U.S. patent application number 10/950206 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-30 for dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops.
Invention is credited to Wen-Hua Chang, Yueh Chi, Hungh-Hsiang Wang.
Application Number | 20060065162 10/950206 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36097564 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060065162 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chi; Yueh ; et al. |
March 30, 2006 |
Dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops
Abstract
A dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops includes a
stand frame; a front top mounted to an upper front portion of the
stand frame via a front tilt control device; and a rear top
including a screen support and mounted to an upper rear portion of
the stand frame via a rear tilt control device. A computer, TV, or
PDA screen may be mounted on the screen support, and the front and
the rear top may be separately adjusted to different tilt angles
best for writing, reading, or drawing at the front top, or watching
the screen mounted on the rear top. When the screen is not in use,
the front and the rear top may be simultaneously restored to a
horizontal state or adjusted to the same plane with the screen
invisibly located below the rear top to increase the usable area on
the desk.
Inventors: |
Chi; Yueh; (Taipei City,
TW) ; Chang; Wen-Hua; (Taipei City, TW) ;
Wang; Hungh-Hsiang; (Taipei City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PRO-TECHTOR INTERNATIONAL SERVICES
20775 Norada Court
Saratoga
CA
95070-3018
US
|
Family ID: |
36097564 |
Appl. No.: |
10/950206 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/7 ;
108/50.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 21/03 20130101;
A47B 2200/0043 20130101; A47B 21/02 20130101; A47B 2021/0076
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/007 ;
108/050.02 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/12 20060101
A47F005/12 |
Claims
1. A dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops, comprising: a
stand frame; a front top mounted to an upper front portion of said
stand frame via a front tilt control device; and a rear top
including a screen support and mounted to an upper rear portion of
said stand frame via a rear tilt control device.
2. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 1, wherein said stand frame includes two side members
provided at two upper lateral sides thereof; and wherein said front
top includes a supporting frame located below said front top, said
supporting frame being mounted at two lateral sides to front ends
of said two side members of said stand frame, and pivotally
connected at a front end to a bottom front portion of said front
top via first hinges; and wherein said front tilt control device is
located between said supporting frame and a position near a bottom
rear portion of said front top.
3. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 1, wherein said front tilt control device enables stepped
adjustment of a tilt angle of said front top.
4. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 3, wherein said front tilt control device enabling stepped
adjustment of a tilt angle of said front top is a positioning
ratchet.
5. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 1, wherein said front tilt control device enables stepless
adjustment of a tilt angle of said front top.
6. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 5, wherein said front tilt control device enabling stepless
adjustment of a tilt angle of said front top is an air
cylinder.
7. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 1, wherein said front tilt control device enables adjustment
of a tilt angle of said front top within a range from zero to
twenty-five degrees.
8. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 2, wherein said side members of said stand frame are provided
with a slide rail each, and said supporting frame of said front top
being slidably mounted in said slide rails to move forward or
rearward relative to said side members.
9. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed in
claim 8, wherein said supporting frame is allowed to move forward
or rearward relative to said side members within a range from zero
to twenty centimeters.
10. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said stand frame includes two side members
provided at two upper lateral sides thereof; and wherein said rear
top is pivotally connected at two lower front ends to two near
middle points of said two side members via second hinges with said
rear tilt control device located between two rear ends of said side
members and a position close to a bottom front of said rear
top.
11. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said rear tilt control device enables stepped
adjustment of a tilt angle of said rear top.
12. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 11, wherein said rear tilt control device enabling stepped
adjustment of a tilt angle of said rear top is a positioning
ratchet.
13. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said rear tilt control device enables stepless
adjustment of a tilt angle of said rear top.
14. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 13, wherein said rear tilt control device enabling
stepless adjustment of a tilt angle of said rear top is an air
cylinder.
15. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said rear tilt control device enables
adjustment of a tilt angle of said rear top within a range from
zero to 90 degrees.
16. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said rear top includes a left panel, a right
panel, and a screen support located between said left and said
right panel; said screen support including: a frame provided at
each lateral side with a connecting section, which includes at
least one sideward-extended wing plate for connecting to said left
or said right panel, and a rearward-extended slotted plate formed
of a plurality of horizontally spaced locating slots; and a fixing
bracket including a transverse main body and a forward-extended
side plate at each end of said main body; said side plates being
provided with fixing holes for aligning with and locking to said
locating slots formed on said rearward-extended slotted plates of
said connecting sections of said frame; and said main body being
provided with at least one screen-fixing hole.
17. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 16, further comprising an anti-glare filter mounted in
front of said screen support of said rear top to locate between
said left and said right panel.
18. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 16, wherein said left and said right panel are made of a
metal material.
