Wall panel system

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6651396
  • Patent Number
    6,651,396
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, June 6, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 25, 2003
    20 years ago
Abstract
This invention relates to a space-dividing wall panel system which includes components which are compatible with various types of wall panels and furniture components therefor. These components include a connector bracket having multiple inserts for supporting furniture components thereon, and an interface assembly also is provided which is compatible with various wall panel systems. A spiral cable manager also is provided for supporting cabling within the wall panels.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates to a space-dividing wall panel system, and in particular, to an arrangement of wall panels having brackets supported on the wall panels for supporting various furniture components and for managing cabling.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Commercial buildings typically include large open office areas which are divided into smaller work spaces or workstations by any of a number of space dividing panel systems that have been developed therefor. These space divider arrangements typically employ upright space-dividing wall panels which serially connect together to subdivide the office area into a plurality of smaller workstations of a desired size and configuration.




Conventional wall panel systems, however, often use different types of connectors to join the ends of two wall panels together and to support or hanging various furniture components, such as overhead storage units, on the wall panels. As a result, different wall panel systems often are not compatible one with the other.




One space-dividing wall panel system, however, which is usable with different products is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/736,512. This panel system functions particularly well as a spine wall system. A spine wall runs the length of a group of workstations and supports space-dividing return walls on opposite sides of the spine wall to define individual workstations. These spine walls also have a significant cabling capacity so as to allow communications and power cabling to be laid along the length of the spine wall and be supplied to the return walls branching therefrom.




While the return walls may be formed from wall panels having the same construction as the wall panels which define the spine wall, the return walls may also be constructed from other styles and brands of wall panels from the same or different manufacturers. For example, the spine wall not only accommodates many of the various wall panel systems and associated furniture components supplied by Haworth, Inc., the assignee of the present application, but this spine wall also may accommodate wall panel systems and components sold by other manufacturers.




To permit various types and brands of furniture components to be connected to this spine wall system while minimizing the number of system components, the wall panel system disclosed herein includes brackets for supporting various furniture components and return walls, which are used in conjunction with the wall panels disclosed in the above-identified patent application.




One bracket is a connector bracket that removably mounts to a wall panel and supports furniture components, such as storage cabinets and shelves, on the wall panel. Generally, conventional furniture components for wall panel systems typically include hooks which slide into corresponding slots on a wall panel so that the furniture component is connected or supported thereon. These hook and slot arrangements, however, may have different sizes and spacings for the hooks and slots depending upon the particular manufacturer or even the particular product sold by a single manufacturer. Thus, an arrangement of slots on one panel system accommodates components having a specific arrangement of hooks, but typically is not compatible with components having a different arrangement of hooks.




The connector bracket disclosed herein overcomes these differences by incorporating a vertical support rail which has a plurality of slots therein so as to accommodate a plurality of different inserts. Each insert has vertically spaced slots that correspond to a particular arrangement of hooks. Thus, if a particular furniture component is to be supported, the insert corresponding thereto is slid into one of the bracket channels such that the connector bracket is compatible therewith. These inserts can be replaced with alternative inserts which accommodate different types of furniture components.




While this connector bracket may be used with return walls, an interface bracket assembly for return walls also is disclosed herein. This interface bracket includes a mounting bracket which mounts to the spine panel. To secure a return wall to the mounting bracket, a vertical interface rail is mounted to the mounting bracket.




Since different wall panel systems also use different connector arrangements at the ends of wall panels to serially-connect the wall panels together, the interface rail is provided so as to connect to the specific wall panel connector arrangement being used on the return wall. Thus, one or more different types of interface rails are provided which are compatible with the different types of wall panels available.




Since the mounting rail connects to horizontal channels on a wall panel, this interface bracket further includes a disengagable panel lock thereon, preferably on the interface rail to prevent sliding of the mounting rail and facilitate adjustment of the return wall so that it is plumb. The panel lock includes movable jaws which may be spread apart to frictionally engage the walls of a horizontal channel on the wall panel and thereby prevent movement of the interface bracket.




To manage cabling which is stored in the wall panels, the wall panel system further includes cable rings which mount to the wall panel frame so as to support and manage the cabling within the panel raceways. The cable rings have a spiral shape to permit the cable to first be laid through the raceways and then slid sidewardly into the rings. No fishing of the ends of the cables through the ring is necessary such that the cable is readily secured in the cable ring after the cable is already laid.




The wall panel system therefore includes a number of components as disclosed herein which are compatible with different furniture components and wall panel systems. Other objects and purposes of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front perspective view illustrating a wall panel and a return wall of a space-dividing wall panel system of the invention.





