Clam-shell housing having releasably attachable, wall-mounting mechanism

• US 5,675,123 A
• Filed: 02/09/1996
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Solar Inverters Usa, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Cruising Equipment Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Proctor, Richard L., Aupperle, Donald P., Kahle, Steven H., Young, Richard H. Jr., Ure, George A., Merkes, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, Hyung S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REICHARD, DEAN ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/599,147
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 174/50, 174/48, 174/58, 174/66, 174/17 CT, 220/3.8, 220/3.5, 220/3.6, 220/241, 220/3.92, 220/3.94, 220/4.02
• US Class Current: 174/58
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/74 Means for mounting coupling parts in openings of a panel

Abstract

The housing may be quickly and easily assembled in a clam-shell manner. The housing includes a pair of half-shells with each having a tongue for connecting to a face plate and a locking mechanism for connecting the half-shells together. The tongues are inserted into a pair of tongue-receiving fulcrum structures of the plate so that the half-shells are positioned in an open clam-shell arrangement. To complete the connection and the formation of the housing, the half-shells are rotated towards each other until the locking mechanism of one of the half-shells fastens to the locking mechanism of the other half-shell. Furthermore, the housing provides a wall-mounting mechanism for releasably attaching the housing to a wall, wherein that mechanism has two operative positions, including locking and release positions. In the locking position, the wall-mounting mechanism securely mounts the housing to the wall, and in the release position, the housing is unmounted and removable from the wall.

Claims

1. A clam-shell housing assembly comprising:

a pair of half-shells, which form a cavity therebetween when connected together, each of said half-shells including first and second attachment regions, a tongue positioned in the first region, and a locking mechanism in the second region, wherein said locking mechanisms of said half-shells are configured to connect said half-shells together, and

a face plate including a pair of tongue-receiving fulcrum structures positioned so that each of said structures may receive and retain one of said tongues when said half-shells are connected,

wherein connection of said half-shells and said plate is accomplished by placing one of said tongues into one of said structures and placing another of said tongues into another of said structures, thereby producing an open clam shell arrangement of said half-shells; and

rotating said half-shells towards each other, with each half-shell using one of said structures as a fulcrum to rotate about, until said locking mechanism of one of said half-shells fastens to said locking mechanism of the other of said half-shells.

2. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein said locking mechanism of each of said half-shells includes a locking tab and a tab-receiving station, which is configured to receive and retain such a locking tab, wherein said locking mechanisms of said half-shells are configured to connect said half-shells together by fastening said tab of one of said half-shells to said station of the other of said half-shells and fastening said tab of that other to said station of that one.

3. The housing assembly of claim 2 for containing internal electronics having a communications system for transmitting to or receiving signals from at least one external device via a communication conduit, wherein, said half-shells, when connected, include an orifice positioned between said tab and said station of each of said half-shells, said orifice providing a passageway for such a conduit so that the internal electronics may operatively communicate with at least one external device.

4. The housing assembly of claim 1 for containing internal electronics having a communications system for transmitting to or receiving signals from at least one external device via a communications conduit, wherein one or both of said half-shells includes an orifice located in the second region, said orifice providing a passageway for such a conduit so that the internal electronics may operatively communicate with at least one external device.

5. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein said plate has a raised rim about its periphery, said rim having a notch which facilitates drainage of water gathered on said plate when said notch is oriented downstream of water drainage flow.

6. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein said half-shells are interchangeable.

7. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein said half-shells are identical.

8. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein said half-shells are elongate so that, when said plate and half-shells are connected, the housing assembly is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis.

9. A method of assembling a clam-shell housing, wherein the housing includes a pair of half-shells, which form a cavity therebetween when connected together, each of the half-shells including first and second attachment regions, a tongue positioned in the first region, and a locking mechanism in the second region, wherein the locking mechanisms of the half-shells are configured to connect the half-shells together, and a face plate including a pair of tongue-receiving fulcrum structures positioned so that each of the structures may receive and retain one of the tongues when the half-shells are connected, the method comprising:

positioning the tongue of one of the half-shells into one of the structures of the plate and positioning the tongue of the other half-shell into the other structure, thereby producing an open clam shell arrangement of the half-shells;

rotating the half-shells towards each other, with each of the half-shells using one of the structures as a fulcrum to rotate about, so that the locking mechanisms of the half-shells approach each other; and

fastening together the locking mechanisms of the half-shells, thereby forming a substantially closed cavity within the half-shells and the plate.

10. A wall-mountable housing for mounting to a wall having a hole therethrough with the hole having a diameter, the housing comprising:

a face plate for positioning on one side of the wall, said plate having a maximum diameter greater than the diameter of the hole;

a body for extending through the hole and joined to said plate; and

a releasably attachable, wall-mounting mechanism for positioning on another side of the wall and for securely mounting said body to the wall by capturing the wall between said plate and said wall-mounting mechanism, wherein said wall-mounting mechanism has two operative positions relative to said body, said positions including a locking position in which said wall-mounting mechanism securely mounts said body to the wall and a release position in which said body is unmounted and removable from the wall.

11. The housing of claim 10, wherein said body has a transverse cross-sectional shape representing a maximum, transverse cross-sectional diameter of said body and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a ring that substantially conforms to the cross-sectional shape of said body and has greater diameter than the maximum, transverse cross-sectional diameter of said body.

12. The housing of claim 10, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a generally annular ring, and wherein said ring is configured to fit around said cylindrical body so that said ring may rotate about a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

13. The housing of claim 12, wherein rotation of said ring transfers said wall-mounting mechanism from the locking position to the release position.

14. The housing of claim 12, wherein said ring includes grip-enhancing structures that facilitate gripping of said ring by a human hand so that said ring may be rotated about said body.

