Foldable work bench station

A work bench station comprises a pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets for attachment to a building wall. A workbench tabletop is hingedly attached to the wall brackets so that the tabletop can swing between a horizontal working position upwardly or downwardly to a generally vertical storage position. K-shaped end supports are hingedly attached to the wall brackets and can swing from a working position supporting the tabletop in its working position, inwardly to a storage position generally against or adjacent to the building wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a work bench station. Typical work benches are free-standing units having a generally horizontal working surface supported by vertical legs. These work benches require at least an amount of space equal to the dimensions of the horizontal working surface. Some work benches have a panel, e.g., made of pegboard or the like, that extends above and at the rear of the horizontal working surface on which lightweight tools and the like may be removably mounted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a work bench station that comprises a work bench that can be mounted on and folded against a wall when not in use to minimize space occupied by the work bench station. The work bench station comprises at least one right and one left wall bracket, that may be fixedly attached to a generally vertical wall of a building, e.g., of a home garage. The brackets may be of any design that provide adequate support for the other components of the work bench station. Presently preferred wall brackets comprise generally vertically oriented, right and left metal tubes having a square cross-sectional configuration.

A tabletop which provides a generally horizontal working surface, extends generally horizontally outwardly from the wall brackets and is hingedly attached to the wall brackets so that the tabletop can swing upwardly to a generally vertical “up” storage position and/or downwardly to a generally vertical “down” storage position. The tabletop can be made of wood or any other suitable material. Optionally, a generally vertical panel, preferably of pegboard, and preferably having an upper and lower frame for stabilizing the panel, may be attached to and extend between the right and left wall brackets at an elevation above a generally horizontal tabletop.

In one embodiment, the work bench station comprises a pegboard panel between the wall brackets and a hinge connection between the tabletop and the wall brackets and are such that the tabletop may swing up to a vertical up storage position spaced apart from the pegboard panel so that tools or other objects mounted on the pegboard need not be removed. The tabletop may be releaseably maintained in its up and/or down storage position by a locking mechanism, e.g., a locking bracket.

The work station further comprises generally planar end support structures that support the tabletop at its ends. The end support structures are hingedly connected to the wall brackets such that they can swing inwardly from a working position to a folded storage position lying against or adjacent to the wall of the building. In one exemplary embodiment, the end support structures are K-shaped supports, e.g., as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/800,409, which is incorporated herein by reference, are used. It is understood that other configurations of end support structures, e.g., H-shaped, inverted L or U shapes, square, rectangular or triangular shapes and the like, that provide support for the tabletop when it is in its working position and can swing inwardly to a storage position, may be used as desired.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the drawings is intended as a description of embodiments of a work bench station in accordance with the present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the invention may be constructed or utilized. It is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. As denoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers indicate like elements or features.

In a first exemplary embodiment, shown inFIGS. 1A-1D, the work bench station10comprises a right and left wall bracket12mountable by screws, bolts and the like to a generally vertical wall of a home garage or other structure.

As shown inFIG. 2, the wall bracket12of this embodiment comprises a metal tube12A having a generally square cross-sectional configuration. The metal tube is 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch, 14 gauge steel tube. It is understood that other dimensions and thicknesses may be used and that the tube may comprise two or more sections, each individually mountable on the building wall. Brackets having rectangular, L-shaped or C-shaped cross-sectional configurations or any other suitable brackets may also be used. The brackets must be sufficiently strong to support the pegboard panel, tabletop and end supports in the station's folded, storage configuration. A flange12B extends inwardly from the metal tube along an upper portion of the metal tube12A and12B and sections12C of a panel type hinge are positioned along a lower portion of the metal tube12A.

The work bench station10further comprises a pegboard panel24which extends between the wall brackets12. In this embodiment, the pegboard panel24is supported by upper and lower, generally horizontal frame members20, that extend above and below the peg board panel and are mounted at their ends to the wall brackets12.

In the embodiment tabletop26is reinforced and supported on its bottom side by front and rear cross beams16(shown, for example, inFIGS. 1A and 7). It is understood that if the tabletop is sufficiently strong by itself, reinforcing cross beams would not be required. Further, the dimensions of the tabletop are also a matter of design choice. Parallel lengths are 48″, 60″, 72″, and 96″.

A hinge bracket22(shown, for example, inFIGS. 1D and 4A) is fixedly attached, e.g., by bolts, to the back of the tabletop26to pivotedly attach to the wall brackets12, e.g., by means of a lag bolt that allows the bracket22to pivot about the shaft of the bolt.

A latch30is provided at the upper ends of the wall brackets12. The latch30comprises a hinge bracket22(shown inFIG. 4A) which is attached to the wall bracket by a lag bolt which allows it to pivot from an unlatched position as shown inFIG. 1Bto a latched position as shown inFIG. 1Awhich captures the tabletop26once it has been folded into its storage position.

The end supports14of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A-1Dhave a K-shaped configuration. Suitable K-shaped supports are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/800,409, which is incorporated herein by reference. The K-shaped supports have a rear leg14a, an upper front leg14band a lower front leg14cand a horizontal plate14d. Each K-shaped support in hingedly attached to the wall brackets12by a barrel hinge, formed by barrel components12con the wall brackets12and barrel components32on the end supports and pin34(seeFIG. 1C). The hinge is designed to allow the K-shaped supports to lift and pivot or swing about the pin34. The barrel component of the hinge may be integrated with the wall bracket12or fixedly attached thereto by screws or the like.