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view illustrating the wall panel with a furniture component mounted thereto.





FIG. 3

is a front view of a connector bracket for supporting the furniture component.





FIG. 4

is a right side view of the connector bracket.





FIG. 5

is a plan view of the connector bracket.





FIG. 6

is a plan view of a vertical rail of the connector bracket.





FIG. 7A

is a front elevational view of a first insert for the vertical rail.





FIG. 7B

is a front elevational view of a second insert for the vertical rail.





FIG. 8

is a side elevational view of a hook for the connector bracket.





FIG. 9

is a broken side elevational view of a return wall interface bracket.





FIG. 10

is a front view of a mounting bracket for the interface bracket.





FIG. 11

is a plan view of a hook for the mounting bracket.





FIG. 12

is a top view of a locking device for the interface bracket.





FIG. 13

is an end view of the locking device.





FIG. 14

is a front view of a wire-management cable ring for managing cables in the wall panel system.





FIG. 15

is an exploded perspective view of the cable ring being mounted to a panel frame rail.





FIG. 16

is a partial perspective view of the cable ring.





FIG. 17

is a front elevational view of a panel which illustrates mounting of an improved wire management arrangement thereon according to another aspect of the present invention.





FIG. 18

is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line


18





18


in FIG.


17


and illustrating the mounting of the cable management arrangement on the panel.





FIG. 19

is a side elevational view of the clip associated with the cable management arrangement.





FIG. 20

is a front elevational view of the clip of FIG.


19


.





FIG. 21

is a front elevational view of the cover which mounts on the clip.





FIG. 22

is a cross section of the cover as taken generally along line


22





22


of FIG.


21


.











Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.




DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Referring to

FIG. 1

, the invention relates to a space-dividing wall panel system


10


for subdividing an office area. The wall panel system


10


includes a selected number of upstanding wall panels


12


one of which is illustrated in FIG.


1


. The wall panels


12


are adapted to be serially connected together to define a primary space-dividing wall


14


having substantial load-bearing and cable-carrying capacities, said wall


14


being commonly referred to as a “spine wall” and being provided in combination with return walls


15


for subdividing the office area into separate workstations


16


.




The wall panel system


10


including the wall panel


12


is generally disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/736,512, entitled PANEL ARRANGEMENT, the disclosure of which in its entirety is incorporated herein by reference. The structure and function of the wall panel system


10


disclosed herein is substantially the same as that disclosed in the above-identified patent application with the following disclosure being directed to additional inventive components of the system.




Generally with respect to the wall panel system


10


, each wall panel


12


is formed with a structurally rigid and strong rectangular frame


17


having a box-like beam


19


which extends horizontally between laterally spaced vertical uprights


20


. Additionally, upper and lower cross rails


23


are connected to the upper and lower ends of the uprights


20


in vertically spaced relation to the box-beam


19


. Additional cross rails


23


are connected to the uprights


20


directly above and below the box-beam


19


. The wall panel


12


thereby has significant rigidity and strength to readily support furniture components


25


as well as the return walls


15


which, when loaded with their own respective furniture components (not illustrated) and connected to the spine wall


14


, transfer a significant torsional load thereto.




Each wall panel


12


also permits continuous off-modular adjustment of each return wall


15


(

FIG. 1

) and furniture component


25


(

FIG. 2

) along the spine wall


14


. In particular, the top and bottom of the box-beam


19


include a pair of parallel horizontal channels


30


along the longitudinal length thereof. Each of the cross rails


23


similarly include a pair of horizontal channels


31


.




The horizontal channels


30


and


31


are spaced outwardly of the uprights


20


in non-interfering relation therewith. Each channel


30


or


31


preferably opens upwardly or downwardly and has opposite open ends which align with corresponding open ends of the channels of a serially-adjacent wall panel.




A connector bracket


35


is used to slidably connect each furniture component


25


to the wall panel


12


while an interface assembly


36


is provided for the connection of the return wall


15


. The connector bracket


35


as well as the interface assembly


36


mount to and are slidable in the channels


30


and


31


for adjusting the position of these components.




While many wall panel systems are not compatible with furniture from other manufacturers, the wall panels


12


can accommodate a wide variety of other furniture systems and components. To provide this compatibility, the connector bracket


35


and the interface assembly


36


are compatible with other systems as described herein.




