Abstract:
A portable table for providing a useful and stable table surface raised above a surface such as a floor or bed and that may be easily and quickly collapsed into a more compact form for convenient transport and storage. The portable table includes a tabletop member, a support apparatus that includes a pivotally movable leg member designed for movement between a extended and stored position as well as an attachment assembly, for the purpose of coupling the support apparatus to the tabletop member, and a locking assembly designed for locking the leg member in the deployed position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to portable tables and more particularly pertains to a new portable table for providing a useful and stable table surface raised above a surface such as a floor or bed and that may be easily and quickly collapsed into a more compact form for convenient transport and storage. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of portable tables is known in the prior art. More specifically, portable tables heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,099; U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,935; U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,583; U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,936; U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,915; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 311,828. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new portable table. The inventive device includes a tabletop member, a support apparatus that includes a pivotally movable leg member designed for movement between a extended and stored position as well as an attachment assembly, for the purpose of coupling the support apparatus to the tabletop member, and a locking assembly designed for locking the leg member in the deployed position. 
     In these respects, the portable table according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a useful and stable table surface raised above a surface such as a floor or bed and that may be easily and quickly collapsed into a more compact form for convenient transport and storage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of portable tables now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new portable table construction wherein the same can be utilized for providing a useful and stable table surface raised above a surface such as a floor or bed and that may be easily and quickly collapsed into a more compact form for convenient transport and storage. 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new portable table apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the portable tables mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new portable table which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art portable tables, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a tabletop member, a support apparatus that includes a pivotally movable leg member designed for movement between a extended and stored position as well as an attachment assembly, for the purpose of coupling the support apparatus to the tabletop member, and a locking assembly designed for locking the leg member in the deployed position. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new portable table apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the portable tables mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new portable table which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art portable tables, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a new portable table which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new portable table which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such portable table economically available to the buying public. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table for providing a useful and stable table surface raised above a surface such as a floor or bed and that may be easily and quickly collapsed into a more compact form for convenient transport and storage. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table which includes a tabletop member, a support apparatus that includes a pivotally movable leg member designed for movement between a extended and stored position as well as an attachment assembly, for the purpose of coupling the support apparatus to the tabletop member, and a locking assembly designed for locking the leg member in the deployed position. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table that permits secure locking of the leg members in a deployed position for providing a stable tabletop surface while permitting easy unlocking for moving the leg members to a stored position. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new portable table that permits the legs of the user to being fully extended, or even crossed with each other, in a position beneath the tabletop without interfering with the leg members of the device. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a top view of a new portable table according to the present invention with the support apparatus in a fully deployed form. 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the present invention with the support apparatus in a collapsed form. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the side view of the locking assembly of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a magnified view of the attachment assembly and locking assembly of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new portable table embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the portable table  10  generally comprises a tabletop member  70  for resting articles thereon, a support apparatus  20  that includes leg members  52  for supporting the tabletop member  70  and an attachment assembly  40  for attaching the leg members  52  to the tabletop member  70 , and a locking assembly  30  to lock the supporting apparatus  20  in a deployed position. 
     The tabletop member  70  is designed for resting articles thereon. The tabletop member  70  includes a lower surface  78  and an upper surface  72 . The tabletop member  70  includes a front edge  74  for positioning away from a user and a rear edge  76  for positioning toward a user. The rear edge  76  of the tabletop member  70  is arcuate so as to fit a portion of the torso of a user. The distance between the front and rear edges  74  and  76  of the tabletop member  70  at the longest part is twenty (20) inches. The distance between the front edge  74  and at the top of the arcuate part of the rear edge  76  is thirteen (13) inches. The diameter of the arcuate edge is sixteen (16) inches. 
     A support apparatus  20  is designed for supporting the tabletop member  70  above a surface. The support apparatus  20  includes a pair of leg assemblies  50 . Each leg assembly  50  includes a leg member  52  and an attachment assembly  40 . 
     The leg member  52  is pivotally movable between a deployed position and a stored position. The leg member  52  includes an attachment portion  54 , resting portion  56  and a upstanding portion  58  extending between the attachment portion  54  and the resting portion  56 . The length of the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52  is thirteen and a half (13½) inches. The length of the resting portion  56  of the leg member  52  is ten and a half (10½) inches. The length of the upstanding portion  58  of the leg member  52  is fifteen and three-quarters (15¾) inches. 
     The attachment assembly  40  is designed for attaching the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52  to the lower surface  78  of the tabletop member  70 . The attachment assembly  40  includes a pair of brackets  42  mounted to the lower surface  78  of the tabletop member  70 . Each of the brackets  42  includes a central portion  44  embracing a portion of the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52 . Each of the brackets  42  also includes a pair of end tabs  46  extending from the central portion  44  and is secured to the lower surface  78  of the tabletop member  70 . The attachment assembly  40  includes a pair of stops  48  mounted to the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52 . Each of the stops  48  is positioned adjacent to one of the brackets  42  to resist the sliding movement of the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52  with respect to the brackets  42  and the tabletop member  70 . 
     The locking assembly  30  is adapted for selectively locking the leg member  52  in the deployed position. The locking assembly  30  includes a locking member  60  mounted on the lower surface  78  of the tabletop member  70  adjacent to the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52 . The locking member  60  includes a first channel  34  throughout, with a locking ear  36  mounted on the attachment portion  54  of the leg member  52 . The locking ear  36  includes a second channel  38  in alignment with the first channel  34  of the locking member  60  when the leg member  52  is positioned in the deployed position. A locking slider  39  is movable between a retracted position in the first channel  34  and an extended position in the first and second channels  34  and  38  for resisting movement of the locking ear  36  with respect to the locking member  60 . 
     The locking member  60  has a locking slot  62  extending through with a perimeter wall of the locking member  60 . The locking slot  62  includes a first portion  67  extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the first channel  34  and a second portion  68  extending substantially perpendicular to the first portion  67  of the locking slot  62 . A locking peg  64  extends from an exterior surface of the locking slider  39  and protrudes into the locking slot  62 . The locking peg  64  is in the second portion  68  of the locking slot  62  when the locking slider  39  is extended into the second channel  38  of the locking member  60 . 
     The locking ear  36  has a locking tab  66  extending from the locking ear  36 . The locking tab  66  abuts against the lower surface  78  of the tabletop member  70  when the leg member  52  is in the deployed position for facilitating the alignment of the first channel  34  and the second channel  38 . 
     The resting portion  56  of one of the leg members  52  is positioned adjacent to the resting portion  56  of the other of the leg members  52  when the leg members  52  are in the stored position. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.