Access door hinge attachment

• US 5,358,135 A
• Filed: 02/22/1994
• Issued: 10/25/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Johnson, Paul D., Robbins, T. Ray, Sehmer, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Castellano, S.
• Application Number:
  US08/200,837
• Time in Patent Office: 245 Days
• Field of Search: 220/338, 220/337, 220/326, 220/324, 220/344, 215/237, 174/67, 174/52.1
• US Class Current: 220/834
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/066 with hinged covers covers for distribution boxes H02G3/14
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/44 Hinged covers or doors

Abstract

An enclosure for electrical or electronic devices having components requiring periodic adjustment is provided with an access opening to the adjustments for the components including a hinged, attachable door for closing and sealing the access opening.

Claims

1. An enclosure for housing adjustable electrical components, having a sealable access means, the improvement comprising:

a. said enclosure being generally hollow and having a generally flat top, a first side generally perpendicular to said top, and a second side generally parallel to said first side and spaced apart by said top;

b. a door hingedly attached and removable from said enclosure, generally rectangular in shape, having two parallel spaced apart sides, a hinging end, a latching end spaced apart from said hinging end, a top, a bottom, a hinge pin integrally formed from said hinging end, said hinge pin having a pair of outwardly extending portions perpendicular to each of said two parallel sides, said hinged door movable between a closed position and an open position;

c. an access well receiving said hinged door, said well extending generally between said first and second spaced apart sides of said enclosure said well having a bottom surface being generally flat and parallel to said enclosure top and spaced apart from said enclosure top by a pair of side walls, said bottom surface having at least one access opening passing there through for providing access to the adjustable components contained within said enclosure, said side walls being generally parallel to one another and spaced apart by said well bottom surface, said side walls of said well each having a retaining groove, integrally formed in said side walls and extending inward from said second side of said enclosure, said grooves slidably receiving said outwardly extending portions of said hinge pin so that said outwardly extending portions do not slide outwardly towards and through said second side when said door is being removed;

d. means for selectively retaining said hinge pin in said grooves such that said door is hingably attached to said enclosure without welding and is selectively installed and removed from said enclosure;

e. means for latching said door securely in the closed position within said access well with the top of said door generally flush with the top of said enclosure; and

f. means mounted to the bottom of said door for sealing said access opening.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said hinge pin is generally cylindrical in shape having a full circular diameter and each said extending portion including a flat chordal surface along its length, said chordal surface reducing the cross-sectional dimension of said full circular diameter.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein each of said integrally formed retaining grooves is generally L-shaped and includes a first and a second leg, said legs being perpendicular to one another and connected at a common end, said L-shaped grooves are disposed in said side walls such that an open side of one L-shaped groove faces an open side of the other L-shaped groove, said first leg of each said L-shaped groove has a distal end coincident with the top of the enclosure for receiving said extended portion of said hinge pin.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the width of said first leg of said integrally formed L-shaped retaining groove is sized to selectively and slidably receive only said reduced cross sectional dimension of said extended portion of said hinge pin.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said second leg of said L-shaped retaining groove is sized to slidably receive said full circular diameter of said hinge pin such that said door may rotate on said hinge pin from a fully closed position to a fully open position.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said chordal surface is selectively positioned on said extended portion of said hinge pin such that said door can not be removed from the enclosure when said door is in the fully open position.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said sealing means is fixedly attached to said bottom of said door.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for latching includes:

a. a hook extending upwardly from and perpendicular to the bottom of said well defining an L-shaped protrusion, generally rectangular in shape; and

b. a latching member, generally L-shaped in cross-section and having a first leg integrally attached to said latching end of said door by a flexible bridge formed from a portion of said door top, said first leg extending downward from and generally perpendicular to said bridge terminating at a distal end, and a second leg integrally connected to said first leg at said distal end, said second leg extending outward from and generally perpendicular to said first leg, said second leg being slidably received over said protrusion at one end of said well when the hinged door is closed.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein said latching means includes a portion of said door, the door being in a latched engagement and generally in the same plane as the enclosure top in the closed position and the latching means providing sufficient force to compress the sealing means firmly between said bottom of said door and said bottom of said well for the purpose of sealing said access opening from contaminant ingress.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for selectively retaining said hinge pins in said groove comprises:

a retaining ridge, protruding upward from said bottom of said well and extending between and generally perpendicularly to said sides of said well, said retaining ridge being adjacent to said second side of said enclosure such that said hinge pin when slidingly pushed into said grooves and over said retaining ridge is captivated in said grooves by said retaining ridge.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for latching further comprises:

a. a hook, extending upwardly from said bottom of said well and running generally between and perpendicularly to said sides of said well;

b. a latch, extending downwardly from said top of said door and being integrally attached to said latching end of said door such that said latch is flexible with respect to said door, said latch having a barb which engages said latch hook when said top of said door is flush with said top of said enclosure for retaining said door in a closed position; and

c. means for releasing said latch from said latch hook.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said means for releasing said latch from said hook further comprises:

a portion of said latch defining a slot for receiving a tool to pry the hook and latch apart.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said sealing means is attached to said bottom of said door.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for selectively retaining said hinge pins in said groove comprises:

a retaining ridge, protruding upward from said bottom of said well and extending between and generally perpendicularly to said sides of said well, said retaining ridge being adjacent to said first side of said enclosure such that said hinge pin when slidingly pushed into said grooves and over said retaining ridge is captivated in said grooves by said retaining ridge.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said means for latching further comprises:

a. a pair of locking ears, each extending outwardly from and generally perpendicular to one of said two parallel sides of said door at said latching end;

b. a locking groove, integrally formed in each of said side walls of said slot and extending inward from said second side of said enclosure, said locking grooves slidably receive said locking ears of said door when said top of said door is flush with said top of said enclosure; and

c. a locking ridge protruding upward from said bottom of said slot and extending between and generally perpendicularly to said sides of said slot, said locking ridge being generally parallel to and spaced apart from said retaining ridge such that said hinge pin lies between said locking ridge and said retaining ridge when said door is in the latched position.