Console support systems

Abstract

A system (1) for supporting a console (12) above a raised access floor (2), the system comprising: at least one spider (14) having three or more legs (16), each leg having proximal end (18) and a distal end (20) connected to a bracket (22) adapted to clamp releasably to a pedestal (2) supporting the raised floor, and an elongate assembly (26) having at a lower end at least two clasps (30) for releasably connecting to the proximal ends of one or more of the three or more legs, the elongate assembly when connected to the legs when connected to the pedestals extending upwardly towards an upper end, the elongate assembly being sufficiently long to extend from below to above the raised floor, the upper end of the elongate assembly having a fixing adapted to support the console from underneath, at a level above the raised floor.

Description

[0001] Console Support Systems

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to console support systems, in particular to support systems to support consoles in a room having a raised access floor.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] In the context of this invention, consoles are operator workstations - desk-like cabinets housing a combination of readouts or displays / monitors and input devices such as a keyboard or switches by which an operator can monitor or interact with a system; they also contain technical equipment, such as computers, KVM's, power switches and automatic transfer switches, data patch panels and all of the associated wiring. Consoles are desk-like in that they have a horizontal housing which usually houses or mounts all or most of the readouts, input devices and technical equipment and which is supported by legs or some other suitable structure at a height above the floor such that an operator can sit comfortably with his / her legs extending under the housing and can easily reach all of the input devices and see all of the readouts. Consoles may also have cabinets attached to the housing to contain some technical equipment and, depending on where they are attached in relation to the housing, some readouts and input devices. Consoles are used in recording studios and in many types of control rooms (such as those used in medical facilities (e.g. in MRI scanning facilities), power stations, flight simulators, road, rail, airport and emergency services control rooms, and chemical and oil plant and factory control rooms), and audio and video mixing desks; also, electric pianos and organs are usually in the form of a console. Consoles are often used in rooms in which there is a raised access floor; a raised access floor is one in which there is a solid subfloor above which is supported a raised floor, and the raised floor is the surface on which operators walk and on which the console is placed. The space between the raised floor and the subfloor is utilized for running interconnecting cables (for the equipment housed within the console to communicate with the systems being monitored / controlled, for electrical power, telephones, for example), air conditioning ducts, service connections and the like. Pedestals extend in a vertical direction; in what follows, terms such as upward, downward, above, below, upper and lower, lengthwise, lateral / transverse and the like should be construed so as to be consistent with this vertical direction.

[0006] Raised floor systems are modular in construction and typically include square floor panels supported at each corner by a pedestal assembly, with each pedestal having a foot end firmly fixed to the subfloor (such as by being bolted to the subfloor) and a top end vertically above the foot end and supporting the corners of four abutting floor panels. The pedestals are normally arranged in a regular grid of rows and columns so that four adjacent pedestals are located at the vertices of a square (as seen from above) so as to support square floor panels. Pedestals are usually arranged in a grid of squares with 600mm sides (i.e. with pedestals which are adjacent in any row or column being 600mm apart as seen from above), although occasionally they are spaced differently, such as with 1200mm sides. Optional stringers connect the top ends of adjacent pedestals to form a horizontal lattice which helps locate and support the floor panels above. The grid members also add strength to the system by providing lateral support at the top ends of the pedestals, the pedestals themselves being primarily designed to support a vertical load rather than lateral loads. Various types of floor panels are used, for example, metal or wood core. Examples of raised floor systems and pedestal assemblies are disclosed in US4277923 and US3616584.

[0007] Consoles need to resist lateral loads and bending moments caused by an operator leaning on the work surface of the housing or by any vertical loading which is not aligned with the legs or supporting structure of the console (or "overhang loading")- Conventional consoles tend to rely on their own weight to resist lateral loads. Whilst this approach can be effective, if impacted with sufficient force, or over a period of time, a console can move, or "creep", from its original, intended position. Where the console is located on a raised floor, any lateral loading applied to the console, such as by an operator walking into the console, is transferred to the floor panels beneath the console and this may cause damage or even for a floor panel to be dislodged from the pedestals and / or stringers supporting it. There is a need to fix consoles so as to resist lateral loads, particularly in rooms with a raised floor. Bending moments are dealt with by making the console legs or supporting structure strong and sufficiently rigid to withstand the design overhang loading; this can result in the console appearing unnecessarily bulky, and / or having too many legs or insufficient space between legs for an operator to be able to sit comfortably at the console at any point along the horizontal housing, it may also not be able to resist an unexpected overhang load, such as when an operator sits on the edge of the housing. In addition, there is a problem in ensuring that cables for interconnecting consoles and cables for services and the like are tidily arranged so as not to cause a trip hazard, and in ensuring that the overall cabling and console arrangement is aesthetically attractive.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is predicated on the realisation that the very structure of a raised floor may be utilised for mounting a console in such a way as to ensure the console is resistant to lateral loading, and that such arrangements permit various aesthetic improvements over conventional designs.

