IE20080593A1 - A cable duct attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

An attachment for a pole retention system is described, the attachment used to accomodate both the passage of cable ducting into the interior of a pole housed in the retention system, as well as to allow the transit of cable ducting through the housing when there is reduced surface depthwithin which to operate, e.g bridges. The attachment has a plurality of access channels, allowing the routing of different cable ducts through the attachment. The attachment can easily rotated through 360 degrees relative to the pole retention system, to provide for greater flexibility of install

Description

The present invention relates to a cable duct attachment, more particularly to a cable duct attachment... adapted to couple to a device for retaining a pole.

Background to the Invention I Si It is known to provide devices that can be installed in a road or pavement surface that are adapted to receive a pole. With reference to Fig. 1, the Applicant's pending Irish Patent Application No. S2006/0401 discloses a modular device 50 for supporting a pole. The device 50 comprises a primary housing 52. A pole is placed within a chamber 54 in the housing 52, and is secured into place in the device 50 through the tightening of setscrews 56 in the chamber 58 against the surface of the pole itself. Access to the setscrews 56 is provided via a side chamber 58 adjacent the chamber 54 for receipt of the pole. Through use of the device 50 (also called a pole retention system), the installation and removal of such poles at a site is greatly simplified, as it eliminates the need for the excavation and accurate vertical alignment necessary for traditional installation of a pole in the ground.

An advantage of the pole retention system disclosed in Irish Patent Application No. S2006/0401 is that the device is modular in construction. The chamber 54 is formed as part of a through-bore that extends through to the base of the primary housing 52. The primary housing 52 further comprises a coupling portion 60 located adjacent the opening of the through-bore at the base of the primary housing 52. The coupling portion 60 is adapted to receive further modular ’Wmponerrt2^sTJT™ffl^^evice 50. In the device shown in Fig. 1, ί the coupling portion 60 receives a riser 62 that is further connected to a secondary housing 64, in this case a t-bend base unit, with a plurality of reinforcing struts 66 located between the primary and secondary housings 52,64. The use of the modular configuration allows for the ultimate depth of the device 50 to be varied, dependent on the length of riser 62 that is used. The adjustable depth of the device 50 can be used to adequately accommodate and support poles of different length.

In modern road bridges, for motorways, dual carriageways, etc., the ultimate depth of the bridge span surface is quite shallow when compared to the corresponding depth available for ground-based road surfaces. However, the same amount of utilities, e.g. drainage, water supply, electrical wiring, communications links etc. must be provided within the limited space. As a result of this restriction, it is desired to maximise the available space. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an attachment for a pole retention system that facilitates the interface of the pole retention system with a suitable utility system.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, there is provided an attachment for a pole retention system, the pole retention system having a chamber to receive a pole and a coupling portion at the base of said chamber, the attachment comprising: a housing defining an internal chamber, the housing having at least one pair of access channels extending from the exterior of the housing to the internal chamber; and an engaging collar for engaging the coupling portion of the pole retention system and providing communication between the pole retention system and the internal chamber; wherein the access channels of the pair are adjacent one another on one side of said housing, and wherein the attachment is adapted to rotate relative to the pole retention system.

Preferably, the housing comprises a generally rectangular container, the attachment comprising a first and second pair of access channels, each pair of access channels being located on opposite sides of the housing container, wherein the access channels of the first pair are in register with the access channels of the second pair.

Preferably, the attachment is provided as a pair of substantially identical half portions, the half portions secured together by securing means.

Preferably, the engaging collar comprises a circular collar having an engaging shoulder defined thereon.

Detailed Description of the Invention An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art pole retention system; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cable duct attachment according to the invention; Fig. 3(a) is a front elevation view of a half portion of the cable duct attachment of Fig. 2; Fig. 3(b) is a top plan view of the half portion of the cable duct attachment of Fig. 2; Fig. 3(c) is a side elevation view of the half portion of the cable duct attachment of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a side perspective view of the cable duct attachment of Fig. 2 coupled to a pole retention system.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 3, a cable duct attachment is indicated generally at 10. The attachment 10 comprises a housing 12 formed in two identical halves 12a,12b. The housing halves 12a,12b each comprise a generally rectangular base surface 14, having a major wall 18 projecting from one of the major edges of the base surface 14, orthogonal to the base surface 14, with a pair of minor walls 16 projecting from the opposed minor edges of the base surface 14 adjacent the major wall edge, orthogonal to the base surface 14. When the housing halves 12a,12b are assembled, the major and minor walls 16,18 of each half act to form a generally square chamber within the housing 12.