The channels


30


and


31


thereby define respective upper, intermediate and lower mounting locations for slidably connecting each connector bracket


35


and interface assembly


36


to the spine wall


14


. Due to the continuous, uninterrupted configuration of the channels


30


and


31


, the brackets


35


and


36


are readily slidable not only along each individual wall panel


12


but also along the entire length of the spine wall


14


. This continuous off-modularity provided by the channels


30


and


31


permits ready repositioning of the brackets


35


and


36


and thereby permits repositioning of each furniture component


25


or return wall


15


which need not be removed from the spine wall


14


to allow for repositioning.




The wall panels


12


also define horizontal raceways


26


and


27


(

FIG. 5

) above and below the box-beam


19


which are enclosed by removable panel covers or tiles


37


(

FIG. 9

) that connect to cover connectors


40


. As a result, each wall panel


12


has a significant cable carrying capacity.




More particularly, as seen in

FIG. 1

, the wall panel


12


supports power and telecommunications cabling within the raceways


26


and


27


. The base panel


12


includes a cable support rail


42


extending between the uprights


20


and a conventional power distribution assembly (PDA)


43


supported on the rail


42


. A power connector cable


44


has one end connected to the lower PDA


43


and the opposite end connected to a further PDA


43


′ which is disposed in a horizontal base raceway


45


in the return wall


15


. The base raceway


45


is accessible from opposite sides of the return wall


15


through removable covers


47


.




The upper raceway


38


also includes one or more telecommunications cables


51


extending horizontally therethrough. To manage the cables


51


, a plurality and preferably three, cable rings


52


are supported in the raceway


38


, for example, on top of the cable support rail


42


. The cable rings


52


also may be connected to the bottom of a rail


42


so as to project downwardly therefrom.




Thus, the spine wall


14


provides the primary load-bearing and cable-carrying capacity of the wall panel system


10


. The return walls


15


are branched off from the spine wall


14


to define the separate workstations


16


and route cabling, such as cables


44


and


43


′, which are received from wall panels


12


to these workstations


16


.




Due to this increased capacity, this system


10


thereby may be used as a central spine wall for supporting existing return walls and associated components from various manufacturers. The connector bracket


35


and the interface assembly


36


are provided to overcome the difficulties associated with incompatible wall panels while reducing the number of component parts.




More specifically, in conventional wall panel systems, such furniture components typically have a vertical row of spaced apart hooks projecting rearwardly therefrom. The wall panels to which the furniture component is to be supported include slots which correspond to the hooks which generally is referred to herein as a hook and slot arrangement. An example of a wall panel system having a hook and slot arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,477, the disclosure of which in its entirety is incorporated herein by reference.




In a conventional wall panel, these slots may be provided, for example, in the vertical rail of a panel frame or an intermediate post which supports two wall panels on the opposite side thereof. As previously discussed, there are a number of systems having different slot and hook arrangements, which, for example, may have different hook and slot sizes, widths and spacings. More generally, the hooks and slots serve as connector parts and thereby define different connector arrangements depending upon the arrangement of the hooks and slots.




With respect to the connector bracket


35


, this bracket


35


is provided to define a mounting location for various types of furniture components such as overhead storage units, shelves, storage racks or the like. The furniture components


25


are removably connected to the connector bracket


35


such that, while

FIG. 2

illustrates an overhead storage unit suspended therefrom, other furniture components may also be supported thereon. While these other furniture components might have different connector or mounting arrangements, the connector bracket


35


is compatible with a variety of connector or mounting arrangements as discussed herein.




Referring to

FIGS. 3-5

, the connector bracket


35


includes a pair of laterally spaced apart vertical rails


56


which are joined together by a rectangular support panel


57


. The support panel


57


is rigid and defines the spacing for the vertical rails


56


, and the length of the support panel


57


can be changed to accommodate different size furniture components.




To support or mount the connector bracket


35


on the wall panel


12


, a hook


59


is removably connected to the top and bottom of each rail


56


wherein the hooks


59


define a furniture mounting arrangement. The hooks


59


are formed from plate steel, and as seen in

FIG. 8

, each hook


59


includes a cap section


60


, a mounting flange


61


, and a hook-like L-shaped extension


62


which extends away from the cap section


60


. The cap section


60


overlies the end of the rail


56


when mounted thereon.




The mounting flange


61


is formed on either the left or right edge of the cap section


60


so as to lie against the interior surface of the rail


56


. The mounting flange


61


includes holes


64


through which fasteners


65


(

FIG. 3

) are inserted to fasten the hooks


59


to the rails


56


.To support the connector bracket


35


on the wall panel


12


, the hook-like extension


62


is cantilevered so as to extend away from the rails


56


. The extension


62


includes a vertical flange


66


on the end thereof which hooks over or engages a corresponding one of the channels


31


(FIG.


2


).




