Cable management system

[0001] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0002] Electronic devices, such as computers, often utilize cabling systems to communicatively couple with other devices, power sources, and the like. A cabling system generally includes one or more cables that couple to a device via ports on the device. For example, a typical computer system may include a cabling system with individual ports and cables for receiving power, communicating with a network, and interfacing with any number of peripheral devices (e.g., printers, monitors, modems, and external memory devices). When a number of cables are utilized, the cables can become disorganized and unsightly. Additionally, in some situations, the cables may be susceptible to accidental disengagement from the device because they are unsecured or loosely coupled to the ports. Further, a cabling system can be a vulnerable point in device security. For example, unauthorized copying of valuable data from a computer may be facilitated by coupling an external memory to a port of the computer and copying or moving the data to the external memory via the port.

[0010] One or more exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a cable management system configured for mounting to an electronic device (e.g., a computer) or that is integral with the electronic device. The cable management system may be positioned on the electronic device proximate ports (e.g., input/output ports) of the electronic device to facilitate management of cables that couple with the ports via cable connectors. For example, in accordance with present embodiments, the cable management system includes one or more baffles that facilitate organized placement of the cables by guiding the cables over defined routes through the cable management system. This organization of the cables may improve aesthetics of the cabling system and facilitate adjustment of the cables (e.g., adding, removing, and replacing cable connections) by an authorized user. Additionally, the cable management system may operate to secure connections between the cables and the ports by providing resistance to movement of the cable connectors away from the ports. Further, the cable management system may provide security against unauthorized access to the device by blocking direct access to the ports without removal or opening of at least a portion of the cable management system.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable management system 10 coupled to a computer 12 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the computer 12 is shown as a thin client (e.g., a computer with relatively small dimensions that primarily utilizes a server for processing activities). However, in other embodiments, the computer 12 may include any number of electronic devices that utilize ports and/or cable connections. The computer 12 is coupled with the cable management system 10 such that the cable management system 10 covers a plurality of ports in the computer 12 that are configured to receive cable connectors. The cable management system 10 includes a first side wall 14, a second side wall 16, an upper wall 18, a lower wall 20, a plurality of baffles 22, an upper connector tab 24, and a lower connector tab 26. The side walls 14 and 16 are positioned in a substantially parallel orientation with respect one another, and the upper wall 18, the lower wall 20, and the plurality of baffles 22 extend between the side walls 14 and 16 in a substantially perpendicular orientation to the side walls 14 and 16. In other words, the first side wall 14 and the second sidewall 16 are disposed opposite one another and are coupled about the upper wall 18, the lower wall 20, and the baffles 22. It should be noted that a substantially parallel orientation may include an actual parallel orientation.

[0013] In accordance with some embodiments, the cable management system 10 is an assembly of two main components or parts. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the cable management system 10 comprises a main housing 102 and an access cover 104 configured to couple with the main housing 102. The main housing 102 comprises a single assembly piece that integrates the first side wall 14, the upper wall 18, the lower wall 20, the plurality of baffles 22, the upper connector tab 24, and the lower connector tab 26 into one unit. The access cover 104 includes the second side wall 16 and coupling features 106 (e.g., snap fittings) configured to cooperate with corresponding coupling features 108 (e.g., snap receptacles) on the main housing 102 and/or computer 12 to hold the cable management system 10 together. When the access cover 104 is coupled to the main housing 102 in a closed position, the cable management system may resist or prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the cable management system 10. When the access cover 104 is removed or the cable management system 10 is in an open configuration, a user can access the contents of the cable management system 10 to rearrange cables, access device ports, and so forth. In some embodiments, the cable management system 10 includes a security mechanism that, when engaged, prevents unauthorized users from disassembling or opening the cable management system 10 (e.g., removing the access cover) without a key or specialized device.

[0014] In the embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper and lower connector tabs 24 and 26, which are utilized to couple the cable management system 10 to the computer 12, extend from the upper and lower walls 18 and 20, respectively. In other embodiments, the connector tabs 24 and 26 may extend from different portions of the cable management system 10 (e.g., the side walls 14 and 16). Further, in some embodiments, a single connector tab may be included instead of two, or a different coupling mechanism may be employed. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the connector tabs 24 and 26 receive a pair of fasteners 28 that pass through holes in the connector tabs 24 and into receptacles in the computer 12. The fasteners 28 may include screws, plugs, pins, latches, and so forth. Further, the fasteners 28 may be tamper resistant fasteners, such as security screws or other coupling features that prevent or resist unauthorized removal. Indeed, in some embodiments, the fasteners 28 may include or cooperate with locking devices. For example, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 3, one or both of the tabs 24 and 26 may cooperate with a locking mechanism 202 that prevents users from readily accessing device ports and/or cable connectors disposed within the cable management system 10 without the use of a key that opens the locking mechanism 202. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking mechanism 202 is coupled to the lower tab 26 and a lug 204 is coupled to the upper tab 24 via a keyhole slot 206. However, in other embodiments, both tabs 24 and 26 may couple with respective locking mechanisms 202. In one embodiment, the locking mechanism 202 may include a Kensington® lock available from Kensington Technology Group, which is located in Redwood Shores, Calif.

