Chair and desk combination

Abstract

A chair and desk combination has a base, a chair attached to the base and a work surface attached to the base. In one embodiment, the height of the seating surface is vertically adjustable. In another embodiment, the chair is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the distance between the forward edge of the seating surface and the rearward edge of the work surface is laterally adjustable.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to furniture, and, more specifically, to chair and desk combinations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chair and desk combinations have been known for many, many years, especially as student seating in classrooms.

Unfortunately, most chair and desk combinations of the prior art subscribe to the “one size fits all” theory of construction. Most prior art chair and desk combinations make little or no attempt to accommodate users of differing heights and girths. Accordingly, the chairs in all known prior art chair and desk combinations are either difficult to get into and get out of, are too high, are too low, are too close to the desk surface or too far away from the desk surface for a variety of typical users.

Also, in this age of lap top computers, it is increasingly important that the desk top portions of chair and desk combinations be sufficiently large to retain both a lap top computer and an open textbook or notepad. Chair and desk combinations of the prior art typically have a chair portion which cannot be swivelled to the left or to the right. This deficiency of chair and desk combinations of the prior art can lead to student discomfort and fatigue from having to sit partially sideways in the chair to use the lap top computer on one side of the desk top and to use a textbook or notepad on the other side of the desk top.

Accordingly, there is a need for a desk and chair combination which avoids these problems in the prior art in a simple and inexpensive manner.

SUMMARY

The invention satisfies this need. The invention is a chair and desk combination comprising a base, a chair attached to the base and a work surface attached to the base. In one embodiment, the height of the seating surface is vertically adjustable. In another embodiment, the chair is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the distance between the forward edge of the seating surface and the rearward edge of the work surface is laterally adjustable.

DRAWINGS

These features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures where:

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a chair and desk combination having features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second chair and desk combination having a first alternative structure attached to the underside of the desk;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective detail view showing a third alternative structure attached to the underside of the desk top;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional detail view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective detail view showing a fourth alternative structure attached to the underside of the desk top;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional detail view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective detail view showing a fifth alternative structure attached to the underside of the desk top;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional detail view taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment to that which is illustrated in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well.

The invention is a chair and desk combination 10 comprising a base 12, a chair 14 having a seating surface 16 with a forward edge 18 and a work surface 20 having a rearward edge 22. In one embodiment of the invention, the height of the seating surface 16 is vertically adjustable. In another embodiment of the invention, the seating surface 16 is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis and the distance between the forward edge 18 of the seating surface 16 is laterally adjustable with respect to the rearward edge 22 of the work surface 20.

In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the base 12 comprises a pair of generally parallel horizontal rails 24. Bases 12 having other shapes can also be used. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the pair of horizontal rails 24 are constructed from tubular steel. In a typical embodiment, the tubular steel has a nominal diameter of 1¼ inches and a tube wall thickness of 0.098 mils.

As can be seen from the drawings, one or more transverse members 26 are typically used to retain the pair of horizontal rails 24 in a stable and fixed relationship to one another. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the transverse member 26 at the rear of the combination 10 also provides an enclosed area for the user to store books, notepads, a backpack, etc.

The chair 14 can be any chair suitable for comfortably retaining a user of the combination 10. In a typical embodiment, the chair also comprises a chair back 28.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the chair 14 is attached to the base 12 by a single vertical strut 30 and a chair attachment cross member 32. The chair attachment cross member 32 is welded at its respective ends to one of the pair of horizontal rails 24 of the base 12.

In a preferred embodiment, the chair 14 is vertically adjustable as illustrated in FIG. 5. Typically, this is achieved by providing the vertical strut 30 with an adjustable telescoping mechanism 34. The adjustable telescoping method 34 can comprise a mechanical screw that raises or lowers the seat by spinning the seat similar to an old fashioned piano stool. More typically, such telescoping mechanisms 34 are provided with springs or a gas cylinder, together with suitable spring stops or valves to allow for the vertical adjustment of the seating surface 16. Such telescoping mechanisms 34 in the vertical strut 30 are well-known to those in the art. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the vertical strut 30 comprises an internal air cylinder, internal valve and valve opening lever 36. Such a vertical strut 30 provides an efficient and easily operated mechanism for vertically adjusting the height of the seating surface 16.

