GB2311935A - Work desk with inbuilt computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The components of a computer consisting of microprocessor, I/O means and data storage means are mounted in a thin hollow space 6 inside a supported worktop 3 having the appearance of a conventional desk. The space may be force-ventilated by a fan and apertures 5 are provided for keyboard and monitor connections and for the slot of a floppy disc or CD-ROM drive.

Description

WORK DESK WITH COMPUTER Field of the Invention This invention relates to a work desk containing a computer.

Background to the Invention Personal computers are typically presented in one of two forms: as a metal or plastics casing standing on a desk or on the floor adjacent to a desk, and with a visual display unit and keyboard resting on the desk; or as a notebook computer in which all the components are contained within a single casing having an area in plan approximating to that of an A4 sheet of paper. Both types of computer are at risk from thieves, the latter because of its portability, and the former because of its high visibility when unattended, and the relative ease of access to the interior of the casing to permit removal of high value components such as the central processing unit or microprocessor and the random access memory (RAM) modules. Both forms of computer are also highly vulnerable to accidental damage, for example arising from liquid spillage.

A further disadvantage of the desktop type of computer is the amount of space taken up on the desktop, or on the floor adjacent to the desk. In modern offices, or at home, space is often at a premium. In addition, the presence of the computer casing may detract from the appearance of the room.

In an attempt to overcome some of these disadvantages, it has been proposed to integrate the components of a computer into furniture. For example, in a desk having drawers or lockers, some of the components, for example disk drives and attached printers have been concealed in the drawers or lockers. However, the computer motherboard and expansion cards are still contained within a conventional casing, which is simply concealed in a separate locker or drawer. Theft of the components is still relatively simple, involving little more than opening the locker or drawer to remove the component. In addition, the structure of the desk has to be relatively bulky to accommodate the casing and the distributed discrete attachments.

The present invention seeks to provide a work desk in which a computer is fully integrated.

Summary of the Invention According to the invention, there is provided a work desk having a thin hollow worktop mounted on a support means, the worktop having mounted therein a computer consisting of a microprocessor, input/output means, and data storage means, the worktop mounting connector means for connecting to the input/output means a visual display device and a data input device.

Preferably, the computer includes at least one data storage device having removable data storage media, the device being mounted in the worktop in such a manner that the data storage media can be introduced into the device and removed therefrom from outside the worktop. The connector means are preferably mounted in an edge portion of the worktop. Further connector means may be provided in or on the worktop for connecting other external devices. The further connector means is suitably also mounted in an edge portion of the worktop.

More preferably, the worktop comprises an air channel therein leading from an inlet to an outlet, and a fan in the air channel for causing an air flow through the channel from the inlet to the outlet, wherein at least the microprocessor of the computer is mounted in the air channel to be cooled by air flowing therein. A power supply for supplying electrical power to the computer may also be located in the air channel within the worktop. The fan is preferably located adjacent to the outlet so as to draw air through the air channel. The microprocessor and the input/output means are suitably mounted on a motherboard, at least a part of the motherboard being located in the air channel.

The motherboard may provide a plurality of expansion sockets for connecting additional components to the microprocessor, at least one of the expansion sockets being connected to a respective expansion device within the worktop by means of a flexible cable. The flexible cable is preferably a ribbon cable.

The or each expansion device typically comprises a printed circuit board, and this will preferably be mounted in the same plane as the motherboard, or substantially parallel thereto. The expansion device or devices is or are mounted within the air channel so as to allow excess heat generated in the electronic components to be removed.

The air channel may be shaped so as increase the velocity of the air moving over those components which generate the greatest amount of heat, thereby maximising the cooling effect. Thus, the channel may be gradually decreased in cross-sectional area as it approaches components such as the central processing unit and the power supply unit, and increased again to accommodate larger and less heat generating components.

The worktop may be formed from a solid material such as wood, since this has an attractive appearance for a furniture item and because it can readily be machined to provide air channels and cavities to accommodate the components and to permit connectors to be attached at the edges of the top. A closure board or plate may then be secured over the cavities or recesses machined in the top when the components have been installed.

The closure plate may also be of wood, or of metal or plastics, and may be provided with locking means to prevent unauthorised access to the components.

Alternatively, the worktop may be formed of other materials, such as moulded plastics, or may be formed by building up a pattern of walls on a first board or plate to define the cavities and air channels, and then closing the cavities and channels by means of a second board or plate, as described above.

It has been found that a number of advantages accrue from an arrangement in accordance with the invention. Firstly, since the components can be distributed over the area of a working worktop, the exact location of any individual component therein is not readily detectable from an examination of the desk. It is possible to vary the layout of the components so that any of a range of different layouts can be used for desks which appear from the exterior to be identical, thus making it difficult for a thief simply to cut into the worktop to remove the more valuable components.

Secondly, the flat arrangement renders maintenance and upgrading more convenient, since components will not generally be superposed one upon another, as in the conventional desktop computer casing.

Thirdly, by locating components in a shaped air channel which can direct air in a concentrated flow from the exterior of the casing, cooling of the components can be greatly improved, thereby extending their life - it has long been recognised that over-heating of electronic components can significantly shorten their life.

Fourthly, the worktop can be made relatively thin, for example of a thickness just sufficient to accommodate at a side edge devices such as floppy disk drives and CD-ROM drives. Since notebook computer technology has reduced the thickness of such components significantly in recent years, the thickness of the worktop can be comparable with conventional solid desktops.

