Untitled record

IS 2 579 166 T3

DESCRIPTION

Frame Type Table Sets

Background of the invention

The field of the invention are desks or tables and, more specifically, desk or table assemblies that include leg members, work surfaces, storage components, and cable management components that can be configured and assembled to form one or a plurality of different workstation layouts using a small number of or no tools.

The office furniture industry is constantly evolving to meet customer needs. Table sets have been developed that can be used in large open spaces to provide temporary or permanent jobs for one or more employees. To this end, known table assemblies typically include a leg structure that supports one or more desk or table tops for use by one or more employees. In many cases, additional upper limbs and leg structures can be added to an additional configuration to add additional employee workstations. Known designs often include some type of cable management system mounted on the lower surfaces of the upper limbs to conceal power and / or data cables necessary to support users at workstations. Power outlets are typically provided underneath or on top surfaces to power devices (eg computers, chargers, lighting, etc.). Storage requirements are often met by providing storage items that mount to the lower surfaces of the upper limbs or in some way to the leg structures. Other accessories such as computer shelves, displays, lighting devices, paper holders and the like are known and are often mechanically mounted to the bottom surfaces or edges of the upper member or to the support leg structure.

Although table assemblies have proven particularly useful in certain applications, known table assemblies have several drawbacks. First, some sidewalk conditioning systems have been designed to have a minimal number of component parts and are supposed to be easy to assemble without the use of tools or with minimal use of tools. Unfortunately, in these cases, the resulting tabletop assemblies are often unstable and do not present a quality look and feel after assembly and during use.

Second, some tabletop assemblies have been developed that include a large number of components and mechanical joints between components to provide a relatively high quality look and feel. In this case, however, the look and feel of quality and accessory support typically add significantly to expense and, due to their relative complexity, these systems typically require multi-stage assembly of a large number of components and the use of many specialized tools, making it difficult at best for an untrained person to assemble a setup. Additionally, when optimal configuration requirements change (that is, five jobs are required instead of eight), the complexity of the system deters reconfiguration, resulting in suboptimal use of space.

Third, with the exception of adding additional workstations to an existing configuration, known table assemblies are not particularly reconfigurable for purposes other than the use of a workstation. Thus, for example, where a sidewalk refurbishment assembly currently includes eight jobs in a four versus four configuration and only five jobs are required, it may be advantageous to be able to reconfigure the configuration so that two of the positions could be used as general seating in the area and a third of the positions could be eliminated. Known table sets cannot be reconfigured in this way.

Fourth, no known table assembly allows the components of a single workstation assembly to be used in their entirety in a face-to-face two-person workstation assembly, which is a particularly useful capability, since it allows the helpful face-to-face arrangement while still allowing odd numbers of workstations to be configured together to optimally support any number of users.

Attention is drawn to the disclosure of US 2007/114892.

Brief summary of the invention

It has been recognized that a reconfigurable tabletop assembly can be provided that includes a simplified center frame structure and a small additional number of components that can be assembled in many different ways to suit optimal configuration requirements and that can just as easily be disassembled for reconfiguration. whenever you want. The components of the assembly have been specifically designed so that assembly is intuitive, easy, and requires few (for example, one), if any, tools.

IS 2 579 166 T3

The present invention provides a table assembly according to claim 1.

Still other embodiments include a table assembly comprising a plurality of leg members, each leg member having first and second side surfaces opposingly facing, the leg members spaced apart to define frame spaces between adjacent pairs of leg members. , the frame spaces including at least one first frame space, the leg members including at least one first leg member and one last leg member, wherein each of the first and last leg members are adjacent only to one other leg member and pairs of deck members including at least one first pair of deck members, each pair of deck members including first and second deck members. board supported at least in part within one of the frame spaces and extending between the pair of leg members defining the frame space in which the pair of tables is supported, the first and second board members forming at each pair of first and second board surfaces, respectively, where the first and second board surfaces are at the same height.

