AU2010100865A4

AU2010100865A4 - A Frame Assembly

Info

Publication number: AU2010100865A4
Application number: AU2010100865A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andrew Hills; Trevor Hills
Original assignee: AQUALUTIONS AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd
Current assignee: QUB Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-07-28
Filing date: 2010-08-09
Publication date: 2010-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-09
Also published as: AU2010100865B4; AU2011205036A1; AU2011205036B2

Description

I A Frame Assembly FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to a frame assembly adaptable for use with switchboard enclosure. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Switchboard enclosures typically comprise a box or cabinet which can be mounted 10 or fixed to a vertical wall and contain electrical switchgear attached to a mounting base and protected by a faceplate or escutcheon. The switchboard enclosures or cabinets are usually of a steel construction and include a door sealing agent which protects the electrical equipment from the elements and is particularly useful in environments such as the mining industry, where safeguarding electronics from foreign material is imperative. 15 The electrical switchgear and mounting base are protected by the escutcheon, however currently these often require separate attachment means such as bolts or welding on either side of the switchboard. Current designs also include the escutcheon door as a separate piece which has to be bolted through the side or back of the cabinet, or fixed by some other means such as a spot welded nut or stud. A disadvantage of this design is that 20 the different elements must be fixed to the cabinet separately, rather than having a frame using existing mounted positions. This often requires the nuts to be pulled off the back of the existing hinges for the fixing of these elements, or the box to be perforated. A further disadvantage of this setup is that the escutcheon may not fit correctly to the frame and may create openings between the escutcheon and the edges of the box, which may result in 25 damage or injury if a foreign object were to fall through or get caught in these openings. There is also the risk of electrocution to the user if they were to come into contact with open wiring. Commonly the frame is welded together to ensure that all elements remain secure once the box is mounted. However this is a time-consuming process and the switchboard 30 box and frame assembly can take many weeks to construct. A further disadvantage is that the box and assembly is pre-constructed and cannot be adapted to varied application by the user, such as customised escutcheons or switchboards.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a frame assembly that can overcome the above mentioned problem or that provides a useful alternative. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a frame which can be easily assembled within a switchboard enclosure. 5 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a frame assembly which allows the easy fitting of an escutcheon to a commercially available switchboard enclosure. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a frame assembly and escutcheon which reduces the likelihood of damage to the equipment or injury to the user. 10 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a broad aspect the invention could be said to reside in a frame assembly adaptable for use with a rectangular switchboard cabinet having a door and a door opening comprising; 15 a frame base including four stands located at each corner of the cabinet, each stand having a base, back and shelf; a platform comprising a top rail, bottom rail, hanger and striker attached to and supported by the stands; a mounting base attached to the frame base and adapted to hold electrical components and 20 located below the platform; an escutcheon face plate attached to the hanger; whereby the dimension of the frame assembly is such that its footprint is larger than the door opening thereby containing the frame assembly within the cabinet. In preference, a frame assembly wherein the cabinet includes threaded male 25 members at each corner thereof adapted to be securely engaged by the stand bases, each base having an aperture for the male members to pass therethorough and engaged by a nut. In preference, a frame assembly wherein the top rail, bottom rail hanger and striker are attached to and supported by the stand shelves.

3 In preference, a frame assembly wherein the hanger and striker include threaded lugs adapted to extend through cut-outs in the top and bottom rails and cut-outs in the shelf so as to be secured thereto by use of a nut. A further embodiment of the invention resides in a switchboard cabinet including 5 a frame assembly as defined above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the 10 description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the switchboard cabinet with the cabinet door open and the escutcheon visible; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the switchboard cabinet without the frame 15 assembly or escutcheon; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a stand; Figure 4A is a perspective view of the top rail; Figure 4B is a perspective view of the bottom rail; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the escutcheon hanger; 20 Figure 6 is a perspective view of the escutcheon striker; Figure 7A is a perspective view of the escutcheon frame as assembled; Figure 7B is a perspective view of the escutcheon frame as assembled with the escutcheon inserted; and Figure 7C is a perspective view of the escutcheon frame as assembled inside 25 the switchboard cabinet with the escutcheon inserted.

