GB2570111A

GB2570111A - Drain spigot for equipment enclosure

Info

Publication number: GB2570111A
Application number: GB1800376.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Calver Daniel; Nottage Martin; Richardson Alesha
Original assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Current assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Priority date: 2018-01-10
Filing date: 2018-01-10
Publication date: 2019-07-17
Also published as: GB201800376D0

Abstract

A drain spigot 40 for fitting to an exterior mounting surface of an equipment enclosure (14 figure 6), such as an enclosure for electronic or communications equipment, for conveying a liquid from the interior to the exterior of the enclosure. The spigot comprises: an inlet 422 for receiving the liquid; an outlet 440 for passing the liquid to the exterior; and an interconnecting channel 460 for passing the liquid between the inlet and the outlet. The outlet comprises an interior space and an exterior surface; in which the exterior surface comprises a plurality of apertures; in which each one of the plurality of apertures 444 extends through a wall of the spigot from the exterior surface to the interior space for passing the liquid from the inside of the spigot to the outside of the spigot. The exterior surface is visible, in use, to pedestrians traversing the environment in which the equipment enclosure is situated; in which the size of the apertures is selected so that the presence of the apertures is not discernible by the pedestrians traversing the environment. As such, vandalism of the enclosure and insertion of foreign objects is avoided, but drainage of rainwater via a bilge pump is unimpeded.

Description

Drain Spigot for Equipment Enclosure

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to equipment enclosures, particularly those located in public spaces, and to spigots for the removal of water or other liquids from such enclosures. Equipment enclosures, such as for digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAM) or primary cross connections (PCPs) are widely used in the communications industry to house electrical and optical equipment at intermediate points between switching centres and customer premises. These enclosures are often located at the side of streets and in other public spaces. Occasionally, such PCPs can suffer ingress of water or other liquid as a result of flooding or tempest. There is therefore a need to drain or otherwise remove liquid out of PCPs and an opening is sometimes provided in the side elevation of a PCP for this purpose. The opening may be provided with a spigot to allow connection of a drainage tube leading from the internal pump to force liquid to the outside of the PCP.

Background to the Invention

Figure 1 shows a partial external view of an equipment enclosure fitted with a conventional spigot. The equipment enclosure will be typically constructed from sheet steel using conventional techniques and provided with a suitable protective coating. Alternatively, the enclosure may be constructed from a plastic moulding or from other non-metallic materials. As shown in Figure 1, a conventional design of spigot 12 is mounted to mounting surface 14 that, in the example shown, is a vertical end wall 14 of the equipment enclosure. The spigot is shown in use: that is with a jet 16 of water being ejected out of the equipment enclosure through the spigot 12. As can be seen from Figure 1, the expelled water exits in a horizontal direction with the risk that passers-by may be caught in or splashed by the jet. Spigot 12 is in the form of a plastic ring or doughnut-shape with a large opening to facilitate passage of the water. The opening is clearly visible at some distance from the equipment enclosure and the insertion of foreign objects through the spigot 12 would be straightforward. For example, where the equipment enclosure is located on a pavement, pedestrians using the pavement and passing by the equipment enclosure would easily be able to identify that there was an opening in the side of the equipment enclosure, even when not in use.

Figure 2 shows a line drawing of an equipment enclosure 10 with a spigot 12 mounted to a mounting surface 14. A jet of water 16 is represented schematically. As can be seen from Figure 2, equipment enclosure 10 may comprise a rectangular sided cabinet with a roof or cover 22 that slopes to disperse rainwater.

Figure 3 is a photograph of the interior 30 of a conventional equipment enclosure 10 showing a pump 32 (for example, a kind of bilge-pump) resting at the bottom 34 of the equipment enclosure and with tubing 36 connected to an output of the pump. The other end of the tubing 36 (not shown) will be connected to an internal section of the spigot 12 of Figures 1 and 2. The pump 32 will normally be powered by a battery (not shown) connected by power supply wiring 38 to the pump and located towards the top of the enclosure 10 so as to protect it from water that may enter the equipment enclosure. The equipment enclosure will, typically, also contain cables 39 for carrying telephony traffic.

Conventional spigots provide no or inadequate defence against ingress into the equipment enclosure of foreign objects or liquids which may adversely affect operation of the equipment housed in the enclosure - including the introduction of hazardous objects or liquids introduced maliciously. For example fireworks and flammable liquids may be introduced into an enclosure by malicious persons through a conventional spigot, causing significant damage and, as a result, loss of service.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention accordingly provides, in a first aspect a drain spigot for an equipment enclosure in which the spigot is configured to fit to an exterior mounting surface of the enclosure for conveying a liquid from the interior of the enclosure to the exterior of the enclosure;

in which the spigot comprises:

an inlet for receiving the liquid from the interior of the equipment enclosure;

an outlet for passing the liquid to the exterior of the equipment enclosure; and an interconnecting channel for passing the liquid between the inlet and the outlet;

in which the outlet comprises an interior space and an exterior surface; in which the exterior surface comprises a plurality of apertures; in which each one of the plurality of apertures extends through a wall of the spigot from the exterior surface to the interior space for passing the liquid from the inside of the spigot to the outside of the spigot;

in which the exterior surface is visible, in use, to pedestrians traversing the environment in which the equipment enclosure is situated;

in which the size of the apertures is selected so that the presence of the apertures is not discernible by the pedestrians traversing the environment.

For the purposes of this specification, the term “not discernible by pedestrians traversing the environment” means that the apertures are of such a size that they are only discernible on close inspection at very close range, and persons merely walking past a cabinet in which the spigot is installed will not notice them, or will mistake them for surface decoration.

The present invention accordingly provides, in a second aspect, a process for manufacturing the spigot by additive manufacture or 3-D printing.

