WO2004021538A1

WO2004021538A1 - Floor box

Info

Publication number: WO2004021538A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/001119
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael David Boyd; Iain Kilburn White
Original assignee: Cabscape Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2002-09-02
Filing date: 2003-09-02
Publication date: 2004-03-11
Also published as: AU2002951155A0

Abstract

A floor box (10) for transition of cable services through a floor defines an integral flange (16) adapted to rest on the sides of an aperture in a floor surface, and an inwardly directed flange (20) adapted to support a lid on the inwardly directed flange with forces received by the lid (100) being transmitted from the inwardly directed flange to the integral flange and thence to the floor surface. The floor box is preferably assembled from two extruded elements defining side walls (12) of the floor box, the side walls (12) being attached to a base (30) and two end walls (14), also preferably extrusions to form the floor box. The lid (100) may be integrally hinged to a surround in the form of a frame (102) to overly the peripheral flanges of the box with the lid resting on the inwardly directed flange (20).

Description

Floor box Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a floor box for transition of cable services through a barrier, typically a floor.

Background of the invention

Modern offices house an extensive array of electronic and electrical equipment which require both power supply and interconnecting communications cabling. As a result, such buildings normally incorporate a hollow raised floor or sub-floor trunking which provides cavities/ducts along which the cabling travels. The transition of power, phone lines, data cables and the like from the sub-floors cavities/ducts is achieved through recessed compartments commonly known as floor boxes. An example can be seen in PCT/GB92/011011 {AU 19759/92). One problem with existing floor boxes is that they do not provide the load bearing capabilities for eg. rolling or point loads that the raised floor as a whole has to comply with for safety reasons,

A second problem with existing floor boxes is that the lid and associated hatches for passage of cables do not afford adequate protection for the cable sheaths, and can in some circumstances allow cables to be trapped between the lid and frame, causing damage to the cable and sheath.

A third problem is that existing floor boxes mount over the surrounding floor finish and can be visually unattractive.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed in Australia before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a floor box adapted to support an access lid, the floor box defining an integral peripheral flange adapted to rest on the sides of an aperture in a floor surface, and an inwardly directed flange adapted to support a lid. A lid for the floor box may be provided to rest on the inwardly directed flange with forces received by the lid being transmitted from the inwardly directed flange to the integral peripheral flange and thence to the floor surface.

In one preferred embodiment the lid is integrally hinged to a surround in the form of a frame adapted to overly the peripheral flange portions of the floor box with the lid resting on the inwardly directed flange.

Most preferably the lid includes a central reinforcing plate, typically a steel plate, over which the lid and frame surround are integrally moulded in a plastics material. Alternatively the plate may be inserted into the lid after moulding and secured via adhesive or staking or other means.

Thus, in a related aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lid assembly for a floor box comprising: a perimeter flange; and a central openable lid, attached to the flange by a flexible membrane hinge; wherein the lid and flange are a unitary moulding.

In one embodiment, a rigid or semi-rigid openable hatch is attached to the lid by a flexible membrane hinge to allow egress of cables and the like from the floor box with the lid in a closed position. Alternatively, the lid may define a flexible flap which extends along one side of the lid. In this embodiment, the flap flexes around the cables when the lid is closed to permit the egress of cabling or the like from beneath the lid.

Where a hatch is provided, it preferably has projecting legs to support the hatch in the open position. The legs may be shaped to provide a minimum bend radius for cables and may be shaped and positioned to prevent the hatch from rotating when it is either in either the open or the closed position, when the lid is closed and locked down. The hatch may be reinforced with a rigid insert either over-moulded or attached after the moulding operation. More than one hatch may be provided. In another preferred embodiment the lid is separate from the peripheral flange. In this case the lid may be attached to the box with a flexible membrane as previously described, or it may be attached to the box with integrally moulded hinge pins that engage into slots or holes in the side-walls of the box. In either case the lid may incorporate an integral hatch or flap for passage of cables, as described above. Typically, the lid defines a locking device for locking the lid to the supporting floor box. In one embodiment , the locking device may be a vertical rotatable. spindle defining a tab to engage the floor box and a handle, for rotating the spindle, which handle folds flat when not in use. Alternatively, the locking device may comprise an integrally moulded catch.

