Apparatus with form-in-place bearing

Abstract

A furniture article, such as a telescopingly adjustable column for chair height adjustment or an adjustable table leg, includes a tubular first member and a tubular second member telescopingly and rotatably supported by the first member. A sleeve-like bearing is positioned between the first and second members. The bearing has an original pre-cured shape that fits loosely into the clearance space between the members during assembly, and further has lubricious bearing material to facilitate smooth extension of the members, but further is made at least in part of a material that when cured expands to a size and shape that takes up an increased percentage of the clearance space. By this arrangement, the bearing can be easily positioned in the clearance space, but after thermal curing the bearing expands to reduce wobbling and looseness between the first and second members.

The invention in which a property right or privilege is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A furniture article comprising: 
 a first member and a second member configured to operably support the first member, the first and second members having opposing surfaces defining a clearance space therebetween; and    a bearing located between the opposing surfaces, the bearing having an original pre-cured shape that fits loosely into the clearance space during assembly, but further being made at least in part of a curable material that when cured expands to a size and shape that takes up an increased percentage of the clearance space, so that the bearing, when uncured, can be easily positioned in the clearance space, but so that the bearing, after being cured, expands to reduce wobbling and looseness between the first and second members.    
     
     
         2 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein the curable material is made of a polymer that cures to a hardened state when heated.  
     
     
         3 . The furniture article defined in  claim 2 , wherein the original pre-cured shape of the bearing expands to completely fill the clearance space when heated, but further shrinks a small amount when cooled after curing to define a reduced clearance space that reduces wobbling and looseness between the first and second members, but still permits movement therebetween.  
     
     
         4 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein the curable material adheres to one of the first and second members, but not the other.  
     
     
         5 . The furniture article defined in  claim 4 , including a lubricious coating material applied to the curable material to increase the lubricious nature thereof.  
     
     
         6 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second members is tubular and completely surrounds the other member.  
     
     
         7 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein the curable material forming a backer that surrounds the second member, and further includes bearing strips supported by the backer.  
     
     
         8 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein the bearing includes bearing strips supported in the curable material for sliding engagement with one of the first and second members.  
     
     
         9 . The furniture article defined in  claim 1 , wherein the first member is telescopingly extendable from the second member.  
     
     
         10 . The furniture article defined in  claim 9 , wherein the first member is rotatably supported in the second member.  
     
     
         11 . The furniture article defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first and second members form a part of a vertically extendable chair column.  
     
     
         12 . The furniture article defined in  claim 9 , wherein the first and second members form a telescopingly extendable table leg.  
     
     
         13 . The furniture article defined in  claim 9 , wherein the first and second members define a drawer glide.  
     
     
         14 . A bearing arrangement for movably supporting a first member in a second member, where the first and second members have opposing surfaces defining a clearance space therebetween, the bearing arrangement comprising: 
 a geometrically-shaped bearing adapted to be located between the opposing cylindrical surfaces, the bearing having an original shape that fits loosely into the clearance space, the bearing including bearing material adapted to slidably engage one of the first and second members and including a backer for supporting the bearing material, the backer being made at least in part of a curable material that when cured expands to a size and shape adapted to take up an increased percentage of the clearance space, so that the bearing can be easily positioned in the clearance space but after curing expands to reduce wobbling and looseness between the first and second members.    
     
     
         15 . The bearing arrangement defined in  claim 14 , wherein the geometrically shaped bearing defines a tube section.  
     
     
         16 . The bearing arrangement defined in  claim 14 , wherein the curable material of the backer is polymeric and curable by heat.  
     
     
         17 . The bearing arrangement defined in  claim 14 , wherein the backer adheres to one of the first and second members when heated.  
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing a furniture article comprising steps of: 
 providing a first member and a second member telescopingly supported by the first member, the first and second members having opposing surfaces defining a clearance space therebetween;    providing a bearing having an original pre-cured shape that fits loosely into the clearance space curing assembly, but further being made at least in part of a material that when cured expands to a size and shape that takes up an increased percentage of the clearance space;    positioning the bearing in the clearance space; and    curing the bearing to thus expand the bearing to reduce wobbling and looseness between the first and second members.    
     
     
         19 . The method defined in  claim 18 , wherein the step of curing includes heating the bearing.  
     
     
         20 . The method defined in  claim 19 , wherein the material that expands when cured comprises a polymeric material.  
     
     
         21 . The method defined in  claim 18  including a step of applying lubricious coating to only one side of the bearing.