Rotating cafeteria type food service counter with improved drive system

Claim 1

A cafeteria type food service counter comprising a generally circular counter top, an immobile support frame having a plurality of idler rollers mounted thereon, said idler rollers being adapted to cooperate with said counter top to support said counter top for rotation relative to said support frame, a primary drive shaft having an upper section and a lower section, said upper section being fixed to the underside of said counter top in coaxial fashion relative to the rotation axis of said counter top, drive means connected with said lower section of said primary drive shaft, and a universal joint connecting said upper section and said lower section of said primary drive shaft, said universal joint serving to transmit rotation from said primary drive shaft's lower section to said primary drive shaft's upper section for rotating said counter top, said universal joint also serving to permit limited tilting or flexing of said counter top relative to the horizontal, and said universal joint cooperating with said idler roller support of said counter top for minimizing significant vibration of the counter top during rotation thereof by allowing said counter top to flex or tilt slightly if required relative to its rotation axis to maintain supportive contact with said idler rollers.