Work briefcase and table system

A combination briefcase and table arrangement includes a set of telescoping legs mounted at the underside of a briefcase body, so that the legs support the briefcase a certain height above a floor surface when the legs are extended. The legs are stored in recessed compartments that open at the underside of the briefcase body. A set of shelves are supported in a cover portion of the briefcase, for sliding movement between a withdrawn position at which the shelves are concealed inside the cover portion, and a working position at which the shelves project from the cover portion in a plane parallel with a top surface of the cover portion. The projecting shelves and the cover portion together define a flat table surface on which papers, tools, instruments and the like carried in the briefcase, can be placed at a work site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to combination carrying case and 
table systems, and more particularly to a handy work briefcase and table 
system that can be easily carried to a job site, and set up in the form of 
a table on which articles such as blueprints, tools, instruments and the 
like carried in the brief-case can be conveniently placed. 
2. Description of the Known Art 
It is known generally to store legs within closed carrying cases so that, 
when the cases are opened, the legs can be extended and arranged to 
support the opened case as a table. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,476,144 
issued Dec. 4, 1923, discloses a combination camp table and utensil 
carrier in which two table halves are hinged together and have 
compartments in their interiors for securing cooking and eating utensils. 
Each table half also has a pair of legs pivoted to opposite corners of the 
half by pins. The legs swing into the table halves for storage and, when 
extended, are locked by means of brace rods. 
Another combination table and carrying case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
2,652,300 issued Sep. 15, 1953. A folding table is comprised of two hinged 
open box members, and eating utensils are strapped into the box interiors. 
Legs are held in place along inside edges of the box members with blocks. 
The legs are extended together with table leaves that are also carried in 
the box members, and the legs are fixed in an upstanding position with the 
aid of braces provided between the leaves and the legs. 
As far as is known, there has not been provided a modern day brief or 
attache case capable of being converted into the form of a table so that 
articles carried in the case, such as blueprints, tools, instruments, 
small samples and the like can be placed on a relatively large flat and 
steady surface defined by parts of the briefcase. 
Such a handy briefcase/table system would be of value to, for example, 
persons involved in the interior design field who must travel with small 
tools, rulers and sample wall or floor coverings to unfinished work sites 
for purposes of rendering estimates. Such sites usually lack the 
convenience of a large table on which the various items carried to the 
site by the designer can be placed while estimating work is under way. 
Other business professionals would also find such a unit of value in 
fields such as sales, home repair, and office equipment service. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the known art by 
providing a handy briefcase and table system, including a briefcase having 
main body and cover portions, and a set of extensible legs mounted at an 
underside of the body portion for supporting the briefcase a certain 
height above a floor surface when the legs are set at an extended 
position. The body portion has recessed compartments opening at the 
underside of the body portion, for storing the legs in a storage position. 
At least one shelf is supported in the cover portion, for sliding movement 
between a withdrawn position in which the shelf is carried inside the 
cover portion, and a working position in the shelf projects out from the 
cover portion in a plane substantially parallel with a top surface of the 
cover portion. The projecting shelf and the cover portion of the briefcase 
together define a table surface while the cover portion is closed relative 
to the body portion, and the legs are in the extended position. 
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other 
and further objects, reference is made to the following description taken 
in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and the scope of the 
invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a briefcase and table system 10 
according to the invention. The system 10 includes a briefcase or attache 
case 12 of the kind having a main body portion 14 and a cover portion 16 
that is attached to the main body portion 14 for swinging movement between 
an open position (FIG. 2) and a closed position as shown in FIG. 1. 
Two pair of extensible or telescoping legs 18 are mounted at the underside 
20 of the briefcase 12, each pair of legs 18 being situated at opposite 
side end boundaries of the underside 20. 
The main body portion 14 also includes a carrying handle 22 mounted for 
swiveling movement relative to body portion 14, and a pair of latches 24 
for receiving locking ears 26 that pivot on the cover portion 16 to engage 
the latches 24 and lock the cover portion 16 to body portion 14, as shown 
in FIG. 1. 
Legs 18 may be of the kind presently used for tripod camera stands, so that 
each leg 18 can be telescoped down to a length small enough for storage 
within compartment recesses 28 in the underside 20 of briefcase 12. As 
described below in relation to FIG. 4, each leg 18 is arranged to pivot 
outwardly from its associated recess 28 and telescoping sections of the 
leg 18 are then locked in an extended position (FIG. 3). 