[0015] In some embodiments, different connecting features may be utilized in place of or in addition to the connector tabs 24 and 26. For example, the cable management system 10 may include connection features that slide into and/or interlock with grooves or connection features of the computer 12, or portions of the cable management system 10 may directly adhere to the computer 12. Indeed, in some embodiments, a portion of the cable management system 10 may be integral with the computer 12, as illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, the first side wall 14, the upper wall 18, the lower wall 20, and the plurality of baffles 22 of the cable management system 10 may be integrated into a single unit (e.g., the main housing 102) that extends directly from a chassis 28 of the computer 12. The second side wall 16 may operate as a cover (e.g., the access cover 104) that is configured to removably couple with the main housing 102 extending from the computer 12. In other words, the second side wall 16 may be configured to attach to the other cable management system features to form a protective enclosure (i.e., the cable management system 10), and detach from the other cable management system features to enable access to contents of the cable management system 10.

[0016] In accordance with present embodiments, a user may remove the cover 104 of the cable management system 10 and route cables 402 through openings 404 formed in the cable management system 10 by the positioning of the baffles 22 with respect to the side walls 14 and 16 and/or the upper and lower walls 18 and 20. In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cables 402 may be inserted into the cable management system 10 in an access direction 403 when the cable management system is in an open configuration. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cable management system 10 with the cover 104 removed and with the various cables 402 routed over the baffles 22 and with the associated cable connectors 406 stored in a cavity 408 defined within the cable management system 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the depth of the side walls 14 and 16 (i.e., the length of the sidewalls 14 and 16 from the farthest point away from the computer 12 to the point adjacent the computer 12) and the placement of the baffles 22 correspond to the size and arrangement of cables 402 within the cable management system 10. Likewise, the depth of the side walls 14 and 16 and the placement of the baffles 22 correspond to the position of cable connectors 406 on the computer 12. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the cable management system 10 is deep enough to house the connectors 406 when coupled to the computer 12 and shallow enough to resist disconnection of the connectors 406 from the computer 12 by biasing the connectors 406 and/or the associated cables 402 toward the computer 12 with the baffles 22. In addition to providing a secure coupling, this limiting of the size of the cable management system 10 to the size required to sufficiently accommodate the connectors 406 conserves space. Thus, the cable management system 10 may be utilized with small electronic devices, such as thin clients.

[0017] As illustrated by FIG. 6, the baffles 22 include a face portion 502 and a guide portion 504 that are arranged with respect to each other such that each of the baffles 22 has a cross-section that is L-shaped. An angle 506 formed between the face portion 502 and the guide portion 504 may vary depending on application. For example, sides 508 of the face portion 502 may be substantially parallel with a length 510 of the side walls 14 and 16. The guide portion 504 may slope downward or upward from a first side 512 of the guide portion 504 nearest the computer 12 to a second side 514 of the guide portion 504 adjacent the face portion 502. The angle 506 of the guide portion 504 with respect to the side walls 14 and 16 and/or the face portion 502 may serve to dress the cables 402 in a certain direction and/or restrict access to the contents of the cavity 408 formed by the cable management system 10. For example, the guide portion 504 may guide the cables 402 downward as they exit the cable management system 10 to improve aesthetics and prevent movement of the cables 402 by biasing them against one another and the baffles 22. In another example, the guide portion 504 may be angled such that a connector or a memory device is hindered from connecting to the computer 12.

[0018] The cable management system 10 may block insertion or movement of connectors with respect to the computer 12 in a connection direction 515. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6 a memory device 516 (e.g., a flash memory) is being guided away from coupling to one of a number of computer ports 518 (e.g., a USB port) disposed in the cavity 408 of the cable management system 10. Indeed, as the memory device 516 is inserted through the opening 404 formed by the baffles 22 in the cable management system 10, the guide portion 504 forces the memory device 516 away from the location of the corresponding port 518. Further, the face portion 502 prevents direct access. These features of the cable management system 10 may prevent unauthorized users from accessing information stored on the computer 12 via the ports 518 when the cable management system 10 is secured (e.g., closed, sealed and/or locked), while enabling access to cables 402 that are put in place by a user before securing the cable management system 10. In some embodiments, the angle 506 may be adjustable to allow users to accommodate different cable arrangements and so forth. For example, an authorized user may change the angle 506 by repositioning the face portion 502 or the guide portion 504. In the illustrated embodiment, the face portion 502 is integral with the guide portion 504. However, in some embodiments the face portion 502 and the guide portion 504 are separate pieces.

[0019] As set forth above, the baffles 22 may be arranged to interfere with the cables 402 and cable connectors 406 to resist movement and disconnection of the cables from the computer 12. In some embodiments, as illustrated by FIG. 7, the baffles 22 may be positionally adjustable. Accordingly, a user may simply arrange the baffles 22 along the cable management system 10 in various positions as desired to correspond to a particular arrangement of cables 402 and ports 518 in a computer system. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7, the baffles 22 include a coupling feature 602 (e.g., a tab) that facilitates connection to the side walls 14 and 16 with any of various coupling features 506 (e.g., a receptacle) disposed along the side walls 14 and 16.