CA2218544C

CA2218544C - Folding table

Info

Publication number: CA2218544C
Application number: CA002218544A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Lewis D. Cox; Steven J. Hill
Original assignee: Falcon Products Inc
Current assignee: Falcon Products Inc
Priority date: 1996-03-15
Filing date: 1996-05-30
Publication date: 2001-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-30
Also published as: WO1997033499A1; DE69636542D1; CA2218544A1; MX9708824A; US6003447A; US5957062A; EP0831731A1; EP0831731A4; EP0831731B1; JPH11505461A

Abstract

A folding table (1) with a table top (5) and a pair of breakaway legs (15) supporting the top. A brace member (47) at each end of the table has a leg assembly (7, 9) attached thereto. A top supporting beam (11) extends along the table top between the brace members. The support beam is pivotally mounted to the table top. Each leg assembly has a hinge structure (35) near its top end and a foot structure (24) at its bottom end. The hinge (35) allows the leg (15) to break down and fold inwardly against the table top. A pair of leg braces (81, 83) is attached to the support beam and are moveable with the beam. Each leg brace is removably attached to a corresponding leg by a locking assembly (87). When the leg braces (81, 83) are attached to the leg, they transfer downward force from the table top to the legs at a point below the hinges (35) to keep the legs in the unfolded position. The locking assembly (87) can be disengaged and the leg braces pivoted out of the way to allow the legs to be folded. A wire gallery (13) is removably attached to the leg braces (81, 83) below the table top.

Description

FOLDING TABLE
Technical Field This invention relates to folding tables, and in particular, to a folding table having articulated legs to allow folding and unfolding of the legs. While S the invention is described with particular reference to CO~ u~l and/or coll~e~el-ce tables, those skilled in the art will recognize the wider applicability of the illvt;nlive principles disclosed hereinafter.
Folding tables are well known to the art. They commonly are used in homes, offices, 1T~ininp~ rooms, c~ r~t~ and so forth when extra table space is needed. When not in use, the tables are folded up and store in some unobL ~I~ivc;
manner. However, the folding and locking merh~nicmc of prior art folding tables tend to be complex, having a multitude of moving parts, and generally areincorporated at the juncture of the leg and the table top, making the folding ,.mi~m ~id 'u~e leg an inseparaDle. l~nis reduces ihe tlexibiiity of the decign~
Recently, folding tables more cl-mmc-nly are used to support electronic devices, particularly p~r~onRl CO~ and the like. Personal col~uLel~, along with other p~r~phPrn~ such as a printer, telephone and personal work items l~les_llL a con~i~lerable amount of weight to be ~u~olLed by the table.
Prior art folding tables, particularly those with a long spans and conventional folding and locking merh~ni.~m~, tend to bow under the weight. Moreover, the ~ 1ition~l weight can cause the legs to splay. On the other hand, the added weight may cause the folding merh~ni~m of some prior art tables to fail and fold up under the weight of the load as indicated above A nutnber of table designs having folding legs or merll~ni~m.~ are well known in the art. For example, United States Patent 5,337,657 ('657), issued August 16, 1994, illu~L dles one form of such table. While the '657 patent, for ex~mple, speaks of a "beam" ext~n~lin~ lengthwise of the table, the beam is thincorrugated sheet steel form plate which is not inten~le-1 to function and which WO 97/33499 PCT/U~,, ''., /:~!~C

does not function in-the manner of the support beam structure of the present invention.
Further, these electronic devices such as COlllput~,.S, monitors, I,lhl~
and telephones have power supply or colllle~lion cords or wires that generally S dangle from the rear edge of the table. The loose wires are ~lncightly and present a safety ha~ard if the user becom~s entangled in the exposed wires. Our invention provides a wire gallery structure adaptable to a number of table construcffons. This adaptability is accomplished through the use of self cnnt~in~cl wire manager units which can be ~l~rhP(1 to any of a variety of table10 constructions without illt~lrcl;ng with other table f lnrtion~.
B~rk~ro-ln-l ~rt It is among the 1~ ip~l objects of the present invention to provide a folding table having a leg ~cse.~bly which allows the legs of the table to be folded up for storage or st~rl~in~
Another object of the present invention is to provide a folding table wherein the folding mec~nicmc are located along the legs and not the associated table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide a folding table wherein the folding legs easily can be length~ned or shortened without requiring 20 modification ofthe folding mech~nicm.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a folding table wherein a support beam ext~n-ling the length of the table functions as a weight bearing member and not as a co,ll~oncn~ ofthe leg folding .~ecl~nicm Another object of the invention is to provide a folding table wl,~Le;,l the 25 load exerted on the table top functions to ll.~ i" the legs in an unfolded position and resist folding m~ nicm failure under a load.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a folding table wherein the braces e~t~n(1in~ from the table top to the foldable legs are designed exert a positive pre~ule on the legs, when the legs are in their unfolded position, so W~> 97133499 PCT/U~ v ~,3C

