U.S. patent application number 09/912640 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-15 for electronics component mounting system.
Invention is credited to Foye, Richard T..
Application Number | 20010040140 09/912640 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24230333 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010040140 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Foye, Richard T. |
November 15, 2001 |
Electronics component mounting system
Abstract
This invention is a modular electronics mounting system
according that is easy to install and that can be used with a wide
variety of electronics components. A support plate includes a grid
of holes arranged in at least one pair of columns spaced apart by a
selected distance. The holes in each of the columns are spaced
apart by a predetermined interval. The support plate is configured
to be mounted to a wall such that the grid is spaced apart from the
wall. A module formed generally as a plate such that an electronic
component may be mounted thereto. The module includes a pair of
hooks extending from a first edge of the plate. The hooks are
spaced apart by the column spacing such that the hooks may be
arranged to extend through first and second holes in the grid. A
locking pin extends from the module such that the locking pin
extends into a corresponding third hole in the grid to restrain the
module against movement parallel to the support plate. The module
further includes a passage that is aligned with a fourth hole in
the grid when the hooks and locking pin are in their respective
holes. The invention further includes a locking pin configured for
insertion into the passage and through the fourth hole in the grid,
the locking pin being arranged to restrain the module against
movement away from the support plate.
Inventors: |
Foye, Richard T.;
(Fullerton, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
John H. Lynn
Suite F200
2915 Redhill Avenue
Costa Mesa
CA
92626
US
|
Family ID: |
24230333 |
Appl. No.: |
09/912640 |
Filed: |
July 24, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09912640 |
Jul 24, 2001 |
|
|
|
09558639 |
Apr 26, 2000 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/26 ;
211/103 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02B 1/043 20130101;
H05K 7/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/26 ;
211/103 |
International
Class: |
A47F 007/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for mounting an electronic component to a wall of a
structure such as a home or an office, comprising: a support plate,
the support plate including a grid of holes therein, the grid being
formed to have a pair of columns of the holes, the columns being
spaced apart by a selected distance and the holes in each of the
columns being spaced apart by a predetermined interval; means for
mounting the support plate to the wall, the support plate being
formed such that the grid is spaced apart from the wall; a module
formed generally as a plate such that an electronic component may
be mounted thereto, the module including: a pair of hooks extending
from a first edge thereof, the hooks being spaced apart by the
column spacing such that the hooks may be arranged to extend
through first and second holes in the grid; a locking pin extending
from the module such that the locking pin extends into a
corresponding third hole in the grid to restrain the module against
movement parallel to the support plate; and the module further
including a passage that is aligned with a fourth hole in the grid
when the hooks and locking pin are in their respective holes; and a
locking pin configured for insertion into the passage and through
the fourth hole in the grid, the locking pin being arranged to
restrain the module against movement away from the support
plate.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a second pair of
columns of holes formed in the support plate, the second pair of
columns being substantially identical to the first pair of columns
and arranged to be parallel thereto; and a pair of flanges
extending from opposite sides of the support plate, the flanges
being configured to receive fasteners for mounting the support
plate to a pair of wall studs.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to apparatus for mounting
electronics components and particularly to apparatus for mounting
components in a home system electronics system.
[0002] Modular electronics has long had a requirement to mount
different products (often from different manufactures) in close
proximity to one another. The classic example of this is the
telephone 19" rack. This standard (EIA-1310) allows arbitrary
electronic pieces to be mounted in a vertical rack, so long as they
adhere to the width requirements and the location of mounting
holes. The heights may vary by increments of 1.75". This standard
has long fulfilled the needs of telephone companies, cable
companies, and electronic instrument manufactures. However, the
size and inherent cost of this system restricts it to commercial
use in an open room.
[0003] The size issue was directly addressed by the DIN-rail
mounting system. Featureless rails mount modular electronics side
by side. Designed for use inside machine tools, this standard has
the positive attributes of excellent modularity and inherent low
cost of the rail. The disadvantages of DIN-rail mounts are the
complexity of the latch on the electronics and a rather narrow
support area. For attaching wires to screw terminals, this is not a
problem. but the support is insufficient for using telephone type
punch-down tools. The force of the tool to push wires into
insulation-displacement connectors and then cut the excess wire is
quite high.
[0004] A home system must be part of the home's infrastructure. It
must accommodate a variety of mounting environments. An enclosure
that may be surface mounted in an attic or basement can have an
almost arbitrary size and shape. However, in many places, being
built-in means being inside a wall. The most common construction
that must be accommodated is that of 2.times.4 vertical studs
placed on 16" centers. To be mounted in this type of wall makes
restrictions on width and depth of the enclosure and subsequently
on the electronics inside.
