Patent Grant
8359809
This application relates generally to modular office work stations. More particularly, this application relates to refurbishing modular work stations and the like. Modular work stations, i.e. cubicles are ubiquitous in today's modern office. They are functional, modular, decorative, and provide a measure of privacy. Modern work stations can be quite simple or they can be quite elaborate, but they all usually have the same basic features. That is, they comprise vertical wall segments that can be connected to each other to form a partial, doorless enclosure, or cubicle. These wall segments usually include electrical and telephonic outlets that are received within internal raceways, and the internal raceways of one wall segment are usually in communication with internal raceways of adjacent, interconnected wall segments so that a plurality of cubicles can be electrically wired in a manner similar to normal building construction. In addition, wall segments are usually provided with horizontal load support surfaces, for example, desk tops, overhead shelving and storage cabinets. These support surfaces are usually bolted directly to, or otherwise rigidly attached to the wall segments so that they are able to support loads and meet building codes. Cubicle structures may also be provided with lateral and horizontal file cabinets that also may be connected to one or more wall segments. When the cubicle structure is finally assembled, it can be quite substantial and can often be considered semi-permanent.
As will be appreciated, most cubicles, once they have been assembled, are not easily changed or rearranged. Usually, when the owner of the cubicles wants to change the look and feel of the cubicles, all of the cubicles are replaced. This, however, can be expensive and time consuming. New cubicles and components have to be selected and agreed upon; changes to the locations of the new cubicles have to be determined; the users of the cubicles must remove all personal possessions from their cubicle and place them into storage; the old cubicles need to be dismantled and carted away; and the new cubicles need to be trucked in and assembled, where assembly includes wiring, attaching work surfaces, storage shelves, cabinets, etcetera. The users of the cubicles then have to remove their items from storage and transfer them to the new cubicles, etcetera. As one can imagine, this is expensive and consumes an inordinate amount of time.
An alternative and less expensive approach is to refurbish the cubicles. With refurbishing, some of the costs and steps associated with outright replacement are avoided. However, many of the costs and steps associated with outright replacement are retained. That is, the users of the cubicles have to remove all items from their work spaces and cubicles need to be dismantled before the wall segments can be refurbished. More particularly, employees must unload storage cabinets, overhead storage units, drawers and files from their work area. Specialists must come in and remove the existing networking hardware such as computers, electrical wiring and cords, telephones, etc. Then, professional installers are brought in to disassemble the cubicle system completely, and every component must be dismantled or broken down and the cubicle panels must have side edges and top caps removed (all this before refurbishing begins). The old exterior surface is then removed and a new exterior surface is installed, at which point the side edges and the top caps are reinstalled. The wall segments must then be reattached to each other, leveled and have the power and other networking hardware reconnected. Then the storage cabinets, overhead storage units, tool rails, accessories, lights, filing, etc. are reinstalled and leveled. The specialists (technicians) then reinstall the computer and phone systems. Finally, the employee must unpack their personal items and files and put them into their refurbished cubicle.
The present disclosure addresses problems and limitations associated with current work station refurbishing.
In one embodiment, an apparatus for refurbishing a cubicle comprises a single thin sheet or substrate of material that is trimmed so that it is substantially equal to, or less than, the size of the wall segment to which it is going to be used. The sheet (or substrate) may be covered with an optional, finishing layer of material that may be fire retardant, that may have acoustical dampening properties, and which may be penetrable (tackable) so as to be able to receive push-pins or the like. Alternatively, the sheet (or substrate) may be paramagnetic, capable of use with dry or wet markers, or combinations of penetrability, paramagnetism and marking receiving material.
The sheet (or substrate) comprises material is thin enough to be able to be inserted between an interior surface a wall segment and a wall segment accessory such as a horizontal load support, tack board, tool rail, cabinet, etc. In addition, the sheet or substrate is thick enough so that it can support the optional finishing layer of primary material and/or secondary material such as calendars, photos, memos, notes, etc, which are removably affixed thereto. Preferably the sheet or substrate is attached to an existing wall segment by way of one or more fasteners such as double sided adhesive tape, staples, tacks, barbed attachment clips and/or construction adhesive.
In another embodiment, the apparatus may comprise a plurality of sheets that are able to effectively cover an existing wall segment. Preferably, the sheets compliment each other so that together and extend substantially along either the width or length dimensions of each wall segment to which they are attached. As with the previous embodiment, the sheet or substrates are thick enough so that they can support optional finishing layers of primary material and/or secondary material such as calendars, photos, memos, notes, etc., which are removably affixed thereto. In addition, the sheets or substrates may be attached to the existing wall segment by way of one or more fasteners such as double-sided adhesive tape, staples, tacks, barbed attachment clips and/or construction adhesive.
