Portable work support assembly

Claim 2

A portable work support assembly comprising a first member having a surface adapted to receive a work piece in supportive engagement thereon in a manner in which work can be performed on said work piece, a second member and a third member, first hinge means for pivotally mounting said second member on a common wall of said first member at a location proximate one transverse end of said first member so that the second member is swingable about a first pivot point, second hinge means for pivotally mounting said third member on said common wall of said first member at a location proximate the opposite transverse end thereof so that said third member is swingable about a second pivot point, said second member being swingable about said first pivot point through an arc in a first plane perpendicular to said common wall from a position where it is located in relatively flat juxtaposition to and substantially parallel to said common wall to a position where it is angularly disposed to the common wall of said first member, said third member being swingable about said second pivot point through an arc in a first plane perpendicular to said common wall from a position where it lies in juxtaposition to and in substantially parallel relation to said second member on opposite sides of said second member with respect to said first member to a position where it is angularly disposed to the common wall of said first member, a first pair of extended elements pivotally mounted on said second member, and a second pair of extended elements pivotally mounted on said third member, the extended elements common to said first pair of extended elements lying in juxtaposition to each other and the extended elements common to said second pair of extended elements lying juxtaposition to each other and extending in planes substantially parallel to their respective second and third members, when the second and third members are located in juxtaposition to said common wall, said extended elements of each of said pairs being shiftable through respective arcs in second and third planes which are relatively perpendicular to said first plane in such manner that the extended elements are shiftable to a position where the elements of each pair are angularly located with respect to each other and angularly located with respect to the second and third members with which they are associated, each of said second and third members and associated pairs of respective extended elements having a length which is substantially greater than the distance between their respective first and second pivot points and the midpoint of said first member, said second pivot point being located on said third member in a plane which is spaced further from said first member than the plane in which said first pivot point is located on said second member.

Claim 3

The portable work support assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that said first member is a generally horizontally disposed member and said second and third members extend generally downwardly from said first member when they are angularly disposed to the common wall of said first member, and said first and second pairs of extended elements extend in the plane of their respective associated first and second members, said extended elements of each pair also extending outwardly from their respective second and third members when the extended elements common to each pair are angularly located with respect to each other.

Claim 4

The portable work support assembly of claim 2 further characterized in that said hinge means comprises a first hinge member pivotally connecting said second member to the common wall of said first member at the upper end of said first member, and a second hinge member pivotally connecting said third member to said common wall at a point spaced downwardly from the upper end of said third member.

Claim 5

The portable work support assembly of claim 3 further characterized in that a third hinge member is provided for achieving the pivotal connection of said first pair of extended elements to said second member and a fourth hinge member is provided for achieving the pivotal connection of said second pair of extended elements to said third member, and first element restraining means operatively associated with said third hinge member and second element restraining means operatively associated with said fourth hinge member to restrain the limit of pivotal movement of each of said extended elements common to each of said pairs.

Claim 6

The portable work support assembly of claim 3 further characterized in that a third hinge member is provided for achieving the pivotal connection of said first pair of extended elements to said second member and a fourth hinge member is provided for achieving the pivotal connection of said second pair of extended elements to said third member, and first element restraining means operatively associated with said third hinge member and second element restraining means operatively associated with said fourth hinge member to restrain the limit of pivotal movement of each of said extended elements common to each of said pairs, and first and second member restraining means operatively associated with said first and second hinge members respectively to limit the pivotal movement of said second and third members.

Claim 7

A portable saw horse comprising a generally horizontally disposed support beam having a relatively flat upper surface adapted to receive a work piece thereon in a manner in which work can be performed on said work piece, first and second leg members, first hinge means for hingEdly mounting said first leg member on said support beam through a first hinge point located in a region proximate to one of the transverse ends of said support beam, second hinge means for hingedly mounting said second leg member on said support beam through a second hinge point located proximate to the other transverse end of the support beam, said first leg member being swingable about said first hinge point from a closed position where it lies in a position substantially parallel to and lying in juxtaposition to said support beam to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, said second leg member being swingable about said second hinge point from a closed position where it lies beneath and in juxtaposition to and in substantially parallel relation to said first leg member to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, a first pair of leg elements hingedly mounted on the first leg member, and a second pair of leg elements hingedly mounted on the second leg member, the leg elements common to said pairs of leg elements being shiftable from a closed position where they lie in juxtaposition to each other and are coplanar with the leg member with which they are associated to an open position where they are angularly located with respect to each other and extend outwardly from said respective leg member with which they are associated, each of said first and second leg members and associated pairs of leg elements having a length which is substantially greater than the distance between their respective first and second hinge points and the midpoint of said support beam, said second hinge point being located on said second leg member in a plane which is spaced downwardly from the plane in which said first hinge point is located on said first leg member.

Claim 8

A portable saw horse comprising a generally horizontally disposed support beam having a relatively flat upper surface adapted to receive a work piece thereon in a manner in which work can be performed on said work piece, first and second leg members, first hinge means for hingEdly mounting said first leg member on said support beam through a first hinge point located in a region proximate to one of the transverse ends of said support beam, second hinge means for hingedly mounting said second leg member on said support beam through a second hinge point located proximate to the other transverse end of the support beam, said first leg member being swingable about said first hinge point from a closed position where it lies in a position substantially parallel to and lying in juxtaposition to said support beam to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, said second leg member being swingable about said second hinge point from a closed position where it lies beneath and in juxtaposition to and in substantially parallel relation to said first leg member to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, a first pair of leg elements hingedly mounted on the first leg member, and a second pair of leg elements hingedly mounted on the second leg member, the leg elements common to said pairs of leg elements being shiftable from a closed position where they lie in juxtaposition to each other and are coplanar with the leg member with which they are associated to an open position where they are angularly located with respect to each other and extend outwardly from said respective leg member with which they are associated, each of said first and second leg members and associated pairs of leg elements having a length which is substantially greater than the distance between their respective first and second hinge points and the midpoint of said support beam, said second hinge point being located on said second leg member in a plane which is spaced downwardly from the plane in which said first hinge point is located on said first leg member.

