US 6,058,853 · Granted 2000-05-09
The Banquet Table Patent That Folds Flat for the Caterer's Truck
Imagine a heavy banquet table that needs to collapse into a compact bundle so it fits in a van. This patent describes a clever mechanical system where the legs fold and lock into a channel running underneath the tabletop, and the tabletop itself splits into two pieces that snap together like puzzle pieces. It's the engineering that lets restaurants and event companies stack dozens of tables without needing a warehouse.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a banquet table design featuring a pivoting leg assembly that slides into a channel routed into the underside of the tabletop, combined with a two-piece tabletop that snaps together via socket-and-plug fasteners and includes a cradle that holds the leg bearing. What's protected is this specific combination of how the legs lock, how the top sections connect, and how the channel guides the support strut during the fold-and-unfold motion. Anyone manufacturing a collapsible banquet table using this exact mechanical system would be treading on the patent's claims.
Why it matters
Banquet tables are workhorse equipment for catering companies, event venues, and institutions that host hundreds of events yearly. A table that collapses reliably and stores compactly saves money on warehouse space, transportation, and labor. Cosco, which owned this patent, was a major player in the folding furniture market, and patents like this one protect the design innovations that made their products more convenient and profitable than competitors' simpler fold-and-stack designs.
Real-world use
When you attend a wedding reception or large corporate event and see staff quickly folding and stacking dozens of tables into a compact pile, they are relying on mechanisms like this one to make that quick breakdown possible without the tabletop cracking or the legs getting jammed.
Original USPTO abstract
A table is provided having a table top, a leg assembly coupled to the table top to pivot about a leg pivot axis, and a channel member defining a downwardly facing channel on the table top. The leg assembly includes a leg pivotably coupled to the table top and a support strut pivotably coupled to the leg and slidably coupled to the channel. The table top includes a pair of plastic table sections having rigidified top sheets, a handle recess, a socket/plug combination configured to secure the table sections together, a leg cradle providing a rotative bearing for the leg assembly, and a pair of rails.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,058,853
- Filing date
- 1998-04-09
- Grant date
- 2000-05-09
- Assignee
- Cosco Management, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- PINCH; DANIEL R.
- CPC class
- A47B3/087
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing a piece of furniture or storage system with moving parts, use our free patent scanner to check whether similar mechanisms are already locked down by existing patents.
Free patentability scan