GB2282921A - Floor outlet box for cables - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor outlet box has at least one cable outlet port wherein the or each outlet port has associated therewith a closure flaps (28) which has a closed condition (fig. 5) level with the top of the box and which swings downwardly into the box (fig. 4) to open the port, and a box lid 34 having a normal position (as shown) substantially level with the top of the box wherein the box lid normally causes the closure flap or flaps to be supported in the closed condition of the latter, is moveable (fig. 3 not shown) to release the flap or flaps to permit opening thereof and is returnable to its normal position after one or more ports have been opened. The flap and the lid may be spring biassed, with the flap being retained by a retainer 24 when open. The lid obstructs the retainer in its normal condition, but frees the retainer when moved out of its normal position. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Floor Outlet Box for Cables Field of the invention This invention relates to a floor outlet box for cables and more particularly to a floor outlet box having at least one cable outlet port for accessing workstations to electrical distribution systems or to centralised telecommunication or data facilities accommodated beneath the floor.

Background to the invention A floor box as aforesaid is typically mounted in a generally central location relative to a plurality of workstations such as desks. In use, the cables emerge through the outlet ports to pass to the workstations. When not in use, the ports are closed by flaps which align with the floor surface. However, the raised flaps projecting from the floor present a hazard when the box is in use.

With a view to overcoming this problem, a floor box has been proposed having closure members for the cable outlet ports which are rotatable through an upwardly projecting condition between non-projecting fully closed and fully open positions, an interlock with a floor box lid being provided such that the lid can only be fitted when the closure members are fully closed or fully open. However, the interlock arrangement provided is not wholly satisfactory or safe in practice and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved but equally safe design of floor outlet box.

The invention According to the invention, there is provided a floor outlet box having at least one cable outlet port, wherein the or each outlet port has associated therewith a closure flap which has a closed condition level with the top of the box and which swings downwardly into the box to open the port, and a box lid having a normal position level with the top of the box wherein the box lid normally supports the closure flap or flaps in the closed condition of the latter, is moveable to release the flap or flaps to permit opening thereof and is returnable to its normal position after one or more ports have been opened.

The closure flap or flaps may be freely pivotted to open by swinging downwards under gravity, but most preferably the flap or flaps are spring urged upwardly towards the closed condition and there is provided stop means operable to restrain the flap so as to avoid any risk of such a flap being raised and sticking in an upwardly projecting position.

Preferably, the flap is pivotally mounted on the rest of the box, and the stop means comprises a protuberance on the flap which engages a portion of the rest of the box when the flap is in its closed condition.

Preferably the protuberance extends to the opposite side of the pivot from the rest of the flap such that said portion of the rest of the box is an upwardly facing surface thereof.

It will be appreciated that, in a floor box having a plurality of ports, if only one or some of the ports are required to be open, the lid will support in the closed condition the closure flaps associated with the remaining unused ports.

Preferably, the closure flap or flaps are pivotally mounted adjacent a back edge of the box remote from the lid, and the front edges of the flap or flaps are in the closed condition supported adjacent the rear edge of the normally closed lid.

Preferably the support for the front edges of the flaps is provided by resiliently displaceable means at the front of the or each outlet port, which means is displaced under the front edge of the or each closure flap by the rear edge of the lid in its normal condition.

This displaceable means may conveniently comprise an inwardly pivotting element at the top of the front of the or each port, which element may be formed as a laterally projecting tab from the upper portion of the front end of an outlet port partition.

This upper portion of the front end of each partition may be joined by a horizontal line of weakening to the main portion of the partition, to enable the inward pivotting.

Preferably the inwardly pivotting upper portion of the partition front end carries a button or stud which cooperates between said portion and the front edge of the lid.

When the lid is moved, as by a lifting movement, it disengages from the button or stud, allowing the pivotting portion to pivot outwardly due to its natural or imparted resilience, thus releasing the laterally projecting tabs from beneath the front edge of the closure flap or flaps and allowing said flap or flaps to swing open by downward pivotal movement into the box.

Preferably, in its fully open condition, the or each flap lies against the back wall of the corresponding port.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that, in the preferred embodiment, the floor box has a plurality of outlet ports separated by partitions. The outlet ports are open to the interior of the box except for the laterally projecting tabs extending from the front ends of the partitions. These laterally projecting tabs from the partitions on opposite sides on each port preferably substantially meet one another at the top of the front of the port and constitute a guide behind which a cable may be passed from the interior of the box to exit from the port when the port is in its open condition.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a floor box comprising a cable outlet port, a cable retainer and a spring loaded flap associated with the port, the flap being openable by being pivoted downwards into the box so that a cable can be placed between the retainer and the open spring loaded lid and subsequently held against the retainer by the spring loaded lid.