A pair of through-going cylindrical channels 20a,20b are defined on the surface of the major wall 18 external to the chamber. The channels 20a,20b are defined by a pair of adjacent cylindrical collars 22a,22b. The collars 22a,22b project from the external surface of the major wall 18. The channels 20a,20b provide access into the chamber formed within the housing 12.

The housing sections 12a,12b further comprise a semi-circular collar section 24, the collar section 24 formed at the free ends of the major wall 18 and the minor walls 16. The collar section 24 comprises a semi-circular collar wall 26. The centre-point of the circle defined by the collar wall 26 is located directly above the midpoint of the free major edge of the base surface 14.

The collar wall 26 comprises a first wall section 26a located on an imaginary circle having a first radius Rl, a second wall section 26b located on another imaginary circle having a second radius R2, R2 being less than Rl, and an engaging shoulder 26c located between the first and second wall sections 26a,26b, at the midpoint of the collar wall 26.

The collar section 24 further comprises a lip 28 that projects from the base of the first wall section 26a parallel to the base surface 14. The lip 28 is perpendicular to the minor walls 16 and the major wall 18, and extends a distance from the walls over the base surface 14.

When the housing halves 12a,12b are assembled, the semicircular collar sections 24 of the two halves combine to form a circular coupling collar for the housing 12, the collar defining a through-going aperture for access to the interior of the chamber formed in the housing 12 defined by the lip 28. The engaging shoulder 26c abuts against a lip (not shown) present in the coupling portion 60 of the primary housing 52 of the pole retention system 50.

The housing sections 12a,12b further comprise a pair of lugs 30 to receive a nut-and-bolt arrangement 32 to secure the halves 12a,12b together. The lugs 30 are located at the end of the minor walls 16 adjacent the collar section 24, projecting from the external surface of the minor walls 16, the lugs 30 projecting parallel to the major wall 18.

It will be understood that the cable duct attachment 10 may further comprise a plurality of frangible breakout portions (not shown). The breakout portions are located over the channels 20a,20b defined by the cylindrical collars 22a,22b. The breakout portions may be easily punched-out in order to allow access to the particular channel. Use of the breakout portions allows any of the unused channels 20a,20b to remain jf " f ' 'f s ί #08(3593 blocked in the absence of cables entering those channels, thereby preventing the ingress of earth or other particles into the interior of the attachment.

Alternatively, the attachment may be provided with a plurality of secure caps or plugs that may be used to seal the channels 20a,20b.

Turning to Fig. 4, the cable duct attachment 10 is shown coupled to the primary housing 52 of the pole retention system 50 shown in Fig. 4. The collar section 24 is operable to couple to the coupling portion 60 of the primary housing 52, so that the cable duct attachment 10 can be swivelled in place on the pole retention system 50. A network of cable ducts can be put in place between adjacent pole retention systems, the cable ducts linking between the cylindrical channels 20a,20b found on each cable duct attachment 10.

The use of the cable duct attachment 10 allows for power and communication cables to be routed through the pole retention system 50, whether for access to the interior of a pole that is supported in the system, or simply for running through the housing in a situation where there is reduced depth for running cables through.

The positioning of the cylindrical channels 22a,22b adjacent one another on the major walls 18 of the housing halves 12a,12b, with the channels 22a,22b on either side of the chamber defined by the housing 12, allows for greater flexibility when it is desired to pass cables through a pole retention system. For example, using the cable duct attachment of the invention, a single cable may be passed into the interior of the attachment (and by extension the pole retention system), a cable may be passed through a first channel, looped around inside the attachment and passed out via the adjacent channel, or a plurality of cables may be gathered together within the attachment to collect into one larger cable.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

Claims

1. An attachment for a pole retention system, the pole retention system having a chamber to receive a pole and a 5 coupling portion at the base of said chamber, the attachment comprising: a housing defining an internal chamber, the housing having at least one pair of access channels extending from the exterior of the housing to the internal chamber; and 10 an engaging collar for engaging the coupling portion of the pole retention system and providing communication between the pole retention system and the internal chamber; wherein the access channels of the pair are adjacent one another on one side of said housing, and wherein the attachment is 15 adapted to rotate relative to the pole retention system.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment comprises two of said pairs of access channels, a respective first and second pairs of access channels being 20 located on opposite sides of the housing, wherein the access channels of the first pair are in register with the access channels of the second pair.

3. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein 25 the attachment is provided as a pair of substantially identical half portions, the half portions secured together by securing means.

4. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein 30 the engaging collar comprises a circular collar having an engaging shoulder defined thereon.

5. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment further comprises a sealing means, the sealing means comprising at least one member operable to releasably seal at least one of said access channels.

6. An attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein 5 at least one frangible seal is provided in at least one of said access channels.

7. An attachment, substantially as herein described with reference to, or with reference to and as illustrated in,

8. 10 Figs. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.