Leg-Actuated Folding Table Locking for Compact Storage
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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 length, making them inconvenient and costly to rent, transport, and store, especially for smaller facilities.
Innovation Solution
A table design with a foldable top and legs that can be easily moved between extended and collapsed positions, featuring a locking mechanism that allows the table to be securely locked in the unfolded position when legs are extended, enabling compact storage and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the table top is made foldable to reduce storage space, then the storage area requirement is reduced, but the table top may unintentionally fold or unfold and requires complex mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The locking member is received within a recess in the table top, creating a nested structure where the locking mechanism is integrated into the table top itself rather than being an external add-on. This reduces overall complexity while maintaining the foldable functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is automatically engaged or disengaged through the movement of the legs themselves. When legs are extended, the locking member is pushed into the recess to lock the table top; when legs are collapsed, the locking member is released. This eliminates the need for separate locking actions or complex control mechanisms.
2Reliability
If conventional locking mechanisms are used to prevent unintentional folding, then the table top stability is improved, but the mechanism becomes complex and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted from a complex mechanical mechanism and simplified to a basic pin-and-recess system. The locking member is a simple elongated element that can be easily manufactured and integrated, eliminating the need for heavy-duty locking components.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is merged with the leg structure itself. The legs serve dual purposes: supporting the table and operating the locking mechanism through their movement. This integration reduces overall system complexity and weight.
3Ease of operation
If the table is designed to be folded-in-half for easier transport, then the transportation ease is improved, but additional support structures and sturdier table tops are required which increase weight and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The locking member is pre-positioned within the recess and automatically engages when the table is folded. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for additional support structures that would otherwise be required to maintain the folded configuration, thereby reducing weight.
4Adaptability or versatility
If banquet tables are made with extended length for banquet use, then the table functionality is improved, but the table becomes difficult for a single person to move and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The table transitions from a static extended configuration to a dynamic folded configuration. The table top can be folded-in-half and the legs collapsed, transforming the table from a rigid, difficult-to-move object to a flexible, portable structure that a single person can easily handle.
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.