Locks – Operating mechanism – Key
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-27
2003-05-27
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Locks
Operating mechanism
Key
C070S367000, C070S371000, C070S372000, C070S451000, C070S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568229
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and means for releasably connecting the body of an electrical component such as a switch assembly to a support housing that extends alongside at least a portion of the body of the electrical component—an example being the retention and proper positioning of a generally cylindrical body of an electrical switch that extends into the open rear end region of a tubular housing of a key operated lock that is adapted to operate the switch in response to the turning of a key inserted into a plug that is carried in an open front end region of the tubular housing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of a spring clip to releasably retain and properly position the body of an electrical component within a support housing, wherein the spring clip has resilient legs that extend through slots formed in opposite sides of the support housing and into engagement with formations that are provided on opposite sides of the body of the electrical component 1) to provide a secure yet releasable connection between the body and the housing, and 2) to bias the body of the electrical component into engagement with at least one stop formation defined by the support housing to ensure that the electrical component is held in a proper position relative to the support housing. An optional feature resides in providing the resilient legs of the spring clip with end formations that aid in retaining the spring clip in place on the housing by extending beyond the vicinity of the slots formed in opposite sides of the support housing to define leg end configurations that require at least some deformation or deflection of the spring clip in order to remove the spring clip from the support housing—a feature that helps to ensure that the switch assembly will not become disconnected from the housing due to vibration.
2. Prior Art
It is well known in the art to utilize tubular housings to connect a variety of types of electrical components to control panels. For example, signal lights and control switches often have tubular housings that are designed to be inserted through holes formed in control panels, and secured in place by spring clips or other types of fasteners.
Key operated electrical switches, referred to as “switchlocks,” are among the various types of electrical control components that often are provided with tubular housings designed to be mounted in holes formed through control panels using spring clips or threaded fasteners such as nuts. The tubular housing of a switchlock typically has 1) an open front end region that journals a plug that defines a key-receiving opening and that can be rotated relative to the housing by turning the plug with a properly configured key inserted in the key-receiving opening, and 2) an open rear end region that receives the generally cylindrical body of an electrical switch that is operated when the plug is rotated by an inserted key.
Other types of control panel mountable electrical components also are known that are supported by rear end regions of tubular housings configured to be installed in openings formed through control panels, for example non-key-operated controls such as knob-operated switches, signal lights, small acoustical enunciators and the like.
Many of the electrical components that are provided with control-panel-mountable tubular housings are permanently connected to their housings. For example, the rear end regions of the tubular housings of switchlocks often are crimped to provide secure permanent connections with the bodies of their electrical switches—or are otherwise permanently bonded or connected thereto by sonic welding or through the use of non-removable fasteners such as rivets.
Providing permanent, non-releasable connections between control-panel-mountable tubular housings and electrical components carried by rear end regions of the housings has the advantage of ensuring that the electrical components do not become disconnected from the housings due to vibration. However, these permanent connections may present serious drawbacks and disadvantages. Some control panel assembly, installation, removal, replacement and repair procedures are easier to perform if electrical components such as switch assemblies and any wires or other circuitry connected thereto can be separated from the support housings. When, for instance, a complex control panel is being assembled that is to include many closely spaced control-operated switches, it often is easier to mount the tubular support housings of these switches on the panel if the support housings have no switch assemblies (and no attendant wiring leads or other circuitry elements) connected thereto that get in the way of tools and fixtures that are needed to grip and position the support housings as fasteners such as nuts or spring clips are installed to hold the support housings in place on the control panel.
Likewise, when experimental setups of controls are to be updated by rearranging tile relative locations of switches and other electrical components, repositioning is easier to effect if the electrical components can be disconnected quickly from their support housings which are supported by an original control panel, and quickly reconnected to replacement support housings that are already mounted on a replacement control panel that orients the various electrical components in an improved arrangement or format.
It is known to utilize U-shaped spring clips to hold in place on control panels the tubular housings of switchlocks and other components that have having tubular housings. Examples of switch locks that can be held in place by U-shaped spring clips are found in such patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,689,977, 4,633,689, 4,566,167, 4,427,852, 4,405,843 and 3,639,708 issued to Stanley C. Wolniak et al, referred to hereinafter as the “Switch Lock Patents,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
It also is known to utilize a spring retainer clip to hold the rotatable plug of a lock within a surrounding tubular housing or barrel. The use of such a clip to fasten a key-receivable plug assembly within a surrounding barrel, with the retainer bridging complementary formations that are defined by the plug assembly and by the surrounding barrel is known. Features of a key-operable lock that employs such a spring-biased retaining mechanism are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,848 issued to Stanley C. Wolniak, referred to hereinafter as the “Permanently Assembled Lock Patent,” the disclosure of which also is incorporated herein by reference.
The use of a variety of groove-carried retention members that bridge from a groove that is formed in a portion of a key-receivable plug assembly to a complimentary groove that is formed in a surrounding portion of a barrel to fasten the plug assembly in the barrel is well known. In the above-referenced Permanently Assembled Lock Patent, such complementary grooves are provided near the rear end region of the plug assembly (i.e., complementary grooves carry a bridging retainer at a location that is spaced a substantial distance rearwardly from an enlarged diameter head formation that typically is provided near the front end region of the plug assembly). In some of the invention embodiments that are disclosed in the referenced Switch Lock Patents (e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,566,167, 4,427,852 and 4,405,843), such complementary grooves are formed in peripheral surfaces of enlarged diameter head formations of the plug assemblies, and in surrounding barrel portions (i.e., complementary grooves carry retainers at locations that are near the front ends of the plug assemblies).
A need that is not well addressed by prior proposals is the provision of an easy-to-install, easy-to-remove method and means for connecting and disconnecting electrical components such as switches to the rear end regions of tubular housings that are mountable in holes formed through control panels. This need has become increasingly pronounced as the complexity and size of elect
Boswell Christopher
Burge David A.
The Eastern Company
LandOfFree
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