Wire manager

• US 6,254,206 B1
• Filed: 02/16/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bretford Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bretford Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Petrick, Matthew, Brown, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZUMNY, JONATHON A
• Application Number:
  US09/249,897
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 248/68.1, 248/918, 312/223.6, 312/223.3, 312/194, 108/50.02, 108/50.01, 174/48, 174/49, 174/101
• US Class Current: 312/223.6
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables

Abstract

A wire manager for cables to electronic equipment on a table work surface. A bin with a removable cover is secured along an edge of the work surface. A bin divider defines longitudinally extending front and rear channels for power and data cables. Holes in the rear wall of the bin and in the cover adjacent the rear wall allow cables to be directed from the bin to electronic equipment on the work surface. The divider has a horizontal section spaced above the bottom wall of the bin to shield the data cables from power cables passing above the horizontal section to an opening and the work surface. The wire manager is mounted on bin supports secured to the underside of the work surface.

Claims

1. A wire manager adapted for mounting on a table having a work surface including a top side and an edge intersecting the top side of the work surface to define an upper elongate exterior corner of the work surface, said wire manager comprising:

an elongate bin of conductive material having spaced apart front and rear sidewalls, a bottom wall and open top, said sidewalls each having an upper edge;

a divider panel of conductive material between the sidewalls, defining longitudinally extending front and rear channels, one for power and the other for data cables;

a cover for the open top of the bin adapted for attachment to the bin at the upper edges of said front and rear sidewalls, there being an opening in the bin or cover through which cables may be directed from the bin to the work surface of the table when the wire manager is mounted on the table; and

a bin support affixed to and extending outward from said elongate bin and having a distal end adapted to be secured to the work surface for supporting the wire manager in a cantilevered fashion when the wire manager is mounted on the table with the top upper edge of the rear sidewall of the bin adjacent to and extending along the exterior corner of the work surface and the bin extending outward from said work surface away from said edge of said work surface.

2. The wire manager of claim 1 in which the bin sidewalls are vertical, the bin bottom wall is horizontal, and the sidewalls are joined with the bottom wall by chamfer corner walls.

3. The wire manager of claim 1 in which when the wire manager is mounted on the table the bin extends along the upper elongate exterior corner of the work surface with the cover substantially at the level of the top side of the work surface, the upper edge of the rear sidewall adjacent the upper elongate exterior corner of the work surface and the bottom wall below the top side of the work surface.

4. The wire manager of claim 3 in which the opening is in the rear sidewall, and is adapted to be below the work surface when the wire manager is mounted on the table.

5. The wire manager of claim 3 in which the opening is in the cover, and is configured to be adjacent the table edge when the wire manager is mounted on the table.

6. The wire manager of claim 1 in which the divider panel is mounted on the bottom wall of the bin and extends upwardly therefrom.

7. The wire manager of claim 6 in which the divider panel is centrally located on the bottom wall of the bin and has a horizontal section spaced above the bottom wall of the data channel of the bin.

8. The wire manager of claim 7 in which the front channel is for power cables, the rear channel is for data cables and the opening is in the rear wall of the bin or adjacent the edge of the work surface in the cover when the wire manager is mounted on the table and the horizontal divider panel section extends toward the rear wall for isolating a data cable in the data channel from a power cable extending over the divider panel section from the power channel and through said opening.

9. The wire manager of claim 7 in which the divider has an end section at an end of the horizontal section, which extends above the horizontal section.

10. The wire manager of claim 9 in which the divider has an end section at each end of the divider with the horizontal section extending between the end sections and there is an opening in the rear sidewall or cover adjacent each end section of the divider panel.

17. The wire manager of claim 10 in which the support has a flat surface for mating with the underside of the work surface.

11. A wire manager for a table having a work surface with an edge, said wire manager comprising:

an elongate bin of conductive material having spaced apart front and rear sidewalls, a bottom wall and open top;

a bin support affixed to and extending outward from said elongate bin and having a distal end adapted to be secured to the table work surface for supporting the wire manager in a cantilevered fashion when the wire manager is mounted on the table with the rear sidewall adjacent to and extending along the edge of the table work surface;

a cover for the open top of the bin, there being an opening in the bin or cover through which cables may be directed to the work surface of the table; and

a tube suspended and depending from and opening into the elongate bin, forming a chase which directs cables from below into the bin.

