Work Environment System

The invention relates to a work environment system comprising desks having wire and work accessory support management capability and more particularly to desks comprising work surfaces supported by legs, the work surfaces and legs having wire management capability and adapted to support work accessories, and means for wire management between the desks.

Traditionally, office and commercial work environments have been characterized by permanent or semipermanent space divider walls which define individual work areas. Such work areas have been furnished with furniture of the conventional type, that is, furniture entirely or substantially entirely independent of the walls. Conventional furniture design is often desirable because of the privacy it affords workers. Such arrangements, however, are not without drawbacks and are considered in many ways undesirable for use in modern office and commercial environments.

First, although traditional office layout may be adequate under circumstances in which the requirements of the activities performed in the work area remain relatively static over long periods of time, under modern office and commercial conditions, such systems have proved inadequate. Modern office and commercial environments are typically characterized by activities which constantly change. This phenomenon results from, for example, the fact that what is considered as an appropriate working environment for a particular activity rapidly changes. In addition, the fundamentals of the activities themselves constantly change. Thus, the concept of using a "built-in" space dividing system and conventional furniture immediately creates a problem when a change is to be made. The cost and time requirements of changing the space divide system is often so great that the necessary and desirable changes are frequently not made. Indeed, the space divider scheme originally erected and the furnishings within the work areas defined by the scheme are often used long after they have obtained functional obsolescence because of the cost of reorganization and replacement necessary to restore functional utility.

Second, conventional office designs and the furniture associated therewith have been considered undesirable for use in modern office environments because of their inability to accommodate wiring associated with modern work tools, e.g., computers, telephone systems, etc. Functionally effective and aesthetically desirable wire management necessitates costly modification of the space divider walls. And, the furniture, such as the conventional freestanding desk, can not effectively manage the numerous cables associated with such equipment which necessitates the open exposure of such wiring from work surfaces to floor which is not only aesthetically undesirable but also dangerous to workers hurriedly moving in the work area.

To overcome the problems presented in the modern work environment by conventional furniture design, in the early 60s, work environment systems capable of rapid changeover from one arrangement to another were developed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. to Propst et al., 3,413,765, issued Aug. 16, 1966, which discloses the concepts of the now well-known work environment system of the so-called "open-plan" type. Open plan work environment systems typically include a number of workstations defined by a plurality of free-standing walls generally detachably joined together in a number of ways to form workstations of varying size and configuration, with the walls serving as visual and audio barriers between the workstations. The free-standing walls not only subdivide the work area, but they also provide a means upon which functional components, such as work surfaces, cabinets and the like, can be mounted. The functional components can be positioned in a number of locations within the workstations to adapt the same to the demands of different activities. The functional components, while supported by the free-standing walls, are wholly independent of the same so that the components could be completely interchanged and installed for use with any one or more of the free-standing walls of the workstations. In addition, because the free-standing walls of the open plan office system are adapted to be rearranged from one pattern of organization to another, the workstations can be quickly changed over in size, shape, orientation and arrangement to adapt the work environment system to new requirements as the usage of the work space changes from time to time. Other open plan work environment systems particularly adapted for use in modern office environments are manufactured and sold by Applicant's assignee, Herman Miller, Inc., of Zeeland, Michigan, under the trademarks ACTION OFFICE and ETHOSPACE.

The open plan office system has particular advantages over conventional office design in the manner in which it manages wiring of modern-day office equipment. Most commonly, the free-standing walls forming the workstations are provided with channels for housing such wiring. Because a typical open plan office system can include a network of free-standing walls spanning across a work area, wiring for electronic equipment utilized in the numerous workstations can be housed within the channels of the walls and thus hidden from view and in a position not to cause potential hazards to workers.

In addition, modern office designs can be include systems for organizing papers, folders, books, among other items normally associated with business activities. Because organization of work space in modern office systems is vital to work space efficiency and to obtaining a quality work product, a means in the work space which promotes such organization is very desirable. For example, open plan office systems have been known to include panels forming series of vertically spaced horizontal support rails having channels adapted to receive downwardly-depending hooks of work accessories to removably mount the work accessories to the rails. Conventional office designs do not specifically afford convenient placement of such railcontaining panels for access thereto by workers situated at conventional free-standing desks. Indeed, rails of similar type may be mounted to permanent interior walls spaced a relatively great distance from a worker's desk or incorporated within free-standing cabinetry positioned directly adjacent such permanent walls. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. to Bayles et al., 4,274,687, and Winkler, 4,174,486, issued June 23, 1981 and Nov. 13, 1986, respectively, both of which disclose free-standing cabinetry incorporating series of horizontally stacked rails adapted to removably support work accessories.

The free-standing walls of open plan office systems provide a convenient support for work accessory support rails and thus have been so used. See, for example, U.S Pat. No. to Kelly et al., 4,685,255, issued Aug. 11, 1987. In addition, work accessory support rails have been mounted into cabinets mountable to the free-standing walls as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. to Kelley, 4,618,192, issued Oct. 21, 1986.

Although the open plan office furniture system has many advantages in that it is able to readily accommodate the demands of the modern-day work environment, it is not without its disadvantages. Most objected to is the detrimental psychological impact such furniture systems have on workers. Although the free-standing walls between workstations defined thereby were originally believed to positively affect worker morale by serving as visual and audio barriers between workstations and thus providing privacy to workers, it is now felt that placing workers in a maze of nearly identical work cubicles may actually lower worker morale. Such work environments are believed to have a "sterilizing" effect on workers who come to feel anonymous, resulting in a less than adequate work product. In addition, because the freestanding walls of the open plan modern office system are typically less than full height, one workstation defined by the walls may not be effectively insulated from sounds generated in a neighboring workstation.

