Abstract:
The invention concerns a computer room desk ( 1 ) comprising a frame ( 12 ), a shelf ( 24 ) mounted cantilevered at the front of the frame and a receptacle ( 40 ) for housing equipment ( 48 ) in the receptacle. The receptacle ( 40 ) is mounted tilting about a horizontal hinge pin (X-X) of the frame and it comprises an apron ( 42 ) forming an access door and a support ( 44 ) perpendicularly linked to the apron, substantially at the hinge pin, such that the receptacle ( 40 ) is capable of pivoting between an open position wherein the apron ( 42 ) extends horizontally forwards of the desk to provide a receiving space ( 46 ) for equipment ( 48 ) and a c position wherein the apron ( 42 ) is vertically upright and the equipment ( 48 ) lie on the support ( 44 ) and is retracted indside the frame ( 12 ). The invention is particularly applicable to banking institutions.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a desk for a computer room, intended more particularly for banking institutions, trading rooms, and the like.  
         BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    There are already known desks of this type, which can be described as multi-use stations, which comprise a support frame, a desk-top which is mounted so as to overhang at the front of the support frame and a receptacle for accommodating equipment in the support frame.  
           [0003]    A desk of this type must combine, in a limited space, different computer and telephone equipment, etc., which must be positioned within the immediate reach of the operator.  
           [0004]    The support frame usually supports, at the rear of the desk-top, pieces of equipment of the type acting as an interface between man and machine, that is to say, generally a plurality of monitors, one or more telephone sets, one or more keyboards, etc.  
           [0005]    This interface equipment must be able to be positioned in desired positions according to the ergonomics of the work surface desired by the operator.  
           [0006]    These pieces of interface equipment (keyboards, monitors, etc.) are further connected themselves to other pieces of equipment, in particular central processing units, which are accommodated in the receptacle and concealed in the support frame.  
           [0007]    In known desks, the receptacle is generally constructed in the form of a movable casing which is mounted on rollers or in the form of a drawer and which is recessed below the support frame and which receives central processing units or the like.  
           [0008]    Most often, these central processing units are arranged horizontally or vertically in the casing and have electrical connections which are orientated towards the rear of this casing, and therefore towards the rear of the desk.  
           [0009]    This results in the movable casing having a great depth and therefore limiting the space available under the desk.  
           [0010]    Consequently, unless the depth of the desk-top is substantially increased, the casing impedes the operator and prevents him from taking up some positions in front of the desk-top.  
           [0011]    In this type of desk, it is desirable for the operator to be able to move laterally in order to be able to position himself, as necessary, opposite a specific piece of interface equipment (monitor, keyboard, etc.).  
           [0012]    The movable casing further fails to facilitate connection and maintenance operations because it is necessary to withdraw it completely from the support frame in order to gain access to the connections which are located at the rear of the desk.  
           [0013]    In the desks of the above-mentioned type, it is necessary to be able to readily carry out connection and branching operations as well as operations for maintaining the equipment.  
           [0014]    The particular object of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    To this end, it proposes a computer room desk of the type defined in the introduction, wherein the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt about a horizontal articulation axis of the support frame and comprises a plate which forms an access door as well as a support which is connected perpendicularly to the plate, substantially in the region of the articulation axis, so that the receptacle can pivot between an open position, in which the plate extends horizontally towards the front of the desk in order to provide a receiving surface for pieces of equipment, and a closed position, in which the plate is lifted vertically and the pieces of equipment rest on the support and are retracted inside the support frame.  
           [0016]    In this manner, the desk of the invention comprises a tilting receptacle which can pivot through 90° from one to the other of two positions, which comprise an open position and a closed position.  
           [0017]    In the open position, the pieces of equipment can be arranged on an internal face of the plate (positioned horizontally) and be rested on the support which is integral with the plate. It is then simply necessary to cause the assembly to pivot through 90° so that the plate is lifted vertically and the pieces of equipment rest on the support, which is then arranged horizontally. The pieces of equipment are thereby located retracted inside the support frame.  
           [0018]    Movement from the open position to the closed position, and vice versa, is carried out very simply by tilting the receptacle about the articulation axis.  
           [0019]    In the open position, the receptacle readily affords access to the pieces of equipment and the connections thereof and, in the closed position, it takes up a limited amount of space in the support frame.  
