Table leg locking mechanism

Claim 1

A table leg locking mechanism for use in fixing a leg with respect to the table means it supports comprising, a cross bar rigidly secured to the table leg, at least one pivot mount secured to said table means and having the cross bar pivotally disposed therethrough, each pivot mount comprising a pair of box shaped housings secured to the underside of the table means, each housing having a pair of aligned apertures provided therethrough, a bushing means being retained proximate each aperture of the housing, said cross bar being bearingly disposed within each bushing means through the housing apertures with said table leg between said housing, retaining means provided within at least one of said housings and provided for fixing its associated table leg into a predetermined position, said retaining means comprising a pair of sleeves, each of said sleeves having the cross bar disposed therethrough, the first sleeve being rigidly secured to one of said housings and proximate the bushing means, the second sleeve being rigidly secured to the cross bar, engaging means cooperating between the said sleeves and capable of fixing the table leg into a supportive position, said engaging means including a wedging member projecting from one of said sleeves, the mating groove being accommodating of the wedging member for engagement of the said sleeves and fixing of the table leg into its supportive position, a spring surrounding said cross bar and operatively associated with the said sleeves, and said spring normally biasing the wedging member of one sleeve into the groove of the other sleeve and thereby fixing the said leg into its operative supportive position.