Folding table leg brace construction

Claim 2

A bracing structure for a collapsible table or the like article of furniture which includes a table top having a leg swingably mounted to fold from a vertical erect position to a collapsed position flat against the underside of the table top and back to the erect position, said bracing structure comprising A. a wishbone structure having a pair of parallel arms of arcuate cross section and the arms having divergent extensions at one end thereof, and means for pivotally connecting the outermost ends of the extensions of the leg between the ends of said leg, B. a tubular member having means at one end thereof for pivotally connecting same to the underside of said table top at a point spaced from the mounting of said leg and having the other end pivotally connected to said arms, the concave surfaces of said arms facing one another and matingly engaged against opposite sides of said tubular member, C. the pivotal connection of said tubular member and said arms including means resiliently clamping the arms against the tubular member in a detented engagement whereby to enable the wishbone structure and tubular member to be forced out of their detented engagement sufficient to enable limited rotation of one with respect to the other in erecting or collapsing said leg.

Claim 3

The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the wishbone structure and tubular member are rotatable one relative to the other 180* and there is detented engagement at opposite ends of said rotation.

Claim 4

The structure as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a leg having a central passageway, the said outermost ends of the extensions being connected to said leg straddling said passageway, a portion of the bracing structure adapted to enter said passageway during the collapsing of said leg.

Claim 5

The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said pivotal connection of the tubular member and arms comprises a bolt passing through the same and having resilient compression means on said bolt.

Claim 6

The structure as claimed in claim 4 in which said compression means comprise a spring on each end of the bolt engaging against the respective arm.

Claim 7

The structure as claimed in claim 3 in which the upper end of said leg includes an upper part for so swingably attaching the leg to said table top, the lower end includes a pedestal portion, and there is a pair of spaced apart central standards between said pedestal portion and upper part, said central passageway being constituted by the space between said standards and said outermost ends of said extensions being connected to the respective standards.

Claim 8

The structure as claimed in claim 6 in which the wishbone structure and tubular member are rotatable one relative to the other 180* and there is a detented engagement at opposite ends of said rotation, the leg and bracing structure lying in substantially the same plane at one end of rotation when the leg is collapsed with said bracing structure disposed between said standards.

Claim 9

A collapsible table or the like article of furniture having a table top and at least one folding leg and bracing structure comprising, a leg having an upper part swingably connected to the underside of said table top and arranged when erect to be disposed at 90* relative to said table top, said leg having a lower pedestal part and a pair of vertical spaced apart standards between the upper and lower parts, a bracing structure extending from a location on said underside spaced from said leg to the spaced apart standards and being arranged at an angle to both the leg and thE underside when the leg is erect, the bracing structure including a cylindrical tubular member and a wishbone structure, the wishbone structure including a pair of arms of arcuate cross section with the concave surfaces facing one another and pivotally connected to one end of said tubular member in a connection which resiliently clamps the arms to opposite sides of the tubular member in a detented mating engagement and the arms having divergent extensions the ends of which are respectively pivotally connected to said standards, the tubular member being pivotally connected at its opposite end to the underside of said table top at said location, the leg adapted to be collapsed by applying pressure against the bracing structure toward the table top to force the rotation of the wishbone structure and tubular member relative to one another around their pivotal connection out of their detented engagement, the bracing structure enabling the leg to move to a position parallel with and flat against the said underside, a portion of the bracing structure passing through the space between said standards during said movement and the bracing structure assuming a position lying substantially in the same plane as the leg when the leg is fully folded.

Claim 10

A collapsible table or the like article of furniture having a table top and at least one folding leg and bracing structure comprising, a leg having an upper part swingably connected to the underside of said table top and arranged when erect to be disposed at 90* relative to said table top, said leg having a lower pedestal part and a pair of vertical spaced apart standards between the upper and lower parts, a bracing structure extending from a location on said underside spaced from said leg to the spaced apart standards and being arranged at an angle to both the leg and thE underside when the leg is erect, the bracing structure including a cylindrical tubular member and a wishbone structure, the wishbone structure including a pair of arms of arcuate cross section with the concave surfaces facing one another and pivotally connected to one end of said tubular member in a connection which resiliently clamps the arms to opposite sides of the tubular member in a detented mating engagement and the arms having divergent extensions the ends of which are respectively pivotally connected to said standards, the tubular member being pivotally connected at its opposite end to the underside of said table top at said location, the leg adapted to be collapsed by applying pressure against the bracing structure toward the table top to force the rotation of the wishbone structure and tubular member relative to one another around their pivotal connection out of their detented engagement, the bracing structure enabling the leg to move to a position parallel with and flat against the said underside, a portion of the bracing structure passing through the space between said standards during said movement and the bracing structure assuming a position lying substantially in the same plane as the leg when the leg is fully folded.

Claim 11

The structure as claimed in claim 8 in which the tubular member and wishbone structure rotate through substantially 180* during said folding movement and assume a detented engagement with one another at the end of said movement.