Table lift mechanism

• US 4,981,085 A
• Filed: 08/07/1989
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Weber Knapp Company
• Original Assignee: Weber Knapp Company
• Inventors: Watt, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US07/390,538
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 108/146, 108/147, 108/144, 248/162.1, 248/280.1, 248/292.1, 248/297.1, 248/188.5, 74/89.15
• US Class Current: 108/147
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0027 Desks with I-shaped leg
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 9/02 with balancing device, e.g. by springs, by weight

Abstract

Furniture having a top or the like supported for vertical movement by telescopic leg supports is provided with a counterbalance mechanism for exerting a relative uniform counterbalance force on the top throughout its range of vertical movement, a latch mechanism for releasably latching the top in selected vertical positions, and an adjustable roller guide mechanism for coupling telescopic elements of the leg supports.

Claims

1. A piece of furniture comprising in combination:

a top portion;

a pair of lengthwise adjustable leg supports for supporting said top portion for a range of vertical movement, each of said leg supports includes a stationary part and a movable part; and

a counterbalance mechanism for counterbalancing at least part of the weight of said top portion during vertical movement thereof, said mechanism including drive means for effecting lengthwise adjustment of said leg supports, a counterbalance spring for exerting a variable spring force and coupling means for coupling said spring to said drive means for establishing an essentially uniform counterbalance force on said top portion during vertical movement thereof, said coupling means includes a lever supported adjacent one end thereof relative to said stationary part for pivotal movement about an axis between first and second positions corresponding to lowered and raised positions of said top portion, said spring exerting a bias on said lever tending to pivot said lever from said first position into said second position, and a flexible drive for coupling an opposite end of said lever to said drive means, said drive means includes a pair of racks carried one by each of said movable parts and a pair of driven gears carried one by each of said stationary parts and engaged with said racks, said flexible drive includes sprockets drivingly coupled to said driven gears, a drive chain trained about said sprockets, and a coupling link having opposite ends pivotally connected to said opposite end of said lever and to said drive chain, and said opposite end of said lever moves relatively towards and away from said drive chain incident to movement of said lever from said first position towards said second position.

2. A piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein latch means is provided for releasably locking said top portion in selected positions throughout said range of vertical movement, said latch means includes a latch arm carried by one of said stationary parts and having a top portion latching position and a release position, spring means tending to bias said latch arm into said top portion latching position, a furniture user-actuated push-pull cable for moving said latch arm into said release position against the bias of said spring means, coupling means for coupling said cable to said latch arm, and pulley assembly for guiding said cable from said top portion to said coupling means, said pulley means including a first pulley carried by said one of said stationary parts and disposed adjacent said coupling means and a second pulley carried by said drive chain for movement towards and away from said first pulley incident to upwardly and downwardly directed movements of said top portion.

3. A piece of furniture according to claim 2, wherein said stationary part includes a pair of facing vertically extending guide tracks, said movable part carries two pairs of rollers adjacent a lower end thereof arranged one pair for engagement with each of said guide tracks for guiding said lower end relative to said stationary part, each of said pairs of rollers including an upper roller and a lower roller aligned in the direction of movement of said movable part, one of said pairs of rollers being fixed against displacement relative to said lower end in a direction normal to said direction of said movement of said movable part and another of said pairs of rollers being adjustably fixed to said lower end for movement towards and away from said one of said pairs of rollers in a direction normal to said direction of said movement of said movable part.

4. A piece of furniture according to claim 3, wherein said other of said pairs of rollers is journalled on a common plate means and said plate means is adjustably mounted on said lower end.

5. A piece of furniture according to claim 4, wherein said plate means is adjustably mounted on said lower end by a pin fixed to one of said lower end and said plate means, a slot defined by the other of said lower end and said plate means, said slot movably receiving said pin for movably coupling said plate means to said lower end, a nut loosely carried by said plate means and a threaded fastener having a head portion rotatably engaging with said lower end and a threaded portion threadably engaging with said nut.

6. A piece of furniture comprising in combination:

a top portion;

lengthwise adjustable leg supports for supporting said top portion for a range of vertical movement, each of said leg supports includes a hollow stationary part and a movable part having an upper end connected to said top portion and a lower end telescopically received within said stationary part, said stationary part includes a pair of facing vertically extending guide tracks and guide means disposed adjacent an upper end thereof, two pairs of rollers located adjacent said lower end between said guide tracks and arranged one pair for engagement with each of said guide tracks for guiding said lower end relative to said stationary part, one of said pairs of rollers being rotatable about a first pair of axes fixed against displacement relative to said lower end, plate means for mounting an other of said pairs of rollers for rotation about a second pair of axes, and means to adjustably mount said plate means on said lower end for rotational and sliding movement relative thereto for moving said second pair of axes towards and away from said first pair of axes in a direction normal to the direction of said movement of said movable part while maintaining the axes of said one and said other pairs of rollers essentially parallel, as required to place all rollers of said two pairs of rollers in engagement with said guide tracks, said guide means slidably supports said movable part above said lower end; and

a counterbalance mechanism for counterbalancing at least part of the weight of said top portion during vertical movement thereof, said mechanism including drive means for effecting lengthwise adjustment of said leg supports, a counterbalance spring for exerting a variable spring force and coupling means for coupling said spring to said drive means for establishing an essentially uniform counterbalance force on said top portion during vertical movement thereof.