Further details of the invention are set out in the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Figures

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show views of a conventional equipment enclosure

Figures 4 to 8 show line drawings of various views of a spigot according to various embodiments.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

A design of spigot is proposed that addresses the above problems. According to embodiments, the spigot comprises a multitude of very small (for example, approximately 0.5 mm diameter) apertures which make it practically impossible to introduce foreign objects or liquids into the equipment enclosure through the spigot. In addition, the very small size of the apertures in the spigot are designed only to be discernible at very close range, meaning that a malicious party may not realise what function the spigot performs or even that there is any opening in the spigot. The malicious party would, as a result, not be motivated to even attempt to introduce objects or liquids into the equipment enclosure through the spigot. A large number of apertures is provided so as to minimise resistance to the flow of liquid. The very-small aperture size is contrary to conventional wisdom, which would dictate use of larger apertures to facilitate the flow of liquid.

Figures 4 and 5 show line drawings of two orthogonal views a spigot 40 according to an embodiment. Spigot 40 comprises an interior part or nozzle 420, an exterior part 440 and an intermediate connecting part 460 which connects interior part 420 and exterior part 440. When fitted, interior part 420 sits interior to the equipment enclosure, while exterior part 440 sits exterior to the equipment enclosure. When fitted, intermediate connecting part 460 passes through an aperture in the mounting surface 14.

Interior part 420 comprises an inlet 422 for receiving liquid from the interior of the equipment enclosure. As shown in Figure 6, in the current embodiment, interior part 420 is configured to mate with tubing 620 that is connected at the other end of the tubing to a pump, such as pump 32 (Figure 3).

Intermediate connecting part 460 comprises an interconnecting channel for passing the liquid between the inlet and the outlet. In the current embodiment, intermediate connecting part 460 also comprises a threaded external surface 462 for accepting a nut 622 (Figure 6) for securing the spigot 12 to an external wall of the equipment enclosure. Exterior part 440 has an external surface 442 comprising a plurality of apertures 444 (shown at greater scale in Figures 7 and 8). Liquid received at exterior part 440 through intermediate connecting part 460 from interior part 420 flows through apertures 444 to exit the equipment enclosure.

Figure 6 shows spigot 40 according to an embodiment, fitted to an external wall 14 of equipment enclosure 10. Spigot 12 is connected to tubing 620 to receive liquid from a bilge pump or similar. Arrows included in Figure 6 are intended to indicate schematically the flow of liquid though the tubing, into, through and out of the spigot but are not intended to indicate any particular path through the spigot or any particular flow pattern, such as laminar or turbulent flow.

As shown in Figure 6, spigot 40 is fitted though an aperture formed in a vertical end wall 14 of the equipment enclosure 10. Spigot 40 is secured in position by nut 622 which engages with the threaded surface 462 of intermediate connecting part 460. Interior part 420 is mated with tubing 620 that is connected at the other end of the tubing to a pump, such as pump 32 (Figure 3). When secured in position by nut 622, spigot 40 is configured so that the plurality of apertures 444 are oriented substantially downwards, so as to direct downwards the flow of water out of the spigot through the apertures. In this way, the flow of water out from the spigot is directed parallel to, or actually along, the external surface of the vertical end wall 14 of the equipment enclosure 10.

Figures 7 and 8 show the external surface 442 of spigot 40 and the plurality of apertures 444 in more detail from two orthogonal angles. As can be seen, the plurality of apertures 444 are arranged on a rectilinear grid upon a curved section of the external surface 442. According to further embodiments, the plurality of apertures 444 may be arranged differently, for example in rows that are offset with respect to each other or in patterns that are aperiodic or asymmetrical. External surface 442 may also take other forms, according to further embodiments, for example the form of a plane rectangular surface.

According to an embodiment, the spigot is manufactured in industrial-grade Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) using 3D printing techniques.

The spigot acts as a drain, that is, an exit for waste or unwanted liquid, and facilitates the discharge of waste liquids from equipment enclosures. In equipment enclosures, the drain is commonly located in the upper part of the enclosure necessitating a pump to force the water via a tube to the drain. This can be useful in avoiding water entering the equipment enclosures through the drain. However, in alternative implementations, the 10 drain may be located in the lower part of the enclosure, allowing the water to flow through the drain under gravity. In the above, references above to water will be understood to include other liquids.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, although the present invention has been described in relation to the above described example embodiments, the invention 15 is not limited thereto and that there are many possible variations and modifications which fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A drain spigot for an equipment enclosure in which the spigot is configured to fit to an exterior mounting surface of the enclosure for conveying a liquid from the interior of the enclosure to the exterior of the enclosure;

in which the spigot comprises:

an inlet for receiving the liquid from the interior of the equipment enclosure;

2. The spigot of claim 1, configured for fitting to an upper portion of a sidewall of the enclosure.

3. The spigot of claim 1 or claim 2, configured to receive at the inlet, the liquid through a conduit from a part of the enclosure located lower than the inlet.

4. The spigot of any preceding claim, in which the apertures are 0.5 mm diameter.

5. The spigot of any preceding claim, in which the plurality of apertures comprises approximately 50 apertures.

6. The spigot of any preceding claim, configured so that, once fitted to the mounting surface, the spigot may be orientated such that each of the apertures will direct a flow of the liquid substantially downwards.

7. The spigot of any preceding claim, in which the external surface is configured so that, once fitted to the mounting surface, each of the apertures comprises a path substantially parallel to the mounting surface.

8. The spigot of any preceding claim, configured so that the apertures face substantially downwards in use.

9. The spigot of any preceding claim in combination with an equipment enclosure comprising electronic equipment.

10. A process for manufacturing the spigot of any preceding claim wherein the spigot is manufactured by additive manufacture or 3-D printing.