19. The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops as claimed
in claim 16, wherein said left and said right panel have metal
elements embedded therein.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a dual functional desk with
front and rear tops that could be separately adjusted to different
tilt angles best for writing, reading, and drawing, or watching a
screen of a computer, a TV set, or a personal digital assistant
(PDA) mounted on the rear top. When the screen is not in use, the
front and the rear top may be adjusted to a horizontal state or
locate in the same plane with the screen invisibly located below
the rear top, giving the desk an increased usable top surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] For most people living in the modern society, computers and
television sets are indispensable working apparatus for retrieving
information. In the future era of digitalization, computers and TV
sets will be combined into one unit for use.
[0003] For a desktop computer, the conventional cathode-ray tube
(CRT) type screen having a big volume and producing high radiation
has been replaced with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The
LCD screen has small volume and occupies reduced space on a
computer desk. Generally, a computer user would position the LCD
screen close to a rear side of the computer desk, and put different
controlling devices or other necessary articles close to a front
side of the desk. This inevitably results in a disordered front
side of the computer desk to form an intangible pressure to the
computer user.
[0004] Conventional desks or computer desks usually include a
one-piece, fixed, and horizontal top. When the top is too large, it
is not easy to clearly view the LCD screen positioned near the rear
side of the top. On the other hand, when the top is too small, it
provides only a limited space not enough to hold other necessary
computer-related apparatus, books, etc. Moreover, the desk having a
generally horizontal top is not suitable for a user to comfortably
operate a mouse or a writing pad with the vertebral column in a
correct position meeting the reasonable requirements of ergonomics.
When reading at a computer desk or watching a screen mounted on a
computer desk having a horizontal top, reflected light causing eye
discomfort would occur. Therefore, the general computer desk having
a fixed horizontal top does not meet the ergonomics and tends to
cause physical problems, including easily tired eyes and deformed
vertebral column, on a user working at the computer desk over a
prolonged time. Moreover, the LCD screen also occupies a certain
fixed area of the top of the computer desk. When the computer is
not in use, the LCD screen is still visibly positioned on the
conventional computer desk to create a pressure to the user and the
surrounding environment, and reduce a usable top area of the
computer desk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
dual functional desk with front and rear tops that could be
separately adjusted to different tilt angles best for writing,
reading, and drawing, or watching a screen mounted on the rear top,
or adjusted to a horizontal state or the same plane with the screen
in a hidden position without occupying the usable surface area of
the desk.
[0006] To achieve the above and other objects, the dual functional
desk with tilt-adjustable tops according to the present invention
includes a stand frame; a front top mounted to an upper front
portion of the stand frame via a front tilt control device; and a
rear top including a screen support and mounted to an upper rear
portion of the stand frame via a rear tilt control device.
[0007] The front top is seated on a supporting frame, which is
slidably mounted to the upper front portion of the stand frame to
move forward or rearward relative to the stand frame. The front top
in a horizontal state serves as a horizontal top of a general desk,
and may be adjusted to a tilt angle between zero and twenty-five
degrees suitable for reading, writing, and drawing thereat.
[0008] The screen support on the rear top includes a frame and a
fixing bracket that enabling a screen and an anti-glare filter to
be mounted on the screen support flush with the rear top. The rear
top could be adjusted to different tilt angles between zero and 90
degrees for a user to comfortably watch the computer or TV screen
mounted on the rear top.
[0009] When it is desired to use the computer, the front and the
rear top could be separately adjusted to different tilt angles, so
that a user could utilize the front top to comfortably write, read,
or draw, and the rear top to comfortably watch the screen. When the
computer or the TV set is not in use, the front and the rear top
could be restored to the horizontal state or the same plane with
the screen invisibly located below the rear top, so that a desk
with a wide, clean, and orderly top is provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dual functional desk with
tilt-adjustable tops according to an embodiment of the present
invention with a rear top thereof in a tilt position;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dual functional desk of
FIG. 1 with a front top thereof also in a tilt position;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view of FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dual functional desk of
FIG. 1 with front and rear tops thereof in a fully horizontal
state; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is an exploded rear perspective view of the rear top
of the dual functional desk of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are two perspective views
of a dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops according to an
embodiment of the present invention, and to FIG. 3 that is a
fragmentary side view of FIG. 2. As shown, the dual functional desk
of the present invention mainly includes a stand frame 1, a front
top 2, and a rear top 3.
[0017] The stand frame 1 includes two side members 11 separately
located at two upper lateral sides of the stand frame 1.
[0018] The front top 2 is mounted to an upper front portion of the
stand frame 1, such as front ends of the two side members 11, via a
front tilt control device 21.