It is also preferred that the seating surface 16 of the chair 14 be capable of swiveling about a vertical axis as illustrated in FIG. 3. Typically, the seating surface 16 is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis through an arc of at least 15°. This feature allows a user to easily enter and exit from the chair 14. This feature also allows the user to alternatively rotate the seat to the left to use the left portion of the work surface 20 or to the right to use the right portion of the work surface 20. This is a very important ergonometric feature which reduces discomfort and fatigue in the body of the user.

The work surface 20 provides a desk top for use by the user of the combination 10. The work surface 20 is disposed upon a substrate 38. The work surface 20 defines a work surface area of between about 80 square inches and about 1100 square inches. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the work surface 20 is attached to the base 12 by a pair of generally parallel riser rails 40. Other methods of attaching the work surface 20 to the base 12 can also be used. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the pair of riser rails 40 are typically made from tubular steel. In a typical embodiment, the diameter and thickness of the tubular steel used to manufacture the pair of riser rails 40 are similar or identical to the diameter and thickness of the tubular steel used to manufacture the pair of horizontal rails 24 of the base 12.

In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, each horizontal rail 24 in the base 12 has a forward end 42 and a rearward end 44, and each of the riser rails 40 has an upper portion 46 and a lowermost end 48. The forward end 42 of each horizontal rail 24 is attached to the lowermost end 48 of one of the riser rails 40.

Preferably, the distance between the forward edge 18 of the seating surface 16 is laterally adjustable with respect to the rearward edge 22 of the work surface 20 as illustrated in FIG. 3. This can be accomplished by fixing either the disposition of the chair 14 or the work surface 20 with respect to the base 12 and allowing the other of the chair 14 or work surface 20 to be moveable. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the chair 14 is laterally fixed and the work surface 20 is laterally adjustable.

The adjustability of the rearward edge 22 of the work surface 20 with respect to the forward edge 18 of the seating surface 16 can be accomplished in many different ways. The drawings illustrate several of these ways. FIGS. 1-11 illustrate a first way. In this first way, the upper portions 46 of the pair of riser rails 40 are disposed generally horizontally and are attached to a pair of parallel first slide sections 50. The underside 52 of the substrate 38 is attached to a pair of parallel second slide sections 54. Each first slide section 50 connects the upper portions 46 of the pair of riser rails 40 to rigidly retain the pair of riser rails 40 in fixed, spaced apart relationship. Additionally, each first slide section 50 cooperates with a second slide section 54, such that the rearward edge 22 of the work surface 20 can be laterally adjusted by sliding the work surface 20 forward with respect to the seating surface 16 or by sliding the work surface 20 rearwardly with respect to the seating surface 16.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-11, the second slide sections 54 are provided by a pair of longitudinal slide rods 56 and the first slide sections 50 are provided by a pair of transverse rails 58. Each of the slide rods 56 is disposed within an aperture at one end of both of the transverse rails 58, such that the slide rods 56 can slide back and forth within the transverse rails 58. The transverse rails 58 can be welded at their respective ends to the upper portions 46 of the riser rails 40, and the slide rods 56 can be attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38 by brackets 60.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, a reenforcing block 62 is centrally and longitudinally attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38. The vertical depth of the reenforcing block 62 is slightly less than the distance between the upper portion of the forward most transverse rail 58 and the underside 52 of the substrate 38, so that the reenforcing block 62 does not normally contact the forward most transverse rail 58. The purpose of the reenforcing block 62 is to provide additional resistance to downward forces on the work surface 20 which might otherwise bend the pair of slide rods 56. In the event that an undue amount of force is applied to the work surface 20, such as by someone bouncing on the top of the work surface 20, the downward deflection of the substrate 38 causes the reenforcing block 62 to contact and rest upon the upper portion of the forward most transverse rail 58, thereby effectively resisting the undue force and preventing damage to the slide rods 56.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the first slide sections 50 comprise a pair of transverse rails 58 and a dove tail beam cover 64. The second slide sections 54 comprise a pair of dove tail beams 66 attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38. In this embodiment, each dove tail beam 66 is slidably disposed within one of the dove tail covers 64.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. Instead of the pair of dove tail beams 66 attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38, however, a pair of ball bearing races 68 are attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38. A plurality of ball bearings 70 are disposed within the races 68 and are retained within the races 68 by a pair of ball bearing race covers 72 attached to transverse rails 58.