Some embodiments further include a first end table member supported by the first leg member on a side of the first leg member opposite the leg member that is adjacent to the first leg member, the first end table member forming a surface. top that is at the same height as the first and second deck members. In some cases, the first end table member forms a semi-circular top surface. Some embodiments further include a second end table member supported by the last leg member on one side of the last leg member opposite the leg member that is adjacent to the last leg member, the second end table member forming a surface. top that is at the same height as the first and second deck members. In some cases, each of the first and second end table members forms a semi-circular top surface. In some cases, each of the leg members forms an upper surface and wherein each of the upper surfaces of the leg members are at the same height as the upper surfaces of the first and second deck members.

Some embodiments further include at least one first bowl member mounted in each frame space, each bowl member mounted at opposite ends of the leg members defining the frame space in which the bowl member is mounted, including each bowl member a bottom wall member having an upper surface located at a height below the height of the first and second deck members.

These and other objects, advantages and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. Such an embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention and reference is therefore made to the claims herein to interpret the scope of the invention.

Brief description of the various views of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table assembly not in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 43 is a top plan view showing a table assembly including three workstations and a single room subassembly;

Figure 64 is a perspective view of a table / desk assembly including an installed privacy screen assembly consistent with the present invention;

Figure 65 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 65-65 in Figure 64 showing the shield assembly in an installed position;

Figure 66 is a perspective view of one of the display support blocks shown in Figure 64;

Figure 67 is a side view of the display support block shown in Figure 66;

Figure 68 is a front view of the display support block shown in Figure 66;

Figure 69 is a perspective view showing the privacy screen assembly of Figure 64 in a second supporting position, albeit detached from the table / desk assembly shown in Figure 64;

Figure 70 is a side view of a different screen support block having a different slot shape;

Figure 71 is similar to Figure 70, however having a different groove shape; Y

Figure 72 is a perspective view of the accessory shown in Figure 69.

Detailed description of the invention

One or more embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It should be appreciated that, in the development of any actual implementation of this type, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting system-related constraints. and business-related, which may vary from implementation to implementation. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that such a development effort could be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine design, fabrication and manufacturing task for those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

IS 2 579 166 T3

Referring now to the drawings, where like reference numerals correspond to like elements throughout the various views, and more specifically with reference to Figure 1, the present invention will initially be described in the context of a single table assembly configuration. 10 that includes a small number of basic components.

Referring again to Figure 1, each of the leg assemblies 12a and 12b is similarly constructed and functions similarly.

Referring back to Figure 1, the top member 279 has a thickness dimension such that, after installation, the top surface 9 of the member 279 is at a height that is flush with the top surfaces 28 of the assembly assemblies. leg 12a and 12b.

Therefore, it should be appreciated that the configuration 10 in Figure 1 can be easily and intuitively reconfigured to use all the components of the assembly 10 from a single person table assembly to configuring a face-to-face two-person workstation that includes a pair of boards supported at least in part within the frame space formed by the facing surfaces of the leg assemblies 12a and 12b. As shown, the boards 14 and 14a form a divided headspace between facing trailing edges where bowl members 16 and 16a, as well as a channel assembly 18, are located in the divided headspace and are supported by the leg members. . The slideability of the channel assembly 18 with respect to the leg openings 39 (see again FIG. 1) allows for quick and easy reconfiguration from station for one to station for two and vice versa.

Referring to Fig. 43, a first embodiment 380 is illustrated. In this case, deck assembly 382 has a configuration that is similar to deck assembly 14 described above except that deck assembly 382 has a depth dimension D4 which it is equal to the combined depths of the deck assembly 14 and one of the bowl members 16 described above. Therefore, the deck assembly 382 takes the place of one of the deck assemblies 14 and a bowl member 16 between the leg members 12b and 12c and the adjacent channel assembly 18a.

