Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a furniture height adjustment system. The system has a height adjust system positionable on or adjacent a work surface of a furniture component, wherein the work surface is movable elevationally between lowered and raised positions. The height adjust system has a processor and a height adjust setting control in communication with the processor. The height adjust setting control has user actuatable controls for enabling a user to set and store at least one elevational position for the work surface. The processor monitors movement of the work surface when the user is moving the work surface to a previously stored elevational position and generates a signal when the work surface reaches the stored elevational position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/077,951, filed on Nov. 11, 2014, the entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to furniture such as office desks and work tables, and more particularly to a system for assisting a user in accurately adjusting a height of a user adjustable, sit/stand work desk to better and more easily enable a user to position the work desk in both seated and standing positions. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
         [0004]    There is a growing interest in promoting health and well being in the office environment. This extends to encouraging workers to stand at their desks to perform various tasks such as participating in teleconferences, webinars, video conferences, etc. Business entities and their employers are increasingly realizing the benefit of standing while working. Many tasks, such as those mentioned above, as well as managing email, creating or managing spreadsheets, drafting documents, etc., can also be performed with relative ease while standing. Working while standing can burn significantly more calories than working while sitting. Some estimates provide that standing at a work desk and performing routine work tasks (e.g., talking on the telephone, managing email, drafting documents, etc.) can burn up to 50 calories or more per hour over what a person would burn while performing the same activities in a seated position. Sitting for prolonged periods can potentially also aggravate existing back problems, and possibly even cause some back issues depending on the sitting posture of the individual. 
         [0005]    To facilitate working while standing some manufacturers have introduced work desks that can be raised and lowered by the individual. Some of these adjustable height desks are motorized and use an electric motor to raise and lower the desk, while others employ some type of counterweight mechanism and are manually lifted and lowered by the user to the desired positions with the help of the counterweight system. In either case, there is no means to inform the user when the desk is at exactly the same height. Some desk systems rely on markings somewhere on a frame portion of the desk to indicate different heights, but still the user is required to carefully watch and adjust the position of the desk to an approximate, desired position each and every time the user changes the desk height. This applies for both raising the lowering the desk. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide some type of system that allows the user to precisely set and store one or more preferred desk heights. Such a system would enable the user to set a precise height for the desk when the desk is in a lowered position as well as when the desk is in a raised position. It would also be desirable if the system enables multiple users to store preferred heights for the same desk, and the system is able to recognize which user is using the desk system and automatically apply the preferred height settings for a specific user through one or easily accessible user controls. It would also be desirable if the system is able to receive ergonomic information or data based on actual physical measurements of physical biometric traits of the individual, by which the height of the desk system can be set. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a furniture height adjustment system. The system may comprise a height adjust system configured to be positioned on or adjacent a work surface of a furniture component, wherein the work surface is movable elevationally between a lowered position and a raised position. The height adjust system may include a processor and a height adjust setting control in communication with the processor. The height adjust setting control includes user actuatable controls for enabling a user to set and store at least one elevational position at which the work surface can be set at. The processor is further configured to monitor movement of the work surface when the user is moving the work surface to a previously stored elevational position. The processor generates a signal when the work surface reaches the stored elevational position. 
         [0008]    In another aspect the present disclosure relates to a furniture height adjustment system which includes a height adjust system. The height adjustment system is configured to be positioned on or adjacent a work surface of a furniture component, wherein the work surface is movable elevationally by a user between a lowered position and a raised position. The height adjust system may include a processor and a height adjust setting control in communication with the processor. The height adjust setting control includes user actuatable controls for enabling a user to set and store at least one elevational position at which the work surface can be set at. The processor is configured to monitor movement of the work surface when the user is moving the work surface to a previously stored elevational position. The processor generates a signal when the work surface reaches the stored elevational position. A user present detection system is included for detecting the presence of a user when the user is in proximity to the furniture component. 
