Cubicle door

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6715526
  • Patent Number
    6,715,526
  • Date Filed
    Monday, December 30, 2002
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 6, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A cubicle door is comprised of first and second brackets for wrapping over the top edges of a cubicle panel on opposite sides of the entry way. A roller blind has a proxiinal end hinged to the first bracket, and a distal end which is removably supported on a support attached to the second bracket. The end of the roller blind is received in either one of perpendicular grooves on top of the support. The grooves allow the roller blind to meet the second support at different fixed angles to fit the shape of the entry way. Alternatively, a rotatable turret with a notch is arranged on the second bracket. The roller blind is received in the notch, and the second bracket may be oriented at different angles relative to the roller blind by rotating the turret.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The invention broadly relates to rollup shades and doors.




2. Prior Art




Open offices typically have work spaces divided by partitions into cubicles. The partitions do not reach the ceiling, and the entries to the cubicles do not have doors. Such an open arrangement lacks privacy, and encourages frequent interruptions by co-workers that reduce productivity. Some workers resort to placing plants or bookcases in the entries to deter interruptions.




Light duty doors for cubicle entries are known among the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,826 to Witter et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,250 to Pichik et al. disclose barriers which are pulled across the entry from one edge and secured to the other edge. Because of the tension in the barrier, brackets much be screwed or otherwise securely attached to the edges of the entry. The installation is inconvenient, and since it may leave holes on the edges of the entry, such devices may not be approved by the employer.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, objects of the present cubicle door are:




to deter interruptions;




to increase privacy;




to be installable within seconds;




to be installable without damaging the cubicle;




to be installable on cubicles with panels of different thickness;




to be installable on cubicles with different entry arrangements; and




to be changeable for fitting cubicle entry ways of different widths.




The present cubicle door is comprised of first and second brackets for wrapping over the top edges of a cubicle panel on opposite sides of the entry way. The brackets are sized to fit the panel. Alternatively, the brackets are wide enough to fit panels of different thickness, and resilient pads on the inside of the brackets adapt to different panels. A roller blind has a proximal end hinged by a pivot to the first bracket. The roller blind has a distal end which is removably supported on a support attached to the second bracket. The end of the roller blind is received in either one of perpendicular grooves on top of the support. The grooves allow the roller blind to meet the second support at different fixed angles to fit the shape of the entry way. Alternatively, a rotatable turret with a notch is arranged on the second bracket. The roller blind is received in the notch, and the second bracket may be oriented at different angles relative to the roller blind by rotating the turret.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING





FIG. 1

is a front perspective view of the present cubicle door installed on a cubicle and in an open position.





FIG. 2

is a front perspective view thereof when a roller blind is supported across an entry way of a cubicle.





FIG. 3

is a front perspective view thereof when the roller blind is extended.





FIG. 4

shows an alternative embodiment with adaptable brackets.





FIG. 5

shows another alternative embodiment with a rotatable turret receiving the roller blind.





FIG. 6

shows an enlarged view of the turret in FIG.


5


.





FIG. 7

is a top view of the cubicle door on a cubicle with aligned panels on either side of a front entry way.





FIG. 8

is a top view of the cubicle door on a cubicle with perpendicular panels on either side of a front entry way.





FIG. 9

is a top view of the cubicle door on a cubicle with perpendicular panels on either side of a corner entry way.











DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS





















10. Bracket




11. Bracket







12. Top Edge




13. Top Edge







14. Panel




15. Panel







16. Entry Way




17. Roller Blind







18. Proximal End




19. Pivot







20. Arm




20. Distal End







22. Support




23. Arm







24. Groove




25. Groove







26. Extendable Sheet




27. Bracket







28. Bracket




29. Resilient Pads







30. Turret




31. Notch







32. Support




33. Panel







34. Panel




35. Panel







36. Panel




37. Panel







38. Panel




39. Hinge Member







40. Blind Housing




41. End Member















DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




FIG.


