EP3949046A1

EP3949046A1 - Cable management device

Info

Publication number: EP3949046A1
Application number: EP20716587.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Timothy Francis; Samuel John Nye; David Andrew Walker
Original assignee: Arrow Group Global Ltd
Current assignee: Arrow Group Global Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-28
Filing date: 2020-03-28
Publication date: 2022-02-09
Also published as: WO2020194277A1; GB2582634A; GB2582634B; GB201904361D0

Abstract

A cable management device having a cable chain (10) comprising a plurality of channel forming elements (20) pivotally connected along a spine of centrally disposed core components (22) from which channel forming arms (21) extend. Each core component of the channel forming elements has at respective opposite ends a male (25,26) and a female coupling (27,28) adapted to engage pivotally with successive channel forming elements in the chain (10). A securing element (40) includes a female coupling (47,48) to receive the corresponding male coupling (25,26) of a terminating channel forming element (20) and means of attachment to a fixing surface. The opposite end of the chain may be attached to another fixing surface, optionally via an additional securing element and coupling component (50), or pivotally secured to a weighted ground-engaging foot (30).

Description

CABLE MANAGEMENT DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to cable conduits and more particularly to the tidying of cables carrying power and data to devices and power outlet modules mounted on a workstation or desk to supply, for example display monitors and data input devices in a commercial or business environment.

The invention more particularly relates to a cable management device for routing power, data and telephone cables from a floor or datum surface to an elevated position, most commonly, a desk or workstation. It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee, that the invention, although directed to applications within the office environment, may be utilised for any purpose requiring the control or uncluttered containment of cables or any suitable service and is thus suitable for use in a laboratory or electrical testing environment as well as in the home. No limitation to its application should be taken or inferred. Background to the Invention

As many industries and professions gravitate towards computer control, businesses generally utilise computers to conduct all transactional and information services and, as knowledge-based enterprises increasingly predominated the business landscape, the use of computer screens as visual display devices or input devices increases. One of the areas of expanding use is in call centres and centralised distribution centres where online retailers accept and process telephone and online orders. With this increase in computer and display screen use, is a corresponding increase in the number of wires and cables connecting devices to power outlets, telephone connections, data and local area network (LAN) connections, such as Ethernet, often to provide higher speed access to Internet and cloud-based services. The use of wireless technology in such environments is low due to the slower speeds available, potential security problems and to the static nature of the workstation based office or call centre.

The risk of tripping over trailing cables is well appreciated and there are numerous solutions available to prevent office workers from tripping over or accidentally pulling equipment from desk surfaces. It is most common for power outlets to be integrated into floors, however, there remains a large number of buildings and offices environments where wall-mounted outlets predominate.

Telephone systems cabling and Ethernet routing tend to be provided in separate trunking to power supply wiring for a number of reasons. With older buildings, mains power cabling is routed under- floor or within ceiling spaces without trunking and is provided directly to light fittings and outlet sockets which have been located without consideration of subsequently installed systems. Where trunking or conduits have been provided, telephone and Ethernet cabling can be added where sufficient space permits, however, the placing of the conduits is not always suited to these latter applications and there is a general consensus that data and power cabling should not be closely proximate for long runs.

It is rare that power, data and telephone connections are all routed to integrated floor outlets, however by necessity, most cabling provided to a workstation or desk originates at floor level. With the corresponding increase in the number of powered devices provide in a workspace and the requirement of an office worker to have additional power outlets immediately to hand, the number of cables running from floor to desk or workstation surface has also risen. Apart from being unsightly, cables often are positioned over the edges of the workstation surface and abut the edges of adjacent workstations or office furniture. Over time, this causes damage to cables. The use of through-holes in workstation surfaces notably reduces the incidence of cable damage.

Additionally, the introduction of desk-based power outlet modules or multi-outlets extension leads decreases the number of cables running from floor to workstation surface.

There is a number of cable tidying devices on the market and some very rudimentary solutions used, such as cable ties, however, when adding or removing cables from such arrangements, problems arise. More technically-minded solutions include cloth tubes including those having a zipper along their length to allow for cables having pre-wired connectors or bulky plugs to be incorporated. The tubes are often attached to the underside of the workstation surface by clips or brackets. Such tubes are a significant improvement over cable tidy devices requiring all cables to be passed through the channel formed by the tube.

