US2635680A - Table attachment for furniture - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1953 v. R. ZENTMIRE TABLE ATTACHMENT FOR FURNITURE Filed May 4, 1951 INVENTOR wee/4 e. ZEN TM/eE,

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATE aeaassd- TABLE ATTACHMENT FOR FURNITURE VlrgilR. Zentmire, Seward, Territory of Alaska Application May 4, 1951,'Serial 'No. 224,483

This invention relates to attachments for furniture and more particularly to a table or tray attachment adjustably mountable on an article of furniture havingaseat.

3 It is among the objects of the invention to provide a table or tray attachment which can be easily mounted on an article of furniture having a seat to support articles, such as drinking glasses or ashtrays, in convenient reach of a person using the seat; which can be folded and disposed entirely below the seat of the associated article of furniture when the attachment is not in use; which is adjustable in height and may be adjustably positioned relative to the associated seat; and which is simple and'durable in construction, economical to manufacture and neat and attractive in appearance; y

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanying drawing whereini Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an article of furniture having a seat frame showing a table attachment illustrative of the invention operatively applied thereto; Y

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to Figure 2 but showing the attachment in folded condition and disposed below the seat frame of the article of furniture; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a'hinge constituting an operative component of the attachment. 4

With continued reference to the drawing, the article of furniture may be a chair or sofa of known construction and have a seat frame If] supported on front legs II and rear legs l2 and supporting a seat I 3 carrying seat cushions l4. Since the attachment may be applied to various articles of furniture of known construction, a more detailed description of the sofa is considered unnecessary for the purposes of the pres ent disclosure.

The attachment comprises a guideway l5 disposed against the under side of the seat frame I9 and extending transversely of the seat frame, and comprises a pair of elongated L-s-haped guide members It and i1 having an outwardly directed upper flange l8 secured to the seat frame of the sofa, and an inwardly directed lower flange l9 connected to the upper flange by a web portion 20 disposed substantially perpendicular to both flanges.

A slideplate 2| is engaged in'the guideway and slidably rests on the inwardly directed lower flanges l9 of the guide members It and I1, and tongues 22 and 23 struck from the plate 2| bear against the under surfaces of the lower flanges |9 of :the guide members I6 and I1, respectively, the tongues being located near the rear'or inward end of the plate 2|. The slide plate 2| is thus held in the guideway against rocking movement relative to the guideway and is spaced below the under side of the seat frame to of the article of furniture to provide space to receive the table attachment when the attachment is in folded'condition. H A crossbar 24 extends between the lower flanges IQ of thepguide members l6 and I1 atthe front end of the guideway to reinforce the guidewayand provide support for the table attach m I v The slide plate 2| extends forwardly out of the open front end of the guideway, when the attachment is in operative position, as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. hingedly connected at, one end to the plate 2| at its outer end 25 by a hinge 21 which is effective to support the standard in upright position substantially perpendicular tothe plate 2|, as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or to permit the standard to fold down onto the plate 2| for reception in the guideway, as is illustrated in Figure 4.

The standard 26 includes a lower bar 28 hav-- ing preferably the same width and cross section as the slide plate 2|, and a similar upper bar 29 provided with a longitudinally extending slot 30. The lower bar 28 of the standard is provided near its end remote from the hinge 21 with an aperture and a bolt 3| extends through the slot 39 in the upper bar 29 and through the aperture in the lower bar 28 and is provided with a wing nut 32 for clamping the bars 28 and 29 together in selected positions of longitudinal adjustment relative to each other determining the height of the device when in use.

A rectangular tray 33 having upstanding marginal flanges 34 is connected to the upper or free end of the upper bar 29 of the standard 26 by a hinge 35, illustrated in detail in Figure 5.

This hinge has a leaf 36 secured to the under side of the tray 33 an'd'a leaf 31 secured to the upper bar 29. The leav'es'36 and 31 are provided with complementary barrels and receive a hinge ,pin 38 which pivotally connects the leaves together' The barrel formation 39 on the leaf 36 is engaged between the barrels 40 and 4| on the leaf 31 and is spaced from the barrel A two-part standard 26 is Q 3 4|. A compression spring surrounds the hinge pin 38 between the barrel 4| and the barrel 39, and the'barrel 39 is provided at its other end with a detent 43 which is forced into a recess in the adjacent end of the barrel 40 by the spring 42 so as to releasably lock the hinge in the position illustrated in Figure 5 in which the tray 33 is supported substantially perpendicular to the standard. 26'. Under these conditions, in the operative position of the device, the plate 2| is substantially horizontal and the standard 25 is substantially perpendicular, and the tray 33 is supported in a substantially horizontal position. In the folded position of the device, the hinge 35 permits the tray to be. folded. to aposition in which it is substantially parallel to the upper bar 29 of the standard, so that the tray can be received together with the standard 26 and the side plate 2| in. the guideway, as illustrated in Figure 4.

When. the. attachment is. in its operative position, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the crossbar-2 4; provides a support for the slide plate 2| intermediate the length thereof, so. that the tray can be moved toward and away fromv the front side ofthe seat frame of the associated article of furniture and will be firmly supported in its various positions. of vertical and horizontal adjustment relative to the. seat frame ||J..

The invention may be embodied. in other specific forms without departing from the spirit. or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all. respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the

scope of the. invention being defined by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within claim is, therefore, therein.

What is claimed is:

In an attachment for a seat frame, a slideway adapted to be secured to the under side of the seat frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced L-shaped guide members, said L-shaped guide members having vertical flanges adapted to be secured to the seat frame and horizontal flanges thereby spaced from the under side of the seat frame and projecting laterally inwardly toward each other, the horizontal flanges being laterally spaced from each other, a slide plate against the vertical flanges of the guide members, said slide plate having a rear end portion and a forward end portion, said rear end portion having fingers extending therefrom and slidably engaged under the horizontal flanges of theguide. memberaa standard having a lower end hinged on the said forward end portion. to overlie said slide platewith the slide plate positioned rearwardly within theguideway and to occupy an erect position forwardly of the seat framein a forwardly withdrawn'position of the slide. plate, and a tray hinged on the upper end of the standard, said tray being arranged to be hinged to occupy a horizontal position in the erect position of the standard and to be hinged to occupy a position alongside of the standard and overlying the slide plate within the guideway in a rearward: inoperativeposition of the slide plate within the guideway.v

VIRGIL R. ZENTMIRE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date- 2,555,144= Londerman May 29, 1951

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