Office accessory system for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces

• US 4,620,636 A
• Filed: 06/08/1984
• Issued: 11/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mcdonald Products Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mcdonald Products Corporation
• Inventors: Hansen, James G., Hasler, Theodore J., Herr, Francis V., Donlon, Harold E., Christian, Ken E., Beil, Valentin, Walklet, Thomas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britts, Ramon S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Blair M.
• Application Number:
  US06/618,836
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 211/126, 211/11, 211/55, 211/50, 211/88, 211/128, 211/194, 248/220.2, 248/224.4, 248/475.1, 220/23.4, 220/23.6, 206/504, 312/108, 312/245, 312/257 A, D19/92
• US Class Current: 211/126.2
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 7/12 Stacked trays

Abstract

An office accessory system for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in both conventional and open-plan environments. Accessories are provided, each being self-supporting on a horizontal surface, one of them being self-supporting on a horizontal surface in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation. The accessories have recesses for receiving support hooks engageable with the arm of a cantilever support. The cantilever support has an attaching bracket which is selectively engageable with the side channels found on a wide variety of open plan wall panels for mounting the accessories thereon in a vertical orientation.

Claims

1. An accessory system supportable from a vertical surface provided with bracket receiving means, said system comprising an office accessory designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation, said accessory being self-supporting in said first position on horizontal surfaces and including means defining a pair of spaced recesses opening to one side of said accessory, and means for selectively mounting said accessory in said second position on a vertical surface, said mounting means including a cantilever support having an attaching bracket adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means in the vertical surface and be thereby supported from the vertical surface, an arm having a free end extending for a substantial distance laterally from said attaching bracket, and means for releasably securing said accessory to said arm so that when said attaching bracket is supported from the vertical surface with said arm extending from said attaching bracket in a cantilever fashion and said accessory is releasably secured to said arm, said accessory is supported from the vertical surface, said means for releasably securing including means cooperable between the defined recesses of said accessory and said arm to support said accessory from the vertical surface as aforesaid, said means cooperable between said recesses and said arm including a pair of support hooks each having a portion which is releasably securable within a corresponding recess so that the hooks project from said accessory in laterally spaced relation, said arm having an upper edge with laterally spaced detents therein, said hooks engageable with said detents for suspending said accessory in front of said arm.

2. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said accessory also is self-supporting in said second position of orientation on horizontal surfaces.

3. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said accessory is a letter tray in said first position and a vertical file in said second position.

4. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said letter tray is stackable in both of said positions of orientation when supported on a horizontal surface.

5. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said accessory is a combination calendar and memo holder in both of said positions.

6. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cantilever support is substantially concealed from view by said accessory when said accessory is supported by said arm.

7. An accessory system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said hooks includes a leg engageable behind said arm when said accessory is suspended in front of said arm.

8. An accessory as set forth in claim 1, wherein said recesses are internally shouldered, and each of said hooks including a bifuracated leg having snap fit engagement in one of said recesses for suspending said accessory from said arm.

9. An accessory system as set forth in claim 3, together with another office accessory also designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation, said other accessory also being self-supporting in said first position on horizontal surfaces, and means for selectively mounting said other accessory in said second position on a vertical surface including a cantilever support and means for releasably securing said other accessory thereto, said securing means comprising a support hook engageable with either of said accessories.

11. An accessory system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said accessory is a letter tray in said first position and a vertical file in said second position, said letter tray being open at the front in said first position and open at the top in said second position and having opposite side walls, bottom wall means comprising a back wall in said second position, a cover panel comprising a front wall in said second position, and rear wall means comprising a bottom wall in said second position.

12. An accessory system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said angularly related legs each have at least one pair of vertically spaced tooth formations adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means.

13. An accessory system as set forth in claim 12, said tooth formations each comprising a plurality of teeth integrally formed adjacent one another.

14. An accessory system as set forth in claim 13 wherein a selected number of said teeth are separable from said tooth formations to accommodate various types of the bracket receiving means.

16. An accessory system as set forth in claim 13 wherein each of said angularly related legs is formed to provide means for accepting a spacer shim for adjusting the position of said bracket in the bracket receiving means.

17. An accessory system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said angularly related legs define an acute angle therebetween for biasing said laterally extending arm toward the vertical surface.

18. An accessory system as set forth in claim 17 further comprising spacer means carried by the free end of said laterally extending arm for abutting the vertical surface and for maintaining said arm in spaced relationship with the vertical surface.

