The present invention relates to a subarchitectural office system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a subarchitectural office system that has a subarchitectural office system including a subarchitectural wall and an arch.
Office spaces are generally moving to an “open concept” where the floor plans have minimal walls dividing the office. Typically, the floor plan of “open concept” offices make use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as offices. However, even with an “open concept” office, there still may be a need to break up the floor space to provide separate functional areas. Subarchitectural office systems provide the structure to maintain an “open concept” office space while still being able to split the floor into different functional areas.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a subarchitectural office system including a subarchitectural wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge opposite the first side edge. The subarchitectural office system also includes a first arch adjacent the first side edge of the subarchitectural wall. The first arch includes a first vertical post adjacent the first side edge of the subarchitectural wall and a first overhead beam with a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the first overhead beam is coupled to the first vertical post, and the first overhead beam extends outwardly from the first vertical post. The first arch also includes a second vertical post positioned away from the subarchitectural wall and coupled to the second end of the first overhead beam. The subarchitectural office system further includes a second arch adjacent the second edge of the subarchitectural wall. The second arch includes a third vertical post adjacent the second side edge of the subarchitectural wall and a second overhead beam with a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the second overhead beam is coupled to the third vertical post, and the second overhead beam extends outwardly from the third vertical post. The second arch also includes a fourth vertical post positioned away from the subarchitectural wall and coupled to the second end of the second overhead beam.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a subarchitectural office system for use within a building having building walls. The subarchitectural office system includes a subarchitectural wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge configured to be connected to a building wall, and a second side edge opposite the first side edge. The subarchitectural wall is configured to extend outwardly from the building wall. The subarchitectural office system further includes an arch adjacent the second side edge of the subarchitectural wall. The arch includes a first vertical post adjacent the second side edge of the subarchitectural wall and an overhead beam with a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the overhead beam is coupled to the first vertical post. The overhead beam extends outwardly from the first vertical post. The arch further includes a second vertical post positioned away from the subarchitectural wall and coupled to the second end of the overhead beam.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. It should be understood that the description of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosure from covering all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The term “laterally” or variations thereof refer to a sideways direction. The terms “top,” “upper,” “bottom,” and “lower” are intended to indicate directions when viewing the subarchitectural office system when positioned for use. The term “coupled” means connected to or engage with, whether either directly or indirectly, for example with an intervening member, and does not require the engagement to be fixed or permanent, although engagement can be fixed or permanent. It should be understood that the use of numerical terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. as used herein does not refer to any particular sequence or order of components; for example, “first” and “second” portions may refer to any sequence of such components, and is not limited to the first and second components of a particular configuration.
Referring to
With reference to
The illustrated subarchitectural wall 110 is generally rectangular, and the first and second sides 125, 130 are generally planar. In other embodiments, the subarchitectural wall 110 may have other shapes. For example, the top edge 135 and/or the side edges 145, 150 may be angled or rounded so the subarchitectural wall 110 is pentagonal, hexagonal, or semi-circular or has other irregular shapes. Additionally or alternatively, the first and/or second side 125, 130 may be non-planar. The subarchitectural wall 110 may be formed of a suitable building material, such as a wood, metal, or plastic. In some embodiments, the subarchitectural wall 110 may be a multi-layered panel formed of the same or different materials. The sides 125, 130 of the subarchitectural wall 110 may also be coated with any desired paint, coating, fabric, or other surface treatment. In some embodiments, the subarchitectural wall 110 may include a rail 131 (
In the illustrated embodiment, the arch 112 includes an overhead beam 115 and two vertical posts 120. The arch 112 may also be referred to as a spanner zone. The overhead beam 115 extends outwardly from a vertical post 120 adjacent one of the first or second side edges 145, 150 of the subarchitectural wall 110. The overhead beam 115 extends outwardly from the vertical post 120 a distance 160. The distance 160 may be, for example, between two and thirty feet. The illustrated overhead beam 115 has a first end 162 coupled to a vertical post 120 adjacent the top edge 135 of the subarchitectural wall 110, and a second end 164 spaced apart from the subarchitectural wall 110 and coupled to another vertical post 120. In some embodiments, the overhead beam 115 may be a metal tube having a rectangular cross-section. The overhead beams 115 may be coupled to the vertical posts 120 with bolts, screws, clips, or any suitable proprietary connection.
