Patent Application
20140021837
This invention relates to the field of storage cabinets for construction sites. More particularly, the invention relates to storage cabinets configured to accommodate electronic equipment in order to facilitate contractor participation in Building Information Modeling.
The building industry is changing with the application of Building Information Modeling (“BIM”). BIM is a building development tool that utilizes multi-dimensional modeling concepts, information technology and software interoperability to design, construct and manage a building project. Professionals from each phase of a building project, from the architects, surveyors, civil engineers, contractors and subcontractors to the ultimate owner and operator, all input discipline-specific knowledge into a single information model. The use of such a model prevents the loss of information that traditionally takes place as a building project moves from one stage to the next.
To facilitate the participation of contractors and subcontractors in the BIM process, it would be useful to provide electronic equipment at the construction site so as to readily input information into a BIM model or access information previously entered into the model. As can be appreciated, a typical construction site does not lend itself to the use of laptops for entry of data into an information model nor does it provide a convenient location from which to examine previously entered information such as, for example, building schematics on a flat panel screen.
Further, it would be advantageous to provide such electronic equipment at the jobsite in a manner that it can be transported safely and also be able to withstand the rough environment of the construction site. A number of containers, such as tool boxes and storage cabinets, are currently used at construction jobsites for safely storing tools and materials that contractors utilize to complete their work. These jobsite storage containers are constructed so that they are able to withstand the rugged conditions of the construction site. The currently available jobsite storage containers, however, are not configured in a manner to house electronic equipment.
Thus, there is a need for providing access to electronic equipment at the construction site in order to enable participation in the BIM process, while ensuring the equipment is safely secured and protected from the harsh elements of the construction site.
These as well as other aspects and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this summary and elsewhere are intended to illustrate the invention by way of example only.
In one embodiment, the present application provides a storage cabinet comprising front, rear, and side walls extending upwardly from a bottom to define a storage space. The storage cabinet also includes a compartment located within the storage space configured to accommodate electronic equipment. The compartment includes a ventilation system, one or more components for receiving and transmitting wireless signals into and out of the cabinet, and an electronic cooling device for each piece of equipment.
In yet another embodiment, a storage cabinet configured to accommodate electronic equipment is disclosed. The storage cabinet has a lower compartment and an upper compartment, each configured to accommodate the electronic equipment. The storage cabinet also includes a ventilation system for ventilating the cabinet, one or more components for receiving and transmitting wireless signals into and out of the cabinet, and a cooling device for each piece of equipment.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the drawings, in which:
The present invention is directed to a jobsite storage cabinet that is configured to accommodate electronic components while ensuring that the electronic components are safely secured and protected from the harsh elements of the construction site. With the present invention, electronic components can be located at the construction site, thereby enabling contractors to participate in the BIM process.
Turning now to the figures, a vertical storage cabinet 100 made in accordance with the present invention is shown in
Another storage cabinet 200 made in accordance with the present invention is shown in
Power is provided to the electronic components housed in the storage cabinets 100-400 through a power supply such as a fused panel mounted power supply (not shown). The power supply may include a surge protector to stabilize any inconsistency in the supply of electricity that may occur at a construction jobsite.
In order to secure the contents from theft, the cabinets 100-400 depicted in
The storage cabinets 100-400 may be configured to house a number of different electronic components including, but not limited to, a TV screen, a touch screen, a laptop docking station, a computer or laptop, a printer, a wireless keyboard, and a wireless mouse. The number and type of components will depend upon the specific construction site and the needs of the contractor.
With a number of electronic components housed within a storage cabinet, the heat generated by the components needs to be dissipated by some manner so as to keep the components cool and functioning properly. The dissipation of heat is especially important in instances in which the electronics are housed in small enclosures from which heat cannot escape. The present invention overcomes this issue by providing a cooling device mounted on each electronic component. As seen in
As another means to cool the electronic components, the present invention provides a ventilation system for ventilating the cabinet. As depicted in
In order to ensure that a wireless internet signal can be received and transmitted by a computer housed within the steel storage cabinet, one or more components for receiving and transmitting wireless signals into and out of the cabinet are provided. In one example, a high gain wireless antenna 800 may be mounted on an outside surface 801 of the cabinet with a panel SubMiniature version A (“SMA”) coaxial RF connector 802, as shown in
The embodiments of the present invention may include castors, preferably made of plastic, to allow the cabinets to be moved from one location to another. This movement, however, may result in the accumulation of static electricity inside the cabinet, which may damage the components. To discharge any static electricity and thus protect the equipment housed within the cabinet, the present invention includes a grounding device 900, such as the grounding strap depicted in
The rolling movement of the cabinet from one location to another may also result in vibration, which may damage the sensitive electronic components. To absorb the shock of the vibration, the present invention provides a number of shock absorbing devices 1000 for the mounting of a large flat screen or touch screen 1002 to the wall 1004 of the storage cabinet, as depicted in
The cabinets described above allow electronic equipment to be housed at the construction site. Thus, contractors can access the BIM model from the construction site. When the equipment is not in use, the doors of the cabinets are closed and locked, thereby keeping the components safe from theft and from the elements. Further, the ventilation and cooling features of the present invention, along with the material of construction of the cabinet, provide protection for the stored equipment from temperature extremes of 0-60 degrees Celsius.
While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