A further solution presented comprises a helical spring like construction where cables which cannot be passed though the channel formed within the helix are wound into the helical path formed by the spring. Adding a cable to and removing a cable from such a construction can be time-consuming. Additionally, as the device is usually suspended from the underside of the workstation surface, the spring tends to open, exposing the unsightly cables. It will be understood that certain terms used in the description which follows are intended to describe specific situations and should not be interpreted as limiting of the scope of the invention or its use. The term“workstation” and“desk” are considered synonymous but in the description that follows are merely representative of a fixing surface and include, except where the context indicates otherwise, any working surface to which power, data and telephone cables (and any other services, including air or gas feeds) are provided. Additional fixing surfaces include wall or partition mounted outlets, integrated floor outlets and attachments for fixing to such outlets and the respective surfaces on which they are mounted. The phrase“cable chain” has a known meaning within the art and generally refers to a construction formed of several channel forming elements linked together to form the desired length of cable protection but does not include anchors or fixings at either end or along its length.

The phrase“channel forming elements” as used hereinbelow, refers to the usually identical links making up the cable chain. As noted in the prior art referenced below, the channel forming elements may comprise multiple components requiring assembly before construction of the chain.

German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2016 115537 (to Riittiger) describes a cable protector having hollow channel forming elements which attach to one another with couplings disposed along or on their external surface. United States Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0258509 (to Molex, LLC) discloses a series of identical channel forming elements which also attach to one another with paired couplings disposed on or adjacent an external surface to form a continuous channel for accommodating one or more cables which are threaded through the chain thus formed. European Patent Application Publication No. 0 262 740 (to Tecno SpA) provides a counterpoint to the hollow channel cable protector and describes a series of identical channel forming elements mounted on a continuous centrally disposed cable forming the“spine” of the cable chain.

International Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012/013496 & 2012/013497 (to Kabelschlepp GmbH) disclose related aspects of a cable managing or routing device formed around a central core on which there are provided, at regularly spaced intervals, support bodies to which matching halves of channel forming elements are rotatably attached. Each half clips to its corresponding half to retain the completed channel forming element to its respective support body.

A similar arrangement is described in International Patent Application Publication No. 2016/207132 (to Industreer GmbH) where the central core component is formed of discrete identical units between which a preloading spring is disposed. United States Patent No. 9,057,420 (to Kang Yang Hardware Enterprise) describes a cable guiding device which also uses discreet identical units between which a spring is disposed, however, in common with a majority of the unrelated fields of construction and industrial power feeds for movable machine heads, no cable routing channels are provided within the coupling elements and thus the cables must be fixed to the cable guiding device thereof. These constructions allow for the length of the central spine to be formed contemporaneously with the cable routing channels of the channel forming elements.

The principle of discrete core components to which a channel forming element is attached is further developed in German Patent Application No. 10 2013 000 905 (to Riittiger) where each core component has a rounded pivot head at one end and a corresponding socket at the other. Each rounded head has twist-lock tabs thereon which are received in the socket of an adjoining core component to form a central disposed spine to which channel forming elements are attached.

It is noted that many of the prior art arrangements require the assembly of multiple components and, while modular, their construction detracts from the convenience of modularity. Furthermore, in many instances the insertion of cable into the channels formed by the individual channel forming elements is overly time- consuming and requires significant dexterity or tools to perform what ought to be a simple procedure.

The inherent lack of true modularity of much of the prior art and particularly where a spine component must first be cut to length and/or individual channel forming elements must be constructed and then fixed to the spine component detracts from the ease with which a cable management device ought to be assembled and accept cables within the channels formed along the spine. In United Kingdom Patent Application Publication No. 2282 862 (to Fujitsu Ftd) a cable guide is formed using identical discrete channel forming elements each having an open side to accommodate a cable. To prevent the cable escaping the channel, beam members are provided to partially close the open side of the channel. Although this facilitates insertion and removal of the cable or cable loom when the guide is in use the convenience of access is substantially lost.

The prior art is replete with cable management devices of one type or another with various methods employed to suspend a cable chain from a fixing surface or to ensure positional security once placed. Many are adapted to engage a cable access through-hole in a desk or workstation and a large number of prior art disclosures to Maximilian Riittiger focus on the attachment of a cable chain to an insert socket for the cable access aperture of which the following publication are an example: German Patent Application Publication Nos. 10 2013 000827; 10 2013 000855; 10 2015 003486; & 10 2017 118818.

United States Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0037255 (to Hung) and European Patent Application Publication No. 1 122 844 (to MDM Elektrosystem AG) both describe cable management devices where a chain is formed from substantially hollow channel forming elements. Each element has at least one slot through which a cable can be inserted thereby facilitating insertion or removal of the or each cable when the management device is in use.

As will be readily appreciate from the patent literature, there are many different approaches taken to solving some of the technical disadvantages. Each area presents specific concerns, however, many aspects are common and will be addressed hereinafter.