7. A piece of furniture according to claim 6, wherein said means to adjustably mount said plate means includes a pin fixed to one of said lower end and said plate means, a slot defined by the other of said lower end and said plate means, said slot movably receiving said pin for movably coupling said plate means to said lower end for relative rotational and sliding movements, a nut loosely carried by said plate means and a threaded fastner having a head portion rotatably engaging with said lower end and a threaded portion threadably engaging with said nut, and rotation of said threaded fastner effects relative movement of said pin within said slot.

8. A piece of furniture comprising in combination:

a top portion;

lengthwise adjustable leg supports for supporting said top portion for a range of vertical movement, said leg supports include a pair of hollow stationary parts and a pair of movable parts having upper ends connected to said top portion and lower ends telescopically received one within each of said stationary parts; and

a counterbalance mechanism of counterbalancing at least part of the weight of said top portion during vertical movement thereof, said mechanism including drive means for effecting lengthwise adjustment of said leg supports, a counterbalance spring for exerting a variable spring force and coupling means for coupling said spring to said drive means for establishing an essentially uniform counterbalance force on said top portion during vertical movement thereof, said drive means includes a pair of vertically extending racks carried one on each of said movable parts and a pair of gears journalled one on each of said stationary parts for engagement with said racks, said coupling means includes a third gear arranged to mesh with one of said pair of gears, a pair of sprockets fixed for rotation one with each of said third gear and the other of said pair of gears, a lever supported adjacent one end thereof relative to said stationary parts for pivotal movement about an axis and having a second end, a chain trained about said sprockets and a coupling link pivotally coupled adjacent opposite ends thereof to said chain and said second end of said lever, said counterbalance spring is connected to said lever intermediate said ends thereof and provides a bias tending to pivot said lever from a first position into a second position corresponding to lowered and raised positions of said top portion, respectively, and said second end of said lever moves successively towards and away from said chain incident to movement of said lever from said first position into said second position thereof.

10. A vertically extensible support comprising in combination:

a vertically upstanding, hollow stationary part having an upper end formed with a guide opening and a pair of facing guide tracks depending vertically from adjacent said guide opening;

a movable part arranged within said stationary part and having an upper end portion slidably received within said guide opening and a lower end portion; and

roller guide means for guiding said lower end portion for movement vertically along said tracks, said roller guide means including first and second pairs of guide rollers, and adjustment plate and mounting means for mounting said adjustment plate on said lower end portion, said first pair of guide rollers being arranged to engage one of said tracks at points spaced lengthwise thereof and being supported by said lower end portion for rotation about a first pair of axes positionally fixed relative to said movable part, said second pair of guide rollers being arranged to engage the other of said tracks at points spaced lengthwise thereof and being supported by said adjustment plate for rotation about a second pair of axes positionally fixed relative to said adjustment plate, and said mounting means mounts said adjustment plate on said lower end portion to adjust positioning of said second pair of axes relative to said first pair of axes transversely of the direction of said movement of said lower end portion, while maintaining said second pair of axes substantially parallel to said first pair of axes.

9. A piece of furniture according to claim 11, wherein latch means is provided for releasably locking said top portion in selected positions throughout said range of vertical movement, said latch means includes a latch arm carried by one of said stationary parts and having a top portion latching position and a release position, spring means connected to said latch arm tending to bias said latch arm into said top portion latching position, a furniture user-actuated pull cable for moving said latch arm into said release position against the bias of said spring means, coupling means for coupling said cable to said latch arm, and pulley means for guiding said cable from said top portion to said coupling means, said pulley means including a first pulley carried by said one of said stationary parts and disposed adjacent said coupling means and a second pulley carried by said drive chain for movement towards and away from said first pulley incident to upwardly and downwardly directed movements of said top portion, and said latch arm latchingly engages with one of said pair of gears and said third gear.

11. A support according to claim 10, wherein said mounting means includes a pin fixed to one of said lower end portion and said adjustment plate, a slot defined by the other of said lower end portion and said adjustment plate, said slot movably receiving said pin for movably coupling said adjustment plate to said lower end portion, a nut loosely carried by said adjustment plate, and a threaded fastener having a head portion rotatably engaging with said lower end portion and a threaded portion threadably engaging with said nut, and said threaded fastner upon rotation thereof effecting relative movement of said pin and slot for adjusting the position of said second pair of axes relative to said first pair of axes.