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The present patent application for industrial invention relates to a modular convertible bench that is preferably used for STEM-related laboratory activities.
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The distinctive features and advantages of the invention will become clear following a brief description of the prior art and its main drawbacks.
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As it is well known, laboratory benches or tables are widely used as worktop for several processes.
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A first type of such benches simply comprises a worktop. Although they are certainly functional, such benches are impaired by the fact that they are unable to hold any objects that may slide during the work operations, with the risk of uncontrollably falling onto the ground.
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Such a situation is particularly dangerous in laboratories used for typical STEM-related activities, where said benches are used as a surface for moving small robots to be programmed and tested by individuals that are undergoing specific training for such a purpose.
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To prevent such devices from falling onto the ground, said benches have raised perimeter edges that are especially suitable for containing any uncontrolled movement of the robots or of any other moving objects, thus giving the worktop of such benches a substantially tub-like structure.
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However, it is easy to understand how the provision of the raised perimeter edges entails considerable drawbacks because they inevitably hinder the access to such a worktop in those cases in which there is no need to hold moving objects. Moreover, because of the presence of said perimeter edges, the operators who are performing work activities cannot rest their forearms and elbows on the edges of the worktop.
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An additional problem that arises in the use of traditional benches provided with raised perimeter edges consists in the fact that the presence of such perimeter raised edges does not allow to use the worktop of two or more benches arranged side by side in a continuous way, as it may be necessary for the programming and testing of small robots.
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It is easy to understand that, if one wanted to arrange multiple traditional benches side by side, the presence of the raised perimeter edges would not allow the moving objects to use the worktops of said benches as a single, freely accessible surface.
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Additionally, the laboratory benches that are currently available on the market, which are normally equipped with a power supply system, have respective dedicated systems and it is not possible to create a "single" power supply system in order to power the adjacent benches in cascade from a single power outlet provided in the room where said benches are located.
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A careful observation of the critical aspects of the prior art has led to the design of a new laboratory bench according to the invention that is believed to effectively overcome the problems that have remained unresolved until now.
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In particular, the main feature of the technology in question consists in the realization of a laboratory bench provided at the perimeter edges with selectively folding edges that can be positioned at the user's discretion in an operating position (to hold the objects that are moving on the worktop of the respective bench), wherein said edges protrude vertically upwards from the respective edges of the worktop, and in a non-operating position (for the purpose of eliminating any obstacle at the edges of the worktop of the bench), wherein said edges rotate by approximately 180° and reach a vertical position under the worktop of the respective bench.
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It is precisely the presence of said folding edges that gives the bench according to the invention an advantageous versatility, making it possible to use it in two alternative ways, depending on whether there is a need to hold the objects that are moving on the worktop of the bench or whether it is preferable to have a direct access and a more comfortable use of the worktop in other conditions of use.
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In reality, however, the provision of said folding edges also allows a second important purpose to be pursued, in the sense that the worktops of two or more adjacent benches according to the invention can be used as a single continuous surface.
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In such a case, it will be sufficient to fold down the folding edges provided at the adjacent lateral edges of the two benches to eliminate any obstacle to the sliding movement of the objects from the worktops of one or the other of said benches.
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Evidently, in such a condition, the perimeter edges of the two adjacent benches remain in vertical position in correspondence of the edges that delimit the perimeter of the single continuous surface, providing the latter with an effective containment function for the moving objects.
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The ultimate purpose of the new technology is to provide users with the possibility of creating a cascade power supply to the two or more adjacent benches, in such a way that the two or more benches can be electrically powered by means of a single electrical outlet provided in the room where said benches are located.
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The main purpose of the new technology has been achieved in accordance with the characteristics listed in the attached independent claim 1.
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Advantageous implementations of this innovative technology are apparent from the dependent claims.
