US2708146A - Table leg mounting bracket and latch structure therefor - Google Patents

Description

y 1955 J. B. ADLER 2,708,146

TABLE LEG MOUNTING BRACKET AND LATCH STRUCTURE THEREFOR Filed Jan. 26, 1954 INVENTOR. Joli/V 8. 40451? United States TABLE LEG MOUNTING BRACKET AND LATCH STRUCTURE THEREFOR John B. Adler, Grosse Ile, Mich, assignor to Shwayder Brothers, Inc, Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Application January 26, 1954, Serial No. 406,280

1 Claim. (Cl. 31199) may be disengaged from its locked upright position and may be manually rotated into the plane of the table frame and locked against accidental release.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claim, in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the tubular frame of a card table, to which the present leg locking device is applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof, with the frame shown in section and with a portion of the table top fragmentarily shown, said view in dotted lines indicating the collapsed position of the table leg.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the corner angle or mounting bracket forming a part of the present leg locking device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the lug bracket secured to the table leg by which the same is joined to the leg locking device.

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper portion of the table leg; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claim hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present automatic lug type leg locking device for a card table is positioned within each of the interior corners of the tubular table frame 11, which is of general rectangular shape and which has an interior upright wall 12. Upon said frame is mounted a substantially rectangular table top fragmentarily indicated at 13 and which has depending from its undersurface adjacent its peripheral edge a series of angle members 14 secured thereto by the rivets 15 and with the depending portions of said angle members bearing against the wall 12 of said frame as shown in Fig. 2, and secured thereto by a series of screws 16, which extend through transverse apertures in the angle members and through corresponding apertures in wall 12, whereby the table top 13 is snugly supported and retained upon the hollow rectangular frame 11.

Arranged in upright position within each of the interior corners of frame 11 are corner angle brackets 17, each of which includes an upright base plate and a pair of upright laterally extending spaced arms 18 and 21.

Arm 18 has an angular extension 19, which bears against the interior of frame 11 and is supportably secured thereto as by the weld 25.

Base plate 20 is additionally in engagement with the interior of frame 11, and immovably secured thereto as by the weld 26; and in this manner each of the corner angle brackets are rigidly positioned within the respective frame corners to provide the pivotal mounting and locking device for each of the table legs 27, in the manner hereafter described.

Upon opposite sides of arms 18 and 21, there are arranged a pair of opposed inwardly directed horizontal lugs 23, which are turned downwardly from portions of said arms, defining the slots 22. Each of the arms is transversely apertured as at 24 for cooperatively receiving the pin 37, upon which the leg is loosely mounted and pivoted, as hereafter set forth.

The tubular leg 27 terminates at its upper end in the tubular extension 28, which is square in cross-section and which has in its opposite side walls the transverse downwardly tapered slots 29, which loosely and cooperatively receive pivot pin 37.

An upright U-shaped lug bracket 31 with laterally directed parallel spaced sides 3233 and with downwardly tapered slots 34 formed in said side walls, is positioned around the upper end 28 of leg 27, and immovably secured thereto as by the welds 36, Fig. 1. So arranged, the slots 34 of lug bracket 31, are in alignment with leg slots 29 and are adapted to loosely receive pivot pin 37, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

At the lower ends of the side arms 32 and'33, are a pair of outwardly directed horizontally disposed lugs 35 adapted for cooperative nesting and positioning within the transverse slots 42 and 42' respectively, formed in the undersurfaces of angle bracket arms 21 and 18, for maintaining leg 27 when open rigidly in an upright position and at right angles to the plane of frame 11.

Transverse pin 38 extends through an upper portion of leg 27 and is suitably secured thereto as by rivet-: ing or otherwise. Coiled spring 39 is loosely positioned within the upper portion of leg 27 and leg element 28 and its upper end extends around and is secured to pivot pin 37 as at point 40, Fig. 1, whereas the lower end of said spring is secured in tension as at 41 to the said transverse pin 38. Spring 39 thus in cooperation with pins 37 and 38, resiliently maintains leg 27 in upright position within angle bracket 17, as shown in the drawing.

It will be noted furthermore that lug bracket 31 is snugly yet movably positioned within bracket 17 with the respective upright portions thereof cooperatively engaging the interior surface portions of plate 20 and arms 18 and 21, which form a part thereof. This cooperation of the lug bracket with said angle bracket 17 effectively maintains the leg 27 in its upright position, so that it does not wobble, but on the other hand is substantially rigid, as it should be. Also upper portions of the plates 32 and 33 of lug bracket 31 cooperatively engage lugs 23 effectively maintaining said lug bracket snugly against interior surface portions of angle bracket 17.

