Abstract:
A method for converting a watertight carrying case into a desk that includes mounting a bracket onto rearward projections from the case for permitting the case to serve as a desk without compromising its watertightness.

Description:
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/451,844 filed Mar. 11, 2011 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to a portable desk. 
     Watertight carrying cases, such as those made by Pelican, are well known, economical, and are used for a variety of industrial needs, such as to carry electronic equipment to a job site. However, it is often very inconvenient to use the electronic equipment at the job site, because the carrying case is placed on the ground and the worker has to get down to ground level in order to use it. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the present invention provides a carrying case which is adapted to be mounted on a height adjustable stand and which opens up to reveal a compact horizontal desk area which can be used to support electronic equipment, a laptop, or other items. 
     In one embodiment, a bracket is connected to the exterior of the carrying case using external ribs on the carrying case, which permits a secure mounting of the stand without piercing the body of the case which would adversely affect the watertight integrity of the case. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of a carrying case mounted on a stand; 
         FIG. 2  is a broken away, front perspective view of the case of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is broken away, front perspective view of the case of  FIG. 2  when the case is initially opened, with the side plates still in the stowed configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a broken away, front perspective view of the case of  FIG. 3  with the left side plate being installed in the deployed configuration and the right side plate already in its deployed configuration; 
         FIG. 5  is a broken away, front perspective view of the case of  FIG. 4  with the laptop tray in its hinged-wide-open position; 
         FIG. 6  is a broken away, front perspective view of the case of  FIG. 5  with the laptop tray totally removed for complete access to the storage area under the tray; 
         FIG. 7  is a section view along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially exploded, perspective view of the bottom of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the top of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 8 , mounted on a tripod stand as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a view along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 1  with the tripod stand omitted for clarity; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged, broken-away view of the lower left portion of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged view of the bracket of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 13A  is a front view of an alternative mounting post; 
         FIG. 13B  is a front view of another alternative mounting post; 
         FIG. 13C  is a front view of still another alternative mounting post; 
         FIG. 13D  is a front view of yet another alternative mounting post; 
         FIG. 13E  is a front view of still another alternative mounting post; 
         FIG. 14  is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of a support tray for the case of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of another embodiment of a support tray for the case of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 16  is a view along line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1-13  show a portable desk  10 . Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the desk  10  includes a carrying case  12 , which in this particular embodiment is made by adapting a watertight carrying case manufactured by Pelican Products, Inc. of Torrance, Calif. The case  12  is mounted on a telescoping tripod stand  14  by means of a mounting bracket  16  (See also  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The adapting kit also includes left and right side plates  18 ,  20 , a support tray  22 , a foam insert  24  (See  FIG. 5 ), and an electrical fitting  26  (See  FIG. 10 ), as described in more detail below. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the case  12  has a front wall  15 , a rear wall  17 , left and right side walls  19 ,  21 , a top  23 , and a bottom wall  25 . The top  23  is pivotably connected relative to the bottom  25  by means of hinges  27  located on the rear wall  17 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the mounting bracket  16  is used to releasably secure the case  12  to the mounting stand  14 . As will be explained later, the mounting bracket  16  takes advantage of external webs or reinforcing ribs  48 ,  50  that are part of the originally manufactured case  12  (see  FIG. 10 ) to securely mount the bracket  16  onto the case  12  without piercing the body of the case, so the watertight feature of the case  12  is maintained. For cases with a design which does not include the use of external webs or reinforcing ribs  48 ,  50  at locations that make it convenient to attach to the mounting bracket  16 , a suitable rib can be achieved by attaching a metal or plastic clip (not shown) to the case  12 . For example, clips that include projections similar to the ribs  48 ,  50  on the case shown in  FIG. 10  could be adhered to the case. 
     The bracket  16  has two parallel horizontal arms  28 ,  30  interconnected by a rectangular mounting plate  32  and an end bar  34  at a first end of the horizontal arms  28 ,  30  to form a substantially rectangular horizontal mounting surface  35 . Two vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38  project vertically from the second end of the horizontal arms  28 ,  30 , respectively, for securing the mounting bracket  16  to the case  12 , as explained below. 