4 LIST OF COMPONENTS 20 Cabinet 22 Circuit breakers 5 24 Electrical isolator 26 Labels 30 Cabinet body 32 Cabinet door 33 Mounting tabs 10 34 Escutcheon 36 Escutcheon hinges 38 Escutcheon lock 39 Escutcheon cutout 40 Stand 15 41 Top left stand 42 Top right stand 43 Bottom left stand 44 Bottom right stand 46 Stand base 20 48 Stand back 50 Stand shelf 52 Locating hole 54 Locating lug 55 Cutout 25 56 Top rail 57 Rail back 58 Rail lip 60 Bottom rail 61 Escutcheon hanger 30 62 Hanger back 63 Hanger lip 64 Hinge mounting hole 65 Escutcheon striker 66 Striker back 67 Striker lip 68 Escutcheon frame 5 69 Escutcheon assembly 70 Mounting stud 72 Nut and washer 74 Gland plate cutout 10 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference 15 numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. Dimensions of the parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration. In the present description and in the claims which follow, the terms "front," "rear," "top" and "bottom" must be understood from the view point of a person standing in front 20 of an electric switchboard cabinet mounted on a vertical wall. Referring to the drawings there is illustrated in Figure 1 a cabinet 20 comprising of a rear rectangular wall which has extending perpendicularly therefrom further walls which form a body 30 and define at the front an opening able to be closed by a conventional hinged door panel 32. The cabinet also includes a sealing agent which can securely attach 25 the hinged door panel, when closed, to the cabinet base. The cabinet is of a commercially available variety and which forms the enclosure for the switchboard, mounting base, escutcheon and frame assembly. While it is a preferred embodiment of the invention that the enclosure is made from steel, it can also be made from any other material of equivalent strength and 30 durability.

6 An escutcheon 34 is located at the front of the cabinet and incorporates a face plate, labels 26, hinges 36 and lock 38. Switchgear such as circuit breakers 22 and electrical isolator 24 extend through cutouts in the escutcheon 34. The escutcheon 34 is of a design which allows the tight fitting of the switchgear 5 through these cutouts and therefore does not leave any gaps between the switches or frame and the escutcheon. While it is a preferred embodiment of the invention for the escutcheon to be as hereinfore described, it is to be understood that the escutcheon cutouts can be of any formation and number to allow for variances in switchboard design. It is also to be 10 understood that the escutcheon can be supplied as a blank faceplate with no cutouts. Labels 26 are attached to the escutcheon 34 in proximity to circuit breakers 22 and electrical isolator 24 to indicate these items. The hinges 36 are located on the same side as the hinged cabinet door 32 and allow the escutcheon to be opened and the switchboard beneath to be accessed. The lock 38 is located on the opposite side of the escutcheon from 15 the hinges 36 and prevents keeps the escutcheon securely closed and preventing access to the wiring by unauthorised or unqualified persons. Figure 2 illustrates the cabinet 20 without the frame or escutcheon. Fixed on the rear rectangular wall are four threaded male members acting as mounting studs 70, one of each in close proximity to the four corners which make up the rear rectangular wall. 20 Acting as an attachment means is a nut and washer combination 72 for each mounting stud which secure the frame to the cabinet. Also attached to the outside corners of the cabinet body 30 are rectangular mounting tabs 33 so that the cabinet can be fixed to a wall by a mounting apparatus. The lower bottom wall of the cabinet body 30 also comprises of a gland plate 25 cutout 74 which allows for the insertion of cables. Figure 3 illustrates a stand (or foot) 40 which is part of the frame assembly and shown in isolation from the rest of the frame. The stand base 46 consists of a plurality of openings which act as locating holes 52 for the insertion of the threaded male members shown in Figure 2. The stand back 48 holds the stand vertically, while the base 46 and the 30 shelf 50 extend horizontally therefrom. The shelf 50 contains two cutouts 52 which are 7 adapted for the insertion of other elements of the frame. Four stands are used in the assembly of the frame. The frame also consists of a top rail 56 shown in Figure 4A, a bottom rail 60 shown in Figure 4B, an escutcheon hanger 61 shown in Figure 5 and a escutcheon striker 5 65 shown in Figure 6. The top rail 56 consists of a rail back 57, a rail lip 58 and a cutout 55 on the rail lip 58 and locating lug adapted for the insertion of other elements of the frame. The bottom rail 60 consists of a rail back 57, a rail lip 58 and a locating lug 54 adapted to engage with other elements of the frame. 10 The escutcheon hanger 61 consists of a hanger back 62, and hanger lip 63, hinge mounting holes 64, locating lug 54 and cutouts 55 to engage with other elements of the frame. The mounting holes 64 and cutouts 55 are particularly directed to the attachment of the escutcheon hinges. The escutcheon striker 65 consists of a striker back 66, a striker lip 67 and a 15 locating lug adapted to engage with other elements of the frame. Figure 7A illustrates the assembly of the escutcheon frame 68 in isolation from the switchboard cabinet and escutcheon. The four stands 41, 42, 43 and 44 are arranged in a rectangular formation with the top two stands positioned so that the stand base and shelf are parallel with the top rail 56 and the bottom two stands face each other, being parallel 20 with the hanger 61 and the striker 65. The top rail 56 therefore extends between stand 41 and stand 42, the bottom rail 60 extends between stand 43 and stand 44, the hanger 61 extends between stand 41 and stand 43 and striker 65 extends between stand 42 and stand 44. The rails, hanger and striker are therefore interconnected together and attached to the stands by means of the cutouts and locating lugs and form a platform. 25 When assembled, all of these elements combine to create a tight-fitting frame which is held in place by the abutment of the elements against one another. This is achieved by the dimensions of the elements being such that they are pressed tightly against one another and are thus held in place by the abutting force created between the cutouts and secured by the locating lugs engaged with the locating holes. The frame may also be 30 reinforced by the attachment of further studs, screws, washers and nuts.

