US2886387A - Table storage rack - Google Patents

Description

y 12, 1.959 B. IJHQNEYCUTT 2,886,387

TABLE STORAGE RACK Filed July 15, 1957 IN VEN TOR.

.B. [LLENE Housyaurr United States Patent TABLE STORAGE RACK B. Illene Houeycutt, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Application July 15, 1957, Serial No. 672,044 1 Claim. (Cl. 311-89) This invention relates to storage equipment and more particularly to a device for storing tables.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable storage rack for supporting various types of tables for selective movement between an open operative position and a closed storage position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable storage rack for various types of tables and the like which may be moved from place to place with a table top supported thereon for selective movement between vertically adjustable storage and operative positions.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a table storage rack bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of a table storage rack made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a transverse cross sectional view of one of the operating elements of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a storage rack made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a base that is constructed from a pair of laterally spaced apart longitudinal stringers 12, each of which is provided with a caster 13 at each end. A pair of laterally extending parallel connecting rods 14 secure the stringers 12 together.

A vertical support post 16 is secured to the central portion of each of the stringers 12 for slidably supporting a cross bar 18 for adjustable vertical movement. Each end of the cross bar is provided with a sleeve 20 that slidably receives the respective support post and which has a set screw 22 for securing the bar 18 at any desired height. As is more clearly shown in Figure 3, a longitudinal piano type hinge 24 is secured to each side of the cross bar 18 adjacent to the upper edge thereof. These hinges may be operatively connected to adjacent end portions of a table, such as a pingpong table or picnic patio table, so that the end portions of the table may be selectively rotated between an operative horizontal position and a raised vertical position in juxtaposition with each other. The top surface of said cross bar and the top surface of each of the end portions being flush with each other when in operative horizontal position. Outwardly spaced from each end of the piano hinges 24 is a support arm 26 that may be used to support a ping-pong net in an operative position at all times. Stop bars 28 are also pivotally mounted upon the upper end of each of the vertical support posts 16, such as by pivot pins 29 for movement between a horizontal position 28 and an adjusted position 28a.

In operation, each portion of the table top is supported upon one of the hinges 24 so that in a storage position, the cross bar 18 is in its lowermost position and the outer ends of the table top portions are vertically disposed above the cross bar 18. In use, the table top portions are rotated to the horizontal position and the cross bar 18 elevated to the desired height and secured in such position by means of the set screws 22. While this invention has been described in connection with the use of a pingpong table top, wherein the net support arms 26 are constantly in an operative position, such device may be readily adapted for use with picnic or patio tables merely by removing the upper portions of the support post 16 and the net arms 26 so as to provide a smooth and continuous table top surface.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A portable foldable table embodying a plurality of hingedly connected top portions and combined with a storage rack, comprising, in combination, a rigid base, a vertical support means integrally secured to said base, a vertically adjustable rigid cross bar member carried by said support means, the upper surface of said cross bar member forming the central top portion of the table, a single hinge means carried at each side of said cross bar member and extending substantially the entire length thereof, a table top leaf portion secured to each of said hinge means on each side of said cross bar member forming the end top portions of the table, the upper surface of said end top portions being flush with the top surface of said central top portion when arranged in a horizontal plane, said rigid base comprising a pair of spaced apart parallel longitudinal straight stringers, a pair of spaced apart parallel straight transverse connecting rods extending laterally between and integrally secured to said stringers, said vertical support means comprising a single tubular support post integrally secured to and extending from the top of each one of said stringers intermediate said connecting rods, each end of said cross bar member embodying a tubular sleeve for slidable engagement with said tubular support posts, and screw-type locking means arranged with said sleeve whereby said sleeves may be adjusted vertically upon said posts for securing the table top at a selected vertical desired height above said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 389,038 Williford Sept. 4, 1888 510,250 Fountain Dec. 5, 1893 1,601,206 Franz Sept. 28, 1926 1,625,294 Whitesides Apr. 19, 1927 1,814,342 Smith July 14, 1931 2,228,727 Pain Jan. 14, 1941 2,480,264 Tulowiecki Sept. 6, 1949 2,545,064 Alch Mar. 13, 1951 2,572,205 Shanks Oct. 23, 1951 2,688,524 Hodgman Sept. 7, 1954 2,775,497 Alvarez Dec. 25, 1956 2,775,781 Morgan Jan. 1, 1957 2,820,242 Erickson Jan. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 258,256 Switzerland May 2, 1949

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