Restaurant booth divider and actuating mechanism therefor

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH TWO RESTAURANT BOOTHS INCLUDING TWO TABLES WITH SEATS ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEROF, WHICH TABLES HAVE ADJACENT PARALLEL ENDS SEPARATED BY A FIRST DISTANCE, A DIVIDER ASSEMBLY DISPOSED BETWEEN THE SEPARATED ENDS OF THE TABLES COMPRISING: (A) A RECTANGULAR PANEL, THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF WHICH ARE PARALLEL TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TABLES, SAID PANEL BEING OF LESSER THICKNESS THAN SAID FIRST DISTANCE, WITH SAID PANEL BEING SUFFICIENTLY WIDE THAT WHEN DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID TABLES IN A FIRST POSITION AND UPPER LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID TABLES; (B) VERTICAL GUIDE MEANS OCCUPYING FIXED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID TABLES FOR ENGAGING PREDETERMINED VERTICALLY EXTENDING AREAS OF SAID PANEL TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID PANEL BETWEEN SAID FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION, WITH THE UPPER LONGITUIDINAL EDGE OF SAID PANEL WHEN IN SAID SECOND POSITION BEING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID TABLES; (C) POWER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PANEL TO SAID FIRST OR SECOND POSITION OR ONE THEREBETWEEN; AND (D) MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID POWER MEANS.