Preferably, the top hooks


59


engage the uppermost channel


31


so that the furniture component


25


is supported, for example, at shoulder height which is a typical height for overhead storage cabinets. The hooks


59


also may be engaged with the channels


30


if a worksurface or shelf needs to be supported at beltline height.




Each flange


66


also includes a plastic cover


67


(

FIG. 4

) to facilitate sliding of the hook


59


along the channels


31


. Thus, the furniture component


25


may be slid sidewardly to a desired position.




When the connector bracket


35


is mounted to the wall panel


12


, the top hooks


59


, for example, extend over and downwardly into the uppermost channel


31


while the bottom hooks


59


extend upwardly into the bottom channel


31


located below the uppermost channel


31


. Thus, the connector bracket


35


cannot be dislodged during sliding, at least until the bottom hooks


59


are removed.




To support different types of furniture components, each of the vertical rails


56


is formed with a vertical channel


69


(

FIG. 6

) which preferably extends along the vertical length of the rail


56


and opens forwardly therefrom. Each channel


69


also opens vertically from its opposite ends. The rails


56


are formed identical to each other so as to be fastened to either the right or left edges of the support panel


57


.




While the channel


69


is relatively narrow, the opposing interior side surfaces of the channel


69


are notched so as to define a plurality and preferably three slots


70


,


71


and


72


(

FIG. 6

) along the vertical length thereof. As a result, each opposed pair of slots


70


defines an insert seat or mount for receiving an adapter insert


74


. The remaining pairs of slots


71


and


72


define two additional insert seats for alternative inserts


74


-


1


or


74


-


2


as seen in phantom outline in FIG.


6


. More or less slots may be provided to define additional insert seats. For example, a single insert seat can be provided which receives a plurality of different inserts therein.




Preferably, the innermost insert seat as defined by slots


70


has a greater width than the outer insert seats, although each insert seat may have the same width. When an insert


74


is positioned in one of the insert seats, the channel


69


thereby is divided into an opening


75


on an outer side of the insert


74


as seen in

FIG. 6

, and a clearance space


76


on the inner side thereof in which the end of a support part and specifically a hook


77


(

FIG. 4

) is received when the hook


77


is engaged with an insert


74


. The hooks and slots thereby serve generally as connector parts.




The insert


74


is fixed within the channel


69


when the opposite open ends of the channel


69


are enclosed by the top and bottom hooks


59


that are secured to the rail. The insert


74


thereby can support the load of a furniture component


25


. To add or change an insert


74


, one of the hooks


59


is removed.




Each insert seat is adapted to receive a corresponding one of the inserts


74


,


74


-


1


and


74


-


2


therein. One insert


74


is illustrated in FIG.


7


. The insert


74


is a vertically elongate plate which is formed with a row of vertically spaced slots


80


preferably along the entire length thereof. The particular arrangement, size and spacing of the slots


80


corresponds to a known hook and slot arrangement, in particular, to receive a vertically-spaced arrangement of the hooks


77


(as seen in FIG.


4


). When the insert


79


is slid into one open end of the rail channel


69


, the slots


80


are accessible through the channel opening


75


. As a result, a hook from a furniture component


25


can be inserted through the channel opening


75


into the slots


80


for securing the furniture component to the connector bracket


35


.




The inserts


74


-


1


and


74


-


2


preferably are provided with alternative arrangements of slots


80


-


1


or other connector means to support different types of connector arrangements for furniture components. Thus, the insert


74


may be removed and one of the alternative inserts


74


-


1


or


74


-


2


is inserted into a corresponding one of the insert seats to accommodate a different mounting arrangements.




With this arrangement, the bracket


35


is compatible with a plurality of different types of furniture. Additionally, each rail


56


may also be provided with screw holes on the outer side thereof away from the support panel


57


so as to permit additional adapter pieces to be mounted to an exterior of the rail


56


.




A rail similar to rail


56


could also be provided for securing return walls


15


to the wall panel


12


, wherein the inserts would correspond to different connector methods for connecting the ends of wall panels together. However, due to the loads associated with return walls


15


, the interface assembly


36


(

FIG. 9

) preferably is used instead.




The interface assembly


36


includes a mounting bracket


82


which is slidably connected to the channels


30


of the box-beam


19


as seen in FIG.


2


. Referring to

FIGS. 9 and 10

, the mounting bracket


82


includes a support rail


83


which is vertically elongate and has a length corresponding generally to the height of the box-beam


19


. The support rail


83


includes apertures


84


which are vertically spaced apart along the length thereof.




