Cable carriers with individual sleeve units carried by a hose

• US 5,900,586 A
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SMED, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SMED, Inc.
• Inventors: Carr, Roger John
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuneo, Kamand
• Application Number:
  US08/939,988
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 174/135, 174/69, 174/72 A, 174/72 C, 174/95, 174/96, 174/97, 174/99 E, 174/101, 59/78, 59/78.1, 248/49, 248/51
• US Class Current: 174/95
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0081 Auxiliary apparatus with electrical connections for office furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0475 formed by a succession of articulated units
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0493 Service poles

Abstract

A flexible cable carrier for connection of cabling between furniture units comprising a plurality of spaced and sequentially linked sleeve units which enable the cabling to be protectively and flexibly carried. Each unit may be carried on a continuous central flexible hose and may have slotted outer cavities for accommodating the cabling. The carrier may have ball ends for attachment in fittings on the edges of the furniture unit held in place by snap fittings in rabbet channels.

Claims

1. A flexible cable carrier for connection of cabling between furniture, comprising:

a continuous, flexible carrier hose extending along a longitudinal path; and

a plurality of separate, sequential, sleeve units all carried by said hose in the same orientation, for enabling the cabling to be protectively carried, each of said sleeve units having a central region within which said carrier hose is located, outer cavities within which the cabling is located, and exterior peripheral slots through which the cabling enters said sleeve units into said outer cavities, said slots of adjacent ones of said sleeve units in the same orientation being substantially in alignment all along the longitudinal path, for evenly laying the cabling along said aligned slots.

2. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1 wherein of said each sleeve units is in a form in which said central region is of substantially circular cross-section to accommodate said carrier hose, and has an outer casing for accommodating said outer cavities to provide protective cover to a major part of the cabling located within said outer cavities.

3. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1, wherein each of said sleeve units is in a form in which said central region is of substantially circular cross-section to accommodate said carrier hose, and has an outer casing for accommodating said outer cavities, said outer casing being of a substantially elliptical cross-section joined to said central region by radial webs, said aligned slots being located at extremities of said substantially elliptical cross-section.

4. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1, and further comprising at least one clip means for clipping an end of the cable carrier to a furniture article.

5. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1, in which each of said sleeve units has rounded ends to permit flexible articulation of the cable carrier.

6. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1, and further comprising a ball at each end of said carrier hose.

7. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 6, and further comprising a female coupling unit having a pair of ball-receiving sockets.

8. The flexible cable carrier according to claim 1, and further comprising snap fittings attachable to edge regions of a table top via a rabbet channel beneath the table top, each of said snap fittings having a ball joint connection for connecting the cable carrier to a respective one of said snap fittings.