Convertible table and bench combination for children

• US 6,460,924 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lorraine M. Josephs
• Original Assignee: Lorraine M. Josephs
• Inventors: Josephs, Lorraine M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US09/688,914
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 108/26, 297/172, 297/158.3, 297/158.5, 297/118, 297/188.01, 297/440.1, 297/440.22, 297/174.R, 297/174.CS
• US Class Current: 297/158.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 13/16 Holders for glasses, ashtrays, lamps, candles or the like forming part of tables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/02 Tables combined with seats folding or stowable tables with separable parts combined with seats A47B3/063; foldable table and seat units A47B3/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 11/00 Benches not otherwise provided for school forms A47B39/00

Abstract

A convertible table and bench combination for children that includes a table and a pair of benches. The table includes an apron, a pair of legs, and a table top. Each leg includes a foot that has two pair of throughbores. The table top rests invertibly in the apron and has pair of through cutouts for grasping by hands for facilitating inversion thereof, an uppermost surface that has plate recesses that replaceably hold plates therein for preventing the plates from being knocked over by the children and glass recesses that replaceably hold glasses therein for preventing the glasses from being knocked over by the children, and a lowermost surface that is completely flat so as to provide a work surface for the children when eating is over, the plates and the glasses are removed, and the table top is lifted and inverted. The pair of benches are interlockingly attached to the table by tongues that interlock in associated pairs of throughbores in the feet of the pair of legs for holding the pair of benches to the table even when the children seating in the seating areas of the pair of benches are squirming.

Claims

1. A convertible table and bench combination for children, comprising:

a) a table having a length; and

b) a pair of benches being replaceably attached to said table and having seating areas for the children;

 

wherein said table comprises;

a) an apron;

b) a pair of legs that depend from said apron; and

c) a table top that is operatively connected to said apron;

 

wherein said apron comprises;

a) a pair of long beams that are slender, elongated, and rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped; and

b) a pair of short beams that are slender, elongated, and rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped, have entire lengths and lowermost terminal surfaces, are shorter than said pair of long beams thereof, and together therewith, form a frame that is rectangular-shaped, horizontally-oriented, has an uppermost surface, and defines a through opening.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each bench is replaceably and interlockingly attached to, and extends said length of, said table.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each leg extends across, is flush with, and depends from, an associated short beam of said frame.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said uppermost surface of said frame has a relief that is horizontally-oriented and extends continuously and completely therearound and communicates with said through opening defined by said frame.

5. The combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said table top is a sheet that replaceably rests invertibly and freely in said relief in said uppermost surface of said frame.

6. The combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said table top has:

a) an uppermost surface;

b) a lowermost surface, and is rectangular-shaped so by definition further has;

c) a pair of long edges; and

d) a pair of short edges with midpoints.

7. The combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said table top further has a pair of through cutouts that extend inwardly from, and communicate with, said midpoints of said pair of short edges thereof, respectively, for grasping by hands for facilitating inversion of said table top in said relief in said uppermost surface of said frame.

8. The combination as defined in claim 7, wherein said uppermost surface of said table top has plate recesses that are circular-shaped and depend taperingly therein, terminate short of, so as to allow flat maintenance of, said lowermost surface of said table top, and replaceably hold plates therein to a point where said plates are steady for preventing knocking over by the children, by virtue of said circular-shape and tapering.

9. The combination as defined in claim 8, wherein each plate has a perimeter and is divided into four compartments by:

a) a first partition that extends diametrically thereacross to said perimeter thereof and provides a primary compartment for a main food; and

b) a pair of second partitions that are parallel to, and spaced-apart from, each other, and extend perpendicularly outwardly from said first partition thereof to said perimeter thereof and provide three secondary compartments for side foods.

10. The combination as defined in claim 8, wherein said plate recesses in said uppermost surface of said table top are so positioned therein so as to allow said plates replaceably held therein to be so positioned so as to be compatible with said seating areas of said a pair of benches for easy access by, but without being knocked over by, the children when sitting on said pair of benches.

11. The combination as defined in claim 10, wherein said uppermost surface of said table top further has glass recesses that are circular-shaped and depend taperingly therein, terminate short of, so as to allow flat maintenance of, said lowermost surface of said table top, and replaceably hold glasses therein to a point where said glasses are steady for preventing knocking over by the children, by virtue of said circular-shaped and tapering.

12. The combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said glass recesses in said uppermost surface of said table top are so positioned therein so as to allow said glasses replaceably held therein to be so positioned so as to be compatible with said plates and said seating areas of said a pair of benches for easy access by, but without being knocked over by, the children when sitting on said pair of benches.