[0010] The invention therefore provides a system for supporting a console above a raised access floor of the type comprising floor panels supported from below by elongate pedestals which are fixed at their foot ends to a subfloor, and have top ends supporting the floor panels to form the raised floor, the system comprising: a console; at least one spider having three or more legs, each leg having a proximal end and a distal end which is connected to a bracket adapted to clamp releasably to a pedestal, and at least one elongate assembly having at a lower end at least two clasps for releasably connecting to the proximal ends of one or more of the three or more legs to the elongate assembly, the elongate assembly when connected to the legs when the legs are connected to the pedestals extending upwardly towards an upper end, the elongate assembly being sufficiently long to extend from below to above the raised floor, the upper end of the elongate assembly having a fixing adapted to be fixed to and to support the console from underneath, at a level above the raised floor. With such an arrangement, lateral loads applied to the console can be transferred via the spider(s) to the pedestals towards their foot ends, where the pedestal is firmly fixed (usually bolted) to the subfloor; this minimises the bending moment applied to the pedestal, so that the transverse loading is met by the bolts and, ultimately by the subfloor. The elongate members extending from beneath the floor panels to above them allows for a substantially rigidly fixed supporting structure for the console, with the ability to create an overall appearance which is considerably more elegant and aesthetically attractive than with known arrangements, as will be described. The provision of the or more pedestals allows transverse loads applied to the console to be divided between adjacent pedestals forming a square, minimising the lateral loading which any one pedestal is subjected to - in its simplest arrangement, a transverse force is divided between two adjacent pedestals in the same column or row, but with the spider having three or more legs the distribution of transverse forces is even more effective.

[0011] The brackets may be clamped to the foot end of a pedestal adjacent its foot end, or they may be clamped at a distance above the foot end; the latter arrangement may be preferred where, for example, a pedestal is particularly long, or where more than one bracket is clamped to a pedestal.

[0012] The brackets may clamp to a pedestal over a first length of the pedestal which is greater than the transverse dimension of the pedestal (this is the transverse dimension of the pedestal at or adjacent where the bracket is clamped, the pedestal may be of varying width / diameter along its length). This clamping arrangement transfers vertical loads down into the pedestal, whilst also spreading any transverse loads from the spider along a length of pedestal which is significant in relation to its width / diameter and helps reduce bending of the pedestal.

[0013] The elongate assembly may comprise at least one elongate member and a clasp may be connected to an elongate member, this connection extending over a second length of the elongate member, which second length is greater than the transverse dimension of the elongate member (this is the transverse dimension of the elongate member at or adjacent where the clasp is connected, the elongate member may be of varying width / diameter along its length). This arrangement transfers vertical loads down into the spider, whilst spreading any transverse loads into the spider along a length of elongate member which is significant in relation to its width / diameter and helps reduce bending of the elongate member. Where the spider is in the form of a truss, it enables the truss to be rigid.

[0014] The second length is preferably greater than the first length. This allows the leg, if in the form of a flat plate, to optimise the transfer of transverse loads from the elongate members into the pedestal so as to minimise bending moments. At least one leg can comprise a truss (i.e. a rigid framework) extending between a bracket and a clasp, with the truss preferably being externally stable (i.e. resistant to folding about vertices). This provides the same ability to transfer vertical and transverse loads as a leg in the form of a plate, but has a reduced weight. The truss may comprise upper and lower struts having different lengths; this, together with the different first and second lengths, assists in making the truss externally stable.

