Folding Table Locking Assembly for Stable One-Person Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional banquet tables are bulky, difficult to store, and require significant space due to their fixed size and heavy, complex mechanisms, making them inconvenient and costly to rent, transport, and store, especially for smaller facilities.
Innovation Solution
A table design featuring a foldable top and legs that can be easily moved between extended and collapsed positions, with a locking mechanism that automatically locks the top in the unfolded position when the legs are extended, allowing for compact storage and transport, and a cross member that locks and unlocks the hinges for stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the table top is made foldable-in-half, then the table becomes easier to transport and store, but the table may unintentionally fold or unfold and requires complex mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the folding mechanism with the leg support structure, where the legs serve dual purposes as both support elements and folding mechanism components. The locking mechanism is integrated into the leg assembly rather than being a separate complex system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining foldability.
Solution Approach 2:
The table top sections are designed to automatically lock and unlock through the movement of the legs. When legs are extended, they automatically engage locking features on the table top sections, eliminating the need for separate manual locking mechanisms and reducing complexity.
2Reliability
If conventional locking mechanisms are used, then the table top is secured, but the mechanism becomes heavy and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the locking function from a separate complex mechanism and integrates it directly into the leg structure. The locking features are built into the leg assemblies themselves, which already exist as structural components, thereby providing reliable locking without adding separate heavy mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg assemblies serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable folding motion, and incorporate locking mechanisms. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated locking components, reducing overall mechanism complexity and weight.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the table is made with extended length for banquet use, then it can accommodate more people, but it becomes difficult for a single person to move and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The table top is segmented into multiple sections that can be folded relative to each other. This segmentation allows the table to maintain its full extended length for banquet use while enabling it to be folded into a compact configuration for easy transport by a single person.
Solution Approach 2:
The table transitions from a static extended configuration for banquet use to a dynamic folded configuration for transport. The folding mechanism allows the table to change its effective length and volume, providing adaptability between different operational states.
Data Source
AI summary
A table may include a table top and a leg assembly. The leg assembly may be moved between use and storage positions, and the movement of the leg assembly may move a cross member between a first position in which the cross member resists folding of the table top and a second position in which the cross member facilitates folding and unfolding of the table top. The table top may include first and second sections with portions that overlap and/or interlock when the table top is unfolded. When the table top is in the unfolded position, movement of the leg assembly towards the use position may move the cross member towards the overlapping and/or interlocking portions, which may move the overlapping and/or interlocking portions towards each other. When moved towards each other, the overlapping and/or interlocking portions may be securely connected.