Abstract:
The invention is directed at workstation having a workstation that is able to be tilted The tilting assembly for the workstation includes a actuator, a cable and a gas cylinder.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/893,468 filed Mar. 7, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to workstations. More specifically, the present invention relates to a workstation having a primary work surface with tilt. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Desks, or workstations, have been used for many years to provide a work surface to individuals. Desks provide a flat surface on top of which an individual can do various tasks such as drafting, writing or working on a computer. However, many of these desks provide a single position for a work surface and do not include an adjustable work surface. More recently, some desks have been produced which allow for the height of the work surface to be adjustable to accommodate individuals of varying height. This has assisted in providing a work surface in an ergonomically desired vertical position. 
         [0004]    It is, therefore, desirable to provide a novel adjustable work surface with tilt. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of the invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of previous desks, or office furniture with a work surface. 
         [0006]    In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a workstation having an adjustable work surface comprising a top portion; a rear support portion; and a tilting mechanism, including a gas cylinder connected at one end to the top portion and at a second end to the rear support portion; wherein when the tilting mechanism is actuated, the gas cylinder causing the top portion to tilt with respect to the rear support portion. 
         [0007]    Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a workstation having an adjustable work surface with tilt; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective of the workstation of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the workstation of  FIG. 1  with the work surface in a tilted position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the workstation of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a workstation having an adjustable work surface with tilt; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is second perspective view of the workstation of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a bottom perspective of the workstation of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a top perspective view of the workstation of  FIG. 1  with the work surface in a tilted position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of a workstation in a closed position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of a workstation with the work surface in a tilted position; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 11   a  to  11   c  are examples of a system for mounting the top portion to side supports; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of a workstation with an adjustable work surface. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Generally, the present invention provides a workstation, or desk, having an adjustable work surface with tilt. 
         [0022]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a first embodiment of a workstation, in accordance with the invention, is shown. The workstation  10  includes a pair of side support portions, or legs,  12  (seen as  12   a  and  12   b ), a back, or rear, portion  14  and a top portion  16 . The top portion  16  can also be seen as a work surface atop which a user can perform tasks such as writing, drawing, painting, sketching, drafting and the like. A button  18 , is located within the top portion  16  and is used to activate a tilting mechanism  24  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0023]    Each of the support portions  12  are attached to opposite ends of the back portion  14  of the workstation in order to provide a structured support to the top portion  16 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the top portion  16  is mounted, via a bracket system  20 , at a front location  22 , to the leg  12   a  to provide further support. Although not shown, a similar bracketing system is located between the top portion  16  and the support portion  12   b.    
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the tilting mechanism  24  includes a cable  26  which is connected to the button  18  and a cylinder  28 , preferably pneumatic and filled with gas, which is attached to a bottom side of the top portion  16  and the back portion  14 . A piston  29  is also located within the cylinder  28 . In the preferred embodiment, the gas cylinder  28  has two sections for storing gas with an orifice, or dividing wall, separating the two sections. 
         [0025]    The bracket system  20  is also shown in more detail and includes a post  30  about which the work surface  16  pivots when the work surface is tilted. 
         [0026]    Turning to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a perspective view and a side view of the workstation with the work surface in a tilted position are provided. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the top portion  16  is tilted with respect to its normal, or closed, position (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). This allows the user to perform tasks on the work surface in a more ergonomically desired position. The angle  32  at which the top portion  16  can be tilted is between 0 and 90 degrees, and more specifically, between 0 and 30 degrees, but preferably between 0 and 12.5 degrees with respect to the closed position. 
         [0027]    In operation, assuming that the work surface is in the normal position ( FIG. 1 ), when a user wishes to tilt the top portion  16 , the user presses the button  18 , which causes the cable  26  to actuate the gas cylinder  28  by opening the orifice, thereby allowing gas to flow between the two sections. When activated, or actuated, gas flows from one section to the other section thereby extending the piston which causes the piston  29  to extend and tilt the top portion  16 . This is schematically shown with respect to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
         [0028]    When the top portion  16  has reached a preferred angle, the user can release the button  18  in order to lock the work surface  16  in place. If the user wishes to decrease the angle  32  (i.e. move the top portion  16  in a downward direction), the button  18  is once again pressed, to open the orifice, and the user applies a downward pressure to the top portion  16  thereby pushing the gas back through the orifice to the other section. The speed at which the top portion  16  tilts and the resistant force to the downward pressure being applied by the individual is controlled by the cylinder, which is selected in accordance with various criteria. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , schematic diagrams of an example for the selection, and placement, of the cylinder, with respect to the top portion  16  and the back portion  14  is shown. In the closed position of  FIG. 9 , the cylinder  28  is mounted to the back portion  14  at a predetermined distance B, preferably 12 inches, from the top surface  16 . 
