Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-08-21
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S373000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276952
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed, in general, to electronics chasses and, more specifically, to a line cord retention bracket employable to secure a line cord to an electronics chassis and method of manufacturing and using such bracket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chasses are traditionally employed to encase and support electronic equipment, such as audio equipment, personal computers or television sets. Such electronic equipment requires electrical power to operate. A “line cord” is commonly employed to convey the necessary power from (typically) a wall outlet to the equipment.
In older equipment, line cords were permanently fixed (or “hard-wired”) to their respective pieces of electronic equipment. One conventional configuration called for the line cord to exit the chassis through a modest aperture of perhaps twice the diameter of the cord. A compliant grommet or plastic through-hole clamp was interposed between the line cord and the edge of the aperture to protect the insulation about the line cord from being cut on the edge. A strain relief knot (in the case of a grommet) or the through-hole clamp itself further functioned to prevent any pulling forces that may be exerted on the line cord from being transmitted to its termination within the chassis, and thus reducing the risk of harm to the equipment.
Although hard-wired line cords were not dramatically disadvantageous (and, for that reason, are still in wide use today), some problems were experienced. For example, cord management became an issue with longer line cords. If the electronic equipment was desired to be moved, something had to be done about the line cord; either it was hastily wrapped around the chassis or bundled and tied to keep it neat. Further, as hard-wired line cords aged, they became brittle and tended to fatigue, particularly where they met the grommet or through-hole clamp. Because they were hard-wired, workmanlike replacement meant opening the chassis, disconnecting (perhaps by unsoldering) the line cord from its electrical connections in the chassis, untying any strain relief knot or releasing the through-hole clamp (not usually trivial) and finally reversing these steps to install the new line cord.
To address these disadvantages, more expensive electronic equipment is provided with removable line cords. One popular configuration calls for a countersunk plug to be located on a wall of the chassis. A line cord having a plug on one end and an outlet on the other is then employed. The outlet end is coupled to the countersunk plug and the plug end is plugged into a wall outlet. One widely-used type of plug and outlet is called an “IEC” (International Electrotechnical Commission) connector. IEC connectors are described, for example, in IEC Standard 60320, which is incorporated herein by reference. Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize IEC connectors as being widely used in personal computers.
Unfortunately, removable line cords are not without their own problems. Perhaps the most common problem associated with using a removable line cord is the ease with which the line cord outlet can accidentally be separated from the plug on the chassis wall, having its most undesirable consequence when the equipment is being used. Separation may result if someone trips over a line cord or as the equipment itself is moved. Complete separation need not even occur; separation sufficient to break a single power connection to the chassis will interrupt the flow of current and cripple the equipment.
To address this problem, line cord retaining brackets were introduced. Today's line cord retaining brackets comprise a clamp that constricts about the body of the line cord outlet end. The clamp has two side-projecting flanges that, after the outlet is joined to the countersunk plug, are screwed to the chassis wall.
Although conventional line cord retaining brackets provide some benefits, they also bring some problems. First, conventional retaining brackets require multiple screws to affix the retaining brackets to the chassis wall. As a result, the task of coupling the retaining bracket to the chassis wall requires a screwdriver not only to clamp the bracket about the body of the line cord outlet, but also to mount the bracket to the chassis wall. Second, because the typical retaining bracket requires screws to hold it in position, the flanges must be large enough to accept the threads, and bear against the heads, of the mounting screws. As a result, conventional retaining brackets consume a significant amount of chassis wall area. As electronics chasses shrink, and their wall area is called upon to accommodate increasing numbers and sizes of features (such as switches, lights and cooling fans), the retaining bracket area penalty becomes evermore prominent.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a line cord retaining bracket that is faster and easier to couple to, and decouple from, a chassis wall, and occupies less area of the chassis wall, than those found in the prior art. In addition, what is needed in the art are methods of operating and manufacturing such retaining brackets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides, for use with an electronics chassis having a chassis plug mounted to a wall thereof, a retention bracket for securing an outlet end of a line cord to the chassis plug and methods of operating and manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, the bracket includes: (1) a strap that defines a receiver for accepting and surrounding a body of the outlet end, the strap terminating in first and second locking members projecting radially from the receiver and having corresponding alignable first and second strap apertures, (2) first and second chassis anchors projecting from the strap in a direction substantially parallel to a centerline of the receiver, the outlet end engageable with the chassis plug, the first and second chassis anchors lockable with the wall via corresponding chassis apertures therein, a brace projecting from the wall and having a brace aperture aligning with the first and second strap apertures and (3) a fastener, passable through the first strap aperture, the brace aperture and the second strap aperture to constrict the receiver and secure the body with respect to the strap, the first and second chassis apertures and the fastener cooperating to secure the retention bracket with respect to the wall and thereby the outlet end with the chassis plug.
The present invention therefore introduces the broad concept of engaging the wall of a chassis with a bracket in a fundamentally different way. Instead of requiring multiple fasteners to connect the bracket to the wall, space-efficient chassis anchors are used to lock with the wall and cooperate with a single fastener to secure the bracket to the wall. The present invention enjoys substantial utility in that it requires fewer fasteners and is therefore faster to secure and remove than prior art retention brackets and, in one embodiment, employs chassis anchors that require less chassis wall area than prior art mounting flanges.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the strap has a shape that conforms to a perimeter of the body. Conforming to the body perimeter advantageously increases the clamping effect of the strap on the body.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet end contains an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) connector. Of course, the broad scope of the present invention is not limited to a particular type, current rating or configuration of outlet or plug.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the strap comprises metal. The strap may alternatively comprise plastic or any other suitable material.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the second strap aperture is bounded by threads. In a related embodiment, the fastener is a single bolt. Alternatively, a separate nut may be used, or the first and second locking members may be held together by any other fastening or clamping
Ferranti Stephen A.
Siritanapivat Tavatchai
Zhang Joanne
LandOfFree
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