GB2234494A - Portable desk - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable desk comprises a container which is arranged to rest on the passenger seat (4) of a car. The container is provided with retaining clips (6), (8) for engaging the strap of a seat belt (10) when the seat belt (10) is used to strap the container to the seat (4). The desk has a lid which opens in a direction away from the driver when sitting in the drivers seat to give the driver access to the contents of the container, and a panel which can be pulled out from a retracted state into a generally horizontal attitude extending from the container towards the driver to allow the driver to use the panel as a desk top. <IMAGE>

Description

PORTABLE DESK The present invention relates to portable desks.

Salesmen, repair engineers and others who spend a large proportion of the working day in cars often have a large volume of paperwork or computer updating to perform while away from the office. Such paperwork is often done in awkward conditions working out of a briefcase positioned on the passenger seat or on a clipboard resting on the steering wheel. At the end of the work session the papers have to be collected and put away.

All this makes oft cue work in a car an uncomfortable chore.

It is an obJect of the invention to provide a portable desk to provide a more comfortable working environment.

According to the present inventIon there is provided a portable desk comprising a container sized to fit on the passenger seat of a vehicle, the forwardly facing wall of the container being provided with engagement means for engaging with the seat belt associated wit the passenger seat when the seat belt is used to strap the container to the seat, a lid operable away from the drive's seat to provide access to the container to a driver locates in the driving seat of the vehicle, and a panel moveable from a retracted position within or close to the container, into a generally horizontal attitude extending from the container towards the driver when seated in the driver's seat, whereby to enable the driver to use the panel as a desk surface and the container to store his working materials.

Portable desks embodyIng the Frese invention will now be describe, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the passenger seat of a motor vehicle with a portable desk mounted thereon; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the portable desk; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the desk with the lid open and the desk top in an operative position; Figure 4 is a section through the desk; Figure 5 is a front elevation of the portable desk illustrating the erect Ion of a working surface; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the side wall of the container arranged to be nearest the driver's seat but with the desk to omitted; and Figure 7 is a scrap view showing a modifIed guide channel.

Figure 1 shows the portable desk mounted on the passenger seat 4 of a motor vehicle. The des: comprises a container 2 having a reovangula~ base of substantially the same area as the seatIng area of the average passenger seat and has a heIght substantially equal to half the height of the back rest of the average passenger sea. The container 2 is also of rectangular cross-section and in view of its dimensions can be readllv secured to the seat 4 using the passenger seat belt 10 associated with that seat. The front face 5 of the container 2, is provided with a pair of guIde members 6 and 8 located adjacent diagonally opposIte corners of the face.

The guides 6 and 8 are closed at the top but open at the bottom to allow the seat belt lD to be slotted into the guides 6 and 7 from below for more securely holding the container in place.

A pair of carrying handles 12 are provided one on the front face and one on the rear face (not shown). Housed within a lower portion of the container is sliding drawer 14 which can be pulled out from the front face of the container. The drawer 14 is anchored in its closed position by a detent mechanism (not shown) so that the drawer should not be accidentally pulled out by its momentum when the car is braked. The front panel of the drawer is arranged to lie below both guides 6 and 8 so that the seat belt when in place does not obstruct the opening and close of the drawer 2.

In a modIficatIon the desk may be provided with its own strap 16 shown in broken lines) with the opposite ends of the strap secured to opposite sides of the desk 2. To secure the desk 2 to the seat 4 the strap is passed around the back of the back rest.

The top of the container 2 has a li 18 which is connected by a piano hinge along one side of the desk 2 so as to open away from the drIver to give the driver access to the insIde of the container where he may keep his paperwork. The inner face of the lid 18 caries a series of clips 20 (only one shown) to which writing implements and other office paraphernalia can be attached.

A rigid stay 22 In the form of a rod has one end pivoted to the inner face of the front wall 5 of the desk. The inner-face has an undercut recess (not shown) into which the opposite end of the stay 22 which is hooked, can be coupled to hold the lid 18 in an open or erect attitude.

The side wail of the desk whIch Is arranged to face the driving seat of the ca has a paIr of vertical guide channels 20 one along each vertical edge. The guide channels 20 are generally U-shaped in cross-section and are arranged so that the open portions of the "U" face one another. Each channel 20 is closed at its upper and lower end. A planar panel 24 arranged to provide a writing surface is provided with outwardly projecting guide members 40 adjacent the lower corners thereof, which guide members 40, engage the respective guide channels 20 to constrain the lower side of the panel for vertical movement in the direction of the two channels 20.

A rod like stay 26 has one end 26A pivotally secured to the wall of the desk on which the panel is mounted. The wall has a slot 42 therein which can accommodate the stay 26 when not in use.

