US1493036A - Tray or table attachment - Google Patents

Description

I. L. HAY

-TRAY on TABLE ATTACHMENT Filed May 7 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 I P I 12 9' 17 7 0' gwuwntoz May 6 1924. 1,493,036

l. L. HAY

TRAY OR TABLE ATTACHMENT Filed May 7. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ay G, 192%.

d T N T F C E a ID'US L. HAY, OF DONALSONVILLE, GEORGIA.

TY OR TABLE ATTACHMENT.

Application filed May 7, 1923. Serial No. 637,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, InUs L. HAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Donalsonville, county of Seminole, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tray or Table Attachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tray or table at tachments; and it relates more particularly to such attachments adapted to be removably mounted upon other articles for conjoint use of the tray or table and the article to which it is attached.

A general object of the invention is to provide a tray or table-attachment, or holder as it may also be termed, simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and readily mounted and removed by a simple hand manipulation without the use of tools.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide such an attachment or holder adapted to be removably mounted upon an automobile for use as a refreshment table or the like by the occupants of the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an attachment or holder which in the mounting operation may be held in the desired positlon by one hand and clamped in position my movement by the other hand of a single movable part.

Broadly stated, the novel attachment or holder comprises a top plate, preferably in the form of a tray, two or more jaw or clamping members mounted upon the bottom of the plate or tray for relative move-' ment to engage opposite sides of an upright support, such for example as a side wall of an automobile body, with the plate or tray positioned upon the upper edge of the supporting body and extending therefrom, and hand operated means mounted on the plate or tray for adjusting the jaws. -In a preferred form of the device, the hand operated means is such as to require movement of but I a single element and in a straight line in onedirection to clamp the jaws against the support, handle means being provided whereby this movement may be performed by a gripping action of one hand of the operator, the other hand being thus free to locate the top plate or tray in the desired position upon the support.

The objects and principles of my invention will more fully appear from a detailed description hereinafter to be given of an illustrative embodiment of my invention in a preferred form. It is to be understood, however, that the embodiment hereinafter described is merely illustrative of my invention and that the broad scope of the invention includes various other specific embodiments in accordance with the principles of the inven: tion and as defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig.1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my novel table attachment or holder;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 3 is anend view;

Fig. 4 is an end view of a bottom plate which is affixed to the bottom of the table-top or tray;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the table-top or tray showing details of its construction;

Fig. 6 is a perspective bottom view on a reduced scale of the attachment or holder showing the jaws or clamping members adapted to clamp the attachment upon a support and handle means gripped by the hand of the operator in the act of adjusting the jaws; and a Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an automobile showing the attachment mounted upon a side portion thereof in position for use, for example, as a refreshment table or tray.

Any suitable form of plate or tray may be employed as the article-supporting element of the attachment. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, however, a tray, de-

sirably of thin sheet metal, for example, galvanized iron, and indicated by the numeral 1 in the drawings, is employed. The tray is formed of a rectangular metal sheet or plate with upturned and rolled edges 2 as shown particularly in Fig. 5.

To the bottom of the tray is secured a base-plate 3, rivets 4 being employed as the securing means, although obviously the parts may be secured together by soldering or by any other suitable means. The base plate, like the tray, is preferably formed of thin sheet metal, and has down-turned and rolled edges 5 along its two sides of greatest length and a central longitudinally extending ofi'set portion 6, as shown particularly in the end elevational view of Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the base-plate is of less section to conform to the bounding walls ofriveted thereto an length and width than thetray, and with the parts secured together, the ofiset portion 6 of the base-plate cooperates with the bottom of the tray to form a longitudinalslideway for a jaw-bar 7. The jaw-bar 7, of any suitable rigid material, preferably of wrought iron, is rectangular in crossthe slideway with an easy slidin fit therein. The jaw-bar 7 extends entire y through the slide way and upon one end thereof, the left hand end as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, is mounted a jaw member 8. The jaw memher 8 may be a separate member attached to the jaw bar 7 or it may be integral therewith. In the specific form of the device here shown, the jaw member 8 is integral with the jaw-bar 7, the bar being bent to form thetwo parts 7 and.8. W'ith the jaw-bar 7 mounted in the slideway as shown in Fig. 1, the jaw-member 8 depends therefrom and downwardly from the tray bottom at a slight inclination from the vertical so as to adapt the jaw-member 8 to e age the inner side of the slightly inclined s de wall oi an automobile body. Where the attachment is intended to be mounted upon a strictly vertical support, the jaw-member 8 as well as the cooperating jaw-members later to be referred to would be arranged to extend perpendicularly from the tray bottom.

