TV tray table
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TV tray table or TV dinner tray is a type of collapsible furniture that functions as a small, portable table. They are most commonly used to place meals on while watching television. A tray-table can also refer to a fold-away tray, such as those found in front of airline seats.
TV tray tables became popular in the 1950s as a way to hold food and beverage items while watching TV, the iconic item being a TV dinner. National advertising for TV tray tables first appeared in 1952, a full year before Swanson introduced the TV dinner in October 1953[1]. A set of four TV tables could be mounted to a rack when not in use. The rack was popularly placed in a corner of the living room[2].
The inventor of TV tray table has been forgotten[3]. The original, popular models consisted of two pieces: an aluminum tray with grips mounted on its backside, and a set of tubular aluminum legs with rubberized tips at the bottom. The tray clips on to the legs, which can be opened up to support the tray, or collapsed for stackable storage. The tray remains clipped to one leg support during storage.
As times changed, so did construction techniques, and today TV tray tables are commonly manufactured using molded plastic. It is now common for TV dinner trays to be marketed as "retro" or kitsch items.
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