Expandable and contractible work station

• US 5,979,118 A
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Development Inc. (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Development Inc. (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: King, Jonathan J., MacDonald, Douglas B., Seiber, Charles A., Eich, Thomas B., Freidman, Frank, Gortsema, Steven C., Lyon, Douglas G., Churchill, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kent, Christopher T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, PHI DIEU TRAN
• Application Number:
  US08/870,773
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 52/36.1, 52/32, 52/36.2, 52/36.5, 52/36.6, 52/27, 52/239, 52/271, 52/656.9, 108/50, 108/42, 108/48, 108/47, 108/147, 108/144, 312/194, 312/195, 312/223.6, 312/223.3, 312/223.2
• US Class Current: 52/36.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/066 with power or communication connection interface
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2037/005 Tables specially adapted for laboratories
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/00 Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0069 with rack
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/01 Office wall with desktop function
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/425 introduced by a vertical pivoting movement
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/001 Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/02 Shelves movable shelves coupled to doors A47B96/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/022 Single-corner shelves; Brackets therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/04 Partition walls adjustable A47B57/58
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/06 Brackets or similar supporting means for cabinets, racks or shelves A47B96/022 takes precedence; aspects of adjusting height or inclination A47B57/00 ; brackets for the display of articles A47F5/08
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/067 Horizontal rails as suspension means in a cantilever arrangement suspension fittings for cabinets to be hung on walls A47B95/008
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/7422 with separate framed panels without intermediary support posts
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/7425 Details of connection of panels E04B2/7427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/7483 Details of furniture, e.g. tables or shelves, associated with the partitions
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/7487 Partitions with slotted profiles
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/7488 Details of wiring
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/5045 specially adapted for furniture E06B3/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/20 Connections with hook-like parts gripping behind a blind side of an element to be connected

Abstract

An expandable/contractible furniture component is configured for attachment to a partition system to provide an adjustable structure adapted to adjust with the partition system as the partition system is adjusted to provide different office sizes. The furniture component includes a corner shelf attached to the partition system, and in-line shelves also attached to the partition system. The in-line shelves are telescopingly adjustable into the corner shelf so that the plan dimensions of the shelves are adjustable concurrently with the partition systems to provide storage surfaces and shelves that extend and completely fill at least one dimension of the office. An in-line telescoping straight shelf construction and a two-way telescoping corner shelf construction are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for subdividing a building space, comprising:

a partition having a frame;

a first furniture component attached in cantilever to said frame including a horizontally/laterally facing edge defining openings with side edges, the openings oriented in each of two different directions; and

a second furniture component releasably attached in cantilever to said frame and configured for horizontal adjustment, the second furniture component having a matingly shaped end telescopingly engaging either one of the openings in the edge in a manner permitting adjustment therewith, whereby a total horizontal length of said first and second furniture components can be selectively adjusted on the partition on-site.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second furniture components form a continuous shelf system.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the first furniture component includes a corner shelf.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the second furniture component includes a linear shelf.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein the corner shelf defines at least top and bottom sides of the one opening 112 receiving the matingly shaped end of the linear shelf.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein the linear shelf is fastened to the corner shelf after the linear shelf is adjusted to a desired position relative to the corner shelf so that the corner shelf and linear shelf have a net length equal to a predetermined dimension on the partition.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 including a keyboard support track attached to the corner shelf that is adapted to support a computer keyboard thereon.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second furniture components each include triangularly-shaped cantilever brackets for supporting the first and second brackets in cantilever on the frame of the partition.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein a first end of the first furniture component defines at least two sides of the one opening for receiving the matingly shaped end of the second furniture component.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1 including a third furniture component adjustably engaging another one of the openings in the edge.

11. An apparatus for subdividing a building space, comprising:

a spine partition;

an off-module partition adjustably attached to the spine partition and oriented generally perpendicularly to the spine partition;

a first linear shelf adjustably attached to one of the spine and off-module partitions; and

a corner shelf supported at a corner formed by the spine and off-module partitions, the corner shelf having a curvilinear outer perimeter edge that extends between the spine and off-module partitions and that defines an opening receiving the first shelf, the first shelf and the corner shelf having overlapping portions and the first shelf slidably engaging the corner shelf to define a variable total length along the one partition.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the first shelf is horizontally adjustable along the one partition between a plurality of discrete positions.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the corner shelf includes a top assembly and a bottom beam assembly that define top and bottom portions of the opening receiving an end of the first shelf.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the first shelf and the corner shelf each include cantilever brackets for engaging the one partition to support the first shelf and the corner shelf in a cantilevered position on the one partition.

15. An apparatus for subdividing a building space, comprising:

a spine partition;

an off-module partition adjustably attached to the spine partition and oriented generally perpendicularly to the spine partition;

a first shelf attached to one of the spine and off-module partitions; and

a corner shelf supported at a corner formed by the spine and off-module partitions, the first shelf and the corner shelf having overlapping portions and the first shelf adjustably engaging the corner shelf to define a variable total length along the one partition, the corner shelf including a top assembly and a beam supporting the top assembly, said corner shelf defining a pair of generally orthogonal rear edges, the beam extending between the rear edges.

16. A furniture system comprising;

a spine wall;

a plurality of partitions each releasably connected to the spine wall including two partitions spaced apart to form an office therebetween, the partitions being adjustably connected to the spine wall so that a dimension between the partitions can be selectively adjusted to vary the size of the office; and

a telescopingly contractible furniture article extending between the two partitions and constructed to expand and contract to fill the dimension between the two partitions to prevent undesired gaps between the partitions and ends of the furniture article.

17. The furniture system defined in claim 16 wherein the furniture article includes first and second components, at least one of which is attached to at least one of the first and second partitions.

18. The furniture system defined in claim 17 wherein the first component is attached to the one partition and comprises a first shelf.

19. The furniture system defined in claim 18 wherein the second component comprises a second shelf attached to the one partition and constructed to adjustably engage the first shelf.

20. The furniture system set forth in claim 18, wherein:

said spine wall includes a plurality of interconnected first partitions.

21. A shelf construction for attachment to a partition, comprising:

an elongated top sheet forming a planar top surface, a front edge, and a rear edge;

a reinforcement attached to a bottom of the elongated sheet for supporting the sheet, the reinforcement being characterized by having a constant cross-section defining a plurality of longitudinally extending accordion-like corrugations with top sections supporting the top sheet and bottom sections spaced vertically from the top sections; and

a plurality of cantilever brackets extending transversely of said corrugations, said cantilever brackets attached to the bottom sections and extending laterally rearward from the rear edge for engaging and supporting the shelf construction on a partition.

22. The shelf construction defined in claim 21 wherein the cantilever brackets include straps interconnecting the bottom sections, and further include flanges extending into concavities in the constant cross section between different ones of the bottom sections.

23. A furniture construction comprising:

a partition having a horizontally-extending frame member with a plurality of horizontally spaced apertures therein;

a channel with first hooks engaging selected ones of the horizontally spaced apertures, the channel having material defining vertically engagable apertures; and

a shelf construction including second hooks attaching to the vertically engagable apertures, thus providing drop-in attachment of the shelf construction to the channel while still providing horizontal adjustability through engagement of the channel with the frame member.