Patent ID: 8876071

Claim:
A support assembly for an item of furniture, comprising: an elongated support structure for connection at an operatively upper end thereof to an upper portion of an item of furniture; a first pair of feet connected to the support structure, at or adjacent an operatively lower end thereof; an elongated guide formation connected to the support structure and extending lengthwise relative to the support structure; a support member displaceable with respect to the support structure which has a second pair of feet at or adjacent an operatively lower end thereof, the displaceable support member being arranged relative to the support structure so that a line drawn between the feet of the first pair is transverse to a line drawn between the feet of the second pair; the displaceable support member also being provided with an elongated guided formation complementary to and longitudinally slidably engaged with the guide formation, so that the displaceable support member is slidably displaceable along a rectilinear guide path which is transverse to the lines drawn between both the pairs of feet, with one of the guide formation and the guided formation being in the form of a guided pin, the other one of the guide formation and the guided formation being in the form of a passage defining unit defining a guide passage within which the guided pin is longitudinally slidably received, the dimensions of the guide passage and the guided pin being such that automatic frictional engagement of the guided pin occurs, in use, with a surface of the guide passage in response to pivoting of the displaceable support member about a pivot axis which is transverse to the displaceable support member's guide path, automatically to anchor the displaceable support member frictionally against sliding displacement relative to the support structure, wherein the passage defining unit has a hollow adjustable guide member whereby the dimension of the guide passage is adjustable in accordance with the dimension of the guided pin; and wherein the passage defining unit is fastenable to one of the support structure and the support member once it has been adjusted, such that the passage defining unit may first be adjusted to conform with the guided pin and then be fastened to the support structure or the support member, wherein the guide member comprises a pair of guide shells with a tightening mechanism for tightening the guide shells together, thereby varying the dimension of the guide passage defined therebetween, wherein the passage defining unit has a pair of longitudinally spaced adjustable guide components, inner surfaces of which define the guide passage and are housed in the guide member, and wherein the guide shells have longitudinally spaced grooves in which the guide components are received.