Therefore, recently the dogmas of both the "conventional" office (rows of private offices with internal bull pens) and the "open" office (workers in a maze of cubicles) are drawing heavy criticism. It has been thus found desirable to provide a hybrid approach to office design which combines cellular offices, open plan workstations, free-standing furniture, full-height walls, departmental subdivisions, etc., into a heterogeneous interior space. It has been also desirable to provide such a hybrid which not only takes advantage of the positive attributes, e.g., privacy, flexibility, wire management, of both the conventional and open plan designs, but also eliminates as much as practicable the disadvantages. It has further been desirous to provide such heterogeneous system which is compatible with presently used open plan and conventional office systems.

For example, there has been provided free-standing desks having channels or wiring ducting beneath the desk tops and within the desk legs or pedestals as disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Ball et al., 3,635,174, issued Jan. 18, 1972; Holper et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,256, issued June 13, 1978; Hildebrandt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,981, issued Oct. 27, 1981; and Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,291, issued Apr. 6, 1982.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an office system including free-standing desks providing the privacy afforded by conventional systems and the flexibility and wire and work accessory management associated with open plan designs and which is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

According to the invention, an improvement is provided in a workstation comprising at least two desk and means for connecting the desks together in end-to-end, spaced relationship where each of the desks comprises a top supported by at least one leg. The improvement comprises the legs having substantially vertical leg channels extending along lengths of the legs for receiving electrical wiring of work tools positioned on the desktops. The means for connecting the desks together comprises a spacer connected to and between the desks. The spacer is substantially wedge-shaped and adapted to connect the desks together in end-to-end relationship at a predetermined angle formed by the front edges of the desktops. The connecting means further comprises a substantially horizontal connecting channel in registry with the leg channels for receiving electrical wiring channeled through the leg channels. With this structure, electrical wiring of work tools supported on one desktop can be channeled to the other desk through the leg channels and the connecting channel.

Preferably, the legs are positioned at adjacent desk ends and substantially enclose the leg channels. Further, the legs comprise windows extending through the outer sides of the legs and in registry with the leg channels in the connecting channels so that electrical wiring can be channeled from the leg channels to the connecting channel through the windows. Typically, the adjoining desks are at an angle with respect to each other of greater than or equal to 90.degree. and less than a 180.degree.. Preferably, the wedge-shaped spacers can be mounted together in multiple units between the adjacent transverse ends of the desks to connect the desks together. Two spacers will provide an angle of 150.degree. between adjoining desks, three spacers will result in a 135.degree. angle, four spacers will result in a 120.degree. angle, and six spacers will result in a 90.degree. angle.

Preferably, each spacer comprises a horizontal leg substantially flush with the adjacent desktops so that the spacer provides extensions of the tops. Each spacer further comprises a substantially vertical leg extending downwardly from the horizontal leg at a predetermined distance to provide privacy to workers at the desks.

In one aspect of the invention, the horizontal leg of the spacer has a rear end with a predetermined radius of curvature, and the vertical leg extends downwardly from the rear end and has a radius of curvature complementary with the curvature of the rear end so that the connecting channel has a curvature complementary to the curvature of the rear end.

In another aspect of the invention, each desktop comprises a slot extending therethrough and in registry with the leg channel so that electrical wiring can be channeled from the top to the leg channel through the slot.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the connecting means comprises fastening means mounted to and between the connecting means in the desk in secure, sandwiched relationship between a support and the top for securely fastening the connecting means to the desk. Typically, the fastening means comprises a pair of brackets, with each bracket being secured to a first end of the horizontal member and at a second end is adapted to be secured to an adjacent desk.

The invention may also be viewed as a spacer for connecting two desks together in spaced relationship with each desk having a work surface. The spacer comprises a horizontal member having a first edge, a second edge, and a third edge extending between the first and second edges, with an upper surface between the edges. A vertical leg depends from the horizontal member approximately adjacent the third edge, with the vertical leg being substantially coextensive with the third edge. A flange extends at an angle from the vertical leg, with the flange and the vertical leg partially defining a wiring channel. Fastening means are provided for fastening the spacer to the two desks so that the first edge will be adjacent one desk, the second edge will be adjacent the other desk, and the upper surface will be substantially coplanar with the work surfaces so that when the spacer is so connected, electrical wiring may be passed from the work surface of one desk through the wiring channel to the work surface of the other desk.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a work environment system to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a desk of the work environment system;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a desk leg taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a leg support of the desk leg;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the leg support taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the leg support taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the leg support taken along lines 7--7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the desk leg;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate front perspective and side elevational views of an alternative embodiment of the desk;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate rear perspective and side elevation views of another embodiment of the desk;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate rear perspective and side elevational views of an additional embodiment of the desk;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of a further embodiment of the desk having leg and work surface channels;

FIG. 13 is a partially exploded front perspective view of the desk illustrated in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of a wire manager assembly of the work surface channel;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the wire manager assembly taken along lines 15--15 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the wire manager assembly taken long lines 16--16 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 17 is a bottom, front exploded perspective view of the desk illustrated in FIG. 12;

FIG. 18 is an exploded fragmentary front perspective view of the desk and a work accessory support armature mounted thereto;

FIG. 19 is an exploded fragmentary front perspective view of the desk and work accessory support fence mounted thereto;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of the desk having the work accessory support fence mounted thereto and supporting work accessories;

FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of the desk illustrated in FIG. 9 and having mounted thereto an L-return;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the desk;

FIG. 22A is a perspective view of a mounting means for adjustably mounting a work tool support member to a desk top;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a number of desks mounted together in end-to-end relationship and at various angles with respect to one another by spacers;

FIG. 24 is a rear perspective view of a spacer; and

FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C illustrate alternative embodiments of the spacer.

