CA2296190A1 - Flush mounted pop-up data, telecommunication and electrical station for tabletops - Google Patents

Abstract

A telecommunication, data and electrical station which can be permanently mounted within an aperture formed in a tabletop includes a container having a pivotally mounted wiring and outlet chamber mounted therein for pivotal movement of the chamber between a retracted position stored within the container and an elevated position exposing service outlets mounted to the exposed site of the chambers exposed above the upper surface of the tabletop.

Description

FLUSH MOUNTED POP-UP DATA, TELECOMMUNICATION AND ELECTRICAL
STATION FOR TABLETOPS
Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of electrical, data and telecommunication service boxes, and in particular service boxes which may be flush mounted within a work surface.
Background of the Invention With the need for rapid access to up-to-date information, business executives are utilising personal computers and telecommunication devices in boardrooms or the like for access to, and retrieval of, information as well as for video conferencing. At the present time personal computers, cellular telephones or the like when brought into a boardroom for use during a meeting are usually battery powered since there is insufficient data, telecommunication or electrical connections in most boardrooms to accommodate individual connections for each person in attendance. If connections of this type are available they are usually limited in number and are of the conventional wall or floor mounted type which require extension cords or computer cables of some length so as to typically interfere with passage around the boardroom table.
It is desirable, therefore, to have outlets for data, telecommunications and electricity accessible to each person seated around the boardroom table.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide electrical, data and telecommunication stations which are mounted through or under a hole in the table. In the present invention the stations, when not 2 5 in use, are retracted down into the hole in the table so as to be disguised, the stations each having a lid which is flush with, and advantageously camouflaged to match, the upper surface of the table.
Thus, when the station is retracted into the hole in the table, the lid is flush with the tabletop so that the tabletop is unobstructed. The stations may have a depress and release latch mechanism so that depressing and releasing the edge of the lid of the station closest to the user for that station pops up the edge of the station lid. A wiring and outlet chamber housed within the station may then be raised, or raises by means of an actuator so as to expose the outlets for use.
In the prior art, applicant is aware of United States patent numbers 4,984,982 and 5,122,069 which both issued for the Retractable Access Flooring Module of Brownlie et al. The Brownlie et al device has a floor mounted outer assembly supporting a pivotable inner assembly.
The inner assembly supports electrical power and signal outlets and pivots relative to the outer assembly between a closed position wherein a cover is flush with the outer assembly, and an open position exposing the outlets for use. The inner assembly pivots about opposed co-linear pivot members mounted on opposite sides of the inner assembly. This allows the resting of a corresponding surface of the inner assembly on a matching shoulder of the outer assembly, the inner assembly surface sliding over the outer assembly shoulder during pivoting of the inner assembly. The sliding engagement between the surface and shoulder provides for transfer of a downward force applied to the cover of the inner assembly, such as would occur if the cover was stepped on, to the outer assembly. The pivoting of the inner assembly about the pivot members means, however, that when the forward edge of the cover of the inner assembly is raised to expose the outlets, the opposite, that is, rear edge of the cover of the inner assembly rotates downwardly beneath the surface of the flooring, contrary to the teaching and one of the objects of the present invention in which a pop-up inner assembly pivots about a virtual pivot axis so that no edge of the 2 0 inner assembly cover rotates downwardly, thus allowing for close tolerance clearance between the edges of the lid and the surrounding edge of a table in which the station of the present invention is mounted. Such close tolerances provide for better disguising the lid when closed and flush with the tabletop surface.