[0015] Each of the struts may be extendable and capable of being fixed at varying overall lengths. This is advantageous, as it allows the spider to be moved to almost any lateral position within the grid of pedestals (as is further described below) making the system capable of supporting any console in almost any position and orientation with respect to the raised floor.

[0016] The or each elongate assembly can comprise two elongate members connected together and spaced from each other transversely by a transverse member, the lower end of each elongate member being connected to a clasp, each clasp being connected to at least one leg, the transverse member being located relative to the length of the elongate members such that, when the brackets are connected to pedestals and the clasps are connected to the elongate members, the transverse member is located adjacent but above the level of the raised floor. This transverse member may cover or partially conceal any hole made in a floor panel for the elongate members to pass through, it may also serve to support a floor plate, as will be described, and as a guide for cabling, etc. which passes through the floor panel.

[0017] The upper end of the or each elongate assembly may have one or more fixings adapted to releasably engage with complementary fixings provided on a lower surface of the console so as to support the console above the raised floor and to resist transverse forces parallel to the raised floor. These fixings allow the console to be located on top of the elongate assembly and fixed in position quickly and easily, once the spider has been correctly located and fixed under the raised floor. The console may comprise a horizontal housing supported by one or more upright structures, the or each upright structure comprising a central support to which the complementary fixing(s) is / are mounted. The or each upright structure may comprise a housing which surrounds the central support and has an open lower end, the housing being longer in the vertical direction than the central support so that, when the central support is engaged with the central support the housing extends towards the raised floor beyond the central support. This housing may have the appearance of a load bearing item, but it need not bear any vertical load; instead it provides an aesthetic function, concealing the upper ends of the elongate members and the fixings, and also any cabling which needs to run between the console and the cavity beneath the raised floor.

[0018] The transverse member may be located relative to the length of the elongate members such that, when the brackets are connected to pedestals and the clasps are connected to the elongate members, the transverse member is located adjacent but above the level of the raised floor, the system further comprising a floor plate having a central hole for the elongate assembly to pass through, the floor plate being shaped and configured to rest on the transverse member above the surface of the raised floor. By adjusting the clamping of the brackets, and / or the connection of the clasps, the vertical location of the transverse member may be adjusted in the vertical direction such that it supports the floor plate at desired level above the floor panel; thus, the floor panel may rest on the floor panel, or it may be positioned a small height above it. The floor plate may have a peripheral, downwardly extending rim and a channel on its upper surface adapted to receive a lower edge of the housing. This rim may rest on the floor, or it may be a small distance (about 0.5 to 1.5 cm) above the floor so that the console appears to "float" above the surface of the raised floor; this "floating" appearance is aesthetically attractive, and can be enhanced by providing lighting around the inner edge of the rim (an LED "strip" for example).

[0019] The floor plate may have sockets and / or plugs adapted to engage with complementarily located, complementary sockets and / or plugs provided on the central support. This arrangement allows the console to be quickly and easily mounted atop the elongate assembly, whilst the electrical and other connections are made simultaneously as the mechanical connection between the fixings on the elongate assembly and the support structure are made.

[0020] The invention also provides a kit of parts for supporting a console above a raised access floor of the type comprising floor panels supported from below by elongate pedestals which are fixed at their foot ends to a subfloor, and have top ends supporting the floor panels to form the raised floor, the kit comprising: at least one spider having three or more legs, each leg having a proximal end and a distal end which is connected to a bracket adapted to clamp releasably to a pedestal, and an elongate assembly having two elongate members joined by a transverse member, each elongate member having at its lower end a clasp for releasably connecting to the proximal ends of the three or more legs, and having at their upper ends a fixing adapted to connect to the underside of the console so as to support the console above the surface of the raised floor.

[0021] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which;

[0023] Figure l is a schematic perspective view of a system for supporting a console above a raised access floor in accordance with the invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a spider forming part of the system of Figure 1 connected to a grid of pedestals for supporting a raised floor;

[0025] Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic view of part of the spider of Figures 1 and 2;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic view of an elongate assembly forming part of the spider of Figures 1 and 2;

[0027] Figure 5 is view of a floor plate forming part of the system in accordance with the invention, and

