Mounting arrangement for whiteboard

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6612077
  • Patent Number
    6,612,077
  • Date Filed
    Friday, June 15, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 2, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A display board which comprises a thin panel member adapted to be supported on an office wall partition to closely overlie a cover of a partition. The display board is preferably coupled to an internal frame of the partition by a mounting bracket which extends laterally inwardly over the top of a cover into engagement with the internal frame. With an inner surface of the display board lying on an outerface of the cover coupling to the framework to merely provide for support against vertical downward movement of the display board can be sufficient. Mounting separate brackets which extend from the framework outwardly above a cover are advantageously provided for ease of connection.
Description




SCOPE OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a mounting arrangement for a display board and, in particular, to a mounting arrangement for mounting whiteboards and the like on upright partitions of a modular office furniture system.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Many display boards such as whiteboards, blackboards, chalk boards, tack boards, cork boards, magnetic boards and the like are known as having a planar display panel upon which information, writing and the like may be displayed as by, for example, writing with coloured erasable ink on whiteboards, writing with erasable chalk on blackboards and chalk boards, pinning materials and messages on tack boards and cork boards and securing magnetic letters and magnets to hold notices on magnetic boards. When such display boards are placed in an office, they are known to be fixed to a wall or other structure with a disadvantage that they are often difficult to attach and cannot be readily detached and moved to other locations. Other display boards are known which are provided with their own independent supports as, for example, on easels, or self-supporting frames so that the display boards can be moved within the office. The disadvantage of these types of display devices is that they may not be stable and can continue to occupy significant office space when not in use or when they are to be stored.




Modular office furniture systems utilizing modular partitions are known including such systems which utilize a panel assembly consisting of rectangular frames including vertical and horizontal frame members with cladding panels mounting to the framework. Known systems include interchangeable cladding panels in which one cladding panel has an outer surface which functions as a whiteboard. Such whiteboard cladding panels have the disadvantage that they are relatively expensive since they are coupled to the framework in the same manner as other covers. As well, such known whiteboard cladding panels require the replacement of an entire cladding panel in a modular manner and typically are not adopted for off modular use or for ease of installation, use or storage.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




To at least partially overcome these disadvantages of previously known devices, the present invention provides a mounting arrangement for a display board, preferably a whiteboard, which can be easily mounted on an upright partition of a modular office furniture system.




It is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement for a display board which can facilitate the mounting of the display board in an upright position on a modular office furniture system.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement which allows a display board to be mounted over any cladding panel of an upright partition as desired by a user.




Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive display board assembly which can form an integrated part of a modular partition.




Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a mounting arrangement for a display board comprising:




an upright partition having a supporting framework formed of horizontal beams and vertical posts with the beams spaced vertically from each other,




a plurality of cladding panels mounted to the framework to cover the same, each cladding panel having an outer surface spanning between a top and a bottom thereof, each cladding panel disposed outwardly of the horizontal beams with the top of each cladding panel proximate one horizontal beam and access to said one horizontal beam being provided via an opening adjacent the top of the cladding panel along the length of the cladding panel;




a display board member comprising a thin planar display panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface adapted for overlying at least one cladding panel with the inner surface of the display panel in opposed relation to the outer surface of the cladding panel, the board member having at a top edge of the display panel a flange extending inwardly over the top of the at least one cladding panel through the opening and being coupled to the beam proximate the top of the adjacent cladding panel to support the board member therefrom.




The present invention provides a display board which comprises a thin panel member adapted to be supported on an office wall partition to closely overlie a cover of a partition.




