Patent ID: 8286926

Claim:
A collapsible leg assembly configured to elevate an object above a floor surface, said collapsible leg assembly comprising: at least one pair of leg members, each of said leg members including an inner tubular member telescopically received within an outer tubular member; each of said inner tubular members having a first end that is pivotably coupled to said object about a respective rotational axis and a second, opposed end that is slidably disposed within an interior portion of its respective said outer tubular member, each of said outer tubular members having a first end that telescopically receives its respective said inner tubular member and a second, opposed end that is configured to be disposed proximate to said floor surface when said collapsible leg assembly is in an operative extended position; an attachment member operatively connecting a first of said outer tubular members to a second of said outer tubular members, thereby establishing a pivotal axis about which said leg members are capable of rotating relative to one another, said attachment member and said pivotal axis defined thereby being disposed at a fixed location along the length of each of said outer tubular members between said first and second ends thereof; and at least one pair of latching devices, each of said latching devices being configured to selectively prevent the relative sliding movement of one of said inner tubular members relative to its respective said outer tubular member; wherein said rotational axes about which said first ends of said inner tubular members pivot are spaced apart by a generally constant distance as each of said leg members of said collapsible leg assembly is moved from a collapsed position to said operative extended position; and wherein a first of said leg members has a first longitudinal axis extending in the lengthwise direction thereof and a second of said leg members has a second longitudinal axis extending in the lengthwise direction thereof, said first longitudinal axis being disposed generally parallel to said second longitudinal axis when said collapsible leg assembly is in a fully collapsed position.