Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings – With electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-03-27
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
With electrical device
C220S003940, C439S535000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06207895
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to wall mounted communications apparatus that require connection to both communication conductors and general conductors that are connected to a source of line current, such as a typical branch circuit having overload protection.
PROBLEM
It is a problem in the field of wall mounted communications equipment to provide connections to both communications conductors and electrical conductors in an efficient manner as well as providing subscriber mobility within a reasonable proximity to the wall mounted wireless telephone station set. A typical wall mounted communications equipment is a wall mounted wireless telephone station set, which requires connections to the telephone line as well as to an electrical outlet.
The wall mounted wireless telephone station set eliminates the need for a long telephone cord which tethers the subscriber to the wall mounted wireless telephone station set. The need for subscriber mobility in many environments, such as: kitchen, shop area, garage, retail location, and the like, has traditionally resulted in the use of a long telephone cord to enable the subscriber to move a distance away from the wall mounted wireless telephone station set without interrupting the telephone conversation. However, a disadvantage of the long telephone cord is that it tends to become tangled in surrounding furniture and interferes with the movement of others around the subscriber without becoming tangled in the telephone cord. Furthermore, the long telephone cord has a propensity to become twisted and knotted over time, requiring the subscriber to disconnect the telephone cord from the wall mounted wireless telephone station set to straighten the telephone cord to its original orientation, if possible.
However, while the wireless telephone station set eliminates the need for a long telephone cord, the typical installation of a wall mounted wireless telephone station set requires connections to both the telephone line as well as to an electrical outlet. This requirement entails the use of a standard electrical box mounted in the wall approximately 1.5-2.0 meters above the floor, which standard electrical box serves to provide fixtures for mounting the telephone station set to the wall as well as providing access to the telephone line. Unfortunately, the electrical connection for the wall mounted telephone station set consists of a transformer that is designed to plug directly into an electrical outlet. The transformer is therefore plugged into the nearest electrical outlet, typically located approximately ⅓ meter above the floor, and the conductor carrying cable from the transformer is run along the wall to the wall mounted wireless telephone station set where the plug which terminates the cable is plugged into a jack on the wall mounted wireless telephone station set. While this installation is operable to provide the wall mounted wireless telephone station set with access to both communications conductors and electrical conductors, the transformer occupies an available electrical outlet and prevents its use for other appliances, while also resulting in the cable being draped along the wall, where it can be snagged and the transformer accidently pulled loose or the cable damaged.
Thus, the wall mounted wireless telephone station set is a great advantage for use in many applications, such as a kitchen or workshop, where long telephone cords are problematic, but suffers from the lack of some mechanism to provide connections to both communications conductors and electrical conductors in an efficient manner.
SOLUTION
The above described problems are solved and a technical advance achieved by the present device box for wall mounted communication equipment which functions to provide connections for communications conductors and electrical conductors as well as a housing to receive a power transformer, with the installation of the device box for wall mounted communication equipment capable of being mounted flush with a wall surface. The device box for wall mounted communication equipment comprises a box of sufficient size to receive: electrical conductors, which are terminated on an electrical outlet contained within the box; communications conductors which are terminated on a telephone jack; space to receive a transformer to interconnect the wireless telephone station set with the electrical outlet; and features that serve to mount the wireless telephone station set to the device box for wall mounted communication equipment. An optional cover plate can be provided in one embodiment of the device box for wall mounted communication equipment to enclose the transformer when it is installed in the electrical outlet contained within the device box for wall mounted communication equipment.
The dimensions of the present device box for wall mounted communication equipment can be selected to conform to a number of configurations, with one limiting factor being the need to enclose the transformer for the wall mounted wireless telephone station set, and a second limiting factor being the space required within the device box for wall mounted communication equipment to install the necessary electrical conductors, electrical outlet and communication conductors in a manner to comply with typical electrical building codes that are promulgated by the appropriate regulatory agencies.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2028509 (1936-01-01), Knell
patent: 5114365 (1992-05-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 5230552 (1993-07-01), Schipper et al.
patent: 5486650 (1996-01-01), Yetter
patent: 5491902 (1996-02-01), Uhrin et al.
patent: 5574256 (1996-11-01), Cottone
patent: 5594207 (1997-01-01), Fabian et al.
patent: 5621788 (1997-04-01), Eiken
patent: 5659650 (1997-08-01), Arnett
patent: 5934917 (1999-08-01), Haut
patent: 6051785 (2000-04-01), Baldwin et al.
Duft, Graziano & Forest, PC
Kincaid Kristine
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Patel Dhiru R
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