Abstract:
An adjustable pneumatic desk having telescoping upper and lower bases for positioning a worksurface relative the floor. A spring biased locking mechanism sets the height of the desk via prong engagement of incrementally height adjustably spaced engagement slots.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     I. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates generally to desks, and more specifically to a student desk having a pneumatically adjustable height and an improved locking mechanism. 
     II. Description of the Prior Art 
     Traditionally institutional as well as office and/or industrial environments stand-alone desks and workstations have been configured for limited end-use situations. For example, school desks are typically configured for use by seated students and have no height adjustment. Such desks generally limit the scope or use of such desks to a small range of age groups, requiring schools and institutions using such desks to carry large inventories of desks of differing sizes to accommodate varying sizes of students of different age groups. 
     Recent studies have suggested that student learning may be improved as a result of greater comfort and attention if the desk is configured such that the student can stand while using the desk. Stand-up learning might be particularly beneficial for students with excess energy or short attention spans, such as may be the case for those suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Additionally, it has been well documented that sitting for long periods of time, especially older people in office and/or industrial environments, is generally not good for one&#39;s health. Medical studies show that sitting increases the rate of all-cause mortality, especially from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, for example. Therefore there exists a need to create an institutional and work environment that is ergonomic for someone standing as well as sitting, and allows the transition to be easy, quick, and simple. 
     Height adjustable tables enable different users to comfortably use the table notwithstanding differences in height. Additionally, height adjustable tables enable a user to vary the elevation of the table depending upon the activity being conducted. 
     It is well known in the art to provide a desk with a height adjustment feature for enabling the height of the worksurface to be adjusted relative to a supporting surface such as a floor. While there exists a plethora of means and methods by which to provide such adjustments, including pneumatic, crank and electric, they generally comprise complex components that are relatively expensive to produce. Therefore, there exists a need for a new and improved desk that includes an inexpensive and easily used adjustment and lock mechanism. 
     Accordingly, it is a general object of this disclosure to provide a cost effective and easy to use desk height adjustment and locking mechanism. 
     It is a more specific object of the present disclosure to provide a pneumatically height adjustable desk with a locking mechanism. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a height adjustable desk having an upper base and a lower base telescopingly receiving one another thereby adjusting the height of the desk worksurface relative to the floor support. A locking mechanism engages incremental spaced engagement slots to lock the desk at the desired height. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views and in which: 
         FIG. 1  a frontal perspective view of an adjustable pneumatic desk according to the principles of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2 a    is a right side view of the desk on  FIG. 1  in a full up position. 
         FIG. 2 b    is a right side view of the desk of  FIG. 1  in a full down position. 
         FIG. 3  is a semi-exploded perspective view of the desk of  FIG. 1  showing the adjustable pneumatics thereof. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the desk of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the encompassed A of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a partially exploded view of the desk of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged exploded view of the encompassed B of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged rear perspective view of the desk of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged frontal perspective view of the desk of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged bottom frontal view of the desk of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more embodiments of the subject disclosure will now be described with the aid of numerous drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, use of the term “desk” will be understood to include student desks, standing desks, draftsman desks, work benches, office desks, as well as other devices for supporting the work of a student, employee or the like. 
     In any event, turning now to the Figures, and in particular  FIG. 1 , the desk  10  includes an upper base  12  and a lower base  14 . The upper base  12  primarily consisting of a main worksurface  16 , a flip-up shelf  18  and storage  20 . The lower base  14  primarily consisting of a frame having a plurality of floor supports  22  which may further include wheels/casters  24  with or without brakes. Turning now to  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   , the upper base  12  telescopingly receives the lower base  14  and the height of the worksurface  16  relative to the floor  26  is thereby adjustable from a maximum height  28  of  FIG. 2 a    to a minimum height  30  of  FIG. 2 b   . The ability to release the telescoping members of the upper  12  and lower  14  bases is performed by opening the locking mechanism  30  with the handle  32 . Similarly, once the height of the worksurface  16  is positioned, the handle  32  is placed in the locked position. 
       FIG. 3  is a semi-exploded perspective view of the desk  10  showing the adjustable pneumatics of the upper  12  and lower  14  bases. The telescoping portion  34  of the lower base  14  includes a vertical column member  36 , a pneumatic gas spring assembly  38  and bearing wheels  40 . The telescoping portion of the upper base  12  includes a sleeve member  42  for receiving the lower base telescoping portion. When engaged, the pneumatic gas spring assembly  38  is coupled to the sleeve member and provides the upward force to easily raise the height of the worksurface  16 , while the preferably nylon bearing wheels  40  provide a smooth transition of the adjustable heights. 
     The rear views of  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the use of the locking mechanism  30  when adjusting the height of the worksurface  16  of the desk  10 . In particular, via a single hand operation, the user engages the handle  32  (thereby unlocking the telescoping portions) and then, with the aide of the pneumatic spring, can gently and easily raise  44  or lower  46  the height of the worksurface  16  to a new position. The gas spring is basically used as a counterbalance for the desk. Once at the desired height, the user then releases the handle  32  and locks the members together. 
     Turning now to the exploded views of  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the inner workings of the locking mechanics of the present disclosure will be more particular described. As shown, the telescoping portion of the lower base  12  includes a plurality of spaced engagement slots  48  arranged at incremental heights from near the bottom to near the top of the telescoping portion; and the handle  32  includes prongs  50  that engage the engagement slots  48  through the clearance slots  52  of the upper base  12  sleeve member  42 . The handle  32  is held in place by the cover  54  using rivets (not shown) as hinges through both the cover hinge holes  56  in the cover  54  and the handle hinge holes  58  in the handle  32 . The handle is biased and held in the closed position, whereby the handle prongs  50  are engaged with the engagement slots  48 , by a spring  60 . This is what holds the desk in place at the desired height of the workstation  16  and prevents it from going up or down during use. To adjust the height, the handle lip is pulled back to disengage the handle prongs  50  from the engagement slots  48  and desk  10  height can be adjusted up or down. Releasing the handle lip  62  re-engages the prongs and the desk  10  can be used at the new height. 
     The student desk embodiment of the present disclosure will now be shown and described through the illustrations of  FIG. 8-9 . Additional features of the student desk include integrated pencil cups for holding pens, pencils, etc. to keep the desk top worksurface  16  cleaner. A file folder frame  64  is integrated into the desk, allowing personalized access to homework, assignments, and/or handouts, etc. for both teacher and student. A teacher can return homework, hand out assignments, etc. by placing papers in one of several hanging file folders  66 . A retractable corrugated privacy screen is integrated into the desk. This allows the student or teacher instant access to privacy and/or to shut out distractions, without having to get up and walk across the room to find a corrugated screen. Easy to use, simply remove from its retracted position ( FIG. 8 ) and open up to its use position ( FIG. 9 ); and easy to replace when worn out, damaged or “decorated” by the student.  96 . Remaining features of the student desk are shown in  FIG. 10  and may include utility hooks  70  for backpacks and the like; and a laptop/tablet storage bin  72 . 
     It will be appreciated that while the disclosed embodiment has been particular described with respect to a student desk, any type of desk or worksurface may be used with the present disclosure height adjustment and locking mechanism. 
     The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom. Accordingly, while one or more particular embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention if its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.