           [0020]    The articulation axis advantageously extends in the lower portion of the support frame and in the direction of the length of the desk.  
           [0021]    According to another feature of the invention, the receptacle is articulated between two front uprights of the support frame.  
           [0022]    In the closed position of the receptacle, the support preferably has a free end in abutment with a stop which is carried by at least one rear upright of the support frame.  
           [0023]    According to another feature of the invention, holding means, for example, at least one strap, are provided in order to hold the pieces of equipment on the receptacle at the corner which the plate and the support define.  
           [0024]    It is advantageous for the pieces of equipment to be orientated so that they have electrical connections located at open lateral faces of the receptacle. This greatly facilitates the operations for connecting the pieces of equipment.  
           [0025]    The desk preferably comprises at least one electrical connection casing which is located in the upper portion of the support frame and at the rear of the desk-top.  
           [0026]    The receptacle is advantageously arranged to receive at least one row of central processing units which are arranged in a stack. Such central processing units have casings of parallelepipedal shape which can readily be stacked either vertically or horizontally.  
           [0027]    According to another feature of the invention, the desk further comprises supports which are positioned in the upper portion of the support frame and at the rear of the desk-top.  
           [0028]    These supports are provided in order substantially to support pieces of interface equipment, such as monitors, keyboards, etc. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0029]    The description below is given purely by way of example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 is a side view of two desks according to the invention, positioned back to back, of which one is illustrated with its receptacle in the open position and the other with its receptacle in the closed position; and  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 is a front view of one of the desks in FIG. 1.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0032]    Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which shows two desks  10  according to the invention which are illustrated positioned back to back, that is to say, with the rear portions thereof adjacent. By definition, the front of the desk corresponds to the face turned towards the operator and the rear of the desk corresponds to the face remote from the operator.  
         [0033]    Each of the desks comprises a support frame  12  which is constituted by a plurality of tubular elements which are mutually assembled to define a hollow structure. The support frame  12  comprises two front vertical uprights  14 , two rear vertical uprights  16 , lower horizontal cross-pieces  18  and upper horizontal cross-pieces  20  and other cross-pieces (not illustrated). Each of the cross-pieces  20  has an extension  22  which extends beyond the upright  14 , towards the front of the desk.  
         [0034]    A horizontal desk-top  24  is mounted so as to overhang at the front of the support frame  12  by means of two brackets  26 . The desk-top  24 , which forms a work surface for an operator (not illustrated), is located at working height and at a level higher than the cross-pieces  20 .  
         [0035]    The support frame  12  carries, above the cross-pieces  20 , various support members for pieces of equipment which act as the interface between man and machine. More particularly, the support frame  12  carries angled brackets  28  which support monitors  30 , a total of three in the Example (FIG. 2). In order to reduce the depth of the desks, flat screens are advantageously used in place of conventional cathode-ray tube screens. The brackets  28  are advantageously able to be dismounted and adjusted in terms of height.  
         [0036]    The desk-top  24  extends over the entire length L of the desk (FIG. 2). It has a front longitudinal edge  32  which is smoothed and a rear longitudinal edge  34 , along which a plurality of flaps  36  which are adjustable in terms of inclination are articulated. These flaps  36  fill the space between the desk-top  24  and the brackets  28 . Each of the flaps  36  is intended to support a piece of interface equipment  38 , such as, for example, a telephone set, a computer keyboard, etc. It is also possible to arrange some of the pieces of interface equipment on the desk-top.  
         [0037]    In this manner, it is possible for an operator to arrange, on a desk having reduced length L (typically of between 135 and 150 cm), three computer monitors, or the like, and a plurality of interfaces, such as telephone sets, keyboards, etc., within immediate reach.  
         [0038]    The general structure of the desk, as has been described here up to the present moment, is generally known per se.  
         [0039]    According to the invention, the desk further comprises a tilting receptacle  40  which is mounted so as to pivot about a horizontal articulation axis X-X of the support frame  12 . This articulation axis extends in the lower portion of the support frame, near the ground (here a raised floor), and in the direction of the length of the desk. In the Example, the receptacle is articulated, by pivots or the like (not illustrated), to two front uprights  14  of the support frame.  
         [0040]    The receptacle  40  comprises a plate  42  which forms an access door as well as a support  44  which is connected perpendicularly to the plate substantially in the region of the articulation axis X-X. In this manner, the plate and the support together define a right-angled dihedral having an edge which extends parallel with and near the axis X-X.  