Summary of the Invention The data, telecommunication and electrical station of the present invention includes a rigid container, mountable within an aperture formed through a table, such as a boardroom table. The container may be a rectangular box having surrounding an upper perimeter edge thereof, a container support such as a lip projecting outwardly therefrom. The upper surface of the lip may, in one embodiment, lie in a first plane parallel to an upper surface of the table when the container is mounted in the table through the aperture in the table. The lip may be a circumferential lip extending contiguously around the upper perimeter edge.
The upper perimeter edge of the container may form a trim-ring land flush with, and protecting, the corresponding edge of the aperture in the table.
The container will typically include perimeter walls secured to and depending from the container support in planes for example at right angles to the first plane, and a bottom wall mounted to a lower edge of, or formed contiguously with, the perimeter walls spaced from the container support. The perimeter walls have a conduit aperture or plurality of apertures therein to provide insertion access for electrical, data and telecommunication conduit. The container support and the perimeter walls define an upper opening into the container. A
wiring and outlet chamber is mountable or mounted into the container for supporting thereon electrical, data and 2 0 telecommunication service outlets in co-operation with the electrical, data and telecommunication conduit. The wiring and outlet chamber is pivotally mounted in the container by a pivot means, which in one embodiment is a pair of arcuate sliding tracks, one on either side of the chamber, so as to allow pivoting of the chamber about a virtual pivot axis between open and closed positions.
In one embodiment the sliding tracks are circular arcs.
The virtual pivot axis lies flush with the upper surface of the tabletop between a pivot or rear edge of the lid of the chamber and the corresponding edge of the hole in the tabletop.
When the sliding tracks are circular arcs, the virtual pivot axis remains fixed in the first plane in the gap between the lid and the tabletop edge as the wiring and outlet chamber is pivoted between its retracted position in the container and its extended or open position.
Preferably, when the wiring and outlet chamber is in either the retracted or the open position, a service outlet mounting face on the chamber lies in a plane which is canted with respect to the first plane. When the chamber is in the open position, the service outlet mounting face is canted away from a user facing the mounting face. In one embodiment the mounting face is canted away, that is, the top is further away from the user than the bottom of the mounting face, by 15 degrees. In that embodiment, because the chamber pivots through approximately 55 degrees about the virtual pivot axis between the open and closed positions, when the chamber is in the closed position, the service outlet mounting face is negatively canted by approximately 40 degrees.
That is, the bottom of the mounting face is further away from the user than the top of the mounting face by a 40 degree inclination of the mounting face.
The 15 degree positive cant of the mounting face when the chamber is in the open position, provides ease of access to the outlets, assuming the plugs are conventionally oriented perpendicularly to the mounting face, and aesthetic appeal. Further, if the mounting face was vertical when the chamber was in the open position, this would mean the mounting face would be negatively canted by 55 degrees when the chamber was in the closed position, assuming the 2 0 sliding tracks traverse a 55 degree arc so that the chamber pivots 55 degrees between its open and closed positions. A negative cant of the mounting face of 55 degrees reduces significantly the interior volume of the chamber, thereby reducing the space available for wiring etc.
Service outlets are generally vertical and in a line of sight to a user sitting at the 2 5 table when the station is mounted in the table and the chamber pivoted upwardly into its open or elevated position. Insertion and removal of electrical plugs and data and telecommunication jacks is thereby facilitated. It is understood that the specific form of electrical, data and telecommunication receptacle is not intended to be limiting and may in addition to power plugs and telephone line jacks include optical fiber connections, threaded terminals such as for cable connection, s-video separate video channels, audio speaker jacks such as RCA
format or bare wire terminals or other connection formats that have or will become conventional.
In the preferred embodiment the container of the telecommunication, data and electrical station further includes a selectively positionable lid mounted onto the top of the wiring and outlet chamber which, in the retracted position, lies within the aperture in the tabletop, flush and coplanar with the tabletop upper surface. The lid is sized to snugly fit into the aperture in the tabletop so that when the wiring and outlet chamber is in the retracted position only a thin or hairline border is left between the lid and the tabletop surface.
Advantageously, the lid is fashioned to match the tabletop surface, and may be made from the piece of the table removed to form the aperture. The lid then disguises the existence of the station, including the container and chamber, beneath it. The chamber is mounted within the container, for example, by means of an arcuate sliding track on either side of the chamber, so that the chamber pivots as it extends and retracts relative to the container about a virtual pivot axis located along the border between one side of the lid and the corresponding edge of the table.
Advantageously the lid is adjustably mounted onto the upper surface of the chamber, for example by means of PEMTM clinch fasteners. Adjustably mounting the lid allows 2 0 for centering the lid in the hole in the tabletop once the container has been installed. Thus the hairline border between the lid and the tabletop may be adjusted in size so that it is even around the lid.
In summary, the telecommunication, data and electrical station of the present 2 5 invention includes a container mountable to an underside surface of a tabletop. The container defines therein a chamber space. The container has an upper opening communicating with the chamber space. The upper opening is sized to correspond to a corresponding aperture in the tabletop when the container is mounted to the underside surface of the tabletop.

