Office cubicle door

Abstract

A screen assembly for partially obstructing a doorway or opening in an office cubicle comprises a screen member formed of flexible laminar material. A spring-loaded roll assembly retractably stores the screen member in a rolled fashion about its vertical axis. At least one adjustable clamp is secured to the roll assembly for releasably securing the roll assembly to the vertically extending edge of one of the upstanding walls of the office cubicle. A latch is operably associated with the screen member for selectively securing the screen member across the opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to accessories for use with “open-office” divider or partition systems, commonly called “office cubicles.” More particularly, the present invention relates to temporary “doors” used to at least partially obstruct the doorway defined between office cubicle walls.

[0003] 2. Summary of Prior Art

[0004] For decades, the “open-office” divider or partition arrangement, sometimes called cubicles or even a “cube farm,” has been a popular way to subdivide office space in a flexible and economical manner. Such open-office arrangements generally are not popular with employees due to a lack of privacy (and may be popular with employers for the same reason).

[0005] A principal factor leading to a feeling of a lack of privacy is the lack of doors in the doorways defined by office partition walls. For cost and other reasons, it is impractical to provide doors in most office cubicle situations. Nevertheless, there are times when an employee would enjoy at least partial privacy provided by a door of some description.

[0006] Accordingly, there have been a number of attempts to satisfy the need for a “temporary” door or screen to partially obstruct the doorway or opening of an office cubicle. Such doors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,797 to Lange, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,244 to Thumann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,597 to Gingrich et al.

[0007] A drawback common to these arrangements is that many of them are designed to be “permanently” attached to the cubicle walls using screws and similar means that would mar or damage the partition walls. Some prior-art screen devices secure to free standing posts instead of directly to the partition walls. One of the advantages of such an arrangement, that an employee can carry his or her “door” with him or her and use it in any cubicle, is largely destroyed by these permanent or semi-permanent means of attachment.

[0008] An alternative to the “permanent mountings” is the use of magnets, suction cups, and hook and loop fasteners to secure the door in a more temporary fashion to the partition walls. Each of these methods works well only if the wall material is conducive to the means selected (e.g. magnets require magnetic surfaces, suction cups require smooth, non-porous surfaces, etc.).

[0009] A need exists, therefore, for a temporary screen or partition for use with open-office divider arrangements that is adaptable to be used with virtually any such arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved screen or door for at least partially obstructing a doorway in an open-office divider arrangement or “office cubicle.”

[0011] This and other objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a screen assembly comprising a screen member formed of flexible laminar material. A spring-loaded roll assembly retractably stores the screen member in a rolled fashion about its vertical axis. At least one adjustable clamp is secured to the roll assembly for releasably securing the roll assembly to the vertically extending edge of one of the upstanding walls of the office cubicle. A latch is operably associated with the screen member for selectively securing the screen member across the opening.

[0012] According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable clamp is a c-clamp with a retaining screw and there are two such clamps associated with the roll assembly and one such clamp associated with the latch.

[0013] According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the screen member is formed of a translucent material, preferably a mesh fabric.

[0014] According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the latch comprises a hook associated with the screen member and a loop associated with the latch clamp secured to the edge of the wall of the partition.

[0015] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the drawings and detailed description of the invention, which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a screen assembly according to the present invention deployed in a doorway between upstanding divider or partition walls.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the screen assembly of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 3 is is a plan view of a portion of the latch receiver, including the adjustable clamp, according to the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Referring now to the figures, and specifically to FIG. 1, a screen assembly 11 according to the present invention is illustrated in deployed position between an opening or doorway defined by the edges of the upstanding walls 1, 3 of an open-office divider arrangement or “cubicle.” As can be seen, it is not a complete door, but only a screen or partition capable of partially obstructing the doorway or opening.

[0021] Referring to both FIGS. 1 and 2, screen assembly 11 comprises a roll assembly 13 that is secured to the edge of upstanding wall 3 by means of a pair of adjustable clamps 21. A flexible, laminar screen member 15 is retractably (by conventional spring-bias) stored in a rolled fashion within the housing of roll assembly 13.

