US 5,009,170 · Granted 1991-04-23
The Folding Massage Table That Transforms Into Its Own Carrying Case
Imagine a massage table that folds in half like a book so you can actually carry it around. The genius part is the hinges and cables that let it snap open into a sturdy, flat surface in seconds—no fumbling with complicated assembly.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a padded massage or chiropractic table with a flat top split into two sections connected by a piano hinge. What's protected here is the specific combination of the folding mechanism, the cable-and-brace support system that keeps the table rigid when unfolded, and the way the two halves can collapse into a compact, case-like form for transport. Anyone making a portable massage table with this same hinge-and-cable design would be infringing.
Why it matters
Before this patent, massage tables were either heavy, stationary furniture or required complex, time-consuming assembly. This design solved a real problem for chiropractors, massage therapists, and athletic trainers who needed to move between locations. The clever cable-and-brace system meant the table didn't sacrifice stability for portability—a key trade-off competitors had to navigate around.
Real-world use
Any massage therapist arriving at a client's home or traveling between clinic locations with a compact, folding table is using this patented design concept in action.
Original USPTO abstract
A padded table for body massage or chiropractic work having a flat working surface supported upon folding legs. Table construction includes two flat top sections joined by a piano hinge so that they may be folded into parallel adjacent positions to form a case like structure which is easily carried, or they may be unfolded to form a single planar table top. When unfolded, support legs hold the table top parallel to a support surface. A unique brace and cable configuration is employed which provides table rigidity, strength and easy, fast unfolding.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,009,170
- Filing date
- 1989-02-10
- Grant date
- 1991-04-23
- Assignee
- Rodney B. Smith / Ernest L. Ostic
- Inventor(s)
- SPEHAR; ELI G.
- CPC class
- A61G13/105
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