The jaw-member 8, because of its mounting on the slidable jaw-bar 7, constitutes a movable jaw-member.

Spaced at equal distances on opposite sides of the offset portion 6 of the base-plate and at equal distances inwardly of the end of the tray are fixed jaw-members 9 and 10. These fixed jaw-members 9 and 10 have their ,bases upon the tray bottom and closely adjacent one end of the baselate, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2." As also 5 own in Figs. 1 and 2, these fixed jaw-members 9 and 10 are provided, respectively, with strap portions 9', 9" and 10', 10", the strap portions 9 and 10' extending from the bases of the jaw-members alon' the tray bottom and the strap portions 9" and '10" extending from the free depending ends of the jaw members obli uely to and then along the base-plate and riveted thereto.. The aw-members 9 and 10 are, by the stra portions referred to, fixedly attached to t etray and base-plate to de end therefrom in a plane parallel with t e depending jaw-member 8, and are adaptedto engage the supporting body on the side opposite to that engaged by the movable jawmember' 8. In other words, the fixed jawmembers 9 and 10, as a pair, cooperate with the movable jaw member 8*to clamp the attachment upon the sup ort.

Pads 11 of rubber, elt or the like, are mounted upon'the inner face of the movable jaw-member 8 endupon the outer faces at towar aeeaoee the fixed jaw members 9 and 10 and along the exposed faces of the strap portions. 9' and 10', so as to prevent the faces of the parts-referred to, which enage the supporting body, from marring its finish, for example, where the supporting body is the side wall of an automobile. In addition to the referred to function of the pads, they provide a firm gripping surface or the clamping parts.

Handle means are provided for sliding the jaw-bar 7 along the tray bottom to thereb adjust the movable jaw member 8 d or away from the fixed jaw members 9 and 10. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, such handle means comprises two handle parts, one fixed to the *baseplate of the tray and the other movable with the bar of the movable jaw member,.and both handle parts are disposed inrelation to be gripped by one hand of the operator in the act of clamping the attachment upon the support. The fixed handle part con-v sist of a stem portion 12 of wood or other suitable material, adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator. The base of the stem 12 rests upon the central ofiset portion 6 of the bottom plate and this stem is securely anchored upon the base-plate by a metal strap 13 secured to and encompassing two opposite sides and the free end of the stem and terminating in side portions riveted as at 14to'the bottom plate.

The movable handle part consists of a hook-shaped finger hold 15 fixed to the jawbar 7 and hence movable therewith, a slot 16 (Fig. 2) being formed in the ofiset portion 6 of the bottom plate to permit the movement of the finger hold 15 longitudin'ally of the tray bottom. The hand of the operator grasping the handle 12 with a finger extended about the finger hold 15, is represented in Fi 6. As appears from .the illustration, a pn by the finger upon the finger-hold 15 slides the jaw bar 7 in a direction, to the right as viewed in Fig. 6, to

move the jaw member 8 towards-the jaw members 9 and 10.

Ratchet teeth 17 are formed upon the gagement with the ratchet teeth. The pawl an ratchet are so cooperatively arranged, as is clear from Fig. 1, that the jaw member -8 is freely movable toward the jaw members 9 endlO to clamp the attachment upon its support, but no movement of the jaw mem- Mr 8- in-the opposite direction to free the jaw members from their' clamping engagement with the support is Wsible unless the awl is manually releam Such manual re ease.

