Freestanding furniture system

• US 6,076,474 A
• Filed: 02/03/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Development Inc.
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Nelsen, Randall P., Gallette, Michelle R., Grabowski, Daniel, King, Jonathan J., Fink, Roy W., Abson, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, GERALD A
• Application Number:
  US09/018,247
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50.02, 108/101, 108/60, 312/223.3, 312/223.6, 312/265.6, 312/196, 312/265.4, 312/223.1, 312/107, 312/198, 312/195, 52/36.1, 52/36.2, 52/36.4, 52/36.6
• US Class Current: 108/50.02
• 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 2200/0013 Desks with central bearing beams
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0026 Desks with C-shaped leg
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/001 Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems

Abstract

A freestanding support for supporting a worksurface and an overhead storage unit and the like in an open office environment includes at least three legs where each leg has a bottom portion adapted for resting on a floor, a top horizontal support adapted for receiving and supporting a worksurface on the support, and a vertical support which maintains the bottom portion and the top horizontal support in a fixed vertically spaced relationship. A stretcher extends between and is attached to an upper rear portion of the end legs thereby maintaining the two end legs in a parallel horizontally disposed relationship. The freestanding support also has at least two support posts. One support post has an intermediate portion attached to the stretcher and is positioned substantially in alignment with one of the end legs and further has a bottom portion attached to the vertical support of the end leg. At least a second additional support post has an intermediate portion attached to the stretcher in alignment with the intermediate leg and has a bottom portion attached to the vertical support of the intermediate leg. Each support post has an upper end which is adapted to support a portion of an overhead storage unit above the worksurface supported by the top horizontal supports. The intermediate positioning of one of the support posts and the intermediate leg permits the incorporation of an overhead storage unit with a given worksurface having a different length than the overhead storage unit.

Claims

1. A freestanding support system for supporting a plurality of worksurfaces and overhead storage units and the like in an open office environment and for dividing the open office environment into a plurality of workstations, said freestanding support system comprising:

a plurality of legs, each leg having a bottom portion adapted for resting on a floor, a top horizontal support adapted for receiving thereon a portion of at least one of the worksurfaces, and a vertical support maintaining said bottom portion and said top horizontal support in a fixed vertically spaced relationship, said vertical support including a rear edge having a plurality of vertically aligned holes therealong in a predefined regularly spaced pattern, at least two of said legs are end legs and at least one of said legs is an intermediate leg positioned between said at least two end legs;

a plurality of stretchers, each stretcher having two ends, each of said ends attached to an upper portion of one of said end legs maintaining said end legs in a parallel, horizontally disposed relationship, said stretcher having in a rear face therealong a plurality of horizontally aligned holes therealong in a predefined regularly spaced pattern; and

at least two support posts, a first support post substantially in alignment with a first of said legs and having a bottom portion attached to at least one of said vertically aligned holes in said vertical support of said leg, and at least a second support post substantially in alignment with a second of said legs and having a bottom portion attached to at least one of said vertically aligned holes in said vertical support of said second of said legs wherein one of said first and second legs is said intermediate leg, each said support post having an upper end adapted to support a portion of the overhead storage unit above the worksurfaces, thereby permitting the incorporation of an overhead storage unit with a given worksurface of a different length.

2. A freestanding support system for supporting a plurality of worksurfaces and overhead storage units and the like in an open office environment and for dividing the open office environment into a plurality of workstations, said freestanding support system comprising:

a plurality of legs, each leg having a bottom portion adapted for resting on a floor, a top horizontal support adapted for receiving thereon a portion of at least one of the worksurfaces, and a vertical support maintaining said bottom portion and said top horizontal support in a fixed vertically spaced relationship, said vertical support including a rear edge having a plurality of vertically aligned holes therealong in a predefined regularly spaced pattern, at least two of said legs are end legs and at least one of said legs is an intermediate leg positioned between said at least two end legs;

a plurality of stretchers, each stretcher having two ends, each of said ends attached to an upper portion of one of said rear edges maintaining at least two of said legs in a parallel, horizontally disposed relationship, said stretcher having in a rear face therealong a plurality of horizontally aligned holes therealong in a predefined regularly spaced pattern; and

