US3017231A - Work bench system with quickdisconnect legs - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 16, 1962 P. w. R. JOHNSON WORK BENCH SYSTEM WITH QUICK-DISCONNECT LEGS Filed Jan. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. 0 N m H mm A w m h I R W m. T E P m m M w A II illrrullllil f wllll 1: i- FL": 10 1 4 i: F wll l llll lll u-lllm u 4 2 I M 4 m I L 0281x141 at.

ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1962 P. w. R. JOHNSON 3,

WORK BENCH SYSTEM WITH QUICK-DISCONNECT LEGS Filed Jan. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 34 34 2 1 y/w/ W 2o 26 ATTORN Patented Jan. 16, 1962 3,017,231 WORK BENCH SYSTEM WITH QUICK- DEQQNNEQT LEGS Peter W. R. Johnson, Wilton, Conn, assignor to Johnson Products Incorporated, Wilton, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Jan. 12, 19 59, Ser. No. 786,182 4 Claims. (Cl. 311-110) This invention relates to a work bench system and more particularly to a work bench frame and leg arrangement whereby additional bench units may be added or deleted at will.

An object of the present invention is to provide a leg structure incorporating means for easily, rapidly and positively connecting and detaching a leg to a frame support for the work top without the use of nuts, bolts, or screws and the like.

Another object of the present invention is the incorporation of a service panel between back-to-back work bench units, the structure of which contemplates the elimination of the rear set of legs in both work bench units, the service panel functioning as a common shelf and service duct. In addition, the present work bench system may be arranged in a single line.-

A further object of the present invention is to provide service panels that may extend upwardly and function additionally as stanchions for light supports or as shelves, or may extend downwardly in the rear of the work bench units for enclosing wiring and piping.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a work bench system in which the work bench units may be joined by inserts, making the arrangement easily separable.

In addtion, all the components of the work bench system are interchangeable.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified clamp for removably securing the work bench top to the work bench frame structure.

Another object of the present invention is the utilization of common latch rods in order to simply and rapidly connect adjoining work bench frames automatically into a multiple unit construction.

Another object of the present invention is to permit automatic alignment of side-by-side bench units as well as automatically adjusting the height of adjacent bench units to be uniform.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a work bench system which incorporates quick-change work tops, a rigid frame and leg assembly which eliminates the necessity for sway braces in the construction, and a general design which permits flexibility in bench arrangement.

The above and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a back-toback work bench system constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation view of my bench unit together with the device for securing the work bench top to the frame,

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the leg, leg seat and frame asembly and cam lock contructed in accordance with my invention,

FIG. 4 is another partial perspective view similar to FIG. 3 in which the leg serves as a common leg for side-by-side work bench units,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation View of a work bench unit provided with a novel back plate service duct and,

FIG. 6 is a partial side-elevation view thereof in an arrangement similar to FIG. 4 in which there is illustrated a common leg for side-by-side work bench units.

Referring now to the drawings, the work bench system constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises bench units referred to generally by the numeral 10 and having legs 12 selectively supporting a frame 14 which is preferably rectangular in shape. An illustration of a work bench supporting frame similar to the type herein contemplated is disclosed in my copending patent application, U.S. Serial No. 713,260 filed on February 4, 1958, and now US. Patent No. 2,901,301 issued August 25, 1959. The legs 12 have floor-engaging feet 14 that are of the levelling type well known in the art. The upper end of each leg 12 is generally flared outward to a cone-shaped support 16 for the relatively flat leg seats 18 secured to the underside of the frame 14, preferably at the four corners thereof. Leg seat 18 is clearly seen attached to a hat-shaped channel member 20 of the frame 14 and is provided with two elongated V-shaped grooves or troughs 22 and 24. The grooves 22 and 24 in the preferred embodiment of the invention extend the entire length of the leg seat 18. Although only one groove 22 is necessary in the leg seat 18, the additional groove 24 in the leg seat increases the rigidity of the structure. The cone-shaped support 16 is provided with a hook-shaped cam lock element 26 which can be turned from the unlocked position shown in FIG. 4 to the locked position illustrated in FIG. 5 by inserting the hole 27 of the support 16 a hex wrench 28 shown in dotted lines and rotating the same in the direction of the arrow A. The locking of the leg seat 18 and its frame 14 to a leg 12 is accomplished as shown in FIG. 3 by inserting a bar or latch rod 30 in groove 22 of the leg seat 18. Thus, the leg seat and its attached frame are drawn together in an extremely sturdy assembly by the cam lock 26 gripping bar 30 which eliminates the need for sway braces of any other supporting or reinforcing structure. However, the legs 12 may be rapidly and easily detached from the frame 14 resulting in an easily transportable knocked down" arrangement. It should be noted that the seating of leg seat 18 on coneshaped support 16 is positive due to the fact that the upstanding walls of the support are indented with V notches 32 which are complementary with the V-shaped groove 22 of leg seat 18. The cam lock element 28 may be inserted through opening 32 in order to lock the leg 12 to frame 14 in the situation where a fourcorner leg support of the frame is desired as illustrated in FIG. 3. However, if it is desired to use a common leg 12 for two adjoining sid-by-side frame units 14 as seen in FIG. 4 and 6 the cam lock 26 is projected between two adjacent hat-shaped channel members 20. Of course, a bar 30 is inserted in the aligned grooves 22 of the adjoining frame units together on the common supporting leg.