In each of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the combination further comprises a latch mechanism 74 for preventing the movement of the work surface relative to the seating surface 16. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, the latch mechanism 74 is provided by a pair of notched rails 76 disposed within the first slide sections 50. The notched rails 76 have a plurality of notches 78. The second slide sections 54 comprise a latch 80 capable of cooperating with the notches 78 in the notched rails 76 to alternatively (i) fixedly engage the work surface 20 with respect to the base 12 at any one of a plurality of distances from the seating surface 16, and (ii) disengage the work surface 20 from the base 12 so that the work surface 20 can be slid closer to the seating surface 16 or further from the seating surface 16.

The latch 80 can be released from the notched rails 76 by a latch release mechanism 82 which is conveniently disposed immediately below the substrate 38 and proximate to the rearward edge 22 of the work surface 20.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the notched rails 76 constitute a two-piece block having a pair of notched rails 76 which are independent of one another. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the notched rails 76 constitute a one-piece block comprising a pair of notched rails 76 which are attached to one another.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the latch mechanism 74 is provided by a set screw 84. The set screw 84 is disposed within one of the transverse rails 58. The set screw 84 is disposed through the transverse rail 58 and is capable of engaging one of the slide rods 56. The use of such a set screw 84 provides the ability to adjust the work surface 20 a distance from the seating surface 16 at an infinite number of distances.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the latch mechanism 74 is provided by a locking pin 86 and a notched plate 88. The notched plate 88 is attached to the underside 52 of the substrate 38. The notches 90 in the notched plate 88 can be recesses, as illustrated in the drawings, or they can be ridges. The locking pin 86 is disposed within one of the transverse rails 58. Typically, the locking pin 86 is biased towards engagement with the notched plate 88, such as by a biasing spring 92.

Preferably, the combination further comprises a cover 94 mounted on the underside 52 of the substrate 38 to cover the slide sections 50 and 54 and latch mechanism 74. Such a cover 94 is depicted in cut-away fashion in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. The cover 94 protects the user from contacting the slide sections 50 and 54, brackets 60 and/or latch mechanism 74, and adds to the overall aesthetics of the combination 10.

The invention provides a desk and chair combination vastly superior to those of the prior art. Because of the vertical adjustability of the chair, the ability of the chair to swivel and the ability of the desk top to be longitudinally adjustable, the desk and chair combination of the invention avoids the “one size fits all” problems of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, it should be apparent that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope and fair meaning of the instant invention as set forth hereinabove.

Claims

1. A chair and desk combination comprising:

(a) a base;

(b) a chair attached to the base, the chair having a seating surface with a forward edge; and

