The present application relates generally to the field of leg assemblies for tables, benches, and other products that include a generally horizontal surface (e.g., member, element) to which legs may be coupled. The present application also relates to the field of shelves.
Items such as tables, benches, chairs, platforms, stages, and the like may include a generally horizontal planar surface or member (e.g., a tabletop) that is supported by one or more generally vertical legs. For example, according to one known construction, a table may include a rectangular tabletop supported by four legs positioned at or near each corner of the tabletop. The legs may be coupled to the tabletop in a variety of ways. For example, legs may include features (e.g., tenons, tongues, rabbets, etc.) that are intended to interact with corresponding features of the planar member (e.g., mortises, grooves, rabbets, etc.). These features generally require a high level of skill, and/or precise woodworking equipment to manufacture or machine. In other furniture designs, legs may be coupled to furniture via various fasteners (e.g., biscuits, dowels, screws, bolts, nuts, etc.).
In many configurations, the legs are produced so as to be coupled to one specific planar member. For example, in the case of a table, the legs may have a substantially identical aesthetic finish as the tabletop (e.g., the same wood stain, aesthetic look and feel, etc.), and the coupling members responsible for coupling the legs to the tabletop may be specifically configured for complementary features provided with the tabletop. Coupling members such as bolts and screws may be used to rigidly secure the legs to the tabletop, and may require tools to tighten the relevant components to ensure a relatively secure fit.
It would be advantageous to provide a leg assembly that may be configured for attachment to any of a variety of different types of planar members in interchangeable fashion to allow a user to create custom tables, benches, chairs, platforms, and the like. It would also be advantageous to provide legs that may be relatively easily attached and detached from the planar member so as to allow for relatively simple assembly and disassembly. These and other advantageous features will be apparent to those reviewing the present disclosure.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a leg assembly includes four legs, each of the legs configured to couple to an outer edge of a generally planar member to form an assembly that has a surface supported by the four legs. The leg assembly also includes an adjustable strap coupled to and extending between two of the four legs to form a bracing structure to provide enhanced structural rigidity for the assembly.
According to another exemplary embodiment, a table includes a tabletop, four legs coupled to the tabletop, each of the four legs including a clamping device for coupling the leg to an edge of the tabletop, and at least one adjustable strap extending between and coupling a plurality of legs to each other to resist outward movement of the legs relative to the tabletop to provide enhanced structural rigidity for the table.
According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a method of coupling a plurality of legs to a tabletop includes positioning a first leg against a first corner of the tabletop, positioning a second leg against a second corner of the tabletop, the second corner being diagonal to the first corner, and bracing the first and second legs to the first and second corners, respectively, using a first adjustable member extending between the first and second legs.
The present application relates to a leg assembly 11 that is configured to couple to a generally flat or planar material (e.g., rectangular wooden boards, reclaimed doors or other components, or any of a variety of other planar materials that may be made from a wide variety of different types of materials). As used herein, the terms “generally flat” and “generally planar” should be understood to include components that are not perfectly flat or planar, but instead may have features or configurations that protrude from or extend into the surface of the component. By way of example, a six-panel door would be considered to be generally flat or planar despite the fact that the borders of the panels of the door may extend below the surface of the door. Accordingly, it should be understood that “generally flat” and “generally planar” as discussed herein to refer to the structural member to which the legs are attached should be interpreted as any relatively flat member that could conceivably be used as a tabletop, work surface, seat, or other member to which legs may be attached.
As shown in
Referring to
The leg 14 shown in
As shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper plate 18 may initially be an extension of one side of the body portion 16, which is bent downward 90° and welded to the other of the two sides of the body portion 16. According to another exemplary embodiment, the upper plate 18 may be formed via a stamping process. According to another exemplary embodiment, the upper plate 18 may be welded to both sides of the top end of the body portion 16. Accordingly, the top plate may be integrally formed with or formed separately and coupled to the leg. The leg may be made of any suitable material (e.g., metal such as steel, aluminum, etc., a polymeric material such as injection molded plastic, etc., wood, a composite material, or any other material suitable for use as a leg such as that described herein). Any suitable coupling method of the upper and lower plates may be utilized according to various other exemplary embodiments.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a hole 22 is disposed within the lower plate 20, and a threaded nut 24 is coupled to a bottom surface of the lower plate 20. The hole may be generally centrally disposed within the lower support or may be positioned elsewhere in the support. The threaded nut 24 is concentric with the hole 22. According to another exemplary embodiment, a threaded hole is disposed within the lower plate 20. According to other exemplary embodiments, the nut may be a hex nut, a pem nut, or any other type of threaded aperture that may be useful in the context described herein.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a thumbscrew 26 is threadably coupled to the nut 24 (or to the threaded hole, as the case may be). The thumbscrew 26 comprises a knob 28 provided on a bottom end thereof, a flat member or element 30 (e.g., a foot, disc, platform, etc.) provided on a top end thereof, and a threaded rod 32 provided between the knob 28 and the flat member 30. As shown in
The knob 28 may be rotatably fixed relative to the rod 32. Thus, the thumbscrew 26 may be threadably tightened or loosened by rotating the knob 28. As shown, the knob 28 may be knurled so that a user may better grasp it. According to other exemplary embodiments, a knob may be configured in other ways to enable a user to better grasp it. For example, a knob may have a polygonal cross-section or a special coating (e.g., a rubberized coating). Also, the circumference of the knob 28 may be greater than that of the rod 32 so that a user can deliver greater torque to the rod 32. According to other exemplary embodiments, any suitable handle (e.g., a “T” handle) may be coupled to the bottom end of the rod 32.
