US 5,284,100 AGranted

Folding table system and apparatus

AssigneeHunt Holdings, Inc.

InventorWilliam M. Thorn

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Abstract

The folding leg structure of a folding table is journalled for rotation in a cylindrical journal formed in a bracket which is bent-up from a strip of metal and secured to the bottom of a table. A downwardly-extending portion of the bracket has a flat horizontal surface containing an aperture in which a resilient bumper member having a high-friction surface is held. Four such brackets are used, one near each corner of the table, and the bumpers extend downwardly beyond all other portions of the table, when in its folded condition, so that a plurality of such tables can be stacked with the top of each table top contacted only by the bumpers of an adjacent folded table, thus avoiding marring and sideways slippage. An additional bracket and bumper may be mounted near the center of the underside of the table for additional support.

Claims5

Dependent claims

Apparatus for foldably mounting the leg structure of a table to the underside of the top of said table, and for supporting a plurality of such tables, one above the other, in a stacked array, comprising:

bracket means comprising a band having a central portion of generally cylindrical shape providing a horizontal journal for receiving a horizontal shaft extending horizontally from one of said legs, whereby said shaft and said one leg may be rotated about the horizontal axes of said journal to fold and unfold said one leg with respect to a table top;
said bracket means also comprising a table attachment portion for securing it to the underside of said table top;
and
resilient bumper means having a high-friction surface, secured to the lower side of said bracket means and extending away from said table top beyond all other portions of said table, whereby said bumper contacts the adjacent table when in said stacked array;
wherein said band is provided with a substantially flat, downwardly-facing portion to which said resilient bumper means is secured;
and
wherein said substantially flat portion has an aperture in it, and said bumper means is provided at one end with a portion larger in diameter than said aperture but small enough in diameter to be elastically compressed and forced into said aperture, said bumper means having a circumferential groove formed in said large end portion thereof in which the edges of said band adjacent said aperture seat themselves.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.