Table leg fastening means

Abstract

An article of furniture having improved means for attaching supporting legs thereto and said improved attaching means. Tubular supporting legs are received within cutouts in the body of the furniture article. A cap portion having a flange insertable into a tubular leg depending therefrom caps the upper end portion of each tubular leg. Apertures in the flanges, legs, and cutouts communicate for receiving fastening means therein. The fastening means are preferably bolts threaded along the entire length for threaded engagement with the flange and a nut at the other end of a aperture through each body portion of the furniture article body having a cutout therein. Another larger aperture in the furniture body bottom facilitates placement of the nut on the bolt and subsequent threading of the nut on the bolt for final securement of each leg to the furniture article body.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the furniture art it is always necessary to provide means for securely attaching supporting legs to the furniture article body, whether it be a table, cabinet, chair, etc., so that the legs will indeed firmly support the article. Also, it is desirable to make any such attachments aesthetic since the form of a furniture article is often as important to the user as its functionality. It is additionally desirable to use simple attaching means so that the cost of labor and parts will be reduced, and so that if desirable the article may be shipped disassembled for assembly by a retailer or the ultimate consumer. By so facilitating easy assembly of the furniture article storage and shipping space can also be reduced to a minimum.

Prior art devices concerned with above considerations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,942,923, 2,973,982, and 1,179,955 among others. The present invention is an improvement thereover for furniture articles having cutouts therein.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved means for securing supporting legs to furniture articles.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a furniture article having means for securely, aesthetically, removably, and quickly attaching supporting legs thereto.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a furniture article that may be shipped and stored without the supporting legs attached thereto yet easily assembled by an ultimate consumer or retailer.

These and other objects of the invention will become clear upon inspection of the ensuing detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled article of furniture according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the supporting leg attaching arrangement according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view with portions cut away for clarity of the cap assembly according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of a leg attachment assembly according to the teachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1 a table having legs attached thereto in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is shown generally at 10. The table has a top 12, cutouts 13 at the corners thereof, and a bottom 14 (FIG. 4). Depending upon the materials used, the cutout may be formed by either casting, molding, stamping, or cutting. Each body surface bordering a cutout 13 has an aperture 16 therein for engagement with a fastening means, as will be further explained below. The bottom surface 14 of the table may have an enlarged aperture 17 therein for allowing access to the end of a fastening means inserted through the aperture 16 of the body surface bordering cutout 13. The table or other similar furniture article is preferably made of wood, although other materials are suitable.

Tubular legs 20 support the table. Each leg has a flat end portion 21 at the top thereof extending around the circumference and of the thickness of the material forming leg 20, and an inside surface 22. Each leg also has an opening 23 therein for communication with aperture 16 of the table top 12 as well as a fastening means. Legs 20 are preferably formed of brass or other metal although other materials may be suitable.

An end cap assembly, shown generally at 30, provides for an aesthetic termination of each leg 20, as well as allowing firm securement of the leg to table top 12. The cap assembly includes a cap portion 31 having a bottom surface 32 for engagement with surface 21 of leg 20. A depending flange portion of cap assembly 30 is shown generally at 33 (FIG. 3). The flange portion includes an inner rim 34 for engagement with inner surface 22 of leg 20, and an extension 35 of rim 34 extending approximately halfway around the circumference of the rim. The exact dimensions of extension 35 is not critical but it is preferably large enough to properly distribute the forces that will be applied thereto by the fastening means so that it will not break. The rim 34 and extension 35 help insure a firm attachment of the cap assembly 30 to and within leg 20, as well as providing support for depending solid portion 36. Portion 36 preferably has a threaded aperture 37 therein for receiving a fastening means. Threaded aperture 37 may extend all the way through solid portion 36. The cap assemblies are preferably formed of the same material as the legs 20.

A preferred fastening means according to the teachings of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The preferred fastener is a threaded bolt 40 having a nut 41 for receipt thereon. The bolt 40 secures each leg and cap assembly to the table by threadedly engaging aperture 37 in cap assembly 30, and nut 41 in aperture 17 of table bottom 14. Other fasteners may be used so long as they provide the necessary compressive forces to tightly hold each leg 20 within its cutout 13 to prevent the table from wobbling, but a threaded fastener is preferred because of ease of assembly.

