GB2337929A

GB2337929A - Counter

Info

Publication number: GB2337929A
Application number: GB9911210A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Douglas Nicholson; Mark Mcconway; John Hall
Original assignee: CITYSPACE RETEC Ltd
Current assignee: CITYSPACE RETEC Ltd
Priority date: 1998-05-14
Filing date: 1999-05-14
Publication date: 1999-12-08
Also published as: GB9911210D0

Abstract

A serving counter includes means for adjusting the height of a portion 3 of the counter between an upper and lower limit. Means may be provided for adjusting either the serving side of the counter or the customer side of the counter or both. The adjusting means may be controlled by switching means on the serving side of the counter or the customer side of the counter. A transparent panel 6 with communication means 10 is mounted on the counter between the serving side and the customer side of the counter. The panel is raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter, thereby keeping the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.

Description

1 COUNTER 2337929 This invention relates to counters or work surfaces in

general and, more particularly, to counters or work surfaces that offer easy and non- discriminatory access to users of any height or disability.

In shops, banks or other environments where counters or work surfaces are provided for conducting business, for example post offices or reception desks, the counters at which business is conducted are of a standard height. This height is generally selected to accommodate customers of an average height and takes no account of customers with particular requirements.

For example, wheelchair bound customers would find difficulty in conducting business in such places as the counter is generally above the level of the wheelchair. This can be a particular problem where a glass panel is mounted on the counter between the customer and the serving staff. Such panels are often provided with communication means to allow communication between the customer and the serving staff. For a customer in a wheelchair, for example, not only are they generally below the level of the counter but they are also below the level of the communication means.

Customers who are accompanied by young children may also experience similar difficulties using standard counters. The counter is too high for the child to see over and the customer may have to divide his/her attention between the serving staff attending to them and the child. This can lead to errors being made in pu. LchaE.zs but will also lead to an increase in frustration of both the child and the customer.

0 2 Such customers may be deterred from using facilities due to these problems.

There has, in the recent past, been an attempt to accommodate such individuals who would find standard height counters impractical. In an effort to alleviate the problem, fixed low-level counters have been installed in some locations.

However, as these counters are not intended for the average customer they are not generally staffed at all times and it may be difficult to attract attention to a member of staff when assistance is required.

Furthermore, the same problems as are associated with the standard height counters are also found with the fixed low-level counters. No two customers have exactly the same requirements and therefore, if the fixed lowlevel counter is at the right height for one customer, it 20 may be either too high or too low for the next customer.

Often such low level counters are located remote from the general serving area and it may be impractical to provide staff at that location, especially at times 25 when the shop or post office is busy.

Furthermore, some customers are not content in using these low-level counters as they are viewed as discriminatory to people who have a height disadvantage.

It is therefore, an aim of the present invention to provide a counter or work surface that overcomes or at least mitigates the above problems that are associated wi.Lh kr,.:wn serving counters.

3 According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a counter or work surface in which at least a portion thereof is height adjustable.

Preferably, means are provided for adjusting the height of the said portion of the counter between an upper and lower limit.

Advantageously, means may be provided for adjusting either the serving side of the counter or the customer side of the counter or both.

Conveniently, the means for adjusting the height of the portion of the counter is controlled by switching means on the serving side of the counter.

Alternatively, the means for adjusting the height of the portion of the counter may be controlled by switching means on the customer side of the counter.

Preferably, a transparent panel is mounted on the counter between the serving side and the customer side of the counter.

Advantageously, the panel is provide with communication means to allow communication between the serving and customer side of the counter.

Preferably, the panel is raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter thereby keeping the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be debcrit,:-d with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

4 Figure 1 is a plan view of a counter or work surface according to one aspect of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the counter or work surface of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the counter or work surface of Figure 1 with the central portion lowered; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the counter or work surface of Figure 3 with a transparent panel mounted on the counter.

