Curved display and curved display support

• US 10,154,562 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Baloga, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Evan
• Application Number:
  US15/638,844
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0076 the screen being incorporated in the desk top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/00 Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/0073 liftable above the desk top
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/08 with a standard F21S6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0012 Furniture hospital beds F21V33/0072
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/301 for furniture
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/145 Arrangements of the electroluminescent material

Abstract

A workstation assembly comprising an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including first and second substantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the first and second flat sections is substantially horizontal and the other of the first and second flat sections is at least somewhat vertical, first and second curved surface sections that are curved about first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface, a support structure and a driver.

Claims

1. A workstation assembly comprising:

an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

at least first and second substantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the first and second flat sections is substantially horizontal and the other of the first and second flat sections is at least somewhat vertical;

at least first and second curved emissive surface sections that are curved about first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface;

a support structure supporting the emissive surface assembly above an ambient floor surface; and

a driver for presenting content on the substantially contiguous emissive surface.

2. The workstation of claim 1 further including a third substantially flat emissive surface section, the second curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and third flat surface sections, the third flat surface section non-parallel to each of the first and second flat surface sections.

3. The workstation of claim 2 wherein each of the first, second and third flat surface sections includes substantially straight edge portions that abut adjacent curved sections.

4. The workstation of claim 3 wherein the first flat section is substantially horizontal and wherein the third flat section extends at least somewhat vertically upward.

5. The workstation of claim 4 wherein edges of the second and third flat surface sections are adjacent each other and wherein the adjacent edges are substantially parallel.

6. The workstation of claim 5 wherein a gap is formed between the adjacent edges of the second and third flat surface sections.

7. The workstation of claim 3 wherein the second flat section is substantially horizontal and wherein the third flat section extends laterally from the second curved section.

8. The workstation of claim 7 wherein edges of the second and third flat surface sections are adjacent each other and wherein the adjacent edges are substantially parallel.

9. The workstation of claim 4 further including a fourth substantially flat emissive surface section and a third curved emissive surface section, the third curved section between and adjacent each of the first and fourth flat surface sections, the third curved section positioned along an edge off the first flat surface section opposite the edge along which the second curved surface section is positioned, the fourth flat surface section extending at least somewhat vertically upward.

10. The workstation of claim 9 wherein edges of the second and third flat surface sections are adjacent each other and edges of the second and fourth flat surface sections are adjacent each other, and wherein the adjacent edges are substantially parallel.

11. The workstation of claim 10 wherein a gap is formed between the adjacent edges of the second and third flat surface sections and wherein another gap if formed between the adjacent edges of the second and fourth flat surfaces.

12. The workstation of claim 10 wherein the first flat surface section forms a trapezoid.

13. The workstation of claim 12 wherein the second flat surface section is substantially rectangular.

14. The workstation of claim 13 wherein each of the third and fourth flat surface sections are substantially similarly shaped.

15. The workstation of claim 5 wherein a gap is formed between the adjacent edges of the second and third flat surface sections.

16. The workstation of claim 1 wherein at least one of the curved surface sections is flexible and wherein the support structure includes at least one member for maintaining the at least one flexible curved section in a single orientation.

17. The workstation of claim 1 wherein the first flat surface section and the second curved surface section are integrally formed and wherein the second flat surface section and the first curved surface section are integrally formed and wherein an edge of the first curved section opposite the second flat surface section is immediately adjacent a straight edge portion of the first flat surface section.

18. The workstation of claim 1 wherein at least portions of the substantially contiguous emissive surface are touch sensitive and wherein the driver presents a virtual touch sensitive interface via the emissive surface.

19. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second curved sections curves along a length of the axis between first and second ends and wherein the degree of curvature is greater at the first end than at the second end.

20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein the second curved section curves along the length of the axis between the first and second ends where the degree of curvature is greater at the first end than at the second end.

21. The assembly of claim 20 wherein the first flat section is substantially horizontal.

22. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first flat section is horizontal.

23. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second flat sections is trapezoidal.

24. The assembly of claim 1 wherein all of the sections are integrally formed.

25. The assembly of claim 1 further including a third curved section that curves around a third axis and that abuts an edge of the second flat section opposite the first curved section and a third flat section that extends from an edge of the third curved section opposite the first curved section, the third axis substantially parallel to the first axis.

26. The assembly of claim 25 wherein the first flat section is substantially horizontal and extends from the first curved section in a first direction and wherein the third flat section extends from the third curved section in substantially the first direction.

27. The assembly of claim 1 further including at least third and fourth flat emissive surface sections and additional curved sections wherein only a single curbed section resides between each two adjacent flat sections.

28. The assembly of claim 27 wherein the first flat section is substantially horizontal and includes a rear edge and first and second lateral edges and wherein the second, third and fourth flat sections extend generally upward from adjacent the rear edge and the first and second lateral edges, respectively.

29. The assembly of claim 27 wherein the second flat section is substantially horizontal and wherein the first flat section includes top, bottom and first and second lateral edges, the second flat section extending forward from adjacent the bottom edge of the first flat section and the third and fourth flat sections extending generally forward from adjacent the first and send lateral edges, respectively.

30. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the curved sections have a disparate radius of curvature along an associated axis.

31. A workstation assembly comprising:

a support structure supported on an ambient floor surface;

an emissive surface assembly supported above the ambient floor surface by the support structure, the surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

a first substantially flat emissive surface section having at least first and second substantially straight non-parallel edge portions;

a first curved emissive surface section having first and second substantially straight edge portions along opposite edges wherein the first straight edge portion of the first curved emissive surface section is immediately adjacent and extends along the first straight edge portion of the first flat surface section;

a second curved emissive surface section having first and second substantially straight edge portions along opposite edges wherein the first straight edge portion of the second curved emissive surface section is immediately adjacent and extends along the second straight edge portion of the first flat surface section;

a second substantially flat emissive surface section having at least a first substantially straight edge portion immediately adjacent and extending along the second straight edge portion of the first curved emissive surface section; and

a driver for presenting content on the emissive surfaces of the surface assembly;

wherein the surface assembly forms a plurality of emissive surfaces about a work space including at least one substantially flat and substantially horizontal emissive worksurface and at least one emissive surface that extends upward and out of the plane occupied by the horizontal emissive worksurface.

32. A workstation assembly comprising:

an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

at least first, second and third substantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the first, second and third flat sections is substantially horizontal and the others of the flat sections are at least somewhat vertical, the first flat surface section forming at least first and second substantially straight non-parallel edge portions and each of the second and third flat surface sections forming at least a first substantially straight edge portion;

at least first and second curved emissive surface sections that are curved about first and second axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent and extending along the substantially straight first edge portions of each of the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section positioned between and adjacent and extending along the substantially straight second edge portion of the first flat section and the substantially straight first edge portion of the third flat surface section;

a support structure for supporting the emissive surface assembly above an ambient floor surface; and

a driver for presenting content on the emissive surfaces of the emissive surface assembly.