Patent Application
20140190722
1. Field of the Disclosure
The embodiments described herein relate to an inconspicuous power conduit. The power conduit is substantially transparent and/or translucent. Thus, the conduit is substantially inconspicuous when mounted on a glass wall to connect a power source to an electronic device also mounted on or adjacent to a glass wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's high tech world, it is very common to have one or more electronic devices, such as an Apple IPAD® or television monitor, mounted on the wall of a conference room. Cabling to connect the electronic device to a power source and/or other devices typically is positioned inside conventional conference room walls hiding the unsightly cables from view. However, high tech and/or more aesthetically pleasing conference rooms may use non-conventional walls, such as glass walls, that do not permit hiding the cables connected to an electronic device mounted on the non-conventional wall.
Running a power cable to an electronic device mounted on a glass wall of a conference room can be unsightly. The cable cannot be run inside of the glass wall, but instead must extend from either the floor or the ceiling and run on the exterior of the glass wall to the electronic device. Conventional power cord may visually contrast with the glass wall and may be considered unsightly in comparison to the otherwise aesthetically pleasing conference room. Generally conventional power cords are not translucent or transparent and thus, may visually contrast with a wall that is translucent and/or transparent.
A need exists to provide a power cord or conduit that may be used to connect a power source to an electronic device mounted on a glass wall that is more aesthetically pleasing than convention power cords.
The present disclosure is directed to an inconspicuous power conduit that may be used to connect a power source to an electronic device mounted on a glass wall. The inconspicuous power conduit is a substantially translucent or transparent conduit that when mounted to a glass wall minimizes the visual contrast between the conduit and the glass wall in comparison to traditional power cords.
One embodiment is an inconspicuous power conduit comprising a substantially translucent longitudinal conduit having a first end and a second end. The inconspicuous power conduit includes first and second electrical conductors that extend from the first end to the second end within the conduit. The longitudinal conduit may be substantially transparent. The first and second electrical conductors may be within first and second recesses within the conduit that extend between the ends of the conduit. The longitudinal conduit may include a first connector that connects the first and second electrical conductors to a power source. The longitudinal conduit may include a second connector that connects the first and second electrical conductors to an electronic device. The electronic device may be mounted to a glass wall. The glass wall may be colored glass and the conduit may be comprised a translucent material that substantially corresponds to the color of the glass. The conduit may comprise a flat surface that extends from the first end to the second end. The first recess of the conduit may comprise a groove that extends along a first side of the conduit and the second recess of the conduit may comprise a groove that extends along a second side of the conduit.
One embodiment is a method of connecting an electronic device to a power source. The method comprises providing a substantially translucent longitudinal conductor having a first end and a second end, positioning a first electrical conductor within the substantially translucent longitudinal conduit, and position a second electrical conductor within the substantially translucent longitudinal conduit. The method includes connecting a first end of the first electrical conductor and a first end of the second electrical conductor to a power source. The method includes connecting a second end of the first electrical conductor and a second end of the second electrical conductor to the electronic device.
The method may include mounting the electronic device to a glass wall. The longitudinal conduit of the method may be substantially transparent. The method may comprise providing a first recess in the substantially translucent conduit that extends from the first end to the second end and providing a second recess in the substantially translucent conduit that extends from the first end to the second end. The method may comprise positioning the first electrical conductor within the first recess and positioned the second electrical conductor within the second recess. The method may comprise providing a first groove in the substantially translucent longitudinal conduit that extends from the first end to the second end and providing a second groove in the substantially translucent longitudinal conduit that extends from the first end to the second end. The method may comprise positioning the first electrical conductor within the first groove and positioning the second electrical conductor within the second groove.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The inconspicuous power conduit 100 includes a first electrical conductor 30 and a second electrical conductor 40 each that extends from the first end 10 to the second end 20 of the substantially transparent longitudinal conduit 100. The first electrical conductor 30 is positioned within a first recess 50 within the inconspicuous power conduit 100. The second electrical conductor 40 is positioned within a second recess 60 within the inconspicuous power conduit 100. The inconspicuous power conduit 100 may be a solid substantially transparent longitudinal conduit with the first and second recesses 50 and 60 with the conduit. The recesses may be formed within the conduit 100 by various means. For example, the recesses 50 and 60 may be drilled, bored, or the conduit 100 may be extruded to include the recesses 50 and 60. The inconspicuous power conduit 100 may be a conduit that is formed with two integral recesses 50 and 60 that extend the length of the conduit 100.
A connector 70 is connected to the first electrical conductor 30 and the second electrical conductor 40 at the first end 10 of the inconspicuous power conduit 100. The connector 70 connects both the first electrical conductor 30 and the second electrical conductor 40 to a power source 75. A connector 80 is connected to the first electrical conductor 30 and the second electrical conductor 40 at the second end 20 of the inconspicuous power conduit 100. The connector 80 connects both the first electrical conductor 30 and the second electrical conductor 40 to an electronic device 85. Preferably, the inconspicuous power conduit 100 may be used to connect an electronic device 85 to a low voltage power source 75, such as a power supply that provides 5 watts of 5 volt power. The substantially transparent longitudinal conduit 100 may include a substantially rounded top surface 25 and a flat bottom surface 15, which may aid in the mounting of the substantially transparent longitudinal conduit 100 to a transparent surface, such as a glass wall.
A connector 270 is connected to the first electrical conductor 230 and the second electrical conductor 240 at the first end 210 of the inconspicuous power conduit 200. The connector 270 connects both the first electrical conductor 230 and the second electrical conductor 240 to a power source 275. A connector 280 is connected to the first electrical conductor 230 and the second electrical conductor 240 at the second end 220 of the inconspicuous power conduit 200. The connector 280 connects both the first electrical conductor 230 and the second electrical conductor 240 to an electronic device 285.
Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined only by reference to the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