A wiring and outlet chamber is pivotally mounted within the container so as to be positionable between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position the chamber is contained within the chamber space. In the open position a first side of the chamber is exposed above an upper surface of the tabletop when the container is mounted to the underside surface of the tabletop. Telecommunication, data or electrical outlets are mounted to the first side of the chamber so as to be exposed above the upper surface of the tabletop when the chamber is in the open position.
The chamber is pivotable by pivoting means between the open and closed positions. The chamber pivots about a virtual pivot axis. The virtual pivot axis is parallel to a second side of the chamber opposite the first side of the chamber. The pivot axis lies between the second side of the chamber and a corresponding edge of the aperture in the tabletop. The virtual pivot axis also lies in a plane containing the upper surface of the tabletop.
The chamber has a lid which is flush with the upper surface of the tabletop when the chamber is in the closed position.
In one embodiment, not intended to be limiting, the pivoting means are an opposed 2 0 pair of arcuate track means disposed on oppusite ends of the container cooperating with a pair of cooperating means such as track followers disposed on opposite ends of the chamber. The arcuate track means includes a length of track following or having a circular arc, the circular arc a radius of curvature, having a center of curvature lying on the virtual pivot axis.
Thus as the chamber initially pivots along its trajectory from the closed to the open position, the second side of the 2 5 chamber does not contact the corresponding edge of the aperture in the tabletop.
In a preferred embodiment, the lid includes upper surface material matching in appearance the upper surface of the tabletop so as to disguise the station when the chamber is in the closed position. Thus in the case of a wood tabletop such as found on many boardroom tables, the upper surface material is wood veneer, and the wood veneer is mounted, as by gluing, so that the wood grain of the veneer matches the wocd grain of the upper surface of the tabletop when the chamber is in the closed position.
In one aspect of the present invention, the wood veneer is machined from a tabletop cutout removed from the aperture in the tabletop when the aperture is formed in the tabletop. That is, the underside of the piece cut out of the tabletop is removed so as to leave the upper finished surface as a thin veneer for mounting into or onto a lid, the lid then mounted, preferably adjustably, onto the top of the chamber.
In a further aspect the container has a first land, which may be thought of as a trim ring, formed around an upper perimeter edge of the container. The first land is sized to fit snugly around, and flush with, a circumferential edge of the aperture in the tabletop when the container is mounted to the underside surface of the tabletop. The lid has a second land in the form of a lip around a perimeter edge of the lid. The second land is sized to nest within, evenly spaced from, the first land when the chamber is in the closed position. Thus, the upper surface material matching in appearance the upper surface of the tabletop may be mounted on the lid within and flush with the second land. The first and second lands are evenly spaced apart when nested so as 2 0 to form a hairline border between the lid and the upper surface of the tabletop when the chamber is in the closed position, thereby maximizing the disguise of the station mounted into the tabletop, and minimizing marring of the appearance of the surface finish of the tabletop.
Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is, in perspective view, the pop-up station of the present invention in pivoting motion near its fully open position.

