Office Workwall Frame With Concealed Cable Routing Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing office workwall systems lack an efficient method to route communication and power lines while maintaining a clean and organized appearance, as they often require cumbersome routing solutions that compromise aesthetics and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The office workwall system incorporates a frame assembly with a relief feature on the vertical frame members and a notch on the shelving arrangement, allowing for direct routing of communication and power lines between the shelf and the wall, creating a wireway passage that keeps cables concealed and organized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional workwall systems are used without integrated cable routing features, then installation is simpler, but cable management becomes messy and aesthetically unpleasing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cable routing functionality directly into the workwall frame structure by integrating wireway passages and routing passages within the frame members themselves. This merging eliminates the need for separate cable management components, allowing cables to be routed cleanly through the wall structure while maintaining installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary structural features (wireway passages, routing passages, and reliefs) within the frame members that serve as mediators for cable routing. These intermediary elements provide dedicated pathways for cables between the shelving arrangement and the wall structure, organizing cables without complicating the overall installation process.
2Ease of operation
If cables are routed directly behind the shelving arrangement, then cable access is easier, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to visible and messy cable routing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts cables from the visible front area of the workwall system and routes them through dedicated wireway passages and routing passages within the frame structure. This extraction removes cables from the aesthetic field of view while maintaining easy access through the integrated pathways, achieving both clean appearance and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests cable routing passages within the frame members themselves, creating hidden pathways inside the structural elements. The wireway passages and routing passages are nested within the frame assembly, allowing cables to be concealed within the wall structure while remaining accessible when needed.
3Volume of moving object
If the shelving arrangement is positioned close to the wall structure, then space utilization improves, but cable routing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint by utilizing the depth dimension of the frame members. The wireway passages and routing passages extend through the thickness of the frame assembly, creating cable routing pathways in the depth dimension rather than requiring horizontal or vertical clearance. This allows shelving to be positioned close to the wall while cables can still be routed through the frame structure.
4Device complexity
If the workwall system uses fixed cable routing paths, then cable organization is better, but adaptability for different configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates universal cable routing passages within the frame members that can accommodate various cable types and routing configurations. The wireway passages and routing passages are designed to handle different cable arrangements while maintaining organized pathways, providing both cable organization and configuration flexibility through multi-functional design.
Data Source
AI summary
An office workwall assembly includes a frame assembly that includes a first vertical frame member configured to couple to a wall structure, the first vertical frame member including a relief, a second vertical frame member, and a horizontal frame member extending between and coupled to the first and the second vertical frame members, wherein the vertical frame members and the horizontal frame member cooperate to form a wireway passage, and wherein the relief is configured to cooperate with a wall to form a routing passage through which communication and power lines may be routed from a location outside of the wireway passage to a location within the wireway passage, and a shelving arrangement releasably coupled to and supported by the frame assembly.