Together, the thumbscrew 26, the lower plate 20, the upper plate 18, and the section of the body portion 16 between the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 18 form a clamp 34 (e.g., a clamping device or structure). The clamp 34 may be used to secure the leg 14 to the tabletop 12 or any other suitable planar material. For example, a corner of the tabletop 12 may be positioned between the upper plate 18 and the flat member 30 such that the tabletop 12 engages the perpendicular vertical surfaces of the body portion 16. Next, the thumbscrew 26 may be tightened until the flat member 30 engages a bottom surface of the tabletop 12. Thus, when the flat member 30 engages the bottom surface of the tabletop 12, the leg 14 contacts the tabletop 12 on four sides.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the legs 14 may be quickly and easily disassembled from a generally planar material, or a generally rectangular frame, by simply loosening the thumbscrews 26 so that the legs 14 may be pulled from the planar material/frame. Advantageously, the leg assembly 11 allows a user to quickly and easily assemble a piece of furniture. In the event the user wishes to move the piece of furniture to another room, upstairs or downstairs, or transport the piece of furniture in a vehicle, the leg assembly 11 can be disassembled, so that the furniture is reduced to more manageable pieces. For example, when the legs of a table are removed from the tabletop, the tabletop may be more easily carried through a doorway, up/down stairs, or placed in a vehicle.
Referring still to
Referring now to
Once the ratchet strap 15 is coupled to the elongated holes 36 of two legs 14 that are diagonally positioned on the tabletop 12, the ratchet strap 15 may be tightened in order to act as a bracing structure (e.g., a cross-brace, diagonal brace, X-brace, etc.) between the two legs 14. As shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, the ratchet straps 15 shown in
Advantageously, a pair of ratchet straps 15 may be adjusted to accommodate a wide arrangement of tabletops. For example, the ratchet straps 15 may be shortened (tightened) in order to accommodate relatively narrow tables, or lengthened (loosened) in order to fit longer tables. Any excess strap of a ratchet strap 15 may be concealed by wrapping the excess around the ratchet strap 15, folding the excess strap over itself, or cutting the excess from the rest of the ratchet strap 15. Additionally, the configuration of the legs and straps as discussed herein according to various exemplary embodiments is relatively compact and lightweight (the extent to which depends, of course, on the material used to form the legs, among other factors), which allows for relatively easy portability of the leg assembly components.
According to another exemplary embodiment, a ratchet strap may be used as a cross-brace by routing the strap around the exterior surfaces of a diagonal pair of table legs. Although not shown in the FIGURES, according to this embodiment, a portion of the exterior surface of each table leg may be recessed such that a strap of a ratchet strap engages the recession. For example, when a ratchet strap is positioned within the recessed portion of the table leg, the strap may be flush with the rest of the table leg. Thus, when a strap is positioned within the recessed portions of two diagonal table legs, and the ratchet strap is tightened, the recessed portions may keep the straps from sliding down the table legs.
Although not shown in the FIGURES, according to another exemplary embodiment, a single ratchet strap may be routed around all four table legs of a table assembly. For example, a single strap may be coupled to each of the four legs, either crosswise such that an “X” is formed by the straps, or extending about the perimeter of the four legs. In another arrangement, the ratchet strap may be coupled to all four legs but may be positioned such that it does not extend about the perimeter, such as to leave one side open for seating (e.g., the strap may extend from a front left leg to a rear left leg to a rear right leg to a front right leg, and then back onto itself around such that the strap does not extend between the front left and right legs). According to another exemplary embodiment, the legs may not include apertures for receiving the straps, but the straps could simply be looped around the legs (to, for example, “lasso” each leg) or may be coupled in any desired manner to a feature provided on the leg (e.g., feeding the strap through a bolt, a hook , or other feature). The straps may be coupled or arranged in a variety of manners as will be appreciated by those reviewing the present disclosure, and such variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
According to other exemplary embodiments, other adjustable devices (e.g., adjustable elements, adjustable members, etc.) may be routed through holes disposed in the legs 14 in order to be used as cross-braces between diagonal pairs of legs. For example, a cable or rope may be routed through diagonal pairs of legs, the cable may be tightened, and a connector may be used to hold the cable against the legs. According to another exemplary embodiment, an elastic member (e.g., a tension spring, a rubber band, etc.) may couple diagonal pairs of legs.
