Portable office storage unit

• US 6,784,364 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Group Dekko Incorporated (Graham Holdings Company)
• Original Assignee: Pent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bixler, Randall L., Roe, Frank, Kochanski, Walter T., Berndt, Curtis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHIRUBHAI R
• Application Number:
  US10/157,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20030217857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/50, 220/4.02, 220/3.8, 439/535, 248/906
• US Class Current: 174/480
• 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 storage unit has a body; a cavity in the body; an access opening in the body for providing access to the cavity, and a door which is hingedly fixed to the body for selectively opening and closing the cavity access opening. An extensible member is slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces such as a floor and underside of a desk. A spring urges the extensible member resiliently toward the extended positions. The extensible member may be latched in the retracted position and the body has a handle for transporting the unit between sites. Electrical connectors such as communication ports or electrical receptacles may be mounted to the unit along with one or more cords for supplying current to the electrical connectors.

Claims

1. A portable storage unit comprising:

a body;

a cavity in the body for receiving and storing office paraphernalia;

a cavity access opening in the body for providing access to the cavity;

a door hingedly fixed to the body for selectively opening and closing the cavity access opening; and

an extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the portable storage unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces.

2. The unit of claim 1, wherein the extensible member is resiliently biased toward the extended positions.

3. The unit of claim 2, further including a latch arrangement for securing the extensible member against the resilient bias in the retracted position.

4. The unit of claim 2, further comprising a second extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces, the second extensible member being resiliently biased toward the extended positions and the first and second extensible members being resiliently biased in substantially the same direction.

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

6. The unit of claim 5, wherein said other face includes a friction surface region for engaging one of the two spaced apart surfaces.

7. The unit of claim 1, wherein, in the retracted position, the extensible member lies substantially entirely within the body.

8. The unit of claim 1, further including a handle for facilitating transportation of the unit from one location to another location.

9. The unit of claim 1, wherein the pair of spaced apart surfaces comprise two of:

a floor, a desk surface and a shelf surface; and

the body and extensible member cooperate to capture the unit intermediate the floor and desk surface or the desk surface and shelf surface.

10. The unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one power receptacle mounted to the unit and a power-in cord for connecting the receptacle to a source of electrical energy.

11. The unit of claim 10, wherein the power receptacle is mounted interior of the body, and further comprising a cord passing aperture for allowing an electrical cord to enter the body and be coupled to the receptacle.

12. The unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one communication port mounted to the unit and a communication connecting cord for coupling the communication port to another communication line.

13. The unit of claim 12, wherein the communication port is mounted interior of the body, and further comprising a communication cord passing aperture for allowing a communication connecting cord to enter the body and be coupled to the receptacle.

14. A portable storage unit comprising:

a body;

a cavity in the body;

a cavity access opening in the body for providing access to the cavity;

a door hingedly fixed to the body for selectively opening and closing the cavity access opening;

an extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the portable storage unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces; and

a spring urging the extensible member resiliently toward the extended positions.

15. The unit of claim 14, further comprising a second extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces, the second extensible member being resiliently biased toward the extended positions and the first and second extensible members being resiliently biased in substantially the same direction.

16. The unit of claim 14, wherein the pair of spaced apart surfaces comprise two of:

a floor, a desk surface and a shelf surface; and

the body and extensible member cooperate to capture the unit intermediate the floor and desk surface or the desk surface and shelf surface.

17. A portable storage unit comprising:

a body;

a cavity in the body;

a cavity access opening in the body for providing access to the cavity;

a door hingedly fixed to the body for selectively opening and closing the cavity access opening;

an electrical connector mounted to the unit;

a cord for supplying current to the electrical connector; and

an extensible member slidably received in the body and movable between a retracted position and a range of extended positions for securing the portable storage unit intermediate a pair of spaced apart surfaces.

18. The unit of claim 17, wherein the electrical connector comprises a power outlet receptacle mounted interior of the unit, the cord comprises a power-in cord for connection to a source of electrical energy, and further comprising a cord passing aperture for allowing an electrical cord to enter the body and be coupled to the receptacle.

19. The unit of claim 17, wherein the electrical connector comprises a communication port mounted interior of the unit, the cord comprises a communication connecting cord for coupling the communication port to another communication line, and further comprising a communication cord passing aperture for allowing a communication cord to enter the body and be coupled to the port.

20. The unit of claim 17, wherein the electrical connector is mounted interior of the unit and further comprising a cord passing notch along an edge of the door for allowing electrical connection to the connector through the cavity access opening independent of the door position.

21. A portable storage 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; and

a storage unit in said elongate member.