GB2446120A

GB2446120A - Portable dining table with a vertically and horizontally adjustable pull-out tray

Info

Publication number: GB2446120A
Application number: GB0701831A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Morrison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-01-31
Filing date: 2007-01-31
Publication date: 2008-08-06
Also published as: GB0701831D0

Abstract

A portable dining table 100 comprises a vertically movable housing [130, Figure 1] which contains a pull-out tray 142 that can be moved from a stowed position where is disposed within the housing [as shown in Figure 1] to an extended position substantially outside of the housing. The housing is movably mounted to vertical elevating members 140 which extend from the underside of the table surface 110. The table may have legs that are provided with castors 122. The table may be pulled up to a chair. The table is intended to be used by the elderly and infirm.

Description

PORTABLE DINING TABLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to portable tables arid particularly those portable tables that include adjustable food supporting attachments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that as people age they become progressively unsteady on their feet. This can be particularly troublesome for those people who live on their own or have to care for a relative who themselves are bedridden. Mealtimes can pose a specific problem for these people who require the aid of walking implements and, indeed those that are able to move around the home independently without aid but do so at a reserved pace whilst making use of walls and chairs for support, on occasion. An aged or infirm person, having prepared a meal in their kitchen, often on a worktop, need to transport the meal to a desired location such as a living room that does not have a suitable table upon which to place the meal. It is not uncommon for a living room in a house to contain a table, sometimes referred to as a coffee table. Such tables are not suitable for the purposes of dining as they are often too low or cannot be placed sufficiently close to the chair that the person wishes to sit at. In these situations the person would need to bend down from a sitting position or stretch forward to reach their food, both of which are highly uncomfortable and detract from the enjoyment of the meal.

An alternative to use of a "coffee table" is to dine with a tray on ones lap however, trays in this situation are notoriously unstable and present a risk of scalding or burning not to mention breakages and the soiling of clothes or upholstery. Some trays are available that claim to alleviate this problem of instability by including a beanbag type arrangement on their underside that rests on a persons legs however, this instability cannot be completely eradicated as there is always the possibility that a movement of the legs could tilt the tray causing the items on the tray to fall over or off the tray. Trays have a further disadvantage in that they must be transported to the seating location, which is problematic for the infirm, particularly so when a meal is on the tray.

It is an aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a portable table for transporting and supporting consumable items, the portable table comprising: A substantially horizontal surface having a plurality of upright members extending substantially vertically from an underside of the horizontal surface; a rotatable member fixedly attached to each upright member at an end distal from the horizontal surface; a plurality of elevating members fixed to the underside of the horizontal surface between the upright members; a housing movably fixed to elevating members; a supporting member in communication with the housing; wherein the supporting member moves horizontally form a first position proximal to the housing to a second position distal from the housing.

Preferably, the rotatable member swivels about a vertical axis.

Conveniently, the rotatable member is provided with a locking means.

Preferably, the rotatable member is a caster.

Preferably, a stabilising member is attached to the upright members between their ends.

Preferably, the stabilising member is a substantially horizontal rigid surface.

Preferably, the stabilising member includes a concave cutout.

Preferably, the housing includes an impinging member wherein activation of the impinging member prevents movement of the housing relative to the elevating members.

Alternatively, the elevating members include an impinging member wherein activation of the impinging member prevents movement of the housing relative to the elevating members.

Preferably, the housing is provided with stop means wherein the supporting member is prevented from becoming detached from the housing.

Alternatively, the supporting member is provided with stop means wherein the supporting member is prevented from becoming detached from the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the table; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the table shown in figure 1 prepared for use; I0

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures, there is shown a perspective view of the portable table of the present invention, generally designated 100.

The portable table 100 consists of a substantially horizontal surface 110 having a top 112 and an underside 114. In this example the surface 110 is rectangular in shape however, any conceivable shape of surface may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Upright members 120 are connected to the underside 114 of the surface 110 at its corners to form the legs of the table. The upright members 120 are provided with castors 122 at their lower ends to allow for ease of manoeuvrability and to prevent inappropriate movement when in use. Inappropriate movement of the castors 122 is prevented by operation of a locking means 124. Partway along the upright members 120 between the underside 114 and the lockable castors 122 is a stabilising member 116 which connects all the upright members 120 together to increase the stability of the portable table 100. The stabilising member 116 includes a concave cut-out portion suited to accommodate the knees of a user when the table is in use. Underneath the surface 110, a housing 130 is suspended between elevating members 140 which take the form of rigid shafts that are fixed to the underside 114 of the surface 110. The housing 130 is formed of two sides 132, which separate a housing top 134 from a housing bottom 136 to create a void 138. The void 138 created by separating the housing top 134 from the housing bottom 136 contains a tray 142 on which food items can be supported upon partial extraction of the tray 142 from the void 138. The sides 132 that form the vertical wall of the void as well as the housing 130 are contoured such that upon partial extraction of the tray 142, the tray 142 is prevented from deviating from a horizontal orientation. The housing 130 may be attached to the elevating members 140 in any convenient way that allows the housing 130 to be moved in a vertical direction from a location close to the underside 114 of the surface 110 to a location distant from the underside 114 in order to suit any given user. Attachment of the housing 130 to the elevating members 140 in this example is by way of an impinging means 126 mounted to the sides 132 of the housing 130 which encircle the elevating members 140 and provide slidable communication between the housing 130 and the elevating members 140. The tray 142 and housing 130 are provided with stops 144 that communicate to prevent inadvertently pulling the tray 142 completely out of the housing 130 and thereby spilling the contents of the tray 142.

It is to be understood that modifications to the portable table 100 may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

In use, having prepared a meal in a kitchen a user would move the table 100 to the worktop where the meal is located and replace the meal onto the top 112 of the surface 110. When all items such as cutlery, cups and seasoning have been put onto the table, the table 100 can easily be moved to another room due to the castors 122 free rotation and ability to swivel. Having arrived at the desired location the user would sit in a chair of their choosing and pull the portable table 100 towards the chair such that the legs of the user would intrude into the area below the surface 110 and be accommodated by the concave cut-out area in the stabilising member 116. With the table 100 located the user would merely operate the locking means 124 to prevent any movement of the table 100. Having prepared oneself the user now lowers the housing 130 to the desired height and secures it in position with the impinging means 126 before partially extracting the tray 142 from the housing 130.

With the tray extracted the meal can now be placed thereon and enjoyed in comfort.

Claims

1. Apparatus for transporting and supporting items, the apparatus comprising: a substantially horizontal surface having a plurality of upright members extending substantially vertically from an underside of the horizontal surface; a rotatable member fixedly attached to each upright member at an end distal from the horizontal surface; a plurality of elevating members fixed to the underside of the horizontal surface between the upright members; a housing movably fixed to elevating members; a supporting member in communication with the housing; wherein the supporting member moves horizontally form a first position proximal to the housing to a second position distal from the housing.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said the rotatable member swivels about a vertical axis.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rotatable member is provided with a locking means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said rotatable member is a caster.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stabilising member is attached to the upright members between their ends.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the stabilising member is a substantially horizontal rigid surface.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the stabilising member includes a concave cut-out.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes an impinging member operable to prevent movement of the housing relative to the elevating members.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing and supporting member are provided with mutually communicating stop means to prevent the supporting member from becoming detached from the housing.