US3490394A - Folding table - Google Patents

Description

Jal-n.20, 1970 y APERKINS ETAL l 3,490,394

FOLDING TABLE Filed April I5, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ifi;

Jan. 20, 1970 A pERKlNs ET AL 3,490,394

FOLDINGTABLE Filed April 5, 1968 2 Sheecs--Sheei'l 2 /Z /ff //f l United States Patent O 3,490,394 FGLDING TABLE James A. Perkins, 12 Cherrytree Lane, Middletown, NJ. 07748, and Robert S. Crandall, 306 E. 45th St., New York, N.Y. 10017 Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,499 Int. Cl. A47b 3/00 U.S. Cl. 10S-115 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A table having a compact, folded storage condition and an erect, unfolded standing condition comprising a table support member having a top and a bottom surface, and an unfolding standing base including an accordion fold body.

The present invention relates generally to furniture, and more particularly to improvements in folding tables.

There are already numerous well known models of tables which can be folded into a compact condition to facilitate storage and also tables of the folding type which are intended to be fabricated of board, cardboard or similar material to obtain, among other advantages, an economically mass produced product. Exemplary of these prior art tables is the table of U.S. Patent 2,240,024 issued on Apr. 29, 1941. This and other known folding cardboard tables, however, leave much to be desired because of the difficulty of satisfying all objectives, several of which are contradictory or in coniiict. As an abvious example, while the use of cardboard as the construction material for the table greatly contributes to its low cost, facilitated manufacture, and other desired ends such as foldability and the like, this material is not as strong as wood, plastic or similar traditional table construction materials, and therefore, the cardboard is either reinforced or otherwise adapted to withstand the forces and stress of normal use of the table. Thus, in the aforementioned patent, the cardboard legs are achieved by a triangular configuration which undoubtedly is effective, but at a sacrifice in the simplicity of construction of the product.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved folding table overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide a simply constructed folding table which retains its simplified construction even though fabricated of cardboard or other economical 'construction material and which therefore constitutes a noteworthy economically mass produced product.

A folding table demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention includes the usual table support member or table top and an accordion fold standing base having two degrees of unfolding movement. First, it unlfolds from a flush condition against the underside of the table into a position extending perpendicularly thereof. Second, it then unfolds or opens about its accordion folds into a stand for the table top, thereby efficiently providing support to the table top even when fabricated of board, cardboard or similar economical construction material.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention,

p ICC will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a folding table according to the present invention in its compact, folded condition;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the table;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view, similar to FIG. l, but ilustrating the standing base of the table in its unfolded condition and at a position of movement partway along its direction of unfolding preparatory to functioning as a standing base for the table;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational View illustrating the table in its erect, unfolded condition;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale, taken in section on line 5 5 of FIG. 3, illustrating structural features at the stationary end edge of the standing base;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, taken on line 6 6 of FIG. 3, but illustrating structural features of the movable end edge of the standing base;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view, in section taken on line 7 7 of FIG. 4, illustrating further structural features of the accordion fold body of the standing base of the table;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view in section, similar to FIG. 7, but illustrating the accordion fold body in its outwardly extended condition; and

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view, similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating the standing base in its iinal position of movement along its direction of unfolding.

Reference is now made to the drawings illustrating a folding table, generally designated 10, which according to the present invention has a compact, folded condition convenient for storing the table, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and also an erect, unfolded standing condition, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition to having the obvious advantages which result from being convertible between the two conditions depicted in FIGS. l, 2 and 4, the construction of the table 10, as will become more apparent from the detailed description which follows, readily lends itself to being fabricated of inexpensive materials of construction, as for example an E-fluted cardboard, so that table 10 is readily economically mass produced. Not only is the use of cardboard or such similar economical and readily available construction material Within the contemplation of the present invention, but also the contemplated method of attaching together the various parts of the table 10 as by gluing this construction material also greatly contributes to the production of the table 10 as an economically massed produced item.