The vertical posts 120 are coupled to the first and second ends 162, 164 of the overhead beam 115 and extend a distance 165 between the floor 105 and the overhead beam 115. The distance 165 may be, for example, between seven and ten feet. Similar to the overhead beam 115, the vertical post 120 may also be a metal tube having a rectangular cross-section. The vertical post 120 may be coupled to the overhead beams 115 or subarchitectural walls 110 with bolts, screws, clips, or any suitable proprietary connection.
Additional arches 112 may also be coupled to the first and second side edges 145, 150 of the subarchitectural wall 110. In such embodiments, the vertical posts 120 may cap the ends of the subarchitectural wall 110. The subarchitectural wall 110 is then compressed or held between the additional vertical posts 120. In other words, a first vertical post 120 is coupled to the subarchitectural wall 110 adjacent the first side edge 145, and a second vertical post is coupled to the subarchitectural wall 110 adjacent the second side edge. If an arch 112 is positioned on both side edges of the subarchitectural wall 110, the subarchitectural wall 110 is compressed between two arches 112. Additionally, when the vertical posts are coupled to the subarchitectural wall 110, the vertical posts 120 extend above the top edge 135 of the wall 110. As such, the overhead beams 115 are coupled to the vertical posts 120 at a position above the top edge 135 of the subarchitectural wall 110.
Now referring to
As shown in
Referring back to
Referring back to
In the illustrated embodiment, the subarchitectural wall 110 is a continuous subarchitectural wall 110. In further embodiments, two core modules 108 may be combined to form a longer subarchitectural wall 110 and a bigger subarchitectural office system 100.
In the illustrated embodiment, the second ends 164 of the overhead beams 115 are only connected to the corresponding vertical posts 120. That is, the second ends 164 of the overhead beams 115 are spaced apart from each other and free of any other connectors extending between the second ends 164, such as a crossbeam connecting the second ends 164 of the overhead beams 115. Such an arrangement simplifies the construction of the office system 100, and provides the subarchitectural office system 100 with a more open appearance.
In some embodiments, the subarchitectural office system 100 may further include a ceiling or roofing structure that either partially or entirely encloses the subarchitectural office system. For example, the subarchitectural office system 100 may include trellises 205 (
As discussed above,
In some embodiments, various attachments may be coupled to the subarchitectural office systems 100. The attachments may be used to further divide the subarchitectural office system 100 into smaller workspaces for individual users or small groups of users. For example, an alcove boundary could be coupled to a vertical post 120 and one of the side edges 145, 150 of the subarchitectural wall 110. Alternatively, a carrel desk including a table top and a table boundary can be coupled to a vertical post 120. The attachments can be coupled to the subarchitectural wall 110, the overhead beam 115, or the vertical post 120, and are not limited to any specific position or number of attachments.
Additionally, various accessories can be attached to any of the subarchitectural office systems 100. For example, light fixtures may be hung from or attached to the overhead beams 115 or the vertical posts 120. Banners, screens, panels, dividers, curtains, and other partitions may be hung from overhead beams 115. The partitions may be slidable along tracks or otherwise movable relative to the overhead beams 115 to change the configuration of the subarchitectural office system. In some embodiments, false ceiling elements may be coupled to and extend from the overhead beams 115, such as the trellises 205. Other accessories, such as easels, whiteboards, shelves, support hooks, mounting racks, etc., may also be supported by the subarchitectural walls 110, the overhead beams 115, and/or the vertical posts 120.
As shown in
Providing relatively simple subarchitectural office systems 100 including a subarchitectural wall 110 and at least one arch 112 advantageously allows for quick installation of the subarchitectural office system 100 in an open office. With only a few main components for each subarchitectural office system, the office systems 100 can be assembled and disassembled by a small number of people in a relatively short period of time. The variations of the subarchitectural office systems 100 provide users with different configurations to create subarchitectural office systems 100 as desired for different settings, thus providing different functional areas 180 within an open office. The subarchitectural walls 110, the arches 112, and any desired attachments and accessories thereby provide a kit of parts that can be interchanged to form a workspace.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/919,861, filed Mar. 13, 2018 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/470,549, filed Mar. 13, 2017, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
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Child | 16922454 | US |