GB2264815A - Mounting electrical or other accessories - Google Patents

Abstract

The accessory assembly comprises a support plate 1, accessory mounting plate 2 and optionally two modular spacers 3, moulded from a rigid polymer. Plate 1 has rim 5 and central aperture 4 with its slightly higher rim 6 having top and bottom walls 6b recessed at 6c. Integral collars 7 are provided for screwing to a substrate. The walls 6b include through recesses 8. The mounting plate 2 is a rectangular tray comprising wall portions 9a and 9b of the same height as support plate side walls 6a, with lips 11 extending outwards the thickness of wall portions 6b and being of thickness equivalent to the depth of recess 6c. Each wall portion 9b has resilient leaves 12 defined by slits 12a and 12b, and generally thinner than the wall for flexing. Its free end possesses an integral stop 12c capable of fitting into a recess 8. The base 10 includes a trapezoidal opening for the body of a pin connector, or an angled face part for a BNC connector. The mounting plate and spacers are inserted from the rear of the support plate 1. <IMAGE>

Description

MOUNTING OF ELECTRICAL OR LIKE ACCESSORIES This invention relates to the mounting of accessories such as electrical accessories, data outlets or telecommunication accessories, to a support plate.

Switches, sockets, fixed connections, fuse units, or circuit breakers are typical electrical accessories and may mounted in a plate of metal or rigid polymer. Such a plate may be itself attached over a cavity or protective box in a wall behind the plate in which cavity or box are located the necessary working parts and connecting wire, or like ends. Alternatively, the plate may extend over an opening in a trunking system containing and protecting all wires or other connecting units.

Other systems using optical fibres need to be interconnected and conventional systems for such interconnection have similarities of structure.

Morever, data transfer links or telecommunication links and the like all need interconnection units capable of ready assembly.

Various accessories used are of different shapes and sizes (each therefore conventionally requiring a different design of support plate) and it has recently been proposed to provide a range of accessories fabricated with a surround of uniform width and height (or a modular submultiple of such widths) to fit within similarly standard apertures in the plate or trunking or opening.

British Patent application 2194395A of M.K.Electric Limited describes for example a support plate with a rectangular opening into which a similarly sized rectangular surround with barbed prongs, and mounting one of the range of suitable accessories, is fitted by pressure from outside so that the prongs enter into an engaged non-return relationship within the assembly. It further describes the use of two such mountings, each half the width of the rectangular opening and each carrying a desired accessory for assembly side by side.

Their present invention is concerned with the production of a functionally related but differently designed support plates and mounted assemblies, for use in data, telecommunication or electrical interconnection of signal carried by wire, optical fibre or any other expedient.

In one aspect the invention consists in an accessory assembly which comprises: (a) a support plate, having an aperture therein surrounded by a rearwardly facing wall, with opposed wall portions possessing through recesses; (b) at least one mounting plate, located in the aperture, capable of having an accessory fixed through its base, for connection behind the mounting plate and the supporting plate and for further connection, or with an operating member, in front of the said plates, in which the mounting plate is surrounded by a rim comprising separately (a) resilient leaf formations each capable of mating with a respective through recess in the mounting plate wall and (b) outwardly extending lip portions capable of engaging with the rearwardly facing wall whereby the mounting plate can be pushed from behind into the aperture in the support plate until the lips thereon engage with the top of the rearwardly facing wall, and the leaf portions mate with the recess in the said wall.

Preferably, the support plate aperture is square or rectangular, with in one pair of opposed walls, usually the top and bottom walls, a line of through recesses, each recess typically being an elongate slot. The mating leaves are defined tongues with, on one face at the free tongue end, a projection across the tongue to enter the respective recess. Preferably, moreover, the lips are outwardly turned end walls of the mounting plate and are received into a suitable respective recess at the top of the support plate aperture rearwardly facing wall.

The mounting plate may occupy the whole of the support plate aperture, or the aperture can include two or more such mounting plates1 optionally with 'blank' spacing modules.

In such an assembly, and for reasons discussed below the rim of the mounting plate is relatively deep i.e.

from 11 to 15 mms, preferably about 13 mms. This is deeper than conventional.

A typical electrical accessory for mounting on such an assembly is a multi-pin electrical connector which is wired up at the back; generally received within a hole in the base of the mounting plate; and thereafter secured with mounting and support plates externally coplanar by pushing the mounting plate into the support plate aperture.