         [0041]    The receptacle  40  can pivot between two positions, that is to say, an open position, as illustrated on the left in FIG. 1, and a closed position, as illustrated on the right in FIG. 1.  
         [0042]    In the open position, the plate  42  extends horizontally towards the front of the desk and provides a receiving surface  46  (formed by the internal face of the plate) for pieces of equipment. In the Example, two stacks of three pieces of equipment  48 , in the Example central processing units, are arranged on top of each other. These central processing units are generally parallelepipedal casings which are positioned horizontally on top of each other by means of the respective large faces thereof.  
         [0043]    These central processing units are arranged so as to move into lateral abutment with the support  44 . In other words, the three central processing units are positioned in the corner which the plate  42  and the support  44  define. The three pieces of equipment are advantageously held by at least one holding strap  50 .  
         [0044]    It is advantageous for the pieces of equipment  48  to be arranged with the respective connections  52  thereof orientated laterally relative to the desk, that is to say that those connections are located at open lateral faces of the receptacle. This facilitates the branching of the connections and maintenance operations.  
         [0045]    The connections  52  are connected by cables  54  to at least one connection casing  56  which is positioned above the support frame  12  and at the rear of the desk-top. In the Example, the casing  56  constitutes a channel which is positioned horizontally on the cross-pieces  20  and against a vertical partition  58  positioned in front of the brackets  28 .  
         [0046]    The support frame further supports another connection casing  60  which is used in particular for the electrical supply of the monitors  30 .  
         [0047]    In the closed position (see the right-hand side of FIG. 1), the plate is lifted vertically and it then extends over substantially the entire height and the entire length of the support frame forming a cover to conceal the pieces of equipment  48 . In this position, the pieces of equipment  48  rest on the support  44  which is then arranged horizontally and which has a free end  62  in abutment with a stop  64  which is carried by at least one rear upright  16  of the support frame. This stop is advantageously formed by a horizontal profile-section which is connected to the two rear uprights  16  of the support frame.  
         [0048]    The plate  42  is advantageously provided with a handle  66  which is used to facilitate the manual tilting of the casing and which is also used as a stop against the ground in the open position (see the left-hand side in FIG. 1). A fascia  66  which forms a cover (FIG. 2) is further positioned below the desk-top  24  at the rear thereof.  
         [0049]    In the Example illustrated in FIG. 1, the central processing units  48  are positioned horizontally one on top of the other in order to form a vertical stack. It is possible to arrange the central processing units  48  with the large faces thereof vertical in order to form a horizontal stack.  
         [0050]    In the closed position, the receptacle  40  and the pieces of equipment  48  which it supports are located retracted inside the support frame. This allows the configuration of a compact receptacle having a depth P1 (FIG. 1) which is distinctly less than that of a receptacle of the movable chest type, as in the prior art. By way of example, the depth P1 can be in the order of 35 cm.  
         [0051]    This results in reduced dimensions in terms of the depth which consequently allows a reduction in the overall depth of the station, while still providing the same level of convenience for the operator.  
         [0052]    Since the plate is a smooth rectangular panel which extends substantially over the entire length and the entire height of the support frame, it does not involve any prominent projection which could impede the legs of the operator. Under these conditions, the operator can readily move over the entire length of his station by advantageously using a chair with castors.  
         [0053]    The depth P2 (FIG. 1) available for the legs of the operator can be, for example, 60 cm. In this manner, a total depth P of 95 cm is obtained for a depth P of 35 cm and a depth P2 of 60 cm.  
         [0054]    The desk of the invention thereby has a depth which is less than that of the desks of the prior art.  
         [0055]    The tilting receptacle facilitates the operations for mounting and assembling pieces of equipment, as well as modification and maintenance operations.  
         [0056]    Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above by way of example and extends to other variants.  
         [0057]    In this manner, the tilting receptacle can extend over the entire length or only some of the length of the desk. If necessary, it can itself be divided into several portions.  
         [0058]    The desk of the invention is generally suitable for computer rooms, in particular for banking institutions, trading rooms and the like, which require a large number of pieces of computer, telecommunications and telephone equipment within the immediate reach of the operator.  
         [0059]    It is thereby possible to arrange a plurality of desks one beside the other taking up less floor space.