US2687336A - Folding table for automobile seats - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 24, 1954 a. 1. SMITH EI'AL 2,637,335

FOLDING TABLE FOR AUTOMOBILE SEATS Filed Aug. 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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FOLDING TABLE FOR AUTOMOBILE SEATS Filed Aug. 1'7, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 George Smith L arr/e 0.. Smith 29 IN V EN TORS.

Patented Aug. 24, 1954 FOLDING TABLE FOR AUTOMOBILE SEATS George I. Smith and Lottie D. Smith, Bangor, Maine Application August 1'7, 1953, Serial No. 374,626

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in folding tables for use in automobiles and the like.

The primary object of our invention is to provide a table having a top supported by a'pair of brackets provided with suspension hooks engageable over the back of the front seat of an automobile to suspend the table top behind the back, and screw-feed pusher means carried by said brackets for engagement with said back and operation to tilt said top vertically for leveling the same, said table being foldable into compact form far carrying or storing when not in use.

Still another object is to provide for swingably adjusting the brackets laterally on the table top to correspondingly adjust the suspension hooks and the pusher means to facilitate engaging said hooks over the back of the seat and engagement of said pusher means with said back.

Other and subordinate objects together with the precise nature of our improvements will become readily apparent when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating a preferred embodiment of our improved table suspended from the back of the front seat of an automobile;

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the table detached;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the same;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in plan;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view in end elevation;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in bottom plan of the table folded;

Figure 7 is a View in plan of the same; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlarged view taken on the line 88 of Figure 3. I

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, the table I of our invention comprises a pair of generally rectangular table top forming panels 2 preferably of wood hingedly connected in a man- 'ner presently described for unfolding with inner ends 3 in butt joint coplanar relation or for folding face to face and parallel. The outer end, front corners 5 of the panels 2 may be rounded to obviate sharp corners and the outer end rear corners of said panels 2 are recessed as at I for clearance of hanger hooks presently described. The rear inner end corners of the panels 2 are recessed, as at 9 for clearance of an ash receiver or the like, not shown, on the, back of some automobile front seats.

A pair of bottom reinforcing plates H extend across the inner ends 3 of the panels 2 and are suitably secured thereto, and a pair of cleats l3 transverse to said panels are fixed to the bottoms of the plates H by angle brackets l2. of leaf hinges l5 on the bottom of the cleats l3 upon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the panels 2 hingedly connect the panels; The plates ll engage edgewise and the cleats l3 engage sidewise to establish the unfolded coplanar relation of said panels 2 and to keep said panels 2 when unfolded from sagging on the hinges.

' A pair of reinforcing plates l1 extend obliquely across the bottoms of the panels 2 adjacent their outer ends and are suitably secured thereto.

The suspending means comprises a pair of forwardly and downwardly turned, soft steel suspension hooks l9 at the rear of the panels 2 adjacent their outer ends adapted to hook down- Wardly over the back 2| of the front seat 23 of an automobile as shown in Figure 1 and which may be coated or otherwise covered with rubber,

not shown, for protecting the covering of said back 2|. The suspension hooks I9 are connected to and suspend means for supporting the panels 2 or table I and presently to be described.

The means for supporting the panels 2, or table I comprises the following: A pair of laterally spaced angle brackets 25 preferably of wood, and each including a horizontal arm 2! and a depending arm 29 at the rear of the panels 2 are provided beneath the reinforcing plates 1. A diagonal brace 3| connects the arms 21, 29 of each bracket 25. The horizontal arms 21 of the brackets 25 extend parallel with the plates I! and are hinged thereto as at 33 so that the brackets 25, as best shown in Figure 3, are swingable in a separative direction into right angled supporting unfolded position relative to the panels 2, or said brackets 25 may be swung toward each other into folded position parallel with the panels 2 and in between said panels 2 when said panels 2 are folded into facing relation as shown in Figure 6.

A pair of pusher bars 35 for leveling the brackets 25 to level the panels 2, or table I are hinged at upper ends thereof as at 31 to the rear ends of the horizontal arms 21 to swingably depend therefrom and be pushed against the back 2|. A pair of jack screws 39 extend rearwardly through the lower ends of the arms 29 for turning against said bars 35 for screw-feed vertical tilting of the brackets 25 on the hinges 31 to adjust said brackets 25 angularly according to the slope of said back 2! into level position. The bars 35 A pair are covered with soft material 40 to protect the back 2| of the seat 23. The suspension hooks I9 extend through the recesses I and through the horizontal arms 2'! of brackets 25 and are threaded through upper and lower nuts M, 43 on the front sides of the vertical arms 29 and through nuts 44 fitted and suitably fixed in the braces 31. As will be seen the hooks l9 suspend the brackets 25 and are connected to the angle brackets 25 for threaded adjustment vertically to adjust the height of said brackets 25 and consequently of the panels 2 and said hooks i9 are foldable with the brackets 25 substantially parallel with the folded panels 2 and as shown in Figures 6 and 7. As will also be seen, the brackets 25 are swingably adjustable laterally on the hinges 33 to correspondingly adjust the same and the pusher bars 35 and suspension hooks 19 relative to the back 2| as occasion may require.

To further brace the panels 2, a pair of strut bars 43 are hinged together at inner ends thereof as at 45 with the same ends secured as at 3'! to the bottoms of cleats 13, the axis of the hinge 45 being coincident with that of the hinges 5 and said strut bars extending beneath the panels 2 longitudinally in the approximate longitudinal center of said panels and having their outer ends fixed as at 39 to the plates I1.

To unfold the table l the panels 2 are swung in a separative direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 3. The brackets 25 will then gravitate in a separative direction as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3 and swing the suspension hooks 19 toward upright position in which the samemay be grasped for hooking over the back and swinging into complete upright position established by engagement of the arms 27 with the bottoms of the plates I? which also establishes the unfolded position of the brackets. As will be seen the strut bars 43 will unfold when the panels 2 are unfolded and in the same manner. In folding the table I the brackets 25 are first folded inwardly toward each other fiat against the plates ll after which the panels 2 are folded toward each other to position the brackets 25 therebetween as shown in Figure 6. Folding of the brackets 25 folds the hooks substantially parallel with the panels 2 and folding of the panels 2 folds the bars 43 on the hinge 45 in between said panels. The recesses permit the unfolding of the hooks into the position described while providing for arranging the hooks forwardly of the rear edge of the unfolded panels so that said rear edge will hug the back 2| of the seat 23.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suffice to impart a clear understanding of our invention without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept and right is herein reserved to modifications falling within the scope of the invention as herein claimed.

What we claim is:

l. A table for attachment to the back of an automobile seat comprising a table top, a pair of laterally spaced brackets beneath said top supporting the same and each including a depending rear arm, a pair of suspension hooks carried by said brackets and engageable over said back to suspend said brackets, a pair of laterally spaced vertical pusher bars in the rear of said arms engageable with the back of the seat, hinge means connecting said bars at upper ends thereof to said arms for vertical tilting of said arms on said bars for leveling the brackets to level said top, and jack screws threaded through said arms for turning against said bars to tilt said arms.

2. A table according to claim 1, said brackets being hinged to said top for lateral adjustment to correspondingly adjust said hooks and the bars relative to said back.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,116,991 McDonald Nov. 3, 1914 1,193,876 Comey Aug. 8, 1916 1,964,500 Breiding et al. June 26, 1934 2,189,607 Krischke Feb. 6, 1940 2,640,597 Thomson June 2, 1953

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