Folding furniture

Claim 1

An improved article of furniture of the kind which includes an elongate leaf, which is normally used in an extended condition in a horizontal plane, pivotally mounted or adapted for pivotal mounting to an upright support at one end of the leaf by a linkage comprising longer and shorter arms pivotally attached at one end to the leaf at respectively outer and inner positions with respect to the upright support, and pivotally attached or adapted for pivotal attachment at their other ends to respectively lower and upper positions on the upright support so that the leaf may be hinged between the extended condition and a collapsed condition in a vertical plane alongside said upright support; wherein the improvement comprises a leg hinged to the other end of the leaf remote from said upright support so that it can be swung between an inoperative position substantially flat against the leaf which allows the leaf to be moved into the collapsed condition and an operative position in which is depends from the leaf for engagement with the floor so as to support said other end of the leaf and maintain it in the extended condition, the leg having provision for adjustment of its length to match the height at which the leaf is supported at said one end, two pairs of said shorter arms being provided in parallel, the arms of each pair being spaced apart and unconnected with each other, at least the outer arm of each pair lying laterally outwardly of the longer arms, and channel elements on the underside of the leaf arranged to receive lengthwise the shorter arms when the leaf is in the extended condition, the shorter arms being close fit within the channels so as to be laterally located thereby and provide lateral support for the leaf, said shorter arms being pivotally connected at their ends to channel members so that each shorter arm is received lengthwise in one or more said channels when the leaf is in either the extended or the collapsed condition.