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For greater clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the attached drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting, wherein:
- Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the bench in question shown with the folding edges in non-operating position;
- Fig. 2 is similar to the previous one, except for it shows the folding edges that are raised in operating position;
- Fig. 3 is similar to the previous ones, except for it shows the folding edges in operating position before mounting the corner joints that are used to hold said folding edges in such a position;
- Fig. 3A is an axonometric view of a corner joint suitable for connecting two folding edges of a bench according to the invention;
- Figs. 3B, 3C, and 3D are axonometric views of the assembly of a corner joint between two adjacent folding edges;
- Fig. 4 is similar to the previous one, except for it shows the bench in question after mounting the corner joints;
- Fig. 5 shows two cooperating benches according to the invention;
- Fig. 6 shows four cooperating benches according to the invention;
- Fig. 6A is an axonometric view of a linear joint suitable for connecting two aligned edges of two adjacent benches;
- Figs. 6B, 6C, and 6D are axonometric views of the assembly of a linear joint between two aligned edges of two adjacent benches;
- Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are partial enlarged views showing the hinge interposed between each one of said folding edges and the worktop of the bench in question and the operating mode of said hinge during the rotation of said folding edge from the non-operating lowered position to the operating raised position;
- Fig. 10 is a front view and a rear view of a traditional hinge suitable for being advantageously mounted in intermediate position between the worktop of the bench and its folding edges;
- Figs. 11A and 11B are axonometric views of the electrical connection modes provided between two benches;
- Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view showing the components of the electrical power supply system that is concealingly mounted under the worktop of the bench in question.
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With reference to Fig. 1, the bench (B) according to the invention comprises a worktop (1) and two underlying side panels (2) acting as stabilization and ground support base.
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Preferably, said worktop (1) has a rectangular surface delimited by two longitudinal edges (11, 12) and two transverse edges (13, 14), and each of the side panels (2) is provided with a pair of swivel casters (2a).
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It is also envisaged that a shelf (3) is preferably supported between the two side panels (2) under the worktop (1).
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The bench (B) also comprises a leg guard panel (30), as clearly shown in Figs. 11A and 11B.
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The distinctive feature of the bench (B) according to the invention consists in the fact that folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) are hinged inferiorly to each of the edges (11, 12, 13, 14) of the worktop (1), with the interposition of appropriate hinges (CR), said folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) being suitable for rotating by approximately 180° to be alternately disposed in a lowered vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, and in a raised vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2.
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In particular, said folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) comprise two longitudinal folding edges (110, 120) hinged to the lower surface of said longitudinal edges (11, 12) and two transverse folding edges (130, 140) hinged to the lower surface of said transverse edges (13, 14) .
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As anticipated, when the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) are in the lowered non-operating position shown in Fig. 1, said folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) do not hinder the direct access to the surface of the worktop (1), whereas when the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) are raised in the operating position shown in Fig. 3, said folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) are able to hold any objects (preferably small robots) that are moving on the worktop (1), in such a way to prevent them from accidentally falling.
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As shown in Fig. 3, at the end of the upward rotation, the four folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) are arranged at right angle, forming a rectangular perimeter containment frame (C).
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Four corner joints (4) are mounted to stabilize the rectangular containment frame (C) formed by the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) disposed in vertical operating position, Each corner joint (4) is suitable for connecting the ending sections of two adjacent folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) to each other.
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In particular, each corner joint (4) is suitable for connecting a longitudinal folding edge (110, 120) to a transverse folding edge (130, 140).
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Preferably, each joint (4) has a box-shaped structure and comprises a first wing and a second wing perpendicular to each other.
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The box-shaped corner joints (4) can be configured just like U-bolts that can be lowered from above downwards in correspondence with each of the corners of the containment frame (C).
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In such a way, each of the box-shaped corner joints (4) simultaneously embraces an ending section of one of the folding edges (110, 120) hinged at the longitudinal edges (11, 12) of the worktop (1), and an ending section of one of the folding edges (130, 140) hinged at the transverse edges (13, 14) of the worktop (1), thus preventing said folding edges from inadvertently returning to the lowered, non-operating position by simple gravity.
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More precisely, the first wing of each of said corner joints (4) is suitable for embracing the ending section of one of said longitudinal folding edges (110, 120) hinged at the longitudinal edges (11, 12) of the worktop (1), whereas the second wing of each of said corner joints (4) is suitable for embracing the ending section of one of said transverse folding edges (130, 140) hinged at the transverse edges (13, 14) of the worktop (1).
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With reference to Figs. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, each corner joint (4) comprises two vertical pins (40), one for each wing, which are arranged inside the box-shaped corner joint. Each ending section of a folding edge (110, 120, 130, 140) comprises a hole (Q) configured to accommodate one of the vertical pins (40) of the corner joint (4).
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Although the corner joints (4) shown in the attached figures have a box-shaped structure, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention not shown in the figures, the corner joints (4) may consist of plates suitable for being positioned on the edges, from which the vertical pins (40) protrude for being coupled with the holes (Q). In such a case, the stable fixing of the folding edges in the vertical operating position is provided solely by the mechanical coupling of the vertical pins (40) with the holes (Q).
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Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show the provision of said hinges (CR) between the lower surface of the worktop (1) of the bench (B) and the respective folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140), as well as the operating mode of said hinges (CR) during the reverse rotations imposed on the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) from time to time.