The support rail


83


also includes apertures at the top and bottom thereof which receive fasteners


85


for connecting hook plates


86


thereto. Referring to

FIGS. 9-11

, each hook plate


86


has flange


87


at the end thereof which is slidably received in a corresponding channel


30


. The hook plates


86


thereby engage the channels


30


at the top and bottom of the box-beam


19


as seen in

FIG. 9

so as to prevent dislodgement of the mounting bracket


82


. The mounting bracket


82


thereby is connected to the box-beam


19


which is able to support significant loads. Since a return wall


15


is freestanding, the loads carried by the box-beam primarily will be the torsional loads from the return wall


15


.




As seen in

FIG. 11

, the hook plate


86


has a width which is significantly larger than and approximately twice the width of the support rail


83


. As a result, the torsional loads from the return wall


15


are more readily accommodated since the flanges


87


have a greater bearing area within the channels


30


.




However, if the return wall


15


is to be placed at the end of a spine wall


14


, the flange


87


can be shortened, for example, by shortening the hook plate


86


along cut line CL identified in FIG.


11


.




Once the mounting bracket


82


is secured to the box-beam


19


, an interface rail


91


is secured thereto by engaging suitable fasteners with the apertures


84


in the support rail


83


. This interface rail


91


preferably is engagable with the specific connector arrangement provided on the specific type of wall panel being secured thereto. Thus, the interface rail


91


serves as an adaptor for connecting the return wall


15


to the mounting bracket


82


.




Usually, the interface rail


91


will be significantly longer than the mounting bracket


82


, usually extending to the top edge of the wall panel


12


. This permits any connectors at the top of a return wall


15


to be connected to the interface rail


91


.




To stabilize the interface rail


91


, particularly when subjected to torsional loads, the interface assembly


36


preferably includes a locking device


93


which engages the wall panel


12


. Preferably, the locking device


93


is located on the interface rail


91


near the channel


31


at the top of the base panel


12


.




The locking device


93


frictionally engages the side walls of the channel


31


so as to prevent movement of the interface assembly


36


and permit the return wall


15


to be adjusted to a vertical position. As seen in

FIGS. 9

,


12


and


13


, the locking device


93


includes a fixed plate


94


having one end connected to the inside face of the interface rail


91


, and the opposite end projecting horizontally to the channel


31


.




The fixed plate


94


defines a fixed jaw


95


which extends downwardly into the channel


31


and is positioned therein so as to abut against one side wall thereof. The fixed plate


94


also includes an upstanding screw flange


96


and a T-shaped opening


97


.




To secure the fixed plate


94


to the interface rail


91


, the fixed plate


94


includes a depending mounting flange


98


. The mounting flange


98


includes apertures


98




a


through which fasteners are engaged into the interface rail


91


.




The locking device


93


further includes a movable plate


99


which is slidably connected to the fixed plate


94


. In particular, the movable plate


99


includes an upstanding screw flange


100


which is generally T-shaped so as to be wider at the top than the bottom. This screw flange


100


slides vertically through the widest section of the T-shaped opening


97


, and then slides forwardly along the narrower portion of the opening


97


.




An adjustment screw


101


is threadedly engaged with the spaced apart screw flanges


96


and


100


. When the screw


101


is rotated, the movable plate


99


slides relative to the fixed plate


94


such that the screw flanges


96


and


100


move toward or away from each other, generally in the direction of reference arrow B.




To lockingly engage the channel


31


, the movable plate


99


also includes a movable jaw


102


which extends downwardly into the channel


31


. When the adjustment screw


101


is rotated, the jaws


95


and


102


spread apart until they press tightly against the side walls of the channel


31


in a brake-like arrangement. As a result, the jaws


95


and


102


frictionally engage the channel side walls and prevent lateral movement of the interface assembly


36


relative to the wall panel


12


.




The locking device


93


thereby can support torsional loads from the return wall


15


. Further, the return wall


15


may be set plumb and locked in place by the locking device


93


.




The wall panel system


10


includes an additional component, namely the cable ring


52


. The cable ring


52


is formed from steel strapping which is formed into a generally circular spiral loop having a central opening


103


. One end of the cable ring


52


is an upstanding base


104


having a mounting flange


105


which is secured to the cable support rail


42


by a screw


106


(FIG.


15


).




Due to the spiral shape of the cable ring


52


, support surfaces


107


are generally defined near the free end thereof and the base


104


. The spiral shape also defines a space


108


laterally between the support surfaces


107


.




With this arrangement, telecommunications cables


51


can be slipped into the opening


103


and vertically supported on the support surfaces


107


after the cabling is laid in the wall panel raceways. In particular, as seen in

FIG. 16

, the existing cable


51


is illustrated in solid just prior to being slid into the cable ring


52


. Generally, the cable


51


is moved sidewardly in the direction identified by reference arrows A.