The display board is preferably coupled to an internal frame of the partition by a mounting bracket which extends laterally inwardly over the top of a cover into engagement with the internal frame. With an inner surface of the display board lying on an outerface of the cover coupling to the framework to merely provide for support against vertical downward movement of the display board can be sufficient. Separate mounting brackets which extend from the framework outwardly above a cover are advantageously provided for ease of connection. Preferably, a tray member may be provided below the display board as to hold items such as pens, eraser brushes and the like. The tray member may be integral with the display board or preferably independently mounted therebelow as by a mounting bracket extending laterally inwardly under the bottom of a cover into engagement with the internal frame.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken together with accompanying drawings in which:





FIG. 1

shows a front perspective elevation view of an assembled modular office furniture partition wall including a number of partitions to which two display board assemblies are mounted in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a frontal perspective view of the partition wall of

FIG. 1

with the display board assemblies and some of the cladding panels removed to reveal the internal frame;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged view showing schematically a section of a rectangular frame of a partition having the same construction as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

;





FIG. 4

is an exploded view of a display board assembly in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of portions of

FIG. 1

showing one display board assembly;





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view along section line vi-vi′ of

FIG. 5

showing the display board assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 7

is an enlarged view of the top end of

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is an enlarged view of the bottom end of

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 9

is a schematic exploded perspective rear view showing coupling of a display board member to a mounting bracket in accordance with the first embodiment shown in

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 10

is an enlarged perspective view of a tray member in accordance with the first embodiment of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 11

is a rear perspective view similar to that of

FIG. 9

, however, of an upper portion of a display board member in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a schematic cross-sectional side view similar to

FIG. 8

, however, of a display board member in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is a schematic side view similar to

FIG. 8

, however, of a tray member in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 14

is a schematic side view similar to

FIG. 8

, however, of a display board member in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Reference is made first to

FIG. 1

which shows an assembled modular office furniture partition wall on which there are mounted two display board assemblies


20


in accordance with the present invention.




The partition wall includes a number of partitions of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,981 to Edwards issued Jul. 18, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The partition wall comprises a plurality of rectangular partitions


10


shown to be arranged end-to-end for convenience. Each partition


10


comprises a generally rectangular frame including vertical posts


1


and horizontal beams


2


and


2


′. As best illustrated in

FIG. 3

which shows a schematic partial view of the frame of one partition


10


, the beams


2


,


2


′ are preferably arranged in parallel pairs outwardly on both sides of each post


1


with the beams on each side vertically above each other and vertically spaced from each other. The beams


2


and


2


′ are connected to the outward opposing front and rear surfaces of each post


1


. Both the posts


1


and the beams


2


,


2


′ are preferably tubular in cross-section as shown. The posts


1


and beams


2


,


2


′ are connected with brackets


3


having a saddle portion


3




a


of internal profile mating with the external profile of the beams


2


,


2


′. The brackets


3


include flange portions


3




b


above and below the saddle portions


3




a


which overlie and are connected to the outward face of the associated post


1


as by screws, rivets, welding and the like.




As seen in

FIG. 2

, each of the posts


1


has an adjustable height foot


4


at the base thereof to support the partition and level the partition on a floor surface. The posts


1


of adjacent partition assemblies are shown connected as in

FIG. 2

in line with posts


1


of adjacent partitions as by connectors generally indicated as


6


.




Cladding panels or covers generally indicated as


5


but also specifically indicated as


5




a


,


5




b


,


5




c


and


5




d


, are coupled to the frame as may be seen, for example, in

FIGS. 2 and 6

, laterally outwardly of the beams


2


,


2


′. Coupling mechanisms are provided for removably mounting the covers


5


to the frame, however, such mounting mechanisms are only schematically illustrated for the purpose of simplicity in

FIG. 6

as clips


7


mounted to inward faces of the covers


5


near their tops and bottoms for releasable engagement with complementary resilient clips


8


carried on the beams


2


,


2


′ or on the posts.




As shown, many of the covers and those particularly indicated as


5


,


5




c


and


5




d


are full covers in the sense that they preferably span vertically between adjacent parallel vertically spaced beams


2


on the same side of the posts. In the middle portion of the partition, there are shown partial covers


5




a


and


5




b


which generally span about half the distance between two adjacent beams and may be, for example, coupled to each post intermediate the beams.




