Portable electrical unit

• US 6,653,562 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Group Dekko Incorporated (Graham Holdings Company)
• Original Assignee: Pent Products, Inc. (Graham Holdings Company)
• Inventors: Kochanski, Walter T., Roc, Frank, Bixler, Randall L., Berndt, Curtis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHIRUBHAI R
• Application Number:
  US10/273,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20030075350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 174/50, 174/48, 220/4.02, 220/3.8, 439/535, 248/906
• US Class Current: 174/50
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/72 Means for accommodating flexible lead within the holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/081 Bases, casings or covers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/906 Electrical outlet box support

Abstract

A portable electrical unit including a body, a cavity in the body, a cavity access opening in the body, a door attached to the body for selectively opening and closing said cavity access opening, at least one extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the portable electrical unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces, all of the extensible members being resiliently biased in substantially the same direction and a distribution unit mounted in the body including at least one receptacle. The portable electrical unit may be secured in position intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces such as the floor and underside of a desk, or an upper desk or shelf surface and a higher shelf under-surface by one or more extensible members which are slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions.

Claims

1. A portable electrical unit, comprising:

a body;

a cavity in said body;

a cavity access opening in said body;

a door attached to said body for selectively opening and closing said cavity access opening;

at least one extensible member slidably received in said body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the portable electrical unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces, all said at least one extensible member being resiliently biased; and

an electrical distribution unit mounted in said body.

2. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, further including at least one of an on/off switch, a circuit breaker, a surge suppressor and an uninterruptible power supply electrically connected to said electrical distribution unit.

3. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, further including at least one cord electrically connected to said electrical distribution unit and at least one receptacle mounted in said electrical distribution unit.

4. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, wherein said electrical distribution unit includes at least one power receptacle and at least one communication port.

5. The portable electrical unit of claim 4, further including at least one cord electrically connected to said electrical distribution unit and at least one said power receptacle.

6. The portable electrical unit of claim 5, wherein said at least one cord includes at least one communication connection electrically connected to said at least one communication port and at least one power cord electrically connected to said at least one power receptacle.

7. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, wherein said at least one extensible member is resiliently biased toward said extended positions.

8. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, further including a latch arrangement for securing said extensible member against said resilient bias in said retracted position.

9. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, wherein said body has a general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with a pair of opposed faces, one of said faces receiving said extensible member and an other face adapted to engage one of two spaced apart surfaces.

10. The portable electrical unit of claim 9, wherein said other face includes at least one of a friction surface pad for engaging one of said two spaced apart surfaces.

11. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, wherein in said retracted position, said extensible member lies substantially entirely within said body.

12. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, further including a handle for facilitating transportation of said unit from one location to another location.

13. The portable electrical unit of claim 1, further comprising a cord passing notch along an edge of said door.

14. A portable electrical unit, comprising:

an elongate member including a male member slidingly coupled with a female member in a longitudinal direction of said elongate member,

a biasing element interposed between said male member and said female member in said longitudinal direction;

an electrical distribution unit in said elongate member; and

at least one cord electrically connected to said distribution unit.

15. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, further including at least one receptacle in said electrical distribution unit, said electrical distribution unit is mounted wherein said at least one receptacle faces external said hollow portion.

16. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, wherein said female member includes an access opening, said electrical distribution unit is hingedly attached to said female member at said access opening.

17. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, wherein said elongate member includes a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end, at least one friction pad is located at at least one of said first end and said second end.

18. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, further including a fan and a heater electrically connected to said cord, at least one cold air vent in said elongate member and at least one heated air vent in at least one of said female member and said male member.

19. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, wherein said electrical distribution unit includes at least one power receptacle and at least one communication port.

20. The portable electrical unit of claim 19, wherein said at least one cord includes at least one communication connection electrically connected to said at least one communication port and at least one power cord electrically connected to said at least one power receptacle.

21. The portable electrical unit of claim 19, further including at least one of an on/off switch, a circuit breaker, a surge suppressor and an uninterruptible power supply electrically connected to said electrical distribution unit.

22. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, further including at least one cord stowage slot in said female member adjacent said electrical distribution unit.

23. The portable electrical unit of claim 14, further including including two male members slidingly coupled with a female member in a longitudinal direction of said elongate member, a first said male member slidingly coupled to a first end of said female member, and a second male member slidingly coupled to a second end of said female member, at least one biasing element interposed between said two male members and said female member in said longitudinal direction.

24. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, further including at least one light in said elongate member, said light electrically connected to at least one said cord.

25. The portable electrical unit of claim 24, further including a battery in said elongate member, said battery is electrically connected to at least one said cord and at least one said light.

26. The portable electrical unit of claim 25, wherein said battery is a rechargeable battery.

27. The portable electrical unit of claim 25, wherein said electrical distribution unit is mounted so that said at least one receptacle faces external said hollow portion.

28. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, further including an access opening in said female member, said electrical distribution unit being attached to said female member at said access opening.

29. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, wherein said elongate member includes a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end, at least one friction pad is located at at least one of said first end and said second end.

30. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, wherein said at least one receptacle includes at least one power receptacle and at least one communication port.

31. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, wherein said at least one cord includes at least one communication connection electrically connected to said at least one communication port and at least one power cord electrically connected to said at least one power receptacle.

32. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, further including at least one of an on/off switch, a circuit breaker, a surge suppressor and an uninterruptible power supply electrically connected to said electrical distribution unit.

33. The portable electrical unit of claim 23, further including at least one cord stowage slot in said female member adjacent said electrical distribution unit.

34. A portable electrical unit, comprising:

a housing including a first body part and a second body part, said second body part slidably received within said first body part;

a biasing element interposed between said first body part and said second body part for biasing said first body part and said second body part away from each other; and

a modular electrical unit carried by said housing.

35. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein said second body part part comprises an extensible member.

36. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein said first body part comprises a female elongate member and said second body part comprises a male elongate member slidably received within said female elongate member.

37. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein each of said male elongate member and said female elongate member are generally cylindrical in shape.

38. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein at least one of said first body part and said second body part includes a storage cavity.

39. The portable electrical unit of claim 38, wherein said housing includes an access opening in communication with said storage cavity.

40. The portable electrical unit of claim 39, wherein said housing further includes a door selectively covering said access opening.

41. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein each said modular electrical unit comprises one of an electrical power receptacle, a communication port, a light, an on/off switch, a circuit breaker, a surge suppressor, and an uninterruptible power supply.

42. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, further including a worksurface mount connected to said housing.

43. The portable electrical unit of claim 42, wherein said housing includes a track arrangement coupled with said work surface mount.

44. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, further including at least one transport wheel carried by said housing.

45. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, wherein said housing includes an end and at least one friction pad located at said end.

46. The portable electrical unit of claim 34, further including at least one electrical cord, each said electrical cord being connected with at least one said modular electrical unit.

47. A portable electrical unit system, said system comprising:

at least one portable electrical unit, comprising;

an elongate member including a female member and a male member, said male member slidably received within said female member;

a biasing element interposed between said male member and said female member for biasing said male member and said female member away from each other; and

at least one modular electrical unit, said at least one modular electrical unit being carried by a corresponding one of said male member and said female member; and

a carrier for organizing and carrying said portable electrical units comprising;

a stem, and

a plurality of clasps extending from said stem, each said clasp being configured to receive a corresponding said elongate member therein.

48. The portable electrical unit system of claim 47, further including a handle connected to said stem.