A table with foldable legs and a removable middle shelf for storage.

Abstract

This invention provides a folding table with reinforced folding structure for when a horizontal support member for shelves is attached to a pair of legs. [Solution] The folding leg table has a horizontal member 21 in the middle of a pair of legs 20, 20 on a tabletop 10, and a shelf board 30 is removably placed on the horizontal member 21. The folding structure of this table is reinforced by providing a beam member 40 on the upper part of the pair of legs, parallel to the middle horizontal member, and connecting across the pair of legs, and the beam member 40 is connected on the underside of the tabletop with a hinge structure. The hinge structure 100 provided on the beam member 40 consists of a pair of swivel plates 110, 120 connected by a rotation center pin 130, and allows the legs 20, 20 to be opened and closed relative to the tabletop 10. The hinge structure 100 includes a locking mechanism consisting of a lock bar 121, a first recess 112, and a second recess 113. The lock bar 121 fits into the first recess 112 when the leg is in the upright position to lock the leg 20 in the upright position, while it fits into the second recess 113 when the leg is folded to fold and lock the leg 20 in the folded position.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a leg-foldable table in which a middle shelf board can be removed and stored.

Background Art

[0002] A dining table generally consists of a tabletop 10 and legs 20 at its four corners as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). A lattice shelf board 30 for storage is hung on hooks 30A provided on the legs 20, and a form in which the legs can be folded is adopted (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the thin legs 20, 20 are in a foldable form, the structure becomes fragile. Therefore, when a horizontal cross member 31 that spans the middle of a pair of legs 20, 20 is provided and the pair of legs 20, 20 can be folded together with the horizontal cross member 31, it has been found that the shelf board 30 can be hung here, the assembly becomes simple, and the leg folding structure can be made into a strong structure. Therefore, in providing a folding structure when a horizontal cross member for shelving is provided on a pair of legs, the present invention aims to provide a leg-foldable table with a reinforced structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This invention was developed after thorough research, considering that in a folding structure where a horizontal support member for shelves is installed on a pair of legs, the best approach is to reinforce the structure by providing a beam member that connects the pair of legs parallel to the intermediate horizontal support member at the top of the pair of legs, and to connect this beam member on the underside of the top plate with a hinge structure. A table having a top plate (10) with a horizontal member (31) provided in the middle of a pair of legs (20)(20), and a shelf board (30) removably placed on the horizontal member (31), A beam member (40) is provided parallel to the horizontal member (31) to connect the upper sections of a pair of legs, thereby creating a reinforced structure. The beam member (40) is provided with a hinge structure (100) that connects a pair of outer swivel plates (110) and an inner swivel plate (120) via a hinge formed by a rotation center pin (130), allowing it to be opened and closed relative to the top plate (10). The hinge structure (100) includes a locking mechanism for locking the legs in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position, and a release mechanism for releasing the lock. The locking mechanism is guided by an elongated hole in one of the swivel plates and moves, and includes a lock bar (121) biased inward in the swivel radial direction by a spring (123), and the other swivel plate has a first recess (112) and a second recess into which the lock bar (121) can be fitted in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position. The locking mechanism consists of a part (113) and a locking bar (121) which fits into the first recess (112) to lock the leg (20) in the upright position, and fits into the second recess (113) to fold and lock the leg (20) in the folded position, while the unlocking mechanism consists of an unlocking means which pushes the locking bar (121) out of the first recess (112) and the second recess (113) against an inward biasing force to release the lock. In particular, the locking mechanism comprises a pair of swivel plates (110) and (120) having U-shaped rising sliding parts on their sides, the sides of which slide against each other, one of which has a first recess (112) and a second recess (113) on the outer circumference of the U-shaped rising sliding part into which a lock bar (121) fits in the leg upright position and the leg folded position, the other U-shaped rising sliding part is equipped with a lock bar (121) that moves inward through an elongated hole (122) and can be fitted into the first recess (112) and the second recess (113), and the lock bar (121) is constantly biased inward by a spring (123). The unlocking mechanism for releasing the lock bar (121) by pushing it up from the first recess (112) or the second recess (113) preferably comprises a pivotable unlocking plate (140) that pivots on a projection (141) to push up the lock bar (121), or an unlocking arm (140') that has one end of the lock bar (121) protruding outward to directly push up the lock bar (121), and is capable of releasing the lock by pushing up the lock bar (121) from the first recess (112) or the second recess (113), and changing its position from an upright state to a folded state or vice versa. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this invention, the legs are structurally reinforced by providing a beam member parallel to the horizontal member provided in the middle section at the upper part of the legs, so that a pair of legs can be firmly joined to the underside of the top plate with a hinge structure attached to the beam member. Furthermore, the hinge structure is U-shaped, and as it opens and closes, it forms U-shaped rises that slide against each other. This can be used to insert the lock bar into the first recess to lock the leg in the upright position, while the hinge structure can be folded and the lock pin can be inserted into the second recess to lock it in the folded position, thus providing a secure lock. Furthermore, since the lock bar can be released from the first and second recesses via a release plate or release arm that can be operated in conjunction with the opening and closing of the pair of plates, a robust and easily operable folding structure can be formed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This shows a perspective view of the main parts of a folding table with a middle shelf attached according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a rear view showing a folding leg structure in a table with a middle shelf attached according to the present invention, which has a hinge structure provided on a reinforced structure using beam members. [Figure 3A] This is a perspective view of a first specific example of the hinge structure of the leg folding structure according to the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a perspective view of a second specific example of the hinge structure of the leg folding structure according to the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a side view of a second specific example of the present invention. [Figure 4B] Figure 4A, a diagram illustrating the operation of the second specific example, shows the process from the folded-lock position (1) through the upright-lock position (4) to the folded-lock position (7). [Figure 5] The images show a perspective view (a) of a conventional folding-leg dining table and a perspective view (b) of the table with the shelf installed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The structure of the folding leg table with a middle lattice shelf according to the present invention will be explained using the attached drawings. The table according to the present invention is formed, as in the conventional, with a tabletop 10, legs 20 at its four corners, and a lattice shelf 30 for storage supported by the legs, and a form is adopted in which a pair of legs are foldable. A horizontal member 21 is installed between the pair of legs 20, 20 on which the shelf 30 is placed in the middle, and the shelf 30 is placed on it via a cushioning material 32 and removable with a fastening hook 31. In the present invention, a beam member 40 is provided parallel to the horizontal member 31 to join the upper parts of the pair of legs 20 to create a reinforced structure, and a folding leg structure is formed using a hinge structure 100 of a hinge using this reinforced structure.

