AU2004101048A4 - A Frame Member - Google Patents

Description

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title:

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT B R Enclosures Pty Ltd Morrison John Just CULLEN CO Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street Brisbane Qld 4000 Australian A Frame Member 'The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it, known to us: 2 0 o A Frame Member Field of the Innovation oThe present innovation relates generally to frame members and, in particular, to frame members which are at least partially roll-formed.

00 Although the innovation will be described with particular reference to frame O members that are used as corner struts for electrical switching cabinets, it will be O appreciated that this is by way of example only and that frame members that include the innovation may be used in other applications.

0 O io Background Art Electrical power meters, switches, circuit breakers and other electrical equipment for houses and other buildings are often housed inside an electrical switch cabinet which is located either inside or outside the building.

A typical electrical switch cabinet includes side, bottom, top and rear walls together with a door which covers a front opening of the cabinet and which is hinged to the cabinet. Opening the door enables the equipment housed in the cabinet to be accessed by a person such as a meter reader or electrician.

Electrical switch cabinets are available in many sizes ranging from the relatively small cabinets which can often be found secured to the outside walls of houses up to the large wardrobe sized cabinets which are used in factories, shopping centres, office blocks and other large buildings.

Large wardrobe sized electrical switch cabinets usually include a metal frame which maintains the structural integrity of the cabinet. The frame usually includes a plurality of vertical frame members which are often referred to as struts together with a plurality of horizontal frame members. The struts are usually located at the corners of the cabinet and the horizontal frame members usually extend between the struts at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The top, bottom, rear and sides of the frame are usually covered by metal wall panels, and at least one door is usually hinged to the cabinet so that the front of the cabinet can be opened and closed.

The corner struts of wardrobe sized electrical switch cabinets are typically 3 0 o hollow and include a plurality of elongate sides. The struts are typically constructed by roll-forming a metal blank, however constructing struts in this manner can be problematic if the strut is made from a relatively thick gauge material such as steel owhich is difficult to bend.

It would therefore be desirable to reduce the difficultly of bending the 00 relatively thick gauge material from which frame members such as corner struts for O electrical switching cabinets are typically constructed so that at least some of the O problems associated with roll-forming such frame members from relatively thick gauge material can be reduced or even eliminated.

~10 O i Object of the Innovation It is an object of the present innovation to overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art mentioned above, or to provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

Other objects and advantages of the present innovation will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, a preferred embodiment of the present innovation is disclosed.

According to an aspect of the present innovation there is provided a frame member for an electrical switch cabinet, the frame member comprising two sides, a bend-line extending along the member which the sides are bent with respect to each other along, and a plurality of openings located along the bend-line.

The presence of the openings assists the bending of the two sides of the frame member relative to each other along the bend-line.

The frame member may be for any purpose. However, in a preferred form, the frame member is part of an electrical switch cabinet frame. In a more preferred form, the frame member is a corner strut of an electrical switch cabinet frame.

The frame member may be constructed from any suitable material such as steel or aluminium. Moreover, the frame member may be of any suitable size and shape.

The frame member is preferably roll-formed from a planar blank of a 4 0 o bendable material such as steel. However, in other forms the frame member may only o be partially roll-formed and may not be constructed from a planar blank of a bendable material.

o The openings may be of any shape and size. Moreover, the openings may each have the same shape and size or the shape and size of at least some of the 00 openings may differ. In a preferred form, the openings are elongate and preferably O have a length of 5 to 30 mm and a width of 2 to 5 mm. In a particular preferred form, O the openings are rectangular in shape and are 17 mm long and 3 mm wide.

The openings are preferably regularly spaced along the bend-line.

0 O 10 It is preferred that the openings are located substantially along the complete length of the bend-line.

The frame member preferably comprises an L-shaped box section which includes the sides and the bend-line which the sides are bended with respect to each other along.

