Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02410145 2002-12-11
Jay M. Henriott
Grover L. Miller
Chad M. Schnell
STANDARDIZED FURNITURE UNIT AND BRACKET THEREFOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to furniture units, and more particularly to
furniture units for standardized office furniture systems.
2. Description of the Related Art.
Office furniture manufacturers often manufacture several different product
lines of office furniture systems with each product line having a different
style or
aesthetic appearance. Although many of the individual units of these different
product
lines are similar, typically each product line is independently designed and
developed
and component parts of each product line, although similar, are not often
interchangeable. This lack of interchangeability may also be present for
similar
components of different furniture units within a single product line resulting
in a large
number of distinct components which must be inventoried and utilized in the
manufacture of office furniture.
SUIMMA:RY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a standardized manufacturing system for
producing a large variety of different furniture units utilizing many common
components.
One of the basic building blocks of the standardized furniture system of the
present invention is the use of common underlying structures for individual
furniture
units which may be combined in a modular office furniture system. For example,
a
common structure for a pedestal unit may be used as the basis for a large
variety of
different pedestal styles. These pedestal units are designed to permit their
combination with other furniture units and components such as standard sized
worksurface panels and modesty panels whereby desks and workstations may be
easily manufactured by assembling these various units. The common underlying
CA 02410145 2004-08-12
structures may be utilized to manufacture product lines having different
styles by the
use of distinguishable drawer fronts, doors, moldings, rails, skirting and
other
features.
To facilitate the compatibility of the different furniture units, the
interchangeability of hardware and panels, and promote the efficient machining
of the
panels and other parts, a 32 millimeter grid is utilized in the design and
manufacture
of the common underlying structures and other furniture components. A computer
assisted design/computer assisted manufacturing system (CAD/CAM system) is
utilized with numeric control machinery in the design and manufacture of many
of the
component parts and panels of the common underlying furniture unit structures
and
for other panels used in the furniture system. The use of such a CAD/CAM
system
can greatly facilitate the efficient manufacture of furniture panels on an as
needed
basis.
Additionally, the present invention also provides several individual furniture
parts which may be used to manufacture a common underlying structure of a
furniture
unit but which are adapted to permit the furniture unit to be finished in a
variety of
different configurations. For example, a corner bracket for bracing a corner
and
mounting both stationary leveler and a roller caster may be included in the
standard
underlying structure. This permits a single underlying structure to be used in
both
stationary and mobile furniture units and also facilitates the easy
modification
therebetween of finished furniture units.
An advantage of the present invention is that it reduces the number of
furniture panels and hardware which must be inventoried and tracked during the
manufacture of office furniture systems.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
standardized furniture unit comprising at least two substantially vertical
side panels,
bracing extending between said side panels, the intersection of said bracing
and said
side panels defining interior corners, and a bracket disposed in at least one
said
interior corner, said bracket comprising an upper mounting plate and a lower
mounting plate, said upper and lower mounting plates vertically distanced from
each
other, said upper mounting plate having means for connecting a caster to said
upper
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CA 02410145 2004-08-12
mounting plate, said lower mounting plate having means for connecting a floor-
engaging leveler to said lower mounting plate, and at least one of a floor-
engaging
leveler connected to said lower mounting plate and a caster connected to said
upper
mounting plate.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
standardized furniture unit comprising:
a structure having at least two substantially vertical panels, each said panel
having a lower edge, and bracing extending between said panels;
decorative, non-supportive base skirting disposed about said structure;
a plurality of brackets, each said bracket attached to one of said panels and
said bracing, each said bracket comprising an upper mounting plate and a lower
mounting plate, said upper and lower mounting plates vertically distanced from
each
other, one of said upper and lower mounting plates providing a mount for a
caster, the
other of said upper and lower mounting plates providing a mount for a floor-
engaging
leveler, each said bracket providing a brace for the furniture unit; and
a plurality of support elements attached to said structure and extending
bet~Neen said structure and the floor, said furniture unit supported by said
support
elements, each said support element being connected to a said bracket and
comprising
one of a caster and a floor-engaging leveler, each said support element
extending
below said lower edge of said skirting.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
standardized furniture unit comprising:
a structure having at least two substantially vertical panels, each said panel
having a lower edge, and bracing extending between said panels;
decorative base skirting disposed about said structure; and
means for supporting said furniture unit on a floor, said means excluding said
skirting.