FIGS. 26 and 29 show the structural connections between the spacer and the desk and the connections between adjoining spacers.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown a work environment system generally comprising a plurality of free-standing desks 10 of various size useful in functional combination with permanent interior walls 12 and free-standing "half-height" panels 14 and the components mountable thereon, the panels being of the type associated with a modern office system of the so-called "open plan" type. The desks 10 can be combined and linked together in various numbers and geometrical arrangements by semicircular connectors hereinafter described in detail. The desks 10 include wire management channels, hereinafter described, for housing various wiring for electronically powered work accessories, such as lamps, computers and the like. Additionally, the desks 10 can have mounted thereto work tool support means, also hereinafter described, adapted to removably mount work tools in a variety of arrangements to organize work product for workers situated at the desks. In this manner, the desks 10 provide a functionally efficient as well as aesthetically attractive work environment system having advantages of the conventional and open plan office designs while eliminating as much as practicable the disadvantages associated with such designs as heretofore described.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown one of many embodiments of the desk 10, other embodiments being described below. The desk 10 comprises a desk top 16 supported by a pair of legs 18. The desk 10 can also include an apron 20 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "panel means") mounted to and between the legs 18 and the top 16. The apron 20 extends between the desk legs 18 and is mounted to and extends downwardly from the desk top 16 a predetermined distance. In this manner, the apron functions as a modesty panel to shield from view articles or users at the desk. The apron 20 also has wire management capability as is discussed hereinafter in detail.

Each desk leg 18 comprises a pair of identical front and rear leg supports 22 securely mounted together in inverted, opposing, back-to-back relationship. The supports 22 are preferably constructed of cast aluminum. The support 22 is generally C-shaped, in overall configuration, and includes a central vertical portion 24 and a pair of identical horizontal portions 26 projecting in the same direction from polar ends 28 of the central vertical portion. The horizontal portions 26 function to support the work surface 16 on the legs 18 and the desk 10 from the floor.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7 which illustrate a sectional view of the front and rear supports 22 forming the leg 18 illustrated in FIG. 2, a side elevational view of a support, and a sectional view of the vertical portion 24 of the support, respectively, the support is substantially U-shaped, in cross section, along substantially the full length of the vertical and horizontal portions 24, 26 of the support. The support 22 further includes an inner wall 30 and an outer wall 32, with a space 34 between the walls. In addition, at least one pair of vertically spaced plates 35, 36, (two pairs being illustrated) on the inner wall 30 of the vertical portion 24 of the support 22 extend in a direction opposite from that of the horizontal portions 26 of the support. One plate 35 of the pair has extending therethrough an opening 38. The other plate 36 has extending therethrough a threaded opening 39. The plates 35, 36 and their holes 38, 39 function to mount a pair of supports 22 together in inverted, opposing, back-to-back relationship as discussed below in detail. The plates 35, 36 are preferably formed integral with the support 22 when the same is cast.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, which illustrate sectional views of the vertical portion 24 of the support 22 illustrated in FIG. 4 at the loci of the plates 35, 36, the pair of plates are positioned in horizontally staggered vertical planes. In addition, because the horizontally-extending portions 26 of the support 22 are identical, a pair of supports can be combined to form a leg 18 of the desk 10 by merely positioning the supports in inverted relationship such that the spaces 34 of the supports face one another. In such position, the pair plates 35, 36 of the one support 22 engage and overlap with the pair of plates 35, 36 of the other support 22, and the holes 38, 39 in the plates align. More specifically, the plate 35 of one support 22 overlaps and engages in a complementary fashion the plate 36 of the other support. In the same manner, the plate 36 of the one support is complementary with the plate 35 of the other support. And the pairs of plates 35, 36 of the supports fit together in such complementary manner only when the supports are positioned in inverted opposing relationship. As shown in FIG. 3, the supports 22 can then be secured together in inverted back-to-back opposing relationship by screws 42 in registry with and threadably engaging the aligned pairs of openings 38, 39.

By using identical supports 22 to form legs 18 of the desks 10, tooling costs can be significantly reduced over the situation where a pair of differing dedicated "front" and "rear" supports are used to form a desk leg. In addition, inventory problems are likewise reduced when identical supports 22 are employed to form a leg 18 of the desk 10. It will be seen, however, that once a pair of supports 22 are secured together in the above described manner and are thereafter prepared for supporting the top 16, the supports become dedicated to "front" and "rear" positioning with respect to the leg 18 formed by the supports.

Each of the identical horizontal portions 26 of the support 22 include on ends 44 thereof bosses 46, preferably formed integral with the support 22 when the same is cast. Once the supports are mounted together as described above, the horizontal portions 26 are prepared for mounting the top 16 to an upper portion 48 of the leg 18 and floor glides 50 to a lower portion 52 of the leg. The bosses 46 on the upper portion 48 of a leg are drilled through, forming bores (not shown) extending through the bosses. Screws (not shown) set in registry with the bores and threaded into holes (not shown) in the top 16 mount the leg 18 to the top. It should be noted that the leg 18 can be so mounted to either side 44 of the top 16 so long as the inner walls 30 and the plates 36 thereof of the supports 22 are positioned inwardly of the outer walls 32 of the supports. At this point in the assembly of the desk, the supports 22 forming the leg 18 become dedicated as "front" and "rear" supports of the leg. Thereafter, the bosses 46 on the lower portion 52 of the leg 18 are drilled and tapped for threadably receiving the floor glides 50.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 8, when the supports 22 are mounted together in the manner described above, a leg channel 56 (hereinafter some times, referred to as the "first channel") is formed by opposing spaces 34 defined by inner and outer walls 30, 32 of the supports and the complementary pairs of overlapping plates 35, 36 thereof. The leg channel 56 is open at an outer side 58 thereof and is adapted to receive electrical and communication wiring 60 of work accessories, such as a telephone 62 and/or a desk lamp 105 supported by the desk top 16.

