TABLE ASSEMBLY WITH ADAPTABLE GANGING CONNECTIONS
A table assembly includes a first table having a first edge, and a ganging member. The ganging member includes a connecting member and a first affixing member. The first affixing member affixes the connecting member to the first table in a first ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a first distance beyond the first edge and connects the first table to a first furniture unit to gang the first furniture unit to the first table, and a second ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a second distance beyond the first edge, and gangs the first table to the first furniture unit and to a second furniture unit in series. The second distance is greater than the first distance.
The present application is co-pending with U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/991,791 entitled “Collapsible Table,” filed Jan. 8, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELDA table assembly and related systems are described herein.
BACKGROUNDConference tables and desks are known that include openings through which power connections can extend through the tabletop. Some tables are provided with power centers that house electrical, communication, and data plug-sockets in compartments on the tabletop. This arrangement can reduce the useable surface of the tabletop, and can interfere with the usability of the tabletop and aesthetics of the furniture. Other tables are known that include a drawer mounted beneath the tabletop that houses the plug sockets. Another arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,878, which discloses a furniture member with its own leg that provides power connections adjacent a tabletop edge.
Some assemblies are known that provided ganged tables. These assemblies, however, typically require tools to assemble, and do not allow a user to interchangeably connect tables and furniture accessories together in various arrangements.
A more convenient way to gang tables and furniture accessories or provide a power center is needed.
SUMMARYIn some embodiments, disclosed is a table assembly that includes a first table having a first edge, and a ganging member. The ganging member includes a connecting member, and a first affixing member. The first affixing member affixes the connecting member to the first table in a first ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a first distance beyond the first edge and connects the first table to a first furniture unit to gang the first furniture unit to the first table, and a second ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a second distance beyond the first edge, and gangs the first table to the first furniture unit and to a second furniture unit in series. The second distance is greater than the first distance.
The first table can have a tabletop, and the affixing member can affixes the connecting member to the tabletop. The table can extend longitudinally from a first longitudinal edge to a second longitudinal edge, and laterally from a first lateral edge to a second lateral edge; and the first edge can be one of the first or second longitudinal edges, or one of the first or second lateral edges. The first furniture unit can be adjacent the first table edge when the first furniture unit is ganged to the first table. When the connecting member connects the table to a first furniture unit only, the connecting member is affixed to the first table in one of a plurality of first ganging positions that are at different angles with respect to each other. The connecting member can include a first base-attachment portion, which the first affixing member engages in the in the first ganging position, and a second base-attachment portion, which the first affixing member engages in the second ganging position. The first connecting member can include a first ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a second affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the first furniture unit when the connecting member is affixed in the first ganging position; and a second ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a second affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the one of the first or second furniture units when the connecting member is affixed in the second ganging position.
The connecting member can include a third ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a third affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the other of the first or second furniture units in the second configuration when the connecting member is affixed in the second ganging position. The second base-attachment portion and the second and third ganging-attachment portions can be aligned linearly. The first base-attachment portion can be aligned linearly with the second base-attachment portion and the second and third ganging-attachment portions. The first base-attachment portion and first ganging-attachment portion can be aligned with each other at a non-parallel angle from the alignment of the second base-attachment portion and second and third ganging-attachment portions, such that the connecting member in the first ganging position is oriented at a different angle than in the second ganging position. The first ganging-attachment portion can define a side slot that extends generally laterally to receive the second affixing member by rotating the connecting member about the first affixing member to engage the side slot.
At least one of the ganging-attachment members can define a slot with an open end to slidingly receive the respective affixing members. At least one of the ganging-attachment members can define an enlarged opening to receive an enlarged head of the respective affixing member, and a narrowed slot open to the enlarged opening to slidingly receive post of said respective affixing member but prevent reception therethrough of the enlarged head. The connecting member can define a slot that connects the first and second base-attachment portions to allow the connecting member to slide over the first affixing member between the first and second ganging positions. The affixing members comprises a knob having an enlarged head that is manipulable by a user, and a shaft that attaches to the respective table or furniture unit to affix the attachment portions of the connecting member. The shaft of each affixing member is threaded to the respective table or furniture unit.