Figure 1 a is an exploded isometric view of the station of Figure 1.
Figure lb is, in perspective view, the station of Figure 1 in its closed position.
Figure 1 c is, in partially cut-away enlarged view, the station of Figure 1.
Figure 2 is, in partially exploded isometric view, the mounting frame of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is, in isometric view, the housing of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 in Figure 1, with the station installed in a tabletop.
Figure 5 is the station of Figure 4 in the partially closed position illustrating the operation of the magnetic latch.
Figure 6 is the station of Figure 4 in the closed or retracted position.
Figure 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 in Figure 4.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments In a preferred embodiment of this invention, as illustrated in Figures 1-7, a rectangular container or housing 16 is mounted within aperture 12 in boardroom tabletop 14.
2 5 Housing 16 has secured at its upper perimeter a support flange 60. Flange 60 is mounted to collar 60a. Collar or trim ring 60a fits snugly inside the upper edge of housing 16.
When collar 60a is secured thereto by spot welding or the like, flange 60 protrudes outwardly from the housing at right angles. Each of end walls 26 have a curved or arcuate-shaped slot 72. A
fixed magnetic latch 74, such as EPCOTM model number 1014, is mounted on the upper exterior faces of the end walls in alignment with the upper ends of the corresponding slot 72. A pair of press-and-release magnetic touch latches 76, such as EPCOTM model number 507, are mounted to the inside face of bottom wall 22 of housing 16. Positioned in parallel alignment with each of slots 72 on the interior face of end walls 26 are guides 78, better seen in Figure 7.
Wiring chamber 32 provides support for service outlets. Slots 72 are long enough to allow pivoting of wiring chamber 32 through 55 degrees. Chamber 32 has end walls 80. End walls 80 have apertures or insertion holes 82 for electrical, data and telecommunication conduit 81. Clips 83 are positioned on the exterior faces of end walls 80. Clips 83 nest within guides 78.
The sliding of clips 83 along guides 78 in direction A defines the rotational or pivotal movement or trajectory of the wiring chamber 32 in direction A', that is, in a circular arc of 55 degrees about line B. Line B is a virtual pivot axis for pivoting of chamber 32 and lies in the plane of surface 14a, in the gap between land 46a and land 60b along edge 47a'. Magnetic contact plates 84 are mounted on, so as to protrude from, frame end walls 80. Flanges 84a of contact plates 84 extend through slot 72 so as to contact latches 74 when wiring chamber 32 is elevated to its open, that is, its uppermost elevated position. When wiring chamber 32 is in its open position, the electrical and telecommunication service outlets or receptacles are exposed for use, as seen in Figure 1.
2 0 Advantageously, conduit 81 is wrapped in a flexible protective covering such as coil spring 81 a for at least the portion of conduit 81 passing through hole 82 and slot 72. A coil spring covering provides, not only protection against abrasion of the conduit but also resilient cantilevering of the conduit to inhibit excessive bending of the conduit such as might for example harm fiber optic conduit.
The side entry arrangement for conduit journalled through hole 82 and corresponding slot 72, on one or both sides of chamber 32, provides for minimized extension and travel deformation of conduit 81 as chamber 32 pivots between its open and closed positions. As compared for example with a strictly vertical translating pop-up wiring chamber which would entail a translation distance and thus require increased allowance for conduit extension and travel deformation, and would also entail greater conduit complexity and weight (due to increased slack length of conduit required, and in particular the weight of electrical power conduit), the side entry and pivot arrangement of the present invention only entails twisting of the conduit in the order of degrees and only several inches of travel along slot 72. Thus the length, and consequently the weight of conduit 81 may be reduced, reducing the burden on the latches holding chamber 32 in the open position. In applicants' experience only a foot or so of slack in conduit 81 is required.

