Draft Shield

Abstract

The present draft shield is particularly adapted for mounting on an office chair to protect from drafts the occupant of the chair. The subject draft shield generally includes; a clamp, which is particularly adapted for releasably mounting on an office chair, a frame connected to the clamp, and a curtain supported by the frame. The frame includes a clamp rod secured to the clamp. A lower bracket joint is mounted on each end of the clamp rod. A telescoping post is mounted on each lower bracket joint. The posts are selectively pivoted, either to position each post substantially parallel to the clamp rod to facilitate storage of the draft shield or to position each post substantially perpendicular to the clamp rod. An upper bracket is mounted on the top of each of the posts. An upper bracket rod extends between the upper brackets. A roof rod is secured to each of the upper brackets and extends upward and away from the post. A front rod is connected to the roof rods. The curtain is supported on the upper rod, the roof rod and the front rod. The curtain includes panels hanging downward to provide an enclosure adjacent to an occupant of the office chair. A side rod is pivotedly mounted on each of the lower bracket joints and may be selectively positioned parallel to the respective post or perpendicular to the respective post. A side curtain is removably mounted on each of the side rods.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many offices, there is a large general office area, with a large number of individuals seated at individual desks. Typically, this large general office area is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer by a forced air system, which not only provides heating and cooling but also provides ventilation for the area. Engineers and architects designing such a ventilating system strive to provide diffusers and the like so that there is no noticeable air flow or draft in any given area, though there is a change of air. Although this is the ideal design, the ideal is, in many instances, difficult, if not impossible, to achieve for any one of a variety of reasons. Accordingly, often in any given large area, there is one or more portions in which there is a draft. This draft is uncomfortable for employees. Not only does the draft tend to lower employee moral, but the draft also causes employees to suffer ill health.

Many devices and systems have been considered for the prevention of drafts in a large office area. None of these heretofore-known systems has been completely successful. One way of making certain that an office worker is not in a draft is to provide a suitable enclosure for the worker at the worker's desk. The enclosure should be one which is not only effective in protecting against drafts, but should also be easily erected and easily dismantled and stored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved construction for a draft shield. The present draft shield includes a clamp, which is adapted for mounting on an office chair, a frame connected to the clamp, and a curtain supported by the frame.

The frame includes a clamp rod and a rod connected to the clamp. A lower bracket joint is mounted on each of the opposite ends of the clamp rod. A telescoping post is mounted in each of the lower bracket joints. Each of the telescoping posts may be selectively positioned in an attitude substantially parallel to the clamp rod or in an attitude perpendicular to the clamp rod. An upper bracket is mounted on the top or upper end of each of the posts. An upper rod has opposite ends connected to the upper brackets. The upper rod is separable to allow the frame to be folded up for easy storage of the draft shield. A roof rod is connected to each of the upper brackets. A front rod has its opposite ends connected to the roof rods. The front rod is also constructed in a manner so that it may be separated for folding.

The curtain is mounted on the frame and hangs downward therefrom. The curtain has a rear panel, which has its upper end adjacent to the upper rod. The curtain also has a pair of side panels, each of which has its upper end adjacent to one of the roof rods. A side rod is pivotedly connected to each of the lower bracket joints. A side curtain is mounted on each of the side rods and extends almost to a supporting surface for the office chair.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved draft shield construction which allows a draft shield to be erected and mounted on an office chair readily and simply, and which draft shield may be simply and easily collapsed for storage.

It is another object of the herein-disclosed invention to provide an improved draft shield which is simple and economical to manufacture.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel draft shield which may be readily installed.