Fifthly, more than one computer can readily be accommodated in a single continuous length of worktop, permitting easy internal network connections, for example, or enabling the sharing of workspaces by different workers without necessarily permitting access to each other's computers. The peripheral devices, such as the visual display unit and the keyboard can be shared, simply be alternatively connected to the different computers by means of plug connectors or switching devices. this arrangement may be important where the material held on the computers is of a sensitive or secure nature.

Sixthly, since the resultant computer is almost indistinguishable from a conventional desk, the appearance of the workspace is enhanced, and the room on the desk for working can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a desk in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a cut away view corresponding to Figure 1, showing the disposition of the interior of the worktop; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the interior of the computer, with one face of the worktop removed.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments Referring first to Figure 1, the desk comprises two supporting side frames 1 provided with casters 2 for convenience in moving the desk. A main worktop 3 extends between the side frames at a suitable working height (it will be appreciated that the working height can readily be adjusted up or down to suit the user, for example by means of alternative fixing holes in the side frames). A shelf 4 extends across the tops of the side frames 1 to receive a visual display unit, for example.

The worktop 3 is hollow and contains the components of a computer spaced about therein, the edges of the worktop providing apertures 5 for the receipt of disk drives and connectors to external devices such as the visual display unit, printers, networks and telephone lines.

Figure 2 shows the hollow space 6 within the workiop, in which the computer components, such as the motherboard, the expansion devices and i/o interfaces, are located.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the worktop with one face removed.

The worktop 3 is formed as a solid board, for example medium density fibreboard, machined to provide recesses 7 and an air channel 8 therein, in which the components can be located. The air channel opens at one edge of the worktop through an inlet grille 9, and extends to an outlet 10 at the opposite edge, a cylindrical fan 11, driven by an electric motor 12, serving to expel air from the channel 8 through the outlet 10, thereby providing a cooling flow through the channel.

The computer motherboard 13 carries a number of different electronic elements, of which only two are illustrated in the Figure. The construction of computer motherboards is well-known and the exact layout of the motherboard is not within the scope of the invention. The elements illustrated are the central processing unit 14, a microprocessor, and the memory modules 15, each of which generate heat during their operation which needs to be removed, and these elements are therefore located at the end of the motherboard projecting into the channel 8. A hard disk drive 16 is attached to the motherboard in conventional fashion through a multiconductor cable 17, and is mounted in the channel 8 so as to benefit from the cooling air flow. A second hard disk drive 18, if provided, can also be mounted in the channel 8 in a similar manner.

A power supply unit 19, incorporating a transformer and voltage regulation circuitry, is mounted in the channel 8 at a region where the width of the channel is reduced to increase the speed of the air flow and therefore the cooling effect, since the power supply itself generates a significant amount of heat, and since the air will already have been warmed slightly by its passage over the motherboard and the hard disk drive or drives.

Expansion cards 20 and 21 are located in one of the recesses 7 and are connected to the expansion bus on the motherboard 13 by means of a ribbon cable 22 which provides sockets along its length so as to be able to connect the expansion cards 20 and 21 in conventional manner, but to allow the cards to lie essentially flat within the worktop to save height.

The other recesses 7 provide for installation of a floppy disk drive 23 and a CD-ROM drive 24 or a tape drive or other optical drive, for example.

Claims (16)

1. A work desk having a thin hollow worktop mounted on a support means, the worktop having mounted therein a computer consisting of a microprocessor, input/output means, and data storage means, the worktop mounting connector means for connecting to the input/output means a visual display device and a data input device.

2. A work desk according to Claim 1, wherein the computer includes at least one data storage device having removable data storage media, the device being mounted in the worktop in such a manner that the data storage media can be introduced into the device and removed therefrom from outside the worktop.

3. A work desk according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector means are mounted in an edge portion of the worktop.

4. A work desk according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein further connector means are provided in or on the worktop for connecting other external devices.

5. A work desk according to Claim 4, wherein the further connector means is mounted in an edge portion of the worktop.

6. A work desk according to any preceding claim, wherein the worktop comprises an air channel therein leading from an inlet to an outlet, and a fan in the air channel for causing an air flow through the channel from the inlet to the outlet, wherein at least the microprocessor of the computer is mounted in the air channel to be cooled by air flowing therein.

7. A work desk according to Claim 6, wherein a power supply for supplying electrical power to the computer is located in the air channel within the worktop.

8. A work desk according to Claim 6 or 7, wherein the fan is located adjacent to the outlet so as to draw air through the air channel.

9. A work desk according to any preceding claim, wherein the microprocessor and the input/output means are mounted on a motherboard, at least a part of the motherboard being located in the air channel.

10. A work desk according to Claim 9, wherein the motherboard provides a plurality of expansion sockets for connecting additional components to the microprocessor, at least one of the expansion sockets being connected to a respective expansion device within the worktop by means of a flexible cable.

11. A work desk according to Claim 10, wherein the flexible cable is a ribbon cable.

12. A work desk according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein the or each expansion device comprises a printed circuit board mounted in the same plane as the motherboard or substantially parallel thereto.

13. A work desk according to Claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the or each expansion device is mounted within the air channel.

14. A work desk according to any preceding claim, wherein the worktop comprises a first layer having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of disk drives and the like, the first layer having recesses defining an air channel and locations for other components of the computer, and a second cover layer for enclosing the recesses, the second layer being removably attached to the first layer.

15. A work desk according to Claim 14, wherein locking means are provided for securing the second layer to the first layer.

16. A work desk, substantially as described with reference to, or as shown in, the drawings.