Electricity: conductors and insulators – Overhead – Towers – poles or posts
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-22
2003-04-08
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Overhead
Towers, poles or posts
C174S050000, C174S053000, C439S650000, C052S220800, C220S003800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06545215
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[Not Applicable]
MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE
[Not Applicable]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In-floor fittings such as poke-thru fittings, aftersets fittings and preset fittings are installed in concrete floors to provide electrical receptacles and communication/data receptacles (or jacks) at desired locations in buildings. The receptacles carried by these fittings are typically mounted at or near the surface of the floor. As a result, such fittings may be exposed to contaminants such as dirt, e.g., from foot traffic, and water, e.g. during carpet cleaning. Hence, it is desirable that such fittings are designed to prevent moisture infiltration from above the floor. In this respect, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is proposing certification standards which will require such fittings to keep scrub water out of the portion of the fitting that houses the electrical outlet, e.g. the power portion. Scrub water is a soap and water mixture that is typically used when cleaning carpets and other finished floor surfaces.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to certain aspects of an embodiment of the present invention, an access cover is provided for a fitting of the type which adapted to be mounted in a floor for supporting at least one receptacle such that the receptacle can be connected with cables which enter the fitting from below the surface of the floor and can be connected from above the floor with a connector which enters the fitting through an opening in the surface of the floor. The access cover includes a door mounting member connectable to the fitting at a location that overlies the at least one receptacle. An access door is slidably connected to the door mounting member for movement between a closed position at which door overlies the at least one receptacle and an open position at which the at least one receptacle is exposed. A mating surface is positioned to abut with the access door when the access door is moved to its closed position. A seal member is positioned to be compressed between the access door and the mating surface when the access door is moved to its closed position for sealing against moisture infiltration between the access door and the mating surface. The mating surface may, for example, be defined by a second access door or may be defined by another portion of the access cover.
According to other aspects of an embodiment of the present invention, an access cover is provided for a fitting of the type which adapted to be mounted in a floor for supporting at least one receptacle such that the receptacle can be connected with cables which enter the fitting from below the surface of the floor and can be connected from above the floor with a connector which enters the fitting through an opening in the surface of the floor. The access cover includes a door mounting member connectable to the fitting at a location that overlies the at least one receptacle. A pair of access door are slidably connected to the door mounting member for movement between closed positions at which the doors abut one another and overlie the at least one receptacle and open positions at which the doors are laterally spaced from one another and the at least one receptacle is exposed. A seal member is adapted to seal against moisture infiltration between the access doors when the access doors are at their closed positions.
In one embodiment, the seal member includes a compressible seal carried by at least one of the access doors. Preferably the compressible seal member includes a pair of compressible seals, each of which is carried by one of the access doors. The compressible seals are positioned to abut one another when the doors are at their closed positions so as to seal against moisture infiltration between the doors. The compressible seals may be formed from a compressible polymer that is co-molded with the access doors.
In another embodiment, the seal member may include a magnetic seal member carried by at least one of the doors. Preferably the magnetic seal member includes first and second magnetic seal members, each of which is carried by one of the access doors. The magnetic seal members are positioned on the access doors to magnetically engage with one another when the doors are at their closed position so as to seal between the access doors.
The access member may include a mounting bracket interposed between the fitting and the cover plate. The mounting bracket is configured to support at least one receptacle within the fitting such that the receptacle can be interconnected with a source cable within the inner compartment and can be interconnected from above the floor with a connector.
The mounting bracket may include an upwardly extending annular flange defining a water dam around the at least one receptacle. The annular flange may also define a recess for receiving the door mounting member.
A second seal member may be interposed between the mounting bracket and the floor. The second seal member may be in the form of at least one annular gasket which is adapted to be compressed between the floor and the mounting bracket to seal against water infiltration between the mounting bracket and the floor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2672749 (1954-03-01), Wiesmann
patent: 3646244 (1972-02-01), Cole
patent: 3666134 (1972-05-01), Rauch
patent: 3830954 (1974-08-01), Caudill
patent: 4027097 (1977-05-01), Gillemot
patent: 4058358 (1977-11-01), Carlisle
patent: 4109095 (1978-08-01), Kling et al.
patent: 4197959 (1980-04-01), Kramer
patent: 4228317 (1980-10-01), Cziment
patent: 4289921 (1981-09-01), Gartner et al.
patent: 4342493 (1982-08-01), Grenell
patent: 4343411 (1982-08-01), Chesnut et al.
patent: 4458460 (1984-07-01), Kohaut
patent: 4541538 (1985-09-01), Swetnam
patent: 4640564 (1987-02-01), Hill
patent: 4711634 (1987-12-01), Antone, II et al.
patent: 4733017 (1988-03-01), Wolfe-Taylor et al.
patent: 4770643 (1988-09-01), Castellani et al.
patent: 4774384 (1988-09-01), Gregory
patent: 4793818 (1988-12-01), Poirier
patent: 4810833 (1989-03-01), Meyers
patent: 4857004 (1989-08-01), Poirier
patent: 4874906 (1989-10-01), Shotey
patent: 4883924 (1989-11-01), Hadfield
patent: 4952754 (1990-08-01), Rye
patent: 4952756 (1990-08-01), Meyers
patent: 5017153 (1991-05-01), Bowman
patent: 5030795 (1991-07-01), Domigan
patent: 5032690 (1991-07-01), Bloom
patent: 5041698 (1991-08-01), Takagi et al.
patent: 5107075 (1992-04-01), Currier, Jr.
patent: 5148348 (1992-09-01), White
patent: 5160808 (1992-11-01), Hadfield
patent: 5240426 (1993-08-01), Barla
patent: 5272278 (1993-12-01), Wuertz
patent: 5288945 (1994-02-01), Bruce
patent: 5306178 (1994-04-01), Huang
patent: 5563373 (1996-10-01), Doroslovac
patent: 5571023 (1996-11-01), Anthony
patent: 5588853 (1996-12-01), Anthony
patent: 5727958 (1998-03-01), Chen
patent: 5743752 (1998-04-01), Massebeuf
patent: 5866845 (1999-02-01), Markiewicz et al.
patent: 5998735 (1999-12-01), Patterson, Jr.
patent: 6018126 (2000-01-01), Castellani et al.
patent: 6114623 (2000-09-01), Bonilla et al.
patent: 6132227 (2000-10-01), Boteler et al.
patent: 6175078 (2001-01-01), Bambardekar et al.
patent: 6179634 (2001-01-01), Hull et al.
patent: 6265662 (2001-07-01), Riedy et al.
patent: 6307152 (2001-10-01), Bonilla et al.
patent: 6353180 (2002-03-01), DeBartolo, Jr. et al.
patent: 6417446 (2002-07-01), Whitehead
patent: 405304713 (1993-11-01), None
Cole Michael T.
English Stephen T.
Young Joe
McAndrews Held & Malloy Ltd.
Patel Dhiru R
Reichard Dean A.
Walker Systems, Inc.
LandOfFree
Split dome cover assembly for an in-floor fitting does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Split dome cover assembly for an in-floor fitting, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Split dome cover assembly for an in-floor fitting will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3066078