Office workstation

• US 4,879,955 A
• Filed: 06/23/1988
• Issued: 11/14/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Planmobel Eggersmann GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Planmobel Eggersmann GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Utz, Andreas, Moll, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): ASCHENBRENNER, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/210,507
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50, 108/64, 108/153, 108/111, 108/114, 108/60, 108/155, 312/195, 312/140
• US Class Current: 108/50.02
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/003 made of metal
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2009/185 being positioned between the table top and the legs or underframe
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2037/005 Tables specially adapted for laboratories
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0013 Desks with central bearing beams
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 12/52 Metal leg connections F16B12/50 takes precedence

Abstract

An office workstation with a table plate (2) which rests on a lower frame (6). At the front left or right-hand side the table plate has an oblique edge (44) against which attachments, particularly plates (50,60) can be placed. The table plate is mounted on the lower frame (6) with a height adjustment device (68). The height adjustment device engages in through-openings (28) in the table plate (2). Support arms (12, 48) of an upper frame are to be firmly connected to the lower frame through these openings, when required. The upper frame can carry additional components (75,76) such as storage shelves or a vertical wall (16). The lower frame is composed of legs (7), which can serve to guide cables, and joint bodies (18,160) which are hollow and represent the connection between the legs and horizontal hollow beams (22,23,24,116). The hollow beams are accessible from the exterior through a flap (118) extending over their entire length. Two joint bodies (18), which are situated below the openings (28) in the table plate, accommodate a respective one of the height adjustment devices (68).

Claims

1. An office workstation comprising:

a lower frame including a plurality of vertically oriented legs;

a plurality of hollow joint bodies supported on said legs at upper ends thereof;

a plurality of hollow beams connected between said hollow joint bodies;

a table top vertically adjustably supported by said lower frame, said table top having at least one corner having an edge extending obliquely to an adjacent edge, and wherein one of said plurality of hollow beams extends substantially perpendicularly away from and beyond said oblique edge;

an upper frame supported by said lower frame and including a horizontal carrier mounted between a pair of substantially vertical supports extending through said table top; and

wherein said legs, said joint bodies, said hollow beams and said upper frame include through openings for passage of cables.

2. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the oblique edge extends at an angle of about 135°

to said adjacent edge of the table top.

3. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said legs each include a tubular member and a cover plate of channel-like cross-section which at least partially surrounds said tubular member, in spaced relation thereto to thereby form a through opening for passage of the cables.

4. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one of the hollow beams supports a table top extension having an edge adapted for flush engagement with said oblique edge.

5. The office workstation as claimed in claim 4, wherein a hollow beam extension is attached to said one of said hollow beams and is adapted for connection to an adjacent wall.

6. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said hollow beams has a vertical wall in the form of a flap which is pivotable about a horizontal axis and which extends over substantially the entire height of the wall.

7. The office workstation as claimed in claim 6, wherein said flap is pivotable about a two-part joint, one joint part constructed integrally with the flap, and the other joint part constructed integrally with another portion of the hollow beam.

8. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said hollow joint bodies has a substantially square horizontal section, and wherein frame-like connecting plates serve to secure the joint bodies to ends of the hollow beams, and further wherein joint body cover plates close exposed sides of said joint bodies.

9. The office workstation as claimed in claim 8, wherein the through openings in said joint bodies have substantially identical size and shape of the through openings in the hollow beams.

10. The office workstation as claimed in claim 9 wherein said joint bodies each have side walls connected by corner surfaces inclined at substantially 45°

to said side walls;

said connecting plates each have vertical edges with lugs formed on said vertical edges inclined at 135°

to a plane defined by each said plate so that said lugs may be jointed to said corner surface; and

wherein

lugs on any one vertical edge of a respective cover or connecting plate are vertically offset with respect to lugs on an adjacent vertical edge of an adjacent cover or connecting plate in such a manner that when the joint bodies are closed, the lugs of any two adjacent plates form a closed row from top to bottom at a corner surface.

11. The office workstation as claimed in claim 10 and wherein said lugs each have a hole for receiving a screw shaft and wherein the corner surfaces each have a vertical row of threaded bores vertically alignable with said holes in said lugs.

17. The office workstation as claimed in claim 8, wherein said connecting plates are provided with a plurality of holes for receiving screw shafts, and wherein end faces of the walls of the hollow beams have complementarily arranged holes.

18. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a wall contact plate with a plurality of screw openings for fastening at least one of said hollow beams to a wall wherein said wall contact plate has side edge surfaces inclined at 135°

to a plane defined by said wall contact plate, and wherein said inclined side edges are provided with a plurality of holes within associated recessed areas for receiving correspondingly shaped lugs of a connecting plate adapted to be inserted between said wall contact plate and said hollow beam.

19. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of height adjustment devices are mounted in part on an upper side of a respective joint body and in part on an underside of said table top for securing the lower frame to the table top.

28. The office workstation as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower frame includes an upwardly open U-shaped member on at least one side, and a cover plate shaped member with trough-like edge portions joined to both sides of the support in such a manner that space between the cover plates represents a cable compartment whose breadth between the cover plates is substantially larger than the breadth of the support.

12. The office workstation comprising:

a lower frame including a plurality of vertically oriented legs;

a plurality of hollow joint bodies supported on said legs at upper ends thereof;

a plurality of hollow beams connected between said hollow joint bodies;

a table top vertically adjustably supported by said lower frame,

wherein said joint bodies each comprise a bottom plate;

a top plate vertically aligned with the bottom plate, and which carries a socket for mounting in an opening in the table top, and which has a central opening complementary thereto;

four side walls which, in use, are vertically arranged between the bottom plate and top plate, wherein at least two of said side walls have cable passages formed therein.

13. The office workstation as claimed in claim 12 wherein said side walls are formed with vertical edges inclined inwardly at 45°

, and wherein said edges are also provided with vertical grooves for embracing shafts of bolts by which the top plate is connected with the bottom plate, after the insertion of side walls therebetween.

14. The office workstation as claimed in claim 13 wherein said side walls are each provided with a slot along a bottom edge which extends downwardly and inwardly when the joint body is assembled, and wherein the bottom plate has edge sections extending upwardly and outwardly when the joint body is assembled, each said slot adapted to receive a corresponding edge section.

15. The office workstation as claimed in claim 12 wherein edges of the top plate have downwardly directed engagement bars formed thereon, and upper edges of the side walls have recesses for receiving said engagement bars.

16. The office workstation as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jaws and the recesses have complementary inclined surfaces which are engaged when the joint body is assembled.

20. The office workstation comprising:

a lower frame including a plurality of vertically oriented legs;

a plurality of hollow joint bodies supported on said legs at upper ends thereof;

a plurality of hollow beams connected between said hollow joint bodies;

a table top vertically adjustably supported by said lower frame, wherein a plurality of height adjustment devices are mounted in part on an upper side of a respective joint body and in part on an underside of said table top for securing the lower frame to the table top.

21. The office workstation as claimed in claim 20 wherein each said height adjustment device comprises:

a lower fastening plate to be secured to an associated joint body and an upper fastening plate to be secured to an undersurface of the table top,

a first upwardly extending sleeve with an external thread mounted on the lower fastening plate,

a second sleeve with a complimentary internal thread for threaded engagement with the first sleeve, said second sleeve adapted to extend through an opening in the table top;

and wherein said second sleeve is provided with an external flange, and said upper fastening plate has a circular opening formed therein which fits with a clearance over said first sleeve and whose diameter is smaller than that of the external flange of said second sleeve; and

further wherein

after assembly of the upper and lower fastening plates, vertical spacing between the upper fastening plate and the lower fastening plate, and thus the height of the table top, may be altered by rotating said first sleeve with respect to said second sleeve.

22. The office workstation as claimed in claim 21, wherein vertical guides are provided in the interior of said first sleeve for receiving lugs which extend upwardly from support arms of an upper frame, and which serve to facilitate fastening of said upper frame to the lower frame, and wherein the lugs may be slid into said guides from above and may be fixed in position by screws.

23. The office workstation as claimed in claim 21 wherein said upper frame includes two support arms whose lower ends are to be connected to the lower frame through openings in the table top, and wherein a carrier member is secured to the upper ends of the support arms, said carrier member extending parallel to the table top.

24. The office workstation as claimed in claim 23 wherein the support arms describe a quarter circular arc.

25. The office workstation as claimed in claim 24, wherein a visual screen which extends downwardly from said carrier member.

26. The office workstation as claimed in claim 22 wherein the carrier member comprises a hollow beam of elongate upright cross-section, having a longitudinal slit on one side thereof of a width sufficient for passing cables through it, the carrier defining a cable passage in its interior below the height of the longitudinal slit.

27. The office workstation as claimed in claim 26 wherein said carrier member includes partially cylindrical external upper and lower wall surfaces, and wherein undercuts extend over substantially the length of the carrier member adjacent said external surfaces, and further wherein support members for mounting additional components to said carrier member are provided, said support members provided with jaws complementary to said undercuts.