TABLE WITH HOLDING AND STORAGE COMPARTMENTS

Abstract

A table for nightclubs and the like including a top surface with multiple recesses for holding or storing objects, such as drinking glasses, on a base with a surrounding wall. There are several recesses in the top surface, sized to accommodate objects of various sizes, such as glasses for different types of drinks, bottles and ice buckets. A structural opening may be used to hold an ice bucket in place of one of the recesses. A removable top may be placed over the top surface.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

NONE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of Invention

This invention relates to tables with recessed holding or storage compartments.

B. Description of the Prior Art

Tables are well known in the art. Typically, a table includes four legs and a flat top surface on which objects may be placed. Many variations exist, and many types of materials have been used to manufacture tables. However, the disadvantage of these tables is that there is a danger of knocking the objects, which may be fragile and easily breakable, off the table.

What is needed is a table that allows the users to safely hold and store objects, particularly bottles of wine and liquor, champagne, wine or shot glasses, and ice buckets, especially in a nightclub, dining or other entertainment setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention meets the current need for a superior table with a holding and storage capability. A novel table with recessed holding and storage compartments and an optional removable top is provided. This special kind of a table can be used in nightclubs, homes, clubs, lounges, bars, restaurants, and other dining or entertainment locations. The table has multiple, variable level recessed compartments and may have a removable top cover to cover the table when the compartments are not used to hold objects. The compartments may hold an ice bucket, bottles with beverages or spirits, and drinking glasses of varying size and shape in a nightclub.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These features, aspects and advantages of the improved table will become further understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a table with holding and storage compartments, showing an optional removable top placed on the table;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the table with holding and storage compartments and a removable top;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the table with holding and storage compartments, the cover being removed;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of the table with holding and storage compartments, showing a removable section and a removable top;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the table with holding and storage compartments, showing the use of the table with objects in the various compartments;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a second embodiment of the table with holding and storage compartments, showing an optional removable top placed on the table;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the table with holding and storage compartments of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the table with holding and storage compartments of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a top cross-sectional view along line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective exploded view of the table with holding and storage compartments of FIG. 8, showing a removable section and a removable top; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the table with holding and storage compartments of FIG. 8, showing the use of the table with objects in the various compartments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to an improved table with multiple, varied-level recessed compartments for holding and storage of objects, such as bottles of wine and liquor, soda, juice, buckets of ice, beverage glasses (i.e., rocks glasses, shot glasses, champagne glasses, or any other type of glass), or any other object of a suitable size. This is especially useful in nightclubs and other dining or entertainment settings. There is at least one recessed compartment in the improved table, but, preferably, there are several such compartments of different levels, sized to accommodate drinking glasses of various sizes, bottles, and ice buckets. The recessed compartments may be made with any desired footprint layout or any footprint necessary to accommodate the layout of the table.

In a home setting, the surface of the table may be used for games, reading, or dining while the objects are stored in the recessed compartments of the table, under the optional removable top. The table can be made of any size or shape, as desired by the end users, who can be individual consumers or establishments, such as nightclubs, restaurants, bars and lounges. The table preferably has a plywood frame or skirt, wrapped with a material such as fabric, vinyl, or leather. The frame, however, may be made of any kind of wood, metal, plastic, or another material.

One preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 1-7. With reference to FIG. 1-6, this preferred embodiment is a rectangular table 10 with a base 20. The table has a surrounding wall 23, made of wood, metal, plastic, or any of those covered with leather, vinyl, fabric or other suitable materials, which cover the entire base 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 3-7, a flat, one-piece top surface 25 with at least one recessed compartment is supported by the base 20, and the top surface 25 is preferably fixedly attached to the base 20. Typically, there are several recessed compartments disposed within the top surface 25. The recessed compartments are used for holding or storing objects, such as bottles, drinking glasses of different sizes, and ice buckets. A recessed compartment 40 (shown in a linear or rectangular shape with rounded corners) is sized to accept rocks glasses, a recessed compartment 41 (shown in an inverted L-shape with rounded corners on the ends) is sized to accept the champagne glasses, and a recessed compartment 43 (shown in a reversed L-shape with rounded corners on the ends) is sized to accept shot glasses. The preferred widths of the compartments are four and one quarter inches for recessed compartment 40 and three inches for recessed compartments 41 and 43.

The table 10 may include several compartments for holding different glass types, as noted, each compartment being appropriately sized in depth and width to accept the respective glass size. As illustrated in FIG. 4-7, each rocks glass compartment 40 or shot glass compartment 43 has sidewalls 42 and a supporting floor 44 that is relatively shallow, preferably three quarters of an inch deep, and each tall glass (or stem glass) compartment 41 has sidewalls 46 and a supporting floor 48 that is preferably five inches deep to accommodate the taller glasses.