An outer leg cover 64 is removably mounted to the leg 18 over the open outer side 58 of the leg channel 56 to completely enclose the wiring 60 positioned therein. The outer leg cover 64 is mounted to the leg 18 in snap-fit relationship. To this end, as best shown in FIG. 3, opposing edges 66 of the outer walls 32 of the supports 22 are provided with right angular detent notches 68 running along substantially the full length of outer walls 70 of the edges 66. In addition, the outer leg cover 64 is provided with a pair of elongated tabs 72 extending inwardly from rear surface 74 of the cover and along substantially the full length of both longitudinal sides 76 of the cover. The outer leg cover 64 further includes a pair of flexible stops 78 on and normal to the tabs 72. The outer leg cover 64 can be mounted to the leg 18 over the desk leg channel 56 by inserting a longitudinal end 76 of the cover in the leg channel 56 such that the stop 78 thereof is positioned behind the outer wall 32 of the rear support 22 of the leg and the tab 72 is positioned directly adjacent the edge 66 of the support. Subsequently, the other longitudinal end 76 of the outer leg cover 64 is moved rearwardly such that its respective stop resiliently engages the edge 66 of the front support 22 of the leg 18 and comes to rest behind the outer wall 32 of the support and main body portion 80 of the cover is positioned in the detent notches 68 and substantially flush with outer surfaces 82 of the outer walls 32 of the supports.

The outer leg cover 64 is also provided with a pair of first openings 84 on upper and lower terminal ends 86, 88 of the cover, each opening being closed off by two pairs of resilient doors 90 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "closure means"). The openings 84 permit access of opposite ends 92 of the wiring 60 to the leg channel, one end 92 of the wiring leading to an electrical receptacle (not shown) and the other end 92 leading to a work accessory 62 supported on the desk top 16.

The outer leg cover 64 is preferably made of injected molded plastic, such as styrene. The resilient doors 90 are preferably formed of resilient polyvinyl chloride.

The desk 10 described above is therefore provided with wire management capability heretofore not provided in conventional free-standing desks, wherein wiring for work accessories supported on the desk dangles freely from the sides, front and/or back of the desk. The leg channels 56 and covers 64 thereof on both sides of the desk 10 house wiring 60 in legs 18 of the desk and therefore position the wiring where it cannot pose a potential danger to workers. In addition, because the wiring 60 is hidden from view, the wiring does not detract from the aesthetic attractiveness of the desk and thus the work environment as a whole.

It should be noted that just as the outer portions of the legs 18 can have covers 64 mounted thereto over open outer sides 58 of the leg channels 56, inner walls 30 of the legs can have mounted thereto inner leg covers 94 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The inner leg covers 94 cover the overlapping plates 35, 36 of the supports 22. Specifically, the covers 94 can be provided with a series of openings 96 aligned with certain of the aligned openings 38, 39 of the overlapping plates 35, 36. The screws 42 extend through the aligned openings 38, 39 to mount the plates 35, 36 together in overlapping relationship and to mount the covers 94 over the plates. Alternatively, the inner leg covers 94 can have formed thereon inwardly projecting buttons (not shown) adapted to register with holes (not shown) in the overlapping plates 35, 36 in snap-fit engagement with the same to mount the covers 94 to the legs 18.

As shown in FIGS. 9-11, the invention contemplates desks 10 of various size to accommodate particular needs of workers in the work environment. The desks 10 illustrated in these figures represent three of many other possible embodiments envisioned by the invention; however, only three are shown for convenience in illustration. These desks 10 are substantially identical to that heretofore discussed, the only difference being in the size of the horizontal portions 26 of the leg supports 22. As can be seen, with respect to the supports 22 as assembled to form legs 18 of the desks 10, preferably each desk is provided with a pair of relatively large front leg supports 22, the user's side of the desk being designated as the front side thereof, mounted to rear supports 22 of any size. By this design, a worker is provided with sufficient space underneath the desk top 16 to rest his/her legs.

As shown in FIG. 12, the desk 10 can also be provided with a desk top channel 98 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "second channel") within the desk top 16. The desk top channel 98 functions like the leg channel 56; that is, to manage wiring 60 of electronic work accessories, such as a telephone 62, positioned on the desk top 16. Preferably, the desk 10 includes a pair of desk top channels extending inwardly from transverse end edges 100 of the top 16 directly adjacent and above the leg channels 56. It is further preferred that the desk top channels 98 be in registry with the leg channels 56 so that on each side 102 of the desk 10 there is provided a continuous channel (not specifically referenced in the figures) extending up the desk legs 18 and inwardly therefrom with respect to the desk top 16 a predetermined distance, formed by the first and second channels 56, 98, and for managing wiring of the work accessories. In this manner, for example, the telephone 62 can be placed on the desk top 16 at a central portion 104 thereof and the wiring 60 of the telephone can be concealed from view and out of position of interference with work being conducted on the desk top.

As shown in FIG. 13, each leg channel 56 can be provided with a leg wire organizer 106 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "first wire organizer means") for segregating communication and power wiring 60. The wire organizer 106 is an elongated, substantially I-shaped, in cross-section, member having inner and outer parallel walls 108, 110 and a center web 112 positioned between and perpendicular to the walls. The walls 108, 110 are of a width to fit within the leg channel 56 and when so positioned function to divide the same into longitudinal halves to segregate the communication and power wiring 60. To securely position the wire organizer 106 within the leg channel 56, double-sided foam tape (not shown) is mounted to the rear surface (not shown) of the inner wall 108 of the organizer 106. The tape functions to hold the organizer 106 against the overlapping plates 36 of the leg supports 22. The organizer 106 is preferably formed of extruded plastic, specifically, polyvinyl chloride. As may be surmised, when positioned in the leg cable port 56, the wire organizer is hidden from view by the outer leg cover 64.

Referring again specifically to FIG. 13, to accommodate the desk top channel 98, the desk top 16 is provided, on each side 54 thereof, with an outer half-oval slot 114 extending through and inwardly from the transverse end edge 100 of the top a predetermined distance, and an inner full-oval slot 116 extending through the top, linearly aligned with the half-oval slot and spaced inwardly therefrom a predetermined distance. The slots 114, 116 are connected by a depression 18 in the top (the slots and depression sometimes hereinafter referred to collectively as "slot means").

