Control Device With Concealed Selector Means And Method Of Making The Same

Abstract

A control device having a casing provided with an opening through which a movable selector member extends for permitting manual movement of the selector member for setting the desired operation of the control device. A cover member is detachably secured to the casing and closes the opening over and around the selector member to conceal and prevent operation of the selector member unless the cover member and/or the casing is removed to expose the selector member. The cover member has a pair of flanges extending therefrom which are bent inside the casing against the under side thereof to provide securing means for the cover member to the casing that must be unfastened inside the casing before the cover member can be removed.

Description

This invention relates to a control device having means for concealing the manual setting means thereof and to the method for making such a control device or the like.

It is well known that control devices have been provided with movable selector means so that the operator can select the desired setting for such a control device through the manual movement of the selector means. For example, such control devices can comprise room thermostats each of which can have the movable selector member thereof be adapted for selecting the desired temperature output effect of a heat exchanger operatively interconnected to the thermostat.

However, it has been found according to the teachings of this invention, while it is desired to have a selectable setting means for such a control device, it is also sometimes desirable to prevent such thermostat from being readjusted from a set position thereof by other than informed and/or authorized personnel.

Therefore, it is a feature of this invention to provide means for concealing the manual selector means of a control device so that the same cannot be utilized to reset the setting thereof unless certain steps are followed for resetting the control device.

For example, one embodiment of this invention provides a control device having a casing provided with an opening therein and through which a movable selector means extends for permitting manual movement of the selector means for selecting the desired operation of the control device. A cover member of this invention is detachable secured to the casing for closing the opening over and around the selector means to not only conceal the selector means, but to also prevent operation of the selector means unless the cover member and/or the casing is removed to expose the selector means. The cover member has securing means thereof disposed inside the casing so that the cover member cannot be removed unless the casing is removed from the control device by special tools or the like.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved control device having one or more of the novel features set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method for making such a control device or the like.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from a reading of this description, which proceeds with reference to accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the improved control device of this invention without utilizing the cover member of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1, with the casing of the control device removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cover member of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates the cover member of FIG. 3 attached to the casing of the control device of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 being partially broken away.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

While the various features of this invention are hereinafter described and illustrated as being particularly adapted for providing concealing means for the selector means of a thermostat, it is to be understood that the various features of this invention can be utilized singly or in any combination thereof for providing concealing means for the selector means of other types of control devices as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized to illustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved control device of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a cup-shaped rectangular casing 11 adapted to be detachably secured over the main support means 12 of the control device 10 that is formed from a plurality of plates 13, 14, 15 and 16, disposed and secured in stacked relation. For example, the cup-shaped casing member 11 can have its open end telescoped over the supporting structure 12 and can then be secured to the supporting structure 12 by suitable threaded fastening members passing through the casing 11 and into threaded openings 17 in the supporting structure 12 so that in order for the cup-shaped casing member 11 to be removed from over the supporting structure 12, special tools will be required to so remove such casing structure 11.

The casing 11 has a front wall 18 provided with a window 19 therein for exposing an indicator 20 on a movable selector member 21 which indicates the setting of the selector member 21 by the position of the indicator 20 relative to a temperature scale 22 formed on the front wall 18 adjacent the window 19 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Normally, an outer peripheral, ribbed portion 23 of the selector member 21 projects out through a rectangular opening 24 formed in the cup-shaped casing 11 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and since the selector member 21 is rotatably mounted to the supporting structure 12 by a threaded fastening member 25, the selector member 21 can be manually rotated relative to the supporting structure 12 for setting the temperature setting of the thermostat 10 which setting will correspond to the position of the indicator 20 thereof relative to the temperature scale 22.

While the particular details of the control device 10 and its temperature-responsive function does not form any part of this invention, it can readily be seen in FIG. 2 that a cam rise 26 is formed on the selector member 21 and is adapted to operate against an end 27 of a bimetal arrangement 28 that has one end 29 of a bimetal member 30 thereof acting against a ball bleed valve member 31 so that the force of the bimetal member 30 tending to urge the ball valve member 31 against a conical valve seat 32 of the supporting structure 12 will be varied by the particular position of the selector member 21 relative to the supporting structure 12.