Advantageously, a user may use the leg assembly 11 to quickly and easily build a custom-made piece of furniture. For example, a user may recondition and reuse any planar piece of material to build a unique piece of furniture. Further, the leg assembly 11 allows users to build a piece of furniture in a desired location for the piece of furniture. As a result, the challenges of carrying furniture through tight areas (e.g., doorways, stairs, etc.) may be eliminated. Additionally, as will be described in more detail below, disassembly of the leg assembly is quick and easy. Therefore, the leg assembly 11 makes furniture more portable. The ratchet straps 15 may be used to increase the stability and structural integrity of the furniture.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of assembling the leg 14 to a generally planar material or a rectangular element will now be described. First, legs are attached to the corners of the rectangular element and secured using a clamping device such as described herein. Diagonally-opposed legs (i.e., those positioned at diagonally opposite corners from each other) may then be structurally reinforced using an adjustable member such as a ratchet strap. According to one embodiment, the ratchet strap may extend through holes formed in each of the legs and then tightened to provide additional structural rigidity to the two legs so coupled. This process may then be repeated for the other pair of diagonally-opposed legs. Disassembly of the structure may then follow the steps in reverse.
Referring now to
Referring to
The vertical portion 44 of each shelf end 40 may further be defined by a first end 52 and a second end 54 opposite the first end. As shown in
A horizontal portion 46 is shown as being coupled proximate the second end 54 of each shelf end 40. In particular, the horizontal portion 46 of each shelf end 40 is coupled to a portion of the rear side 48 that extends below the inner side 50. The horizontal portion 46 extends outwardly from the rear side 48 of the vertical portion 44.
Referring now to
According to an exemplary embodiment, the end and base sides 56, 58 of each shelf end 40 may be configured to engage the middle shelf portion 42. For example, referring again to
According to an exemplary embodiment, each shelf end 40 may include generally planar element 64 (e.g., a support, wall, etc.) coupled to a bottom portion of the inner side 50. Thus, the element 64 of each shelf end 40 is provided above the base side 58 of the horizontal portion 46 (when the shelf ends 40 are mounted such that the first end 52 defines the top of thereof). The elements 64 of the shelf ends 40 are generally coplanar with the base sides 58. Further, according to an exemplary embodiment, the elements 64 may be formed by initially making a cut proximate an edge between the inner side 50 and the rear side 48 of the vertical portion 44. Then, the portion of the inner side 50 defined along the cut may be bent 90° to form the element 64, and the element 64 may be coupled to the rear side 48 by welding the edge therebetween.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a hole 66 is disposed within the element 64, and a threaded nut 68 is coupled to a top surface of the element 64. The threaded nut 68 is concentric with the hole 66. According to another exemplary embodiment, a threaded hole is disposed within the element 64.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a thumbscrew 70 is threadably coupled to the nut 68 (or to the threaded hole, as the case may be). The thumbscrew 70 comprises a knob 72 provided on a top end thereof, a flat member 74 provided on a bottom end thereof, and a threaded rod 76 provided between the knob 72 and the flat member 74. As shown in
The knob 72 may be rotatably fixed relative to the rod 76. Thus, the thumbscrew 70 may be threadably tightened or loosened by rotating the knob 72. As shown, the knob 72 is knurled so that a user may better grasp it. According to other exemplary embodiments, a knob may be configured in other ways to enable a user to better grasp it. For example, a knob may have a polygonal cross-section, or a special coating (e.g., a rubberized coating). Also, the circumference of the knob 72 is greater than that of the rod 76 so that a user can deliver greater torque to the rod 76. According to other exemplary embodiments, any suitable handle (e.g., a “T” handle) may be coupled to the top end of the rod 76.
Together, the thumbscrew 70, the element 64, the base side 58, and the section of the rear side 48 between the base side 58 and the element 64 form a clamp 78. The clamp 78 may be used to secure the middle shelf portion 42 to each shelf end 40. For example, a corner of the middle shelf portion 42 may be positioned between the base side 58 and the flat member 74 such that the middle shelf portion 42 engages the perpendicular vertical surfaces of the end side 56 and the rear side 48. Next, the thumbscrew 70 may be tightened until the flat member 74 engages a top surface of the middle shelf portion 42. Thus, when the flat member 74 engages the top surface of the middle shelf portion 42, the shelf end 40 bounds the middle shelf portion 42 on four sides.
According to an exemplary embodiment, when the left and right shelf ends 40 are secured to the middle shelf portion 42, such that the first end 52 defines the top of the shelf ends 40, the inner sides 50 may be used as bookends of the shelf assembly 38. That is, books and other objects may be supported on the middle shelf portion 42 and rest against either of the inner sides 50.
Although not shown in the FIGS., according to another exemplary embodiment, the shelf assembly 38 may be mounted to a mounting surface such that the first end 52 defines the bottom of the shelf ends 40. According to this exemplary embodiment, the inner sides 50 of the shelf ends 40 would be positioned below the middle shelf portion 42, and thus would not be able to be used as bookends.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially,” “essentially,” and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” as used herein to describe various embodiments is intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, and/or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such term is not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The terms “coupled,” “connected,” and the like as used herein mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being attached to one another.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGS. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the table as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, manufacturing processes, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/591,892, filed Jan. 7, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,445,662), the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170000258 A1 | Jan 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14591892 | Jan 2015 | US |
Child | 15269559 | US |