The first affixing member can be connected to the table at an edge distance from the first edge; and the ganging-attachment portions can be disposed on the connecting member to attach to the respective affixing members, which are positioned at said edge distance from an edge of the respective furniture unit. The first furniture unit can be a furniture accessory having first and second opposite furniture edges, and the connecting member is disposed equidistant, at said edge distance, from each of the opposite furniture edges. The table can have a tabletop with a length and a width, the length being substantially twice the dimension of the width, and a width of the furniture accessory being substantially equal to the width of the first platform. The table assembly can have a plurality of mating members that can affix to the first attachment portion to affix the connecting member, to gang the furniture unit to the edge of the tabletop along the width of the tabletop, or to gang two adjacent furniture units to the edge along the length of the tabletop. The table assembly can have a plurality of said ganging members that cooperatively affix to and gang the furniture units. The plurality of said ganging members can gang the furniture units at a plurality of locations about the table.
The table can have a tabletop and a table support that supports the tabletop in a substantially horizontal position on a ground, the ganging member can be located on an underside of the tabletop to connect the underside of the tabletop to an underside of the first furniture unit. The table assembly can include the table and the first furniture unit, the first furniture unit having a thickness substantially equal to a thickness of the tabletop so that a top surface of the first furniture unit is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the tabletop. and the ganging member, when attached to the first platform in the first configuration, supports the furniture accessory in a horizontal position above the ground. In some embodiments, when a user disengages the second affixing member from the connecting member, the second affixing member remains attached to the power bar.
In some embodiments, disclosed is a table assembly that includes a first table having a first horizontal platform and a support member, and a ganging member, and a power bar for housing electrical components. The ganging member includes a connecting member and a first affixing member. The first affixing member affixes the connecting member to a bottom surface of the first horizontal platform. The power bar is connected to the first table by a second affixing member that affixes the connecting member to a bottom surface of the power bar, so to cantilever off an edge of the first horizontal platform.
The structural connection can support the tabletop above the ground in a substantially horizontal position, without a support that directly supports the power bar above the ground. The ganging member can be reconfigurably attachable to the first tabletop, such that in a second ganging position, the connecting member extends beyond the edge of the first horizontal platform and connects the first table to the power bar and to a second table in series.
In some embodiments, a ganging member for connecting together two or more furniture articles is disclosed. The ganging member includes a connecting member that extends from a front end to a rear end, the connecting member having a first wall that defines an elongate aperture, a second wall that defines a hole, a front edge that defines a front slot extending from a front end of the connecting member, and a side edge that defines a side slot extending from a side of the connecting member. The ganging member includes an affixing member having a head and a shaft extending therefrom, wherein the elongate aperture, the hole, front slot, and side slot are each configured to slidingly receive the post of the affixing member but prevent reception therethrough of the enlarged head. The head can be knurled to allow a user to grasp the head to tighten or loosen the first affixing member.
Disclosed is a table assembly having a table and a ganging member that is repositionable to connect the table to one or more other furniture units.
Referring to
A second affixing member 300 affixes the connecting member 200 to the first furniture unit to gang the table 102 to the first furniture unit. The connecting member 200 has a first ganging-attachment portion 216 that the second affixing member 300 engages to affix the connecting member 200 to the first furniture unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the first ganging-attachment portion is a side slot 216 that extends generally laterally to receive the second affixing member 300 by rotating the connecting member 200. In preferred embodiments, the connecting member 200 rotates by pivoting about the first affixing member 202 to engage the side slot 216 with the second affixing member 300.
In the embodiment of
The first table 102 includes a tabletop 110 and a support 112 that supports the tabletop 110 in a horizontal position above ground. The power bar 106 is cantilevered and supported above the ground by way of the ganging member 104, as the power bar 106 extends beyond a tabletop edge 120 past the ganging member 104. As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The connecting member includes a third base-attachment portion 208 that a third affixing member 400 engages to affix the connecting member 200 to the second table 108. As shown in
In preferred embodiments, the second base-attachment portion 206 and the second and third ganging-attachment portions 210,208 are aligned linearly along the connecting member 200. In some embodiments, the first and second base-attachment portions 204,206 and the second and third ganging-attachment portions 210,208 are aligned linearly along the connecting member 200. Preferably, the first base-attachment portion 204 and first ganging-attachment portion 216 are aligned with each other at a non-parallel angle θ from the alignment of the second base-attachment portion 206 and second and third ganging-attachment portions 210,208, such that the connecting member 200 is oriented at a different angle in the first ganging position than in the second ganging position.
