U.S. patent application number 09/780795 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-15 for tray support system.
Invention is credited to Gish, Barbara A..
Application Number | 20020109058 09/780795 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25120717 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020109058 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gish, Barbara A. |
August 15, 2002 |
Tray support system
Abstract
A removably mountable tray support device for attachment of a
tray to articles of furniture, especially those having upholstery
or substantial padding. The device has a clamping assembly with a
generally C-shaped frame and has a means for manually securing the
device to a portion of upholstered furniture. A bracket attached to
the frame extends outwardly therefrom preferably in a horizontal
orientation to receive alone, or in combination, a tray or similar
item to provide a temporary table surface. Posts may be provided to
support the bracket and thereby increase the stability of the
surface.
Inventors: |
Gish, Barbara A.;
(Plantation, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Amster, Rothstein & Ebenstein
90 Park Ave.
New York
NY
10016
US
|
Family ID: |
25120717 |
Appl. No.: |
09/780795 |
Filed: |
February 9, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/229.25 ;
248/163.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/70 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/229.25 ;
248/163.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/00; E04G
003/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A tray support assembly for removable attachment to an article
of furniture comprising: a frame having at least two ends and an
opening defined by said at least two ends adapted to receive a
portion of said article of furniture, a clamp attached to said
frame to permit said frame to engage a portion of said article of
furniture for securement thereto, and a bracket attached to said
frame and supported thereby.
2. The tray support assembly of claim 1 wherein said frame has a
generally C-shaped back portion between said at least two ends.
3. The tray support assembly of claim 1 further comprising a
support post coupled to said bracket.
4. The tray support assembly of claim 3 wherein the length of said
support post is adjustable.
5. The tray support assembly of claim 1 wherein said clamp includes
a threaded screw.
6. The tray support assembly of claim 1 wherein said bracket is
adapted to receive a portion of a tray.
7. The tray support assembly of claim 6 wherein said bracket is
provided with a lip extending therefrom to hold said tray in place
relative to said bracket.
8. The tray support assembly of claim 6 further comprising means
disposed on said bracket to prevent sliding of said tray from said
bracket.
9. The tray support assembly of claim 1 wherein hooks extending
into said opening are provided to engage said portion of said
article of furniture and prevent sliding relative thereto.
10. The tray support assembly of claim 1 wherein said frame has a
threaded bore to receive said clamp, said clamp further comprising:
a threaded shaft disposed within said bore; a thrust plate attached
to said shaft and extending into said opening for engagement with
said portion of said article of furniture.
11. The tray support assembly of claim 10 wherein said thrust plate
is convex in shape and has a slip retarding material disposed
thereon.
12. The tray support assembly of claim 10 wherein said thrust plate
has a pin and a plurality of spike-like protuberances extending
into said opening therefrom.
13. A tray support assembly for removable attachment to an article
of furniture comprising: a frame having two parts slidably
interconnected and having an opening defined by said two parts
adapted to receive a portion of said article of furniture, a clamp
attached to secure the two parts of said frame to each other, and a
bracket attached to one part of said frame and supported
thereby.
14. The tray support assembly of claim 13 wherein said two parts of
said frame are interconnected at a common junction.
15. The tray support of claim 14 wherein said clamp is attached at
said junction to permit selective securement of said frame.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention described herein relates generally to
attachments that can be removably mounted on a piece of furniture
or the like in order to support a complementary piece of furniture.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a tray support
assembly as above described that can be removably mounted to the
back or arm of a sofa or chair, or similar pieces of furniture, and
may be used alone or in combination to support the surface of a
sofa table, end table or the like.
[0002] Even if a modern home is furnished adequately for day-to-day
living, it is often the case that a temporary need will arise for
additional table or shelf space, as when entertaining a large group
of guests. Similarly, circumstances may arise when a table or shelf
is needed either for individual convenience or to attend to the
elderly or infirm. There is, therefore, a need for a sturdy,
inexpensive and simple means for providing temporary furnishings
that can be attached to existing furniture and later removed
without damage thereto.
[0003] Attachment devices that attach to furniture to provide an
auxiliary function are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos.