It is an object of the present invention to seek to obviate the primary disadvantages associated with prior art constructions of cable management device.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved cable management device allowing for swift routing of cables therethrough and providing a pleasing aesthetic appearance.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cable management device that is simple in its construction and installation, is modular in form and has low component cost. Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a cable management device of the type comprising: a plurality of channel forming elements adapted to couple to successive elements to form a cable chain; and a securing element adapted to receive the cable chain so as to attach it to a fixing surface, wherein each channel forming element includes a centrally disposed spine component having at one end a male coupling connector on which there is provided a pair of pivot tabs profiled to be received in a female coupling connector located on the opposite end of the spine component of a successive channel forming element, whereby the pivot axis of the respective coupling connectors determines the range of motion of the cable chain to a single transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cable chain thus formed. The invention provides a simplified, modular cable management device capable of being used in multiple application from desk to ground, workstation to workstation and optionally to route cables to a workstation, testing bench or desk from a wall outlet for mains power, telephone or local area network services amongst others.

By providing a modular channel forming element having a centrally disposed spine component which defines the pivotal motion of the respective elements within a cable chain and prevents restricts longitudinal axial rotation (torsion), the primary disadvantages associated with the prior art arrangements are overcome.

In the preferred construction, each channel forming element comprises a pair of resilient curved arms extending from the central spine component to define a portion of the channel within in which cables are received in use.

Conveniently, the resilient arms form at their free ends and with the central spine component a slot through which a cable can be inserted.

The positioning of the cable access slot adjacent the central spine component is inherently advantageous when multiple cables are routed through the channels.

Conveniently, the arms may be opened against their biasing resilience to widen the slot.

Preferably, the free ends of the arms are profiled to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of a cable retained within the channel portion.

Advantageously, each arm has a projection on the free end thereof which is turned inwardly with respect to the channel portion so as to entrain retained cables. The profiling of the arm ends allows for ease of manipulation of cables as they are introduced to the channels and prevents them coming out without force or manipulation being applied.

Preferably, the coupling connectors are formed so as to allow relative rotation around the axes of the pivot tabs and to prevent twisting of respective ones of the channel forming elements in the chain so as to maintain a substantially linear profile of the cable chain in use.

The coupling connectors are provided as a pair of male and female connectors at each end of the channel forming elements and the female coupling includes apertures to pivotally receive the corresponding engagement tabs of the male coupling component. The tabs are profiled to overcome any spring bias or lateral resilience of the female coupling so that when the tabs lock into the corresponding apertures, the resulting connection is sufficiently strong to support the cable chain and cables when in position. The connections conversely can be easily released when required by applying a localised manual twist and pull action. This makes adjustment of the length of any cable chain thus formed extremely easy.

In its preferred construction, the spine component provides a rigid locus for anchoring the resilient channel portion forming arms extending therefrom. Advantageously, the securing element has a first means for securing a cable chain to a fixing surface comprising a planar abutment surface and a through-body aperture for accommodating a fixing means selected from a self-tapping screw or a threaded bolt to fasten the securing element to the fixing surface. Optionally or additionally, the securing element has a second means for securing a cable chain to a fixing surface comprising a mouth adapted to engage an edge profile provided on a fixing surface, the mouth including fixing means for locking the securing element to the edge profile.

Conveniently, the edge profile provided on the fixing surface is selected from a surface mounted accessory, a surface though-hole socket and a bespoke surface attachment having a suitable edge profile thereon.

It will be appreciated that the securing element of the invention is profiled to be adaptable and therefore may be fixed to almost any convenient working surface, floor or wall outlet either as it is illustrated herein or when used with an accessory to provide a suitable edge profile.

Advantageously, the securing element has a female coupling connector integrally formed therewith for receiving the corresponding male coupling component of a terminating channel forming element of a cable chain.

It will be seen that the securing element may have a male coupling connector integrally formed therewith and that the cable chain may be presented in a reversed orientation without departing from any aspect of the invention.

Ideally, one end of a cable chain is retained on a floor surface by a ground-engaging foot having an upper body profile adapted to guide cables towards the channels formed by successively coupled channel forming elements and including coupling means to pivotally attach to a corresponding coupling component of a terminating element in a cable chain.

