STOWABLE WORKTOP SUSPENDED IN FRONT OF AN INTERIOR DOOR WITH OVER THE DOOR HOOKS AND ADJUSTABLE INELASTIC STRAPS FOR SITTING OR STANDING USE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

No related or prior applications are claimed.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

No federally sponsored research or development was involved in the creation of this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to portable, height-adjustable work surfaces. More specifically, it concerns a stowable desk or worktop configured to hang from an interior door using over-the-door hooks and adjustable inelastic straps, thereby enabling quick set-up for either a sitting or a standing workstation. The worktop may be split in half along a hinge to further facilitate portability and stowability.

2. Description of Related Art

With more people working from home or in small urban apartments, floor space is at a premium. Traditional desks can permanently occupy valuable square footage, while collapsible or wall-mounted desks often require hardware installation, leaving holes or damage. Door-hanging solutions exist for small items (like hooks or small shelves), but they typically do not offer the stability, load capacity, or ergonomic height adjustment necessary for serious desk usage.

Furthermore, the growing popularity of standing desks has highlighted the benefits of being able to switch between a sitting and standing work posture. Many prior art systems lack the ability to easily reconfigure a desk's height to accommodate both a seated and an upright working position—especially without permanent modifications to doors or walls.

Therefore, there is a need for an over-the-door, stowable worktop that can quickly transition between a suitable sitting height and a standing height, while remaining stable enough to support standard office equipment such as laptops, monitors, keyboards, etc.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a Stowable Over-the-Door Hanging Desk that can be suspended at various heights—from a comfortable seated desk level to an upright standing level—by means of adjustable inelastic straps. The system comprises:

• • A rigid, foldable worktop via a center hinge, with removable cross braces to enhance portability and stowability without losing rigidity. The worktop has four reinforced corner mounting points.
  • Two over-the-door hooks that clamp onto the top of a door without permanent alteration.
  • Four inelastic straps (e.g., made of a low-stretch material such as an aramid fiber) that each attach to a corner of the worktop and converge upward to the over-the-door hooks.
  • Adjustable loops on the straps that allow the user to select different height positions to accommodate seated or standing use.
  • Padding on the rear edge of the worktop (e.g., made of a rubber, foam, or other non-damaging and non-marking substance) to prevent damage to the door from which it is suspended.

Because the straps do not stretch appreciably, the worktop remains stable under load, making it suitable for typical office equipment. The user simply selects an appropriate set of loops on the straps to quickly reconfigure the desk's height. When not in use, the entire system can be easily disassembled and the worktop folded in half for compact storage and transport.

Among the many advantages of this invention are:

• • Temporary Worktop: The worktop provides quick work space in areas with limited working surfaces, requiring only a door for support.
  • Height Adjustability: Capable of sitting or standing setups with minimal effort.
  • Stability: Reinforced corners and inelastic straps prevent sagging or tilting under load.
  • Collapsibility: The worktop may be folded in half to be easily transported or stored.
  • Space-Saving: Quickly removed from the door and stored flat, ideal for small apartments.
  • Portability: When collapsed via the folding mechanism, the worktop can be easily transported.
  • Ease of Assembly: Over-the-door hooks and strap loops allow rapid deployment without tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front left side perspective line drawing illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the stowable over-the-door worktop, suspended by four inelastic straps attached to two over-the-door hooks, with loops for height adjustment.

FIG. 2 is a top left perspective line drawing illustrating the topside of the worktop, including the top of the hinge assembly, anchoring points and hooks on each corner, and S-hooks or carabiners (pictured as S-hooks) attaching each anchoring point to the inelastic strap.

FIG. 3 is a bottom left perspective line drawing illustrating the underside of the worktop, including the bottom of the hinge assembly, anchoring points, removable rigid cross braces, and brackets for the cross braces.

FIG. 4 is a front left perspective line drawing illustrating the front of the over-the-door hook assembly, including the attachment point for the inelastic lines.