The apparatus and preferred methods of use allows a work station or cubicle to be refurbished in a straightforward manner without the need for dismantling all of the structural components of the cubicle. The apparatus and preferred methods of use allows a work station or cubicle to be refurbished without the need to change, remove, or rewire existing electrical and/or communication pathways. The apparatus and methods of use allows a work station or cubicle to be refurbished with a minimum of disruption to the occupant of the cubicle. And the apparatus and methods of use allows a work station or cubicle to be refurbished in-situ.
These and other features and advantages will appear more fully from the following description, made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views. And, although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact, the physical embodiments herein disclosed are merely examples that may be embodied in other specific structures. While preferred embodiments have been described, the details may be changed without departing from the claims.
Referring to
The apparatus 50 of this preferred embodiment includes one or more sheets or substrates 52, 70, 90 with each having a first surface, a second surface, side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge. As depicted in
The exterior surface 40 (the left side) of the wall segment has been provided with a first sheet 52 that has been installed over a lower portion thereof. Note that a first sheet 52 is able to be positioned between the rearmost extent of the braces 123 (which are connected to the sides of the frame) and the exterior surface 40. That is, the braces 123 do not have to be disconnected and in order to install the first sheet 52. This allows the sides of the sheet 52 to be partially retained by the braces 123. The top and bottom edges of the first sheet 52 are affixed to the existing exterior surface 40 by way of fasteners 69, preferably in the form of double backed adhesive tape, construction adhesive, glue, or their equivalents (see, in particular the lower inset of
As depicted in
The thickness 57, 75, 95, of each sheet 52, 70, 90 is defined by the first and second surfaces, and is preferably approximately 0.125 inches (3.175 mm) or less, and greater than approximately 0.166 inches (1.587 mm). Each sheet 52, 70, 90 may be fire retardant, paramagnetic, capable of use with dry or wet markers, reflective, penetrable (tackable) so as to be able to receive push-pins of the like, or combinations thereof. A preferred material used for the sheets is molded fiberglass, however it will be understood that other materials can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Optionally, each sheet 52, 70, 90 or substrate may be provided with a finishing layer 66, 86, 106, of material that includes the same properties of the sheets mentioned above, or which may include other properties, for example, such as acoustical dampening or electrical grounding. A preferred finishing layer is woven material or fabric that is glued to each sheet. More preferably, the woven material is made from recycled materials. It will be understood that if such a finishing layer is used, the total thickness 68, 88, 108 of the sheet and the finishing layer will be preferably approximately 0.125 inches (3.175 mm) or less.
As will be apparent to the practitioner in the art, the present invention is advantageous because a work station need not be replaced with a completely new work station. The present invention significantly extends the lifetime of an existing work station or cubicle before it is relegated to a landfill. The present invention substantially reduces the amount of time needed to refurbish a work station or cubicle, and each work station or cubicle may be customized. In addition, the present invention is beneficial because it uses recycled products and presents a smaller carbon footprint.
A preferred method of refurbishing an exterior surface of a wall segment using a single sheet will now be described. Preliminarily, the height and width of the wall section is been measured and a sheet is then trimmed to size and provided with a desired surface. As will be understood, the particular the surface chosen is up to an individual and can be, for example, woven material having a particular desired texture and color. The sheet is then provided with suitable fastening element(s), preferably double-backed adhesive strips, construction adhesive, staples, tacks or barbed clips. To attach the sheet using double-backed tape, adhesive, or similar material, the sheet is brought into position so that the inner surface of the sheet faces the exterior surface of the wall segment. The sheet is lifted up so that the bottom of the sheet is level with the bottom edge of the wall segment or clears the baseboard (if need be) of the wall segment and the bottom edge of the sheet is affixed to the wall segment. The sheet is then pivoted about the bottom edge connection and the remaining edges of the sheet are pressed against the wall segment; firmly securing the sheet into place on the wall segment. To attach the sheet using barbed attachment clips, one or more clips are attached to the exterior surface of the wall segment, preferably spaced-apart and close to the upper edge of the wall segment so that exposed tines extend upwardly and away from the clips. Then the upper edge of the sheet is positioned over the clips and pushed down and towards the wall segment so that the sheet is engaged by the tines. The bottom of the sheet may then be attached to the wall segment using double-backed tape and/or adhesive. Alternatively, barbed attachment clips can be used along the upper and lower edges of the wall segment.