The table 10 includes the usual table top or support member 12 having a top surface 12a anda bottom surface 12b and may be circular in shape, as illustrated, although it will be understood the other shaped support members may be used. The other signiiicant part of the table 10 consists of a standing base, generally designated 14, having the previously noted folded condition wherein it is flush against the table surface 12b as When the table 10 is being stored, and also being readily unfoldable therefrom into an operative standing condition, asV depicted in FIG. 4, when it is desired to use the table.

As is perhaps best illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 9 in conjunction with FIG. 4, the standing base 14 includes an upper accordion fold body 14a formed by four sides and each side of which has a V-shaped notch 14b removed from its lower portion and thereby providing four legs 14e. Specifically, the. accordion fold body 14a as is best shown in FIG. 9 is bounded at its upper end, when in its unfolded condition, by an opposing pair of operative edges, to wit, a first end edge 14d and a second edge 14C, and by a pair of facing, identically constructed folding sides 14j. Each side 14)c is formed by adjacent walls 14g and 14h joined along a fold line 14j. Thus, the accordion fold body 14a, assuming as will be explained subsequently that the edge 14d is held stationary, is unfoldable in a direction of unfolding F for a theoretical distance or eX- tent of unfolding which is equal to the combined sizes of the Walls 14g and 14h. In practice, however, the accordion body 14a is confined to a distance of unfolding which is less than this theoretical distance for reasons now to be explained.

First, it will be noted that provided along the edge 14b is a tab 14k which is appropriately attached, as by gluing, to the table surface 12b. Thus, the end edge 14d is stationary and, further, as best illustrated in FIG. 1, it occupies an outer position with respect to the table support member 12 when the standing base 14 is in its folded position against the table surface 12b. As a consequence, the standing base 14, when in its folded condition against the table 12, does not have to project in -an unsightly manner beyond the periphery of the table support member 12. Naturally, the foregoing will depend upon the particular dimensions of the various table parts 12 and 14 but, as illustrated herein, it can be satisfied by a great number of parts which are properly proportioned and scaled to serve as a table. One. such exemplary embodiment is a table support member 12 having a twenty-two inch diameter and used with a standing base 14 Which measures twelve inches from the fold line 14d to the bottom edge of the legs 14C, and which standing base, in its folded condition flush against the table surface 12b, is contained entirely within the periphery of the twenty-two inch diameter table support member 12, all as is clearly illustrated in FIG. l.

To erect the table 10, the standing base 14 is pvoted Y or swung about the fold line 14b into a position extending substantially perpendicularly of the table bottom surface 12b. The accordion fold body 14a is then unfolded in the direction of unfolding F as a result of movement of the edge 14e away from the stationary edge 14d. Formed integrally along the edge 14e is a triangular shaped attachlng tab 141 which, in practice, is inserted within an enclosure 16 formed between a member 16a and the table bottom surface; 12b, the member 16a being appropriately adhered only along its marginal edges 16b to the table bottom surface 12b. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 3, the enclosure 16 is located in the path of the direction of unfolding F and at a predetermined distance D from the stationary portion 14d, 14k of the accordion fold body 14a which distance D will be understood to be slightly v less than the previously noted theoretical maximum extent of unfolding that can occur in the accordion fold body 14a. As a consequence., and as illustrated in phantom perspective in FIG. 3, after placement of the `attaching tab 141 Within the enclosure 16, the accordion fold walls 14g, 14h are in a slightly inwardly folded condition. These Walls 14g, 14h are then snapped into the slightly outwardly folded condition illustrated in FIG. 9 which is effective to prevent inadvertent collapsing of the same while the base 14 is functioning as a stand for the table 10.

