Raceway assembly for power and communications conductors

• US 5,336,849 A
• Filed: 01/17/1992
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wiremold Co (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Wiremold Co (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Whitney, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, PETER DUNG BA
• Application Number:
  US07/822,627
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/49, 174/101, 174/95-98, 52/221, 52/287, 439/110, 439/113, 439/114, 439/115, 439/120, 439/215, 439/216, 439/212, 439/213
• US Class Current: 174/72.00C
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 17/08 for receiving utility lines, e.g. cables, pipes covers giving access to the ducts or channels, covers of inspection holes E04F19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6585 Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/161 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0425 Plinths borders for use between floor or ceiling and wall E04F19/04

Abstract

A raceway includes a base and removable cover defining internal channels; discrete conductive shields are mounted in each channel in overlying relation to power and communications conductors therein; and a latching member is removably mounted between the cover and base continuously along coextending lengths of the latching member and the cover, the latching member being in interfering relation to cover movements required for removal of the cover from the base.

Claims

1. A wiring management assembly comprising

a raceway including an elongated base and an elongated removable cover for the base, the base being divided into first and second longitudinally extending raceway channels, the base and cover being interengageable for removably attaching the cover to the base in a ready position, the cover including an upper latching lip and underlying latching recess formed in the inside wall surface of the cover, the latching lip and recess longitudinally extending along the cover, and

an elongated latching member formed of a resilient, form-sustaining material with a length coextensive with that of the cover, the latching member being removably engageable with the base and its cover continuously along coextending lengths of the base and the cover, the latching member having a rear wall and integral trim face projecting from the top of the rear wall, the trim face having a bottom edge formed by an offset latching foot extending the length of the latching member, the latching foot being in abutting engagement with both the base and its cover in said ready portions and wedged within the latching recess of the cover in a latched position of the assembly, thereby preventing undesired disassembly of the cover relative to the base.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the latching member in said latched position requires a first maneuver of initially removing the latching member relative to the base and cover followed by a second maneuver of detaching the cover from the base in order to gain access to the first and second channels of the raceway base with its covered removed.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein electrical power conductors and communications conductors are respectively disposed within the first and second channels of the raceway base.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further including an accessory channel formed in the raceway cover and providing a multiple-use accessory compartment longitudinally extending along the cover.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein an elongated covering is provided for the accessory channel, the covering being removably fixed to the cover in overlying relation to the accessory channel.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the latching member cooperates with the base and cover to define a third raceway channel.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base includes a generally flat, rear wall, and wherein a projection extends longitudinally along the base in outwardly protruding relation to its rear wall, the projection being engageable with the cover to serve as a stop to maintain the cover in predetermined spaced apart relation relative to the base and to prevent undesired flexing of the cover relative to the base, while additionally serving as a partition within the raceway defining said first and second channels.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base includes a generally flat rear wall having a plurality of projecting ribs thereon longitudinally extending along the base for multiple-use applications in securing conductors, shielding, and wiring and communications device components in said first and second channels.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base and the cover are each formed of a resilient, form-sustaining material.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the latching member includes an offset toe engageable with an upper rear edge of the base for cooperating in releasably securing the latching member in said latched position.

11. An assembly comprising

a raceway including an elongated base and an elongated removable cover for the base, the base being divided into first and second longitudinally extending channels for receiving electrical power conductors and communications conductors respectively disposed within the first and second channels of the raceway base,

a first electrically conductive shield mounted as a discrete element to the base to extend longitudinally through said first channel of the raceway base in overlying relation to the power conductors and for establishing a ground connection to a service entrance, and

a second electrically conductive shield mounted as a discrete element to the base to extend longitudinally through said second channel of the raceway in overlying relation to the communication conductors, the conductors within the first and second channels of the raceway base thereby being effectively isolated within their respective channels.

12. The assembly of claim 11 further including an accessory channel formed in the raceway cover and providing a multiple-use accessory compartment longitudinally extending along the cover, and an elongated covering removably fixed to the cover in overlying relation to the accessory channel.

13. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the first and second electrically conductive shield members are each shaped and configured as a generally flat member having opposite longitudinally extending edges releasably secured to the base, the shields each being bowed in an outwardly convex relation to their secured edges in overlying relation to the conductors in their respective channels.

14. A wiring management assembly comprising a raceway including an elongated base and an elongated removable cover for the base, the base being divided into first and second longitudinally extending raceway channels,

electrical power conductors and communications conductors being respectively disposed within the first and second channels of the raceway base,

a first electrically conductive shield being mounted as a discrete element to the base to extend longitudinally through said first channel of the raceway base in overlaying relation to the power conductors and for establishing a ground connection to a service entrance, and

an elongated latching member formed of a resilient, form-sustaining material with a length coextensive with that of the cover, the latching member being removably engageable with the base and its cover continuously along coextending lengths of the latching member and the cover, the latching member being positioned in interfering relation to cover movements required for removal of the cover relative to the base, whereby the latching member releasably secures the cover to its base in a latched position of the assembly.

15. The assembly of claim 14 including a second electrically conductive shield mounted as a discrete element to the base to extend longitudinally through said second channel of the raceway base in overlying relation to the communications conductors, the conductors within the first and second channels of the raceway base thereby being effectively isolated within the respective channels.

16. A wiring management assembly comprising

a raceway including an elongated base and an elongated removable cover for the base, the base being divided into first and second longitudinally extending raceway channels, and

an elongated latching member formed of a resilient, form-sustaining material with a length coextensive with that of the cover, the latching member being removably engageable with the base and its cover continuously along coextending lengths of the latching member and the cover, the latching member being positioned in interfering relation to cover movements required for removal of the cover relative to the base, whereby the latching member releasably secures the cover to its base in a latched position of the assembly,

the base including a generally flat, rear wall having integral upper and lower walls projecting therefrom in generally perpendicular relation to the rear wall, the upper end lower walls each having an inwardly-turned tongue directed toward the tongue of the other wall, the cover including an inside wall surface with a pair of spaced apart ribs longitudinally extending along the cover adjacent its upper and lower edges and forming a pair of outwardly opening latching retention grooves thereon, the tongues of the base and grooves of the cover being interengageable for removably attaching the cover to the base in a ready position preliminary to being secured by the latching member in latched position,

the cover including an upper latching lip and underlying latching recess formed in the inside wall surface of the cover, the latching lip and recess longitudinally extending along the cover with the latching recess disposed above the upper latching retention groove of the cover, the latching member having a rear wall and integral trim face projecting from the top of the rear wall, the trim face having a bottom edge formed by an offset latching foot extending the length of the latching member, the latching foot being in abutting engagement with both the base and its cover in their ready position and wedged within the latching recess of the cover in said latched position of the assembly, thereby preventing undesired disassembly of the cover relative to the base.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the rear wall of the base and the rear wall of the latching member are in coplanar alignment when the assembly is in latched position.