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  Table with folding legs and internal frameRelated Patent Categories: Horizontally Supported Planar Surfaces, Folding, Legs Fold Axially Parallel To Surface EdgesThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070006784. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The field of the invention is utility tables with folding legs. BACKGROUND [0002] There is a continuing demand for so-called utility tables, tables having legs that fold up against the underside of a table top. For many years utility tables were made with heavy plywood tops, but such tables proved to be extremely heavy and unwieldy. More recently utility tables have been manufactured with honeycombed wood or thermoplastic blow molded plastic tops. [0003] A significant difficulty with blow molded plastic tops is that the plastic is not especially strong. To solve that problem designers have usually placed external frames along the underside of the top. Examples are U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,674 (September 2000), U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,092 (August 2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,370 (February 2005) all to Stanford, U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,742 (September 2003) to Nien, and US2005/0103239 (publ. May 2005) to Neunzert et al. These and all other referenced patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. [0004] External frames, however, detract from the visual appearance of the tables, and requires the tables to be thicker than otherwise needed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,152 (December 2003) to Tsai describes a utility table having an internal frame, consisting of two lateral support beams and four cross-members that interconnect the lateral support beams. In the '152 application, however, the internal frame is sandwiched between bottom and top panels that are formed as separate units, and then connected together. Such tables are undesirable because the panels have to be rather thick to provide needed strength. [0005] What is still needed is a utility table having a unitary molded plastic table top with an internal frame. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods in which a table has molded plastic top with an internal frame. [0007] The internal frame preferably includes at least first and second support beams disposed lengthwise in the top. In more preferred embodiments the top includes both lateral and medial support beams, and a cross member that couples the lateral and medial support beams. The beams can be made of any suitable material(s), but are preferably metal. [0008] The lateral and medial support beams need not extend the length of the table, and indeed in some embodiments they extend less than half the length of the table. Such a configuration allows the top to be manufactured, shipped, and stored in halves or other pieces. The lateral support beams can also be disposed to overlap, with or without touching one another. [0009] The top is preferably blow molded, and includes a core having a first plurality of baffles. Such baffles can be disposed in any suitable manner, including longwise and cross-wise. In preferred embodiments different sets the baffles are disposed in different orientations. [0010] Each of the legs preferably attached to a medial support beam, and are most advantageously also attached to the corresponding cross member and a pivot disposed widthwise in a depression underside the top. [0011] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0012] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a molded plastic table having an internal frame. [0013] FIG. 2 is a non-exploded perspective view of the table of FIG. 1, without the plastic portion of the table top. [0014] FIG. 3 is a non-exploded plan view of the table of FIG. 1, without the plastic portion of the table top, and with a breakout showing a space between overlapping longitudinal supports. [0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a corner of the table of FIG. 1, with portions of the overlapping top surface removed to reveal underlying baffles. [0016] FIG. 5 is a blowup of a corner portion of the table of FIG. 4. [0017] FIG. 6 is a blowup of a medial portion of the table of FIG. 4. [0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the underside of the table of FIG. 1, showing a handle recess. [0019] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the underside of the table of FIG. 1, with legs extended. [0020] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a medial portion of the table of FIG. 8, showing a pedestal footing pivot. Continue reading... Full patent description for Table with folding legs and internal frame Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Table with folding legs and internal frame patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Table with folding legs and internal frame or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Merchandise display Next Patent Application: Water-cooled grate Industry Class: Horizontally supported planar surfaces ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Table with folding legs and internal frame patent info. 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