US 2,002,050,112 · Filed 2001-10-30
The Telescoping Column That Makes Furniture Smooth and Strong
Imagine a tube sliding inside another tube with ball bearings rolling along grooves to make it glide smoothly. This patent describes a telescoping column—the kind you find in adjustable desks and office chairs—that uses cleverly positioned balls to handle side-to-side pushing without wobbling, all while keeping costs and weight down.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a telescoping column design where an inner rod slides within an outer rod, guided by ball bearings that roll along longitudinal grooves carved into the inner rod. What's protected here is the specific arrangement of these grooves—particularly the dual or multiple running surfaces for each ball, plus the larger radial recesses that act as overload stops. The combination prevents lateral instability while keeping the mechanism simple and affordable to manufacture.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real engineering problem: how to make adjustable furniture like standing desks and ergonomic chairs that are both affordable and rock-solid stable. By using balls as rolling guides instead of expensive linear bearings or complex rail systems, manufacturers can cut weight and production cost while maintaining the lateral stiffness users need when they lean or push on their desk. The overload protection feature also extends the column's life by preventing balls from jamming under stress.
Real-world use
When you raise or lower an electric standing desk, the telescoping column inside responds smoothly—and that smooth, stable motion comes from balls rolling exactly where this patent positions them.
Original USPTO abstract
The invention relates to a telescopic column with one outer and at least one inner rod element capable of telescoping relative to each other, where at least the outer rod element surrounds at least one ball arrangement with at least one ball, which acts as a rolling bearing between the outer and inner rod elements during telescoping movement. In order to create a telescopic column which, while having a low weight and low manufacturing costs, displays high lateral stability, the at least one inner rod element is provided with a longitudinal groove, which surrounds part of the circumference of at least one ball of the ball arrangement and serves as a ball guide. The longitudinal groove can provide two or more laterally separated running surfaces for the at least one ball. An area with a larger radial distance can be provided on at least one rod element between adjacent running tracks for an assigned ball, this being able to act as an abutment for the ball in the manner of an overload protector.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,002,050,112
- Filing date
- 2001-10-30
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Okin Gesselschaft Fur Antriebstechnik Mbh & Co. Kg
- Inventor(s)
- KOCH DIETMAR, NIJSEN ANDREAS JACOBUS LOUIS
- CPC class
- F16C33/40
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