Collapsible table with foldable leg braces held straight by cables when

Abstract

A collapsible table, especially suited for supporting persons to be massaged, comprises, in a main embodiment, a pair of hingedly-connected top sections (12) and two pairs of legs (16) hingedly connected to the respective outer ends of the top sections. A foldable leg brace (18) is connected between the side of the table's top at its center and a lower part of each leg. A brace crosspiece (32) interconnects each pair of braces. A pair of short cable support legs (26) extend down from the center of the table. Each of a pair of cables (28) extends in a V-shaped arrangement from near the leg hinges at one end of the table down through holes in the brace crosspieces to the bottom ends of the cable support legs and then up through the other brace cross piece to the leg hinges at the opposite end of the table. Each cable has a stop (10) fixedly attached thereto just above the place where the cable passes through its brace crosspiece, the stop preferably comprising a sleeve (34) crimped to the cable and a helical spring (38) between the crimped sleeve and the crosspiece. The cable stops prevent the leg braces from being folded up unless the cables are first slackened by folding the two top sections of the table together. However since the top sections can't be folded together while the table is upright, especially if weight is on the table, the table's braces and legs are locked when it is upright. In other embodiment, the cable extends directly between leg braces (FIG. 2), legs per se (FIG. 3), or around splayed legs (FIG. 4) to provide an automatic leg, or leg brace, locking feature. In still other embodiments an improved face cradle (FIG. 5A) is provided which comprises a plate (82), one end of which has a hinged connection (90, 98) to the table top, and which includes a support arm (92) hingedly connected (94) to an underside of the plate and adjustably connected (106) to an underside of the table, either by a slot (96) or by a plurality of holes (128, FIG. 7 C). The table can have an adjustable leg (FIG. 6A) comprising two sections (110, 112) which are keyed together (114) and which are separated by spaced pads (116) and bolted together between the pads (122). The legs (FIG. 8A, 144) can alternatively be hinged to the underside of the table's top (142) and supported in open position by a pair of hinged brace arms (146), the ends of which are removably joinable to the the legs, respectively, at locations spaced from the ends of the legs by pin-in-hole (156, 160) and multiple hook and loop fasteners (154, 158).