Foldable and portable table assembly

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a portable furniture assembly that utilizes a pair of opposed and spaced apart scissor assemblies. A stop mechanism is provided to retain a pair of scissor structures of the portable furniture assembly in a set-up condition and yet permit easy release of the stop mechanism to permit folding of the furniture assembly for transport. A foldable and portable chair has a flexible sling suspended between two scissor assemblies to define a seat and a back for the chair. The portable chair also has two bottom rails connected to front supports of the scissor assemblies via pivots. Rear supports of the scissor assemblies are removably connected to the bottom rails at the stop mechanism to retain the portable chair in a set-up condition and yet permit the chair to be folded to a completely flat or folded condition. A portable and foldable table also utilizes two scissor assemblies wherein elongate supports of the scissor assemblies define four table legs at lower ends of the supports. Two fixed upper ends of the supports are pivotally connected to a tabletop and the other two upper ends of the supports are releasably connected to the tabletop at the stop mechanism. The tabletop and legs are retained in a set-up condition by the stop mechanism and yet can be folded to a completely folded condition.

I claim as my invention:  
     
         1 . A portable chair moveable between at least a folded condition and a set-up condition, the portable chair comprising: 
 two spaced apart and opposed bottom rails each having a bottom surface, a forward end, and a rear end;    two spaced apart and opposed leg scissors, each leg scissor including a first support and a second support pivotally attached to one another at a leg pivot, the first support of each leg scissor defining a front leg section below the leg pivot terminating at a bottom end and a seat back section above the leg pivot terminating at a top end, and the second support of each leg scissor defining a rear leg section below the leg pivot terminating at a lower end and a seat front section above the leg pivot terminating at an upper end;    a back rest link interconnecting the seat back sections of the first supports;    a seat rest link interconnecting the seat front sections of the second supports;    a rail link interconnecting the bottom rails near the rear ends;    a front leg joint pivotally connecting each front leg section near the bottom end to the corresponding bottom rail near the forward end;    a flexible sling suspended generally between the first supports and the second supports with one end of the sling disposed near the top ends of the first supports and an opposite end of the sling disposed near the upper ends of the second supports; and    at least one stop mechanism that prevents the lower ends of the second supports from moving relative to the bottom ends of the first supports when the chair is in the set-up condition.    
     
     
         2 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the back rest link and the two first supports are each a discrete structure and the back rest link is affixed to the two first supports.  
     
     
         3 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the back rest link and the two first supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.  
     
     
         4 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the seat rest link and the two second supports are each a discrete structure and the seat rest link is affixed to the two second supports.  
     
     
         5 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the seat rest link and the two second supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.  
     
     
         6 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the rail link and the two bottom rails are each a discrete structure and the rail link is affixed to the two bottom rails.  
     
     
         7 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the rail link and the two bottom rails are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.  
     
     
         8 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the back rest link and the two first supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure, wherein the seat rest link and the two second supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure, and wherein the rail link and the two bottom rails are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.  
     
     
         9 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the bottom surfaces of the bottom rails are arcuate defining a rocking surface for the portable chair.  
     
     
         10 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the first supports, second supports, and the seat rest, back rest and rail links are molded from a thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         11 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the first supports, second supports, and the seat rest, back rest and rail links are fabricated from wood.  
     
     
         12 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the seat rest, back rest and rail links are each connected, respectively, to the second supports, first supports and bottom rails in a manner comprising at least one of an adhesive material, threaded fasteners, nails, a tongue and groove arrangement, staples, and a dowel arrangement.  
     
     
         13 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the stop mechanism further comprises: 
 a notch carried on the lower end of the second support of each leg scissor, the notch abutting the rail link in the set-up condition.    
     
     
         14 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the flexible sling is suspended from the seat rest link and the back rest link by its opposed ends.  
     
     
         15 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the back rest link is connected between the first elongate supports adjacent the top ends.  
     
     
         16 . The portable chair according to    claim 1   , wherein the seat rest link is connected to the upper ends of the second elongate supports.  
     
     
         17 . A portable table that is movable between at least a folded condition and a set-up condition, the portable table comprising: 
 a tabletop having a top surface and a bottom surface;    two opposed and spaced apart leg scissors depending generally from below the bottom surface of the tabletop, each leg scissor having two elongate supports pivotally attached to one another at a leg pivot;    four lower leg sections wherein one lower leg section is defined below the leg pivot on each elongate support of each opposed leg scissor;    two fixed upper support sections and two free upper support sections each terminating at a top end and wherein one fixed and one free upper support section is defined above the leg pivot on the elongate supports of each opposed leg scissor;    at least one tabletop joint pivotally connecting the top ends of the two opposed fixed upper support sections to the tabletop; and    at least one stop mechanism that prevents the top ends of the two free upper support sections from moving relative to the two fixed upper support sections when the table is in the set-up condition.    
     
     
         18 . The portable table according to    claim 17   , further comprising: 
 a structural link interconnecting the two free upper support sections near their respective top ends.    
     
     
         19 . The portable table according to    claim 18   , wherein the stop mechanism further comprises: 
 at least one stop block carried on the bottom surface of the tabletop; and    a stop surface on the at least one stop block abutting the structural link when in the set-up condition.