Patent Application
20190264862
The described invention relates in general to self-leveling or self-adjusting supports of various types, and more specifically to supportive leg assemblies for use with such devices that may be folded or collapsed inward for ease of transportation and storage.
Substantially flat or planar platforms are common utilitarian components found in many items including tables; benches; chairs; cooking surfaces; work surfaces; elevated storage containers; hunting, fishing, and camping products; and many others. Most of these platforms are most useful when they are in a level position (i.e., positioned horizontally). However, placing and holding a substantially flat or planar platform in a level position can be challenging, particularly when the surface or substrate upon which the platform is placed is uneven. In restaurants, coffee shops, and other establishments, encountering tables or chairs that wobble or tilt, or that are otherwise unstable is a common and annoying occurrence for many people. An unstable table or chair is also more likely to collapse or fall over, thereby creating a risk of injury to the person using the item. Furthermore, an unstable work platform may present a significant safety hazard, particularly if the platform is being used for activity that involves sawing or other reciprocating motion that would encourage the work platform to tip over or collapse. Legs or other support structures attached to such platforms may be collapsible, foldable, or adjustable with regard to height and/or angle relative to the platform itself; however, these support structures are not typically adjustable with regard to maintaining the platform in a level position when the platform is sitting on an uneven substrate.
Self-adjusting support assemblies for use on uneven substrates or surfaces are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608, which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety, for all purposes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608 both teach a self-adjusting support assembly for use on uneven surfaces that includes: (a) a support element (e.g., a platform, work surface, tabletop, or seat); (b) at least one pivoting leg assembly positioned beneath the support element; and (c) at least one self-adjusting attachment assembly connecting the support element to the at least one pivoting leg assembly. Each self-adjusting attachment assembly includes: (i) a bracket that is adapted to attach to the support element; and (ii) a proximal head portion that is adapted to rotationally cooperate with the bracket and to receive the pivoting leg assembly. The bracket includes: (i) a receiving channel formed therein that is positioned along a predetermined angled axis of insertion; and (ii) a locking ridge positioned within the receiving channel. The proximal head portion includes: (i) a flange formed at one end thereof that rotationally engages the locking ridge; (ii) a stem positioned beneath the flange that rotationally engages the receiving channel; and (iii) a receiving portion positioned beneath the stem that is adapted to receive the pivoting leg assembly.
The self-adjusting attachment assemblies taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608 can be attached to and effectively used with almost any type of platform, and many types of pre-existing devices (tables, benches, chairs, etc.) can be modified by retrofitting to include the self-adjusting attachment assemblies and the pivoting leg assemblies with which the self-adjusting attachment assemblies are designed to work. However, the pivoting leg assemblies, which are typically triangular, can create certain challenges associated with transporting and storing the platforms to which the pivoting leg assemblies are attached. Accordingly, there is a need for leg assemblies for use with the self-leveling devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608 that can be rotated into a position more conducive to easy transportation and storage of the self-leveling devices.
The following provides a summary of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical aspects or elements of the present invention or to delineate its scope. However, it is to be understood that the use of indefinite articles in the language used to describe and claim the present invention is not intended in any way to limit the described system. Rather the use of “a” or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a rotatable bracket assembly for use with self-leveling devices is provided. This rotatable bracket assembly includes a first bracket portion having an upper region with an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface; and a second bracket portion that is adapted to be connected to the first bracket portion, wherein the second bracket portion further includes an upper region having an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a rotatable bracket assembly for use with self-leveling devices is provided. This rotatable bracket assembly includes a first bracket portion having an upper region with an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface; and a second bracket portion, wherein the second bracket portion is adapted to be connected to the first bracket portion, and wherein the second bracket portion further includes an upper region having an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface, wherein the stem and flange receiving region in the first bracket portion and the stem and flange receiving region in the second bracket portion cooperate with one another to receive and enclose a rotating and pivoting leg assembly, and wherein the rotating and pivoting leg assembly includes a pivot device, and wherein the pivot device further includes an elongated stem, and a flange formed atop the elongated stem.
In yet another aspect of this invention, a rotatable bracket assembly for use with self-leveling devices is provided. This bracket assembly includes a horizontally-oriented crossbar having at least one aperture formed therein and passing completely therethrough; a first bracket portion adapted to be rotatably mounted on the crossbar, wherein the first bracket portion further includes an upper region having an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface, and wherein the cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is adapted to be disposed within the at least one aperture formed in the crossbar; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface; and a second bracket portion adapted to be rotatably mounted on the crossbar, wherein the second bracket portion is adapted to be connected to the first bracket portion, and wherein the second bracket portion further includes an upper region having an outer surface and a substantially flat inner surface, wherein a cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is formed on one end of the inner surface, and wherein the cylindrical carriage bolt receiving structure is adapted to be disposed within the at least one aperture formed in the crossbar; and a lower region having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a stem and flange receiving region is formed on the inner surface, wherein the stem and flange receiving region in the first bracket portion and the stem and flange receiving region in the second bracket portion cooperate with one another to receive and enclose a rotating and pivoting leg assembly, and wherein the rotating and pivoting leg assembly includes a pivot device, and wherein the pivot device further includes an elongated stem, and a flange formed atop the elongated stem.
Additional features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, further embodiments of the invention are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and associated descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive in nature.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, schematically illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention, and wherein:
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the Figures. Reference numerals are used throughout the detailed description to refer to the various elements and structures. Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
The present invention provides inwardly rotating support brackets for use with the self-leveling devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608 and other systems and devices. The STABLZ® family of products provides various platforms that are supported by sets of uniquely shaped legs that operate to “self-level” these platforms on uneven substrates. Within the context of this invention and in describing the STABLZ® products generally, the phrase “self-leveling” refers to the mechanical relationship between the platform, the legs (which are typically triangular in overall shape) that support the platform, and the bracket assembly that attaches the legs to the platform. The bracket assembly receives and houses the legs in a manner that permits the upper portion of the legs to rotate and pivot, independent of one another, thereby permitting a user of the device to orient or adjust the platform into a level position even if the bottom portions of the legs are resting on an uneven substrate or surface. However, the pivoting leg assemblies, which are typically triangular, can create certain challenges associated with transporting and storing the platforms to which the pivoting leg assemblies are attached. Accordingly, the present invention provides leg assemblies for use with the self-leveling devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,140,401 and 9,453,608 that can be rotated into a position more conducive to easy transportation and storage of the self-leveling devices.
With reference to the Figures, exemplary self-leveling device 10 includes first leg assembly 100, second leg assembly 200, first rotating/pivoting bracket assembly 300, second rotating/pivoting bracket assembly 400, and support member 500, which in this embodiment is a crossbeam similar to a 2×4 piece of lumber or the like. The embodiment of the invention shown in the Figures functions in a manner similar to a sawhorse-type device; however, support member 500 may be used to support all or at least a portion of a horizontal platform such as a table top or work surface that must be leveled prior to use.
With reference to
Again, with reference to
Most self-leveling platforms using the present invention will include two or more collapsible leg assemblies 200 attached to the bottom of the platform by a bracket assembly that permits the platform to be leveled on uneven surfaces in the manner described above. An exemplary embodiment of first rotating bracket assembly 300, which is used with first leg assembly 100, and second rotating bracket assembly 400, which is used with second leg assembly 200 is shown in the Figures.
As best shown in
As best shown in
When leg assemblies 100 and 200 of self-leveling device 10 are in their fully extended positions as shown in
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of exemplary embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in certain detail, there is no intention to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to any of the specific details, representative devices and methods, and/or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.