     The vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38  are secured to the horizontal arms  28 ,  30  using two bolts each (not shown). Alternately, the vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38  can be secured with a single bolt and a pin in each arm  36 ,  38 . The single bolt in each arm  36 ,  38  is not fully tightened so as to allow the associated vertical mounting arm  36 ,  38  to rotate and fold down (when the associated pin is removed) to permit a more compact storage of the bracket  16 . The pin (not shown) is installed to secure the vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38  in the vertical position to allow them to be attached to a reinforcing rib  48 ,  50  or clip (not shown). The folding feature of the bracket  16  allows it to fit inside the case  12  for storage and transportation The tripod stand  14  can be attached to a clamp, not shown, mounted on one of the available surfaces of the case  12  for the purposes of transportation and storage. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a flange  40  is bolted to the bottom side of the plate  32 . The flange  40  supports a projection that defines a cylindrical recess  46  having a vertical axis (perpendicular to the plate  32 ). A wing nut thumbscrew  42  is threaded into the wall of the projection and can be threaded through, into the cylindrical recess  46 , in order to tighten onto a post  44  that is received in the recess  46 . The thickness or strength of plate  32  is chosen to ensure it can support the total weight of the case  12  and any of its contents. The plate  32  may be stiffened by adding a gusset (not shown) across the plate  32  and connected to the horizontal arms  28 ,  30 . 
     As best appreciated in  FIGS. 1 and 8 , the vertical post  44  of the telescoping tripod stand  14  is received in the cylindrical recess  46  of the bolted flange  40 . The wing nut thumbscrew  42  is threaded in to secure the mounting plate  32  to the tripod stand  14 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . It should be noted that other types of support stands using a vertical post  44  could be substituted for the tripod stand  14 , if desired. 
     For example, if the product is to be used on the top tubesheet of a chemical reactor or other vertical tube heat exchanger having a plurality of tubes, then the telescoping vertical post  44 A of  FIG. 13A  could be used. That vertical post  44 A has a diameter that allows it to fit into the vertical tube of the heat exchanger (not shown), and, a few inches from its lower end, it has a flange  45  that is larger than the inside diameter of the heat exchanger tube, which serves as a stop to prevent the post  44 A from going further into the reactor tube. 
       FIG. 13B  shows a vertical post  44 B with a sharply pointed bottom that allows it to be inserted into the ground.  FIG. 13C  shows a vertical post  44 C with a flat horizontal plate welded to the bottom. That flat plate could rest on the floor or the ground, and sandbags could be placed on top of it to provide greater stability, if desired.  FIG. 13D  shows a vertical post  44 D that includes a C-clamp for clamping to a shelf or other projection that might be available.  FIG. 13E  shows a vertical post  44 E that is welded to a horizontal projection having a square cross-section that is sized to be received in the receptacle of a trailer hitch. Any of these alternatives could be received in the cylindrical recess  46  of the bracket  16 . Furthermore, any of these alternative vertical posts  44  can be secured to the tripod stand  14  using a clamp or an elastic cord (not shown). 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10 , the case  12  is set down onto the two horizontal arms  28 ,  30  of the mounting bracket  16 , with the vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38  projecting upwardly into the spaces defined between respective pairs of reinforcing webs  48 ,  50  of the case  12 . As best seen in  FIG. 11 , horizontal through openings  52  have been drilled through the vertical inner webs  50 , and these openings  52  are aligned with respective through openings  54  (See  FIG. 8 ) in the respective vertical mounting arms  36 ,  38 . Quick release pins  56 ,  58  are inserted through the aligned sets of openings  52 ,  54  to releasably secure the case  12  to the mounting bracket  16 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , this embodiment includes a watertight electrical fitting  26 , which has been installed on the rear wall  17  of the case  12 . Electrical items inside the case  12 , such as a laptop, a printer, an external hard drive, controllers, or any other items, can be plugged into this electrical fitting  26  on the inside of the case  12 . Once in the field, a power supply source, such as an extension cord (not shown), is plugged into the electrical fitting  26  on the outside of the case  12  in order to power up any items that are plugged into the fitting  26  on the inside of the case  12 . Note that the electrical fitting  26  is advantageously located on the rear wall of the case  10 , and projects rearwardly a shorter distance than the webs  48 ,  50 , so it is protected by the reinforcing webs  48 ,  50  even when the case  12  is set on the ground resting on the webs  48 ,  50 . Other watertight and ruggedized connectors with covers (not shown) can be located on the rear  17  or on the sides  19 ,  21  of the case  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the desk  10  includes two side plates  18 ,  20 , which are shown in the deployed position in  FIG. 2  and in the stowed position in  FIG. 3 . When in the stowed position, the side plates  18 ,  20  help secure and protect the contents of the case  12 , which are located beneath the plates  18 ,  20 . When deployed, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the side plates  18 ,  20  extend outwardly to the sides of the open case  12  and may be used as work surfaces such as for a mouse for a laptop or for holding papers or other documents (not shown). Clips such as the hinged clips used on a clipboard, may be added to the side plates  18 ,  20  to assist in holding the papers onto the side plates  18 ,  20 . Of course, the side plates  18 ,  20  may be custom designed to meet specific needs. For instance, instead of two side plates  18 ,  20 , a single plate could be used which extends the full width of the case  12  (or any portion thereof), or the side plates may be omitted entirely if they are not needed, or if space or weight is an issue. 
