Holder for supporting a component below a support

• US 6,098,944 A
• Filed: 05/05/1999
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weber Knapp Company
• Original Assignee: Weber Knapp Company
• Inventors: Caronia, James R., Pangborn, Donald R., Watt, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAXTER, GWENDOLYN WRENN
• Application Number:
  US09/305,542
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 248/316.1, 248/317, 248/320, 248/325, 248/326, 248/327, 248/328, 248/329, 248/332, 248/323, 248/648, 248/674, 248/675, 248/680, 248/589, 248/500, 248/499, 248/525, 254/294, 254/310, 254/376
• US Class Current: 248/317
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2097/006 Computer holding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/06 Brackets or similar supporting means for cabinets, racks or shelves A47B96/022 takes precedence; aspects of adjusting height or inclination A47B57/00 ; brackets for the display of articles A47F5/08

Abstract

A mechanism for supporting a component, such as a CPU, below a support, includes a support member mounted to depend from the support and being adapted to undergo both horizontally directed sliding movement and pivotal movement about a vertically disposed pivot axis relative thereto, a pair of straps having first and second ends, and a strap tension adjustment device carried by the support member, wherein second ends of the straps are removably fixed to the support member and first ends of the straps are fixed to the tension adjustment device, such that the straps are suspended below the support member as U-shaped loops sized to receive the component therewithin, and the tension adjustment device is manually operable to releasably shorten the lengths of the loops for clamping the component in position relative the support member. The component may be selectively mounted such that its major side surfaces or panels are arranged either normal or parallel to a lower surface of the support.

Claims

1. A mechanism for suspending a component below a support, said mechanism comprising:

a mounting means adapted to be attached to said support; and

component clamping means, said mounting means suspending said clamping means below said support, said clamping means including a support member coupled to said mounting means, a pair of straps each having first and second ends, tension adjustment means mounted on said support member and connected to said first ends of said straps, and attaching means for attaching said second ends to said support member and cooperating with said tension adjustment means to suspend said straps by said first and second ends thereof to form U-shaped loops arranged beneath said support member for receiving said component therewithin, and said tension adjustment means being manually operable to releasably shorten the lengths of said loops for clamping said component relative to said support member.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member defines two pairs of bearing surfaces arranged to be releasably clamped against by said component.

3. The mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said bearing surfaces extend transversely of said loops with first bearing surfaces of each said pair being aligned and disposed relatively adjacent said attaching means and second bearing surfaces of each said pair being aligned and disposed relatively adjacent said tension adjustment means.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes support plate coupled to said mounting means to assume a horizontally disposed position when said mounting means is attached to said support, said support plate having depending first and second parallel edge positions each defining adjacent first and second ends thereof a pair of aligned bearing surfaces extending transversely of said loops and arranged for clamping engagement with said component.

5. The mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said support plate has depending end portions extending normal to said edge portions, said end portions cooperating to mount said tension adjustment means and having concave free edges arranged intermediate said bearing surfaces and said support plate.

6. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes a support plate having depending first and second edge portions and depending first and second parallel end portions disposed normal to said edge portions, said bearing surfaces extending below said end portions, and said tension adjustment means is carried by said end portions.

7. The mechanism according to claim 6, wherein said tension adjustment means includes an elongated rod having opposite ends rotatably supported by said end portions and a mid-portion connected to said first ends of said straps, a toothed wheel fixed for rotation with said rod, a ratchet pawl pivotally mounted on said support member and arranged to releasably engage said toothed wheel, resilient means tending to releasably bias said ratchet pawl into engagement with said toothed wheel for normally permitting manual rotation of said rod in a first direction to shorten said loops, said pawl being manually movable against said bias to release said pawl from engagement with said toothed wheel for allowing manually induced lengthening of said loops.

8. The mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said attaching means is carried by said support plate.

9. The mechanism according to claim 8, wherein said attachment means is defined by pairs of parallel slots formed in said support plate for releasably, threadably receiving said second ends of said straps.

10. The mechanism according to claim 9, wherein said support plate has a pair of through openings for freely receiving said straps extending from said mid-portion of said rod.

11. The mechanism according to claim 10, wherein said end portions have concave free edges arranged intermediate said bearing surfaces and said support plate.

12. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes a support plate having a pair of depending first and second end portions;

and said tension adjustment means includes an elongated rod having opposite ends rotatably supported by said end portions and a mid-portion connected to said first ends of said straps, a toothed wheel fixed for rotation with said rod, a ratchet pawl pivotally mounted on said support member and arranged to releasably engage said toothed wheel, resilient means for providing a bias tending to releasably maintain said ratchet pawl in engagement with said toothed wheel for normally permitting manual rotation of said rod in a first direction to shorten said loops, said pawl being manually movable against said bias to release said pawl from engagement with said toothed wheel for allowing manually induced lengthening of said loops.

13. The mechanism according to claim 12, wherein said support plate has depending side edge portions disposed normal to said end portions, and said clamping means includes mounting openings defined by each of said side edge portions and mounting clips removably supported one within each of said mounting openings to depend normal to said support plate and parallel to said side edge portions, each of said mounting clips being formed with a slide mounting opening two pairs of extension tubes having remote end portions and adjacent end portions, said adjacent end portions of said extension tubes being removably slidably mounted within an aligned pair of slide mounting openings to position said remote end portions in an outwardly spaced relationship relative to said side edge portions of said support plate, and end guides mounted one on each of said remote end portions for sliding engagement with said straps.

14. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member has depending side edge portions, and said clamping means includes mounting openings defined by each of said side edge portions and mounting clips removably supported one within each of said mounting openings to depend normal to said support plate and parallel to said side edge portions, each of said mounting clips being formed with a slide mounting opening, two pairs of extension tubes having remote end portions and adjacent end portions, said adjacent end portions of said extension tubes being removably slidably mounted within an aligned pair of slide mounting openings to position said remote end portions in an outwardly spaced relationship relative to said side edge portions of said support plate, and end guides mounted one on each of said remote end portions for sliding engagement with said straps.

15. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member defines bearing surface arranged to face downwardly relative thereto for engagement by said component upon said clamping thereof relative to said support member, and said clamping means additionally includes a spacer unit removably mounted on said support member and defining a further bearing surface, said further bearing surface being arranged to face downwardly and be disposed relatively below said bearing surface when said spacer unit is mounted on said support member, whereby said component may be clamped against said further bearing surface when said spacer unit is mounted on said support member and the lengths of said loops are shortened.

16. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes a generally horizontally disposed support plate having downwardly extending parallel edge portions, and said clamping means additionally includes a spacer unit of U-shaped configuration defined by a pair of side panels upstanding from a lower panel defining a bearing surface, said side panels being removably insertable between said edge portions for underengagement with said support plate.