Patent Document

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/347,097, entitled “Free Standing Modular Architectural Beam System,” filed Jul. 2, 1999, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/398,855, entitled “Free Standing Modular Furniture and Wall System,” filed Mar. 6, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,742; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/921,314, entitled “Free Standing Modular Furniture and Wall System,” filed Jul. 28, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,658; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/787,678, entitled “Free Standing Modular Furniture and Wall System,” filed Nov. 4, 1991, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/226,433, entitled “Free Standing Modular Furniture and Wall System,” filed Jul. 29, 1988, now abandoned; all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Open office panel systems, commercialized heavily for the past twenty years, have a number of drawbacks. While they have been promoted as being versatile, movable systems that permit easy office re-arrangement, this has not proven to be the case. A complete partition or panel system involves numerous parts, and a completely assembled systems, have so many inter-dependent components and complicated fasteners that it is a difficult task, requiring special skills, in order to make adjustments in an open plan layout after the system has been installed. The complexities of the systems and number of parts involved make initial installation complex, and modification of an existing system involves similar difficulties. 
     Open office panel systems also have functional drawbacks. Such panels typically are thin and flimsy. Moreover, such panels were originally developed prior to the availability of personal computers and heavy use of power and communications wiring for desk top and work station applications. Attempts have been made to accommodate electrical and electronic wiring in open office panel systems, but these attempts have met with limited success with wiring still being difficult, generally inadequate, or at least aesthetically unappealing, for the modern electronic office environment. 
     Open office panel systems generally provide load bearing walls, with desk tops, shelving, and storage units necessarily being mounted on the panels themselves. This requires that the panels be structurally capable of supporting such loads and it necessarily limits the variation of office furniture available to individual office workers to a limited range of wall hung furniture. 
     The concept and appearance of open panel systems also has produced some user dissatisfactions based on emotional considerations. The thin walls, open doorways and general sameness of appearance tends to create a feeling of monotony and produces a maze-like appearance in an office environment. Office workers get the feeling that they are in temporary quarters with little privacy or individuality or importance. 
     As a result of the obsolescence and growing dissatisfaction with conventional open plan partition systems, there has been renewed interest in traditional office desks and office furniture, notwithstanding the limitations in such systems that caused the development of the open office partition systems in the first place. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved free standing office furniture and wall system that possesses the desirable features of both free standing desks and panel systems while substantially overcoming the limitations in both systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, an improved free standing modular furniture and wall system comprises a series of compatible components including a free standing post and beam or archistructure system, a compatible free standing, non-load bearing wall system, and a compatible series of free standing desks and screens. All of the components are modular in nature, with a limited number of separate components providing an extremely wide array of office environment choices. All of the components are integrally designed for almost unlimited flexibility in layout and arrangement and re-arrangement of the office environment, maximum individual identity of the offices, aisleways, and common areas, and an almost unlimited ability to easily and invisibly bring safe electrical and electronic wiring to the individual work stations and to change such wiring at will without structural modifications or tools. 
     These and other features of the present invention are described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, which are described in detail below and shown in the appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an office layout employing the furniture system of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pocket door of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sliding full door and a sliding half door or window of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective, exploded view showing various components of the post and beam construction of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective, exploded view showing a wall section and wall post support. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a short post and beam construction forming a railing and a post construction with light fixture. 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded, perspective view showing the manner in which a beam is connected to a post. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded, perspective view similar to FIG. 7 showing the electrical connections extending from the ceiling and from the floor through the post and into the beam. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing typical electrical connections in the beam construction. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the beam of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the beam showing signage attached to the beam. 
     FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the beam showing the attachment of a sliding door to the beam. 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the beam showing ceiling lighting incorporated into the beam. 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the beam showing the incorporation of lighting in the underside of the beam. 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a typical free standing wall construction in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 16 is a pictorial perspective view showing the removal of a wall cover from the side of one wall section. 
     FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing four interconnected wall sections with the wall covers removed. 
     FIG. 18 is an exploded, perspective view showing a pair of wall sections connected at right angles by a wall connector. 
     FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which a top cap is mounted on the wall panel of the present invention. 
     FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a wall panel of the present invention with a wall top mounted on the wall panel. 
     FIG. 21 is a broken cross-sectional view showing the power routing and access means at the bottom of the wall panel. 
     FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a wall panel with an electrical outlet mounted on the bottom thereof. 
     FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the frame and electrical power fixtures of the wall panel. 
     FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the frame and power fixtures of the present invention mounted with an under carpet flat power cable. 
     FIG. 25 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 24 showing a floor power monument. 
     FIG. 26 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 25 showing a flat wire cable hookup to the communication wiring in the panel system. 
     FIG. 27 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing the manner in which the flat wire cable is connected into the communication wiring of the present invention. 
     FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a desk of the present invention. 
     FIG. 29 is a top view of the desk of FIG.  28 . 
     FIG. 30 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG.  28 . 
     FIG. 31 is an end elevational view of the desk of FIG.  28 . 
     FIG. 32 is a perspective view a desk of the type shown in FIG. 28 employing a privacy screen. 
     FIG. 33 is a top plan view of the desk of FIG.  32 . 
     FIG. 34 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG.  32 . 
     FIG. 35 is an end view of the desk of FIG.  32 . 
     FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the desk of FIG. 28 employing tall top panels and a storage unit. 
     FIG. 37 is a top plan view of the desk of FIG.  36 . 
     FIG. 38 is a front plan view of the desk of FIG.  36 . 
     FIG. 39 is an end elevational view of the desk of FIG.  36 . 
     FIG. 40 is a perspective view of an L-shaped desk of the present invention. 
     FIG. 41 is a top plan view of the desk of FIG.  40 . 
     FIG. 42 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG.  40 . 
     FIG. 43 is a perspective view showing the underside of the desk of FIG.  40 . 
     FIG. 44 is a perspective view of the desk of FIG. 40 employing top tall panels, a shelf, and a storage unit. 
     FIG. 45 is a top plan view of the desk of FIG.  44 . 
     FIG. 46 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG.  44 . 
     FIG. 47 is an exploded view of the desk of FIG. 40 employing tall top panels and a storage unit. 
     FIG. 48 is a perspective view of the desk of the present invention, showing the enclosure of the desk area by means of extended bottom panels and short top panels as screening. 
     FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the underside of the desk of the present invention, showing the electrical connections of the bottom panels with their panel covers removed. 
     FIG. 50 is an exploded view of the desk top of the desk of the present invention showing the electrical connections in the beam support underneath the desk top. 
     FIG. 51 is a perspective view of a closet and file in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 52 is a perspective view of a file cabinet in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses a perspective view of a typical office lay-out employing the furniture and wall system of the present invention. The system  10  comprises three basic elements: free standing desks  12  and  14 ; a free standing wall shown generally as  16 ; and a free standing post and beam assembly, sometimes referred to as archistructure and shown generally by numeral  17 . These three elements, combined together, create a highly individualized office environment with clearly defined aisleways and offices, and with a maximum amount of flexibility of doors, windows, and wall constructions. All of the components in this system are modular and all are easily assemblable and disassemblable for revision of the floor plan. While all of the components are related and closely compatible, at the same time they are free standing and separable. 
     Describing briefly the system components shown in FIG. 1, desk  12  is free standing and includes a work surface and pedestal mounting. The desk is free standing but abuts on one end the free standing wall  16 . Another free standing desk  14  in the form of an “L” is positioned on the other side of partial wall  16 . This desk is surrounded by a screen in the form of a series of back panels  18 , to which shelves  20  are mounted in a manner described below. 
     The wall section system  16  comprises a plurality of lower wall sections  22  connected end to end in alignment, or at right angles by means of corner connectors  24 . The lower wall sections are uniform in size and are constructed so that a number of components can be mounted on top of the lower wall sections. Some wall sections have a flat top cap  26  mounted on the top of the section. In other cases, a short wall top  28  or a short glass panel  30  is mounted on top of the wall section. In other cases, a tall wall top  32  is mounted on top of the lower wall sections. End connectors  34  are connected at the ends of some wall sections in order to make a doorway. A closed doorway may be provided by a separate pocket door unit  36 . The pocket door unit has a sliding door  38  that fits within a recess in a pocket panel  40  (see FIG.  2 ). 
