Folding table with two-position leg lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding tables with 90-degree leg rotation designs are inadequate for high-top folding tables, as longer legs compromise stability and require additional storage space, necessitating alternative designs that balance ease of setup, compact storage, and stability.
Innovation Solution
A folding table with a two-position leg lock mechanism, featuring regular and foldable legs that pivot between use and storage configurations, utilizing a lock pin mechanism and notches on the table top for secure positioning, allowing the legs to lie flush for compact storage and extend for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If 90-degree leg rotation design is used, then setup speed and simplicity are improved, but stability deteriorates when legs are longer than table top dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The leg assembly is designed to dynamically change configuration between use and storage positions. The foldable legs pivot about connectors, allowing the system to adapt its structure based on operational requirements, enabling both quick setup and stable configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg assembly changes its geometric parameters between configurations. In use configuration, legs extend to provide stability; in storage configuration, legs fold to reduce spatial footprint. The two-position lock mechanism maintains fixed parameters in each configuration for stability.
2Length of moving object
If leg length is increased for high-top design, then table height is improved, but storage space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foldable legs nest within the space defined by the table top and frame structure when in storage configuration. The legs fold upward along the side of the table top, with notches allowing them to lie substantially flush with the bottom of the lip, achieving compact nested storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs transition from extending in the vertical dimension during use to folding into the horizontal dimension during storage. This dimensional transformation allows long legs to be accommodated in compact storage space by changing their orientation rather than reducing their length.
3Volume of moving object
If foldable legs are used, then storage compactness is improved, but structural stability deteriorates without proper locking
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted as a separate mechanism (lock pin and receptacles) distinct from the leg structure itself. This dedicated locking system positively secures the leg assembly in both use and storage configurations, addressing stability concerns without compromising storage compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock pin acts as an intermediary element between the leg extension and base leg segment. It mediates the connection by providing positive mechanical engagement in the use configuration and allowing disengagement for folding to the storage configuration, ensuring stability when needed.
4Reliability
If lock mechanism is added for stability, then structural reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lock pin is spring-biased to automatically engage with the receptacles when the leg assembly reaches the use configuration. The mechanism serves itself by using the natural movement of the leg extension to drive lock engagement, reducing the need for additional actuators or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism replaces complex multi-component systems with a simple pin-and-receptacle arrangement. The spring bias provides automatic engagement, and the actuator handle allows manual disengagement, achieving reliable locking with minimal mechanical complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The two-position leg lock mechanism ensures fast and easy setup while maintaining stability and compact storage, allowing the folding table to be securely locked in either configuration, addressing the challenges of longer legs and storage space in high-top designs.
Implementation Method 1
The lock pin is biased to normally extend beyond the outside edge of the leg extension toward the base leg member
Implementation Method 2
The foldable legs include a base leg portion that is pivotally connected to one of the leg extensions by foldable leg connectors
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A folding table has a pair of regular, non-foldable legs (104) and a pair of foldable legs (106) that move between a use configuration and a storage configuration. The foldable legs (106) incorporate a two-position lock mechanism (122) allows the legs to be locked in either the use configuration where the legs cooperatively support the table top (102) or the storage configuration where the legs are positioned parallel to the table top (102). The table top (102) includes a notched lip (126) that allows the legs to lie substantially flush against the table top (102).