DRAWER WITH HIDDEN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 11/208,496 filed August 22, 2005, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application U.S. Serial No. 60/709,581 filed August 19, 2005, which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent permitted by law.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to furniture such as desks, and in particular, to a desk drawer with a hidden electrical connector. Desks and other furniture units which are specifically adapted for use with electrical components such as computers and laptops may provide electrical connectors for the laptops or computers. However, these electrical connectors are typically located in such a way that they effect the appearance of the furniture. For example, sometimes the electrical connectors are housed either on or in the work surface of the piece of a desk, thus marring the continuous work surface of the desk. Thus interrupting the continuous work surface of the desk and effecting the overall appearance of the desk. What is needed is a piece of furniture, such as a desk, having an electrical connector which is completely hidden and which does not effect the overall look and appearance of the desk.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present invention, a desk is provided. The desk includes a work platform, a recessed member, and a suspended member. The recessed member has a thickness ti and is located under the work platform a distance d _! away from the edges of the work platform. The suspended member is located a distance d ₂ beneath the work platform and is connected with the work platform through the recessed member. The desk further includes a drawer and an electrical connector. The drawer is connected with and located approximately the same distance d ₂ beneath the work platform. The drawer has a front surface which is aligned with an outer surface of the suspended member. The suspended member has a thickness t ₂ and the drawer has a

height h. The thickness t ₂ is approximately equal to the height h, allowing the drawer to have a camouflaged appearance and form an opening between the drawer and the work platform. The electrical connector is located in the drawer for connection to a wire having a thickness t ₃ , wherein the thickness t ₃ is less than the distance d ₂ to allow for the wire to pass out of the drawer when the drawer is in a closed position.

According to another aspect of the present invention a desk including a work platform, a drawer, and an electrical connector is provided. The drawer is connected with and located beneath the work platform. The drawer has a front surface which forms an opening for allowing a wire to pass through. The electrical connector is located in the drawer for connection to the wire having a cross section which is sized less than the size of the opening to allow for the wire to pass through the opening and out of the drawer when the drawer is in a closed position.

According to another aspect of the present invention an item of furniture is provided. The item of furniture includes a work platform, a suspended member connected with and located beneath the work platform, and a drawer. The drawer is connected with and located beneath the work platform. The drawer is aligned with an outer surface of the suspended member. The suspended member has a thickness t and the drawer has a height h, with the thickness t being approximately equal to the height h, allowing the drawer to have a camouflaged appearance. The item of furniture also includes an electrical connector located in the drawer for connection to a wire. The size of the wire is less than the size of an opening formed between the drawer and the work platform. By having such a configuration, the opening allows for the wire to pass out of the drawer when the drawer is in a closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an item of furniture having a drawer with a hidden electrical connector, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged top view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a first side view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 6 illustrates an enlarged side view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 5, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a second side view of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view along line D-D of the item of furniture shown in FIG. 7, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the drawer from the item of furniture shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of the drawer shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 11 illustrates a front view of the drawer shown in FIG. 9, in accordance, with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a back view of the drawer shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross sectional side view along line B-B of the drawer shown in FIG. 11, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of the drawer shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a top view of an electronic module from the drawer shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 16 illustrates a front view of the electronic module shown in FIG. 15, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of the electronic module shown in FIG. 15, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a side view of the electronic module shown in FIG. 15, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19 illustrates an enlarged front view of the item of furniture and the drawer shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 20 illustrates another enlarged front view of the item of furniture shown in

FIG. 5

It should be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the Figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to each other for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION ^:

Shown in FIG. 1, in a perspective view, is an item of furniture 20. The item of furniture 20, may be any device which includes a drawer 60, such as a desk, a table, a file cabinet, and a storage cabinet. Item of furniture 20, shown in exemplary form in FIGS. 1-18 as a desk 22, includes a work platform 24, support members 35, 36 located under the work platform 24 on opposite ends of the work platform 24, and a drawer 60 slideably mounted below the work platform 24 and above a knee opening 34, which is defined between the support members 35 and 36 beneath the work platform 24. The work platform 24 is generally a planar member defined by two side edges 30, 31, a front edge 32 and a back edge 33. Items such as laptop computers, books, and papers may be placed on the work platform 24 for use as a work surface by a person. The work platform 24 generally has a thickness sufficient to retain a level of rigidity for supporting items such as books and laptops. The work platform 24 is generally is fabricated for a rigid material such as wood, steel, or stone. Preferably the work platform 24 is continuous and has no openings or gaps formed on it. More preferably the work platform 24 is continuous and has no openings, electrical outlets, or connectors formed on it or in it.