A structural aperture 45 may be used as one of the recessed compartments to accept an ice bucket by fitting the rim of the ice bucket to the structural aperture 45 at the upper edge 47 of the structural aperture 45, or by suitably shaping the ice bucket to fit into the structural aperture 45 (i.e., by shaping the bucket in to be substantially conical or spherical). The preferred diameter of the structural aperture 45 is eight inches.

Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 3-6, the recessed compartment 41 sized for tall glasses (i.e., champagne or wine glasses), may be filled with a cooperating removable section 50 received by the recessed compartment 41 when the recessed compartment 41 is not used for holding of tall glasses. FIG. 6 shows the construction of the removable section 50. The removable section 50 has a top surface 52 and a bottom surface 54, the latter connected to the top surface 52 by several support columns 56.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the removable section 50 is situated in the recessed compartment 41, the recessed compartment 41 has the same depth as the recessed compartments 40 and 43 (three quarters of an inch) and can accommodate shorter types of glasses (i.e., rocks and shot glasses). The preferred height of the removable section 50 for that reason is four and one quarter inches. With reference to FIG. 4-5, the removable section 50 is supported by the supporting floor 48 of the recessed compartment 41. The supporting floor 48, connected to the walls 46, extends under the recessed compartment 40 and 41 as shown in FIG. 4, but not under the recessed compartment 43 or the structural aperture 45.

FIG. 7 illustrates the use of the table with holding or storage compartments: the ice bucket I containing ice and a bottle B is placed into the structural aperture 45, rocks and shot glasses G are placed into the recessed compartments 40 and 43, and champagne glasses C are placed into the recessed compartment 41.

An optional top 30 may be disposed on the base 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5. The top 30 is preferably completely detachable from the table 10. The top 30 is attached to the base 20 by clips 35 attached to the top 30 and coupling with the cooperating elements 36 attached to the base 20, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, 4, and 6-7. In an alternative embodiment, the top 30 may be movably attached (not shown) to the base 20 so that the top 30 can swing out or open up to reveal the recessed compartments. In this embodiment, hinges or pivoting pins may be used to movably connect the top 30 to the base 20.

A second preferred embodiment of the novel table is illustrated in FIG. 8-14. This embodiment is a round table 60 comprising a base 70 with a surrounding wall 73 and a flat top surface 75 having at least one recessed compartment for holding or storing objects, such as bottles, drinking glasses, and ice buckets. A structural aperture 95 may be used as a recessed compartment to accept a suitably shaped ice bucket (i.e., substantially conically or spherically shaped), or the rim of the ice bucket may be fitted to the upper edge 97 of the structural aperture 95. In addition to a recess or structural aperture for holding an ice bucket, there are preferably several recessed compartments as illustrated in FIG. 11-14: a first, greater-arced curved recessed compartment 90 for rocks and/or shot glasses and a second, lesser-arced curved recessed compartment 91 for stem glasses. The recessed compartments 90 and 91 are typically disposed within the top surface 75 of the base 70. Both compartments preferably have rounded corners.

The recessed compartments are used for holding wine glasses, shot glasses, rocks glasses, and glasses of other sizes, each compartment being sized to accept the respective glass size. As shown in FIG. 13-14, each rocks or shot glass compartment 90 has sidewalls 92 and a supporting floor 94 that is relatively shallow, and, as shown in FIG. 11-13, each tall glass (or stem glass) compartment 91 has sidewalls 96 and a supporting floor 98 that is lower than the supporting floor 94 to accommodate the taller glasses. The preferred width and depth for the recessed compartment 90 are four and one half inches and three quarters of an inch respectively, and the preferred width and depth for the recessed compartment 91 are three inches and six inches respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, one such recessed compartment or structural aperture 95 is sized to accommodate bottles B or an ice bucket I, another compartment 90 is sized to accommodate rocks and/or shot glasses G, and yet another compartment 91 is sized to accommodate champagne glasses C.

Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 11-13, the recessed compartment 91, when it is not used for holding or storage of bottles, drinking glasses or ice buckets, may be filled with a removable section 100 of a cooperating curved shape, received by the recessed compartment 91. This enables the users to reduce the depth of the recessed compartment 91 and to enable it to hold rocks and shot glasses rather than stem glasses. The removable section 100 has a top surface 102 and a bottom surface 104, which is connected to the top surface 102 by support columns 106 as illustrated in FIG. 12-13. The preferred height of the removable section 100 is five and one quarter inches, which reduces the depth of the recessed compartment 91 to three quarters of an inch when the removable section 100 is in the recessed compartment 91. This is the same as the preferred depth of the recessed compartment 90, as shown in FIG. 11. The removable section 100 is supported by the supporting floor 98 of the recessed compartment 91. The supporting floor 98, connected to the walls 96, extends under the recessed compartment 91.

The base 70 in the second preferred embodiment is preferably made to be cylindrical and may include a plurality of support elements 75 as shown in FIG. 11-12. The support elements 75 may be in the form of rigid support ribs, such as vertically aligned boards. In this embodiment, some of the support elements 75 are connected between an outer shell 72 and an inner shell 74 of the base 70, and some of the support elements 75 are attached only to the outer shell 72, as illustrated in FIG. 11, in a manner well-known in the construction art.