13. The combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said lowermost surface of said table top is completely flat so as to provide a work surface for the children when eating is over, said plates and said glasses are removed, and said table top is lifted and inverted in said relief in said uppermost surface of said frame by use of said through cutouts in said table top.

14. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each leg is a sheet that extends from an uppermost terminal edge thereof along said entire length of an associated short beam of said frame, depends vertically therefrom to a lowermost terminal edge thereof, and has a pair of free edges that depend from said uppermost terminal edge thereof to said lowermost terminal edge thereof.

15. The combination as defined in claim 14, wherein said pair of free edges of each leg taper arcuately inwardly towards each other, in a direction of said associated short beam of said frame, from said uppermost terminal edge of an associated leg to said lowermost terminal edge of said associated leg so as to provide clearance for each of said pair of benches, respectively.

16. The combination as defined in claim 14, wherein each leg further comprises a ledger that is horizontally-oriented, slender, elongated, rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped and extends integrally inwardly along said uppermost terminal edge of an associated leg.

17. The combination as defined in claim 16, wherein each leg further comprises three first lag bolts that extend vertically upwardly and freely into said ledger of an associated leg and threadably into said lowermost surface of an associated short beam of said frame so as to replaceably attach said associated leg to said frame for easy removal, transport, and storage.

18. The combination as defined in claim 14, wherein each leg further comprises a foot that is horizontally-oriented, slender, elongated, rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped, and extends laterally outwardly along said lowermost terminal edge of an associated leg, past an associated short beam of said frame, and longitudinally outwardly past both free edges of said associated leg.

19. The combination as defined in claim 18, wherein each leg further comprises three second lag bolts that extend horizontally outwardly and freely into said lowermost terminal edge of an associated leg and threadably into said foot of said associated leg so as to replaceably attach said foot of said associated leg to said associated leg for easy removal, transport, and storage.

20. The combination as defined in claim 18, wherein each foot of each leg has two pair of throughbores that are rectangular-shaped, extend vertically therethrough, and are spaced longitudinally therealong.

21. The combination as defined in claim 20, wherein each pair of throughbores in said foot of an associated leg are disposed outboard of, so as to clear, an associated free edge of said associated leg.

22. The combination as defined in claim 20, wherein each bench comprises a seat that is flat, horizontally-oriented, has an uppermost surface, and is rectangular shaped, and as a result thereof, has:

a) a pair of long edges that include;

i) a forwardmost long edge; and

ii) a rearwardmost long edge; and

b) a pair of short edges, which by definition, are shorter than said pair of long edges thereof.

23. The combination as defined in claim 22, wherein each bench further comprises a back that is flat, vertically-oriented, rectangular-shaped, and as a result thereof, has:

a) a pair of long edges that include;

i) a lowermost long edge; and

ii) an uppermost long edge; and

b) a pair of short edges.

24. The combination as defined in claim 23, wherein said lowermost long edge of said back of said bench is coincident with said rearwardmost long edge of said seat, with said back extending vertically upwardly therefrom and horizontally from one short edge of said seat to the other short edge of said seat.

25. The combination as defined in claim 23, wherein each bench further comprises a pair of sides that are flat, vertically-oriented, and have:

a) upper portions; and

b) lower portions.

26. The combination as defined in claim 25, wherein each bench further comprises three partitions that are flat, vertically-oriented, replicate and are aligned with, said upper portions of said pair of sides, and extend vertically perpendicularly upwardly from, and are spaced along, said uppermost surface of said seat and horizontally perpendicularly forwardly from said back, and divide said bench into said seating areas.

27. The combination as defined in claim 25, wherein said upper portion of each side of each bench is flat, rectangular-shaped, and extends vertically perpendicularly upwardly from an associated short edge of said seat to short of said uppermost long edge of said back, and horizontally perpendicularly forwardly from an associated short edge of back to said forwardmost long edge of said seat, where said upper portion terminates in a forwardmost edge.

28. The combination as defined in claim 27, wherein said lower portion of each side of each bench is flat, rectangular-shaped, and depends vertically from said associated short edge of said seat, coplanarly with said upper portion of an associated side, to a lowermost edge thereof that replaceably abuts against said foot of an associated leg of said table, and extends rearwardly from said forwardmost edge of said upper portion of said associated side to short of said back.

29. The combination as defined in claim 28, wherein said lower portion of each side of each bench further has a pair of tongues that are rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped, spaced-apart from each other, depend from said lowermost edge of said lower portion of an associated side of an associated bench, and replaceably interlock in an associated pair of throughbores in said foot of an associated leg for holding said pair of benches to said table even when the children sitting in said seating areas of said pair of benches are squirming.