Other objects and uses of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a draft shield embodying the present invention, mounted on a conventional office chair, with a portion of the shield broken away to show better the interrelationship of the chair and the draft shield;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the draft shield of FIG. 1, mounted on the office chair;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clamp and frame of the draft shield, with arrows showing how the frame is folded for collapsing the frame into a small package;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the frame shown in FIG. 3, showing in dotted form a partially folded attitude of a portion of a front rod and a portion of a roof rod;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view taken on Line 5--5 of FIG. 4, showing an upper joint with the roof rod in an extended position, but an upper rod in a folded attitude, and showing the upper bracket in dotted form in a partially collapsed attitude;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view, with a portion broken away, of a connector of the upper rod, with portions of the upper rod shown therein;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of a lower bracket joint, with a portion of the lower bracket joint broken away in order to show the interior construction, and showing a portion of a side rod in an extended position, and showing the side rod in dotted form in a partially raised attitude;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the lower bracket joint, with a portion broken away in order to show better the construction thereof, and showing in dotted form a portion of the lower bracket joint and the associated post tilted slightly in an attitude for positioning in a collapsed attitude;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevational view of the lower bracket joint, showing the interconnection of the lower bracket joint with one end of a clamp rod;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower bracket joint of FIG. 9, taken on Line 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a second form of the draft shield, mounted on an office chair;

FIG. 12 is a top view of a clamp of the draft shield shown in FIG. 11; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken on Line 13--13 of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing, and especially to FIG. 2, a draft shield embodying the present invention is shown therein and is generally indicated by numeral 10. The draft shield is mounted on a conventional office chair generally indicated by numeral 12. The draft shield 10 generally includes a pair of clamps 14 and 16 removably mounted on the office chair 12, a frame 18 secured to the clamps 14 and 16, and a transparent curtain 20 removably mounted on the frame 18. As may be seen in FIG. 2, an occupant of the office chair 12 is protected from drafts by the draft shield 10 inasmuch as the curtain 20 extends to the rear and the sides of the occupant, as well as above the occupant.

The office chair 12 is of conventional construction in that it includes a plurality of legs 22 adapted for engagement with a supporting surface. The legs 22 are supportingly connected to a pedestal 24. The pedestal in turn supports a seat 26, which has a pair of parallel upright struts 28 and 30 connected thereto. The struts 28 and 30 are supportingly connected to a conventional back 32.

The clamps 14 and 16 are removably secured to the struts 28 and 30, respectively. The clamps 14 and 16 are identical in their construction. Clamp 14 includes a clamp body 34, which has a rod apertrue 36 extending therethrough. An open-ended strut aperture 38 is formed in the body 34, having its axis perpendicular to the axis of the rod aperture 36. A fastener 40 is threadedly mounted in the body 34 and is adapted for engagement with one of the struts of the office chair, positioned in the strut aperture 38 to secure the clamp to the strut.

The frame 18 generally consists of a clamp rod 42, with lower bracket joints 44 and 46 secured to opposite ends of the clamp rod. Telescoping posts 48 and 50 are secured to the lower bracket joints 44 and 46, respectively. The posts 48 and 50 have upper brackets 52 and 54 secured to the upper end of the posts 48 and 50, respectively. An upper rod 56 extends between the upper brackets 52 and 54, and has its opposite ends secured to the brackets. The upper brackets 52 and 54 have roof rods 58 and 60, respectively, secured thereto. The roof rods 58 and 60 have roof joints 62 and 64, respectively, connected thereto. A front rod 66 has its opposite ends secured to the roof joints 62 and 64. A first side rod assembly 68 is pivotedly connected to the lower bracket joint 44; and a second side rod assembly 70 is pivotedly connected to the lower bracket joint 46.

The clamp rod 42 is positioned in the rod apertures of the clamps 14 and 16. The clamp rod is secured to the clamps 14 and 16 by conventional fasteners, which are not shown herein. The clamps are appropriately spaced along the clamp rod so as to receive the struts 28 and 30 of the office chair.

The lower bracket joint 46 is a mirror image of the lower bracket joint 44. The details of construction of the lower bracket joint 44 may be best seen in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10. The lower bracket joint 44 generally includes an end block 71, which has a rod aperture 72 formed therein for fixedly receiving one end of the clamp rod 42. The end block 71 has a slot 73 contained therein, opening into the rod aperture 72. The rod 42 has a clamp rod lock 74 fixed to it by a conventional screw 75. The clamp rod lock 74 fits into the slot 73 to prevent the rod 42 from being pulled out of the end block 71. A pair of set screws 76 and 77 is mounted in the end block and in engagement with the end of the rod 42 to hold the rod. The bracket joint 44 also includes a double rod bracket 78, pivotedly mounted on the end block 71. A threaded stud 79 has one end fixed in the end block 71. Stud 79 extends through double rod bracket 76 through a pivot stud aperture 80 so that the bracket 78 may pivot about the stud 79. The threaded stud 79 has a knob 81 threadedly mounted thereon, which knob is engageable with the double rod bracket 78 to lock frictionally the double rod bracket to the end block 71.

