Patent Publication Number: US-6981751-B2

Title: Worktable enclosure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an enclosure for a worktable which enables the worktable to be enclosed on three sides thereof either as a factory produced product or by way of a field retrofit assembly. 
   Worktables are common products used in many industries. In some instances the worktable top is supported by corner support posts, and often an undershelf spaced below the top is secured in place to the support posts. 
   Often it is desirable to enclose the worktable on the sides and front thereof, but the heretofore proposed arrangements for any such enclosures do not offer the flexibility with respect to production at the factory level together with the ability to utilize the enclosure on a field retrofit basis. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is an enclosure for a worktable where the enclosure has relatively few parts and is easily assembled around a worktable. 
   Another object of the present invention is a worktable enclosure which has the unique ability to be utilized in both factory production and by way of a field retrofit kit. 
   Still another object of the present invention is a worktable enclosure which is simple in construction and simple to assemble. 
   In accordance with the present invention an arrangement is provided for enclosing the sides and front of a worktable. The worktable may have a table top and four corner support posts with an undershelf releasably secured to the posts below the top. Preferably, the enclosure comprises a pair of opposed side panels each including front and back vertical curved portions for placement around opposed pairs of front and back support posts. A horizontal lintel is releasably attached to the front underside of the worktable top as well as to the front vertical curved portions of the opposed side panels. A pair of front doors are positioned below the lintel and the doors are either hingedably secured to the front vertical curved portions of the opposed side panels or slidably mounted in tracks. The doors provide access to the space between the worktable top and undershelf. 
   Additionally, the enclosure may include contoured post covers, one for each support post, positioned around the interior portions of the posts and secured to the vertical curved portions of the side panels. Moreover, each of the opposed side panels includes a lower inwardly disposed horizontal flange at a lower portion thereof secured to the upper surface of the undershelf. Similarly, each of the opposed side panels includes an upper inwardly disposed horizontal flange at an upper portion thereof abutting the underside of the worktable top. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal lintel includes a recessed door stop with magnets thereon for releasably holding the metal front doors against the stop in a closed position. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Novel features and advantages of the present invention in addition to those mentioned above will become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an enclosed worktable, according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the enclosed worktable of  FIG. 1 , according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a right side elevational view of the enclosed worktable of  FIG. 1 , according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the enclosed worktable of  FIG. 1 , according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the component parts of the enclosed worktable shown in  FIGS. 1–4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a fragmental front elevational view of the lower portion of the support posts with the undershelf secured to the posts; 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken along line  8 — 8  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a fragmental exploded front elevational view of the assembled components of the enclosure and the worktable; 
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a front elevational view similar to  FIG. 2 , but illustrating another embodiment of the present invention with sliding front doors; and 
       FIG. 12  is a sectional view taken along line  12 — 12  of  FIG. 11 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring in more particularity to the drawings,  FIGS. 1–5  illustrate an enclosure  10  that primarily functions to enclose the opposite sides and front of a worktable  12 . The worktable  12  includes a horizontal top  14  and four corner support posts  16 . An undershelf  18  is releasably secured to posts  16  below the worktable top as shown best in  FIG. 5 . 
   The enclosure  10  primarily comprises a pair of opposed side panels  20 ,  22  each including front and back curved vertical portions  24 ,  26  for placement around opposed pairs of front and back support posts. A horizontal lintel  28  is releasably attached to the front underside of the worktable top as well as the front vertical curved portion  24  of each side panels  20 ,  22 . 
   A pair of front doors  30 ,  32  are positioned below the horizontal lintel, and these doors are secured by hinges  34  to the front vertical curved portions  24  of the opposed side panels  20 ,  22  to provide access to the space between the worktable top  14  and the undershelf  18 . Each door includes a handle  33 . 
   As best shown in  FIG. 4 , the enclosure  10  further includes contoured post covers  36 , one for each support post  16 , positioned around interior portions of the posts and secured to the vertical curved front and back portions  24 ,  26  of the side panels  20 ,  22 . 
