Portable folding table

Abstract

A table includes a table top and four legs. The legs are configured to be mounted to the table top to elevate the table top and to be separated from the table top for storage and transport.

1 . A portable table comprising
 a table top including a bottom wall, a side wall coupled to the bottom wall and arranged to cooperate with the bottom wall to define an interior storage region, and a top wall coupled to the side wall to cover a top aperture bounded by the side wall and arranged to open into the interior storage region, and   a table-top elevation system including leg mounts coupled to the table top and legs configured to be mated to the leg mounts to support the table top in an elevated position and to be separated from the leg mounts to facilitate transport of the table top, wherein the bottom wall is formed to include storage means for coupling the legs to the table top following separation of the legs from the leg mounts to retain the legs in storage-and-transport positions on the table top so that the legs are coupled to the table top to form a compact unit that may be transported easily from one place to another.   
   
   
       2 . The portable table of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall includes a plate coupled to the side wall and formed to include an interior surface facing into the interior region and the storage means is coupled to the interior surface of the plate and arranged to lie in the interior storage region of the table top. 
   
   
       3 . The portable table of  claim 2 , wherein the storage means includes a U-shaped leg keeper coupled to the interior surface of the plate and associated with each leg to be stored in the interior storage region of the table top and each U-shaped leg keeper is configured to provide channel means for receiving a portion of a leg therein and retaining the leg in a fixed position in the interior storage region of the table top. 
   
   
       4 . The portable table of  claim 2 , wherein the storage means includes four sets of leg keepers, each set of leg keepers includes a first leg keeper coupled to the interior surface of the plate and associated with a first end of a companion leg and a second leg keeper coupled to the interior surface of the plate and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first leg keeper and associated with an opposite second end of the companion leg, and the first and second leg keepers in each set of leg keepers cooperate to provide means for gripping a companion leg to retain said companion leg in a storage-and-transport position in the interior region of the table top. 
   
   
       5 . The portable table of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall includes a plate coupled to the side wall and formed to include an interior surface facing into the interior storage region and an exterior surface facing away from the interior storage region, the bottom wall also includes a leg receptacle coupled to the plate and located in an opening formed in the exterior surface, and the leg receptacle is configured to define the storage means. 
   
   
       6 . The portable table of  claim 5 , wherein the leg receptacle is arranged to face downwardly toward ground underlying the table top and contacting free ends of the legs mated with the leg mounts included in the table top when the legs are coupled to the leg mounts to elevate the table top above the underlying ground and the legs are arranged to lie in the leg receptacle and face toward the underlying ground when the legs are retained in the storage-and-transport positions. 
   
   
       7 . The portable table of  claim 6 , wherein the leg receptacle is formed to include four U-shaped channels arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to one another to cooperate to define the storage means and each U-shaped channel is configured to receive and retain one of the legs. 
   
   
       8 . The portable table of  claim 1 , wherein the table-top elevation system includes four leg mounts, each leg mount is located near a corner included in the bottom wall of the table top, and the storage means includes a leg receptacle located in a space between the four leg mounts and arranged to open downwardly away from the interior storage region of the table top. 
   
   
       9 . The portable table of  claim 8 , wherein the leg receptacle is formed to include four U-shaped channels arranged to lie in side-by-side relation to one another to cooperate to define the storage means and each U-shaped channel is configured to receive and retain one of the legs. 
   
   
       10 . A portable table comprising
 a table top and   a table-top elevation system including leg mounts coupled to the table top and legs configured to be mated to the leg mounts to support the table top in an elevated position and to be separated from the leg mounts to facilitate transport of the table top, wherein the table top is formed to include a leg receptacle and legs separated from the leg mounts are located in the leg receptacle and coupled to the table top to form a compact unit that may be transported easily from one place to another following separation of the legs from the leg mounts.   
   
   
       11 . The portable table of  claim 10 , wherein the table top includes a bottom wall carrying the leg mounts and an article-storage chest lying in spaced-apart relation to the leg mounts to locate the bottom wall therebetween and wherein the bottom wall is formed to include the leg receptacle. 
   
   
       12 . The portable table of  claim 11 , wherein the article-storage chest includes a side wall coupled to the bottom wall and arranged to cooperate with the bottom wall to define an interior storage region and wherein the leg receptacle is located in the interior storage region. 
   
   
       13 . The portable table of  claim 11 , wherein the leg receptacle comprises a U-shaped leg keeper associated with each leg and each U-shaped leg keeper is configured to provide channel means for receiving a portion of a leg therein and retaining a leg in a fixed position in the interior storage region. 
   
   
       14 . The portable table of  claim 11 , wherein the article-storage chest includes a side wall coupled to the bottom wall and arranged to cooperate with the bottom wall to define an interior storage region and wherein the leg receptacle is formed to include a leg-receiving opening located outside of the interior storage region.