray 111, and having a housing 12 which is movable vertically between the open condition of FIG. 2 and the closed condition of FIG. 1. Housing 12 has a cover 13 which extends across and closes the upper side of the housing in the FIG. 1 condition, and which may be retained in closed condition by a lock 14.

The main table 11 may take any of various forms, typically including four vertically extending corner legs 15 rigidly secured at their lower ends to a rectangular horizontally extending sheet metal plate '16, with the connection between these parts being made by welding legs 15 to depending flanges or skirt portions 17 of the bottom plate 16. Four casters or wheels 18 are movably connected to the four corners of plates 16, or to legs 15, to adapt the table 11 for rolling movement along a floor surface.

To the upper ends of the legs 15, there is secured rigidly a rectangular horizontal table top 19 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 5), which may be formed of sheet metal and have depending peripheral flanges 20 engaging and welded or otherwise rigidly secured to legs 15. The legs preferably take the form of angle irons, which can be received about the corners of lower plate structure 1617, and be received within and engage the corners of the upper top structure 1940.

Card tray 111 is of a type having a generally horizontal base 21 on the upper side of which there are a pair of front and

rear retaining plates

22 and 23 between which a series of accounting cards 24 are confined in upstanding positions.

Plates

22 and 23 are actuable toward and away I from one another by a crank or handle 25, which in its active position overhangs the front edge of housing 12, but is detachable to be positioned within a retaining element in the broken line position represented at 25' in FIG. 2 to enable closing of the device. Base 21 of card tray 111 is dimensioned to fit within and be confined by a rectangular locating structure 26 (FIG. 3) consisting of a horizontal metal plate welded to table top 16 and forming two upwardly projecting peripheral front and rear walls 27, and two side walls 28. If and when desired, the entire unit 111 may be removed from the rectangular recess formed by

walls

27 and 28, so that another unit may be substituted.

To mount vertically movable housing 12 for its upward and downward shifting movement, table 11 carries two vertical parallel end plates 126, which may be formed of sheet metal, and may be welded to the upper ends of legs 15. Each of the plates 126 has two vertical parallel edges at its opposite sides, which project laterally beyond top plate 19 (see FIGS. 1 and 6), to form sliding guide edges for the housing 12.

With reference now more specifically to the structure of housing 12 itself, this housing is desirably of essentially the same horizontal cross section as is table 11, but with the housing being slightly larger horizontally to be received about the table. More particularly, housing 12 may include two vertical parallel side walls 29 and two vertical parallel end walls 30, all formed of essentially rigid sheet metal, and secured together at their corners by welding these

walls

29 and 30 to four vertically extending corner angle irons 31. Each of the end walls 39 has its opposite side edges turned back as illustrated at 32 in FIG. 6 to form vertically extending guide recesses 33 continuing along the entire vertical extent of housing 12, and slidably receiving the opposite side edges 28 of a corresponding one of the table carried plates 126, so that the opposite ends of the housing are in this way effectively guided for vertical sliding movement relative to the table between the FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 positions. In the FIG. 1 position, the

side walls

29 and 30 of the housing project upwardly to a level above the upper extremity of card tray 111 (see FIG, 4), to entirely enclose the card tray, with the bottom edges of

walls

29 and 30 being somewhat beneath the level of top plate 19 of the table. In the lowered position of FIG. 11, the upper edges of

side walls

29 and 39 of the housing are essentially horizontally aligned with the top 19 of the table, to render the card tray easily accessible from all sides, for use.

Cover 13 for the housing may take the form of a rectangular piece of sheet metal 34, which extends horizontally across the upper side of the housing in the FIG. 4 closed condition of the cover, and which has depending peripheral flanges 35 extending downwardly a short distance at the outside of the two side walls 29 of the housing, and the two end walls 30. A handle 36 may be secured to a front one of the depending flanges 35, so that a user may swing the cover between the closed posi tion of FIG. 4 and the open position of FIG. by grasping the handle.

The cover is mounted for its opening and closing movement by means of a pair of hinges 37, which are slidably connected to a pair of guide ribs or beads 38 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 8) carried at the inside of cover 13. The two ribs 38 extend parallel to one another at the underside of top wall 34, and may be formed of rigid sheet metal deformed to the cross sectional configuration illustrated in FIG. 6. More specifically, this sheet metal of each of the ribs 38 may have a portion 39 welded to the undersurface of cover plate 34, and carrying a flange 40 which is bent to form an elongated circular guide portion 41, The portions 41 of the two guide ribs 38 extend parallel to the two shorter edges of top plate 34, and extend perpendicular to the two longer edges.