10. An accessory system supportable from a vertical surface provided with bracket receiving means, said system comprising an office accessory designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation, said accessory being self-supporting in said first position on horizontal surfaces, means for selectively mounting said accessory in said second position on a vertical surface, said mounting means including a cantilever support having an attaching bracket adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means in the vertical surface and be thereby supported from the vertical surface, an arm having a free end extending laterally from said attaching bracket, and means for releasably securing said accessory to said arm so that when said attaching bracket is supported from the vertical surface and said accessory is releasably secured to said arm, said accessory is supported from the vertical surface, said attaching bracket including a pair of angularly related legs each adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means on a wall panel and the like, together with additional means for releasably securing said arm adjacent one end thereof to either of said legs to extend from either side of said attaching bracket and thereby selectively provide a cantilever support of either left or right hand orientation.

15. An accessory system as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said angularly related legs has a pair of vertically spaced fastener receiving apertures formed therein and said laterally extending arm has a corresponding pair of vertically spaced fastener receiving apertures, at least one of said arm apertures being of a configuration permitting limited movement of said arm relative to said bracket for adjusting said arm to a horizontal attitude.

19. An office accessory designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation wherein said accessory is a combination calendar and memo holder in both of said positions, said accessory being self-supporting in said first position on horizontal surfaces and having means for selectively mounting said accessory in said second position on vertical surfaces, said accessory having opposite sides and a supporting surface extending therebetween for displaying paper sheets, means for releasably securing such sheets in display position on said supporting surface, a pair of compartments formed below said supporting surface for storage of sheet material, one of said compartments opening through one end of said accessory for retaining sheet material in said first position only, another of said compartments opening through the opposite end of said accessory for retaining sheet material in either of said positions of orientation.

20. An office accessory as set forth in claim 19, both of said compartments being subdivided to retain writing implements separate from sheet material therein.

21. An office accessory as set forth in claim 19, wherein both of said compartments have bottom wall portions adjacent the open ends thereof sloping downwardly and inwardly to retain materials in said compartments when said accessory is in said first position.

22. An office accessory as set forth in claim 19 wherein said securing means comprises a laterally elongated locating bar projecting outwardly from said supporting surface at an angle such that said bar is inclined slightly upwardly in said second position, and a retaining cap member configured to snugly and removably fit over the outer portion of said bar.

23. An accessory system supportable from and in combination with a wall panel providing a vertical surface provided with bracket receiving means, said system comprising an office accessory designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation, said accessory being self-supporting in said first position on horizontal surfaces and including means defining a pair of spaced recesses opening to one side of said accessory, and means for selectively mounting said accessory in said second position on a vertical surface, said mounting means including a cantilever support having an attaching bracket adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means in the vertical surface and be thereby supported from the vertical surface, an arm having a free end extending for a substantial distance laterally from said attaching bracket, and means for releasably securing said accessory to said arm so that when said attaching bracket is supported from the vertical surface with said arm extending from said attaching bracket in a cantilever fashion and said accessory is releasably secured to said arm, said accessory is supported from the vertical surface, said means for releasably securing including means cooperable between the defined recesses of said accessory and said arm to support said accessory from the vertical surface as aforesaid, said bracket receiving means comprising means defining at least one pair of vertically spaced slots, said attaching bracket having at least one pair of vertically spaced tooth formations insertable in said slots and adapted for releasable gravitational interlocking engagement therein.

24. An accessory system supportable from a vertical surface provided with bracket receiving means, said system comprising two office accessories each designed for use on both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in first and second positions of orientation and each accessory being self-supporting on horizontal surfaces in said first position, a first of said accessories being a letter tray in said first position and a vertical file in said second position and including means defining a pair of spaced recesses opening to one side of said first accessory, said letter tray being open at the front in said first position and open at the top in said second position and having opposite side walls, bottom wall means comprising a back wall in said second position, a cover panel comprising a front wall in said second position, and rear wall means comprising a bottom wall in said second position, the second of said accessories comprising a combination calendar and memo holder in both of said first and second positions of orientation, said system further comprising a first means for selectively mounting said first accessory in said second position on a vertical surface and a second means for selectively mounting said second accessory in said second position on said front wall of said first accessory when said first accessory is in said second position, said first mounting means including a cantilever support having an attaching bracket adapted to interfit with the bracket receiving means in the vertical surface and be thereby supported from the vertical surface, an arm having a free end extending for a substantial distance laterally from said attaching bracket, and means for releasably securing said accessory to said arm so that when said attaching bracket is supported from the vertical surface with said arm extending from said attaching bracket in a cantilever fashion and said first accessory is releasably secured to said arm, said first accessory is supported from the vertical surface, said means for releasably securing including means cooperable between the defined recesses of said first accessory and said arm to support said first accessory from the vertical surface as aforesaid.

25. An accessory system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said front wall has an edge extending horizontally between said opposite side walls when in said second position, and wherein said second means for selectively mounting comprise support hooks engageable with said second accessory and engaging said front wall edge for suspending said second office accessory in front of said front wall.