GB2086148A - Electrical cable conducts for inlaying into surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable conduit 2 for inlaying into the top surface of a desk provides ready access to telephone cables 27, mains connected cables 28, and plug sockets 18 by way of hinged covers 13, 14, 15. Flanges 24 on the covers 13, 14, 16 electrically screen the telephone cables from the other surfaces. Connections to telephones or other desk instruments are carried through channels 17 in the covers 15. The sockets are located in channels sunk below the conduit and open at the ends to enable the escape of any spilt liquid (e.g. coffee) through the ends of the channel without contaminating the plug. The conduit is built up to a large extent from parts cut from aluminium extrusions and the covers have a common hinge pin. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electrical cable conduits for inlaying into surfaces This invention relates to electrical cable conduits for inlaying into surfaces such as desk tops.

The development of office organisation is leading to the use of an increasing number of electrical and electronic devices on desk tops, not only the usual telephone or telephones or electric typewriter but also various forms of visual display device and computers. Clearly it is highly desirable for the cables or leads for these devices to be kept nearly positioned and not allowed electrically to interfere with one another nor to become entangled with one another or with other objects on the desk. Moreover, at least one convenient connecting point is often desirable that enables a device, when located on the desk, to be plugged into the mains supply and later, when necessary, disconnected and removed from the desk.Such a connecting point when provided can very conveniently be located in a position lower than the desk surface and it is highly desirable that it should be well protected, for example, from contamination by spilt liquids, and yet readily accessible.

According to the invention, a conduit for electrical cables comprises a rigid elongated base formed as a primary channel along which electrical cables can extend substantially from end to end of the channel and covers mounted on the base so as to close the primary channel thereby substantially preventing access to the cables inside the conduit, the covers being capable of being opened and closed when required and formed so that, when closing the channel, they provide a smooth exposed surface except for the provision of a secondary channel in at least one cover providing a passage for a cable to pass from outside the conduit by way of the secondary channe! to beneath a cover presenting a smooth exposed surface, the base being formed so as to be inlaid into a surface flush with the said exposed surface.The primary channel may be provided with means supporting at least one electrical plug socket substantially outside the conduit to receive a plug connected through the secondary channel to an external instrument such as an electric typewriter and located inside the conduit beneath a cover presenting a smooth surface. The term "smooth surface" is herein intended to mean a surface that is flush with the surface in which the conduit is inlaid. Preferably the covers are hinged to the primary channel on a common hinge pin.

Very advantageously the primary channel is provided with a path for a telephone cable or cables to extend along the primary channel and a parallel path for a mains connected cable or cables, the covers being provided with means for electrically screening the first said path from the second said path.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a desk assembly incorporating one form of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a desk assembly; Figures 2 to 5 are perspective views, on an enlarged scale of details of the desk assembly of Figure 1 at locations indicated by pointer li, III, IV and V respectively; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a service channel; Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of a number of covers for the channel of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cable exit cover for the channel of Figure 6; Figure 9 is an end view of a detail; and Figure 10 shows a modification of the service channel of Figure 6.

The top of a desk 1 contains an inlaid cable conduit indicated generally by the reference numeral 2 (Figure 1). The cable conduit 2 comprises a base or primary channel 3 consisting of three sections, A, B, C of uniform cross-section (Figure 6). The channel section A, which is a steel pressing, has a flat web 3a, sides 4, 6 and flanges 5, 7 whereby it is secured beneath panels 8, 9 presenting top surfaces of the desk. The channel sections B, C are aluminium extrusions. Section B rests on the base 3a. Section C extends adjacent the top of side 6 and beyond the ends of sections B, C to be secured in transverse end pieces 25 (Figure 3) of plastics material which may be regarded as terminating the primary channel.

The channel sections B, C are respectively formed with cover retaining bars 1 0, 11 that extend upwards from horizontal parts 1 Oa, 11 a over which the panels 8, 9 which are of plastic laminate faced chipboard, extend so as to provide, together with the cable conduit a flush top surface for the desk.The upper edge of the retaining bar 11 is formed with a cylindrical bead 1 2 providing a common hinge pin for five hinged covers 1 3, 14, 1 5. As shown in Figure 1 there is a comparatively long central cover 13 between two cable exit covers 1 5 each formed with a secondary channel 1 7. Two covers 14 are located respectiveiy at opposite ends of the covers 1 5 and serve to cover two wells for multiple outlet power sockets 1 8 for receiving plugs for electrical connections. The covers 1 3, 14 have the same cross-section.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8 each of the covers 13, 14, 1 5 is formed with arcuate bearing ribs 19, 20 that embrace the hinge pin 12 so as to enable the cover to be turned up from the horizontal position of Figure 1 to a position as indicated in Figures 3 and 5 and so provide access to the plug sockets 1 8 and cables inside the conduit. Each cover is also formed on its underside and close to its front edge with a locking bar 21 having a shallow lip 22 (Figure 9) that snaps past a shallow lip 23 on the retaining bar 10 to hold the cover in the closed position. Opening of the covers can be effected by way of finger pressure applied beneath the covers 1 3, 14 at the secondary channels 1 7.

Each of the covers 1 3, 14, is formed with a partition flange 24 located so that, in the case of each cover 14 when closed it extends along the forward side of an associated well containing one of the power sockets 18. The flanges 24 on the closed covers 13, 14 engage a cable guide 26, so as electrically to screen any telephone cable extending inside the channel section B from any other type of cable extending along the channel 3 outside the channel section B. The secondary channels 1 7 in the covers 1 5 perform this function as well as providing cable outlets. It will be seen that the covers 1 3, 14 have a similar cross-section so that they can all be severed from a single extruded length of aluminium.The covers 1 5 can also be severed from an extrusion and of course, the channel sections B, C can be cut from extrusions in lengths according to the lengths of the desks to be furnished.

