Powered desk

• US 4,748,913 A
• Filed: 07/11/1986
• Issued: 06/07/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 468322 Ontario, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Metals Company Incorporated (The Garland Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayward, James R., Favaretto, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rendos, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US06/884,850
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50, 108/23, 108/41, 108/64, 108/158, 108/154, 108/153, 108/155, 108/33, 312/194, 312/195, 312/196, 312/239, 297/232, 297/248, 174/48, 174/97, 174/101, 285/121, 285/124, 285/127, 285/129, 339/23, 339/24
• US Class Current: 108/50.02
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/00 Writing-tables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0013 Desks with central bearing beams
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0065 Bellows for desk legs

Abstract

A powered desk is described. The desk has a work surface supported by a base consisting of a pair of generally vertical support members connected by an elongate, generally horizontal structural member which has a hollow interior. The ends of the structural member are mounted in annular openings formed in the vertical support members, with end faces exposed and accessible. Electrical connectors are mounted in the opposing end faces and are connected by electrical wiring extending through the interior of the structural member, whereby electric power or signals can be transferred across the full length of the desk and coupled by a suitable jumper to a similar desk. Additionally, electrical connectors are mounted along the surface of the structural member intermediate of the end faces, and tap into the contained electrical wiring to make electric power, telephone signals and other electrically transferred information available at the desk.

Claims

1. A desk comprising:

a work top defining a work surface;

a base supporting the top and comprising a generally horizontal structural member disposed below and adjacent the top generally centrally thereof, and first and second support members spaced along the structural member and each including;

a hub embracing the structural member, at least one leg extending downwardly from the structural member, and a work top support above the structural member to which the work top is coupled, the structural member having a hollow interior region;

first electrical connection means accessible at a first end portion of said structural member, second electrical connection means accessible intermediate said first end portion and a second end portion of said structural member, and electrical wiring means located within said hollow interior region for electrically connecting the first and second electrical connection means.

2. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second support members are structurally connected only by the generally horizontal structural member.

3. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrical connection means is mounted in an end face at said first end portion of the generally horizontal structural member.

4. A desk as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 further comprising third electrical connection means mounted in an end face at said second end portion of the generally horizontal structural member and connected to said electrical wiring means.

5. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow internal region of the structural member is divided into two separate compartments, wherein the electrical wiring means includes first wiring means located in one of the compartments and second wiring means located in the other of the compartments, wherein the first electrical connection means includes first connector means electrically connected to the first wiring means and second connector means electrically connected to the second wiring means, and wherein the second electrical connection means includes first connector means electrically connected to the first wiring means and second connector means electrically connected to the second wiring means, whereby electric power and electrical signals can be transmitted between the first and second electrical connection means in separate compartments in the structural member.

6. A desk as claimed in claim 5, wherein third electrical connection means are located at said second end portion of the structural member, the third electrical connection means including first connector means electrically connected to the first wiring means and second connector means electrically connected to the second wiring means whereby electric power and electrical signals can be transmitted between the first and third electrical connection means.

7. A desk as claimed in claim 5 characterized in that the structural member includes a separate cap member distinct from the attached to the rest of the structural member, the second electrical connection means being mounted in an opening in the cap member.

8. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structural member is formed with at least one external, longitudinal groove with undercut side walls, and wherein at least one of a nut and threaded male fastener is retained in sliding engagement in the undercut side walls, the one of the nut and threaded fastener being slidable along the groove.

9. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structural member is formed with a plurality of longitudinal grooves each having undercut side walls, a sliding nut is retained in the undercut side walls of each of the grooves and, a work top support member is located intermediate the first and second support members and supports the work top from the structural member, the work top support member being secured to the structural member by means of threaded fasteners which threadedly engage the sliding nuts.

10. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hub of each of the support members is formed with a pair of internally threaded sockets and two said legs each have an externally threaded end portion threadedly engaged within one of the sockets, the legs of each support member diverging away from the work top.

11. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structural member includes two compartments which extend from end to end of the member for receiving respectively electrical and communications wiring and which have open lower sides, and closure means normally closing said open lower side of the compartments but adapted to be opened at appropriate times.

12. A desk as claimed in claim 11, wherein said closure means comprises respective hinged doors extending over the entire length of the structural member and each adapted to close one of said compartments, and means normally retaining said doors in closed positions.

13. A desk as claimed in claim 12, wherein said structural member is formed by three extrusions, each of constant cross-sectional shape throughout its length, two of said extrusions defining said doors and the third defining the remainder of the structural member, the extrusions being shaped to define hinged connections between the doors and third extrusion.

14. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said hubs comprises respective upper and lower hub parts independently coupled to the structural, the upper hub part carrying said work top support and the lower hub part being coupled to said leg.

15. A desk as claimed in claim 14, wherein said structural member defines a plurality of longitudinally extending undercut grooves, and wherein the hubs include means adapted to lock each hub part in appropriate ones of said grooves independently of the other hub part.

16. A desk as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a structural members connector assembly including respective connector parts coupled together and adapted to be joined end to end with the beams of adjacent similar desks, each said part defining grooves aligning with at least some of said grooves of the members, whereby the members and connector assembly may be coupled together end to end by locking means engaged in said grooves.

17. A desk as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said leg comprises a cylindrical leg member having a foot at its outer end provided with a level adjusting device in the form of an eccentric wheel adapted to be locked in any of a plurality of eccentric positions for varying the effective height of the leg.