GB2430615A - Desk comprising cooling fan - Google Patents

Abstract

A work surface 1 housing a fan 4, a power supply, and a horn-shaped duct 3 between the fan and the surface, blowing onto items on the work surface in order to cool them, via flanges 5 to channel the air above. A number of independently positionable covers (3, Fig. 2) may be provided on rails (2, Fig. 2) to selectively restrict the air flow on the surface and increase the area of plain work surface.

Description

* 2430615 Fan Desk This invention relates to the cooling of various

electrical devices.

Many electrical devices become noticeably hot during prolonged use. Many more than this suffer from hot components even while the main unit appears within acceptable temperature limits, or is noticeably hotter than before use. Many electrical failures can be traced ultimately to hot components. All heated components contribute to a shortening of the expected life of an electrical device, and cooling them will improve the reliability of the device. The most vulnerable devices come with a fan that is inbuilt in order to forceably cool part of the machine, and require vented surfaces and a room with suitable circulation. These inbuilt fans are often noisy, deliberately undersized, and unreliable. With these, failure of the whole machine can more often be triggered by failure of the fan than failure of any other component.

Manufacturers cause their products to fail within a given period by adding inbuilt obsolescence.

This is to ensure continued market for the same or similar product, and continued revenue streams to maintenance departments which are usually within the same company. It often involves one component which is underspecified so it will fail after a certain amount of use. The best way to do this in an electrical system is to run a component too hot, or to rely on a fan which is too small and prone to fail. Hence almost any commercially produced electrical system must have a major chance of failing by heat, and will benefit from cooling or additional cooling.

The present invention proposes a desk or trolley of any kind and material, combined with a fan inbuilt to the surface, blowing air up in a constant manner onto any object placed on the Desk.

This would allow any device to benefit from air cooling, or additional air cooling, from a fan that is reliable and has few constraints on its workload.

The Fan Desk would preferably consist of a grille of small holes through the surface of the desk.

The Fan Desk would preferably also comprise plain flat covers for the grille, sliding on rails or grooves either side of the grille, and thin enough to be almost flush with the surface of the Desk.

The Fan Desk would preferably and comprise riddledlpocked covers the slide on rails to a small degree to cover the holes below and the surface below being shaped so as to become flush with the covers when in the covering position.

The covers, of either type, would be able to be drawn to cover some of the holes, leaving a ga of adjustable size that would match the equipment thereupon.

The fan desk would preferably comprise flanges that either lie flat and flush to the Desk, or upright, in order to create a vertical channel, of limited height, for air to flow, while the rest of the Desk is still useable as a conventional desk.

The Fan Desk would draw from external power, and would preferably provide a selection of electrical points flush with the Desk, providing power to equipment on the Desk.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, where: Figure 1 shows a side cross-section of a Fan Desk; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a Fan Desk, to indicate the covers and rails; Figure 3 shows a close-up of the riddled covers, to indicate how to slide until the lower surface becomes flush; Figure 4 shows a close-up of the flanges from obliquely above and sideways.

Figure 5 shows an alternative arrangement of the fan, to save space, and also shows the flanges deployed, in cross section.

In figure 1, a desk surface I has holes 2 drilled through it above a duct 3 which attaches to a fan 4 below. The air goes directly up through the fan and then the holes, and may be further channeled by the flanges 5 set into the desk surface.

In figure 2, a desk 1 seen from above has rails/grooves 2 running laterally above and below a riddled area. Either side of the area, on the rails/grooves, are up to 2 movable covers which can slide across the aerated portion to restrict the area of airflow and increase the area of plain desk space.

In figure 3, a desk surface I can be closely covered by a similarly patterned cover 2, with holes 5 drilled straight through., matching those below 4. The desk has studs placed between the holes in the same formation, to keep the cover raised from the desk. The holes on the cover above match the shape of the studs, such that when the cover is moved sideways 6 the studs all fit into the holes and the cover drops becoming a smooth surface flush with the desk.

In figure 4, flanges beside all the holes 2 can be raised from flush with the desk I, and stay raised by means of a sprung metal flap 3 secured in the void 4 housing the flanges whose moving end is next to the flange hinge, so it can spring open a little way, only when the flange is upright, then impede the initial motion of shutting the flange. Catches 6 within the desk can be provided to keep it shut. Alternatively, flanges in the covers 5 can have supports and catches provided by a sprung metal wire 7 that fits into slots in the cover 8 (not to scale).

In figure 5, ducting I below the desk surface 2 is shaped to provide air from a fan 3 mounted vertically at the side of the desk and allow filters, air conditioners, etc. to be mounted. The shape is to be such that the flow of air is smooth and equal through all holes above. * I

Claims (7)

1. Claims 1. A work surface housing a fan, a power supply, and a means for

   channeling air between the fan and any item on the work surface in order to cool the item.
2. 2. An active cooling work surface according to 1, with a horn-shaped duct to spread the airflow evenly via Bernoulli principles.
3. 3. A ducted cooling work surface according to 2, with a number of independently positionable covers above to define the remaining area for airflow.
4. 4. A ducted cooling work surface according to 2, with a number of independently positionable covers which slide on rails or grooves, to define the remaining airflow.
5. 5. A ducted cooling work surface according to 3, with a sliding cover which can reveal all the holes without being removed or slid entirely away from the blowing area, and taking desk space elsewhere.
6. 6. A ducted cooling work surface according to 5, whose sliding cover is shaped to become entirely flush with the desk leaving no holes when slid a short distance to the closed' position.
7. 7. A ducted cooling work surface according to 6, having sliding covers and also having raisable flanges within or below the covers, which create a partial box of various sizes around the item above.