As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 6

, removable top caps


90


are provided to cover the top of each partition


10


. As is known, the covers


5


and the top caps


90


or at least some of them are preferably readily removable to permit access to the interior of the partition.




A feature of the partition


10


is that an opening


100


exists above each cover


5


, preferably substantially along the length of each cover, which permits access from in front of a cover inwardly past the cover to the framework and, particularly, to beam


2


,


2


′ which is disposed along the top of any one of the covers


5


. This opening


100


is provided above the top of each cover


5


whether, as seen in

FIG. 6

, between an uppermost cover


5




c


and the top cap


90


thereabove or between an intermediate cover


5




b


and the cover


5




c


thereabove. It also follows that this opening


100


is provided at the bottom of each cover


5


.




Reference is now made to

FIG. 4

which shows an exploded view of a display board assembly


20


in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The display board assembly


20


comprises a display board member


22


, two mounting brackets


24


, two side flange members


26


and a tray member


28


. The board member


22


, the mounting brackets


24


, the flange members


26


and the tray member


28


are preferably made of thin sheet material, preferably a thin sheet of metal as by a stamping operation. Preferably, the mounting brackets


24


are identical and interchangeable. Preferably, the flange members


24


are also identical and interchangeable.




The display board member


22


comprises a flat planar panel


21


with an elongate flange


50


provided substantially along the entire length of an upper edge of the panel


21


. Two generally downwardly extending coupling tabs


52


are provided on the flange


50


as best seen in FIG.


9


. As will be described later, the tabs are adapted to be inserted into respective slots


46


in the mounting brackets


24


as illustrated in FIG.


7


.

FIG. 7

shows the panel


21


has a front surface


51


, a rear surface


53


, an upper edge


91


, bottom edge


92


and side edges


93


and


94


. The front surface


51


of the panel


21


is adapted for displaying information thereon. In the preferred embodiment, the front surface


51


is provided with a suitable white coating to facilitate writing with erasable colour markers such that the display board comprises what is known in the industry as a “whiteboard”.




As seen in

FIG. 1

, the display board assembly


20


is adapted to be mounted to the partitions


10


to at least partially overlie the covers


5


. Reference is made to

FIG. 5

which shows an enlarged front view of the display board assembly


20


overlying the cover indicated as


5




c


.

FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional side view along section line v-vi′ in FIG.


5


.

FIGS. 7 and 8

show enlarged side views of the top and bottom portions of FIG.


6


.




As will be explained in greater detail, each of the mounting brackets


24


are coupled to the beams


2


,


2


′ at the top of the cover


5




c


. The display board member


22


with the two-side flange members


26


attached along the side edges


93


and


94


of the panel


21


are supported over the cover


5




c


by the flange


50


of the board member


22


engaging the mounting brackets


24


. Independently of the display board member


22


and its mounting brackets


24


, the tray member


28


is mounted on two beams


2


and


2


′ disposed proximate the bottom of the cover


5




c.






The two flange members


26


are elongate angle members having a first flange


54


and a second flange


56


disposed in planes at right angles to each other. The flange members


26


are secured along each vertical side edges


93


and


94


of the panel


21


with the first flange


54


in a plane parallel to that of the panel


21


and the second flange


56


extending normal to the plane of panel


21


and outwardly from the front surface


51


of the panel


21


. The outwardly extending second flange


56


provides a physical barrier which assists in preventing the covers


5


from being contaminated by materials used on the display panel


21


. For example, the second flanges


56


assist in preventing marker pens and/or brushes to erase markings from being brought into contact with adjacent covers


5


. The flange members


26


may be secured by suitable methods including adhesion, welding, riveting, mechanical fasteners and the like.




Reference is made to

FIGS. 7 and 8

which best show the mounting brackets


24


and the manner in which they are adapted to engage a pair of horizontal beams


2


,


2


′ proximate the top of the cover


5




c.






