CUBICLE PRIVACY SCREEN SYSTEM

Abstract

A cubicle privacy screen system includes a roller and a screen having a distal end. The screen is wound on the roller and movable between an extended position and a retracted position. A first attachment device is included for securing the roller to a first cubicle wall, and a second attachment device is included for releasably securing the distal end of the screen to a second cubicle wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modular cubicle systems have become a staple in the modern office environment. While these cubicle systems offer an efficient use of floor space, privacy often suffers. This can be especially problematic when sensitive or confidential information needs to be discussed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an illustrative embodiment, a cubicle privacy screen system includes a roller, a screen having a distal end, the screen wound on the roller and movable between an extended position and a retracted position, a first attachment device for securing the roller to a first cubicle wall, and a second attachment device for releasably securing the distal end of the screen to a second cubicle wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an perspective view of an illustrative cubicle privacy screen system showing the screen in a retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of illustrative cubicle privacy screen system showing the screen in an extended position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative cubicle privacy screen system taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a second cross-sectional view of an illustrative cubicle privacy screen system taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of a second illustrative cubicle privacy screen system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the systems and methods are described with reference to several illustrative embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present invention should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments provided herein is illustrative of the present invention and should not limit the scope of the invention as claimed.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, a first illustrative embodiment of a cubicle privacy screen system 100 is shown. The system 100 generally includes a roller 105 and a screen 110. As will be discussed further, the screen 110 is wound about the roller 105 and movable between a retracted position (FIG. 1) and an extended position (FIG. 2). In the illustrative embodiment, the roller 105 includes an axle 115 concentrically disposed within a hub 120. In the illustrative embodiment, the roller 105 is a spring-biased roller wherein a torsional coil spring 125 is disposed between the axle 115 and the hub 120 such that the roller 105 is biased to a retracted position wherein the screen 110 is wound about the roller 105. However, it will be appreciated that the roller 105 may comprise any suitable configuration or device that the screen 110 is capable of being wound about. In one non-limiting example, the roller may be a simple cylindrical body. In another non-limiting example, the roller may include a handle at one or both ends thereof such that an operator may rotate the handle in order to rotate the roller 105 and move the screen 110 between a retracted position and an extended position. Alternatively, one or more motors, such as an electric motor, may be coupled to at least one end of the roller 105 and be operable to move the screen between a retracted position and an extended position. Also, while the roller 105 is shown as having a circular cross-section, it will be appreciated that the roller 105 may have any suitable cross-section, including, but not limited to, elliptical, hexagonal, octagonal, or any other suitable cross-section. Additionally, the roller 105 may be formed from any suitable material, including, but not limited to, a metal, polymer, composite, or any other suitable material.

The system 100 may also include a first attachment device 130 for securing the roller 105 to a first cubicle wall 135. In the illustrative embodiment, the first attachment device 130 includes a housing 140 that encases the roller 105 and screen 110. The axle 115 of the roller 105 intersects at least one of the top 155 or bottom 160 of the housing 140 such that the roller 105 may rotate within the housing 140 thereby allowing the screen 110 to move between an extended position and a retracted position. However, it will be appreciated that the roller 105 may be rotatably secured within the housing 140 via any suitable device or means. Also, while the illustrative housing 140 is shown as having a substantially square cross-section, it will be appreciated that the housing 140 may have any suitable cross-section, including but not limited to, circular, rectangular, triangular, elliptical, or any other suitable cross-section. The housing 140 may include an aperture 145 for the screen 110 to pass through so that the screen 110 may move between an extended position and a retracted position. The housing 140 may be coupled to the end 150 of the first cubicle wall 135 by any suitable coupling device or means, including, but not limited to, one or more magnets, clips, hooks, loops, snap-fasteners, Velcro®, nails, screws, rivets, bolts, adhesive, welding, bonding, or any other suitable coupling device or means.