To assemble the covers 14,15 onto the channel section C it is simply necessary to slide the arcuate ribs 1 9, 20 of each of the covers in succession onto the hinge pin 12. The end pieces 25 retain the flaps on the hinge pin 12.

The channel section B is formed with the vertical longitudinal cable guide 26 for retaining a telephone cable or cables in the section B. A number of telephone cables may be carried by the section B both for the associated desk and, as described below, for any further desk or desks in series therewith. Figure 2 shows a telephone cable 27 together with a mains cable 28 which are brought into the desk at one side of the desk These cables are led over the adjacent edges of the sections B, A. As shown in Figure 4, the telephone cable passes beneath the first covers 14, 1 5 and the cover 13 to be brought out of the cable conduit through the secondary channel 17 in the cover 1 5. To facilitate the passage of the cable, the secondary channel in each cover 1 5 may be formed partially along its length from one edge with a slot.The mains cable 28, which may contain a number of independent cables in parallel, feeds the power sockets 1 8 in succession.

The mains cable leaving the second power socket 1 8 is taken out through a plastic stop in the channel section A and may continue, together with telephone cables as suggested above, through the side of the desk to extend along a channel 31 beneath a shelf 32 to a cable conduit 34 (similar to the cable conduit 2) in a second desk 33. The secondary channels in the covers 1 5 are, of course, also used for the admission or exit' of cables passing to or from plugs in the plug sockets 1 8.

Each of the wells in which a plug socket 18 is located is constituted by a metal channel located beneath a rectangular aperture 35 in the web 3a by flanges 36 bolted to the web 3a. The plug socket 1 8 is secured to the base of the socket channel and lies sufficiently beneath the web 3a to provide clearance for an inserted plug to lie beneath the associated flap 14 when closed. The open ends of the socket channel beneath the aperture 35 permit any liquid that might possibly flow through the aperture 35, for example as a result of an upset ink bottle or beverage, to flow away without fouling the plug socket or its connections.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made to the example shown in Figures 1 to 9 without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. For example, where a smaller cable carrying capacity is required, the service channel 3 may consist of a unitary aluminium extrusion as shown in Figure 10, wherein the various parts carry the same reference numerals as in the equivalent structure of Figure 6. Also, for example, the number of covers may be varied such as the provision of more than two covers 14, each accommodating a single simple plug socket underneath.

Claims (12)

1. A conduit for electrical cables comprising a rigid elongated base formed as a primary channel along which electrical cables can extend substantially from end to end of the channel and covers mounted on the base so as to close the primary channel thereby substantially preventing access to the cables inside the conduit, the covers being capable of being opened and closed when required and formed so that, when closing the channel, they provide a smooth exposed surface except for the provision of a secondary channel in at least one cover providing a passage for a cable to pass from outside the conduit by way of the secondary channel to beneath a cover presenting a smooth exposed surface, the base being formed so as to be inlaid into a surface flush with the said exposed surface.

2. A conduit according to claim 1, in which the primary channel comprises two parallel longitudinally extending retaining bars with the covers hinged to one of the bars and the other providing support for the covers when closed.

3. A conduit according to claim 2, in which the retaining bar to which the covers are hinged is formed with a bead providing a hinge pin for all the covers, the covers being provided with arcuate bearings arranged to be mounted by being caused to slide into position along the bead to take up contiguous positions one against another and the covers being arranged to be latched in their closed positions by a snap-action engagement with a rib on the other retaining bar.

4. A conduit according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the primary channel is provided with means supporting at least one electrical plug socket substantially outside the conduit to receive a plug or plugs located inside the conduit beneath a cover presenting a smooth exposed surface.

5. A conduit according to claim 4, in which said socket supporting means consists of an openended channel fixed at an aperture in the primary channel providing access to the socket, the socket being fixed to the base of the open-ended channel.

6. A conduit according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the covers comprise a central cover, two outer covers, each covering means in said primary channel for supporting a plug socket and two covers formed with secondary channels each interposed between the central cover and one of the outer covers.

7. A conduit according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the primary channel is provided with a path for a telephone cable or cables to extend therealong and a parallel path for a mains connected cable or cables, the covers being provided with means for assisting in electrically screening the first said path from the second said path.

8. A conduit according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the primary conduit comprises three elongated sections namely a first section having a comparatively wide flat web with similar sides extending upwards and arranged for attachment beneath the surface into which the primary conduit is to be inlaid, a comparatively narrow second section providing a duct for telephone cables and extending adjacent one of the sides of the first section, a longitudinal cable guide being provided to define a space between the second section and the other of the sides of the first section, the first section being provided in the said space with at least one well for a plug socket, and a third section extending over the first section adjacent the said other side thereof and provided with a longitudinally extending retaining bar presenting a pin providing a hinge pin for all the covers, the second section being provided with a retaining bar arranged for the covers to be latched thereto when closed.

9. A conduit according to claim 8, in which the first section is of steel and the second and third sections are aluminium extrusions.

1 0. A conduit for electrical cables substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A conduit for electrical cables substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A desk when fitted with a conduit for electrical cables according to any one of the preceding claims, the conduit being inlaid into the top surface of the desk.