Frame type workstation configurations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11317716-B2
Application number	US-202016882021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2020
Priority date	Jun 2, 2010
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A furniture assembly comprising a first frame structure having front and rear portions and including at least a first leg member and a substantially horizontal first rail member supported by the at least a first leg member where the first rail member has a first length dimension, a substantially horizontal second rail member supported by the at least a second leg member spaced apart from the first rail member wherein an assembly space includes the space between the first and second rail members, a front portion of the assembly space adjacent the front portion of the first frame structure and a rear portion of the assembly space adjacent the rear portion of the first frame structure, a first furniture sub-assembly having first and second ends, having a first depth dimension and supported within the assembly space by the first and second rail members and a second furniture sub-assembly having first and second ends, a second depth dimension and supported within the assembly space by the first rail member and a rail member of another frame structure, wherein the combined first and second depth dimensions are less than the first length dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A workstation assembly comprising:
first and second leg subassemblies, each of the first and second leg subassemblies including first and second leg members and a rail subassembly, the first and second leg members extending upward from lower ends to upper ends where a horizontal distance between the first and second leg members decreases from the lower ends to the upper ends, the rail subassembly including upper and lower portions, the upper portion extending between upper ends of first and second leg members and forming a substantially flat horizontal top surface, the lower portion located below the upper portion and extending between intermediate portions of the first and second leg members, the first and second leg subassemblies spaced apart and including facing first and second side surfaces, respectively, the first and second leg subassemblies forming a frame space therebetween;
an elongated channel assembly that extends between first and second ends, the channel assembly including an elongated member and first and second side wall members that extend downward from the elongated member to define a first channel, the first and second ends of the channel assembly mounted to and extending between the first and second side surfaces of the first and second leg subassemblies, respectively;
a power outlet supported by the channel assembly between the first and second side wall members; and
a rectangular tabletop member forming a flat tabletop surface and having a front edge and a rear edge and front and rear tabletop portions adjacent the front edge and the rear edge, respectively, the tabletop member supported by the first and second leg subassemblies with at least the rear tabletop portion substantially within the frame space.

2. The workstation assembly of claim 1 wherein the front portion of the tabletop member extends outward from the frame space away from the elongated channel assembly.

3. The workstation assembly of claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly forms a downwardly extending lip that forms part of the first side surface and the lower portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly forms an upwardly extending lip that forms part of the first side surface, the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the second leg subassembly forms a downwardly extending lip that forms part of the second side surface and the lower portion of the rail subassembly of the second leg subassembly forms an upwardly extending lip that forms part of the second side surface, wherein a gap is formed between the lips that form part of the first side surface and a gap exists between the lips that form part of the second side surface.

4. The workstation assembly of claim 3 further including first and second coupler assemblies at the first and second ends of the elongated channel assembly, the first coupler assembly engaging the lips that form part of the first side surface to secure the channel assembly to the first leg subassembly and the second coupler assembly engaging the lips that form part of the second side surface to secure the channel assembly to the second leg subassembly.

5. The workstation assembly of claim 4 wherein at least the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly forms a horizontal slot substantially along its length, the workstation assembly further including an accessory subassembly that engages the slot in the upper portion to secure the accessory subassembly to the first leg subassembly.

6. The workstation assembly of claim 5 wherein the accessory subassembly includes a horizontal shelf member.

7. The workstation assembly of claim 5 wherein the accessory subassembly includes a privacy screen.

8. The workstation assembly of claim 5 wherein the slot is formed in a side surface of the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly.

9. The workstation assembly of claim 4 wherein the first leg subassembly includes front and rear ends at opposite ends of the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly and the second leg subassembly includes front and rear ends at opposite ends of the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the second leg subassembly, the channel assembly coupled to the rear ends of the first and second leg subassemblies.

10. The workstation assembly of claim 9 wherein the channel assembly further includes a second elongated channel that extends substantially parallel to the first channel for carrying cables.

11. The workstation assembly of claim 10 wherein the rear edge of the tabletop member is spaced from the channel assembly.

12. The workstation assembly of claim 11 wherein there is an unobstructed path from a space above the tabletop surface of the tabletop member to the power outlet that is supported by the channel assembly.

13. The workstation assembly of claim 12 wherein the first and second ends of at least one of the channels are at least partially open and partially unobstructed by the leg subassemblies.

14. The workstation assembly of claim 1 further including a privacy screen having substantially flat first and second surfaces and an edge that defines a privacy screen shape, the privacy screen mounted to a top end of the first leg subassembly so that the flat first and second surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the tabletop member.

15. The workstation assembly of claim 4 wherein the tabletop member is a first tabletop member, the assembly further including a second substantially rectangular tabletop member forming a flat tabletop surface and having a front edge and a rear edge and front and rear tabletop portions adjacent the front edge and the rear edge, respectively, the first leg subassembly includes front and rear ends at opposite ends of the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly and the second leg subassembly includes front and rear ends at opposite ends of the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the second leg subassembly, the channel assembly coupled to a central location along each of the first and second leg subassemblies between the front and rear ends, the rear portion of the first tabletop member adjacent the front ends of the first and second leg subassemblies with the front tabletop portion of the first tabletop member extending from the frame space, the rear portion of the second tabletop member supported by the first and second leg members with the rear tabletop portion substantially within the frame space and adjacent the rear ends of the first and second leg subassemblies and the front tabletop portion of the second tabletop member extending from the frame space.

16. The workstation assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second leg members and the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the first leg subassembly includes an outer side surface and an inner side surface, at least a portion of the outer side surfaces lying in a first common outer side plane and at least a portion of the inner side surfaces lying in a first common inner side plane that is substantially parallel to the first common outer side plane, each of the first and second leg members and the upper portion of the rail subassembly of the second leg subassembly includes an outer side surface and an inner side surface, at least a portion of the outer side surfaces of the second leg subassembly lying in a second common outer side plane and at least a portion of the inner side surfaces of the second leg subassembly lying in a second common inner side plane that is substant

Assignees

• Steelcase Inc

Inventors

• Martin Kirt
• Eberlein David C
• Biddle Fredric

Classifications

• A47B13/02 Primary

  Underframes · CPC title

• A47B13/16

  Holders for glasses, ashtrays, lamps, candles or the like forming part of tables · CPC title

• A47B2009/006

  of two distinct heights, e.g. coffee table - dining table · CPC title

• A47B21/06

  characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables · CPC title

• A47B13/088

  Sectional table tops · CPC title