lot of four perfectly intact mid-20th century vintage american television dinner tray tables, possibly fabricated by the cal-dak co., chicago, il. the collapsible and/o portable tray tables are comprised of folded and pressed steel with each tray containing a distinctive (baked enameled) color. the folding legs share a uniform black paint finish. the original carrying stand is included with the four lightweight tables. the term tv dinner is a genericized trademark originally used for a brand of packaged meal developed in 1953 by c.a. swanson & sons (the name in full was tv brand frozen dinner). swanson stopped using the name "tv dinner" in 1962. several smaller companies had conceived of frozen dinners earlier, but the first to achieve success was swanson. the first swanson-brand tv dinner was produced in the united states and consisted of a thanksgiving meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, frozen peas and sweet potatoes packaged in a tray like those used at the time forairline food service. each item was placed in its own compartment. the trays proved to be useful: the entire dinner could be removed from the outer packaging as a unit; the aluminum tray could be heated directly in the oven without any extra dishes; and one could eat the meal directly from the same tray. the name tv dinner came from the shape of the tray it was served on. the main entrée was in a bigger compartment on one side of the tray and the vegetables lined up in smaller compartments on the other side. the arrangement was similar to that of the front panels of a 1950's television set: a screen on the left and speakers and control on the right. there were other theories about the name of the tv dinner. one reason was that early packaging featured the image of a tv set. another was that many families would eat these in front of a tv set. each table measures 20 inches tall.