The double rod bracket includes a post aperture 82, which aperture 82 fixedly receives one end of post 48. The double rod bracket 78 also includes a side rod groove 84, which is substantially parallel to the post aperture 82. The side rod assembly 68 is pivotedly mounted in the side rod groove 84 on a side rod pivot pin 86. The pivot pin 86 is generally perpendicular to the axis of the groove 84.

The side rod assembly 68 includes a side rod sleeve 90, which is supported on the pin 86. A side rod 92 has one end fixed in the rod sleeve 90. As may be seen in FIG. 7, the double rod bracket 78 includes a side rod sleeve recess 94 and an abutment 96 adjacent to the recess for engagement with the end of sleeve 90 when the side rod is in an attitude substantially perpendicular to post 48. The side rod assembly may be pivoted about pin 86 from the attitude shown in FIG. 7 to an attitude wherein the side rod is substantially parallel to post 48.

The vertical posts 48 and 50 are identical in construction; and post 48 is described below. The post 48 includes a lower female portion 98. Female portion 98 is fixed in the post aperture 82 to provide a lower rod for the vertical post. A male portion 100 is telescopically and slideably mounted in the female portion 98, and provides an upper rod for the vertical post.

The upper bracket 52 is mounted on the upper end of the upper rod 100. The upper bracket 54, which is a mirror image of bracket 52, is mounted on the upper end of post 50. The upper bracket 52 includes a body 102, which has a floor 104 and a pair of side walls 106 and 108 formed integral with the side walls. A bracket pivot pin 110 extends through the side walls 106 and 108. A pivot sleeve 112 is pivotedly connected to the pivot pin 110. The pivot sleeve 112 is fixed to the upper end of rod 100, as may be seen in FIG. 5. A roof rod aperture 114 is formed integral with the floor 104 for receiving one end of roof rod 58. A yoke 116 is formed integral with side wall 108, with an upper rod pin 118 positioned therein.

The upper rod 56 has its opposite ends pivotedly connected to the upper brackets 52 and 54. The upper rod 56 includes an upper rod sleeve 120 pivotedly connected to upper rod pin 118, as may be seen in FIG. 4. A second upper rod sleeve 122 is pivotedly connected in a like manner to upper bracket 54. An upper rod section 124 is fixed in the upper rod sleeve 120; and an upper rod section 126 is fixed in the upper rod sleeve 122. A connector 128 is fixed to the section 126, and is slideably and frictionally engageable with the section 124, as may be best seen in FIG. 6. It is apparent that the upper rod may be selectively separated at the connector 128.

As was mentioned above, the roof joints 62 and 64 are mirror images of each other, and are connected to the front rod 66. The roof joint 62, as may be seen in FIG. 4, includes a clevis 130, which is fixedly mounted on one end of roof rod 58. A pivot sleeve 132 is pivotedly connected to the clevis 130 through a roof joint pin 134.

The front rod 66 includes a first section 136, which has an end 138 set at a right angle to the first section and fixed in the pivot sleeve 132. The front rod also includes a second section 140, having a right-angle end 142 fixed to the roof joint 64. A connector sleeve 144 is fixed to the section 140, and is slideably and frictionally engageable with the section 136 in much the same manner that the straight section 124 of the upper rod is frictionally engageable with the connector 128.

The transparent curtain 20 is, in this instance, made of a sheer nylon material which is transparent but does not allow air to flow readily through the material. The curtain includes a roof panel 146, which is generally rectangular in configuration, and is substantially the same size as the rectangle formed by the roof rods 58 and 60, the upper rod 56, and the front rod 66. A short retaining panel 148 is fixed to the front edge of the roof panel 146. A rear panel 150 has its upper edge secured to the opposite edge of the roof panel. The rear panel 150 is sufficiently long to extend from the roof panel to the ground, as may be seen in FIG. 2. A pair of side panels 152 and 154 is attached to the ends of the roof panel 146. The side panels 152 and 154 are also secured to the rear panel 150 and extend to the same level as the rear panel. A lower side panel 156 is mounted on the side rod assembly 68; and a second lower side panel 158 is mounted on the side rod assembly 70.