         [0009]    In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring an elevational position of a work surface of a furniture component. The method may comprise using a height adjust system configured to be positioned on or adjacent a work surface of a furniture component, wherein the work surface is movable by a user elevationally between a lowered position and a raised position, to monitor a real time elevational position of the work surface relative to a ground surface. A processor and a height adjust setting control are used and in communication with one another. The processor enables a user to select and store at least one elevational position at which the work surface can be set at. The method further involves using the processor to monitor movement of the work surface when the user is moving the work surface to a previously stored elevational position. The processor is also used to generate a signal to the user when the work surface reaches the stored elevational position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a high level illustration of one embodiment of a system in accordance with the present disclosure for enabling quick, accurate adjustments of the height of a work desk; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a high level block diagram of one embodiment of the height control system shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0013]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  represent a flowchart of various operations that may be performed by the system during use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a height adjust system  10  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The height adjust system  10  (hereinafter simply “system  10 ”) may be positioned on a desk surface  12  of a desk  14 , or underneath the desk surface  12  or alongside the desk surface  12 . For convenience of explanation and illustration, the system  10  will be discussed as being presented on top of the desk surface  12 , although it is expected that in most instances it may be even more desirable to mount the system  10  underneath the desk surface to maximize the available desk space for use by the user. In actual implementation, it is only important that the system  10  be mounted so that it moves with the desk surface  12 . Alternatively, it is possible that a sensor component of the system  10 , to be described momentarily, may be physically attached somewhere to the desk surface  12 , while the remainder of the system  10  is positioned on a stationary panel or leg portion of the desk  14 , or possibly on the ground adjacent the desk  14 . 
         [0016]    The desk surface  12 , in one embodiment, is used to support a computer system  16  or other form of personal electronic device that the user needs to use. Accordingly, the desk  14  may be used to support a laptop, a table or any other type of computing device and is not limited to use with a desktop computer. However, as will be appreciated from the following discussion, the system  10  is not limited to use in office or home environments with computing devices. The system  10  can be used in connection with assembly tables or any other desk/table like structure used in a factory setting where setting two or more user adjustable heights would enhance the convenience, productivity and/or comfort to the user while performing the same tasks or performing different tasks at the desk/table like structure. It is also possible that the system  10  could be employed in connection with shelving systems used in warehouses to store goods that employees need to access frequently. 
         [0017]    The desk  14  may be constructed to have one leg or a plurality of legs  18 . Merely as one example, the desk  14  has been shown in  FIG. 1  as having a plurality of the legs  18 . The legs  18  each have a telescoping construction that enables the height of the desk surface  12  to be manually adjusted. A user control  20  is included that releases a locking mechanism (not shown) and allows the user to manually raise and lower the desk surface  12 . Alternatively, the desk surface  12  may be raised and lowered by an electric motor, with control  20  allowing up or down travel of the desk surface  12 . The system  10  is not limited to use with any particular type of desk (i.e., manually adjustable height or motor driven height control). It is a principal feature of the system  10  that it can be used with desks having either a manually adjustable height or a motor driven height adjusting system. It is also a significant feature of the system  10  that it can be easily retrofitted to either style of desk with no modifications being required to the desk itself. And it will be appreciated that the system  10  could be used with an independent adjustable-height platform, that rests on an otherwise fixed height desk. In such an embodiment the system  10  would be sensing the height from either the fixed upper surface of the desk, to a riser or platform that is raisable and lowerable by the user, or alternatively from the floor surface to the riser or platform. 
         [0018]    The system  10  may include a user detection system  21 , which in one example may be an infrared (IR) sensing system. The user detection subsystem  21  may be positioned relative to the desk  14  to be able to detect the presence of a user at the desk and to provide a signal (wireless or through a wired connection) to the system  10 . The system  10  also makes use of a wireless sensor  22 , in one embodiment a sonar sensor  22 , for real time sensing of the height of the desk surface  12  relative to a floor on which the desk  14  is supported, or alternatively relative to a fixed height desk surface on which is supported an adjustable height platform or riser. For the purpose of discussion, the example where an adjustable height desk will be used. The system  10  may communicate via a short range wireless link, such as a Bluetooth® protocol signal link, a ZigBee® protocol wireless link, or any other suitable form of wireless near field communication link, with the user&#39;s smartphone  24 . The system  10  may also communicate via a short range wireless link (e.g., Bluetooth® protocol link, ZigBee® protocol link, etc.) with a corporate LAN  26 . The system  10  may also communicate via the LAN  26  with a corporate IT department  28  where servers are present for managing the email accounts  30  and calendars  32  of various users. A human resources (HR) department  34  may be in communication with the email accounts  30  and the calendars  32 . The corporate IT department  28  may also be in communication with one or more cloud-based services, for example a health provider  36  and/or one or more personal or corporate wellness fitness applications  38 . 