A wire manager assembly 120, as best illustrated in FIG. 14, is set in substantially full registry with the slots 114, 116 and the depression 118 and includes a wire manager or base portion 122 having outer and inner deep portions 124, 126 in registry with the outer and inner slots 114, 116, respectively, and a central shallow portion 128 in registry with the depression 118. The wire manager 122 is preferably formed of injection-molded plastic. The assembly 120 further includes an outer end cap 130 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "outer cover means") removably mounted to the outer deep portion 124 of the wire manager, a central desk top channel cover 132 hingeably mounted to the wire manager 122 and a wire access cover 134 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "inner cover means") movably mounted to the desk top channel cover 132 above the inner deep portion 126 of the wire manager.

The work surface cable port wire manager assembly 120 is securely mounted to the desk top 16 and in registry with the slots 114, 116 and the depression 118 by a plurality of screws (not shown) extending through an equal number of holes 135 in a bottom wall 136 of the shallow central portion 128 of the wire manager 122 and into the top 16 at the depression 118 of the same.

The desk top channel cover 132 is hingeably mounted to the wire manager 122 at first longitudinal sides 138, 140 of the cover 132 and the wire manager 122, respectively. To this end, the wire manager 122 has, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a plurality of T-shaped hinge pins 142 spaced along a first inner side wall 144 of the wire manager, and the desk top channel cover 132 includes a plurality of correspondingly spaced knuckles 146 on an inner surface 148 and at the first longitudinal side 138 of the cover. The knuckles 146 are set in rotatable snap-fit engagement with the hinge pins 142 to hingeably mount the second cover 132 to the wire manager 122. The desk top channel cover 132 is also preferably formed of injection-molded plastic. The hingeable connection between the cover 132 and the wire manager 122 permits convenient access to the desk top channel 98 for placement of the wiring 60 therein.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, to prevent inadvertent opening of the cover 132 with respect to the wire manager 122, the cover is provided with a snap-fit connection at second longitudinal sides 150, 152 of the cover and the wire manager, respectively. Specifically, the wire manager 122 is provided with a number of retainers 154 formed integral with a second inner side wall 156 of the wire manager directly opposite the hinge pins 142, and the cover 132 includes an equal number of correspondingly positioned resilient flanges 158 on the inner surface 148 of the cover and at the second longitudinal side 150 of the same. In the closed position of the cover 132, the resilient flanges 158 thereof engage the retainers 154 of the wire manager 122 in snap-fit relationship to maintain the cover in closed position over the desk top channel 98.

To segregate the communication and power wiring 60 in the desk top channel 98, the wire manager 122 is provided with a desk top wire organizer 160 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "second wire organizer means") formed integral with and extending upwardly from the bottom wall 136 of the shallow central portion 128 of the wire manager. Together with the leg wire organizer 106 of the leg channel 56, segregation of the wiring 60 can be accomplished substantially along the full length of the leg and desk top channels 56, 98, thereby providing the desk 10 with optimum wire management capability.

As shown in FIGS. 12, 14 and 16, to permit access to the wiring 60 at an inner end 162 of the wire manager assembly 120 and at a central portion 104 of the desk top 16, the assembly 120 is provided with a half-circular opening 164 between an inner rounded end 166 of the wire manager 122 and an inner end 168 of the desk top channel cover 132. The opening 164 can be closed off with the wire access cover 134 which is movably mounted for rotational movement to the desk top cover 132. To this end, as shown in FIG. 16, the desk top cover 132 is provided with a downwardly-depending pin 170 on the inner end 168 thereof and the wire access cover 134 includes an eccentric hole 172 in registry with the pin 170 below the cover 132. The wire access cover 134 is rotatable about an angle of approximately 180.degree. between fully open and closed positions. However, during use of the desk top channel 98, the wire access cover 134 is generally set in a partially open position to accommodate the wiring 60 passing therethrough. The wire access cover 134 includes an upstanding handle 174 for manually facilitating rotational movement of the cover 134. Like the wire manager 122 and the cover 132, the wire access cover 134 is preferably formed of injection-molded plastic.

The end cap 130 of the assembly 120 is an L-shaped member having horizontal and vertical legs 176, 178 adapted to cover square opening 180 formed between an outer open end 182 of the wire manager 122 and an outer end 184 of the desk top cover 132. The vertical leg 178 of the end cap 130 includes a pair of horizontally spaced holes 186, each covered by a pair of resilient doors 188 which permit desk-side access to the leg and desk top channels 56, 98. It should be noted that provision of the holes 186 and the doors 188 covering the same can necessitate elimination of the openings 84 on the upper end 86 of the outer leg cover 64. It is desirable to provide the desk 10 with openings 84 on the upper portions 48 of the legs 18 so that work accessories such as the telephone 62 and a desk lamp 105 can be positioned on both side and central portions 102, 104 of the desk top 16, with the wiring 62 of the work accessories substantially hidden from view and out of position of interference with a worker's activities at the desk 10.

The end cap 130 is slidably mounted for vertical movement to the wire manager 122. To this end, the wire manager 122 has formed on the first and second inner side walls 144, 156 of the same vertical ribs 190, and the end cap 130 has on inset side walls 192 thereof channels 194 in which the ribs register to slidably mount the end cap to the wire manager. Removability of the end cap 130 with respect to the wire manager 122 provides convenient access to the leg channel 56 and the overlapping plates 36 of the legs 18 for purposes discussed below in detail.

