ADJUSTABLE TRAY

• US 3,850,398 A
• Filed: 06/15/1973
• Issued: 11/26/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frank J. Kantor
• Original Assignee: Frank J. Kantor
• Inventors: Kantor, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schultz, William H.
• Application Number:
  US05/370,209
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 248/122,225,226D,230,291
• US Class Current: 248/222.14
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 23/02 releasably mounted on the bedstead or another item of furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/62 Accessories for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/622 Receptacles, e.g. cup holders, storage containers

Abstract

A tray for horizontally supporting a drink container, and a cooperating clamping assembly for attaching the tray to a tubular chair. The clamping assembly has two hollow cylindrical members, one of which has an end with a perpendicularly inturned flange defining a circular opening having an enlarged cross-section. Rotatably supported within this member is a disc with a transverse slot in one face. This member has an arcuate slot penetrating its wall superjacent the edge of the disc through which the shank of a locking knob passes to threaded engagement with a lock nut seated in an indentation in the side of the disc. When the locking knob is turned in one direction, the nut is drawn against the inner wall of the cylindrical member to lock the disc in position. When the knob is turned in the other direction, the nut is loosened, and the disc can then be rotated within the cylindrical member by shifting of the locking knob. The tray has an integral bayonet lug with a round, flat base segment transversely across the top of which extends a flat latch bar segment with ear-like ends which project beyond the edge of the base segment. When the disc is positioned in one particular way, the bayonet lug can be inserted in the clamping assembly so that its latch bar segment fits into the above-mentioned slot. The disc can then be rotated to another position and locked in place to secure the tray to the clamping assembly.

Claims

1. Holding means comprising, in combination, supported means and a clamping assembly, said clamping assembly being removably attachable to a segment of rigid tubing for support of said supported means near said tubing;

said clamping assembly comprising clamp means adapted to embrace said tubing and associated fastening means for securing said clamp means tightly in place around said tubing;

said supported means having an integral bayonet lug extending laterally outwardly therefrom;

said clamping assembly including an outer shell and an internal member with a slot mounted for reciprocal movement between limits within said shell;

said clamping assembly having a receptive hollow for said bayonet lug, the receptive hollow being partially defined by said slot and the character of said reciprocal movement being such as to permit free insertion of said bayonet lug into said receptive hollow in one position of said internal member, after which movement of the internal member within said outer shell causes concurrent movement of the bayonet lug and supported means and consequent interlocking of said supported means and said clamping assembly;

said clamping assembly including associated moving and locking means to permit manual movement of said internal member between said limits, and locking of that member in any position of said movement within said outer shell;

the parts of said holding means serving to permit installation of said supported means for use near said tubing by attaching said clamping assembly to the tubing and securing it in place thereon with said associated fastening means, assuring adjustment of the position of said internal member so that said receptive hollow can receive said bayonet lug, fully inserting said bayonet lug into said receptive hollow, moving said internal member and said supported means to a desired orientation of the latter and locking said internal member in place by means of said moving and locking means.

2. Holding means in accordance with claim 1 adapted primarily for attachment to a piece of tubular furniture, in which said segment of rigid tubing is a part of the framework of the piece of furniture, said supported means is a drink holding tray, and;

in which said outer shell is of generally cylindrical shape with a generally cylindrical inner wall, said internal member is a disc adapted to fit snugly but rotatably within said shell in coaxial relationship therewith, said disc being sufficiently thick to remain uncanted in said coaxial relationship within said shell;

said slot is a transverse slot in one face of said disc disposed symmetrically about a diameter thereof; and

said shell has integral retaining means for preventing substantial axial migration of said disc from a predetermined position therewithin.

