US20030067255A1 - Mounted enclosure - Google Patents

Mounted enclosure Download PDF

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Publication number
US20030067255A1
US20030067255A1 US10/247,428 US24742802A US2003067255A1 US 20030067255 A1 US20030067255 A1 US 20030067255A1 US 24742802 A US24742802 A US 24742802A US 2003067255 A1 US2003067255 A1 US 2003067255A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
enclosure
extension section
main housing
enclosure according
section
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/247,428
Inventor
Steven Taylor
Andrew Hatter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Camden Electronics Ltd
Original Assignee
Camden Electronics Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Camden Electronics Ltd filed Critical Camden Electronics Ltd
Assigned to CAMDEN ELECTRONICS LIMITED reassignment CAMDEN ELECTRONICS LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HATTER, ANDREW, TAYLOR, STEVEN
Publication of US20030067255A1 publication Critical patent/US20030067255A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02B—BOARDS, SUBSTATIONS OR SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUPPLY OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02B1/00—Frameworks, boards, panels, desks, casings; Details of substations or switching arrangements
    • H02B1/015—Boards, panels, desks; Parts thereof or accessories therefor
    • H02B1/04—Mounting thereon of switches or of other devices in general, the switch or device having, or being without, casing
    • H02B1/052—Mounting on rails

Definitions

  • a DIN rail mounted enclosure is used to house electrical/electronic circuitry and in combination with a surface mounted DIN rail provides a useful system for retaining and storing equipment.
  • the enclosures are manufactured from a thermoplastics material such as a polycarbonate.
  • a manufacturer will typically produce a range of enclosures to cope with the demands of customers for different sizes of housings for their equipment. Each enclosure in the range requires an associated mould tool to produce the enclosure. It is expensive to produce the mould tools and subsequently to keep sufficient quantities of the parts in stock to satisfy the demands of customers.
  • Customers tend to design their equipment to fit within an enclosure of a particular size offered by the manufacturer since bespoke DIN rail mounted enclosures would be prohibitively expensive unless made in sufficiently high volumes.
  • the present invention provides a more versatile DIN rail or surface mounted enclosure that offers flexibility in terms of the effective internal volume available to house equipment.
  • the extension section can be snap fitted to the top of the main housing. With appropriate design, the extension section or sections can be sized to fit the main housings of a range of enclosures having different footprints. This would mean that fewer parts would have to be maintained in stock at any one time. It also offers customers the opportunity to retrofit additional equipment within an enclosure should the design of their equipment change shape or configuration during its operational lifetime.
  • FIG. 2 shows a second example of a DIN rail mounted enclosure in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 3 shows a third example of a DIN rail mounted enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

Abstract

The present invention provides an enclosure, which can be DIN rail mounted or surface mounted, comprising a base adapted to cooperate with a DIN rail, a main housing for receiving equipment, and an initially separate extension section that is adapted to engage the main housing to increase the effective internal volume of the enclosure for receiving equipment.