The frame member preferably includes one or more openings in either or both of the sides for enabling other frame members such as cross-members to be secured to the first-mentioned frame member.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the innovation may be more fully understood and put into practice, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan elevation of a blank of metal sheeting from which a frame member according to the preferred embodiment of the present innovation is able to be constructed; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional end elevation of the blank illustrated in figure 1 which depicts an initial stage in the construction of the frame member according to the preferred embodiment of the present innovation from the blank; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional end elevation of the blank illustrated in figure 1 which depicts a further stage in the construction of the frame member from the blank; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional end elevation of the blank illustrated in figure 1 0 o which depicts another stage in the construction of the frame member from the blank; 0 Figure 5 is a cross-sectional end elevation of the blank illustrated in figure 1 which depicts yet another stage in the construction of the frame member from the oblank; Figure 6 is front perspective of the frame member according to the preferred 00 embodiment of the present innovation; o Figure 7 is a rear perspective of the frame member according to the preferred o embodiment of the present innovation; Figure 8 depicts the frame member according to the preferred embodiment of 0 O 10 the present invention when the frame member is employed as a corner strut of an electrical switch cabinet; and Figure 9 depicts a horizontal frame member secured to the corner strut illustrated in figure 9.

Best Modes A blank 20 which is made from a 2 mm thick sheet of metal such as steel and which is able to be roll-formed into a frame member for an electrical switch cabinet is depicted in figure 1. The blank 20 is generally rectangular in shape and is approximately 2035 mm long and 194 mm wide. A respective finger portion 21 is located at each end of the blank 20, and each finger portion 21 includes a sub-portion 22 having a circular opening 23.

The blank 20 also includes a discontinuous straight line 24 which is formed by a plurality of regularly spaced openings 25 in the blank 20 and which extends the length of the blank 20 such that the blank 20 is thereby divided into two halves with the sub-portions 22 located on the same side of the line 24. Each opening 25 is in the form of a rectangular slot and is 17 mm long and 3 mm wide.

Each opening 25 is situated midway between a respective pair of circular openings 26 in the blank 20, and a respective rectangular opening 27 in the blank 20 is located adjacent to each circular opening 26. Every fifth rectangular opening 27 also has located adjacent to it a circular opening 28 in the blank The blank 20 also includes a plurality of circular openings 29 and centre 6 marks 30 on each side of the line 24.

The various stages of roll-forming the blank 20 into a frame member are depicted in figures 2 to 5. The initial stage depicted in figure 2 involves firstly bending both of the sub-portions 22 along bend-lines which are perpendicular with respect to line 24 such that the sub-portions 22 are perpendicular with respect to the 00 rest of the blank 20. The half of the blank 20 which includes the sub-portions 22 is o then bent along parallel bend-lines 40 to 42 which extend the length of the blank 20 so O that the blank 20 has a generally J-shaped cross-section and includes a lip 43 as depicted in figure 2.

The next stage of the roll-forming process involves bending the other half of the blank 20 which does not include the sub-portions 22 along parallel bend-lines 44 to 46 which extend the length of the blank 20 so that the blank 20 has a generally Cshaped cross-section and includes a lip 47 which is parallel to the lip 43 and inclined with respect thereto by 30' as depicted in figure 3.

Referring to figure 4, an edge 48 of a bending tool 49 is then positioned along the line 24 of the blank 20 while the blank 20 sits on a die (not shown) so that the edge 48 of the tool 49 can be forced towards the die and thereby bend the blank along the line 24 which is defined by the regularly spaced openings 25 whose presence assists the blank 20 in bending along the bend-line 24. The blank 20 is bent in this manner until the two halves thereof are inclined with respect to each other by 123' as depicted in figure 4. The bending tool 49 is then withdrawn from the blank Once the bending tool 49 has been withdrawn the blank 20 is further bent along the bend line 24 until the two halves of the blank 20 are at right-angles with respect to each other as depicted in figure 5 with the lip 47 overlying the lip 43. The resulting frame member 60 has an L-shaped box section which includes sides 60 and 61 which are bent with respect to each other along the bend-line 24.

Referring to figures 6 and 7 it can be seen that the openings 25 extend along the bend-line 24.

Figure 8 depicts the frame member 60 being employed as a corner strut of an electrical switch cabinet frame, and figure 9 depicts a horizontal frame member 7 0 o secured to the corner strut 60 by a plurality of bolts 71 that are each received by a 0 respective circular opening 26 of the strut Throughout the specification and the claims (if any), unless the context Orequires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group 00 of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

O Throughout the specification and claims (if any), unless the context requires O otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

0 It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications to the innovation described herein will be apparent without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The variations and modifications as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the innovation as herein set forth.

Claims (1)

1. 4. The frame member of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the frame member 0 0 comprises an L-shaped box section which includes the sides and the bend-line. A frame member for an electrical switch cabinet, the frame member being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 1 0 th day of December 2004 B R ENCLOSURES PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.