Adjustable desk system

• US 5,544,593 A
• Filed: 09/03/1993
• Issued: 08/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Concord Products Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Office Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Jilk, Larry M., Canfield, Thomas F., Mollenkopf, Lloyd C., Rein, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US08/117,257
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 108/110, 108/50, 108/182, 108/153, 108/108, 312/223.3, 312/194, 312/196
• US Class Current: 108/110
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/02 with vertically-adjustable parts
• 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 2200/0002 Corner desk
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 9/14 with pins coacting with holes
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/00 Feet for furniture in general castors B60B33/00

Abstract

A desk top system which has a basic superstructure upright that permits attaching cantilevered supports for supporting desk tops, pedestals, and the like so that they can be adjusted easily and conveniently relative to one another. The pedestals can be removed if the pedestals interfere with the movement of the feet of a user when the desk tops are supported adequately in other manners. The superstructures permit back to back mounting of cabinets, desk tops and the like. The units thus have great versatility and adjustability for providing desk space for users.

Claims

1. An adjustable desk system comprising:

a superstructure upright having a generally vertically disposed spaced series of first elements of removable mating pairs of interlocking elements along one edge thereof;

a cantilever support having a series of second elements of the removable mating pairs of interlocking elements along a base edge, the second elements being spaced to match the spacing of the vertically disposed series of first elements, said elements interlocking to support the cantilever support on the superstructure upright;

the edge of the superstructure upright having a rounded exterior surface formed in cross section around a longitudinally extending axis of the superstructure upright; and

the cantilever support having a curved surface engaging the rounded exterior surface of the superstructure upright when in place and supported by the interlocking elements, the curved surface of the cantilever support formed to generally conform to at least a portion of the rounded exterior surface of the superstructure upright to urge the second elements to one lateral side of the mating elements on the superstructure upright.

2. The adjustable desk system of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second elements comprise slots and the other of the interlocking elements comprise interfitting hooks.

3. The adjustable desk system of claim 2 wherein the hooks are on the cantilever support and the slots are on the edge of the superstructure upright, and the hooks on the cantilever support are formed to have one side surface substantially coplanar with one side surface of the cantilever support.

4. The adjustable desk system of claim 3 wherein the slots on the superstructure upright are slightly wider than the hooks, and a second cantilever support formed as a mirror image of the first mentioned cantilever support, the second cantilever support having a set of hooks that are interfitted with the slots of the superstructure upright on the same edge as the first cantilever support, the second cantilever support being along one side of the first mentioned cantilever support, and the hooks of the first and second cantilever supports fitting within at least some of the same slots.

5. The adjustable desk system of claim 1 and a cantilever foot support, said foot support having a base and a support edge, the base having hooks formed to have upwardly facing receptacles, the hooks interfitting in a plurality of slots of the superstructure upright adjacent a bottom of the superstructure such that the support edge engages a support surface to support the superstructure upright.

6. The adjustable desk system of claim 1 and a second superstructure upright spaced from the first superstructure upright and having a cantilever support attached thereon, the cantilever supports having upwardly facing support edges, and a desk top attached to the cantilever supports on the upwardly facing support edges and extending therebetween, wherein the cantilever supports are disposed on each corresponding superstructure upright to provide a level upwardly facing support surface.

7. The adjustable desk system of claim 6 wherein the spaced first and second superstructure uprights have dovetail cross section slots formed on the facing side surfaces thereof, a slide lock bracket mounted in each dovetail slot and movable relative to the superstructure uprights, and a panel supported on the slide lock brackets and extending between the superstructure uprights, the panel .having a plane positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinally extending axes of the superstructure uprights.

8. The adjustable desk system of claim 7 and means to support the panel on the superstructure uprights comprising interlocking hooks and pins on the panel and superstructure uprights.

9. The adjustable desk system of claim 8 wherein the superstructure uprights have oppositely facing edges with first elements thereon and cantilever supports having second elements supported on each of the edges of each superstructure upright and extending in opposite directions from the superstructure uprights, and a pair of back to back desk top panels mounted on the aligning cantilever supports such that desk tops extend in opposite directions from the superstructure uprights.

