Patent Application
20100096960
The present invention relates to a computer desk, more particularly, to a computer desk with cables built in so that the cables are exposed to a minimum.
BACKGROUND ART
Desks are considered as essential furniture for productive activities at companies and for private studies at home. A desk has been heavily studied in view point of structure and design, but there are no desirable ways to accommodate neatly all the cables connected to a computer and to the peripheral devices thereof when the computer is mounted on a desk for studies and for work. A desk with a computer mounted on is usually cluttered with the cables. Binding several cables together with plastic ties or wrapping materials in traditional ways as for common electric appliances cannot essentially solve the problem of cable exposures and is not proper for a computer desk wherein each cable has different connection points.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-25242 discloses a computer desk that accommodates a server computer, an LCD monitor and a keyboard. The computer desk exposes small portions of cables, but its use is limited.
Korean Utility Model Registration No. 320609 discloses a computer system consisting of components of a computer distributed in several drawers. However, this structure is not applicable since a computer system has been more integrated and the size of the total system has been reduced with the development of technology. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-216024 discloses a structure in which a computer main component is stored within a drawer and a monitor is connected by VGA cable through the rear part of the drawer. However, this structure has only simple effect that the computer main component is accommodated in a drawer.
As described above, the related art has been proposed to arrange the cables between a computer main component and the peripheral devices thereof around a computer desk, but does not disclose a method of arranging the cables that is applicable to various peripheral devices and use environments.
Hereinafter, a computer main component means a device containing at least a mainboard, ram and cpu. It also means a main component of a desktop, a main component of a workstation, a laptop or a notebook itself, even a pda and a smart mobile phone.
An object of the present invention is to provide a computer desk on which a computer main component and peripheral devices including a monitor can be easily mounted with concealing almost all of the cables for electric connection.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer desk that well accommodates a computer main component and peripheral devices, thereby increasing the surface room of the desk.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a computer desk capable of reducing power consumption by easily turning on or off power for a computer system.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a computer desk comprising; legs, an upper plate having a rectangular recessed portion supported by the legs, and a flat monitor mounted in the rectangular recessed portion in the manner that it is folded down into the rectangular recessed portion when not used and that it is raised when used.
According to another aspect of the invention, the present invention provides a computer desk comprising; legs, an upper plate having a rectangular recessed portion supported by the legs, a power supply socket and a network connector exposed on the legs or on the upper plate, a drawer or a shelf attached to the upper plate or to the legs for accommodating a computer main body, a flat monitor mounted in the rectangular recessed portion in the manner that it is folded down into the rectangular recessed portion when not used and that it is raised when used, electric connectors exposed at the upper plate for connecting one or more peripheral device, a cable conduit formed at the upper plate, and power supply lines and signal lines accommodated in the cable conduit.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer desk comprising; legs, an upper plate having a rectangular recessed portion supported by the legs, a power supply socket and a network connector exposed on the legs or on the upper plate, a drawer or a shelf attached to the upper plate or to the legs, a computer main component mounted in the drawer or the shelf, an electric connector for monitor that is provided on the upper plate, connectors for one or more peripheral devices except for the computer main component and the monitor, a cable conduit that accommodates power supply lines and signal lines among the computer main component, the monitor and the peripheral devices, and power supply lines and signal lines accommodated in the cable conduit.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer desk comprising; legs, an upper plate having a rectangular recessed portion supported by the legs, a power supply socket and a network connector exposed on the legs or on the upper plate, a drawer or a shelf attached to the upper plate or to the legs to accommodate a computer main component, electric connectors for monitor that is provided on the upper plate, connectors for one or more peripheral devices except for the computer main component and the monitor, a cable conduit that accommodates power supply lines and signal lines among the computer main component, the monitor and the peripheral devices, and power supply lines and signal lines accommodated in the cable conduit.
The connectors for a peripheral device may be connected to the peripheral devices by wire or by wireless. A computer input device as peripheral devices including, for example, a keyboard and or a mouse is connected to the computer main body through an input device connector. The computer desk may include, for a keyboard, a drawer or a shelf attached beneath the upper plate. The computer desk may further include a rectangular cover for the rectangular recessed portion. The rectangular cover may be hinged to a rear side of the rectangular recessed portion. The rectangular cover may consist of a rear cover hinged to the rear side of the rectangular recessed portion and a front cover hinged to the front side of the rectangular recessed portion. In this case, the front cover can cover the space between the raised monitor and the front side of the recessed portion of the upper plate when the monitor is used, and thus the covered recessed portion of the upper plate can be used as a surface room of the desk.
The cable conduit for accommodating power supply lines and signal lines is formed at the upper plate by digging grooves or by attaching channels. The computer desk may further include a junction box that is provided at one side of the cable conduit to branch various lines. A power supply that transforms a power supply voltage into voltages suitable for the peripheral devices may be integrated in the junction box. The computer main component accommodated in the drawer may be connected to the cable conduit or the junction box by a flexible cable. A separate power supply unit that supplies various voltages for the computer main component, the monitor and the peripheral devices may be connected to the cable conduit.
The drawer or the shelf for the computer main component may be of simple rack type just for connecting the computer main component or be in the form of an extension station having one or more peripheral devices. An extension station including a memory reader, various connectors and storage drivers such as an optical disk driver may also be connected to the computer main component. The extension station may be provided as mounted in a drawer separate from the drawer for the computer main component, or be integrated into the computer main component.
The monitor is connected through the electric connectors for monitor. Desirably, a flat monitor is built into the desk wherein it is folded down into the rectangular recessed portion when not used and it is raised from the rectangular recessed portion when used. When the monitor is folded down, the edge of the monitor may be sealed or a separate rectangular cover may cover the monitor as mentioned above. Like a notebook computer, the monitor can be automatically turned off when it is folded down into the recessed portion.
A computer input device as one of peripheral devices including, for example, a keyboard and/or a mouse is connected to the computer main component through an input device connector. The computer desk may include, for a keyboard, a drawer or shelf attached beneath the upper plate.
The computer desk according to the present invention may further comprise a shelf or a deck for connecting a mobile personal computer to the computer main component. A notebook computer or a mobile computer inserted into the shelf or the deck may be connected to the computer main component by an extension cable.
Various connectors may be additionally provided at various positions of the desk for connecting corresponding peripheral devices in addition to the basic structure of the computer. For example, a printer connector may be exposed at one side of the upper plate so that a printer may be connected to it. In addition, a speaker, which is one of the peripheral devices, may be built in the upper plate, or speaker input terminals may be exposed on the upper plate for connecting a speaker. As peripheral devices, a storage driver, memory readers, an optical disk driver, or a floppy disk driver may be built in the desk. In addition, I/O terminals for various peripherals may be provided and exposed on the desk. The peripheral devices are connected by wire or by wireless. They also may be connected, known in the related art, through USB ports to the computer main component. The peripheral devices may be connected to the connectors by a wireless communication method instead of a wire connection method.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but they should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. Various alternatives or modifications would be possible while they would be within the scope of the present invention.
With referring to
The computer main component 100 is put in a drawer, and input/output signal lines of the computer main component 100 are connected to the junction box 85 by cables. The computer main component built in the drawer can be easily moved out to upgrade parts and easily connected by rack and drawer method.
The front and rear covers may be opened or closed by open/close switches 62 and 66. In this case, the front cover 64 can cover the space between the raised monitor 40 and the front side of the recessed portion of the upper plate when the monitor is used, and thus the covered recessed portion of the upper plate can be used as a surface room of the desk.
The invention provides a computer desk which can conceal almost all cables, to which a computer main component and peripheral devices including a monitor can be easily mounted, and which can provide wide space for its original purpose when the computer is not used.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2007-0021798 | Mar 2007 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR08/01240 | 3/5/2008 | WO | 00 | 8/31/2009 |
