Abstract:
A cabinet table has a cabinet body, a front face, an interior box, and a sliding mechanism permitting the interior box to slide out of the cabinet body. The front face is connected to the interior box and has a top front face and a bottom front face. The interior box has a plurality of table components which are moveable into a table surface.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to fold out tables. In particular, the invention relates to a fold out table stored in a cabinet-like or desk-like structure. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    One conventional method to improve space is the use of a fold out table stored in a cabinet-like or desk-like structure. Such a table typically includes table leafs which can open and fold out into a table position and then fold in and close to revert to the cabinet-like or desk-like structure. Examples of prior fold out tables can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,822, 2,672,384, and 2,059,994. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    A complete understanding of the preferred embodiments will be obtained from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals identify the same parts throughout. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is an elevated front view of a cabinet made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the front face thereof in a closed position. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table in accordance with the preferred embodiment in the open position and an upper balance plate piece in a folded, storage position. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3A  is a side view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating the upper balance plate piece moving from a folded, storage position to an unfolded, vertical position. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating the upper balance plate piece moving downward from the unfolded, vertical position. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3C  is a side view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating the upper balance plate piece moving to an unfolded, deployed position. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the cabinet table shown in  FIG. 3C . 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating the interior box in the open position and the upper balance plate piece in the unfolded, deployed position. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating certain table leafs in an external, vertical, folded, raised, and unlocked position. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  illustrating certain table leafs in an external, horizontal, folded, and unlocked position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the posterior of the cabinet table in  FIG. 2  from behind the cabinet table illustrating certain slots and tracking mechanisms. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table shown in  FIG. 7  illustrating two table leafs in an external, horizontal, folded, and unlocked position and showing the lock mechanism. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10A  is a sectional view of a key in relation to the two table leafs shown in  FIG. 9  in an external, horizontal, folded, and unlocked position. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10B  is a sectional view of the key in relation to the two table leafs in an external, horizontal, folded, and locked position. 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table shown in  FIG. 9  illustrating the two table leafs in an external, horizontal, folded, and locked position. 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is an elevated front view of the cabinet table shown in  FIG. 9  illustrating four table leafs in an external, horizontal, unfolded, and locked position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 13  is a front view of the cabinet table when in the open position shown in  FIG. 12 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 14  is an elevated front view illustrating multiple tables according to the preferred embodiment oriented to form one continuous table. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10 
                 cabinet containing a fold out table 
               
