US3371973A - Office furniture and tables - Google Patents

Description

March 968 R. VINCENS 3,371,973

OFFICE FURNITURE AND TABLES Filed Aug. 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fly] March 5, 1968 R. VINCENS 3,371,973

OFFICE FURNITURE AND TABLES Filed Aug. 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofifice 3,371,973 Patented Mar. 5, 1968 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An article of metallic office furniture comprises two rigid leg-forming frames of inverted U-shape, a top recurred to the base portions of the frames, two intermediate U-shaped frames which have their base portions recurred to the top and are similar and parallel to the leg-forming frames but have shorter legs, and cabinets carried by cooperating support elements on the legs of the leg-for ming frames and of the intermediate frames.

Olfice furniture, notably metal desks, are constructed as a rule from standard elements comprising a plate constituting the working surface or top, secured to one or two cabinets adapted to be equipped with drawers. These cabinets constitute the support, legs or bases of the desk and may bear directly on the floor, but in most instances they are equipped with legs extending along their vertical edges or depending from their lower faces. These cabinets are mounted to the end of the desk plate or top and may be interconnected by a vertical metal plate constituting the back or bottom panel of the desk.

The stability of these desks depends on the rigidity of the two cabinets for all the efforts exerted on the top are transmitted to the legs through their intermediary. Therefore, these cabinets must have a considerable rigidity and be designed with a view to withstand without any appreciable distortion all the stress applied to the top.

It is advantageous to have the possibility of constructing different combinations of ofiice furniture from these standard cabinets by combining them in different ways and fitting them according to requirements as filingcabinets, boxes, card-index cabinet, etc. However, the standardization of these cabinets is rather difficult for their mechanical characteristics depend on the actual function contemplated therefor; thus, not-ably, in an office desk the cabinets must be perfectly rigid, as explained hereinabove, whereas this property is only secondary in the case of furniture intended only for storing and filing purposes.

The desks and tables have also common elements like the top and legs. The standardization of top does not constitute a major difficulty in itself, and nearly all manufacturers have succeeded in this field. On the other hand the problem of legs is considerably more complicated for the stability of any furniture must be exactly the same in the case of a knee-hole writing table, of a single cabinet desk, or of a table. However, it may be noted that it is not always easy to manufacture tops having a great rigidity both longitudinally and transversely.

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide a specific leg mounting permitting the use of cabinets having a rigidity inferior to usually recommended standards, these cabinets ensuring a transverse stiffening of the tops, and being adapted to be mounted indiiferently on a desk cabinet, on a panel with legs, or to act as a leg unit or assembly in an ordinary table, while giving a particularly pleasant line or appearance to furniture constructed according to the teachings of the present invention.

Therefore, the present invention has for its object a desk or table consisting preferably of metal elements characterized in that the leg system consists of two extremely rigid frames or straps having the shape of an inverted U, the central portion of the U being secured to the underface of the desk top while the side members of the U constitute the legs proper.

The desks equipped with cabinets are also characterized in that said cabinets are attached to the legs and independent of the top.

Two similar intermediate frames, of which the legs may have for instance the same height as the cabinet to be housed therebetween are also secured under the top in planes parallel to each other and to those of said legs,

with a relative spacing corresponding to the width of the cabinets to be fitted.

Each cabinet is suspended on one side from the desk legs and on the opposite side from the intermediate frames. These frames are advantageously of the type described in the French Patent No. 1,364,089, filed by the same applicant on May 8, 1963, that is, consisting of two metal channels fitted in each other so as to constitute a rigid square-sectioned tube. According to a first form of embodiment, the two frames of each cabinet are braced by two trays disposed horizontally and having a suflicient relative spacing to permit the insertion of the cabinet therebetween. The upper tray is preferably somewhat spaced from the desk top in order to provide between this top and the 'upper tray a free space permitting the stowing of files and various documents during the work, notably when the top is already encumbered with papers.

According to another form of embodiment, the cabinet is attached directly by one of itssides to the legs and by its opposite side to the strap. The upper surface of this cabinet is disposed as in the first form of embodiment at a certain vertical distance from the top plate.