It may be seen that the curtain 20 is held in place by the panel 148 draping over the edge of the front rod 66 and the remaining panels forming a box around the upper portion of the frame to hold the curtain in position. The lower side panels each have a hem formed in their upper ends to receive the respective side rods.

The instant draft shield is simply and easily assembled on an office chair. The clamps 14 and 16 are secured to the struts of chair 12, thereby securing the clamp rod 42 to the office chair. The frame 18 is then extended. The locks of the lower bracket joints are loosened; and the posts 48 and 50 are pivoted to an attitude perpendicular to the clamp rod. The side rod assemblies 68 and 70 are pivoted downward. The upper brackets are pivoted about their pins. The straight sections of the upper rod are folded out, and the section 124 is placed into frictional engagement with the section 128. The sections of the front rod are folded out away from the respective roof rods; and the section 136 is placed into frictional engagement with the connector 144.

Next, the curtain is mounted on the frame. The curtain 20 is placed on the portion of the frame formed by the front rod, upper rod, and roof rods 58 and 60. The retaining panel 148 is placed over the front rod, so that the roof panel 146 lies within the rods. The side panels and rear panel drape downward. The upper rods of the vertical posts are then extended upward to a suitable height. The lower side panels 156 and 158 are then placed on the side rod assemblies 68 and 70.

It may be appreciated that, though the assembly of the instant draft shield has been described utilizing the side rod assemblies, it is readily apparent that, in certain instances, it may not be necessary to utilize the side rod assemblies. The side rod assemblies may be kept in their attitude parallel to their respective vertical posts.

It should also be appreciated that, though the present description has been made as having two clamps 14 and 16, it is readily apparent that certain office chairs do not have two struts, but rather have a single strut for the back rest. A draft shield 200, also embodying the present invention, is shown in FIG. 11 mounted on a conventional office chair 202, which chair 202 has a single strut.

The office chair 202 is of conventional construction in that it includes a plurality of legs 204 adapted for engagement with a supporting surface. The legs are supportingly connected to a conventional pedestal 206. The pedestal in turn supports a seat 208, which has a single strut 210 connected to a conventional back 212.

The draft shield 200 generally includes a single clamp 214, which is removably connected to the single strut 210 of chair 202. The draft shield also includes a frame 216, which frame is identical in construction to the frame 18 described in detail above. A transparent curtain 218 is mounted on the frame 216. The transparent curtain 218 is identical in construction to the curtain 20 described in detail above.

The frame 216 includes a clamp rod 220, which is identical to the clamp rod 42 of the frame 18. The clamp rod 220 is mounted in the clamp 214 and is held therein by a plurality of set screws 222.

The construction of the clamp 214 is best seen in FIGS. 12 and 13. The clamp 214 includes a body 224, with a clamping ear 226 formed integral with one end thereof and a pedestal 228 formed integral with the other end thereof. A T-shaped way 230 is formed integral with the body 224 and extends from the pedestal 228 toward the clamping ear 226. A clamping slide 232 mates with and is slideably mounted on the way 230. A threaded adjustment bar 234 is threadedly mounted in the pedestal 228 and is connected to the slide 232.

The threaded adjustment bar 234 is conventional in that it includes an elongated threaded body 236, which is threadedly mounted in the pedestal 228. A knurled adjustment knob 238 is fixed to one end of the elongated threaded body 236. A connector groove 240 is formed in the body adjacent to the other end of the body for connection of the adjustment rod to the slide 232.

The slide 232 contains a slide groove 242, which mates with the T-shaped way 230. The slide also has a mounting aperture 244, which receives one end of the threaded body 236. A connector pin 246 is mounted in the slide 232, extending through the aperture 244, and is positioned in groove 240 of the threaded bar 236.

It may be seen how the slide 232 may be moved along the way 230 by simply rotating the knurled knob 238 to adjust the distance between the slide 232 and the clamping ear.

