This invention relates to a table and in particular to a table of a type that can be folded for storage purposes.

The problem to which this invention is generally related relates to tables of the type that are most commonly used for commercial catering purposes.

There are a large number of difficulties with such tables of present design. A first of these is that they are conventionally constructed of separable parts which for storage purposes have to be disassembled and of course for use, have to be reassembled all of which actions are usually complex and take significant time and therefore are costly in a commercial operation.

An object of this invention is to propose an arrangement by which a table especially of a type useful for commercial applications can be constructed so as to provide for more convenient collapsing of a table shaped for storage purposes and ^• a more convenient and economic method by which such tables can be reassembled that has hitherto been the case with tables comprising separable parts.

The invention accordingly can be said to reside in one form as a table comprising a base, a leg supporting the base, feet extending from a bottom of the leg, the arrangement being characterised in that the base is pivotally secured with respect to the leg so that the base and any table top integral therewith or secured thereto can assume in one case an orientation providing a substantially horizontally extending table top surface, and in a second case an orientation providing a substantially vertically extending table top surface.

In preference, the base is pivotally secured with respect to the legs so as to be rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis.

It is assumed in referring to a horizontal or vertical alignment, that such an assessment will be taken when the table is positioned on a horizontal floor.

In preference there are four feet extending from the bottom of the leg, a first two of the feet being aligned to extend along a common first direction, and a second two

of the feet being aligned to extend along a common second direction whicn is transverse to the first said direction.

In preference, the first two of the feet are jointly secured to a stem which is rotatably secured with respect to the leg so as to allow the first said two feet to be rotatable with respect to the second said two of the feet.

In preference, the first two of the feet are secured to extend extending up the leg at an upper end of which is secured an outwardly extending arm, the feet stem and arm together forming a moveable assembly which is able to be raised relatively with respect to the second two of the feet and to be relatively rotatable with respect to the said second two of the feet, while in such a raised position.

These and other preferred features will be better understood by reference to the accompanying claims and to the now following description of a preferred embodiment which shall be described with the assistance of drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table according to the embodiment with a part cut-away of the base and secured table top, with the table top in an orientation providing a substantially horizontally extending table-top surface,

Figure 2 illustrates the same table in which two of the feet have been rotated to be commonly aligned with a two remaining of the feet and the table top has been orientated so as to provide a substantially vertical extending table top surface, this being thereby the storage position,

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Figure 3 is a "cross-sectional view along the lines 3-3 as shown in Figure 1 ,

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 4-4 of Figure 1 ,

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 5-5 in Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 6-6 in Figure 2,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the table as shown in Figure 1 with however, the cross piece and base and table top removed and the feet and outwardly extending arm being cut-off,

Figure 8 is the same view as in Figure 7 in which the outwardly extending arm has been raised thereby raising two of the feet preparatory to rotation of this moveable assembly being rotated out the axis of the stem,

Figure 9 is a perspective view from underneath of the assembly as in Figure 1 showing the cross-piece outwardly extending arm in the underneath of the base,

Figure 10 is a perspective view in somewhat larger detail of the upper part of the table as shown in Figure 2, this particularly showing the release latch by which the table top and base are held in the substantially vertically aligned position,

Figure 11 is a perspective view with part cutaway of the top of the leg,

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 12-12 of the assembly as shown in Figure 13, and

Figure 13 is a crass-sectional view along the lines 13-13 of the view of the foot specifically the adjustable wheel assembly as shown in Figure 12,

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustable pad at the end of each of two of the feet, and

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 15-15 of the view as shown in Figure 14.

Referring to the illustrations in detail, the base 1 is comprised of a pressed metal member of substantially circular shape in plan and this is adapted to provide the base for a table top 2.

The table top 2 in the embodiment is comprised of a plastics material which has been moulded by conventional molding techniques and which has a circular periphery 3 and provides an uppermost substantially planar surface 4 there being an inner inset part 5 which has an appropriate upper decorative surface and appropriate finish thereon for conventional catering purposes.

The external perimeter of the table-top 2 at 3 is shaped so as to have a downwardly extending lip portion 6 with a concave outer surface 7 which is adapted to be used with adjoining pieces so that two or more such tables with such a table top can be joined together with interfitting parts.

By providing a base to which the table top which is constructed of moulded plastics material is secured, there can be provided a good combination of external appearance and ease of maintenance achievable from the plastics surfaces while the underlying base can provide substantial structural strength.

The pressed sheet metal base is secured by screws 8 engaging into the plastics material of the table-top 2.

The base 1 is pivotally secured by hinge connectors 9 to cross-piece 10 which is in turn supported at the upper end of leg 11.

The cross-piece 10 is comprised of a metal member having down turned sides 12 providing some strength and rigidity and this supports the hinge connectors 9 so that the base 1 and table-top 2 which are fixedly secured together will be able to be pivoted about a substantial horizontal axis when the table in the position as shown in Figure 1 is supported on a horizontal floor.

Accordingly, the table-top 2 in Figure 1 is shown providing a substantially horizontally extending table-top surface and in Figure 2 this is pivoted around so as to be in a storage position such that the table-top surface is substantially vertically extending.

