GB2482189A

GB2482189A - Cable mounting clip

Info

Publication number: GB2482189A
Application number: GB1012386.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Holliday; Ben Noonan
Original assignee: British Sky Broadcasting Ltd
Current assignee: Sky UK Ltd
Priority date: 2010-07-23
Filing date: 2010-07-23
Publication date: 2012-01-25
Also published as: GB201012386D0

Abstract

A one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip (1) comprises integrally formed first and second clip portions (7,9) formed to receive respective first and second cables of different dimensions, preferably between arcuate arms of the clip portions. A mounting portion (11) may be adjacent one arm of the second clip portion and formed to receive a fixing means. Preferably, the first clip portion is centrally aligned with the second clip portion and integrally formed with the mounting portion. One of the cables retained may be a biaxial shotgun cable. A method of mounting cables to a fixed structure using the cable clip is also described, comprising alternately providing a plurality of the cable clips facing opposing directions along a length of the cables such that the mounting portions of the plurality of cable clips are alternately provided along both sides of the cables (figure 7a).

Description

Integrated Cable Mounting Clip

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to cable fixings, and more particularly to mounting clips for integrally supporting a plurality of cables.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Mounting clips are generally known for clipping onto cables, such as television co-axial cables, to enable the cables to be mounted or attached to a fixed structure, such as a wall, floor or ceiling. In particular, clips for mounting a single co-axial cable both with and without a nail support are well known, for example as shown in Figure la. Clips for mounting a single "shotgun" or twin co-axial cable are also well known, as shown in Figure lb. [0003] Shotgun cables are well-known in the field of satellite television cabling and consist of two single co-axial cables housed within a single outer integration layer. It is becoming common to provide an additional data cable alongside the television co-axial cables, such as a CAT5 Ethernet network cable which is well-known in the field of computer networks. In order to reduce the number of separate cables that are required to be installed and to keep the arrangement of cables tidy, it has been proposed to integrate the shotgun co-axial cable with the Ethernet cable within a single integrated cable housing. However, this solution is expensive to manufacture and requires replacement of existing television co-axial cables.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a cable mounting solution that is simple to install and cheaper to manufacture, while providing a secure means for integrally fastening the co-axial cable and network cable to the fixed structures.

[0004] Integrated clips for mounting a plurality of individual cables to a fixed structure are known generally. For example, EP 1691460 discusses a cable clip formed to receive two or more individual cables in respective channels of the cable clip. The walls of the clip form an S-shaped body. Each channel may also be formed to receive more than one cable.

[0005] EP 1126571 discusses an example of a modular cable clip having one or two plastic clips to accept a respective cable. The plastic clip is penetrated by a threaded hole to allow its fixing to a plug set in a hole in the support surface. The clip has an elastic hook to retain the cable. The clip can be mounted with its opening facing outward or inward. The modular cable clips are stackable to provide an arrangement for clipping more than two individual cables together.

100061 However, the known mounting clips all suffer from the problem that one or more of the cables may become detached from the prior art clips, for example from normal wear of the clips weakening the structural integrity or from use in environments where the cables are prone to movement from incidental contact or forces of nature which might cause the cables to easily become pulled out from the clips. Therefore, the known clips are disadvantageous when used for significant lengths of cables because the plurality of cables may become twisted and unwieldy.

[0007] There is a need for an improved mounting clip that addresses the above problems.

Statements of the Invention

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, a cable clip is provided comprising integrally formed first and second cable retaining portions, wherein the first and second cable retaining portions are formed to receive respective cables of different dimensions.

[0009] The second cable retaining portion may be centrally aligned with the first cable retaining portion. Alternatively, the first cable retaining portion may be provided laterally adjacent the second cable retaining portion. The cable clip may further comprise a mounting portion formed to receive a fixing means.

[0010] According to another aspect, a cable clip is provided comprising an integrally formed plurality of cable retaining portions each for receiving a respective cable, and an integrally formed mounting portion for receiving a fixing means, wherein the plurality of cable retaining portions are provided on the same side of the mounting portion.

10011] Preferably, the first cable retaining portion is formed to receive a shotgun or twin cable consisting of two cables in a single outer layer. Preferably, the first cable retaining portion is centrally aligned with the second cable retaining portion.

[0012] According to yet another aspect, a method of mounting cables to a fixed structure using the above cable clip is provided, comprising alternately providing a plurality of said cable clips facing opposing directions along a length of the cables such that the mounting portions of the plurality of cable clips are alternately provided along both sides of the cables.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] There now follows, by way of example only, a detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, with references to the figures identified below.

