Folding stool and table

#This invention relates to furniture. It relates more particularly to an article of furniture such as a stool or table which can be folded when not in use.

#There are numerous conventional furniture articles that can be folded so that they occupy a minimum amount of storage space. However, these prior articles have certain drawbacks which militate against their wider use and application. Some comprise a relatively large number of intricate parts which are difficult and therefore expensive to manufacture. Other folding furniture articles require assembly by relatively skilled personnel because their various parts must be juxtaposed and glued in order to form the finished article. These articles are also relatively expensive. Still other articles of folding furniture have a soft top unsuitable for standing or placing objects upon, or are not sturdy and rugged enough to withstand normal usage. Consequently they have a relatively short useful life.

#Accordingly the present invention aims to provide an article of furniture such as a stool or table that is fabricated easily from sheet or board material by a few simple operations that can be carried out quickly, easily and with great accuracy even by relatively unskilled personnel.

#For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding stool made in accordance with this invention,

#FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof,

#Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the folding stool indicated generally at 10 is constructed for the most part of relatively thin, hard, impact resistant sheet stock such as plastic, particle board or most preferably a good grade of hardwood plywood. It comprises upstanding support structure consisting of a thin, generally rectangular leg structure 12 extending the entire width of the stool. Mounted in a generally circular opening 13 in the center of leg 12 is additional leg structure shown generally at 14 having the general shape of an X. The two leg structures 12 and 14 complement one another and they are pivotally connected together by a dowel 18 received in a passage 19 extending vertically from the top of leg structure 12 through leg structure 14 to the bottom of leg structure 12. Thus leg structure 14 can swing on dowel 18 from an open position shown in FIG. 1 wherein it is oriented substantially at right angles to leg structure 12 to a closed position shown in FIG. 5 wherein structure 14 is substantially coplanar with leg structure 12. A pair of leather washers 20 (FIGS. 1 and 6) engage around dowel 18 at points above and below structure 14 to maintain the structures 12 and 14 in vertically spaced relation and ensure their free pivotal movement.

#The upstanding leg structures 12 and 14 support a horizontal seating platform indicated generally at 16. The platform 16 is generally rectangular, being composed of two similar triangular sections 16a and 16b. Each of these sections is connected at their base corners by hinge structures 22a and 22b to the upper two corners of leg structure 12 so that these sections can be swung from an open, generally horizontal position indicated in FIG. 1 to an upstanding folded position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the seating platform 16 is in its FIG. 1 open position, the apexes of the triangular sections 16a and 16b overlie and are supported by the upper arms of the X-shaped leg structure 14 when that is in its open position. Thus structure 14 functions as a truss that transmits any downward forces on sections 16a and 16b directly to the ground. On the other hand, the base edges of section 16a and 16b are supported by leg structure 12 which also transmits downward forces on the seating platform 16 directly to the ground. Since the material of which the stool is fabricated has excellent compressive strength, the stool is able to support weights as high as 600 lbs. evenly distributed over the seating platform 16.

#When the stool is in its folded position illustrated in FIG. 5, the leg structures 12 and 14 interfit and the upwardly extending platform sections 16a and 16b lie flush against one another in the same plane as the leg structures so that the folded stool forms a flat, compact package that can be carried easily and be stored or stacked in automobiles or recreational vehicles where space is quite limited. Alternatively it can be suspended from a suitable wall bracket 24 (FIG. 5).