[0019] The front top 2 includes a supporting frame 22 located below
it. The supporting frame 22 is mounted at two lateral sides to
front ends of the two side members 11 of the stand frame 1, and
pivotally connected at a front end to a bottom front portion of the
front top 2 via first hinges 23. The above-mentioned front tilt
control device 21 is located between the supporting frame 22 and a
position close to a bottom rear portion of the front top 2.
[0020] The front tilt control device 21 may be, for example, a
positioning ratchet plate enabling stepped tilt adjustment, or an
air cylinder enabling stepless tilt adjustment. With the front tilt
control device 21, the front top 2 could be pivotally turned about
the first hinges 23 to lift a rear edge thereof at a tilt angle
between zero and twenty-five degrees, which is suitable for a user
to read, write, or draw at the front top 2.
[0021] The side members 11 of the stand frame 1 are provided with a
slide rail 12 each, so that the supporting frame 22 of the front
top 2 is slidably mounted in the slide rails 12 to move forward or
rearward relative to the side members 11. In a preferred embodiment
of the present invention, the supporting frame 22 is allowed to
move relative to the side members 11 within a range from zero to
twenty centimeters. That is, the front top 2 could be pulled
forward to close to a user and used in a more comfortable
manner.
[0022] The rear top 3 is mounted to an upper rear portion of the
stand frame 1, such as near upper rear ends of the two side members
11, via a rear tilt control device 31. The rear top 3 is pivotally
connected at two lower front ends to two near middle points of the
two side members 11 via second hinges 32 with the rear tilt control
device 31 located between the rear ends of the side members 11 and
a position close to a bottom front of the rear top 3.
[0023] Please refer to FIG. 5 that is an exploded rear perspective
view of the rear top 3. As shown, the rear top 3 includes a left
panel 33, a right panel 34, and a screen support 35 located between
the left and the right panel 33, 34. The screen support 35 includes
a frame 36 and a fixing bracket 37. The frame 36 is provided at
each lateral side with a connecting section 361, which includes at
least one sideward-extended wing plate 362 for connecting to the
left or the right panel 33, 34, and a rearward-extended slotted
plate 363 formed of a plurality of horizontally spaced locating
slots 364. The fixing bracket 37 includes a transverse main body
371 and a forward-extended side plate 372 at each end of the main
body 371. The side plates 372 are provided with fixing holes 373,
and the main body 371 is provided with at least one screen-fixing
hole 374.
[0024] A screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen (not
shown) is positioned between and fixed to the frame 36 and the
fixing bracket 37 by threading fastening elements through the
fixing holes 373 on the side plates 372 of the fixing bracket 37
and the locating slots 364 on the slotted plates 363 of the frame
36, as well as the screen-fixing holes 374 on the main body 371 of
the fixing bracket 37, depending on a thickness of the screen.
[0025] An anti-glare filter 38 is hung in front of the LCD screen
support 35 between the left and the right panel 33, 34 to protect
the screen fixed to the screen support 35 and a user's eyes. The
anti-glare filter 38 is easily and removably hung on the screen
support 35 using clips, hooks or the like to locate on the rear top
3 without hindering the user from controlling or operating the LCD
screen.
[0026] The left and the right panel 33, 34 are made of a metal
material, or have metal elements (not shown) embedded therein.
Magnetic elements may be utilized to magnetically attach necessary
documents to the left and/or the right panel 33, 34 for viewing
conveniently.
[0027] The above-mentioned rear tilt control device 31 may be, for
example, a positioning ratchet plate enabling stepped tilt
adjustment, or an air cylinder enabling stepless tilt adjustment.
With the rear tilt control device 31, the rear top 3 could be
pivotally turned about the second hinges 32 to lift a rear edge
thereof at a tilt angle between zero and ninety degrees, which is
suitable for a user to watch the screen mounted on the rear top
3.
[0028] When it is desired to use a computer or watch a TV, a user
may separately adjust the front and the rear top 2, 3 to different
tilt angles best for writing, drawing, and reading at the front top
and watching the screen mounted on the rear top, as shown in FIGS.
2 and 3. When the screen is not in use, the front and the rear top
2, 3 may be restored to the horizontal state or located in the same
plane, as shown in FIG. 4, with the screen invisibly located below
the rear top 3. In this manner, a wide and planar top is created
for use as a general desk with increased surface area.
[0029] The dual functional desk with tilt-adjustable tops according
to the present invention allows a user not only to best utilize the
space above a desk for different purposes, but also adjust the
front and the rear top to different tilt angles best for viewing in
terms of ergonomics, and thereby reducing discomfort of user's eyes
and/or body caused by watching the screen or sitting in front of
the desk over a prolonged time.
[0030] The present invention has been described with a preferred
embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out
without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention
that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *