US1709927A - Service tray - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1929. G. E; WHITNEY 1,709,927

SERVICE TRAY Original Filed Aug. 1,v 1926 fia-1l..

Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

U N 'l T E D GEORGE E. WHITNEY, or

" 1,709, T F F IC SERVICE TRAY.

Application led August 8, 1926, Serial No. 126,865.

This invention relates to service trays but more particularly has reference to devices of this description that are equipped with folding legs, the principal object of the invention being to automatically bold the legs in their opened or folded positions without the employment of an cooperating securing means fastened to t ie central portion of the tray.

In Letters Patent No. 1,593,611, issued to me July 27, 1926, I have shown and described a tray similar to the one which forms the subject of the present application, but which employs an elongated resilient bar secured to the central portion of the bottom of the tray, and having its ends equipped for engaging the stirrups. This bar necessarily caused the central portion of the upper surface of the tray to be marred owing to the fact that rivets pass through thebar and tray for securing said bar.

In the present invention I have eliminated the bar altogether, and have provided at each end of the tray a spring clip secured to the tray by rivets and having its main body, or effective, portion normally' extending at an angle from the tray, and atthe inner and outer ends of these extending portions are formed recesses within which the stirrups are housed when the legs are in closed or extended positions, the surfaces ot these extended portions intermediate these recesses being engaged by the stirrups, when the legs are swung in either direction, so as to force these clips toward the tray, whereby the resilient recovery of said clips when said stirrups have been positioned opposite said recesses will cause the stirrups to be housed within the latter.

In the accompanying drawings,-which illustrate the invention, similar numerals ot reference denote like parts in the several figures- Figure 1 being a bottom perspective view of a service tra equipped with my improvement with the egs opened,

Figure 2 being a bottom of the tray with the legs closed, and

Figure 3 being a broken section at Jdie line 3-3 ot Figure 2.

1 is the tray proper. and 2 generally dcnotes the le elements.

Each of t ese le portions is formed ot a continuous piece o? wire which is Afashioned at the bottom into suitablet'eet 3 and at the Renewed February 1, 1929.

inner end into a cross bar 4 which is journaled in brackets 5 secured to the bottom of the tray at each end.

The central portion of each of these bars 4 is formed into a stirrup 6, while intermediate the feet 3 the free ends of the wire are preferably welded at the point "7.

8 is a spring clip formed of sheet metal whose extremities are riveted to the bottom of the tray7 and whose main body portion extends at an angle from the tray, the metal strips from this body portion being spaced apart to give better resiliency.

As above stated there are two of these clips one at each end of the tray and at the outer end of each clip is a recess 9 while at the in ner end is a recess 10, the recess 9 having a straight outer wall to prevent overthrow of the legs.

lhesupposing the legs to'be closed and lying against the bottom of the tray as is shown at Figures 2 and 3, the outward swinging of these legs will cause the stirrups G to leave the recesses l() and engage the surfaces ot the cli )s intermediate the recesses, thus forcing these clips inwardly toward the tray, and when these stirrups are swung opposite the recesses 9, the clips will spring outwardly and thus cause the stil-rups to be housed within these recesses, as is shown at Figure 1.

In closing the legs the stirrups will be `forced out of the recesses 9 against the surfaces of the clips so as to crowd the latter toward the tray, and when these stirrups have come opposite the recesses 10 the clips will spring outwardly and thus cause the stir-rups to be housed within these recesses.

The construction of these clips enables them to offer such a resistance to the Inove-v nicnts of the legs that the latter will be securely held both when extended and closed.

What is claimed is:-

l. A service tray comprising a tray propcr, legs pivotally swung at the bottom of the tray at cach end thereof, the inner portions of said legs consisting of cross bars whose centers are formed into stirrups, and resilient clips secured at cach end of the tray bottom and normally extended at an angle thereto sd Jsto begngaged by said stirrups, the inner and Outer\e"1ds of said clips having recesses within which said stirrups are housed when the legs are folded and opened.

2. A tray as in claim 1, in which the legs are formed of a continuous wire or strip of metal whose free ends are welded the lnner ends being cross-bars that are pivotally' swung from the bottom of the tray, the central part of each bar between the. pivotal points bein formed into a stirrup, while the resilient cllps are formed of sheet met-a1 strips whose free ends are riveted to the tray and whose angularly extending portions are formedby spacing apart the metal' of the 10 strip. In testimony whereof I aix Iny signaturehere-to.

GEORGE E. WHITNEY.

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