Advantageously, the ground-engaging foot has a weighted mass associated therewith to retain the cable chain in a selected position. Conveniently, the weighted mass comprises a plate attachable to the underside of the upper body profile of the foot.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, a cable management device in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:

Figures la and lb are a front elevation and a perspective view respectively of a primary embodiment of a cable management device of the invention;

Figures 2a to 2d are top and bottom perspective elevations respectively of a channel forming element, a front elevation of two channel forming elements being brought together to interconnect and a side elevation of a series of channel forming components which together form a cable chain;

Figures 3a to 3c are top and bottom perspective elevations respectively of a weighted ground-engaging foot and an exploded front elevation illustrating a foot body, a weighting plate and securing screws for attaching the weighting plate to the body;

Figure 4a and 4b are a bottom perspective view and a detailed cross-sectional elevation of a securing element adapted for fixing to a workstation or similar surface; Figures 5a to 5c are a side and sectional side elevations of a cable management device having a securing element fixed to the underside surface of a workstation and engaging a through-hole edge or lip feature of a though-hole bushing;

Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of an ancillary embodiment of cable management device in accordance with the invention in which securing elements are provided at each end of a series of interconnected channel forming elements and suspended between fixing points on the same or adjacent workstation surfaces; Figures 7a and 7b are perspective and top plan elevations of coupling component adapted to facilitate connection of a female end of a channel forming element to a securing element; as illustrated in Figure 6; and

Figures 8a to 8c are elevations illustrating the coupling component of Figures 7a and 7b in use.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures la and lb, a cable management device 1 of the invention comprises a cable chain 10 defined by a series of identical linked channel forming elements 20. At the bottom of the chain 10 is disposed a profiled ground- engaging foot 30 and at the top end of the chain there is provided a securing member 40 for attachment to a fixing surface such as the edge or underside of a desk or workstation.

As detailed in Figures 2a and 2b, each channel forming element 20 comprises a body having two profiled arms 21 and a centrally disposed spine component 22 from which the arms extend. Each arm has a free end 23 curved towards the spine to define a cable access slot 24. The arms are flexible to allow the slot to be opened for easy insertion of one or more cables and have a spring bias which together with the shape of the curved free end 23 of the arms 22 prevents the cable from being pulled free inadvertently. At the upper end of the spine 22, a male coupling 25 extends axially and has profiled engagement tabs 26 extending laterally therefrom.

A corresponding female coupling 27 is provided on the opposite end of the spine 22 where it bifurcates to receive the male coupling 25' of a second channel forming element 20', as illustrated in Figure 2c. The female coupling 27 includes apertures 28 to lockingly received the engagement tabs 26 thereof. The tabs 26 are profiled to overcome any spring bias or lateral resilience of the female coupling 27 so that when the tabs lock into the corresponding apertures, the resulting connection is sufficiently strong to support the cable chain and cables when in position. The connections conversely can be easily released when required by applying a localised manual twist and pull action. This makes adjustment of the length of any cable chain thus formed extremely easy. As the channel forming elements 20 are identical, a chain 10 of a designed length may be formed by engaging successive elements to one another, as shown in Figure 2d.

Referring now to Figure 3a to 3c the preferred construction of securing foot 30 is shown. It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that any weighted arrangement may be used to retain the cable chain in position which, under its own weight and combined rigidity (cable and management device together), will tend to hang in position when properly attached to the fixing surface. Other arrangements (not illustrated) include secured ground plates and arrangements adapted to engage with a floor outlet cover or another point on the workstation or on an adjacent workstation. The cable chain may be attached to a wall-mounted routing accessory without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The preferred construction is adapted to retain the cable chain 10 substantially vertically from the point where is attached to the desk or workstation and is weighted to prevent it being inadvertently moved. The foot comprises a profiled body portion 32 having a pair of grooved rebates 33 aligned with the cable channels of the channel forming element 20 making up the cable chain. Cable feed to the channels is facilitated from both ends of the rebates and the channels are aligned therewith by the centrally disposed male coupling 35, which is identical in size and configuration to the male coupling 25 of the channel forming elements, to engage the female coupling 27 of the lowermost or terminating element 20 of the cable chain 10. A weighted plate 38 is shaped so as to be received in the underside of the body portion 32 and secured by a pair of screws 39.

Figures 4a and 4b show the securing element 40 which is adapted for attachment to the underside of a fixing surface, to a profiled edge of said surface or to an edge portion of a cable access socket of the type used to line a cable through-hole in a desk or workstation.

