US2284712A - Backplate for gas installation housings - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1942. r P. A. ANDERSON 2,284,712

BACKPLATE FOR GAS INSTALLATION HQUSINGS Filed March 17, 1941- .MQML I I a Snnentor Z0 attornegs.

Patented June 2, 1942 BACKPLATE FOR GAS INSTALLATION HOUSINGS.

Peter A. Anderson, Portland, Maine, assignor to Utilities Distributors, Inc., Portland, Maine, a

corporation of Maine Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 3523.830

3 Claims. (Cl. 312-112) The present invention relates to improvements in backplates for gas installation housings and constitutes an improvement over the device disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,105,135 granted January 11, 1938.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved backplate in which facility in mounting the backplate upon a wall or other support is promoted to a high degree, and wherein the backplate will be more securely held in place; and further wherein the attachment of'the fastening means to the wall or other support is simplified and made easier.

Another object of the invention resides in providing an improved backplate in whichprovision is made for ease and adaptability in attaching regulating or other instruments where those instruments and their fastening means vary in construction and detail and thus require variations in the effective cooperating means on the backplate.

A still further object of the invention is. to provide an improved backplate which cooperates in an improved manner with the supporting prop for the hood.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting for the hinged prop on the hood.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing in which like parts are denoted by the same reference characters throughout the several views, a

Figure 1 is a rear elevation with a part of the tank broken away showing an improved backplate and installation constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the center of the backplate installation, the partsbeing shown in elevation.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the improved backplate and its hinge.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a form of prop employed.

Figure 5 is a disassembled view, with a portion of the hood shown in section and the backplate broken away, showing the prop and its means of support, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified form of locking arm.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which only a, single embodiment of the invention port, and II a gas tank forming part of the installation.

To the support I0 is affixed the improved backplate by means of screws, bolts or other appropriate fastenings l2 and I3 having heads l4 and I5 which are spaced outwardly from the support I0.

The upper fastening heads M are of a size to pass through the enlarged lower portions l6 of slots ll made in an upper attaching section 18 of the improved backplate. The slots I! extend generally in a vertical direction and are narrow and elongated in this direction. The width of slots I! is such as to slidably receive the shanks of the fastenings l2 but too narrow to permit the passage of the heads I4 therethrough. Consequently the procedure that is required is to raise the backplate sufficiently high initially to enable the enlarged openings I6 toregister with the heads I4 of the fastenings; thereupon to push the backplate toward the support Ii) in the act of passing the heads I4 through openings 6 to cause heads M to now lie upon the outer face of the backplate; subsequently permitting the backplate to descend which will result in the narrow slots l1 sliding down over the shanks of the fastenings 12. The heads l4 being wider than the slots H, such heads M will cause interlocking engagement of 'the backplate with the fastil ' weight of the devices held thereby, and secondly,

is illustrated, I0 designates a wall or other supby'screwing the fastenings 12 into the support Ill so that heads 14 have a very tight frictional binding engagement on the attaching section l8. By loosening the fastenings IE to a slight degree, the backplate may be freely lifted off the fastenings and detached completely from the support It).

This arrangement enables me to secure the fastenings l2 in the support it] independently of the backplate and before the backplate is put in place, and without having to hold the backplate up while the fastenings are screwed through openings therein. The arrangement provides facility in attaching the fastenings and later in hanging the backplate. It also economizes on time and makes for a more secure fastening.

After the backplate is thus assembled to the support I!) and the upper fastenings l2, the lower fastenings l3 may be engaged through perforations IS in a lower attaching section 29 of the backplate. The attaching sections l8 and 20 preferably lie substantially in the same plane so as to fit flush against the face of the support I!) to which they are both secured.

The upper edge of the attaching section l6 carries a hinge leaf 2| on a pintle 22, the axis of which lies in a substantially horizontal plane just forwardly of the plane of th attaching section l8.

The leaf 2| is riveted or otherwise secured to a hood 23 which is thus enabled to swing to the upper position indicated in full lines in Figure 2 and to the dotted line position shown in this same figure.

Between the attaching sections I6 and 29, the backplate is formed with a forwardly-ofiset section 24 which extends in spaced relation away from the support II) to accommodate perhaps the fingers of an operative and also wrenches and other tools by which such operative may secure the fastenings of a regulator 25 or other instruments usually carried in connection with a gas installation, but primarily to accommodate the heads of screws or bolts by which regulator or other instruments are fastened.

The offset section 24 is cut through to provide a series of elongated slots 25, 26, and 2'! spaced vertically one above another and being of variable lengths in a vertical of substantially vertical sense. These slots are narrow horizontally and elongated Vertically and have openings 26, 29 and 39 at their upper portions communicating with the narrower lower portions of the respective slots 25, 26, and 27. Other slots 3| and 32 in the offset section 24 are spaced at opposite sides from the vertical line of the slots 25, 26 and 21 and stepped vertically one above another. Such slots 3| and 32 have enlarged openings 33 and 34 at their upper ends communicating with the narrower lower portions 3| and 32.

The regulator 25' is generally formed with spacing members 35 which engage against the front face of the offset section 24 of the backplate. Headed fastenings 36 extend through the spacing members 35 and into the instrument 25'. The heads of the fastenings 36 are spaced rearwardly from the spacing members 35.

With this instrument 25 the distance between fastenings 36 varies.

The procedure in mounting the instrument 25' is to move the form up against the offset section 24 of the backplate and to aline the fastenings 36 with two of the enlarged openings in the offset portion through which the enlarged heads of the fastenings 36 will freely pass to the rear portion of'such ofiset section 24 sufficiently to enable the shanks of the fastenings 36 to slide down in the elongated slots. In Figures 1 and 2, a condition is shown in which the upper fastenings 36 of the instrument 25 is received in slot 2! with the lower fastenings 36 received in slot 26. In this particular case when the instrument is al lowed to descend the shank of the upper fastening 36 abuts the bottom of the short slot 2?, which thus serves in part to support the instrument 25; whereupon the operative tightens the fastenings 36 so that the enlarged heads bind tightly against the rear face of the offset section 24 and draw up the instrument 25 and its spacing members 35 tightly against the front face of offset action 2d.

In case the two fastenings 36 of an instrument 25' are spaced further apart than shown in Figure 1, such fastenings might still be accommodated in slots 26 and 21 by following the procedure in which head of lower fastening 36 is first inserted in opening 29 while the upper part of instrument is tilted slightl away from the backplate; and then to lower the instrument with the shank of the lower fastening riding down in the central slot 26, which it will be observed is of greatest vertical elongation, until the head of the upper fastening 36 arrives in registry with opening 39; whereupon instrument 25' is erected or moved to an upright vertical position causing the enlarged head of its upper fastenings 36 to move through opening 39; whereupon the instrument may be dropped until shank of upper fastening 36 encounters the base of the short slot 21. In some cases, the fastenings will encounter the bottoms of both slots simultaneously.

In other cases, slots 25 and 26 may be used. Where the spacing of the fastenings 36 is unusually wide, slots 25 and 2? are used. Where it is desirable to tilt the regulator, slots 3| and 32 may be used or either one of slots 3| or 32 may be used in conjunction with any of the slots 25, 26 or 21.

The particular grouping of the slots in the vertical and horizontal spaced relation and in the stepped arrangement accommodates substantially all of the instruments of known standard constructions. The backplate is thus of a universal application.

A locking arm 39 is fitted at its inner end against section 26 of the backplate and over openings l9 with fastenings i5 passing through such inner end of the arm 39 and the openings E9 to secure the locking arm 39 in place. As shown in Figure 2, the locking arm extends up diagonally from the lower end of the backplate and through slot 46 of hood 23. Beyond the slot the arm 23 is perforated to receive padlock 4| to lock the hood 23 in the lowered position.

In Figure 4, I have shown a prop 42 made of round or other cross section with one end rolled to provide an eye 43, while an oifset portion 44 is made in spaced relation to the free end 45.

The prop swings about the eye 43 in a mounting within the hood 23.

Such mounting is more particularly shown in Figure 5 in which the threaded bolt 46 passes through an opening 41 in the hinge leaf 2! and a registering opening 48 in the hood 23. The bolt.

also passes in sequence through a washer 49, a collar 59 on which the eye 43 swivels, and a washer 5|. A nut 62 is threaded on the bolt 46 which has a head 53 engaging against the hinge leaf 4| while the nut 52 engages against the washer 5|.