Another valuable form of the invention utilises a mounting plate configured to present a recess with an inclined base through which a BNC connector is secured prior to assembly of the mounting plate within the support plate.

In the practice of the invention the plate can be secured over a cavity in a wall, or alternatively over or within an opening in the front surface of trunking structures themselves containing electrical, computer, data or telecommunication links of wire, printed circuit, optical fibre or the like.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows by way of example the general assembly of a support plate, an accessory mounting plate and two modular spacers, from the back; Figure 2 shows the partially assembled combination of Fig. 1 from the front; Figure 3 shows on an enlarged scale the details of a clip construction utilised in the assembly; Figure 4 shows from the front an accessory secured to a suitable mounting plate; Figure 5 is a medial vertical cross-section through Fig.4; Figure 6 shows from the front a different type of accessory secured to a variant form of mounting plate; and Figure 7 is a medial vertical cross-section through Fig.6.

Figure 1 shows from the back a support plate 1, an accessory mounting plate 2 and two modular spacers 3.

All these components are moulded from a rigid polymer.

The support plate 1 has a rectangular central aperture 4 and a peripheral surrounding rim 5. About the edge of the central aperture 4 is a second upstanding rim 6, generally rather higher than rim 5.

More specifically, its side walls 6a are higher than its top and bottom walls 6b because of recesses 6c.

Integral collars 7 are provided for the assembly to be screwed to the wall or other substrate. Along each of the top and bottom walls 6a is a line of spaced through recesses 8.

The mounting plate 2, and spacers 3, are shown prior to assembly in Figure 1. As will become more apparent below, they could alternatively be replaced by a single mounting plate 2 sized to fit aperture 4, or by two mounting plates 2 side by side, or by such other aperture/mounting plate/spacer combination as may conveniently fit together on a modular basis. Thus, the arrangement shown is not limiting on the broad scope of the invention.

The mounting plate 2 itself is also in the form of a small rectangular tray with a peripheral wall 9, comprising two long wall portions 9a and two short wall portions 9b, integral with and surrounding a mounting base 10, as discussed in more detail below. The wall portions 9a (at least at their end regions) are of the same height as support plate side wall portions 6a.

They can if desired be of uniform height throughout their respective lengths, as shown for example at the unassembled spacer module 3 in Figure 2.

The mounting plate 2 possesses, at the top and bottom, respective outwardly extending lips 11, the outward extension being equivalent to the thickness of support plate end wall portions 6b, and the lip 11 thickness being equivalent to the depth of recess 6c.

Thus the height of wall portion 9b of the wall 9 is equivalent to that of wall portion 6b of the support plate.

The end wall portion 9b is in each case configured with two resilient leaves 12. Each leaf is defined beneath two parallel slits 12a and end slit 12b, and is generally thinner than the wall, so that it can flex about its secured end beneath lip 11. Across its free end it possesses an integral projecting retainer stop 12c capable of fitting into one of the recesses 8. The cross-sectional view given in Fig.3 shows the leaf configuration, and its cooperation with recess 8, in more detail.

Each modular spacer 3 can most easily be understood as a half-width mounting plate without, however, the need to mount any accessory. The features of such spacers 3 are accordingly numbered as for the plates 2 but with a prime superscript e.g. wall 9', lip 11' etc.

Figs 4 and 5 shows a mounting plate 2 through which is bolted a 15-pin D-connector 13.

The base 10 is formed with a generally trapezoidal opening 10a, is being understood that a longer opening can be used for an otherwise similar 25-pin connector, or a shorter opening for a 9-pin connector. Into this is fitted the trapezoidal body 14 of the connector housing, with the usual connector wires, not shown, attached to the inner face 14a, and the connector elements (not shown) arranged on the outer face 14b.

Fixed around the trapezoidal body 14, somewhat closer to face 14a and parallel thereto is a rectangular fixing plate 15. The respective end regions 16 of this plate are apertured, and at each end a threaded jack post 17 passes via washer 17a, respective end region 16 (by its aperture), through the mounting plate base 10 and into conventional fixing washers and nuts 17b, 17c and 17d.

The design as exemplified in Figs 1 to 5 separates two functions previously effected by the same element, namely (i) location of the mounting plate 2 or module 3 flush with its external surround and (ii) retention of plate 2 or module 3 against casual stresses on the connector.