Turning now to the Figures there is shown in Figure 1 a height adjustable serving counter or work surface (now referred to as a counter) 1 in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. The example described is of a counter for use in a post office environment where the height adjustable surface is built into the counter, behind which the serving staff of the post office would sit.

The counter may be formed of any suitable material such as, for example timber/timber board materials, metal or plastic materials. The counter is shown in Figure 1 as substantially rectangular but may of course be of any configuration and size to fit the particular application for the counter.

The counter 1 is divided into three sections 2, 3 and 4. The sections are shown as approximately the same size and dimensions although this is, of course, not essential. The height of the central section 3 of the counter figure 1 can be raised or lowered in relation to the height of the remaining outer sections 2 and 4 of the counter 1.

Figure 3 shows the central section 3 of the counter lowered to accommodate a customer of less than average height on the customer side of the counter. The sides 5 of the fixed level sections 2 and 4 of the counter can be provided with a facing which matches the surface of the counter 1 in order to be aesthetically pleasing to the customer.

As noted above, the counter shown in figure 1 is particularly adapted for use in a post office environment. A transparent panel 6 is mounted on the work surface between the serving s and customer c sides of the counter. The transparent panel 6 may, for example be formed of a bullet proof glass which may be required in applications where money is changing hands over the counter and cash may be stored on the service side of the counter.

As shown in figure 4, a transparent panel 6 is mounted on each of the sections 2, 3 and 4 of the counter 1. The panels 6 are held in position in rigid frames 7 that surround each of the panels. The frames 7 are mounted on the sections of the counter by a known method.

The sides 8 of the frame members 7 of the height adjustable section 3 of the counter may be adapted to be held in sliding relationship to the sides 9 of the frame members 7 of the fixed level sections 2 and 4 of the ccunter. This allows the height adjustable portion 3 of the counter to be raised and lowered without breaching the security that the transparent panel 6 provides.

6 The transparent panel 6 may be adapted to carry means for communication between the customer and the serving staff. In the example shown in figure 4 of the drawings, a standard communication device 10 in the form of a circular section of the panel provided with a plurality of apertures 11 is provided. Alternatively, other passive speech transfer methods or active electronic speech transfer may be employed.

Although not shown in the figures, it is envisaged that the upper portion of the transparent panel 6 mounted on the height adjustable portion 3 of the counter 1 will slide behind or in front of a further panel which extends beyond the lower most position of the top of the panel 6. The further panel would most likely be mounted on the side mullions of the screen assembly. This will prevent any breech in security of the transparent panel when the central portion of the counter is in its lowest position.

Means (not shown) are provided for raising or lowering the height of the adjustable portion 3 of the counter 1. This may be a relatively simple mechanical mechanism such as a scissor lift or linear actuator based mechanism. Alternatively hydraulic or pneumatic units controlled by a suitable switching apparatus may be provided. In some situations more complex electronic circuitry may be more suitable for the particular application of the invention.

A control panel 12 is located on the serving side s of the counter 1, within easy reach of the serving staff upon which switching means 13 may be provided. The switching means is connected to the means for raising or lowering the height of the counter.

7 The height of the adjustable portion 3 of the counter will normally be at the same height as the remainder of the counter 1 for serving most customers.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the height adjustable section of the counter or work surface lies in substantially parallel horizontal plane to the fixed height sections of the work surface thereby allowing the operator and customer to conduct their business comfortably and securely at the counter.

However, when a customer approaches the counter the serving staff can make an adjustment to the height of the adjustable section 3 of the counter by activating the switching means 13 on the control panel 12. This could for example, be when a wheelchair user approaches the counter. By lowering the height of the adjustable section 3 of the counter 1, the serving staff can ensure that the counter is at the correct height for the customer so that business can be carried out normally by all customers.

Such a counter is also useful when a customer approaches the counter accompanied by one or more small children. The height of the counter can be lowered to allow the customer to proceed with their business whilst still supervising the child or children.

