US 5,771,954 AGranted

Temporary office partition

AssigneeSteelcase Inc.

InventorsDouglas D. Benner, Joylene M. Battey, Joyce S. Bromberg, Greg D. Lamke

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Abstract

A temporary office partition system is provided in which the partition is comprised of a plurality of partition panels, hinges, and bases. The panels are substantially flat, and have a bottom edge closely received in an associated partition base for support in a freestanding, substantially vertical, upright position. The base comprises at least two spaced-apart support portions disposed in a horizontally spaced relationship defining a panel receiving slot in which the panel is received. The base is supported on a floor surface in abutting fashion by laterally spaced-apart foot portions. Hinges comprising two oppositely outward facing U-shaped channels are shaped to closely receive the side edges of the panels and the U-shaped channels are interconnected by a flexible web to permit adjacent panels to be positioned in a mutually angular relationship.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A temporary office partition for use in open office environments and the like, comprising:

a substantially flat panel having a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposite side edges:
a partition base comprising horizontally elongate L-shaped members, each L-shaped member having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg, said L-shaped members oriented in an opposite horizontally spaced back-to-back relationship supporting said panel in a freestanding, substantially vertical, upright position, wherein said vertical legs of said L-shaped members of said partition base are disposed in a horizontally spaced relationship defining a panel receiving slot therebetween in which said panel is closely received, and wherein said horizontal legs of said L-shaped members define laterally spaced-apart foot portions shaped for freestanding abutting support on a floor surface to securely retain said panel in a freestanding upright position, each said foot portion of said partition base project in opposite directions from said vertical legs and at substantially right angles to said vertical legs, said foot portions having bottom surfaces which are substantially coplanar for resting on a floor surface, and
a hinge comprising two oppositely outward facing, U-shaped channels shaped to closely receive therein a side edge of said panel, said channels are interconnected by a flexible web to permit like panels to be positioned in a mutually angular relationship.

A temporary office partition system for use in open office environments and the like, comprising:

a plurality of substantially flat panels, each said panel having a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposite side edges;
a plurality of partition bases each said base comprising at least two horizontally elongate L-shaped members, each L-shaped member having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg, said L-shaped members oriented in an opposite horizontally spaced back-to-back relationship supporting said panels in a freestanding, substantially vertical, upright position, wherein said vertical legs of said L-shaped members of each said partition base are disposed in a horizontally spaced relationship defining a panel receiving slot therebetween in which one of said panels is closely received, and wherein said horizontal legs of said L-shaped members define laterally spaced-apart foot portions of each said partition base shaped for freestanding abutting support on a floor surface to securely retain one of said panels in a freestanding upright position, each said foot portion of each said partition base project in opposite directions from said vertical legs and at substantially right angles to said vertical legs, said foot portions having bottom surfaces which are substantially coplanar for resting on a floor surface:
and
a plurality of hinges, each said hinge comprising two oppositely outward facing, U-shaped channels, each said channel closely receiving therein a side edge of one of said panels, said channels interconnected b y a flexible web to permit like ones of said panels to be positioned in a mutually angular relationship.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.