FR2773963A1 - Column to support multi media equipment on desk - Google Patents

Abstract

A column (4) is fixed to a desk top (2) by an adjustable clip (5) that has sleeves that slide on the column and are fixed in position by screws. Shelves (7,9) are fixed to the column by clips (6,8) that have upper and lower parts with sleeves that slide on the column. The lower end of the column has an adjustable foot.

Description

 The present invention relates to a multimedia type office equipment support.

 The space taken up by computer or multimedia equipment is relatively large because such equipment consists of several elements which must be more or less accessible or visible. Often this equipment is simply placed on a desk. They are the central unit, the screen, the keyboard, the mouse and the printer as well as possibly the speakers. They then clutter offices or require large areas, to make room for working documents.

 There are different supports for such computer equipment. These supports are generally constituted by a set of trays receiving the central unit, the keyboard and the mouse, the screen and the printer. But, these trays are part of a set independent of the office, so to use the computer system you have to move to stand in front of the equipment; but then the office becomes useless. In addition, this solution is not practical because these supports do not offer space to spread the documents on which we are working.

 The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and proposes to create a means enabling computer equipment to be used on a desk without the desk surface being unnecessarily occupied by equipment while making it perfectly accessible and to allow spread out the working documents.

To this end, the invention relates to a support for office equipment, characterized in that it comprises - a column, - a fixing clip, carried in an adjustable manner by the
column to fix the column to the desk top and
tighten on the column, - at least one shelf clamp, carried in an adjustable manner
by the column to receive a shelf.

 This equipment is very simply installed on the desk of the offices themselves. In fact, it suffices to place the fixing clamp against the edge of the plate and to let the column rest on the ground if necessary. Then, this assembly is blocked which can receive one or more shelf clamps for the equipment which does not have to be placed directly on the tray, such as the screen or the printer. In addition, as the shelves can rotate freely around the column, it is possible to put them in the most ergonomic position or in a storage position to leave the volume free above or around the desk.

 This installation also has the advantage of being able to be placed anywhere on the desk, which offers even more flexibility in use and allows to take into account the habits of the user of the workstation.

 According to a particularly advantageous characteristic, the support comprises an adjustable support member at the lower end of the column for bearing on the ground with an adjustable pressure.

 This adjustable support at the lower end of the column, reinforces the stability of the installation because by screwing this support once the column is tightened against the plate, it can create a prestress by which part of the load of the office is taken up by the column resting on the ground. This also prevents accidental kicks in the column from shaking it and transmitting jerks to the different parts of the installation. Finally, this support prevents an overloaded tray from bending.

According to another advantageous characteristic, the fixing clamp comprises - an upper part having a sleeve intended to be inserted
lé on the column and a bearing surface coming against the
upper face of the plate, - a lower part having a sleeve intended to be inserted
strip on the column, and at least one clamping screw for
lean against the underside of the tray
inside the bearing surface of the upper part, - an upper stop ring, threaded onto the column and
blocked on it to serve as a stop for the upper part
lower, - a lower stop ring threaded on the column and blo
quée on it to serve as a stop for the lower part
the tightening of the screw pressed against the plate
applying respectively the upper part against the
upper stop and the lower part against the stop
while pinching the tray.

 This fixing clip is easily placed on the desk top. It suffices to put the upper part and the lower part in place after having previously introduced the column into the sleeve of each of these two parts. Then, just tighten the screw at the bottom to block the assembly.

 The lower part is preferably constituted by a sleeve carrying a single branch, provided with a screw, preferably a screw with one end forming a certain bearing surface and another end provided with a knurled wheel or the like allowing hold to screw and tighten by hand.

 This positioning of the upper part and the lower part is completed by the positioning of the two stop rings and the tightening of these in the appropriate position, once the upper part and the lower part have been placed freely against the upper face and the lower face of the plate. The upper and lower parts are thus braced against the stop rings constituting an extremely rigid assembly, making it possible to receive the forces exerted by the loaded plate or plates, and this regardless of the unbalanced position or not of the plates around the column.

