Horizontally supported planar surfaces – With structural installation – Vehicle supported
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-12
2002-07-02
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3636)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
With structural installation
Vehicle supported
Reexamination Certificate
active
06412425
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a unique horizontally foldable steering wheel table, which is easy to carry and handle, will not open apart easily without an extra force in a folded-up position, and can be easily and rigidly mounted in different ways on a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, for use by a person sitting behind the steering wheel for reading, writing, eating, using lap-top computer, and cosmetics, when the vehicle is in parking position.
2. Description of Prior Art
A number of devices have been created to provide a steering wheel table, some of those are foldable, but none of them will provide such a foldable steering wheel table that will not easily fall apart when in folded-up position.
Also, those previous inventions have problems to easily and rigidly mount a steering wheel table on a steering wheel of a motor vehicle. None of these inventions are efficient enough to solve all the problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,306 to Breuner (1998) discloses a portable steering wheel mounted computer table.
a) This device is mounted on a steering wheel by a shock cord. This structure is not practical and rigid. The table will not be in balance, especially when there is an air bag bump on the steering wheel.
b) It does not posses a neat and uniform appearance and looks unstable by using a shock cord or similar material when placing an expensive and heavy laptop computer on it.
c) This device has nothing to prevent or stop a force from under the table surface, which may knock the table off the steering wheel and damage the expensive computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,305 to Jacovelli (1998) discloses a tray for use in automobiles for placing food, drink or others.
d) By design, this device looks not stable enough on a steering wheel and the two end of the tray may go up and down like a seesaw.
U.K. Pat. No. GB1,550,890 to Hardy (1979) discloses a foldable steering wheel table with two hooks hanging on a steering wheel.
e) By design, this device has nothing to prevent or stop a force from under the table surface, which may knock the table off the steering wheel, and it will not be useful when there is an air bag bump on the steering wheel.
f) Though this device can be folded up when not in use, the table surface board will be unfolded by itself without a lock, which is not convenient for carrying.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,026 to Seibert (1996) discloses a tray for use on a steering wheel.
g) This device, which has a pocket on the top of the tray to hang on a steering wheel but has nothing else to stable the device on a steering wheel, is very easy to fall off and not stable.
h) All of the above described inventions has no device to place or store pans, spoons, forks, other utensils, etc. on a table surface.
Objects and Advantages
Several objects and advantages of my invention include those that:
a) will not open by itself when in folded-up position;
b) require an extra force to separate and unfold the support and table surface;
c) is easy for carrying;
d) there is an oblong slot on the table surface for placing pen, utensils, etc.;
e) by using latch or catch on the support, will greatly increase the easiness and stability of the foldable steering wheel table on a steering wheel;
f) uses different ways of latch or catch to mount a steering wheel table for different steering wheels;
g) by using a catch or latch, will reduce the overall size of a steering wheel table;
h) by using one or more moveable catches or latches that can move along the support, will fit and mount on different point and place on a steering.
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