The frame 216 is easily mounted on the single strut 210 by moving the slide 232 away from the clamping ear 226, positioning the strut between the clamping ear 226 and the slide, and then tightening the slide to hold securely the clamp onto the strut, thereby removably securing the frame 216 to the office chair.

The operation of the draft shield 200 is identical to the operation of the draft shield 10 described in detail above.

An occupant of the office chair may be seated in the chair behind a desk. The occupant of the office chair is protected from drafts from behind, from the sides, and from above. The occupant receives protection from drafts from the front by the desk in front of the occupant. Also, any air currents would be deflected by the draft shield, so that any steady state flow would be around the draft shield, thereby diverting any drafts from the front.

As was mentioned above, the curtain 20 is transparent, so that co-workers and supervisors and the occupant of the office chair having the draft shield would be mutually visible.

At the end of the day or whenever the conditions of the draft have been eliminated, the draft shield may be readily removed. The draft shield is removed by simply lowering the upper rods of the vertical posts and removing the curtain 20 simply by lifting off the curtain and folding it into a neat, compact unit. The lower side panels 156 and 158 are slipped off their respective side rod assemblies and also folded into a neat, compact unit.

The frame is then folded into a neat, compact unit and may be conveniently stored. After the posts 48 and 50 have been telescoped to bring down the upper portion of the frame to a suitable height, the section 136 of the front rod is slipped out of its connector 144. The sections 136 and 140 are folded downward, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3. The section 124 is slipped out of connector 128 of the upper rod; and the sections 124 and 126 are folded upward, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3. It may be appreciated that the sections of the upper rod and the front rod are parallel to their respective rods. The roof rods and the accompanying respective sections are pivoted about their respective bracket pivot pins 110 to place the elements into an attitude parallel to the respective vertical posts. The vertical posts are then reduced to their minimum height by telescoping the upper rod completely into the respective lower rod if the posts had not yet been so telescoped. The side rod assemblies 68 and 70 are also folded against their posts. The locks are released by releasing the respective knobs to pivot the double rod brackets of the lower bracket joints to an attitude substantially parallel to the clamp rod 42. The clamps 14 and 16 are released from the respective struts to remove the frame from the office chair. In the case of draft shield 200, clamp 214 is released from the strut 210 to release the frame from the office chair. The entire frame of the draft shield is a compact unit which may be easily and conveniently stored with the clamps and curtain.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in detail above, it is readily apparent that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be expressly understood that the instant invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A draft shield of the character described mounted on an office chair and supported thereby comprising, a clamp releasably secured to an office chair, a clamp rod secured to the clamp, a lower bracket joint mounted on each of the opposed ends of the clamp rod, a post connected to each of the lower bracket joints, each post being selectively positionable to an attitude either substantially perpendicular to or substantially parallel to the clamp rod, an upper bracket connected to the upper end of each of the posts, an upper rod connected to the upper brackets, a front rod connected to the upper brackets and being spaced from and substantially parallel to the upper rod, and a curtain connected to the upper rod and the front rod, said curtain having a panel and a pair of side panels extending downward to protect from drafts an occupant of the office chair, a roof rod connected to each of the upper brackets and extendible outwardly therefrom, the front rod having each end connected to one of the roof rods, said front rod being separable to facilitate storage, and said upper rod being separable to facilitate storage, each of the posts includes a pair of telescoping members to facilitate storage of the draft shield, each lower bracket joint includes an end block secured to its respective end of the clamp rod, a double rod bracket pivotedly mounted on its respective end block, each double rod bracket having one end of its respective post secured therein, and a lock for selectively and releasably locking each double rod bracket to its repsective end block, including a side rod pivotedly connected to each of the double rod brackets for selectively positioning the side rod either substantially parallel to its respective post or in an attitude substantially perpendicular to said post, a side curtain supportable on the side rod for further protecting the occupant of the office chair, each of the posts including a pair of telescoping members to facilitate storage of the draft shield, and a roof rod connected to each of the upper brackets and being selectively positionable in an attitude either substantially parallel to its respective post or extending outward from its respective post, the front rod having each end connected to one of the roof rods, said front rod being separable to have portions positionable in an attitude substantially parallel to the respective roof rods, and said curtain being transparent.