GB2526871A

GB2526871A - Docking station

Info

Publication number: GB2526871A
Application number: GB1410042.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chih Feng Ho
Original assignee: Oxti Corp
Current assignee: Oxti Corp
Priority date: 2014-06-06
Filing date: 2014-06-06
Publication date: 2015-12-09
Also published as: GB201410042D0

Abstract

A docking station, or port replicator, includes a housing 30 having a number of connectors 35-38, and having two or more engaging elements 31 and two or more engaging devices 33. The engaging elements 31 may be holes, recesses or cavities. The engaging devices 33 may be projections, bulges, or pegs. The docking station may further comprise a receptacle 10 including at least two engaging members 13 for engaging with the elements 31 of the housing 30. The engaging members 13 may be protrusions, bulges or pegs. The docking station may further comprise at least one electric facility (60), such as a plug or socket, having at least one engaging mechanism (61) for engaging with the engaging members 13 of the receptacle 10. The at least one engaging mechanism (61) may be a recess, hole, cavity or depression. The docking station may further comprise at least one electric appliance (40), such as a clock, video camera or speaker, having at least one engaging mechanism (41) for engaging with the engaging devices 33 of the housing 30.

Description

DOCKING STATION

The invention relates to a docking station or port replicator including an organizing or docking structure for suitably receiving and storing or organizing the parts or elements and for connecting or coupling various electric or peripheral facilities together.

Various kinds of typical docking stations or port replicators have been developed and provided for connecting or coupling various electric or peripheral facilities together, such as the portable computers or notebooks, the personal computers or monitors, the speakers, the keyboards, the mouse facilities or the like to the ports or terminals or connectors of the docking stations or port replicators, and normally comprise a number of electric wires or cables for connecting or coupling the electric or peripheral facilities to the docking station or the like.

For example, U.S. Patent No. 8,185,681 to Downing et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,427,826 to Sullivan, U.S. Patent No. 8,559,172 to Byrne, and U.S. Patent No. 8,619,419 to Zimmermann et al., disclose several of the typical docking stations each comprising a docking station body or casing, and a number of electric wires or cables for connecting or coupling the electric or peripheral facilities to the docking station.

However, the electric wires or cables may not be suitably received and organized or stored in place, such as may not be suitably received and organized or stored in the docking station body or casing, and are normally randomly disposed or supported on the table, and may affect the working of the users.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a docking station including an organizing or docking structure for suitably receiving and storing or organizing the parts or elements and for connecting or coupling various electric or peripheral facilities together.

S SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a docking station comprising:-a housing including a number of connectors provided thereon, and including at least two engaging elements provided therein, and including at least two engaging devices provided thereon for allowing two or more housings to be connected or coupled together.

The engaging elements are selected from holes or cavities formed in the housing. The cavities are preferably formed in a bottom portion of the housing. The engaging devices are selected is from projections provided on the housing. The projections are preferably extended or protruded upwardly from an upper portion of the housing.

A receptacle may further be provided and includes at least two engaging members provided therein for engaging with the engaging elements of the housing and for stably supporting the housing on the receptacle and for preventing the housing from being disengaged from the receptacle.

The engaging members of the receptacle are preferably selected from protrusions extended upwardly from an tipper portion of the receptacle for selectively engaging with the engaging elements of the housing. The receptacle includes a chamber formed therein for receiving various parts or elements, and includes at least one opening formed therein and communicating with the chamber of the receptacle for threading or engaging with the electric wires or cables or the like.

At least one electric facility may further be provided and includes at least one engaging mechanism provided therein for engaging with the engaging members of the receptacle and for stably anchoring the electric facility on the receptacle.

The engaging mechanism of the electric facility is preferably selected from a recess formed in a lower portion of the electric facility for engaging with the engaging members of the receptacle and for solidly and stably anchoring and supporting the electric facility on the receptacle. The electric facility is selected from a socket or the like.

At least one electric appliance may further be provided and includes at least one engaging mechanism provided therein for engaging with the engaging devices of the housing and for detachably or removably anchoring and supporting the electric appliance on the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a docking station, illustrating the operation of the docking station; FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the docking station; FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the docking station; FIG. 4 is a further perspective view similar to FIG. i, illustrating the other arrangement of the docking station; and FIG. 5 is a still further perspective view similar to FIGS. 1 and 4, illustrating the further arrangement of the docking station.