[0022] Roll assembly 13 is a cylindrical housing having a longitudinal slit or opening through which the free end of screen member 15 is passed. Screen member 15 is rolled about a spring-biased axle 13A (in FIG. 2) within the housing for retraction of screen 15 when no or insufficient tension is exerted on its free end. Axle 13A thus serves as the vertical axis of the roll assembly. In this embodiment, the screen member 15 is formed of a mesh fabric material that is translucent. Other materials may be selected depending on the purpose of the screen (see FIG. 4 and accompanying description). As illustrated in FIG. 1, screen member 15 can be pulled out of roll assembly 13 and across the doorway defined by the partition walls to provide a partial obstruction or privacy screen.

[0023] A stiffener or frame member 17 is provided on the free end of screen member 15 to prevent the free end from being rolled into the housing of roll assembly 13, to provide a rigid or semi-rigid surface for the user to grasp while pulling screen 15 member from roll 13, and to prevent screen member from furling or drooping in the deployed position. Frame member 17 preferably extends along the width of screen member 15. Screen member 15is preferably 40 inches long and 36 inches wide. Roll assembly 13 is approximately one-half inch longer than the width of screen member 15 to accomodate the screen and the axle and its associated mechanisms.

[0024] A latch assembly 19 (described in greater detail in FIG. 3) is coupled between the free end (frame 17) of screen member 15 and the edge of the wall opposing the edge to which the roll assembly 13 is secured. Latch 19 releasably secures screen member 15 in the deployed position across the doorway.

[0025] A pair of adjustable c-clamps 21 are disposed proximal the ends of roll assembly 13 for clamping or removably securing roll assembly 13 to the edge of wall 3. As shown in FIG. 2, c-clamps are secured by a flange and screws to roll assembly 13.

[0026] C-clamps 21 are conventional in configuration and define a pair of jaws 23 that capture the edge of the wall between them. A retaining screw 25 is tightened against the edge of the wall to secure it between the jaws of the c-clamps. The preferred material for the jaw portion 23 of clamp 21 is a PVC plastic, which provides some resilience and flexibility to the clamp, making it less likely to mar a finished surface. Thus, the screen assembly can be fitted to a variety of cubicle configurations having different wall thicknesses and walls made of different materials.

[0027] While c-clamps are illustrated, there are a variations on the theme of adjustable clamps that can be considered to be within the scope of the invention as long as they achieve the purpose of removably securing portions of the screen assembly to the walls of the office partition or cubicle in a manner that can accomodate varying wall thicknesses and materials and can do so in a generally non-marring fashion.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of latch assembly 19, illustrating the adjustable clamp portion 27, 29 and loop member 31. The clamp is of identical construction to those employed with roll assembly 13, but instead of being secured to the roll assembly, is provided with a horizontally oriented loop 31, which registers with a hook (19 in FIG. 2 and 119 in FIG. 4) secured to the frame member (17 in FIGS. 1 and 2) on the screen member (15 in FIGS. 1 and 2) to releasably secure screen member 15 in the deployed position as shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment 111 of the present invention that is adapted to carry an opaque screen member 115 that bears a motivational or promotional slogan. This embodiment is less adapted to perform the privacy screening function, but is more for advertising or “banner” use.

[0030] Because the screen member 115 is an opaque material that is capable of being screen-printed (“CUBE”)(polyethylene and metallized mylar are possible materials), it is somewhat stronger and tougher than the mesh fabric embodiment. Accordingly, the roll assembly 113 comprises a wire frame that carries the rolled screen member 115 externally, or without a housing.

[0031] A pair of adjustable clamps 121 are disposed at the ends of the wire frame of roll assembly 113 and function identically to those described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The same latch assembly 119, comprising a hook on the screen member 115, 117 and a loop secured to the edge of the wall by a third adjustable clamp (FIG. 3) is employed to secure the screen assembly in the deployed position across the doorway of a cubicle. Because this embodiment is less adapted to perform the privacy function, the width of screen member 115 is only 18 inches.