Description of embodiment A embodiment of floor outlet box in accordance with the invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a row of outlet ports which extend along the back of the floor outlet box; Figure 2 is a front-to-back cross-section through one of the outlet ports; Figure 3 shows in partial cross-section part of the complete box containing the outlet ports with the lid opened to permit opening of the ports; Figure 4 shows in partial cross-section the box with the lid closed and a cable passing through an open outlet port; Figure 5 shows the box in like manner, with the lid closed to support a port closure flap at an unused port; Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views, respectively corresponding to Figures 1, 2 and 5 of a second embodiment of floor outlet box in accordance with the invention; and Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of part of the second embodiment of floor box, showing a cable passing through an outlet port.

Detailed Description Referring to the drawings, the floor outlet box has a row of outlet ports extending across its back end region. This row of outlet ports is shown in Figure 1, and part of the box housing the row of ports is shown in Figures 3 to 5.

As shown in Figure 1, the row comprises four outlet ports 10A to 10D between end walls 12A, 12B and separated by partitions 14A, 14B, 140. A cable 16 is shown emergent from outlet port 10C. The other outlet ports 10A, 10B and 10D are shown closed.

Each outlet port has a back wall 18, the lower part 20 of which is sloped, sides defined by the end walls 12A, 12B and/or the partitions 14A to 14C, and a front which is open to the interior of the box (see Figures 3 to 5) except for tabs 22 which project laterally across the top of the front of the port from end walls and/or partitions. As shown in Figure 1, the two tabs at the front of each port substantially meet one another, so as to define a guide behind which the cable 16 may passs from the interior of the box to exit through the open port 10C.

The tabs 22 are formed as lateral extensions of upper portions 24 of the front ends of each end wall and partition, each upper portion being joined to the main portion of the wall or partition by a horizontal line of weakening 23 which allows the upper portion, and thus the tabs, resiliently to pivot rearwardly, ie inwardly towards the back of the outlet ports.

Slots 26 are formed in the end walls and the partitions behind the said front upper portions to permit this pivotal movement to take place.

The tops of outlet ports 10A to lOD are openable and closeable by closure flaps 28A to 28D which are pivotally mounted at the back of the box, as indicated at 30, and are spring loaded at 32, towards a closed position in which the flaps extend horizontally, to lie substantially flush with the tops of the partitions 14A-C. Thus, in the closed condition, the flaps 28A to 28D lie horizontal in the plane of the top of the box. The flaps 28A to 28D are normally supported in the closed condition, at their front edges, by the tabs 22, for which purpose the upper portions of the fronts of the end walls 12A, 12B and partitions 14A to 140 are pressed and deflected inwardly.

This inward deflection of the upper portions 24 of the end walls and partitions is achieved by means of the lid 34 movably mounted on the frame 35 of the box (see Figures 3 to 5), which lid has a closed position (see Figures 4 and 5) in which its rear edge bears on a domed button 36 on the front of each said upper portion 24 and pushes it rearwardly, ie towards the back of the outlet ports. However, when the lid 34 is opened by raising its rear end upwards (see Figure 3), its rear edge lifts clear of the domed button 36 and thus allows each upper portion 24 to restore to its natural upright position, whereby the tabs 22 are withdrawn from beneath the front edges of the closure flaps 28A to 28D to allow them to be pivotted downwardly into the box (against said spring loading), thereby to open the ports 10A to 10D.After temporary lifting to enable opening of the ports, the lid 34 may be lowered back into its normal condition flush with the top of the box, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The full range of allowable movement of the flaps 28A-D is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, in which the fully open position of the flap 28C is shown in solid lines, whilst the closed position of the flap is shown in broken lines.

Each of the flaps has a protuberance in the form of a rear extension, for example extension 150 on flap 28C (Figure 2-5) which is on the opposite side of pivot 30 to the rest of the flap. The extensions can each engage a respective upwardly facing shoulder, for example shoulder 152, in the rear of the box to prevent the flaps being pivotted above the horizontal.

It is not essential simultaneously to open all the cable outlet ports 10A to 10D. When lowered back into its normally closed position, the lid 34 may act again to support the closure flaps of ports which are not required for use. Thus Figure 4 shows the lid back in its normal closed position at the open outlet port 10C, whilst Figure 5 shows the lid in the same position at an unused outlet port 10A, 10B or 10D.

It is not difficult to mainpulate the flaps 28A to 28D and the lid 34 in this way, but if desired a multi-port lid can be provided to facilitate operation.

With the above described floor outlet box in accordance with the invention, there is no risk of a closure flap being left in an upwardly projecting position in which it would constitute a hazard. Unused outlet ports may be completely closed when the lid is returned to its normal position flush with the top of the box, and thus flush with the floor. The upper surface of the lid may carry carpet or other floor covering matching that of the main portion of the floor.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention hereinbefore defined. In particular, various other means may be conceived by which the rear edge of the lid cooperates with the front edge of the or each closure flap to support the flap or flaps in the closed condition. For example, a lid which opens and closes with a forward and backward movement, at least over the terminal part of its range of movement, may be provided along its rear edge with a ledge or step which directly cooperates with the closure flaps beneath their front edges.

