GB2264816A

GB2264816A - Mounting electrical or other accessories

Info

Publication number: GB2264816A
Application number: GB9203194A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin G S Hubbard
Original assignee: Marshall C & C Ltd
Current assignee: Marshall C & C Ltd
Priority date: 1992-02-14
Filing date: 1992-02-14
Publication date: 1993-09-08
Also published as: GB9203194D0

Abstract

A modular plate M of rectangular shape, width W and height H, in the form of a traylike member with a surrounding rim has extending out of the recess of this traylike member two upper and two lower prongs, each terminating in a retaining barb member. The plate M can constitute a mounting plate for carrying eg. a standard multipin connector 9, using fixing bolts 10 and 11, or a halt width spacer plate or double width banking plate. Such modules are mounted against a support plate 15 having a rearwardly projecting rim 16, a major aperture 17 defined by a rearwardly extending rim 18 and four fixing holes 20 and two orifices 21 for attaching plate 15 to a post of an accessory box. Aperture 17 is slightly less than twice W in width, and slightly less than H in height. The modules cover the aperture 17 and are held by their barbs 7 passing through aperture 17 or additional slots. A cover plate has a square surround 22, with a rectangular central aperture of 2 x W and height H defined by a rearwardly extending rim and has rearwardly extending resilient barbed prongs 25, 26 engaging the holes 20 in the support plate 15. <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 andmay 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.

The invention in one aspect consists in an accessory assembly which comprises: (A) a support plate configured for screw-fixing to an underlying box or trunking and possessing a front face with (i) a generally central aperture (ii) straight parallel upper and lower aperture edges and (iii) a plurality of holes spaced about marginal regions of the plate;; (B) one or more mounting plates spacer plates, or blanking plates, each of the same uniform height, greater than the spacing of the said parallel aperture edges, and each of a uniform modular width or of a small integral multiple or submultiple of such width, the mounting plates comprising (i) a surrounding rearwardly extending peripheral rim of uniform height and (ii) flexible barbed upper and lower prong members extending beyond the height of the rim, located to assemble with the barbs of the prong members behind the respective parallel upper and lower aperture edges and with the rim resting at least in part on the support plate front face, and (C) a cover plate having (i) a rectangular generally central aperture of the same uniform height as the mounting plate(s), spacer plate(s) and blanking plate(s) and of the same, or a small integral multiple of the modular width (ii) a plurality of rearwardly extending barbed resilient prongs located to assemble one in each of the holes spaced about marginal regions of the support plate and held therein by their barbs, with the aperture of the coverplate then containing the mounting, spacer or blanking plate(s) and (iii) a spacing member which or such assembly lies on the support plate to support the cover plate front surface generally coplanar with the front surface(s) of the assembled mounting, spacer or blanking plates.

The support plate is usually rectangular, and typically comprises a rectangular generally central aperture, the upper and lower defining edges of which constitute the parallel upper and lower aperture edges; but the man skilled in the art will be able to envisage other arrangements, e.g a smaller central aperture and separate aperture slots to provide the necessary parallel edges.

The central aperture, which may comprise a high proportion of the cover plate area, is preferably surrounded at the back with a rim of uniform height on the outer edge of which the respective mounting, spacer or blanking plate barbs engage. Such a rim, of the same uniform height, may also extend back from the support plate periphery. Typically there are four holes in the support plate, spaced one towards each corner, to accommodate the prongs of the cover plate the barbs of which can also engage the aperture rim edge.

The mounting plate usually defines the modular width. It can be apertured to receive a multipin connection or a BNC connector; in this latter case the face of the mounting plate can comprises a recess exhibiting two walls at an angle, to give an inclined mounting area such that the BNC connector axis is directed up or down. The spacer plates are usually of half modular width, and a single blanking plate of twice modular width.

