US 5,321,579 · Granted 1994-06-14
The Patent That Freed Up Your Desk by Moving the Monitor Off It
Imagine a desk panel that holds your computer monitor on an arm sticking out from it instead of taking up precious desk space. This patent describes how to mount a flat-screen display on an adjustable, extending arm attached to office panels, so you get way more room to actually work on your desk surface.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a modular office panelling system where a flat electronic display screen is either built into the panel itself or mounted on a cantilevered adjustable arm extending from the panel. What's protected here is the specific configuration of how that screen attaches, adjusts in depth and angle, and integrates with the panel structure to keep it visible and functional while freeing up the work surface below.
Why it matters
In the early 1990s, computer monitors were bulky CRT tubes that consumed enormous desk real estate. This patent solved a real workplace problem by moving the screen vertically and off the work surface entirely, giving office workers back precious space for actual tasks. For office furniture makers like Teknion, this became a key differentiator in an increasingly computer-driven workplace, combining ergonomics with space efficiency.
Real-world use
Every time you sit at a modern office desk with the monitor hanging on an arm beside the panel rather than squatting on the desktop, you're using the spatial logic this patent locked down.
Original USPTO abstract
The present invention is directed to office panelling systems and, in particular, an office panelling system wherein a flat electronic display screen is incorporated within or directly supported by an office panel, with the display screen visible to one side of the panel. The office panel with the display screen located therein greatly enhances the amount of work space available at an associated work station, which otherwise would have a CRT supported on the work surface. The depth of the work surface can be cut down if the work station is primarily used for a dedicated data entry station or computer work station. In other cases, the computer monitor screen is a flat thin profile screen mounted on an adjustable arm supported at a position adjacent the panel whereby the spacing of the screen from the panel is adjustable by varying the effective length of the arm.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,321,579
- Filing date
- 1992-06-05
- Grant date
- 1994-06-14
- Assignee
- Teknion Furniture Systems
- Inventor(s)
- BROWN; MORTIMER, CRINION; JONATHAN
- CPC class
- F16M11/10
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