Each mounting bracket


24


is of a generally S-shape in cross-section as best seen in

FIG. 7. A

first L-shape section


30


is provided for engagement with an outer portion and an upper portion of the beam


2


on the left-hand side of the post


1


. A second L-shaped section is provided for engagement with an outer portion and a lower portion of the beam


2


′ on the right-hand side of the post


1


. An intermediate ramped bridging section


34


connects the first and second L-shaped sections


30


and


32


. The first L-shaped section


30


is shown as having a horizontal top portion


36


to engage the top of the beam


2


and a downwardly extending side portion


38


to engage the outer side surface of the beam


2


. A supporting ledge portion


44


extends outwardly to the left from the side wall portion


38


.




The second L-shaped section


32


has a bottom portion


40


and a side portion


42


which extends upwardly therefrom. The bottom portion


40


is adapted to engage the bottom of the beam


2


and the side portion


42


is adapted to engage the outer side surface of the beam


2


′.




The ledge portion


44


is disposed to extend outwardly generally horizontally. As best seen in

FIG. 9

, an elongate slot


46


is provided in the ledge portion


44


extending parallel to the ledge. This slot


46


is preferably provided at the junction of the wall portion


38


and the ledge portion


44


. As best seen in

FIG. 9

, the slot


46


is adapted to receive the tab


52


of the flange


50


of the display board member


22


.




For assembly, having regard to

FIG. 7

, the top cap


90


may be removed and each mounting bracket


24


may be manipulated to become coupled to the beams and adopt its configuration as shown in

FIG. 7

with or without the cover


5




c


in place. Subsequently, with the cover


5




c


in place, the board member


22


is placed over the cover


5




c


with the rear surface


53


of the panel


21


to be located closely in front of the front surface of the cover


5




c


, with the flange


50


to overlie the ledge portion


44


and with the tab


52


on the flange


50


to extend downwardly into the slot


46


. Preferably, as shown in

FIG. 7

, the flange


50


abuts on the ledge portion


44


lying substantially coplanar thereto and with the panel


21


substantially coplanar and engaging the front surface of the cover


5




c


. With the display


5




c


in place, the top cap


90


may be replaced.




The tray member


28


is best shown in

FIGS. 8 and 10

. The tray member


28


includes a bracket section generally indicated


58


and a tray section generally indicated


76


. The bracket section


58


has a cross-section substantially the same as that of each mounting bracket


24


. Identical reference numbers are used to refer to equivalent elements of the bracket section


58


of the tray member and the mounting brackets


24


. As seen, however, in

FIGS. 8 and 10

, in the tray member


28


, the ledge portion


44


extends outwardly to the left generally horizontally below the cover


5




c


where it merges into the tray section


76


. In this regard, the tray section


76


is formed by a downward extending wall portion


78


, an outwardly and downwardly slanted floor portion


80


, an outwardly and upwardly slanted floor portion


82


and an upwardly extending wall portion


84


. Together the wall portion


78


, floor portions


80


and


82


and the wall portion


84


form an elongated channel or tray for holding devices such as marker pens, brushes to erase markings, pencils, pens, magnets and the like as may be useful.




Regarding assembly, the tray member


28


shown in

FIG. 8

is preferably applied prior to application of the display board member


22


. To apply the tray member


28


, preferably, the cover


5




c


thereabove is removed and the tray member


28


manipulated in place to become coupled to the beams


2


and


2


′. With the ledge portion


44


extending from the beam


2


towards the left above the top of the cover


5




b


, the cover


5




c


may then be coupled to the beams


2


thereabove and the ledge


44


will extend outwardly via the opening


100


between the top of the panel


5




b


and the bottom of the panel


5




c.






