Self-Leveling, Nesting Table Base with a Torsion-Ring Leg Hub

The problem

Every four-legged table rocks on a floor that is not perfectly flat - patios, old wooden floors, tiled restaurant floors with grout lines, event-hall carpets over uneven slabs. The fixes in use today work one leg at a time: screw-in glides that must be adjusted by hand for each spot, wedges that fall out, or single self-adjusting feet that only compensate a small amount. Event and training-room tables have a second headache: storing dozens of them takes a lot of floor area unless the bases can nest.

The solution

The patent couples all legs through the hub, and shapes the hub so bases nest:

1. A fixed seat (1) is mounted under the object - in the main example, under a column (9) that carries a hinged tabletop (10).
2. Four legs (2) are fitted around the seat at an incline. Two neighbouring legs are mounted higher on the seat (high legs, 21) than the other two (low legs, 22), but all four feet reach the same floor plane.
3. Inside the seat a cylindrical torsion ring (3) turns about a vertical axis. It has a torsion groove (31) facing each leg.
4. Each leg carries a connecting post (4) that passes through the seat into its groove, with a dial tooth (5) between post and groove. Limiting features stop the parts from twisting the wrong way.
5. On a flat floor all legs press evenly and the ring is balanced. On an uneven floor, the leg standing on a high spot rotates slightly about its horizontal axis under the load; the tooth turns the ring, and the ring turns the other legs until all four carry load and the top is level.
6. With the top turned vertical about its hinge, the low legs of one base slide under the high legs of the next, so a row of tables nests in a line.

Who it is for

• Contract furniture makers supplying training-room, conference and banquet tables that must be moved, nested and set up often.
• Café and restaurant furniture brands selling outdoor tables for patios and sidewalks, where wobble is the most common complaint.
• Table-base specialists who sell bases separately to shops that fit their own tops.
• Equipment and display makers looking for a stand that settles on uneven ground under a heavier load.

How it works

The main parts

Using it

1. Set the table down. On a flat floor the ring stays centered and all legs load evenly.
2. On an uneven floor, the leg on the high spot is pushed up and turns a little; the ring passes the motion to the other legs, and the base settles level by itself.
3. To store, turn the top to vertical about its hinge on the column.
4. Push the next table in so its low legs slide under the high legs of the first. Repeat to nest a whole row.

The patent shows two ring layouts: grooves whose limit slots on opposite sides run in the same direction, or adjacent slots running in opposite directions (figure 8 shows the ring).

Applications

Training rooms and conference centers

Flip-top training tables are set up and cleared daily. A base that nests reduces storage space, and self-leveling saves staff from fiddling with glides on every table.

Outdoor cafés and terraces

Paving, decking and sloped sidewalks make tables rock. A base that settles on its own removes the folded-napkin fix and the spilled-coffee complaints.

Banquet halls and hotel event spaces

Large numbers of tables move between rooms with different floors. Nesting bases fit more tables on each storage dolly or in each store room.

Office furniture and coworking spaces

Reconfigurable spaces need tables that can be pushed together, cleared and nested quickly, then stand steady wherever they are placed.

Display and equipment stands

The patent notes the structure can carry heavy objects; display plinths, signage and equipment stands on uneven floors are a natural use.

Where it is less suitable

• Fixed dining tables at home - if the table never moves and the floor is flat, a simple glide is cheaper.
• Large rectangular tables on four corner legs - this is a central-hub design; long tables with corner legs need a different leveling approach.