Patent ID: 7509914

Claim:
A folding leg apparatus for an article of furniture having a top, comprising: a support leg movable between an extended and a folded position, said leg having a top end adapted to be adjacent said top of the article of furniture in the extended position and a bottom end configured to support the article of furniture on a surface; a mounting plate configured for attachment to the top of the article of furniture and including a pair of mounting flanges extending along opposite sides of said mounting plate; an upper pivot rod attached to said support leg adjacent said top end; a first pivoting connection between each end of said upper pivot rod and a corresponding one of said pair of mounting flanges; a second pivoting connection between the support leg and a corresponding one of said pair of mounting flanges offset on the support leg from said upper pivot rod: and a latch mechanism including; a pair of pivot arms, each pivotably mounted to a corresponding one of said pair of mounting flanges and positioned between said flanges, each of said pivot arms including an actuator plate positioned between said flanges and adapted to be manually pressed, each of said pivot arms further defining a locking notch configured to capture said upper pivot rod therein when said support leg is in its extended position and said pivot arms are in a locking position; and a pair of torsion springs, each operatively anchored to a corresponding one of said pivot arms to bias said pivot arms to said locking position and operable to resist rotation of said pivot arms when said corresponding actuator plate is manually pressed, each of said torsion springs positioned between said mounting flanges.