It will be noted that collar 59 is wider than eye 43 so that collar 53 will project slightly to opposite sides of eye 43, thus holding washers 49 and 5! from binding engagement against eye 43. Thus the prop 42 may be free to turn about the axis of the bolt 46. A reasonable amount of frictional resistance to this turning may be had by the clamping engagement of washers 49 and 5| and/or by the gripping engagement of the rolled eye 43 upon collar 53. The washers 49 and 5| are of a diameter in excess of that of collar 56 and of eye 43 for purposes of laterally detaining the eye 43 on the collar 59. The axis of rotation of prop 42 is substantially at right angles to the axis of hinge pintle 22.

In operation, the hood 23 normally lies in the full line position shown in Figure 1 and the dotted line position of Figure 2 with the padlock 4| in place. In such position, the hood protects the instrument 25, the valves and other equipment from access by unauthorized persons. When empty tanks H are to be removed and replaced by full tanks, and for other operations, the padlock. is removed, and thehood raised to the full line position shown in Figure 2. When the hood is in the lowered position, the prop 42 occupies the position therein indicated in Figure 1. When such hood is raised, the prop 42 is swung down to the position shown in Figure 2. The length of the prop is inferior to the distance between the pivotal axis of the prop and a shoulder 54 of the backplate formed by the offsetting of the section 24 outwardly from the attaching section I8 so as to enable the lower free end 45 of the prop to clear this shoulder 54 in the fully raised position of the hood 23, after which the free end 45 may be alined with a perforation 55 in the shoulder 54 so that upon slightly lowering the hood 23, as for instance to the full line position shown in Figure 2, such free end 45 of the prop may enter the perforation 55 until the offset part 44 of the prop encounters shoulders 54. Thus the prop forms a support for the hood in the raised position of such hood.

Referring more particularly to Figure 6, a modified form of locking arm 38 is shown which is not diagonal but which is circular in a substantially horizontal plane. The rear end portion of this locking arm 39 is received against an intermediate portion of the offset section 24 of the backplate where perforations 31 are made to receive fastenings 38 passing through the locking arm and the backplate to hold the locking arm supported from the backplate.

Thus the backplate may utilize at least two types of locking arms. The half-circle locking arm 39 is more fully disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application entitled Gas installation housings filed March 15, 1941, Serial No. 383,635.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only to the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A gas installation housing comprising a back plate having attachingsections spaced apart and in substantially the same plane, said backplate having an intermediate forwardly-offset section providing a space between said offset section and the support, said offset section having verfrom one another and having enlarged upper portions, said offset section also having vertically elongated slots located in spaced relation to opposite sides of the first mentioned slots and in vertically-stepped relation to one another and having enlarged openings in their upper portions, whereby instruments having variously spaced headed fastenings thereon may be removably secured to said back plate by passing the headed fastenings through the enlarged upper portions of selected slots in said back plate, a hood carried by the upper portion of said backplate for enveloping said instrument, and a locking means for the hood also carried by said offset section. v

2. A gas installation housing comprising a backplate having means to secure the same to a support and provided with a forwardly offset perforated shoulder, a hinge on the upper portion of the backplate above said shoulder, a hood carried by said hinge and movable up and down about the backplate, a prop pivotally carried within said hood on a pivotal axis at right angles to the pivot of said hinge, said prop having an offset portion for engaging and resting upon said shoulderand a free end below the offset portion to enter the perforation in said shoulder, said prop being shorter than the distance between its pivotal point and shoulder'in the fully raised 7 position of the hood to enable the free end of the prop to clear the shoulder in the act of downwardly swinging said prop for engagement of its free end in the perforation of the shoulder.

.3. A gas installation housing comprising a I backplate, a hinge carried by the upper portion of the backplate, a hood secured to said hinge and movable therewith, a prop having a rolled eye at one end portion, a collar on which said eye is rotatably mounted, said collar being slightly wider than said prop, washer of greater diameter than said collar fitted on opposite sides of said collar and said prop, a fastening member passing through the hood and through said collar, eye and the washers, and a cooperating fastening member secured to the. first fastening member at its lower portion, said prop having a laterally offset part near its free end, said backplate having a perforated shoulder for receivinfi the free end and offset part of said prop.

. PETER A; ANDERSON.

Images