The support members 35, 36 are used to support and elevate the work platform

24 a distance above the ground and form a knee opening 34 within the desk 22, preferably to allow for one to use the work platform 24 while seated. While two support members 35, 36 are shown in FIG. 1, one or more support members 35 may be used to support the work platform 24.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 7-14 the drawer 60 is connected with and located approximately a distance d ₂ beneath the work platform 24. The drawer 60 has a front surface 65 which is aligned with an outer surface of 57 the suspended member 50, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The drawer 60 has a height h which is approximately equal to the thickness t ₂ of the suspended member 50, allowing the drawer to have a camouflaged appearance and form an opening 72 between the drawer 60 and the work platform 24. By giving the drawer 60 a height h which is approximately equal to the thickness t ₂ of the suspended member 50, and by aligning the front surface 65 of the drawer 60 with the outer surface 57 of the suspended member 50, the drawer 60 is able to have a camouflaged appearance and form a opening 72 between the drawer 60 and the work platform 24, wherein the opening 72 is approximately equal to a distance of d ₂ . Additionally, by forming the opening 72 between the drawer 60 and the work platform 24, the drawer 60 is able to allow for wires 100 having a thickness t ₃ which is less than the distance d ₂ to pass out of the drawer 60 when the drawer 60 is in a closed position.

In one embodiment, the front surface 65 forms the opening 72 for allowing a wire to pass through. Preferably, the wire 100 has a cross section which is sized less than the size of the opening 72 to allow for the wire 100 to pass through the opening 72 and out of the drawer 60 when the drawer 60 is in a closed position. Preferably, the opening 72 has a height h ₀ and a width W ₀ of greater than 5 mm, as illustrated in FIG. 19. In one embodiment, the width W ₀ of the opening 72 is equal to the width W^ of the drawer 60, and the height h ₀ of the opening is greater than a thickness t ₃ of the wire 100.

In one embodiment, the opening 72 is formed between the drawer 60 and the work platform 24, wherein the opening 72 allows for the wire 100 to pass out of the drawer 60 when the drawer 60 is in a closed position.

The drawer 60 includes a planar bottom panel 70 and a back panel 68, side panels 64, 66, and a front panel 62 vertically protruding from the bottom panel 70 to form a storage area 67. Suitable drawer slides may be attached to side panels 64, 66 and the desk 22 in order to slideably mount drawer 60 to desk 22. Preferably, the storage area 67 is sized to hold items, such as a laptop computer, some books, as well as a full

sized alpha-numeric computer keyboard. However, the storage area 67 may be dimensioned in such a way that it cannot fit a laptop or an auxiliary computer keyboard.

The front panel 62 includes a suspended portion 74 connected with a support portion 76 with a transition portion 79, as shown in FIG. 13. The transition portion 79 is typically wedge-shaped and used to provide additional support to the suspended portion 74. Preferably, the suspended portion 74 forms an inner groove 78 on top of the suspended portion 74 for housing small items, such as pencils and paper clips, and an outer groove 61 on the bottom of the suspended portion 74. The outer groove 61 provides a grip for one to open the drawer 60 by providing a place for one to place one's fingers in. As viewed in FIGS. 2, 9 and 19, the front panel 62 forms a front surface 65 on its outermost edge.

The side panels 64, 66 are connected with and between the front and back panels 62, 68. The back panel 68 may be connected with a cable management device 104, as shown in FIG. 10, in order to provide a channel for cables exiting through the back panel 68 of the drawer 60. The cable management device 104, may form a retractable, or movable channel to allow for cable management of cables while the drawer 60 is in motion. In one embodiment, the cable management device 104 is a flexible conduit.

