Laboratory furniture unit
First Claim
1. A furniture unit adapted for use in a laboratory comprising:
- a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights, a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, and legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the frame on a floor surface, the structural beam having sides and being sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment in cantilever off the sides at locations spaced from the uprights;
a belt-high utility distribution beam attached between the uprights and located above the structural beam; and
a plurality of worksurfaces separately adjustably supported in cantilever on the belt-high structural beam for vertical height adjustment, the worksurfaces each including cantilever brackets that engage one of the sides of the structural beam at locations spaced from the uprights, the plurality of worksurfaces including at least two front worksurfaces and at least two rear worksurfaces that extend in opposite directions.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A furniture unit is provided specially adapted for use in laboratories. The furniture unit includes a pair of spaced-apart uprights and vibration-dampening legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the furniture unit on a floor surface. A belt-high structural beam comprising two opposing C-shaped beams is fixedly attached to the uprights to rigidly interconnect the uprights in a spaced relationship. A plurality of worksurfaces is provided, each having a pair of cantilever brackets configured to rigidly connect to a side of the belt-high structural beam and to extend laterally therefrom. The plurality of worksurfaces is separately adjustably supported on the belt-high structural beam for vertical height adjustment, with at least one of the cantilever brackets engaging the belt-high structural beam at a location between the uprights. Shelves are attached between the uprights above the plurality of worksurfaces. Optionally, an accessory panel is mounted between the front and rear shelves for visual shielding and/or for function use, such as a marker board. A Y-shaped lighting support includes a bayonet that telescopingly engages a top of the uprights. A lamp housing structure spans between the lighting supports in a location where a lamp in each lamp housing structure is generally above a front edge of the worksurfaces. A utility distribution beam is mounted between the uprights above the structural beam for communicating utilities, including piped utilities and cabled utilities, to accessible locations along a rear edge of the worksurfaces. The legs include gussets that telescope into the uprights to provide a stable bottom joint.
190 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A furniture unit adapted for use in a laboratory comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights, a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, and legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the frame on a floor surface, the structural beam having sides and being sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment in cantilever off the sides at locations spaced from the uprights;
a belt-high utility distribution beam attached between the uprights and located above the structural beam; and
a plurality of worksurfaces separately adjustably supported in cantilever on the belt-high structural beam for vertical height adjustment, the worksurfaces each including cantilever brackets that engage one of the sides of the structural beam at locations spaced from the uprights, the plurality of worksurfaces including at least two front worksurfaces and at least two rear worksurfaces that extend in opposite directions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A furniture unit adapted for use in a laboratory comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights, a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, and legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the frame on a floor surface, the structural beam having sides an being sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment in cantilever off the sides at locations spaced form the uprights; and
a plurality of worksurfaces separately adjustably supported in cantilever on the belt-high beam for vertical height adjustment, the plurality of worksurfaces include at least two front worksurfaces and at least two rear worksurfaces that extend in opposite directions. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A furniture unit adapted for use in a laboratory comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights, a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, and legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the frame on a floor surface, the structural beam having sides an being sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment in cantilever off the sides at locations spaced form the uprights;
a beam comprises a pair of opposing C-shaped structural beams, the structural beams being about 12 gauge or a heavier gauge; and
a plurality of worksurfaces separately adjustably supported in cantilever on the belt-high beam for vertical height adjustment.
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20. A furniture unit adapted for use in a laboratory comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights, a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, and legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the frame on a floor surface, the structural beam having sides and being sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment in cantilever off the sides at locations spaced from the uprights;
the structural beam includes opposing C-shaped beams that define an internal space for conveying utilities, and further that defines an upwardly open access slot and a downwardly open access slot; and
a plurality of worksurfaces separately adjustably supported in cantilever on the belt-high beam for vertical height adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A kit for constructing a furniture unit comprising:
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a pair of spaced-apart uprights including legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the furniture unit on a floor surface;
a belt-high structural beam with upright-engaging brackets constructed to rigidly interconnect the uprights in a spaced relationship;
a plurality of individual-sized worksurfaces each having cantilever brackets configured to rigidly adjustably engage a side of the belt-high structural beam and to extend laterally therefrom, such that the plurality of worksurfaces can be separately adjustably supported on the belt-high beam in laterally adjacent positions for vertical height adjustment, with at least one of the cantilever bracket engaging the belt-high structural beam at a location between the uprights;
the structural beam including opposing C shaped beams and including U-shaped reinforcements that rigidly interconnect the C shaped beams for added strength;
at least one shelf configured for attachment between the uprights at a location spaced above the plurality of worksurfaces;
a lighting support configured to engage each of the uprights; and
a lamp housing structure being configured to engage and be supported on the lighting support in a location where the lamp housing structure is located generally above a front edge of one of the plurality of worksurfaces. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A furniture unit comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart uprights and a belt-high structural beam rigidly interconnecting the uprights, the structural beam including opposing C shaped beams that are at least about 12 gauge beams and that engage opposing side faces of the uprights to form a box-shaped structure having sides and that is sufficient in structure and size to support worksurfaces and laboratory equipment solely in cantilever off the side faces at locations space from the uprights; and
first and second worksurfaces separately supported in cantilever on the belt-high structural beam for vertical height adjustment, the first and second worksurfaces each including cantilever brackets that engage and are attached to one of the side faces.
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25. A furniture unit comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart tubular uprights having upper ends;
worksurfaces supported on the frame that define work areas below the upper ends, the worksurfaces extending laterally from the frame;
first and second light supports each having a down tube shaped to mateably telescopingly engage the open ends, and further each having laterally extending opposing arms that extend over the worksurfaces; and
a pair of lamp housing supported by ends of the opposing arms and extending between the first and second light supports, the lamp housings including light sources that are positioned to illuminate the work areas.
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26. A furniture unit comprising:
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a frame including a pair of spaced-apart tubular uprights having open bottom ends;
worksurfaces supported on the frame that define work areas above the bottom ends, the worksurfaces extending laterally; and
a tubular leg connected to each of the bottom ends of the uprights at leg-to-upright connections, each leg-to-upright connection including a pair of upwardly extending spaced-apart gussets welded to the leg, the gussets being dimensioned to fit telescopingly into the associated bottom end and to closely engage opposing inside surfaces of the bottom end to achieve a stable perpendicular joint. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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Specification