         [0019]    The user&#39;s smartphone  24  may also optionally contain one or more fitness applications  40  stored thereon, or otherwise may access the one or more cloud-based fitness applications  38 . The smartphone  24  also may be used to identify the user to the system  10  via the short range wireless signal link  42  (e.g., Bluetooth® protocol, ZigBee® protocol link or other type of link) established between the smartphone  24  and the system  10 . 
         [0020]    The system  10  allows the user to quickly raise and lower the desk surface  12 , either manually or with the assistance of a motor driven lift mechanism, to a precise, previously set height, and to provide the user with a signal when the desk surface is at the previously set height. The system  10  also enables multiple users who have their own preset heights saved in the system  10  to use the  10  without the need for entering an identification parameter. The system  10  may automatically identify the user based on the wireless connection with the user&#39;s smartphone, and then may automatically notify the user when his/her preset desk height is reached as the user raises or lowers the desk surface  12 . This facilitates highly convenient use of a desk that needs to be shared by two or more individuals, and where the different individual will want to use the desk  14  in both standing and seated positions. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 2  the system  10  one example of the construction of the system  10  is shown. AC power may be provided to the system via a conventional AC outlet jack  10 a. DC power from a suitable battery could alternatively be used to power the components of the system  10 . In addition to the sensor  22 , which is illustrated in this example as a sonar sensor, the system  10  may include a processor  44  with suitable on-board or off-board memory for storing algorithms  46  for recognizing key words on the user&#39;s calendar. The key words may be, for example, “webinar”, “teleconference”, “videoconference”, “WebEx”, etc., or any other word that indicates an activity that may potentially be performed easily while standing. The processor  44  may use the results of the algorithms to detect and suggest to the user when standing would be possible for an upcoming appointment, and to provide a notification  50  of such via a notification generating subsystem  48 . The notification may be pushed on to the user&#39;s display system associated with his/her computer system  16 . Alternatively, a pre-recorded message may be played through an audio speaker  52  housed within a cabinet or housing  54  of the system  10 . 
         [0022]    The system  10  may also have a network card  56  for communicating with the corporate LAN  26 , a short range, wireless protocol transceiver  58  (e.g., Bluetooth protocol transceiver, ZigBee protocol transceiver, etc.), a random access memory (RAM)  60  for storing different preset heights by different users, and a display system  62  (LED or LCD) for indicating to the user when the desk surface  12  is at a predetermined height during a raising or lowering action of the desk surface. In one embodiment a plurality of LEDs may be used, or alternatively a multi-colored LED, which provides different optical signals to the user (e.g., green light, yellow light, red light) as the desk surface  12  is being raised or lowered to indicate to the user how close the user is to his/her preset height. Providing a green optical signal may indicate to the user that the desk surface is at exactly the preset height, while a yellow light may signal to the user that the desk surface  12  height is within an inch or two of the present height, and the red light may signal that the desk height is well outside of its preset height. These height indicating signals may be provided when the desk surface is being raised or lowered, to thus indicate to the user when the desk surface  12  reaches a preset elevated height or when it reaches a preset lowered height. 
         [0023]    A height adjust setting control  64  may be included in the system  10  for enabling the user to save a lowered and elevated heights for the desk surface  12 . An “UP” control may be pressed by the user after the desk surface  12  is positioned at a desired height by the user, and then a “SAVE” control  70  may be pressed which saves the elevated height in memory. Alternatively, these different height settings could be saved using a suitable software application running on the computing device which is present on the desk surface  12 . Such a modification would require the system  10  to output signals indicative of saved height positions to the computing device. It is also possible that the height settings could be communicated to and saved on a personal electronic device of the user such as a smartphone or computing tablet, using a wireless near field communications link (e.g., Bluetooth® protocol or ZigBee® protocol wireless link). Such a modification would require suitable height position signals to be sent from the system  10  to the user&#39;s smartphone or tablet, and then recalled by the system  10  to aid the system  10  in determining the saved height positions for a specific user, provided the user&#39;s smartphone or tablet is proximity to the system  10 , with the required software application running on the smartphone or tablet. 