2,709,563 and 4,728,069 respectively disclose a tray support and an
article attachment that clamp to the edge of the horizontal surface
of a table and function as receptacles for holding various items.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,891 discloses a support bracket that
clamps to a vertically disposed surface for holding advertising
displays. However, these devices either employ a cantilevered
support which is inherently limited by the rigidity of the clamp,
or limit instead the position of the attachment to a location close
to the clamp. This poses a problem when there is no rigid edge to
which a clamp can be affixed, therefore limiting the weight that
the attachments of the prior art can support.
[0004] This problem is especially evident in the case of a
contemporary sofa or chair wherein the frame is covered with heavy
padding and upholstery that is not conducive to rigid clamping. In
such a case, the prior art attachment devices have shortcomings
related to their clamping and support geometry and would not
provide a reliable means of support.
[0005] The present invention provides a support attachment that
overcomes the problems of the prior art that is removably mountable
to the vertical side edge of a piece of furniture, including
upholstered furniture, in such a manner that provides substantial
support for complementary furniture such as sofa tables and end
tables and the objects placed thereon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to the present invention, a tray support assembly
or device is removably mountable on any article of furniture
including those with upholstery for supporting objects in the same
way as a tabletop or a shelf. In one embodiment of the invention, a
frame having a shape generally defining an opening adapted to
receive some portion of an article of furniture has a clamp to
tighten the frame to the furniture. A bracket connected to the
frame supports a tray or other device on which articles can be
placed. In an alternate embodiment, the frame is provided with a
series of hooks that engage the furniture in addition to the clamp
to increase the stability of the support. In another embodiment,
the frame is formed of two adjustable parts to permit its opening
to be adjusted to the size of the furniture to which it is
attached. In a further embodiment, a support leg is provided
between the bracket and the floor to increase the load capacity of
the tray support assembly.
[0007] The tray support assembly herein described can be used alone
or in combination with other tray support assemblies to accommodate
a larger tray and further increase its load capacity. These and
other objects will become apparent, as will a better understanding
of the concepts underlying the present invention, by reference to
the detailed description that follows taken with the drawings in
which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the present invention attached to an article of furniture.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the presently preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the
invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side view of still another embodiment of the
invention.
[0012] FIG. 5a is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the
clamp of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0013] FIG. 5b is a perspective view showing an alternate
embodiment of the clamp of the invention as shown in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a pair of tray support assemblies 10, 10
according to an embodiment of the present invention installed on
the arm 102 of sofa 100. As shown, frames 12, 12 have a shape that
conforms to the contour of arm 102 of sofa 100. Brackets 14, 14 are
individually connected to frames 12, 12 and have lips 24, 24
protruding upward therefrom. Clamp 16 (second clamp 16 not shown)
is threaded and is shown journalled within frame 12. Support posts
42, 42 rest on the floor and are connected to brackets 14, 14. Tray
surface 40 is rectangular and is shown placed lengthwise across
brackets 14, 14 between frames 12, 12 and lips 24, 24. The
components of tray support assemblies 10, 10 may be made of any
suitable material such as metal or reinforced plastic. Similarly,
support posts 42, 42 may be made of suitable material such as metal
or plastic and may be made adjustable in length, for example, being
formed of segments 44, 46, 48 that are preferably either
telescoping or otherwise adjustable in length.
[0015] The tray support assemblies 10, 10 provide support for tray
surface 40 when attached to sofa 100. During use, clamps 16 are
driven by their threaded surfaces toward arm 102 of sofa 100 until
firmly engaged therewith. As discussed in greater detail below,
clamps 16 retard the movement of tray support assemblies 10, 10
relative to sofa 100, thereby providing vertical support for tray
surface 40 via brackets 14, 14. Further vertical support for
brackets 14, 14 is provided by support posts 42, 42 which
complement the action of clamps 16 in preventing movement of tray
support assemblies 10, 10 by extending from brackets 14, 14 to the
floor. When positioned on the back or arm of a sofa 100 as shown,
this configuration of the present invention permits objects or
other loads (not shown) to be supportably placed on tray surface
40, tray surface 40 thereby functioning as a sofa table or end
table.
