Privacy screen for office panelling systems

• US 5,675,946 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 10/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TK Canada Limited (A-Tean Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Teknion Furniture Systems Limited
• Inventors: Verbeek, Steve, Marangoni, Lorie, Ayvazyan, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Kent, Christopher T.
• Application Number:
  US08/660,445
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 52/205, 52/29, 52/36.1, 52/64, 52/239, 49/404, 49/409, 49/410, 16/94 R, 16/95 R, 16/96 R
• US Class Current: 52/205
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/7416 with free upper edge, e.g. for use as office space dividers
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/0643 on balls or floating rollers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/684 Rails
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/122 Telescopic action
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/60 for other use
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/4663 specially adapted for furniture

Abstract

The privacy screen provides a simple, effective solution to provide visual privacy for the traditional open workstations of office panelling systems. The privacy screen can easily be retrofitted to existing systems without the need for specialized panels or overhead mounting structure at an opening threshold. The privacy screen is mounted to overlap with a face of a panel adjacent a panel and extend there beyond to close the entryway to the workstation.

Claims

1. A system of office panels subdividing an open space into work stations with at least some of said work stations having an entryway through which a person can enter or exit one of work stations, each entryway being defined between a first panel and a spaced second panel,

a privacy screen supported by and to one side of said first panel and movable from a position overlapping said one side of said first panel and defining an open position to an extended position closing said entryway, and wherein said privacy screen includes an outer frame supporting a non-transparent sheet substrate therewithin, and wherein said privacy screen is supported by at least one telescopic slide attached to said first panel and located intermediate said privacy screen and said first panel.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said privacy screen is supported by upper and lowwer telescopic slides intermediate said screen and said panel.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one telescopic slide includes an upper telescopic slide attached to a horizontal structural member of said first panel and a lower telescopic slide attached to a structural base part of said first panel.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said telescopic slides has at least 3 stages with at least 40% overlap between adjacent stages when said privacy screen is moved to said extended position.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said privacy screen, between the open position and said extended position, is only supported from said first panel.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said privacy screen at positions intermediate said open position said extended position is solely supported from said first panel.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sheet substrate is of a translucent material.

8. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said sheet substrate is outwardly curved away from said first panel between vertical sides of said frame.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sheet substrate is bowed outwardly away from said first panel between vertical sides of said frame.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said substrate is of a thickness less than one quarter of an inch.

11. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said telescopic slides have cover members which conceal mechanical slide components of said telescopic slides to both sides of said privacy screen.

12. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein each telescopic slide is mounted in a first housing fixed to said first panel and a second housing attached to said privacy screen which telescopes within said first housing, said housings conceal mechanical stages of said telescopic slide from normal view.

13. An office panelling system comprising a plurality of generally rectangular freestanding panels releasably connected to subdivide an open space wherein said rectangular panels include a first panel and a spaced second panel defining therebetween an entryway to a workstation defined by said panels, in combination with a privacy screen mounted on said rectangular panels, and wherein said privacy screen includes a mounting arrangement secured to said first panel to position said privacy screen to one side of said first panel accommodating movement of said privacy screen from a position where said privacy screen is overlapped with said first panel leaving said entryway open to an extended position where said privacy screen closes said entryway.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said mounting arrangement includes a telescopic slide with a first end section secured to said first panel and a second end section secured to said privacy screen with said end sections telescoping relative to each other.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said telescopic slide is secured to said first office panel and to said privacy screen adjacent an upper edge of said first panel.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15 wherein said telescopic slide includes an intermediate section which interconnects and telescopes with said first and second end sections of said telescopic slide.

17. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said mounting arrangement includes upper and lower telescopic slides which support said privacy screen from said first panel.

18. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said privacy screen has an outer frame supporting a lightweight non-transparent substrate therewithin.