         [0024]    During the process of raising the desk surface  12  to the desired height, the sonar system  22  will be providing signals to the processor  44  which enable the processor  44  to highly accurately determine the height of the desk surface  12 . When the user presses the SAVE  70  control after pressing the UP control  66 , the processor stores this height as a preset elevated height for the desk surface  12  in the RAM  60 . Optionally, an identification of the user may be stored as well by using the wireless link with the user&#39;s smartphone which identifies the user to the system  10 . When the user is lowering the desk surface  12  the sonar system  22  is likewise monitoring the real time height of the desk surface and sending signals to the processor  44  which enable the processor to determine the real time height of the desk surface  12 . When the user has the desk surface lowered to an optimum height, the user may press the “DOWN” control  68  and then the SAVE control  70 , which saves the lowered position of the desk surface  12  in the RAM  60 . Thereafter, if the user wants to raise the desk surface  12  from its preset lowered position to the preset elevated position, the user would simply begin lifting the desk surface (if the desk surface is manually adjustable) or engage the appropriate control to cause a motor to begin lifting the desk surface. The display  62  will provide an optical signal to the user as the user gets close to the preset elevated height (e.g., yellow LED being illuminated), and a different optical signal (e.g., green LED being lit) will be provided once the height is at exactly the preset elevated height. Optionally or in addition to the optical signals, a tone may be provided from the audio speaker  52  when the elevated preset height is reached. The same operations may be performed by the system  10  when the desk surface  12  is lowered. 
         [0025]    It will be noticed that the user is not required to enter any commands to the system  10  once the lowered and elevated height presets are saved in the system  10 . Whenever the user needs to raise or lower the desk surface  12  the user simply starts raising or lowering the desk surface and the system  10  will detect whether the action is a raising or lowering action and notify the user when the proper preset has been reached. Thus, the desk surface  12  can be repeatedly moved between lowered and elevated heights by the user and it will always be repositioned at exactly the appropriate preset height (either for elevated use or lowered position use). 
         [0026]    The height adjust setting control  64  may also be modified with the addition of a keyboard which would enable a user to enter a code identifying him/her to the system  10 . The processor  44  would store such codes along with the specific presets saved by the user. This option would enable multiple users to use the system without the need for some external means of identifying users to the system  10  (e.g., without a smartphone and its Bluetooth® protocol or ZigBee® protocol wireless link). Once the user has entered his/her code, the system  10  would thereafter use the appropriate presets for that particular user. 
         [0027]    Another feature that the system  10  is the user detection subsystem  21  that detects the physical presence of a user at the work desk  14 . The user detection subsystem  21  may be either an optical or sonar based subsystem that continuously monitors when the user is physically present at the work desk, regardless if the user is standing or seated. The user detection subsystem  21  generates appropriate signals that the processor  44  uses to determine if the user is present at the desk surface. During those periods where the user is standing, the processor  44  may transmit information either to the Corporate IT department  28  or to one or more cloud-based subsystems, for example health provider  36  in  FIG. 1 , which allows the standing time of the user to be logged. This information may be used by the corporate IT department  28  and/or the health provider, or any other connected entity, for purposes of promoting and encouraging the use of the desk  14  in the standing orientation. Such promoting and encouraging may be done through gamification programs implemented by the HR department  34  and/or the health provider  36 , or any other entity. But in either event, the user present detection subsystem  21  enables the system  10  to detect those times that the user is actually at the work desk  14  and working while in a standing position. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , a flowchart  100  illustrates various operations that may be performed by the system  100  during use. At operation  102  the system  10  may initially identify the user to the system  10 . This may be done by use of the near field communications link (e.g., Bluetooth® protocol or ZigBee® protocol link) with the user&#39;s smartphone  24 , or possibly by identifying a tablet that the user is carries with him/her. 
         [0029]    At operation  103  the system  10  makes a determination by use of the user detection system  21  if the user is actually physically present at the desk  14 . If no user is detected, then operation  102  may be re-performed. 
