DE8910141U1 - Electrical installation device, in particular cable duct - Google Patents

Description

authorized representative at the European Patent Office

. BUSE · DiPL-PHYS. MENTZEL · dipl-ing. LUDEWIG

Ur,ic- jcrr.en &Pgr;4 · P.O. Box 200210 ■ 5600 V.'uppertal 2 -Tc-leion (0202) 55702223.24 · Telex £531606 &ngr;. fa! ■ Teiefax 0202/557024

89 5600 Wuppertal 2, the

Password: Screw cover II

Company GIRA Giersiepen GmbH. & Co. KG., 56o8 Radevormwald

Electrical installation device, in particular cable duct

The application relates to an electrical installation device, in particular to a cable duct with a cable duct base, which is secured to a wall or similar by means of fastening elements such as screws. and with a cover-like cable duct upper part and with devices for covering the heads of the fastening elements protruding from the bottom of the cable duct lower part, in particular the fastening screws. Such electrical installation devices are advantageous in themselves because they give the user the opportunity to cover the heads of the fastening screws protruding from the bottom of the cable duct lower part. In this way, the user of such a cable duct does not come into contact with the metal fastening screws. In an already proposed embodiment of such an installation device, it is proposed to use a cable duct upper part as a cover. This cable duct upper part is designed in such a way that it can not only be placed on the cable duct lower part to cover the opening, but that it can also be used in the same design and shape to cover the heads of the fastening screws. In itself, this design has the advantage that one and the same manufacturing tool can be used,

to create cable duct tops that can be used both to cover the heads of the fastening screws and to close the upper opening of the cable duct bottom.

The present invention is based on the realization that another way of covering the heads of the fastening screws protruding from the bottom of the cable duct base should be sought.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating an embodiment of a cover for the heads of the fastening screws protruding from the bottom of the cable duct lower part, which is independent of the form and shape of the cable duct upper part and which can also be used with other known electrical installation devices if required. Such a cover should also be able to be manufactured in a simple and inexpensive manner.

To solve this problem, the invention proposes that the device for covering the head of the fastening element consist of upright walls that delimit a storage space on several sides, one wall of which is connected to a cover via a swivel joint, in particular via a film hinge, and that one of the walls of the storage space has counter hooks that can be brought into operative connection with hooks on the cover when the device is in the closed position. This design creates a space for the head of the fastening screw to be covered using simple means. In the limiting case, this space only needs to be large enough that only the head of the fastening screw can fit in it with some play. The film hinges enable

if necessary, make the head of the screw accessible, because this allows the existing hooks and counter-hooks to be moved not only into a closed position but also into an open position, whereby the film hinge ensures that the parts are held together.

There are several possibilities for the design of such an accommodation space. According to a first proposal of the invention, the floor of the cable duct lower part has vertical turns that run at a distance from one another, one of which has a counter hook at its front end, while the other passes over a film hinge into the cover, which in turn has hooks in the area of its front edge.

In this embodiment, it is preferred to form the upright walls directly onto the base of the cable duct base. This means that both the upright walls and the film hinge and the cover are held in one piece with the base. All parts that enclose the accommodation space are thus produced with the cable duct base. This also applies to the film hinge and the dsckslarti^s σ b ^σ ** ° WanHunn

According to a further proposal of the invention, however, the device for covering the head of the fastening element is a separate box-shaped receptacle that can be connected to the bottom of the cable duct base. Such a box-shaped receptacle is therefore first manufactured separately and then connected at the appropriate location to the bottom of the cable duct base or generally to a wall of an electrical installation device. Such a box-shaped receptacle can be connected to the respective

Wall. However, a design is preferred in which the box-shaped holder can be secured to the bottom of the cable duct base by the fastening element itself, i.e. by the screw to be covered. In this embodiment of the invention, for example, the fastening screw, the head of which is to be covered, can not be screwed in completely with its shaft, but there is still play between the underside of the head and the adjacent wall. The bottom of the box-shaped holder can then be pushed into this gap. The screw can then be tightened firmly, with the result that it presses the bottom of the box-shaped holder against the adjacent area of the wall, e.g. the cable duct base. The lid-like top of the box-shaped holder can then be moved into its closed position via the film hinge.