10 Contact plates 75, for contact with magnetic touch latches 76, are mounted on a lower face 86 of wiring chamber 32. When contact plates 75 engage the touch latch plungers 88 as seen in Figure 5, and then further depress the latch plungers as the wiring chamber 32 is closed, that is, rotated downwardly, wiring chamber 32 is releasably secured in its closed or retracted position as seen in Figure 6. Downward pressure on lid 47 by a user when the mounting frame 15 is in its retracted position such as seen in Figure lb, forces the spring loaded plunger 88 inwardly to release a ratchet latch (not shown) built into touch latch 76. Upon release of the user-applied pressure, plunger 88 extends outwards slightly in direction C, rotating wiring chamber 32 upwardly, extending forward edges 46a and 47a of, respectively, lid face plate 46 and lid 47, that is, those edges closest to a user sitting at a table facing the service outlets, above surface 14a of 2 0 tabletop 14, as seen in Figure 5. Forward edges 46a and 47a may then be grasped by the user and wiring chamber 32 rotated to its fully elevated position. Alternatively, an actuating cylinder (not shown) may viscously elevate chamber 32. In its fully elevated position, contact plate flanges 84a contact fixed magnetic latches 74 to thereby releasably secure wiring chamber 32, preventing unwanted closure due, for example, to the weight of the conduit bundle pulling downwardly on 2 5 chamber 32 or the force of the user pushing a power plug into its receptacle 94a. To release wiring chamber 32 from its fully open position, the user tugs the forward edges 46a and 47a downwardly to disengage flanges 84a from latches 74. Wiring chamber 32 may then be lowered, in the alternative embodiment against the return biasing force of the actuating cylinder, until plates 75 contact plungers 88.
Upper and lower faces 38 and 86 respectively of the wiring chamber 32 have upper and lower brackets 90 and 92 respectively to which conventional electrical and telecommunication receptacles 94a and 96a respectively may be secured by means of face plates 94 and 96. The brackets are positioned relative to each other so that, with chamber 32 in the open position, the face plates are positively canted, that is, from bottom to top, away from the user 15 degrees (angle in Figure 4). Thus, when chamber 32 is closed, the face plates are negatively canted 40 degrees relative to the plane of the tabletop (angle (3 in Figure 6).
A divider wall 42 may be provided as a moveable voltage for barrier mounting within wiring chamber 32. Wall 42 keeps receptacles having dissimilar voltages separated. Wall 42 mounts into pairs of slots 43 in brackets 90 and 92. Thus a plurality of walls 42 may compartmentalize wiring chamber 32 to accommodate two or more receptacles having dissimilar voltages, or the frame reconfigured to change receptacle types.
In one embodiment, lid face plate 46 is secured to upper face 38 of wiring chamber 32 by adjustable mounting means such as PemTM clinch fasteners so that its upper surface, or that 2 0 of lid 47 mounted onto face plate 46, is both coplanar to table surface 14a and adjustable relative to chamber 32 so that the hairline border between the lid and tabletop is evenly spaced. Face plate 46 is recessed to accommodate veneer or other finishing material, including using the piece cut from the table to form aperture 12, mu.ching the upper surface 14a of tabletop 14.
Advantageously, the wood grain surface from the piece of tabletop 14 removed to form aperture 2 5 12 is inlaid into face plate 46, within circumferential land 46a, so that the wood grain matches that of tabletop surface 14a when wiring chamber 32 is closed.