Figure 1, which comprises Figures 1 a and ib, illustrates examples of prior art mounting clips as mentioned above.

Figure 2a is an isometric view of a first embodiment of an integrated cable clip attached to a shotgun cable and a CAT5 cable.

Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the integrated cable clip of Figure 2a.

Figure 3 is an end view of a modified integrated cable clip of Figure 2a with a mounting portion having a nail inserted therein in accordance with an alternative embodiment.

Figure 4 is an end view of an integrated cable clip according to a second embodiment.

Figure 5 is an end view of an integrated cable clip according to a third embodiment.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an integrated cable clip attached to a shotgun cable and a CAT5 cable.

Figure 7a is an isometric view of a plurality of integrated cable clips of Figure 6 provided in an alternating arrangement along a shotgun cable and a CATS cable, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7b is a schematic illustration of the alternating cable clip arrangement of Figure 7a over a curved section of cabling.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention [0014] A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 2, which comprises Figures 2a and 2b. Figure 2a is an isometric view of a one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 1 attached to two cables of different dimensions. In this embodiment, the first cable is a shotgun or twin co-axial cable 3 and the second cable is a CATS Ethernet network cable 5. Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the clip 1 of Figure 2a.

100151 As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, in this embodiment, the cable mounting clip 1 comprises a first clip portion 7 for receiving and retaining the shotgun cable 3 in place, and a second clip portion 9 for receiving and retaining the CATS cable S in place. In this embodiment, the CATS clip portion 9 is provided opposite to the shotgun clip portion 7, whereby the shotgun cable 3 and the CAT5 cable 5 are received by the respective clip portions 7,9 from opposing directions relative to the integrated cable mounting clip 1. The shotgun clip portion 7 and the CATS clip portion 9 are centrally aligned with respect to each other, such that the CAT5 cable 5 in the CAT5 clip portion 9 is in alignment with the middle of the shotgun cable 3 in the shotgun clip portion 3, located between the two co-axial cables 3a and 3b of the shotgun cable 3.

100161 The shotgun clip portion 7 is formed to receive both co-axial cables of the shotgun or twin co-axial cable, and comprises two arcuate arms 7a and 7b forming a double arch shaped opening substantially the same dimensions as the shotgun cable 3 to be received in the shotgun clip portion 7. The CAT5 clip portion 9 similarly comprises two arcuate arms 9a and 9b forming a U-shaped opening substantially the same dimensions as the CAT5 cable S to be received in the CAT5 clip portion 9. Preferably, the arcuate arms 7a,7b,9a,9b are resilient so that the arms 7a,7b,9a,9b can move apart to allow the cables 3,5 to be inserted into the respective clip portions 7,9 and return to the original position to hold the cables 3,5 securely in place without comprising the dielectric of the cables 3,5. As shown in the exemplary integrated clip 1 of the present embodiment in Figure 2, the arcuate arms 9a,9b of the CATS clip portion 9 preferably extend more than halfway around the circumference of the CATS cable 5 when attached in place. Similarly, each arcuate arm 7a,7b of the shotgun clip portion 7 preferably extends more than halfway around the circumference of one of the co-axial cables 3a,3b of the shotgun cable 3 when attached in place. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the cable clip portions 3 and 5 may be arranged to wrap less than halfway around the circumference of each cable, or alternatively may be arranged to wrap around substantially the whole of the respective cable.

[0017] Preferably, a plurality of integrated clips 1 would be provided at spaced intervals along the length of the cables being clipped together. In this way, the integrated clip 1 of this embodiment is used to clip together the shotgun cable 3 and the CAT5 cable 5 for easier handling for example during installation because the two different cables are coupled together and can effectively be handled and mounted to a fixed structure as an integrated element.

[0018] In use, the integrated clip 1 mounts directly onto either a new or existing shotgun cable to support future IP connectivity via the Ethernet CATS cable. This advantageously does not require installation of more expensive replacement cabling that integrates both co-axial and CATS cables.

[0019] As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the integrated cable mounting clip 1 allows a 4-pair CATS cable S to be coupled with the original dual satellite feeds provided by the shotgun cable 3, providing an additional twisted pair for either proprietary applications or full 1Gbps networking. As is well known, a 4-pair CAT5 cable consists of four pairs of cables housed in an outer jacket. It also negates the need for the junction box enabling the CAT5 cable S to be run directly between locations and over a wider range of routing.