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a grid of pedestals illustrating the ability of the system to support a console in any position and any orientation above a raised floor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a system 1 in accordance with the invention, in a part of a room with a raised floor. Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, but showing some elements in more detail. A grid of elongate pedestals 2 supports floor panels 10 (only one is shown), with the upper surfaces of the floor panels 2 together forming the surface of a raised floor above the subfloor 6. Each pedestal 2 is cylindrical and has a foot end 4 which is firmly fixed (usually bolted) to the subfloor 6, and has a top end 8 which supports a corner of the floor panel 2. Most pedestal grids are arranged in columns and rows which are located and aligned so as to support square floor panels, with pedestal top ends supporting the corners of up to 4 separate floor panels (pedestals at the edges or corners of the room would support fewer panels. The grids of pedestals are commonly spaced at 600mm intervals, so as to support floor panels which are 600 x 600mm square, although other spacings are sometimes used; square floor panels are the most common, although offsetting adjacent rows or columns could allow diamond-shaped floor panels to be used, and although the invention is described here as applied to a grid for supporting square floor panels of 600mm size it will be understood that the present invention is applicable to essentially any floor panel shape and any floor panel size.

[0030] The system 1 is for supporting a console 12, which has at least one support structure 12a, above the surface of the subfloor 2, and also comprises one or more spiders 14 (only one is shown in Figure 1) made of mild steel. Each spider 14 has four legs 16, each leg having a proximal end 18 and a distal end 20. The distal end 20 of each leg 16 is releasably / adjustably connected by bolts 24 to a bracket 22; the brackets 22 are sized and shaped so as to clamp around the elongate pedestal 2, preferably adjacent its foot end 4 (as shown in Figure 1). Each bracket 22 is formed in two parts which are joined together by four mild steel bolts 24, two of which also connect the legs 16 to the brackets 22; the two parts of the bracket 22 are shaped complementarily with the part of the elongate pedestal 2 they are fixed to so as to surround and clamp securely to it. The system 1 also comprises an elongate assembly 26 which has two elongate members 28 (shown in Figures 2 and 4) of cylindrical cross-section, the lower ends of which are connected to clasps 30, each of which releasably clamps around an elongate member 28 and which is releasably / adjustably connected by bolts 24 to the proximal ends 18 of two legs 16. The clasps 30, like the brackets 22, are formed in two parts which are joined together by four mild steel bolts 24, two of which also connect the legs 16 to the clasps 30; the two parts of the clasp 30 are shaped complementarily with the elongate members 28 forming part of the elongate assembly 26 the clasp 30 is to be fixed to so as to surround and clamp securely to it. The overall arrangement is such that, when connected as shown in the drawing, the upper end 32 of the elongate assembly 26 extends above the raised floor (the upper surface of the floor panels 10) and is adapted to be fixed to, and to support the console support structure 12a from, underneath and at a level vertically above the raised floor.

[0031] It can be seen more clearly in Figures 2 and 3 that each leg 16 in fact comprises upper and lower struts 34, 36 each of which has two separate parts: a proximal upper or lower brace 34a, 36a and a distal upper or lower brace 34b, 36b. Each brace 34a, 34b, 36a, 36b has a U- shaped cross-section for strength, a slot 38 extending lengthways along part of its length, and boltholes at each of its ends. One end of each brace is connected by a mild steel bolt 24 through a bolthole to a bracket 22 or a clasp 30, whilst the other end of the brace is connected by a mild steel bolt 24 through a bolthole to the slot 38 in the other brace extending from the other of the clasp 20 or the bracket 22. The location of one of the bolts 24 in a slot 38 allows the overall length of each strut 34, 36 to be adjustable, from about 230mm to about 390mm. Adjusting the lengths of the struts 34, 36 alters the length of the relevant leg 16; it will be appreciated that, with one end of each leg 16 secured to a pedestal 2, adjusting the leg lengths and the rotational positions of the brackets and clasps on the pedestals 2 / elongate members 28 will allow the location and orientation of the elongate assembly 26 relative to the four surrounding pedestals 2 to be adjusted (as will be described below with reference to Figure 6).

[0032] The grid of pedestals 2 shown in Figure 2 is arranged in four columns (in the X- direction) and in four rows (in the Y direction), each of three or four pedestals 2; the actual number of pedestals in practice will be determined by the size and shape of the room containing the raised floor where the console is to be located. As stated above, the spacing between adjacent pedestals is 600mm in each row and column, and the pedestals are typically 200-300mm long. Consoles range in size between about 2m and about 10m in length.

