Flexible modesty panel for furniture

Abstract

A flexible modesty panel is able to conform to curved furniture shapes to allow the modesty panel to be used in connection with furniture such as continuous classroom desk systems that may assume an arbitrary configuration. For example, the flexible modesty panel may be used with a modular desk system configured to form rows of continuous curving desk surfaces. The modesty panel may have a plurality of grooves on one side. Panels may be longitudinally interconnected using connectors disposed within the grooves and may supported using panel support brackets that connect to the grooves. Bolts having oblong heads that are designed to slip into the grooves in the modesty panel enable panel support brackets to be connected at arbitrary positions along the length of the modesty panel. A top groove in the modesty panel may be provided to enable name cards to be supported on the top edge of the modesty panel.

1 . A flexible modesty panel for furniture, comprising: 
 a first modesty panel section configured to be pliable in a longitudinal direction to enable the modesty panel section to assume a desired radius of curvature.    
   
   
       2 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 1 , further comprising at least a second modesty panel, configured like the first modesty panel, and joined to the first modesty panel section to form a continuous modesty panel.  
   
   
       3 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 1 , wherein a groove is defined along a top edge of the flexible modesty panel, said groove being configured to a hold name card associated with a person located at that longitudinal place along the modesty panel.  
   
   
       4 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 1 , wherein the modesty panel section is formed to have a plurality of elongate grooves formed in the longitudinal direction.  
   
   
       5 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 4 , wherein the elongate grooves are formed by a plurality of elongate T-shaped protrusions.  
   
   
       6 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 5 , wherein the modesty panel sections are connected by splices configured to fit within said grooves and engage edges of said T-shaped protrusions.  
   
   
       7 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 5 , wherein the inside edges of said T-shaped protrusions are configured to engage a head of a bolt to resist the bolt from being extricated from the groove in the modesty panel.  
   
   
       8 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 7 , wherein the grooves are configured to be on a back surface of the flexible modesty panel, and wherein the grooves are configured to enable the flexible modesty panel to be engaged by the bolts to support the modesty panel relative to an associated furniture surface.  
   
   
       9 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a decorative surface on a front surface of the modesty panel.  
   
   
       10 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 9 , wherein the decorative surface comprises a plurality of longitudinally aligned triangular ridges.  
   
   
       11 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 1 , wherein the modesty panel comprises a plurality of longitudinally aligned grooves, and the modesty panel further comprises at least one support bracket configured to engage a first set of the grooves of the modesty panel to hold the modesty panel in a first vertical position relative to an adjacent object.  
   
   
       12 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 11 , wherein the first vertical position may be changed by causing the support bracket to engage a second set of grooves of the modesty panel.  
   
   
       13 . The flexible modesty panel of  claim 11 , further comprising an E-shaped bracket configured to engage a second set of grooves of the modesty panel at an end of the modesty panel to enable a junction to be formed between the modesty panel and a side modesty panel.  
   
   
       14 . A modesty panel for a curved desk system, the modesty panel comprising: 
 at least one longitudinally elongated flexible modesty panel positioned about an edge of curved desk system and flexed to approximate a radius of curvature of the curved desk system; and    a plurality of brackets configured to attach to the curved desk system and engage the longitudinally elongated flexible modesty panel.    
   
   
       15 . The modesty panel of  claim 14 , wherein the curved desk system comprises a plurality of modular table tops supported by support plates.  
   
   
       16 . The modesty panel of  claim 14 , wherein the elongated flexible modesty panel has a plurality of longitudinally extending T-shaped projections defining elongate grooves running a significant portion of the length of the modesty panel.  
   
   
       17 . The modesty panel of  claim 16 , wherein the brackets are configured to engage at least one of the elongate grooves to support the modesty panel in a predetermined vertical position relative to the curved desk system.  
   
   
       18 . The modesty panel of  claim 14 , wherein the longitudinally elongated flexible modesty panel is configured to be disposed along a curved edge of the curved desk system, the modesty panel further comprising an end modesty panel section configured to attach to the longitudinally elongated flexible modesty panel at a corner junction.  
   
   
       19 . The modesty panel of  claim 18 , further comprising an E-shaped bracket configured to attach to an end of the longitudinally elongated flexible modesty panel, and an L-shaped bracket configured to adjustably attach to the E-shaped bracket, wherein the combination of the E-shaped bracket and the L-shaped bracket enable the corner junction to be positioned a desired distance from the edge of the curved desk system.