that the weight on the table functions to keep the legs in their ~-nfolded, ~u~lliv~ position under the table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide a removable wire guide under the table top to house electrical cords or wires ~xf~n-ling from electronic S devices resting on the table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a removable wire guide that can be stored sep~r~tely from the table when the foldable legs are moved from an unfolded to a folded position.
Another object of this invention is to provide an easy to operate and 10 simply constructed plunger assembly for use with a folding table.
These and other objects of the folding table of the present invention will be ~ from the acco~ ~lying speçific~fion and Jlawi~
In accordance with the invention, briefly stated, a folding table is provided in one il~ ;vt; ~ncrtllcd form, with a top and a pair of breakaway 15 legs supporting the top. A brace member at each end of the table has a leg assembly ~tf~h~d to each brace member. A top ~U~Ollillg beam extends along the table top in the area between the brace memhers. The support beam is pivotally mounted to the table top. Each leg assembly has a hinge structure nearits top end and a foot ~ at its bottom end. The hinge is cl~eigne~l to allow20 the leg to break down and fold inwardly against the table top. A pair of leg braces are attached to ~e support beam and are moveable with the beam. Each leg brace also is removably 531t~r.h~(1 to a corresponding leg by a simplified spring-biased plunger assembly. When the braces are iqltfz~rh~?(l to the leg, they r~ dowllw~d force from the table top to the legs at a point below the 25 hinges to keep the legs in the unfolded position. The plungers can be removedfrom their interlock position with the legs, enabling the braces to be pivoted out of the way and allowing the legs to be broken down or folded. The braces have a triangular forrn in the ~crcllcd embodiment.
A wire gallery assembly is removably ~ rhr~ to the braces below the 30 table top. The wire gallery has a wire tray to accomrnodate loose wire and any WO 97/33499 PCT/U~' ~'., /J5 associated wiring h~rn.qss ~he wire tray has a hinged cover that can be opened to expose the wiring or closed to cover the wiring. The cover also functions as a modesty panel.
Brief Description of th~ Drawir~
S FIG. 1 is an i~oml?tric view of one illu~ livt; embodiment of folding table of the present invention, one ill~ l;ve embodiment of the wire gallery being shown in an open position, FIG. 2 is the i~om~tric view of the folding table of FIG. 1, the table top being shown in ph~ntQrn;
FIG. 3 ;s an exploded view of the folding table shown in Fig. l;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of one foldable leg assembly of the folding table shown in Fig. l;
FIG. S is a front elevation of ~he folding table shown in Fig. 1, the wire gallery cover being in an open position, the rear net wall not shown for drawing~imrlicity;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present invention, the wire gallery cover being in an closed position;
FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present invention, showing the leg braces in their stored position, the wire gallery being removed;FIG. 8 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present invention, the foldable legs in a folded position, FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire gallery assembly, the cover and rear wall not shown for drawing simplicity;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a leg and plunger taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 1 lA is a perspective view of one embodiment of a leg hinge of the present invention;
FIG. 1 lB is a perspective view of another embodiment of a leg hinge of the present invention;

