Laboratory workstation system table leg and design

• US 7,735,433 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Royston Hamilton LLC
• Original Assignee: Collegedale Casework, LLC
• Inventors: White, Brian, Albright, Chip, Szabo, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; José V
• Application Number:
  US11/526,300
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50.01, 108/50.02, 108/50.18, 108/190, 108/191, 108/192, 108/193, 108/180, 108/153.1, 108/152, 108/158.11, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 312/223.3, 312/223.6, 403/230, 403/231, 403/208, 403/295
• US Class Current: 108/153.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/02 Laboratory benches or tables; Fittings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/386 in walls

Abstract

A laboratory station has rear legs and front legs which supports a table top. Utilities can be run through the rear legs and superior connections over prior art techniques are believe to be provided with preferred embodiments. Fillet nuts are believed to useful to provide increased stability over prior art designs for retaining the table top to the legs. Furthermore, a backsplash is useful in some embodiments where a single pair of rear legs are not utilized for back to back laboratory station constructions.

Claims

1. A laboratory station comprising:

first and second rear legs having curved forward surfaces;

a first table top connected to rear saddles having curved surfaces spanning an arc and oriented rearwardly relative to the table top, said rear saddles extending forward of a rear edge of the table top;

fillet nuts connected to each of the first and second rear legs, said fillet nuts having a curved surface spanning an arc which cooperates with the arc of the rear saddles, said fillet nuts receiving threaded connector which extends through the saddles and distributes loads relative to the arcs of the fillet nuts and the arcs of the saddles to secure the table top relative to the rear legs; and

first and second front legs which assist the first and second rear legs in supporting the first table top as a horizontal work surface.

2. The laboratory station of claim 1 wherein the curved surface of the fillet nut spans an arc of at least about 45 degrees.

3. The laboratory station of claim 2 wherein the curved surface of the fillet nut spans an arc of about 90 degrees.

4. The laboratory station of claim 1 further comprising front saddles connected to the first table top and front legs, said front legs receiving connectors extending from the front saddles to provide a connection thereto, said front saddles extending rearward of a front edge of the first table top.

5. The laboratory station of claim 4 wherein the front legs have fillet nuts connected thereto, said fillet nuts having a curved surface spanning an arc which cooperates with the arc of the front saddles, said fillet nuts receiving threaded connector which extends through the front saddles and distributes loads relative to the arcs of the fillet nuts and the arcs of the front saddles to secure the table top relative to the front legs.

6. The laboratory station of claim 5 wherein the fillet nuts have at least two bores therethrough and receive at least two threaded connectors at connections and at least one of the connections is located a distance above another.

7. The laboratory station of claim 1 further comprising multiple bores for receiving threaded connectors in the fillet nut located at multiple elevations.

8. The laboratory station of claim 7 wherein a height adjustment of the table top relative to the rear legs can be selected by a selection of which of the multiple bores are utilized for connection to the rear saddles with the threaded connectors.

9. The laboratory station of claim 1 further comprising a second table top extending parallel to the first table top and connected to at least one of the first and second rear legs.

10. The laboratory station of claim 9 wherein the second table top extends rearwardly of the first table top and meets intermediate front and rear portions of the rear legs.

11. The laboratory station of claim 9 further comprising a second saddle and an extension with the extension connected to at least one of the rear saddles and the second saddle so that when installed, the first and second table tops are at least substantially planar.

12. The laboratory station of claim 11 wherein the second saddle is connected to the fillet nut of the rear leg to which it is connected.

13. The laboratory station of claim 1 wherein the first table top has a rearmost extending portion which terminates intermediate front and rear portions of the rear legs.

14. The laboratory station of claim 13 further comprising a second table top connected to the rear legs which extends rearwardly relative to the first table top.

15. The laboratory station of claim 13 further comprising a backsplash which has an extension which extends parallel to the first table top and terminates at a perpendicularly extending wall at a rear of the rear legs.

16. The laboratory station of claim 1 wherein the rear legs are obround in circumference.

17. The laboratory station of claim 1 wherein the rear legs have an internal channel.

18. The laboratory station of claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the internal channel is punched out to provide retaining mechanism for the fillet nut.

19. The laboratory station of claim 17 wherein the internal channel of the rear legs is a C-channel and removable access panels are disposed inwardly of the rear legs.

20. A laboratory station comprising:

first and second rear legs having curved forward surfaces;

a table top connected to rear saddles having curved surfaces spanning an arc and extending rearwardly relative to the table top, said table top terminating at a rearmost portion intermediate front and rear portions of the first and second rear legs with the rear saddles extending forwardly of the rearmost portion of the table top;

nuts connected to each of the first and second rear legs, said nuts receiving threaded connector which extends through the saddles to secure the table top relative to the rear legs;

first and second front legs which assist the first and second rear legs in supporting the first table top as a horizontal work surface; and

a backsplash having an extension which extends parallel to the table top and terminates at a wall, said wall extending along the rear portion of the first and second rear legs.