Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ARTICLE OF FURNITURE WITH TAMBOUR MODESTY PANEL
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention.
[0001] The present invention relates to articles of furniture and,
particularly, to
modesty panels for use with the same.
Description of the Related Art.
[0002] Casegoods, such as desks, credenzas, etc., are commonly placed adjacent
to a
wall of a building, such as a permanent office wall or the wall panel of an
office partition
system. Services outlets, such as electrical outlets, cable jacks, or
telephone connections,
may be positioned within the wall, and office electronics, such as computers,
printers, fax
machines, etc., that are positioned on or near a work surface of the casegood
are connected to
the outlets by cords or cables. A modesty panel may be used to hide the cords
and/or cables
that may extend from the work surface to the outlets in the wall. In many
articles of
furniture, the modesty panel is designed as a large access panel, allowing a
user to remove the
entire panel and expose the surface of the wall and the outlets positioned
within the wall.
[0003] A disadvantage of this design is that the modesty panel may be heavy,
making
it cumbersome and hard to move when access to the outlets is required.
[0004] What is needed is an improvement over the foregoing.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention provides a tambour modesty panel for use with
articles
of furniture. In one exemplary embodiment, the tambour modesty panel is
positioned under a
work surface of an article of furniture and includes a tambour positioned
between opposing
end panels. In one embodiment, the opposing end panels include a groove formed
therein for
receiving opposing sides of the tambour and directing the movement of the
tambour. In
another embodiment, opposing end panels of the tambour modesty panel include
tracks
secured thereto for receiving opposing sides of the tambour and directing the
movement of
the tambour. When the work surface is positioned adjacent to a wall having
services outlets
positioned within the wall, access to the outlets may be provided by moving
the tambour to
an open position. Alternatively, to restrict access to and/or to obstruct the
view of the outlets
and cables, the tambour may be moved to a closed position.
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[0006] Advantageously, by utilizing a tambour to form the modesty panel, the
modesty panel may be easily raised and lowered to respectively provide access
to services
outlets and to hide the services outlets from the user's view. Additionally,
by utilizing the
tambour, the degree of access provided to the services outlets may be varied,
i.e., the tambour
may be placed and retained in a position between fully opened and fully closed
positions to
provide partial access to the services modules.
[0007] In one form thereof, the present invention provides, in combination, a
wall
having at least one services outlet; and an article of furniture positioned
adjacent the wall, the
article of furniture including a work surface; work surface support structure;
and a tambour
positioned below the work surface, the tambour movable between an open
position and a
closed position, wherein placing the tambour in the open position provides
access to the at
least one services outlet and placing the tambour in the closed position
substantially restricts
access to the at least one services outlet.
[0008] In another form thereof, the present invention provides an article of
furniture
positioned adjacent the wall, the article of furniture including a work
surface; work surface
support structure, the work surface and the work surface support structure
together defining a
knee hole area adjacent a front side of the furniture and a clearance space
beneath the work
surface adjacent a rear side of the furniture; and a tambour positioned below
the work
surface, the tambour movable between an open position and a closed position,
wherein
placing the tambour in the open position provides access between the knee hole
area and the
clearance space and placing the tambour in the closed position substantially
restricts access
between the knee hole area and the clearance space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages 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 an embodiment
of the
invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0010] Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an office environment
depicting an
article of office furniture incorporating the tambour modesty panel of the
present invention,
the article of furniture positioned adjacent the wall of the office;
[0011] Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view depicting the tambour modesty
panel
in the open position;
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[0012] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 2 taken along line 3-3 of Fig.
2;
[0013] Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view depicting the tambour modesty
panel
in the closed position;
[0014] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 taken along line 5-5 of Fig.
4; and
[0015] Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a tambour modesty panel in accordance
with
another embodiment, wherein the tambour includes a spring tension mechanism.