10. The adjustable desk system of claim 8 and a trough supported to at least one side of the panel and of size to hold electrical cords, the trough extending to position adjacent to the superstructure uprights, and a brace extending between the ends of the trough and the respective superstructure uprights to aid in locking the panel onto the superstructure uprights.

11. The adjustable desk system of claim 10 and a opening in the panel at a level aligned with the trough, the opening having an electrical outlet therein.

12. The adjustable desk system of claim 11 wherein the superstructure uprights are formed with internal passageways, and access openings in the sides of the uprights for permitting access to the passageways for electrical wiring.

13. The adjustable desk system of claim 12 wherein at least one of the access openings opens adjacent to the trough for permitting electrical cords to pass from the passageway in a superstructure upright to the trough.

14. The adjustable desk system of claim 1 wherein the curved surface of the cantilever support has a radius of curvature different than the corresponding portion of the rounded exterior surface of the superstructure upright.

15. An adjustable desk system comprising:

a superstructure upright having a pair of spaced sidewalls and a pair of opposite edges joining the sidewalls, each of the edges having a plurality of generally vertically disposed, spaced support slots for receiving and supporting hooks;

a cantilever support having a plurality of hooks along a base edge, the hooks being spaced to match the spacing of the vertically disposed support slots, said hooks being removably interfitting with said support slots to support the cantilever support on the superstructure upright at selected vertical heights at the opposite edges of the superstructure upright;

the edges of the superstructure upright each having a rounded exterior surface formed in cross section about a longitudinally extending axis of the superstructure upright, the rounded surfaces each having a continuous access slot through which the hooks extend to engage the vertically spaced support slots;

the sidewalls of the superstructure upright each having a substantially continuous slot extending vertically along the superstructure upright-and opening to the outer surfaces of the respective sidewall, the continuous slot in the sidewalls having slot walls defining a cross section forming a wider width on an interior end of the continuous sidewall slot than the continuous slot opening in the respective sidewalls to form clamping surfaces on an interior of the continuous sidewall slot;

a lock mounted in the continuous sidewall slot in at least one sidewall and movably positioned along the length of the superstructure upright; and

a clamp member to clamp the lock against the clamping surface of the at least one continuous sidewall slot of the superstructure upright for supporting a desk component relative to the at least one sidewall of the superstructure upright.

16. The adjustable desk system of claim 15 and the cantilever support comprising a cantilever foot support, said cantilever foot support having a base and a support edge, the base having the plurality of hooks opening upwardly for removably interlocking with the support slots, to carry vertically upwardly directed loads to the associated superstructure upright when the support edge of the foot support engages a support surface.

17. The adjustable desk system of claim 16 wherein there are three superstructure uprights arranged to form an L shape and having desk top panels supported on the uprights such that one upright is aligned with locations occupied at least part of the time by feet of a user of the desk top panels, the cantilever foot support for the one superstructure upright being removed and the other superstructure uprights having cantilever foot supports mounted thereon for stabilizing the uprights.

18. The adjustable desk system of claim 16 and a cantilever desk top support having a plurality of second aligned hooks along a base edgeland spaced to match the spacing of the vertically disposed slots for mounting on a respective superstructure upright, said second hooks interlocking with the slots to support the cantilever desk top support on the superstructure upright, the slots for the cantilever desk top support being in vertical alignment and the same size as the slots for the cantilever foot support.

19. The adjustable desk system of claim 18 wherein the second hooks on the cantilever desk top support are substantially one-half the width of the vertically disposed slots so the second hooks of one cantilever desk top support fit into the same slots as the second hooks of a second cantilever desk top support, and wherein the edge of the each upright has a rounded exterior surface formed in cross section around a longitudinally extending axis of the upright, and each cantilever desk top support has a curved surface on its base edge engaging the curved outer surface of the superstructure upright when in place and supported in the slots, the curved surface of the cantilever desk top support formed to urge the hooks on the respective desk top support to one lateral side of the slots engaged by the second hooks of such cantilever desk top support.

