Computer desk with rotating auxiliary platform

Abstract

The present invention relates to a workstation desk accommodating computer usage. It features independent fixed support elements for input peripherals and a video monitor, allowing for comfortable usage of said computer devices in both work and home environments. The invention also has an elevated, height adjustable, support for a computer tower which permits convenient access to two front mounted computer drive bays on most appropriately configured computer towers. Advantageously, the invention features an approximately semi-circular auxiliary platform that is free to rotate around the desk, providing its operator an ample work or storage surface and unobstructed access to the computer components.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/634,112, filed Dec. 8, 2004 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a desk, specifically one designed to accommodate a video monitor, computer tower, and input peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse.

2. Prior Art

Most traditional desks or work tables can accommodate a computer tower, video monitor, and input peripherals, such as a keyboard and mouse, in a straight forward manner. However, those that are specifically designed for this purpose often have many advantages such as superior ergonomics, cable management, and economy of space to name a few.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,815 to Gross (1994), U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,079 to Charny (1999), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,936 to Birrell (2000), concern computer workstations that include separate offset platforms for both a video monitor and input peripherals. However, none of these workstations include a work surface to facilitate reading of printed documents, writing of notes, or sketching of drawings by hand while seated or standing at the desk. This severely limits their effectiveness, as printed and written reference material is still an integral part of office environments.

Several computer workstations with some form of fixed work or storage surface have been proposed —for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,235 (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,820 (1997) both to Randolph, U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,017 to Wacker et al. (1995), U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,631 to Ko (1999), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,093 to Spence (2000). Unfortunately, these fixed position work surfaces provide only a small available area which is conveniently accessible within a human operator's arm length, without requiring them to lean forward; which can cause strain and discomfort when done repeatedly.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,079 to Charny (1999) discloses a stand for a monitor and keyboard with several auxiliary platforms in its preferred embodiment, including one which can be adjusted and oriented by rotating it around a center support column. However, this auxiliary shelf cannot be rotated fully around the stand because the monitor and keyboard posts interfere with its path. Also, the shelf is supported from bellow by two wheels which ride on the ground; requiring that the area beneath it is free of obstacles, such as computer power and signal cables, which are often unavoidable. Finally, the size of the shelf itself is very constraining.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,943 to Dell et al. (1998) discloses a workstation capable of supporting a laptop computer that includes a cleat around which loose signal and power cables can be tidied. It however does not include any device for channeling said cables which reduces the effectiveness of its overall cable management system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the computer desk described in my above patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:

• • (a) to provide a computer desk with a large and easily accessible work surface.
    • the use of which does not hinder access to the keyboard, mouse, or video monitor.
    • the motion of which is not impeded by computer component cabling.
  • (b) to provide a computer desk which can accommodate computer towers of different sizes in an elevated position, which reduces the amount of dust drawn in by the computer cooling fans, and the likelihood of inadvertently striking the computer with one's feet or chair.
  • (c) to provide a computer desk which allows unobstructed access to appropriately configured front mounted computer media drives.
  • (d) to provide a computer desk which can easily accommodate very large and heavy video monitors in a straightforward manner.
  • (e) to provide a computer workstation with explicit cable management features built in.
  • (f) to provide a computer workstation with a means of being adjusted in order to conform to uneven floors, and having a small amount of overall height adjustment.

Further objects and advantages are to produce a computer workstation that can be used easily and conveniently to operate a personal computer while also giving the operator easy and convenient access to a large amount of traditional office material such as printed documents, notepads, sketchpads, and associated accessories. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention a computer desk comprises four legs, two cleats, a video monitor platform having a notch, a circular rotating auxiliary platform with a large hole at its center and a cutout on its edge, an elevated height adjustable computer tower platform, and an input peripheral platform.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the front accessible drive bays, in open and closed positions.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of the rotating auxiliary platform in two different states of rotation.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cable management f of the invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross sectional views of mechanisms that can horizontally support the rotating auxiliary platform while allowing it to be rotated.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view, illustrating the range of motion of the threaded rod shown in phantom.

DRAWINGS-Reference Numerals
8  video monitor platform
9  legs
10 feet
11 threaded glides
12 rotating auxiliary platform support wheels
13 rotating auxiliary platform
14 inner rim
15 peripheral groove
16 input peripheral platform
17 input peripheral platform support arms
18 cleats
19 computer tower support platform
20 computer tower platform support clamps
21 cathode ray tube video monitor
22 computer mouse
23 computer keyboard
24 computer tower
25 media drives
26 flat panel video monitor
27 video monitor power cable
28 computer mouse signal cable
29 computer keyboard signal cable
30 video monitor signal cable
31 offset rail
32 offset rail trusses

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7A, 8—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters represent like parts throughout several views, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a computer desk that includes a video monitor platform 8 with a notch at its edge that is supported horizontally from bellow by four legs 9. Each leg 9 is terminated by a foot 10 that extends laterally. Each foot 10 has an integrated threaded glide 11 at its base, which can be driven in and out; better illustrated in FIG. 8.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the computer desk includes a large rotating auxiliary platform 13. In the preferred embodiment, the rotating auxiliary platform 13 is circular in shape and features a large circular hole with a rounded inner rim 14 at its center, through which the aforementioned legs 9 pass through. The rotating auxiliary platform also has a large cutout at its edge, better illustrated in FIG. 5.

