Drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism

Abstract

This invention relates to a drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism. The leaf and tabletop are pivotally connected with a hinge, in which a positioning ratchet plate with multiple angular positioning ratchet teeth to the underside of the tabletop hinge. On the rear of the leaf hinge set, there consists of a positioning plate with a curvature slot. The positioning ratchet plate and positioning plate are pivotally connected with a pivot bolt to form a mechanism for the providing the leaf angular lean adjustment. On the backside of the positioning plate there is a ladle-shape pawl on the downside of the positioning ratchet plate, wherein the pawl engages with any of the ratchet teeth of the positioning ratchet plate to obtain a relative stop position between the tabletop and leaf. The operation which releases the pawl from engagement can adjust the leaf to an arbitrarily lean angle adjustment.

1 . A drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism—comprising:
 a tabletop having a leaf and a hinge set at the back, wherein the said tabletop can be angularly adjusted using the hinge and the bottom of the tabletop having an adjustable height stand; a tabletop included with a positioning ratchet plate at the bottom of the hinge set and a positioning plate on the leaf at a relative position at the rear of the hinge set, said positioning ratchet plate and said positioning plate respectively including a vertical plate on the tabletop or the leaf, wherein the two vertical plates are inter-engaged into a pivot connection, the bottom rim of the said vertical plate of the positioning ratchet plate has a predetermined number of ratchets with a pivot hole, and said vertical plate of the positioning plate is included with a curvature slot; wherein a pivot bolt passes through the pivot hole of the positioning ratchet plate and a curvature slot of the positioning plate to form a pivot connection, wherein the leaf can perform angular lean adjustments within the limited scope of the positioning plate, the curvature slot and the pivot bolt; and 
 a pivot bolt assembly having a pawl with a spring positioner included with the pivot bolt engaged between the positioning plate and the pawl, so that a pawl teeth at one end of the pawl engaging with any ratchet position of the positioning ratchet plate to maintain the position between the leaf and tabletop, wherein the handle control pawl frees the engagement of the pawl teeth with the ratchet of the positioning ratchet plate to provide an angular adjustment function with the leaf. 
 
     
     
         2 . The drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the pawl forms a ladle-shape to simultaneously engage the positioning ratchet plate and the bottom rim of the vertical plate of the positioning plate. 
     
     
         3 . The drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the pawl teeth at one end of the pawl engages with the ratchet of the positioning ratchet plate, and the other end of the pawl has a suitable hand-control lever rod. 
     
     
         4 . The drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein a predetermined number of ratchet teethes are positioned at the bottom rim of the vertical plate of the ratchet plate to enable different angular positions. 
     
     
         5 . The drop leaf table angular adjustment mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein a spring positioner is used as a torque spring.