Description

    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to an enclosure which can be DIN rail mounted or surface mounted. [0001]
    • BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
  • A DIN rail mounted enclosure is used to house electrical/electronic circuitry and in combination with a surface mounted DIN rail provides a useful system for retaining and storing equipment. Typically, the enclosures are manufactured from a thermoplastics material such as a polycarbonate. A manufacturer will typically produce a range of enclosures to cope with the demands of customers for different sizes of housings for their equipment. Each enclosure in the range requires an associated mould tool to produce the enclosure. It is expensive to produce the mould tools and subsequently to keep sufficient quantities of the parts in stock to satisfy the demands of customers. Customers tend to design their equipment to fit within an enclosure of a particular size offered by the manufacturer since bespoke DIN rail mounted enclosures would be prohibitively expensive unless made in sufficiently high volumes. [0002]
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • According to the present invention, an enclosure, which can be DIN rail mounted or surface mounted, comprises a base adapted to cooperate with a DIN rail, a main housing for receiving equipment, and an initially separate extension section that is adapted to engage the main housing to increase the effective internal volume of the enclosure for receiving equipment. [0003]
  • Preferably, the extension section is adapted to interlock with the main housing. More preferably, the main housing and the extension section comprise snap fittings to permit the extension section to engage the main housing. The snap fittings may comprise a hinge, particularly one of a type known as a “living” hinge, so that the extension section forms a hinged lid section. Alternatively, the snap fittings may be of a conventional type that permanently fixes the extension section to the main housing. The extension section May comprise an integral lid or may include suitable fittings to receive an initially separate lid section. Such a lid section could be designed to fit both the extension section and the main housing so that the enclosure could be sold either with or without the extension section, depending on customer requirements. [0004]
  • Preferably, the enclosure is formed from a thermoplastics material, more preferably a polycarbonate. In a preferred embodiment, the extension section is formed from a transparent plastics material so that it is possible to view the equipment contained within an enclosure. [0005]
  • The present invention provides a more versatile DIN rail or surface mounted enclosure that offers flexibility in terms of the effective internal volume available to house equipment. The extension section can be snap fitted to the top of the main housing. With appropriate design, the extension section or sections can be sized to fit the main housings of a range of enclosures having different footprints. This would mean that fewer parts would have to be maintained in stock at any one time. It also offers customers the opportunity to retrofit additional equipment within an enclosure should the design of their equipment change shape or configuration during its operational lifetime.[0006]
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • Examples of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0007]
  • FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic of a first example of a DIN rail mounted enclosure in accordance with the present invention; [0008]
  • FIG. 2 shows a second example of a DIN rail mounted enclosure in accordance with the present invention; [0009]
  • FIG. 3 shows a third example of a DIN rail mounted enclosure in accordance with the present invention. [0010]
    • DETAILED DESCRIPTION
  • FIG. 1 shows an example of a DIN rail mounted [0011] enclosure 10 in accordance with the present invention. The enclosure 10 comprises a base section 11 adapted to fit a conventional surface mounted DIN rail (not shown) and includes a main housing 12 for receiving equipment (not shown). The design includes a snap fit extension section 13 that fits the top part of the main housing 12 and thereby increases the effective volume offered by the enclosure 10 for receiving equipment. Snap fittings 14 of a conventional type are provided around the perimeter of the main housing 12 and the extension section 13. A snap fit hinge 15 is also provided between an extension lid section 16 (which itself offers an additional extension to the internal volume) and the extension section 13 which would also fit the main housing 12 in the absence of the extension section 13. The entire enclosure 10 is formed from a polycarbonate plastics material.
  • The example of FIG. 2 includes only a [0012] single extension section 21 that forms a lid which is fitted to the main housing 20, but with an internal volume that effectively extends the internal volume of the main housing. In this example, the extension section 21 is formed of a transparent plastics material and is hinged to the main housing by way of a snap fit hinge 22. Similarly, an extension lid section 30 in the example of FIG. 3 is also transparent and is fitted to an adjacent extension section 31 by way of a snap fit hinge 32.
  • The present invention provides a more versatile DIN rail mounted enclosure that offers flexibility in terms of the effective internal volume available to house equipment. The extension section can be snap fitted to the main housing. With appropriate design, the extension section or sections can be sized to fit the main housings of a range of enclosures having different footprints. This would mean that fewer parts would have to be maintained in stock at any one time. It also offers customers the opportunity to retrofit additional equipment within an enclosure should the design of their equipments change shape or configuration during its operational lifetime. [0013]

Claims (10)

