Articulated fitting

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide an articulated fitting having a structure in which a lock pin and a plate do not come into contact with one another when a leg-side bracket is moved in a folding direction or an opening direction, thereby preventing wear of the lock pin and preventing leg backlash for an extended period of time. An articulated fitting 1 is characterized in that: a roller 800 is provided on a side plate 220 of a leg bracket 200; the roller 800 comes into contact with a side peripheral surface of an arm portion 430 of a lever 400; in an open-leg state, the roller 800 engages with a recessed portion formed adjacent to a claw portion 433 of the arm portion 430; and in a closed-leg state, the roller 800 comes into contact with a side peripheral curved portion of the arm portion 430.

Description

Joint fittings

[0001] The present invention relates to a joint fitting for a leg of a foldable table.

[0002] Tables are often designed to be foldable so that they can be stored away when not in use. Tables with a vertically folding top have a variety of functions to suit the storage configuration, such as tilting a single top or separating the tops and tilting them to face each other. On the other hand, tables with folding legs also have a variety of functions, such as folding each leg individually or folding multiple legs together.

[0003] For tables with a foldable structure, it is important to secure the tabletop and legs when in use. If the tabletop or legs fold unintentionally during use, not only will items placed on the tabletop be scattered, but the user may also be injured.

[0004] Regarding the mechanism for folding the legs, a joint fitting has been disclosed that prevents the legs from wobbling, allows the legs to be closed and opened in a stable state, and allows the locked state to be released simply and easily (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0005] The articulated metal fitting disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a top plate attached to the underside of a tabletop and a back plate attached to legs that support the top plate, pivotally connected by overlapping side plates on both sides of the top plate and arm plates on both sides of the back plate, and is lockable by a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is an articulated metal fitting for folding table legs and is made up of horizontal rods that span both side plates of the top plate and engage with notches in the side plates when the legs are erected and folded, a coil spring that constantly pulls the horizontal rods toward the back plate, and an operating part that releases the engagement of the horizontal rods against the pulling force of the coil spring. The chair is characterized in that notches are formed at opposing positions on each side plate, coil springs are provided at the inside positions of each side plate, the operating section is formed by an operating rod for rotation operation, the tips of a pair of left and right arms being fixed to the ends of the horizontal rod, and an operating knob formed at the center position of the bar connecting the arms of the operating rod, and a protrusion is formed on the inner surface of each arm to serve as a fulcrum that comes into contact with the peripheral end surface of the side plate when the legs are folded.

[0006] The joint fitting disclosed in Patent Document 2 inherits the excellent operability of the locking mechanism using the horizontal rod, notch, and elongated hole that is characteristic of the joint fitting shown in Patent Document 1, but has a unique shape in the elongated hole that, when locked with the legs spread, restricts the leg bracket from swinging further in the leg-spreading direction, resulting in a locked state with little rattle. Furthermore, the locking pin can be easily inserted and removed from the notch when the legs are spread.

[0007] Registered Utility Model No. 3055557 International Publication No. 2020 / 230310

[0008] The articulated fitting disclosed in Patent Document 1 features a locking mechanism that is easy to operate, allowing for easy switching between locked and unlocked states. However, the shapes of the notch, horizontal rod, and elongated hole through which the horizontal rod reciprocates in the locking mechanism limit the degree to which precision can be improved to reduce rattle. Attempts have been made to improve the shapes of the horizontal rod, notch, and elongated hole, but slight rattle is unavoidable due to the structure. Specifically, it was difficult to achieve the machining precision necessary to simultaneously and completely restrict the notch and elongated hole by engaging the horizontal rod in both the closing and opening directions. As a result, this articulated fitting was difficult to use in tables requiring extremely high stability.

[0009] Furthermore, the joint fitting disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a mechanism in which a lock pin fits between two brackets to lock the leg when the leg is locked. The lock pin is constantly pulled toward the center by a spring to move in the locking direction, and when the leg is folded or raised, the lock pin passes through the edge of the bracket. At this time, because the lock pin is constantly pulled toward the center by the spring, it applies pressure to the bracket as it moves. Repeated operations like this cause the lock pin to wear out due to friction with the bracket. When the lock pin wears out, a gap forms between the lock pin and the bracket when the lock pin fits into the lock position of the two brackets, resulting in the problem of leg wobble.

[0010] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a joint fitting that has a structure in which the lock pin and plate do not come into contact when the bracket on the leg side is moved in the folding direction or opening direction, thereby preventing wear and tear on the lock pin and preventing leg wobble over the long term.

