MXPA99007679A - Standard divid device box - Google Patents

Abstract

To separate the camera from a standard device enclosure in two compartments, one for high-voltage power conductors and the other for low-energy signal conductors, a flexibly insulating barrier is employed. In a first form, the barrier, its support means and attachment means are formed as an integral unit and fastened to the inner surface of a wall plate. The barrier acquires a position in the box based on the depth of the box. In a second form, the flexionable insulation barrier is formed as an extension of the side wall of a box insect to be placed in the device box.

Description

DIVIDED STANDARD DEVICE BOX BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The invention is directed to wiring devices, and more particularly, to boxes of standard devices, where low voltage communications conductors and higher voltage power conductors are present.

Description of Related Art To allow the separation of power and communication conductors, prior art devices employ specially configured housings and spacers. Once installed, these devices can only be used with accessories configured to work with these housings. There is no available separator device that can be added to a standard device enclosure, at the time of installation or retrofit into existing enclosures to provide separate compartments for communications and power conductors.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a flexible insulation barrier, which can be installed in a standard device enclosure to divide the available wiring space into two separate compartments, one for communication conductors and the other for conductors of energy. In a first embodiment, the flexibly insulating barrier is coupled to the wall plate used to close the open front face of the device box and extends towards the box chamber at an angle. The angle being determined by the coupling line of the free end of the barrier with the floor of the base member of the box. The barrier extends between the front and rear walls and towards a side wall and the base member to form a compartment, which can only be introduced through a removable part in the walls of the box or the base member. The second compartment is defined by the front and rear walls, the other side wall, the base member and the barrier and can only be introduced via a removable plate. In a second embodiment, the flexible insulation barrier is formed as part of an insert, which can be placed inside a device box. The operation of the barrier of this mode is essentially the same as that of the first mode. It is an object of this invention to provide a novel means for dividing the chamber of a standard device box into two compartments. It is an object of this invention to provide a novel means for dividing the camera from a standard device box at the time of installation of said box or later. It is another object of this invention to provide a novel flexureable insulation barrier, which is attached to a wall plate used to seal the open top face of a box. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a novel flexureable insulation barrier as part of an insert placed in and mounted to a box. Other objects and aspects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the appended drawings, which describe, by way of example, the principles of the invention and the best modes currently contemplated for carrying them out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, in which similar elements are given similar reference characters: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wall plate installed on the open top surface of a standard device box; Figure 2 is a front elevational view, partially in section, of a flexibly insulating barrier according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the flexure insulation barrier of Figure 2 installed in a box shallower than that of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the access door of the wall plate of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows the device illustrated in Figure 2, with the conductors placed in the two compartments shown; Figure 6 is a top plan view of a modified wall plate of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a top plan view of the flexible insulation barrier of Figures 2 and 3; Figure 8 is a front perspective view of one more embodiment of a flexibly insulated barrier constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention; Figure 9 is a plan view of the device of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the device of Figure 9, taken along lines 10-10; and Figure 11 is a front elevational view, partially in section, of the device of Figure 10, installed in and to a standard device box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The National Electrical Code (N.E.C.) has strict requirements for the separation of line voltage power conductors (120 V, 220 V) from signal current conductors (24 Volts or less, telephone and computer lines). The signal lines must be physically separated from the higher voltage power conductors to avoid accidental contact between them when installing or servicing the power line or signal conductors. The separation of high and low voltage conductors within the same box is intended to be used with things such as electronic voltage line devices that require low voltage input signals for control purposes. Online voltage electronic devices and control devices are usually installed in a standard device box or so-called "10.16 cm box", which actually measures 11.88 x 11.88. These boxes have the provision of being mounted to an upright, lumber or other suitable support, and mounting ears to which various devices can be attached and then covered by a wall plate. The boxes have a base member or wall and four side walls fixed to the base member to form a box opening in the upper surface and closed through a wall plate and are commonly used for collateral devices or a device and its cabling. Detachable parts located on the box walls and the base member allow the power and signal conductors to enter and exit the box.