     The post and beam or “archistructure” system consists of a plurality of beams  42 , all substantially the same, mounted on posts  44 . The posts shown in FIG. 1 are wall posts that are mounted on the top of wall post supports or connectors  24  at ends of panels. The beams provide an improved definition of office and aisleway spaces and also provide a load supporting mechanism for supporting sliding full doors  46  and half doors or windows  48 . A variety of other components described below also can be supported by or housed in the beams. 
     While the post and beam construction of the present invention is designed to be a free standing unit that is completely separate from the ceiling, if desired, a post extension  50  can be employed on top of a post in order to extend the post construction to or through the ceiling. This may be done in order to convey electrical wires to or from ceiling fixtures or to fasten the post to a ceiling beam in the event that a straight wall is constructed and there are no right angle walls to provide lateral support. 
     Another component shown in FIG. 1 is a beam  52  of the same construction as beam  42  mounted on a short pole  54  and attached to a conventional end connector  34  at the end. This beam may be provided with a top cap  56  similar to the top cap provided for the lower wall sections and can thus serve as a low railing. 
     Detailed descriptions of the various components mentioned generally above are shown in the succeeding drawings. In FIG. 2, a pocket door is shown. The door rolls out of the pocket section  40  by means of a wheel  58  on the leading edge of the bottom of the door. 
     A full door  46  is shown mounted on a beam  42  in FIG. 3. A half door  48  is shown adjacent the full door. The half door is slidably mounted over a wall section  22 . An end connector  34  and wall post  44  support an end of beam  42 . A cover  60  fits over the junction between the wall post and the beam so as to cover the fasteners by which the two are connected. 
     An exploded view of the beam and post construction components is shown in FIG.  4 . The beams are attached to a wall by means of wall mounts  62 . When a corner post  64  is employed, it is attached to the floor by means of a floor mount  66 . Alternately, as shown in FIG. 1, a wall post support or end connector  34  may be employed, a shorter wall post  44  being mounted on the top thereof. The exterior cover of post  34  is not shown in this figure. 
     When the beam is attached to the ceiling, a ceiling extension support or ceiling pass through support  68  is employed. A ceiling pass through member or post extension  50  can be employed for extending the post upwardly through the ceiling for conveying electrical conduit or the like. A beam post connector  70  is employed for connecting post  64  to beam  42 . U-shaped cover  60  is employed when a post appears at the end of a wall. A right angle cover  72  is employed at a right angle corner, as shown in FIG. 4, while plate  74  is employed to cover the end of a Tee connection. 
     A wall post support member  34  is shown mounted to a lower section of wall  16  in FIG.  5 . In this figure, wall post  44  is shown raised above its normal resting position on the top of post  34  in order to show the manner in which a conduit  75  extends upwardly through the floor support and the wall post mounted on top. 
     FIG. 6 shows a different type of post assembly  76  having a light  78  mounted on the top thereof. This corner fixture could also be a sign post, clock, piece of art or the like. 
     The manner in which the beams are mounted on posts is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The beam-post connector  70  is square and has an opening  80  through the center leading to the interior of post  44 . It is fastened on the top of the post by means of fasteners  82  which are received in appropriate retainers  84  extruded integrally in post  44 . Mounting plate  86  has a lower portion  88  extending downwardly therefrom that fits in a mating opening  90  in beam-post connector  70  and is fastened therein by bolt  92 . The logic mounting plate is attached in retainers  94  in extruded beam  42  by means of threaded fasteners  96  that extend through openings in the four corners of plate  86 . 
     As shown in FIG. 8, when the post is extended through the ceiling in order to reach an electrical outlet  98  or the like, a ceiling extension support  68  is mounted on the top of beam-post connector  70 , and the ceiling extension support is enclosed by rectangular post extension  50 . Electrical conduit  100  may extend from electrical outlet  98  downwardly through the pole to electrical distribution below. Also, electrical conduit  102  may extend between the interior of the pole and the upper surface of the beam, which can serve as a raceway for electrical conduit. 
     The construction of the beam  42  is shown in more detail in FIGS. 9-14. Beam  42  is an extruded member formed in the shape of an “H” with two vertically spaced cross bars. Vertical sides  104  of the beam are thus connected together by an upper cross bar  106  and a lower cross bar  108 . The lower edges of sides  104  are provided with upwardly turned flanges  110 . 