3. Holding means in accordance with claim 2 in which said bayonet lug has a substantially flat base segment of circular periphery and a latch bar segment overlying said base segment and running transversely across a midsection thereof, said latch bar segment being of sufficient length to extend beyond the peripheral edge of said base segment at each end to provide a pair of ear-like extensions therebeyond;

said outer shell has an inturned flange defining a generally circular opening at one end, which generally circular opening is enlarged at diametrically opposite sides to provide access for said latch bar segment of said bayonet lug, and is otherwise adapted to receive said base segment of the bayonet lug in relatively snug fitting but rotatable relationship;

said disc is positioned within said outer shell with said slot facing said inturned flange;

said receptive hollow includes said slot and said generally circular opening and is adapted to receive said bayonet lug when said slot is in registry with the enlarged sides of said opening; and

rotational movement of said disc from said position of registry of its slot with said enlarged sides of said opening when said bayonet lug is positioned within said receptive hollow serves to interengage said bayonet lug and clamping assembly by moving said ear-like extensions at least partially behind said flange.

4. Holding means in accordance with claim 3 in which said outer shell has an axially perpendicular slot through its wall, superjacent the edge of said disc, running part way around said wall, and said moving and locking means comprises a locking knob with a head which can be turned by hand and a threaded shank;

said disc has an indented seat for the retention of a lock nut in its edge;

said moving and locking means includes a lock nut positioned in said seat, said lock nut being threaded to receive the shank of said locking knob and said locking knob being positioned with its shank extending through said perpendicular slot to threaded engagement with said lock nut, in the assembled holding means; and

said disc has a non-threaded, blind socket in the bottom of said seat beneath the center of said lock nut, said socket being sized to receive the outer end of the shank of said locking knob in loosely fitting non-threaded relationship, and said shank being of sufficient length to extend into such socket for a sufficient distance to permit said disc to be rotated between said limits in said shell by the manual shifting of said locking knob back and forth in said perpendicular slot;

the parts of the assembled holding means cooperating so that said locking knob can be turned by hand to tighten said lock nut against the inner cylindrical wall of said shell to lock said disc in position within the shell or to loosen said lock nut and permit movement of said disc through manual shifting of said locking knob in the above-indicated manner.

5. Holding means in accordance with claim 4 in which said means for preventing substantial axial migration of said disc from its predetermined position within said shell includes said inturned flange at the forward end of said shell and at least two diametrically opposite projections from the inner cylindrical wall of the shell positioned to prevent substantial axial movement of said disc to the rear within said shell.

6. Holding means in accordance with claim 5 in which the registry of the enlarged portion of said substantially circular opening at the forward end of said shell and the slot in the forward face of said disc occurs at an extreme position of rotation of said disc within said shell where the shank of said locking knob abuts one end of said perpendicular slot in the wall of said shell, whereby said registry can be quickly and easily achieved for removal of said tray from said clamping assembly.

7. HOlding means in accordance with claim 6 in which said clamp means comprises a pair of hollow, generally cylindrical members of equal diameter, each having a pair of diametrically opposite, semi-circular notches cut in its side wall, the radii of the semi-circular notches being such as to permit said members to be brought together in embrace of said tubing so that their semi-circular notches form circular openings sized to snugly receive the tubing, one of said cylindrical members comprising said outer shell.

8. Holding means in accordance with claim 7 in which said associated fastening means for securing said clamp means tightly in place on said tubing includes a pair of nonthreaded, cylindrical sockets on one of said cylindrical members and a pair of threaded sockets on the second of said members, the positions of said nonthreaded cylindrical and said threaded sockets being such that the sockets fall into respective alignment when the two members are in their positions of embrace of said tubing, and said associated fastening means including, also, a pair of screws adapted to pass through said cylindrical sockets and into threaded engagement with said threaded sockets, when said members are so positioned, the screws being of a length suitable for tightening in said threaded sockets to secure said clamp means tightly in place on said tubing.

9. Holding means in accordance with claim 8 in which said tray has at least one depression adapted particularly, for use as a holding seat for a drink container.

10. Holding means in accordance with claim 9 in which said tray has a relatively deep depression adapted particularly for use as a holding seat for a drink container and a relatively shallow depression adapted particularly for use as a holding seat for an ash tray with an outwardly extending flange around its top.