Electrical connectors – With supporting means for coupling part – Outlet box
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-09
2001-06-26
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With supporting means for coupling part
Outlet box
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250956
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical (including electronic) equipment and to the assembly thereof; and more particularly to electrical equipment and assembly thereof using such front-mounting electrical components as international electrical code (IEC) inlet (male) and outlet (female) connectors, switches (e.g., rocker switches), circuit breakers, panel lights and indicators that install into equipment chassis box walls from outside the box.
2. Background Discussion
The manufacture and assembly of a great many types of electrical equipment housed in chassis boxes (including other enclosures) use one or more electrical components that are installed into the chassis box from outside the box. Such front-mounting electrical components include, without limitation, IEC inlet and outlet connectors, switches, circuit breakers, panel lights and indicators that are constructed for easy and rapid snapping or insertion into chassis box cutouts.
After installation, these front-mounting electrical components have user-accessible or observable portions outside the chassis box and electrical connection terminals or pins that project into the box. For assembly of the equipment, electrical connections have heretofore been made inside the box to the terminals of installed front-mounting components and to other electrical components, such as relays, printed circuit cards, transformers, A-to-D converters, and microcontrollers mounted inside the chassis box.
Although front-mounting electrical components are ordinarily easy to install in chassis boxes, extensive or even moderate “inside-the-box” electrical wire connections to them and other internal components (such as those mentioned above) are often very difficult, and hence costly, to make, inspect and repair. This is especially the case when the chassis boxes are made small for conserving usually valuable equipment rack space and/or when the space provided for internal wiring is tight.
Accordingly, a principal objective of the present invention is to provide efficiently assembled electrical equipment for which the difficulty and time required for assembly using front-mounting electrical components is substantially reduced.
A related objective of the present invention is to convert, in effect, front-mounting electrical components to rear-mounting in a manner that related electrical interconnections can be easily and efficiently made outside the equipment chassis box. The electrical components and electrical interconnections can then be installed as a complete sub-assembly into the chassis box.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there are provided electrical equipment and a method of assembly thereof employing rear-mounting of conventional front-mounting electrical components.
The electrical equipment comprises at least one front-mounting electrical component having a body with a retaining shoulder at an outside end region and electrical terminals projecting from an inside end region, and an enclosure having sides and a detachable top. At least one of the enclosure sides is formed having at least one cutout for receiving the shoulder of the at least one front-mounting electrical component
Included is an electrical component receiving plate having a front side and a back side, the plate having at least one cutout for receiving the body of the at least one front-mounting electrical component from the front side of the plate to thereby install the at least one electrical component in the plate. The retaining plate is sized to fit against an inside surface of the at least one of the enclosure sides so that the shoulder of the at least one of the electrical components installed in the plate is aligned with the at least one enclosure wall cutout.
Means are included for attaching, preferably detachably attaching, the retaining plate to the at least one enclosure side with the front side of the plate against the inside surface of the at least one enclosure side and with the shoulder of the at least one front-mounting electrical component installed in the plate received in the at least one enclosure side cutout.
The equipment includes electrical connections attached to the electrical terminals of the at least one of the front-mounting electrical components installed in the retaining plate. The electrical connections may comprise electrical wires or a printed circuit card.
More particularly, the electrical equipment comprises a front-mounting electrical component having a body with a retaining shoulder at an outside end region of the body and electrical terminals projecting from an inside end region of the body; and an enclosure having sides, a selected one of the sides having a cutout for receiving the shoulder of the front-mounting electrical component.
An included is an electrical component retaining plate having a front side and a back side. The retaining plate is formed having a cutout for receiving the body of the front-mounting electrical component from the front side of the plate, the electrical component being thereby installed in the plate with the electrical terminals projecting from the back side of the plate. The plate is sized to fit against an inside surface of the selected enclosure side so that the shoulder of the electrical component installed in the plate is aligned with the enclosure side cutout.
Means are provided for detachably attaching the plate to the selected enclosure side with the front side of the plate against the inside surface of the selected enclosure side and with the shoulder of the electrical component installed in the plate received in the enclosure side cutout. Electrical connections, which may be electrical wires or a printed circuit card, are attached to the electrical terminals of the front-mounting electrical component installed in the retaining plate.
A corresponding method is provided for assembling electrical equipment in a chassis box using front-mounting electrical components. The method comprises the steps of providing a front-mounting electrical component, which may, for example, be an IEC inlet or outlet connector, having a body and a retaining shoulder at an outside end region of the body and having electrical terminals extending from an inside end region of the body; and forming a retaining plate sized to attach to an inside surface of a selected wall of the chassis box, the plate having a front surface and a back surface and being formed having a cutout sized for receiving the body of the front-mounting electrical component.
The method includes the further steps of inserting the body of the front-mounting electrical component into the plate cutout from the front side of the plate and making a cutout in the selected wall of the chassis box, the wall cutout being sized to receive the electrical component retaining shoulder and being located to match the plate cutout.
Still further included are the steps of attaching, preferably detachably attaching, the retaining plate to the selected chassis box wall with the front surface of the plate against the inside surface of the selected chassis box wall and with the shoulder of the electrical component installed in the plate extending into the wall cutout.
The method includes the step of making electrical connections to the electrical terminals of the electrical component and may include connecting electrical wires to the electrical terminals and bundling the wires into a wiring harness before the plate is attached to the selected chassis box wall. Alternatively, the step of making electrical connections to the electrical component electrical terminals may include connecting or soldering a printed circuit card to the electrical terminals of the electrical component installed in the plate before or after the plate is attached to the selected chassis box wall.
In a variation, the electrical terminals of the electrical component are soldered to the printed circuit card and the printed circuit card is detachably attached to the selected enclosure side by a plurality o
Lambert Howard R.
Nguyen Phuongchi
Paumen Gary F.
Pulizzi Engineering Inc.
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