Device for receiving guiding, protecting and concealing the electrical power leads in a piece of furniture supporting electrical and electronic appliances

• US 5,277,131 A
• Filed: 06/26/1992
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steelcase SA (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Steelcase SA (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fortsch, Friedrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US07/904,649
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 108/50, 108/30, 312/196, 312/223.1, 312/223.6
• US Class Current: 108/50.02
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables

Abstract

A frame for a modular piece of office furniture allows electrical cords of appliances on the top of the furniture to be connected to power through the frame at the closest point possible. Each modular element includes a metallic shaped tube 1 having a horizonal upper face 1b to be fixed to the top 2 of the furniture, a substantially vertical rear face 1a and an ornamental front face 1c. The upper face 1b and the front face 1c are spaced by a slot 3 under the edge of the top. All electric power leads feeding appliances located on the top are received, guided and concealed in the shaped tube 1. The connection between each of the appliances and its corresponding power lead runs through the slot at the point located closest to the appliances. The modular elements may be assembled as a frame serving the multiple purposes of providing support for the top of the piece of furniture, as well as receiving, guiding, protecting, and concealing all the electrical power leads. Each of the modular elements is assembled with a next modular element through an angle bracket fixed to the rear faces 1a of the shaped tubes 1.

Claims

1. A piece of furniture, comprising:

A) a generally horizontal furniture top, the furniture top having an upper surface, a lower surface, and an edge defining a periphery of the top, the top being adapted to receive thereon a number of appliances distributed at respective individual places on the upper surface, each appliance having a power line;

B) at least one section disposed beneath the periphery of the furniture top but not extending horizontally substantially beyond the edge of the furniture top, each section including;

1) a substantially horizontal top face,

2) a substantially vertical rear face, and

3) a front face,

wherein the top face is connected to the rear face and the rear face is connected to the front face, the front face extending upward toward the top face to form therebetween a continuous horizontal longitudinal slot for passing the power lines, the slot being located under the edge of the furniture top near the top'"'"'s periphery and located to receive the power lines of the appliances at a location along the periphery closest to each appliance;

wherein each section defines an interior channel for guiding, protecting and concealing the power lines between the top face, rear face and front face;

C) at least one leg, connected to the section and extending downward therefrom, which leg provides support for the frame and furniture top, at least one of the legs including a metallic shaped tube which has a leg front face that forms part of a leg channel extending toward the bottom of the frame;

D) a bracket affixed to the rear face of the section; and

E) a diagonal bolt connected to the leg and to the bracket, and fixing the leg to the bracket so as to provide stiffness to the assembled leg and section.

2. The piece of furniture of claim 1, wherein:

a) the shaped tube includes two planar rear faces connected to each other, each planar rear face having a width substantially the same as a width of the frame section and having at a top part of each planar rear face a cut facing the frame section;

b) the leg front face is set back from front edges of the rear faces and is connected to at least one of the two rear faces; and

c) the frame further includes a cover which is connected to at least one of the two planar rear faces or the leg front face, to define the leg channel in front of the leg front face, the leg channel dimensioned to receive, guide and conceal the lines, the cover also defining at its top part a horizontal channel dimensioned to pass the power lines from one section to a next section, the horizontal channel having end openings in front of the cuts.

3. The piece of furniture of claim 1, wherein:

each leg comprises a single sheet of shaped material.

4. The piece of furniture of claim 1, wherein:

each leg includes an assembly for two shaped tubes defined by at least one rear face, a front cover, and an intervening front face.

5. The piece of furniture of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible lip, positioned with respect to the top face at a location to yieldingly conceal the slot while allowing passage of the power lines through the slot.

6. The piece of furniture of claim 5, wherein:

the lip is pinched between the furniture top and the horizontal top face of the section.