[0032] In operation, roll assembly 13, 113 is secured to the edge of one of the walls 1, 3 of the office divider arrangement using adjustable clamps 21, 121. Similarly, latch member 19, 119 is secured to the opposing edge of walls 1, 3 using its adjustable clamp. Screen member 15, 115 then is withdrawn from roll assembly across the opening and is secured in the deployed position by registering the hook in the loop member. When it is desired to remove the screen assembly, the process is simply reversed.

[0033] The present invention has a number of advantages over the prior art. Primarily, it permits the user to erect a privacy screen (or banner) for his or her cubicle quickly and efficiently and also to remove it (if management complains, for instance). The present invention is adaptable to most any cubicle furniture, without regard to wall thickness or material. The present invention is also easily and inexpensively manufactured.

[0034] The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is thus not limited, but is susceptible to variation and modification without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A screen assembly for partially obstructing an opening between opposing, vertically extending edges of at least a pair of upstanding walls of an open-office divider arrangement, the screen assembly comprising:

a screen member formed of flexible laminar material and having an at least partially rigid frame member at least partially coextensive with an edge of the screen member;

a roll assembly for retractably storing the screen member in a rolled fashion about a vertical axis of the roll assembly;

at least one adjustable clamp secured to the roll assembly for releasably securing the roll assembly to the edge of one of the upstanding walls; and

a latch operably associated with the screen member and frame member, the latch for selectively securing the screen member across the opening.

2. The screen assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable clamp further comprises a pair of adjustable clamps, each of the adjustable clamps disposed proximate an end of the roll assembly.

3. The screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein each adjustable clamp is a c-clamp that includes a each having a retaining screw associated with it, wherein the c-clamp can be adjusted by means of the retaining screw to secure the roll assembly to the edge of the upstanding wall.

4. The screen assembly according to claim 1, wherein the latch is a hook member for registry with a corresponding loop releasably secured to the vertically extending edge of the upstanding wall opposing that to which the roll assembly is secured.

5. The screen assembly according to claim 1, wherein the latch includes a c-clamp with a retaining screw.

6. The screen assembly according to claim 1, wherein the screen member is opaque.

7. The screen assembly according to claim 1, wherein the screen member is translucent.

8. A screen assembly for partially obstructing an opening between opposing, vertically extending edges of at least a pair of upstanding walls, the screen assembly comprising:

a screen member formed of flexible laminar material;

a roll assembly for retractably storing the screen member in a rolled fashion about a vertical axis of the roll assembly;

at least one adjustable c-clamp secured to the roll assembly for removably securing the roll assembly to the vertically extending edge of one of the upstanding walls; and

a latch operably associated with the screen member and removably secured by an adjustable latch c-clamp to the vertically extending edge of the upstanding wall opposite the edge to which the roll assembly is secured, the latch for selectively securing the screen member across the opening.

9. The screen assembly according to claim 8, wherein the upstanding walls are part of an open-office divider arrangement.

10. The screen assembly according to claim 8, wherein the latch is a hook member for registry with a corresponding loop secured by the adjustable latch c-clamp to the vertically extending edge of the upstanding wall.

11. The screen assembly according to claim 8, wherein the screen member is opaque.

12. The screen assembly according to claim 8, wherein the screen member is translucent.

13. A screen assembly for partially obstructing an opening between opposing, vertically extending edges of at least a pair of upstanding walls of an open-office divider arrangement, the screen assembly comprising:

a screen member formed of flexible laminar material;

a roll assembly for retractably storing the screen member in a rolled fashion within the roll assembly;

at least one adjustable c-clamp, the c-clamp including a retaining screw, secured to the roll assembly for removably securing the roll assembly to the edge of one of the upstanding walls;

a hook member operably associated with the screen member; and

a loop member removably secured by an adjustable latch c-clamp to the edge of the upstanding wall opposite the edge to which the roll assembly is secured, the loop for selectively receiving the hook member to secure the screen member across the opening.

14. The screen assembly according to claim 13, wherein the screen member is opaque.

15. The screen assembly according to claim 13, wherein the screen member is translucent.