The preferred security element 40 has a through aperture 41 with bevelled shoulder 42 to receive a securing screw and a recess 43, for receiving a grub screw 44, which communicates with an edge profile receiving mouth 45 so that the element may be locked to a corresponding edge profile of a workstation or cable access socket thereof. The securing element includes a bifurcated edge forming a female coupling 47 with apertures 48 adapted to lockingly receive the engagement tabs 26 of the male coupling 25 of the uppermost channel forming element 20 of a cable chain 10. Figures 5a to 5c show the means by which the cable management device 1 of the invention is secured to a fixing surface. Where the cable chain 10 is to direct retained cables towards a through-hole socket or adjacent the edge of the fixing surface, the securing element is screwed or bolted to the underside thereof. By positioning the securing element so that the cables emerge from the channels in alignment with the workstation edge or through -hole, undue stress or curvature on the cables can be avoided. For fibreboard or wooden desks and workstations, a self tapping screw is threaded into the aperture 41 where it engages optional fluting within the aperture to form threads to hold the securing element 40 against the fixing surface when the screw head abuts the bevelled shoulder 42. As shown in Figure 5c, where a surface through-hole is provided or where a suitable engagement edge is provided, for example, within a desktop socket or on an accessory platform, the edge profile receiving mouth 45 is positioned to engage the fixing surface and the grub screw 44 tightened to ensure the securing element is held in position.

In a preferred construction, the edge profile receiving mouth 45 is capable of fixing to an edge surface of up to 5mm thick, such as that found on accessories such as a cable tray or basket. Similarly, where the securing element 40 is attached to the underside of a fixing surface, a wire frame cable basket may be held within the mouth and retained by the grub screw 44. Conveniently, any excess length of cable may be retained within the basket (not shown). As noted above, the cable chain 10 can manage cables between two positions on a single workstation or between adjacent workstations. As shown in Figure 6, a cable chain 10 is suspended between two engagement surfaces which, for the purposes of illustration only, are presented as a common surface. The skilled addressee will appreciate that the surfaces may be joining or separated by a short distance over which the chain can be suspended. The securing member may also be screwed to the underside of the fixing surface in the manner illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b. As one end of the chain will present the female coupling 27 end of the terminating channel forming element to the female coupling 47 of the securing member 40, a male coupling component 50 having a pair of opposed bevelled engagement tabs 56 at each end thereof, as shown in Figures 7a and 7b, is provided to link the channel forming element to the securing member.

Figures 8a to 8c illustrate how the coupling component 50 engages with a terminating channel forming element 20 or to such elements 20', 20" at terminating ends of two cable chains 10', 10" to be joined together.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cable management device of the type comprising: a plurality of channel forming elements adapted to couple to successive elements to form a cable chain; and a securing element adapted to receive the cable chain so as to attach it to a fixing surface, wherein each channel forming element includes a centrally disposed spine component having at one end a male coupling connector on which there is provided a pair of pivot tabs profiled to be received in a female coupling connector located on the opposite end of the spine component of a successive channel forming element, and wherein each channel forming element comprises a pair of resilient curved arms extending from the central spine component to define a portion of the channel within in which cables are received in use, the resilient arms forming, at their free ends and with the central spine component, a slot through which a cable can be inserted, whereby the pivot axis of the respective coupling connectors determines the range of motion of the cable chain to a single transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cable chain thus formed.

2. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the arms are opened against their biasing resilience to widen the slot.

3. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the free ends of the arms are profiled to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of a cable retained within the channel portion.

4. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 3, in which each arm has a projection on the free end thereof which is turned inwardly with respect to the channel portion so as to entrain retained cables.

5. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the coupling connectors are formed so as to allow relative rotation around the axes of the pivot tabs and to prevent twisting of respective ones of the channel forming elements in the chain so as to maintain a substantially linear profile.

6. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the spine component provides a rigid locus for anchoring the resilient channel portion forming arms extending therefrom.

7. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the securing element has a first means for securing a cable chain to a fixing surface, the securing element comprising a planar abutment surface and a through- body aperture for accommodating a fixing means selected from a self-tapping screw or a threaded bolt to fasten the securing element to the fixing surface.

8. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the securing element has a means for securing a cable chain to a fixing surface, said securing element comprising a mouth adapted to engage an edge profile provided on a fixing surface, the mouth including fixing means for locking the securing element to the edge profile.

9. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the edge profile provided on the fixing surface is selected from a surface mounted accessory, a surface though-hole socket and a bespoke surface attachment having a suitable edge profile thereon.

10. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the securing element has a female coupling connector integrally formed therewith for receiving the corresponding male coupling component of a terminating channel forming element of a cable chain.

11. A cable management device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which one end of a cable chain is retained on a floor surface by a ground- engaging foot having an upper body profile adapted to guide cables towards the channels formed by successively coupled channel forming elements and including coupling means to pivotally attach to a corresponding coupling component of a terminating element in a cable chain.

12. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 11, in which the ground- engaging foot has a weighted mass associated therewith to retain the cable chain in a selected position.

13. A cable management device as claimed in Claim 12, in which the weighted mass comprises a plate attachable to the underside of the upper body profile of the foot.