       FIGS. 4 and 7  show “C” channels  62 ,  64  which are secured to the interior of the left side wall  19  of the case  12 , and which are used to guide and releasably hold the side plates  18 ,  20  in place, either in the stowed or in the deployed positions. (The same arrangement is on the interior of the right side wall  21 , with the channels on the right side wall lying directly opposite the corresponding channels on the left side wall). As shown in  FIG. 4 , the plate  18  includes both a substantially flat horizontal plate or wing  63  and a second, substantially flat vertical plate  65  intersecting and secured to the horizontal plate  63  at one edge of the horizontal plate  63 . To remove or install the plate  18 , the user simply lifts the plate  18  such that the vertical plate  65  slides along the “C” channels  62 ,  64 ; up for removing the plate  18 , or down for installing the plate  18 . The orientation of the horizontal plate  63  relative to the case  12  dictates whether the wing  63  projects inwardly (is stowed) or projects outwardly (is deployed). Lifting the plate  18 , rotating it 180 degrees about the axis  66  (See  FIG. 4 ) and lowering it back into the “C” channels  62 ,  64 , changes the orientation of the plate  18  from the stowed position to the deployed position and vice versa. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the above explanation for the plate  18  is also applicable to the plate  20 , located on the right side wall  21 . 
     Many cases have tapered left and right side walls  19 .  21 , which are not exactly vertical when the bottom wall  25  is horizontal but instead are tapered outwardly slightly so that the left-to-right width of the case  12  is greater at the open edge than at the bottom wall  25 . In that case, the vertical plate  65  and horizontal plate  63  are not exactly 90 degrees from each other. Instead, the angle is selected so that, when the vertical plate  65  is parallel to the respective left or right side wall  19 .  21 , the horizontal plate  63  will be horizontal (parallel to the bottom wall  25 ) when the horizontal plate  63  is projecting outwardly (in the position shown in  FIG. 4 .) Of course, that means that, when the side plates are rotated 180 degrees and are again inserted into the C-channels  62 , with the horizontal plates  63  projecting inwardly, the horizontal plates  63  are canted slightly upwardly. The space below the inwardly-projecting horizontal plates  63  may be used to store a laptop or other equipment to float, with the rigid plates  63  providing protection for that equipment if the lid of the case were to become crushed. The plates  63  also provide a preload for items stored in the lid to prevent them from shifting when the case is closed and being moved. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 , the support tray  22  is a substantially flat plate  22  defining “U” shaped recesses  68  on the left and right sides to enable a user to reach behind the plate  22  to pull the support tray  22  up from its stowed position (shown in  FIG. 7 ) to its deployed position (shown in  FIG. 2  and in phantom in  FIG. 7 ), as explained below. 
     Referring briefly to  FIG. 5 , there are two rods  70 ,  72  extending the full width, and just beyond the side edges, of the plate  22 . These rods  70 ,  72  are fastened to the bottom of the plate  22  near the front and rear edges respectively of the plate  22 . The rear rod  70  cooperates with rear brackets  74  secured to the side walls of the case  12  to provide both a height adjustment function and a pivotable support “hinge” function to the support tray  22 , as explained later. 
       FIGS. 7 and 12  show one of the rear brackets  74 , which is a solid plate with an inverted, “J”-shaped groove  76  cut into the plate. Similarly shaped front brackets  78  are secured to the side walls of the case  12  and cooperate with the front rod  72  to provide a height adjustment function to the support tray  22 . It may be appreciated that the front brackets  78  have the same inverted “J”-shaped groove  76  of the rear brackets  74 , but the top portion of the bracket has been omitted, which allows the rod  72  (and therefore also the support tray  22 ) to be lifted up and away from the front brackets  78 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The bottom  80  of the grooves  76  (See  FIG. 12 ) in the brackets  74 ,  78  provide the stops for the rods  70 ,  72 , respectively, to support the support tray  22  in the lower, or stowed, position. The opposite end  82  of the grooves  76  in the brackets  74 ,  78  provide the stops for the rods  70 ,  72  respectively to support the support tray  22  in the upper, or deployed, position (as shown in phantom in  FIG. 7 ). 