In the preferred embodiment, two bracket members


24


are shown and the display board member


22


is shown as carrying two complementary tabs


52


. It is to be appreciated that merely one bracket member


26


can be sufficient. Preferably, more than one bracket member is provided, preferably two, however, three or more bracket members can be utilized. The bracket members


24


are adapted to engage the beams


2


and


2


′ in varying positions between the posts. This is advantageous to permit the display board members to be mounted at various locations over different of the covers


5


. For example, as seen in

FIG. 1

, a display board assembly


20


is shown as mounted over cover


5




d


. The display board member


22


mounted over cover


5




d


is shown to be of a length which is less than the length of the cover


5




d


. This display panel may, therefore, as desired by a user, be mounted so as to be centered or moved to the left and right relative to cover


5




d.






Referring to

FIG. 1

, the display board member


22


mounted over cover


5




c


is shown to be of the same length as the cover


5




c


and to substantially cover the panel


5




c


. This is not necessary. The panel


21


of any display board member


22


may have a length between side edges


93


and


94


which is equal to, less than or greater than the length of any cover to be covered. The panel


21


may also have a width between top and bottom edges


91


and


92


which is equal to, less than or greater than the vertical extent of any cover. In that the mounting brackets may engage the beams


2


at any locations, it is to be understood that, for example, the display board member


22


shown as mounted on top of cover


5




c


in

FIG. 1

could be mounted so it partially overlies cover


5




c


and partially overlies a cover


5


adjacent to cover


5




c


. Thus, a first mounting bracket


24


could engage the beams of one partition


10


and a second mounting bracket


26


could engage the beams of a second partition


10


.





FIGS. 6

,


7


and


8


show a display board member


22


mounted over the cover


5




c


which is disposed immediately underneath the top cap


90


and with the flange


50


to extend through opening


100


between the top of the cover


5




c


and the top cap


90


. It is to be appreciated that a display board member


22


in accordance with the present invention may be mounted over any of the covers


5


with the flange


50


to extend through the opening


100


between the vertically arranged covers as, for example, is the case with the display board member


22


mounted over cover


5




d


in FIG.


1


. Such an opening


100


between the vertically arranged covers is illustrated, for example, in

FIG. 8

as between the cover


5




c


and the cover


5




d.






In accordance with the first embodiment, the bracket members


24


may preferably be sized so that they frictionally engage the beams


2


and


2


′. In this regard, each of the generally downwardly extending side portion


38


and the upwardly extending side portion


42


of the bracket member


46


may extend inwardly towards their respective beam so as to frictionally clip onto the beams


2


and


2


′ although this is not necessary. It is also advantageous to have the mounting bracket


24


sized to be longitudinally slidable along the beams to assist in location of the mounting brackets


24


at desired locations.




It is to be appreciated that internal wiring, cabling and the like may be provided to extend in an interior space defined within the beams


2


,


2


′ and the posts. In accordance with the present invention having the mounting brackets


24


to be of relatively small size permits the mounting brackets to be placed at different locations and/or for cabling within the partition to be moved.




If desired, the flange


50


of the board member


22


may be provided with a plurality of the tabs


52


so as to permit the mounting brackets


24


to be located at different longitudinal locations along the beams


2


yet be located under a selected one of the tabs


52


.




The preferred embodiment shows, as best seen in

FIG. 4

, a display board assembly


20


including a number of components. Manufacturing the display board assembly


20


as a number of components is preferred but is not necessary in accordance with the present invention. Manufacture as a plurality of components has advantages from the point of view of manufacture and from the point of view of storage, installation and removal. In this regard, the front surface


51


of the panel


21


is preferably provided with a surface or covering which will function as a display surface. For example, in the context of being a whiteboard, a suitable white coating is to be applied thereto. As a matter of convenience for construction, it is advantageous to have the element comprising merely the panel


21


and its flange


50


as a separate element which can readily have the suitable white coating applied thereto.




The side flange members


26


are not necessary but are preferred. Providing each as a separate element can be advantageous so that the side flange members


26


may have a different coating or painting than the panel


21


. It is to be appreciated that rather than provide the side flange members


26


as separate elements, they could readily form an integral part of the panel


21


by being flanges bent to extend outwardly therefrom.