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CA 02410145 2004-08-12
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the
manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself
will be
better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of
the
invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the underlying structure of a pedestal unit;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a pedestal unit having four corner brackets;
Figure 3 is an upper perspective view of a corner bracket for a furniture
unit;
Figure 4 is another upper perspective view of the corner bracket of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a top view of a first alternative corner bracket;
Figure 6 is an upper perspective view of the corner bracket of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a cutaway upper perspective view of the corner bracket of Figure 5
in a pedestal unit;
Figure 8 is a partial upper perspective view of a brace for a pedestal unit;
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
Figure 9 is a top view of the underlying structure of a pedestal unit;
Figure 10 is a bottom view of the corner of a pedestal unit and corner
bracket;
Figure 11 is a lower perspective view of a second alternative corner bracket;
Figure 12 is an exploded, lower perspective view of the corner bracket of
Figure S in an assembly having a coupler bolt and joint connector nut;
Figure 13 is a fragmentary, sectional side view of a pedestal unit including
the
corner bracket assembly of Figure 12, without a caster;
Figure 14 is sectional side view of a bottom corner of a pedestal unit;
Figure 15 is a sectional side view of a bottom corner of a pedestal unit
having
a skirting framework;
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a pedestal unit being lowered into a
skirting
framework;
Figure 17 is a perspective view of the pedestal unit and attached skirting of
Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of a back panel and side panel of
a
pedestal unit with clips and studs attached respectively thereto;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of a clip;
Figure 20 is a side view of the clip of Figure 19;
Figure 21 is another side view of the clip of Figure 19;
Figure 22 is a perspective view of a stud;
Figure 23 is a side view of the stud of Figure 22;
Figure 24 is a perspective view of an alternative structure for a pedestal
unit;
Figure 25 is a partial perspective view of the spanner of Figure 27;
Figure 26 is a sectional view of the pedestal unit of Figure 24; and
Figure 27 is a perspective view of the metal spanner of the pedestal unit of
Figure 24.
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout
the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present
invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may
be
exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention.
The
embodiments disclosed in the following detailed description are not intended
to be
exhaustive and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention
to the
precise forms disclosed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides a system for manufacturing office furniture
systems in a standard and efficient manner. The present invention also
provides
several individual parts and methods which are useful in the manufacture of
office
furniture systems as described below.
The utilization of a grid system provides significant advantages in the design
and manufacture of office furniture systems. The grid is a set of points
defining a
rectilinear grid pattern of points defined by the intersection of columns and
rows
(oriented at a 90° angle relative to each other) wherein the columns
and rows are
offset by 32 millimeters. Bore holes for connectors, dowels, shelf supports,
drawer
slides, etc. located on the panels used in the furniture system are placed on
the grid,
i.e., centered on one of the points where the columns and rows intersect. The
first
vertical column of the grid is spaced 37 millimeters from the front edge of
vertically
oriented panels and the grid is expandable in 32 millimeter increments from
that
column. The 37 millimeter spacing of the first grid column from the front edge
of
vertically oriented columns was chosen to facilitate the use of a significant
quantity of
hardware available in the market which employs this spacing. Employing a
common
grid for all product lines and all types of furniture units enhances the
potential for
utilizing common parts in each product line and between furniture units within
a
product line.
A 32 millimeter grid is advantageous because many suppliers manufacture
high quality price competitive "off the shelf' hardware fixtures using
increments of 32
millimeters and the use of a grid based upon 32 millimeters facilitates the
use of these
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
hardware fixtures. The selection of 32 millimeters is also advantageous
because the
equipment used to machine the furniture panels is available with
drill/spindles which
are spaced to have center to center distances which are increments of 32
millimeters.
Figure 1 shows the underlying structure 20 of a pedestal unit which is
suitable
for use under the worksurface of a desk or workstation or as a freestanding
unit.