When the work bench station is in its working configuration, the K-shaped end support14releaseably engages the tabletop26. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A-1D, this is done by rosette head bolts36which extend through holes37(seeFIG. 3) in each of the upper front leg and rear leg of the K-shaped end support14and engage the ends of the front and rear support cross beams16. In their storage positions, the end supports14lie against or generally parallel to the building wall. In an embodiment, the K-shaped end supports lie against the lower horizontal pegboard frame member20and are releasably secured thereto by one or more magnets attached to the horizontal plate14D of the K-shaped end support at locations where the horizontal plate14D contacts the lower pegboard frame member70.

In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A-1D, the bottom ends of the lower front leg and rear leg of the K-shaped end support14are fitted with plastic end caps28which allow the end supports to slide over a floor during folding. It is understood that, if a metal tube is used for any of the wall brackets12or end supports14, any open end may be fitted with an end cap, if desired.

In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A-1D, the tabletop26may swing upwardly from a working position as shown inFIG. 1Bto a generally vertical storage position as shown inFIG. 1A. The latch30maintains the tabletop26in its storage position until the latch30is released. In this embodiment, the tabletop26is folded against the pegboard panel. Hence, no tools can be left on the pegboard when the tabletop is folded to its storage position.

A second exemplary embodiment is shown inFIGS. 10A to 10D. This embodiment is generally similar to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1A-1D. However, in this embodiment, the tabletop26may be lifted to allow the K-shaped end supports14to be folded inwardly towards the wall to their storage positions. The tabletop26can then swing downwardly to a storage position as shown inFIG. 11A. A capturing bracket54(FIG. 9) is mounted on the underside of the tabletop26to receive the wall brackets12when the tabletop is lowered into its storage position. When the tabletop26is folded down, any tools on the pegboard remain in plain view for access.

A third exemplary embodiment is shown inFIGS. 11A-11D. This embodiment is similar to that ofFIGS. 1A-1Dexcept that the manner in which the end supports14engage the tabletop26and the manner in which the tabletop26is maintained in its folded position. As to the former, a pin56extends upwardly from the top of the horizontal plate of the K-shaped end support14and engages a hole58in the bottom of the tabletop26. This prevents movement of end supports14relative to the tabletop26when the workbench station is in its working configuration. As to the latter, the tabletop26of the work bench station folds upwardly and is maintained in place by locking bracket38(FIG. 8) which extends through a slot42in the upper pegboard frame member40(FIG. 6). The locking bracket38can be raised and lowered along a length of a pin that extends through aligned holes in the upper pegboard frame member40and locking bracket38, generally as shown inFIG. 12K. The locking bracket38may be lifted and dropped over the edge of the work bench tabletop26as shown inFIG. 10A.

In this embodiment, the hinge bracket23(FIG. 4B) is dimensioned such that, when the tabletop26is pivoted to its storage position, it is spaced-apart from the pegboard panel24.

FIGS. 12A through 12Kshow two versions of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is generally similar to the embodiments ofFIGS. 2A to 2D. In this embodiment, the tabletop26extends to the outer lateral edges of the wall brackets12(as shown, for example, inFIGS. 12B and 12D) and the hinge bracket22is pivotally secured to the outer lateral surface of the wall brackets12. The difference between the two versions is the particular dimensions of the hinge bracket. The hinge bracket50of the second version shown inFIGS. 12C,12D,12G,12H and12J results in a greater spacing between the pegboard panel24and tabletop26, when the tabletop26is in its stored position than the hinge bracket48of the first version shown inFIGS. 12A,12B,12E,12F, and12I. Further, the upper pegboard frame member44of the second version has a greater front to back width than the upper pegboard frame member46of the first version. The positions of attachment are such that the work bench tabletop can swing up to a vertical storage position that is spaced-apart from the pegboard at a selected distance to accommodate tools of different sizes that are mounted on the pegboard. The distance between the pegboard and the wood top in its vertical position can be varied by varying the points of attachments of the L-shaped bracket to the wall support tube as shown, for example, inFIGS. 4B and 4D. The hinge brackets having multiple holes may be used to afford an owner of the option of selecting among more than one position of attachment which, in turn, allows the owner to control the spacing between the pegboard panel and the tabletop in its stored position. In this embodiment, the latching mechanism as shown inFIG. 12Kis generally the same as that described in the reference to the embodiment ofFIGS. 10A-10D. Specifically, the locking bracket38(seeFIG. 8) extends through a slot in the upper frame member44,46and can be raised and lowered along a pin or bolt52.

An exemplary embodiment using an alternate tabletop hinge comprising a hinge bracket62and pin64is shown inFIG. 13A and 13B.

An exemplary embodiment comprising an alternate engagement mechanism between the tabletop and end supports is shown inFIGS. 14A-14C. As shown inFIG. 14A, the bottom of the tabletop26has a groove66generally parallel to each side edge of the tabletop. A bracket68as shown inFIG. 14Bis mounted on the bottom side of the tabletop26in a manner to create a ramp70and a recess72that slidably engages the top surface of the end supports14as they are moved from their storage position to their working position. That is, as the end supports14are moved outwardly, they engage the ramp70and lift the tabletop26slightly until the tops of the end supports are received into the recess72.

FIG. 14Aalso shows a groove74generally parallel to front edge of the tabletop that can be used as a finger hold when lifting and lowering the tabletop26.

Although the present invention has been described through the use of exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the described embodiments that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents appended hereto. For example, aspects shown above with particular embodiments may be combined with or incorporated into other embodiments. As another example, any suitable panel material may be used rather than conventional pegboard. Moreover, while the embodiments are described as including a panel, e.g., pegboard panel, such a panel is optional and the dimensions of the panel are strictly a matter of design choice. Similarly, the hinge mechanism, locking mechanism for maintaining the tabletop in its storage position and the manner in which the tabletop engages the end supports when it is in its working position are described with respect to the specific structures shown in the drawings. It is understood that any suitable hinge and/or tabletop locking mechanism and/or tabletop-end support engagement mechanism may be used.