Patent ID: 7665255

Claim:
A cable management and distribution system comprising: at least two vertical posts; at least one beam having a flat horizontal base and fixed vertical sides extending up from the base and an open top, one of the at least one beam running horizontally between adjacent pairs of the posts and supported by the posts; at least one beam top edge defining a highest portion of a corresponding side of the at least one beam; a power cable passageway and storage area in the at least one beam extending the length of the at least one beam and being accessible through the open top of the at least one beam and containing power cables and at least one power outlet residing inside the at least one beam between the fixed vertical sides and accessible through the open top of the at least one beam; an open bottom horizontally residing bridge spaced vertically apart directly above the at least one beam and running horizontally and parallel to the at least one beam and containing a data cable passageway spaced vertically apart above the power cable passageway and above the beam top edge and having at least one independently opening and vertically residing side cover running the length of the bridge to and opening to allow access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway; and a cable entry slot defining a vertical gap remaining open at all times between and defined by the at least one beam top edge and the bottom of the vertically residing side cover of the bridge when the vertically residing side cover is in a vertical closed position, the cable entry slot running along the at least one beam, the cable entry slot configured to provide for entry from outside the cable management and distribution system of cables into the power cable passageway and storage area and into the data cable passageway, while the at least one side cover is closed, wherein the cable entry slot is even with or just above a top surface of a desk residing against the beam.