US2090679A

US2090679A - Covered top construction for desks and the like

Info

Publication number: US2090679A
Application number: US137610A
Authority: US
Inventors: James R Jones
Original assignee: Art Metal Construction Co
Current assignee: Art Metal Construction Co
Priority date: 1937-04-19
Filing date: 1937-04-19
Publication date: 1937-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 1954-08-24
Also published as: GB500917A

Description

Aug. 24, 1937. J. R. JONES 2,090,679

COVERED TOP CONSTRUCTION FOR DESKS AND THE LIKE Filed April 19, 1957 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTOJRN EYs J. R. JONES Aug. 24, 1937.

COVERED TOP CONSTRUCTION FOR DESKS AND THE LIKE Filed April 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR MUM BY E g la-(c r M ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES covnnnn 'ror ooNs'rnUc'noN ronnnsxs AND rm; mm

James R. Jones, Jamestown, N. Y.. casino: to Art Metal Construction Company, Jamestown,

Application April is, 1937, Serial No..137,810

Claim.

This invention relates to the construction of covered tops for desks, tables and other articles, and more particularly to improvements in covered tops for metal desks and other articles, in

5 which the metal top is provided with a surface 1sheet covering of linoleum or other. suitable maerial. t

An object of the invention is to provide a top having a surface sheet covering and which is of lfl'attractive appearance and of improved practical construction.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a top of improved construction having rounded edges and corners and which has a surface sheet covering with protected finished edges; which.

is of simple and durable construction; in which 7 the parts of the covered top can be readily assembled and secured in place on the desk or other article with which the top is'to be used; the construction of which facilitates the attachment of the top to the desk or other article; and which has the other features of improvement and advantage hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: I Fig. 1 is a plan view of a covered top for a desk or the like embodying my invention, portions of the top covering being partially broken away to show the underlying parts.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view of a corner portion of the top with the end finishing strip or molding removed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view of the top on line 3-3, Fig. 6.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, bottom plan view of the top.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical section of the top on line 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, longitudinal, vertical sec- 40 tion of the top and upper portion of its supporting structure, on line 66, Fig. 1, one end thereof being shown in elevation.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, end elevation showing the top with the end finishing strip removed.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 8-8, Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the end of the top on line 9-9, Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one corner of the top with the end finishing strip partly broken 50 away tq show the corner construction of the top.

The covered metal top construction shown in the drawings as an embodiment of my invention, includes a metal core or top plate II which may be suitably stiffened or strengthened to 55 maintain it rigid or flat and prevent it from bending or sagging under weight or pressure. thereon, as by flanged metal ribs or stiffening elements extending longitudinally beneath and welded to the underside of the core plate. For this purpose, two intermediate, U-shaped ele- 5 ments I! are shown extending longitudinally of the top between its front and rear edges and having top flanges spot welded to the core plate, and longitudinal channel bars. l3 arranged with their flanges extending. horizontally inwardly of the top and with their top flanges spot welded to the underside of the core plate adjacent its front and rear edges.

In the preferred. construction, the front and rear or longitudinal side edge portions of the core plate are curved downwardly at H outwardly beyond the stiffening elements l3, and the edges of the down curved portions are bent to form inwardly extending horizontal flanges i5 at the front and rear of the top,,and each of the opposite end portions of the core plate H is bent downwardly forming an upright edge or wall IS, the lower edge portion of which is bent to form an outwardly projecting horizontal end flange l1. Thus, the core has rounded front and rear edges with inwardlyextending bottom faces or flanges l5 and abrupt or upright edge faces at its opposite ends with outwardly extending bottom flanges. In order to strengthen the metal top at its corners, a gusset plate i8 is preferably provided at each corner of the top and secured by spot welding to the end portions of the adjacent outwardly extending end flange l1 and inwardly extending front or rear edge flange I5 of the top, as the case may be.

20 represents the non-metallic sheet material which covers the metal core II and forms the upper or working surface of the top. This may consist of a sheet of linoleum or other covering. material which will give the desired surface char- 40 acteristics and which may be cemented on the upper surface of the core as usual, to intimately unite the cover sheet and core and insure a smooth or flat, upper surface for the top. The opposite end edges 2| of this cover sheet preferably terminate at the upright end faces I 6 of the core, while the opposite longitudinal or front and rear marginal portions of the cover sheet extend downwardly over the rounded side edges ll of the core, with the longitudinal edges 22 of the cover sheet preferably terminating flush with the bottom faces of the rounded edges of the core. The cover sheet is thusa rectangular sheet or blank g which can be readily and economically cut to proper size to flt the core with the end edges of the cover sheet disposed approximately at the vertical end faces of the core, and its side edges at the bottoms of the rounded front and rear edges of the core.

5 At the side or front and rear edges of the top, the edges of the cover sheet are preferably bound and protected by finishing strips 23 which may consist of metal angle strips, see Fig. 5, having narrow, vertical flanges engaging the outer faces 10 of the margins of the cover sheet, and horizontal flanges which extend inwardly beneath and may be secured to the under side of the core, as by small screws 24 with nuts, or screwed into tapped holes in the bottom flanges I5 of the core.