[0011] That is, the present invention aims to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the means of claim 1 provide an articulated metal fitting of the present invention comprising a tabletop bracket attached to the underside of a tabletop, leg brackets attached to legs that support the tabletop, a hinge pin that pivots and allows the tabletop bracket and leg bracket to swing, a lock pin that is inserted into a notch provided in the leg bracket and an elongated hole provided in the tabletop bracket and allows the tabletop bracket and leg bracket to lock together, a lever for operating the lock pin, and a spring that urges the lock pin and the hinge pin to move closer together, wherein a roller is provided on the side plate of the leg bracket, and the roller abuts against the side peripheral surface of the arm of the lever, and in the leg open position, the roller engages with a recess formed adjacent to the claw portion of the arm, and in the leg closed position, the roller abuts against the side peripheral curved portion of the arm.

[0012] The joint fitting of the present invention, with the configuration of claim 1, can restrict the leg bracket from swinging further in the leg-opening direction when in the locked state with the legs open. Restriction of the leg-closing direction can be easily achieved by appropriately processing and forming the position and shape of the lock pin and cutout, resulting in a locked state with little rattle.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an articulated fitting of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a tabletop bracket of the articulated fitting of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a leg bracket of the articulated fitting of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a front view of the articulated fitting of the present invention attached to a tabletop and leg. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a lever of the articulated fitting of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The articulated bracket 1 of the present invention is attached to the table top and legs of a table. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the articulated bracket 1 of the present invention, showing the legs in an open position with respect to the table top. The articulated bracket 1 includes a table top bracket 100 that is attached to the underside of the table top, leg brackets 200 that are attached to the legs that support the table top, and a hinge pin 300 that pivots between the table top bracket 100 and the leg bracket 200, allowing them to swing. The articulated bracket 1 of the present invention uses screws to secure the articulated bracket 1 to the table top bracket 100 and the leg bracket 200, but the means for securing the table top bracket 100 and the leg bracket 200 are not limited to screws.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tabletop bracket 100, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the leg bracket 200. The tabletop bracket 100 in this embodiment includes a back plate 110 fixed to the tabletop and side plates 120 hanging down on both sides from the back plate 110. The leg bracket 200 in this embodiment also includes a back plate 210 fixed to the legs and side plates 220 bent on both sides from the back plate 210. Hinge pin holes 121 are formed in the side plates 120, and hinge holes 221 are formed in the side plates 220. Hinge pins 300 inserted through hinge pin holes 121 and hinge holes 221 pivotally support the overlapping side plates 120 and 220, allowing the tabletop bracket 100 and the leg bracket 200 to swing.

[0017] The back plate 110 of the tabletop bracket 100 has screw holes 111, relief holes 112, and side windows 113 formed therein. The back plate 210 of the leg bracket 200 has screw holes 211 and relief holes 212 formed therein. The screw holes 111 in the back plate 110 of the tabletop bracket 100 are for screwing the tabletop bracket 100 to the tabletop, and the screw holes 211 in the back plate 210 of the leg bracket 200 are for screwing the leg bracket 200 to the legs. The relief holes 112 in the back plate 110 of the tabletop bracket 100 contribute to the close contact between the tabletop bracket 100 and the tabletop, and the relief holes 212 in the back plate 210 of the leg bracket 200 contribute to the close contact between the leg bracket 200 and the legs.

[0018] 4 is a front view of the articulated bracket 1 of the present invention attached to the table top and legs, showing the legs in an open position. The articulated bracket 1 is provided with a lever 400 and a lock pin 500 as a mechanism for locking the table top bracket 100 and the leg bracket 200. The lever 400 in this embodiment is a component used to operate the lock pin 500, and is formed from a central portion 410 with a handle portion 420 bent toward the front, and arms 430 bent on both sides. A cap 421 is placed over the handle portion 420 to improve the operability of the lever 400.

[0019] 5 is a perspective view of the lever 400. The lock pin 500 is inserted through the lock pin hole 431 provided in the arm portion 430 and the lock pin hole 122 provided in the side plate 120 of the tabletop bracket 100. The lock pin hole 431 provided in the arm portion 430 is formed in an elongated hole shape. The lock pin hole 122 provided in the side plate 120 of the tabletop bracket 100 is also formed in an elongated hole shape, but the lock pin hole 122 provided in the side plate 120 of the tabletop bracket 100 is formed with one curved portion having a larger diameter than the other. The lock pin 500 is movable in conjunction with the operation of the lever 400, following the shape of the lock pin hole 431 provided in the arm portion 430 and the lock pin hole 122 provided in the side plate 120 of the tabletop bracket 100.

