GB2227611A - Corner pleas for cable ducting - Google Patents

Abstract

Cable ducting 1 consists of a channel-shaped base 4 and a covering lid 5 pressed to click-fit thereon by pressure at right angles to the mounting wall. Corner pieces 2 and 3 are constructed as two portions 8, 9, of L-shaped cross-section shaped to click-fit together at various clips 13, 17 when pressure is applied parallel to the wall. internal corner piece 3 has retaining clips 27 to facilitate assembly of cables. A groove 7 (12, Fig 2) may receive a tool for removing the cover. <IMAGE>

Description

CORNER PIECES FOR CABLE DUCTING THIS INVENTION relates to cable ducting, and more especially to the angled joints for use on internal and external corners of such ducting.

Electrical supply or communication cables. or like communication members, are conventionally arranged in general accumulations or tied bundles, rather than being allowed to run loose. These accumulations or bundles are typically located in cable ducting. Such ducting can be concealed, for example located within a (subsequently filled) groove chased into a wall or floor, but nowadays for ease of access and cost considerations is often visible and constituted by an elongate closed channel of polymeric or like material.

In the design of such ducting consideration is given to the ease of accumulation of the cables within the ducting, ease of assembly on a wall or like surface, ease of access and clean acceptable appearance.

Typically, a ducting arrangement involves a member fixed with its base on the wall and a lid pressed into engagement therewith to define an elongate hollow space in which the cables run. Typically, the base is formed as a channel, and the cover essentially as a simple plane lid. Sometimes the base is L-shaped in cross-section and the cover is complementary and also L-shaped so as to define with the base the necessary channel Often, the base is further provided with upstanding walls to define different duct portions when the lid is assembled. The lid can fit, for example, as a press fit or a click fit over any or all of the upstanding base structures, as may be required for detail design reasons. A common expedient is to provide a lid of a click fit structure such that it can be levered off when necessary but resists casual impact and dislodgement.

Invariably, however, in the prior art the fitting is effected by movement essentially orthogonal to the walls. that is to say, at right angles to the plane of the wall. For long runs of ducting this is a convenient and secure mode of assembly, but it gives difficulty at corners.

For the sake of appearance as well as security, corners are conventionally effected by moulded corner pieces. of different shapes dependent upon whether an internal corner (i.e. with the walls separated at 900) or an external corner (i.e. with the walls separated at 2700) is involved. The usual arrangement is to run the ducting to fit just short of the corner, possibly mitring the corner or possibly just leaving a gap, and then to finish off the surface gap and the top and bottom regions by pressing, in towards the corner. a suitable polymeric moulding so as generally to continue the line of the ducting (insofar as this can be achieved) and so as to engage with a click fit configuration on the base. again insofar as circumstances permit.Such a corner piece is often difficult to fit, is sometime insecure when fitted, and in some designs detracts from the continuity of appearance of the ducting.

The present invention sets out to provide an improved form of internal or external corner piece.

In one aspect the invention provides a corner piece for use with cable or like ducting of the type in which an elongate base attachable to a wall, and an elongate covering defining with the base an elongate covered duct extending along the wall, are mutually configured for retained attachment when pressed together in a direction generally at right angles to the wall: which corner piece possesses two portions mutually configured for retained attachment and pressable together in a direction generally parallel to the wall, said two portions being dimensioned to accept the ends of at least the base of the assembled ducting when pressed together.

Typically, the base and covering lid, and also the two portions of the corner piece will be provided with click-fit attachments.

Usually, the corner piece fits over the end of the assembly of the base and covering lid, but it is possible to fabricate a corner piece which will fit as defined above over the base so that the lid can abut the corner.

There is known in this art a large of number of types of mechanical interengaging click-fit profiles.

They can extend for the whole of the mutual joint line, or they can be separate moulded clip-like units spaced at intervals.

In the corner piece it is preferred for each portion to be generally L-shaped in cross-section, fitted together as an upper and lower portion to define a duct of rectangular cross-section. The click-fit configuration can be located with joint lines towards the top and bottom of the vertical corner piece walls. A useful feature is to provide the contacting end face of each wall with a complementary step (so that the outer surface of the walls fit flush together) and to locate within the corner piece spaced clips capable of mutual assembly on vertical pressure. For example, each clip can comprise two flexible projecting tongues, one integral with each corner piece portion. located side-by-side with non-return configurations, positioned to engage when the corner is closed.

Corner pieces are conventionally for 900 corners but of course can be otherwise angled if desired.

Internal and external corner pieces can both be fabricated to give a construction as defined above. In practice, it is preferred to add to the lower portion of the internal corner piece one or more upstanding retainer elements. When a cable is being placed in the ducting, for progressive assembly, it will naturally curve round and be held against an external corner.

However, it may tend to bow outwards at an internal corner. Upstanding retainer elements on the lower portion on the internal corner pieces prevent the cables from bowing out in this way.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general view of ducting with external and internal corner pieces in accordance with the invention, being partly broken away at the internal corner piece, Figure 2 is a section through the assembled corner piece along II-II of Figure 1, and Figure 2a is an enlarged view of part of Figure 2 A run of cable ducting has a straight elongate closed channel 1, external corner piece 2, and internal piece 3.