at least two support posts, a first support post substantially in alignment with a first of said legs and having a bottom portion attached to at least one of said vertically aligned holes in said vertical support of said leg, and at least a second support post substantially in alignment with a second of said legs and having a bottom portion attached to at least one of said vertically aligned holes in said vertical support of said second of said legs, said support posts are repositionable at any of said holes in said rear face of said stretcher for mounting different length overhead storage units at said tops of said support posts wherein one of said intermediate legs is attached to at least one of said support posts, each said support post having an upper end adapted to support a portion of the overhead storage unit above the worksurfaces, thereby permitting the incorporation of an overhead storage unit with a given worksurface of a different length.

3. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 2 further comprising:

a plurality of work surfaces attached to said top horizontal supports of said legs, each of said worksurfaces having a top, a bottom, a first and a second end, and a rear edge.

4. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 3 further comprising

a plurality of gussets, each gusset intermediately attached between said stretcher and said upper portion of one of said rear edges of said legs affixing said stretcher to said legs.

5. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 4 wherein:

at least one of said gussets is an end gusset which positions an outer side of one of said end legs substantially coplanar with an end of one of said worksurfaces.

6. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

at least one of said gussets is an intermediate gusset which positions at least one of said intermediate legs substantially centrally below an abutment of two of said worksurfaces, said at least on of said intermediate legs supporting at least a portion of each of said abutting two of said work surfaces.

7. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

a plurality of post brackets, each post bracket intermediately attached between said bottom portion of one of said support posts and at least one of said vertically aligned holes in said rear edge of said vertical support of one of said legs.

8. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

at least one of said post brackets is an end post bracket which positions an outer edge of at least one of said support posts substantially coplanar with said outer side of one of said end legs and said end of said worksurface.

9. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

at least one of said post brackets is an intermediate post bracket which positions at least one of said support posts substantially in alignment with one of said intermediate legs.

10. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

a plurality of modesty panels, each of said modesty panels attached to said rear surface of one of said stretchers substantially extending vertically from said top horizontal supports to above said feet of said legs, and substantially extending horizontally from a first of said legs supporting one end of one of said worksurfaces to a second of said legs supporting a second end of said one of said worksurfaces, each of said modesty panels substantially of an equal length as a length of said one of said worksurfaces.

11. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 10 further comprising:

at least one privacy panel mounted to a top edge of one of said modesty panels and substantially coplanar with said modesty panel.

12. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 11 wherein:

said rear edges of said worksurfaces in combination with front faces of said modesty panel, said privacy panel, and said support posts define a slot therebetween for routing office utility cables therealong in lay-in fashion.

13. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 12 further comprising:

a plurality of cable troughs, each said trough attached to one of said stretchers for receiving therein office utility cables.

14. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising:

at least one cable channel affixed to a rear of one of said legs for routing office utility cables from a building floor to at least one of said cable clips.

15. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 12 wherein:

at least one of said legs is a pedestal storage unit.

16. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 12 wherein:

said legs are vertically adjustable.

17. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 11 wherein:

said support system is arranged to define a rectilinear office module having at least one side of said module open for ingress and egress of an office worker.

18. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 17 further comprises:

a plurality of rectilinear office modules.

19. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 18 wherein:

at least two of said rectilinear office modules have adjoining sides and further wherein said adjoining sides comprise abutting exterior faces of said modesty panels.

20. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 19 in combination with a second office dividing system having dividing panels for the non-freestanding support of worksurfaces, overhead storage units and the like wherein:

said abutting exterior faces of said modesty panels of said adjoining office modules define a plurality of planes substantially coincident with a similar plurality of planes bisecting said office dividing panels of said second office dividing system defining a substantially identical office such that said adjoining office modules can be substituted for said office dividing panels while maintaining a substantially identical office layout on the building floor.

21. The freestanding support system as set forth in claim 20 wherein:

a thickness of said modesty panels is substantially one inch.