WO 97133499 PCT~JSS~' /-~J

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a second illustrative embodiment of folding table of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a front view of the folding table of FIG. 12 with the legs in a folded position;
5FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the folding table of Fig. l illustrating operation of the wire gallery of the present invention; and FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a pluralit.v of folding tables of the present invention arranged end-to-end.
Corresponding lc;rt;lellce figures inflic~te(l corresponding e1.omPnt~
10 throughout the various ~lw~llgS.
~est Mode for Carryin~ Out the Invention One i111.x~ ive embodiment of folding table of the present invention is in-1ic~te~1 gen.or~11y in the drawings by reference nllmer~1 l. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, table 1 incl~1-les a support frame assembly, inf~ te~i generally 15 by lercL~ence numeral 3, supporting a substantially flat, ~ ~ular table top 5. It will be appreciated that table top 5 can be of any convention~1 configuration and can have one or more openings, such as an opening 6, formed in it to allow the introduction of wires. It also will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the frame assembly 3 can be used to support a table top of any length and can be20 conveniently modified to elevate table top 5 any desired (1i~t~n~e from the floor.
Frame assembly 3 in~h1(les two spaced apart folding leg assemblies 7 and 9, l~e~;Livt;l~/. A support beam ll extends bC:~W~;~n the respective leg assemblies to provide s11hst~nti~1 support to the table top and prevent the table top from bowing under weight of objects placed upon the table top, regardless 25 of the span of the tabletop. A wire gallery assembly 13 is suspended below the beam and serves to col-vt;niently house electrical wires or the like which extend down from objects resting on table top 5. The foregoing major components of folding table l now will be described in greater detail, with reference rim~rilybeing made to FIG. 3 Leg assembly-7, with leg assembly 9 being nearly ic1~ntic~1 thereto, has an elongated, ~b~ 11y hollow body section lS. Leg assembly 9 differs from leg assembly 7 only in specific details described below, and except for such details, is not described in detail. Body section 15, in the embodiment 5 illu~Lldled, has a generally oval cross-section, although other configurations are co...~ ;ble with the broader aspects of our invention. Each body section lS has an opening 16 along the length thereof that allows access into the body for the conee~lm~nt of wires or cords or the like Opening 16 can have an optional cover 17 (FIG 14) to better conceal the wires and the opening. Interior support struts18 (FIG. 10) with threaded holes 19 formed in the ends, extend the leng~ of the interior cavity of the body to provide rigidity to the body and provide anchors for other components. A surface en~ging foot 20 is ~tt~(~h~d to the bottom end of body 15 by a plurali~ of screws 21 or other ~ro~l;ate att~hment devices.
The screws 21 engage threaded holes (not shown) in the bottom end of the 15 support struts. The leg assembly 7 also has a plurality of resilient pr~ ;liv~
b~llpers7 22 associated with it. The bun~.~s 22 are used to protect the tables, during storage, for e"r~mrle A deco,dlivt; and plotecLiv~ band 23 is placed between the bottom end of the body 15 and closes the juncture bG~w~;c;n the body and the foot 19. Foot 20 has a ~llhst~nti~lly elong~ted toe section 24 and a 20 somewhat shorter heel section 25. Foot 20 is of an a~pr~l;ate overall length so dS to provide stability and prevent tipping of the table. There is a first adiustable glide 27 threadedly ~tt~c~hPcl to an int~rn~lly threaded boss 29 on the end of the toe section 24 and a similar adjustable glide 31 threadedly ~tt~eh~l to an int~rn~lly threaded boss 33 on the end of the heel section 25. The respective 25 glides can be rotated to level the foot on its supporting surface. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, a ~ylnlllctrical foot may be employed, if desired.
A hinge 35 is attached to the upper end of body 15 with screws 37, or by other a~,.~ le devices, which engage threaded holes 19. The hinge 35, shown in greater detail in FIG 1 lB, has a general clam-shell c~mfi~llr~tion with a top half 39 ~tt~-~h~cl to a bottom half 41 along a hinge pin 43. Fig. llA