1. An enclosure, which can be DIN rail mounted or surface mounted, comprising a base adapted to cooperate with a DIN rail, a main housing for receiving equipment, and an initially separate extension section that is adapted to engage the main housing to increase the effective internal volume of the enclosure for receiving equipment.
2. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the extension section is adapted to interlock with the main housing and the main housing and the extension section comprise snap fittings to permit the extension section to engage the main housing.
3. An enclosure according to claim 2, wherein the snap fittings comprise a hinge.
4. An enclosure according to claim 3, wherein the hinge is of a type known as a “living” hinge, so that the extension section forms a hinged lid section.
5. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the extension section comprises an integral lid.
6. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the extension section comprises suitable fittings to receive an initially separate lid section.
7. An enclosure according to claim 6, wherein the lid section fits both the extension section and the main housing.
8. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure is formed from a thermoplastics material.
9. An enclosure according to claim 8, wherein the enclosure is a polycarbonate.
10. An enclosure according to claim 8, wherein the extension section is formed from a transparent plastics material so that it is possible to view equipment contained, in use, within the enclosure.
US10/247,428 2001-09-19 2002-09-19 Mounted enclosure Abandoned US20030067255A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0122628.1 2001-09-19
GB0122628A GB2375233B (en) 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 A mounted enclosure

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20030067255A1 true US20030067255A1 (en) 2003-04-10

Family

ID=9922363

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/247,428 Abandoned US20030067255A1 (en) 2001-09-19 2002-09-19 Mounted enclosure

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US20030067255A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1296425B1 (en)
DE (1) DE60232706D1 (en)
ES (1) ES2325732T3 (en)
GB (1) GB2375233B (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE202006000125U1 (en) * 2006-01-05 2006-04-27 Bernic A/S DIN rail mounted housing for electrical and / or electronic components

Citations (22)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2972407A (en) * 1956-11-15 1961-02-21 George D Taylor Butter dispenser with sectional housing
US2988412A (en) * 1959-02-09 1961-06-13 Vue Chest Inc Stackable display case
US4139097A (en) * 1977-05-02 1979-02-13 The C. R. Gibson Company Stackable container tray for storing and displaying flat objects
US4203525A (en) * 1976-12-09 1980-05-20 Yoshikazu Okubo Vaulting box
US4611716A (en) * 1985-04-29 1986-09-16 Sorlien Mark D Closable hanging vessel and method of use
US4669030A (en) * 1983-11-30 1987-05-26 Schlumberger Electronics (Uk) Limited Enclosure for electrical circuitry having a housing with a reversible backplate
US4774484A (en) * 1985-04-09 1988-09-27 Square D Company Auxiliary electrical contact for electromagnetic contactor
US4820205A (en) * 1985-04-09 1989-04-11 Square D Company Terminal structure for a coil
US5192227A (en) * 1991-12-23 1993-03-09 Square D Company Din rail mounting bracket
US5205413A (en) * 1992-05-21 1993-04-27 Dart Industries Inc. Lunchbox with reversible cover
US5547095A (en) * 1993-10-11 1996-08-20 Fibox Oy Ab Electronics and instrumentation enclosure and a frame therefor
US5602363A (en) * 1993-09-07 1997-02-11 Watlow/Winona, Inc. Din rail mounted enclosure
US5617679A (en) * 1994-12-29 1997-04-08 Tuf-Tite, Inc. Stackable riser for on-site waste and drainage systems
US6003706A (en) * 1998-09-17 1999-12-21 Polyfoam Packers Corporation Adjustable depth insulated container
US6095867A (en) * 1998-09-21 2000-08-01 Rockwell Technologies, Llc Method and apparatus for transmitting power and data signals via a network connector system including integral power capacitors
US6157287A (en) * 1999-03-03 2000-12-05 Cooper Technologies Company Touch safe fuse module and holder
US6193340B1 (en) * 1999-08-03 2001-02-27 Geographics, Inc. Snap-together file storage system
US6404652B1 (en) * 1998-11-06 2002-06-11 Omron Corporation Relay terminal
US6431909B1 (en) * 2000-09-28 2002-08-13 Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc. DIN rail attachment method and apparatus
US20020182902A1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2002-12-05 Lostoski Douglas A. Input/output device having removable module
US6650222B2 (en) * 2000-12-07 2003-11-18 Cooper Technologies Company Modular fuseholder
US6809923B2 (en) * 2002-02-21 2004-10-26 Omron Corporation Power supply unit