Each of the hinges 37 may be of essentially conventional construction (FIG. 12), having a first section 42 welded to an upper edge portion of one of the walls 29, and having a second section 43 pivotally connected or hinged to section 42 by means of a pin 44 extending horizontally along the upper edge of that wall 29. Section 43 rigidly carries another plate 45, with an intermediate plate 46 typically being welded therebetween to space the

plates

43 and 45. As best seen in FIG. 6, plate 45 has a portion 47 projecting beyond an end of

plates

43 and 46, and forming a cylindrical sleeve received about and slidably guiding the externally cylindrical portion 41 of an associated one of the carried ribs 38 in the cover. This sliding movement is limited in the FIG. 5 position of the apparatus by engagement of the front or upper flange 35 of the cover (the flange carrying handle 36) with guide elements 47. The upward movement of cover 13 from the FIG. 5 condition is limited by engagement with the opposite one of the flanges 35 (the one designated 35' in FIG. 5) upwardly against two stop elements (see FIGS. 6 and 11), which may take the form of angular metal elements welded to and projecting outwardly from the rear wall 29 of the housing.

The lock assembly 14 for securing the cover in closed position may include a conventional key operated device 49 (FIG. 9) mounted to front wall 29 of the housing for rotation about a horizontal axis 50 by a key inserted into the forward side of element 49. The turning movement of element 49 swings a locking lever or latch element 51 at the inside of the housing into and out of latching engagement with a. U-shaped keeper 52 secured to the underside of cover 13. Thus, the cover may be locked in closed condition, or released for opening movement. The upper edges of side and

end walls

29 and 30 of the housing may be turned downwardly as illustrated at 53 in FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The housing is preferably designed to be releasably latched in each of its FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 positions. To latch the housing in its upper FIG. 1 position, there may be secured to the front and rear sides respectively of top plate 19 of the table 11, a pair of latch assemblies 54, typically welded or otherwise secured to depending flanges 20 of top 19 of the table, and consisting of vertically extending hollow housing parts 55 containing mechanism cooperable with a pair of hook elements 56 stationarily secured to and projecting upwardly from a pair of rigid metal angle irons 57 welded to the lower edge portions of front and rear walls 29 of housing 12. Assemblies 54 are desirably of a type adapted to be actuated from released positions to active positions, and vice versa, by movement of housing 12 itself. For this purpose, the latch assemblies 54 may be of a known conventional type having the internal construction illustrated in FIGS. l3, l4 and 15, including a hook or latch part 65 and a control part 66 both stamped of sheet metal and movably mounted within housing 55. Control element 66 is confined by a stationary housing-carried pin 67 for only vertical sliding movement adjacent one housing wall 68 between the positions of FIGS. l3, l4 and 15. The latch part 65 has a lower hook end 69 which is engageable with book element 56 in the relation illustrated in FIG. 14, to prevent separation of the two sections of the device. Part 65 has two parallel side flanges having identical notches 69' of the shape illustrated in the figures, and within which a pin 70 stationarily se cured to the housing 55 is received. A coil spring 71 is connected at its opposite ends to

parts

65 and 66, to urge the former upwardly and the latter downwardly.

To describe the operation of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 13 through 15, assume first of all that the apparatus is in the condition of FIG. 13, and that hook 56 is then moved upwardly to engage part 66 and force it upwardly to the position of FIG. 14. After hook element 56 passes the lower hook portion 69 of part 65, that lower hook portion is able to swing inwardly, about pin '70 as an axis, and to the broken line position of FIG. 14, so that upon subsequent slight downward movement of hook part 56,

elements

66 and 69 latch in the FIG. 14 condition to prevent separation of book part 56 from the other mechanism. This slight downward movement also shifts part 65 slightly downwardly, to earn the upper portion of part 65 to the right as illustrated in full lines in FIG. 14 (by virtue of engagement of pin 70 with inclined cam surfaces 170 at the right of notches 69). When it is desired to release the mechanism, hook 56 is again elevated slightly, to the FIG. 15 position, to free the lower portion of part 65 for swinging movement leftwardly to the FIG. 15 position and out of the path of hook 56, so that hook 56 may move downwardly from housing 55. The leftward swinging movement of part 65 to the FIG. 15 position is caused by spring 71, which is always under tension, and which produces such swinging movement as a result of the engagement of pin 67 with part 65 at the bottom of a second pair of notches 167 (see FIG. 15). The final downward movement of part 66, as hook 56 leaves the latch assembly, causes upper cam portion 72 of part 66 to engage element 67, and cam it laterally to the normal FIG. 13 position.

To actuate housing 12 vertically between its two positions of FIGS. 1 and 2, the end walls 30 of the housing carry two looped handles 58 (only one shown in FIG. 1) by which a user may either raise or lower the housing. The housing is releasably retained in its lowered position, by means of an additional latch assembly 59 which may be identical with latch assemblies 54 but inverted with respect thereto, and which coacts with a hook or latch part 60 constructed the same as but inverted with respect to hooks 56 of FIG. 5. Assembly 59 may be rigidly secured to one of th depending flanges of top plate 19 of the table, while hook part 60 may be secured to an upper portion of the inner surface of front wall 29 of the housing.

