US2218033A - Switch box - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, .1940.

A. W. THOMASEN SWITCH BOX 2 Shams-Sheet J.

Filed Dec. 28, '1935 INVENTOR ALFRED W. THoMAssN,

BY 7 I WATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1940.

A. W. THOMASEN SWITCH BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1935 INVENTOR ALFRED W. THouAssn',

TTORNEY Patented Oct. 15; 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,218,033 swrrcn BOX Alfred W. Thomasen, Plainville, Conn., assignor to The Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Com-. pany, Plainville, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 28, 1935, Serial No. 56,403

1 claim.

One object is to form a rectangular roundcornered sheet metal box suitable for enclosing an electric switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide a strong round-cornered rectangular box which can be made of relatively light metal.

Another object is to form a suitable roundcornered box at a minimum cost.

Another object is to form such a box with a minimum waste of material and without requiring the use of extremely powerful drawing mechanism.

Another object is to so construct a switch box that it will have a minimum of exposed joints.

In its preferred form the box is made of three pieces of sheet metal, the body having a bottom piece welded to the flanges of a single strip forming the sides and ends and the cover stamped and shaped to fit the inset edges of the body. an Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a switch box embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side View and partial section showing in dotted lines, a hinge.

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of the bottom of 25 the box.

Fig. 4 is a broken view of the blank from which the sides and ends are formed.

Fig. 5 is a broken plan of the body of the box.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section of the joint between the ends of the blank which forms the sides and ends of the body of the box, the section being taken on the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

The box has a body l0 and a cover I l preferably hinged to the body at" l2, the edge of the body being notched as shown in Fig. 2 to allow for the hinge. A latch l3 and handle H are usually provided and a handle i5 for actuating the switch. The box must be deep enough to contain the switch mechanism and strong enough to withstand the strains to which it is subjected.

The body of the box is formed of a bottom plate l6 and a side strip ll cut and formed as shown. The corners iii of the bottom plate it are cut on a ninety degree (90") are and the edges of the strip ii are notched at 19 and 20 to form lugs 2i, 2! and to leave flanges 22, 22.

These lugs and flanges are bent over at right angles to the plane of the strip and the strip is bent to the shape desired. The lugs and flanges are then welded or riveted to the edges of the bottom plate.

One end 23 of the strip i1 is oifset from the adjacent metal and welded or riveted to the opposite end 24 as shown in Fig. 5. The edge of the bottom plate is cut or notched at 25 to allow for the seam formed by the overlap of 23 and 24.

The edge of the body is inset at 26 to allow for the flange 21 of the cover so that the edge of the cover is substantially flush with the sides and ends of the body.

The cover I I may be bossed as indicated at 33.

It is, of course, possible to form a round-cornered box by stamping or drawing from a single sheet of metal but this is a very 'expensive process iii and requires the use of expensive metal and machinery. The method I have used makes it possible to use cheaper metal and less expensive dies. It also makes it possible to use a difierent kind orgage of metal for the bottom which must support the base of the switch.

It will be seen that the joints between the bottom and the sides and ends are entirely concealed from external view when the switch is in use and that the joint overlap 23, 24 is partially concealed by the cover when closed. The box is therefore neat and attractive in appearance.

I claim:

A round-cornered switch box made of a rectangular sheet metal bottom plate with rounded corners, said plate having a notch in one edge thereof, a single sheet metal side strip of a length greater than the-perimeter of said plate, one edge of said strip having a plurality of notches at spaced points corresponding to the location of the rounded corners or the sides of said plate, said strip closely surrounding the edges of said plate and said notched strip edge being bent Linder and overlapping the edges of said bottom plate, one end of said strip, where it is necessarily overlapped by the opposite end, being onset inwardly a distance equal to the thickness of the material of said strip,.,said oiiset portion entering the notch in the plate edge, said overlapped strip ends and said overlapping strip edges and plate edge being firmly secured together.

ALFRED W. THOMASEN.

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