AU643103B2 - Rigid demountable computer carrier - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

643103 *0 *go* 0 Name of Applicant: Paul Adam Pym Szuster *0 S* Actual Inventor: Paul Adam Pym Szuster Address for Service: R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES. 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: RIGID DEMOUNTABLE COMPUTER CARRIER Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PK 4073 dated S 4th January 1991.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

00 1 This invention relates to a computer carrier which is an improvement on the computer carrier the subject of our Australian Patent 613158 (30917/89) and corresponding U.S.

Patent 4943029..

A difficulty with demountable frames is achievement of a high degree of rigidity.

While spigot/socket interconnections between frames are very well known, unless utilised in combinations in different planes, they fail to provide the required degree of rigidity to the frame elements. A difficulty encountered with computer carrier baskets in accordance with our aforesaid patent specification has been absence of sufficient rigidity, and this has been traced to two separate factors: The end frames needed to be sufficiently resilient to spring their spigots into the base frame sockets, and The end frames spigots were co-axial and aligned, forming hinges about which they could rotate, excepting for the rigidity imparted solely by the top frame through the vertical spigot and socket joints.

The main object of this invention is to provide improvements, and in one aspect of the invention, a computer carrier S" comprises a base frame, a top frame, and a pair of end frames joining the base and top frames, computer support means on the top frame, each of said base and top frames having four 3t first parts of spigot and socket joints all spaced from one another and arranged in two pairs, said first parts of each said pair being parallel but not co-axial, each of said end S" frames having four second parts of said spigot and socket joints co-operable with respective said first parts, the spigot and socket joints of end frames and base frame being at right angles to the spigot and socket joints of the end frames and the top frame.

2 With this arrangement, spigots in the first sockets of each pair inhibit relative rotation of adjacent frame members, even if the frames are not very rigid, but since all the frames may themselves be rigid, rigidity is imparted through the spigot and socket joints from each frame to the other in two planes at right angles and thereby the entire carrier assumes a degree of rigidity not previously encountered with our earlier computer carrier. This in turn makes a rigid assembly feasible even if the frames themselves are lightly constructed.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some detail with reference to, and is illustrated in, the accompanying drawings, in which Fig 1 is a perspective view of a computer carrier, Fig 2 is a similar view, but showing the frames in an "exploded" configuration, and coos Fig 3 illustrates the carrier supporting a computer and a processor.

In this embodiment there are four rigid frames, the frame being a base frame, each of the frames 11 being side frames e. and the frame 12 being a top frame. The base frame is shown in Fig 3 carrying a computer processor/disc drive 13 and the top frame carrying a monitor 14.

3b) For convenience of description, the base frame 10 and the top frame 12 are considered to lie in X/Z planes and the end frames 11 in Y/Z planes. The base frame 10 is provided with S" two side tubes 15 which extend along opposite sides in an X direction, the open ends of the tubes constituting sockets, referred to herein as "first parts" of spigot and socket joints. The side frames 11 are provided with spaced parallel spigots 16 which enter respective sockets at the ends of the tubes 15 as "second parts" of respective spigot and socket joints. The spigots 16 are on the lower ends of the 3 upstanding posts 17 of the side frames 11, and extend in a X direction. These posts 17 carry respective tubes 18 forming sockets which may be regarded as Y sockets since they extend in the Y direction. The upper ends of the posts 17 are joined by carry handles 19.

Upon assembly, the spaced parallel spigots 16 of the side frames 11 enter sockets formed by the ends of the base tubes so that the rigidity of the end frames 11 prevent both rotational and translational movement of the spigots 16. The sockets of tubes 15 in engaging the spigots 16 prevent any rotational movement of the end frames in the X/Y plane. Thus the rigidity of the base frame 10 and the rigidity of the side frames 11 complement one another to form a subassembly which is itself inherently stable.

The downwardly directed spigots 20 on the ends of the frame side members 21 of the top frame 12 engage the posts at 18 and stiffness is imparted between those frames for the same 2.'.20 reasons. Thus each frame 10, 11 and 12 stiffens and cO. complements the stiffness of its adjacent frames, and the entire assembly is found to be a surprisingly rigid assembly which does not require a large number of intermediate members for stiffening purposes. This may be seen to be in contrast 5 with the spigot/socket joints 19/18 of our aforementioned Australian Patent 613158, some of which were co-axial with o" one another.

Top frame 12 is provided with a securing strap 25 which 3'0 extends between two suspension rods 26, each of inverted V-shape, and each hooked onto the top frame 12.

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Claims (7)

1. A computer carrier comprising a base frame, a top frame, and a pair of end frames joining the base and top frames, computer support means on the top frame, each of said base and top frames having four first parts of spigot and socket joints all spaced from one another and arranged in two pairs, said first parts of each said pair of the base frame being co-axial and at right angles to the end frames, each of said end frames having four second parts of said spigot and socket joints co-operable with respective said first parts, the spigot and socket joints of end frames and base frame being at right angles to the spigot and socket joints of the end frames and the top frame.

2. A computer carrier according to claim 1 wherein each said frame is independently rigid.

3. A computer carrier according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said base frame comprises two side tubes extending along respective opposite sides, the tube ends being open and S defining four sockets being said first parts of the spigot and socket joints of the base frame. 5

4. A computer carrier according to any preceding claim wherein said top frame comprises side members extending along respective opposite sides, and terminating at their ends in downwardly directed spigots being said first parts of the spigot and socket joints of the top frame. :0 A computer carrier according to any preceding claim wherein each said end frame comprises two spaced vertical Sposts terminating at their lower ends in parallel horizontal spigots, and carrying respective vertically extending tubes which define sockets located above the horizontal spigots, said horizontal spigots and vertically extending sockets being said second parts of said spigot and socket joints.

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6. A computer carrier according to claim 5 Wherein the upper ends of said parts of each end frame are joined by a carry handle.

7. A computer carrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings DATED this 23rd day of December, 1991. PAUL ADAM PYM SZUSTER By his Patent Attorneys R K--MADDERN ASSOITES S 0 v* mm *we 4 m ABSTRACT A rigid computer carrier which has a base frame a top frame and a pair of end frames all joined together with spigot and socket joints (15, 16; 18, 20). The frames (10, 11, 12) are all independently rigid, and the spigot and socket joints are arranged in pairs (15, 16; 18, with the joints of any one pair being parallel to one another but not co-axial with one another, so that there is no tendency for any one of the frames to hinge with respect to another. a 6 6 0* *eo S@ .e gg 6• 6