The cover plate aperture is typically of twice modular width so that two mounting plates, or one such and two spacers, or one blanking plate can be accommodated. Again, it preferably comprises four spaced barbed prongs to fit four holes in the support plate. The spacing member is preferably a rim of uniform height about the aperture and extending rearwardly from the cover plate.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 show respectively a perspective view, a back view, a vertical medial section, and a front view of a modular mounting plate carrying an electrical accessory; Figures 5, 6. 7 and 8 show respectively a perspective view, back view, vertical medial section, and front view of a different form of modular mounting plate, in this case without its electrical accessory; Figures 9 and 10 show respectively a vertical medial section and a front view of a spacer module; Figure 11 shows in front view a blanking module; Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 show respectively a perspective view, back view, front view, and transverse medial section of a support plate for the modular plates shown in Figures 1 to 11;; Figures 16, 17, 18 and 19 show respectively a perspective view, front view, vertical medial section, and transverse medial section of a cover plate dimensioned to fit over the support plate and its supported modules; Figures 20 and 21 show respectively one modular plate and two modular plates each as shown in Figure 1, carried upon the support plate; Figure 22 shows in perspective two modular plates carried on a support plate overlain with a cover plate as shown in Figure 16; Figures 23 and 24 show front views respectively of Figure 22 and of a similar assembly but carrying only one electrical accessory and two spacer modules; Figure 25 shows in perspective a cover plate covering an assembly of two modular plates as shown in figure 5; and Figure 26 shows a front view of Figure 24.

The general nature of the assembly in accordance with the present invention is that one or two modular mounting plates as shown either in Figure 1 or in Figure 5 are mounted to a support plate as shown in Figure 12, either side by side or (if only one modular plate is used) with the use of modular spacing plates as shown in Figure 10 of half the width of the mounting plate.

Alternatively, a blanking plate as shown in Figure 11 of twice the width of the mounting plate can be mounted on the support plate. Around these modular units is attached a cover plate as shown in Figure 16, so as to give an assembly in which the cover plate is flush with the surface of the support modules as shown in Figures 22 or 25.

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a modular mounting plate M of rectangular shape, of module width W and of a standard height H. It is in the form of a traylike member 1 with a surrounding rim at 2, cut away top and bottom at 3 and 4. Extending out of the recess of this traylike member are four projections or resilient barbed prongs, the upper projections being a referenced at 5 and the lower projections at 6. Each of these projections terminate in a retaining barb member 7. An elongate aperture 8 is formed in the modular mounting plate and within this is fixed a standard multipin connector 9, using fixing bolts 10 and 11 in a conventional fashion as described for example in our copending application of even date.

A different type of modular mounting plate is shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, again in the form of a traylike member of width W and height H. Again, this modular plate is provided with the projections 5 and 6, barbed at 7. The front face of this module is formed with a recess 12 defined by two surfaces 13, 14 at right angles. As shown in the Figures, no accessory is mounted on the modular plate, but it is envisaged that a mounting aperture will be cut or formed in one or other such surface (usually the larger surface 14) whereby a suitable accessory such as a BNC connector can be located in the aperture and attached to the surrounding mounting plate by methods well known in themselves and again as described in our copending application of even date.

Figures 9 and 10 show a modular spacer plate. This is of the full module height H, but only half of the modular width W. It is again in the form of a traylike structure possessing the surrounding rim 2 and has only one upper and lower barbed prong member, 5 and 6 respectively.

Figure 11 shows in front view only a blanking plate B. This has a width of twice the modular width W, and has the standard modular height H. Although the blanking module is not shown in detail, it is exactly analogous with the other traylike modules, and possesses the usual prong projections 5 and 6 in upper and lower edges respectively, terminating in barbs as shown in respect of the other modules.

In use such modules as described in figures 1 to 11 are mounted against a support plate.

A typical support plate is shown in figures 12, 13, 14 and 15. It consists of an essentially square member 15 with a surrounding and rearwardly projecting rim 16.

The front of the tray is largely occupied by a major aperture 17, again defined by a rearwardly extending rim 18. Through the front surface 19 of the support plate are located four fixing holes 20 the nature of which will be described in more detail below, and two circular orifices 21 through which the support plate 15 can be attached to a conventional post of a switch box located at a wall cavity or in a suitable region of a length of trunking.

The major aperture 17 of the support plate is slightly less than twice W in width, and slightly less than H in height. It is intended, as described in more detail below, that the modules shall not sit within this orifice but shall cover the aperture and be held by the barbs 7 against the rear edge of the rim 18 surrounding aperture, at its parallel top and bottom edges.