4 ,tion may be I operator, the and gripping the handle part members. Upon such separation of the jaw members, the attachment may be lifted from its support. j

As-shown in Fig. 6, the clamping operaerformed by one hand of the 12 and the extended finger pulling upon the finger hold 15, thus leaving the other hand free to'locate the tray upon the upper edge of its support in the position shown in Fig. 7. The. attachment is therefore extremely convenient in the mechanism for its mounting, is self-contained, all operating parts being mounted upon a unitary structure, and requires no supplementary mechanisms or tools for its mounting or demounting. Moreover, a sliding movement of a single movable part, the j aw-bar 7 carrying the jaw member 8 and finger-hold 15, operates to engage the jaw members with the support to clamp the attachment in position,'thus avoiding a plurality of or complexity of movements in adjusting the jaw or clamping members.

What I claim is:

1, A holder comprising, in combination,

an article supporting plate, cooperating jaw' or clamping members mounted upon said plate for relative movements in approaching and separating directions and adapted to engage opposite sides of a supporting body to clamp said plate in supported position, and manually operable means for imparting relative movements to said jaw members, said means comprising two handle parts adapted to be gripped together in relative approaching movement by the hand of the operator to impart relative movement to said jaw members in approaching direction.

2. A table attachment, comprising, in combination a table-top, jaw or clam ing members mounted upon the under sur ace of said table-top for relative movements in approaching and separating directions and adapted to engage opposite sides of a supporting body to clamp said table-top in supported position and manually operable means for imparting relative movements to said jaw members, said means comprising two handle arts spaced from said jaw members and a apted to be gripped together in relative approaching movement by the hand of, the operator to impart relative movement aw members in approaching direction. I

' 3. An-attachment adapted to be mounted upon the upper edge of the side wall of an automobile or other substantially vertical support, comprising, in combination, a tray, a jaw or clamping member fixedly moimted upon the bottom of said tray and arranged to engage one side of said support in mounting sai'dattachment, a bar slidably mounted on said tray bottom,a jaw or clamping mem ber fixed to said'bar and arranged upon sliding movements of said bar to be moved into and out of engagement with the opposite side of said support, a finger hold upon said bar and a handle on said tray bottom, said finger hold and handle being cooperatively arranged to be gripped together by one hand of the operator to efl'ect a sliding movement of said bar in the mounting of said attachment.

4. A holder comprising, in combination, an article supporting frame, cooperating jaw or clamping members mounted upon said frame for relative movements of adjustment in approaching and separating directions and adapted to engage opposite sides of a supporting body to clamp said frame in supported position, means for manually adjusting said jaw member comprising two handle parts adapted to be gripped together in relative approaching movement by the hand of the operator to impart relative movement to said jaw members in approaching direction and a detent device permitting unrestrained relative movement of said jaw members in approaching direction but restraining relative movement of said jaw members in separating direction.

5. An attachment adapted to be mounted upon the upper edge of the side wall of an automobile or other substantially vertical support, comprising, in combination, a tray, a ratchet bar slidably mountedtipon the bottom of said tray, a jaw or clamping member fixedly mounted on said ratchet bar to be movable therewith, opposed jaw or clamping members fixedly mounted on the bottom of said tray, said first mentioned jaw memher and opposed jaw members being adapted to engage opposite sides of said support in mounting said attachment, 'a handle part fixedly mounted on said tray bottom, a cooperating handle part -mounted on said ratchet bar, said handle parts being adapted and arranged to be gripped together by one hand of the operator for sliding movement of said ratchet bar in a direction to bring said jaw members into saidengagement with opposite sides of said support, and a spring pressed detent engaging said ratchet bar to releasably retain said jaw members in said positions of engagement with said said support.

si ature. gn IDUS L. HAY.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my

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