TRAY TABLE ASSEMBLY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates generally to furniture pieces, such as, for example, a chair, sofa, love seat, or the like, and a tray table to be operatively used in conjunction with the chair, sofa, love seat, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]Tray tables are conventionally mounted upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, a chair, sofa, love seat, or the like, for the convenience of the person occupying the furniture piece. Some conventional tray tables, however, are fixedly connected to the furniture piece and are therefore not readily capable of being moved to a stowed or stored position. Other conventional tray tables are mounted upon a support rod by means of a threaded connection whereby, sometimes, the user may unintentionally operate the table in a reverse mode, thereby inadvertently unthreading the tray table from its support rod.

[0003]A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly. Another need exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces. Still another need exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like. Yet another need exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly is fixedly mounted upon the furniture piece. Still yet another need exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly is fixedly, yet adjustably mounted upon the furniture piece. Yet still another need exists in the art for a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly is fixedly, yet adjustably mounted upon the furniture piece so as to be movable between a deployed position and a stowed/stored position.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

[0004]Accordingly, a first overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly. Another overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces. Still another overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like. Yet another overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly is fixedly mounted upon the furniture piece. Still yet another overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly fixedly, yet adjustably mounted upon the furniture piece. Yet still another overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tray table assembly for use upon furniture pieces, such as, for example, chairs, sofas, love seats, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly fixedly, yet adjustably mounted upon the furniture piece so as to be movable between a deployed position and a stowed/stored position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005]In accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed a new and improved tray table assembly for furniture pieces, such as, for example, a chair, sofa, love seat, or the like, wherein the tray table assembly comprises a tray table, a support rod for supporting the tray table, a mounting bracket assembly for mounting the support rod thereon, and a fastener assembly for fixedly, yet adjustably, securing the support rod to the mounting bracket assembly. The mounting bracket assembly is disposed upon the underside of the tray table and includes a mounting platform upon which a pair of upstanding mounting plates are disposed. The upstanding mounting plates have coaxially aligned bores defined therein, and the lower end portion of the support rod is likewise provided with a bore. In addition, an aperture is defined within the mounting platform, between the pair of upstanding mounting plates such that a boss, formed upon the lower terminal end of the support rod, can be inserted into the aperture so as to effectively fix the location of the support rod upon the mounting platform. When a bolt of the fastener assembly is inserted through the bores, the support rod will be fixedly, but adjustably, secured upon the mounting bracket assembly. The fastener assembly further comprises a handle which when disposed at a first position, permits the support rod to be moved between a stowed and a deployed position, whereas when the handle is disposed at a second position, the support rod will be locked at either the stowed or deployed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a top, front, right side perspective view of a chair having the new and improved tray table assembly mounted thereon;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the new and improved tray table assembly of the present invention showing the support rod of the tray table assembly disposed at its stowed position;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting platform, to be fixedly secured to the underside of the tray table, so as to have the support rod of the tray table assembly adjustably mounted thereon;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the assembled fastener assembly operatively associated with the support rod of the tray table assembly, as shown in FIG. 2, and the mounting platform as shown in FIG. 3;

[0011]FIG. 4A is an exploded elevational view of the fastener assembly as illustrated within FIG. 4;

[0012]FIG. 4B is an exploded left side perspective view of the fastener assembly, as illustrated within FIGS. 4 and 4A;

[0013]FIG. 4C is an exploded right side perspective view of the fastener assembly, as illustrated within FIGS. 4 and 4A;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the support rod of the tray table assembly;

[0015]FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the circled region 5A of FIG. 5;

[0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the underside of the tray table assembly wherein the support rod is disposed at its folded and stowed position, and the fastener assembly is disposed at or in its UNLOCKED state or condition;

[0017]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the underside of the tray table assembly wherein the support rod is disposed at its unfolded and deployed position, and the fastener assembly is disposed at or in its UNLOCKED position or state; and

[0018]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the underside of the tray table assembly wherein the support rod is disposed at its unfolded and deployed position, and the fastener assembly is disposed at or in its LOCKED position or state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019]Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. 1-8, the new and improved tray table assembly, as developed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 100. More particularly, it is seen that the new and improved tray table assembly 100 comprises a tray table 102, a support rod 104, a mounting bracket assembly 106 for fixedly mounting the support rod 104 upon the underside of the tray table 102, and a fastener assembly 108 for fixedly locking the support rod 104 at its deployed or stowed positions, and for unlocking the support rod 104 so that it can be moved between the stowed and deployed positions. As can best be seen from FIG. 3, the mounting bracket assembly 106 comprises a circular platform 110 which is provided with a plurality of apertures 112, arranged within a peripheral array, within which suitable screw fasteners 114 are to be inserted so as to fixedly secure the circular platform 110 of the mounting bracket assembly 110 to the underside of the tray table 102. The circular platform 110 has a pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 mounted thereon and which are disposed parallel to, but spaced apart from, each other such that an aperture 120 can be provided in the platform 110 within the space defined between the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118. The pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 are effectively mounted upon the circular platform 110 in a cantilevered manner such that the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 effectively exhibit a predetermined amount of flexibility for a purpose that will be explained more fully hereinafter. In addition, it is seen that the first upstanding mounting plate 116 of the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 is provided with an internally threaded bore 122, and that the second upstanding mounting plate 118 of the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 is provided with a through-bore 124 such that the bores 122,124 are coaxially aligned with each other. In addition, as can best be appreciated from FIGS. 5 and 5A, the support rod 104 has a cylindrical configuration, however, diametrically opposite sides of the lower end portion 126 of the support rod 104 are respectively provided with planar faces 128, and a substantially elliptically configured through-bore 130 extends through the lower end portion 126 of the support rod 104 and is adapted, in turn, to be coaxially aligned with the pair of bores 122,124 defined within the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118. Accordingly, when a fastener, of the fastener assembly 108, is inserted through all of the bores 122,124,130, the support rod 104 will be fixedly, but adjustably, mounted upon the platform 110 as will be more fully explained hereinafter. In addition, it is also seen that the lower terminal end portion of the support rod 104 is provided with a cylindrical boss 132 which is adapted to be inserted into the aperture 120 defined within the central portion of the platform 110 such that the support rod 104 can be properly located upon the platform 110 and subsequently stabilized thereon when the fastener, of the fastener assembly 108, is inserted through the bores 122,124,130 and threadedly engaged with the internally threaded bore 122.

[0020]Continuing further, and with particular reference being made to FIGS. 4-4C, the fastener assembly 108 is seen to comprise a bolt 133, wherein the shaft of the bolt 133 is externally threaded at one end, as at 134, while the other end comprises an internally threaded tubular portion 135, a handle 136, a coiled spring 138, and an externally threaded screw fastener 140. As can best be seen in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the handle 136 comprises a lower hub portion 142, and a leaf section 144 projecting radially outwardly from a particular circumferential point of the lower hub portion 142. More particularly, the lower hub portion 142 is provided with a first bore 146 which is defined within a first end of the lower hub portion 142, wherein, as can best be seen in FIG. 4B, the first bore 146 has a hexagonal cross-sectional configuration. In addition, the lower hub portion 142 is also provided with a second bore 148 which is defined within a second opposite end of the lower hub portion 142, wherein, as can best be seen in FIG. 4C, the second bore 148 has a circular cross-sectional configuration. The bolt 133 is further provided with a collar portion 150, and a boss section 152, defined between the collar portion 150 and the internally threaded tubular portion 135, wherein the external cross-sectional configuration of the boss section 152 is hexagonal so as to be capable of being inserted into hexagonal bore 146 of the lower hub portion 142 of the handle 136. In a similar manner, the coiled spring 138 is adapted to be inserted into the second bore 148 of the lower hub portion 142 of the handle 136, while the internally threaded tubular portion 135 of the bolt shaft extends through the coiled spring 138, and the externally threaded shaft portion of the externally threaded screw fastener 140 is threadedly engaged within the internally threaded tubular portion 135 of the bolt fastener. Still yet further, as can best be seen from FIG. 4, a gasket 154 is adapted to be disposed over the threaded portion 134 of the bolt 133 so as to be disposed immediately adjacent to, and in engagement with, the collar portion 150 of the bolt 133. In addition, it is noted that the surface of the upstanding mounting plate 118, that is not facing the upstanding mounting plate 116, comprises a planar surface 156. In this manner, it can be appreciated that when the fastener assembly 108 is inserted through and fully engaged within the aforenoted bores 124,130,122, the gasket 154 will be engaged with the planar surface portion 156 of the upstanding mounting plate 118.

[0021]In operation, when the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is disposed parallel to the tray table 102, the fastener assembly 108 is effectively disposed in a LOCKED condition or state whereby the support rod 104 cannot be moved. When the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is disposed at any position other than being parallel to the tray table 102, the fastener assembly 108 is effectively disposed in an UNLOCKED condition or state whereby the support rod 104 can be moved between the stowed position and the deployed position. More particularly, it is to be appreciated that when the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is moved from its upstanding or vertical position, perpendicular to the plane or underside surface of the tray table 102, as illustrated within either FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, to the horizontal position, at which the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is disposed parallel to the plane or underside surface of the tray table 102, as illustrated within FIG. 8, or in other words, through a quarter-turn rotational movement, or ninety degrees (90°), then in view of the fact that the threaded portion 134 of the bolt 133 is disposed within the internally threaded bore 122 of the upstanding mounting plate 116, when the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is rotated in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4C, the upstanding mounting plate 116 and the upstanding mounting plate 118 will effectively be caused to move toward each other, effectively decreasing the space or gap defined between the pair of upstanding plates 116,118 whereby the support rod 104 will effectively be pinched between the pair of upstanding mounting plates 116,118 such that the support rod 104 cannot be moved. At this time, the entire fastener assembly 108 is disposed at or in its LOCKED condition or state. Conversely, if the handle 144 of the fastener assembly 108 is rotated through a quarter-turn rotational movement in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4C, then the pressure upon the upstanding mounting plate 116 will effectively be relieved whereby the support rod 104 can in fact be moved between its folded/stowed position and its upstanding or deployed position. It is to be lastly noted that when the support rod 104 is moved from its folded/stowed position, as illustrated within FIGS. 2 and 6, to its upstanding or deployed position, as illustrated within FIGS. 7 and 8, the lower end boss portion 132 of the support rod 104 will be capable of being inserted into the aperture 120 defined within the mounting platform 110 as permitted by means of the oblong or substantially elliptical aperture or bore 130 defined within the lower end portion of the support rod 104.

[0022]Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.