Universal cable designation/retainer assembly

Details Universal cable designation/retainer assembly Universal cable designation/retainer assembly

1999-06-17

2001-08-14

Riley, Shawn (Department: 2838)

Electricity: conductors and insulators

Conduits, cables or conductors

Plural duct

Reexamination Certificate

active

06274818

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for retaining and designating cables in a cable trough.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Devices used to designate and secure cable arrays in cable troughs are well known. In a typical cable retainer/designation assembly, designation strips and cable retainers are separable components which must be customized to mate with each other as well as with existing cable troughs.
Cable retainers can either be formed integrally with cable troughs or can be provided as discrete units that are affixed to the cable trough at the point of system installation. When cable retainers are formed integrally with a trough, the system provides little, if any, flexibility for varying the number or position of retainers with respect to the trough. Further, if an individual retainer breaks, the entire trough assembly must be replaced. On the other hand, cable retainers that are separately provided and installed on-site, may require cable troughs to be individually machined in order to secure the retainers at preferred locations along the troughs. In either case, there are undesirable costs and time required for the installation and maintenance of retainer assemblies.
Designation strips are used to identify cable arrays routed through cable troughs. These devices typically include the means for mounting a replaceable chart which can be marked to identify the cable arrays. The designation strips are typically resilient snap-on devices that are fitted over the front wall of a cable trough and engage the top and bottom longitudinal edges thereof. When designation strips are used on the same cable troughs as with cable retainers, the strips must be machined or otherwise modified to avoid interference with the retainers. Again, the time and expense required to individually fit each designation strip to a cable trough at each installation site is prohibitive.
More flexible solutions are desired, for performing both the retaining and designation functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an assembly used to retain and designate cables in a cable trough. The assembly includes an elongated member or designation strip that can be detached and secured to a cable trough. The designation strip has a receptacle disposed at least partially along its length. The assembly includes one or more retainers that can be detached and inserted in the receptacle.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3786171 (1974-01-01), Shira
patent: 3862523 (1975-01-01), Eaton
patent: 4269231 (1981-05-01), Happer

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