Claim 9

The portable saw horse of claim 6 further characterized in that a third hinge means hingedly mount said first pair of leg elements on said first leg member and fourth hinge means hingedly mount said second pair of leg elements on said second leg member.

Claim 10

The portable saw horse of claim 7 further characterized in that restraining means is operatively associated with said first and second hinge means for limiting the shiftable movement of each of said first and second leg members.

Claim 11

The portable saw horse of claim 10 further characterized in that said restraining means comprises first shiftable link means extending between said first leg member and said support beam and second shiftable link means extending between said second leg member and said support beam.

Claim 12

The portable saw horse of claim 7 further characterized in that restraining means is operatively associated with said third and fourth hinge means for limiting the shiftable movement of each leg element in each of said pair of leg elements.

Claim 13

The portable saw horse of claim 10 further characterized in that said restraining means comprises first link means extending between said first leg member and each of the leg elements of said first pair of leg elements, and second link means extending between said second leg member and each of the leg elements of said second pair of leg elements.

Claim 14

The portable saw horse of claim 7 further characterized in that the plane of said second hinge point is spaced downwardly from the plane of said first hinge point by a distance which is at least equal to the thickness of the first leg member.

Claim 15

A portable saw horse comprising a generally horizontally disposed support beam having a relatively flat upper surface adapted to receive a work piece thereon in a manner in which work can be performed on said work piece, a first leg member, a first hinge member for hingedly mounting said first leg member on said support beam through a first hinge point located in a region proximate to one of the transverse ends of said support beam and in such manner that the hinge poInt lies immediately on the underside of said horizontally disposed support beam, said first leg member being swingable about said first hinge point from a closed position where it lies in a position substantially parallel to and lying in juxtaposition to said support beam to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, a second leg member, a second hinge member for hingedly mounting said second leg member on said support beam through a second hinge point located proximate to the other transverse end of the support beam and in such manner that the second hinge point is spaced downwardly from the underside of said horizontally disposed support beam for a distance at least equal to the thickness of said first leg member, said second leg member being swingable about said second hinge point from a closed position where it lies beneath and in juxtaposition to and in substantially parallel relation to said first leg member to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, first link restraining means extending between said first leg member and support beam and second link restraining means extending between said second leg member and support beam for respectively limiting the shiftable movement of said first and second leg members, a first pair of leg elements, third and fourth hinge members for hingedly mounting said first pair of leg elements on the lower end of said first leg member, a second pair of leg elements, fifth and sixth hinge members for hingedly mounting said second pair of leg elements on the lower end of said second leg member, the leg elements common to said pair of leg elements being shiftable from a closed position where they lie in juxtaposition to each other and are coplanar with the leg member with which they are associated to an open position where they are angularly located with respect to each other and extend outwardly from said respective leg member with which they are associated, third link restraining means extending between said first leg member and each of the leg elements of said first pair of leg elements for limiting the shiftable movement of each said leg element, and fourth link restraining means extending between said second leg member and each of the leg elements of said second pair of leg elements for limiting the shiftable movement of each said leg element, each of said first and second leg members and associated pairs of leg elements having a length which is substantially greater than the distance between their respective first and second hinge points and the midpoint of said support beam.

Claim 16

A portable saw horse comprising a generally horizontally disposed support beam having a relatively flat upper surface adapted to receive a work piece thereon in a manner in which work can be performed on said work piece, a first leg member, a first hinge member for hingedly mounting said first leg member on said support beam through a first hinge point located in a region proximate to one of the transverse ends of said support beam and in such manner that the hinge poInt lies immediately on the underside of said horizontally disposed support beam, said first leg member being swingable about said first hinge point from a closed position where it lies in a position substantially parallel to and lying in juxtaposition to said support beam to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, a second leg member, a second hinge member for hingedly mounting said second leg member on said support beam through a second hinge point located proximate to the other transverse end of the support beam and in such manner that the second hinge point is spaced downwardly from the underside of said horizontally disposed support beam for a distance at least equal to the thickness of said first leg member, said second leg member being swingable about said second hinge point from a closed position where it lies beneath and in juxtaposition to and in substantially parallel relation to said first leg member to an open position where it depends generally downwardly from and is angularly located with respect to said support beam, first link restraining means extending between said first leg member and support beam and second link restraining means extending between said second leg member and support beam for respectively limiting the shiftable movement of said first and second leg members, a first pair of leg elements, third and fourth hinge members for hingedly mounting said first pair of leg elements on the lower end of said first leg member, a second pair of leg elements, fifth and sixth hinge members for hingedly mounting said second pair of leg elements on the lower end of said second leg member, the leg elements common to said pair of leg elements being shiftable from a closed position where they lie in juxtaposition to each other and are coplanar with the leg member with which they are associated to an open position where they are angularly located with respect to each other and extend outwardly from said respective leg member with which they are associated, third link restraining means extending between said first leg member and each of the leg elements of said first pair of leg elements for limiting the shiftable movement of each said leg element, and fourth link restraining means extending between said second leg member and each of the leg elements of said second pair of leg elements for limiting the shiftable movement of each said leg element, each of said first and second leg members and associated pairs of leg elements having a length which is substantially greater than the distance between their respective first and second hinge points and the midpoint of said support beam.