During this sideward movement, the section of the cable


51


located to the right of the space


108


slides directly onto to the rightward support surface


107


. The left section of cable


51


meanwhile slides under and past the free end of the ring


52


. Then the left section of the cable


51


is raised and brought back in a direction opposite to arrows A so that the cable


51


is laid on the leftward support surface


107


at the end of the cable ring


52


.




While the support surfaces


107


vertically support the cable


51


, the curved sides


110


of the cable ring


52


serve to center or maintain the cable


51


on the support surfaces


107


. In particular, the curved sides


110


curve downwardly toward respective support surfaces


107


to urge the cable


51


in opposite sideward directions when it is disposed in the opening


103


which thereby tends to keep the cable


51


within the cable ring


51


.




In operation, a plurality of wall panels


12


are arranged so as to define a central spine wall. This spine wall


14


may replace an existing central section of wall panels or in a new installation, be provided as the primary spine from which additional return walls


15


are connected. Typically, the return walls


15


may be constructed from a different type or brand of wall panels, particularly where the spine wall


14


replaces an existing central section of wall panel.




To accommodate the different types and brands of wall panel components, the interface bracket


36


is provided for the connection of the return walls


15


to the spine wall


14


. First, the mounting bracket


36


is connected to the box-beam


19


, and then an appropriate interface rail


91


is fastened thereto. The interface rail


91


has suitable connectors thereon so as to permit its connection to one or more specific types of wall panels.




The mounting bracket


82


can be slid sidewardly along a wall panel


12


to a desired position. At which time, the locking device


93


is engaged with the adjacent channel


31


. In particular, the adjustment screw


101


is rotated until the locking jaws


95


and


102


are spread apart into frictional engagement with the opposing side walls of the channel


31


. The locking device


93


thereby prevents sideward movement of the return wall


15


and also accommodates some of the torsional loads of the return wall


15


.




To support various furniture components on the wall panel


12


such as an overhead storage unit (

FIG. 2

) or a work surface WS (FIG.


17


), the connector bracket


35


also is mounted to the wall panel


12


. First, a suitable insert


74


is selected which corresponds to the particular hooks


77


(

FIG. 4

) on the furniture component


25


. The insert


74


,


74


-


1


or


74


-


2


is slid into an appropriate insert seat and is secured within the hollow interior of the bracket rail


56


by the top and bottom hooks


59


. The hooks


59


secure the connector bracket


35


to the base panel


12


, and then, the furniture component


25


is engaged with the rails


56


and in particular, the hooks


77


are slid into the corresponding slots


80


on the insert


74


.




In addition to these bracket arrangements, an additional cable ring


52


is provided with in one of the raceways


38


or


39


. Communication cable


51


or other types of cable are first laid into the raceways


38


or


39


and then slid sidewardly into the cable ring


52


as disclosed herein.




Referring now to

FIGS. 17-22

, there is illustrated a cable management arrangement


151


which releasably mounts on a face of the panel


12


to permit cables to be run vertically along the face thereof. The cable management arrangement


151


permits the cables to be controlled and enclosed, while enabling the cables to run vertically along the face of the panel, with the positioning of the cables being readily adjusted horizontally across the face of the panel.




More specifically, the cable management arrangement


151


includes a clip


152


which releasably snaps into and is slidable along any of the horizontally extending T-shaped grooves


155


which extend horizontally across the panel


12


and are defined between the opposed cross rails


23


. The clip


152


is of a one-piece construction and includes a generally vertically oriented face plate


156


having a pair of legs


157


-


158


fixed to and cantilevered outwardly from the rear face thereof. The legs


157


-


158


are vertically spaced apart and, adjacent their rear free ends, are provided with respective projections


161


-


162


which project vertically away from one another in opposite directions. The legs


157


-


158


also are provided with vertically projecting flanges


163


-


164


which project transversely in opposite directions from the respective upper and lower faces of the upper and lower legs


157


-


158


, respectively. These flanges


163


-


164


are generally vertically aligned and are disposed closely adjacent but spaced slightly rearwardly from the rear face of the face plate


156


.




The legs


157


-


158


as well as the projections


161


-


162


and flanges


163


-


164


are provided with a significant horizontally-extending width, as defined between opposite side edges


166


-


167


. These latter side edges, however, are spaced inwardly at least a small distance from the respective vertical side edges


168


-


169


of the face plate


156


, the latter thus having a horizontal width which at least slightly exceeds the horizontal width of the legs.