The attachment device 130 may be configured to overlay an existing trim piece at the end 150 of the first cubicle wall 135 or may be configured to replace an existing trim piece at the end 150 of the first cubicle wall 135. Also, while the illustrative attachment device 130 is configured to be secured to an end 150 of a cubicle wall 135, it will be appreciated that the attachment device 130 may be configured to be secured to at least one lateral wall 165, 170 of a cubicle wall 135. For example, the attachment device may include one or more hooks or hangers that engage the upper portion and/or lower portion of the cubicle wall 135 such that the roller 105 is hung adjacent to a lateral wall 165 or 170 of the cubicle wall 135 such that the roller 105 is positioned along an exterior length or interior length of a given cubicle. In such a manner, the roller 105 may be hung so as to permit the screen 110 to be extended perpendicularly to a cubicle wall, such as lateral wall 165 or 170. The screen 110 may thereby be used to partition a cubicle. Alternatively, the screen 110 and roller 105 may be an integral part of the cubicle wall 135 such that at least a portion of at least one of the screen 110 and roller 105 is positioned between the lateral walls 165, 170 of the cubicle wall 135.

In one alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first attachment device 330 may include a bracket 340. The axle 115 intersects at least one of the top 355 or bottom (not shown) of the bracket 340 such that the roller 105 may rotate within the bracket 340 thereby allowing the screen 110 to move between an extended position and a retracted position. However, it will be appreciated that the roller 105 may be rotatably secured within the bracket 340 via any suitable device or means. Additionally, the bracket 340 may be secured to the first cubicle wall 135 via any suitable coupling device or means, including, but not limited to the aforementioned coupling devices and means.

In another alternative embodiment, the system 100 may be a kit wherein the various components of the system may be selectively adapted to work with an existing cubicle system. For example, the roller 105, housing 140 and/or bracket 340 (hereinafter, the “components”) may be adjustable along their lengths so as to fit cubicle walls of varying heights. The adjustability of one or more of components may be provided by parting lines indicating where each component may be trimmed for a given height or brand of cubicle system. Alternatively, one or more components may each include a first and second piece telescopically slidable relative to one another such that the height of a given component may be adjusted to a given height or brand of cubicle system. Other techniques for providing adjustability to one or more of the components will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The kit may include both a housing 140 and bracket 340 so that a user may select between them for a given cubicle system. Alternatively, the kit may include a plurality of rollers 105, housings 140 and/or brackets 340 of varying heights so that a user may select a roller 105, housing 140 or bracket 340 of an appropriate height for a given cubicle system. Similarly, the screen 110 may be configured to be adaptable to fit cubicle walls or cubicle openings of varying widths and/or heights. For example, the screen may be selectively foldable along various parting lines in order to provide a screen of appropriate height and/or length. Alternatively, the kit may include a knife, or other suitable cutting device, for trimming the screen 110 to an appropriate height and/or length. In yet another alternative, the kit may include a plurality of screens 110 of varying heights and/or lengths such that a user may select a screen 110 having an appropriate height and/or length for a given cubicle system. The kit may also include a variety of coupling devices or means (e.g., Velcro®, magnets, hooks, screws, snap-fasteners, etc.) such that a user may select an appropriate coupling device or means for securing the system 100 to a given cubicle system. The kit may also include a replacement trim piece operable to receive the roller 105 such that the system 100 is atheistically complimentary to the existing cubicle system.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-4, the screen 110 is movable between a retracted position (FIG. 1), where the screen is wound about the roller 105, and an extended position (FIG. 2), where the screen 110 is at least partially unwound from the roller 105 and extended between the first cubicle wall 135 and a second cubicle wall 185. The distal end 175 of the screen 110 includes a second attachment device 180 for releasably securing the distal end 175 of the screen 110 to the second cubicle wall 185. The second attachment device 180 may be any suitable device for releasably securing the distal end 175 of the screen 110 to a second cubicle wall 185, including, but not limited to, one or more magnets, hooks, loops, clips, snap-fasteners, Velcro®, or any other suitable device. When the screen 110 is in the extended position, the second attachment device 180 may be releasably secured to the end 190 of the second cubicle wall 185, or at least one of the lateral walls 195, 200 thereof, such that the screen 110 may be maintained in the extended position. In some embodiments, the second attachment device 180 may be releasably secured to a trim piece 205 at the end 190 of the second cubicle wall 185. Alternatively, the second attachment device 180 may be releasably secured to a corresponding attachment device (not shown) coupled to the second cubicle wall 185.