1


:




In accordance with a first embodiment of the present cubicle door shown in

FIG. 1

, it is comprised of first and second C-shaped brackets


10


and


11


for wrapping over top edges


12


and


13


of cubicle panels


14


and


15


on opposite sides of an entry way


16


. Brackets


10


and


11


are preferably placed on top of panels


14


and


15


without any fasteners, so that they are easy to install and remove.




A roller blind


17


has a proximal end


18


hinged by a pivot


19


to a vertical arm


20


of first bracket


10


. Pivot


19


is preferably a 2-axis pivot, but it may have a single axis which is perpendicular to arm


20


. Roller blind


17


is shown in a retracted and opened position for allowing people to pass through entry way


16


. Roller blind


17


has a distal end


21


which may be removably supported on a support


22


attached to a vertical arm


23


on second bracket


22


. Distal end


21


of roller blind


27


is received in either one of perpendicular grooves


24


and


25


on top of support


22


. Grooves


24


and


25


allow roller blind


17


to meet second support


11


at different fixed angles to fit the shape of entry way


16


.




Roller blind


17


is preferably comprised of a hinge member


39


detachably connected to a first end of a blind housing


40


, and an end member


41


detachably connected to a second end of blind housing


40


. Different length blind housing


40


may be attached between hinge member


39


and end member


41


for fitting cubicle entry ways of different widths. Hinge member


39


and end member


41


are preferably connected to blind housing


40


by snap fittings.




Brackets


10


and


11


may be reversed so that roller blind


17


is hinged to the right side of the cubicle entry way instead of the left side as shown. Also, brackets


10


and


11


may be arranged to position roller blind


17


on either the inside or outside of the cubicle.




FIG.


2


:




To close entry way


16


, roller blind


17


is pivoted to a horizontal position across entry way


16


, as shown in FIG.


2


. Distal end


21


of roller blind


17


is supported in groove


24


on support


22


.




FIG.


3


:




In

FIG. 3

, a retractable flexible sheet


26


is pulled down from roller blind


17


, which is preferably of the type which is arranged to stay extended when sheet


26


is released. Alternatively, roller blind


17


may be of the type that requires an anchor to hook onto to stay extended. A pair of anchors (not shown) may be attached to panels


12


and


13


on opposite sides of entry way


16


. When retractable sheet


26


is extended, entry way


16


is blocked to increase privacy and avoid interruptions by coworkers.




To open entry way


16


, retractable sheet


26


is retracted into roller blind


17


before roller blind


17


is disconnected from second bracket


11


. Roller blind


17


is preferably of the type which retracts sheet


26


when sheet


26


is pulled. Alternatively, roller blind


17


may be of the type which retracts sheet


26


when a button (not shown) on roller blind


17


is pressed.




FIG.


4


:




A second embodiment of the cubicle door is shown in FIG.


4


. It includes brackets


27


and


28


which are wide enough to fit panels of different thickness, and vertical resilient pads


29


on the inside of brackets


27


and


28


for adapting to different panels thickness. A plurality of pads


29


are preferably provided and inserted as needed for adjusting to different panels. Pads


29


are preferably self-adhesive for mounting to brackets


27


and


28


.




FIG.


5


:




Alternatively, a rotatable turret


30


with a notch


31


is arranged on a support


32


of second bracket


11


, as shown in FIG.


5


. Turret


30


may also be attached to second bracket


28


(FIG.


4


). Distal end


21


of roller blind


17


is received in notch


31


. Second bracket


11


may be oriented at different angles relative to roller blind


17


by rotating turret


30


.




FIG.


6


:




An enlarged view of turret


30


is shown in FIG.


6


. Turret


30


is rotatable about a vertical axis as indicated by the dashed arrows.




FIGS.


7


-


9


:




Distal end


21


of roller blind


17


may be supported at different angles on second bracket


11


, either in perpendicular grooves (FIG.


1


), or in rotatable turret (FIG.


5


), to enable the cubicle door to fit different types of entry ways. In

FIG. 7

, brackets


10


and


11


are attached to parallel panels


33


and


34


adjacent a side entry way. In

FIG. 8

, brackets


10


and


11


are attached to perpendicular panels


35


and


36


adjacent a side entry way. In

FIG. 9

, brackets


10


and


11


are attached to perpendicular panels


37


and


38


adjacent a comer entry way. Additional arrangement are possible.




Although the foregoing description is specific, it should not be considered as a limitation on the scope of the invention, but only as an example of the preferred embodiment. Many variations are possible within the teachings of the invention. For example, different attachment methods, fasteners, materials, dimensions, etc. can be used unless specifically indicated otherwise. The relative positions of the elements can vary, and the shapes of the elements can vary. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, not by the examples given.



Claims
  • 1. A cubicle door, comprising:a C-shaped first bracket and a C-shaped second bracket for wrapping over top edges of adjacent cubicle panels on opposite sides of a cubicle entry way; and a roller blind with a proximal end hinged to said first bracket, and a distal end removably supported on a support attached to said second bracket, wherein said roller blind is movable between a vertical open position disconnected from said second bracket and hanging from said first bracket, and a horizontal closed position across said entry way supported by said second bracket, wherein said roller blind includes a flexible sheet which is extendable into a flat panel when said roller blind is in said closed position across said entry way, and retractable into a roll to enable said roller blind to be disconnected from said second bracket to open said entry way.
  • 2. The cubicle door of claim 1, further including respective resilient pads inside said first bracket and said second bracket for adapting to walls of different thickness.
  • 3. A cubicle door, comprising:a C-shaped first bracket and a C-shaped second bracket for wrapping over top edges of adjacent cubicle panels on opposite sides of a cubicle entry way; and a roller blind with a proximal end hinged to said first bracket, and a distal end removably supported on a support attached to said second bracket, wherein said support includes intersecting grooves arranged to receive said distal end of said roller blind at different angles, so as to enable said second bracket to be positioned at different angles relative to said first bracket for attaching to entry ways of different shapes; wherein said roller blind is movable between a vertical open position disconnected from said second bracket and hanging from said first bracket, and a horizontal closed position across said entry way supported by said second bracket, wherein said roller blind includes a flexible sheet which is extendable into a flat panel when said roller blind is in said closed position across said entry way, and retractable into a roll to enable said roller blind to be disconnected from said second bracket to open said entry way.
  • 4. The cubicle door of claim 3, further including respective resilient pads inside said first bracket and said second bracket for adapting to walls of different thickness.
  • 5. A cubicle door, comprising:a C-shaped first bracket and a C-shaped second bracket for wrapping over top edges of adjacent cubicle panels on opposite sides of a cubicle entry way; and a roller blind with a proximal end hinged to said first bracket, and a distal end removably supported on a support attached to said second bracket, wherein said support includes a rotatable turret with a notch arranged to receive said distal end of said roller blind, said turret is rotatable to position said notch at different angles relative to said second bracket, so as to enable said second bracket to be positioned at different angles relative to said first bracket for attaching to entry ways of different shapes; wherein said roller blind is movable between a vertical open position disconnected from said second bracket and hanging from said first bracket, and a horizontal closed position across said entry way supported by said second bracket, wherein said roller blind includes a flexible sheet which is extendable into a flat panel when said roller blind is in said closed position across said entry way, and retractable into a roll to enable said roller blind to be disconnected from said second bracket to open said entry way.
  • 6. The cubicle door of claim 5, further including respective resilient pads inside said first bracket and said second bracket for adapting to walls of different thickness.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Number Name Date Kind
193573 Tripp Jul 1877 A
930554 Moody Aug 1909 A
2747927 Burkhead May 1956 A
3203467 Wulk Aug 1965 A
3321164 Petrick May 1967 A
3989213 Allen Nov 1976 A
4261411 Dieterich Apr 1981 A
5275220 Siegal Jan 1994 A
5419015 Garcia May 1995 A
6253826 Witter et al. Jul 2001 B1
6330898 Chang Dec 2001 B1
6435250 Pichik et al. Aug 2002 B1
6601638 Lafleur Aug 2003 B1
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Printouts from cubedoor.com web site showing an office cubicle door. 2 sheets.