     As shown in FIG. 9, the upper surface of beam  42  constitutes a recess  116  with an open top. One use for this recess is to run electrical conduit. Conventional connectors  112  can be employed to interconnect separate components of conduit by means of mating connectors  114  on the ends of the conduits. This construction is conventional. These electrical components can be mounted in the recess  116  in the top of the beam. 
     On the underside of lower cross bar  108 , three J-shaped rails  118  are mounted. As shown in FIG. 12, doors  46  can be suspended in these rails by means of rollers  120  mounted on brackets  122  at the tops of the doors. The doors are mounted in separate rails so that they will slide by each other to open and close the door. 
     As shown in FIG. 11, a sign  124  can be mounted on flange  110  by means of a mating downwardly facing U-shaped flange  126 . A thumb screw  128  can be employed to lock the flanges together at a desired location. 
     Upper receptacle  116  can also be employed to house a ceiling light  130 . This can consist of an upwardly facing reflector  132  and a pair of florescent lights  134  and a deflector  136 , causing the light to be deflected in the manner shown. A similar light  138  can be mounted in the recess  140  on the underside of the beam (FIG.  14 ). Light  138  comprises a reflector  142 , a pair of parallel florescent lights  144 , and a diffusion grating  146 . 
     The archistructure beam thus serves to support suspended elements, to provide upward and downward lighting and to serve as a raceway for electrical conduit. The function as a raceway is particularly important when there is a break in the lower panels, such as a doorway. With the break in the lower panel, there is no way to pass electrical conduit across the gap without a post and beam extending over the gap. 
     The novel modular wall construction  16  of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 15-27. Aesthetically, the wall sections appear substantially different from conventional thin open plan partitions. The wall section of the present invention is the same width or thickness (the terms are used interchangeably herein) as a conventional wall, which is about four and five-eighths (4-⅝) inches thick. The wall thus conveys a thick, sturdy impression. The walls of the present invention comprise two separate components, a plurality of uniform interconnected lower wall sections  22  and a variety of optional components mounted on the lower wall sections. The lower wall sections are designed to be load-supporting to the extent that components can be mounted on top of them. They are not, however, designed to support loads in cantilevered fashion off the side of the wall panels, contrary to most conventional partition systems. The upper wall sections, on the otter hand, are completely non-load bearing and may be made of light materials, such as Styrofoam or the like, which provide an appearance of thickness and height and yet are very light. The window components  30  and  148  may be of conventional construction or can be open frames. A pocket door  36  as described above can be attached to one end of the wall system. 
     Referring to FIG. 16, several wall sections  22  are shown connected together end to end. The sides of the wall sections are covered by removable wall covers  150 . These clip easily onto the wall sections and can be removed easily to provide complete access to the interior of the wall sections. As shown in FIG. 17 where the wall covers have been removed, each wall section comprises a rectangular frame  152  consisting of a pair of spaced vertical support members  154  at opposite ends thereof and a pair of spaced horizontal beam  156  and  158  at the upper and lower sides of the frame. Adjacent sections of frame are bolted together by bolts  160 . It should be noted that the frame, and particularly the vertical support members, are substantially less wide or thick than the wall itself, thus leaving a substantial gap in between the vertical support posts and the wall covers. This is quite important to the wire handling advantages of the present invention. 
     On the upper and lower portions of each end of the frame, outwardly extending plates  162  are mounted. These plates serve an important function. As shown in FIG. 27, when two sections of frame are bolted together ends  164  of the plates come into contact with each other and cause the two sections of frame to be maintained in alignment. A gap  166  is provided between the ends of the plates so that the plates are held in fixed position with respect to each other. 
     As shown in FIG. 20, plates  162  also serve as a widened support flange for the top cap and top wall section mounted on the lower section. 
     The lower plate  162  also supports wall cover  150 . A downwardly extending lip on a flange  170  attached to the wall cover fits within an opening in the lower plate  162  and the flange rests on  162 , supporting wall cover  150 . The wall cover thus can be pivoted outwardly and inwardly from the top edge around the pivotal connection of flange  170  and the opening in plate  162 . 
     The upper portion of cover  150  is held in a vertical position by means of a resilient clip  172  attached to the inner surface of the wall cover at a position substantially above the bottom. This clip resiliently engages the underside of the inner side of a wire tray or trough  174 , which is in turn mounted in the frame and extends between the vertical support members  154 . 
