Transportable electrical power supplying device for storing and configuring excess power cord and sharing a multiplicity of AC and DC electrical power supplies in diverse user environments

• US 9,513,682 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PUCline, LLC
• Original Assignee: PUCline, LLC
• Inventors: Fleisig, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Xuan
• Application Number:
  US13/934,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20150008741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 307/31
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A transportable electrical power-supplying device for supplying AC and DC electrical power to a group of electrical appliances and/or electronic devices located in an environment. The transportable device has a housing supporting a plurality of electrical power receptacles for supplying AC and DC electrical power to a plurality of electrical appliances and/or electronic devices. The transportable device also has one or more external power cord storage compartments, for managing the excess length of power cords associated therewith. Any excess power cord can be wound up about a power cord spool within the power storage compartment, held firmly in place and concealed behind a set of spaced apart elastomeric structures forming a perimeter power cord opening. At the same time, any remaining power cord is allowed to exit the perimeter power cord opening at any point about the transportable device, and routed to an electrical appliance or electronic device requiring AC or DC electrical power in the workspace environment being serviced by the transportable device.

Claims

1. A transportable electrical power supplying device for supplying AC and DC electrical power to a plurality of electrical appliances and/or electronic devices located in an environment, comprising:

a power supply cord for plugging into a standard AC power receptacle by way of a power supply plug, and supplying AC electrical power to said transportable electrical power supplying device;

wherein each said electrical appliance and/or electronic device has a power cord routable through the environment and terminating with an appliance power plug pluggable into said transportable electrical power supplying device;

a first housing portion having (i) an interior volume containing one or more electrical circuits electrically connected to said power supply cord and concealed within said first housing portion by a cover portion, and (ii) an exterior surface for supporting a plurality of AC electrical receptacles electrically connected to said one or more electrical circuits and at least one USB-type DC electrical receptacle;

a second housing portion, operably connected to said first housing portion, for supporting one or more external power cord storage compartments;

wherein each said external power cord storage compartment includes

an internal power cord storage spool contained within each said external power cord storage compartment, and

a pair of resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures disposed in each said external power cord storage compartment and arranged in a spaced apart manner so as to form a perimeter access opening, permitting excess power cord to be (i) wound up about said internal power cord storage spool and (ii) substantially concealed behind said pair of resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures, while allowing any remaining power cord to exit through said perimeter access opening at any point about said transportable electrical power supplying device and routed to said electrical appliance or electronic device;

wherein each said external power cord storage compartment supports a number of turns of excess power cord wrapped about said internal power cord storage spool, while said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures retain the wound power cord in place about said internal power cord storage spool and prevent the excess power cord from unwinding and spilling out through said perimeter access opening and unwinding off said internal power cord storage spool; and

wherein, when wound-up excess power cord concealed behind said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures is pulled out from said perimeter access opening with sufficient force, said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures elastically deform and allow the pulled excess power cord to be removed from said external power cord storage compartment and used in supplying electrical power to said electrical appliance or electronic device at some preselected distance located from said transportable electrical power supplying device.

2. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 1, wherein said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures are configured to press against and exert forces against each said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structure so as to substantially close off said perimeter access opening and substantially conceal excess power cord wound about said internal power cord storage spool.

3. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 1, wherein said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structures are configured to not press against and exert forces against each said resilient power cord retention and concealment disc structure, but otherwise substantially close off said perimeter access opening and substantially conceal excess power cord wound about said internal power cord storage spool.

4. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 1, wherein said upper housing portion has side walls with apertures, and wherein said one or more electrical circuits comprises a printed circuit (PC) board supplying electrical power to said at least two AC electrical receptacles, and at least one USB-type DC electrical receptacle mounted through said apertures formed through the side walls of said upper housing portion.

5. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 4, wherein said cover portion includes a translucent logo/badge, and said PC board supplies power to an LED-based power-on indicator light illuminating said translucent logo/badge.

6. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 5, wherein each electronic device has a flexible cable terminating in a USB plug pluggable into one said USB-type DC electrical receptacle, and wherein each said electrical appliance has an electrical plug pluggable into one said AC electrical receptacle.

7. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 1, wherein each said AC receptacle comprises a 120 Volt AC electrical power receptacle, and each said USB-type DC electrical receptacle comprises a USB power port.

8. The transportable electrical power supplying device of claim 7, wherein each electronic device has a flexible cable terminating in a USB plug plugged into one said USB power port, and wherein each said electrical appliance has an electrical plug pluggable into one said 120 Volt AC electrical power receptacle.