Supports – Suspended supports – Hook type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-21
2001-07-31
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Suspended supports
Hook type
C248S317000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267343
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cable support. In particular although not exclusively, the invention relates to a cable support for suspending cables from the underside of office desks. However, the invention is not limited in its application to office desks and may be applied to other items of furniture, such as workstations, partitions or any items of domestic furniture.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Modern information technology requires significant cabling to be accommodated in association with a workstation or desk in normal office operations. It is frequently necessary to arrange or rearrange the cabling to suit the particular user requirement at the desk, and also to accommodate upgraded equipment being used at the desk. In these circumstances it is desirable to provide a cable support which will hold the cabling in a position that is convenient for the user. It is also desirable for the cable support to be easily adjusted in position and to be moved allowing the cables to be rearranged, where necessary.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cable support which will go some way to meeting the abovementioned desiderata, or at least provide a useful choice over cable supports currently available particularly for use in association with workstations or office furniture.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cable support for supporting cables from an item of furniture which has a groove with side walls provided therein, the cable support including a cable holding portion; and a mounting portion having one or more teeth, the mounting portion and the one or more teeth being shaped for insertion into the groove in a first orientation of the cable support and further, the one or more teeth being shaped for penetration with one or both of the side walls of the groove upon rotation of the cable support from the first orientation to a second orientation.
Preferably the cable support is rotatable about an axis of rotation aligned with a central axis extending through the mounting portion. The first orientation in which the cable support is disposed relative to the groove may be approximately 90° from the second orientation of the cable support in which the one or more teeth engage with the side walls of the groove. The groove may be milled into timber on the underside of the item of furniture with the timber being yieldable as the teeth are is forced thereinto. The groove may be milled into timber from which the item of furniture is constructed. For example where the item of furniture is a desk or work station the groove may be milled into the underside of the desktop. As such, the desktop may be constructed of timber or other composite board which may provide a relatively soft substrate for machining the groove and for penetration of the teeth. Alternatively, the groove may be provided by way of a track affixed to the underside of the item of office furniture. For example the groove may be provided in a strip or bar of timber.
In a most preferred form of the invention there are two teeth on opposite sides of the mounting portion. The mounting portion may be cylindrical in cross-section. In a preferred form of the invention, the mounting portion may incorporate stops to limit the rotation of the cable support to the second orientation such that the one or more teeth will be located at the optimum position for engagement with the side walls of the groove. The stops may be incorporated into the overall shape of the mounting portion. For example, the stops may arise through a progressively increasing cross-sectional diameter of the mounting portion (measured across as the cable support is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation) so that once the cable support has reached the second orientation, the frictional resistance with the side walls of the groove is such that the cable support is not able to turn further. The frictional resistance provides additional stability for the cable support within the groove.
The one or more teeth may be shaped or disposed on the external periphery of the mounting portion. Preferably the or each tooth extends in an inclined manner relative to a plane transverse to the axis of rotation. Preferably the or each tooth is inclined so that as the cable support is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation the or each tooth causes the cable support to move inwards into the groove in a screw action. This action may be further enhanced by the provision of a collar extending in a plane transverse to the axis of rotation and spaced from the teeth in the direction away from the groove. This collar serves to engage against the wall surrounding the groove to thereby locate the cable support in the direction transverse to the plane of the groove and further as the cable support is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, to provide a limit against further movement of the cable support towards the groove so that the cable support will be firmly held by the material on the sides of the groove between the or each tooth and the collar.
Preferably the cable holding portion includes one or more hooks dependent from the mounting portion of the cable support. The orientation of the hook(s) will be dependent on the intended use of the cable support. For example, when the cable support is intended for use with a groove in the underside of an item of furniture then the hooks will have the opening facing towards the mounting means so as to face upwards in use. In this embodiment, the one or more hooks may be supported from a shank dependent from the mounting portion of the cable support. Preferably there are two opposed hooks provided at the same level. However, the invention also envisages more than two hooks arranged at different levels along the shank. The cable support may further include clamps to retain the cables within each hook.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of supporting one or more cables from an item of furniture, the method including: providing a groove in the item of furniture; providing a cable support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims; inserting the mounting portion with the one or more teeth into the groove in the first orientation; rotating the cable support to the second orientation about the axis of rotation such that the one or more teeth penetrate the side walls of the groove.
Preferably the method involves installing cables into the underside of an office desk or workstation. However the method may be employed in other items of office furniture such as divider panels, reception counters or the like.
This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.
The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3235219 (1966-02-01), Green
patent: 3298652 (1967-01-01), Burdick
patent: 3476344 (1969-11-01), Pace
patent: 93 17 983 U (1995-02-01), None
patent: 813392 (1959-05-01), None
patent: 09308056 (1997-11-01), None
Fifield Jon
Harriot Neil
Stewart Robert
Waisbrod Neville
Wells John
Formway Furniture Limited
King Anita M.
Sy Hooly N
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
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