In general, a personal computer comprises a personal computer body serving to perform an arithmetic and logic operation which is operated by an input device such as a key board and/or a mouse. A peripheral equipment including an output unit such as a display and/or a printer is connected to the personal computer body in order that the personal computer body operatively handles informations in a predetermined manner. As shown in FIG. 13, in a prior art, such a personal computer and more particularly a personal computer body 14 functioning to perform an arithmetic and logic operation as a computer has been commercially available in the form of a single equipment and has been used while placed on a desk 10 or aside thereof.
Thus, the prior personal computer requires an exclusive space in which the personal computer is placed or contained. As a result, it reduces an operation space on the desk, the containing space in the desk or the space in the office, which disadvantageously causes the space effectiveness to be reduced. As the personal computer rapidly and widely prevails, there are various problems on a housing space for the personal computer in families as well as in business offices.
There has been used a compacted and portable personal computer such as a laptop or note personal computer which is different from the desktop or tower personal computer as shown in FIG. 13. However, even such a space-saving personal computer requires a space for keeping and containing it.
Various proposals have been made in view of the problems of space saving for the personal computer and/or the peripheral equipment or equipments, but most of them relates to desks adapted to contain them as they are.
For instance, there have been proposed desks comprising a lifting top plate panel on which various equipments such as a large-sized display (a CRT), a key board and a printer are placed so that the equipment can be exposed on the desk by the top plate panel moving up when they should be used and so that they can be contained within the space below the top plate panel when they are not used (see Japan Patent Laying-Open No. 112/1994, Japan Utility Model Laying-Open No. 133619/1989, Japan Utility Model Laying-Open No. 93263/1993 and Japan Utility Model Publication No. 16506/1991).
However, with the equipment such as the display positioned within the lower space below the top plate panel of the desk, the space below the top plate panel of the desk cannot be used for introducing a chair into the lower space and even though the personal computer is not used, a person or operator cannot introduce its legs and foot into the lower space, which prevents the person from performing paper work or the like on the desk in a comfortable manner. If there is maintained a space enough for introducing the operator's foot thereinto, then the desk will be large-sized and therefore the space cannot be saved. Also, since the lifting top plate panel is required to have an area enough to place the display thereon, the top plate panel will damage the appearance of the desk and also the stationary top plate panel portion other than the lifting top plate panel portion will has a narrow area, which will be difficult for the operator to do the business operation other than the operation of the personal computer. Thus, the original function of the desk in which the display is contained will be disadvantageously reduced.
There has been proposed a desk having spaces intentionally formed in view of the design for containing various equipment of the personal computer (see Japan Utility Model Laying-Open No. 54126/1989). Various equipments such as a body of a CPU, a key board, a CRT display and a printer are contained in the intentionally formed spaces, respectively and covered by doors to close the spaces so that they disappear when they are not used. When the personal computer should be used, the doors are opened so that the equipments can be operated.
However, the computer housed desk has various disadvantages of the opened doors becoming obstacles when the personal computer should be used and a desk work other than an operation of the personal computer being impossible because the area of a top plate panel adapted to be used for the desk work will be reduced or lost. Thus, it will be noted that the prior computer housed desk will reduce the original function and the appearance of the desk.
Furthermore, it should be noted that both of the aforementioned two kinds of the computer housed desk has the large space below the top plate panel scarified for containing the equipments of the personal computer. This prevents desk forming members such as a side box or side boxes having a plurality of drawers included therein from being installed, which disadvantageously causes the original function of the desk such as containing stationery or the like to be damaged or lost. Thus, it will be noted that the prior computer housed desk is not properly used for the original function other the operation of the personal computer and cannot be accepted to the families which require a sense of decoration including a good appearance in view of the harmony with other furniture even though it will be accepted to offices generally requiring the function of the office work rather than the decoration or appearance.
There has been proposed a printer housed desk which comprises a printer contained in a drawer thereof (see Japan Patent Laying-Open No. 31514/1995). The printer housed desk. has a disadvantage of the printer containing drawer having no original function of containing various articles such as stationery, which prevents the desk from having its original function.
There has been proposed a printer housed desk which contains at least a printing section and a paper feeding section of the printer (see Japan Patent Laying-Open No. 212876/1992). Since the printer housed desk is one corresponds to the printer comprising a cabinet having legs added thereto, it generally has the same size as the conventional printer and requires a space for containing it. Thus, it will be noted that the printer housed desk cannot be expected to have a space fully saved and all it has is a particular function of a computer desk, but not that of a conventional desk. Also, it has a disadvantage of being not able to easily check, maintain and repair the parts thereof such as the printing section.
There has been also a desk in which a personal computer body, a display and an input unit such as a key board are totally contained (see Japan Utility Model Laying-Open No. 31829/1988). Such a computer housed desk contains the personal computer body formed by itself being contained in a particular cabinet, but not the unit or units forming the personal computer body. Thus, it will be noted that the side box or boxes of the desk are occupied by the personal computer body. It will be understood that such a computer housed desk can have no original function of a conventional desk and also has a disadvantage of being not able to check, maintain and repair the housed personal computer body as well as to expand its function.
Thus, it will be understood that all of the prior computer housed desk or peripheral equipment housed desk has no original function of a conventional desk such as doing desk work or containing stationery or the likes. Furthermore, it will be understood that an extension of function of the computer operation cannot be expected with any of the prior computer housed desks.