Arm 21 has a curved edge 43, portions of which are equi-distant from pin 37, and over which one of the lugs 35 is adapted to ride as the leg is manually pivoted about pin 37 from the upright position of Fig. 2, into its dotted line position, within the plane of the frame 11.

In order to release the lugs 35 from the slots 42 and 42, the leg 27 is manually moved downwardly slightly in a direction at right angles to the plane of the table frame, and against the action of spring 39, whereby said lugs are disengaged from slots 42, permitting rotation of leg 27, spring 39 maintaining lug 35 against curved surface 43 as said leg is rotated.

Before rotation however, this downward disengage 3 ment of lugs 35, also disengages lug bracket 31 from the angle bracket lugs 23, whereby the leg is now free to rotate. In addition to the lugs 23, the slots 42 and 4-3, in retaining lugs 35, effectively secure the leg in an upright open position.

Curved edge 43 terminates in the transverse upright slot 44 formed in arm 21, which slot lies in a plane at right angles to a plane passing through arm slots 42 and 42.

As the leg rotates 90 degrees, one of the lugs 35 retain- 2 ingly nests within arm slot 44 for maintaining the leg in a collapsed position within the table frame. One end of slot 44 has a tapered portion 45 which merges with the upper end of curved arm portion 43 and upon a downward thrust exerted upon the leg there is a camming relationship established between lug 35 and said inclined surface 45, in order to disengage said lug from slot 44, and to thereby permit rotary downward movement of the leg and bracket 31 about pin 37 with said lug riding upon curved surface 43.

As the two lugs 35 reach the slots 42 and 42', they will snap into position therein, in view of the action of the spring 39, which is under tension at all times. At the same time the leg and lug bracket 31 move upwardly suf' ficiently so as to be retainingly engaged at their upper ends by the angle bracket lugs 23, thus locking the legs in upright open position for use.

35 designated in Fig. 2, indicates the dotted line located positioning of lug 35 within slot 44, corresponding to the dotted line positioning of leg 27 when said leg I- is pivoted into the plane of frame 11.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claim which follows for determining the scope thereof.

I claim:

A leg locking device for a card table having a frame comprising an upright U-shaped corner angle bracket secured to said frame at each of its interior corners, each bracket having an upright base plate and a pair of upright laterally extending spaced arms, with opposed apertures therethrough, a tubular leg with its upper end retainingly nested within said bracket, a transversely arranged pin extending through said apertures and loosely through said leg, a coiled spring loosely disposed within 4 said leg with its upper end secured to said pin and with its lower end secured in tension to said leg, said leg having opposed upright downwardly converging slots cooperatively receiving said pin, said leg being manually movable downwardly of said frame relatively to said pin against the tension of said spring, an upright U-shaped lug bracket with laterally directed spaced sides secured around the sides of said leg at its upper end, cooperatively engaging said base plate and arms, said sides having opposed apertures corresponding to and aligned with said leg apertures loosely receiving said pin, inwardly directed horizontally disposed lugs extending from upper portions of said arms spaced from said base plate, the upper end of said lug bracket being retainingly positioned between said base plate and lugs, said arms having undercut slots in their lower edges spaced outwardly of said base plate, lugs projecting outwardly from said lug bracket retainingly nested within said latter slots, said lug bracket upon downward movement of said leg with respect to said angle bracket being disengageable from said arm lugs, said bracket lugs being disengageable from said arm slots, whereby said leg may be pivoted about said pin into the plane of said frame, one of said slotted arms having a curved portion with parts thereof equi-distant from said pin, said curved portion terminating in a transverse slot lying in a plane at right angles to said first arm slots, one of said bracket lugs being adapted to ride over said curved portion and retainingly nest within said transverse slot, one wall of said latter transverse slot being tapered towards said curved arm portion for camming engagement with one of said bracket lugs to facilitate downward pivotal opening movement of said leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,809,564 OConnor et al. June 9, 1931 1,820,592 Bauer Aug. 25, 1931 1,855,857 Harman Apr. 26, 1932 1,876,010 Kusterle Sept. 6, 1932 1,910,974 Vance May 23, 1933 1,938,507 Wilson Dec. 5, 1933 2,003,835 Mitchell June 4, 1935 2,487,401 Turner Nov. 8, 1949

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