100201 Figure 3 illustrates an alternative to the first embodiment. n this alternative, the one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 31 further comprises an elongate mounting portion 11 positioned laterally adjacent one arm 7b of the shotgun clip portion 7. In this alternate configuration, the arcuate arms 7b adjacent to the mounting portion 11 is integrally formed with the mounting portion 11 to provide increased structural rigidity. One end of the elongate mounting portion 11 of the integrated clip 31 is flush with the distal end of the adjacent arcuate arm 7b of the shotgun clip portion 7. In this way, when the clip 31 is mounted to a fixed structure 15 with a nail 13 through the mounting portion 11, the distal ends of both arcuate arms 7a,7b of the shotgun clip portion 7, the mounting portion 11 and the shotgun cable 3 in the shotgun clip portion 7 are all flush against the fixed structure 15.

t00211 In the exemplary clip 31 shown in Figure 3, the height of the elongate mounting portion 11 is substantially the same as the height of shotgun clip portion 5 to advantageously provide increased structural integrity between the shotgun clip portion 5 and the mounting portion 11. The elongate mounting portion 11 comprises a suitable sized bore extending longitudinally through the length of the elongate mounting portion 11. In use, a nail 13 can be inserted through the bore of the mounting portion 11 to fasten the integrated clip 1, and the cables 3,5 clipped to the integrated clip 1 therewith, to a fixed structure such as a wall, beam, floorboard or ceiling etc. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, although a nail is illustrated in Figure 3, any other suitable fixing means may be used instead such as a screw, a nut and bolt or the like.

[0022] Figure 4 is an end view of a one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 41 according to a second embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the shotgun clip portion 7 of this clip 41 is provided laterally adjacent the CAT5 clip portion 9, with the mounting portion 11 located between the two clip portions 7 and 9. As shown in Figure 4, the shotgun clip portion 7 in this embodiment is provided with a protrusion 7c formed to fit between the single co-axial cable portions of the shotgun cable 3, to provide for even tighter and thus more secure retention of the shotgun cable 3 by the shotgun clip portion 7. In this embodiment, the arcuate arms 7b and 9a adjacent to the mounting portion 11 are integrally formed with the mounting portion 11 to provide increased structural rigidity. Accordingly, in this embodiment, when the clip 41 is mounted to a fixed structure with a nail 13 through the mounting portion 11, the distal ends of the arcuate arms 7a,7b,9a,9b of both the shotgun clip portion 7 and the CATS clip portion 5, the mounting portion 11, the shotgun cable 3 in the shotgun clip portion 7 and the CAT5 cable in the CAT5 clip portion will all be flush against the fixed structure.

[0023] Figure 5 is an end view of a one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 51 according to a third embodiment. The clip 51 of this third embodiment is similar to the clip 31 of Figure 3, except that the CATS clip portion 9 is provided as a C-shape instead of a U-shape such that a CATS cable 5 is inserted into the CATS clip portion 9 from a direction perpendicular to the direction that the shotgun cable 3 is inserted into the shotgun clip portion 7. Additionally, the C-shaped CATS clip portion 9 is aligned with one of the arch openings of the shotgun clip portion 7 instead of centrally. In this embodiment, the C-shaped CATS clip portion 9 is also integrally formed with the elongated mounting portion 11, which now extends from the distal end of the adjacent arcuate arm 7b to the CATS clip portion 9 to provide greater structural rigidity. The increased height of the mounting portion 11 of the clip Si of this embodiment compared to the mounting portion 11 of the clip 31 of Figure 3 provides a further advantage by protecting an attached CATS cable from inadvertent contact with and/or crushing from for iS example a hammer used to force the nail through the clip 51 into a fixed structure.

[0024] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the clips 41 and 51 of Figures 4 and S may be provided without a mounting portion 7 as a further alternative.

[0025] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 51 according to a fourth embodiment. The clip 61 of this fourth embodiment is similar to the clip 51 of Figure 5, except that the CATS clip portion 9 is centrally aligned with the shotgun clip portion 7. Additionally, in this embodiment, the C-shaped CATS clip portion 9 is integrally formed with the elongated mounting portion 11, which extends from the distal end of the adjacent arcuate arm 7b to the CATS clip portion 9 to provide greater structural rigidity as in the embodiment of Figure 5.

