Furniture swivel
AssigneeMarquette Tool and Die Company
InventorElmer C. Freber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A furniture swivel unit includes a base plate, a swivel plate positioned over the base plate, and a one-piece bearing located between the two plates. The base plate has an upwardly turned flange at its periphery, and the bearing, which may be molded from a low friction polymer, rests on the base plate along the flange. The swivel plate has a downwardly directed hub, the center of which is open to accommodate a retaining washer that is secured against the base plate and overlies a portion of the swivel plate, thus preventing separation of the two plates. The hub, moreover, projects into and seats against the bearing with the arrangement being such that the bearing takes both radial and thrust loading.
Claims19
In combination with a piece of furniture having two components that swivel relative to each other about an axis, an improved swivel unit between the components, said swivel unit comprising a first plate attached to one of the furniture components and having a cross wall and a generally axially directed flange at the periphery of the cross wall with the flange being concentric to the axis;
- a bearing set into the first plate such that it lines the inwardly presented surface of the flange and the adjoining surface of the cross wall;
- a second plate overlying the first plate and being attached to the other furniture component, the second plate having a hub that projects toward the first plate and bears against the bearing such that the bearing takes both axial and radial loading;
- and retaining means for preventing separation of the first and second plates.
A swivel unit for enabling one component of furniture to rotate with respect to another component of furniture about an axis of rotation, said swivel unit comprising a first member capable of being attached to the one component and including a cross wall and a generally axially directed flange extended from the cross wall;
- a first bearing formed from a low friction material and being against both the cross wall and the flange of the first member, the first bearing having a tapered bearing surface that is positioned at an oblique angle with respect to the axis of rotation and another surface that is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
- a second member capable of being attached to the other component of furniture and being formed from a substance that is more resistant to wear than the bearing, the second member including a hub provided with a tapered side wall and an end wall, the tapered side wall bearing against and conforming to the tapered surface of the bearing while the end wall is initially spaced from the other surface of the bearing, so that as the bearing wears along its tapered surface, the end wall of the hub will eventually contact and be supported to limited measure by the other surface of the bearing;
- and retaining means for preventing separation of the first and second members.
A swivel unit for enabling one component of furniture to rotate relative to another component of furniture about an axis of rotation, said swivel unit comprising:
- a first member capable of being attached to the one component of furniture and including a cross wall that is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation and a generally axially directed flange extended from the cross wall, the flange being tapered;
- a second member capable of being attached to the other component of furniture and including a hub that fits into the first member and includes an end wall that lies opposite to the cross wall of the first member and a tapered wall that extends from the end wall and is located opposite to the tapered flange of the first member, the end wall having a centrally disposed circular aperture beyond which the cross wall of the first member is located;
- a bearing interposed between the tapered walls of the first and second members and also between the cross wall of the first member and the end wall of the second member, the bearing being formed from a material that is softer and less resistant to wear than the materials from which the first and second members are formed;
- and a retaining member including a central portion and an axially offset portion that projects radially from central portion, the central portion projecting through the aperture in the end wall of the second member and being clamped firmly against the cross wall of the first member such that it will not rotate with respect to the first member, the axially offset portion being projected over the end wall of the second member so as to permit the first and second members to rotate relative to each other, yet to prevent the first and second members from separating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.