12. The wire manager of claim 11 in which said chase tube depends from an end of the bin.

13. Two wire managers as defined in claim 11, adapted to be aligned end to end when mounted on adjacent tables with said chase tube depending from and opening into the adjoining ends of the bins of both wire managers.

14. The wire manager of claim 11 including

a divider panel of conductive material between the sidewalls of the bin, defining longitudinally extending front and rear channels, one for power and the other for data cables; and

a conductive divider in said tube defining channels for power and data cables, the channel for power cables in the tube opening into the channel for power cables in the bin, and the channel for data cables in the tube opening into the channel for power cables in the bin.

15. The wire manager of claim 11 in which

the bin sidewalls are vertical, the bin bottom wall is horizontal and the sidewalls are joined with the bottom wall by a chamfer corner wall;

and

the chase tube has flanges which mate with and are secured to the chamfer corner walls of the bin.

16. A wire manager for a table having a work surface including a top side, an underside, and an edge intersecting the top side of the work surface to define an upper elongate exterior corner of the work surface, said wire manager comprising:

an elongate bin having spaced apart front and rear walls, said walls each having an upper edge;

a bin support affixed to and extending outward from said elongate bin and having a distal end adapted to be secured to the work surface for supporting the wire manager in a cantilevered fashion when the wire manager is mounted on the table with the upper edge of the rear wall adjacent to and extending along the upper exterior corner of the work surface and the bin extending outward from said work surface away from said exterior corner; and

a fastener securing the front wall of the bin to the bin support.

18. The wire manager of claim 16 including:

a cover for the bin; and

a second fastener securing the cover to the bin support.

19. The wire manager of claim 18 including a cover retaining bracket on said bin support, the second fastener being connected to said cover retaining bracket.

20. The wire manager of claim 19 in which said cover retaining bracket is a U-shaped plate with legs and a base, the support extending through the legs of the U and the second fastener being connected to the base of the U.

21. The wire manager of claim 16 having two bin supports, one adjacent each end of the bin.

22. A wire manager for a table having a work surface with an edge, comprising:

an elongate bin of conductive material having spaced apart vertical front and rear sidewalls, a horizontal bottom wall, chamfer corner walls joining the sidewalls to the bottom wall, and an open top;

a divider panel of conductive material between the sidewalls, defining longitudinally extending front and rear channels, one for power and the other for data cables;

a cover for the open top of the bin, there being an opening in the bin or cover through which cables may be directed from the bin to the work surface of the table when the wire manager is mounted on the table; and

a bin support adapted to be secured to the table supporting the wire manager when the wire manager is mounted on the table with the rear sidewall adjacent to and extending along the edge of the table work surface such that the bin extends along the edge of the table work surface with the cover substantially at the level of the work surface, the rear sidewall adjacent the edge, the bottom wall below the work surface, and the opening is partially in the rear sidewall and partially in the chamfer corner wall.

23. A wire manager for a table having a work surface with an edge, comprising:

an elongate bin of conductive material having spaced apart front and rear sidewalls, a bottom wall and open top;

a divider panel of conductive material mounted on the bottom wall of the bin and extending upwardly therefrom centrally between the sidewalls, defining longitudinally extending front and rear channels, one for power and the other for data cables, the divider panel having a horizontal section thereof spaced above the bottom wall of the data channel of the bin, the divider panel also having an end section at an end of the horizontal section, which extends above the horizontal section;

a data jack carrier mounted on said divider end section, above the horizontal section;

a cover for the open top of the bin, there being an opening in the bin or cover through which cables are directed from the bin to the work surface of the table; and

a bin support adapted to be secured to the table and supporting the wire manager when the wire manager is mounted on the table with the rear sidewall adjacent to and extending along the edge of the table work surface.