The second embodiment of floor box (shown in Figures 6-8) is very similar in many respects to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5. Accordingly, features of the second embodiment corresponding to feature of the first embodiment are identified by the reference numerals used in Figures 1 to 5 (to identify said features of the first embodiment) raised by 100.

Thus, the second embodiment of floor outlet box has four outlet ports llOA-llOD, each of which has a rear wall 118 having a sloped lower portion 120. Adjacent pairs of ports are separated by partitions 114A-114C, the front edges of each of which includes an integral upper portion 124 which is positioned in front of a substantially U-shaped slot 126. Each upper portion 124 includes a head 152 and is resiliently displaceable towards the rear wall 118.

The portions 124 do not carry any tabs such as the tabs 22, but the second embodiment does include two cable retaining plates, 154 and 156 each of which extends between a respective one of the end walls 112A and 112B and the partition 114A and 114B adjacent thereto, so as to span the front of a respective area of the end ports llOA and llOD.

As depicted in Figure 6, the plate 154 is flush with the rear edge of the slots 126 in the partition 114A and the wall 112A, whereas the plate 156 is set back from the rear edge of the slots 126 in wall 112B and partition 114C. However, in a modified version of the box, the plate 156 is also so positioned as to be substantially flush with the rear edges of the respective slots 126.

For each of the remaining ports, llOB and llOC, there is provided a pair of opposed plates, each of which extends from a respective one of the partitions 114A -114D, towards the other member of the pair, but which stops short of the other member so that there is a gap between the outboard ends of the members of each pair of plates. In Figure 6, 158 denotes one member of each said pair of plates, and 150 denotes the other members for the ports llOB-llOD have been omitted for the sake of clarity. Each member of these pairs is substantially flush with the rear edge of the slot in its respective position.

As with the first embodiment, the flaps are urged in an upward direction by respective springs and have rear extensions such as 150 (Figures 7-9) which project beyond the pivots 30 and which can engage an upwardly facing shoulder at the rear of the box to prevent the flaps from being pivotted above the horizontal.

The lid 134 of the box, when in its normal position flush with the top of the box, acts on the buttons 136 so as to retain the heads 152 in the position illustrated in Figure 8, in which the heads engage the underside of any closed flaps, thus preventing the latter from being inadvertently opened.

As can be seen from Figure 8, a cable 116 can pass through the port behind plate 158, against which the cable is urged by the flap 128C.

Claims (15)

Claims

1. A floor outlet box having at least one cable outlet port, wherein the or each outlet port has associated therewith a closure flap which has a closed condition level with the top of the box and which swings downwardly into the box to open the port, and a box lid having a normal position substantially level with the top of the box wherein the box lid normally causes the closure flap or flaps to be supported in the closed condition of the latter, is moveable to release the flap or flaps to permit opening thereof and is returnable to its normal position after one or more ports have been opened.

2. A box according to claim 1 in which the flap or flaps are spring urged upwardly towards the closed condition and there is provided stop means operable to restrain the flap so as to avoid any risk of such a flap being raised beyond the normal position and sticking in an upwardly projecting position.

3. A box according to claim 2, in which the flap is pivotally mounted on the rest of the box, and the stop means comprises a protuberance on the flap which engages a portion of the rest of the box when the flap is in its closed condition.

4. A box according to claim 3, in which at least part of the protuberance is situated at the opposite side of the pivot from the major portion of the flap, and said portion of the rest of the box is an upwardly facing surface thereof.

5. A box according to any of the preceding claims in which the closure flap or flaps are pivotally mounted adjacent a back edge of the box remote from the lid, and the front edges of the flap or flaps, when in the closed condition, supported adjacent the rear edge of the normally closed lid.

6. A box according to claim 5 in which the support for the front edges of the flaps is provided by a resiliently displaceable means at the front of the or each outlet port, which means is displaced under the front edge of the or each closure flap Dy the rear edge of the lid in its normal condition.

7. A box according to claim 6, in which the displaceable means comprises an inwardly pivotting element at the top of the fron of the or each port.

8. A box according to claim 7, in which the element is formed as a laterally projecting tab from the upper portion of the front end of an outlet port partition.

9. A box according to claim 8 in which said upper portion of the front end of each partition may be joined by a horizontal line of weakening to the main portion of the partition, to enable the inward pivotting.

10. A box according to claim 8 or claim 9 in which the inwardly pivotting upper portion of the partition front end carries a button or stud which cooperates between said portion and the front edge of the lid.

11. A box according to any of the preceding claims in which the or each flap, when lies against the back wall of the corresponding port.

12. A floor box according to any of the preceding claims, in which the floor box has a plurality of outlet ports separated by partitions.

13. A floor box comprising a cable outlet port, a cable retainer and a spring loaded flap associated with the port, a cable retainer and a spring loaded flap associated with the port, the flap being openable by being pivotted downwards into the box so that a cable can be placed between the retainer and the open spring loaded lid and subsequently held against the retainer by the spring loaded lid.

14. A box substantially as described herein, with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1-5 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A floor box substantially as described herein with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 6 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.