As previously states, it is sometimes desirable to prevent unauthorized personnel from resetting the selector means 21 of the control device 10 after the same has been set in a desired position thereof for desired purposes.

Accordingly, it is a feature of this invention to provide means for concealing the selector member 21 after the same has been set in a desired position thereof to prevent unauthorized personnel from resetting the selector means 21.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cover member of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 33 and is substantially of a rectangular cup-shape so as to define opposed parallel sides 34 and 35 joined together at the upper ends thereof by a rectangular flat top wall 36 and another pair of opposed parallel end walls 37 and 38 respectively joined at the upper ends thereof to the top wall 36 and having flange extensions 39 and 40 extending downwardly thereform beyond the side walls 34 and 35.

The cover member 33 can be formed of metal or other desired material and is preferably formed of opaque material so that the same will completely conceal from view the selector member 21 at the opening 24 in the casing 11 in a manner now to be described.

With the casing 11 removed from the supporting structure 12, the cover member 33 is inserted into the opening 24 and the depending flanges 39 and 40 of the end walls 37 and 38 are bent outwardly in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4 so as to bear against the underside 41 of the casing 11 and thereby detachably secure the cover member 33 to the casing 11. When the casing 11 is subsequently reattached to the supporting structure 12 after the selector member 21 has been set in the desired position thereof, it can readily be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the cover member 33 completely covers the projecting portion of the selector member 21 at the opening 24 of the casing 11 so that unauthorized personnel are not only unaware that the device 10 has a manually movable selector means 21 as the same is concealed from view, but also the unauthorized personnel cannot readjust the selector member 21 unless the cover member 33 and/or casing 11 is removed from the supporting structure 12.

However, in order to remove the cover member 33 from the casing 11, the casing 11 must be detached from the supporting structure 12 so that the flanges 39 and 40 can be rebent back into the plane of the end walls 37 and 38 for removal of the cover member 33 from the opening 24 of the casing 11.

Therefore, it can be seen that the bent flanges 39 and 40 provide securing means inside the casing 11 for holding the cover member 33 in its secured position over the opening 24 of the casing 11 to completely conceal the manually movable portion of the selector member 21 that is normally exposed for manual selection of the temperature setting of the thermostat 10.

Thus, it can be seen that this invention not only provides an improved control device having means for concealing the manual selector means thereof, but also this invention provides a method for making such a control device or the like.

While the form and method of this invention now preferred has been illustrated and described as required by the Patent Statutes, it is to be understood that other forms and methods can be utilized and still come within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A control device having a casing provided with an opening therein, a movable selector means extending out of said opening for permitting manual movement of said selector means for setting the desired operation of said control device, and a cover member detachably secured to said casing and closing said opening over said selector means to prevent operation of said selector means unless said cover member and/or said casing is removed to expose said selector means.

2. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover member has flange means projecting therefrom and being bent outwardly therefrom inside said casing to detachably secure said cover member to said casing.

3. A control device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said opening in said casing is substantially rectangular, said flange means of said cover member cmprising a pair of flanges respectively disposed at opposed sides of said rectangular opening.

4. A control device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cover member is substantially of an inverted U-shape in transverse cross section thereof.

5. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover member has securing means located inside said casing so that said casing must be removed from said control device to expose said securing means for detaching said cover member from said casing.

6. A method for making a control device comprising the steps of forming an opening in a casing of said control device, causing a movable selector means to extend out of said opening for permitting manual movement of said selector means for setting the desired operation of said control device, and detachably securing a cover member to said casing to close said opening around and over said selector means to prevent operation of said selector means unless said cover member and/or said casing is removed to expose said selector means.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 and including the steps of forming said cover member with flange means projecting therefrom, and bending said flange means outwardly therefrom inside said casing to detachably secure said cover member to said casing at said opening thereof.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said opening in said casing is substantially rectangular and wherein said step of forming said flange means of said cover member comprises the step of forming a pair of flanges to be respectively disposed at opposed sides of said rectangular opening and be bent outwardly therefrom.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 and including the step of forming said cover member to be substantially of an inverted U-shape in transverse cross section thereof.

10. A method as set forth in claim 6 and including the step of forming said cover member with securing means to be located inside said casing so that said casing must be removed from said control device to expose said securing means for detaching said cover member from said casing.