The outer face of the panel has an undercut aperture 30 into whIch the opposIte end 263 of the stay (which opposite end Is hook like) can be clipped.

In operation the panel 24 is normally stored in parallel relationship with the adjacent sIde wall of the container 2. The stay 26 is housed in slot 42 (see Fig. 6) so as not to impede movement of the panel. To bring the panel 24 into an operating position it is raised vertically with the guide members 40 sliding upwardly along the channels.

When the guide members 40 are stopped upon reaching the closed upper ends of the guide members 20 the panel 24 is pivoted about the guide members into a generally horizontal attitude (see vi7. 5).

At this point the stay 24 is retrieved from its slot 42 and pivoted outwardly to cause its hooked end 26A to engage the aperture 30. The length of the stay 26 is such that when it supports the panel 2, the panel will slope slightly downwardly away from the adjacent wall of the container.

This has two advantages, namely it provides a desk surface which slopes towards the user and so is more comfortable to use, and secondly the weight of the panel 24 and any pressure applied thereto will generally help to drive the guide members 40 upwardly along the guide channels 20 against the closed upper ends of the channels 20 and so prevent the desk surface collapsing unexpectedly.

The preferred angle of slope for the desk is preferably in the range of from l0 to 30 to the horizontal plane i.e. to make an accurate angle with respect to the adjacent desk wall in the range of from 80" to 60".

To store away the panel the operation hereinbefore described is carried out in reverse.

The free upper end of the panel 24 when in the vertical attitude is held in place, when the lid of the desk is closed, by a lip 32 which overhangs the panel. Two parts 34 and 36 of a latching mechanism mounted respectively on the inner face of the lid and on the inner face of the side wall of the desk can co-operate to latch the lid in a closed configuration to allow the desk to be transported by the handles 12 from one location to the other.

In the modification shown in Figure 7 the "" shaped channel 20 turns at its vertically upper end 20A horizontally inwardly towards the inside of the container 2. This provides a horizontal ledge on which the guide members 40 can rest to hold the panel in a horizontal attitude even more firmly.

In a modificatIon instead of the desk panel 24 being mounted on the side wa'l of the container 2, it can be slidably retained by horizontal runners within the container to lie just below the lid. It can be then partially withdrawn through a horizontal slot in the side wall of the container to provide a writing surface.

It will be appreciated that the desk provides a comfortable working environment for a driver in the driving seat of a vehicle, who-need only turn sideways to conduct his office work. With the lid of the desk open, the desk provides a useful container to hold the driver's working papers and with the the panel erect, a comfortable writing surface is available.

It will be appreciated that the container may be filled out with electronic equipment such as a desk-top personal computer and a mobile phone.

Claims (9)

1. A portable desk comprising a container sized to fit on the passenger seat of a vehicle, the forwardly facing wall of the container being provided with engagement means for engaging with the seat belt associated with the passenger seat when the seat belt is used to strap the container to the seat, a lid openable away from the driver's seat provide access to the container to a driver located in the driving seat of the vehicle, and a panel moveable from a retracted position within or close to the container, into a generally horizontal attitude extending from the container towards the driver when seated In the driver's seat, whereby to enabie the driver to use the panel as a desk surface and the container to store his working materials.

2. A portable desk according to Claim 1 wherein said panel when in a retracted state extends generally parallel with, and lies adjacent to, that sIde wall of the desk which lies closest to the driver's seat.

3. A portable desk according to Claim 2 wherein said side wall is provided with a pair of parallel guides which are engaged by guide members rigid with the panel to constrain the panel for movement in a dIrection parallel to the said side wall and for pivotal movement about a common axis defined by said guide members.

4. A portable desk according to Claim 2 or to Claim 3 including a stay arranged to extend between said side wall and the panel to hold the panel in a generally horizontal attitude.

5. A portable desk according to Clalm 4 wherein said stay is arranged to hold said desk in an attitude sloping slightly downwardly from the said side wall so as to be at an attitude in the range of from 10O to 30O to the horizontal.

6. A portable desk according to Claim 1 wherein said panel is slidably housed inside said container in a horizontal attitude to lie just below said lid,and wherein said container is provided with a generally horizontally extending slot in that side wall which is arranged to be located closest to the driver's seat and through which slot said panel can be withdrawn to provide a writing surface for the driver.

7. A portable desk according to any preceding claim including a drawer located in a lower part of said container, said drawer being wlthdrawable from sa container through an openIng located below said engagement means.

8. A portable desk according to any preceding claim wherein said engagement means comprises a pair of strap retaining members each extending outwardly and then downwardly fom the said forwardly facing wall so that the strap of the seat belt can be coupled to the retaInIng members by sliding the strap lnto the retaining members from below.

9. A portable desk substantially as hereinbefore descried with reference to the accompanying drawings.