According to another advantageous characteristic, the shelf clamp comprises - an upper part having a sleeve threaded on the column
and a spout forming a bearing surface coming against the face
upper shelf, - a lower part having a sleeve threaded on the column
and a support surface coming against the underside
of the shelf, - a stop ring blocked on the column at the chosen height
seat for the shelf, - at least one clamping screw connecting the upper part and
the lower part to pinch them against the plate, - the clamp / shelf assembly swivels freely around the
column by pressing on the stop ring.

 While the fixing clamp is blocked on the column and on the desk top, the shelf clamp is supported on the stop ring, by its lower part, which allows this shelf clamp and especially the shelf that it carries, pivot freely around the column to place itself in the position desired by the user.

 Installing a shelf clamp is extremely simple. It is enough to place the stop ring then the lower part and the upper part and, finally, to pinch the shelf between these two parts. Several such shelf clamps can be threaded on the column to receive the different parts of the equipment at the desired height.

If necessary, the shelf clamp which is directly above the fixing clamp can use the upper stop ring of this fixing clamp instead of its own ring.

 According to another advantageous characteristic, the upper part has a bearing surface in the shape of a horn with two branches coming from the sleeve.

 According to another advantageous characteristic, the lower part is in the shape of a horn with two branches coming from the sleeve, provided at their ends, with a housing for receiving a retaining stud coming into a housing in homologous position produced in the lower face of the 'shelf, and in the vicinity of the sleeve, at least one hole for the passage of the screw screwed into the thread of the upper part to clamp the lower part against the upper part and pinch the shelf.

 Interestingly, the branches have an open, U-shaped section, the ends of which serve as bearing surfaces, these branches being provided internally with a central rib.

 To facilitate both manufacture and use, it is advantageous for the sleeves of the upper and lower parts and of the upper and lower parts to comprise at least one inner ring by which the sleeve or sleeves are supported on the column. One can have a ring in the upper part and a ring in the lower part of the sleeve or a ring passing through the sleeve. It is also possible to have a ring common to the two sleeves of the parts of the shelf clamp. The same applies to the rings of the parts of the fixing clamp.

 The parts of the fixing clamp and the shelf clamp are preferably made of cast aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The stop rings are preferably made of steel and the column can be constituted by a tube of preferably circular section to simplify the manufacture and allow the shelves to pivot freely without complicating the structure of the clamps.

Finally, the bearing surface at the lower end of the column is preferably a pad provided with a threaded part making it possible to adjust the bearing force of the column on the ground.

The present invention will be described below in more detail with the aid of various embodiments shown schematically in the accompanying drawings in which
FIG. 1 is an overall view of the support for computer or multimedia equipment,
FIG. 2 is a partial view in axial section of the fixing clamp connected to the desk top and of a shelf clamp,
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an exemplary embodiment of shelf clamp,
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an upper part of a clamp or a top view of a lower part of a shelf clamp,
FIG. 4A is a section on A of a part branch according to FIG. 4,
FIG. 5 shows a variant of shelf clamp,
FIG. 6 is a top view of the upper part of a shelf clamp,
- Figure 6A is a sectional view of the assembly consisting of a shelf clamp at the clamping screw.

 According to FIG. 1, the invention relates to a support 1 for computer or multimedia equipment, comprising for example a central unit not shown, a screen 11, a keyboard 12, a mouse not shown in the figure and a printer 13.

 This support consists of a column 4 fixed to the desk top 2 by means of a fixing clip 5. This column 4 also bears on the ground by means of a support member 6. Au- above the tray 2, the support 1 is provided with a shelf clamp 6 carrying a shelf 7 receiving the screen 11, as well as another shelf clamp 8 provided with a shelf 9 carrying the printer 13. The fixing clamp 5 comes to rest against the upper face and the lower face of the desk tray 2 to lock against the tray and also lock against the column 4 so as to form a rigid assembly, also supported by two rings stop as will be detailed later.

 The shelf clamp 6 rests on the fixing clamp 5. This shelf clamp 6 carries the shelf 7 with the screen 11 so as to be able to pivot around the column 4. The same is true for the clamp shelf 8 which carries the printer 13.

 Other shelf clamps can be provided on the column 4, in particular below the desk tray 2, one can have a similar shelf clamp, on which the central unit is placed.

