Height-adjustable office desk in particular for monitor screen work places
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing height-adjustable office desks face issues with long-term functionality, susceptibility to dirt and dust, and complex mechanical structures, leading to malfunctions over time, while also being heavy and costly.
Innovation Solution
A height-adjustable office desk utilizing a threaded spindle drive actuated exclusively by a spring element, with a closed-tube guide bar and table column design that telescopes without gaps, eliminating the need for manual cranks and ensuring protection against contamination and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide roller disks are used between arches and indentations for vertical guidance, then the guide rail can be guided vertically, but the structure becomes complex and susceptible to repairs over long periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex guide roller disk mechanism with arches and indentations from the system. Instead, it uses a simple vertical slot in the table column that directly guides the guide bar, eliminating unnecessary intermediate components while maintaining the vertical guidance function.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using active guiding elements like roller disks that require precise positioning between arches and indentations, the patent employs a passive guiding approach where the vertical slot itself provides the guidance constraint, simplifying the overall structure.
2Reliability
If vertical slots are used to couple table columns, then the structure is simplified, but dirt or dust cannot be prevented from ingressing, causing malfunctions over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible dust cover that slides along the vertical slot, sealing the opening to prevent dirt and dust from entering the guiding mechanism while still allowing the guide bar to move freely within the slot.
Solution Approach 2:
The dust cover acts as an intermediary element between the vertical slot and the external environment, blocking harmful particles from reaching the guiding mechanism while not interfering with the normal operation of the height adjustment.
3Ease of operation
If gas springs are used to balance the table top, then automatic height adjustment is achieved, but the structure becomes heavier and more costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive and heavy gas spring mechanism with a simpler mechanical equivalent using a spring element and lever arm system that replicates the balancing function without requiring costly pneumatic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the pneumatic/hydraulic gas spring system with a purely mechanical spring-and-lever arrangement, eliminating the need for sealed chambers, pistons, and complex mounting hardware while achieving the same height-balancing effect.
4Measurement precision
If hand cranks are used to actuate the threaded spindle drive, then fine adjustment is possible, but the structure becomes complicated and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the threaded spindle drive to be self-actuating through the user's natural interaction with the table top, where applying downward pressure automatically rotates the spindle via the integrated lever arm, eliminating the need for separate hand crank mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the height adjustment function with the table top structure itself, where the lever arm is integrated into the table column assembly, merging the adjustment mechanism with the supporting structure to reduce overall complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a compact, weight-reduced, and cost-effective desk with continuous and precise height adjustment, minimizing dirt ingress and maintaining functionality for decades without electrical components or complex mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
with the guide element being acted upon exclusively by the spring element (6)
Implementation Method 2
a special guide element is used, namely a threaded spindle drive
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The subject matter of the present invention is a height-adjustable office desk, in particular for VDU workstations. The office table has a table top (1), at least one guide bar (3) fixed to the table top (1) and a table column (4) for the guide bar (3) that telescopes into it. In addition, a spring element (6) is also provided between the table column (4) and the guide bar (3). Finally, a guide element (7, 8, 9) defining the telescoping movement between the guide bar (3) and the table column (4). According to the invention, the guide element (7, 8, 9) is designed as a threaded spindle drive (7, 8) which is acted upon exclusively by the spring element (6) and has a head-side connecting element (9).