FOLDING GAME BOARD HINGE ASSEMBLY

• US 3,760,456 A
• Filed: 07/31/1972
• Issued: 09/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Morris Mark
• Original Assignee: Morris Mark
• Inventors: Mark, Morris
• Primary Examiner(s): Zogel, Francis K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Application Number:
  US05/276,829
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 16/137,138,139,143,144 273/30 5/57
• US Class Current: 16/223
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/045 Supports for table tennis nets
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1007 with positive locking

Abstract

An assembly located at opposite sides of a folding game board or table for allowing the table to be folded along an axis and for supporting a net stretched therebetween, each of the assemblies including table edge mounted hinge plates, each plate having a socket portion adapted to receive different ones of a pair of spaced downwardly extending arms of a net support and hinge locking member, the member including an upstanding net supporting rod portion, the hinge plates being locked in an open or playing position when the arms of the net support and hinge locking member are positioned in the hinge plate sockets.

Claims

1. A hinge-net support arrangement for use with a folding game board having two table sections, comprising:

first and second hinge members fixedly attachable to abutting table section side edges, each of said hinge members including an inner planar surface and pivoted overlapPing portions, at least one of said overlapping portions being offset whereby said planar surfaces move ina common plane with pivoting of said hinge members, each of said hinge members also including a socket portion; and

a removable net support and hinge locking member having an upstanding net support portion and a lower plug portion, said plug portion registering with and insertable in both of said socket portions of said hinge members to rigidly position said net support portion while preventing relative movement of said hinge members, when said members are in their open position.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said plug portion includes a pair of spaced downwardly extending arms, and wherein said socket portions of said hinge members include apertures adapted to receive said arms.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said socket portions are disposed on said outer surface of said hinge members and spaced from said overlapping portions.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, also comprising a pivot pin rotatably joining said overlapping portions of said hinge members.

5. The arrangement According to claim 4, wherein said socket portions are elongated cylinders having axes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said pivot pin.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said overlapping portion and said socket portion of each of said hinge members is integrally formed therein.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein each of said hinge members is formed from a piece of steel plate and include mounting holes therein.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said net support portion of said net support and hinge locking member includes an offset bent portion adjacent its lower extremity.

9. In a folding game table having first and second table sections wherein a net is stretched between side edge mounted net supports, a hinge-net support arrangement mounted at each side edge comprising:

first and second hinge members attached to respective side edges of first and second table sections adjacent their abutting ends, each of said hinge members including an inner planar surface adjacent said side edges and also including overlapping portions, at least one of said overlapping portions being offset whereby said planar surfaces move in a common plane with pivoting of said hinge members, each of said hinge members further including a socket portion; and

a removable net support and hinge locking member having an upstanding net support portion and a lower plug portion, said plug portion registering with and insertable in both of said socket portions of said hinge members to rigidly position said net support portion while preventing relative movement of said hinge members when said table sections are in their unfolded configuration.

10. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said hinge members include mounting holes, and further comprising screws disposed through said mounting holes and into said table sections.