[0009] The hinge structure 100 includes a locking mechanism for locking the legs in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position, and a release mechanism for releasing the lock. Figures 3A and 3B show two specific examples. The hinge mechanisms of both consist of a pair of swivel plates 110 and 120 that are rotatably connected by a rotation center pin 130. The locking mechanism consists of a lock bar 121 that is guided and movable by an elongated hole 122 provided in the rising sliding portion of one swivel plate and biased inward in the swivel radial direction by a spring 123, and a first recess 112 and a second recess 113 provided in the rising sliding portion of the other swivel plate into which the lock bar 121 can be fitted in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position. When the leg is in the upright position, the lock bar 121 fits into the first recess 112 to lock the leg 20 in the upright position, and when the leg is folded, the lock bar 121 fits into the second recess 113 to fold and lock the leg 20. On the other hand, the unlocking mechanism consists of an unlocking means that pushes the lock bar 121 out of the first recess 112 and the second recess 113 against an inward biasing force to release the lock.

[0010] The pair of outer and inner swivel plates (110 and 120) of the present invention are assembled with a rotation center pin 130 so that they can rotate and open / close by sliding U-shaped swivel plates having rises on their sides. The locking mechanism and the unlocking mechanism are specifically formed with the following structures. The first is a system in which, as shown in Figure 3B, an elongated hole 124 is provided in the inner U-shaped swivel plate 120 to guide the lock bar 121 so that it can move parallel in the direction of rotational radius, and a spring 123 biases the lock bar 121 inward, and the unlocking plate 140 rotates and pushes up the lock bar 121 via a pivot projection 141 against the biasing force. The other is a simplified system shown in Figure 3A, in which the lock bar 121 is swingably provided and an unlocking arm 140' with one end protruding from the elongated hole 124 is pushed up to release the lock bar 121.

[0011] In the aforementioned rangefinder structure, the pair of opening and closing outer U-shaped rotating plates 111 and inner U-shaped rotating plate 120 are assembled such that the U-shaped risers 111, 111 and 121, 121 on each side slide against each other, and one is fixed to the underside of the top plate 10 and the other to the beam member 40 by screws or the like.

[0012] The function of the hinge structure 100 of the present invention will be described below using the structure shown in Figure 3B as a representative example. The hinge structure of the present invention is equipped with a locking mechanism that locks the legs in the leg upright position and the leg folded position. As shown in Figures 3B and 4A, the locking mechanism is provided with a first recess 112 and a second recess 113 on the outer circumference of the U-shaped rising outer sliding portion 111 of one outer swivel plate 110, into which the lock bar 121 is fitted in the leg upright position and the leg folded position. On the other hand, the inner U-shaped swivel plate 120 is provided with elongated holes 122, 122 in the U-shaped rising inner sliding portions 121, 121, and the lock bar 121 is guided in these elongated holes and is constantly biased inward via a spring 123, and is mounted so as to be movable in parallel in the biasing direction. The lock bar 121 fits into the first recess 112 and the second recess 113 at a predetermined position, allowing the upright position and the folded position to be locked.