It is recommended that the box-shaped holder has a lower part with upright side walls, of which the front wall is divided into two sections to form an opening, while the opposite other wall merges into the actual cover via a film hinge.

It is also advisable to connect the upright side walls of the lower part with a base, which in turn has a slot that is open towards the front wall. The front surfaces of the side walls serve as support surfaces for the actual cover, which, in its closed position, has hooks that engage behind counter hooks on the front wall. The slot in the base of the box-shaped holder that is open towards the front makes it easier to attach.

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It is recommended that the actual cover of the box-shaped holder has a front, angled end. This is divided into two sections, between which there is a closure wall, which, when the actual cover is closed, completes the sections of the front wall to form a full wall. The sections of both the angled end of the actual cover and the front wall carry the hooks or counter hooks.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the box-shaped receptacle is a one-piece body made of an electrically insulating material.

The invention is shown in several embodiments in the drawing, namely:

Fig. 1 shows a section through a cable duct designed according to the invention in its position of use, but with no cables or lines, with a retaining clip being fitted in the interior of the cable duct, which is detachably connected to a partition wall of the cable duct lower part,

Fig. 2 in section, partially broken away and in the open position, that area of the bottom of the cable duct according to Fig. 1 where the fastening screw to be covered is located,

Fig. 3 in diagrammatic representation, partially broken away, a box-shaped holder for covering

of the head of a fastening screw in the open position with the screw missing and on an enlarged scale and

Fig. 4 a section through the box-shaped holder according to Fig. 3 of the drawing.

Firstly, it should be mentioned that the figures in the drawings only show those parts of a cable duct which are important for understanding the invention. In particular, all cables, lines, etc. which are to be accommodated in the interior or in the interior spaces of the cable duct have been omitted. Furthermore, only a single fastening screw is shown as a fastening element for the cable duct base to a wall. Instead of this fastening screw, other fastening elements which are generally known in technology can also be used. The purpose of these is to cover the head-like part which protrudes from the floor. The cable duct shown - — 4- «■*·.-»* »% "I #» &Kgr;»·»«*&eegr;-&idigr;&agr;&Iacgr;»*.&igr;&agr;·&idiagr;&ogr;&OHgr; filief i'lhrnnn HOT* Fr fl &pgr;&EEgr;&idiagr;&Igr;&Pgr;&Pgr; flpHaCht,

The invention can also be used in other known electrical installation devices where it is a question of covering the heads of existing fastening screws .

The cable duct on which the embodiment according to Fig. 1 of the drawing is based is generally designated 10. This has a one-piece cable duct lower part 11, which is approximately U-shaped in cross-section and is made of one of the insulating materials commonly used in the electrical industry. The base of the cable duct lower part 11 is designated 12. In the selected embodiment, it has

For example, in its middle there is a smooth opening 13 through which the shaft of a fastening screw 14 passes, with which the cable duct lower part 11 is fixed to a wall (not shown) in a basically known manner. For the sake of simplicity, only one of the fastening screws 14 that are assigned to one and the same cable duct is shown in Fig. 1. The base 12 of the cable duct lower part 11 passes over inclined parts (not shown in more detail) into upright side walls 15, each of which ends in bends 16 at its front free end. The front free end of the bend 16 extends approximately parallel to the base 12 of the cable duct lower part. Below this bend 16, an inner projection 17 is formed on the inner wall of each side wall 15, which ends in a front end 19 with a tapered diameter. This front end 19 is arranged approximately vertically. The bend 16 and the inner projection 17 define a receiving space 18 which has an inlet opening not specified in more detail. A section of a cable duct upper part, generally designated 2o, engages in the receiving spaces 18 of the cable duct lower part 11. This is also an elongated body made in one piece from plastic which has a flat outer surface 21. After the cable duct upper part has been inserted, this outer surface is at the same height as the outer surface of the bends 16 of the cable duct lower part 11. On both sides, the cable duct upper part 2o has extensions 23 pointing downwards, thus in the direction of the floor 12, which run at an angle to the vertical and which, in the position shown in Fig. 1, engage in the receiving space 18. The upper part of each extension 23, which is set back from the outer surface 21 of the cable duct upper part 2o, has