Cover portion 16 has an elongate slot 30 cut parallel and spaced closely to 
an upper long edge 32 of the cover portion 16. A corresponding elongate 
slot 30' (FIG. 6) is cut parallel and closely spaced to the opposite upper 
long edge 32' of cover portion 16. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of shelves 
34a, 34b (omitted from FIGS. 1 and 2) are supported within cover portion 
16 for sliding movement between a withdrawn or stored position in which 
shelves 34a, 34b are carried inside the cover portion 16, and a working 
position, shown in FIG. 3, at which the shelves project out from inside 
the cover portion in a plane substantially parallel with a top surface 36 
of cover portion 16. Thus, in the working position in FIG. 3, the 
projecting shelves 34a, 34b and cover portion 16 together define a 
generally flat table surface when the cover portion is closed relative to 
main body portion 14 of the briefcase 12, and the legs 18 are in the 
extended position. 
When the briefcase 12 is opened as in FIG. 2, various tools, instruments 
and the like may be placed in compartments formed in main body portion 14. 
Also, papers, pads, flat sample goods, pens and pencils may be stored in 
or on an expandable, partitioned document carrier 38 suspended within the 
cover portion 16. 
Briefcase 12 may be constructed of any suitable materials of the kind 
employed for hand-carried briefcases or attache cases including, for 
example, plastics, wood and/or sheet metal. Any material or combination of 
materials that will impart sufficient rigidity to maintain the shape of 
the briefcase 12 when fully loaded and closed as in FIG. 1, when opened as 
in FIG. 2, and when converted to table form as in FIG. 3, will suffice. 
When the shelves 34a, 34b are pulled out from cover portion 16 to assume a 
working position (FIGS. 3 and 4), the shelves are supported in a 
horizontal plane by associated support rods 42a, 42b. As shown in FIG. 4, 
one end of rod 42a is loosely locked in the long direction about an 
opening in a lip 44a that bends downwardly from the outside edge of shelf 
34a. The opposite end of rod 42a butts against a face plate 46a mounted on 
the confronting side of the briefcase body portion 14. Face plate 46a 
preferably has a recess or dimple into which the free end of the support 
rod 42a is seated while the shelf 34a is in the working position. Shelf 
34b is likewise supported in the working position by an associated support 
rod 42b one end of which is locked axially through an opening in lip 44b 
of the shelf 34b, and the other end of which butts against a face plate 
46b on the confronting side of the body portion 14. See FIG. 5. Support 
rods 42a, 42b are preferably shorter in length than the overall depths of 
their associated shelves 34a, 34b. 
When swung out from the recessed compartments 28 in the briefcase underside 
20, each of the legs 18 can be extended to a desired height to which sets 
of leg section clamps 48 are tightened by the user to fix the leg lengths. 
It is preferred to provide some form of limiting means such as an abutment 
50 in FIG. 4, so that each leg 18 swings through an angle of about 102 
degrees when moved between its storage position and its extended position. 
Rubber feet 52 are capped on the bottom end of each leg 18 and have a 
bottom gripping surface 54 cut so as to run parallel with a flat floor 
when the leg is swung out fully as in FIG. 4. When all four legs 18 are 
fully extended (FIG. 3), it will be seen that a relatively steady table 
structure results by enabling the legs 18 to assume a spread 
configuration, rather than extending vertically straight which may result 
in instability should the shelves 34a, 34b be unevenly loaded. 
In the illustrated embodiment, each pair of legs 18 are stored within, and 
extended from, an associated elongate rigid leg "box" 56 within which a 
pair of the abutments 50 are arranged at opposite ends. See FIGS. 1 and 4. 
Each leg box 56 is made of rigid sheet material and opens on one side thus 
forming the compartment recess 28 within which each pair of legs 18 are 
stored while the briefcase 12 is being carried about. Each leg box 56 is 
fixed at the corresponding location on the briefcase underside 20 by, for 
example, flanges 58 that are glued, riveted, or otherwise securely fixed 
to the main body portion 14. For the sake of a "clean" appearance, flanges 
58 may extend over and be adhered to the interior of the briefcase 
underside 20, and corresponding rectangular bottom openings are cut in the 
underside 20 for registration with the open sides of the two leg boxes 56. 
Additional structural integrity may be obtained by joining or press 
fitting outer surfaces of the leg boxes 56 against surfaces of recessed 
walls formed underneath the main body portion 14. 
Within each leg box 56, the pair of legs 18 are mounted for pivotal 
swinging movement so that the legs extend parallel to one another in the 
box recess when stored, and each leg 18 swings about an axis 59 (FIG. 4) 
at an opposite end of the leg box 56. Details of the mounting of the 
shelves 34a, 34b in briefcase cover portion 16 are shown in FIGS. 5-8. 
In order to conceal the shelves 34a, 34b from view when withdrawn in the 
cover portion 16, and to protect the shelves and associated mechanisms 
from interference with articles carried in the briefcase 12, a blind panel 
60 is fixed a certain distance below the top surface 36 of the briefcase. 
