Beam-type office furniture system and modules

• US 6,152,048 A
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nova-Link Limited
• Original Assignee: Nova-Link Limited
• Inventors: Vander Park, Antonius A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, HANH VAN
• Application Number:
  US09/194,804
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50.02, 108/50.01, 108/102, 312/194, 312/195, 312/196, 312/198, 312/223.3, 312/257.1, 312/265.4, 312/223.6, 52/36.1, 52/36.5, 52/220.7, 52/239
• US Class Current: 108/50.02
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/003 made of metal
• 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 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• 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 work station suitable for mounting electrical, communication and computer equipment has a hollow support beam capable of supporting work surfaces and equipment on one side of the beam. Legs mount the beam in a horizontal position above a floor. Support brackets are detachably connected to a side of the beam and work surface members are mounted on these brackets. A support wall is detachably mounted on top of the beam and this wall has rigid metal side panels with rails for attaching shelving and other devices. Each support bracket has an arm supporting section extending perpendicular to the length of the bracket and an upwardly and forwardly extending front section connected to the forward position. The work surface members are connected to this front section.

Claims

1. A work station suitable for mounting electrical equipment comprising

a hollow support beam adapted to support said equipment on at least one side of said beam during use of said work station,

support legs for mounting said beam in a horizontal position above a floor;

support brackets detachably connected to at least one side of said beam and supported thereby;

horizontal work surface members mounted on said support brackets;

a vertically extending support wall detachably mounted on top of said beam and supported thereby, said support wall including rigid, vertical support columns that extend through openings formed in the top of said beam, two rigid metal panels formed by extrusion and forming two opposite sides of said support wall, and means for attaching load bearing members integrally formed on said two metal panels by the extrusion process, each column having a first side and a second side opposite the first side and said two metal panels being mounted directly to and on said first and second sides of said support columns; and

connecting members detachably and fixedly connecting said support columns to the top of said beam.

2. A work station according to claim 1 wherein said connecting members are brackets affixed to the top of said beam and threaded fasteners joining said brackets to their respective columns.

3. A work station according to claim 1 wherein said two metal panels are aluminium or aluminum alloy panels.

4. A work station according to claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises a number of horizontal, L-shaped flanges integrally connected to an outer surface of each metal panel.

5. A working station according to claim 1 wherein a cap is rigidly mounted along a top edge of said support wall and projects horizontally from opposite sides of the support wall.

6. A work station according to claim 1 wherein said metal panels are mounted on said support columns by means of clips that are each attached to their respective columns by means of two screws arranged side-by-side along a horizontal central axis of the clip.

7. A work station according to claim 6 wherein each of said clips has two horizontally extending edge flanges that are spaced from the column to which the respective clip is attached and each metal panel has a short bottom flange that is inserted behind upper ones of the edge flanges of clips arranged along a bottom edge of the respective metal panel.

8. A work station according to claim 1 wherein a junction post is attached to one end of said support beam, said post comprising a vertically extending hollow column having at least three vertical sides extending between a bottom end and a top end, at least two of said vertical sides being formed with a bottom aperture spaced a substantial distance from said bottom end and at least one upper aperture for the passage of wiring and cables positioned above said bottom aperture, wherein during use of said junction post, the adjacent one end of the beam is positioned and connected next to one of said bottom apertures so that said adjacent one end opens into the interior space of the column.

9. A work station according to claim 8 wherein a bottom plate forms said bottom end of the column and is attached to said vertical sides and adjustable levelling devices are mounted on said bottom plate, and wherein a cap is mounted on said top end of the column in order to cover same.

10. A work station according to claim 1 wherein said support brackets are extendible and each includes an elongate arm section having a rearward portion and a forward portion slidably adjustable with respect to said rearward portion and connected thereto, whereby the length of said arm section can be varied.

11. A work station according to claim 10 wherein each support bracket further includes an arm supporting section extending generally perpendicular to the length of said arm section and rigidly connected to said rearward portion.

12. A work station according to claim 10 wherein said forward portion is mounted in a telescoping manner in said rearward portion.

13. A work station according to claim 1 including an elongate raceway suitable for wire and cable mounted a distance above said beam and extending parallel to the top of said beam, and means for supporting said raceway above said beam.

14. A work station according to claim 1 including an elongate raceway suitable for wire and cable mounted a distance above said beam and extending parallel to the top of said beam, said raceway being mounted on said vertical support columns.

15. A work station suitable for mounting electrical equipment comprising:

a hollow support beam adapted to support said equipment on at least one side of said beam during use of said work station;

support legs for mounting said beam in a horizontal position above a floor;

support brackets detachably connected to at least one side of said beam and supported thereby;

horizontal work surface members mounted on said support brackets;

a vertically extending support wall detachably connected to said beam and supported thereby, said support wall including at least one rigid metal panel formed by extrusion and forming one side of said support wall, means for attaching load bearing members integrally formed on the at least one metal panel by the extrusion process, and rigid, vertical support columns that extend through openings formed in the top of said beam, each support column having a first side and a second side opposite the first side and said at least one metal panel being mounted on at least one of said first and second sides of said support columns,

wherein said beam includes a horizontal bottom plate spaced a substantial distance from the top of said beam and having suitable receiving holes formed therein and wherein bottom end portions of said support columns are positioned respectively in said receiving holes so that said bottom end portions are secured from horizontal movement by said bottom plate.

16. A work station according to claim 15 wherein said receiving holes are rectangular slots each having selected horizontal dimensions, said bottom end portions of each column have combined horizontal dimensions corresponding to said selected horizontal dimensions, and said bottom end portions are force fitted into said slots, thereby preventing both vertical and horizontal movement of the bottom end of each column relative to said beam.

17. A work station according to claim 16 wherein each support column comprises two channel-shaped frame members that are connected back-to-back along their lengths and each have a central, longitudinal web section connecting two, substantially parallel legs, said bottom end portions are downward extensions of the central web sections, and bottom ends of said parallel legs rest on top of said bottom plate of the beam.

18. A work station suitable for mounting electrical equipment comprising:

a hollow support beam adapted to support said equipment on at least one side of said beam during use of said work station;

support legs for mounting said beam in a horizontal position above a floor;

support brackets detachably connected to at least one side of said beam and supported thereby;

horizontal work surface members mounted on said support brackets; and

a vertically extending support wall detachably mounted on top of said beam and supported thereby, said support wall including rigid, vertical support columns that extend through openings formed in the top of said beam, each of said support columns having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, two rigid, metal support panels formed by extrusion and mounted directly to and on said first and second sides of said support columns, and means for attaching load bearing members integrally formed on the metal support panels by the extrusion process, each of said two metal support panels having a bottom edge spaced above the top of said beam so as to leave a substantially open space between the metal support panels and said beam.

19. A work station according to claim 18 wherein an elongate, open mesh wire and cable raceway is mounted on said support wall and located in said space, said raceway extending generally horizontally along said support wall in a direction parallel to said support beam.