Table Leg Locking Structure for Lightweight Nesting Tables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tables are heavy, expensive, and require additional reinforcing members which increase weight and manufacturing costs, and may pose safety hazards due to sharp edges, while also being prone to deformation and breakage under load.
Innovation Solution
A table design featuring a lightweight blow-molded plastic table top with integrated strengthening members, a frame with exposed side rails for aesthetic and structural enhancement, and legs that pivot for compact storage and transport, constructed from high-strength, low-alloy steel for reduced weight and increased strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If table tops are constructed from wood, particle board or metal, then the table top is strong and durable, but the table becomes heavy and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a plastic table top with integrated strengthening members made of wood, metal, or other materials. This creates a hybrid structure that leverages the lightweight properties of plastic while incorporating strength-providing elements, resolving the contradiction between weight and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The strengthening members are strategically positioned at specific locations on the table top where structural support is most needed, such as near the legs or at corners. This localized reinforcement provides maximum strength with minimum additional weight, rather than uniformly thickening the entire table top.
2Strength
If additional reinforcing members or structural components are added to strengthen the table top, then the table top strength increases, but the table weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strengthening members are integrated directly into the table top structure during the molding process, merging multiple components into a single unified piece. This eliminates the need for separate attachment operations and reduces the overall number of parts, thereby minimizing weight while maintaining strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The strengthening members serve multiple functions: they provide structural reinforcement, act as attachment points for the frame and legs, and can be designed to incorporate aesthetic features. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
3Strength
If additional reinforcing members or structural components are added to strengthen the table top, then the table top strength increases, but the manufacturing cost and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strengthening members are incorporated into the table top during a single molding operation, merging the manufacturing processes for the table top and strengthening elements. This eliminates separate manufacturing steps and assembly operations, reducing both manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The strengthening members are pre-formed and positioned within the mold cavity before the plastic is injected, preparing the structural reinforcement in advance. This preliminary action ensures proper placement and integration without requiring complex post-assembly operations.
4Strength
If conventional fasteners are used to connect the frame to the table top, then the frame can be securely connected, but the fasteners may detach or damage the table top under large loads
Solution Approach 1:
The frame connection mechanism is integrated directly into the table top structure through the strengthening members, merging the table top and frame into a more unified assembly. This integration creates a stronger, more reliable connection that distributes loads across multiple attachment points rather than relying on discrete fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of plastic and strengthening materials creates a hybrid connection structure that provides both the flexibility of plastic and the strength of rigid materials, enabling more reliable frame attachments that can withstand varying loads without detaching or damaging the table top.
5Volume of moving object
If the table legs are made movable for compact storage, then the storage space requirement decreases, but the structural stability and load-bearing capacity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The table legs are designed to be movable between an extended position for use and a retracted position for storage. The dynamic design allows the table to adapt to different operational states, providing full load-bearing capacity when needed and compact storage when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg support structure is integrated with the frame and table top through the strengthening members, merging multiple structural elements into a unified system. This integration ensures that even when legs are movable, the overall structural stability and load-bearing capacity are maintained through the combined strength of the integrated components.
Data Source
AI summary
A table may be sized and configured to nest with an adjacent table to reduce a height of a plurality of stacked tables in a nested configuration. The table may include a table top with a round or circular configuration and the table top may have a receiving portion, a downwardly extending lip, a contact surface and an engaging portion. The contact surface may have a ring-shaped configuration and be sized and configured to contact an upper surface of a table top of an adjacent table when the table is nested with the adjacent table. The engaging portion may also have a ring-shaped configuration and may be sized and configured to be disposed in a receiving portion of a table top of the adjacent table when the table is nested with the adjacent table.