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a support surface 22, which interacts with the unspecified inner surface of each bend 16. As can be seen, the existing opening of the cable duct upper part 20 is completely covered by inserting the cable duct upper part 2c. The cable duct upper part 2c is inserted by simply clipping it in. The extensions 23 of the cable duct upper part enter the receiving spaces 18 of the cable duct lower part.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 of the drawing, the interior of the cable duct lower part 11 is divided into chamber-like spaces of different sizes by an off-center partition wall. The partition wall is designated 34 and is molded directly onto the base 12 of the cable duct lower part 11. The partition wall 34 has a thickening slightly above its center that serves as a catch 35, which interacts with the catch 36 of a retaining clip designated 37. This retaining clip 37 has a fork-shaped end 38. The legs of this fork, which are not designated in more detail, have the locking recesses 36, which are adapted in size and shape to the thickening 35 of the partition wall 34. The front free ends of the legs of the fork-shaped bearing end are angled outwards. The front free end of the retaining clip 37 is inclined towards the base 12. This inclined region has the reference number 39 in Fig. 1.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the head 25 of the fastening screw 14 can be covered. The device for covering the head 25 of the fastening screw 14 consists in the embodiment according to Fig.l

and 2 of upright walls delimiting an accommodation space 33 on several sides, one of which is connected to an actual cover via a film hinge 29. One of the walls of the accommodation space 33 has sawtooth hooks which can be brought into operative connection with hooks 31 of the cover 28 in the closed position of the device. Fig. 2 of the drawing shows the open position of the cover and Fig. 1 shows the closed position of this cover 28. In the specific example of a guide according to these figures, the base 12 of the cable duct base 11 has upright walls 26 and 27 which run parallel to one another and at a distance from one another. One of these walls 26 has a counter hook at its front end, while the other 27 - as mentioned - passes over the film hinge 29 into the cover 28, which in turn has hooks 31 in the area of its front edge. These hooks 31 are located at the front angled end of the cover 28, as can best be seen in Fig. 2. In this exemplary embodiment, the upright walls 26 and 27 are formed directly onto the base 12 of the cable duct base 11. This also applies to the cover 28 and the parts associated with it, because the wall 27 passes over the film hinge into the cover 28 and the front angled end.

In order to obtain the desired cover and thus the inaccessibility of the head 25 of the fastening screw 14, the cover 28 is pivoted counterclockwise from the open position shown in Fig. 2. This is easily possible due to the interposed film hinge 29. In the end position, the hooks 31 of the angled end 3o of the cover 28 come into operative connection with the counter hooks 32 of the upright wall 26 and

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finally engage behind them in the manner shown in Fig. 1. In this position, the head 25 of the fastening screw is thus completely covered. It goes without saying that if required, several of the covers 28 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the parts that interact with them can be present one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the cable channel 10. The graphic representation of several such covers has been omitted, particularly because they can all be designed in the same way.

While the cover for the head 25 of the fastening screw 14 according to Fig. 1 and 2 of the drawings is an integral part of an electrical installation device, in the illustrated embodiment of a cable duct, it is described below that this cover can also be designed as a separate body that can be subsequently connected to one of the walls of an electrical installation device. Such an embodiment is shown in Fig. 3 and 4 of the drawings. This means that the device for covering the head 25 of the fastening element 14 is now a separate box-shaped receptacle 4o that can be connected, for example, to the bottom of the cable duct lower part 11. In principle, it would be possible to connect this box-shaped receptacle 4o with special fastening elements to the relevant wall of the electrical installation device, for example the bottom 12 of the cable duct lower part 11. However, an embodiment is preferred in which the box-shaped receptacle can be secured to the base 12 of the cable duct lower part 11 or to another wall of an electrical installation device by the fastening element to be covered.

From the diagram in Fig. 3 it can be seen that the box-shaped holder 40 has a lower part 41 which has several upright side walls. There are three closed side walls, only the front wall 44 is interrupted. This means that the front wall 44 of the lower part 41 is divided into two sections. Each of these sections has molded-on counter hooks 46. These extend over the entire width of the section of the front wall 44. The side walls of the lower part 41 are connected to one another by a base 42. However, this base is not continuous but is provided with a slot 43 which is open in the direction of the front wall 44. D.B. End faces 45 of the side walls of the lower part 41 serve as support surfaces for the actual cover designated 47. This cover is connected via a film hinge 48 to the side wall of the lower part 41 opposite the front wall 44. This means that the cover 47 can be moved from the open position shown in Fig. 3 into the closed position shown in Fig. 4.

