Electricity: conductors and insulators – Overhead – Towers – poles or posts
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-05
2004-02-17
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Overhead
Towers, poles or posts
Reexamination Certificate
active
06693238
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trunking accessory including a body having at one end or at both ends coupling means for attaching it locally to a longitudinal wall of a base section of the trunking, for example to an internal partition or to a lateral flange of the base section.
Here the term “accessory” refers to any type of accessory or support that can extend from one longitudinal wall of the trunking base section to the other, for example clips or supports for electrical devices. It can also refer to supports for finishing accessories such as joints, corners or branches.
The term “accessory” also refers to an individual accessory, such as a fishplate, which is fixed to the inside of a lateral flange or a partition of the trunking base section to join together juxtaposed base sections and to hold the butt-jointed end in position when fixing the free end.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The documents GB 1 021 871, U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,124, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,449, DE 34 41 377 and DE 93 17 739.9 disclose accessories installed between lateral flanges of a trunking base section by wedging their two free ends into housings provided for this purpose on said lateral flanges.
To fit this kind of accessory to the trunking base section, and remove it therefrom, it is therefore necessary either to spread apart the lateral flanges of the base section or to flex the accessory, which must therefore be flexible to some degree.
The document FR 2 133 705 discloses a corner accessory which, for fitting it to lateral flanges of the trunking base section, includes clipping tongues having beads which are adapted to be clipped into housings and are accessible from outside the trunking base section by inserting the tip of a tool through windows provided on said accessory.
The document DE 35 34 669 discloses a clip fitted between lateral flanges of a trunking base section by means of hooks provided at each end of said clip and joined to the body of the clip by flexible lugs that are accessible from the outside to release the hooks from housings provided inside rims on the lateral flanges of said base section.
Each flexible lug has a hook at its free end and the hook is disengaged from said housing by applying pressure to said flexible lug, through a window in the body of the clip, to deflect it toward the inside of the trunking base section.
The document WO 98/10499 discloses an accessory in which the means for attaching it to a corresponding longitudinal wall of the trunking base section include a handle and a body adapted to be accommodated in a housing formed by a perpendicular rim of said longitudinal wall and to be immobilized in said housing by a shoulder bearing against a complementary shoulder. The handle has a textured or toothed surface to which pressure can be applied with a finger to flex it to disengage the shoulder from the complementary shoulder.
In the light of the aforementioned prior art, the present invention proposes a new trunking accessory having a new arrangement of attachment means enabling the accessory to be fitted to and removed from any type of trunking base section simply and quickly and without having to spread apart the lateral flanges or the partitions between which it is fitted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To be more specific, the present invention proposes an accessory for trunking, including a body provided, at one or both of its ends, with attachment means for attaching it locally to a longitudinal wall of the base section of the trunking, for example an internal partition or a lateral flange of the base section, wherein the attachment means include a lug adapted to be clipped into a recess, also referred to as housing in the wall and including a pull tongue, also referred to as an actuator tongue, connected to an engagement end, also referred to as a free end of the lug, the pull tongue being accessible from outside the base section of the trunking and adapted to be pulled in its longitudinal orientation direction to withdraw from the recess the engagement end of the lug.
Other non-limiting and advantageous features of the accessory according to the invention are as follows:
said lug is connected to said end of the accessory by a flexible connection;
said flexible connection is a connection forming a pivot hinge of said lug;
said flexible connection forms a boss adapted to bear against an inside face of said recess or housing in said wall to clip said lug into said recess or housing and immobilize it there;
the accessory includes an opening in said lug and in a portion of said body near said lug, through which said pull tongue or actuator tongue is accessible;
said pull tongue or actuator tongue includes holding means;
said holding means include at least one opening for inserting the tip of a tool;
said holding means include a rib which can be depressed with the tip of a tool;
said holding means include a rim which can be gripped manually;
said lug has on each of its lateral sides a rim which can be depressed with a finger to clip said lug in said recess or housing in said wall;
in a rest position, said lug is oblique to said body and said pull tongue or actuator tongue is substantially parallel to said body and at an acute angle to said lug;
said lug is in one piece with the accessory;
the body is globally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the base section of the trunking;
the body extends between two longitudinal walls of the base section of the trunking and it has at its other end a tab adapted to engage behind the rim of one of the two longitudinal walls; and
the body extends between two longitudinal walls of the base section of the trunking and it has at its other end said lug with its pull tongue or actuator tongue.
The invention also proposes a combination including a base section of trunking and an accessory as specified above and adapted to be attached locally to a longitudinal wall of said base section, said wall including to this end a recess or housing defined between, on the one hand, a longitudinal rib on an inside face of said wall and, on the other hand, the perpendicular inside surface of a perpendicular rim of said wall.
The following description, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example, explains clearly in what the invention consists and how it can be put into effect.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5924729 (1999-07-01), Gleason et al.
patent: 5981872 (1999-11-01), Decore et al.
patent: 5998732 (1999-12-01), Caveney et al.
patent: 78 03 034 (1978-05-01), None
patent: 198 40 832 (1999-03-01), None
patent: WO 98/10499 (1998-03-01), None
Gautier Bruno
Jadaud Alain
Harris Anton
Legrand
Reichard Dean A.
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