U.S. patent application number 12/768601 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-14 for latch for enclosure.
Invention is credited to Steven J. Johnson, Trent T. Jones, Johann Anthony Toikka.
Application Number | 20100259141 12/768601 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39050050 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100259141 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Johnson; Steven J. ; et
al. |
October 14, 2010 |
Latch for Enclosure
Abstract
An enclosure includes a back enclosure unit, a front enclosure
unit hinged to the back enclosure unit, a rod coupled to the front
enclosure unit, and a spring latch coupled to the back enclosure
unit, wherein the rod engages the spring latch when the front
enclosure unit is closed upon the back enclosure unit.
Inventors: |
Johnson; Steven J.;
(Mahtomedi, MN) ; Toikka; Johann Anthony;
(Andover, MN) ; Jones; Trent T.; (White Bear Lake,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREENBERG TRAURIG (PHX)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT, 2450 COLORADO AVENUE , SUITE 400E
SANTA MONICA
CA
90404
US
|
Family ID: |
39050050 |
Appl. No.: |
12/768601 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11480331 |
Jun 30, 2006 |
7726750 |
|
|
12768601 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/217 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05C 7/02 20130101; E05B
15/022 20130101; E05B 63/244 20130101; E05C 3/04 20130101; E05C
19/06 20130101; H02B 1/38 20130101; E05B 63/0052 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/217 |
International
Class: |
E05C 7/00 20060101
E05C007/00 |
Claims
1. An enclosure comprising: a back enclosure unit; a front
enclosure unit hinged to the back enclosure unit; a rod coupled to
the front enclosure unit; and a spring latch coupled to the back
enclosure unit, wherein the rod engages the spring latch when the
front enclosure unit is closed upon the back enclosure unit, and
wherein the rod is rotated to disengage from the spring latch.
2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the rod includes an edge to
engage the spring latch.
3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the rod extends from a front
of the front enclosure unit to a rear of the front enclosure
unit.
4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the spring latch includes at
least two arms biased towards each other.
5. The enclosure of claim 1, further including an alignment feature
on the back enclosure unit and a mating alignment feature on the
front enclosure unit.
6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the rod is internally mounted
within the front enclosure unit and is aligned with the spring
latch.
7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the rod and spring latch are
adapted to automatically latch upon the closing of the front
enclosure unit on the back enclosure unit.
8. The enclosure of claim 1, including a front door to cover an
open front side of the front enclosure unit.
9. The enclosure of claim 1, including a gasket material on at
least one of the front or back enclosure units.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Application Ser.
No. 11/480,331 filed on Jun. 30, 2006, the entire contents of which
are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the field of electrical
enclosures, and more specifically to a latch for a double hinge
enclosure.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Electrical enclosures can be used to house assorted
electrical and datacom equipment. The enclosure protects the
electrical equipment from the environment and helps prevent access
to the equipment. A double hinge enclosure includes a back
enclosure unit hinged to a front enclosure unit. The units are
typically latched together using a manual means such as an outside
latch which a user latches to hold the two enclosure units
together. There is a need for an easier method of latching the two
enclosure units.
SUMMARY
[0004] An enclosure includes a back enclosure unit, a front
enclosure unit hinged to the back enclosure unit, a rod coupled to
the front enclosure unit, and a spring latch coupled to the back
enclosure unit. The rod engages the spring latch when the front
enclosure unit is closed upon the back enclosure unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an enclosure according to
one embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the enclosure of
FIG. 1.
[0007] FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the enclosure of
FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 4 shows a front perspective view of the enclosure of
FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 5 shows details of a latching system of the enclosure
of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 6 shows a top view of a latching system of the
enclosure of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 7 shows another top view of the latching system of the
enclosure of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of a rod assembly, in
accordance with one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is
shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the
invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in
sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice
the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments
may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the
following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting
sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the
appended claims and their equivalents.
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an enclosure 100
according to one embodiment. Enclosure 100 is a double hinge,
wall-mount enclosure and includes a back enclosure unit 110, a
front enclosure unit 120 hinged to back enclosure unit 110, and a
front door 130 hinged to front enclosure unit 120. Front door 130
can include one or more rotatable latches 135 to hold the front
door tightly closed against the front enclosure unit 120. Enclosure
100 can be used to house datacom equipment or other electrical
equipment and devices.
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of enclosure 100 with
front enclosure unit 120 swung open from back enclosure unit 110
and front door 130 swung open from front enclosure unit 120. As
will be discussed in detail below, enclosure 100 is configured to
allow front enclosure unit 120 to be slam latched to back enclosure
unit 110.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of enclosure 100 with
front enclosure unit 120 open from back enclosure unit 110 and FIG.
4 shows a front perspective view of enclosure 100. Front enclosure
unit 120 is connected to back enclosure unit 110 by one or more
hinges 310. Back enclosure unit 110 includes a back wall 354, a top
wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall, and
an open front side 356. The back enclosure unit 110 is adapted to
be mounted against a wall such that back wall 354 is flush with the
wall.