To simplify manufacture, it is preferred that the mounting brackets


24


be separate elements from the board member


22


. This is not necessary, however, and bracket members having a configuration identical to that shown in

FIG. 4

could be provided as an integral extension of the flange


50


as by permanently securing the flange


50


to the ledge portion


44


as by rivets or the like and eliminating the tabs


52


. Even with the bracket members


24


permanently attached to the panel


21


, the resultant panel could still relatively readily be manipulated to suitably insert the bracket members


24


for engagement with the beams while a top cap


90


or cover


5


thereabove has been removed.




Reference is made to

FIG. 11

which shows a second embodiment of the board member


22


which carries a mounting bracket section


96


as an integral part thereof. The mounting bracket section


96


shown is adapted to engage merely one beam, beam


2


, on one side of the post. The mounting bracket section


96


includes not only an outward wall portion


38


and a top portion


36


but also a downwardly extending inner wall portion


37


to engage an inwardly directed surface of the beam


2


. As is to be appreciated, a series of such mounting bracket sections


96


could be provided along the length of the board member


22


.




Reference is made to

FIG. 12

which shows a cross-sectional side view similar to that of

FIG. 8

, however, in which a tray section


97


is provided as an integral part of the board member


22


as an extension of the bottom edge


92


of the panel


21


as floor portions


80


and


82


and wall portion


84


depending therefrom. A whiteboard which incorporated the features of both

FIGS. 11 and 12

could be formed from a unitary piece of sheet material, preferably metal.




In the first preferred embodiment illustrated, for example, in

FIG. 6

, panel


21


extends vertically a height such that the bottom edge of the panel


21


is at the same height as the bottom edge of a cover


5




c


. However, in

FIG. 6

, the tray section


76


is shown as located at a height below panel


5




c


and extending to overlap cover


5




b


below cover


5




c


. It is to be appreciated that the vertical width of the panel


21


can be selected so that it may extend vertically over one or more covers or may be of a height less than any one cover.




The third embodiment of the invention illustrated in

FIG. 12

illustrates an arrangement in which the tray section is disposed at a height above the top of cover


5




b


therebelow as can be of assistance in permitting easy removal of the cover


5




b


without the need to first remove the interference from a tray member.




It can be advantageous to have a tray member


28


which is separate from the display board member


22


yet coupled to the display board member


22


. In this regard, reference is made to

FIG. 13

which shows as a fourth embodiment a configuration identical to that shown in

FIG. 8

, however, with the tray member


28


includes an upwardly extending catch portion


97


which is adapted to extend upwardly above the lower edge


91


of the panel


21


so as to engage the lower edge


91


of the panel


21


and assist in holding the panel


21


against movement of its lower edge outwardly away from the cover


5




c


. The catch portion


97


may preferably bias the lower end of the panel


21


inwardly into the cover


5




c.






Reference is made to

FIG. 14

which shows a further embodiment.

FIG. 14

is identical to that shown in

FIG. 8

with the exception that the panel


21


is provided with an extension portion


72


along its lower edge


91


which extends downwardly to vertically overlap with the wall portion


78


of the tray member


22


outwardly thereof. An outwardly disposed outer surface of the wall portion


78


and an inner surface


53


of the panel


21


overlap and may be provided with complementary touch fastening mechanisms such as VELCRO brand hook and eye fasteners.




The display board member


22


in accordance with the present invention may have a panel


21


which is adapted for various display and indication purposes. The panel


21


may preferably comprise a whiteboard as is known for marking with erasable markers. In accordance with the first preferred embodiment, the panel


21


is a thin sheet of metal with a white coating layer on its outer surface


51


to form a whiteboard. The panel


21


may also comprise a blackboard or a chalk board which would provide a surface which could be marked by chalk. Blackboard and chalk board surfaces are known which can be applied as a coating to a planar substrate such as a metal sheet.