The screen 110 may be formed from any suitable flexible material, including but not limited to a metal, polymer, composite or any other suitable material. The inner surface 210 and/or outer surface 215 of the screen 110 may include any number of additional features. The following features are understood to be illustrative only and are not limiting in any way. In one embodiment, one or both surfaces 210, 215 may include an area for printing a company logo or any other suitable graphic thereon. Alternatively, one or both sides 210, 215 of the screen 110 may include a white board surface or any other suitable surface for use with an erasable writing instrument or the like. In another alternative, the screen 110 may be, or a portion of the screen 110 may include, a flexible LCD display, or any other suitable electronic display device, for displaying a person's name, picture, calendar, schedule, busy indicator, on-the-phone indicator, in-a-meeting indicator, time-of-return indicator, or any other suitable indicator or information. Such a display may interface with a cell phone, personal digital assistant, personal computer, network, or other suitable communications enabled device or devices such that the calendar, schedule, indicator, etc. may be updated by a user. The electronic display, or any other suitable device associated with the system 100, may be powered by any suitable power source, including, but not limited to batteries, solargenerated power, or power provided by another device, such as a wall outlet, or power source associated with a personal computer.

In one illustrative embodiment, the electronic display may include or be in communication with a transceiver, processor, and memory. The transceiver may receive information about a cubicle occupant from an occupant's electronic calendar or any other suitable source, such as an out-of-office reminder for e-mail or voicemail. The occupant's electronic calendar may communicate information pertaining to the occupant's location, availability, or the like, to the transceiver, and the transceiver may, in turn, communicate such information to the electronic display.

The electronic calendar and transceiver may communicate via any suitable wireless communications protocol (Bluetooth®, TDMA, CDMA, GSM, WLAN, etc.) or the electronic calendar and transceiver may communicate over a wired connection. In one non-limiting example, the electronic calendar may be a calendar module associated with Microsoft® Outlook®) operating on or through an occupant's computer. An appointment reminder may be set by a user of Outlook® such that reminders are generated at specified intervals prior to an appointment. An appointment reminder generated at a specified time prior to the appointment, or at the start of the appointment, may trigger communications between Outlook® and the transceiver whereby information relating to the appointment in Outlook® (e.g., start time, location, end time, etc.) populates the electronic display. While the forgoing example employs Microsoft® Outlook®, it will be appreciated that the electronic calendar may be any suitable electronic source of information related to the occupant that may be located on any suitable communications-enabled device or devices (e.g., personal computer, personal digital assistant, wireless telecommunications device, computer network, etc.). Moreover, the electronic calendar and transceiver may communicate at pre-determined intervals, at the discretion or direction of the occupant, or both such that the electronic display may be operable to provide up-to-date information regarding the occupant's location, availability, etc.

In another illustrative embodiment, the electronic display may include or be in communication with a processor, memory, and line-monitoring module. The line-monitoring module may receive information about the availability of the cubicle occupant from an occupant's communications device (e.g., telephone, cell phone, etc.). The line-monitoring module may monitor the communications device to determine if the communications device is in use. If it is determined that the communications device is in use, the electronic display may display a message indicating that the occupant is unavailable, on-the-phone, or the like. In one embodiment, it may be determined that the communications device is in use if a handset is off the hook. In another embodiment, it may be determined that the communications device is in use if the communications device is receiving an in-bound call or initiating an out-bound call. The communications device and line-monitoring module may communicate via any suitable wireless communications protocol (Bluetooth®, TDMA, CDMA, GSM, WLAN, etc.) or the communications device and line-monitoring module may communicate over a wired connection.

The screen 110 may also include active and/or passive noise cancellation devices or materials. For example, the screen 110 may be formed from, or coupled to, any suitable passive noise cancellation or noise control material. Such materials may include, without limitation, felts, open-cell foams, closed-cell foams, elastomeric barriers, viscoelastic materials, constrained layer dampers, or any other suitable noise cancellation or control materials or devices. Furthermore, the screen 110 may include one or more active noise cancellation devices. An active noise cancellation device may include one or more microphones, a processor, noise generator, and one or more speakers. The ambient noise may be monitored by the microphones and analyzed by the processor. The processor may be operable to prompt the noise generator to generate sound, to be emitted via the speakers, that is in antiphase, or otherwise phase-shifted or inverted, with the ambient sound such that the ambient sound is at least partially cancelled. Other cancellation devices and methods will be apparent to one skilled in the art and may be employed by the system 100 and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

The system 100 may also include an integrated audio or audio-visual doorbell. For example, the housing 140 (or bracket 340) or screen 110 may include an integrated button, loudspeaker and noise generator that is operable to generate sound when the button is depressed. Additionally, the system 100 may also include a wireless visual indicator that may be placed within the cube and may be operable to generate a visual indicator when the button is depressed (e.g., a flashing light).

