U.S. patent application number 09/790859 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-22 for computer desk.
Invention is credited to Ma, Ching-Hsiu.
Application Number | 20020113531 09/790859 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26056829 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020113531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ma, Ching-Hsiu |
August 22, 2002 |
Computer desk
Abstract
A computer desk having structural parts that can be disassembled
and kept in a compact size for packaging and storage is disclosed.
The computer desk comprises a pair of substantially V-shape leg
frames arranged in spaced relation to one another, spanned by a
pair of lower cross bars attached thereto, and a pair of upper
frames arranged in spaced apart relation to one another, spanned by
a pair of upper cross bars attached thereto. The leg frames are
detachably connected to the upper frames such that each of the leg
frames forms a substantially Z configuration with a corresponding
one of the upper frames. A desk top is detachably mounted on the
upper cross bars between the pair of upper frames. The upper frames
each further include a second bar provided with a slide rail. A
support plate, which serves to hold the keyboard of a computer, is
disposed between the second bars of the upper frames and has two
ends inserted slidably into the slide rails of the second bars,
respectively.
Inventors: |
Ma, Ching-Hsiu; (Taipao
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHERIDAN ROSS PC
1560 BROADWAY
SUITE 1200
DENVER
CO
80202
|
Family ID: |
26056829 |
Appl. No.: |
09/790859 |
Filed: |
February 20, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/223.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 21/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/223.3 |
International
Class: |
A47B 081/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer desk comprising: a pair of substantially V-shape leg
frames arranged in spaced relation to one another, each of said leg
frames being formed by a substantially horizontal foot member 21
and a leg member 22 extending upward in an inclined direction from
said horizontal foot member; a pair of upper frames 4 arranged in
spaced apart relation to one another, each of said upper frames
having a substantially horizontal first bar 41 and a downward
member 42 extending downward in an inclined direction from said
first bar to form a substantially V-shaped configuration with said
first bar, and further including a second bar 43 which is parallel
to and disposed below said first bar, and which has a slide rail
431 on a side thereof, said downward member of each of said upper
frames being detachably connected to said leg member of a
corresponding one of said leg frames, such that each of said leg
frames forms a substantially Z configuration with a corresponding
one of said upper frames; a pair of lower cross bars 3 spanning
said pair of leg frames, each of said cross bars having two ends
detachably connected to said foot members of said leg frames,
respectively; a pair of upper cross bars 5 spanning said pair of
upper frames, each of said upper cross bars having two ends
detachably connected to said first bars of said upper frames,
respectively, said upper cross bars being of substantially the same
length as said lower cross bars; a desk top 6 detachably mounted on
said upper cross bars to be positioned between said first bars of
said upper frames; and a support plate 7 disposed between said
second bars of said upper frames and having two ends inserted
slidably into said slide rails of said second bars of said upper
frames, respectively.
2. The computer desk according to claim 1, further comprising a
pair of connecting members 44 for interconnecting said leg and
upper frames, said leg member of each of said leg frames having a
first tubular end 221, and said downward member of each of said
upper frames having a second tubular end 421, each of said
connecting members having one end sleeved into the first tubular
end of said leg member of one of said leg frames and another end
sleeved into the second tubular end of said downward member of a
corresponding one of said upper frames.
3. The computer desk according to claim 1, wherein said leg member
of each of said leg frames has a first tubular end 221 and said
downward member of each of said upper frames has a second tubular
end 421, said second tubular end 421 being of larger diameter than
said first tubular end to receive said first tubular end 221
therein and defining a shoulder 23 therein, said first tubular end
221 of said leg member abutting against said shoulder, said first
and second tubular ends having a fastener to fasten threadedly said
first and second tubular ends.
4. The computer desk according to claim 1, further comprising an
additional cross bar arranged between said pair of upper cross
bars, said additional cross bar having two ends detachably
connected to said first bars of said upper frames.
5. The computer desk according to claim 4, wherein said desk top 6
consists of a first panel 61 and a second panel 62 which are
juxtaposed and which have adjacent inner ends mounted on said
additional cross bar, said first and second panels further having
outer end flanges opposite to said inner ends, said outer end
flanges curving over said upper cross bars, respectively.
6. The computer desk according to claim 5, wherein said adjacent
inner ends have oppositely projecting overlapping flanges each of
which curves over said additional cross bar.
7. The computer desk according to claim 1, wherein said foot member
has a pair of casters mounted thereon.
