Patent Publication Number: US-10765201-B2

Title: Workstation with height adjustable desk

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to office furniture, and more particularly to a workstation with a powered height adjustable desk. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Typically, a conventional workstation for office has a partition unit and a desk. The partition unit usually has three partitions to enclose a workspace, and the desk is provided in the workspace. Precisely, the partitions include a front member and two lateral members connected to opposite ends of the front member. The desk has a desk board fixed to the partitions. A drawback of such workstation is that a height of the desk board is fixed after the workstation is set. 
     An improved workstation has a partition unit and a height adjustable desk provided in a workspace of the partition unit. In such workstation the partition unit and the height adjustable desk are two independent elements without any connection. Furthermore, the height adjustable desk has at least two legs in the workspace, which narrows the space under the desk board. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a workstation, which is equipped with a height adjustable desk. 
     The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a workstation, which has powered lifting devices to lift and lower the desk board, and the lifting devices are fixed to the partitions to enlarge the space under the desk board. 
     In order to achieve the objective of the present invention, a workstation includes a front partition member having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end; a first wall member and a second wall member connected to the first end and the second end of the front partition member to enclose a workspace; a desk board provided in the workspace; two lifting apparatuses connected to a bottom of the desk board, each of which has a first tubular member, a second tubular member, and a lifting device, wherein the second tubular members are fixed to the first wall member and the second wall member respectively, and each of the first tubular members has an end fitted to the second tubular member and an opposite end connected to the desk board; the lifting device is received in the first and the second tubular members to move the first tubular member relative to the second tubular member; and a driving device connected to the lifting apparatuses to drive the lifting apparatuses. 
     The driving device is operated to drive the first tubular members to move upwards and downward so as to lift and lower the desk board. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first and the second lifting mechanisms; 
         FIG. 3  is a lateral view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first and the second lifting mechanisms and the desk board; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first and the second lifting mechanisms fixed to the first and the second wall members; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first and the second lifting mechanisms connected to the driving gear and the motor; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the desk board being lifted; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first and the second lifting mechanisms; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the transmission shaft and the gears. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a workstation  1  of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, including a front partition member  10 , a first wall member  20 , and a second wall member  30 . The front partition member  10  has a first end  12  and a second end  14  opposite to the first end  12 . The first wall member  20  is connected to the first end  12  of the front partition member  10  while the second wall member  30  is connected to the second end  14 . The first and the second wall members  20  and  30  are perpendicular to the front partition member  10  to enclose a workspace therewithin. In the first preferred embodiment, the front partition member  10  and the first wall member  20  are two boards, and the second wall member  30  is a cabinet. 
     The workstation  1  further includes a desk board  40 , a first lifting mechanism  50 , and a second lifting mechanism  70 , all of which are provided in the workspace. The first lifting mechanism  50  is fixed to the first wall member  20 , and the second lifting mechanism  70  is fixed to the second wall member  30 . The first and the second lifting mechanisms  50 ,  70  are operated to lift and lower the desk board  40 . 
     The first lifting mechanism  50  includes a first linkage set  52 , a first gear member  54 , a first rail  56 , a first movable member  58 , a first driving gear  60 , and a first motor  62 . The first rail  56  is fixed to the first wall member  20 . The first linkage set  52  includes a main linkage and two support linkages, wherein both the support linkages have ends pivoted on a middle section of the main linkage. A distal end of one of the support linkages is pivoted with a slider, and the slider engages the first rail  56  to move along the rail  56 . An end of the main linkage is connected to the first gear member  54 . The driving gear  60  is connected to the first motor  62  and engages the first gear member  54 . 
     The same as the first lifting mechanism  50 , the second lifting mechanism  70  includes a second linkage set  72 , a second gear member  74 , a second rail  76 , a second movable member  78 , a second driving gear  80 , and a second motor  82 . The second rail  76  is fixed to the second wall member  20 . The second linkage set  72  includes a main linkage and two support linkages, wherein both the support linkages have ends pivoted on a middle section of the main linkage. A distal end of one of the support linkages is pivoted with a slider, and the slider engages the second rail  76  to move along the rail  76 . An end of the main linkage is connected to the second gear member  74 . The driving gear  80  is connected to the second motor  82  and engages the second gear member  74 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , tops of the first movable member  58  and the second movable member  78  are connected to the desk board  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the other end of the main linkage and a distal end of the other support linkage of the linkage set  52  are slidably to the first movable member  58 . In the present preferred embodiment, the first movable member  58  is provided with a first guiding rail  580 . Each of the main linkage and the support linkage of the linkage set  52  is pivoted with a slider, and the sliders engage the first guiding rail  580  to move along it. The second movable member  78  is provided with a second guiding rail  780 . Each of the main linkage and the support linkage of the linkage set  72  is pivoted with a slider, and the sliders engage the second guiding rail  780  to move along it. 
     The workstation further includes a first frame  90  fixed to the first wall member  20  and a second frame  92  fixed to the second wall member  30 . The first rail  56  is fixed to the first frame  90 , and the second rail  76  is fixed to the second frame  92 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the first motor  62  may turns the first gear member  54  through the first driving gear  60  so as to move the first linkage set  52 . The same as above, the second motor  82  may turns the second gear member  74  through the second driving gear  80  so as to move the second linkage set  72 . 
     When the first gear member  54  is moved by the first driving gear  60  to have the end of the main linkage connected to the first gear member  54  moving downward (the support linkages will be moved accordingly), the first movable member  58  is moved upwards (toward the first rail  56 ). At the same time, the second gear member  74  is moved by the second driving gear  80  to have the end of the main linkage connected to the second gear member  74  moving downwards (the support linkages will be moved accordingly) to move the second movable member  78  upwards (toward the second rail  76 ). As a result, the desk board  40  is lifted. On the contrary, when the first and the second gear member  54 ,  74  are moved in revise directions to have the end of the main linkage and the support moving upwards, the first and the second movable members  58 ,  78  are moved downwards (away from the first and the second rails  56 ,  76 ) to lower the desk board  40 . 
     In order to keep the first and the second motors  62 ,  82  are running synchronous, a controller (not shown) is provided to start and stop the first and the second motors  62 ,  82  and to synchronize them. 
       FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8  show a workstation of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the first preferred embodiment, except that the workstation of the second preferred embodiment includes a transmission shaft  94  and only one motor  96 . The first and the second driving gears  60 ,  80  are connected to opposite ends of the transmission shaft  94 . The motor  96  is connected to the transmission shaft  94 , so that the first and the second driving gears  60 ,  80  will be synchronously driven by the motor  96  through the transmission shaft  94  to ensure that the first linkage set  52  and the second linkage set  72  will be moved synchronously. 
     In conclusion, the present invention provides the first linkage set  52  and the second linkage set  72  to lift and lower the desk board  40  to any height. In addition, the first and the second movable members  58 ,  78  could be any shape or form except the form described above. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.