[0016] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout
the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one
preferred embodiment of
the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as
limiting the
scope of the invention any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Referring to Fig. 1, a fragmentary view of an office 10 is shown having
office
furniture, such as desk 12, positioned therein. Desk 12 is supported by floor
14 and is
positioned adjacent wall 16 of office 10. By placing desk 12 adjacent wall 16,
office
electronics, such as computers, fax machines, desk lighting, etc., positioned
on or near desk
12 are provided with access to services outlet modules, such as electrical
outlet 18, coaxial
cable jack 20, or RJ-11 jack 22. While described and depicted herein with
specific reference
to electrical outlets, coaxial cable jacks, and RJ-11 jacks, the terms
"services outlets" and
"outlets" refer generically to any connector positioned on and/or extending
through a wall to
provide electrical, communication, and/or data services, such as television,
telephone, and
internet, and is not limited to the specific examples of the services outlets
that are described
herein.
[0018] Desk 12 includes work surface 24 supported by work surface support
structure, such as side panel 26 and pedestal 28. While depicted and described
as including
side panel 26 and pedestal 28, the work surface support structure may be
formed from any
component or plurality of components capable of supporting work surface 24 in
a desired
position, such as one or more legs, a pair of side panels 26, or a pair of
pedestals 28.
Additionally, work surface 24 may be secured to the work surface support
structure in any
known manner, such as by screws, bolts, dovetail connections, and/or tongue
and groove
arrangements. Work surface 24 and the work surface structure define a knee
hole area or
space 29 adjacent a front side of desk 12 beneath work surface 24, in which a
user's legs will
be disposed when the user works at desk 12.
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[0019] Referring additionally to Figs. 2-5, tambour modesty panel 30 generally
includes tambour 32 and end panels 34, 36, and is positioned beneath work
surface 24. In
one embodiment, tambour 32 is formed from a plurality of slats 38 connected to
one another
via backing 39. In one embodiment, slats 38 are formed from wood. In other
embodiments,
slats 38 may be formed from metal and/or plastic, for example. Backing 39 may
be formed
from cloth, for example, and provides the connection between each of
individual slates 38. In
other embodiments, backing 39 may be formed from wire, plastic, or individual
hinges. For
example, if slats 38 are formed of plastic, backing 39 may be a living hinge
that interconnects
slats 38 and allows for the connection between slats 38 to bend and flex
during movement of
tambour 32 between the open and closed position, as described in detail below.
[0020] As shown in Figs. 1-5 and in particular in Figs. 3 and 5, end panels 34
and 36
of tambour modesty panel 30 each include grooves 40 and 42 formed therein.
While the
grooves of end panel 34 are not specifically depicted herein due to the
orientation of the
views, it will be understood that end panel 34 includes opposing grooves
formed as a mirror
image of grooves 40 and 42 of end panel 36 that cooperate with grooves 40 and
42 to align
and guide the movement of tambour 32. In another exemplary embodiment, grooves
40a nd
42 may be formed in tracks (not shown) that are attached to end panels 34 and
36 and
substantially match the design and shape of grooves 40 and 42 to align and
guide the
movement of tambour 32 between end panels 34, 36. Support panels 44 and 46
extend
between end panels 34 and 36. Specifically, support panel 44 is configured to
extend along
the bottom of end panels 34 and 36 to support tambour 32 when tambour 32 is in
the closed
position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Support panel 46 extends along an upper
portion of end
panels 34 and 36 adjacent to, and beneath, work surface 24.
[0021] Referring to Figs. 2-5, to secure tambour 32 between end panels 34 and
36,
opposing ends of tambour 32 are inserted within groove 42 in end panel 36 and
the
corresponding groove in end panel 34. As tambour 32 is advanced within groove
42 and the
corresponding groove in end panel 34, tambour 32 is directed upward and into
groove 40 of
end panel 36 and the corresponding groove in end panel 34. Once the entirety
of the
opposing ends of tambour 32 are positioned within groove 40 and the
corresponding groove
in end panel 34, tambour 32 is secured within tambour modesty panel 30.
[0022] Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, tambour modesty panel 30 is depicted with
tambour
32 in the open position. Specifically, tambour 32 is shown in Fig. 3 rolled
upon itself within
groove 40. To reach this position, tambour 32 is slid along groove 40. As it
slides, tambour
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32 reaches the top of groove 40 where it begins to turn in a reverse, circling
and downward
direction and is ultimately positioned with top surface 48 of tambour 32
resting against
backing 39 as shown in Fig. 3. In the open position, tambour 32 has a
substantially
cylindrical cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. In the open position as shown,
access to
services outlets, such as electrical outlets 18, coaxial cable jack 20, and RJ-
11 jack 22
positioned on wall 16, is provided. By providing access to the services
outlets, a user may
connect electrical components or other office equipment thereto via suitable
cables.
