AU2009217472A1 - Power and data mounting bracket for an access floor assembly - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98 AUSTRALIA Patents Act, 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: ZLATAR, Petar ACTUAL INVENTOR: ZLATAR, Petar ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: Peter Maxwell and Associates Level 6 60 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 INVENTION TITLE: POWER AND DATA BAR FOR AN ACCESS FLOOR DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED APPLICATION NO(S) Nil The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: m:\docs\20091026\175912.doc 2 POWER AND DATA MOUNTING BRACKET FOR AN ACCESS FLOOR ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to access floors and, in 5 particular, to a power and data mounting bracket for an access floor assembly. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Access floors are a common feature of many computer, media and communication rooms. Being raised above a concrete slab or other sub-floor by pedestals, access floors provide underlying space to conceal and arrange 10 power and data cabling used to operate the computers located within the room. A prior art power and data outlet box 10 is shown within an access floor panel 12 in Fig. 1. The box 10 has four power sockets 14 and four data outlets 16, which can also be seen in Fig. 2. The power sockets 14 and data outlets 16 are covered by a lid 18 (see Fig. 1) which sits flush with the access 15 floor panel 12 when the lid 18 is closed. Each data outlet 14 must be individually connected via a network cable (which is not shown) which runs under the access floor 12 to a computer server (which is not shown). Likewise, each power socket 14 must be connected to a power source (which is not shown) via a power cable (which is 20 not shown) which also runs under the access floor 12. Prior art power and data outlet boxes come with a prefixed amount of power sockets and data outlets. Generally, each prior art power and data outlet box 10 contains no more than four power sockets and four data outlets. A problem with the prior art power and data outlet box 10 is that if more 25 power sockets are required (for more computers, for instance), then each new box 10 must be individually connected to the power source, which may be 22/09/2009 3 located many metres away. This requires the expertise and expense of an electrician to install additional boxes 10 into further access floor panels 12. Thus, there is a need for a means of readily adding new power sockets to a room with an access floor without having to individually connect each new 5 power and data box 10 to a power source and without having to install additional power and data outlet boxes 10 into access floor panels 12. Hence, the main object of the invention is to provide a means for enabling a plurality of power sockets to be readily installed beneath an access floor assembly. Another object of the present invention is to provide a means 10 of organising a plurality of data cable connections beneath an access floor assembly. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a power and data mounting bracket for an access floor assembly, the mounting bracket 15 comprising a body adapted to be engaged with a tray beneath the access floor assembly, means for engaging one or more data cables to the body, and means for engaging one or more power socket modules to the body, 20 the arrangement of the power socket modules being such that power is able to flow from one power socket module to another. Preferably, the one or more power socket modules are mateably connected together. It is also preferred that the body engages with the tray by means of 25 bendable tabs adapted to hook onto sections of the tray. In a preferred embodiment, the body further comprises means for engaging at least one power connection box. 22/09/2009 4 More preferably, the power connection box supplies power to the power socket modules. In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hatch for accessing the power and data mounting bracket beneath the access floor 5 assembly, the hatch comprising: at least one seal having a plurality of abutting flaps, the arrangement of the flaps being such that one or more cables may penetrate the or each seal. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an elongated mounting bracket for the power socket modules and data cables of 10 an access floor assembly having a tray, the bracket comprising an elongated main portion having downwardly depending side portions with the lower part of each side portion being adapted to engage and be supported on the tray of the floor assembly, the main portion having first and second elongated mounting portions extending therealong, the first mounting portion being adapted to 15 retain and support a plurality of interconnected power socket modules and the second mounting portion being adapted to receive and retain a plurality of spaced apart data cables. SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into 20 practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of a prior art power and data outlet box installed in an access floor assembly. Fig. 2 is a top view of the box of Fig. 1. 25 Fig. 3 is perspective view of an access floor assembly and hatch for accessing several power and data mounting brackets, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 22/09/2009 5 Fig. 4 is a side view of the access floor assembly and power and data mounting bracket of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a region of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a section of a power and data mounting 5 bracket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the power and data mounting bracket of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a first perspective view of a power socket module, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 10 Fig. 9 is a second perspective view of the power socket module of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the power and data mounting bracket of Fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the hatch of Fig. 3. 15 Fig. 12 is a side view of another embodiment of the mounting bracket of Fig. 5. Fig. 13 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the mounting bracket of Fig. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 20 An access floor assembly 20 is shown in Fig. 3. Several power and data mounting brackets 22, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, are shown engaged with trays 24 which are supported by stringers 28 which run between pedestals 30 which in turn support the access floor panels 32. A hatch 34, according to a preferred embodiment of the present 25 invention, is also shown in the access floor panel 32. A side view of the mounting bracket 22 in situ can be seen in Fig. 4. The region 35 is enlarged in Fig. 5. The mounting bracket 22 includes an elongated 22/09/2009 6 main portion 36 having downwardly depending side portions 62 and 64. The lower part of each side portion 62 and 64 is adapted to engage and be supported on the tray 24 of the floor assembly 20 via the bendable tabs 37 (which may be made of a malleable metal). 5 The main portion 36 has a first mounting portion 66 which is adapted to retain and support a plurality of interconnected power socket modules 48. The main portion 36 also has a second mounting portion 68 which is adapted to receive and retain a plurality of spaced apart data cables, such as data cable 51 and 52 in Fig. 10. 10 The height of the mounting bracket 22 and the connection box 38 thereon may be restricted by the height of the stringers 38 beneath the access floor panel 32 (see Fig. 4). Thus, in Fig. 5, the first mounting portion 66 is inclined in the embodiment of the invention shown for the purpose of reducing the height of the power connection box 38 on the mounting bracket 22. 15 However, other embodiments could achieve the same purpose, such as the first mounting portion 70 shown in Fig.12. In situations where the height of the mounting bracket 22 and the connection box 38 thereon is not a consideration, the first mounting portion 72 may be level with the second mounting portion 74, as shown in Fig. 13. 20 The mounting bracket 22 supports a power connection box 38, a data cable entrance grommet 40 and a data cable connection grommet 42. The mounting bracket 22 is shown without the power connection box 38 and grommets 40 and 42 in Figs. 6 and 7. The apertures 44 in the second mounting portion 68 accommodate the data cable connection grommets 42. 25 Screw holes 46 allow the power socket modules 48 shown in Figs. 8 and 9 to be screwed to first mounting portion 66. 22/09/2009 7 Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the modules 48 could be engaged with the first mounting portion 66 by many different means, including for instance, via the use of guides on the first mounting portion 66 which interface with rails on the modules 48, or a catch-and-release mechanism on 5 the first mounting portion 66 for the module 48. All methods of engagement of the modules 48 to the first mounting portion 66 are within the scope and ambit of this invention. The power socket modules 48 may be mateably connected to each other via power conduits 50, which are shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Referring to 10 Fig. 10, in use, an operator connects a data cable 51 from a computer (which is not shown) to the data cable entry point (which is also not shown) within the connection grommet 42 to access the network server via data cable 52. Power flows through the cable 54 and along the series of connected power socket modules 48 and to a device, such as a computer, via power cable 56. 15 In order to readily access the power and data mounting bracket 22 beneath an access floor panel, the present invention also includes the hatch 34 shown in Fig. 12. The hatch 34 includes a semi-air-tight seal 58 comprising several abutting flaps 60. The flaps 60 should be made of malleable and resilient plastic so that the flaps 60 tightly form around the data and power 20 cables as they emerge from beneath the access floor panel 32 (see Fig. 3). The seal 58 prevents air-conditioned air above the access floor panel 32 from readily escaping below the access floor panel 32. Various modifications may be made in the details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention. 22/09/2009

