Patent Abstract:
An anti-binding slide is disclosed. In certain embodiments, the slide includes a bar having a pin hole adjacent the distal end of the bar. A rolling assembly includes rollers connected by a pin along a roller axis, the pin being positionable in the pin hole. A casing accepts the distal end of the bar. The rollers are positionable within tracks of the casing. The rollers, and thus the distal end of the bar, are able to move within the casing between a compressed position and an extended position. The pin hole provides a clearance fit for the pin, such that small movements of the bar do not interfere with the orientation of the roller axis with respect to the casing.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/770,411 filed Feb. 28, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to slides generally and more specifically to slides for food tables. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Slides can be used in conjunction with food tables, such as those on passenger seats, to extend the food table towards a user. Current food table slides can “bind” while operating. Binding occurs when internal parts stick when the food table is being slid in and out, resisting the sliding motion. Binding or sticking can be undesirable and can prevent the ease of operation of the food table. Whether for use with food tables or for other uses, slides that resist binding can be desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     The term embodiment and like terms are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this disclosure and the claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the claims below. Embodiments of the present disclosure covered herein are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the disclosure and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all drawings and each claim. 
     Embodiments of the present invention include a slide having a bar and a casing. The bar includes a roller assembly adjacent the distal end of the bar. The casing accepts the roller assembly and bar. The roller assembly includes rollers that travel within tracks of the casing. The roller assembly has a roller axis between the rollers, which is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the casing. The roller assembly is movably coupled to the bar such that small movements of the bar do not substantially alter the roller axis with respect to the casing. The rollers can be connected by a pin positionable in a pin hole of the bar, the pin hole providing a clearance fit for the pin. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, in which use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended to illustrate like or analogous components 
         FIG. 1A  is an isometric projection of a slide, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a partially-exploded view of the slide of  FIG. 1A , according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is an isometric projection of a roller assembly  200 , according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is an isometric projection of a distal end of a bar having a roller assembly, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the casing of  FIG. 1B  taken across plane B:B, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the casing of  FIG. 1A  taken across plane A:A with the attachment devices removed, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5A  is an isometric view of a table in an extended position incorporating two slides, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5B  is an isometric view of the table of  FIG. 5A  in a compressed position, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. 
     Embodiments of the invention provide food table slides for use with a passenger seat. While the food table slides are discussed for use with aircraft seats, they are by no means so limited. Rather, embodiments of the food table slides may be used in passenger seats or other seats of any type or otherwise as desired. 
     Disclosed herein is a food table slide utilizing track rollers. Use of track rollers can reduce or eliminate the potential for the food table to bind when sliding in or out. In certain embodiments, a slide can include a bar having a pair of rollers at a distal end, where the distal end is enclosed in a casing having a cross section shaped to accept the bar and provide tracks for each roller. Each of the pair of rollers is connected together by a pin positionable within a hole in the distal end of the bar that is clearance fit for the pin. When extended, the rollers roll within the tracks of the casing. The allowable movement of the pin within the hole in the distal end of the bar can aid in reducing slide binding. 
       FIG. 1A  is an isometric projection of a slide  100  according to certain embodiments.  FIG. 1B  is a partially-exploded view of the slide  100  of  FIG. 1A  according to some embodiments. The slide  100  includes a casing  102  that accepts a distal end  104  of a bar  106 . The bar  106  has a proximal end  108  opposite the distal end  104 . The bar  106  includes a mounting hole  110  adjacent the proximal end  108  of the bar  106 . The mounting hole  110  can be used to secure the bar  106  to another structure (e.g., a passenger seat). The bar  106  can be mounted with rotational freedom about the mounting hole  110  so that the slide  100  can rotate about the mounting hole  110 . 
     The bar  106  can include a pin hole  124  adjacent the distal end  104  of the bar  106 . The pin hole  124  is sized to fit a pin  204 , as described in further detail below. 
     The bar  106  can be I-beam shaped. An I-beam shape can increase the download strength of the slide  100 . The thin midsection of the I-beam shape enables the pin hole  124  to be thin, which can provide improved maneuverability of the pin  204  in the pin hole  124 , as described in further detail below. 
     The casing  102  can be made of extruded plastic or any suitable material. The casing  102  can be made using methods other than extrusion. The casing  102  has a proximal end  112  and a distal end  114 . The proximal end  112  of the casing  102  accepts the distal end  104  of the bar  106 . A stop bracket  116  can be positioned over the distal end  104  of the casing  102 . The stop bracket  116  can be attached to the casing  102  by attachment devices  118 . The attachment devices  118  can be squeeze rivets. The attachment devices  118  can be other devices capable of attaching the stop bracket  116  to the casing  102  with sufficient strength to ensure the stop bracket  116  can function as desired. The stop bracket  116  can act as a stop for the bar  106 , ensuring that the distal end  104  of the bar  106  does not slide past the distal end  114  of the casing  102 . When the bar  106  has been slid into the casing  102  such that the distal end  104  of the bar  106  is adjacent the stop bracket  116 , the slide  100  is considered to have reached its compressed position. Other designs of stop brackets  116  can be used as long as the stop bracket  116  is capable of stopping the distal end  104  of the bar  106  from sliding past the distal end  114  of the casing  102 , regardless of whether the stop bracket  116  fully occludes the distal end  114  of the casing  102 . In some embodiments, the attachment devices  118  (e.g., squeeze rivets) can function as the mechanical block that stops travel of the bar  106  with respect to the casing  102  in the compressed position. 