In another preferred method of refurbishing an exterior surface of a tall wall segment, two sheets are used to refurbish an exterior surface of a wall segment. Preliminarily, the height and width of the wall section is measured and the sheets trimmed and provided with desired surfaces, as with the previous method.
As will be appreciated, differently sized sheets and sheets with different surfaces may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the dimensions of the sheets may be approximately the same size. Or, each sheet may be provided with a different surface that has a different color. Or, each sheet may be provided with material that has different properties such as acoustic dampening, fire retardation, paramagnetism, tackability, the ability to receive temporary dry or wet markings, light reflectivity, or combinations thereof. It will be further that each sheet may be further customized in a similar manner as discussed above.
The sheets are then provided with suitable fastening element(s), preferably double-backed adhesive strips, construction adhesive (or mastic), staples, tacks or barbed attachment clips. In practice, a first or larger of the two sheets is brought into position so that the inner surface of the sheet faces the exterior surface of the wall segment. The sheet is lifted up so that the bottom edge of the sheet is level with the bottom edge of the wall segment or clears the baseboard (if need be) of the wall segment and the bottom edge of the sheet is affixed to the wall segment. The sheet is then pivoted about the bottom edge connection and the side edges of the sheet (which are provided with fastening elements) are pressed against the wall segment; firmly securing the sheet into place on the wall segment. The upper edge of the first or larger sheet may be provided with additional fastening element(s), if desired. Note that the first sheet only partially covers the exterior surface of the wall segment. The remaining portion of the wall segment is covered with a second (usually smaller) sheet. In practice, the second sheet is brought into position above the first sheet so that its bottom edge is adjacent the top edge of the first sheet, and affixed to the wall segment using one or more fasteners or fastening elements of the type described above.
A preferred method of refurbishing an interior surface of a wall segment will now be described. In this method, two sheets are used to refurbish an interior surface of a wall segment that has a horizontal work surface such as a desk top. Preliminarily, the height and width of the wall section is measured and the sheets are trimmed and provided with desired surfaces. As will be understood, the surface chosen for both upper and lower sheets can be any desired texture or material mentioned above.
After the sheets have been prepared, the first of the two sheets is brought into position so that the inner surface of the first sheet faces the interior surface of the wall segment. The sheet is lifted up so that the bottom of the sheet clears the top surface of a horizontal load support (desk top). The sheet is then inserted into the space between the interior surface of the wall segment and the inner facing edge of the horizontal load support. The sheet is then slid downwardly until the desired amount of the inner surface of the wall segment is covered (this is usually when the bottom edge of the first sheet abuts the top edge of a base board, but it could also be located above the top edge of the base board or on the floor). At this point, the first sheet may be affixed to the wall segment at its edges using fastening elements such as double-backed tape, staples, tacks, barbed clips, construction adhesive, or combinations of tape, clips and adhesive. Note, in some instances, the first sheet may have a height that is suitable for refurbishing an entire wall segment. However, in instances where the first sheet is shorter than a wall segment to be covered, a second sheet may be used to cover the remaining wall segment, if desired. After the first, larger sheet has been installed, the second sheet is brought into position so that its bottom edge is adjacent the top edge of the first sheet, and affixed to the wall segment using one or more fasteners or fastening elements of the type described above.
Another similar method of refurbishing an interior surface of a wall segment is depicted in
As mentioned above, one or more attachment clips may be used to attach an apparatus to a wall segment. An embodiment of a clip is a generally planar panel having first and second opposing surfaces and top, bottom and side edges. The panel is generally rectangular and includes a longitudinal axis. However, other shapes are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Each surface of the panel includes one or more engagement tines or barbs that are angled with respect to their respective surface. The angles have a range of approximately 10 degrees to approximately 45 degrees. Preferably, the angles had a range of approximately 30 to approximately 38 degrees. As depicted, the tines or barbs point in opposite directions from each opposing surface and define an intersecting plane with the panel. Each tine includes a tip that is configured so as to be able to penetrate into a wall segment or an apparatus, as the case may be. The clip can be manipulated by hand, but can also be manipulated by a tool, which engages the clip at a tool engagement portion of the clip. In use, a clip may be installed onto an existing wall segment by orienting tines on one of the clip's surfaces so that they point downwardly and then driving the clip into the wall segment. This positions the tines on the other side of the clip so that they are pointing upwardly. An apparatus can then be attached to the wall segment by driving the apparatus onto the upwardly pointing tines in a general downward motion. This, in effect, hangs the apparatus onto a wall segment.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the exact construction and operation shown and described is only an example of a preferred embodiment. The invention is defined by the following claims.
The current application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 61/182,336 filed May 29, 2009, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 61182336 | May 2009 | US |
