Chairs and seats – Convertible – Table
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-17
2001-02-20
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Convertible
Table
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189965
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a convertible bench and table assembly, and more particularly to an assembly wherein a frame is provided upon which a seat portion is fixed in position. The assembly also includes a common portion movably mounted on the frame for movement between an unlocked position where it is maintained by gravity to form a seat back and a locked position where it forms a table top. This invention is an improvement over similar assemblies shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,194,784 and 4,913,488, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In the structures shown in the above-referenced patents, a movable locking member is provided at each end of the common portion, each locking member including a wedge portion adapted to be wedged between an upstanding frame portion and a support means which forms part of the common portion. In the construction of U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,784, the locking member incorporated a wedge portion for performing the function of locking the common portion in position. However, this arrangement did not prove entirely satisfactory. The construction of U.S. Pat No. 4,913,488 introduced additional means to maintain the locking member in locked position in the form of a projection defining a detent on the locking member which cooperates with a rib formed on the support means of the common portion.
The improved construction of U.S. Pat No. 4,913,488 has presented serious problems in use. A first problem is caused by the fact that the locking member is slidably disposed within a support means having walls which effectively hide the locking member from view so that a user cannot readily visibly determine whether the locking member is in fully locked position. The user must judge the degree of engagement of the detent with the rib more or less by feel, and with only fingertip contact with a small actuator. In fact, depending on the tolerances of the molded components, contact of the projection on the locking member with the rib can be inadvertently interpreted as a “stop” upon coming into contact with one another due to the tightness of their interference. Therefore, the user could believe that the common portion will be retained in locked in position, when, in reality, the detent and rib serve no such function. In other words, the user cannot readily ascertain that the common portion is securely retained in its locked position by feel or by any readily visible means.
A further problem with the construction shown in U.S. Pat No. 4,913,488 is that the projection on the locking member and the rib on the support means of the common portion may actually have little or no contact with one another because of the small size thereof, and improper or incomplete molding. Furthermore, the wooden members of the common portion tend to twist and warp with the passage of time, thereby deforming the support means of the common portion which causes the projection and the rib to be pulled out of contact with one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the locking device has an enlarged operating portion which is relatively thin so that it will fit within the palm of a user's hand and which enables the user to push and slide the locking device into locked position, and which further enables the user to grasp the lower edge portion of the operating portion with his fingers to pull and slide the locking device away from the support means of the operating portion to move the locking device into unlocked position.
The operating portion of the locking device has an outwardly facing surface. The support means which slidably supports the locking device also has an outwardly facing surface disposed on three of the four sides of the operating portion. When the locking device in its outward unlocked position, the outwardly facing surfaces on the operating portion and the support means are disposed in spaced relationship to one another. When the locking device in its inward locked position, these surfaces are flush with one another. In this manner the invention provides a readily visible indication of whether or not the locking device is in its locked position.
In the invention, the locking device comprises an elongated body means having wedging means extending downwardly from the lower surface of the body means. The wedging means is similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned patents. A pair of resilient arms are disposed adjacent to and spaced from opposite sides of the wedging means. An upper surface of an upstanding frame portion is provided with a recess which receives projections extending downwardly from the ends of the two resilient arms. These projections are resiliently biased into the recess to securely maintain the locking device in locked position. This provides an improved means for maintaining the locking device in locked position and avoids the problems encountered with the structures of the aforementioned patents.
In order to provided a more positive means for retaining the locking device in locked position, additional locking means is provided. The locking device is provided with a recess or notch; and the support means of the common portion has two parallel walls which have aligned holes formed therethrough. When the locking device is in locked position, the holes are aligned with the notch in the locking device. The aligned holes and notch can then receive a rigid member such as a nail or piece of heavy wire to positively prevent the locking device from being moved to unlocked position. It is apparent that the rigid member can be removed when it is desired to move the locking device to unlocked position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1792737 (1931-02-01), Greenstreet
patent: 2897876 (1959-08-01), Austin
patent: 3361470 (1968-01-01), Gustin et al.
patent: 4194784 (1980-03-01), Dostal et al.
patent: 4801175 (1989-01-01), Albanese
patent: 4913488 (1990-04-01), Donnell, Jr.
Hecht Thomas R.
Livingston Howard F.
Brown Peter R.
Dykema Gossett PLLC
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