In at least some applications, it has been recognized that when a setup has been designed to provide two opposing work surfaces, people using the two different sides of the setup may prefer to have a barrier between the two sides to provide greater privacy. to each of the two users in the configuration. To this end, an embodiment with a dividing screen is shown in Figures 64-69. The display assembly 900 is shown in an operative position in Figure 64 mounted in an exemplary two-person workstation configuration 910. Consistent with the configurations described above, the configuration 910 includes a channel assembly 18 mounted between an assembly of wide depth table 382 on one side and a bowl member 16 and a narrow depth table assembly 14 on the opposite side. Channel assembly 18 is mounted at opposite ends and extends between first and second leg assemblies 12a and 12b. With reference specifically to Figure 65, consistent with the configurations described above, exemplary channel assembly 18 forms, among other things, an upper channel or cavity 126 and an upper surface 141 that extends along the length of the channel assembly. channel 18 where upper channel 126 forms an upward opening 925 to allow access with upper surface 141 extending on both sides of opening 925 into channel 126. The upper opening 925 forms a channel opening dimension C1 as shown in FIG. 65.

Still referring to Figures 64 and 65, and also Figures 66-69, screen assembly 900 includes screen member 912 and first and second screen support blocks 914a and 914b, respectively. The screen member 912, in the exemplary embodiment, is a rigid rectilinear member having a height dimension that is less than the length dimension and wherein the length dimension is less than the length dimension of the channel assembly 18 . For example, where channel assembly 18 is approximately 4 feet (120 cm) long, the length dimension of screen member 912 may be anywhere between 1½ and 3 feet (45 cm and 90 cm) long, the height dimension can be anywhere between 1 foot and 2 feet (30 and 60 cm). In other embodiments, other height and length dimensions are contemplated such as, for example, where the screen 912 may have a length substantially similar to the length of the channel assembly 18. In some embodiments, the member 912 may be formed of a single metal piece of steel of sufficient gauge, so that the member 912, although slightly flexible, is substantially unbending, so that it maintains its flat shape.

With reference to Figures 64 to 68, each of the display support blocks 914a and 914b is similarly constructed and functions similarly and therefore in the interest of simplifying this explanation, in this case only Block 914a will be described in detail. Block 914a is an integral component formed from molded plastic, aluminum, or some other rigid material and includes a body member 922 that includes parallel front and rear surfaces 936 and 938, respectively, and first and second parallel side surfaces 940 and 942, respectively. , which together form a substantially square or rectilinear shape which, in turn, defines an upper surface 930. Side surfaces 940 and 942 define a width dimension of block B1 (see Figure 68) that is slightly smaller than the opening dimension of channel C1 (see again

ES 2 579 166 T3 figure 65). Tabs 924a, 924b extend laterally from surfaces 940 and 942 having upper surfaces that are flush with upper surface 930 of block 922 and lower surfaces 950a and 950b.

Still referring to Figures 65 to 69, a lower surface of block 914a opposite upper surface 930 forms two ramps 932 and 934. Ramp 932 extends from front surface 936 toward a central portion of body member 922, thus so that the body member is thicker near the center than the adjacent front surface 936. Similarly, the ramp 934 extends from the trailing edge 938 toward the central portion of the body member 922, so that the body member 922 is thicker near the central portion than the adjacent rear surface 938 (i.e., the surfaces lower 932 and 934 form a vertex at the central level). Referring to Figure 68, midway between side surfaces 940 and 942, an upper surface slot 920 is formed in upper surface 930, extending approximately two-thirds of the distance through body member 922. The Slot 920 is parallel to side surfaces 940 and 942. Slot 920 has a width dimension (not marked) that is substantially similar to a width dimension of screen member 912.

Referring again to Figures 66 and 67, midway between the front and rear surfaces 936 and 938, the body member 922 forms a lower slot 960 that extends through the lower surface 932/934 of the body member. 922 approximately two-thirds of the distance to the upper surface 930 where the lower groove 960 is substantially parallel to each of the front and rear surfaces 936 and 938. Slot 960, like slot 920, has a width dimension (unmarked) that is substantially similar to the width dimension of screen member 912.

Still referring back to Figures 66 to 68, small ribs 926a and 926b are provided near the lower ends of side surfaces 940 and 942. Ribs 926a and 926b are, in at least some embodiments, at least somewhat resiliently deformable (for example made of plastic) and facilitate a relatively tight friction fit when support block 914a is received within the channel opening. top, as shown in figure 65.