As can be seen in FIGS. 14, the outer and inner deep portions 124, 126 of the wire manager 122 have open bottom ends 196 in full registry with the outer half-oval and inner full-oval slots 114, 116 of the desk top 16. By this design, the wiring 60 of the work accessories 62, 105 positioned on the side and central portions 54, 104 of the desk top 16 can be channeled from the work accessories, into the desk top channels 98, through the open bottom ends 196 of the wire manager 122, through the slots 114, 116 and to an electrical receptacle (not shown) located beneath the top 16. Use of such wiring pathways may be preferable to full use of the leg and desk top channels 56, 98.

In a preferred embodiment, the apron 20 and the leg channels 56 are also employed to facilitate management of the wiring 62 channeled through the outer and inner slots 114, 116.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the apron 20 is a substantially J-shaped, in cross-section, member having a long vertical leg 198, a short horizontal leg 200 extending forwardly from the long vertical leg and a short vertical leg 202 extending upwardly from the short horizontal leg and parallel with the long vertical leg in spaced relationship thereto. The privacy panel function of the apron 20 heretofore discussed is primarily performed by the long vertical leg 198.

The apron 20 is securely mounted to and below the desk top 16. To this end, the apron further includes a horizontal mounting flange 204 extending along the full length of the long vertical leg 198 of the apron and having a series of spaced holes 206 through the flange 204. The desk top 16 includes an equal number of holes 208 therein aligned with the holes 206 in the flange 204. A plurality of screws 210 are set in registry with the aligned holes 206, 208 and engage the desk top 16 to mount the apron 20 to the top.

To ensure a secure mounting of the apron 20 to the desk 10, the apron is also securely mounted to and between the legs 18 and is thus provided with a plurality of mounting L-flanges 212 secured to the long vertical leg 198 of the apron at each transverse end 214 of the same The L-flanges 212 have openings 216 aligned with certain of the aligned holes 38, 39 of the overlapping plates 35, 36 of the leg supports 22. The screws 42 extend through the aligned openings 216 and holes 38, 39 to securely mount the apron 20 to and between the legs 18. It may be surmised that in such position, the apron 20 provides for lateral stability of the desk 10 by limiting lateral movement of the legs 18.

The apron 20 not only functions as a modesty or privacy panel as heretofore discussed, but it also has wire management capability. Specifically, a channel 218 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "third channel") is formed between the long and short vertical and short horizontal legs 198, 200, 202 of the apron 20 and extends along the full length thereof. The channel 218 is adapted to receive the wiring 60 channeled through the outer and inner slots 114, 116 as described above. The wiring 60 can then be routed down through the leg channels 56.

As indicated, not only can the leg channels 56 function to manage the wiring 60 channeled through the wire manager 122 of the wire manager assembly 120, but they can also accept wiring channeled through the outer and inner slots 114, 116 of the desk top 16 and the channel 218 of the apron 20. As stated above, the legs 18 have mounted to the inner walls 30 thereof the inner leg covers 94. The covers 94 extend from the lower portions 52 of the legs to positions thereon where the apron 20 is mounted to the legs. Thus, the wiring 60 in the channel 218 can be fed between pairs of overlapping plates 35, 36 of the leg supports 22 of a leg 18 and into a leg channel 56. The wiring can then be channeled to the lower portions 52 of the legs 18, inwardly past the lowermost pair of overlapping plates 35, 36, out openings 84 in the inner leg covers 94 and to an electrical receptacle (not shown) located beneath the desk 10.

As stated above, the end caps 130 of the desk top assemblies 120 are removably mounted to the wire managers 122 of the same to enable exposure of square openings 180 and permit convenient access to the leg channels 56 and the pairs of overlapping leg support plates 35, 36 positioned therein. Exposure of the plates 35, 36 is desirable for they provide a convenient point for attachment of work tools as hereinafter discussed.

As shown in FIG. 18, referring to one side 102 of the desk 10, the uppermost pair of overlapping plates 35, 36 can be provided with a pair of aligned apertures 220 for mounting to the desk a work accessory support, such as an armature 222, for supporting a work accessory such as the telephone 62. The armature 222 is mounted to the desk by a tool bracket 224 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "attachment means") having a lower downwardly-depending mounting part 226, a central cap 228 and an upper mounting part 230. The lower mounting part 226 includes a slot 232 extending upwardly from base 234 of the lower part 226 so as to form a pair of spaced legs 236. A pair of aligned orifices 238 extend through the legs 236 and are adapted to align with the aligned apertures 220 of the overlapping plates 36. The central cap 228 includes a horizontal part 240 and a vertical part 242, the lower mounting part 226 depending downwardly from the horizontal part 240 of the cap 228. The upper mounting part 230 of the tool bracket 224 is also mounted to the horizontal part 240 of the cap 228. The upper part 230 is a cylindrical member having a socket 244 formed therein. The armature 222 is adapted to mount to the upper part 230 of the tool bracket 224, is extensible along its longitudinal axis and comprises a base portion 246 having at one end thereof a downwardly-depending first pin 248 and an upper portion 250 slidably mounted to the base portion 246 along a longitudinal axis of the same by a spleen-and-groove connection. The extensible portion 250 has on an outer end 252 thereof an upwardly-projecting second pin 254. A work accessory support tray 256 for supporting, for example, the telephone 62, is adapted to rotatably mount to the outer end 252 of the armature 222 and to this end includes a socket (not shown) formed in a bottom wall 258 thereof and for registry with the second pin 254 of the armature.

