Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – Support brackets
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-03
2002-10-08
Martin, David S. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
Support brackets
C312S223200, C211S026000, C248S027100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06462961
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to modular electronic equipment housing assemblies, and more particularly to mounting equipment and brackets for such modular electronic equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most modern electronic equipment for home and business use is packaged in modular housings. This modularization gives consumers and businesses maximum flexibility in constructing overall systems that fit their particular needs. Particularly in the business environment, the availability of component electronic equipment allows for custom configuration of various functional components to form an overall customized system of equipment to suit the particular needs and requirements of that particular business. Such modularization also allows a business to select components from various manufacturers based on the performance of a particular vendor for the particular functional type of equipment needed. It is not uncommon for a business to select various electronic components from different manufacturers based on the performance, reliability, and cost of the individual vendors for each particular functional piece of equipment required in the overall system. As a result, many customized systems utilized in modern business include functional components manufactured by different companies, and integrated into a single operational system.
Once the individual pieces of electronic component equipment have been purchased, it is common for them to be housed in a single electronic rack or cabinet, providing the company's personnel with organized access to the front panels of such equipment. This modular component equipment is typically secured within the rack-mount housing or cabinet via screws or bolts that couple mounting holes provided as an integrated feature of the front or side panel of the equipment's housing to like mounting holes provided in the front side rails of the rack-mount cabinet or housing.
While such rack-mounting of the modular electronic equipment provides significant advantages, the lack of a single standard for the size of the rack-mount cabinetry requires that component equipment manufacturers provide at least two different sizes of housings for their equipment. While other sizes may be available, typically rack-mount cabinets and enclosures are utilized in 19-inch and 23-inch rack-mounting configurations. Further, many telephone and telecommunication companies utilize mounting racks (known as “telco” racks) that have only two mounting rails positioned to attach to the middle of the side walls of the equipment mounted therein. In order for a manufacturer's equipment to be considered by businesses, the equipment manufacturers must ensure that they provide equipment compatible with whichever type of rack-mounting system the business utilizes. This often results in significant internal redesign of the electronic packaging, particularly for functional equipment that was originally designed for a 23-inch rack-mount housing to allow it to fit in a 19-inch rack-mount housing. Similarly, the electronic packaging design of equipment originally designed to be housed in a 19-inch rack-mount housing will need to undergo some amount of rework, at least with respect to the front panel, to provide a 23-inch and a telco rack-mount option. Additionally, regardless of the internal electronic packaging design changes necessitated by the three different physically sized housings, the inventory and logistic control of these three separate stock keeping units (SKUs) adds cost for the manufacturers.
While many businesses prefer to mount their modular electronic equipment in rack-mount cabinets or housings, other businesses prefer to have their electronic equipment provided in a tower-mounting arrangement. Since typical rack-mount equipment housings include the integrated mounting flanges as part of the front panel to allow the equipment to be secured in the rack-mount housing, such equipment requires yet another packaging design to provide a tower-mount option. This requires the manufacturer to maintain yet another SKU for the same functional piece of equipment. As with the requirement for three different sizes of rack-mount packaging, the additional inclusion of tower-mount housings increases the manufacturer's cost and inventory tracking requirements. While it may be possible merely to set the modular electronics on their side, this significantly increases the risk of damage to the electronic equipment since most such equipment does not provide an adequate base in relation to its height when set on its side.
In addition to rack-mounting and tower-mounting electronic component equipment, many businesses require that this equipment be capable of being mounted on a wall. In such a configuration, the housing for the modular electronic equipment must provide mounting flanges to secure the equipment on the wall. Since electronic equipment is typically fairly heavy, it is recommended that the equipment be secured to the wall studs. Unfortunately, the distance between such studs is not governed by a single building standard. Typically wall studs are placed at either 12, 16, or 18 inches apart. Such variation in building standards often results in non-compatibility of the mounting flanges of the electronic equipment, requiring custom mounting hardware to be built for that particular client's installation. This often results in increased cost for the business, as well as the increased cost associated for the manufacturer in offering and tracking and additional SKU for this mounting configuration for the same functional piece of equipment.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved single modular component that is capable of being mounted in multiple mounting configurations without requiring different housing and packaging designs. It is also an object of the invention to provide a universal mounting bracket for use with modular components that enables them to be mounted in multiple mounting configurations. These multiple mounting configurations preferably include mounting in standard 19 and 23 inch rack mount chassises, telephone company-type (telco) chassises, tower mounting, and wall mounting. Through the provision of the present invention businesses need only stock and track a single SKU regardless of their clients' mounting requirements, which significantly reduces inventory control costs and improves customer satisfaction.
In one embodiment of the invention, a modular component equipment assembly having universal mounting capability comprises a housing and a pair of universal mounting brackets. Each of the mounting brackets have a first portion and a second portion arranged in perpendicular relation to each other. The second portion is preferably wider than the first portion. This first portion defines a first set of bracket mounting holes, and the second portion defines a second set of bracket mounting holes. In this embodiment, the first portion of the universal mounting brackets may be attached to either side of the housing to form wide outward depending mounting flanges. The second set of bracket mounting holes are positioned on this second portion such that the distance between the second set of bracket mounting holes on each universal mounting bracket is adapted to align with external mounting holes on an external rack mount chassis. Further, when the second portion of the universal mounting brackets is attached to either side of the housing to form short outward depending mounting flanges, the first set of bracket mounting holes are positioned such that a distance between these bracket mounting holes on each universal mounting bracket is adapted to align with mounting holes on a smaller rack mount chassis.
The housing preferably defines two sets of mounting holes on two sides. In this embodiment the first portion of the bracket also defines a set of housing mounting holes that are adapted to align with one set of mounting holes of the housing. The sec
Davis George R.
Johnson Andrew B.
Priest Glenn A.
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
Lindinger Michael L.
Martin David S.
Powerware Corporation
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