The individual components of the furniture article and leg attaching assembly having been described, assembly will be apparent to the ordinary skilled artisan. Cap assembly 30 is placed on the top end portion of tubular leg 20, with depending flange portion 33 and rim 34 extending therein, care being taken to insure that aperture 37 and opening 23 line up. Bolt 40 is then inserted through opening 23 and threaded into aperture 37 of depending portion 36. Then the leg and cap assembly are placed in cutout 13 of table 12, the cutout 13 conforming generally in shape to the circumference of leg 20 in the area of aperture 23. Bolt 40 will extend through aperture 16 in cutout 13 when the leg assembly is so positioned, thereby fastening the leg assembly to the table top. Fastening of the components is secured by placing nut 41 through aperture 17 in table bottom 14 and threading it with bolt 40 until it abuts the surface of the table adjacent to aperture 16 inside aperture 17.

If the parts are properly dimensioned (including the bottom portion of extension 35 not extending more than halfway around the circumference of rim 34) assembly may also be effected by first threading bolt 40 into aperture 37 and then running bolt 40 through opening 23 while placing the cap assembly 30 on the leg 20. Alternatively, bolt 40 could be made integral with cap assembly 30, taking the place of depending portion 36 and aperture 37 therein, and/or opening 23 could be in the form of a slot extending up to the top of the leg 20.

It is apparent that many modifications of the present invention are possible. For instance, the furniture article and legs need not be restricted to any particular shapes so long as the cutouts in the furniture article conform generally to the portion of the legs to be received therein. Similarly the depending flange portion of the cap assembly may be of any desired shape or ornamentation, and may have portions thereof cut away to decrease materials expense, so long as it functions to allow securement of the leg to the furniture article, and to cap the leg. The leg need not be hollow throughout the length thereof but need only be hollow in its top portion to allow receipt of the cap assembly, although a tubular leg is preferred for obvious reasons. Additionally, the fastening means may be of other types, some of which would not necessarily require an aperture such as 17, and aperture 17 when provided could be located in a side surface or the top surface instead of the bottom as long as the location was aesthetically acceptable. It being recognized that departures may be made therefrom, the invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent structures and device.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. In furniture a combination for quickly, aesthetically, and securely attaching a supporting leg to a furniture body comprising

a. a tubular supporting leg having a circumference of a given shape with an opening in a portion thereof,

b. a furniture body having a cutout therein for receiving said leg portion, a body surface formed by said cutout being of substantially the same shape as said portion of said leg circumference and having an aperture therein for communication with said opening in said supporting leg portion,

c. means for effecting securement of said leg to said furniture body and for aesthetically capping said tubular leg, said means including (i) a cap portion for capping an open end of said tubular supporting leg and (ii) a flange portion depending from said cap portion for insertion into said tubular supporting leg, said flange portion having a rim for supporting said cap portion on said tubular leg, and

d. fastening means extending from said flange portion through said leg opening and said aperture in said body surface formed in said cutout for holding said securing and capping means, leg, and furniture body securely together in said surface to surface contact.

2. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 1 wherein said flange portion of said means for securing and capping has a threaded aperture therein and wherein said fastening means comprises a bolt threadable into said flange aperture.

3. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 2 wherein said furniture body has a bottom surface and an enlarged aperture in the bottom surface, said enlarged aperture communicating with said aperture in said body surface formed by said cutout, and wherein said fastening means further comprises a nut threadable onto said bolt for securing the components together, said enlarged aperture receiving said nut for threading onto said bolt when said bolt is inserted through said aperture in said body surface formed by said cutout.

4. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 3 wherein said flange portion of said means for securing and capping further comprises an extension of said rim for distributing the forces applied by said bolt when securing the components together evenly over a large surface area of the interior surface of said tubular supporting leg.

5. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 3 wherein said bolt and said flange portion of said securing and capping means and the location of said opening in said leg are so dimensioned that said bolt may be threaded into said aperture in said flange portion before placement of said capping and securing means onto and into said tubular supporting leg.

6. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 1 wherein said flange portion of said means for securing and capping further comprises an extension of said rim for distributing the forces applied by said fastening means when securing the components together evenly over a large surface area of the interior surface of said tubular supporting leg.

7. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 1 wherein said supporting leg is formed of metal and said furniture body is formed of wood.

8. In furniture, a combination as recited in claim 7 wherein said means for securing and capping is formed of the same material as said supporting leg.