The panel


21


can be a metal sheet to which magnets can be magnetically attached with such magnets being themselves letters or indicia which display information. Alternatively, magnets could be used to secure paper notices and the like to the display surface.




Reference is made to

FIG. 11

which shows a layer


74


of material secured to panel


21


to overlie the panel. The layer


74


may comprise a material forming a whiteboard, a blackboard, chalk board or the like. The layer of material


74


could also comprise a layer of cork or other soft material so as to provide what is conventionally known as tack board or a cork board being a display board which permits securing of paper and other articles thereto as by sticking tacks, pins and the like into the soft surface layer. The panel


21


could carry various other surfaces and substrates which are preferably substantially planar and provide for marking and/or display.




The display board assemblies in accordance with the present invention have been particularly described for use with partitions of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,981. The invention is not so limited and the invention may be utilized with any partitions having members which can structurally support the display board assemblies and are accessible through openings above covers. Such support members may include horizontal beams, troughs, channels and the like of an internal frame.




The first embodiment as illustrated in

FIG. 9

shows the flange


50


on the panel


21


to overlie the ledge portion


44


and to be coupled thereto by tab


52


extending into slot


46


. Various other arrangements may be provided to couple the flange


50


to the ledge portion


44


. For example, tabs could be provided on the ledge


44


to extend upwardly into a slot in the flange


50


. The flange


50


and ledge portion


44


could be made to carry complementary hook and loop touch fasteners such as sold under the trade mark VELCRO. Preferably, the coupling of the flange


50


to the ledge portion


44


sets the distance the panel


21


is forward of the cover


5


. In

FIG. 9

, the relative location of the tabs and slots can be established so that the panel


21


abuts the front surface of the cover.




In the preferred embodiment, the panel


21


is merely a thin sheet of material preferably no more than one inch thick, more preferably less than ¼ inch and, more preferably, less than {fraction (1/32)} inch thick.




The preferred mounting brackets


26


as shown in

FIG. 7

do not extend forwardly of the covers and may be left in place after a display board member


22


may be removed. Alternatively, the mounting brackets may extend further forwardly above the cover for coupling with the panel


21


whether or not an equivalent of a separate flange


50


may be provided.