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1985002516A1 (en) * 1983-11-23 1985-06-06 Roton Corporation Attachable housing unit for powered electrical component unit
DE3738896A1 (en) * 1987-11-17 1989-05-24 Standard Elektrik Lorenz Ag HOUSING FOR RECEIVING ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLIES
CA2285135C (en) * 1998-10-16 2005-09-20 Ditto Sales, Inc. Electrical raceway assembly
DE20004260U1 (en) * 2000-03-07 2001-01-04 Bopla Gehaeuse Systeme Gmbh Housing for receiving electrical or electronic components

Patent Citations (22)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2972407A (en) * 1956-11-15 1961-02-21 George D Taylor Butter dispenser with sectional housing
US2988412A (en) * 1959-02-09 1961-06-13 Vue Chest Inc Stackable display case
US4203525A (en) * 1976-12-09 1980-05-20 Yoshikazu Okubo Vaulting box
US4139097A (en) * 1977-05-02 1979-02-13 The C. R. Gibson Company Stackable container tray for storing and displaying flat objects
US4669030A (en) * 1983-11-30 1987-05-26 Schlumberger Electronics (Uk) Limited Enclosure for electrical circuitry having a housing with a reversible backplate
US4774484A (en) * 1985-04-09 1988-09-27 Square D Company Auxiliary electrical contact for electromagnetic contactor
US4820205A (en) * 1985-04-09 1989-04-11 Square D Company Terminal structure for a coil
US4611716A (en) * 1985-04-29 1986-09-16 Sorlien Mark D Closable hanging vessel and method of use
US5192227A (en) * 1991-12-23 1993-03-09 Square D Company Din rail mounting bracket
US5205413A (en) * 1992-05-21 1993-04-27 Dart Industries Inc. Lunchbox with reversible cover
US5602363A (en) * 1993-09-07 1997-02-11 Watlow/Winona, Inc. Din rail mounted enclosure
US5547095A (en) * 1993-10-11 1996-08-20 Fibox Oy Ab Electronics and instrumentation enclosure and a frame therefor
US5617679A (en) * 1994-12-29 1997-04-08 Tuf-Tite, Inc. Stackable riser for on-site waste and drainage systems
US6003706A (en) * 1998-09-17 1999-12-21 Polyfoam Packers Corporation Adjustable depth insulated container
US6095867A (en) * 1998-09-21 2000-08-01 Rockwell Technologies, Llc Method and apparatus for transmitting power and data signals via a network connector system including integral power capacitors
US6404652B1 (en) * 1998-11-06 2002-06-11 Omron Corporation Relay terminal
US6157287A (en) * 1999-03-03 2000-12-05 Cooper Technologies Company Touch safe fuse module and holder
US6193340B1 (en) * 1999-08-03 2001-02-27 Geographics, Inc. Snap-together file storage system
US20020182902A1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2002-12-05 Lostoski Douglas A. Input/output device having removable module
US6431909B1 (en) * 2000-09-28 2002-08-13 Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc. DIN rail attachment method and apparatus
US6650222B2 (en) * 2000-12-07 2003-11-18 Cooper Technologies Company Modular fuseholder
US6809923B2 (en) * 2002-02-21 2004-10-26 Omron Corporation Power supply unit

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1296425B1 (en) 2009-06-24
GB2375233A (en) 2002-11-06
DE60232706D1 (en) 2009-08-06
ES2325732T3 (en) 2009-09-15
GB0122628D0 (en) 2001-11-07
EP1296425A2 (en) 2003-03-26
GB2375233B (en) 2003-12-03
EP1296425A3 (en) 2003-07-30

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: CAMDEN ELECTRONICS LIMITED, UNITED KINGDOM

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TAYLOR, STEVEN;HATTER, ANDREW;REEL/FRAME:013594/0856;SIGNING DATES FROM 20021118 TO 20021119

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION