Patent Application
20170060209
Advances in processors, battery life, and visual displays have vastly improved the performance possibilities of laptop computers. With wireless mobility and connectivity becoming a necessity in today's business environment, many businesses and entrepreneurs have chosen to use laptop computers in lieu of desktops in the workplace. However, laptops typically have smaller keyboards than the standard keyboards utilized with desktops, and a standard mouse is generally preferred by users in the office environment over the built-in touchpad or tricks of laptop computers. In addition, prolonged use of a laptop alone can be an uncomfortable experience for the user.
A docking station allows laptop computers to become a substitute for a desktop computer without sacrificing the mobile computing functionality of the machine. For example, port replicator-type docking stations allow multiple peripherals—such as a keyboard, a printer, a mouse, and/or one or more monitors—to be connected to the laptop simultaneously by simply connecting the laptop to the docking station. Thus, the user can get access to an external full-sized keyboard, standard mouse, full-size monitor(s), a printer/scanner and a wired network connection when working in the office environment. Ergonomic positioning of the external keyboard and monitor allow the user to assume a more comfortable, neutral posture at the workstation, thus reducing the musculoskeletal stress typically associated with the prolonged use of laptop computers.
In a typical office configuration, the docking station will be located on the work surface to allow the user to easily connect the laptop to the dock. However, while this location provides the convenience of a quick and easy connection to the laptop, the docking station can take up valuable workspace, regardless of whether a vertical stand-alone docking station or a horizontal style docking station is utilized. Moreover, current generation docking stations positioned on the work surface leave the permanent cables exposed on the work surface, creating a cluttered work environment.
The invention disclosed herein is directed to a computer docking station devised to save desktop space while also eliminating the presence of permanent cables that can clutter the work surface. Whereas prior art computer docking stations typically are unitary units that take up valuable space on the work surface, the computer docking station of the present invention significantly reduces the docking station's desktop footprint by utilizing a split design, with a lower dock subassembly positioned beneath the work surface for housing the permanent cables necessary for the computer workstation to operate, and an upper dock subassembly comprising one or more data ports positioned on top of the work surface. In certain embodiments, a monitor arm mount can also be integrated into the upper dock subassembly, thereby alleviating the need for a separate monitor arm mount without negatively impacting the docking station's footprint. The split-design computer docking station of the present invention provides for improved accessibility to commonly used ports such as universal serial bus (USB) ports, high-speed charging port(s) and audio/microphone ports, while eliminating unsightly permanent cables (e.g., power, video, and network cables) from the desktop, which not only improves aesthetics and the amount of available desk space, but also eliminates the safety hazard of having cables on the work surface and prevents users from intentionally or unintentionally tampering with permanent cables.
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every possible implementation. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, which are not true to scale, and which, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to illustrate further various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages in accordance with the present invention:
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.
As used herein, the terms “a” or “an” are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include, other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. The terms “including,” “having,” or “featuring,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” applies to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. Relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, right and left, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.
Described now are exemplary embodiments of the present invention. An exemplary embodiment of the computer docking station is depicted in
A variety of alternative mechanisms can be utilized to mount the lower dock subassembly 40 and the upper dock subassembly 20 to the work surface. For example, in a first alternative embodiment, the clamp bracket 42 and screw 43 can be replaced with a fixed bracket that permanently attaches the computer docking station 1 to the work surface, in a second alternative embodiment, the clamp bracket 42 and screw 43 can be replaced with a means for removably mounting the computer docking station 1 to a slat wall. In a third alternative embodiment, the computer docking station 1 can utilize separate brackets to mount the lower dock subassembly 40 and the upper dock subassembly 20 to the work surface, thereby allowing for greater flexibility in mounting locations for each subassembly. In a fourth alternative embodiment, the upper dock subassembly 20 can be secured to the work surface, while the lower dock subassembly 40 is free hanging from a flexible connector to the upper dock subassembly 20, thereby allowing the user to quickly adjust the positioning of the lower dock subassembly 40 relative to the upper dock subassembly 20. While
The active data port connectors of the upper dock subassembly 20 can be linked to the internal components of the lower dock subassembly 40 via one or more bridge cables 6. In a preferred embodiment, a single bridge cable 6 is utilized to connect the active data port connectors of the upper dock subassembly 20 to the internal components of the lower dock subassembly 40. In alternative embodiments, multiple bridge cables 6 can be utilized to link the various data ports, or the bridge cable(s) 6 can be replaced with wireless connection.
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The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, exemplary embodiments, and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Many modifications of the embodiments described herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62212828 | Sep 2015 | US |
