Flush poke-through wiring fitting having a height adjustable data jack mounting bracket

• US 6,175,078 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wiremold Co (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Walker Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatfield, Amy Chaffee, Bambardekar, Shailesh Shashikant
• Primary Examiner(s): REICHARD, DEAN ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/201,492
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/66, 174/57, 522/208, 220/241, 220/3.8
• US Class Current: 174/484
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/185 Floor outlets and access cups

Abstract

An in-floor, flush poke-through wiring fitting may be installed in the floor of a structure to enable the activation of power, communication, and/or data services at the fitting location. The poke-through fitting includes a height adjustable mounting bracket that provides for internal mounting of a variety of different low voltage data jacks (e.g. fiber optic, RJ-45 Category 5, coaxial, etc.). The mounting bracket includes a first portion that is mountable in the finish ring over an internal chamber of the poke-through fitting. The data jack is mounted in a second portion of the mounting bracket that is mountable in the bracket first portion in a height adjustable manner, whereby the height of the bracket second portion may be adjusted relative to top assembly to accommodate service connectors of varying heights.

Claims

1. In a flush poke-through wiring fitting that is adapted to be supported in a floor opening in a floor of a building structure;

that includes an insert having an upper end adjacent to the floor and having a chamber defined therein which extends downwardly from the upper end;

that has a fire stopping material disposed in the insert so that the fire rating of the floor, with the floor opening formed in the floor and with the poke-through wiring fitting supported in the floor opening, is substantially the same as the fire rating of the floor without the floor opening formed in the floor;

that is adapted to have a source power service cable and a source signal service cable connected with the poke-through wiring fitting, which source power and source signal service cables may be disposed in a plenum below the floor before the floor opening is formed;

that has a power receptacle mounted in the chamber so as to be adapted to be connected with the source power service cable and so as to be adapted to have an above floor power connector selectively connected therewith; and

that has a top assembly which is connected with the upper end of the insert and which overlies the floor opening and which has an upper, outwardly facing surface, the improvement comprising;

a mounting bracket that is adapted for supporting at least one data jack in the chamber, the mounting bracket comprising;

a bracket first portion mountable in the top assembly; and

a bracket second portion adapted to receive and support the at least one data jack, the second portion being mountable in the first portion in a height adjustable manner, whereby the height of the bracket second portion may be adjusted relative to the bracket first portion to allow data jacks of varying heights to be internally mounted in the fitting in a protected fashion such that the at least one data jack does not extend upwardly beyond the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly and is accessible through the top assembly.

2. In a flush poke-through wiring fitting that is adapted to be supported in a floor opening in a floor of a building structure;

that includes an insert having an upper end adjacent to the floor and having a chamber defined therein which extends downwardly from the upper end;

that has a fire stopping material disposed in the insert so that the fire rating of the floor, with the floor opening formed in the floor and with the poke-through wiring fitting supported in the floor opening, is substantially the same as the fire rating of the floor without the floor opening formed in the floor;

that is adapted to have a source power service cable and a source signal service cable connected with the poke-through wiring fitting, which source power and source signal service cables may be disposed in a plenum below the floor before the floor opening is formed;

that has a power receptacle mounted in the chamber so as to be adapted to be connected with the source power service cable and so as to be adapted to have an above floor power connector selectively connected therewith; and

that has a top assembly which is connected with the upper end of the insert, which overlies the floor opening and which has an upper, outwardly facing surface, the improvement comprising;

a mounting bracket that is adapted for mounting and supporting at least one data jack in the chamber, the mounting bracket comprising;

a bracket first portion mountable in the top assembly, the first portion having a top surface which is recessed below the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly;

a bracket second portion that is adapted to receive and support at least one data jack, the bracket second portion being selectively mountable in the bracket first portion at a flush mount position at which a top surface of the bracket second portion is substantially flush with the top surface of the bracket first portion and at a recessed position at which the bracket second portion is recessed from the top surface of the bracket first portion by a predetermined amount.

3. The improved poke-through of claim 2, wherein the bracket second portion slidably engages with the bracket first portion.