 The partial section view of FIG. 2 shows the main elements of the support 1 according to the invention, namely the column 4, the fixing clamp 5, the desk plate 2 and a shelf clamp 6 with a shelf 7.

 The fixing clamp 5 consists of an upper part 5A and a lower part 5B. The upper part 5A comprises a sleeve S1A which is threaded onto the column 4. I1 is supported on the column 4 for example by means of sliding rings 52A, 53A. The sleeve 51 carries two branches 54A, 55A, the shape of which is shown in FIG. 4 and which press on the upper face 21 of the plate 2 by means of pellets S6A or suitable flexible intermediate elements, to avoid damaging the face 21.

 The lower part 5B also consists of a sleeve 51B threaded onto the column 4 and pressing on it by sliding rings 52B, 53B or a single ring corresponding to a large part of the height of the sleeve. This is also true for the sleeve 51A.

 This ring S1B is provided with a branch 54B carrying in a thread 55B, a screw 56B provided with a handle 57B. This screw 56B rests against the underside 22 of the plate 2 to pinch it in the manner of a vice.

 The fixing clamp also includes an upper stop ring 5C and a lower stop ring 5D. These rings consist of rings, for example of steel, provided with a clamping screw to operate in the manner of clamps. The stop rings 5C, 5D are blocked on the column 4 once the upper part 5A and the lower part 5B of the fixing clamp are put in place, respectively on the upper face 21 and the lower face 22 of the plate 2 When the stop rings 5C, 5D are thus fixed integrally on the column 4 in the appropriate position, the screw 56B is screwed to press it against the lower face 22 and push the two parts 5A, 5B respectively against the ring d 'upper stop 5C and the lower stop ring 5D and thus block the assembly on the plate 2.

 Figure 4 which is a bottom view of the upper part 5A, shows the sleeve 51A with its ring 53A and the two branches 54A, 55A. These branches have an open U-shaped section (FIG. 4A), with a central rib 541A, 551A.

 The branches 54A, 55A, coming from the sleeve 51A, are in the shape of an arc of a circle and end at their end by a housing 542A, 552A to receive a stud or a pad like the pad 56A or a blocking element as will be seen about the shelf clamp (figure 3).

 Near the sleeve 51A, the branches 54A, 55A are provided with a through hole 543A, 553A for the passage of a clamping screw when this part 5A is used as the lower part of the clamp.

 According to Figures 2 and 3, the shelf clamp 6 consists of an upper part 6A and a lower part 6B. The upper part 6A bears against the upper face 71 of the shelf 7 and the lower part 6B, against the lower face 72 of the shelf 7.

 The upper part GA consists of a sleeve 61A provided internally with a double ring 62A, occupying the entire height of the sleeve 61A and coming at the top against a shoulder formed by the return 63A of the sleeve 61A.

This sleeve 61A carries a spout 64A forming a bearing surface (see also Figure 6) bordered by two wings 65A, 66A (Figure 6).

 The wings 65A, 66A are each provided with a thread 651A, 661A emerging in the lower face to receive a clamping screw housed in the orifice 543A, 553A of the SA part (fig. 4) used as the lower part of the clamp with shelf as will be described later.

 In general, independently of the previous remark, the lower part 6B also consists of a sleeve 61B threaded like the sleeve 61A on the column 4. This sleeve 61B is hollowed out in the upper part to cover the lower edge of the double ring of slip 62A. In the lower part, the sleeve 61B is provided with a sliding ring 62B.

 The sleeve 61B carries a piece in the shape of a horn with two branches. The shape of these parts is close to or preferably identical to that of FIG. 4. The branch 63B (as well as the other symmetrical branch not appearing in FIG. 3) ends at its end with a housing 631A which receives a blocking piece 632A in the form of a head screw, screwed into the internal thread 631A, and the head of which comes into a non-through hole 73 made in the lower face 72 of the shelf 7. The connection by this piece 632A placed in the housing 73 aims to retain the shelf 7 against sliding under the effect of prolonged vibrations. This solution avoids lateral movement of the shelf.