To mount the armature 222 to the desk 10 and the work accessory support tray 256 to the armature, the end cap 130 is first removed from slidable engagement with the wire manager 122, thereby exposing the square opening 180 and the overlapping support leg plates 35, 36 in the leg channel 56. The tool bracket 224 is thereafter mounted to the desk 10 by positioning the lower mounting part 226 of the bracket 224 in the leg channel 56 and in slidable engagement with the uppermost pair of overlapping plates 35, 36 such that the spaced legs 236 of the lower mounting part 226 sandwich the overlapping plates 35, 36 and the orifices 238 align with aligned apertures 220 in the plates. A screw 259 is then set in registry with the aligned orifices 238 and apertures 220 to mount the tool bracket 224 to the overlapping plates 35, 36. In this position of the tool bracket 224, the horizontal and vertical parts 240, 242 of the central cap 228 of the tool bracket cover the square opening 180 as did the end cap 130 first removed as described above. It may be surmised that the end cap 130, after the same has been removed, can be placed in storage until it is required to again cover opening 180 after the tool bracket 224 is removed from its mounting to the overlapping plates 35, 36. Subsequently, the armature 222 is rotatably mounted to the tool bracket 224 by setting the first pin 248 of the armature in slidable registry with the socket 244 of the upper mounting part 230 of the tool bracket. The work accessory support tray 256 is thereafter rotatably mounted to the outer end 252 of the armature 222 by setting the second pin 254 in slidable registry with the socket (not shown) of the tray. In this manner, the work accessory 62 supported above the desk 10 can be mounted to a position of convenient access thereto by a worker at the desk and in a position out of interference with the work when not in use.

It should be noted that the pair of orifices formed in said spaced legs 236 can be formed therein to align with the pair of aligned openings 38, 39 extending through the overlapping plates 35, 36 when the tool bracket 224 is mounted to the plates. In such case, the provision of the aligned apertures 220 in the plates 35, 36 would be unnecessary. The screw 42, in registry with the aligned orifices and openings, in such case, would function to both mount the leg supports 22 together and mount the tool bracket 224 to the supports.

It should also be noted that although one armature 222 has been shown mounted to the desk 10, that two of such work accessory support tools can be utilized due to the symmetry of the desk with respect to the leg and desk top channels 56, 98 as heretofore described.

Not only can the armature 222 be mounted to the desk 10 as described above, but a work tool support fence 260 can be similarly mounted to the desk as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20. The support fence 260 comprises, on each side thereof, a lower mounting portion 262 substantially identical in construction to the lower mounting part 226 of the tool bracket 224 and thus having a slot 264 extending upwardly from a base 266 of the lower mounting portion 262 to form spaced legs 268 having aligned orifices 270 therethrough. In addition, like the tool bracket 224, the fence 260 includes a cap 272 having horizontal and vertical parts 274, 276, the mounting portion 262 depending downwardly from the horizontal part 274. An arcuate-shaped rearwardly- and forwardly-extending arm 278 projects upwardly from the horizontal part 272. A vertically disposed rail mounting bracket 280 is mounted on the free end 282 of the arm 278.

Referring now to the support fence 260 as a whole, rather than just one side thereof, the fence further includes a series of elongated spaced horizontal work accessory support rails 284 mounted to and between opposing walls 286 of the spaced rail mounting brackets 280. Each rail 284 has extending along the full length thereof a channel 288 formed in an upper portion 290 of the rail. The rails 284 are adapted to support a variety of work tools such as paper trays 292 and the like in a horizontal cantilevered manner through rearwardly- and downwardly-extending hooks 294-on the trays, engageable with the rails and registrable with the channels 288 thereof.

Although not illustrated in the drawings, the work tool support fence 260 can have a pair of substantially straight/vertically extending arms, rather than the arcuate shaped arms 278 and vertically disposed rail mounting brackets 280. In such embodiment, the rails 284 are mounted to and between the straight vertically extending arms.

The tool support fence 260 is mounted to the desk 10 in substantially the same manner as the armature 222, namely, the end caps 130 on each side of the desk are removed from their respective wire managers and the lower mounting portions 262 of the fence are positioned in the leg channels 56 such that the two pairs of spaced legs 268 sandwich the pairs of overlapping plates 35, 36 and the aligned pairs of orifices 270 of the legs align with the pairs of aligned apertures 220 of the plates. Screws 296 are then set in registry with the aligned sets of orifices 270 and apertures 220 to mount the support fence 260 to the desk.

It should be noted that the trays 292 can be supported on any of the vertically spaced rails 284 and at a continuum of horizontal locations along the rails. In this manner, the trays 292 can be set in a position above the desk 10 at a variety of convenient positions to accommodate the particular work needs of a worker, the physical characteristics of various workers and a variety of organizational schemes. By this design, the desk 10 is provided with work accessory management not heretofore available in a free-standing desk of conventional design.

The desk 10 can be provided with additional work surface area by mounting to the desk an L-return 298 as illustrated in FIG. 21. Specifically, the L-return comprises a top 300 supported at a first transverse end 302 thereof by the desk top 16 and at the second transverse end 304 thereof by a pair of leg supports 22. Specifically, the first transverse end 302 of the top 300 is mounted perpendicular to the desk top 16 at a side 102 thereof directly below the top 16. The mounting between the desk top 16 and the top 300 can be achieved by any suitable mechanical means such as by brackets (not shown) securely mounted to and between the desk top 16 and the top 300. The second transverse end 302 of the top 300 is supported by a pair of relatively small identical leg supports 22 securely mounted together in back-to-back opposing relationship as heretofore described. Like the desk legs 18, the leg 18 formed by the supports 22 supporting the L-return is associated with a leg channel and a leg channel cover 64 having openings 84 in the upper and lower ends 86, 88 of the cover. In this manner, the L-return is adapted to manage wiring from work accessories, such as a typewriter (not shown), positioned on the L-return.

It should be noted that the provision of extensions of desk top by the mounting of auxiliary tops at right angles to desk tops is known. However, supporting the outer end of the auxiliary tops by pairs of leg supports 20 having formed therebetween a leg channel 56 with wire management capability complementary to desk wire management capability is not heretofore known.