               
                 11 
                 top plate 
               
               
                 12 
                 front face 
               
               
                 14 
                 top front face 
               
               
                 16 
                 bottom front face 
               
               
                 18 
                 cabinet front frame 
               
               
                 20 
                 back plate 
               
               
                 22 
                 receptacle 
               
               
                 24 
                 slot 
               
               
                 25 
                 tracking mechanism 
               
               
                 26 
                 side plate 
               
               
                 28 
                 front plate 
               
               
                 30 
                 hinge 
               
               
                 31 
                 hinge mechanism 
               
               
                 32 
                 support wall 
               
               
                 34 
                 key 
               
               
                 35 
                 key notch 
               
               
                 36 
                 guide pin 
               
               
                 37 
                 intermediate plate 
               
               
                 38 
                 stopper 
               
               
                 39 
                 balance plate 
               
               
                 40 
                 upper balance plate piece 
               
               
                 41 
                 lower balance plate piece 
               
               
                 42 
                 large table leaf 
               
               
                 44 
                 small table leaf 
               
               
                 46 
                 hand grip 
               
               
                 48 
                 leaf hinge 
               
               
                 50 
                 lock receiver 
               
               
                 52 
                 lock prong 
               
               
                 56 
                 balance plate foot 
               
               
                 60 
                 side wall 
               
               
                 62 
                 interior box 
               
               
                 64 
                 cabinet body 
               
               
                 66 
                 holding mechanism 
               
               
                 67 
                 balance plate stop 
               
               
                 68 
                 balance plate guide track 
               
               
                 69 
                 balance plate clearance 
               
               
                 70 
                 toe space 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0022]    Referring now to the drawings, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a cabinet table includes a cabinet containing a fold out table  10 . The cabinet containing a fold out table  10  is partially slid out and away from the cabinet body  64  to an open position as shown in  FIG. 2  by a hinge  30  which attaches the top front face  14  to the intermediate plate  37  so that the top front face  14  can rotate 90 degrees away from the top plate  11  from a vertical position to a horizontal position and rest in a horizontal position that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom front face  16  when the cabinet is open. Preferably, there is at least one stopper  38  attached to the top surface of the intermediate plate  37 . Due to this stopper  38 , the exterior of the cabinet front frame  18  lies substantially flush against the interior of the top front face  14  when the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  is in a closed position so that it is not possible to distinguish the cabinet containing the fold out table  10  from a cabinet that does not contain a fold out table. 
         [0023]    When the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  is slid out, there is an interior box  62  formed by a back plate  20 , side plates  26 , and a front plate  28 . The interior box  62  is attached to the cabinet body  64  in a manner that allows the interior box  62  to slide out and away from the cabinet body  64  to an open position. An upper balance plate piece  40  is in a horizontal position over part of the interior box  62  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The upper balance plate piece  40  and lower balance plate piece  41  are connected via a hinge mechanism  31  so that the upper balance plate piece  40  can rotate toward the interior box  62 . A balance plate clearance  69  allows the upper balance plate piece  40  to rest on the support wall  32  in a folded, horizontal, internal storage position. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 3A , to deploy the fold out table, the upper balance plate piece  40  first rotates 90 degrees from a folded, horizontal, internal storage position in which the upper balance plate piece  40  is perpendicular to the lower balance plate piece  41  to a vertical deployed position in which the upper balance plate piece  40  is vertically aligned with the lower balance plate piece  41 . As shown in  FIG. 3B , after the upper balance plate piece  40  rotates to the vertical deployed position so that the upper balance plate piece  40  is vertically aligned with the lower balance plate piece  41 , a balance plate guide track  68  guides the downward vertical movement of balance plate pieces  40  and  41  as gravity pulls balance plate pieces  40  and  41  toward the floor. As shown in  FIG. 3C , after the balance plate guide track  68  guides the downward vertical movement of balance plate pieces  40  and  41  toward the floor, the lower balance plate piece  41  rests on the floor. The preferred embodiment includes at least one balance plate foot  56 . Preferably, this balance plate foot  56  is adjustable. Due to an adjustable balance plate foot  56 , it is unnecessary to have wheels which can easily damage floors and which cannot be adjusted to provide a level table surface on an unlevel floor. The preferred embodiment includes at least one finger grip located on the part of the upper balance plate piece  40  which faces the interior box. The lower balance plate piece  41  contains at least one balance plate stop  67  to stop the vertical upward motion of balance plate pieces  40  and  41  at the proper height when the upper balance plate piece  40  is pulled in a vertical upward motion to return the upper balance plate piece  40  to a storage position. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  has a cabinet body  64  including a top plate  11 , two substantially vertical side walls  60 , toe space  70 , and a cabinet front frame  18 . The top plate  11  is mounted to the two substantially vertical side walls  60 . The top plate  11  and side walls  60  are each attached to the cabinet front frame  18 . A front face  12  contains a top front face  14  and a bottom front face  16 . The top front face  14  is located above and is in vertical alignment with the bottom front face  16 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  shows the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  in a fully open position with a support wall  32 , a key  34  in the support wall  32 , two large table leafs  42 , and two small table leafs  44 . Each side plate  26  is attached to the front plate  28  and to the back plate  20 . The support wall  32  is attached to the front plate  28  and the back plate  20 , preferably at a location that is equidistant from each side plate  26 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the back plate  20  includes a receptacle  22 , two slots  24 , and two tracking mechanisms  25 . While the only depiction of the receptacle  22  in the drawings is that of an electrical receptacle, other embodiments could include other types of receptacles, including, but not limited to, receptacles for telephone and internet connections. Each tracking mechanism  25  is attached to the side of a large table leaf  42 . Each large table leaf  42  is attached to a small table leaf  44  by a leaf hinge  48 , which allows the small table leafs  44  to remain in a folded position as shown in  FIG. 11  or an unfolded position as shown in  FIG. 12 . Each large table leaf  42  and each small table leaf  44  contain a hand grip  46 . 
         [0028]    Each large table leaf  42  is pivotably slidable to various positions without difficulty via the slot  24  and tracking mechanism  25 . Each large table leaf  42  and small table leaf  44  is raised from the internal, folded position as shown in  FIG. 5  by a slot  24  and tracking mechanism  25  to the folded, raised position as shown in  FIG. 6 . Each large table leaf  42  and small table leaf  44  is moveable from the folded, raised position as shown in  FIG. 6  by the slot  24  and tracking mechanism  25  to the horizontal, folded, unlocked position as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , each large table leaf  42  contains a holding mechanism  66  which prevents the large table leaf  42  and small table leaf  44  from separating or flapping open as the large table leaf  42  and small table leaf  44  are moved from position to position. Preferably, this holding mechanism  66  is a rare earth magnet located near the surface of the large table leaf  42 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 8  illustrates the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  shown in  FIG. 7  from behind with one tracking mechanism  25  shown in the position it would have when one large table leaf  42  and one small table leaf  44  are in the vertical position and one tracking mechanism  25  shown in the position it would have when one large table leaf  42  and one small table leaf  44  are in the horizontal position. 
         [0031]    One small table leaf  44  contains a lock prong  52 , while the other small table leaf  44  contains a lock receiver  50 . Both the lock prong  52  and the lock receiver  50  are preferably fixed to the center of the respective small table leaf  44 . One small table leaf  44  contains at least one guide pin  36  and the other small table leaf  44  contains at least one corresponding guide pin hole on the respective interior surface. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , each large table leaf  42  and small table leaf  44  in a horizontal, folded, unlocked position is moved horizontally and inwardly and then locked in the position shown in  FIG. 11 . Each large table leaf  42  contains a key notch  35  which allows the large table leafs  42  to slide together and lock via the key  34  as shown in  FIG. 10A  and  FIG. 10B . The key notch  35  aids in the ability of the unfolded table to support substantial amounts of weight and downward force while maintaining a level surface. 
         [0033]    The small table leafs  44  are unfolded to create a table shown in  FIG. 12  which is large enough to comfortably seat at least three adults. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the unfolded table top rests in a flat position with no interference from the upper balance plate piece  40  or other elements of the interior box  62 . 
         [0034]    The cabinet containing a fold out table  10  is retrofittable to various cabinet sizes and arrangements. As shown in  FIG. 14 , one preferred embodiment has a horizontal arrangement of multiple cabinets containing a fold out table  10  so that when the cabinet containing a fold out table  10  is in the open position, and the large table leafs  42  and small table leafs  44  are in the horizontal, unfolded position, a continuous table top surface can be created.