The clip is preferably constructed in one piece of a plastics material, such as by being molded, and the material has sufficient elasticity as to permit the cantilevered legs


157


-


158


to be resiliently deflected vertically toward one another to facilitate their insertion into the T-shaped groove


155


as explained hereinafter.




As to the cover


153


, it comprises a vertically elongate channel-shaped member


171


which defines therein an elongate interior channel or cavity


172


sized so as to accommodate one or more electrical cables or wires


154


therein. The cover member


171


, in the illustrated embodiment, is of an arcuate curvature resembling a semi-circle, and the longitudinally-extending free edges


173


-


174


of the member


171


are provided with respective ribs or protrusions


175


-


176


extending longitudinally therealong. The ribs


175


-


176


project inwardly toward one another in generally opposed relationship, and are preferably provided with a rounded exterior configuration so as to facilitate the functioning of these protrusions as cams as well as locks.




The cable management arrangement


151


is used by first inserting the clip


152


into one of the T-shaped grooves


155


. To accomplish this, the legs


157


-


158


are deflected inwardly toward one another so as to pass through the narrow portion of the groove


155


until the projections


161


-


162


align with and snap into the opposed channels


30


-


31


, thereby resiliently securing the clip within the T-shaped groove. In this latter position, the leg flanges


163


-


164


are positioned directly adjacent the front of the panel, such as adjacent the outer surface of the tiles or covers


37


, so as to effectively slide therealong. This thus results in the faceplate


156


being spaced adjacent but slightly outwardly from the front surface of the tiles or covers


37


. The clip


152


can be horizontally slidably moved along the groove


155


so as to be positioned at the desired location.




Thereafter the wire management cover


153


is oriented vertically with the wires


154


disposed in the interior thereof, and then the cover


151


can be moved inwardly so that the ribs


175


-


176


engage the opposite side edges


168


-


169


of the face plate. Inward pressure on the cover causes the cover member


171


to sufficiently resiliently deflect so that the ribs


175


-


176


cam pass the side edges


168


-


169


, and then snap into engagement behind the side edges


168


-


169


, thereby securing the cover member


171


to the face plate


156


. This securement, however, still enables the cover member


171


to be vertically slidably displaced relative to the face plate


156


so that it can be vertically arranged for covering the cables


154


as desired.




Since the cover member


171


is preferably constructed of a plastics material having at least limited resiliency, such as by being extruded, it will be appreciated that the cover member can be suitably cut to the desired length so as to accommodate the desired length of cable run.




With the arrangement as described above, the overall wire management arrangement can be displaced horizontally along the panel, and the cover itself can be vertically displaced. This thus enables the cover to be disposed so as to extend vertically from a base raceway to a worksurface WS if desired, or alternatively from a worksurface up to a position adjacent the upper edge of the panel, if desired.




Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. In a furniture arrangement comprising a furniture unit having an exposed exterior side surface and an elongate guide extending longitudinally along said side surface, said furniture arrangement further including a cable management assembly for managing cables extending across said side surface exterior of said furniture unit, said cable management assembly comprising a mounting clip which is mountable to said guide and movable longitudinally along a length of said guide in a first adjustment direction, said cable management assembly further including an elongate cover member having an interior channel extending along a length thereof which opens inwardly toward said side surface, said cover member being movably mounted to said mounting clip so as to extend in a second adjustment direction oriented transverse to said first adjustment direction and be movable in said second adjustment direction, said cover member extending beyond said mounting clip wherein an open channel portion of said interior channel overlies and is open toward a covered portion of said side surface to permit passage of cables through said open channel portion into said interior channel, said furniture unit including cables which extend across said side surface and are enclosed by said cover member wherein said cover member is adjustable in said first adjustment direction by repositioning of said mounting clip along said guide and is adjustable in said second adjustment direction by repositioning of said cover member relative to said mounting clip to vary the covered portion of said side surface which faces said open channel portion and permit repositioning of said cables on said side surface of said furniture unit.
  • 2. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said mounting clip is slidably connected to said guide so as to be continuously slidable therealong across said side surface.
  • 3. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said cover member is slidably connected to said mounting clip so as to be slidable in said second adjustment direction.
  • 4. The furniture unit according to claim 3, wherein said mounting clip is slidably connected to said guide so as to be continuously slidable therealong.
  • 5. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said guide is an elongate channel which opens sidewardly and said mounting clip includes a mounting projection which fits within said channel and is repositionable along the length of said channel.
  • 6. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said furniture unit comprises an upright space-dividing wall panel, said guide extending generally horizontally and said cover member extending upwardly.
  • 7. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said furniture unit includes a work surface mounted thereon, said cover member having an open end which opens vertically towards an upper surface of said work surface, said cover member being displaceable away from said work surface in said second adjustment direction to permit said cables to be routed to said work surface, and being displaceable towards said work surface to enclose said cabling.
  • 8. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said furniture unit includes a hollow interior through which said cable is disposed, said guide being in open communication with said hollow interior along a length thereof to permit routing of said cable from said hollow interior to said channel of said cover member at multiple locations along the length of said guide.
  • 9. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said interior channel opens toward said side surface along substantially an entire length of said cover member.
  • 10. The furniture unit according to claim 9, wherein said cover member permits laying of cables therein from an interior side of said cover member which overlies said side surface.
  • 11. The furniture unit according to claim 1, wherein said open channel portion permits said passage of cables through said open channel portion which is disposed between opposite ends of said cover member.
  • 12. A cable management system for an office, comprising:a base unit defining a hollow interior which defines a raceway and includes cabling disposed therein, said base unit including an elongate guide on a side surface of said base unit which said guide is in open communication with said raceway along a length of said guide; and a cable management assembly comprising a mounting clip which is movably interconnected to said guide so as to be repositionable along the length thereof, and a cover member which is movably connected to said mounting clip, said mounting clip being displaceable in a first adjustment direction along the length of said guide and said cover member being displaceable relative to said mounting clip in a second adjustment direction oriented transverse to said first adjustment direction, said cover member extending beyond said mounting clip and having an interior channel which has an open portion which opens towards said side surface, said open portion being adapted to receive said cabling therethrough such said cabling is able to extend from said raceway through said guide to permit routing of said cables from said raceway into said channel.
  • 13. The cable management system according to claim 12, wherein said interior channel of said cover member is open inwardly along a length thereof towards said side surface of said base unit and is open at opposite ends of said channel.
  • 14. The cable management system according to claim 12, wherein said first adjustment direction extends horizontally and said second adjustment direction extends vertically such that repositioning of said mounting clip along said guide adjusts a lateral position of said cover member and adjustment of said cover member relative to said mounting clip adjusts an elevation of said cover member.
  • 15. The cable management system according to claim 12, wherein said base unit is a wall panel.
  • 16. The cable management system according to claim 12, wherein said guide is an interior channel having a longitudinal length which extends along said side surface of said base unit and has an open side which opens through said side surface.
  • 17. The cable management system according to claim 16, wherein said mounting clip includes an insert section which fits into and is secured within said guide through said open side thereof, said insert section securing said mounting clip to said base unit while permitting sliding of said mounting clip along said guide.
  • 18. A cable management system for an office comprising:a wall unit; and a cable manager assembly comprising: a mounting clip including a face member comprising an outer front surface, an inner back surface and opposite side edges, said mounting clip further including securing means projecting rearwardly from said back surface of said face member which are removably engaged with said wall; and an elongate cover which has an end portion extending beyond said mounting clip and an interior channel which extends longitudinally along a longitudinal direction, said interior channel having an open inner side defined by inner edge sections of said cover which said open side overlies a portion of said wall, said inner edge sections having protrusions which project toward each other and removably engage said opposite side edges of said face member in sliding engagement therewith to permit longitudinal displacement of said cover relative to said mounting clip when engaged one with the other.
  • 19. The cable management system according to claim 18, wherein said cover member is resiliently deflectable to permit displacement of said protrusions laterally away from each other to permit snap-fitting engagement of said protrusions with said opposite side edges of said face member.
  • 20. The cable management system according to claim 19, wherein said cover has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction.
  • 21. The cable management system according to claim 18, wherein said securing means comprise legs which project rearwardly of said face plate in cantilevered relation and are resiliently deflectable.
  • 22. The cable management system according to claim 21, wherein said legs include projections spaced rearwardly of said face member which project in said longitudinal direction of said cover member in opposite directions away from each other to permit engagement with said wall.
  • 23. The cable management system according to claim 18 wherein said mounting clip includes locator flanges which are spaced rearwardly of said back face of said face member to abut against an exterior surface of a wall to which said mounting clip in mounted and space said face member forwardly of said exterior surface to permit engagement of said cover to said opposite side edges of said face member.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a division of Ser. No. 09/671,837, filed Sep. 27, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,671, which is a division of Ser. No. 09/093,480, filed Jun. 8, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,567.

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3721762 Gooding Mar 1973 A
4835915 Nilssen Jun 1989 A
4874322 Dola et al. Oct 1989 A
5277007 Hellwig et al. Jan 1994 A
5357053 Manaras Oct 1994 A
5994644 Rindoks et al. Nov 1999 A