US 5,311,825 AGranted

Table corner apparatus and method of minimizing damage from impact

AssigneeMity-Lite, Inc.

InventorBrent Bonham

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Abstract

A table corner apparatus comprises a tabletop having a corner formed from the intersection of two side edges, two peripheral elongate support beams mounted to the underside of the tabletop near and parallel to the two side edges, each beam having an end located near the corner with the ends also located near each other, and a plastic web disposed between the support beam ends. A rigid corner insert mounted in the corner comprises an edge insert disposed adjacent the side edges at the corner, an impact block disposed between the edge insert and the exterior surfaces, relative to the center of the tabletop, of the support beams and web, a retaining block disposed oppositely from the impact block at the interior surfaces of the support beams and web, and a rigid connector between the retaining and impact blocks. A method of minimizing impact damage to the table corner comprises receiving the impact at the corner insert and transferring the force of the impact to the support beams.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A table corner apparatus comprising:

a tabletop having a corner, the corner comprising the intersection of first and second outer edges of the tabletop;
a first elongate support beam mounted underneath and subs substantially parallel to the tabletop, and having an end disposed inwardly from the corner, wherein said support beam is disposed near and substantially parallel to the first outer edge;
a second elongate support beam mounted underneath and substantially parallel to the tabletop, and substantially parallel to the second outer edge, and having an end disposed inwardly from the corner;
a web formed between the ends of the first and second support beams;
a durable corner insert disposed at the corner adjacent the first and second edges and intersection thereof, said corner insert comprising an outer body section having an abutment surface which abuts the end of the first support beam and a first clamping surface which abuts the web, wherein said outer body section includes a second abutment surface which abuts the end of the second support beam, whereby when the corner insert is impacted at least part of the force of the impact is transferred through the outer body section and at least one of the abutment surfaces to the corresponding support beam.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.