8. The computer desk according to claim 1, wherein said downward
members of said upper frames are equal in length to said leg
members of said leg frames.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a computer desk, in
particular to a computer desk having structural parts that can be
disassembled and which therefore saves on storage or transport
space and packaging costs, and convenient for users to
transport.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The computer desk commonly noted in the market, indicated by
reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1, generally includes two erected
opposing left and right side panels 11 which are each provided at
the bottom end thereof with a leg 12 placed on level with the
ground. A pair of casters 121 are pivotally connected at the front
and rear ends of each leg 12, respectively. A connecting plate 13
is provided between the two side panels 11 and is horizontally
positioned and attached near the legs 12 of the two side panels 11.
The top end of each of the side panels 11 is provided with a top
bar 14. Between the two top bars 14 is attached a desk top 15. The
front end of each of the top bars 14 is provided with a downwardly
extending connecting member 141. At the bottom end of each
connecting member 141 is attached a slide rail 16 extending
longitudinally on the side panel 11 parallel to the top bars 14.
Between the two slide rails 16, a support plate 17 for placement of
a keyboard is mounted.
[0005] In the assembled form of this known computer desk 1, the
computer monitor and/or the main unit are placed on the computer
desk top 15, while the keyboard is placed on the support plate 17
which is slidably movable along the length of the two slide rails
16. The pair of casters 121 under each of the two legs 12
facilitate movement of the entire computer desk.
[0006] The above-described computer desk 1 is evidently equipped
with the basic function of providing an area for placing the parts
of a computer system and on which a user may operate the computer.
The different parts of the computer desk 1 may be disassembled and
packed for storage or shipping. However, in the structural
arrangement of the components of the computer desk, the two side
panels 11 and the desk top 15 of the computer desk 1 are each
formed as one-piece panels. Moreover, the height of the two side
panels 11 is imposed with certain specific limitations to allow for
user's comfort when operating the computer. In view of this, to
pack or box the side panels 11 and the desk top 15, more packing
material and volume would be required. Furthermore, the large space
occupied by the packaged desk results in inconvenience in delivery
and transport, as well as in increased costs. Such are the
imperfections noted of the known computer desks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide
a computer desk which provides savings in packaging materials,
minimizes storage or transport space and provides ease of
transport.
[0008] Accordingly, a computer desk according to the present
invention comprises a pair of substantially V-shape leg frames
arranged in spaced relation to one another, each of said leg frames
being formed by a substantially horizontal foot member and a leg
member extending upward in an inclined direction from said
horizontal foot member; a pair of upper frames arranged in spaced
apart relation to one another, each of said upper frames having a
substantially horizontal first bar and a downward member extending
downward in an inclined direction from said first bar to form a
substantially V-shaped configuration with said first bar, and
further including a second bar which is parallel to and disposed
below said first bar, and which has a slide rail on a side thereof,
said downward member of each of said upper frames being detachably
connected to said leg member of a corresponding one of said leg
frames, such that each of said leg frames forms a substantially Z
configuration with a corresponding one of said upper frames; a pair
of lower cross bars spanning said pair of leg frames, each of said
cross bars having two ends detachably connected to said foot
members of said leg frames, respectively; a pair of upper cross
bars spanning said pair of upper frames, each of said upper cross
bars having two ends detachably connected to said first bars of
said upper frames, respectively, said upper cross bars being of
substantially the same length as said lower cross bars; a desk top
detachably mounted on said upper cross bars to be positioned
between said first bars of said upper frames; and a support plate
disposed between said second bars of said upper frames and having
two ends inserted slidably into said slide rails of said second
bars of said upper frames, respectively.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional computer
desk;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the
computer desk according to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in
an assembled form;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the
connection of the leg member of a leg frame and the downward member
of an upper frame in the preferred embodiment; and
[0014] FIG. 5 is the same view as FIG. 4 but showing an alternative
connection between the leg member and the downward member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] A preferred embodiment of the computer desk according to the
present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2
and 3. As shown, the computer desk comprises a pair of leg frames
2, a pair of lower cross bars 3, a pair of upper frames 4, a pair
of upper cross bars 5, a computer desk top 6 and a support plate
7.
[0016] The pair of leg frames 2 are substantially V-shaped and are
each formed by a substantially horizontal foot member 21 and a leg
member 22 extending from the horizontal foot member 21 upwardly in
a sloping direction. The leg members 22 each have a first tubular
end 221 for connection to the upper frames 4, which will be
described later. Each of the foot members 21 is provided with two
spaced-apart positioning holes 211 and has a pair of casters 23
mounted thereon for facilitating movement of the computer desk.
[0017] The leg frames 2 are arranged in spaced relation to one
another, spanned by the pair of lower cross bars 3. The pair of
cross bars 3 are spaced apart and each have two internally threaded
ends 31 in which one is inserted into the positioning hole 211 of
the foot member 21 of one leg frame 2 and the other inserted in the
corresponding positioning hole 211 of the foot member 21 of the
other leg frame 2. A screw 32 is threaded into each of the inserted
ends 31, thereby detachably connecting the lower cross bars 3 to
the foot members 21, respectively.