8 Thus the frame can be assembled quite easily and without the need for welding or other attachment methods. The entire product can therefore be constructed in a reasonable amount of time when compared to welded frames. Figure 7B illustrates the assembly 69 of the escutcheon frame 68 with the 5 escutcheon 34, which is fitted into the rectangular casing created by the rails, hanger and striker. The hinges 36 are fitted to the hinge mounting holes on the hanger and the lock 38 is adapted to engage with the striker to lock the escutcheon to the frame, or allow access to the wiring underneath if required by unlocking. Figure 7C illustrates the frame assembly 69 and escutcheon located inside the 10 cabinet 20. Mounting studs 70 are engaged with the stand 43 through locating hole 52 in the stand base 46 and secured by a nut and washer 72. The washer is attached to the mounting stud, the stand base is then attached to the stud and washer by the locating hole, and the nut is secured thereon. This formation is repeated for all four stands attaching the frame securely to the cabinet wall. The assembled frame is thus securely attached to the 15 cabinet body 30, and can be mounted by means of mounting tabs 33 and mounting apparatus (not shown.) The dimensions of the frame are such that its footprint is larger than the front opening of the cabinet and therefore fits securely inside the enclosure. Thus, even if the frame was not secured to the rear rectangular wall, the frame would still be held firmly 20 inside the cabinet. A mounting base (not shown) for the switchboard can also be secured to the stands 40 by a cutout in each corner of the mounting base adapted to engage with the mounting studs 70 and also secured by the nut and washer 72. This provides a base for the switchboard electrical equipment to be secured and engaged with the escutcheon. The 25 mounting base also includes a plurality of holes through which cables can be threaded. While it is a preferred embodiment of the invention that the switchboard enclosure and frame are constructed to order or sold pre-assembled, it is to be understood that the elements can be sold as a 'kit' allowing the user to construct the invention themselves following written instructions. 30 Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and 9 described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. 5 In the summary and description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A frame assembly adaptable for use with a rectangular switchboard cabinet having a door and a door opening comprising; a frame base including four stands located at each corner of the cabinet, each stand having 5 a base, back and shelf; a platform comprising a top rail, bottom rail, hanger and striker attached to and supported by the stands; a mounting base attached to the frame base and adapted to hold electrical components and located below the platform; 10 an escutcheon face plate attached to the hanger; whereby the dimension of the frame assembly is such that its footprint is larger then the door opening thereby containing the frame assembly within the cabinet.

2. A frame assembly as in claim 1 wherein the cabinet includes threaded male members at each corner thereof adapted to be securely engaged by the stand bases, each 15 base having an aperture for the male members to pass therethorough and engaged by a nut.

3. A frame assembly as in any one of the above claims wherein the top rail, bottom rail hanger and striker are attached to and supported by the stand shelves.

4. A frame assembly as in any one of the above claims wherein the hanger and striker include threaded lugs adapted to extend through cut-outs in the top and bottom rails 20 and cut-outs in the shelf so as to be secured thereto by use of a nut.

5. A switchboard cabinet including a frame assembly as defined in any one of the above claims.