 The clamp also includes a lower stop ring 6C similar or identical to the rings 5C, 5D of FIG. 2. This stop ring 6C is locked on the column 4 at the appropriate height and the assembly formed by the clamp 6 and the shelf 7 is pivotally supported on this stop ring 6C by means of the lower surface of the sleeve 61B of the lower part 6 or of the ring 62B.

 Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the shelf clamp 6 'which is distinguished only by the size of the double ring 62A', common to the sleeve 61A 'of the upper part 6A' and to the sleeve 61B 'of the lower part 6B '. The other parts of this clamp 6 'are identical or analogous to those of the shelf clamp 6 of FIG. 3.

 Figure 6 is, as already indicated in part above, a top view of the upper part GA of the shelf clamp 6. Figure GA is a sectional view along the section plane B of the figure 6, showing the assembly by a screw 6E of the upper branch 65A and the lower branch 63B of the two parts of the shelf clamp. The clamp is not shown in this figure.

It comes in the interval E remaining between the bearing surfaces of these two parts.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS 10) Support for multimedia type office equipment, characterized in that it comprises - a column (4), - a fixing clamp (5), carried in an adjustable manner by the column (4) for fixing the column (4) on the desk plate (2) and tighten on the column (4), - at least one shelf clamp (6, 8), carried in an adjustable manner by the column (4) to receive a shelf (7 , 9). 20) Support according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a support member (6) adjustable at the lower end of the column (4) to rest on the ground with an adjustable pressure. 30) Support according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing clamp (5) comprises - an upper part (5A) having a sleeve (51A) intended to  be threaded on the column (4) and a bearing surface (54A,  55A) coming against the upper face (21) of the plate (2), - a lower part (5B) having a sleeve (51B) intended to  be threaded on the column (4), and at least one screw to tighten  rage (56B, 57B) to lean against the underside  (22) of the plate (2) inside the bearing surface of  the upper part (5A), - an upper stop ring (5C), threaded on the column  (4) and blocked on it to serve as a stop for the par  upper tie (5A), - a lower stop ring (5D) threaded on the column  (4) and blocked on it to serve as a stop for the par  lower tie (5B), tightening the screw (56B) pressed  against the plate (2) applying respectively the part  upper (5A) against the upper stop (5C) and the  lower tie (5B) against the lower stop (5D) while  pinching the plate (2). 40) Support according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelf clamp (6) comprises - an upper part (6A) having a sleeve (61A) threaded on  the column (4) and a spout (64A) forming a bearing surface  coming against the upper face (71) of the shelf (7), - a lower part (6B) having a sleeve (61B) threaded on  the column (4) and a support surface (63B) coming con  be the underside (72) of the shelf (7), - a stop ring (6C) locked on the column (4) at the top  tor chosen for the shelf (7), - at least one clamping screw (6E) connecting the upper part  upper part (6A) and the lower part (6B) to pinch them  against the plate (7), - the clamp / shelf assembly pivoting freely around the  column (4) by pressing on the stop ring (6C). 50) Support according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper part (5A) has a bearing surface in the form of a horn with two branches (54A, 55A) coming from the sleeve (51A). 60) Support according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the lower part (6B) is in the form of a horn with two branches (63B, 54A, 54A) coming from the sleeve (61B, 51B), provided at their ends, d a housing (542A, 552A) for receiving a retaining stud (632A) coming into a housing (73) in a homologous position produced in the lower face (72) of the shelf (7) and in the vicinity of the sleeve (61B, 51A), at least one bore (543A, 553A) for the passage of the screw (6E) screwed into the thread (651A, 661A) of the upper part (6A) to clamp the lower part (6B, 5A) against the part upper and pinch the shelf (7). 70) Support according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the branches (54A, 55A) have a U-shaped section, open, the ends of which serve as bearing surfaces, these branches being provided internally with a rib central (541A, 551A).  8) Support according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the sleeve of the upper and lower parts and of the upper and lower parts, comprises at least one sliding ring (52A, 53A, 52B, 53B; 62A, 62B; 62A ' ) by which the sleeve rests on the column (4). 90) Support according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the upper and lower parts and the upper and lower parts are made of aluminum or a cast aluminum alloy.