Adjustable legs for furniture and locking means for securing such adjustment

Claim 1

In furniture of the type having leg means of adjustable height, said leg means comprising: an outer leg segment having an inner surface, an inner leg segment telescopingly received in said outer leg segment for vertical movement relative to said outer leg segment so that said inner leg segment is vertically adjustable, locking means disposed within and carried by said inner leg segment for securing said inner leg segment in adjusted vertical relationships, said locking means comprising first and second brake shoes mounted on said inner leg segment and arranged for movement transversely of a longitudinal axis of said inner leg segment to project through opening means in said inner leg segment, a body carried by said inner leg segment for movement therewith, first and second levers pivotably connected to said body by a horizontal pivot axle common to both said levers, said first and second levers being engageable with said first and second brake shoes, respectively, such that said first and second levers can be oriented horizontally to exert forces against respective ones of said first and second brake shoes in a direction oriented perpendicularly to said inner surface of said outer leg segment to press said brake shoes against said inner surface, said first and second levers being swingable relative to said inner leg segment and out of said horizontal orientation for shortening the effective transverse dimension of said levers to enable said brake shoes to be retracted away from said inner surface, spring means for yieldably biasing said body toward a position in which said first and second levers are horizontally oriented to press said brake shoes against said inner surface, and release means carried by said inner leg segment for displacing said body longitudinally against the bias of said spring means to move said levers out of said horizontally oriented position.