[0018] The pair of upper frames 4 are each formed by a
substantially horizontal first bar 41 and a downward member 42
extending downwardly from the first bar 41 in a sloping direction
to form a substantially V-shape configuration with the first bar
41, and a second bar 43 which is parallel to and disposed below the
first bar 41. Preferably, the downward members 42 are of the same
length as the leg members 22 of the leg frames 2. The downward
members 42 each have a second tubular end 421, for connection to
the leg frames as will be described later. Three spaced-apart
through-holes 411 are provided on each of the first bars 41.
[0019] The pair of upper frames 4, like the leg frames 2, are
arranged in spaced relation to one another, spanned by the pair of
upper cross bars 5. The upper cross bars 5 are of substantially the
same length as the lower cross bars 3 and are detachably connected
to the upper frames 2 in the same manner as the connection of the
lower cross bars 3 to the leg frames 2 described above.
Specifically, each of the upper cross bars 5 similarly has two
internally threaded ends 51 which are inserted in the corresponding
through-holes 411 of the first bars 41, and a screw 52 is threaded
into each of the inserted ends 51.
[0020] The computer desk top 6 is detachably mounted on the upper
cross bars 5 between the first bars 41 of the upper frames 4 by
means of the two flanges 611,622 at the two outer ends of the desk
top 6, respectively, which curve over the upper cross bars 5.
Optionally, an additional cross bar 55 may be further provided
between the pair of upper cross bars 5 for reinforcing the
supportive function of the upper cross bars 5. Preferably, the desk
top 6 is composed of a front panel 61 and a rear panel 62 in
juxtaposition, in which case the additional cross bar 55 will be
necessary for supporting the two panels 61,62. That is, the
adjacent inner ends 613,623 of the front and rear panels 61,62 have
oppositely projecting overlapping flanges 612,621 which curve over
the additional cross bar 55, to secure the front and rear panels
61,62 on the upper cross bars 5.
[0021] The support plate 7 is disposed between the second bars 43
of the upper frames 4. The second bars 43 are each provided with a
slide rail 431 on a side thereof, and the support plate 7 has two
ends which are inserted slidably into the slide rails 431 of the
second bars 43, respectively. The support plate 7 is thus slidably
movable along the length of the slide rails 431 in the manner of a
desk drawer, between a forwardly drawn operative position and a
concealed position underneath the desk top 6.
[0022] The downward members 42 of the upper leg frames 4 are
detachably connected to the leg members 22 of the leg frames 2,
respectively, to form a substantially Z configuration. FIG. 4
illustrates one form of attachment of the downward members 42 to
the leg members 22, using a pair of connecting members 44 and
screws 424. As shown, each connecting member 44 is plugged into the
corresponding tubular ends 221,421 of the leg member 22 and
downward member 42 to be joined, and the screws 424 are threaded
into the tubular ends 221,421 and the connecting member 44. The leg
frames 2 and the upper frames 4 are thus securely connected
together.
[0023] Alternatively, instead of using the connecting members 44 to
connect the downward members 42 and the leg members 22, the tubular
end 421 of the downward member 42 is enlarged in diameter to form a
sleeve section 422 for receiving the tubular end 221 of the leg
member 22, as shown in FIG. 5. The sleeve section 422 defines a
shoulder 423 therein against which the tubular end 221 of the leg
member 22 abuts. A fastener 425 is used to threadedly connect the
first tubular end 221 to the second tubular end 421 sleeved
thereon
[0024] Referring to FIG. 2, the major components of the computer
desk have the characteristics of being capable of being
disassembled and kept in a compact size for storage or packaging.
In particular, the computer desk top 6 is made up of the two panels
61,62 of substantially the same size. Therefore, the two panels
61,62 can be stacked over one another when disassembled thereby
reducing the packing material and volume. The downward members 42
and leg members 22 of the upper frames 4 and leg frames 2,
respectively, extend to each other in a sloping direction and the
dimension and size of the upper frames 4 and the leg frames 2 are
substantially the same. When the computer desk is to be packed, the
upper frames 4 and leg frames 2 can be stacked over one another. As
for the other related components, the volume and dimension thereof
are all smaller than the upper frames 4 or leg frames 2 and, as
such, the packing material and volume will not be increased and,
consequently, the overall volume of the computer desk after being
packaged is relatively reduced compared with the prior art. In view
of this, the present invention indeed achieves the effects of
reducing the packing material and volume, thus reducing the
required storage space as well as the costs and providing ease of
transport.
[0025] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *