TABLE WITH AT LEAST AN EXTRACTABLE EXTENTION BY MEANS OF ROTATION MOVEMENTS DESCRIPTION

Technical Field and Scope of the inventionThe present invention refers to a table, such as a table for use in a dining room, which is provided with at least one extension that, through simple rotational movements, is capable of being brought from a retracted or resting position, in which it lies under a fixed tabletop, to a protracted working position, in which it is extended to increase the available surface of the table. Background of the Invention and State of the Art

The tables of the "Policleto" range, as manufactured and marketed by Reflex in Italy, and largely available on the marketplace since a number of years now, are examples of tables of the above-noted kind. These tables comprise at least one extension which, when at rest, i.e. unused, is retracted to lie under the fixed tabletop, parallel thereto. When needed, this extension is then protracted, raised and brought to lie flush with a side of the fixed tabletop with a first rotational movement having an amplitude of 180° about a vertical axis, and a second rotational movement, having again an amplitude of 180°, about a horizontal axis intersecting said vertical axis. Another example of tables of the above-cited kind is as disclosed in EP-A-1

349 470 to this same Applicant. This table comprises again at least one extension that, when at rest, lies under the fixed tabletop inclined downwards. Such extension is protracted, raised and positioned flush with a side of the fixed tabletop solely through a 180°-rotation about an axis extending orthogonally to the - oblique and parallel - sectional planes of said side of the fixed tabletop and said extension.

A third example of a table of the above-cited kind is disclosed in the patent application No. IT-A-TV2004A0042 filed on April 14 ^th , 2004 by this same Applicant, which describes a table comprising two extensions adapted to be protracted, raised and positioned flush with two opposite sides of the fixed tabletop synchronically, owing to them being connected with each other via a rod- and-crank mechanism and a deformable kinematic chain. This however implies a construction that is particularly complicated and expensive, even if ensures the advantage of leaving consumers with two different options as far as the desired

shape of the tabletop available for use is concerned, since the table itself can for example be given a circular and a rectangular shape.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a different construction for a table having at least one extension capable of being protracted through rotational movements, in which such construction is simpler and, therefore, more reliable and less expensive than the above-cited prior-art onesjn particulara construction that is less expensive than the one disclosed in IT-A-TV2004A0042.

According to the present invention, these and further aims are reached in a construction incorporating the features and characteristics as recited in the appended claims.

Features and advantages of the present invention will anyway be more readily understood from the description of a preferred, although not sole embodiment that is given below by way of example of embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a partial, schematical side view of a table according to the present invention, showing an extension in the retracted, i.e. resting position thereof under the fixed tabletop;

- Figure 2 is a similar view as the one appearing in Figure 1, wherein the extension of the table is however shown by broken lines when it is in its protracted position and by continuous lines when it is not only protracted, but also raised and positioned flush with a side of the fixed tabletop so as to increase the available surface of the same table;

- Figure 3 is a partial, schematical smaller-scale top view of the same table when the extension thereof is protracted; - Figure 4 is a similar view as the one appearing in Figure 3, showing however the extension when raised and positioned flush with a side of the fixed tabletop so as to increase the available surface of the table.

The table according to the present invention comprises a rectangular fixed tabletop 10 supported by four legs 12, only two of which are shown in Figures 3 and 4. The section planes of the longer sides 14 and 16 of the fixed tabletop 10 are vertical, whereas the section planes of the shorter sides 18 thereof, of which only one is shown in the Figures, are oblique, i.e. sloping downwards towards the outside of the table. The reference numerals 13 and 15 are used to indicate the

top face and the lower face, respectively, of the fixed tabletop 10 that is made in the form of a unitary crystal pane.

The table further comprises at least an extension 20, which can be protracted so as to be positioned flush with the shorter side 18, in order to increase the surface area of the table available for use (Figures 2 and 4). Also this extension 20 is made in the form of a unitary rectangular crystal pane. The section planes of a longer side 22 and the shorter sides 24 and 26 of the extension 20 are vertical, whereas the section plane of the second longer side 28 thereof is oblique and has the same inclination as the section planes of the shorter sides 18 of the fixed tabletop 10. The reference numerals 23 and 25 are used to indicate the top face and the lower face of the extension 20, respectively.

When in its retracted, i.e. resting position, the extension 20 lies under the fixed tabletop 10, parallel thereto (Figure 1). The extension 20 is connected to the fixed tabletop 10 not only by means of a rigid bracket 30, but also via a connecting rod 40, which is rigid, too, according to a basic feature of the present invention.