   In the preferred embodiment of the present invention each of the opposed side panels  20 ,  22  includes a lower inwardly disposed horizontal flange  38  at the lower portion thereof secured to the undershelf  16 . Similarly, each of the opposed side panels  20 ,  22  includes an upper inwardly disposed horizontal flange  40  at the upper portion thereof abutting the underside of the worktable top  14 . 
   The horizontal lintel  28  may include a recessed door stop  42  with magnets  44  for releasably holding the front doors  30 ,  32  against the stop in a closed position. 
   As shown best in  FIGS. 5 and 7  the undershelf  18  includes four corner brackets  46  each having a central opening therein for receiving the support posts  16 . Once the undershelf  18  is properly positioned on the posts at a given elevation, a tightening bolt  48  on each bracket  46  is turned in a clockwise manner to anchor the brackets to the posts whereby the undershelf  18  is releasably secured to the posts. 
   As explained more fully below, the underside of the worktable top  14  includes four corner gussets  50  dimensioned to fit over the upper ends of the support posts  16  to thereby secure the worktable top to the support posts. A threaded opening  52  in each gusset is dimensioned to receive a tightening bolt (not shown) for securing the gussets to the tops of the support posts in a manner similar to manner in which the brackets  46  are secured with the bolts  48 . 
   Preferably, the components of the enclosure  10  are fabricated from ferrous sheet metal, and screws  54  may be used to assemble these parts. The enclosure  10  may be assembled with the worktable  12  at the factory level and thereafter shipped as a single unit comprising both the worktable and the enclosure in assembled or partially assembled condition. Alternatively, a retrofit kit may be manufactured and sold for field use in enclosing existing worktables. Such retrofit kit includes the side panels  20 ,  22 , the horizontal lintel  28 , the doors  30 ,  32 , and the contoured post covers  36 . These components together with the required number of screw type fasteners may be sold as a unit for retrofit application. 
   Assembly of the enclosure  10  and the worktable  12  may be accomplished in the following manner. Initially the undershelf  18  is secured to the support posts  16  by passing the posts through the cover brackets  48  and tightening the bolts  48  to thereby position the undershelf  18  at a given height above the ground engaging end of the support posts. Next, the side panels  20 ,  22  are fitted over the support posts so that the curved front and back portions  24 ,  26  of each panel fit over the front and rear support posts. The lower flange  38  on each side panel is then attached to the undershelf  18 . The horizontal lintel  28  is then attached to the curved front portions  24  of the side panels  20 ,  22 . The magnets  44  may be then secured to the recessed door stop  42  on the horizontal lintel  28 . 
   The table top  14  is secured to the upper ends of the support posts  16  by positioning the corner gussets  50  over the support posts. As described above, tightening bolts are then used to secure the gussets to the posts. The upper flange  40  on each of the side panels abuts the underside of the worktable top  14 . Similarly, the horizontal lintel  28  may also include an upper portion  56  that engages the underside of the worktable top. The upper portion of the lintel may be secured to the underside of the worktable top by fasteners, if desired. 
   The contoured post covers  26  are then secured in place by fastening the covers to the side panels  20 ,  22 . Next the hinges  34  are secured to the front curved portion  24  of the side panels  20 ,  22  as well as to the doors  30 , 32  to thereby complete the assembly. 
     FIGS. 11 and 12  illustrate another enclosure  10 A of the present invention similar in many respects to enclosure  10 , and similar parts are identified by similar reference characters. The major difference is that enclosure  10 A includes front doors  30 A,  32 B slidably mounted at the front of the enclosure for side-to-side movement. Lintel  28  includes downwardly facing dual parallel tracks  60  while the undershelf  18  includes upwardly facing dual parallel tracks  62  which receive the upper and lower portions of the front door  30 A,  32 A. The front doors slide side-to-side in these tracks. Finger recesses  64  in the doors are used to open and close the doors.