The counter as described does not discriminate against any customers and does not force customers to use a separate counter when they cannot use the standard height counters for whatever reason. This allows all customers to conduct their business without drawing 35 attention to themselves.

8 A safety cut-out device (not shown) may be provided in order to avoid a situation in which an object could become trapped between the height adjustable section of the counter and the fixed height section of the counter as the height adjustable section is moved from one position to another. A sensor or pressure switch may be provided to detect the presence of an objection in such a position and suitable means may be provided for halting the travel of the height adjustable section of the counter in order to allow the objection to be safely removed.

A smart card slot (not shown) may be provided on the control panel 12 to enable the serving staff to insert a smart card into the slot to allow staff to easily access the height adjustment controls of the counter.

The height adjustment means may be provided with several pre-set positions that can be accessed by the serving staff, or indeed the customer if the control means were provided on the customer side of the counter. Alternatively, the adjustment means may allow infinite adjustment between an upper and lower limit.

A further advantage offered by the counter as described above is that it is clear that not only do customers require the height of the counter to be altered in some circumstances so equally so do the serving staff.

For example, if the staff member is a wheelchair user, they would be able to set the counter height to suit their needs. Furthermore, when the counter is staffed by other members of staff, the height of the cc,unter could be individually set to the correct height for each person. It is envisaged that the information on 9 the required height of the counter could be stored on a smart card as described above.

When the staff member sits at the counter, the smart card would be inserted into the slot on the control panel. The height adjustable portion of the counter would then automatically move to the correct position for that staff member in accordance with the information stored on the card.

In some application it may be desirable to have the height of both the serving side and the customer side of the counter controlled by independent control means on each side of the counter.

It will be appreciated that such a serving counter 1 can easily and comfortably accommodate any customer or staff member no matter their height or particular requirements without discrimination.

Claims

1 A counter or work surface in which at least a portion thereof is height adjustable.

2 A counter according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting the height of the said portion of the counter between an upper and lower limit.

3 A counter according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting a serving side of the counter.

4 A counter according to claim 1, wherein means are 15 provided for adjusting a customer side of the counter.

A counter according to claim 1 having a serving side and a customer side of the counter, both sides being adjustable independently of one another.

6 A counter according to claim 2, wherein the means for adjusting the height of the portion of the counter is controlled by switching means on a serving side of the counter.

7 A counter according to claim 2, wherein the means for adjusting the height of the portion of the counter is controlled by switching means on the customer side of the counter.

8 A counter according to claim 1, wherein a transparent panel is mounted on the counter so as to define a serving side and a customer side of the counter.

9 A counter according to claim 8, wherein the panel is provided with communication means to allow communication 11 between the serving side and customer side of the counter.

A counter according to claim 9, wherein the panel is arranged to be raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter thereby keeping the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.

11 A counter according to claim 3, wherein a transparent panel is mounted on the counter so as to define a serving side and a customer side of the counter.

12 A counter according to claim 11, wherein the panel is provided with communication means to allow communication between the serving side and customer side of the counter.

13 A counter according to claim 12, wherein the panel is arranged to be raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter thereby keeping the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.

14 A counter according to claim 4, wherein a transparent panel is mounted on the counter so as to define a serving side and a customer side of the counter.

A counter according to claim 14, wherein the panel is provided with communication means to allow communication between the serving side and customer side of the counter.

1E A.7-)unter according to claim 15, wherein the panel is arranged to be raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter thereby keeping 12 the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.

17 A counter according to claim 5, wherein a transparent panel is mounted on the counter so as to define a serving side and a customer side of the counter.

18 A counter according to claim 17, wherein the panel is provided with communication means to allow communication between the serving side and customer side of the counter.

19 A counter according to claim 18, wherein the panel is arranged to be raised or lowered together with the height adjustable portion of the counter thereby keeping the communication means in easy reach of the customer at all times.