4. The improved poke-through of claim 2 wherein the second portion is configured to support a fiber optic connector.

5. The improved poke-through fitting of claim 2, wherein the top assembly includes a cover plate having sliders positioned to overlay the at least one data jack carried by the mounting bracket, each slider including a recessed portion configured to receive a label for identifying an underlying data jack.

6. In a flush poke-through wiring fitting that is adapted to be supported in a floor opening in a floor of a building structure;

that includes an insert having an upper end adjacent to the floor and having a chamber defined therein which extends downwardly from the upper end;

that has a fire stopping material disposed in the insert so that the fire rating of the floor, with the floor opening formed in the floor and with the poke-through wiring fitting supported in the floor opening, is substantially the same as the fire rating of the floor without the floor opening formed in the floor;

that is adapted to have a source power service cable and a source signal service cable connected with the poke-through wiring fitting, which source power and source signal service cables may be disposed in a plenum below the floor before the floor opening is formed;

that has a power receptacle mounted in the chamber so as to be adapted to be connected with the source power service cable and so as to be adapted to have an above floor power connector selectively connected therewith; and

that has a top assembly which is connected with the upper end of the insert and which overlies the floor opening, the improvement comprising;

a mounting bracket adapted to support at least one fiber optic connector in the chamber;

with the at least one fiber optics connector having a first end carrying a connection terminal adapted to receive a reciprocal connector and a second end adapted for connection to a fiber optics service cable, the mounting bracket supporting the at least one fiber optics connector such that the second end is contained within the chamber and the first end of the at least one connector is recessed below the top assembly in a protected fashion and is accessible through the top assembly.

7. In a flush poke-through wiring fitting that is adapted to be supported in an opening in a floor of a building stricture;

that includes an insert having an upper end adjacent to the floor and having a chamber defined therein which extends downwardly from the upper end;

that has a fire stopping material disposed in the insert so that the fire rating of the floor, with the floor opening formed in the floor and with the poke-through wiring fitting supported in the floor opening, is substantially the same as the fire rating of the floor without the floor opening formed in the floor;

that is adapted to a source signal service cable connected with the poke-through wiring fitting, which source signal service cables may be disposed in a plenum below the floor before the floor opening is formed; and

that has a top assembly which is connected with the upper end of the insert, which overlies the floor opening and which has an upper, outwardly facing surface, the improvement comprising;

a mounting bracket adapted to support at least one data jack in the chamber, the mounting bracket being height adjustable relative to the top assembly such that data jacks of varying heights can be internally mounted in the fitting in a protected fashion wherein the at least one data jack does not extend upwardly beyond the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly.

8. The improved poke-through fitting of claim 7, wherein the mounting bracket comprises:

a bracket first portion mountable in the top assembly, the first portion having a top surface which is recessed below the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly; and

a bracket second portion that is adapted to receive and support at least one data jack, the bracket second portion being selectively mountable in the bracket first portion at a flush mount position at which a top surface of the bracket second portion is substantially flush with the top surface of the bracket first portion and at a recessed position at which the bracket second portion is recessed from the top surface of the bracket first portion by a predetermined amount.

9. The improved poke-through fitting of claim 8, wherein the bracket second portion slidably engages with the bracket first portion.

10. The improved poke-through fitting of claim 8, wherein the bracket second portion is configured to support a fiber optic connector.

11. A flush poke-through wiring fitting that is adapted to be supported in an opening in a floor of a building structure, the poke-through fitting comprising:

an insert having an upper end adjacent to the floor and having a chamber defined therein which extends downwardly from the upper end;

a fire stopping material disposed in the insert so that the fire rating of the floor, with the floor opening formed in the floor and with the poke-through wiring fitting supported in the floor opening, is substantially the same as the fire rating of the floor without the floor opening formed in the floor;

a top assembly which is connected with the upper end of the insert, which overlies the floor opening and which has an upper, outwardly facing surface; and

means for internally mounting data jacks of varying heights fitting in a protected fashion wherein the data jack does not extend upwardly beyond the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly.

12. The improved poke-through fitting of claim 11, wherein the means comprises a mounting bracket adapted to support at least one data jack in the chamber, the mounting bracket being height adjustable relative to the top assembly such that data jacks of varying heights can be internally mounted in the fitting in a protected fashion wherein the at least one data jack does not extend upwardly beyond the outwardly facing surface of the top assembly.