Work station support and/or a mounting bracket used in said work station support

• US 6,289,826 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Formway Furniture Limited
• Original Assignee: Formway Furniture Limited
• Inventors: Waisbrod, Neville
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZUMNY, JONATHON A
• Application Number:
  US09/446,936
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 108/152, 108/157.1, 108/157.13, 108/157.16, 108/180, 248/221.12, 248/222.41, 248/223.21, 248/222.52, 248/235, 248/918, 248/218.4, 248/230.1, 248/220.22
• US Class Current: 108/157.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/033 with parts added to the original furniture to enlarge its surface
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2037/005 Tables specially adapted for laboratories
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 5/02 detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/028 characterised by support bracket location means, e.g. fixing means between support bracket and shelf

Abstract

A work station support comprises two mounting brackets (4) arranged in use to be attached to a work station top (1) at a spaced relationship. Each mounting bracket (4) has a fixing plate (5) and an arm (6) extending from said fixing plate (5), two separate key hole slots (11, 12) formed in said fixing plate (5) at a locus about a center of rotation of said fixing plate (5). The wider part (13) of each key hole slot is adapted to engage over the head of a mounting stud (17) in use and upon rotation of the fixing plate (5), the stud is moved to the narrower part (14) of each key hole slot (11, 12). The said key hole slots (11, 12) are formed to require the fixing plates (5) to be rotated in opposite directions to move to the engaged position. Holding means (7) is provided at or adjacent the end of each arm (6) and a support means (18) is engageable with the holding means (7) when the mounting brackets are engaged in position, with the fitted support means (18) locking the mounting brackets (4) in the engaged position. The support means comprises posts (18) extending up from the holding means (7). Shelf support means (20) are associated with the posts (18) and operable to support a shelf (2). A shelf back stop (25) is engageable with the posts (18) to provide a stop, limiting movement of articles on the shelf (2) rearwardly. A retaining means is slidably mounted on said back stop to retain articles supported on said shelf.

Claims

1. A mounting bracket for a workstation having a pair of spaced apart mounting studs attached thereto, the mounting bracket comprising:

an elongated arm having a first end and an opposing second end;

a holder provided at or adjacent to the first end of the arm; and

a fixing plate provided at or adjacent to the second end of the arm, the fixing plate having a center of rotation and two separate keyhole slots arranged on a locus about the center of rotation, each keyhole slot having a wider part and a narrower part, each of which extends along the locus about the center of rotation, each wider part of each keyhole slot being adapted to receive a respective mounting stud on the workstation such that rotation of the mounting bracket about the center of rotation causes the mounting studs to be received in the narrower parts of the respective keyhole slots, thereby engaging the fixing plate to the workstation.

2. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fixing plate is disposed in a plane, the arm longitudinally extending from the fixing plate in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the fixing plate.

3. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein each keyhole slot has two narrower parts extending along the locus, the wider part being centrally disposed between the two narrower parts.

4. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two keyhole slots are diametrically opposed.

5. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 4 wherein the holder comprises a head connected to the arm, the head having an aperture formed therein.

6. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 5 wherein the aperture extends orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the arm.

7. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a face plate mounted at the first end of the arm; and

a pair of headed studs projecting from the face plate.

8. The mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fixing plate is circular and the center of rotation corresponds to the center of the fixing plate.

9. A workstation assembly comprising:

a workstation;

a first mounting bracket, the first mounting bracketing comprising;

an elongated arm having a first end and a second end; and

a holder provided at or adjacent to the first end of the arm;

a first engagement portion comprising a pair of spaced apart mounting studs, each mounting stud having an enlarged head; and

a second engagement portion comprising a fixing plate having a center of rotation and two separate keyhole slots arranged on a locus about the center of rotation, each keyhole slot having a wider part and a narrower part, each of which extends along the locus about the center of rotation, each wider part of each keyhole slot being adapted to receive the head of a respective mounting stud of the first engagement portion such that the respective mounting stud can subsequently be advanced into the narrower part of the respective keyhole slot, a select one of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion being mounted on the workstation, the other of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion being provided at or adjacent to the second end of the arm, thereby enabling attachment of the first mounting bracket to the workstation.

10. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the mounting studs are provided on the workstation and the fixing plate is mounted on the arm.

11. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein the workstation comprises a workstation top, the workstation top having a bottom side and a top side, the mounting studs being disposed on the bottom side of the workstation top.

12. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the fixing plate comprises a circular plate and a recess is provided on the bottom side of the workstation top to receive the circular plate.

13. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the fixing plate is disposed in a plane, the arm longitudinally extending from the fixing plate in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the fixing plate.

14. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein the workstation comprises a workstation top having a back edge, the holder being disposed in a vertical plane beyond the back edge of the workstation top when the workstation top is in a horizontal plane.

15. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein the holder comprises a head connected to the arm, the head having an aperture formed therein.

16. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 15 wherein the aperture extends orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the arm.

17. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein each keyhole slot has two narrower parts extending along the locus, the wider part being centrally disposed between the two narrower parts.

18. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the two keyhole slots are diametrically opposed.

19. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a second mounting bracket, the second mounting bracket comprising:

an arm having a first end and a second end, the second end being selectively attached to the workstation top; and

a holder provided at or adjacent to the first end of the arm.

20. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 19 further comprising:

a face plate mounted at the first end of the arm of the first mounting bracket; and

a pair of headed studs projecting from the face plate.

21. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 20 further comprising a screen mounted on the headed studs.

22. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 19 further comprising:

a shelf frame including two posts, each post being held by and extending upward from a respective holder of the first mounting bracket and the second mounting bracket; and

a shelf supported by the shelf frame.

23. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 22 further comprising:

a rail extending between the two posts; and

a retainer comprising a bush slidably mounted on the rail and a retaining arm projecting from the bush so as to extend over at least a portion of the shelf.

24. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 23 wherein the retaining arm comprises an arc portion lying in a plane substantially orthogonal to the plane of the shelf and extending transversely across the shelf.

25. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 23 wherein the rail is disposed higher than the shelf so that the rail acts as a backstop for the shelf.

26. A workstation assembly comprising:

a workstation top having an attachment surface;

a first pair of spaced apart mounting studs and a second pair of spaced apart mounting studs each projecting from the attachment surface, each mounting stud terminating at an enlarged head;

a first mounting bracket comprising;

a first arm having a first end and a second end;

a first holder provided at or adjacent to the first end of the first arm;

a first fixing plate secured at or adjacent to the second end of the first arm, the first fixing plate having a first pair of spaced apart keyhole slots formed therein, each keyhole slot having a wider part and a narrower part, the first pair of keyhole slots being configured to receive the first pair of mounting studs such that as the first fixing plate is rotated in a first direction, the first pair of mounting studs are received within the narrower parts of the first pair of keyhole slots; and

a second mounting bracket comprising;

a second arm having a first end and a second end;

a second holder provided at or adjacent to the first end of the second arm; and

a second fixing plate secured at or adjacent to the second end of the second arm, the second fixing plate having a second pair of spaced apart keyhole slots formed therein, each of the second keyhole slots having a wider part and a narrower part, the second pair of keyhole slots being configured to receive the second pair of mounting studs such that as the second fixing plate is rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction of the first fixing plate, the second pair of mounting studs are received within the narrower parts of the second pair of keyhole slots.

27. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 26, wherein the workstation top has a top side and a bottom side each extending between a front edge and a back edge, the attachment surface comprising the bottom side of the workstation top.

28. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first pair of mounting studs are disposed within a recess formed on the bottom side of the workstation top, the recess being configured to receive the first fixing plate.

29. The workstation assembly as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first holder and the second holder are disposed beyond the back edge of the workstation top when the first pair of mounting bolts are received within the narrow parts of the first pair of keyhole slots and the second pair of mounting bolts are received within the narrow parts of the second pair of keyhole slots.