The rotating auxiliary platform is supported horizontally by four pairs of wheels 12 that contact the inner rim 14 of the circular hole at its center from both above and bellow, better illustrated in FIG. 2. Each pair of wheels is mounted to one of the four aforementioned legs 9 with a bolt passing through its center, which also acts as an axle for the wheel to rotate about. The wheels 12 are composed of a sealed metal cartridge bearing with a press fit or over-molded polyurethane outer cover; better illustrated by FIG. 7.

These wheels 12, coupled with the inner edge 14 of the aforementioned circular hole form the mechanism that allows for the 360° rotation of the rotating auxiliary platform. A cross sectional view of this mechanism is shown in FIG. 7A. The inner rim 14 is preferably rounded in order to prevent a groove from gradually forming in the polyurethane outer shell of the wheel. The wheels themselves can have a rounded or flat outer shape, depending on aesthetic preference.

As shown in these figures as well as in FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 7, the rotating auxiliary platform further includes a peripheral groove 15 near its outer circular edge. The outer circular edge itself is rounded over to improve operator comfort.

The workstation desk includes a fixed input peripheral platform 16, supported horizontally from bellow by two arms 16 that are bolted to, and extend from, the desk's two front legs 9, better illustrated in FIG. 2. The two rear legs have bolted to them a cleat 18, better illustrated in FIG. 6.

A computer tower support platform 19 with a clamp 21 attached to each of its four corners with a pair of woodscrews rides on the desk's four legs 9. Each clamp is closed with a bolt at its end, better illustrated in FIG. 2.

Operation—FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

The manner of using the present invention is identical to that for traditional computer workstation desks except for the addition of the rotating auxiliary platform which can be used as a large and easily accessible storage surface for a variety of objects used by humans to aid them in their work as well as being a conveniently accessible work surface for writing, or sketching by hand.

The rotating auxiliary platform 13 is spun around by an operator through the exertion of a lateral force directly to its periphery. FIG. 5A shows the rotating auxiliary platform in a neutral state of rotation while FIG. 5A shows the rotating auxiliary platform rotated 120 degrees counter clockwise as viewed from above.

By unscrewing the closing bolt on each of the four computer tower support clamps the height of the computer tower support platform can be vertically adjusted to accommodate computer towers of varying heights. This also allows the computer tower 25 to be positioned at an appropriate elevation to give the operator convenient access to up to two front mounted media drives 26, better illustrated in FIG. 4.

The invention's built in cable management features include a notch at the rear of the video monitor platform which channels the video monitor signal cable 30 and power cable 27 through the circular hole at the center of the rotating auxiliary platform and towards the two cleats 18 at the rear of the desk so that they can be wrapped around the cleats along with signal and power cables from input peripherals and other electronic devices. The way in which this contributes to tidying the normally messy arrangement of cables found in the rear of most computer workstation desks is illustrated in FIG. 6.

The threaded glide 11 at the base of each foot 10 can be manually driven in and out to accommodate uneven floors, and allow for a small amount of adjustment of the desk's overall height; better illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7B—Alternative Embodiments

There are other ways to implement the mechanism by which the rotating auxiliary platform can be rotated freely, while not interfering with, or being interfered by; computer components and their associated power and signal cables. For example, FIG. 7B shows a mechanism where the rotating auxiliary platform 13 has an offset rail 24 connected to it via several spans 23. The offset rail is supported from both above and bellow by four sets of wheels 9 fixed to each of the four legs 15. These wheels 9, coupled with the offset rail attached to the rotating auxiliary platform, form the mechanism that allows for the 360° rotation of the rotating auxiliary platform.

It's also obvious that the fixed input peripheral tray cited in the preferred embodiments can easily be made adjustable in height by a variety of well known means.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations of the preferred embodiment may also be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. In a computer desk of the type having at least two separate vertically offset rigid platforms and a plurality of vertical members that support said rigid platforms horizontally, the improvement wherein said computer desk includes:

a. a third rigid platform at its periphery that is free to rotate, and

b. a means to support said third platform horizontally, while allowing it to rotate freely.

Whereby, said third rigid platform provides convenient access to a larger total work area than is possible with a fixed platform, while minimizing the total size of said computer desk.

2. The computer desk of claim 1 wherein said third rigid platform is circular with a round hole in its center.

Whereby, said round hole allows said plurality of vertical members as well as power and signal cables from a video monitor to pass through.

3. The computer desk of claim 1 wherein said third rigid platform has a cutout at its edge.

Whereby, said cutout provides unobstructed access to input peripherals supported by one of said separate vertically offset rigid platforms when said third rigid platform is positioned appropriately.

4. The computer desk of claim 1 wherein said means to support said third platform horizontally, while allowing it to rotate freely is a plurality of wheels spaced evenly in pairs that contact the rim of said circular hole in the center of said third rigid platform.

Whereby, said wheels are attached to said vertical members.