The foregoing movement of the Iunfolding sides of the accordion fold body 14a can perhaps be better understood from a comparison of FIGS. 7 and 8. The plane of the cross section of FIG. 7 is along the fold line 14j and illustrates the position of each fold line when each side is in its previously noted slightly inwardly folded condition. FIG. 8, on the other hand, illustrates the position of the fold lines 14j after movement outwardly of the same lwhich results from forceably moving or snapping the sides into an outwardly projection position. As a consequence of this positioning of the old lines 14j not only are the sides held against inadvertent collapsing but it will also be noted that the upper edges of the Walls 14g, 14h of each of the sides of the accordion fold 14a are brought nto supporting contact against the table bottom surface 12b, Thus, the standing base 14 provides support for the table member 12 along the four edges 14d, 14e and also along the opposite edges 14m'.

The support provided by the stand 14 has been found to be adequate for normal use of the table 10 even when the table parts 12 and 14 are not made of plastic, wood or other such traditional materials of construction, but rather is fabricated even of cardboard which, however, is of a grade or of a iiuted construction so as to Withstand a certain amount of force and stress. As described herein, the table 10 thus has an advantage of a compact condition convenient for storage, is readily placed into an erect condition in which it efficiently functions as a table, and is adapted, when fabricated of fluted cardboard or the like, to be economically massfproduced.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. A table of the type having a compact, folded storage condition and an erect, unfolded standing condition comprising a table support member having a top surface and a bottom surface, an unfolding standing base for said table support member including an accordion fold body having a facing pair of first and second operative end edges and an intermediate facing pair of unfolding sides which are each formed by at least two walls on opposite sides of a fold line and are each adapted to unfold through a direction of unfolding for a theoretical distance of unfolding which is a function of the combined sizes of said two walls, said accordion fold body being attached along said first operative end edge to said bottom surface and having an attaching tab on said opposite second operative end edge, and a tab-receiving enclosure on said bottom surface located along said direction of unfolding and at a distance from said iirst operative edge which is slightly less than said theoretical distance of unfolding to thereby initially position said facing sides of said accordion fold body in a slightly inwardly folded condition, whereby said facing sides are adapted to be snapped into a slightly outwardly folding condition preparatory to functioning as a standing base for said table support member.

2. A table as defined in claim 1 wherein said standing base, while in said folded condition thereof, is foldable along said attached rst operative end edge into a compact storage condition against said bottom surface of said table support member. p

3. A table as defined in claim 2 wherein said table support member and said standing base are fabricated of tiuted cardboard.

4. A table of the type having a compact, folded storage condition and an erect, unfolded standing condition comprising a table support member having a top surface and a bottom surface, an unfolding standing base for said table support member including an accordion fold body which is unfoldable through a direction of unfolding, said accordion fold body having an outer iirst operative edge attached to said bottom surface, an inner second operative edge having an attaching tab thereon located adjacent to and free of attachment to said bottom surface such that said attaching tab is operatively movable through said direction of unfolding along said bottom surface, and an intermediate facing pair of unfolding sides which are each formed by at least two walls on opposite sides of a fold line and are each adapted to unfold through said direction of unfolding or a theoretical distance of unfolding which iS a function of the combined sizes of said two walls, and a 3,490,394 5 6 tab-receiving enclosure on said bottom surface located References Cited along said direction of unfolding and at a distance from UNITED STATES PATENTS said rst operative edge which is slightly less than said theoretical distance of unfolding to thereby initially posi- 2,240,024 4/1941 Stone et al' 1o8 115 tion said facing sides of said accordion fold body in a 5 2,550,959 5/1951 Brown 108%115 slightly inwardly folded condition, whereby said facing 2,822,860 2/1958 Calabrese 10S-115 sides are adapted to be snapped into a slightly outwardly 3,078,095 2/1963 Wolf 10S-*112 XR folded condition preparatory to functioning as a standing 3,220,362 11/1965 Downes 1o8112 base for said table support member. 3,232,552' 2/1966 Nelson 105;115

5. A table as dened in claim 4 wherein said table sup- 10 i port member and said standing base are fabricated of BOBBY R' GAY Prlmary Examme uted cardboard. G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner

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