Illustrated pedestal structure 20 utilizes standardized components such as a
standard
back panel 22 which pops on and off, standard side panels 24, L-shaped bracing
members 26, top bracing members (spanners) 28 and back bracing members
(spanners) 30. Side panels 24 include blind bore holes 32 which are positioned
on the
32 millimeter grid with the first vertical line of holes spaced a distance of
37
millimeters from the front edge of side panels 24. The use of interchangeable
standardized components allows pedestal structure 20 to be manufactured in a
plurality of different sizes and for a plurality of different product lines
while utilizing
a minimal number of different parts. For example, a standardized manufacturing
1 S system could be set up to manufacture standard sized pedestal structures
20 in
nominal depths D of 24", 30" and 36" and nominal widths W of 15", 18", 30",
36" and
42" and in one or more standard heights.
An inventory of the basic panels and other common components, such as
fasteners and braces, may then be maintained and an appropriately sized
underlying
pedestal structure 20 may then be assembled as needed to form a pedestal unit
for any
one of a number of different product lines. By utilizing the same standard
underlying
pedestal structures 20 for different product lines and minimizing the number
of
different panels and other components needed to manufacture differently sized
standard pedestal structures 20, substantial reductions in inventory and
substantial
efficiencies in the manufacturing process are achievable.
Although underlying structure 20 may be identical for pedestal units in
different product lines, the product lines can have substantially different
styles by
utilizing differently styled drawers, hardware and tops, or by attaching
skirting,
moldings, or additional side panels, to thereby finish underlying structure 20
in a
manner which produces a distinguishable and aesthetically pleasing pedestal
unit.
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By manufacturing the different furniture units with standard nominal depths
and widths, similarly sized panel stock can be utilized in the manufacture of
the
different units. Additionally, the use of common exterior dimensions based
upon
common increments also promotes the modularity of the office system by
allowing the
different furniture units to be more easily combined in different
combinations. The
use of a common grid system for each of the different furniture units also
promotes
the efficient machining of the panels used in their manufacture. It is also
desirable to
place the major horizontal lines of the various furniture units at common
levels to
provide a harmonious visual appearance and promote the modularity of the
various
units. In addition to horizontal modularity, which is enhanced by using
furniture units
with common widths and depths and multiples of these common dimensions,
vertical
modularity is also desirable. By selecting a limited number of horizontal
distances
above the floor and aligning major horizontal elements of the furniture units
therewith, and/or with multiples or integral fractions of these vertical
distances, the
modularity and visual harmony of the furniture wits can be facilitated.
As previously mentioned, pedestal units for a variety of different product
lines
may be manufactured utilizing a common underlying structure which will now be
discussed in greater detail.
A common feature of each pedestal unit 34 is the use of four corner brackets
36 near the bottom corners of its pedestal structure 20 as schematically shown
in
Figure 2. Refernng to Figures 3 and 4, each corner bracket 36 may include both
leveler 38 and roller caster 40. Providing a corner bracket such as bracket
36, which
can be used with both caster 40 and leveler 38, permits a single corner
bracing
element to be used in pedestal unit 34. The use of corner bracket 36 also
permits each
pedestal unit 34 to be easily modified to form either a mobile or stationary
unit.
Alternative corner bracket 36a is shown in Figures 5 and 6.
Referring to Figures 7-10, corner brackets 36, 36a have lower mounting plate
42, 42a and upper mounting plate 44, 44a, respectively. Lower mounting plate
42,
42a includes aperture 46, 46a for threadingly receiving stem 47 of leveler 38;
upper
mounting plate 44, 44a has aperture 48, 48a for threadingly receiving stem 50
of
CA 02410145 2002-12-11
caster 40. Upper mounting plate 44, 44a also respectively include a pair of
apertures
52, 52a through which fasteners secure corner brackets 36, 36a to wooden brace
26.
As shown in Figure 9, wooden bracing member 26 spans between side panels 24 of
pedestal structure 20, and includes top member 56 and vertical member 58.
Brace
members 56 and 58 are attached together with vertically-oriented dowels 60
(Figure
8). Horizontally-oriented dowels 62 are used to attach top member 56 to side
panels
24, and are installed in pre-bored holes located on the 32mm grid.
Brackets 36, 36a also include lower flange 64, 64a, at least a portion of
which
is positioned beneath the lower edges of side panel 24 and brace vertical
member 58.
