Button actuator for use with leg lock of table

• US 6,920,833 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dorel Home Furnishings, Inc. (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lou-Hao, Leng
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US10/330,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 108/133, 108/132, 108/131, 108/130, 108/129, 288/188.6, 288/188.8
• US Class Current: 108/133
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 13/08 Table tops; Rims therefor not restricted to table tops A47B95/04
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 3/091 with struts supporting the legs in combination with foldable top leaves A47B3/087
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 3/0913 the strut being of two parts slidable relative to one another, e.g. telescopic struts

Abstract

A table includes a table top, a leg coupled to the table top for movement relative thereto, and a leg lock. The leg lock includes a button arranged for movement between a locking position locking the leg in a fixed position relative to the table top and an unlocking position allowing movement of the leg relative to the table top. A button actuator is arranged to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

Claims

1. A table comprising:

a table top,

a leg coupled to the table top for movement relative thereto,

a leg lock coupled to the table top and the leg, the leg lock including an inner tube, an outer tube, and a button, the inner tube and the outer tube being positioned in telescoping relation to one another, the button being movable between a locking position in which the button extends from the inner tube through a locking aperture formed in the outer tube to block relative movement between the inner tube and the outer tube to lock the leg in a fixed position relative to the table top and an unlocking position in which the button is withdrawn from the locking aperture into the inner tube enough to allow relative movement between the inner tube and the outer tube for movement of the leg relative to the table top, and

a button actuator including a sleeve and a flap, the sleeve surrounding the inner tube and the outer tube, the flap being coupled to the sleeve for movement relative thereto to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

2. The table of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a first end portion and a second end portion spaced longitudinally from the first end portion, the first end portion surrounds the outer tube and has a first inner diameter, and the second end portion surrounds the inner tube and a has a second inner diameter that is smaller than the first inner diameter and greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube.

3. The table of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a first end portion, a second end portion spaced longitudinally from the first end portion, and a side wall extending longitudinally between the first and second end portions, the side wall is formed to include a first button-receiving aperture, and the button extends through the first button-receiving aperture, the locking aperture, and a second button-receiving aperture formed in the inner tube when the button is positioned in the locking position.

4. The table of claim 3, wherein a first side of the flap is coupled to the first end portion of the sleeve by a living hinge for pivotable movement of the flap relative to the sleeve, and the button actuator includes a button retainer extending outwardly from the second end portion of the sleeve over a second side of the flap for engagement therewith to limit pivotable movement of the flap relative to the sleeve.

5. The table of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a channel receiving the inner tube and the outer tube, the channel includes a radially inwardly extending shoulder including an axially facing surface, and the outer tube includes an end edge arranged to engage the axially facing surface to move the button actuator axially along the inner tube upon relative movement between the inner tube and the outer tube.

6. The table of claim 1, wherein the button actuator includes a flap retainer coupled to the sleeve and extending over the flap for engagement therewith to limit movement of the flap relative to the sleeve.

7. A table comprising:

a table top,

a leg coupled to the table top for movement relative thereto;

a leg lock coupled to the table top and the leg, the leg lock including a button and telescoping members positioned in telescoping relation to one another, the button being arranged to move relative to the telescoping members between a locking position blocking relative movement between the telescoping members to lock the leg in a fixed position relative to the table top and an unlocking position allowing relative movement between the telescoping members for movement of the leg relative to the table top, and

means for moving the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

8. The table of claim 7, wherein the telescoping members include an outer tube and an inner tube inside the outer tube, the button includes a locking pin movable in a button-receiving aperture formed in the inner tube and a biasing element positioned in an interior region formed in the inner tube and arranged to bias yieldably the locking pin to the locking position so as to extend from the interior region through the button-receiving aperture into a locking aperture formed in the outer tube, and the button moving means is coupled to at least one of the outer tube and the inner tube and arranged to engage the locking pin to push the locking pin through the locking aperture and the button-receiving aperture to retract the locking pin into the interior region to the unlocking position against a biasing force applied by the biasing element.