WO 97J33499 PCT/U~ 3 illu~lldlc;s a second embodiment of the hinge. In FIG. 1 lA, it should be noted that the top half 39' and bottom half 41' of the hinge 35' employed with leg assembly 9, for eY~mr)le, has a plurality of openings 51 formed therein.
Openings S l allow the intro~luction of cords or electric wires into body 15 of leg 5 assembly 9 as will be .~Ypl~in~l in greater detail below.
The bottom half 41 of each hinge IS ~tt~h~l to the upper end of body 15, as stated above, and the upper half 39 is ~qtt~('h~-1 to a table top mounting brace 47 with a plurality of screws 49 or other a~propliate ~tt~hm~nt devices.
Each brace 47 has a ~UI)~ ly flat, elon~t~d first brace m~mh~r 53 and an 10 intf~gr~l but short second brace member 55 at a right angle to the first brace member in the embodiment ill~l~tr~ted The respective base members are secured to the bottom surface of the table top 5 with screws 56 or other ap~lu~l;ate ~tt~çhm~nt means. At the j~cL~c of the respective brace m~mbPr.
is a Een~ lly ovoid ope~ g 57 formed a first end of the brace m~mh~r 53, 15 which is defined on the bottom side (re~.lced to Fig. 3), by a ciLculllr~ ialdepending skirt S9. It will be a~l)re.iiated that skirt S9 in the assembled arrangement of parts, will appear as a part of the upper end of body 15.
As mentioned above, there is an elong~ted beam 11 rur~ing along the bottom side of the table top 5, between the two brace members 53 As shown, 20 beam 11 generally is L-shaped, having a generally vertically disposed wall 63and a short, perpendicular lip 65 eYt~n~ling outwardly from the wall 63 along a bottom edge thereo~ Beam 11 has a plurality of hinges 69 ~tt~-~h~l to the wall 63. In the embodiment shown, three hinges 69 are spaced equal ~ t~nces along the length of the beam. The top half of each hinge is ~tt~he~l to the lm~lPr~i~le 25 of the t~ble top with screws 71 or other a~lol,liate ~tt~hm~nt means. A pair of latches 73 and 75 are ~tt~'h~cl to the wall 63 with screws 77 or the like. T ~trh~c 73 function to hold the legs in a folded position as will be further e~rrl:~inPrl below.
A first brace 81 is mounted between beam 11 and leg assembly 7 and a second brace 83 is mounted between beam 11 and leg assembly 9. The braces 81 and 83 are identical to one another in the embodiment illlletr~terl, and preferably are triangular in silhouette. As illustrated, each brace 81, 83 is ~tt~rhr~l to beam 11 by a plurality of screws 85 or other a~,pr~liate ~tt~hin~
device. Each brace 81, 83 has an upper end 84A and a lower end 84B. The lower end 84B has a plunger boss 87 formed in it. A spring biased plunger 89 having a plunger pin 90 is mounted in each boss 81, as shown in greater detail in FIG. 10. There is a complement~ry keeper bracket 91 attached to the inside face of each leg assembly, just below the hinges 35 which accepts and aligns pin90 with an opening 92 formed in the respective legs. When table 1 is fully assembled with the legs unfolded, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ,c;~e-;~iv~;
pins 91 are biased into the opening 92 to secure the bottom end 84B of the respective braces 81, 83 to the leg assc;l~lies. The structural arrangement described above satisfies several major objectives of the present invention.
First, the beam 11 fimrtinne rrim~rily as a load bearing support and does not co~ e an elemPnt of the folding mPr~ , as found with many prior art folding tables. Second, as dowllwa,d pl.,s~ule is place on beam 11 by a load place on the table top, the ~ s~Ul~ iS transferred to the inner surface of the legs via the braces 81, 83 to urge the legs UUlWal-l against hinges 35, the force acting to hold the legs in their unfolded position. Therefore, rather than acting to cause the collapse of a folding table, the load on the folding table of the present invention acts to stabilize the entire structural comhin~ti~-n in use.
The wire gallery assembly 13, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 9, incl~ es a wire gallery 93. Wire gallery 93 inrl~lclee a sn~st~nti~lly flat traysection 95 ,shown in greater detail in FIG. 9, defined by a bottom wall 96. A
hinge 97 extends along the front edge of tray section 95. A raised edge 99 extends along the rear edge of the tray section 95. Raised edge 99 is designed to permit ~ rhm~nt of the previously mentioned screen 67. Screen 67 ~lelinP~te~e a back wall of the wire gallery assembly 13.
One arm of hinge 97 has a plurality of holes 98 formed in it, for :ltt~rhin~ a cover support 101 to the arm. ~tkqrhment is accompli.ehPcl with WO g7/33499 PCT/U' ,. ~v ~il5~, rivets 103 or other a~pro~ fi~Qt~r devices. Cover support 101 is a s~lhst~nti~lly resilient U-shaped member. A wire gallery cover 105 is ~tt~.h~
to the wire gallery by inserting the cover support 101 into a charmel 107 formedin the interior face of the cover 101. A pair of detents 109 are ~ft~ cl to each5 upper end corners ofthe cover 105.
The wire gallery employs two Qkelet~l frames. There is first skeletal frame defined by an end part 106 at one end of the tray and a second end part 106 at the other end of the tray. The end parts 106 receive the detents 109 to hold the cover 101 in its closed position. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, detents 109 ~ lively may be mounted in the end part 106 rather than tlhe cover 109, if desired. O~er similar arrangements are co.~ lible with the broader aspects of our invention.
The second rl~let~l frame is a wire gallery mounting frame 111, which is ad~pted and arranged tO permit the removal and ~ ent of the wire gallery ~QQI~mhly 13 to the braces 81 and 83. Mounting frame 111 is an elong~ted, C-shaped frame 113 having a holi~oll~l rod member 113 and two vertical oppositely end opposed sections 114. End plates 115 and 117 are welded or otherwise att~he~l to the inside of end sections 114. Wire frame 111 is ~tt~.h~d to tray 96 by a pair of L shaped br~ tc 118 by welding or other a~.ro~l;ate means. It will be appreciated that the second Ql~elet~l frame is spaced apart from the first skelet~l frame but c-)nn~cte~l at each end by braces118 that extend between the end members 106 and the end sections 114 or mounting pieces 115 and 117. It should be noted that there is a central indention 119 in rod member 113 to accommodate the leg latches 73 and 75.
Each plate 11 5 and 11 7 has a pair of vertically aligned, key-hole type openings 119 and 121 formed in it.
There are a pair of vertically aligned mounting pins 123 and 125 protruding from the brace 81, 83. The respective openings 119 and 121 are designed to engage the pins 123 and 125 to mount the wire gallery assembly removably to the brace members 81, 83. This novel construction allows the wire gallery assembLy to be removed, if not r~e~le~l, or used interch~nge~bly with another table having .eimil~rly arranged mounting pins or screws.
FIGS. 5-8 illustrate the foldable L~aLUI~S of the folding table 1 of the present invention. First, FIG. 5 shows the table fully assembled with the wire 5 gallery cover 105 opened. Fig 6 shows table 1 fully assembled with the wire gallery cover 105 closed to give an ~estht~tic~lly plç~in~ fini.eh~d look to thetable and to function as a modesty panel. To close cover 105, the cover is pivoted about hinge 97. Detents 109 engage the end parts 106 to secure the cover in place, to hide wire strung therein, and to serve as a modesty panel.
Further, it will be appreciated that tray 95 is desi~ned to hold a plurality of electr~cal cords or wires or the like loYtçnfiing from devices resting on the table top. Moreover, the wires can be c-)nc~?~le~ inside a leg assembly, for eY~n~ple leg assembly 9 by introducing the wires through openings 6 and 57, through the openings 51 in top hinge piece 39 and down through the ch~nnel 16 in body 15 and out of the bottom of ~h~nn~l 16 to a source of electrical energy, for example. On the other hand, the wires can drop down from the table adjacent leg assembly 9 and extend across the tray to leg assembly 7 or vice versa, depending upon the location of an el~ctric~l outlet, for e~mplç as will be further described below.
The folding feature of table 1 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. First, the wire gallery 13 is removed from the mounting screws. The plungers 89 are with drawn from the holes 92 and keeper brackets 97. The support beam 11, bearing the freed triangular braces 81 and 83, is pivoted about the hinges 69 until the braces are flush to the bottom surface of the table top. The legs then break or are pivoted inward about hinges 35 until they are parallel to the table top, as shown in FIG. 8. The legs are secured in the folded position by snapping into latches 73 and 75.
It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the folding table of the present invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims. For t~x~mple, a folding leg assembly, in~ic~

