Embodiments of the invention relate generally to foldable furniture. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a foldable dining table that is configured to hold and store up to four foldable chairs.
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
A dining set, including a dining table and chairs, can occupy significant floor space and is typically used infrequently, often only for mealtime. In a recreational vehicle or so-called “tiny house”, floor space may be at a premium. When not in use, a dining table and chairs can occupy this valuable floor space. While a folding table, such as a card table, may help permit folding of a table and/or chairs, such designs are often cumbersome and require separate storage for the table and chairs.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a foldable dining table and chair set that can be easily folded and deployed and that can be readily stored.
Embodiments of the present invention aim to solve the aforementioned problems in conventional dining tables by providing a foldable dining table and chairs that can be folded and stored as a single unit.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a table comprising a first pair of legs extendable downward from an underside of a table top at a first side thereof; and a second pair of legs extendable downward from the underside of the table top at a second, opposite side thereof, wherein the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are pivotable between a use position, where the legs extend downward and away from the table top, and a stored position, where one leg of the first pair of legs extend alongside one leg of the second pair of legs, and both the first and second pairs of legs are directly adjacent the underside of the table top; and the first pair of legs are rotatable along a longitudinal axis thereof between a leg rotation use position, with the first pair of legs being disposed in a first orientation that is the same as a second leg orientation at which the second pair of legs are rotationally fixed when in the use position, and a leg rotation stored position, which permits rotation of the legs such that each leg of the first pair of legs is disposable alongside each respective leg of the second pair of legs when the table is in the stored position.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a table comprising a first pair of legs extendable downward from an underside of a table top at a first side thereof; and a second pair of legs extendable downward from the underside of the table top at a second, opposite side thereof, wherein the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are pivotable between a use position, where the legs extend downward and away from the table top, and a stored position, where one leg of the first pair of legs extend alongside one leg of the second pair of legs, and both the first and second pairs of legs are directly adjacent the underside of the table top; an inside surface of each of the first pair of legs is disposed directly alongside an inside surface of respective second pair of legs with the table is in the stored position; and the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are each disposed in corners of the table top in the use position.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a table comprising a first pair of legs extendable downward from an underside of a table top at a first side thereof; a second pair of legs extendable downward from the underside of the table top at a second, opposite side thereof; and first and second slots disposed along an underside of the table top, the first and second slots accessible from opposite sides of the table, wherein the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are pivotable between a use position, where the legs extend downward and away from the table top, and a stored position, where one leg of the first pair of legs extend alongside one leg of the second pair of legs, and both the first and second pairs of legs are directly adjacent the underside of the table top; the first pair of legs are rotatable along a longitudinal axis thereof between a leg rotation use position, with the first pair of legs being disposed in a first orientation that is the same as a second leg orientation at which the second pair of legs are rotationally fixed when in the use position, and a leg rotation stored position, which permits rotation of the legs such that each leg of the first pair of legs is disposable alongside each respective leg of the second pair of legs when the table is in the stored position; and an inside surface of each of the first pair of legs is disposed directly alongside an inside surface of respective second pair of legs with the table is in the stored position.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
The illustrations in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale. The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide a table with four chairs that can be stored together into a secure, flattened assembly. The four chairs can store under the table such that, when the legs of the table are folded to be adjacent a back side of the table, the folded legs act as a stopper to prevent the chairs from sliding out when moving the table. A leg turning mechanism allows the user to turn two adjacent legs 180 degrees to permit the legs to be disposed adjacent each other when folded and, when unfolded, to present a uniform appearance for each of the legs. The turning mechanism can include two different types of slots, with one slot having a larger diameter and smaller depth; the other slot has a smaller, deeper diameter. Both slots are 180°, but in different directions with some intersection areas. The foldable chairs can include a foldable backrest and can have support beams between each pair of legs. The chairs can be folded in a flattened state to be disposed in a slot adjacent the underside of the top of the table.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A central rail 24 can extend downward from the underside 12A of the table top 12. A forward facing central rail lip 24A and a rear facing central rail lip 24B can extend outward from the central rail 24, with the forward facing central rail lip 24A extending toward the front rail lip 20A and the rear facing central rail lip 24B extending toward the rear rail lip 22A, such that the central rail 24 and central rail lips 24A, 24B form an inverted T-shape. The front rail lip 20A, the underside 12A of the table top 12 and the forward facing central rail lip 24A can form a first slot 13 into which two chairs 50 may be retained. The rear rail lip 22A, the underside 12A of the table top 12 and the rear facing central rail lip 24B can form a second slot 15 into which two chairs 50 may be retained. As described below, the folding legs may prevent the chairs 50 from exiting the slots 13, 15 when the table 10 is folded.
Referring now to
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Referring now to
When the leg assemblies 54 are fully unfolded, as shown in
As the front leg 56 slides in the channel 68, a support bar 60 may move from a position substantially parallel with a length of the legs 56, 58, to a position substantially orthogonal with the length of the legs 56, 58. The front legs 56 may have a front support bar channel 56B formed therein, while the rear legs 58 may have a rear support bar channel 58B, where the remainder of the front and rear legs 56, 58 may be formed from solid members 56A, 58A, or, at least formed from a design that the support bar 60 cannot move there along. For example, the solid members 56A, 58A may still have a channel 78 formed therein, where the channel permits storage of the support bar 60, when folded, but does not permit the storage bar 60 to move along the channel 78.) The front support bar channel 56B may be located at a proximal end of the front leg 56 and the rear support bar channel 58B may be located at a distal end of the rear leg 58. The length of the front and rear support bar channels 56B, 58B may be at least half an overall length of the legs. As the front leg 56 is moved forward, the support bar 60 moves in the support bar channels 56B, 58B so that the support bar 60 spans generally orthogonally between the legs 56, 58 when they are fully expanded (as shown with one set of the legs in
Once the leg assemblies 54 are opened and the legs 56, 58 are separated, as shown in
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.
The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention.