Light-weight folding massage table

• US 4,943,041 A
• Filed: 08/24/1989
• Issued: 07/24/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daniel C. Romein
• Original Assignee: Daniel C. Romein
• Inventors: Romein, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Watson, Robert C.
• Application Number:
  US07/398,221
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 269/901, 269/322, 269/327, 269/328, 128/70-74, 108/35-36, 108/113, 108/130-132
• US Class Current: 5/620
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0064 Table leg assembly held in folded position by tension means
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2220/09 Furniture held together by tension cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 3/083 with foldable top leaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/105 Portable, foldable or collapsible tables, e.g. for surgery or treatment portable, foldable or collapsible chairs for surgery or dental treatment A61G15/002
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 269/901 Collapsible or foldable work holder supporting structure

Abstract

The invention is a light-weight folding massage table consisting of a pair of flat hingedly connected rectangular sections, preferably having a padded wooden surface with a peripheral wooden underframe. Two telescoping pairs of legs are rotatably attached to the sides of the frame by a leg-table frame joint at a short distance from the outer ends of the undersurface of each section. Each pair of legs is connected by a horizontal tube, or leg brace, as well as diagonal cables extending from the table and leg joint to the lower end of the opposite leg. A table-leg brace cable is connected from the lower end of each leg lengthwise to the side of the opposite section a short distance from the inner end of that section. An end cable is connected to the lower end of each leg and is detachable connected to the outward end of each section. Another pair of cables, the bridge cables, is connected at each end at the joint of the table and a leg, extends along the underside of the length of the table in an V-shaped manner. When the table is in the opened position, these cables pass through a pair of bridge tubes which extend angularly downward and is rotatably attached by a bolt which passes through the inner end of both sections, thus locking the two sections in place and distributing the load across the two sections. The bridge cable may be removed from the bridge tube, and the tube may be rotated and fixed to the undersurface of the table, so that when the legs are similarly folded up against the undersurface of the table, the table can either be closed or be placed flat on a floor. A cable connected from the end of each bridge tube, extends across the width of the table and is secured at its center to the inner end of its section. A soft face rest affixed to an outwardly facing U-shaped tube, covered widthwise with a fabric material to provide a supporting surface, is rotatably connected to a pair of curved tubes, which are upwardly notched at the opposite end. The notched end of the tubes detachably inserts into a corresponding pair of holes at the end of the table and is held in place by a spring and tab mechanism. A flat arm rest may be inserted between the face rest and the supporting surface.

Claims

1. A light-weight folding massage table, comprising:

a pair of hingedly connected rectangular sections, having a padded upper surface and a peripheral underframe, said sections in an optionally opened position, with the sections being coplanar, or in a closed position, with the sections being parallel;

two pairs of telescoping legs rotatably connected to the side of the underframe near each end, which when the table is either in the closed position or in the flat opened position is coplanar to the undersurface of the table, and when the table is in the raised opened position extend angularly outward and downward from the underside of the table, providing substantial longitudinal stability;

a horizontal brace tube affixed to each leg of each leg pair;

two pair of leg brace cables overlappingly attached, in an X-configuration, from the lower end of one leg to the upper end of the other leg of the leg pair by an adjustment means, providing the leg pairs with a high degree of stability;

a pair of table locking bolts which pass through holes in the inner ends of the undersurface of both sections of the table, locking both sections together, when the table is in a fully open position and is held in place by a locking means;

a pair of bridge tubes rotatably connected to the locking bolts at the upper end and slit lengthwise at their lower end, which when the table is in the closed position or in the opened flat position is attached to the undersurface of the table and when the table is in the raised opened position extends angularly downward from the undersurface of the table, wedging the bridge tube againt the frame;

a pair of bridge cables running longitudinally in a V-shaped manner along the inner edge of the underframe, connected at each end to the upper leg joints and passing through the slit in the bridge tube, providing for compression of the table sections;

a bridge support cable is connected from the lower end of each bridge tube, and is secured at its center to the table end frame in an inverted V-shape;

a pair of end cables at each end of the table, attached to the horizontal leg brace by an adjustable means and detachably connected at the other end of the end cable to the end of the table providing longitudinal stability independent of the bridge cables;

two pairs of table-leg brace cables on each side of the table, each being attached at one end to the near end to the lower part of a leg, and attached at the other end to the near end of the opposite section, providing a tension on the end cable and longitudinally stabilizing the leg pairs;

a head rest detachably affixed to the outer end of one section;

a horizontal hand rest removably affixed to the head rest;

carrying handles affixed to one of the outer edges of each section;

a carrying strap is detachably affixed to the edge of the table.

2. The light-weight folding massage table as defined in claim 1 with a head rest comprising:

a pair of S-shaped support tubes upwardly notched at one end, said the notched end being inserted into the end of one table section, and held in place by a spring and tab means permitting the headrest to be optionally raised or lowered;

a U-shaped tube rotatably attached to the unnotched end of each support tube;

a support cloth stretchably affixed across the U-shaped tube;

a soft face rest supported by and affixed to the support cloth.

3. The light-weight folding massage table as defined in claim 1 wherein an adjustment bolt is longitudinally and affixed internally within the bridge tube, such that by recessing and extracting the bolt the middle of the table is lowered and raised, respectively.