Potting bench

• US 8,651,029 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Daiying, Clavette, Samuel J., Grotta, Stephanie A., Pedersen, Sara L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ING, MATTHEW W
• Application Number:
  US13/222,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 108/65, 108/69, 108 77- 82, 108/108, 108/152
• US Class Current: 108/77
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 47/04 made mainly of wood or plastics
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/045 Tables combined with cabinets wall tables A47B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 1/12 with storage compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 1/14 with provision for adjusting the bench top
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/06 Trays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49817 with other than ancillary treating or assembling

Abstract

A potting bench includes an upper frame section and a lower frame section. The lower frame section is defined by a first front support, a first rear support, a second front support, a second rear support and a work surface. The work surface includes a fixed section having a first end and a second end, an extendable section rotatably coupled to the first end of the fixed section and configurable into a lowered and a raised position and a removable section configurable into a user work position and a stowed position. The first end of the removable section is located adjacent to the second end of the fixed section in the user work position and the removable section is supported on a support hook mounted on a side wall located between the second front support and the second rear support in the stowed position.

Claims

1. A workstation comprising:

an upper frame section;

a lower frame section defined at least by a first front support, a first rear support, a second front support, a second rear support, a planar work surface and a side wall that is located between the second front support and the second rear support and having an exterior facing surface;

a support hook mounted to and protruding from the exterior facing surface of the side wall of the lower frame section;

wherein the work surface of the lower frame section comprises;

a fixed section having a first end and a second end;

an extendable section rotatably coupled to the first end of the fixed section and configurable into a lowered position and a raised position, wherein in the raised position the work surface of the extendable section abuts with and is in alignment with the work surface of the fixed section and wherein in the lowered position the work surface of the extendable section is out-of-alignment from the work surface of the fixed section; and

a removable section configurable into a user work position and a stowed position, wherein in the user work position a first end of the work surface of the removable section abuts the second end of the work surface of the fixed section and wherein in the stowed position the work surface of the removable section is separated from the work surface of the fixed section and supported on the support hook mounted on the side wall of the lower frame section.

2. The workstation of claim 1, wherein the upper frame section is defined by a third rear support that has a bottom end coupled to and in alignment with a top end of the first rear support and a fourth rear support that has a bottom end coupled to and in alignment a top end of the second rear support, the upper frame section comprising a plurality of horizontally oriented bars that extend from the third rear support to the fourth rear support and are vertically spaced apart above the work surface.

3. The workstation of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of accessory bins, each accessory bin coupled to one of the plurality of bars.

4. The workstation of claim 3, wherein each accessory bin comprises a vessel portion and a coupling portion, the coupling portion is attached to a back side of the vessel portion and comprises an arcuate shape that corresponds with a contour of each of the plurality of bars.

5. The workstation of claim 2, wherein the upper frame section comprises a shelf extending between the third rear support and the fourth rear support of the upper frame section, wherein the shelf is positioned between two of the plurality of bars.

6. The workstation of claim 1, wherein the lower frame section further comprises a storage compartment located under the removable section of the work surface when the removable section of the work surface is in the user work position.

7. The workstation of claim 1, wherein the removable section comprises a support flange located a spaced distance from a bottom surface of the removable section, wherein the support hook mounted to the side wall of the potting bench engages with the support flange when the removable section is positioned in the stowed position.

8. A potting bench comprising:

vertically oriented first and second rear supports;

vertically oriented first and second front supports;

a side wall located between the second front support and second rear support and having an outwardly facing surface;

a support hook mounted on and protruding from the outwardly facing surface of the side wall;

a work surface positioned at least on top of the vertically oriented first and second front supports and adjacent the top ends of the vertically oriented first and second rear supports, the work surface adapted to support equipment for seeding, potting or watering plants and comprises;

a fixed portion having a first end and a second end;

a removable portion configurable into a user work position and a stowed position, wherein in the user work position the removable portion abuts the second end of the fixed portion and is in alignment with the fixed portion and wherein in the stowed position the removable portion is supported on the support hook mounted on the side wall; and

an extendable portion rotatably coupled to the first end of the fixed portion and configurable into a lowered position and a raised position.

9. The potting bench of claim 8, wherein the removable portion includes a support flange located a spaced distance from a bottom surface of the removable section, wherein the support hook mounted to the side wall of the potting bench engages with the support flange when the removable section is positioned in the stowed position.

10. The potting bench of claim 8, further comprising a fixed storage compartment located under the removable portion of the work surface when the removable portion of the work surface is in the user work position.

11. The potting bench of claim 10, further comprising a first pull-out storage compartment located between the fixed storage compartment and the first front support and first rear support.

12. The potting bench of claim 11, further comprising a second pull-out storage compartment located below the fixed storage compartment.

13. The potting bench of claim 8, further comprising vertically oriented third and fourth rear supports, wherein a bottom end of the third rear support is coupled to a top end of the first rear support and a bottom end of the fourth rear support is coupled to a top end of the second rear support and wherein the vertically oriented first and second front supports have a height that is less than a height of the vertically oriented first and second rear supports coupled to the third and fourth rear supports.

14. The potting bench of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of horizontally oriented bars extending from the third rear support to the fourth rear support and being vertically spaced apart above the work surface; and

a plurality of accessory bins, each accessory bin coupled to one of the plurality of bars and including a vessel portion and a coupling portion, the coupling portion having an arcuate shape that corresponds with a contour of each of the plurality of horizontally oriented bars, the vessel portion adapted to receive at least some of the equipment for seeding, potting or watering plants.

15. The potting bench of claim 14, further comprising a shelf extending from the third rear support to the fourth rear support, the shelf being positioned between two of the plurality of horizontally oriented bars.

16. A method comprising:

obtaining a potting bench with a planar work surface that includes a fixed section, an extendable section and a removable section, the fixed section including a first end and a second end, the extendable section rotatably coupled to the first end of the fixed section and the removable section including a first end that abuts the second end of the fixed section and is in alignment with the fixed section;

removing the removable section of the work surface from the potting bench such that the first end of the removable section is separated from the second end of the fixed section; and

stowing the removable section of the work surface on a storage hook mounted to and protruding from an exterior facing surface of a side wall of the potting bench.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising raising the extended section into a raised position such that the second end of the extended section abuts the first end of the fixed section.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising attaching at least one accessory bin to one of a plurality of bars located above the work surface of the potting bench.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein attaching the at least one accessory bin comprises engaging an arcuate-shaped coupling portion of the at least one accessory bin to a contour of one of the plurality of bars.