The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Many modifications and variations will now occur to persons skilled in the art. For a definition of the invention, reference is made to the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A mounting arrangement for a display board comprising:an upright wall forming partition for dividing a workspace having a supporting framework extending upwardly from a floor surface formed of horizontal beams and vertical posts with the beams spaced vertically from each other, an interior space defined between the beams and posts for passage of utilities, a plurality of cladding panels removably mounted to the framework to cover the framework, the cladding panels removable to provide access to the interior space, each cladding panel having an outer surface spanning between a top and a bottom thereof, each cladding panel disposed outwardly of the horizontal beams with the top of each cladding panel proximate one horizontal beam and access to said one horizontal beam being provided via an opening adjacent the top of the cladding panel along the length of the cladding panel; a display board member comprising a thin planar display panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, the display panel removably overlying at least one cladding panel with the inner surface of the display panel in opposed relation to the outer surface of the cladding panel, the display board member having at a top edge of the display panel a flange extending inwardly over the top of the at least one cladding panel through the opening and being removably coupled to the beam proximate the top of the at least one cladding panel by a mounting bracket to support the board member therefrom the mounting bracket having a supporting flange removably engaging a top portion of the one horizontal beam, and said outer surface is selected ram a surface comprising a whiteboard, a blackboard, a chalk board, a metal surface for the attachment of magnets, a tack board and a cork board.
  • 2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the bracket.
  • 3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2 including a plurality of said mounting brackets disposed spaced from each other along the length of the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel.
  • 4. A mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bracket carries, outwardly of the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel, said generally horizontally extending support flange having an opening therethrough,the flange of the board member include a generally downwardly extending tab extending through said aperture.
  • 5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein said generally horizontally extending support flange of said bracket is a generally planar flange outward of said at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel and adapted to receive and support the flange of the board member substantially co-planar thereon.
  • 6. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the bracket outwardly of the beam.
  • 7. An arrangement as claimed in claim 6 wherein the flange is removably coupled to the bracket inwardly of the outer surface of the cladding panel.
  • 8. A mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein in addition to the beam proximate the top edge of the cladding panel, the framework includes a remote beam parallel thereto at the same height thereas but spaced inwardly therefrom away from the cladding panel,the bracket member engages the top portion of the beam proximate the cladding panel and a bottom portion of the remote beam.
  • 9. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the horizontal beams include a first set of beams on one side of the post and a second set of beams on the other side of the post such that the beams are provided as pairs of beams at the same height on opposite sides of the post;the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel via said mounting bracket which engages both the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel and a beam on the other side of the post forming a pair therewith.
  • 10. A mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the board member having a bottom edge,a tray member mounted on the partition proximate the bottom edge of the board member and extending outwardly of the board member.
  • 11. An arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein a bottom edge of each cladding panel is proximate one horizontal beam and access to the horizontal beam is provided via an opening adjacent the bottom edge of the cladding panel along the length of the panel,the tray member including a flange extending inwardly under the bottom edge of the at least one cladding panel via the opening adjacent the bottom edge of the cladding panel and coupling to the at least one beam member proximate the bottom edge of the cladding panel to support the tray member therefrom.
  • 12. An arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein the board member substantially vertically spans the cladding panel with the bottom edge of the board member disposed proximate the tray member.
  • 13. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said board member consists of a tin sheet of metal and the outer surface is selected from a surface comprising a whiteboard, a blackboard, a chalk board, and a metal surface forte attachment of magnets.
  • 14. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the support flange of the bracket via hook and loop touch fasteners.
  • 15. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the support flange of the bracket against movement other than movement of the board member upwardly relative the bracket.
  • 16. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bracket has a generally S-shape in cross section with one end of the bracket to engage a top portion and a lateral surface of the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel facing the cladding panel and with the other end of the bracket to engage with a bottom portion and a side pardon of the remote beam directed away from the cladding panel.
  • 17. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein each cladding panel extends between vertically spaced horizontal beams.
  • 18. A mounting arrangement for a display board comprising:an upright partition having a supporting framework formed of horizontal beams and vertical posts with the beams spaced vertically from each other, a plurality of cladding panels mounted to the framework to cover the framework, each cladding panel having an outer surface spanning between a top and a bottom thereof, each cladding panel disposed outwardly of the horizontal beams with the top of each cladding panel proximate one horizontal beam and access to said one horizontal beam being provided via an opening adjacent the top of the cladding panel along the length of the cladding panel; a display board member comprising a thin planar display panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, the display panel removably overlying at least one cladding panel with the inner surface of the display panel in opposed relation to the outer surface of the cladding panel, the display board member having at a top edge of the display panel a flange extending inwardly over the top of the at least one cladding panel through the opening and being coupled to the beam proximate the top of the at least one cladding panel to support the board member therefrom, the horizontal beams include a first set of beams on one side of the post and a second set of beams on the other side of the post such that the beams are provided as pairs of beams at the same height on opposite sides of the post; the flange of the board member is removably coupled to the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel via a mounting bracket which removably engages both the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel and a beam on the other side of the post forming a pair therewith, the bracket has a generally S-shape in cross section with one end of the bracket engaging a top portion and a lateral surface of the at least one beam proximate the top of the cladding panel facing the cladding panel and with the other end of the bracket engaging with a bottom portion and a side portion of the remote beam directed away from the cladding panel.
  • 19. An arrangement claimed in claim 18 wherein said board member consists of a Shin sheet of metal and the outer surface is selected from a surface comprising a whiteboard, a blackboard, a chalk board, and a metal surface for the attachment of magnets.
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Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
64-44896 Feb 1989 JP