[0033] Referring now to Figure 3, which for clarity shows just half Of the spider 14 of Figures 1 and 2, the bolts 24 securing the bracket 22 to the pedestal 2 are spaced vertically by a distance LI apart, while the bolts securing the clasp 30 to the elongate assembly 26 are spaced vertically by a distance L2 apart, where L2 is greater than LI (LI is typically about 74mm and L2 is typically about 135mm apart). This vertical separation of the bolts 24 securing the brackets 22 and the clasps 30 is important in defining the structure of the legs 16; this structure is essentially a quadrilateral framework in which there are two opposed vertical links (the bracket and the clasp) of unequal length and another two opposed sides (struts 34, 36), which are also of unequal length. Because the vertical links are constrained so as only to be capable of vertical movement (because they can only slide along the pedestal / elongate member) the leg is in the form of a rigid truss which is externally stable (i.e. when the struts are fixed in length, none of the four sides of the quadrilateral truss are able to rotate about either of their vertices), much as if the legs were in fact a rigid plate of material, rather than a truss which is adjustable in size and shape. The bolts 24 securing the struts together and to the brackets / clasps are all tightened in their boltholes to about 90% of their yield stress, so as to make the legs 16 rigid and rigidly fixed at their distal end 20 to the pedestals 2 and to the elongate assembly 26 at their proximal end 18. Such an arrangement spreads loads applied to the elongate assembly 26 (such as the weight of the console 12, and any vertical and / or lateral loads applied to it) between the legs 16 to the pedestals 2 and thence to the subfloor 6, meaning that no significant loads are transferred to or through the floor panels 10. The structure allows the system to isolate bending moments from the structure located above the raised floor and to transfer mechanical loads through the existing floor pedestals as vertical downward load (matching that already applied through the raised floor panels).

[0034] Figure 4 shows the elongate assembly 26, which comprises two elongate members 28 connected together and spaced from each other transversely by a transverse member 40. As described above, the lower end of each elongate member 28 is connected to a clasp 30, and the clasp 30 is connected to two legs 16. The transverse member 40 is located relative to the length of the elongate members 28 so that, when the brackets 22 are connected to pedestals 2 and the clasps 30 are connected to the elongate members 28, the transverse member 40 is located above the level of the raised floor. The transverse member 40 is sized and shaped so that the floor plate 42 shown in Figure 5 will sit atop the transverse member 40, with the upper ends 32 of the elongate members 28 poking through the hole 44 in the floor plate. The floor plate 42 has a rim 44 which extends downwardly and the transverse member 40 is positioned (adjusted if necessary by moving the clasps 30 along the elongate members 28) sufficiently above the surface of the raised floor for the lower edge of the rim 46 to be a small distance (between about 5 and 14mm) above the raised floor surface; this gives the console the aesthetically appealing appearance of "floating" above the floor, which can be emphasised by providing lighting such as an LED strip light under the floor plate 42, wholly or partly around its perimeter adjacent the rim 46. The floor plate also has a number of sockets (or plugs) 48 which are positioned so as to match with complementary plugs (or sockets) on the underside of the console support structure 12a, so that the console can be connected to power, control circuits, etc. quickly and easily when the console 12 is placed on and fixed to the upper ends 32 of the elongate assembly 26.

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing how a number of spiders 14 may be mounted to pedestals 2 with the legs 16 of the spiders 14 being adjusted to differing lengths and the rotational positions of the brackets and clasps adjusted so that the transverse members 40 can adopt almost any position and / or orientation within the grid or pedestals, and a console 12 is shown supported by two of these. It will be noted that a spider need not necessarily be mounted to the four adjacent pedestals forming the vertices of a square, but it may be mounted to pedestals in two or even three adjacent squares (see the spiders bottom left and top right, respectively). If the console were mounted to a single pedestal, the console could be rotated to any position, as illustrated by the different orientations of the transverse members 40 at the top right corner and the bottom of Figure 6.