15 Each end of the top is finished and the edge of the cover' sheet protected by a finishing strip of molding 25. This is preferably a metal strip having a transversely curved or rounded flange provided with a down-bent upper edge 26 which bears on the upper face of the cover sheet near its edge, and a bottom flange 21 adapted to extend inwardly beneath the out-turned bottom flange ll of the top core. The finishing strip 25 may be secured in place in this position by fastening 25 tongues 28 which are welded to the inner side of the strip and extend inwardly through slots 29 in the end walls l6 of the core and have their inner ends bent over against the inner face of said end wall. The opposite ends 3|] of each 30 finishing strip 25 are preferably rounded or curved both horizontally and vertically so that when the finishing strip is secured in place, the inner edges of its rounded ends 30 will overlap and conform in curvature to the rounded or 35 curved front and rear marginal portions ll of the cover sheet, and thus form rounded corners for the top. The longitudinal or front and rear finishing strips 22 extend between and abut at their ends against the inner edges of the rounded 40 ends of the finishing strips 25, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. The top thus has rounded side or front and rear edges and rounded end edges which are formed by the end finishing strips and which correspond substantially in curvature with the 45 rounded side edges, and the corners also of the top are rounded in elevation as well as in plan.

The described construction makes possible a round cornered top having a covering of linoleum or other material of a. character which is not 50 capable of being readily bent or molded to fit a rounded corner with a smooth, neat, finished appearance. No corner notching or special shaping of the cover sheet is necessary, but a simple rectangular blank or sheet with straight 55 edges is employed.

It is desirable to secure the described top at its ends on the desk or other structure with which it is used, and for this purpose, the outwardly extending end flanges ll of the core are prefer- 0 ably formed with down-pressed bosses 3i adapted to bear on the supporting structure and be fastened thereto, as by screws 32 passing through elongated slots in the bosses and *screwed in tapped holes in parts 33 of the supporting structure, or by other suitable fastening means. These bosses3l provide shallow spaces or slits between the end flanges I! of the top and the parts 33 of the supporting structure to receive the inturned flanges of the end finishing strips 70 25, which are notched at 34 to straddle the depressed bosses. The top can be secured in place on the supporting structure by the bolts 32 before the end finishing strips are placed in position. This facilitates the assembling operation and re- 75 duces the labor of securing the top on the supporting structure, and after the top has been secured in place, the end finishing strips can be readily placed in position by slipping their bottom flanges into the spaces between the end flanges l1 and the top of the supporting structure, and securing them in place by means of their fastening tongues 28.

The top may be additionally secured on the supporting structure in any suitable manner, as for instance, by bolts connecting the top and structure. 36, Fig. 6 represent two such bolts connecting the stifiening ribs of the top to brackets on the supporting structure.

I claim as my invention:

1. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core having opposite rounded side edges and opposite abrupt end edges, 8. cover sheet covering the upper surface and the rounded side edges of the core, and transversely rounded finishing strips at the ends of the top extending out from the ends of the cover sheet and forming rounded end edges and rounded comers for the top.

2. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core having opposite rounded side edges and opposite abrupt end edges, a cover sheet covering the upper surface and the rounded side edges of the core and at its ends terminating short of the ends of the finished top, and finishing strips at the ends of the top extending out from the ends of the cover sheet and having rounded side and end surfaces forming end edges and corners for the top rounded in substantial conformity with said rounded covered side edges.

3. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core having a rounded side edge and an abrupt end edge, a cover sheet covering the upper surface and the rounded side edge of the core, and a finishing strip at the end of the top extending out from the end of the cover sheet and having rounded side and end surfaces and forming a rounded end edge and a rounded corner for the top joining said side and end edges thereof.

4. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core plate having a down-bent edge at one side of the top and a down-bent end and outwardly projecting bottom flange at one end of the top, a cover sheet covering the upper surface and the down-bent side edges of the core plate, and a finishing strip at the end of the top extending out from the end of the cover sheet and covering said end and flange of the core, and forming a finished end edge for the top and a finished corner joining said side and end edges.

5. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core plate having a down-bent rounded edge at one side of the top and a downbent end and outwardly projecting flange at one end of the top, a cover sheet covering the upper surface and the rounded edge of the core plate, and a transversely rounded finishing strip at the end of the top extending out from the end of the cover sheet and covering said end flange of the core, and having a rounded end forming a rounded corner for the top at the juncture of said side and end edge thereof.

6. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core plate having a down-bent rounded edge at one side of the top and a downa flange projecting inwardly beneath said flange 7 of the core plate and an upwardly and inwardly curved flange overhanging and bearing on the end edge portion of the cover sheet, and said finishing strip having a rounded end forming a rounded corner for the top at the juncture of said side and end edges thereof.

7. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core having a rounded side edge, a cover sheet covering the upper surface and the rounded edge of the core, transversely rounded end finishing strips at the ends of the top extending out from the corresponding ends of the cover sheet and forming rounded end edges for the top and having rounded ends engaging opposite ends of the rounded edge portion of the 25 porting structure to secure said top in place, a

cover sheet on said core plate, and a finishing strip secured at the end. of the top and engaging the end edge of the cover sheet and covering and hiding said bottom flange and its fastening means.

9. A covered top for desks and other articles comprising a core plate having a down-bent end with an outwardly projecting bottom flange, a supporting structure for said top, means securing said bottom flange on said supporting structure to secure said top in place, a cover sheet on said core plate, and a finishing strip secured at the end of the top and engaging the end edge of the cover sheet and having a flange confined between said supporting structure and said outwardly projecting bottom flange of the core plate and covering and hiding said bottom flange and securing means.

10. A covered top for desks a'nd'other articles comprising a core plate having a down-bent end with an outwardly projecting bottom flange, a supporting structure, said bottom flange having depressed bosses bearing on' said supporting structure, fastenings at said bosses securing said bottom flange on said supporting structure, a cover sheet on said core plate, and a finishing strip engaging the end edge of the cover sheet and having a flange confined between said supporting structure and said bottom flange of the core plate between said bosses.

JAMES R. JONES.