[0020] A hinge hole 432 is provided in the arm portion 430 of the lever 400, and a lever pin 600 inserted through the hinge hole 432 of the arm portion 430 and a lever pin hole 123 provided in the side plate 120 of the tabletop bracket 100 pivotally supports the overlapping arm portion 430 and side plate 120, allowing the lever 400 to swing relative to the tabletop bracket 100 fixed to the tabletop.

[0021] A spring 700 is connected to the hinge pin 300 and the lock pin 500. In this embodiment, the spring 700 is a coil spring. When the lock pin 500 is moved away from the hinge pin 300 by operating the lever 400, the spring 700 biases the lock pin 500 and the hinge pin 300 toward each other.

[0022] The side plate 220 of the leg bracket 200 is formed with a shallow first notch 222 and a deep second notch 223. When the legs are in the spread position, the lock pin 500 is housed in the first notch 222, preventing the leg bracket 200 from opening or closing, thereby locking the legs.

[0023] A roller 800 is provided on the side plate 220 of the leg bracket 200. The roller 800 abuts against the side peripheral surface of the arm portion 430 of the lever 400. When the legs are spread apart, the roller 800 engages with a recess 434 formed adjacent to the claw portion 433 of the arm portion 430. When the legs are closed, the roller 800 abuts against a side peripheral curved portion 435 of the arm portion 430.

[0024] When the lock is released and the leg starts to rotate, the roller 800 climbs over the claw portion 433 of the arm portion 430 and comes into contact with the side curved portion 435 of the arm portion 430 .

[0025] In an intermediate state between the open and closed legs, the roller 800 remains in contact with the side curved portion 435 of the arm 430 during the closed leg movement. When the closed leg movement is complete, the lock pin 500 reaches the outside of the second notch 223, and the roller 800 remains in a position not exceeding the top 436 of the arm 430. When the closed leg movement is achieved, the lock pin 500 is retracted into the second notch 223 by the bias of the spring 700, and the lock state is restored.

[0026] In an intermediate state between the open and closed legs, the roller 800 remains in contact with the side curved portion 435 of the arm 430. When the open legs are completely opened, the lock pin 500 reaches the outside of the first notch 222 and is accommodated in the first notch 222 by the bias of the spring 700, returning to the locked state. At this time, the roller 800 passes over the claw 433 of the arm 430 and engages with the recess 434.

[0027] In the closed leg position, the lock pin 500 is housed in the second notch 223, preventing the leg bracket 200 from opening or closing, thereby locking the leg body. In the closed leg position, the bent portion 224 of the first notch 222 of the leg bracket 200 is housed in the side window 113 of the back panel 110 of the tabletop bracket 100.

[0028] According to this embodiment, in an intermediate state between the open and closed legs, the lock pin 500 can be configured not to come into contact with the peripheral edge 225 formed on the side plate 220 of the leg bracket 200. Therefore, wear and tear on the lock pin 500 due to contact with the side plate 220 is suppressed, and rattle of the leg does not occur even with long-term or frequent use.

[0029] 1: Articulation metal fitting 100: Top plate bracket 110: Back plate 111: Screw hole 112: Relief hole 113: Side window 120: Side plate 121: Hinge pin hole 122: Lock pin hole 123: Lever pin hole 200: Leg bracket 210: Back plate 211: Screw hole 212: Relief hole 220: Side plate 221: Hinge hole 222: First notch 223: Second notch 224: Bending portion 225: Peripheral edge portion 300: Hinge pin 400: Lever 410: Center portion 420: Handle portion 421: Cap 430: Arm portion 431: Lock pin hole 432: Hinge hole 433: Claw portion 434: Recessed portion 435: Side circumferential curved portion 436: Top portion 500: Lock pin 600: Lever pin 700: Spring 800: Roller

Claims

1. A joint metal fitting comprising: a tabletop bracket attached to the underside of a tabletop; leg brackets attached to legs that support the tabletop; a hinge pin that pivots and allows the tabletop bracket and leg bracket to swing; a lock pin that is inserted into a notch provided in the leg bracket and an elongated hole provided in the tabletop bracket and allows the tabletop bracket and leg bracket to lock together; a lever for operating the lock pin; and a spring that urges the lock pin and the hinge pin to move closer together, wherein a roller is provided on the side plate of the leg bracket, and the roller abuts against the side peripheral surface of the arm of the lever, and in the leg open position, the roller engages with a recess formed adjacent to the claw portion of the arm, and in the leg closed position, the roller abuts against the side peripheral curved portion of the arm.

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