Table System
The invention presents a table system which has an axially oriented plug fastening means (3, 4) between table leg (2) and tabletop (1) and an automatic retaining device (5, 6, 7) which retains the table leg (2) after it is inserted into the tabletop (1). According to the invention, advantages such as a high degree of variability and particular convenience in terns of assembly are achieved.
The invention relates to a table system, in particular in the field of conference tables. Said table system may however also be correspondingly used in other furniture applications. In table systems of said type, it is fundamentally sought to obtain a degree of variability in the construction of a table arrangement or else of an individual table.
Various solutions are known in this regard. Here, as particularly variable systems, consideration is given above all to those with table legs which are to be fastened individually without the use of tools. One of the most advanced systems is provided by the company Rosenthal (“Cetera”, www.rosenthal.de), which system has leg tubes with angle projections fastened thereto, which angle projections themselves can be fixedly clamped to different table tops by means of a manual eccentric device. Here, a table leg may be inserted either in a table corner or used to support two table tops. One criticizable aspect of said system, however, is, in addition to a corresponding expenditure of force during the fastening process, in particular the objectionable space requirement under the table tops or during the storage of the table leg units.
A further system, from the company Wilkhahn (“Palette”, www.wilkhahn.de) avoids the latter disadvantage by virtue increasing the volume of the entire table leg and thereby creating a wide upper table top support surface. However, this also leads to reduced legroom, which is highly disadvantageous in office applications. Furthermore, use is also made here of an eccentric fixing lever which requires a problematic expenditure of force.
The present invention is based on the object of creating a table system which avoids the stated disadvantages and which obtains an increased degree of variability with a low spatial requirement.
Said object is achieved by means of the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiment options of the invention are defined in the subclaims.
According to the invention, therefore, a table system is created which has the following advantages:
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- The construction of a table arrangement or of an individual table can take place at unprecedented speed and without any force expenditure. The table legs need merely be inserted in a simple manner axially with respect to their table leg longitudinal axis, yet are nevertheless immediately fastened in a stable fashion and entirely without play.
- A wide variety of positions of the table legs are possible in a simple manner. For example, said table legs may be plugged in under one or two table tops, longitudinally, transversely or in various inclined positions.
- It is possible to use very slim table legs which are space-saving during use and storage. Above all, it is possible to use table legs which do not have objectionable upper flanges or thickened portions. This also has the result that particularly visually appealing designs are possible.
- Construction can be carried out by one person and on very uneven floor surfaces. For example, steps in a carpet have hitherto represented a considerable obstacle for table arrangements. The system according to the invention permits even large table top inclinations without adverse effects.
- Structural simplicity, which leads to favourable production and robustness during use.
Further advantages and features of the invention can be gathered both from the claims and also from the following description and from the drawings, with reference hereby being expressly made to the content of disclosure thereof. The invention also encompasses any technically meaningful combinations of individual features and combinations of features which are not explicitly described in such form.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below on the basis of the drawings, in which:
In addition to the described plug-type fastening of the table leg (2), a positioning element (8) is provided which is conical at least in sections and which fixes the table leg (2) to the table top (1) in different radial positions. So as to avoid so-called axial overdetermination, said positioning element (8) is inserted into groove-shaped cutouts (9) which are arranged in a star shape with respect to the plug-type fastening. An oblique arrangement of the table legs as illustrated here is particularly advantageous in the case of individual tables or the corners of table arrangements in office applications.
Since, according to the invention, the leg requires no upper alignment surface, said leg offers technical freedom and may for example be of aesthetically pleasing design with spacers (10) with respect to the table top, and of very slim design. The latter also leads to a large amount of legroom and small storage space requirement. The spacers (10) also offer the very interesting advantage in office applications of allowing electrical cable systems to be inserted into the table legs (2) from the top.
An extremely high degree of variability is obtained if, as shown here, in each case one single plug-type fastening and one retaining device is situated in all corner regions of the table top. Different table leg positions are therefore permitted in a simple manner, and the table top can, in each of said table leg positions, be released from the respective table leg by means of a single handle. Although not illustrated here in the figures, the system may however also be reversed. A corresponding bolt may thus be provided on the table top and cutouts may be provided on the table legs, or a latching device may even be situated on the table leg itself.
Correspondingly to that described above, a positioning element (25) is also provided, which positioning element (25) can be inserted, so as to provide only lateral retention, into grooves (26) of the table top, or else in a self-locking manner into the conical corner bore of a second table top. Here, the positioning element (25) has a surface (25a) at the level of the eccentric section of the ejector. Said positioning element (25) is thus designed such that it can also be gripped and released by the ejector of the second table top.