     Wire tray  174  has a partially closed bottom  176  and sides  178  but has an open top and open ends. The tray extends outwardly to the sides substantially beyond the vertical support members  154  (which preferably are 1-¼ inch tubing) such that sides  178  are adjacent the inner surfaces of wall covers  150 . Clips  172  engage the outer edge of the wire tray, preferably at the bottom, by means of projections  180  or the like on the wire tray or other such conventional resilient connection. 
     The wire tray is for communications wires and is metallic so that it shields the communications wires from the power wires which are mounted below the wire tray. 
     As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the upper end  182  of wall cover  150  is spaced below the lower edge  184  of top cap  26  or lower edge  186  of wall top  32 . This makes it possible for communications wires  190  to be inserted into the interior of the wall sections in a sideways direction through a slot  188  between the top cap or wall top and the top of the wall cover. The wiring will then fall down into the wire tray and be retained there. 
     This provides an extremely important advantage for the present invention. As shown, when it is desired to string a new communications wire along an entire length of wall through a number of interconnected wall sections, all one has to do is stuff the wire sideways through slot  188  in the adjoining wall sections and the wire will naturally fall into its proper position in the wire tray. There is no need to remove the wall covers and no need to string the wire through any frame openings. The wall can thus accommodate wide variation and frequent changes in communications (typically computer and telephone) wiring without disassembly of the wall system. 
     The bottom of each wall section is supported on the ground at each end by means of a wide (preferably 4 inches) disc shaped feet  192  which are mounted to the lower beam  158  by means of a threaded sleeve  194  that extends through the beam and is welded thereto. A threaded shaft  196  extends upwardly from foot  192  and is received in threaded sleeve  194 . The height of the wall section can be adjusted conveniently by means of a nut  198  formed on the top of shaft  196 . Rotation of this nut serves to raise and lower foot  192 . Nut  198  is easily accessible simply by unclipping and removing one of the wall covers  150 , and it is not necessary to seek access to the adjustment mechanism in any obscure location. While the foot mechanism is basically conventional, the foot itself is quite a bit wider than normal in order to provide additional stability for the wall system and to permit a wall section to stand on its own or to be fastened to the floor structure through provided holes. The adjustment provides a vertical travel of one and one-half (1-½) inches desirably so as to provide a wall height of a minimum of one (1) inch from the floor and a maximum of about two and one-half (2-½) inches from the floor. 
     At the underside of the wall panel and resting on the floor is a power cable chase  200 . This power cable chase runs the entire length of each wall section and continuous contiguously from wall section to wall section. Chase  200  includes vertical side walls  202 , upper flanges  204  attached to the top of the side walls and flaring outwardly, and lower flanges  206  attached to the lower edges of the side walls and extending outwardly to lower ends that contact the floor. A central web  208  extends horizontally between side walls  202 . The chase thus presents an open top receptacle  210  between the opposite sides of the chase. This receptacle serves as a chase or support tray for power cables  212 . The outwardly flared lower flanges  206  extend over feet  192  and conceal them from view, as well as concealing the other mechanical hardware on the underside of the wall sections. 
     As shown in FIG. 20, power cables  212  can be easily inserted into power chase  200  with the walls in place simply by threading the power cables sideways over the edge of flange  204  and allowing the power cables to drop into receptacle  210 . While it appears from FIG. 20 that plate  162  would interfere with the passage of the wire downwardly into the receptacle, by reference to FIG. 24 or  25  it can be seen that the upper edge of flange  204  is recessed at the point where it intersects plate  162 . Wires can thus be laid on top of the plate or can be threaded under the plate through the recess in the flange at the ends of each wall sections. 
     FIGS. 21 and 22 show how the power chase can be used as a means for connecting electrical outlets at any desired position along the power chase. An electrical outlet assembly  214  comprises a plug receptacle  216  that is positioned vertically at the lower end of wall cover  150 . The wall outlet assembly further includes a back portion  218  extending from the lower rear of outlet  216  under the lower edge of wall cover  150  upwardly and inwardly along flange  206 , upwardly along flange  202 , and then upwardly and outwardly along flange  204 . Back portion  218  carries the electrical conduit to a terminal  220  at the top of the back portion, and this terminal is connected to standard connectors for power cables. A flange  222  extends parallel to the upper portion of flange  218  on the inner side of flange  204 , and a threaded lock screw  224  extends through flange  222  to clamp the receptacle assembly at any desired longitudinal position along the power chase. As shown in FIG. 22, by loosening lock screw  224 , the receptacle can be slid from one end to the other of the wall section as desired and then locked into place. 
