US3043049A - Stabilizer - Google Patents

Description

July 10, 1962 J. L. GLEASON 3,043,049

STABILIZER Filed June 2 1960 INVENTOR.

JAY L. GLEASON United States Patent 3,043,049 STABILIZER Jay L. Gleason, 1101 Ocean Drive, Oxnard, Califi, as-

signor of one-tenth to Gadget-Of-The-Month Club, Inc., North Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of California 7 Filed June 21, 1960, Ser. No. 37,713 4 Claims. (Cl. 45-139) The present invention consists of a stabilizer which, in one preferred form, may comprise a table stabilizer, although not specifically so limited, adapted to be positioned between the surface of an underlying floor and a base portion of a support member of a table, or other object, for stabilizing same against wobble with respect to the underlying floor and for compensating for slight variations in the floor from a true horizontal plane. Hereinafter the stabilizer will be referred to and described as a table stabilizer. However, it should be clearly understood that this is for exemplary purposes, and the invention is not specifically so limited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stabilizer of the character referred to above, which is of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread use thereof.

It is a further object to provide a table stabilizer of the character referred to above, adapted to be positioned between the surface of an underlying floor and a discshaped base portion of a central support member of a table for stabilizing the table against wobble with respect to the underlying floor and for compensating for slight variations in the floor from a true horizontal plane.

It is a further object to provide a stabilizer of the character referred to hereinbefore, wherein the stabilizer may comprise an element adapted for attachment to a pre-existing base portion of a table, or other object which is to be stabilized, or where the stabilizer may initially comprise a portion of the table at the time that it is built. In other words, in this latter form of the invention, the stabilizer is attached to the base portion of the table, or object which is to be stabilized, at all times and is initially manufactured and supplied in this manner. 7

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows hereinafter and will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study thereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, one exemplary embodiment is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and is described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one exemplary form of table of the type having a central support member provided with a disc-shaped base portion, which has po- 'sitioned thereunder the novel stabilizer of the present invention. p

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially broken away, with certain exterior portions of the plastic material removed in order to show clearly the two types of inelastic means carried within the flexible wall of the hollow table support member of the present invention for the purpose of preventing it fiom longitudinally stretching and from radially or circumferentially stretching when under imposed load in the manner shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line describing a circular arc in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 2 and illustrates the relationship of 3,043,049 Patented July 10, 1962 the hollow table support member with respect to an uneven underlying floor before adjustment thereto has occurred.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the fragmentary hollow table support member in fully compensated and adjusted relationship with respect to the uneven underlying floor.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one illustrative embodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form, wherein it comprises a circular or toroid al-shaped hollow table support member, indicated generally at 10, of flexible material comprising a flexible enclosing wall means 11 defining therein a continuous toroidal hollow interior region 12 preferably of flattened oval cross-section when filled with a viscous inelastic medium 14 described in detail hereinafter whereby to be adapted to carry a table, such as that generally indicated at 13. The flexible enclosing wall means 11, in one preferred form of the invention, is adapted to be provided with inelastic means, which, in the example illustrated, comprises two distinct layers of inelastic fibrous material shown at 11A and 11B (best shown in FIG. 4) carried along the length of the flexible wall 11 whereby to prevent the table support member 10 from longitudinally, radially and/or circumferentially stretching in a manner tending to increase the volume of the hollow interior region 12. As mentioned above, in the specific example illustrated, the inelastic means comprises two layers of fibrous material, 11A and 11B. The layer 11A comprises a plurality of inelastic fibers, such as fiber glass, or the like (although not specifically so limited) circumferentially carried around the wall means 11 so as to enclose the cross-section of the hollow interior region 12 defined therein in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal inelastic means 11B, which may comprise longitudinal inelastic fibers, such as fiber glass, or the like (although not specifically so limited) extending along the length of the flexible wall 11, whereby to prevent longitudinal stretching or an increase in radial size of the entire hollow table support member 10. In the specific form illustrated, the flexible wall means 11 comprises an inner portion of plastic material 11C and an outer portion of plastic material 11D, with the circumferential inelastic means 11A and the longitudinal inelastic means 11B positioned therebetween or effectively embedded therein. However, it should be clearly noted that this construction is illustrative only. The inelastic means may be of various types, need no necessarily include two layers in all circumstances of use, and may be positioned at any location with respect to the remainder of the flexible wall, either inside or outside thereof, and not necessarily embedded therein in the specific manner illustrated in the figures and just described in detail hereinabove.