Hitherto, as shown for example in GB Application 2194395, such connections have been made up on the mounting plate and then pushed into place from outside, on to and through a fixed support plate, past the non-return location of resilient prongs. The prongs thus serve to locate the mounting plate flush with its surround and also as 'non-return' fixing elements.

In the present invention the mounting plate, with its accessory wired into connection, is pressed home from the back of the support plate. The leaves 12, and associated recesses 8 click together to locate the mounting plate 2 flush with support plate 1. However, resistance to outward movement of the plate is effected by lips 11 fitting at top and bottom into recesses 6c.

This gives a sturdier construction than hitherto, with extensive mechanical interengagement of non-flexible elements 11 and 6c to resist pulling-out of the unit, while maintaining good flush appearance by leaf elements 12 and recesses 8.

To accommodate this additional and separated structure it is necessary to have somewhat deeper wall 9 and, in consequence, a deeper wall 5, than hitherto practised. It has been thought that, at best, no advantage was to be gained by deepening these walls and indeed that there might be some advantage in keeping the space behind the support plate 1 more unencumbered.

However, we have found two related advantages in the deeper rim structure necessary to separate the flush latching and retaining functions.

Firstly, the rings 5 and 9 are stiffer, deeper and more protective of the more or less fragile component e.g. connector 13. This is of advantage in assembly and use. The detailed design also permits the mounting plate 2 and spaces 3 to be firmly held and pressed home one at a time without involving the others, and the consequent cover plate assembly to be handled firmly as a unit.

Secondly, there are novel configurational possibilities for the mounting plate, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

These figures show a mounting plate 102, configured as shown in Figs 1 - 3 except for its mounting base 110. In this base, instead of a simple shaped holding aperture (as e.g. 10a in Fig.5) there is formed a recessed area 120 of V-shaped profile, having a longer upper wall 121, a shorter lower wall 122 at right angles thereto, and flat side walls 123.

Such a configuration can be used in the manner shown in Fig.7 to mount a BNC connector 124. For such an assembly a suitably sized circular aperture is provided in the wall 121, and a connector 124 of circular cross-section, suitably wired up, is fixed therein by the conventional washer 124a and screw 124b. The mounted connector can be fixed to the support plate as described in relation to Figs 1,2 and 3.

Since the connector is angled, it projects less.

Moreover, the weight of the connecting wires is better supported and does not tend to stress the connector out of its desired orientation. The consequence is that the assembly is resistant to casual unintentional disconnection.

The principle of the connector can be utilised over a range of sizes. Nonetheless, conventional equipment is made in standard sizes, and we have found that a rim height for rim 9 is suitably from 11-15 mm, e.g. 13 mm.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. An accessory assembly which comprises: (a) a support plate, having an aperture therein surrounded by a rearwardly facing wall, with opposed wall portions possessing through recesses; (b) at least one mounting plate, located in the aperture, capable of having an accessory fixed through its base, for connection behind the mounting plate and the supporting plate and for further connection, or provided with an operating member, in front of the said plates, in which the mounting plate is surrounded by a rim comprising separately (a) resilient leaf formations each capable of mating with a respective through recess in the mounting plate wall and (b) outwardly extending lip portions capable of engaging with the rearwardly facing wall whereby the mounting plate can be pushed from behind into the aperture in the support plate until the lips thereon engage with the top of the rearwardly facing wall, and the leaf portions mate with the recess in the said wall.

2. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the support plate aperture is square or rectangular, with a line of through recesses in one pair of opposed walls

3. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 1 with a line of through elongate slots in the opposed top and bottom walls of the support plate aperture.

4. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the mating leaf formations are defined tongues with, on one face at the free tongue end, a projection across the tongue to enter the respective recess.

5. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the said lips are outwardly turned end walls of the mounting plate and are received into a suitable respective recess at the top of the support plate aperture rearwardly facing wall.

6. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the mounting plate occupies the whole of the support plate aperture.

7. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the aperture includes two or more mounting plates.

8. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the rim of the mounting plate is from 11 to 15 mms, preferably about 13 mms in depth.

9. An accessory as claimed in any one preceding claim further comprising a multi-pin electrical connector which is wired up at the back; generally received within a hole in the base of the mounting plate; and thereafter secured with mounting and support plates externally coplanar by pushing the mounting plate into the support plate aperture.

10. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 in which the mounting plate is configured to present a recess with an inclined base through which a BNC connector is secured prior to assembly of the mounting plate within the support plate.