DESCRIPTION OF TUE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a docking station comprises an organizing or docking container or receptacle 1 0 including a compartment or chamber 11 formed therein for receiving or storing various kinds of parts or elements or appliances or facilities (not illustrated), and including one or more holes or orifices or openings 12 formed therein and communicating with the chamber 11 of the receptacle 10, and including one or more engaging members 13, such as bulges or pegs or protrusions 13 formed or provided therein, such as extended upwardly from the upper portion 14 of the receptacle 10.

The docking station further comprises a docking station body or housing 30 including one or more engaging elements 31, such as holes or recesses or cavities 31 formed or provided in the lower or bottom portion 32 of the housing 30 for selectively engaging with the engaging members or protrusions 13 of the receptacle 10 and f and for solidly and stably anchoring and supporting the electric facility on the receptacle.ably or selectively or removably anchoring or retaining or positioning the housing 30 on the receptacle 10 and for preventing the housing 30 from being disengaged or separated or detached from the receptacle 10. The housing 30 further includes one or more engaging elements or devices 33, such as bulges or pegs or protrusions or projections 33 formed or provided therein, such as extended upwardly from the upper portion 34 of the housing 30.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the other electric or peripheral facilities or appliances 40, such as the clocks, the video cameras, the decorations, tile speakers 40 or the like each include one or more engaging mechanisms 41, such as hoies or recesses or cavities or depressions 41 formed or provided in the lower or bottom portion of the electric facility or speaker 40 for selectively engaging with the engaging devices or projections 33 of the housing and for detachably or removably anchoring or retaining or positioning the electric facility or speaker 40 on the housing 30 and for preventing the electric facility or speaker 40 from being disengaged or removed or separated from the housing 30.

As shown in FTG. 1, a number of electric wires or cables 50 may be provided for connecting or coupling various electric or peripheral appliances or facilities 5 1-55, such as the portable computer or notebook 51, the personal computer or monitor 52, the speaker 53, the keyboard 54, the mouse 55 or the like to the ports or terminals or connectors 35, 36, 37, 38 of the housing 30, and/or for connecting or coupling the electric or peripheral appliances or facilities 5 1-55 to the electric power supply or reservoir (not illustrated), and the electric cables 50 may be engaged through the openings 12 of the receptacle 10 and may be received and stored or organized in the chamber 11 of the receptacle 10, and for preventing the electric cables 50 from being randomly disposed or supported on the table, and thus for preventing the electric cables 50 from affecting the working of the users.

As shown in FIG. 5, the further electric or peripheral facilities or appliances 60, such as the plugs or sockets 60 each include one or more engaging mechanisms 61, such as holes or cavities or depressions or recesses 61 formed or provided in the lower or bottom portion of tile electric facihty or socket 60 for selectively engaging with the engaging members or protrusions 13 of the receptacle 10 and for detachably or selectively or removably anchoring or retaining or positioning the electric facility or socket 60 on the receptacle 10 and for preventing the electric facility or socket 60 from being disengaged or separated or detached from the receptacle 10 inadvertently, and the electric facility or socket 60 may be provided for electrically connecting or coupling to the electric or peripheral appliances or facilities 51-55 with the electric cables SO or the like.

The electric facilities or sockets 60 each may include an engaging hole 62 formed therein, and each may include an engaging bulges or projections or protrusions or pegs or keys 63 formed or provided therein for selectively plugging or engaging with the engaging hole 62 of the other electric facilities or sockets 60 and thus for allowing the electric facilities or sockets 60 to be plugged or engaged with each other or to be connected or coupled together and to be solidly and stably supported on the receptacle 10. It is to be noted that the housing 30 includes one or more engaging elements or cavities 31 formed or provided therein for selectively engaging with the engaging members or protrusions 13 of the receptacle 10, and includes one or more engaging devices or projections 33 formed or provided thereon for selectively engaging with the engaging mechanisms or depressions 41 of the other electric or peripheral facilities or appliances 40 and for allowing the receptacle 10 and the housing 30 and the electric appliances 40 to be coupled together.