In order to hold the cover 47 in its closed position, it has a front angled end 5o, which is divided into two sections in the manner shown in Fig. 3. Between these sections there is a closure wall 52, which in the closed position of the cover 47 completes the sections of the front wall 44 to form a solid wall. The sections of the angled end 5o of the cover have hooks 51 which are directly formed on them and which extend over the entire width of the section. In the closed position of the cover 47, these hooks 51 act in the manner shown in Fig. 4 with the counter hooks 46 of the front wall 44 of the box-shaped

Holder 4o. The head 25 of the fastening screw 14 is thus located in the interior 49 of the box-shaped holder 4o.

In the illustrated embodiment, the box-shaped holder 4o is a one-piece body made of an electrically insulating material.

When the box-shaped holder 4o is used as intended, it can be pushed under the fastening screw 14 which has not yet been screwed tight, i.e. a gap is left between the underside of the head 25 of the fastening screw on the one hand and the adjacent wall of the installation device on the other. The box-shaped holder is then pushed into this gap in such a way that the shaft of the fastening screw 14 penetrates into the slot 43 of the base 42 of the lower part 41 until it hits the bottom of the slot 43. Once this position is reached, the fastening screw 14 can be tightened further. The underside of the head 25 comes into active connection with the areas of the base 42 of the lower part 41 facing it, with the result that the entire box-shaped holder 40 is fixed to the wall of the installation device, for example to the base 12 of the cable duct lower part 11. The cover 47 can then be folded over the film hinge 48. In the final position, the hooks 51 come behind the counter hooks 46 of the front wall 44. At the same time, the front wall 44 is supplemented to form a solid wall by the closure wall 52 of the cover 47 engaging between the remaining free areas of the front wall. This creates a practically closed interior space 49 for the head 25 of the fastening screw 14.

As already mentioned, the embodiments shown are only examples of implementations of the invention and are not limited to them. Rather, many other embodiments and applications are possible. Firstly, the embodiment of the cover according to Figs. 1 and 2 can be used for cable ducts other than those shown. This can also be cable ducts in which the partition wall is missing and thus there is a single receiving chamber for the cables and the like. The number of covers can be adapted to the number of screws or the heads of these screws. This means that if a large number of screws penetrate the base 12 of the cable duct box, a corresponding number of covers can be present. These can be arranged either one behind the other or next to one another. In addition, it is also possible to use the invention for electrical installation devices other than cable ducts. This applies in particular to the embodiment of the cover according to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, because this is designed as a separate body. This design also has the advantage that it can be used with electrical installation devices that are already in use, for example with cable ducts that are held to a wall with screws and that do not currently have a cover for the screw heads. In this case, the design of the cover can be retrofitted as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing. In addition, both the hooks and the counter hooks of both cover designs can be designed in a different way to that shown in the drawing. In addition to covering the heads of fastening screws, the holes protruding from the floor or

generally parts of fastening elements protruding from the wall are covered, for example rivet heads, pins or the like.

Professional representatives before the European Patent Office

BUSE DiPL PHYS. MENTZEL · dipl-ing. LUDEWIgI

Elisen 200210 SGCO .Y-jspertal 2 ■ Part i0202) 5570 22/22 24 ■ Telex 5591605 wpat · Telefax 0202^5570245

5600 Wuppertal 2, the a

Password: Screw cover II ;i

List of reference symbols:

10 - Cable duct

11 - Cable duct base

12 - Floor (of 11)

13 - breakthrough (in 12)

14 - Fixing screw

15 - Side wall (of 11)

16 - Turn (of 15)

17 - Inner projection (from 15/

18 - Recording room

19 - front end (of 17)

20 - Cable duct top

21 - External surface (of 2o)

22 - Support surface (of 2o)

23 - Extension

24 - Retaining catch (on 15)

