Steelcase Inc.

Mark A Buchalter

George J Simons, Jr

Howard M Montgomery

Yasuyuki Hirai

John Richard Hamilton

James L Rozema

David R Appel

Hubert L Ostertag

Arthur Y Tsubaki

Jay D Bargmann

Thomas G Feldpausch

Carl V Forslund, Iii

George V Weller

Jim Tappel

Richard A Kroko

Lawrence L Laske

Douglas L Bartrand

Gregory M Tanis

A utility interface system is disclosed for use in a work environment of the type having a floor system. The floor system may be of a type having an access opening and an upper surface. A compartment is configured within the access opening and has a cover. A module is adapted to be received within the compartment. The module can be stowed or concealed within the compartment while not in use and removed from the compartment for use.

Utility interface system

A floor system for providing a raised floor above a sub-floor in a work environment is disclosed. The floor system includes a plurality of pedestals, a plurality of panels having side cutouts arranged so that the side cutouts are in alignment when the panels are installed on the pedestals to form an access opening from the combination of the side cutouts, an access cover configured to fit over the access opening, and a track configured to rest upon the pedestals and to provide a passage for utility carriers. A floor system is also disclosed for providing a raised floor above a sub-floor to support a load in a work environment. The floor system includes a plurality of pedestals, a frame including a combination of frame members to provide a substantially open frame work supported on the pedestals so that the load is distributed across the frame, and a plurality of panels configured to be installed on the frame and to be quickly and easily removable.

Floor system

Storage unit

The storage system includes a universal frame adapted to support different inserts, such as a hanging folder, a hanging sling, and a hanging box-shaped insert and is adapted to be supported by various supports, such as bent-wire snap-attach legs, a panel bracket, and rigid box support. The storage system is knockdown and reconfigurable by a user, and thus provides flexibility of use, while taking advantage of common parts. Further, the system can be flexibly used in existing offices having shelves.

Knockdown frame storage system

A furniture unit is provided specially adapted for use in laboratories. The furniture unit includes a pair of spaced-apart uprights and vibration-dampening legs extending from the uprights for stably supporting the furniture unit on a floor surface. A belt-high structural beam comprising two opposing C-shaped beams is fixedly attached to the uprights to rigidly interconnect the uprights in a spaced relationship. A plurality of worksurfaces is provided, each having a pair of cantilever brackets configured to rigidly connect to a side of the belt-high structural beam and to extend laterally therefrom. The plurality of worksurfaces is separately adjustably supported on the belt-high structural beam for vertical height adjustment, with at least one of the cantilever brackets engaging the belt-high structural beam at a location between the uprights. Shelves are attached between the uprights above the plurality of worksurfaces. Optionally, an accessory panel is mounted between the front and rear shelves for visual shielding and/or for function use, such as a marker board. A Y-shaped lighting support includes a bayonet that telescopingly engages a top of the uprights. A lamp housing structure spans between the lighting supports in a location where a lamp in each lamp housing structure is generally above a front edge of the worksurfaces. A utility distribution beam is mounted between the uprights above the structural beam for communicating utilities, including piped utilities and cabled utilities, to accessible locations along a rear edge of the worksurfaces. The legs include gussets that telescope into the uprights to provide a stable bottom joint.

Laboratory furniture unit

A furniture arrangement includes an overhead support defining an elongated overhead utility channel, and one or more lamps attached to the overhead support in recesses formed by the utility channel. A dome-shaped reflector or gull-wing-shaped light-distributing member is attached to the overhead support for distributing light from the lamps downwardly into side areas around the overhead support. The light-distributing members are positioned to both distribute light from the lamp and to visually shield contents of the utility channel from people standing around (or above) the side areas. The utility channel forms light-source recesses for receiving the lamps and lamp ballasts, and wireway recesses for receiving lay-in wiring and utilities, which wiring and utilities are guided by the light-distributing members into the wireway recesses. The overhead support can be part of a partition panel or can be supported on an overhead beam(s) forming part of an overhead framework for distributing utilities throughout an office area and for supporting office accessories. A narrower embodiment utilizes a pair of spaced parallel overhead beams, with a trough recessed between and supported by the parallel overhead beams.

Furniture arrangement configured to support overhead utilities and lighting

Furniture unit

Growing community of inventors

East Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Mark A Buchalter