Patent ID: 8052208

Claim:
An apparatus for locking a table of a seat back, the apparatus being provided between the table and the seat back to selectively secure the table with respect to the seat back in multiple stages, comprising: a base fastened to the seat back; a shaft pivotally coupled to the base and fastened on an end portion of the table, the shaft being rotatable along with the table on the base; an actuating arm fastened to the shaft and rotatable along with the shaft, the actuating arm having actuating gear teeth formed in an end portion thereof; a locking arm rotatably provided on the base at a position spaced apart from the shaft by a predetermined distance, wherein the locking arm includes locking gear teeth formed in an end portion thereof and elastically biased toward the shaft and the locking gear teeth are configured to be selectively engaged with the actuating gear teeth by a rotation of the actuating arm such that when the actuating arm is rotated in a forward direction, the actuating gear teeth are engaged with the locking gear teeth or pass over the locking gear teeth according to rotational degree of the actuating arm; and a locking arm holding unit co-axially coupled with the actuating arm to the base and selectively activated by the actuating arm, wherein, while the actuating gear teeth completely pass over the locking gear teeth, the actuating arm activates the locking arm holding unit to release the locking arm from a first position of the locking arm holding unit to be locked to a second position thereof so that the locking gear teeth does not interfere with the actuating gear teeth while the actuating arm is rotated in a reverse direction, and wherein the locking arm holding unit releases the locking arm to return to the first position of the locking arm holding unit so that the locking gear teeth is positioned to a trajectory locus of the locking gear teeth when the actuating arm rotates the locking arm holding unit in the reverse direction.