A manual means for rapidly and easily securing a work bench top 34 to its corresponding frame unit 14 is shown in FIG. 2 and includes a stud 36 affixed preferably by means of a threaded nut 38 to the leg seat 18. Pivoted to the top of stud 36 is a lever arm 40, while adjacent to the top of the stud is a collar member 42. A compression spring 44 surrounds the stud 38 and is contained in the interior of the work bench top 34. The lever arm 40 may be pivoted to secure and release the work bench top 34 from the frame 14. The means for securing the work bench top 34 to frame unit 14 is adjustable for different thickness of work bench tops by screwing in or out the stud 36 in nut 38 thereby effectively lengthening or shortening the stud 36.

A back-to-back bench arrangement is shown in FIG. 1. In this arrangement, the rear legs 12 drawn in dotted lines may be eliminated since the bench structure is adequate- 1y rigid without median or middle legs. This arrangement, of course, reduces the overall cost of the assembly as well as results in better housekeeping possibilities. A service duct between the back-to-back bench units may take a variety of forms. One form may be an inverted U-shaped channel 46 which also may be turned around in an opposite position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The U-shaped channel service duct 46 may be rem'ovably affixed to back-to-back bench units by means of a connecting channel section 48 which is of the appropriate dimension and configuration to slidably fit in hat-shaped channel members 20 and through rectangular shaped openings '50 in the U-shaped channel service duct 46. Piping and wiring may then be drawn through duct 46 and appropriate power and service outlets '(not shown) placed where desired along the service panel. It should be apparent that, if necessary, stanchions (not shown) may extend vertically from the service duct 46 in order to provide lighting fixtures for each work-bench station, or shelves.

An L-shaped service duct 52 for a work bench unit as shown in FIG. 5, has a part 54 which is insertable into the hat-sharped channel element 20 of the frame 14 "and a catch 56 which hooks over a depending flange 58 of a leg seat 18. In this manner, the service duct 52 may be easily and rapidly inserted in and withdrawn from the frame of the work bench unit.

While I have shown and described the preferred em- 'bodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and that in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of construc* tion and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principle of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A work bench frame structure comprising a frame, a plurality of leg seats secured at selected locations on the underside of said frame, each leg seat having a longitudinal groove therein, an element in said groove, a plurality of legs corresponding to the number of leg seats, a pivotally mounted cam in the top of said leg adjacent to said frame for releasably engaging said element in said groove to thereby securely fasten said leg to said frame.

2. A work bench frame structure comprising a frame,

a plurality of leg seats secured at selected locations on the underside of said frame, each seat having a longitudinal V-shaped groove therein, a rod in said groove, a plurality of legs corresponding to the number of leg seats, a pivotally mounted hook-shaped cam in said leg adjacent to said frame for releasably engaging said rod in said groove to thereby securely fasten said leg to said frame.

3. A work bench frame structure comprising a frame, a plurality of leg seats secured at selected locations on the underside of said frame, each seat having a longitudinal V-shaped trough therein, a rod in said trough, a plurality of legs corresponding to the number of leg seats, a pivotally mounted hook-shaped cam in said leg adjacent to said frame for releasably engaging said rod in said trough to thereby securely fasen said leg to said frame, and each of said legs having a flared top portion provided with V-shaped grooves therein complementary to and receiving the V-shaped trough of said adjacent leg seat.

4. A work bench frame structure comprising a frame, a plurality of leg seats secured at selected locations on the underside of said frame, each leg seat being a relatively flat plate provided with an elongated trough there- .in, an element in said trough, a plurality of legs corresponding to the number of leg seats, a pivotally mounted cam in the top of each of said legs adjacent to said frame, and an opening in said trough for the insertion therethrough of said cam for releasably engaging said element in said trough to thereby securely fasten said leg to said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,689,645 Turk Oct. 30, 1928 1,784,726 Hallowell Dec. 9, 1930 1,797,717 Coates Mar. 24, 1931 2,596,663 Duffy May 13, 1952 2,597,166 Murry May 20, 1952 2,605,150 Cohen July 29, 1952 2,609,264 Poe Sept. 2, 1952 2,643,927 Molla June 30, 1953 2,694,609 Traflord Nov. 16, 1954 2,731,316 Cohen Jan. 17, 1956 2,799,549 Luxford July 16, 1957

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