Panel 60 may be secured to inside wall surfaces of cover portion 16 by, 
e.g., one or more right angle support members 62 at various locations. 
Document carrier 38 (not shown in FIG. 5) is glued or otherwise fixed to 
the surface of blind panel 60 facing the main briefcase body portion 14. 
When fully withdrawn in cover portion 16, each of the shelves 34a, 34b 
extends preferably between about three-quarters to seven-eighths of the 
entire depth of cover portion 16 and is guided for sliding movement by way 
of slotted shelf guide channels 64. Guide channels 64 can be conventional 
nylon or other low-friction guide members such as are commonly used in 
electronic printed circuit card racks. Channels 64 are fixed against the 
inside walls of opposite side end panels of cover portion 16 by way of, 
e.g., protruding stubs 66 spaced at regular intervals along the bottom of 
each channel 64 and snapped into corresponding recesses formed in the 
panel walls. See FIG. 8. 
In order to provide a constant retracting force to each of the shelves 34a, 
34b, to maintain the shelves in the withdrawn position when not in use, 
and to impart a positive seating force to the support rods 42a, 42b when 
the rods abut the face plates 46a, 46b in the working position, one or 
more biasing springs 68 are associated with each of the shelves 34a, 34b. 
In the present embodiment, a pair of springs 68 are each fixed at one end 
to an associated inside edge 70 of each shelf. The points at which springs 
68 are fixed to the associated shelf edge 70 are preferably symmetrical 
about the center line of sliding movement for the shelf. The other ends of 
the springs 68 are fixed to the inside surface of front end panel 72 for 
the spring pair that connects to shelf 34b. The other pair of springs 68 
(not shown in FIG. 7) are connected at one end to the inside edge 70 of 
shelf 34a, and are connected at the other ends to the inside surface of 
rear end panel 74 of cover portion 16. 
It is also preferred that the pair of springs 68 associated with shelf 34a 
be connected to the shelf and rear end panel 74 at points symmetrical 
about the center line of shelf movement, but not along the axes of 
movement of the springs 68 that act on shelf 34b. Otherwise, the springs 
for shelf 34a might interfere with the springs connected to shelf 34b when 
both shelves are pulled out from the cover portion. 
When the shelves 34a, 34b are in the withdrawn position, i.e., stored 
within cover portion 16, their associated support rods 42a, 42b are guided 
for axial movement by way of corresponding guide tubes 76a, 76b. See FIGS. 
5-7. Each of the guide tubes 76a, 76b is preferably formed of lightweight 
material such as plastics or aluminum, and has a flared end such as at 78b 
in FIG. 6. Each guide tube thus may be inserted in position through 
corresponding openings (80b in FIG. 6) in the front and the rear end 
panels 72, 74 of the cover portion 16. Each tube is then locked in place 
by way of, for example, a speed nut (82b in FIG. 6) placed over the outer 
circumference of the tube and urged against the inside surface of the 
corresponding end panel while the flared end is held flush against the 
panel outside surface. As shown in FIG. 6, it is preferred that the flared 
end of each guide tube be seated in a recess or countersink so as to lie 
flush with the outside surface of end panels 72, 74. 
To set the shelves 34a, 34b at the working position, they are simply pulled 
out from cover portion 16 against the bias force of springs 68, until the 
support rods drop out from the guide tubes 76a, 76b. The free ends of the 
support rods are then placed against the confronting face plates 46a, 46b 
and the shelves are released to allow the spring bias force to urge the 
support rods against the face plates and maintain the shelves in a steady 
level position as in FIGS. 3 and 4. When extended to the working position, 
a portion of each shelf preferably remains within cover portion 16 
supported by the self guide channels 64. Such arrangement will impart the 
required structural integrity to allow the shelves to carry a moderate 
load when at the working position. 
While the foregoing description represents a preferred embodiment of the 
present invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that 
various changes and modifications may be made, without departing from the 
spirit and scope of the invention. 
For example, instead of supporting the extended shelves 34a, 34b by way of 
rods that engage outside lips (44a, 44b) of the shelves, other bracing 
means that does not extend fully between the main portion 14 of the 
briefcase and the outside edge of each shelf, can be used. One alternate 
arrangement presently contemplated is the use of detachable stiff wire 
braces that extend between the main portion 14 and engage each shelf at 
about one-half the extended shelf length through an opening or groove cut 
in the shelf. The shelf braces could be carried in a compartment in the 
briefcase when the shelves are withdrawn in the briefcase cover portion 
16, and the arrangement of the rod guide tubes 76a, 76b in the cover 
portion would be unnecessary.