(c) a work surface attached to the base, the work surface having a rearward edge and defining a work surface area of between about 80 square inches and about 1100 square inches;

wherein the height of the seating surface is vertically adjustable.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the chair is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis through an arc of at least 15°.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the distance between the forward edge of the seating surface is laterally adjustable with respect to rearward edge of the work surface.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the base comprises a pair of generally parallel, horizontal rails, the work surface is attached to the base by a pair of generally parallel riser rails, each horizontal rail has a forward end and a rearward end, each riser rail has an upper portion and a lower most end and the forward end of each horizontal rail is attached to the lower most end of a riser rail.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the combination further comprises a pair of generally parallel riser rails attached to the base, the work surface is defined on a substrate having an underside, the upper portion of the riser rails are attached to a pair of parallel first slide sections, the underside of the substrate is attached to a pair of parallel second slide sections and each first slide section cooperates with a second slide section so that the rearward edge of the work surface can be laterally adjusted by sliding the work surface forward with respect to the seating surface or by sliding the work surface rearwardly with respect to the seating surface.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and the second slide sections comprise a pair of slide rods, each of the slide rods being slidably disposed within both transverse rails.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of ball bearing race covers attached to the transverse rails, the second slide sections comprise a pair of ball bearing races attached to the underside of the substrate and a plurality of ball bearings are held within the races by the ball bearing race covers.

8. The combination of claim 5 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of dove tail covers and wherein the second slide sections comprise a pair of dove tail beams attached to the underside of the substrate, each dove tail beam being slidably disposed within one of the dove tail covers.

9. The combination of claim 5 wherein the first slide sections comprise a notched rail having a plurality of notches, and wherein the second slide sections comprise a latch, the latch being capable of cooperating with the notches in the notched rail to alternatively (i) fixedly engage the work surface with respect to the base at any one of a plurality of distances from the seating surface, and (ii) disengage the work surface from the base so that the work surface can be slid closer to the seating surface or further from the seating surface.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the latch comprises a latch release mechanism disposed proximate to the rearward edge of the work surface.

11. The combination of claim 6 wherein the second slide sections comprise a transverse rail and a set screw disposed through the transverse rail, the set screw being capable of engaging one of the slide rods.

12. The combination of claim 5 further comprising a notched plate attached to the underside of the substrate, the notched plate having a plurality of notches, and wherein the first slide sections comprise a transverse rail with a locking pin slidably disposed therein, the locking pin being capable of engaging the notches in the notched plate so as to prevent the sliding of the work surface with respect to the seating surface.

13. A chair and desk combination comprising:

(a) a base;

(b) a chair attached to the base, the chair having a seating surface with a forward edge; and

(c) a work surface attached to the base, the work surface having a rearward edge and defining a work surface area of between about 80 square inches and about 1100 square inches;

wherein the seating surface of the chair is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis through an arc of at least 15°; and

wherein the distance between the forward edge of the seating surface is laterally adjustable with respect to the rearward edge of the work surface.

14. The combination of claim 13 where the height of the seating surface is vertically adjustable.

15. The combination of claim 13 wherein the base comprises a pair of generally parallel, horizontal rails, the work surface is attached to the base by a pair of generally parallel riser rails, each horizontal rail has a forward end and a rearward end, each riser rail has an upper portion and a lower most end and the forward end of each horizontal rail is attached to the lower most end of a riser rail.

16. The combination of claim 13 wherein the combination further comprises a pair of generally parallel riser rails attached to the base, the work surface is defined on a substrate having an underside, the upper portion of the riser rails are attached to a pair of parallel first slide sections, the underside of the substrate is attached to a pair of parallel second slide sections and each first slide section cooperates with a second slide section so that the rearward edge of the work surface can be laterally adjusted by sliding the work surface forward with respect to the seating surface or by sliding the work surface rearwardly with respect to the seating surface.

17. The combination of claim 16 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and the second slide sections comprise a pair of slide rods, each of the slide rods being slidably disposed within both transverse rails.

18. The combination of claim 16 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of ball bearing race covers attached to the transverse rails, wherein the second slide sections comprise a pair of ball bearing races attached to the underside of the substrate and wherein a plurality of ball bearings are held within the races by the ball bearing race covers.

19. The combination of claim 16 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of dove tail beam covers and wherein the second slide sections comprise a pair of dove tail beams attached to the underside of the substrate, each dove tail beam being slidably disposed within one of the dove tail covers.

20. The combination of claim 16 wherein the first slide sections comprise a notched rail having a plurality of notches, and wherein the second slide sections comprise a latch, the latch being capable of cooperating with the notches in the notched rail to alternatively (i) fixedly engage the work surface with respect to the base at any one of a plurality of distances from the seating surface, and (ii) disengage the work surface from the base so that the work surface can be slid closer to the seating surface or further from the seating surface.

21. The combination of claim 20 wherein the latch comprises a latch release mechanism disposed proximate to the rearward edge of the work surface.

22. The combination of claim 17 wherein the second slide sections comprise a transverse rail and a set screw disposed through the transverse rail, the set screw being capable of engaging the slide rod.

23. The combination of claim 16 further comprising a notched plate attached to the underside of the substrate, the notched plate having a plurality of notches, and wherein the first slide sections comprise a transverse rail with a locking pin slidably disposed therein, the locking pin being capable of engaging the notches in the notched plate so as to prevent the sliding of the work surface with respect to the seating surface.

24. A chair and desk combination comprising:

(a) a base;

(b) a chair attached to the base, the chair having a seating surface with a forward edge; and

(c) a work surface attached to the base, the work surface having a rearward edge and defining a work surface area of between about 80 square inches and about 1100 square inches;

wherein the height of the seating surface is vertically adjustable;

wherein the seating surface of the chair is capable of swiveling about a vertical axis through an arc of at least 15°; and

wherein the distance between the forward edge of the seating surface is laterally adjustable with respect to the rearward edge of the work surface.

25. The combination of claim 24 wherein the base comprises a pair of generally parallel horizontal rails, the work surface is attached to the base by a pair of riser rails, each horizontal rail has a forward end and a rearward end, each riser rail has an upper portion and a lower most end and the forward end of each horizontal rail is attached to the lower most end of a riser rail.

26. The combination of claim 24 wherein the combination further comprises a pair of generally parallel riser rails attached to the base, the work surface is defined on a substrate having an underside, the upper portion of the riser rails are attached to a pair of parallel first slide sections, the underside of the substrate is attached to a pair of parallel second slide sections and each first slide section cooperates with a second slide section so that the rearward edge of the work surface can be laterally adjusted by sliding the work surface forward with respect to the seating surface or by sliding the work surface rearwardly with respect to the seating surface.

27. The combination of claim 26 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and the second slide sections comprise a pair of slide rods, each of the slide rods being slidably disposed within both transverse rails.

28. The combination of claim 26 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of ball bearing race covers attached to the transverse rails, wherein the second slide sections comprise a pair of ball bearing races attached to the underside of the substrate and wherein a plurality of ball bearings are held within the races by the ball bearing race covers.

29. The combination of claim 26 wherein the first slide sections comprise a pair of transverse rails and a pair of dove tail beam covers and wherein the second slide sections comprise a pair of dove tail beams attached to the underside of the substrate, each dove tail beam being slidably disposed within one of the dove tail covers.

30. The combination of claim 26 wherein the first slide sections comprise a notched rail having a plurality of notches, and wherein the second slide sections comprise a latch, the latch being capable of cooperating with the notches in the notched rail to alternatively (i) fixedly engage the work surface with respect to the base at any one of a plurality of distances from the seating surface, and (ii) disengage the work surface from the base so that the work surface can be slid closer to the seating surface or further from the seating surface.

31. The combination of claim 30 wherein the latch comprises a latch release mechanism disposed proximate to the rearward edge of the work surface.

32. The combination of claim 27 wherein the second slide sections comprise a transverse rail and a set screw disposed through the transverse rail, the set screw being capable of engaging one of the slide rods.

33. The combination of claim 26 further comprising a notched plate attached to the underside of the substrate, the notched plate having a plurality of notches, and wherein the first slide sections comprise a transverse rail with a locking pin slidably disposed therein, the locking pin being capable of engaging the notches in the notched plate so as to prevent the sliding of the work surface with respect to the seating surface.