The mounting of a panel with legs is carried out by suspending a flat caisson to the leg unit and possibly a strap on the other side of the caisson.

To obtain a desk it is only necessary to mount a leg unit at each end of a top. These leg units themselves may be stiffened by means of straps bearing on the one hand on each leg and on the other hand on the top.

A desk or table thus obtained has a particularly pleasant appearance due to the alternation of the plane surfaces of the cabinets and back or :bottom panel with the vertical lines of the leg units and straps. The plane surfaces may be painted or lined with plastic material, and the straps and leg units may be covered with a metallized or adequately coloured ornamental element.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of the present invention and of the manner in which the same may be carried out in practice, a typical form of embodiment of the mounting constituting the subject-matter thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an office desk;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting of a cabinet on the leg unit of one of the desk sides;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the mounting of a panel with legs.

The metal desk illustrated in the drawing is of the so-called knee-hole writing table type, in that it comprises under itstop 1 twocabinets 2 equipped as usual with drawers.

According to the present invention, these cabinets, instead of being secured directly to the underface of the top plate are suspended from the leg units of the desk.

These leg units consist of two similar and veryrigid frames 3 having the shape of an inverted U, each frame having itscentral portion 4 secured under thetop 1 and the twoside members 5 acting as the legs proper. Two similar intermediate U-shapedframes 6, of which the legs 9 7 have a length corresponding substantially to the height of the cabinet to be fitted, are also secured under thetop 1 in planes parallel to each other and to the leg plane, with a relative spacing corresponding of course to the width of the cabinet to be fitted.

The twoframes 3 and 6 of each cabinet are braced by means of a pair oftrays 8 and 9 disposed horizontally and sufficiently spaced from each other to permit the insertion of thecorresponding cabinet 2 therebetween, the latter being subsequently fastened in position through any suitable means. Thetrays 8 and 9 are anchored to thelegs 5 and 7 of the two frames, preferably as described in the aforesaid French patent of the applicant, No. 1,364,- 089, that is, by utilizing a combination of catches 1t andrecesses 11, orscrews 12, a bottom orback panel 13 being interposed if desired between the twointermediate frames 6 by simply suspending them behind their rear legs. The upper tray 9 is fastened to thelegs 5 and 7 of the two frames and somewhat spaced from thetops 1 so as to form therebetween a free gap for increasing the surface area available for stowing documents, etc.

Of course, although thetrays 8 and 9 are shown as being somewhat spaced from thecabinet 2, they might also be secured thereto in a permanent manner before mounting the straps and leg units. The cabinet itself may be provided withrecesses 11 and adapted to be secured by means of screws.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the mounting of a panel withlegs 3 consisting essentially of a smallflat caisson 14 secured to the leg units as described hereinabove in the same manner as the cabinets, that is, at its upper portion by means on the one hand of lugs carried by the legs and, on the other hand ofrecesses 11 formed in the caisson, and at its bottom by means ofscrews 18. Theback panel 19 is secured to the caisson proper.

Of course, many modifications may be brought to the specific form of embodiment described and illustrated herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An article of metallic office furniture comprising two rigid leg-forming frames of inverted U-shape, a horizontal top secured to the base portions of said frames, two similar but shorter U-shaped intermediate frames the bases of which are fixed to the underside of said top and which lie in planes parallel to the leg-forming frames, the limbs of said U-shaped leg-forming frames and the limbs of said intermediate U-shaped frames being provided with cooperating support elements and cabinets supported by said support elements beneath said top and independently of it.

2. An article of office furniture according toclaim 1, wherein the support elements consist for each cabinet of two trays extending horizontally from the leg-forming frames and spaced one over the other adapted to permit the sliding insertion of the cabinet therebetween.

3. An article of office furniture according toclaim 2, wherein each upper tray is attached to a leg-forming frame at a predetermined distance from the underside of the top and adapted to leave a free space between the upper tray and the underside of the top.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,450 1/1958 Knoll 312 X 2,822,228 2/1958 Comer 248-188 2,915,351 12/1959 Shinn 312-195 2,973,232 2/1961 Knoll 312-194 X 2,987,362 6/1961 Bernath 312195 X 3,125,387 3/1964 Abrahamson 312257 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

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