Combination serving tray, bed tray and bathtub tray

A combination serving tray, bed tray and bathtub tray which comprises:

• (a) an elongated tray providing a support surface for objects to be placed on the tray;
• (b) a "U"-shaped leg hinged at each end of the tray to swing from a closed position located underneath the tray, in which position the leg is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the tray, downward into a vertical position and then beyond into an over-center, open position, in which position the leg is generally upright, said "U"-shaped leg having a bight portion that is normally stiff but is resiliently bendable under pressure;
• (c) stop means for each of said "U"-shaped legs, said stop means being configured to limit the leg from moving beyond said over-center, open, generally upright position, in which position the two "U"-shaped legs hold the tray at a predetermined height above the surface on which the legs are supported;
• (d) latch means in the form of a spherical ball located on the underside of the tray, said latch means providing a camming surface associated with each of said "U"-shaped legs, each of said camming surfaces facing an end of the tray in a position to engage the resiliently bendable bight portion of its associated "U"-shaped leg when the leg is swung up from its open position to its closed position, said ball being positioned to bend said bight portion of the leg as the bight portion (i) is pushed toward the bottom of the tray by the user of the tray, (ii) slides across the ball, and (iii) after riding over the ball, snaps back to its normal shape to hold the leg in its closed position beneath the tray;
• (e) handles extending outward at each end of the elongated tray, each of said handles being generally "U"-shaped, the width of each handle means being equal to a substantial portion of the width of the tray;
• (f) a guide channel on each side of the elongated tray to slidably receive the free ends of the two legs of each "U"-shaped handle, each handle being movable outward in said channel from a closed position into an open position that is located at a predetermined maximum distance from the end of the tray from which it extends;
• (g) stop means associated with each of the handles to prevent the handle from moving outward more than said predetermined maximum distance;
• (h) reentrant bends in the legs of each handle, said bends being located at the outer ends of the bight portion of the "U"-shaped handle means, to prevent the two handles from abutting the ends of the tray when the handles are in their closed positions;
• and
• (i) an edge member around the perimeter of the tray extending above the top surface of the tray, and also extending below the bottom of the tray to form a skirt around the tray.

In a combination serving tray, bed tray and bathtub tray, the subcombination which comprises:

• (a) an elongated tray frame providing a support surface for objects to be placed on the tray;
• (b) a "U"-shaped leg hinged at each end of the tray to swing from a closed position located underneath the tray frame, in which position the leg is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the tray, downward into a vertical position and then beyond into an over-center, open position, in which position the leg is generally upright, said "U"-shaped leg having a bight portion that is normally stiff but is resiliently bendable under pressure;
• (c) stop means for each of said "U"-shaped legs, said stop means being configured to limit the leg from moving beyond said over-center, open, generally upright position, in which position the two "U"-shaped legs hold the tray at a predetermined height above the surface on which the legs are supported;
• and
• (d) latch means located on the underside of the tray, said latch means including a camming surface associated with each of said "U"-shaped legs, each of said camming surfaces facing an end of the tray in a position to engage the bight portion of its associated "U"-shaped leg when the leg is swung up from its open position to its closed position, said camming surface being configured to bend said resiliently bendable bight portion of the leg as the bight portion (i) is pushed toward the bottom of the tray by the user of the tray, (ii) slides across said camming surface, and (iii) after riding over the camming surface, snaps back to its normal shape to hold the leg in its closed position beneath the tray.