Bracket lower flange 64, 64a does not, however, extend across the entirety of
the
lower edge of either side panel 24 or brace vertical member 58. Hence, as seen
in
Figure 10, which is a bottom view of pedestal structure 20 with corner bracket
36a
installed, the outside edge of lower flange 64a is recessed with respect to
the exterior
surfaces of side panel 24 and brace vertical member 58. Corner brackets 36,
36a are
thus hidden from view in pedestal units 34 which do not include skirting and
prevents
corner brackets 36, 36a from interfering with skirting installation, as will
be discussed
in greater detail below. Further, as seen in Figures 3-6, corner brackets 36,
36a
respectively include stiffening flange 66, 66a which enhances bracket strength
and
rigidity.
Figure 11 illustrates another alternative corner bracket 36b which may be used
in pedestal units 34 or other furniture units having skirting 76 attached
thereto and
with which the ability to use casters is desired. Corner bracket 36b is
identical to
bracket 36a except in that it has spacer boss 78 depending from upper mounting
plate
44a and having aperture 48b in which stem 50 of caster 40 is threadedly
received, and
has somewhat deeper stiffening flanges 66b; features of brackets 36a and 36b
are
otherwise identically referenced. Extended boss 78 places the lower opening of
aperture 48b at the same level as the lower opening of leveler stem receiving
aperture
46a. By using corner brackets 36 or 36a in pedestal units 34 without skirting,
and
using corner brackets 36b in pedestal units 34 having skirting 76, common
casters 40
may be used in pedestal units with or without skirting. The use of skirting
will be
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
discussed further below.
When implementing a manufacturing system, it would be advantageous to
select bracket 36, bracket 36a or bracket 36b and thereby limit the number of
differently designed corner brackets which would need to be manufactured and
inventoried. Refernng now to Figures 12 and 13, as an alternative to using
corner
bracket 36b in pedestal units having skirting 76, corner bracket 36a may be
used with
coupler bolt 82 having male portion 84, which is threadedly received in
aperture 48a,
and spacer portion 86, which places the opening of its threaded aperture 88 at
the
same level as the lower opening of leveler stem receiving aperture 46a. This
allows a
single corner bracket design (e.g., 36a) to be employed in pedestal units with
and
without skirting. As indicated above, pedestal models without skirting may use
caster
40 and corner bracket 36a without coupler bolt 82; models with skirting would
use
bolt 82 to accomplish the spacing function of cylindrical boss 78 of bracket
36b, stem
50 of caster 40 threadedly received in coupler bolt aperture 88. If casters
are not
desired, coupler bolt 82 may still be used for attachment of bracket 36a to
horizontal
brace top member 56, as will be discussed further below. Where a caster is not
used
with coupler bolt 82, plastic "Christmas tree" plug 90 may be used to plug
aperture 88,
as shown in Figure 13.
Joint connector nut 92, having flanged head 94 and female threaded portion
96, may be used for attaching corner bracket 36a to horizontal member 56a of
brace
26a, which is identical to horizontal member 56 of brace 26 except that it is
provided
with bore 98 through which female threaded portion 96 extends. The thickness
of
member 56a is slightly greater than the length of female threaded portion 96.
Thus,
when joint connector nut 92 is tightened by means of an Allen key engaged with
the
hexagonal drive hole (not shown) centrally located in flanged head 94, member
56a is
tightly held between head 94 and upper mounting plate 44a, securing attaching
bracket
36a to brace 26a. It can be easily visualized that joint connector nut 92 and
brace 26a
may be used without coupler bolt 82 on skirtless pedestal units having
casters; joint
connector nut 92 would then be threadedly received directly on caster stem 50,
the
spacing function provided by coupler bolt 92 not being needed. In the
foregoing
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
discussion of coupler bolt 82 and joint connector nut 92, corner bracket 36
may be
substituted for corner bracket 36a. Further, where joint connector nut 92 and
brace
26a are utilized, fasteners attaching bracket 36, 36a to horizontal brace top
member
56a via bracket apertures 52, 52a may not be necessary; these apertures may
then be
eliminated from bracket upper mounting plate 44, 44a.
Stem 47 of levelers 38 are threadingly received in bracket aperture 46, 46a.