     In certain embodiments, the casing  102  includes a proximal stop  120 . The proximal stop  120  can be a set screw  122 . The proximal stop  120  can stop the slide  100  from extending (i.e., bar  106  sliding out of casing  102 ) past a set point, as described in further detail below. 
       FIG. 2A  is an isometric projection of a roller assembly  200  according to certain embodiments. The roller assembly  200  includes two rollers  202  separated by a pin  204 . The pin  204  can be threaded to accept corresponding threads on each of the rollers  202 . The rollers  202  can be rotationally fixed or rotationally free with respect to the pin  204 . 
       FIG. 2B  is an isometric projection of the distal end  104  of the bar  106 , according to certain embodiments. A roller assembly  200  is attached to the bar  106 . The roller assembly  200  is positioned across the pin hole  124  so that the pin  204  of the roller assembly  200  is within the pin hole  124 . The diameter of the pin hole  124  is sized with respect to diameter of the pin  204  to establish a clearance fit. Because of the clearance fit, the pin  204  is able to move within the pin hole  124 . In some embodiments, the pin  204  is rotationally free with respect to the bar  106 . In some embodiments, the clearance fit is wide enough to allow the bar  106  to tilt with respect to the pin  204  (e.g., so a longitudinal axis  206  of the bar  106  is not perpendicular to a roller axis  208  defined by the rollers  202 ). 
     In alternate embodiments, a roller assembly  200  can include a plurality of rollers  202  attached to the bar  106  near the distal end  104  of the bar  106 . The rollers  202  can be attached to the bar  106  by ball-and-socket joints. In some embodiments, the ball-and-socket joint is located at the pin hole  124 . In other embodiments, no pin hole  124  exists, and the roller assembly  200  is attached to the bar by other attachment devices. The rollers  202  can be attached to the bar  106  using other attachment methods as long as the bar  106  retains some freedom of movement with respect to the rollers  202 . Specifically, it can be desired for the bar  106  to have at least two degrees of freedom with respect to an axis defined by the rollers  202 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the casing  102  of  FIG. 1B  taken across plane B:B according to some embodiments. The attachment devices  118  (e.g., squeeze rivets) retain the stop bracket  116  to the distal end  114  of the casing  102 . The casing  102  has an inner surface  310  including inner protrusions  306  forming two tracks  302  and a center slot  304 . The center slot  304  is shaped to accept the bar  106 , while the tracks  302  are shaped to accept the rollers  202  of the roller assembly  200 . The casing  102  has a lateral axis  308 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the casing  102  of  FIG. 1A  taken at plane A:A with the attachment devices  118  removed according to certain embodiments. The bar  106  fits in the center slot  304 . The rollers  202  fit in the tracks  302 . The bar  106  is able to slide within the casing  102  as the rollers  202  either roll or slide within their respective tracks  302 . The movement provided by the clearance fit between the pin hole  124  of the bar  106  and the pin  204  can allow the bar  106  to move slightly within the center slot  304  without altering the roller axis  208 . The roller axis  208  is able to remain substantially parallel to the lateral axis  308  of the casing  102  despite a certain level of movement of the bar  106  within the casing  102 . As long as the roller axis  208  remains substantially parallel to the lateral axis  308  of the casing  102 , the bar  106  will be able to slide in and out of the casing  102  without binding or sticking. The bar  106  can slide between a compressed position and an expanded position without binding or sticking, without the need to carefully align the bar  106  with the casing  102 . 
       FIG. 5A  is an isometric view of a table  500  incorporating two slides  100  according to some embodiments. The table  500  is in an extended position. The slides  100  disclosed above enable the table  500  to move between an extended position and a compressed position with ease. When used, the table  500  can undergo yaw-like twisting (i.e., in directions  502  about z-axis  504 ), pitch-like twisting (i.e., in directions  506  about y-axis  508 ), or roll-like twisting (i.e., in directions  510  about x-axis  512 ). The slides  100 , as disclosed above, resist binding and sticking when the table  500  undergoes combinations of yaw-like twisting, pitch-like twisting, and roll-like twisting. 
       FIG. 5B  is an isometric view of the table  500  of  FIG. 5A  according to certain embodiments. The table  500  is shown in a compressed position. The slides  100  are shown supporting a surface which is a table  500 . The casing  102  of the slides  100  can be attached to, formed of, or positioned under any supported object (e.g., a table  500 ) in order to support that object. 
     The slide  100  disclosed herein can resist binding. This slide  100  can enable easier use of tables  500  (e.g., passenger tray tables). This slide  100  can enable easier one-handed operation of tables  500  (e.g., passenger tray tables). This slide  100  has an improved appearance over other slides. This slide  100  is lighter than other slides. This slide  100  does not need substantial lubrication to operate without binding, which can be desirable at least because lubrication can be messy and potentially hazardous in various settings, such as when used on passenger tray tables that are to be handled by passengers. This slide  100  can resist binding without substantial cost and/or use of materials. 
     Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5