FOLDABLE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE

• US 3,692,358 A
• Filed: 06/09/1971
• Issued: 09/19/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glenn H. Morris
• Original Assignee: Albert Y. Sung
• Inventors: Sung, Albert Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Bobby R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, Garry
• Application Number:
  US05/151,214
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 297/157,159 108/119,118,120,90 248/432,164,431
• US Class Current: 297/158.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2003/025 pivoting to a position underneath the tabletop
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 3/02 with foldable cross legs adjustable for varying height of tops A47B9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 3/14 Foldable table and seat units

Abstract

An article of furniture movable between an erect position and a folded generally planar position is provided including a top planar supporting surface formed by two mating halves when the article is in its erect position. A first pair of braces are secured to the undersurface of one of the halves and extend in a direction normal to the line of mating of the halves and under the undersurface of the other of the halves to support the other of the halves when the article is in its erect position. A second pair of braces are spaced inwardly of the first pair of braces and are secured to the undersurface of the other of the halves and extend in a direction opposite to the first pair of braces and under the undersurface of the first of the halves to support the first of the halves when the article is in its erect position. Leg members for supporting the article in its erect position are pivotally secured to the free ends of the braces and cross on opposite sides of the top surface and are pivotally connected at their point of crossing. A bar is pivotally connected to the second pair of braces and the leg members pivotally connected thereto to provide both a support for the underside of the half having the first pair of braces secured thereto and a handle for carrying the article when it is folded into its generally planar position.

Claims

1. An article of furniture movable between an erect position forming said article of furniture and a folded generally planar position for carrying said article comprising:

a top member composed of two mating halves forming a planar supporting surface when said article is in its erect position;

a first pair of elongated brace members fixedly secured at one end to the undersurface of one of said halves on each side thereof and extending in a direction substantially normal to the axis passing through the point of mating of said halves and the other end thereof extending along the undersurface of the other of said halves to generally the outer limit thereof to provide a support for the undersurface of the other of said halves when said article is in its erect position;

a second pair of elongated brace members fixedly secured at one end to the undersurface of the other of said halves on each side thereof and spaced inwardly of said first pair of brace members when said article is in its erect position, said second pair of brace members extending in the opposite direction as said first pair of brace members and also substantially normal to the axis passing through the point of mating of said halves with the other end of each of said second brace members extending along the undersurface of the first of said halves to generally the outer limit thereof to provide a support for the undersurface of the first of said halves when said article is in its erect position;

leg members for supporting said article when in an erect position pivotally connected to the free ends of each of said brace members, the pair of said leg members connected to the brace members on opposite sides of their respective halves crossing each other and being pivotally connected at their point of crossing; and

means extending between the second pair of brace members at their other ends and pivotally connected to both said second pair of brace members and the leg members pivotally connected thereto for providing both a support for the underside of said half haVing said first pair of brace members fixedly secured thereto when said article is in its erect position and a handle for carrying said article when said article is in its folded generally planar position.

2. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein each of said pair of brace members extend along and are secured to their respective halves along generally the entire undersurface thereof from one side of said halves to the other.

3. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein said means is a cylindrical rod.

4. The article of furniture of claim 1 wherein said halves are comprised of a plurality of spaced slats secured to their respective brace members.

5. The article of furniture of claim 4 including spacer means associated with at least one of said halves at the point of mating of said halves when said article is in its erect position for spacing one of said halves from the other.

6. The article of furniture of claim 5 wherein said spacer means includes a pair of spacer members secured to one of said halves and occupying a space formed between said halves when said article is in its erect position generally related to the spaces between said slats forming said halves and having upper surfaces substantially flush with the upper surfaces of said slats.

7. The article of furniture of claim 6 wherein said spacer members are generally as wide as the brace members associated with the half to which they are secured in a direction parallel to the axis passing through the point of mating of said halves.

8. The article of furniture of claim 1 including bracing means secured to and extending between the leg members pivotally secured to both said first pair of brace members and said second pair of brace members for bracing all of said leg members.

9. The article of furniture of claim 8 wherein said bracing means includes at least one slat member having the plane thereof substantially normal to the plane of said leg members to which they are secured, said plane of said slat members being generally coincident with the plane of the half of said top member pivotally secured to each pair of respective leg members when said article is in its folded generally planar position.

10. The article of furniture of claim 1 including at least a second planar surface associated with the leg members of said article of furniture disposed below said first-mentioned planar surface and being generally horizontal on its upper surface when said article is in its fully erect position.

11. The article of furniture of claim 10 wherein a plurality of rods are pivotally connected to all of said leg members below said top planar surface and extend in a direction generally horizontal to said top planar surface when said article is in its fully erect position and generally parallel to its respective leg member when said article is in its fully folded position, and one second planar surface being secured to the pair of rods connected to the leg members on one side of said article of furniture and another second planar surface being secured to the pair of rods connected to the leg members on the other side of said article of furniture.

12. The article of furniture of claim 11 wherein both said second planar surfaces are comprised of a plurality of slats secured to their respective rods, the planes of said last-mentioned slats being generally coincident with the half on the respective side of said article of furniture when said article of furniture is in its fully folded position.

13. The article of furniture of claim 11 including means associated with said leg members and said rods for supporting said second planar surfaces in a generally horizontal position when said article is in its fully folded position.