Also, the system 100 may include decorative lights, such as LEDs, along the housing 140 (or bracket 340) or screen 110 or screen boarder. A cubicle occupant may select a color, sequencing of the lights, sequence of the flashing of the lights, or other suitable display schemes. The operation of the lights may be controlled by a control unit integrated with the system 100 or may be operated by the cubicle occupant's computer. For example, the occupant may select a light display that corresponds with a holiday (e.g. red and green lights for Christmas, etc.). Alternatively, the light display may be automatically generated based on the time of the year (e.g. orange light display for fall, etc.). In yet another alternative, the occupant may select a light display or setting that is associated with the occupant's mood or health status (e.g., maize-and-blue for happy, scarlet-and-silver for sick, etc.). In one embodiment, an application is installed on a computing device that allows a user to indicate a mood associated with a particular display scheme. The associated display scheme may then be wirelessly communicated to a transceiver of the system 100 and the decorative lights programmed accordingly.

In use, the roller 105 may be secured to a first cubicle wall 135 via the first attachment device 130. When so desired, the distal end 175 of the screen 110 may be pulled towards a second cubicle wall 185 whereby the screen 110 is at least partially unwound from the roller 105 such that the screen 110 may span the opening 220 between the first cubicle wall 135 and second cubicle wall to provide privacy to the cubicle 225. The second attachment device 180 may be releasably secured to the second cubicle wall 185 such that the screen 110 is maintained in the extended position. Subsequently, the second attachment device 180 may be released from the second cubicle wall 185 and the screen 110 moved to a retracted position by winding the screen 110 about the roller 105.

Although the principles of the present invention have been described in terms of the foregoing embodiments, this description has been provided by way of explanation only, and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize modifications of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cubicle privacy screen system comprising:

a roller;

a screen having a distal end, the screen wound on the roller and movable between an extended position and a retracted position;

a first fastener for securing the roller to an end of a first cubicle wall; and

a second fastener for releasably securing the distal end of the screen to an end of a second cubicle wall.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the roller is a spring-biased roller such that the screen is biased to the retracted position.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a handle coupled to the roller and operable to rotate the roller to move the screen between the extended position and the retracted position.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first fastener comprises a housing.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first fastener comprises a bracket.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first attachment device comprises a weldment.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the second attachment device comprises at least one magnet.

8. A cubicle privacy screen system comprising:

a roller;

a screen having a distal end, the screen wound on the roller and movable between an extended position and a retracted position;

a first fastener for securing the roller to a first cubicle wall; and

a second fastener for releasably securing the distal end of the screen to a second cubicle wall.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen includes a white board surface.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen includes an electronic display device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the electronic display device is operable to display availably information received from a cubicle occupant.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the availability information is generated by an electronic calendar associated with the cubicle occupant.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the electronic display device is operable to display availability information received from a communications device associated with a cubicle occupant.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen includes noise cancellation materials.

15. The system of claim 8 further comprising one or more decorative lights disposed about at least one of the roller, screen, and first attachment device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more decorative lights are programmed in response to a display scheme associated with a setting selected by a user of the system.

17. A kit for providing a cubicle privacy screen system to an existing cubicle comprising:

a roller;

a screen having a distal end, the screen wound on the roller and movable between an extended position and a retracted position;

a first fastener for securing the roller to a first cubicle wall, the first fastener adjustable to accommodate at least one of the length, width and height of the first cubicle wall; and

a second fastener for releasably securing the distal end of the screen to a second cubicle wall.

18. The kit of claim 17 wherein the first fastener includes a bracket.

19. The kit of claim 17 wherein the first fastener includes a housing.

20. The kit of claim 17 wherein at least one of the roller and screen is adjustable to accommodate at least one of the length, width and height of at least one of the first and second cubicle walls