Office accessory mounting rail

• US 5,048,698 A
• Filed: 06/12/1990
• Issued: 09/17/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knoll Incorporated (Millerknoll Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Konrad, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Talbott, David L.
• Application Number:
  US07/536,398
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 211/45, 211/46, 211/162, 211/89, 211/103, 211/94, 248/224.4, 248/221.3, 248/222.1, 248/225.1
• US Class Current: 211/45
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0846 Display panels or rails with elongated channels; Sliders, brackets, shelves, or the like, slidably attached therein
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/1686 Picture rails; Accessories therefor, e.g. hooks or the like, specially adapted for use with picture rails

Abstract

An office accessory mounting and display system is disclosed, comprising plural mounting brackets adaptable for securement to various modular office furniture systems, and an elongated, unitarily formed accessory mounting rail for securement to the mounting brackets. Tabs are provided on the mounting brackets to receive complimentary flanges provided on the rear elongated surface of the mounting rail. The rail includes elongated, upward and downward-facing hooks on which plural office accessories or supplies may be attached and displayed or viewed. The rail further includes a downwardly-facing, inverted-"U"-shaped channel which receives plural rod segments for retaining flat sheet material. When the sheet material is pressed into the U-shaped channel, the rod segments are displaced upward; when the sheet material is released, gravitational force pushes the rods down against the interior of the channel, thereby retaining the sheet material in place by frictional force. The sheet material may be removed by pulling downward on the material with force sufficient to overcome the frictional hold between the rod segments, the sheet material, and the interior of the channel.

Claims

1. An office accessory mounting system for articles of office furniture, the office furniture including support means for securing accessories, the mounting system including:

(a) a rail mounting bracket comprising a rectangular, planar bracket body provided with plural planar outwardly protruding rail engagement tabs, said body further including plural linearly aligned outwardly extending bracket engagement means for securing said body on said support means; and

(b) accessory mounting means for receiving, mounting and displaying plural office articles, said mounting means comprising an elongated rail formed of plural unitarily secured members including;

(i) front and rear spaced-apart, elongated frame plates and an elongated web plate, said front end rear frame plates each having top and bottom edges and each having interior surfaces joined inwardly of said top and bottom edges by said elongated web plate;

(ii) an elongated, rearwardly facing "C"-shaped hook plate extending from said bottom edge of said rear frame plate, said hook plate having an outwardly facing exterior surface including an elongated shoulder rib;

wherein said web plate and said front and rear frame plates extending downwardly of said web plate define an elongated, downwardly facing "U"-shaped channel, wherein said elongated rail further includes;

(i) an elongated rod movably mounted in said elongated channel; and

(ii) top and bottom downward-facing elongated hanger means for mounting said rail on said planar outwardly protruding rail engagement tabs of said rail mounting bracket.

2. A mounting system for articles of furniture including elongate structural supports having a plurality of spaced-apart axially aligned openings therethrough, said system comprising:

(a) accessory mounting means for receiving, mounting and displaying plural office articles, said mounting means comprising an elongated rail having a front, a back, a top, and a bottom and including front hook means facing towards said front of said rail for removably mounting accessories on said front of said rail, back hook means facing towards said back of said rail for removably mounting accessories on said back of said rail, and sheet retaining means for removably retaining sheet-like materials; and

(b) adaptor means for attaching said mounting means to the supports of the furniture, said adaptor means including a plurality of tabs for engaging the openings in the stanchions.

3. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein said front hook means is positioned at said top and said back hook means is positioned at said bottom.

4. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein said front and back hook means extend substantially the entire length of said rail.

5. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein said front and back hook means extend substantially the entire length of said rail.

6. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein said sheet retaining means including an elongated, downwardly facing "U"-shaped channel having a front wall and a back wall, and wherein said back hook means is attached to said back wall.

7. The mounting system of claim 6, wherein said sheet retaining means further includes an elongated rod movably mounted in said "U"-shaped channel.

8. The mounting system of claim 6, wherein said front and back hook means and said "U"-shaped channel are unitarily formed.

9. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein said back hook means includes a "C"-shaped channel.