The hollow interior region 12 is filled with a viscous inelastic medium 14, which substantially fills said hollow interior region 12. The hollow table support member 10 effectively has a load imposed thereon by the weight of the table 13, as applied thereto by the central support standard or pillar 15 of the table 13 and the lower disc-shaped base portion 16 thereof, which lies in immediately superimposed relationship above the hollow table support member 10. This relationship, in the form illustrated, is maintained by the attachment means 17,

which comprises suitable adhesive means for firmly mounting the hollow table support member 10 underneath the disc-shsaped base portion 16 of the table 13. However, in certain forms, of the invention, the table support member 10 may be otherwise attached or may be free and merely appropriately positioned underneath the disc-shaped base portion 16 of the table 13.

The above-mentioned viscous inelastic material 14, in

. 3 i one preferred form, may comprise a slurry including solid particles in suspension in a liquid carrier such as a thick mixture of clay particles in suspension in water (although not specifically so limited), whereby excess dicated at 14L, where the vertical spacing between corresponding- portions 16L and 18L of the disc-shaped base portion 16 and the floor 18 is greater, whereby to equalize interior hydrostatic pressure within the hollow interior region 12 and to vary the effective vertical thickness of the table support member so as to compensate for variations in the underlying floor 18 from a true horizontal plane. This type of compensation for maximum vertical spacing between the disc-shaped base portion at 16L and the underlying floor at 18L is clearly shown in FIG. 6, after such equalization and compensation has occurred, whereby to firmly and eficctively correct for such slight variations in the floor 18 fiom a true horizontal plane and whereby to effectively stabilize the table 13 against wobble.

It should be clearly noted that the table support member of the present invention may assume configurations 'other than circular or toroidal shape and may cooperate in supporting, stabilizing, and compensating relationship with respect to a superimposed member of virtually any desired shapenot necessarily round or disc-shaped as the disc-shaped baseportion 16 illustrated in the figures. It should also be notedthat the flexible inelastic'material forming the wall of the hollow table support member of the present invention may be modified substantial- 4 the viscous inelastic medium to flow away from high pressure regions toward lowpressureregions to equalize interior hydrostatic pressure Within the interior region and to vary the vertical thickness of the object-support member so as to compensate for variations in the underlying floor from a true horizontal plane in a manner ly, as may the viscous inelastic medium carried therein.

This is also true in regard to the attachment means for fastening the hollow table support member of the present invention with respect to an object which is to be stabilized and supported. Said attachment means may be modified substantially or may merely comprise forcible abutment thereagainst as a result of the weight being supported by the hollow support member. g

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be'construed as limiting the present invention to the precise'and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described bereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

1. A stabilizer, comprising: a hollow object-support member of flexible-material comprising flexible enclosing wall means defining therein a hollow interior region, said hollow interior region within the hollow flexible ob 'ject-support member being filled with a viscous inelastic medium whereby unequal pressure applied to the objectsupport member by unequally vertically spaced parts of a superimposed object and an underlying floor will cause tending to support the object vertically and to stabilize the engagement of the object with respect to the under lying floor and to virtually prevent wobble therebetween, said wall means. including inelastic means to prevent the hollow object-support member. from stretching in a manner tending to increase the volume of the hollow interior region.

2. A stabilizer of the character defined in claim 1, including attachment means for attaching the object-support member underneath a corresponding flat portion of V the object which is to be stabilized.

3. Atable stabilizer adapted to be positioned between the surface of an underlying floor and a disc-shaped base portion'of a central support member of a table for stabilizing the table against wobble with respect-to the underlying floor and for compensating for slight variations in the floor from a true horizontal-plane, comprising: a toroidal-shaped hollow table support member of flexible material comprising flexible enclosing wall means defining therein a continuous toroidal hollow interior region, said hollow interior region within the hollow flexible table support member being filled with a viscous inelastic medium whereby unequal pressure applied to the table-support member by unequally vertically spaced parts of a superimposed table-support base and an underlying floor will cause theviscous inelastic medium to flow away from high pressure regions toward low pressure regions to equalize interior hydrostatic pressure within the interior region and to vary the vertical thickness of the-table support member so as to compensate for variations in the underlying floor from a true horizontal plane in a manner tending to support the table vertically and to stabilize the engagement of the table-support base with respect to the underlying floor and to virtually prevent wobble therebetween said wall means including longitudinal inelastic means carried along the length thereof to prevent the table support member from longitudinally stretching, and additionally including inelastic means circumferentially carried around the wall 'means so as to enclose the cross-section of the hollow interior region defined therein in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal inelastic means to prevent the table support member from stretching in a manner tending to increase the cross-sectional area of the hollow interior region, I

4. A stabilizer of the character defined in claim 3, including attachmentmeans for attaching the table-support member underneath a corresponding portion of a fiat table-support base having a flat bottom surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,704,663 Blake Mar. 22, 1955 2,776,101 McDerrrlott Ian. 1, 1957 2,871,616 Sundell Feb. 3, 1959 2,944,367 Bontecue July 12, 1960

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