These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
These and other features of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein
As is well known, in the closed position, the display monitor 14 is moved into substantially abutting and/or parallel relationship with the keyboard 16. In the open position, the display monitor 14 may be adjusted in angular relationship with the keyboard 16 to allow access to the keyboard 16 of the laptop computer 12 and to optimize viewing of the display monitor. As described herein, the term keyboard 16 is meant to generally include that portion of a laptop computer 12 which is supported by the support panel 22 and to which the display monitor 14 is hingedly or pivotally connected. In this regard, the keyboard 16 may include additional components in addition to the keyboard 16 elements or keys themselves.
Each of the security devices includes a vertical member having a pair of prongs extending laterally outwardly from one side of the vertical member. As will be described in greater detail below, the prongs are sized and configured to receive the display monitor therebetween. As will be described in greater detail below the prongs are also positioned on the vertical member such that the when the security devices are mounted to the support panel 22, the laptop computer cannot be slid out from between the prongs.
The laptop computer 12 may be secured to the support assembly 18 by placing the laptop computer 12 upon the support panel 22 and then pivotally rotating the display monitor 14 into the open position as shown in
The pair of security devices 10 are adapted to be mounted on opposing sides of the laptop computer 12. In this regard, the security devices 10 are preferably spaced apart from one another at a spacing greater than the laptop width but providing a gap between an edge of the laptop computer 12 and each one of the security devices 10 to facilitate some degree of sideways movement of the laptop computer 12. The security devices 10 are specifically configured to be mountable to the support panel 22 of the support assembly 18.
Importantly, the prongs 40 are disposed in spaced parallel relation to one another and are preferably located above the lower surface 24 at a height which is preferably greater than a height of the keyboard 16. Ideally, the prongs 40 have a length ranging from about two inches to about four inches, with a preferred length of approximately two and one-half inches. In addition, the spacing between the individual prongs 40 is preferably greater than a thickness of the display monitor 14 in order to allow some degree of angular rotation of the display monitor 14 relative to the keyboard 16 when the security device 10 is in use. It is contemplated that the spacing between the prongs 40 on each of the vertical members 32 may allow a user to selectively adjust the pivotal or angular orientation of the display monitor 14 relative to the keyboard 16 by as much as ninety degrees although various other angular pivotal ranges are contemplated. For example, the spacings between the prongs 40 may be such that a user may adjust the pivotal or angular orientation of the display monitor 14 relative to the keyboard 16 by up to thirty degrees. As can be seen in
As shown in
In one embodiment, due to the locking nature of the support panel 22 to the support assembly 18, removal of the mechanical fasteners 48, and, hence, removal of the laptop computer 12 from the support assembly 18, may only be effectuated by first translating or moving the support panel 22 away from a back wall of the support assembly 18. The support panel 22 may be moved by first removing the locking mechanism 50 which may be configured as a key lock, combination lock or any other suitable lock which may be passed through the holes 52 formed in tab 54 and mating tab 56 of the support panel 22 and back wall, as shown in
Referring more particularly now to
As shown in
The apertures 36 are specifically adapted to receive the pair of mechanical fasteners 48 such as screws and/or bolts which are preferably threadably engaged to the apertures 36. In the preferred embodiment, the lower surface 34 of each one of the vertical members 32 is preferably substantially planar. Likewise, as can be seen in
Regarding materials for fabricating the security device 10, it is contemplated that the security devices 10 may each be fabricated of a metallic and/or polymeric material. For example, the vertical members 32 may each be fabricated from aluminum material such as aluminum plate stock although other materials and/or shapes and sizes of the vertical member 32 are contemplated. Likewise, each of the prongs 40 may be similarly fabricated from a metallic material such as aluminum and may be permanently (i.e., non-removably) secured to the vertical member 32 in the manner shown in
Alternatively, it is contemplated that each of the security devices 10 may be fabricated as a unitary structure such as by machining the vertical member 32 and prongs 40 from a single piece of material or by casting or otherwise forming the security devices as a unitary structure. The appropriate treatments such as tapering the ends of the prongs 40 may be provided. Corners of the vertical member 32 may be radiused or provided with alternative treatments. The apertures 36 may be tapped in order to facilitate threadable engagement of mechanical fasteners thereinto although other engagement mechanisms may be provided to allow engagement of the mechanical fasteners to the vertical member 32.
As shown in
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, such as, for example, methods and materials for fabricating the security devices may include injection molding thereof from a high strength polymeric material. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/815,087, filed Jun. 20, 2006 and is related to U.S. Utility application Ser. No. (unknown) entitled SECURE SHELF FOR TECHNOLOGY WORKSTAND filed on (unknown), the entire contents of both applications being incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60815087 | Jun 2006 | US |