Office furniture piece combination

• US 5,277,132 A
• Filed: 09/06/1991
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DYES GmbH Buromobelfabrik
• Original Assignee: DYES GmbH Buromobelfabrik
• Inventors: Korb, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US07/756,228
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 108/64, 108/65, 108/69, 108/134, 108/135, 108/50, 403/362, 403/367, 403/373
• US Class Current: 108/64
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/00 Writing-tables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0013 Desks with central bearing beams
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0028 Attachment of desk lateral uprights
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/002 Combination of tables; Linking or assembling means therefor

Abstract

An office furniture piece combination of a plurality of pieces of office furniture, in particular office desks. A frame with a uniform cross piece has lateral legs which can be connected with each other by a non-free-standing coupling elements using bolts and receivers. A simple, rigid connection between the cross pieces of adjacent office furniture pieces and the coupling element, which can be made and released without tools, is achieved with receivers positioned into the front faces of the cross pieces. The exterior cross section of the coupling elements are essentially adapted to the exterior cross section of the cross pieces and support rotatably seated locking bolts which are oriented towards the receivers of the cross pieces. The coupling elements have a preset, identical dimension in the longitudinal direction of the cross pieces. The locking bolts extend from both front faces of the coupling elements with eccentric locking heads or clamping bolts. With the rotation of the locking bolts, the locking heads or clamping bolts inserted into the receivers of the cross pieces are automatically clamped therein or grip the receivers in the cross pieces from behind and clamp the cross pieces to the coupling element and to each other.

Claims

1. In an office furniture piece combination having a plurality of pieces of office furniture each having a frame with a uniform cross piece (11, 11'"'"') with lateral legs (12, 12'"'"'), the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') being connected with each other by non-free-standing coupling elements (20) having locking bolts (33) and receivers, a coupling element exterior cross sectional shape of each of the coupling elements (20) corresponding to a cross piece exterior cross sectional shape of each of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') and having a preset, identical dimension in a longitudinal direction of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"'), the improvement comprising:

the receivers positioned within front portions of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"');

a plurality of locking bolts (33) rotatably supported within the receivers of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"');

the locking bolts (33) extending beyond both front faces of the coupling elements (20), and each said locking bolt (33) having two protruding clamping bolts (64,

     65) each secured to opposite ends of said locking bolt (33); and

during rotation of said locking bolts (33), said clamping bolts (64,

     65) contacting and frictionally gripping said receivers and thus clamping the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') with respect to the coupling element (20) and with respect to each other.

2. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') and the coupling elements (20) have flattened cross sections in the shape of an ellipse with a major axis aligned horizontally, and a coupling element dimension of the coupling elements (20) in the longitudinal direction of the connected cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') is approximately 25 mm.

3. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, wherein the coupling elements (20) comprise two semicircular end pieces (24, 25) connected in one piece with a connecting bar (21), an end piece diameter of the semicircular end pieces (24, 25) is oriented vertically, and each semicircular end piece (24, 25) is covered on the opposite side with a lid (22), thereby forming a cable channel (28).

4. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, wherein end pieces (24, 25) of the coupling elements (20) have flattened bolt holes (27) into which correspondingly support bolts (30) are flattened, non-rotatably positioned, and the locking bolts (33) are rotatably seated in corresponding eccentric bolt holes (31) of the support bolts (30).

5. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, wherein the locking heads (34, 35) are eccentrically mounted and non-rotatably secured on end portions (39) of the locking bolts (33), the locking heads (34, 35) have a round cross section, in a relaxed position the locking heads (34, 35) are flush with a support bolt cross section of the support bolts (30), and in a clamping position eccentric edges of the locking heads (34, 35) extend beyond one side of the support bolts (30).

6. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, further comprising a plurality of support bolts (30) having flattened areas (36, 37), and the support bolts (30) non-rotatably secured within a plurality of corresponding flattened bolt holes (27) in a plurality of end pieces (24, 25) of the coupling elements (20).

7. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, wherein a plurality of end sections (24, 25) and a plurality of support bolts (30) have slits (26) which partially extend over their circumference, and access is provided through the slits (26) to a plurality of blind bore receivers (38) in the locking bolts (33).

8. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 7, further comprising an L-shaped lever (40) inserted through at least one of the slits (26) and captively and rotatably mounted in the blind bore receiver (38) of each of the locking bolts (33).

9. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 2, wherein the locking heads (34, 35) are formed as clamping bows on the front faces oriented towards a plurality of support bolts (30), and the contact and clamping bows frictionally grip a receiver of the cross piece (11, 11'"'"') and pull the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') to be connected with each other in a direction towards the coupling element (20).

10. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein the coupling elements (20) comprise two semicircular end pieces (24, 25) connected in one piece with a connecting bar (21), an end piece diameter of the semicircular end pieces (24, 25) is oriented vertically, and each semicircular end piece (24, 25) is covered on the opposite side with a lid (22), thereby forming a cable channel (28).

11. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein end pieces (24, 25) of the coupling elements (20) have flattened bolt holes (27) into which correspondingly flattened support bolts (30) are non-rotatably positioned and the locking bolts (33) are rotatably seated in corresponding eccentric bolt holes (31) of the support bolts (30).

12. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein the locking heads (34, 35) are eccentrically mounted and non-rotatably secured on end portions (39) of the locking bolts (33), the locking heads (34, 35) have a round cross section, in a relaxed position the locking heads (34, 35) are flush with a support bolt cross section of the support bolts (30), and in a clamping position eccentric edges of the locking heads (34, 35) extend beyond one side of the support bolts (30).

13. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a plurality of support bolts (30) having flattened areas (36, 37), and the support bolts (30) non-rotatably secured within a plurality of corresponding flattened bolt holes (27) in a plurality of end pieces (24, 25) of the coupling elements (20).

14. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of end sections (24, 25) and a plurality of support bolts (30) have slits (26) which partially extend over their circumference, and access is provided through the slits (26) to a plurality of blind bore receivers (38) in the locking bolts (33).

15. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 14, further comprising an L-shaped lever (40) inserted through at least one of the slits (26) and captively and rotatably mounted in the blind bore receiver (38) of each of the locking bolts (33).

16. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein the locking heads (34, 35) are formed as clamping bows on the front faces oriented towards a plurality of support bolts (30), and clamping bows contact and frictionally grip a receiver of the cross piece (11, 11'"'"') and pull the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') to be connected with each other in a direction towards the coupling element (20).

17. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of cover elements (60) cover a plurality of free front faces of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') having the receivers.

18. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') each have a U-shape with lateral legs formed as hollow bodies, a plurality of insertion elements (60) are inserted into front faces of the hollow bodies which each have one of the receivers (61) for a corresponding said locking bolt (33), and the receiver (61) has longitudinal slits (62, 63) for one of insertion of the locking heads (34, 35) extending from the ends of the locking bolt (33) and the clamping bolts (64, 65).

19. In an office furniture piece combination in accordance with claim 18, wherein the clamping bolts (64, 65) are inserted and fixed in crosswise oriented blind bores of the locking bolts (33).

20. In an office furniture piece combination having a plurality of pieces of office furniture each having a frame with a uniform cross piece (11, 11'"'"') with lateral legs (12, 12'"'"'), the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') being connected with each other by non-free-standing coupling elements (20) having locking bolts (33) and receivers, a coupling element exterior cross sectional shape of each of the coupling elements (20) corresponding to a cross piece exterior cross sectional shape of each of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') and having a preset, identical dimension in a longitudinal direction of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"'), the improvement comprising:

the receivers positioned within front portions of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"');

a plurality of locking bolts (33) rotatably supported within the receivers of the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"');

the locking bolts (33) extending beyond both front faces of the coupling elements (20), and each said locking bolt (33) having two eccentric locking heads (34,

     35) each secured to opposite ends of said locking bolt (33); and

during rotation of said locking bolts (33), said clamping heads (34,

     35) contacting and frictionally gripping said receivers and thus clamping the cross pieces (11, 11'"'"') with respect to the coupling element (20) and with respect to each other.