WO 97133499 PCT/US96/a7990 generally by L~r~lcllce n1lm~r~l 9', is shown in FIG. 4 and ilh.~ s the flexibility of the novel folding leg ~csçmhly design. Leg ~sembly 9' employs a spacer 130 between the skirt 59' and the hinge 35'. Spacer 130 is used to lower the hinge 35' employed on the leg assembly relative to the position of the hinge35 employed on the opposite leg assembly. FIGS. 12 and 13 ill~l~tr~te an embodiment of the folding table of the present invention, indicated generally byreference numeral 150, employing the leg assembly 9' of FIG.4 in col-jwl~;lion with a table having a relatively shorter table top 152 than those previously described. Due to the use of spacer 130, the leg 15' can breakdown and fold under leg 15 of the opposite leg ~en~bly 7.
Moreover, body 15 of the leg assemblies may be made longer, if the application so dictates a taller table. The basic elem~ntc of the folding table of the present invention are int~L~e,h~lgeable and the table easily can be height~n~d or shortened by the use of or removal of spacer 130 or by the use of a longer leg assemblybody 15.
FIG. 14 i~ les a folding table 1 of the present invention with an electrical plug strip 160 seated in the wire gallery tray. A wire 162 conn~oct~le to a power source, such as a wall plug, enters opening 16 in leg 15 through a fitting 164. The wire 162 is electrically cnnn~ctçd to the strip 160. Strip 160 has a plurality of individual plugs 166 for cnlm~ctin~ various electric devices resting on the table top. Further, an ext~n~ic.n 170 with a plug 171 is positionbclween the wire gallery's two skeletal frames and exists under the table top.
There is an ç~t.-n~ n plug 172 at the opposite end of strip 160. As should be appreci~te~, a plurality of tables 1 of the present invention can be aligned end-to-end, as shown in FIG. 15. The ç~t~n~i~,n 170 of one table can engaged the plug 172 of an ~ cetlt table, thereby electric~lly connecting all of the electronic devices on all of the tables 1.
~ As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the design silhouette of various con-~ollents may be altered. For ~lple, the brace members 81, 83 are shown as generally having a triangular shape. O~er shapes are compatible with our invention. Likewise, we employ screw type f~tenPr~ in the assembly of various structural co~ . Other r~ may be used, if desired. Since these variations are merely iilu~lldliv~, the foregoing description and accomp~lyi3lg drawings should be viewed as ill~ ;v~; only and should not be 5 construed in a limitin~ sense.