20. An adjustable desk system comprising:

a superstructure main upright having upright edges including edge portions formed for supporting desk components and sidewalls between the edges and having an adapter section with a clamping cross section slot formed therein and opening to the surface of at least one sidewall of the main upright and extending along a length of the main upright;

a clamp slide mounted in the slot and being positioned along the length of the main upright;

a clamp member to clamp the clamp slide relative to the main upright;

a bracket carried by the clamp slide for supporting a desk component relative to the main upright; and

the bracket carried by the adapter section of the at least one sidewall comprising an adapter upright having a cross section replicating the cross section of an end portion of the main upright, the adapter upright extending laterally outwardly from the at least one sidewall to form an upright desk component support member having at least one adapter upright with a substantially identical edge portion to the edge portions of the main upright portions for supporting desk components.

21. The adjustable desk system of claim 20 wherein a dovetail adapter section of the superstructure upright is provided in each sidewall, and the brackets carried by the dovetail adapter sections having cross sections replicating the cross section of an end portion of the superstructure upright to form a cross shaped member having four substantially identical end portions, and supports formed on the end portions for supporting desk components.

22. An adjustable desk system comprising a pair of spaced superstructure uprights, each having oppositely facing ends and parallel side surfaces, the spaced uprights having side surfaces which face each other;

a desk top support bracket mounted on each end of each superstructure upright to form a pair of support brackets extending in opposite directions from a central plane extending between the superstructure uprights;

a separate desk top supported on each pair of brackets and having back edges adjacent each other adjacent and extending between the uprights;

the desk tops extending in opposite directions from the central plane;

the spaced superstructure uprights having upright elongated slots formed on the facing side surfaces thereof, with clamping surfaces defining the slots, a slide lock bracket mounted in each slot and movable along the respective slot relative to the superstructure uprights and being lockable in a selected position; and

a panel supported on the slide lock brackets and extending between the superstructure uprights, the panel having a plane positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinally extending axes of the superstructure uprights.

23. The adjustable desk system of claim 22 wherein the slots in the facing side surfaces of the spaced uprights have dovetail cross sections, and brackets slidably lockably mounted in the dovetail slots for supporting desk system members between the uprights.

24. The adjustable desk top system of claim 22 wherein each pair of brackets is adjustable independently of the other pair of brackets.

25. The adjustable desk top system of claim 24 and a pair of separate desk accessory members supported in the upright elongated slots relative to the side surfaces of the superstructure uprights, extending between the superstructure uprights and overlying portions of the desk tops, the accessory members being positioned back to back adjacent the central plane and extending in opposite directions from the central plane.

26. The adjustable desk top system of claim 25 wherein the accessory member comprises a cabinet.

27. An adjustable desk system comprising:

a superstructure upright comprising a pair of upright sections, each section having first and second sidewalls and an edge wall between the sidewalls, and having a plurality of generally vertically disposed, spaced support slots extending along the edge for receiving mating hooks to support a desk component;

the first sidewall of each upright section having a first sidewall slot formed therein and opening outwardly, and defined by interior surfaces that have portions that narrow an outwardly facing opening to the slot at a location spaced outwardly from a base of the slot;

the second sidewall of each upright section having a wall portion formed to interfit within the interior surfaces of the first sidewall slot formed in the first sidewall of the other upright section and defining a second sidewall slot having an outwardly facing opening, the slots of the first and second sidewalls of one upright section each interfitting with the slot of an opposite wall of the first and second walls of the other upright section for joining the upright sections together to form the superstructure upright having the upright section edges facing in opposite directions and having a vertically extending sidewall slot on each sidewall for clamping components therein, and a plurality of vertically disposed support slots at opposite edges of the superstructure upright.

28. The adjustable desk system of claim 27 in which the superstructure upright sections are identical in cross section, the sidewalls having different cross sectional sizes and complementary cross section shape such that walls forming the slot of the second sidewall of each superstructure upright section interfit with slots of the first sidewall of the other superstructure upright section when one of the superstructure upright sections is inverted relative to the other.

29. The adjustable desk system of claim 28, wherein the first and second side wall slots have dovetail cross sections.