Elevation working platform
Patent No. US10517390 (titled "Elevation working platform") on Jan 9, 2018. The application was issued on Dec 31, 2019.
What is this patent about?
’390 is related to the field of adjustable furniture supports, specifically elevation working platforms designed for tablet computers and desktop displays. Traditional height-adjustable desks often rely on complex mechanical linkages or cumbersome torsion springs that make smooth adjustment difficult and result in shifting lateral positions during the lifting process.
The underlying idea behind ’390 is to integrate a counterbalancing elastic component directly into a scissor-lift geometry to offset the weight of the platform while maintaining a constant vertical footprint. By anchoring one end of a gas spring or tension spring to a specific point on a support rod and the other to the base or a sliding hinge, the system provides a consistent assist force that allows the user to hover the desk at any height with minimal effort.
The claims of ’390 focus on an X-shaped elevating mechanism where the vertical travel is controlled by a combination of fixed and sliding hinge seats on both the upper and lower supports. Crucially, the independent claims protect a locking component comprising a sliding rail and a pin-in-hole positioning assembly, where a sliding plate within a box body acts as the actuator to engage or disengage a movable pin from the sliding hinge seat.
In practice, the invention works by utilizing the X-frame to ensure the upper desk plate moves strictly vertically without front-to-back deviation. When a user wishes to change the height, they operate a lever that pulls a dragline, causing the sliding plate to move. This motion uses a guiding slope to retract the spring-loaded pin from the positioning holes, freeing the sliding hinge to travel along the rail until the desired elevation is reached.
This approach differs from prior solutions by replacing bulky, external lifting mechanisms with a streamlined scissor-linkage that incorporates the locking and assist features into the frame itself. By placing the locking mechanism on either the upper or lower support and using the internal geometry of the support rods to house the elastic assist, the platform achieves a high weight-bearing capacity and synchronized movement without the mechanical complexity or high cost of traditional adjustable desks.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2010s when ’390 was filed, height-adjustable workstations for tablet computers and displays were typically implemented using complex mechanical linkages or torsion spring assemblies. At a time when systems commonly relied on multi-rod support structures to facilitate vertical movement, achieving a balance between structural stability and ease of adjustment was a significant engineering challenge. Hardware constraints in existing elevation platforms often made it non-trivial to maintain a constant lateral position for the upper support during vertical travel, as the mechanical geometry frequently resulted in horizontal shifting or required cumbersome manual locking mechanisms to secure the platform at a desired height.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement through an architectural shift in the lifting mechanism of an elevation working platform. By integrating a specific X-shaped elevating component geometry with an elastic component—such as a gas or mechanical spring—connected between a support rod and a hinging seat, the system enables a continuous range of height adjustment while bearing the weight of the upper support. This structural solution overcomes the constraint of lateral shifting by utilizing a combination of fixed and sliding hinging seats on both the upper and lower supports, ensuring purely vertical motion. Furthermore, the integration of a pin-based locking component with a sliding plate and guiding slope mechanism enables a precise, user-actuated capability to fix the platform at any height, significantly simplifying the mechanical interface compared to traditional torsion-based systems.
Claims
This patent contains a total of 16 claims, with claims 1 and 15 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on an elevation working platform featuring X-shaped elevating components, an elastic component to support the weight of the upper support, and a specific locking mechanism comprising a sliding rail, positioning holes, and a pin-actuated box body to restrict movement at either the lower or upper support. The dependent claims serve to further define the specific arrangement and type of the elastic component, the mechanical details of the pin and sliding plate assembly, and the addition of structural features such as horizontal plates, desk surfaces, and keyboard holders.
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US10517390
- Application Number
- US15865255A
- Filing Date
- Jan 9, 2018
- Publication Date
- Dec 31, 2019
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents