Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Single duct conduits
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2001-12-25
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Single duct conduits
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333461
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electrical wiring trunking with a flexible hinge, mainly comprising two sections, namely a base section which usually has a U-shaped profile and a cover section shaped to be forcibly nested with the base section; it relates more particularly to an improvement relating to a flexible longitudinal hinge connecting the cover section to a lateral wall of the base section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,136 describes wiring trunking of the above kind in which the hinge is formed by thinning the material extending longitudinally on one side between the part forming the base section and the part forming the cover section.
The longitudinal edges of the base section and the cover section opposite the hinge have forcible nesting means exploiting the relative flexibility of the material, which is generally a semirigid plastics material. The hinge area is relatively deformable, however, and the closed trunking may accidentally open due to a frontal impact on the cover section or a lateral impact on the wall of the base section that incorporates the hinge.
To remedy this drawback, the above prior art document provides a reinforcement inside the base section consisting of a longitudinal flange adjoining the wall of the base section that incorporates the hinge. This complicates extruding the sections constituting the trunking and limits the space available for wiring within the trunking. The invention overcomes these drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To be more precise, the invention concerns electrical wiring trunking including a base section, preferably with a globally U-shaped profile, a cover section shaped to forcibly nest with the base section and attached laterally to the base section by a longitudinal hinge defined by a flexible and relatively deformable strip, and a rib member and a groove member in the vicinity of the hinge and on respective opposite sides of the longitudinal direction of the strip, wherein one of said members is on the base section, the other of said members is on the cover section, and the rib member engages in the groove member when the cover section is closed to establish a stiffener structure around the flexible strip.
The rib member and the groove member can advantageously be shaped to provide a stable open or at least partly open position of the cover section relative to the base section. This stable position is assured by contact or a buttress effect between an edge of the rib member and an edge of the groove member, for example, operative for a given position of the cover section and which can be forcibly overcome to close the trunking completely, exploiting the relative flexibility of the hinge.
The hinge can be coextruded with the cover section and the base section. It is made from a different and more flexible material, for example, or even a slightly elastic material, for example using the coextrusion process well known in the art.
In a simpler embodiment, which is currently a preferred embodiment, the hinge can consist of an attached adhesive tape.
The invention will be more clearly understood and other advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following description of various embodiments of electrical wiring trunking in accordance with the invention given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4907767 (1990-03-01), Corsi et al.
patent: 4942271 (1990-07-01), Corsi et al.
patent: 5235136 (1993-08-01), Santucci et al.
patent: 5668351 (1997-09-01), Hanlon et al.
patent: 5702740 (1997-12-01), Wild
patent: 5728976 (1998-03-01), Santucci et al.
patent: 6107576 (2000-08-01), Morton et al.
patent: 29507233 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 0526024 (1993-02-01), None
patent: 0809338 (1997-11-01), None
Albert Christophe
Bonnassieux Vincent
Marcou Jean-Claude
Browdy and Neimark
Nino Adolfo
Planet Wattohm
Reichard Dean A.
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