     FIGS. 23,  24 , and  25  are similar and show the manner in which the wall sections can be wired into electrical power. In FIG. 23, conventional connectors  228  are suspended from the underside of wire tray  174 . Any number of connectors (shown in phantom) can be connected together to form two, four, six, eight or more power terminals. Cable  230  is an illustrative inlet or infeed cable leading from a floor or wall monument to a connector  232  which connects to one of the terminals of connector  228 . One outlet cable  234  can extend downwardly to a connector  236  leading to a desk or to a face mounted outlet  214  of the type shown in FIG.  21 . Another outlet conduit  238  extends in the generous space between the wall cover and relatively narrow vertical support member  154  directly into the next wall section where it interconnects with another connector  228 . With the standard connectors, individual wall sections can easily be wired together with any number of power cables simply by plugging plugs in after unclipping the wall covers. Nothing has to be threaded through any opening in any support members and all the cables can be inserted sideways into the walls. This considerably facilitates installation. 
     FIG. 24 shows a means by which power can be obtained from an under carpet flat cable  240 . A cable  242  connected to connector  228  leads to a terminal box  234  which in turn electrically connects under carpet flat cable with cable  242 . 
     FIG. 25 shows the manner in which a cable  246  can be connected to a source of power from a floor monument  248 . 
     FIG. 26 shows the manner in which communications wiring, such as telephone wiring, can be connected to the wire tray  174 . A typical twenty-five (25) pair flat wire cable  250  extending from under a carpet feeds upwardly into the wire tray. As shown in FIG. 7, a terminal connector  252  connects to a bus mechanism  254  into which individual telephone lines  256  can be plugged. Phones can be connected and disconnected easily by removing the wall cover and simply reaching in and plugging in or unplugging the phone. Any other type of conventional telephone wiring system or computer wiring system also would be compatible with this system. 
     The corner post mechanism  34  attached to the ends of individual wall sections is shown in FIG. 18 with reference to an exemplary right angle connection. The corner post mechanism comprises a metal column  260  having flat sides with openings  262  therein facing the ends of the wall sections. The end column is bolted to the ends of the wall sections through these openings  262 . A top cap  264  fits downwardly on the top of the end connector, with a downwardly extending flange  266  serving to attach the top to the connector by means of one of the bolts attaching the connector to the end of the wall section. An appropriate cover  268  (which is a right angle cover in FIG. 18) fits over the metal column  260  to enclose the column. The cover could have three sides if being attached to the end of a single wall section or a single side if attached to a Tee connection wherein three wall sections are interconnected. The end connector column is supported by a plurality of legs  270 . The column is formed so that electrical and electronic wiring can pass from one wall section to the other through the connector, or it can extend upwardly through a connector to a post mechanism (as illustrated in FIGS.  4  and  8 ). 
     The wall tops mounted on the tops of lower wall sections  16  provide an important feature of the present invention. These wall tops can be short tops  28  or tall tops  32  or any customer specified size higher or lower. Since the wall tops function as room dividers and do not need to function to support wall hung furniture, they can be made inexpensively and yet have a variety of attractive finishes. Desirably, they are formed of a rigid foam plastic such as Styrofoam or the like formed on a rigid base formed of wood  274  or other suitable material. The base can be attached to a cap  276  similar to top cap  26  that fits over plate  162  and is bolted to beam  156  by threaded fastener  278 , with each wall top section being bolted to the beam in at least two locations. The surface of the wall top can be decorated with any number of surface textures and materials. A particularly desirable material is a flocking  280  which can be sprayed on the material and gives it an expensive velour appearance at a very reasonable price. 
     Plate  162  stabilizes wall top  32  in a vertical position and the bolt fastener attachment holds the wall top in proper alignment with the lower wall section on which it is mounted. Because the wall top is light and non-load bearing, complex and expensive fastening and frame mechanisms are not necessary. 