15. The housing of claim 12, wherein said ring includes a scalloped annular edge to facilitate gripping of said ring.

16. The housing of claim 12, wherein said ring includes protrusions to facilitate gripping of said ring.

17. The housing of claim 12, wherein said wall-mounting mechanism further includes abutment protrusions for contacting the wall when said wall-mounting mechanism is in the locking position.

18. The housing of claim 10, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a generally annular ring, and wherein said ring is placed in the locking position by translational movement toward said wall and, from there, said ring is placed in the release position by rotation of said ring about a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

19. The housing of claim 10, wherein said wall-mounting mechanism includes:

a strip of ratchet teeth joined to said body, and

a ratchet ring having a ratchet member with ratchet teeth, said ring being configured to fit around said body so that said teeth of said member and strip may engage each other, wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip inhibits removal of said ring from said body by resisting translational movement of said ring away from the wall while allowing translational movement of said ring toward the wall.

20. The housing of claim 10, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a strip of ratchet teeth joined to said body and a generally annular ratchet ring having a ratchet member with ratchet teeth, said ring being configured to fit around said body so that said teeth of said member and strip may engage each other, wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip inhibits removal of said ring from said body by resisting translational movement of said ring away from the wall while allowing translational movement of said ring toward the wall and wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip does not resist rotational movement of said ring about a longitudinal axis of said body.

21. The housing of claim 10, wherein said plate includes an annular flange for holding an annular gasket on a wall-facing side of said plate, said gasket being deformable so that said gasket may produce a water-tight seal against the wall and about the hole, wherein locking said wall-mounting mechanism tightly against the wall deforms said gasket.

22. A wall-mountable, clam-shell housing for mounting to a wall having a hole therethrough with the hole having a diameter, the housing comprising:

a body for extending through the hole, said body including a pair of half-shells, which form a cavity therebetween when connected together, each of said half-shells including first and second attachment regions, a tongue positioned in the first region, and a locking mechanism in the second region, wherein said locking mechanisms of said half-shells are configured to connect said half-shells together;

a face plate for positioning on one side of the wall, said plate having a maximum diameter greater than the diameter of the hole, said plate including a pair tongue-receiving fulcrum structures that join said plate to said body, said fulcrum structures being positioned so that each of said structures may receive and retain one of said tongues when said half-shells are connected, wherein connection of said half-shells and said plate is accomplished by placing one of said tongues into one of said structures and placing another of said tongues into another of said structures, thereby producing an open clam shell arrangement of said half-shells; and

rotating said half-shells towards each other, with each half-shell using one of said structures as a fulcrum to rotate about, until said locking mechanism of one of said half-shells fastens to said locking mechanism of the other of said half-shells; and

a releasably attachable, wall-mounting mechanism for positioning on another side of the wall and for securely mounting said body to the wall by capturing the wall between said plate and said wall-mounting mechanism, wherein said wall-mounting mechanism has two operative positions relative to said body, said positions including a locking position in which said wall-mounting mechanism securely mounts said body to the wall and a release position in which said body is unmounted and removable from the wall.

23. The housing of claim 22, wherein said body has a transverse cross-sectional shape representing a maximum transverse cross-sectional diameter of said body and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a ring that substantially conforms to the cross-sectional shape of said body and has greater diameter than the maximum transverse cross-sectional diameter of said body.

24. The housing of claim 22, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a generally annular ring, and wherein said ring is configured to fit around said cylindrical body so that said ring may rotate about a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

25. The housing of claim 24, wherein rotation of said ring transfers said wall-mounting mechanism from the locking position to the release position.

26. The housing of claim 22, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a generally annular ring, and wherein said ring is placed in the locking position by translational movement toward said wall and, from there, said ring is placed in the release position by rotation of said ring about a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

27. The housing of claim 22, wherein said wall-mounting mechanism includes:

a strip of ratchet teeth joined to said body, and

a rachet ring having a ratchet member with ratchet teeth, said ring being configured to fit around said body so that said teeth of said member and strip may engage each other, wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip inhibits removal of said ring from said body by resisting translational movement of said ring away from the wall while allowing translational movement of said ring toward the wall.

28. The housing of claim 22, wherein said body is generally cylindrical and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a generally annular ring, and said wall-mounting mechanism includes a strip of ratchet teeth joined to said body, and a rachet ring having a ratchet member with ratchet teeth, said ring being configured to fit around said body so that said teeth of said member and strip may engage each other, wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip inhibits removal of said ring from said body by resisting translational movement of said ring away from the wall while allowing translational movement of said ring toward the wall and wherein engagement of said teeth of said member and strip does not resist rotational movement of said ring about a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

29. The housing of claim 22, wherein said locking mechanism of each of said half-shells includes a locking tab and a tab-receiving station, which is configured to receive and retain such a locking tab, wherein said locking mechanisms of said half-shells are configured to connect said half-shells together by fastening said tab of one of said half-shells to said station of the other of said half-shells and fastening said tab of that other to said station of that one.

30. The housing of claim 29 for containing internal electronics having a communications system for transmitting to or receiving signals from at least one external device via a communications conduit, wherein, said half-shells, when connected, include an orifice positioned between said tab and said station of each of said half-shells, said orifice providing a passageway for such a conduit so that the internal electronics may operatively communicate with at least one external device.

31. The housing of claim 22 for containing internal electronics having a communications system for transmitting to or receiving signals from at least one external device via a communications conduit, wherein one or both of said half-shells includes an orifice located in the second region, said orifice providing a passageway for such a conduit so that the internal electronics may operatively communicate with at least one external device.

32. The housing of claim 22, wherein said plate has a raised rim about its periphery, said rim having a notch which facilitates drainage of water gathered on said plate when said notch is oriented downstream of water drainage flow.