Claims (7)

1. A power and data mounting bracket for an access floor assembly, the mounting bracket comprising: a body adapted to be engaged with a tray beneath the access floor assembly, means for engaging one or more data cables to the body, and means for engaging one or more power socket modules to the body, the arrangement of the power socket modules being such that power is able to flow from one power socket module to another.

2. The power and data mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the one or more power socket modules are mateably connected together.

3. The power and data mounting bracket of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the body engages with the tray by means of bendable tabs adapted to hook onto sections of the tray.

4. The power and data mounting bracket of anyone of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body further comprises means for engaging at least one power connection box.

5. The power and data mounting bracket of claim 4, wherein the power connection box supplies power to the power socket modules.

6. A hatch for accessing the power and data mounting bracket of claim 1 beneath the access floor assembly, the hatch comprising: at least one seal having a plurality of abutting flaps, the arrangement of the flaps being such that one or more cables may penetrate the or each seal. 22/09/2009

7. An elongated mounting bracket for the power socket modules and data cables of an access floor assembly having a tray, the bracket comprising an elongated main portion having downwardly depending side portions with the lower part of each side portion being adapted to engage and be supported on the tray of the floor assembly, the main portion having first and second elongated mounting portions extending therealong, the first mounting portion being adapted to retain and support a plurality of interconnected power socket modules and the second mounting portion being adapted to receive and retain a plurality of spaced apart data cables. Dated this 22 day of September 2009 ZLATAR, Petar Patent Attorneys for the Applicant PETER MAXWELL AND ASSOCIATES 22/09/2009