[0026] Figure 7a is an isometric view of a plurality of clips 61 of Figure 6, arranged such that the mounting portions 13 are alternately provided along both sides of the shotgun cable 3, and with the CATS cable S securely positioned above the shotgun cable 3 by the C-shaped CATS clip portions 9 of the plurality of clips 61. As shown in Figure 7a, the respective openings of the CATS clip portions 9 are also alternately facing in opposite directions. By this novel technique of cable mounting and installation using an alternating arrangement of the clips 61 of Figure 6, a further advantage is provided because the shotgun cable 3 and the CATS cable S are securely fastened to a fixed structure, and the alternating positions of the mounting portions 11 and the C-shaped openings prevents the cables 3,5 from become detached from the clips 61 as a result of lateral cable movement for example from incidental contact or forces of nature, and particularly when segments of cable 3,5 between each clip 61 is taut.

[0027] Figure 7b is a schematic illustration of the alternating cable clip arrangement of Figure 7a over a curved section of cabling, from a top-down view. As shown in Figure 7b, the method of mounting cables to a fixed structure using the cable clip 61 of Figure 6 comprises alternately providing the cable clips 61 facing substantially opposite directions along a length of the cables, as illustrated by the arrows indicating the direction that each C-shaped opening of the CAT5 clip portions 9 is facing.

[0028] Figure 8 is an end view of a one-piece, integrated cable mounting clip 81 according to a fourth embodiment. The clip 81 of this fourth embodiment is similar to the clip 51 of Figure 5, except that the shotgun clip portion 7 is replaced with a single co-axial clip portion 83 formed to receive a single co-axial cable (not shown). In this embodiment, a plurality of single cable clip portions 81 and 9 are therefore provided on the same side of the mounting portion 11. In this way, the above described technique of cable mounting and installation can use an alternating arrangement of the clips 81 of Figure 8 to provide the above advantages.

Alternative Embodiments [0029] It will be understood that embodiments of the present invention are described herein by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Alternatively, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain aspects of the embodiments described above may be combined together or even separated. For example, in the above discussed technique of cable mounting and installation using an alternating arrangement of the clips of Figure 6 or Figure 8, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a combination of cable clips with mounting portions and without mounting portions could instead be used along the length of the cables being mounted to the fixed structure or structures.

[00301 Alternative embodiments may be envisaged, which nevertheless fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. An integrated cable clip comprising integrally formed first and second cable retaining portions, wherein the first and second cable retaining portions are formed to receive respective cables of different dimensions.
2. The integrated cable clip of claim 1, wherein the first cable retaining portion is formed to receive a twin cable consisting of two cables in a single outer layer.
3. The integrated cable clip of any preceding claim, wherein the cable clip further comprises a mounting portion formed to receive a fixing means.
4. The integrated cable clip of claim 3, wherein the first cable retaining portion extends away from the mounting portion.
5. The integrated cable clip of claim 3 or 4, wherein the fixing means is a nail, screw or nut.
6. The integrated cable clip of claim 2 or 3, wherein the second cable retaining portion is centrally aligned with the first cable retaining portion.
7. The integrated cable clip of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first cable retaining portion is arranged laterally adjacent the second cable retaining portion.
8. The integrated cable clip of any preceding claim, wherein the second clip portion has a U-shape cross-section.
9. The integrated cable clip of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second clip portion has a C-shape cross-section.
10. The integrated cable clip of claim 8 or 9, wherein the second clip portion comprises arcuate arm portions arranged to wrap more than halfway around the circumference of a cable received by the second clip portion.
11. The integrated cable clip of any preceding claim, wherein second clip portion is formed to receive a single 4-pair CAT5 Ethernet network cable.
12. An integrated cable clip comprising an integrally formed plurality of cable retaining portions each for receiving a respective cable, and an integrally formed mounting portion for receiving a fixing means, wherein the plurality of cable retaining portions are provided on the same side of the mounting portion.
13. The integrated cable clip of claim 12, wherein the first cable retaining portion is formed to receive a single co-axial cable and the second cable retaining portion is formed to receive a single 4-pair CAT5 Ethernet network cable.
14. The integrated cable clip of claim 12, wherein the first cable retaining portion is formed to receive a twin cable consisting of two cables in a single outer layer.
15. The integrated cable clip of claim 12, wherein the second cable retaining portion is centrally aligned with the first cable retaining portion.
16. A method of mounting cables to a fixed structure using the integrated cable clip of any one of claims 12 to 15, comprising alternately providing a plurality of said cable clips facing opposing directions along a length of the cables such that the mounting portions of the plurality of cable clips are alternately positioned along both sides of the cables.
17. An integrated cable clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in Figure 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7a of the accompanying drawings.
18. A method of mounting cables to a fixed structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in Figure 7a or 7b of the accompanying drawings.