Supports – Pipe or cable – Tool cord or tube
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-20
2001-02-13
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Pipe or cable
Tool cord or tube
C248S052000, C248S918000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186450
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cable supporting and guiding structures. More particularly, the present invention provides cable support arrangements that may be used with personal computer interface cables from input devices such as a computer mouse, joystick, or track-ball unit.
2. Background and Objects of the Invention
The use of personal computers has become common place in both residential and commercial settings. The personal computer (PC) will typically include a number of input devices, which are more generally referred to as peripheral devices, that are operatively coupled to the PC by way of interface cables. These devices include the common computer mouse and keyboard, as well as other devices such as microphones, speakers, touch pads, scanners, printers, etc. Each device may require its interface cable to be passed though a ‘cable port’ located on the top surface of a desk or table, or down the back of the desk or table. Often, due to gravity these cables may to exert a force or maintain tension (via the interface cable) on the respective devices. When the device is a mouse or joystick the tension established by the interface cable can be annoying or even inhibit the proper or smooth operation of the input device.
There are a number of cable supporting devices known in the art. One representative example is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,895 to Whetherhult et al. This device, which is described as a “cable holder and support device”, includes a weighted base unit and a helical spring having a vertical orientation that is mounted to an upper portion of the base unit. The Whetherhult device is only capable of supporting a single cable, and makes no provisions for securing and or constraining other (peripheral or input) device cables. The Whetherhult device disclosed is also somewhat unsightly for an office or corporate environment, and would require the interface cable to be hand rotated through the entire length of the spring. Further, the spring and structures associated with the spring may be expensive to manufacture. As can be clearly seen in
FIGS. 1 and 7
of Whetherhult, this device is intended to be fixed to a supporting surface, with the base design requiring specific structures to support this feature.
A second prior art cord holding device is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 1,493,799 to Blei. The Blei invention is essentially a tall mast that is screwed into a supporting work surface and will flex when a cord supported thereby is pulled on. The Blei device is contemplated for use with hand-operated ironing devices. As such, it is structured to enable the iron to be operated within a very large predefined area. Due to its structure and configuration, the Blei device is not suitable to support the plurality of interface cables of a PC system, and would require modification to be used in the table or desktop manner in accordance with the present invention.
Accordingly, while the above-disclosed devices, and others known in the art, may be suitable for the particular purpose for which they were intended, or for a more general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes contemplated for the present invention.
Objects of the present invention are, therefore, to provide new and improved cable supporting arrangements having one or more of the following capabilities, features, characteristics, and/or advantages:
simple and functional design;
provides a weighted table-top base with a ‘position holding’ mass (that does not need to be fixed to the table-top);
operatively supports an interface cable of a specific input device, such as a common computer mouse;
other device interface cables may be placed through or under a base unit to be quickly and conveniently constrained and/or secured thereby;
provides a rotatably mounted support rod that can swivel about the base;
aesthetic and simple structure;
base designs having small (base) footprint;
easy to configure and deploy; and
economical architecture and construction.
The above-listed objects, advantages, and associated novel features of the present invention, as well as others, will become clearer with a careful review of the description and figures provided herein. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings and the associated description are illustrative only, and variations are certainly possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an interface cable support is provided to assist in the unimpeded operation of at least one user hand-operated input device. The interface cable support is contemplated in a preferred embodiment to be a table or desktop sitting unit that freely supports the use of an associated input device within a predefined limited area. For example, when considering the operation of an input device such as a common computer mouse, the predefined limited area may be a 24 centimeter by 20 centimeter location established by a mouse pad.
The interface cable support includes a base or base unit having a lower horizontal portion with a flattened bottom surface and an upper portion fixed to the lower horizontal portion. The lower portion is to be constructed to provide a significant amount of stability to the base and include a considerable portion of the base mass. An upper end of the upper portion is configured with a bore preferably having a substantially vertical orientation. A support rod extends above the base having a first end and a second end. The support rod is substantially curved at an upper section proximal to the second end. The curved upper section of the support rod may present a substantially hemispherical profile. The support rod is rotatably mounted to the base via the bore, so as to be able to swivel from side to side about the base at the first end.
The support rod may be arranged with a hook portion formed at the second end to securely hold a selected location along the length of the interface cable. The selected location is chosen so that a portion of the interface cable extending from the hook to the input device is of sufficient length to enable the easy and free motion of the input device within the predefined limited area. The support rod may also include a bushing and stop, both situated proximal to the first end, that enable the rotatable mounting of the support rod via the bore.
In a preferred embodiment of the interface cable support, the upper portion of the base is configured to include a plurality of vertical members fixed to the lower portion of the base at spaced locations thereabout, and establish openings through which at least one additional interface cable may pass in order to be constrained and/or securely supported by the cable support.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2144272 (1939-01-01), Ray
patent: 4702443 (1987-10-01), Callaway
patent: 5313910 (1994-05-01), Wittman
patent: 5398895 (1995-03-01), Whetherhult
DeLuca Jerome
Goldstein & Canino
Ramirez Ramon O.
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