     To install and remove wall tops or top caps, it is only necessary to unclip the wall cover and bolt or unbolt the desired fixture. 
     The archistructure and wall system of the present invention contemplate that the furniture will not be wall suspended but will be free standing. To this end, the present invention incorporates a series of free standing modular desks having interchangeable components that provide a wide variety of individually selectible office desk environments, without requiring special wall structures or wall modifications. 
     A basic desk unit  12  is disclosed in FIGS. 28-31. The desk unit  12  comprises a pair of spaced half width pedestals  282 , each having drawers  284 . Files are stored longitudinally in the drawers instead of widthwise across the drawers. Each desk has a floating desk top  286 , which is spaced above the pedestals and attached to the pedestals by means of a transverse support beam  290  mounted on the underside of the work top and corner braces  292  interconnecting the support beams at the ends with the pedestals  284  (see FIG.  50 ). The support beam and corner braces desirably are formed sheet metal members, with beam  290  comprising an open top tray that serves to house electrical components. Corner brace  292  comprises a hollow sheet metal brace having a horizontal leg attached to the corner of beam  290  and a vertical leg attached to the inside of the pedestal. The position of the vertical leg can be varied on the pedestal by slotted bolt openings  291  or the like in order to vary the height of the desk top for individual preferences. Electrical cables  294  extend through an opening  296  in the underside of beam  290  and through a mating opening  298  in brace  292  and then through an exit opening  300  in the vertical leg of brace  292 . This cable then extends to a terminal connector  302  which can be connected to an infeed source of electrical power. As with the wall sections, power can be received in any number of ways. A floor monument positioned at the bottom rear of the pedestal would be one typical way to transfer power to the desk via terminal  302  and cable  294 . Power also can be delivered to the desk by one of the power cables carried by an adjacent wall section or through a post connector. As shown in FIG. 1, desk  12  abuts a wall section on one end thereof. Power cables carried in this wall section could be connected to terminal  302  in the interior of the pedestal or in the interior of the wall section. 
     The infeed cable  294  is connected to a terminal bus  304  of conventional design. A wire tray  306  is attached to the rear edge  308  of beam  290  and outlets  310  mounted in the trays extend through openings  312  in wall  308  and plug into bus  304 . Thus, power cable  294  provides power to a pair of outlets mounted in the wire tray. Another power cable  314  can be connected to the bus and can exit the beam by means of a recess  316  in a side  318  of the beam. This power cable can lead to a computer, lighting or other electrical apparatus. All of these electrical connections can be altered easily by lifting the table top and plugging or unplugging the electrical components. Alternatively, the desk top can be provided with one or more access doors  320  for gaining access to the outlets without lifting the desk top. 
     Referring to FIGS. 28-31, the pedestals are desirably about seven and one-half (7-½) inches wide. The back of the desk can be open or it can be covered by lower back panels  322 , which are desirably about fifteen (15) inches wide. As shown, the desk top desirably extends about halfway over the pedestals so that wiring can be tucked under the edge of the desk between the pedestal and desk top. The same wiring would then run through the wire tray at the back of the desk. 
     The construction of the lower bottom panels of the desk is shown in FIG.  49 . Bottom panels  322  are load bearing panels and comprise a rectangular metal frame  324  preferably formed of channel material. The frame can include a transverse plate  326  in the middle thereof to support electrical outlets  328  which are mounted in openings  330 . Electrical conduit  332  extends through adjacent panel sections (which are bolted together) via openings  334  in the frame. As shown in FIG. 49, electrical outlet  328  can provide electrical power to the electrically operated devices at the desk. The panels  322  can be covered with decorative covers and can use the same type of cover as employed in the wall sections, if desired. 
     In addition to the basic desk unit, a number of optional features can be included. As shown in FIG. 32, the desk can be provided with a privacy screen  334  which can be bolted on the top of panels  322 . The privacy screen shown in FIGS. 32-35 is not intended to be a load bearing screen and therefore can be made of the same lightweight type of construction as wall tops  28  and  32 . The desk panels, however, are designed to be substantially thinner than the wall panels so as to distinguish between the screens and panels used for a desk and walls. 
     As shown in FIG. 35, the rear edge of desk top  286  terminates short of privacy screen  334 , leaving a gap  336  at the back of the desk. This permits wires to be inserted at the rear edge of the desk top so that they can be carried in wire tray  306 . FIG. 34 shows a gap  338  between the desk top and pedestal so that wires can run under the sides of the desk top as well. 