[0005] Home system electronics is an area that needs an appropriate
mounting solution. "Structured wiring" systems are just now making
changes to how homes are wired. These systems have all of the
communication wiring in a home terminate in a single "service
center" enclosure. This includes telephone wiring, TV coax, speaker
wiring and now data wiring. These wires run from various rooms in
the house and are to be terminated at connectors or electronic
devices inside this enclosure. If terminated at a connector, the
wires may then be jumpered or cross-connected to different devices.
For example, a wall-plate in a bedroom may have an RJ45 connector
on it and CAT-5 cable running back to a similar RJ45 connector
inside the service center. Now, by jumpering from the service
center connector to the appropriate device, an installer may turn
that bedroom jack into a telephone port, an Ethernet port for the
home data network, or a high-speed Internet access port, such as
DSL or ISDN. Future services will deliver entertainment digitally.
A jack may have a telephone connected today and a television in
five years. In a structured wiring system, the personality of the
house wiring may be changed by adding electronics and changing the
jumpers. A mechanical mounting system is needed to allow this
ability to change.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, this invention provides a home system
electronics component mounting system that overcomes the
deficiencies of the prior art. The electronics mounting system
according to the present invention provides an inexpensive modular
apparatus that is easy to install and that can be used with a wide
variety of electronics components.
[0007] Apparatus according to the present invention for mounting an
electronic component to a wall of a structure such as a home or an
office, comprises a support plate that includes a grid of holes
therein. The grid is formed to have a pair of columns of the holes
with the columns being spaced apart by a selected distance. The
holes in each of the columns are spaced apart by a predetermined
interval. The support plate is configured to be mounted to a wall
such that the grid is spaced apart from the wall.
[0008] The apparatus according to the present invention further
includes a module formed generally as a plate such that an
electronic component may be mounted thereto. The module includes a
pair of hooks extending from a first edge of the plate. The hooks
are spaced apart by the column spacing such that the hooks may be
arranged to extend through first and second holes in the grid. A
locking pin extends from the module such that the locking pin
extends into a corresponding third hole in the grid to restrain the
module against movement parallel to the support plate. The module
further includes a passage that is aligned with a fourth hole in
the grid when the hooks and locking pin are in their respective
holes. The invention further includes a locking pin configured for
insertion into the passage and through the fourth hole in the grid,
the locking pin being arranged to restrain the module against
movement away from the support plate.
[0009] The apparatus according to the present invention may further
comprise a second pair of columns of holes formed in the support
plate. The second pair of columns is preferably substantially
identical to the first pair of columns and arranged to be parallel
thereto. A pair of flanges extend from opposite sides of the
support plate with the flanges being configured to receive
fasteners for mounting the support plate to a pair of wall
studs.
[0010] An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention
and a more complete understanding of its structure and method of
operation may be had by studying the following description of the
preferred embodiment and by referring to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a wall mounted
electronics component mounting system according to the present
invention including a module and a support panel;
[0012] FIG. 1B is a front elevation view showing a mounting hole
that may be included in the support panel of the FIG. 1
(Amended)
[0013] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of
a an electronics component mounting system according to the present
invention shown mounted between two wall studs;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment of the invention
shown in FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the back side of a
module that may be included in the electronics component mounting
system according to the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of an electronics
component mounting system according to the present invention shown
being mounted to the rear panel; and
[0018] FIG. 7 is left side elevation view of an electronics
component mounting system according to the present invention
showing the module connected to the rear panel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIGS. 1A and 2 show a modular electronics component mounting
system 10 according to the present invention mounted to a wall 12.
The modular electronics component mounting system 10 includes a
support panel 14 and one or more modules 16 arranged to have one or
more electronic components 13 mounted thereto. The modules 16 may
be arranged so they are vertically aligned. The rear panel 14 and
module 16 may be formed of metal or a suitably strong plastic such
as polycarbonate. The rear panel 14 is mounted to the wall 12 by a
plurality of fasteners 18, such as screws or the like. It may be
necessary to use anchoring devices (not shown) with the fasteners
18, depending on the composition of the wall.
[0020] The rear panel 14 includes an array of holes 20 arranged in
a predetermined grid pattern. The holes 20 preferably are generally
round in shape with rectangular notches or slots 22 at the upper
portions and similar notches 24 at the bottom portions. FIG. 1B
shows an enlarged front elevation of one of the holes 20. The holes
preferably are about 0.25" wide and 0.30" high. The rectangular
notches preferably are about 0.10: wide.
[0021] The grid pattern has a first column 26 of the holes 20 with
a vertical spacing of about 0.5" between adjacent holes. The grid
pattern has a second column 28 that is essentially identical to the
first column 26. The columns are arranged to be parallel and spaced
apart by about 6.0".
[0022] The rear panel 14 has a generally flat central section 15A.