A portion of the weight of the housing is counterbalanced by means of a spring, such as the coil spring illustrated at 61 in FIGS. 1 and 2. This coil spring may be secured at its opposite ends 62 to spaced locations on forward depending skirt or flange 20 of the table top, and may be connected at its center 63 to a lower portion of front wall 29 of the vertically movable housing. The spring is normally under tension, and tends to return by its own resilience to the shortened condition of FIG. 1, but is resiliently extensible to the extended condition of FIG. 2 upon lowering of the housing, to exert an upward force partially overcoming the force of gravity applied to the housing. A similar spring 61 may be used at the rear side of the housing, and these two springs may be of predetermined tension sufflcient to enable upward movement of the housing with the same force required for downward movement of the housing. In each direction, the user must exert merely a relatively light force, rather than being required to exert a much heavier upward force to overcome gravity upon elevation of the housing. If no manual force is exerted against the housing, the springs and gravity together may be so balanced as to return the housing to an intermediate position halfway between the upper end lower postions of FIGS. 1 and 2.

To describe now the manner of use of the apparatus shown in the drawings, assume first of all that the device is in the FIG. 2 open condition, and that the cards 24in card tray 111 are being utilized by a bookkeeper in posting entries in an accounting machine. When it is desired to close the device, the user may actuate front and

rear plates

22 and 23 of tray 111 to clamp cards 24 in closed position, with this closing action being effected by turning crank 25, following which the crank is detached from tray 111 and placed in the broken line position 25' on the tray. The user then grasps the two end handles 58 of housing 12, and pulls the housing upwardly by means of these handles. Springs 61 exert upward force overcoming a portion of the pull of gravity on housing 12, so that the housing may be raised relatively easily. Latch hook or part 60 is released from assembly 59 by merely pressing slightly downwardly on the housing through handles 58, before exerting the upward raising force on the housing.

When the housing reaches its uppermost position of FIG. 1, hook parts 56 engage latch parts 69 in the condition of FIG. 14, as previously discussed, to releasably latch the housing in its upper position.

After the housing has thus been retained in its upper position, with cover 33 initially in its vertically extending position adjacent the rear side of the housing (the cover position of FIG. 5), the cover is pulled upwardly by exerting upward force on the upwardly projecting loop handle 36 on the cover, with this upward sliding movement of the cover being permitted by vertical sliding movement of guide ribs 41 in the cover within guide elements 47 of FIG. 6. This sliding movement may continue until the cover reaches a position in which its lower or rear flange 35' (FIG. 5) engages the underside of stop elements 48 (FIGS. 6 and 11), at which time the cover may be swung forwardly and downwardly to the closed position of FIGS. 1 and 4, by virtue of the pivotal connection at hinges 37. Thus, the cover is mounted for both swinging and sliding movement relative to the housing, and between the fully closed position of FIG. 4 and the fully opened position of FIG. 5 in which the cover extends vertically adjacent the rear side of the housing. In closed position, the cover may be locked by lock structure 14, to prevent access to the interior of the cabinet, and to the card tray 111.

When it is again desired to open the device, the lock mechanism is key actuated to its released condition, the cover is swung upwardly and rearwardly, and then slid downwardly to its fully opened position of FIG. 5, following which a slight upward force is exerted against housing 12 through handles 58 to release hook parts 56 from their latching assembles 54. This releasing action, by the same type of upward housing movement which initially latched the parts, is efiected by virtue of the previously discussed spring actuation of elements 65 to their FIG. 15 positions freeing hooks 56 for downward movement.

After the latch mechanism has been released in this manner, the user lowers the housing, against thendency of springs 61, and until latch lug or hook 60 engages mechanism 59, to retain the housing in its lowered FIG. 5 position. As in the case of the upper latch mechanism,

parts

59 and 60 are capable of being actuated to both active and released conditions by the same type of downward force exerted against the housing.

What is claimed as new is:

1. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported by the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, spring means yieldingly urging said housing upwardly relative to said table and supporting at least a portion of the weight of said housing to more nearly equalize the forces required for raising and lowering the housing, and latch means operable to releasably retain said housing in said lowered position.

2. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported by the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, spring means yieldingly urging said housing upwardly relative to said table, first latch means operable to releasably retain said housing in said upper position and adapted to be actuated to holding condition and also to released condition by upward movements of said housing, and second latch means operable to releasably retain said housing in said lowered position and adapted to be actuated to holding condition and also to released condition by downward movements of said housing.

3. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported on the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, a latch mechanism including a latch section and a keeper section constructed to interfit in latched relation in response to movement of one section toward the other in a predetermined direction, and to release by further slight movement in said direction to a condition enabling returning movement in the opposite direction, and means mounting said one section of the latch mechanism to said housing and said other section to said table in a relation such that said predetermined direction of movement of said one section is downward so that said sections interengage to latch the housing in said lowered position in response to downward movement of the housing to said position, and then release said one section and housing for upward retraction in response to a subsequent short downward movement of the housing.

4. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported by the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, and spring means yieldingly urging said housing upwardly relative to said table and supporting at least a portion of the Weight of said housing to more nearly equalize the forces required for raising and lowering the housing, said spring means including a coil spring extending generally horizontally in said upper position of the housing and connected at spaced locations to the housing and table and yieldingly extensible thereby to a more vertically extending position upon downward movement of the hous- 5. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported by the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, said housing having a generally vertical side wall spaced outwardly from an adjacent side of said table to form a space horizontally therebetween, and spring means in said space yieldingly urging said housing upwardly relative to said table and supporting at least a portion of the weight of said housing to more nearly equalize the force required for raising and lowering the housing, said spring means including a coil spring which extends generally horizontally in said upper position of the housing and is connected at two spaced locations to one of said table and housing and at an intermediate location to the other of said table and housing in a relation yieldingly stretching said spring to form two relatively angularly disposed and more vertical portions thereof upon said downward movement of the housing.

6. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported by the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, and spring means yieldingly urging said housing upwardly relative to said table and supporting at least a portion of the weight of said housing to more nearly equalize the forces required for raising and lowering the housing, said spring means including a coil spring which extends generally horizontally in said upper position of the housing and is connected at two spaced locations to one of said table and housing and at an intermediate location to the other of said table and housing in a relation yieldingly stretching said spring to form two relatively angularly disposed and more vertical portions thereof upon said downward movement of the housing.

7. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported on the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, said table including two leg structures extending upwardly toward said work unit location at two opposite sides of the table, said mounting means including a pair of guide plates secured to said two leg structures respectively and each having two opposite side edge portions projecting laterally beyond the associated leg structure, and guide means carried by said housing and slidably engaging said laterally projecting edge portions of said two guide plates in a relation mounting the housing slidably for said upward and downward movement.

8. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported on the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, said table including two leg structures extending upwardly toward said work unit location at two opposite sides of the table, said mounting means including a pair of guide plates secured to said two leg structures respectively and each having two opposite side edge portions projecting laterally beyond the associated leg structure, and two additional plates attached to said housing and extending along the outer sides of said guide plates respectively, each of said additional plates having two opposite side edges turned back toward each other and forming two guide grooves receiving said laterally projecting edge portions of the guide plates in a relation slidably mounting the housing for upward and downward movement.

9. The combination comprising a table having a portion for supporting a work unit at a predetermined location, a housing adapted to extend about and enclose a plurality of sides of said unit when supported on the table, means mounting said housing for upward and downward movement relative to said table between an upper position in which the housing encloses said unit on the table and a lowered position in which the housing is retracted downwardly away from its enclosing position and leaves said unit more readily accessible to a user, said mounting means including a first pair of 9 1% vertically extending plates attached to two sides respec- References Cited by the Examiner tively of said table, and a second pair of vertically ex- UNITED STATES PATENTS tending plates attached to said housing and slidably mounted closely adjacent and essentially parallel to said 487,150 11/92 Ohmer 312298 X first plates respectively, the plates of one of said pairs 5 1,973,072 9/34 Hobson 312322 X having opposite side edges turned inwardly toward one 2,569,117 9/51 Schade 312-312 X another and forming two grooves facing generally toward 2 637,576 5/53 Nottingham,

one another, the plates of the other pair havingopposite side edges slidably received in said grooves to guide the FOREIGN PATENTS housing for said upward and downward movement. 10 1,094,114 12/54 France FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A TABLE HAVING A PORTION FOR SUPPORTING A WORK UNIT AT A PREDETERMINED LOCATION, A HOUSING ADAPTED TO EXTEND ABOUT AND ENCLOSURE A PLURALITY OF SIDES OF SAID UNIT WHEN SUPPORTED BY THE TABLE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID HOUSING FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID TABLE BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION IN WHICH THE HOUSING ENCLOSES SAID UNIT ON THE TABLE AND A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH THE HOUSING IS RETRACTED DOWNWARDLY AWAY FROM ITS ENCLOSING POSITION AND LEAVES SAID UNIT MORE READILY ACCESSIBLE TO A USER, SPRING MEANS YIELDINGLY URGING SAID HOUSING A UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID TABLE AND SUPPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE WEIGHTG OF SAID HOUSING TO MORE NEARLY EQUALIZE THE FORCES REQUIRED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE HOUSING, AND LATCH MEANS OPERABLE TO RELEASABLY RETAIN SAID HOUSING IN SAID LOWERED POSITION.