Levelers 38 can be adjusted from above with a hex driver (not shown) which
engages
the cooperating terminal end S4 of stem 47. Horizontal brace top member 56,
56a is
provided with bore 74 or other opening through which stem 47 extends with some
clearance thereto, thus providing top access to hexagonal stem terminal end
54. In
bracket 36, 36a, 36b, aperture 46, 46a is inwardly spaced from the outer
bracket
perimeter to preclude the intersection of brace bore 74 and any of dowels 62
in brace
top member 56, 56a.
Brackets 36a, 36b include elongate slots 68 located in sidewalk 70. Fasteners
80 extend through slots 68 to secure brackets 36a, 36b to side panels 24 and
brace
vertical members 58. By means of this attachment, brackets 36a, 36b provide
additional bracing of the corners of pedestal structure 20, as can be seen in
Figures 7,
9 and 10 (brace vertical member 58 is not shown in Figure 7). Slots 68
intersect lower
flange 64 of bracket 36a, 36b to facilitate the casting of the bracket. Those
skilled in
the art will recognize, however, that smaller apertures in sidewalk 70 may be
provided in lieu of slots 68 for accommodating fasteners 80. From the
preceding
descriptions it can be readily seen that sidewalk 72 of bracket 36 and
sidewalk 70 of
bracket 36a, 36b, together with respective upper mounting plate 44, 44a, form
a
chamber which is open from below and in which caster 40 is mountable.
A variety of materials may be used to manufacture corner brackets 36, 36a,
36b, including plastics and metals. For example, corner bracket 36a is a zinc
casting.
Aperture 48, 48a is tapped after casting to allow it to receive threaded stem
50 of
caster 40 and thereby permit all pedestal units 34 to be easily modified and
become
mobile units by the addition of casters 40.
Although the description of the installation of corner brackets 36, 36a, 36b
has
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CA 02410145 2002-12-11
been limited to pedestal units 34, brackets 36, 36a or 36b could also be
installed in
other furniture units such as desks, book cases, storage units and lateral
file units
thereby allowing all of these units to share a common corner bracket and
further
reducing the number of parts required to manufacture all of the furniture
units. As
with pedestal units 34, other units having brackets 36, 36a, 36b could be
either
stationary or mobile and easily changed therebetween.
Pedestal structure 20 may be used in a variety of different product lines
which
may have quite different styles and appearances. For example, contemporary
styles
often have relatively little ornamentation while more traditional styles often
have
relatively elaborate ornamentation. A common feature of traditional designs is
an
articulated base while contemporary designs often allow the bottom edge of
side
panels 24 to define the lower limit of the pedestal unit. To enable a single
pedestal
structure to be used in both contemporary and traditional product lines,
pedestal
structure 20 is adapted to receive a skirting framework 76 to thereby form a
pedestal
unit 34 having a base.
Unlike conventional pedestals having a base, the vertical load of a pedestal
unit 34 according to the present invention which as skirting 76 is carried by
corner
bracket 36, 36a, 36b and leveler 38 and/or caster 40. In other words, skirting
framework 76 does not provide a structural base for pedestal 34. Figure 14
schematically illustrates a pedestal unit which does not include skirting 76,
being
supported by leveler 38. Figure 15 schematically illustrates a pedestal which
does
include skirting 76, also being supported by a leveler. Leveler 38a shown in
Figure 15
is slightly longer than leveler 38 to accommodate the additional height from
which
pedestal structure 20 is raised from floor 100 when unit 34 comprises skirting
76.
As can be seen in Figures 16 and 17, pedestal structure 20 may be nested into
skirting framework 76 by lowering pedestal structure 20 into skirting
framework 76.
The skirting is then attached to the pedestal structure. Skirting 76, which is
formed of
19 millimeter thick stock, includes machined interior ledge 102 (Figure 15),
having a
depth of approximately 3 millimeters, which abuts the bottom edges of pedestal
structure 20. As previously mentioned, lower flange 64, 64a of corner bracket
36,
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36a, 36b is not as wide as the width of side panel 24 or brace vertical member
58; the
edges of flange 64, 64a are recessed from the exterior side surfaces of panel
24 and
member 58, and thereby allow pedestal structure 20 to be seated on ledge 102
of
skirting 76 without interference from the corner brackets. Further, in
pedestals
without skirting, flanges' 64, 64a being so recessed hides the corner brackets
from
view.
