Abstract: An office furniture system of free standing furniture elements which can be linked to each other comprises a modular desk unit and a modular storage unit. The modular storage unit occupies the same floor footprint as a rectangular desk unit. The separate storage unit enhances the storage capacity of an office layout since the mounting of drawers and shelves are not limited by the desk unit configuration. The storage unit has compatible lay-in wiring trays, accepts compatible modular power components and accepts the same privacy partition panels and other accessories as are mounted to the desk units. When the desk unit and the storage unit are linked into an integrated office design, a continuous pathway is provided for the electrical, communication and data wiring required for the office system. Power cables are physically separated from the data and communication wires.

Abstract: An office partition panel is electrically attached to an adjacent panel and/or a power source line. The panel has a body to be mounted upright on a lower edge having an elongated weldment forming a channel opening upwardly. Frame elements engage between the body and the weldment, spacing the channel from the body and from a lowermost channel forming the lower edge of the panel. The weldment provides lateral access to the channel for laying in wiring. An electrical fixture such as an outlet receptacle is mounted along the channel, and the channel supports the electrical wiring terminating at the electrical fixture. The wiring path leads from the channel in one panel to an adjacent panel and a bridge channel element attaches to the weldment to extend the channel across a gap between the adjacent panels. A cover strip removably mountable on the lower edge covers the channel laterally for enclosing the electrical wiring, and a bridge cover strip covers the bridge channel element across the gap.

Abstract: A telescoping leveler can include a housing having one end securable to a support column of an article of furniture and a threaded bore provided in an opposite end, a cylindrical intermediate member threaded on both an outside surface and an inside surface with the threaded outside surface threaded into the threaded bore of the housing, and a leveling glide having an upper threaded shaft portion that can be threaded into the threaded inside surface of the cylindrical intermediate member. The leveling glide can also have a lower foot portion. Additionally, a plurality of telescoping cylindrical intermediate members can be provided between the housing and the leveling glide. Furthermore, a stop means can be provided to prevent the threaded shaft and the intermediate members from being fully removed out of the threaded bore and threaded inside surfaces.

Abstract: A chair back has a user-positionable lumbar support plate, movable vertically along the back to position the support in an area between a padding panel and a backpan of the chair back. The lumbar support plate is mounted on a pin-and-slot track, and protrudes forwardly to bear against the padding panel to provide a protrusion or relatively harder section in the chair back at the chosen height. Cable-in-conduit control lines are attached to the lumbar plate and to a manual control such as a pivoting handle on the chair seat, in a closed loop whereby the handle positively positions the lumbar plate in a push-pull arrangement. A low friction sheet material is disposed between the lumbar plate and the padding panel for free sliding, and can be attached to the backpan above the range of travel of the lumbar plate. A series of spaced stops are associated with the control handle for fixing the vertical position of the lumbar plate.

Abstract: A mouse pad support is mounted on a keyboard support that has a keyboard support arm attachable to a fixed structure such as the underside of a desk top, and a tiltable keyboard support platform thereon. A mouse pad support arm is coupled to the keyboard support arm via a rotational swivel fitting with a vertical axis for moving the mouse pad arm and mouse pad support table to any position around the keyboard in a circular arc in a horizontal plane. The height of the swivel fitting is adjustably fixed over a range. The mouse pad arm is kept in a horizontal plane because its rotational coupling to the keyboard support arm is made at an angularly fixed part on the keyboard support arm, such as on a parallelogram linkage associated with setting the elevation of the keyboard platform. The keyboard platform tilts relative to the angularly fixed part, whereby mouse position is independent of keyboard platform tilt.

Abstract: An article of furniture including a leg or legs having wire management capabilities whereby the leg includes channels open along their length and slots at one end of each channel. Each slot extends for the length of each channel so that wires may be disposed in each channel through the slot. The leg further includes flexible members, each flexible member having a rigid, first side fixedly attached to one end of each slot and a flexible second side extending to cover each slot. The second side of the flexible member may be pushed inwardly into either channel opening so that the wires may be laid into the channel through the slot.

Abstract: A network of electrical raceways primarily for carrying telephone and data cable wires extends in vertical and horizontal directions through a modular partition system and enables vertical and horizontal lines such as signal wires to be inserted and removed from the surface of horizontal and vertical channel members. Vertical raceways are provided by a vertical spine attached between adjacent panels. The vertical raceways have resilient elongated tubes with a longitudinal slit forming a seam, with resilience and stiffness sufficient to retain any enclosed wires. The tube is deflectable to permit manual, forcible insertion and removal of the wires into and out from the vertical wireway. Splicing fixtures continue the raceways around vertical to horizontal diversions, also being accessible from the surface.

Abstract: A movable support arm positions a surface platform for a keyboard, display monitor, pointing device, wrist support or the like relative to a base structure such as the underside of a desk top. Articulated members between a base member and the platform are coupled by joints having rotational couplings on two mutually perpendicular axes, forming universal joints. The joints have axially facing rotational engagement surfaces that can be splined or otherwise made engageable, and are displaceable toward and away from one another, the latter preferably by a spring coupling that is axially limited in extension. The rotational engagement surfaces resist rotation when engaged. A line such as a cable traverses the joints and normally applies tension via a spring, causing all the joints to lock and to hold the supporting platform at a given position and orientation.

Abstract: A chair tilt control mechanism for a pedestal base chair having a chair control housing mounted on the pedestal chair base and pivotally supporting a chair seat support member. A laterally movable front stop member retained within the chair control housing is movable and contacts the front flange of the chair seat support member and limits the pivotal movement of the chair seat support member to predetermined angular positions with respect to the chair control housing and the floor supporting the chair. Also disclosed is a lever member adapted to lock the chair seat support member in one or more predetermined angular positions. Also disclosed is a hollow plastic pivot pin for pivotally connecting a chair control housing to a chair seat support member.

Abstract: A vertically adjustable desk, table or workstation has a work surface carried between a pair of leg assemblies. The leg assemblies have telescoping sleeves and a ratcheting latch mechanism operatively interconnecting the sleeves. The ratcheting latch mechanism has a toggle preferably in the inner sleeve and a ratchet opening, preferably in the outer sleeve. The opening is defined in part by an edge formed with a series of lateral inclined ratchet slots at which a latch pin on the toggle can set the vertical height. The toggle is spring biased to either of two over-center alignments. Upper and lower edges of the opening respectively toggle the latch mechanism to move the pin out of engagement with the slots at the top limit of travel, and back into engagement with the slots at the bottom limit of travel. The latch pin follows the ratchet slots in progression as the table is raised, and is switched by the top and bottom edge portions to disengage or engage the slots.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vertically adjustable table or workstation comprising a pair of vertically adjustable leg assemblies, each having a foot member attached to the lower end and a work surface support member attached to the upper end and a planar work surface attached to the tow work surface support members. A substantially horizontal cross beam member extends between the pair of vertically adjustable leg assemblies and contains pulley and cable structure connected to the vertically adjustable leg assemblies which use a conventional extension drawer slide assembly mounted in a vertical position to adjust the vertical height of the work surface.