In the method of the present invention, aperture 12 in tabletop 14 is generally of a size matching the dimensions of rigid housing 16. In particular a template is used on surface 14a to accurately muter a 5/32 inch groove or gutter-shaped to snugly accommodate therein, once the cut-out has been removed, trim-ring land 60b around the outermost perimeter of the groove and land 46a around the innermost perimeter of the groove. Thus, as would be understood by those skilled in the art, the groove is centered on the gap between land 60b and land 46a. Land 60b and land 46a are each advantageously 1/16 inch thick, consequently leaving a 1/32 inch gap between the lands when eventually mounted into the 5/32 inch initially formed groove.
The 1/32 inch gap forms the visible hairline border on the tabletop upper surface 14a when lid 47 is closed.
Once the groove has been routered, the cut-out is removed to form aperture 12 by routering the lower surface 14b of the tabletop, that is, the surface opposite to surface 14a, so as to form flange 60 and to intersect the groove formed in surface 14a. Once the groove has been intersected along its length by routering lower surface 14b, the cut-out is removed for planing so that the thickness of wood grain veneer matches the depth of land 46a, for example, 1/8 inch. The wood grain veneer may then be mounted to face plate 46 by glue or the like so as to snugly reside within, and flush to, circumferential land 46a. The wood grain of the veneer is oriented to match its original orientation before it was cut out of the tabletop. Land 46a thus protects the edge finish of the veneer forming the uppermost visible portion of lid 47, and land 60b protects the 2 0 corresponding edge finish on the tabletop edge surrounding aperture 12.
Thus the finish on, for example, the surface of an expensive boardroom table is preserved as much as possible, while retaining the disguised utility of the station of the present invention. The surface of lid 47 including land 46a is positioned coplanar to upper surface 14a of tabletop 14 when the station is mounted to the tabletop so that the tabletop is unobstructed when chamber 32 is closed.
Mounting clips 62 are insertable within pairs of slots 66 formed through opposing front and back walls of housing 16. Wood screws 65 or the like may pass upwardly through apertures 63 in clips 62 so as to engage the underside of tabletop 14 adjacent flanges 60. Screws 65 apply an upward force on clips 62 support flange to secure the flush mounted station of the present invention firmly in place beneath tabletop 14.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.

Claims (9)

1. A telecommunication, data and electrical station comprising a container mountable to an underside surface of a tabletop, said container defining therein a chamber space, said container having an upper opening communicating with said chamber space, said upper opening sized to correspond to a corresponding aperture in said tabletop when said container is mounted to said underside surface of said tabletop, a wiring and outlet chamber pivotally mounted within said container so as to be positionable between a closed position, wherein said chamber is contained within said chamber space, and an open position wherein a first side of said chamber is exposed above an upper surface of said tabletop when said container is mounted to said underside surface of said tabletop, telecommunication, data or electrical outlets mounted to said first side of said chamber so as to be exposed above said upper surface of said tabletop when said chamber is in said open position, wherein said chamber is pivotable, by pivoting means, between said open and closed positions about a virtual pivot axis, said virtual pivot axis parallel to, and between, a second side of said chamber opposite said first side of said chamber and a corresponding edge of said aperture in said tabletop, said virtual pivot axis lying in a plane containing said upper surface of said tabletop, said chamber having a lid, said lid flush with said upper surface of said tabletop when said chamber is in said closed position.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said pivoting means are an opposed pair of arcuate track means disposed on opposite ends of said container cooperating with a pair of cooperating means such as track followers cooperating with said track means, said pair of cooperating means disposed on opposite ends of said chamber, said arcuate track means including a length of track following a circular arc, said circular arc having a center of curvature lying on said virtual pivot axis, wherein, as said chamber initially pivots along a trajectory from said closed to said open position, said second side of said chamber does not contact said corresponding edge of said aperture in said tabletop.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said lid includes upper surface material matching in appearance said upper surface of said tabletop so as to disguise said station when said chamber is in said closed position.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said upper surface material is wood veneer, and wherein said upper surface of said tabletop is wood.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said wood veneer has a wood grain matching a wood grain of said upper surface of said tabletop when said chamber is in said closed position.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said wood veneer is machined from a tabletop cutout removed from said aperture in said tabletop when said aperture is formed in said tabletop.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein said upper surface material is formed from a tabletop cutout removed from said aperture in said tabletop.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein said container has a first land formed around an upper perimeter edge of said container, said first land sized to fit snugly around, and flush with, a circumferential edge of said aperture in said tabletop when said container is mounted to said underside surface of said tabletop, and wherein said lid has a second land around a perimeter edge of said lid, said second land sized to nest within, and evenly spaced from, said first land when said chamber is in said closed position, and wherein an upper surface material matching in appearance said upper surface of said tabletop is mounted on said lid, within and flush with said second land.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said first and second lands are evenly spaced apart so as to form a hairline border between said lid and said upper surface of said tabletop when said chamber is in said closed position.