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In this regard, it should be noted that the hinges (CR) are traditional hinges that are commonly available on the market, and therefore they do not fall within the scope of the present invention.
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By way of example, however, reference is made to Fig. 10, which shows a typical "commercial" hinge that is perfectly suited for the specific use.
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At this point, it is reiterated that the new bench (B) is appreciated not only for its versatility, which consists in the possibility of alternately raising or lowering the folding edges, but also for its modularity, which consists in the possibility of using multiple adjacent benches to increase the total surface area used for said STEM-related activities.
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Figs. 5 and 6 show the cooperation mode of two and four adjacent benches (B) according to the invention. The adjacent benches (B) form an assembly of benches (B).
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Figs. 5 and 6 show how a selective use of said folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) of the adjacent benches (B) creates a single large worktop, composed of the worktops (1) of the benches (B) and in any case delimited by the containment frame (C).
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More precisely, it can be said that such a result is achieved by keeping the folding edges provided at the interfaced edges of the worktops (1) of the multiple benches (B) in lowered, non-operating position and by arranging the folding edges provided at the non-interfaced edges of the worktops (1) of the multiple benches (B) in raised operating position.
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With reference to Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D, linear joints (5) are mounted to stabilize two aligned folding edges of two adjacent benches (B), said linear joints (5) being used to connect the two folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) in vertical operating position of the two adjacent benches (B).
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Preferably, each linear joint (5) has a box-shaped structure and is configured like a bolt capable of being lowered from up downwards in the point where the two aligned edges face each other.
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In view of the above, each box-shaped linear joint (5) embraces the ending sections of the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) of the two adjacent benches, serving both as a safety mechanism to prevent the edges from folding downwards by simple gravity, and as a closing element, reducing or eliminating the spaces and gaps that may formed between the two aligned folding edges.
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In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each linear joint (5) comprises two vertical pegs (50) located inside the linear joint (5) and configured to be fitted into the holes (Q) made in the ending sections of the folding edges (110, 120, 130, 140) arranged side by side and aligned with each other.
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Again, although the linear joints (5) have a box-shaped structure in the attached figures, according to an alternative version of the invention not shown in the figures, the linear joints (5) may consist of plates suitable for being positioned on the edges, from which the vertical pins (50) suitable for being coupled with the holes (Q) protrude.
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Finally, reference is made to a further distinctive feature of the bench (B) that refers to the power supply mode and allows for obtaining a cascade connection between the multiple adjacent benches (B), in such a way that all of the benches can be powered by means of a single power outlet installed in the room in which they are located.
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As shown in Figs. 11A and 11B, respectively, the leg guard panel (30) of the bench (B) is provided at the ends with two circular holes (F1, F2) and the worktop (1) of said bench (B) has a through central slot (1a) near its longitudinal edge (12).
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With further reference to Fig. 12, the first hole (F1) of the leg guard panel (30) is suitably equipped with a finishing ring nut (GF) and is used for passing a first electrical cable (CE1) provided with an electrical plug (SP1) at its first end and connected at its second end to a multiple power outlet (PCM) housed in the central slot (1a) provided on the worktop (1).
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The second hole (F2) provided on the leg guard panel (30) houses a respective power outlet (PC2) powered by a second electrical cable (CE2) provided with a respective electrical plug (SP2) for connecting to the multiple power outlet (PCM) housed in the central slot (1a) of the worktop (1).
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Starting from these premises, Fig. 11A illustrates the simple methods provided for connecting two adjacent benches (B) in cascade.
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The first electrical cable (CE1) of the first bench (B1) is connected by means of the respective electrical plug (SP1) to a typical power outlet mounted on a wall in the room, whereas the first electrical cable (CE1) of the second bench (B2) is connected by means of the respective electrical plug (SP1) to the power outlet (PC2) mounted in correspondence with the second hole (F2) of the first bench.
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Moreover, as shown in Fig. 11B , after being lowered in idle position, the folding edge (120) of each bench (B) conceals the two holes (F1, F2) since the two holes (F1, F2) are drilled towards the top of the respective leg guard panel (30).
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It should be noted that, without departing from the inventive principle described above, the two holes (F1, F2) necessary to make the electrical cascade connection of two adjacent benches (B) may be located at any other point of the structure of the bench (B), perhaps on its two side panels (2), and not on the leg guard panel (30).
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Similarly, it should be noted that the same advantageous method for the electrical connection can be exploited to create a cascade interconnection of any additional number of benches (B) according to the invention.