In preferred embodiments, the connecting member 200 defines an elongate aperture 220 extending from the first base-attachment portion 204 to the second base-attachment portion 206. The first affixing member 202 includes a head with a shaft extending therefrom, the shaft extending through the aperture 220 and affixing to the first table 102. Thus, in repositioning the ganging member 104 from the first ganging position to the second ganging position, a user can pivot the connecting member 200 about the first affixing member 202 and then slide the connecting member 200 relative to the first affixing member 202.
Referring to
Referring to
The ganging member 104 can connect the furniture units to be adjacent, and preferably abutting, one another. In some embodiments, when the connected furniture units are ganged, their top surfaces lie flush with one another. As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The power bar 106 can be removed from the lateral edge of the tabletop 110 by disengaging the connecting member 200 from the second affixing member 300 (e.g., by rotating the connecting member 200 about the first affixing member 202 to disengage the side slot 216 from the second affixing member 300). Then, for example, a user can remove the power bar 106 from the edge 120 of the table 102 and replace the power bar 106 by attaching another table 108 to the edge 120.
Referring to
Referring to
As shown in
Referring to
The tabletop 110 has a length, extending from the first longitudinal edge 120 to the second longitudinal edge 124, and a width, extending from the first lateral edge 126 to the second lateral edge 128. In some embodiments, the length is substantially twice the dimension of the width. In some embodiments, the width of the furniture accessory 106 is substantially equal to the width of the tabletop 110. In such cases, when the furniture accessory 106 is connected to a lateral edge of the tabletop 110, the furniture accessory 106 extends past the tabletop 110 surface in a streamlined fashion. Also, as shown in
As shown in
The foregoing description has broad application. For example, while examples disclosed herein may focus on power accessories, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to substantially any other type of furniture accessories or components. Similarly, the ganging member can be used to connect other furniture articles in addition to or as an alternative to a table. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples.
Claims
1. A table assembly, comprising:
- a first table having a first edge; and
- a ganging member, comprising: a connecting member, and a first affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the first table in: a first ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a first distance beyond the first edge and connects the first table to a first furniture unit to gang the first furniture unit to the first table, and a second ganging position, in which the connecting member extends a second distance beyond the first edge that is greater than the first distance and gangs the first table to the first furniture unit and to a second furniture unit in series.
2. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein the first table has a tabletop, and the affixing member affixes the connecting member to the tabletop.
3. The table assembly of claim 2, wherein the tabletop extends longitudinally from a first longitudinal edge to a second longitudinal edge, and laterally from a first lateral edge to a second lateral edge, and wherein the first edge is one of the first or second longitudinal edges, or one of the first or second lateral edges.
4. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein, when the connecting member connects the table to a first furniture unit only, the connecting member is affixed to the first table in one of a plurality of first ganging positions that are at different angles with respect to each other.
5. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting member includes:
- a first base-attachment portion, which the first affixing member engages in the in the first ganging position; and
- a second base-attachment portion, which the first affixing member engages in the second ganging position.
6. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting member includes:
- a first ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a second affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the first furniture unit when the connecting member is affixed in the first ganging position; and
- a second ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a second affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the one of the first or second furniture units when the connecting member is affixed in the second ganging position.
7. The table assembly of claim 6, wherein the connecting member includes a third ganging-attachment portion that is engaged by a third affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the other of the first or second furniture units in the second configuration when the connecting member is affixed in the second ganging position.
8. The table assembly of claim 7, wherein the second base-attachment portion and the second and third ganging-attachment portions are aligned linearly.
9. The table assembly of claim 8, wherein the first base-attachment portion is aligned linearly with the second base-attachment portion and the second and third ganging-attachment portions.
10. The table assembly of claim 8, wherein the first base-attachment portion and first ganging-attachment portion are aligned with each other at a non-parallel angle from the alignment of the second base-attachment portion and second and third ganging-attachment portions, such that the connecting member in the first ganging position is oriented at a different angle in the first ganging position than in the second ganging position.
11. The table assembly of claim 6 wherein the first ganging-attachment portion defines a side slot that extends generally laterally to receive the second affixing member by rotating the connecting member about the first affixing member to engage the side slot.
12. The table assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of the ganging-attachment members defines a slot with an open end to slidingly receive the respective affixing members.
13. The table assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of the ganging-attachment members defines an enlarged opening to receive an enlarged head of the respective affixing member, and a narrowed slot open to the enlarged opening to slidingly receive post of said respective affixing member but prevent reception therethrough of the enlarged head.