The leg 11 comprises a tubular stem 13 and a post 14, the post 14 being of rectangular cross-sectional shape and extending fully through the tubular stem 13 and providing directly a support for the cross-member 10.

At an upper end of the stem 13 is an outwardly extending arm 15 at the outer end of which is a screw threaded member 16 with a handle 17.

The inner end of the outwardly extending arm 15 is fixedly secured at 18 by means of rivet connections to the tubular stem 13 such that rotation of the stem about its vertical axis will result in arm 15 following such rotational movement.

At the lower end of the leg 11 , there are four feet, a first two of the feet 19 and 20 while being aligned to extend along a common first direction are also jointly secured to the stem 13 so that rotation of the stem 13 about its elongate central axis will result in equivalent rotational movement of the respective feet 19 and 20.

A second two of the feet 21 and 22 are aligned to extend along a common second direction albeit that these are slightly offset one from the other but these are secured through boss 23 to the post 14 and through this to the cross piece 10.

At the outer end of each of the first said feet 19 and 20 are in each case a pad shown respectively at 24 and 25 each of the pads being adjustable and being supported by screw threaded stem 26 and 27 and as appropriate having a nut 28 engaging with the housing of the foot so that by rotational adjustment the relative height of the pad which is therefore ground engagable can be adjusted.

The other two feet namely the first said two feet 21 and 22 have. at their outer end wheels 29 and 30 which are adjustable in position by reason of screw threaded nut 31 and 32.

^• The arrangement by which the screw threaded nut partially extending through the housing of the respective foot operates as best shown in Figures 12 and 13 in relation to leg 22. In this there is the wheel 29 which is supported at one end on lever arm 33 which is pivotally supported at pivot centre 34 and to the housing of the foot 22, the inner end at 35 being rotatively supported by the screw threaded rod 36, which is adjustably and threadably secured to adjustment nut 31.

In use, the outwardly extending arm 15 is used by an operator firstly to lift the two legs 19 and 20 from a position as shown in Figure 7 to a position as shown in Figure 8.

The legs 19 and 20 are commonly connected and fixedly secured to a collar 40 which is of course fixedly secured to the stem 13 which in turn is fixed to the top collar 41 to which the stem 15 is attached.

Once raised to the position as shown in Figure 8, this lifts both the feet 19 and 20 and the attached pads at each end and frees them from ground engagement and thereafter the arm 15 is rotated in the direction as shown in Arrow 41 in Figure 8

and in Figure 1 and the respective legs 19 and 20 are brought around to assume the position as shown in Figure 2.

The arrangement then is such that the bottom of the collar at 43 (as shown in Figure 8), will ride on the edge 44 and will thereby be kept in that upwardly located position and this will ensure the pads respectively 24 and 25 will be kept above a ground engagement position which leaves the wheels 29 and 30 to maintain their ground engagement and thereby the whole assembly that is the table as a whole can be wheeled along in the direction of the wheels.

In order in the first instance to keep the base 1 and the associated table top 2 in the position with its upper surface substantially horizontal, the screw threaded member 16 is screwed up into a compatible screw threaded aperture 45 and pulls the base into such an engaging position the rest stop 46 bearing against a further arm 15 so as to effect a rigidity of fixture in this way.

When the table base and table top are pivoted, there is provided a U-shaped member 47, and an interlocking latch 48 by which the base and table top 1 and 2 can be kept- in the position in which the upper surface is kept in a substantially vertical orientation.

When the table is assembled in a storage arrangement, the same threaded member 16 is screwed into a compatibly threaded aperture 49 in the cross piece 10.

It is to be noted that the feet 9, 20, 21 and 22 are aligned in the same plane as the table top surface when in its storage position.

The post 14 is secured by a nut an bolt 50 to a bottom housing 51 and at a top to a top housing 52 to which the cross piece 10 is directly and positively and fixedly secured.

This then describes the preferred embodiment.

It is found in practice that such an arrangement provides for a very useful arrangement by which round tables can be very quickly adjusted from a storage position to an erected position and at the same time when in the storage position, are compactly assembled and are moveable without the necessity for lifting.

This reduces the risk of injury to employees and also provides compatible support where a number of tables will be slotted into a storage space so that each can be • wheeled into a small slot between respective other items.

It is not intended that the base necessarily be separate from the table top and the two can be integrated and be an integral part even being manufactured from a single metal sheet or being totally manufactured from plastics material or fibre reinforced plastics or a composite material such as that which is presently made available in Australia under the Trade Mark "Bramite".

While reference has been made to four feet, and the arrangement is such that two of these feet extend in a common direction and in their supporting position are transversely orientated to the further two feet, it is possible to arrange for three feet only in which one only of the feet is rotatable about the vertical axis of the stem.

In such a case, the wheels will have a common parallel alignment which is skewed however to the elongation direction of the feet.

The advantage of three feet is that thέre is less need therefore to provide for adjustment of height of the adjustable leg and there is also a saving in cost from providing four feet.

In a further embodiment, the base together with a table top, is secured to a cross piece supported by a central stem in which there are a plurality of outwardly extending feet which are fixedly secured one with respect to the other.