Mounting assembly

Claim 1

In a desk construction having a desk top, parallel front and rear mounting channels secured to the undersurface thereof and each including a pair of downwardly extending sidewalls having a pair of inwardly directed retaining flanges disposed on the lower edges thereof, a pedestal having a front frame adjacent to the forward end thereof and a rear top support adjacent to the rear end thereof, the combination comprising a front mounting assembly for attaching the front frame to the front mounting channel, and spaced a first predetermined distance therefrom, a rear mounting assembly for attaching the rear top support to the rear mounting channel, and spaced a second predetermined distance therefrom, each of said mounting assemblies comprising a nut having a threaded opening therein and positioned in use on the upper surfaces of the associated retaining flanges, said nut having a pair of substantially parallel shorter sides and a pair of substantially parallel longer sides spaced apart by a distance less than the distance between the inner edges of the retaining flanges of the associated channel to permit insertion of said nut at any place therealong, a pair of downwardly projecting first abutment surfaces on said nut and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the inner edges of the retaining flanges of the associated channel to permit said first abutment surfaces to be disposed therebetween in an operative position for limiting rotation of said nut with respect to the associated mounting channel, a washer having an aperture therein and having a first predetermined thickness and positioned in use against the lower surfaces of the retaining flanges of the associated channel with said aperture in alignment with said opening, a pair of upwardly projecting second abutment surfaces on said washer and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the inner edges of the retaining flanges, of the associated channel to permit said second abutment surfaces to be disposed therebetween in an operative position for limiting rotation of said washer with respect to the associated mounting channel, a fastener including a spacer portion and a threaded shank extending from said spacer portion and positioned in use through said aperture and engaging in said opening, said spacer portion having a pair of engagement surfaces disposed substantially normal to the axis of said shank and spaced apart to provide a second predetermined thickness, the sum of said first and second predetermined thicknesses respectively of said washer and said spacer portion in said front mounting assembly being equal to the first predetermined distance between the front frame and the Front mounting channel, the sum of said first and second predetermined thicknesses respectively of said washer and said spacer portion in said rear mounting assembly being equal to the second predetermined distance between the rear top support and the rear mounting channel, and attachment means respectively engaging said fasteners for holding the front frame and the rear top support respectively against the lower one of the engagement surfaces of the associated ones of said spacer portions, said first and second abutment surfaces retaining said nut and said washer oriented in the operative positions thereof with respect to the associated channels when said fastener is loosened with respect to said nut, thus to permit adjustment of the pedestal along the channels while maintaining said nut and said washer in the operative positions thereof.