9. The table of claim 8, wherein the button moving means includes a flap mount surrounding the outer tube and the inner tube and a flap coupled to the flap mount for movement relative thereto to engage the locking pin to move the locking pin from the locking position to the unlocking position.

10. The table of claim 9, wherein the outer tube includes an aperture-defining edge that defines the locking aperture, the locking pin includes a cam surface, and the flap is arranged to engage the cam surface to push the cam surface into the locking aperture to allow the cam surface to cam against the aperture-defining edge to retract the locking pin further into the interior region upon relative axial movement between the outer tube and the inner tube.

11. The table of claim 7, wherein the button moving means includes a sleeve that surrounds the telescoping members and a flap coupled to the sleeve for movement relative thereto to engage the button to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

12. The table of claim 7, wherein the button moving means includes a flap mount coupled to the leg lock, a flap coupled to the flap mount for movement relative thereto to engage the button to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position, and a flap retainer coupled to the flap mount for engagement with the flap to limit movement of the flap relative to the flap mount.

13. A table comprising:

a table top,

a leg coupled to the table top for movement relative thereto,

a leg lock coupled to the table top and the leg, the leg lock including a button, a button mount to which the button is coupled, and a button trap, the button mount and the button trap being arranged to move relative to one another, the button being arranged to move between a locking position in which the button is trapped in the button trap to block relative movement between the button mount and the button trap to lock the leg in a fixed position relative to the table top and an unlocking position in which the button is withdrawn from the button trap enough to allow relative movement between the button mount and the button trap for movement of the leg relative to the table top, and

a button actuator arranged to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

14. The table of claim 13, wherein the leg lock includes an inner tube and an outer tube, the inner and outer tubes are positioned in telescoping relation, the inner tube is the button mount and is formed to include a first button-receiving aperture, the outer tube includes the button trap which is an aperture-defining edge defining a locking aperture, the button includes a locking pin and a biasing element positioned in an interior region of the inner tube and arranged to bias yieldably the locking pin to the locking position so as to extend through the first button-receiving aperture into the locking aperture, and the button actuator includes a sleeve surrounding the inner tube and the outer tube and a flap coupled to the sleeve and arranged to move relative to the flap for engagement with the locking pin to push the locking pin through the locking aperture to the unlocking position against a biasing force applied by the biasing element.

15. The table of claim 14, wherein the sleeve includes a first end portion, a second end portion spaced longitudinally apart from the first end portion, and a side wall extending longitudinally between the first end portion and the second end portion, and the side wall is formed to include a second button-receiving aperture through which the locking pin extends when the locking pin is positioned in the locking position.

16. The table of claim 15, wherein the first end portion surrounds the outer tube and has a first inner diameter, the second end portion surrounds the inner tube and a has a second inner diameter that is smaller than the first inner diameter and greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube.

17. The table of claim 14, wherein the sleeve includes a channel receiving the inner tube and the outer tube, the channel includes a shoulder, and the outer tube includes an end edge arranged to engage the shoulder to move the button actuator axially along the inner tube upon relative axial movement between the outer tube and the inner tube.

18. The table of claim 13, wherein the leg lock includes inner and outer telescoping members positioned in telescoping relation to one another, the inner telescoping member is the button mount, the outer telescoping member includes the button trap, the button actuator includes a sleeve surrounding the inner and outer telescoping members and a flap coupled to the sleeve for pivotable movement relative thereto to engage the button to move the button from the locking position to the unlocking position.

19. The table of claim 18, wherein the sleeve includes a first end portion, a second end portion spaced longitudinally apart from the first end portion, and a side wall extending longitudinally between the first end portion and the second end portion and the side wall is formed to include a button-receiving aperture through which the button extends when the button is positioned in the locking position.

20. The table of claim 19, wherein the flap is coupled to the first end portion of the sleeve by a living hinge, and the button actuator includes a flap retainer extending outwardly from the second end portion of the sleeve for engagement with the flap to limit movement of the flap relative to the sleeve.