Claims

1. A foldable article including a top having an associated locking mechanism for releasably locking a foldable leg in an unfolded position supporting the top, comprising:
at least one brace extending between the top and the folding leg, the brace having a first end and a second end, the first end of the brace being operatively attached to the top and the second end of the brace having a plunger boss formed in it, said plunger boss being positioned in operational relationship to the foldable leg, the brace being pivotally mounted along the under side of the top between at least a first position interconnected with said foldable leg and a second stored position disconnected from said foldable leg;
a seat along the foldable leg, said seat being positioned in operational relationship to said plunger boss; and a spring-biased plunger carried by one of said plunger boss and said foldable leg, said spring-biased plunger being moveable between at least a first position wherein the plunger is biased into said seat and a second position wherein said plunger is withdrawn from said seat to permit movement of said brace toward said stored position.

2. The article of claim 1 further including a hinge positioned between said top and said leg.

3. The article of claim 2 further including a support beam which extends along the length dimension of the top, said support beam hingedly attached to said top, said brace being attached to and moveable with said beam.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein a downward force on said top acts through said brace to maintain the foldable leg in the unfolded position of said foldable leg.

5. A folding table top, comprising:
a beam pivotally attached to said top;
a brace having a first end and a second end, said brace being attached to said beam at the first end of said brace, said brace being moveable with said beam;
a plunger housing along said brace at a second end of said brace;
a plunger moveably mounted within said plunger housing;
a bias spring within the housing to bias said plunger toward a first position;
a leg assembly having a first part mounted to said top and a second part foldable with respect to the first part;
a plunger seat carried by said leg assembly along the second part thereof and disposed to seat said plunger when said plunger is in said first position;
said plunger being movable to a second position wherein said plunger is withdrawn from said plunger seat so as to allow said brace to move away from said leg assembly.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said plunger housing comprises a tubular wall integrally connected to the second end of said brace, said tubular wall defining an internal bore; and a bias spring seated in said bore.

7. In a table having a table top supported by spaced apart foldable leg assemblies and a support beam extending along the length dimension of the table top, at least one releasable brace between the beam and the leg assembly, the brace having a plunger boss formed on the base adjacent the leg assembly, and a spring-baised plunger in said boss, said plunger being moveble between a first position wherein said plunger engages and locks the leg assembly in an unfolded configuration and a second position wherein the plunger is removed from said leg assembly so as to allow said leg assembly to fold, said brace pivotally mounted along the under side of said table top, said brace and said foldable leg being positioned in an unfolded position so that a downward force on the top acts through said brace to maintain the foldable leg in the unfolded position of said foldable leg.