[0013] This locking mechanism is provided with a release plate 140. The release plate 140 is a U-shaped release plate 140 that engages with both ends of the lock bar 121. A projection 141 is provided on the inside of the release plate 140 to act as a pivot point by contacting the outer edge of the outer rotating plate 110. This pushes up the tip of the release plate 140, lifting the lock bar 121 out of the first recess 112 and the second recess 113, thus releasing it and allowing it to rotate together with the inner rotating plate 120.

[0014] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, (1) at the folding position of the leg portion 20, the lock bar 121 is fitted into the first recess 112 and is in a locked state. However, when the unlocking plate 140 is pushed upward in the arrow direction, the lock bar 121 rises from the first recess 112 and the lock is released. Thus, (2) when it is pushed down together with the inner swivel plate 120, the leg portion 20 begins to open. (3) Therefore, when the leg portion 20 is further spread out together with the inner swivel plate 120, the lock bar 121 is fitted into the second recess 113 of the rising sliding portion 111 of the outer swivel plate 110 to lock the leg portion 20 in the standing position. Next, (4) when folding the leg portion 20, (5) when the tip of the unlocking plate 140 is pushed upward, the lock bar 121 is pushed up from the second recess 113 of the rising sliding portion 111, and the lock with the second recess 113 is disengaged. Thus, (6) when it is bent together with the inner swivel plate 120 along with the leg portion 20, (7) the lock bar 121 is fitted into the first recess 112 to lock the bent state.

[0015] The present invention has been described with the hinge structure of FIG. 3B. In the present invention, a hinge structure is provided with a locking mechanism for locking the leg portions at the standing position of the leg portions and the folding position of the leg portions and an unlocking mechanism for unlocking via a reinforcing structure using a beam member extending over the upper portions of the pair of leg portions, and the top plate and the pair of leg portions can be folded. The present invention is characterized in that a lock bar 121 biased inward in the radial direction of the turning radius by a torsion spring 123, a first recess 112 and a second recess 113 into which the lock bar 121 can be fitted at the standing position of the leg portions and the folding position of the leg portions, and at the standing position of the leg portions, the lock bar 121 is fitted into the first recess 112 to lock the leg portion 20 in the standing state, and at the folding position of the leg portions, it is fitted into the second recess 113 to lock the leg portion 20 in the folded state. On the other hand, as long as the unlocking mechanism includes an unlocking means for pushing up the lock bar 121 from the first recess 112 and the second recess 113 against the inward biasing force to release the lock, those skilled in the art can provide a desired middle shelf placing type leg folding table within the technical scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0016] 10···Tabletop version 20···Legs 21···Horizontal frame member 30···Lattice shelf board 40···Beam member 100···Hinge structure

Claims

1. A table having a top plate (10) with a horizontal member (31) provided in the middle of a pair of legs (20) (20), and a shelf board (30) removably placed on the horizontal member (31), A beam member (40) is provided parallel to the horizontal member (31) to connect the upper sections of a pair of legs, thereby creating a reinforced structure. The beam member (40) is provided with a hinge structure (100) that connects a pair of outer swivel plates (110) and an inner swivel plate (120) via a hinge formed by a rotation center pin (130), allowing it to be opened and closed relative to the top plate (10). The hinge structure (100) includes a locking mechanism for locking the legs in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position, and a release mechanism for releasing the lock. The locking mechanism is guided by an elongated hole in one of the swivel plates and consists of a lock bar (121) biased inward in the swivel radius direction by a spring (123), and a first recess (112) and a second recess (113) provided on the other swivel plate into which the lock bar (121) can be fitted in the leg-standing position and the leg-folded position. A folding-legged table with a middle shelf, characterized in that the lock bar (121) fits into the first recess (112) to lock the leg (20) in the upright position when the leg is standing, and fits into the second recess (113) to fold and lock the leg (20) when the leg is folded, while the unlocking mechanism consists of an unlocking means that pushes the lock bar (121) out of the first recess (112) and the second recess (113) against an inward biasing force to release the lock.

2. The locking mechanism comprises a pair of swivel plates (110) and (120) having U-shaped rising sliding portions on their sides, the sides of which slide against each other, one of which has a first recess (112) and a second recess (113) on the outer circumference of the U-shaped rising sliding portion into which a lock bar (121) fits in the leg upright position and the leg folded position, the other of which has a lock bar (121) that moves inward through an elongated hole (122) in the U-shaped rising sliding portion and can be fitted into the first recess (112) and the second recess (113), and the lock bar (121) is constantly biased inward by a spring (123). The lock release mechanism for releasing the lock bar (121) by pushing it up from the first recess (112) or the second recess (113) comprises a pivotable lock release plate (140) that pivots on the projection 141 to push up the lock bar (121), or a lock release arm (140') that has one end of the lock bar (121) protruding outward to directly push up the lock bar (121), and the lock bar (121) is pushed up from the first recess (112) or the second recess (113) to release the lock, and the table is repositionable from an upright state to a folded state or vice versa, according to claim 1.

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