Referring now to Figures 65 and 66, in operation, blocks 914a and 914b can be located within the channel opening 925 simply and without tools to, in turn, support screen member 912 between workspaces. faces formed by the 900 configuration. More specifically, as best shown in Figure 65, exemplary block 914a may be located above channel 126 with first slot 920 facing upward and aligned parallel to the length of channel assembly 18 and it can be lowered into upper channel 126 until lower surfaces 950a and 950b of flanges 924a and 924b contact upper surfaces 141 of assembly 18. At this point, the side surfaces 940 and 942 must contact the facing surfaces of the channel assembly 18 that form the opening 925 with ribs 926a and 926b that contact the facing surfaces to prohibit or at least substantially limit side-to-side movement of the block. 914a within aperture 925. Similarly, block 914b may be located within the top aperture of channel assembly 18 to be spaced (see FIG. 64) from block 914a. The screen member 912 is then positioned above the first slots 920 formed by the support blocks 914a and 914b and is lowered until the lower edge 916 thereof (see Figure 65) is received within the slots 920.

At this point, referring to FIG. 64, it should be appreciated that the screen member 912 is located between the two opposing workspaces formed by the configuration 910 and greater privacy is provided to the users of the two workspaces. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that after the installation of the screen assembly 900, the upper channel 126 between the screen member 912 and the upper surfaces 141 of the channel assembly 18 can still be accessed from both sides, as shown at 970. in Figures 64 and 65. Unless obstructed by other components, blocks 914a and 914b and associated screen member 912 can be slid along channel assembly 18 or removed and installed at different locations along the length of channel assembly 18 to adapt to user preferences. Furthermore, although only one screen assembly 900 is shown in FIG. 64, it should be appreciated that two or more screen assemblies 900 may be supported by a single channel assembly 18, depending on user preferences.

Referring now to Figures 66, 67 and 69, in addition to being used with the 910 configuration, the shield assembly 900 can also be used independently to provide the shield member 912 above any horizontal support surface. In this regard, support blocks 914a and 914b may be located with upper surface 930 facing downward and contacting a horizontal support surface with ramping lower surfaces 932 and 934 facing upward, so that second grooves 960 are open up, as best shown in Figure 67. In this case, blocks 914a and 914b can be positioned so that second slots 960 are aligned and spaced apart and screen member 912 can then be positioned as shown in Figure 69 with bottom edge 916 received within. of slots 960, so that member 912 is supported in a vertical orientation.

Referring to Figure 70, in at least some embodiments, one or both of the slots 920 and 960 may be wedge-shaped and may be resiliently formed to accommodate screens 912 that have different

ES 2 579 166 T3 thicknesses. Alternatively, the slots 920, 960 may be staggered as in Figure 71 to accommodate different screen thicknesses.

In at least some embodiments, additional accessories may be provided that may be supported by the shield member 912. To this end, since the member 912, in at least some embodiments, is formed of sheet steel metal, they may be attached to it. magnets, magnetic whiteboard sheets, etc. In Fig. 72, an exemplary corkboard accessory 980 is illustrated. The corkboard accessory 980 includes first and second rigid rectilinear members 982 and 984, respectively, that are hinged by a hinge 986 along an upper edge thereof. Each of the members 982 and 984 may include a cork surface type material on the front surface thereof and internal magnets 988. In this case, fitting 980 can be attached to screen member 912 as shown in Figure 69 by spacer members 982 and 984, by placing fitting 980 astride the top edge of screen member 912 with members 982 and 984. on opposite sides of member 912 and then allowing internal magnets 988 to effectively attach accessory 980 to screen 912. In at least some embodiments, the magnets are powerful enough that the accessory 980 can also be attached along any of the side edges of the member 912 or even along the bottom edge 916. Although members 982 and 984 can form cork surfaces, other accessories of at least some embodiments similar to accessory 980 can include whiteboard surfaces or other types of external surfaces, as desired by users of the configuration.

Therefore, the invention is as defined by the following appended claims.