[0016] FIG. 2 shows one of tray support assemblies 10, 10 of FIG. 1
in greater detail. Frame 12, is shaped to conform generally to the
contour of the article of furniture to which it is attached. In
this case, frame 12 is generally C-shaped, and has an inner 26 and
an outer 28 end defining opening 30. Bracket 14 is attached to the
outer end 28 of frame 12 and clamp 16 is mounted at the inner end
26 of the frame 12. Clamp 16 comprises threaded shaft 18,
journalled within a threaded bore (not shown) in frame 12. A thumb
wheel 20 is attached to the end of shaft 18 on the outside of frame
12, and thrust plate 22 is attached to the inside end of shaft 18
within opening 30. Bracket 14 has lip 24 extending upward
therefrom.
[0017] During use, one or more tray support assemblies 10 are
positioned on the back or arm of a sofa, chair or other suitable
surface of an article of furniture so as to support a tray or other
device on which articles can be placed. Specifically, the arm or
back of a sofa, for example, is received within opening 30 in frame
12 of each tray support assembly 10. Thumb wheel 20 on each frame
12 is rotated, driving shaft 18 until the thrust plate 22 of clamp
16 is in contact with the sofa, locking frames 12 thereto. After
the frames 12 have been secured, brackets 14 should be level. A
tray 40 as shown in FIG. 1 is then placed on and supported by
brackets 14 and held in place within the recess created between lip
24 and the outer end 28 of frame 12.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the tray support
assembly 10 of the present invention wherein the inner end 26 of
frame 12 is provided with hooks 32. Clamp 16 is shown on outer end
28 of frame 12 and joumalled within a bore therethrough (not
shown). The hooks 32 may be made of the same material as frame 12
or of a similar suitable material. Hooks 32 are preferably biased
against the tendency of frame 12 to move due to moment M created by
force F which is applied to bracket 14 by the objects placed
thereon. In this case, hooks 32 are shown biased upward. Thrust
plate 22 is shown with pin 34 extending into opening 30.
[0019] When an article of furniture is locked within opening 30 by
clamp 16, pin 34 pierces the clamped furniture to resist movement
of frame 12 due to force F.
[0020] Simultaneously, hooks 32 frictionally engage the furniture
to further resist movement of frame 12 and act to prevent the frame
12 from rotating or sliding relative to the furniture. Thus, hooks
32 increase the stability of bracket 14, and permit the relocation
of clamp 16 to outer end 28 of frame 12 where it can be out of the
way.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows another alternate embodiment of the invention
wherein frame 12 has a second interconnected component, sliding
member 12a. Clamp 16 is provided at the interface between frame 12
and sliding member 12a, and two sets of hooks 32 directed into
opening 30 are provided on the frame, one set on sliding member
12a, and the other on frame 12. To adjust the size of opening 30 to
permit the tray support assembly 10 to be mounted on the article of
furniture (not shown) sliding member 12a is moved relative to frame
12 until the desired dimension or form is achieved. Clamp 16 is
then tightened to lock the two components, frame 12 and sliding
member 12a, together. Hooks 32 secure the frame 12 relative to the
furniture.
[0022] Lip 24 is omitted from this embodiment, and replaced by
slip-retardant or adhesive surface 33 disposed on bracket 14.
During use, this configuration permits trays of varying sizes to be
securely placed on and supported by bracket 14.
[0023] FIGS. 5a and 5b show in greater detail possible variations
in the clamp 16. In FIG. 4a, the thrust plate 22 is shown slightly
convex, and having a slip retarding surface 36, such as rubber,
disposed thereon. Such a construction would be appropriate for
attachment to furniture having upholstery such as leather that is
easily scuffed or damaged by piercing. FIG. 4b shows thrust plate
22 of clamp 16 having pin 34 and a surface with a plurality of
spike-like protrusions 38. When attached to furniture upholstered
with cloth, a good frictional contact can be obtained by insertion
of pin 34 into the upholstery, and by the gripping action of spikes
38. By employing various combinations of the frames and clamps
described, the present invention can accommodate articles of
furniture having many different shapes and materials.
[0024] While the foregoing description and accompanying figures
illustrate several preferred embodiments of the tray support
assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention, it will be
appreciated that certain modifications may be made to the structure
of the disclosed embodiment without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention as defined by the claims which are set forth
immediately below.
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