[0017] In one embodiment, a gasket material 320 can be mounted
around a perimeter of the open front side 356. Front enclosure unit
120 includes an edge 330 that compresses the gasket material 320 to
provide a seal when the front enclosure unit 120 is latched to the
back enclosure unit 110. In other examples, the back enclosure unit
110 can include an edge and the front enclosure unit 120 could have
the gasket material 320 mounted thereon. Gasket material 320 can
include a compliant material or a foam material, for example.
[0018] To provide the slam-latching of the present system, a rod
340 is coupled internally within the front enclosure unit 120 and a
spring latch 350 is coupled to the back enclosure unit 110. Rod 340
is aligned with the spring latch 350 and automatically engages the
spring latch 350 when the front enclosure unit 120 is closed upon
the back enclosure unit 110.
[0019] Rod 340 is held within front enclosure unit 120 by a front
holder 450 and a rear holder 360. Rod 340 is rotatable within the
holders 450, 360 but cannot move back and forth. Rod 340 extends
from the front side of the front enclosure unit 120 through the
open back side 430 of the front enclosure unit. Rod 340 includes a
handle 460 on one end and a latching feature 462 on a second end.
Rod 340 can be either completely rotatable or can be spring loaded
so as to return to a predetermined position, as will be discussed
below. One or more clips 475 can be located at the front and back
holders 360, 450 to hold the rod in place.
[0020] Spring latch 350 is mounted to back enclosure unit 110 at a
mounting bracket 370. Mounting bracket 370 includes a hole 372 and
the spring latch 350 is mounted on the back side of mounting
bracket 370 and aligned with hole 372. The tip of rod 340 extends
through hole 372 to engage the spring latch 350 when the front
enclosure unit is closed upon the back enclosure unit 110.
[0021] Also extending from mounting bracket 370 are alignment
features 362 and 364. Alignment features 362 and 364 are configured
to help align the front enclosure unit and the back enclosure unit
110. Front enclosure unit 120 includes corresponding alignment
features including holder 360. Holder 360 is dimensioned such that
its top and bottom surfaces can contact top and bottom camming
surfaces 366, 368 of the alignment features 362, 364. Accordingly,
surfaces 362 and 364 work with the alignment features of holder 360
to align the two enclosure units. This provides further alignment
to allow the rod 340 to meet the spring latch 350 correctly.
Furthermore, holder 360 can rest on alignment feature 364 for load
support and top alignment feature 362 can rest upon holder 360 so
that it also provides load support.
[0022] Referring also to FIG. 4, front enclosure unit 120 includes
a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side
wall, an open front side 420 and an open back side 430. Front
enclosure unit 120 is configured with the back enclosure unit 110
such that the open back side 430 of the front enclosure unit closes
over and communicates with the open front side 356 of the back
enclosure unit.
[0023] Front door 130 is hinged to the front enclosure unit 120 by
a hinge 445 and is located so as to cover the open front side 420
of the front enclosure unit. Gaskets 440 can be placed on the front
door so as to seal the units when closed by squeezing against an
edge 470 on the front side of front enclosure unit 120. Front door
130 encapsulates and covers the unit so no access is provided.
Since the rods are inside the secured enclosure (behind the
key-locked or tool-locked door 130) the rods 340 can typically only
be activated from the front of the enclosure after opening the
door. This allows the enclosure 100 to be placed in areas with
restricted access to the sides, such as up against a side wall.
[0024] As can be seen in FIG. 5, latching feature 462 includes a
ridge 464 along at least one side of rod 340. As discussed, rod 340
is aligned with the spring latch 350 and the latching feature 462
engages the spring latch 350 when the front enclosure unit is
closed upon the back enclosure unit. This happens automatically
when the front enclosure unit 120 is slammed (forcefully closed)
upon the back enclosure unit 110. To disengage the latch, rod 340
is rotated a quarter turn and the latching feature 462 disengages
from the spring latch 350. This allows for a quick closing
slam-action latching and an automatic latching with no further
manual operation by the user. It is automatic and provides the
right compression pressure against the gaskets.
[0025] FIGS. 6 and 7 show further details of latching and
unlatching the enclosure unit. In one embodiment, spring latch 350
includes a pair of arms 351, 352 that are biased towards each
other. As rod 340 enters the spring latch 350, the arms spread and
then come together at edge 464 to hold the rod in place. To open
the latch, the rod 340 is turned a quarter turn (See FIG. 7), such
that the outer surface 702 spreads arms 351 and 352 apart so that
the rod can be pulled away from spring latch 350.
[0026] FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of a rod assembly, in
accordance with one embodiment. In this example, rod 340 is
spring-loaded so as to automatically return to a locking position.
Thus, after rod 340 is turned to open the latch (see FIG. 7), the
rod will automatically return to the proper closing orientation. In
one embodiment, the spring-loaded assembly includes a spring 802
encircling rod 340. One end of spring 802 couples to a notch 806 in
holder 360 and another end of spring 802 couples to a base 804 that
also encircles rod 340. A protrusion 808 on rod 340 engages a
cut-out 810 on base 810. Thus, after the rod 340 is turned a
quarter-turn, spring 802 drives base 804 and rod 340 back to the
original position.
[0027] It is understood that the above description is intended to
be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will
be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above
description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be
determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the
full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
* * * * *