Skirting 76 is attached to pedestal structure 20 with screws 104 as shown in
Figure 15. Screws 104 are installed through pre-bored holes 106 which do not
extend
entirely through the thickness of panels 24. By using blind bore holes 106
located on
the 32 millimeter grid, all panels 24 may be identically and efficiently
machined.
Holes 106 do not penetrate the exterior surface of panels 24 and so are not
visible in
pedestal units which do not include skirting 76.
Although different height skirting can be used, by placing interior ledge 102
of
skirting 76 at a common distance from bottom edge 108 of skirting 76 for all
skirting
76, common leveler 38a can be used for all pedestal units having skirting 76.
For
example, all of the skirting 76, or base rails, may extend 25.5 millimeters
below the
bottom edge of panels 24 when installed and levelers 38a may have an extension
portion 110 which is 25.4 millimeters in length.
Refernng now to Figure 18, back panel 22 is attached to side panels 24 of
pedestal structure 20 by snap-fitting clips 112 (Figures 19-21 ) over studs
114 (Figures
22, 23). The use of clips 112 and studs 114 permits back panel 22 to be easily
removed and replaced. Back panels removably attached to furniture units with
clips
and studs, as shown in Figure 18 and described in detail below, also may be
positioned to define the lower exterior surface of a workstation.
Polypropylene may
be used to manufacture clips 112 and studs 114. Resilient clip arms 116 flex
outward
to receive shaft 118 of stud 114 when clip 112 and stud 114 are snap-fitted
together.
Resilient arms 116 define an interior diameter of 11 millimeters which
corresponds to
the exterior diameter of shaft 118.
Clips 112 and studs 114 are respectively attached to panels 22, 24 with screws
(not shown) which engage pre-bored holes in the panels on the 32 millimeter
grid.
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Clip 112 includes stepped aperture 120 located between resilient arms 116 for
receiving a screw. Stud 114 includes stepped aperture 122 in shaft 118 for
receiving a
screw. Locating clips 112 and studs 114 at standard positions promotes the
interchangeability and efficient manufacture of back panels 22 and side panels
24.
Standard locations for clips 112 and studs 114 standardizes the location of
the pre-
bored holes for securing clips 112 and studs 114 on back panel 22 and side
panel 24,
respectively, and placing the pre-bored holes on the 32 millimeter grid
facilitates the
efficient manufacture of the panels.
The removal and reattachment of back panel 22, which can be done without
tools, is particularly useful fox cable management purposes such as routing
power
cords and communications cabling immediately adjacent back panel 22. This
permits
the consumer to easily route such cables when first setting up a furniture
unit or when
reconfiguring the furniture unit or the power and communication devices
thereon.
Although not shown in Figure 18, back panel 22 rnay also include a cable
management strip or other cable management features.
Wooden braces 26, 26a, and 28, 30 may take different positions on side panels
24 for the differently sized pedestal units, and larger units may utilize more
braces 28,
30. One possible standard configuration of braces 26, 26a, 28 and 30 is shown
by the
cross-hatched outlines on panel 24 in Figure 18. Metal spanners 124 may be
substituted for these wooden braces, however, as shown in alternate pedestal
structure
20a of Figure 24. Metal spanners 124 axe generally U-shaped in cross-section,
stamped from sheet metal, and are attached to side panels 24a using fasteners
(not
shown) secured through apertures 126 located in end flanges 128.
On large furniture units, such as storage units, clips and studs such as 112,
114
may not have sufficient strength to attach a rear panel and alternative
fasteners may be
required. An alternative method of attaching a rear panel 22a using metal
spanners
124 is illustrated in Figures 24-26. Middle spanner panel 130 includes tabs
132
formed therein which are used to secure rear panel 22a. Tabs 132 are bent to
trap
panel 22a between the tabs and longitudinal flange 134, which is adjacent and
perpendicular to middle panel 130, thereby securing panel 22a to pedestal
structure
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20a.
As seen in Figure 27, middle spanner panel 130 also includes apertures 136
through which fasteners may be installed for attaching pedestal structure 20a
to the
bottom of an overlying worksurface panel. Spanners 124 also include two tapped
apertures 138 for receiving either levelers 38 or casters 40.
While this invention has been described as having exemplary designs, the
present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this
disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations,
uses, or
adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this
application is
intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within
known
or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.
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