FIG. 5 is a rear left perspective line drawing illustrating the rear of the over-the-door hook assembly, including the screw design which allows the assembly to fit over multiple door depths.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5:

• • Door (100): An interior door onto which the system is mounted.
  • Over-the-Door Hooks (110a, 110b): Two hooks configured to clamp onto the top edge of the door (100). Each hook is adjustable to accommodate different door thicknesses, typically via a threaded screw mechanism (111) to tighten a compression plate (114) into the rear side of the door (100). Each hook further includes an attachment point (112) (an eye-hook) at the front, room-facing portion for connecting two inelastic straps via hooks (113) (e.g., S-hooks): one going to the front corner of the desk and one going to the rear corner of the desk.
  • Worktop (130): The primary horizontal surface (desk) upon which a user can place a laptop, monitor, papers, etc. The worktop is sufficiently narrow to fit within standard door frames (e.g., 36 inches or less in width). A variety of rigid materials may be used (e.g., wood, plywood, fiberboard, metal).
  • Reinforced Mounting Points and Hooks (140a, 140b, 140c, 140d): Each of the four corners of the worktop (130) is outfitted with an integrated or attached metal plate, spreading out the load from the straps to ensure durability and stability. The fasteners are connected to these hooks.
  • Inelastic Straps (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d): Four straps, each attached at its top end to the attachment point (112) on an over-the-door hook (110). At the lower end, each strap has a fastener (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) (e.g., an S-hook or carabiner) that connects to the corresponding reinforced corner mounting point (140) of the worktop (130).
    • Each strap includes loops (150) at intervals along its length. These loops are strategically placed, based on the Pythagorean theorem, so that the user can fine-tune the desk's position while keeping the worktop level. By selecting certain loops on the front straps and rear straps, a user can position the desk at a sitting height (for instance, around 28-30 inches above the floor) or a standing height (e.g., around 40-42 inches or more), depending on personal preference or ergonomic needs.
  • Hinge (170) located in the middle of the worktop (elongated piano hinge).
  • Removable, rigid cross braces (180a, 180b) spanning the central hinge on the underside of the worktop provide rigidity, with a length no more than half of the horizontal width of the desk.
  • Brackets on Underside of Worktop (190a, 190b, 190c, 190d) to hold cross braces.
  • Integrated protective strip made of non-damaging material (200) (e.g., rubber, foam) to prevent damage to the door from which the worktop is suspended by the worktop material.

Operation

• • 1. Mount the Over-the-Door Hooks (110): Place the hooks over the top edge of the door (100), tightening or adjusting them as needed to ensure a secure fit.
  • 2. Close and Latch the Door (100): Securely latch the door into the door frame to ensure stability.
  • 3. If applicable, Unfold the Worktop and Insert Rigid Cross Braces (180) into brackets (190) on underside of the worktop to ensure rigidity.
  • 4. Attach the Straps (120) to the Hooks: Each over-the-door hook (110) includes an eye-hook (112). Two inelastic straps connect to each hook's eye-hook via hooks (113) attached to the inelastic lines: one running to the rear corner of the worktop (130) and one to the front corner.
  • 5. Determine Sitting or Standing Height:
    • Sitting Configuration: The user can select lower loops (150) on both front and rear straps to create a typical seated desk height of around 28 to 30 inches.
    • Standing Configuration: By choosing higher loops (150), the worktop can be raised to approximately 40 to 42 inches or any preferred standing height.
      • The straps' inelastic nature prevents sagging, ensuring that once a loop is chosen and hooked, the corner of the desk remains at that set height.
    • As the loops are designed to create a level workspace, the user must select loops of equal height.
  • 6. Secure Worktop (130): Each corner of the worktop is attached to the chosen loop via a fastener (160), such as an S-hook or carabiner. Because the corner is reinforced (140), the load is distributed, preventing breakage.
  • 7. Use and Storage: With the desk in place, the user may open or close the door (100) within a limited range of motion (though minor movement of the desk is expected). The protective strip (200) on the rear edge of the worktop prevents wear and tear on the door. When finished, the user can simply unhook the corners, remove the straps from the over-the-door hooks, and then lift off the hooks entirely. All components can be stacked or stored in a small space. The worktop can be folded by removing the two cross braces (180) to minimize space when storing or transporting the system.

Materials & Variations

• • Straps: Typically 1 inch wide, made from a durable, low-stretch material such an aramid fiber.
  • Reinforced Corners: May be steel or aluminum plates riveted or otherwise integrated.
  • Worktop Materials: Can be wood, plastic composite, metal, or any rigid board.
  • Protective Strip: May be made of any soft, non-damaging material (e.g., rubber, foam).
  • Door Hook Variation: May include integrated tensioning or clamping mechanisms to fit doors of varying thickness. Additionally, may include non-adjustable door hooks specified for a certain door thickness.

This design ensures that the user can quickly transition between sitting and standing configurations without making permanent modifications to the door or the living space.