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Elongated table and method of making sameElongated table and method of making same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060284454, Elongated table and method of making same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS [0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/690,993, filed Jun. 15, 2005, the disclosure and teachings of which are incorporated herein, in their entireties, by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to tables having an elongated horizontal surface for supporting objects, and more particularly to a transportable elongated table of the type used for picnics, having a longitudinally extending bench attached on one or both sides of the tabletop to a frame supporting both the benches and the tabletop. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Picnic tables have been utilized for many years, in both indoor and outdoor settings, for providing convenient seating for one or more people while eating or engaging in other types of activities. Picnic tables typically have a central table, with two benches disposed on opposite sides of the table. [0004] One of the most widely utilized forms of a picnic table, includes a common frame supporting a longitudinally extending tabletop, and two benches, one disposed on either side of the tabletop. Such picnic tables are typically configured to have a length of about six to eight feet, so that they can be conveniently moved by two people, and/or transported from one site to another. Tables of a length greater than six to eight feet are typically too large and heavy to be considered portable. [0005] The structures of previously known picnic tables do not lend themselves well to use in substantially elongated form. Previously known common frames supporting the tabletop and benches do not have sufficient longitudinal strength and stiffness for use in a substantially elongated table, particularly where it is desired to have such an elongated table be readily transportable. [0006] Traditional forms of picnic tables are also generally so wide, or otherwise configured in a manner that makes it difficult to effectively and efficiently transport multiple tables in a side-by-side arrangement along a public roadway, without exceeding governmentally mandated maximum width limitations. [0007] It is desirable to provide a picnic-type table that is much longer than prior picnic tables, and yet still readily transportable. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The invention provides an improved picnic-type table, having a number of novel and useful aspects, which individually and/or collectively allow construction and use of tables having substantially greater lengths than can be achieved in prior picnic-type tables. [0009] In one form of the invention, a portable picnic-type table having a substantially elongated length is provided. Such an elongated, portable, picnic-type table may include a longitudinally elongated frame, of longitudinally trussed construction, and a longitudinally extending tabletop fixedly attached to the frame. Through practice of the invention, a table having a length several times that of prior portable picnic tables can be provided. [0010] A table, according to the invention, may include a common frame supporting an elongated tabletop, and an elongated seating bench extending along one or both sides of the elongated tabletop. One or both of the benches may be pivotably attached to the frame, in such a manner that the bench can be pivoted from a deployed position, wherein seating along the table is provided, to a stowed position, whereat the bench is disposed in a perpendicular orientation to the tabletop. Latches may be provided for securing the benches in the stowed position. [0011] In an elongated table, according to the invention, having a pair of latches for securing each one of the benches in its stowed position, at least one of the latches of the pair of latches may be selectively lockable in an unlatched position, to thereby facilitate deployment of the bench. Where the pair of latches are longitudinally displaced along the bench, from one another, a distance greater than can be conveniently reached simultaneously by a lone individual, the individual may lock the lockable latch in the unlatched position, and then walk along the bench to the second latch and disengage it, in the process of lowering the bench from the stowed to the deployed position. [0012] The common frame of a picnic table, according to the invention, may take the form of a trailer, including wheels for transporting the table. The trailer may include a tongue thereof, extending longitudinally from one end of the table, with a distal end of the tongue being adapted for attachment to a towing vehicle, such as a pickup truck, a tractor, or an automobile. [0013] The tabletop, of a table, according to the invention, may include a foldable section thereof, attached at one end of the table, for extending the length of the tabletop. The benches of a picnic table, according to the invention, may also include a foldable section extending from one end thereof to provide seating for a foldable top section attached to the end of the table. [0014] In forms of the invention including a frame in the form of a trailer, having a tongue extending from one end of the table, a foldable extension of the tabletop may be disposed to extend over the tongue in a deployed position of the foldable portion of the top. The tongue may include a support configured for contacting and supporting the foldable portion of the tabletop in the deployed position. [0015] In a table having a frame in the form of a trailer including a tongue extending from one end of the table, the benches of the table may include a rearwardly foldable extension disposed to extend along the tongue in a deployed position of the foldable extension of the bench. The tongue may include a foldable support configured for contacting and supporting the foldable sections of the benches in a deployed position. [0016] The addition of foldable extensions to the tabletop and/or the benches, disposed to extend above and along the tongue of a table, according to the invention, having a frame in the form of a trailer with an extending tongue, allow the foldable sections of the tabletop and benches to be folded rearward to stowed positions thereof, to provide turning clearance for the table when being towed by a towing vehicle attached to the tongue. The foldable sections of the tabletop and benches, therefore, allow the usable surface of the table and benches to be extended completely along, and even beyond, the tongue of the trailer, when the table is in use. [0017] In forms of the invention having a common frame in the form of a trailer, the trailer may include a pair of wheels attached to the frame, and a tongue extending longitudinally from one end of the frame, with the tongue including a retractable tongue jack, for supporting the tongue of the trailer, when it is not attached to a towing vehicle. Additional retractable stabilizer jacks may also be attached to the frame to provide longitudinal and lateral support to the table in its deployed condition. [0018] A table, according to the invention, may also include provisions for attachment of umbrellas, or other types of structures, to the table. [0019] The tabletop and/or benches of a table, according to the invention, may be made from synthetic materials, such as recycled plastic boards, to promote long life and cleanliness. Materials utilized or forming the tabletop and/or benches may be attached to the frame of the table by fasteners extending upward into the bottom of the materials used for the top and benches, in such a manner that no portion of the fastener protrudes above the top surfaces of the tabletop and/or benches. [0020] The frame of a table, in forms of the invention wherein the frame is a trailer, may include a hitch receiver at a rear end of the frame, adapted for receiving a standard ball hitch arrangement, or other connection element for connecting together two tables, according to the invention. The hitch receiver at the rear end of the frame may also be utilized for statically connecting, but not towing other towable units other than tables, according to the invention, behind the table according to the invention, or for static attachment of other hitch-receiver-mounted structures, such as cargo carriers, storage containers, or apparatuses such as hitch mounted cooking, food preparation, or beverage dispensing devices which may be used in conjunction with a table according to the invention, or form part of a table or trailer apparatus, according to the invention. Continue reading about Elongated table and method of making same... Full patent description for Elongated table and method of making same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Elongated table and method of making same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. 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