A cover plate 22 is shown in figures 16, 17, 18 and 19. It is again in the form of a externally square surround 23, with a rectangular central aperture 24. A rearwardly extending rim 24a defines this rectangular aperture 24, and rearwardly extending resilient prongs or projections such as 25, 26 each carrying a barb 27 are spaced toward the corners of this rectangular aperture so as to correspond in spacing and position to the holes 20 in the support plate 15.

In use the mounting or other module M, S or B such as shown in Figures 1, 5, 10 or 11 is selected and presented to the orifice in the support plate in such a way that the projections 5 and 6 flex and then clip into place by virtue of their barbs 7 behind the edge of the top and bottom lengths of the upstanding rim 18 defining the aperture 17. The modules therefore stand above the support plate 15 (see Fig.20), and the dimensions are such that either one mounting module can be used, and flanked by two spacer modules (Fig.24), or that two mounting modules M can be used as actually shown in Figure 22 and 23.An alternative arrangement could include the use of four spacer modules 5 to blank off an opening, but it is envisaged that a specific blanking module B shall be provided where the need is found for such temporary or permanent blanking off of an otherwise available connection facility. Such a blanking module B is shown in Figure 11 and again can fit so as to lie against the support plate 15 of Figure 12.

Once the desired mixture of modules is in place, the cover plate 22 is pressed so that its projections 25, 26 enter the holes of the support plate 15 and so that its barbs 27 again catch behind the support plate. At this point, because the thickness of the cover plate, as defined by the height of the rim 24a defining its central aperture, is the same as the thickness of the various modules the respective front faces are flush with one another. The final arrangement is as shown, for example, in Figures 22 to 26 in their various views.

It will be understood that in practice it is not usual to mount the two modules as shown in Figures 5 to 8 side by side in the different modes as shown in figures 24 and 25. However, either module can be mounted either way, even though it is more common to mount them in the same orientation.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An accessory assembly which comprises: (A) a support plate configured for screw-fixing to an underlying box or trunking and possessing a front face with (i) a generally central aperture (ii) straight parallel upper and lower aperture edges and (iii) a plurality of holes spaced about marginal regions of the plate;; (B) one or more mounting plates, spacer plates, or blanking plates, each of the same uniform height, greater than the spacing of the said parallel aperture edges, and each of a uniform modular width or of a small integral multiple or submultiple of such width, the mounting plates comprising (i) a surrounding rearwardly extending peripheral rim of uniform height and (ii) flexible barbed upper and lower prong members extending beyond the height of the rim, located to assemble with the barbs of the prong members behind the respective parallel upper and lower aperture edges and with the rim resting at least in part on the support plate front face, and (C) a cover plate having (i) a rectangular generally central aperture of the same uniform height as the mounting plate(s), spacer plate(s) and blanking plate(s) and of the same, or a small integral multiple of the modular width (ii) a plurality of rearwardly extending barbed resilient prongs located to assemble one in each of the holes spaced about marginal regions of the support plate and held therein by their barbs, with the aperture of the coverplate then containing the mounting, spacer or blanking plate(s) and (iii) a spacing member which or such assembly lies on the support plate to support the cover plate front surface generally coplanar with the front surface(s) of the assembled mounting, spacer or blanking plates.

2. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the support plate is rectangular, and comprises a rectangular generally central aperture, the upper and lower defining edges of which constitute the parallel upper and lower aperture edges.

3. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the central aperture is surrounded at the back with a rim of uniform height on the outer edge of which the respective mounting, spacer or blanking plate barbs engage.

4. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which a rim of the same uniform height extends back from the support plate periphery.

5. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which there are four holes in the support plate, spaced one towards each corner, to accommodate the prongs of the cover plate.

6. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the mounting plate width is the modular width.

7. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the mounting plate is apertured to receive a multipin connection.

8. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the mounting plate is apertured to receive a BNC connector.

9. An accessory assembly as claimed in claim 8 in which the face of the mounting plate comprises a recess exhibiting two walls at an angle, to give an inclined mounting area such that the BNC connector axis is directed up or down.

10. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the spacer plates are of half modular width, and a single blanking plate is of twice modular width.

11. An accessory assembly as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10 in which the cover plate aperture is of twice modular width so that two mounting plates, or one such and two spacers, or one blanking plate can be accommodated.

12. An accessory assembly as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the cover plate comprises four spaced barbed prongs to fit four holes in the support plate.