         [0030]    By knowing various characteristics or measurements of the top portion  16  such as the length, or depth (D), width (W), weight, thickness (T), material which the top portion is manufactured from and the maximum angle or tilt, a calculation can be performed to determine the appropriate type of cylinder  28  required based on the pressure point (Newton rating) and the shaft throw distance of the cylinder  28 . Other determining factors are also considered and listed below, 
         [0031]    In this example, it is assumed that the top portion is 1⅛″ thick (T=1⅛″) by 44″ wide (W=44″) by 24″ deep (D=24″) and manufactured from medium density fibreboard (M.D.F.) board with laminate. Therefore, the weight of the top portion  16  can be calculated using these variables. The maximum tilt angle (such as 12.5 degrees) is also a predetermined value which can be between 0 and 90 degrees, but preferably at an angle whereby pens and pencils do not roll off the top surface when the work surface is in a maximum tilted position. Using these values, an appropriate cylinder can be selected based on the required forces. In this current example, a cylinder with a Newton rating of 150 is selected. Further factors in determining the appropriate cylinder include, but are not limited to, the rate of acceleration to move the top portion from the normal position to a tilted position and the force required to push the top portion back down. For instance if the user desires to have the top portion quickly tilted, the appropriate cylinder can have a higher Newton rating. 
         [0032]    Therefore, after determining the appropriate cylinder to be used based on the requirements for the workstation, the cylinder  28 , having a set length L, can then be mounted to the back and top portions. The distances A and B are selected based on further criteria such as a distance B whereby an individual&#39;s knees do not contact the cylinder  28  when using the workstation. In some cases, one of the distances A or B is pre-determined and therefore, the other distance is determined by the equation A 2 =B 2 +L 2  where L is the length of the cylinder in the non-extended position (and a known value). 
         [0033]    Other factors which can affect the determination of the appropriate cylinder include, but are not limited to, the size of the top portion  16 , predetermined, or specific request for values of A and B, increased or decreased maximum tilt angle and rate of acceleration required to move the top portion from the normal position. 
         [0034]    Turning to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a second embodiment of a workstation having an adjustable work surface is shown. In this embodiment, the workstation  50  includes an adjustable top portion  52  and a non-adjustable top portion  54 . Individual legs  56  are located on an underside of each of the top portions  52  and  54  to provide support to the top portions  52  and  54 . Office panels, or walls  58 , surround the top portions  52  and  54  with some of the walls  58  being attached to the top portions  52  and  54  to also provide side or rear support. In this embodiment, the top portions  52  and  54  are preferably mounted to the walls  58  such as with a system, as shown in  FIGS. 11   a  to  11   c.    
         [0035]    As with the previous embodiment, a button  60 , which is used to activate a tilting mechanism, is located within the surface of the adjustable top portion  52 . 
         [0036]    Turning to  FIG. 7 , a bottom perspective view of the workstation is shown. As can be seen, a tilting mechanism  62 , comprising a cable  64  and a pneumatic cylinder  66 , is shown. The cylinder  66  includes a piston  68  and has a first end connected to an underside of the adjustable top portion  52  and a second end to one of the legs  56   a,  or a rear support. In an alternative embodiment, the second end of the cylinder  66  can be connected to the wall  58  located behind the leg  56   a.  The locations where the cylinder  66  are connected can be calculated as disclosed above with the previous embodiment. Selection of the appropriate cylinder can also be performed as discussed above. 
         [0037]    As further shown in  FIG. 7 , the top portion  52  is connected to a pair of support beams  70  which provide additional support to the adjustable top portion  52 . As discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the support beams  70  are mounted to the side walls  58 . Turning to  FIG. 11   a,  the support beams  70  include a hook system  72  which mates with corresponding holes within the wall  58 , or a support structure within the wall. This is also shown in  FIGS. 11   b  and  11   c.    
         [0038]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the workstation with the adjustable top portion tilted. As disclosed above, if the uses wishes to move the work surface to a tilted position, the user presses the button  60  which causes the pneumatic cylinder  66  to be actuated via the cable  64 . After the cylinder  66  is actuated, the adjustable top portion  52  is slowly urged in an upward direction by the piston  68 . When the adjustable top portion  52  arrives at the desired position, the user can release the button thereby stopping the actuation of the cylinder  66 . Similarly, if the user wishes to return the top surface  16  to the normal position, or decrease the amount of tilt, the user can press the button and slowly provide a force to the top portion  16  to move it in a downward direction. 
         [0039]    Turning to  FIG. 12 , a bottom perspective view of another embodiment is shown. Operation of this embodiment is identical to the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 to 8  discussed above with the difference in the support structure provided to the top portion. 
         [0040]    In this embodiment, the support structure includes a support beam  80  which is mounted parallel to the side wall  58 . A pivotable bracket is  82  is connected to the support beam  80  and the adjustable top portion  52  so that the top portion can pivot when the button is pressed. A similar support beam  84  is located on an opposite side of the adjustable top portion  52  having a pivotable bracket  86  mounted thereon and also to the adjustable top portion  52 . Both of the support beams  80  and  84  are connected to a rear support beam  88  to provide further sturdiness to the support structure. As shown in this embodiment, the rear portion, to which the cylinder is connected, is also connected to a leg extending from the rear support beam  88 . 
         [0041]    In the above description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. 
         [0042]    The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.