Also shown here is a fitting part (32a,b) which is formed into the table top (33) and which is screwed to the latter from below. The fitting part is composed of a flat flange part (32a) and a higher sleeve part (32b).
The mounting of the latching bolt (41) takes place in a simple and stable manner in two receiving bolts (47) which are situated in the frame transverse tube (44). A strong yet soft pressure spring (48), which is supported on the rear receiving bolt (47) and on a shoulder (41a) of the latching bolt (41), reliably pushes the latter forward over a large latching length. The table leg is released again by means of a gripping knob (50) which extends out of the frame transverse tube (44) through a groove (49). An undercut (49a) in the groove allows the latching bolt to remain in an open position if desired, which may be useful in the event of a table arrangement being dismantled by only one person.
Claims
1. A table system having individual table legs (2) which are to be fastened to at least one table top (1), characterized in that at least one table leg (2) is connected to at least one table top (1) in each case by means of an axially aligning plug-type fastening (3,4), and in that an autonomously acting retaining device (5,6,7) is provided which holds the table leg (2) after the latter is inserted into the plug-type fastening (3).
2. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plug-type fastening (3,4) has an axially acting alignment bore (4) for receiving an alignment bolt (3), and in that a radially acting positioning element (8) defines the rotational direction of the table leg (2).
3. The table system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the plug-type fastening (3,4) has at least one bore (4), which is conical at least in sections, and an upwardly tapering alignment bolt (3) which is in particular designed to be slim, round and conical at least in sections, with an overall cone angle of between 3 and 30 degrees, preferably approximately 20 degrees.
4. The table system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the plug-type fastening (27,28) forms a cylindrical bore (27) and a bolt (28) with short spherical (28a) or short cylindrical sections (28b), which bolt (28) forms a neck (34) between said sections.
5. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the alignment bolt (3) of the plug-type fastening has an encircling channel (3a), depressions or bores, in particular two to four conical bores (40) which are designed for the form-fitting insertion of a latching device (5,6,7) or ejector device (23,24).
6. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining device runs transversely with respect to the table leg, in that said retaining device has a round latching bolt (5), with a forwardly tapering, in particular self-locking conical insertion section (5a), and has a spring (6) for automatic insertion and a handle (7) for the release of the latching bolt (5) in the direction counter to the spring force.
7. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining device has a tilting lever, having a spring for automatic insertion and a handle for the release of the tilting lever in the direction counter to the spring force, with the tilting lever having an insertion bevel which is in particular of self-locking design.
8. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining device consists in that the plug-type fastening itself is of self-locking design, in particular in that said retaining device has a very slim conical bolt (22) with a corresponding conical bore (35), with an overall cone angle of between 2 and 25°, in combination with an ejector device (23,24).
9. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the ejector device (23,24) has a torsion bolt (23), which runs transversely with respect to the table leg, with an eccentric insertion section (23a), and a handle (24) which sets the torsion bolt (23) in rotation in order to eject the table leg.
10. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said table system has, on the table legs, in each case at least one positioning element (8) which is in particular spherical in sections, and in that the positioning element (8) is designed both for insertion into the alignment bore (4) and also for insertion into cutouts which align the table leg in the rotational direction, in particular into a plurality of grooves (9) which are arranged in a star shape with respect to the plug-type fastening.
11. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that an axially acting alignment bore (4, 45), which is designed in particular as an insert sleeve, is situated directly at the corner of the table top, in that at least one radially defining cutout (9,46) is situated adjacent thereto, and in that two in particular identical alignment bolts (34), or else one alignment bolt (3) and one positioning bolt (8), are situated in each case on the table leg.
12. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the table top unit has the following design:
- a supporting panel (42) is provided,
- a table frame which is formed in particular from hollow profiles (43,44) is provided,
- the plug-type fastening (45,46) is situated in each case in the table frame, in particular in the longitudinal tube (43) thereof,
- the retaining device (41,47,48,49,50) is situated in each case in the table frame, in particular in the transverse tube (44) thereof.
13. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the table leg has the following design in each case:
- a hollow profile (35) with an upper and lower cover (36,37) is provided,
- the alignment bolt(s) (34) is/are fastened to the upper cover (36),
- the alignment bolt(s) (34) is/are braced, together with the upper cover (36), with the lower cover (37) by means of one or more tension rods (38) which run in the hollow profile (35).
14. The table system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining device (41,47,48,49,50) has a long latching length, preferably of greater than 5 mm, and thereby a tolerant lock-in range, which acts even in a state in which the alignment bolt (34) is not yet situated in the axially aligned end position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 24, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 23, 2009
Applicant: VEL VEGA LDA. (Funchal Madeira)
Inventor: Matthias Fischer (Wien)
Application Number: 12/223,286
International Classification: A47B 3/06 (20060101);