[0036] It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the abovedescribed embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the materials used are mild steel (low grade carbon steel), but they could be any suitably strong and inexpensive materials. The illustrations show spiders all having four legs, but a spider having three legs may be sufficient for some applications. It is preferred that each pedestal have only one bracket mounted to it, so that the pedestal is subjected to the least bending moments, but in small rooms it may be necessary for two adjacent spiders to share one or more pedestals; in this case, one bracket may be mounted on the pedestal above another bracket which is mounted adjacent the foot end of the pedestal. A transverse member may connect the lower ends of the elongate members 28 to give the elongate assembly 26 greater rigidity.

[0037] Where different variations or alternative arrangements are described above, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may incorporate such variations and / or alternatives in any suitable combination.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system for supporting a console above a raised access floor of the type comprising floor panels supported from below by elongate pedestals which are fixed at their foot ends to a subfloor, and have top ends supporting the floor panels to form the raised floor, the system comprising: a console; at least one spider having three or more legs, each leg having a proximal end and a distal end which is connected to a bracket adapted to clamp releasably to a pedestal, and an elongate assembly having at a lower end at least two clasps for releasably connecting the proximal ends of one or more of the three or more legs to the elongate assembly, the elongate assembly when connected to the legs when the legs are connected to the pedestals extending upwardly towards an upper end, the elongate assembly being sufficiently long to extend from below to above the raised floor, the upper end of the elongate assembly having a fixing adapted to be fixed to and to support the console from underneath, at a level above the raised floor.

2. A system according to Claim 1, in which each bracket is clamped releasably to a bracket adjacent its foot end.

3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the brackets clamp to a pedestal over a first length of the pedestal which is greater than the transverse dimension of the pedestal.

4. A system according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the elongate assembly comprises at least one elongate member and in which a clasp is connected to an elongate member, the connection extending over a second length of the elongate member, which second length is greater than the transverse dimension of the elongate member.

5. A system according to Claim 4 when dependent on Claim 3, in which the second length is greater than the first length.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, in which at least one leg comprises a truss extending between a bracket and a clasp, and in which the truss is externally stable.

7. A system according to Claim 6, in which the truss comprises upper and lower struts having different lengths.

8. A system according to Claim 7, in which each of the struts is extendable and capable of being fixed at varying overall lengths.

9. A system according to any of Claims 4 to 8, in which the elongate assembly comprises two elongate members connected together and spaced from each other transversely by a transverse member, the lower end of each elongate member being connected to a clasp, each clasp being connected to at least one leg, in which the transverse member is located relative to the length of the elongate members such that, when the brackets are connected to pedestals and the clasps are connected to the elongate members, the transverse member is located adjacent but above the level of the raised floor.

10. A system according to any preceding claim, in which the upper end of the elongate assembly has one or more fixings adapted to releasably engage with complementary fixings provided on a lower surface of the console so as to support the console above the raised floor and to resist transverse forces parallel to the raised floor.

11. A system according to any preceding claim, in which the console comprises a horizontal housing supported by one or more upright structures, the or each upright structure comprising a central support to which the complementary fixing(s) is / are mounted.

12. A system according to Claim 11, in which the or each upright structure comprises a housing which surrounds the central support and has an open lower end, the housing being longer in the vertical direction than the central support so that, when the central support is engaged with the upper end of the elongate assembly the housing extends towards the raised floor beyond the central support.

13. A system according to Claim 12, in which the elongate assembly comprises a transverse member located relative to the length of the elongate members such that, when the brackets are connected to pedestals and the clasps are connected to theelongate members, the transverse member is located adjacent but above the level of the raised floor, the system further comprising a floor plate having a central hole for the elongate assembly to pass through, the floor plate being shaped and configured to rest on the transverse member above the surface of the raised floor.

14. A system according to Claim 13, in which the floor plate has sockets and / or plugs adapted to engage with complementarily located, complementary sockets and / or plugs provided on the central support.

15. A kit of parts for supporting a console above a raised access floor of the type comprising floor panels supported from below by elongate pedestals which are fixed at their foot ends to a subfloor, and have top ends supporting the floor panels to form the raised floor, the kit comprising: at least one spider having three or more legs, each leg having a proximal end and a distal end which is connected to a bracket adapted to clamp releasably to a pedestal, and an elongate assembly having two elongate members joined by a transverse member, each elongate member having at its lower end a clasp for releasably connecting to the proximal ends of the three or more legs, and having at their upper ends a fixing adapted to connect to the underside of the console so as to support the console above the surface of the raised floor.

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