     FIGS. 36-39 show another type of panel that can be mounted on the basic desk construction shown in FIG.  28 . In this embodiment, load bearing top panels  340  are bolted to the top of lower panels  322  and are formed in a similar manner. End panels  342  positioned at right angles to panels  340  are attached to the top of pedestals  282 . As shown in FIG. 49, spacers  344  are positioned between upper and lower panels so as to leave a gap  346  between the upper and lower panels. These same spacers are employed between panels  342  and the pedestals. A rubber or elastomer blade  348  conceals the gap above the pedestal but still permits wires to be tucked in the gap and concealed in the hollow space between panel  342  and pedestal  382 . Thus, even with load bearing top panels, it is still possible to conceal wires between the upper and lower panel sections. 
     A storage unit  350  is mounted on the load bearing panels above the desk top. Details of the storage unit are shown in the exploded view in FIG. 47, wherein the storage unit is shown to have a door  352 , a top panel  354 , and a lower panel  356  that is attached in the manner of a shelf. 
     The manner in which a shelf  358  is attached to the wall panel is shown in FIG. 49. A stamped metal support bracket  360  below the shelf has a U-shaped rear member  362  with a flange that abuts the panel. This flange can be bolted to the panel. The U-shaped rear member provides a groove behind the shelf for concealing electrical wires. It should be noted that there is a gap  364  (see FIG. 38) between the sides of the desk top  286  and side panels  342  which permits wires to be tucked under the side edges of the desk top. 
     A modification of the desk construction of FIG. 28 is shown in FIGS. 40-43. In this embodiment, the pedestals  322  are positioned at right angles and an additional right angle desk top section  366  is attached at right angles to one end of desk top  286 . Both sections of desk top employ support beams  290 , with these beams being bolted together where they intersect. Additional support braces  368  are provided for additional support at the corner of the desk. The other features of this type of unit are substantially the same as the previous embodiments. 
     The L-shaped desk also can have top panels and storage units and shelves mounted on the top panels, as shown in FIGS. 44-46. The storage unit  350  is mounted in the same manner as previously described. The shelf unit is mounted in a similar manner and is attached to the storage unit at one end. 
     Still another modification of the desk unit of the present invention is shown in FIG.  48 . In this unit, a desk top  286  is mounted to a pedestal at one end and to a lower support panel  322  at the other end by the same type of beam and brace arrangement for the FIG. 32 embodiment. In this arrangement, however, the lower support panels not only form back panels but they also form side panels and extend all the way around behind the desk unit. Half height top panels  370  are positioned above the lower panels on one side of the desk in order to vary the aesthetic appearance of the desk unit. 
     As can be seen, a number of different variations can be achieved with a relatively small number of components. It is important to note that the desk units can include their own screens and panels, even load-bearing panels, and these desks and panels can be arranged independently of the walls and post and beam archistructure. Thus, it is possible to obtain the benefit of wall mounted shelves and storage units without placing limitations on the wall and archistructure system. The wall and archistructure system can thus be employed for space definition, privacy, individuality, and the like, while the load supporting panels used in the desk system can be designed for the more functional aspects of work efficiency and productivity. Even though these units are independent, they are the same height and all include the same type of wiring connections that permit ample power and communications wiring to be distributed to the proper location without the wiring being visible. 
     Other arrangements of the desk, top panels, storage units, and shelves are possible. The present description is intended to be exemplary only. 
     Two other elements designed to be compatible with the present invention are shown in FIGS. 51 and 52. FIG. 51 shows a combination personal closet and file  374 , with the personal closet  376  being mounted on top of a file unit  378 , with the same type of space or groove  380  between the upper and lower sections to create the same compatibility appearance with the other units in the system. The grooves can be provided so that wiring can be hidden in the grooves. 
     FIG. 52 discloses a file storage unit  384  with upper and lower sections  386  and  388  being separated by a groove  390  that is compatible with the grooves in the other elements of the furniture. The groove again can be deep enough to provide a means for concealing wiring that must pass around the storage unit. 
     It should be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various changes and modifications may be made in the arrangements and details of construction of the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Technology Category: e