25 - Head (of 14)

26 - upright wall (on 12)

27 - upright wall (on 12)

28 - Cover

29 - Film hinge (between 27 and 28)

30 - angled end (of 28)

31 - Hook (at 3o)

32 - Counter hook (on 26)

33 - Accommodation room (for 25)

34 - Partition wall (on 12)

35 - counter-lock (on 3a)

36 - Rest

37 - Retaining clip

38 - forked bearing end (of 37)

39 - front end (of 37)

40 - box-shaped holder (for 25) (Fig, 3 and 4)

41 - Lower part (of 4o)

42 - Sods (of 4o)

43 - slot (in 42)

44 - yordsrwar-if (from 4o)

45 - Frontal area (of 4o)

46 - Counter hook (on 44)

47 - Cover (of 4o)

48 - Film hinge (between 4o and 47)

49 - Interior (of 4o)

50 - angled end (of 47)

51 - Hook (at 5o)

52 - Closure wall (part of 5o)

Claims (9)

Professional representatives before the European Patent Office DiPL-PHYS. BUSE -DIPL.-PHYS. MENTZEL · dipl-ing. LUDEWIG Unterdörnen 114 · Portfich 200210 · 5600 Wuppertal 2 ■ Telephone (0202) 557022/23/24 · Telex 8591606 wpat · Fax 0202/571501 5600 Wuppertal 2, the Password: Screw cover II Company GIRA Giersiepen 3mbH., & Co. KS,, SSoS Radevormwald Electrical installation device, in particular cable duct Speech : 1. Electrical installation device, in particular a cable duct, with a cable duct base that can be fixed to a wall or similar using fastening elements such as screws and with a cover-like cable duct top and with devices for covering the heads of the fastening elements, in particular the fastening screws, protruding from the bottom of the cable duct base. characterized, that the device for covering the head (25) of the fastening element (14) consists of upright walls which delimit a storage space (33 or 49) on several sides, of which one wall is connected to a cover (28 or 47) via a swivel joint, in particular via a film hinge (29 or 48) and that one of the walls of the storage space (33 or 49) has counter hooks (32 or 46) which can be brought into operative connection with hooks (31 or 51) of the cover (28 or 47) in the closed position of the device. 2. Installation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the base (12) of the cable duct lower part (11) has upright walls (26 and 27) which run parallel to one another and are spaced apart, one of which (26) has a counter hook (32) at its front end, while the other (27) extends via a film hinge (29) into the cover (28), which in turn has hooks (31) near its front edge (Fig. 1 and 2). 3. Installation device according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the upright walls (26, ?7) are -J (12) of the cable duct bottom part (11) directly molded are (Fig. 1 and 2). 4. Installation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device for covering the head (25) of the fastening element (14) is a separate box-shaped receptacle (4o) which can be connected to the base (12) of the cable duct lower part (Ii) (Fig. 3 and 4). 5. Installation device according to claim 4, characterized in that the box-shaped receptacle (4o) is secured by the fastening element (14) itself to the bottom (12) of the cable duct base . (11) is fixed (Fig. 3 and 4). 6. Installation device according to claim 4 and 5, characterized in that the box-shaped receptacle (4o) has a lower part (41) with upright side walls, of which the front wall (44) is divided into two sections to form an opening, while the opposite other wall merges into the cover (47) via a film hinge (48) (Fig. 3 and 4). 7. Installation device according to claim J, characterized in that the upright side walls of the lower part (41) are connected to one another by a base (42) which has a slot (43) open towards the front wall (449) and that the end faces (45) of the side walls serve as support surfaces for the cover (47) which, in its closed position, engages with hooks (51) behind counter hooks (46) of the front wall. 8. Installation device according to claim 6 and 7, characterized in that the cover (47) has a front angled end (5o) which is divided into two partial areas, between which there is a closure wall (52) which, in the closed position of the cover (47), completes the partial areas of the front wall (44) to form a solid wall and that the partial areas of ^both the angled end (5o) of the cover (47) and of the front wall (44) carry the hooks (51) and the counter hooks (48). 9. Installation device according to one or more of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the box-shaped receptacle (4o) is a one-piece body made of an electrically insulating material.