The drawer 60 houses an electronic module 80, as shown in FIGS. 9, 10 13, and 15-18. The electronic module 80 includes a housing 83 having a face 81 and an electrical connector 82 mounted on the face 81 of the housing 83 for providing a connection to receive or transmit electrical signals to and from outside the drawer 60, such as data signals having information or electrical power for powering devices. The electrical connector 82 is located in the drawer 60 for connection to a wire 100 having a thickness t ₃ , wherein the thickness t ₃ is less than a distance d ₂ to allow for the wire 100 to pass out of the drawer 60 when the drawer 60 is in a closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 9.

Preferably, the electrical connector 82 is mounted on the housing 83 at an angle α which is slightly obtuse with respect to the plane of the bottom panel 70 of the drawer 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 13. Preferably, the angle α is greater than 90 degrees,

and more preferably, greater than 100 degrees. Mounting the electrical connector 82 on the housing 83 at an angle α which is slightly obtuse with respect to the plane of the bottom panel 70 makes it easier for a user to plug a wire 100 having a connector 101 into the electrical connector 82. The housing 83 may have a variety of shapes and angles to allow for the electrical connector 82 to be mounted on the housing 83 at an angle α which is slightly obtuse with respect to the plane of the bottom panel 70.

Electrical connector 82 may be any type of connector used to transfer electrical signals, such as a power outlet 84 for connecting to AC or DC power, a data port 88 for receiving and sending information, a video connector 94 for receiving and sending video signals, an audio connector 96 for receiving and sending audio signals, and any other outlet, connector or port that may be used to transmit and receive electrical signals. The data port 88 may include a telephone outlet 89, for receiving and sending telephone calls, a LAN outlet for connecting to a network, a Firewire or USB port for connecting to a computer, a DVI or HDMI port for connecting to a digital video signal, a fiber optic port, a serial port, a parallel port, or any other port or outlet that can send and receive information. The video connector 94 may be any one of a variety of video connectors used to send and receive video signals, such as a VGA connector, an HDMI connector, a DVI connector, an RCA connector, a BNC connector, and an F-type connector. The audio connector 96 may be any one of a variety of audio connectors used to send and receive audio signals, such as a BNC connector, a balanced connector, an RCA, a ¹ A" or 1/8" connector, a fiber optic connector or any other such connector.

As a result of the above configuration, a laptop computer or other such electronic device may be advantageously plugged into the power outlet 84 for power and may be connected in a suitable manner to data port 88 or telephone outlet 89 for network or Internet connectivity. An exemplary electronic module 80 is a power and data module manufactured by Electri-Cable Assemblies, Inc., of Shelton, CT 06484. However, any other types of modules maybe used, such as the 8-Outlet SurgeMaster® Superior Series, by Belkin Corporation of Compton, CA 90220, having Part # F9S800-06.

The desk 22 preferably includes a recessed member 40 having a thickness t[ located under the work platform 24 a distance dj away from the edges 30, 31, 32, 33 of

the work platform 24 and a suspended member 50 located a distance d ₂ beneath the work platform 24 and connected with the work platform 24 through the recessed member 40. By locating the recessed member 40 a distance d _! away from the edges 30, 31, 32, 33 of the work platform 24, the recessed member 40 can have a hidden appearance, thus causing the illusion that the suspended member 50 beneath the recessed member 40 is suspended underneath the work platform 24 without being connected to the work platform 24. However, the recessed 40 member may also be located adjacent the edges of the work platform 24. Preferably the recessed member 40 has a thickness t _\ of greater than 5 millimeters, and more preferably the recessed member 40 has a thickness tj of greater than 7 millimeters. Also the recessed member 40 preferably is located a distance d _\ from the edges 30, 31, 32, 33 of greater than 7 millimeters, and more preferably greater than 12 millimeters.

The suspended member 50 is located distance d ₂ beneath the work platform 24 and is connected with the work platform 24 through the recessed member 40. The suspended member 50 has a thickness t ₂ of preferably greater than 40 millimeters, and more preferably, greater than 50 millimeters. The suspended member 50 may comprise a transition member 55 located beneath a flat member 54, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Preferably, the edges 56 of the transition member 55 are beveled to prevent injury to a person using the desk 22. While the desk 22 may have various dimension, in one embodiment, the desk 22 has dimensions labeled as shown in FIGS. 2-8, 10-14, and 18 and described in the tables below.

TABLE 1

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TABLE 16

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.