[0023] In order to facilitate the connection of electrical components or other
office
equipment to the services modules, work surface 24 includes an aperture 50
formed therein.
Aperture 50 is sized to allow a plug, such as plug 52 of electrical cord 54,
to pass
therethrough into a "garage" or clearance space 61 defined beneath work
surface 24 between
wall 16 and tambour modesty panel 30 and between end panels 34 and 36. In this
manner,
clearance space 61 is defined adjacent a rear side of desk opposite knee hole
area 29, and
tambour modesty panel 30 alternatively provides access from knee hole area 29
to clearance
space 61 and restricts such access when same is in its open and closed
positions, respectively.
Alternatively, when desk 12 is not disposed directly against wall 16,
clearance space 61 is
defined between a planar end face of desk 12 and tambour modesty panel 30.
Once plug 52
has passed through aperture 50, grommet 56 may be placed within aperture 50 to
provide an
aesthetic cover over aperture 50 and prevent the removal of plug 52.
Alternatively, electrical
cord 54 and plug 52 may be passed through apertures 58 in end panels 34, 36
into clearance
space 61. Clearance space 61 provides space to accommodate plug 52, as well as
other
accessory items that may be used with the outlets, such as power surge
protector units, for
example. Tambour modesty panel 30 may be used in conjunction with other cable
management features such as those described in U.S. Patent Application No.
11/419,607,
entitled CASEGOODS WITH CABLE MANAGEMENT FEATURES, filed May 22, 2006.
[0024] Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, tambour 32 is depicted in the closed
position.
Specifically, referring to Fig. 5, tambour 32 is positioned with bottom
surface 60 adjacent to
support panel 44 and top surface 48 spaced a small distance from the bottom of
work surface
24. In this position, tambour 32 forms a substantially planar surface to
obstruct a user's view
of the services modules positioned on wall 16. From the closed position,
tambour 32 may be
moved to the open position, as described above, or to any position between the
closed
position and the open position, to allow for access to services modules. In
another exemplary
embodiment, tambour 32 may be designed and configured to substantially match
additional,
CA 02631962 2010-07-14
substantially solid panels (not shown) extending between end panel 34 and side
panel 26 of
desk 12 and/or between end panel 36 and pedestal 28 of desk 12. In one
exemplary
embodiment, to facilitate the opening and closing of tambour 32, the bottom
slat 38, which
defines bottom surface 60 of tambour 32, may include handles 62 extending
therefrom.
Handle 62 is designed to facilitate grasping and manipulation by a user to
allow the user to
exert a force on tambour 32 for directing movement of tambour 32 between an
open position,
a closed position, or any position therebetween.
[00251 Referring to Fig. 6, tambour 32 may optionally include a spring tension
mechanism 68, including a coil or other suitable spring 70 disposed around
axle 72 and
having a first end 74 attached to a pin 76 or other fixed portion of panel 34,
and a second end
78 fixed with respect to axle 72. Axle 72 may include one or more collars 80
to which the
top slat 38 of tambour 32 is secured to provide a greater diameter surface
upon which
tambour 32 may be rolled to aid in the smooth opening and closing of tambour
32, and panels
34 and 36 may further include circular cut-out or relief areas 82 in addition
to grooves 40
which accommodate the rolled up tambour 32 when same is in the open position.
In
operation, spring 70 is tensioned by rotation of axle 72 when tambour 32 is
lowered.
Mechanism 68 may include a brake or other retention feature to aid in holding
tambour 32 in
the closed position which, when handle 62 of tambour 32 is grasped by an
operator and
raised, is overcome to allow the bias force of spring 70 to aid in rotating
axle 72 to move
tambour 32 to an open position.
[00261 While this invention has been described as having a preferred design,
the
present invention can 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 and which fall within the limits of the appended
claims.
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