The closed channels are shown diagrammatically. Many types exist, with different internal details, which of themselves form no part of and have no relationship to the present invention. Generally. however, the channels are constituted by an extrusion of polymeric material and comprise a base 4 and a lid 5 pressed against the base and at right angles to the wall so that some form of engagement configuration shown diagrammatically at 6 will close, preferably with a positive click-fit, and stay closed against casual impact. The closure can of course be released with a lever tool inserted for example in the sight line" 7, if and when desired.

Corner pieces 2 and 3 are different in geometry but have essentially the same dimensional and fixing relationships. As shown for the internal corner piece 3, each comprises an upper portion 8 and a lower portion 9, both moulded in synthetic polymeric material.

Upper portion 8 is L-shaped in cross-section, with descending walls 10 and 11 and (for appearance) an external groove 12 for continuing the sight line 7. Each descending wall 10 or 11 ends in a stepped face lOa.

gila. respectively. Within the upper portion 8 are four clip elements 13 (two are shown in Figure 2) which & e described in more detail below. Towards the upper internal corner are retainer posts as at 14.

Lower portion 9 is also L-shaped in cross-section and has upstanding walls 15 and 16 also terminating in stepped faces 15a, 16a. The lower portion 9 further presents four clip elements 17 engageable with elements 13.

As shown more especially in Figure 2 and 2a, the clip elements 13 are formed as short open ended integral channels 18,flexible outer walls 19 and a lip 20 with lead surface 21 and retainment undersurface 22 in each case. Likewise, each clip 17 has a flexible wall 23, a lead surface 24 and a retainment undersurface 25.

Potions 8 and 9 can thus press vertically together to give an externally flush joint retained against casual impact as further aligned by retainment posts 14. which pass down inside wall 15.

Internal corner piece 3 only (that is to say not external piece 2) has an integral upstanding leaf 26.

provided with teeth 27, along a front curved edge of the lower portion 9.

In use, the operative is required to trunk a body of cable extendly loosely along a wall. He screws to the wall the necessary length of base member 4, lays the cable therein, and (if required at this stage) pushes the lid vertically against the wall to retain the cable.

At the external corner piece 2 he screws to the wall the lower portion 9. first slipping it under the end of base 4 so as to receive the whole assembled channel 1. He then bends the cable assembly to lie within the lower portion 9 and fixes or partly fixes at least the base 4 of the next channel 1 over the base of the corner piece 2. Similarly, at the other end of this channel, the base 4 is fitted over the lower portion 9 of the internal corner of the base, and its next counterpart over the other limb thereof, and so on. The retaining members 26, 27 hold the cable in place during such fixing.

Finally, or at intervals during working the lids 3 and the top portions 8 are assembled by clip fittings over configuration 6 or by clips 13, 17 respectively.

Lids 3 are pressed back over the engagement configuration 6 in a direction at right angles into the wall, as is conventional. Top portion 1 is however pressed vertically downward parallel to the wall to engage clip elements 13 and 17 in accordance with the invention, the relatively secure fitted corner construction not being detrimentally affected by this novel mode of assembly.

Claims (11)

Claims.

1. A corner piece for use with cable or like ducting of the type in which an elongate base attachable to a wall, and an elongate covering defining with the base an elongate covered duct extending along the wall, are mutually configured for retained attachment when pressed together in a direction generally at right angles to the wall: which corner piece possesses two portions mutually configured for retained attachment and pressable together in a direction generally parallel to the wall.

said two portions being dimensioned to accept the ends of at least the base of the assembled ducting when pressed together.

2. A corner piece as claimed in claim 1 the two portions of which are provided with click-fit attachments.

3. A corner piece as claimed in claim 1 or 2 dimensioned to fit over both the base and lid of the ducting.

4. A corner piece as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which each portion is generally L-shaped in cross-section, so as to fit together as an upper and lower portion to define a duct.

5. A corner piece as claimed in claim 4 in which a click-fit configuration is located with joint lines towards the top and bottom of the vertical corner piece walls.

6. A corner piece as claimed in claim 5 in which the contacting end face of each wall has a complementary step, so that the outer surface of the walls fit flush together and in which within the corner piece there are located spaced clips capable of mutual assembly on vertical pressure.

7. A corner piece as claimed in claim 6 wherein each clip comprises two flexible projecting tongues, one integral with each corner piece portion, located side-by-side with non-return configuration and being positioned to engage when the corner piece is closed.

8. A corner piece as claimed in any one preceding claim, shaped for a 900 corner.

9. A corner piece as claimed in any one preceding claim. shaped as an internal corner piece at the lower portion of which one or more upstanding cable retainer elements are located.

10. A corner piece as claimed as claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference with accompanying drawings.

11. A cable ducting assembly incorporating one or more corner pieces as claimed in any one preceding claim.