14. The table assembly of claim 5, wherein the connecting member defines a slot that connects the first and second base-attachment portions to allow the connecting member to slide over the first affixing member between the first and second ganging positions.
15. The table assembly of claim 5, wherein the affixing members comprises a knob having an enlarged head that is manipulable by a user, and a shaft that attaches to the respective table or furniture unit to affix the attachment portions of the connecting member.
16. The table assembly of claim 15 wherein the shaft of each affixing member is threaded to the respective table or furniture unit.
17. The table assembly of claim 6, wherein:
- the first affixing member is connected to the table at an edge distance from the first edge;
- the ganging-attachment portions are disposed on the connecting member to attach to the respective affixing members, which are positioned at said edge distance from an edge of the respective furniture unit.
18. The table assembly of claim 17, wherein the first furniture unit is a furniture accessory having first and second opposite furniture edges, and the connecting member is disposed equidistant, at said edge distance, from each of the opposite furniture edges.
19. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein:
- the table has a tabletop with a length and a width, the length being substantially twice the dimension of the width, and a width of the furniture accessory being substantially equal to the width of the first platform.
20. The table assembly of claim 19, comprising a plurality of mating members that can affix to the first attachment portion to affix the connecting member, to gang the furniture unit to the edge of the tabletop along the width of the tabletop, or to gang two adjacent furniture units to the edge along the length of the tabletop.
21. The table assembly of claim 20, comprising a plurality of said ganging members that cooperatively affix to and gang the furniture units.
22. The table assembly of claim 21, comprising wherein the plurality of said ganging members gang the furniture units at a plurality of locations about the table.
23. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein the furniture unit is a power bar for housing electrical components, and the ganging member affixes the power bar sufficiently to provide a structural connection to support vertical loads thereon.
24. The table assembly of claim 1, wherein the table comprises a tabletop and a table support that supports the tabletop in a substantially horizontal position on a ground, the ganging member being located on an underside of the tabletop to connect the underside of the tabletop to an underside of the first furniture unit.
25. The table assembly of 24, further comprising the table and the first furniture unit, the first furniture unit having a thickness substantially equal to a thickness of the tabletop so that a top surface of the first furniture unit is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the tabletop. and the ganging member, when attached to the first platform in the first configuration, supports the furniture accessory in a horizontal position above the ground.
26. The table assembly of claim 6, wherein, when a user disengages the second affixing member from the connecting member, the second affixing member remains attached to the power bar.
27. A table assembly, comprising:
- a first table having a first tabletop and a support member;
- a ganging member, comprising a connecting member and a first affixing member that affixes the connecting member to the first tabletop; and
- a power bar for housing electrical components, the power bar connected to the first table by a second affixing member that extends beyond an edge of the table and affixes the connecting member to the power bar, to support the power bar in cantilever off the edge of the table.
28. The table assembly of claim 27, wherein the ganging member affixes the power bar sufficiently to provide a structural connection to support vertical loads thereon.
29. The table assembly of claim 28, wherein the structural connection supports the tabletop above the ground in a substantially horizontal position, without a support that directly supports the power bar above the ground.
30. The table assembly of claim 27, wherein the ganging member is reconfigurably attachable to the first tabletop, such that in a second ganging position, the connecting member extends beyond the edge of the first horizontal platform and connects the first table to the power bar and to a second table in series.
31. A ganging member for connecting together two or more furniture articles, comprising:
- a connecting member that extends from a front end to a rear end, the connecting member comprising: a first wall that defines an elongate aperture, a second wall that defines hole, a front edge that defines a front slot extending from a front end of the connecting member, a side edge that defines a side slot extending from a side of the connecting member; and
- an affixing member having a head and a shaft extending therefrom, wherein the elongate aperture, the hole, front slot, and side slot are each configured to slidingly receive the post of the affixing member but prevent reception therethrough of the enlarged head.
32. The ganging member of claim 31, wherein the head is knurled to allow a user to grasp the head to tighten or loosen the first affixing member.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 10, 2016
Publication Date: Sep 14, 2017
Inventors: Jonathon Reeves (New York, NY), Allan Weiser (New York, NY), Michael David Beltz (West Seneca, NY), David Krzystek (North Tonawanda, NY), Adam Joseph Kessler (Buffalo, NY), Nenad B. Medjedovic (Toronto), Guy Lafontant (Brooklyn, NY), Conrad M. Marini (Woodbridge)
Application Number: 15/067,075