Turning now to Figures 1 to 7, a 10.16 cm box or a standard device box 20 is shown, which has mounted therein an electronic line voltage device 22 mounted to a wall plate 24. The electronic device 22 or another device, such as a receptacle, can also be projected through and beyond the wall plate 26. In such case, an opening 28 could be used in the wall plate 26, as shown in Figure 6. The opening will be configured to the portion of the device projecting from the case 20. The wall plate 24 is mounted to the mounting ears (not shown) of the case 20 through four mounting screws 30. A first embodiment of the interior chamber divider 40 is shown in Figures 2, 3, 5 and 7. A flex-able insulation barrier 42 is mounted to a vertical support means 44, which in turn is connected to tabs 46 adjacent to the ends of the medium support rtical 44. These tabs 46 can be glued, soldered, welded, brazed, bonded or the like, to the inner surface of the wall plate 24. The barrier 42 and the support means 44 extend over the entire distance between them. a front wall and its parallel rear wall, separated so as to divide the chamber of the standard device box 20 into two compartments 50 and 52. The compartment 50 receives the electronic device 22 and the high voltage power conductors 54 through of a suitable removable part (see Figure 5), while the compartment 52 receives the low energy signal conductors 56 through a suitable removable part. To allow access to the compartment 52 from the box 20, a small access door 58 is provided in the wall plate 24 adjacent to the compartment 52. The access door 58, as shown in Figure 4, is generally rectangular and it has a mounting hole 60 at its upper end which will be fastened through a screw 62 to the wall plate 24. The lower end of the access door 58 is grooved at 64 and an L-shaped lip 66 is created for attach the rear surface of the wall plate 24 when the access door 58 is in place. To position the access door 58, the lip is made to engage the rear surface of the wall plate 24 and the top end is rotated to align the hole 60 with the corresponding opening in the wall plate 24 (not shown), at that time, the screw 62 is used to assemble the access door 58 to the wall plate 24. yv The flexing capacity of the flex-able insulation barrier 42 is a definite advantage when used with device boxes standard of different depths. Box 20 of the Figures 2 and 5 have a depth of 5.38 cm and the barrier 42 acquires a steep inclination, while the free end 48 engages the inner surface 25 of the base member 23 near the curved edge 27 between the base member 23 and the side 29. When the divider 40 of the inner chamber is placed in a box 70 having At a depth of 3.81 cm, the barrier 42 acquires a less steep inclination and the free end 48 acquires a similar position. The conductors are introduced into the compartments 50 ', 52', through removable parts. The divider 40 of the inner chamber can be made as a single unit and can be molded from a thermoplastic or thermoset plastic, natural or synthetic rubber or the like. It is also possible to form a divider 80 of the inner chamber with a flexing insulation barrier 82 coupled to a wall of a box insert 84, which wall 86 provides the support means for the barrier 82. The barrier 82 terminates at a free end 88. The insert 84 has a wall 90 parallel to and spaced from the side wall 86. Two short mounting collars 92 allow the box insert 84 to be mounted to the box 20 by means of fasteners 94, which extend through of the mounting collars 92 and towards the mounting ears 96 inside the box 20 (see Figure 11). The flexure barrier 82 acquires a position determined greatly by the extent to which the box insert 84 extends into the case 20. As shown, the free end 88 of the barrier 82 engages the inner surface 25 of the base member 23 and creates two compartments 98 and 100. Although fundamental novel aspects of the invention have been shown, described and pointed out as they apply to the preferred embodiments, as is actually contemplated for carrying them out, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (14)

1. - An apparatus for dividing the interior chamber of a standard device box having a base member, parallel and front walls, separate, two parallel, separate side walls, said base member, said front and rear walls and said two walls attached sides whereby an open box is formed on its upper surface and at least two openings in the front wall, the rear wall, the side walls and the base member in two compartments, comprising: a) an insulating barrier flexibly having a first end, a second free end, a first width, a first surface and a second surface; and b) support means coupled to the first end of the flexibly insulating barrier to place the second free end adjacent an inner surface of said base member, to form a first compartment between the first surface and the inner surfaces of the front walls and rear, an adjacent side wall and a base member and a second compartment between the second surface and the interior surfaces of the front and rear walls, an adjacent side wall and the base member.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first width is equal to a separation between the interior surfaces of said rear and front walls.

3. - An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a) a wall plate closing the upper surface; and b) said support means coupled to an inner surface of said wall plate.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support means are attached to said wall plate.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said support means are welded to said wall plate.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support means are attached to said wall plate with glue.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support means are brazed to said wall plate.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support means has two arms attached to the wall plate.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a) an insert placed in and coupled to the standard device enclosure, and b) said flexibly isolating barrier extending from the insert to said chamber of the device enclosure. standard

10. - An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said insert is a five-sided box open on an upper surface composed of a front wall positioned adjacent to the front wall of the box, a rear wall positioned adjacent to the front wall of the box. the glue, a rear wall placed adjacent said back wall of the box, a base member positioned adjacent said base member of the box, a first side wall positioned adjacent one of the side walls of said box and a second wall lateral placed intermediate the space between the interiors of the two side walls.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for coupling said insert to the box.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said flex- able insulation barrier is coupled to a joint between said base member and said insert and one of the side walls of said insert.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the insulation barrier can be flexed. it is determined by the line of contact between the second end of the flexibly insulating barrier and the inner surface of the base member of the box.

14. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a) an access door in the wall plate to allow access to the cables in one of the two compartments.