     This support plate  22 , as shown in these figures, is substantially coplanar to the bottom portion  25  of the case  12  whether the plate  22  is in its lowered (stowed) position or in its upper (deployed position). When in the deployed position, the front of the support tray  22  may be pivoted upwardly, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , as there is no upper portion of the front brackets  78  to prevent the front rod  72  from clearing the front brackets  78 . The rear rod  70 , on the other hand, is “trapped” in the groove  76  of the rear brackets  74 , such that the rear brackets  74  and the rear rod  72  together function as a pivotable hinge support for the support tray  22 . The user may reach behind the support tray  22  when it is in its lowered, stowed position by reaching through the “U”-shaped recesses  68  and raising the support tray  22  to its upper, deployed position. 
     When in the deployed position, the support tray  22 , shown in phantom in  FIG. 7 , allows for air to circulate freely underneath the plate  22  so as to allow the circulating air to cool and devices which may be stowed inside the case  12 , including heat generating devices, such as power supplies. 
       FIGS. 2 and 5  help illustrate how a laptop (not shown) may be secured to the support tray  22 . With the laptop resting on the support tray  22 , a wire or cable  86  extends across the laptop  84  at or near the intersection of the keyboard with the monitor. This same wire  86  is fed through small openings  88 ,  90  in the support tray  22  and then the ends of the wire  86  are secured together on the back side of the support tray  22 . Of course, this is but one example of how a laptop could be secured to the support tray  22 . Other options may include the use of Velcro™ (hook and loop) fasteners, for instance. Of course, other items may be supported on or secured to the support tray  22  instead of, or in addition to, a laptop. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show a foam insert  24  which may be used to accommodate and protect any number of accessories, such as a portable printer (not shown), battery chargers  94  (not shown), and electrical switch boxes  96  (not shown). These accessories are stowed in the case  12 , in the space under the support tray  22  when the support tray  22  is in its lower, stowed, position. Any and all of the accessories, as well as the laptop computer may be prewired to the electrical fitting  26  (See  FIG. 10 ) inside the case  12 . When the desk  10  is to be used, an external power source, such as an extension cord, may be plugged into the electrical fitting  26  on the outside of the case  12  to power up all the devices already plugged into the same electrical fitting  26  inside the case  12 . 
     In one embodiment, a plug-in 28 Volt power supply and a voltage converter are provided inside the case  12 . In this instance a low voltage power source is all that is needed to plug into the outlet  26  to power the 28 Volt power supply. This power supply and the voltage converter are then used to power the other accessories inside the case  12 , such as the printer and the computer. 
     It should be noted that any openings drilled into the case  12  to fasten brackets, electrical fittings, or any other accessories, may be done so as to retain the watertight quality of the case  12 . For instance, they may be mounted using silicone sealant, or with properly applied O-Rings, in order to prevent water migration into the case  12 . 
     Alternatively, it may be desirable not to pierce the shell of the case  12  at all, in order to maintain its original watertight status. In that case, any internal brackets may be adhered to the inner wall of the case  12 , if desired, secured in some other way, such as by VHB adhesive tape available from 3M, or omitted altogether. As was explained earlier, the external mounting brackets do not pierce the shell of the case  12 . 
       FIG. 14  is a plan view of an alternate support tray  22 * which may be used in the case  12  of  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 . The main difference between this tray  22 * and the original tray  22  is that is has only one of the “U”-shaped recesses  68  to provide access to lift the tray  22  to its deployed position. On the opposite end of the tray  22 , a couple of through openings  98  provide access for the user to insert his fingers to assist in lifting the tray  22 . Smaller through openings  100  provide ventilation through the tray  22  while at the same time reducing the overall weight of the tray  22 . 
       FIGS. 15 and 16  show another alternative embodiment of a support tray  22 ** which may be used in the case  12  of  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 . The main difference between this tray  22 ** and the tray  22 * described above is that is has an upper plate  102  and a lower plate  104  which are joined together by a plurality of side spacers  106  which are present only in the rear and sides of the tray  22 **. The upper and lower plates  102 ,  104  form an elongated cavity  110 , with an open access on the front side, for storage of supplies, such as printer paper. A recess  108  along the front side of the tray  22 ** facilitates the removal of one or more sheets of paper from the cavity  110 . A plurality of openings  98  provide access for the fingers of a user to reach into the cavity  110  to help slide out any papers or other supplies which may be stowed in the tray  22 **. 
     While the embodiment described above shows a simple means for adjusting the height of the case  12  and the height of the support tray  22  in the case  12 , various other mechanisms, including for instance a foot operated pneumatic pump, could be used to adjust these heights, and various known mechanisms could be used to mount accessories to the support tray  22 . It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above.