Control device assembly

• US 6,362,953 B1
• Filed: 12/27/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Close, Jason R., Youmans, Richard D., Trevino, James B., Ohlwine, Brian S., Jenkins, Jennifer L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Hung Van
• Application Number:
  US09/472,612
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 361/681, 361/682, 361/724-727, 361/752, 361/755, 361/796, 361/826-827, 345/169, 345/905, 312/223--22, 206/576, 206/305, 206/302, 235/1.D, 235/145.R, 235/146
• US Class Current: 361/679.58
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0018 having an electronic display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

A wall mounted control device such as a thermostat includes a front panel housing having a plurality of locating elements formed therein which allow the mounting of a display, a keyboard unit and a printed circuit board with respect to each other. The front panel housing includes a latch which engages an edge of the display following placement of the display into position within the front panel housing. The keyboard unit is positioned relative to the latched display. The printed circuit board is snapped into place beneath certain raised elements formed in the periphery of the front panel housing. The front panel housing with the thus assembled display, keyboard unit and printed circuit board therein is aligned and snap fitted to a rear or back housing of the wall mounted device.

Claims

1. A wall mounted control device comprising:

a rear housing to be mounted to a wall;

a front housing mounted to said rear housing;

a display located within said front housing so as to display information that is viewable through an opening in said front housing, said display being maintained within said front housing by at least one latch which is movable to a first position so as to allow for the positioning of said display within said front housing and movable to a second position for maintaining said display in position;

a keyboard unit located within said front housing on a plurality of support pillars formed in said front housing, said keyboard unit having a plurality of depressible keys extending into delineated openings within said front housing; and

a printed circuit board maintained within said front housing by a plurality of projections in the periphery of said front housing, said projections extending inwardly from the periphery of said front housing.

2. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said front panel housing further comprises:

a plurality of supports formed in said front panel housing for supporting said printed circuit board below said plurality of inwardly extending projections from the periphery of said housing, whereby said printed circuit board is firmly affixed between said supports formed in said front panel housing and said plurality of inwardly extending projections.

3. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said printed circuit board comprises a plurality of electrically conductive pads located below said plurality of depressible keys when said printed circuit board is maintained within said front housing by said plurality of projections extending inwardly from the periphery of said housing.

4. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of aligning projections formed in said front housing at locations around the opening in said front housing for viewing displayed information on said display.

5. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said latch comprises:

a post extending upwardly from the back surface of said front housing; and

an arm extending outwardly from said upwardly extending post, said arm having a tab extending downwardly toward the back surface of said front housing, said tab engaging an edge of the display so as to maintain said display in place relative to said aligning projections formed in said front housing.

6. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said latch comprises:

a post extending upwardly from the underside of said front panel housing; and

an “

L”

shaped top portion wherein a first leg of the “

L”

shaped top portion is rigidly affixed at one end to said post and wherein the second leg of the “

L”

shaped top portion may be engaged by a human finger so as to bend the first leg of the “

L”

shaped top portion relative to the post extending upwardly from the underside of said front panel housing.

7. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said keyboard unit further comprises:

at least one tab cantilevered from the main body of said keyboard unit so as to extend outwardly over the back side of said display, said cantilevered tab being biased against the backside of said display so as to maintain said display in place relative to said aligning projections formed in said front housing.

8. The wall mounted control device of claim 1 wherein said front panel housing comprises:

at least one movable tab formed in the periphery of said front panel housing, said movable tab engaging the periphery of said rear housing when said front panel housing is mounted to said rear panel housing, said movable tab having a recess formed therein so as to receive an end of a tool so as to disengage the movable tab from the periphery of said rear housing.

9. The wall mounted control device of claim 4 wherein said plurality of aligning projections comprises:

at least one corner shaped projection formed in said front housing for receiving a corner of the display; and

at least one edge alignment projection formed in said housing for receiving and aligning one edge of said display.

10. The wall mounted control device of claim 5 wherein said movable latch further comprises:

a leg connected to said arm;

at an angle with respect to said arm so as to extend away from the tab extending downwardly from said arm, said leg being of sufficient length so as to receive the force of a human finger sufficient to bend the arm of said latch thereby disengaging said downwardly extending tab from engaging the edge of the display.

11. The wall mounted control device of claim 6 wherein furthermore comprising:

edge aligning tab extending downwardly from said top “

L”

shaped portion so as to normally be in contact with an edge of the display unless said first leg of said “

L”

shaped top portion is bent due to said second leg of said L-shaped portion being engaged by a human finger.

12. The wall mounted control device of claim 10 further comprising:

a stop formed on the underside of said front housing for stopping the bending of said arm due to a human finger pressing against the leg extending at an angle away from said arm.

13. A process for assembling a display, a keyboard unit, and a printed circuit board relative to a front housing of a wall mounted control device, said process comprising:

aligning the display with respect to a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the front housing;

latching said aligned display into place with respect to said plurality of projections extending upwardly from the front housing;

positioning the keyboard unit with respect to a plurality of delineated openings in said front housing for receiving depressible keys on said keyboard unit; and

mounting a printed circuit board having electrically conductive pads thereon, within said front housing, said printed circuit board being maintained within said front housing by a plurality of projections extending from the periphery of said front housing whereby the electrically conductive pads on the printed circuit board are located directly beneath the depressible keys of the keyboard unit.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein said step of latching said aligned display into place with respect to said plurality of projections extending upwardly from the front housing comprising:

moving a latch formed on said housing so as to engage an edge of the display.

15. The process of claim 13 wherein said step of aligning the display with respect to a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the front housing comprises:

positioning at least one corner of the display with respect to a corner shaped projection on said front housing; and

positioning at least one edge relative to an edge aligning projections.