In another embodiment of the desk 10 having the leg and desk top channels 56, 98, as shown in FIG. 22, the desk top 16 can be provided with a substantially rectangular cut-out portion 306 at the front 308 of the desk and a support 310 of substantially the same dimensions as the cut-out portion 306 mounted to the desk top bottom surface for vertical movement between a lower position below the desk top, shown in chain lines in FIG. 22, and a raised position substantially flush with the top, shown in solid lines. The support 310 is adapted to support a computer keyboard (not shown) or the like, a computer (not shown) connected thereto being supported on the desk top 16. Cables (not shown) associated with the computer can be concealed in the leg and desk top channels 56, 98 as described above with respect to the wiring 60 of the work accessories 62, 105. Movable mounting of the support 310 to the desk top 16 is accomplished by an extensible mounting means 312 known in the art and commercially available from, for example, Webber Knapp, Inc., of Jamestown, New York Such mounting means 312 is illustrated in FIG. 22A and comprises a desk top mounting bracket 350 secured to the desk top, a support mounting bracket 352 to which the support 310 is mounted and an adjustment bracket 354 pivotally mounted to and between the brackets 350, 352 and for facilitating actuation of the support 310 between the lower and raised positions. A locking handle 356 functions to fix the adjustment bracket 354 relative to the brackets 350, 352 to lock the support 310 in the desired adjusted position.

It has been found desirable to link or connect two or more desks 10 of the same or differing embodiment in end-to-end relationship and at angles to one another to form a work station of substantially radial configuration for one or more workers. To this end, as illustrated in FIGS. 23-25, there is provided a spacer 312 mounted between opposing transverse ends 307 of a pair of adjacent desks 10 positioned adjacent to one another at any one of a number of angles. The spacer 312 comprises one or more identical wedge-shaped elements 309 securely mounted together to form a semi-circular spacer 312 between the adjacent desks.

As best shown in FIG. 24, each element 309 includes a wedge-shaped horizontal leg 311 having a rear end 314 with a predetermined radius of curvature, and a vertical leg 318 having a radius of curvature complementary to that of the horizontal leg. The vertical leg is securely mounted to the horizontal leg 311 by a plurality of screws (not shown) extending through holes (not shown) in a horizontal lip (not shown) of the vertical leg and into a bottom surface 319 of the horizontal leg. The horizontal leg 311 is preferably constructed of laminate covered particle board. The vertical leg 318 is preferably formed of stamped steel. The apron 20 is also preferably formed of stamped steel.

As shown in FIG. 26, the spacer 312 is mounted to an adjacent desk 10 by L-shaped plate-like brackets 330, each having a depending flange 332 on an end of the bracket. The desk leg 18 is provided with a socket 320 in the horizontal portion 26 of the front leg support 22 and in which the depending flange 332 of the bracket 330 is adapted to register. Specifically, in mounting the spacer 312 to the desk 10, the bolt 334 mounting the desktop 16 to the boss 46 of the front leg support 22 is loosened to permit partial removal of the top 16 with respect to the front leg support. Subsequently, the flange 332 of the bracket 330 is placed in registry with the socket 320 and the bolt 334 is tightened to securely trap the bracket between the desktop and to the leg support. The bracket end opposite the flange is then securely mounted to the horizontal leg 311 of the adjacent element 309 by a plurality of screws 336 extending through holes 338 in the bracket and into the bottom surface 319 of the horizontal leg 311 of the element.

As indicated above, one element 309 can be used along to space a pair of desks at a relatively large angle or two or more elements can be used in connected combination when the desks 10 are positioned at gradually decreasing angles, preferably not less than 90.degree. with respect to one another. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two, three, four or six linking elements 309 are mounted together to space a pair of desks 10, at angles of 150.degree., 135.degree., 120.degree. and 90.degree., respectively. The elements 309 can be mounted together by elongated plate-like brackets 338 mattingly engaging and securely mounted to, by screws 340 or the like, adjacent bottom surfaces 319 of the horizontal legs 311 of the elements.

In another embodiment of the invention, the elements forming a spacer 312 of the above-described preferred types can be integrally formed together, in which case the elongated plate-like mounting brackets 338 would be unnecessary.

When the spacer 312 is mounted between the adjacent desks 10, the horizontal leg(s) 311 of the spacer element(s) 309 is substantially flush with the desk tops 16 of the adjacent desks 10 and can function as extensions thereof. In addition, the vertical leg(s) 316 of the spacer 312 is aligned with the aprons 20 of the desks 10. This alignment of the aprons and the vertical leg(s) is an important aspect of the wire management feature of the invention as will be discussed below.

Not only does the vertical leg 316 of the element 309 of the spacer 312 function as a privacy curtain or visual barrier as do the aprons 20 of the desks, but the vertical leg also manages wiring 60 between the desks 10 in the same manner as the aprons 20 of the desks provide wire management. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the vertical leg 16 of the element 309 is provided in bottom end 322 of the vertical leg with forwardly- and upwardly-extending portion 324, 326 forming a connecting channel 328 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "fourth channel") of the spacer and in which the wiring 60 can be carried between the desks 10.

As stated above, when the spacer 312 is mounted between the adjacent desks 10, the aprons 20 of the same are aligned with the vertical leg 316 of the element 309 and specifically, the channel 328 of the spacer 312 is aligned with the channels 218 of the aprons 20. As can be seen in FIG. 23, although the vertical leg 316 of the element 309 is aligned with the aprons 320 of the adjacent desks 10, the spacer 312 and aprons and thus the channels 218, 328 are separated by the desk legs 18. So that the wiring 60 carried by the channels 218, 328 can be passed through the leg channels 56 between channels 218, 328, the outer leg channel covers 64 are provided with windows 342 through which the wiring 60 can pass. In this manner, for example, the wiring 60 carried by the desk top channel 98 of one desk 10 can be fed down through the inner oval slot 116 of the desk top 16 of such desk and into the channel 218 of the apron 20. Wiring 60 can then be passed above inner leg cover 94, into the leg channel 56, out through the window 342 in the outer leg channel cover 64 and into the apron channel 328.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment. To the contrary, reasonable variations, alternatives, modifications and equivalents are possible within the scope of the foregoing disclosure without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.