The bracket 30 substantially retains the same construction and functional features as the support means for the extensions described and illustrated in the afore-mentioned patent publication EP-A-1 349 470. As such, it is thus firmly joined with a bushing 32 arranged - via the interposition of rolling means (not shown) - between a pair of planar rigid disks 34 and 36. The bracket 30 and the bushing 32 form first connecting means between fixed tabletop 10 and extension 20, which enable the same extension 20 to rotate about a vertical axis. In fact, the first disk 34 is attached, preferably by bonding, to the lower face 15 of the fixed tabletop 10, whereas the second disk 36 is firmly joined to the first disk 34 by means of bolts (not shown) extending longitudinally, i.e. vertically, through the bushing 32.

The connecting rod 40 forms second connecting means between the fixed tabletop 10 and the extension 20, since it has a lower pin 42 thereof engaging the bracket 30 and a upper pin 44 thereof engaging the lower face 25 of the extension 20. Said lower pin 42 is rigidly attached to two levers 45 and 46, which are provided with respective gripping means 47 and 48 at the free end thereof for operating the connecting rod 40, the latter being in fact firmly joined to the same levers. In this way, the connecting rod 40 is capable of rotating about the horizontal axis of the lower pin 42 thereof, and the extension 20 is capable of also

perform e second rotation about the axis of the upper pin 44 which, similarly to the axis of the lower pin 42, is horizontal, but spaced from the vertical axis of rotation of the bracket 30. Retaining means as generally known as such in the art (not shown) are associated to each one of said pins 42 and 44 to thereby prevent both the connecting rod 40 and the extension 20 from rotating when the same extension is both in its retracted, i.e. inoperative position and in its protracted, i.e. operative position.

Starting from the retracted, i.e. inoperative position of the extension 20 under the fixed tabletop 10, as illustrated in Figure 1 , the operations that need be performed in order to increase the available surface area of the tabletop, i.e. to bring the extension 20 into the protracted, i.e. operative position thereof are as follows.

The extension 20 is seized with the hands and pulled out by causing it to perform a rotational movement through an amplitude of 180° about the vertical axis, which is made possible by said extension being in fact supported by the bracket 30 that - as this has already been noted hereinbefore - is firmly joined to the bushing 32. In this way, the extension 20 moves into the position that is shown in broken lines in Figure 2, and is also illustrated in Figure 3.

Then the assembly is seized by the handgrips 47 and 48 so as to be able to cause the extension 20 to perform a second rotational movement (anticlockwise arrow in Figure 2), which - as this has already been noted hereinbefore - occurs about an axis (i.e. the axis of the lower pin 42 of the connecting rod 40) that extends horizontally and is spaced from the vertical axis of rotation of the bracket 30 and the bushing 32. Thanks to this second rotational movement, and to the further rotational movement about the upper pin 44 of the connecting rod 40, the extension 20 moves into the same level as, i.e. a position that lies flush with the fixed tabletop 10, wherein the viewing plane of the oblique side 28 of the extension 20 abuts against the equally oblique viewing plane of the corresponding short side 18 of the fixed tabletop 10. In this way, the extension 20 is raised and joined to the fixed tabletop 10 in a side-by-side flush arrangement, thereby taking its operative position as illustrated with a continuous line in Figure 2, and shown also in Figure 4, so as to increase the available surface area of the same tabletop in the desired manner. At this point, the above-mentioned retaining means acting on the pins 42 and 44 prevent the extension from overturning.

It will be readily appreciated that, for the extension 20 to be then brought into its retracted, i.e. inoperative position under the fixed tabletop 10, the same operations as described above have to be performed in exactly an inverted sequence. Based on what has been so set forth in the above description and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, the advantages of a table according to the present invention may therefore be summarized as follows:

- simplicity in construction, thanks to a smaller number of parts used, resulting in greater reliability and reduction in manufacturing costs; - simplicity of the operations required to increase the available surface area of the tabletop (and, for the matter, to bring the extension again into the retracted or inoperative position thereof);

- possibility for only part or some of the extensions to be protracted, in the case that the table is provided with more than a single extension, when it is not necessary for the available surface area of the tabletop to be the largest possible one.

While the preceding description is referred to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that, within the scope defined by the appended claims, a number of other embodiments and variations thereof are possible. So, for example, any of a number of materials differing from the afore- considered crystal may be used to make the fixed tabletop and/or the extensions themselves, which may further be given any other shape differing from the rectangular one.