At the sides of the central section 15 a pair of flanges 15B and
15C extend away from the central section 15A. The flanges 15B and
15C provide means for spacing portions 15D and 15E away from the
wall 12. The holes 20 are formed in the portions 15D and 15E so
that the holes 20 are also spaced away from the wall 12. In a
typical installation, the back of the support panel is spaced apart
from the wall 12 by about 0.3".
[0023] FIG. 5 shows the back side of the module 16. As shown in
FIG. 5, at the top of the module 16 there are a pair of hooks 17A
and 17B that are configured to be inserted into a corresponding
pair of the holes 20A and 20B. A locking pin 19 extends from the
lower portion of the back side of the module near corner. The
locking pin 19 is in vertical alignment with the hook 17B. The
vertical spacing between the hook 17B and the locking pin 19 is
selected so that when the hook 17B is in the hole 20B, the locking
pin extends into a hole 20C in the rear panel.
[0024] At the lower portion of the other side of the module 16,
there is a hole 21 in vertical alignment with the hook 17A. The
hole is arranged to receive a snap latch 23. When the module 16 is
attached to the rear panel, the snap latch 23 extends through the
hole 21 into the adjacent hole 20D in the array of holes 20 in the
rear panel. The snap latch is engaged with the edges of the hole
20D to retain the module 16 in position on the rear panel 14. The
snap latch 23 is preferably a commercially available item that may
be selectively engaged and disengaged from the rear panel.14.
[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates the technique for mounting the module 16
to the rear panel 14. The hooks 17A and 17B are identical and allow
the module 16 to hang from the top when the hooks 17A and 17B are
engaged in the holes 20A and 20B, respectively. The snap latch 23
is arranged to prohibit the latch side of the module 16 from moving
upward and allowing the hooks 17A and 17B to disengage from the
edges of the holes 20A and 20B, respectively. The snap latch 23
also holds the module 16 flat against the support plate, keeping
the locking pin 19 from disengaging from the edges of the hole 20C,
which keeps the hook 17A engaged.
[0026] Attaching the module 16 to the support plate involves
inserting the hooks 17A and 17B into holes 20A and 20B,
respectively, at the same level and then swinging the module 16
downward so the latch 19 and locking pin 23 penetrate their
corresponding holes grid. The center pin of the latch 23 is then
depressed to lock the device in place.
[0027] FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of the invention configured
for mounting between a pair of wall studs 30 and 32. Flanges 34 and
36 extend from the ends of a rear plate 38. The flanges 34 and 36
include suitable mounting holes for receiving screws or nails that
may be used to secure the rear plate 38 to the studs 34 and 36.
[0028] The rear plate 38 has four parallel columns 40-43 of
mounting holes arranged so that a pair of front plates 46 and 48
may be mounted side-by-side. Additional front plates (not shown)
may be mounted to the rear plate with the front plates being
arranged in a pair of parallel columns.
[0029] There are several benefits of this mounting system according
to the present invention. It is inherently inexpensive because it
may be formed from sheet-metal with only basic metal working
techniques used to implement the mounting apparatus. In addition,
none of the mounting details are of critical tolerance. The single
latch mechanism is inexpensive, self-retaining, and may be operated
without tools. Although the width of the modules 16 must be
controlled, the height may be increased almost arbitrarily in 0.5"
increments because of the 0.5" vertical spacing between the holes
in the grid pattern. The modules 16 may be mounted in any order and
may abut one another. Unlike the DIN-rail system, the grid
according to the present invention is very broad, with a large
contact area. The force of a punch-down tool used to attach wires
to a telecommunications type connector will be directly transferred
to the grid.
[0030] The invention is simple to use in that no tools are needed
to attach the modules to the support panels.
[0031] The invention is also position insensitive. Because the
details of the grid are identical side-to-side, the modules may be
inserted upside down. In this case, the latch and locking pin will
bear the weight of the device, which is acceptable with most
products envisioned for this type of enclosure.
[0032] The invention further provides true modularity. Each home
will present different needs. The size of the house, number of
wall-plates and types of services supported will be unique on a
home by home basis. The ability to respond to each home's needs
requires a system to not impose arbitrary solutions. For example
some manufactures of similar systems have a special place to mount
a coax distribution panel. There is no provision to service a home
requiring a greater number of TV drops than this panel provides.
Perhaps the panel requires no coax support, as in the case of a
panel installed just to service in-wall speakers. In this case, a
special mounting scheme for the coax panel may prohibit mounting
another type of device in this location. Nonmodular mounting
schemes can be restrictive or inefficient.
[0033] The structures and methods disclosed herein illustrate the
principles of the present invention. The invention may be embodied
in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or
essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be
considered in all respects as exemplary and illustrative rather
than restrictive. Therefore, the appended claims rather than the
foregoing description define the scope of the invention. All
modifications to the embodiments described herein that come within
the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are embraced
within the scope of the invention.
* * * * *