         [0030]    At operation  104  the processor  44  reads or obtains signals from the sonar system  22 . At operation  106  the processor  44  determines the real time height of the desk surface  12 . At operation  108  a check is made if the DOWN preset control  68  has been pressed, indicating that the user is attempting to program a lowered desk surface height. If the check at operation  108  is produces a “Yes” answer, then the processor  44  checks to determine if the SAVE button  70  has been pressed, as indicated at operation  110 , which indicates that a lowered preset desk position is being entered by the user. If the SAVE button  70  has been pressed at operation  110 , then the processor  44  saves the lowered desk height for the user in the RAM  60 . Similarly, if the test at operation  118  indicates that the UP preset control  66  has been pressed, then the system  10  checks to determine if the user has pressed the SAVE control  70 , as indicated at operation  114 . If so, then the current elevated height of the desk surface  12  is saved by the processor  44  in the RAM  60 , as indicated at operation  116 . The saved lowered and elevated desk surface presets may be associated with the particular user, provided the system  10  is constructed to accommodate saving presets for multiple different users. 
         [0031]    At operation  120 , the system  10  is continually checking, in real time, to determine if the desk surface is being moved from one of its elevated or lowered preset positions. If the check at operation  120  indicates that the desk surface  12  is being moved, then at operation  122  ( FIG. 3B ) the system  10  determines whether the desk surface  12  is at its elevated or lowered preset height, based on the direction of movement that is detected. By this it is meant that the system  10  detects when the movement of the desk surface  12  is upwardly, and will look for the elevated height preset, and when the movement is detected as being a lowering movement, the system  10  detects when the lowered height preset is reached. At operation  124  the system  10  uses the display  62  to provide optical signals to the user, and optionally the speaker  52  to provide an audible signal as well, to inform the user when the elevated or lowered height preset has been reached. If the system  10  detects that the desk surface  12  has been lowered from its elevated position, the system  10  may then record the previous number of minutes that the desk surface was being used in its elevated position and/or report this usage to the HR department, the user&#39;s fitness application(s) and/or a health provider, as indicated at operation  126 . If the system  10  detects that the desk surface  12  has just been raised to its elevated position, the system  10  begins logging the minutes that the desk surface  12  is at its elevated position while the user is detected as being present at the desk  14 . It will be appreciated that the foregoing operations represent merely one example of how the system  10  may operate, and those skilled in the art will recognize the possibility of various modifications, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0032]    As noted above, the system  10  is easily retrofittable to virtually any existing work desk without modification to the work desk. The sonar sensor  22  may be located within the housing  54 , which provides a single component that is placed on top of or mounted underneath the desk surface  14 . Alternatively, the sonar sensor  22  may be a stand alone, independently mountable component which is linked to the remainder of the system  10  via a suitable electrical cable. This would allow the sonar sensor  22  to be mounted, for example, to the lower surface of the desk surface  12 , and the remainder of the system  10  to be positioned on the floor next to the desk  14  or attached to the side of the desk  14 . In either implementation, the system  10  can easily be moved from one desk to another if the need arises. 
         [0033]    And while the system  10  has been described in connection with a desk  12 , it will be appreciated that the system  10  is expected to find use with any type of table that can be raised or lowered to different heights to permit different work operations. As such, the system  10  may be used with assembly tables in a factory environment where different types of assembly operations on goods may require that a table top of an assembly table be positioned at different heights. If the system  10  includes the modification of allowing a user ID code to be entered, then the system  10  would allow the same desk height to be set for different users. This would also enable different users who have to periodically use a given table surface in a manufacturing or assembly environment to quickly and easily set the height of the table surface to a previously saved height. The system  10  may also find potential use in the food service industry, such as in connection with table surfaces used to prepare sandwiches, where different employees having significantly different heights may need to alternately use the same work surface throughout a given day. The system  10  may eliminate the need to have two or more fixed assembly tables at different heights for different assembly operations, or possibly for different users, since the system  10  allows different heights to be set for a given user, and is may be configured to allow for saved, custom height settings for different users. 
         [0034]    And while the system  10  has been described as enabling the setting of either a raised height or lowered height (i.e., two different heights), a modification could easily be implemented to enable the system  10  to record three or more heights for a desk or assembly table for a given user/assembly technician. The use of three or more preset heights is likely to be more advantageous in a manufacturing environment, but nevertheless could easily be implemented by simply providing additional present buttons, similar to the UP control  66  and the DOWN control  68 . 
         [0035]    While various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might be made without departing from the present disclosure. The examples illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and claims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.