An optional top 80 may be used with the table 60 as illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8, 10, and 11. The top 80 is preferably completely detachable from the table 60. It is typically attached to the base 70 by clips 85 attached to the top 80 and coupling with the cooperating elements 86 on the base 70 as illustrated in FIGS. 9, 11, and 13-14. In an alternative embodiment, the top 80 may be movably attached (not shown) to the base 70 so that the top 80 can swing out or open up to reveal the recessed compartments. In this embodiment, hinges or pivoting pins may be used to movably connect the top 80 to the base 70.

The novel table may be made with a wide variety of polygonal, curvilinear or other geometric shapes. The upper surface of the top 30 or 80 is preferably flat, with the upper surface being substantially parallel to the floor or ground. The base 20 or 70 may be of any height appropriate for the desired use of the table. The preferred height of the table 10 or 60 is 14 inches. The preferred size of the base in the rectangular table 10 is 24 inches wide by 20½ inches deep (the preferred width and depth of the optional top 30 is 22½ by 26 inches respectively), and the preferred diameter of the round table 60 is 24½ inches (the preferred diameter of the optional top 80 is 23 inches). The base 20 or 70 may have any other suitable configuration and size, with a top surface including recessed compartments as described herein.

Any embodiment of the table may include a handle or multiple handles (not shown) attached to the optional top 30 or 80 and configured for grasping by a person's hand. The handle may be used for removing the top or opening the top in the embodiments where the top is movably attached to the base.

Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, the embodiments are merely illustrative of an application of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made and other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A table with holding and storage compartments for nightclubs and the like, the table comprising:

a top surface;

a base supporting said top surface and having a surrounding wall; and

at least one recessed compartment formed in and depending from said top surface, wherein said recessed compartment is so dimensioned as to accept drinking glasses.

2. The table of claim 1, wherein said at least one recessed compartment comprises an inverted-L-shaped recessed compartment.

3. The table of claim, 2 wherein the inverted-L-shaped recessed compartment is sized to accept stem glasses.

4. The table of claim 2, wherein said at least one recessed compartment includes a reverse-L-shaped recessed compartment.

5. The table of claim, 4 wherein the reverse-L-shaped recessed compartment is sized to accept shot glasses.

6. The table of claim 3, further comprising a removable section received within said inverted-L-shaped recessed compartment so as to enable said inverted-L-shaped recessed compartment to accommodate shot glasses and when removed to accommodate stem glasses.

7. The table of claim 4, wherein said at least one recessed compartment includes a linear-shaped recessed compartment.

8. The table of claim 7, wherein said linear-shaped recessed compartment is sized to accept rocks glasses.

9. The table of claim 1, further comprising a top supported by said base.

10. The table of claim 1, further comprising a top movably coupled to said base.

11. A table with holding and storage compartments for nightclubs and the like, the table comprising:

a top surface including an aperture therein, said aperture being formed to accept an ice bucket;

a base attached to said top surface;

a first recessed compartment disposed on and depending from said top surface, said first recessed compartment being sized to accommodate stem glasses; and

a second recessed compartment disposed on and depending from said top surface, said second recessed compartment being sized to accommodate shot glasses, the first and second recessed compartments having supporting floors at different levels.

12. The table of claim 11, further comprising a removable section received within said first recessed compartment so as to enable said first recessed compartment to accommodate shot glasses and when removed to accommodate stem glasses.

13. The table of claim 11, further comprising a third recessed compartment disposed on and depending from said top surface, said third recessed compartment being sized to accommodate rocks glasses.

14. The table of claim 11, further comprising a top movably coupled to said base.

15. A table with holding and storage compartments for nightclubs and the like, the table comprising:

a top surface;

a round base having an outer shell and an inner shell, attached to said top surface, said base having a surrounding wall; and

at least one recessed compartment for holding drinking glasses fixed to said top surface.

16. The table of claim 15, further comprising a first plurality of support elements, each having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of each of said first plurality of support elements is coupled to said outer shell and wherein the second end of said plurality of support elements is coupled to said inner shell.

17. The table of claim 16, further comprising a second plurality of support elements, each having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of each of said second plurality of support elements is coupled to said outer shell.

18. The table of claim 15, wherein said top surface includes an aperture therein formed to accept an ice bucket.

19. The table of claim 15, wherein said at least one recessed compartment comprises a first arc-shaped recessed compartment.

20. The table of claim 19, wherein the first arc-shaped recessed compartment is sized to accept stem glasses.

21. The table of claim 19, wherein said at least one recessed compartment includes a second arc-shaped recessed compartment.

22. The table of claim 28, wherein the second arc-shaped recessed compartment is sized to accept shot glasses.

23. The table of claim 20, further comprising a removable section received within said first arc-shaped recessed compartment so as to enable said first arc-shaped recessed compartment to accommodate shot glasses and when removed to accommodate stem glasses.