Typically, the integral lid and flange will be moulded from a flexible plastics material such as polyurethane, in a single cavity mould. Instead of polyurethaπe, PVC or EVA may also be used. Alternatively, the lid and flange could be moulded from a more rigid plastics material with suitable hingeing properties such as polypropylene or acetal.

In one version, the flange . element has a ramped cross-section to accommodate an overlying floor finish and an upstand around the inner opening. to provide an abutment for the floor finish. Alternatively the flange element has a square outer edge with an overhanging lip to seat against and over the surrounding floor finish and a square edge to the inner opening.

Preferably, the lid element has tapered sides to sweep carpet pile aside during closure and either an upstand around the perimeter to provide an abutment for the floor finish or a square edge for use in situations where an overlying floor finish is not required.

It is preferred that the lid is sufficiently rigid to span between the inwardly directed flanges and is reinforced with either an over-moulded plate, a plate separately attached to the lid, or with ribs formed on the underside of the lid.

The floor box may be simply mounted to an aperture in a floor by placing the box inside the aperture with the integral peripheral flange resting on the floor surface adjacent the edges of the aperture and may be secured in place by one or more screws passing through apertures formed in the peripheral flange. This is a significant advantage over existing floor boxes where assembly and installation of the floor box generally requires clamping against or access to the underside of the floor.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the floor box is assembled from at least two extruded elements/extrusions defining side walls of the floor box fixed to a base and two end walls to define a box. The end walls may also comprise extrusions. The extrusions will typically comprise aluminium or an aluminium alloy, although non-conductive materials such as fibre-reinforced plastics may be used.

It is advantageous to form the box from extruded sections as this will allow optimisation of wall thicknesses to achieve maximum strength and minimum thickness at the overlying flange, and also allows integration of socket mounts. It is desirable to cut the extruded sections perpendicular to their length in order to minimise wastage, but this will create a missing area at each corner of the box. To overcome this the underside of the perimeter flange has moulded projections that accommodate to the missing areas and provide a continuously supported surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of part a floor box assembly; Figure 2 is a cross section through an extrusion for forming two sides of the floor box shown in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a cross section through an extrusion for forming two opposed

, ends of the floor box shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a lid for the floor box shown in Figure 1 , seen from below;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the lid of Figure 4 seen from above; Figures 6A, 6B and 6C show a cross section through the assembly comprising a floor box and the lid of Figure 4 showing the lid fully closed, showing the lid closed but with a hatch open to allow egress of a cable from the floor box, and showing the entire lid raised, respectively; and

Figure 7 is a cross section through variant of the floor box incorporating a flexible flap and a flexible support element;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the flexible support element for use with the flexible flap of Figure 7;

Figure 8a is a perspective view of the flexible support element; and Figure 9 shows a variant of the extrusion shown in Figure 2. Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a floor box 10 assembled from extruded side wall elements 12 and extruded end walls 14. Figure 2 shows a cross section of an extruded side wall 12. An integral peripheral flange 16 is defined at the top of the side wall, An arm member 18 which includes a flange portion 20 extends from an opposite side of the side wall 12 to the peripheral flange 16 at a distance H from the top of the side wall. The arm 18 defines a generally laterally extending portion 21 which includes the flange 20, and, at its distal end, a depending end portion 22 with a returned end flange 24 The flange portions 16 and 20 and that part of the side wall joining those flange portions are about 3 to 5mm thick which is considerably thicker than the rest of the extrusion, since, in use, they are required to transfer any load on the lid to the surrounding floor.

A floor member 30 extends away from the base of the side wall 12 and, at its distal end, defines an upwardly extending portion 32 and a returned end flange 34. The side wall 12 floor member 30 and arm member 8 together define a channel 36 which opens into the interior of the floor box as shown in Figure 1.

On the underside of the arm member, two generally cylindrical recesses 38 and 40 are defined, one adjacent the side wall and one adjacent the end flange 22. Each recess opens towards the base of the extrusion. A further generally cylindrical recess 42 is defined where the floor member 30 and the side wall 12 meet an opens at an angle of about 45 degrees to the floor member. A yet further generally cylindrical recess 44 is defined at the distal end of the floor member which opens in a direction generally parallel to the floor member for receiving a plate 46, shown in phantom in Figure 2 and which can also be seen in Figure 1. When a second side wall element is similarly connected to an opposite side of the plate the side walls and base of the floor box are completed. Figure 3 shows an extruded end wall 14 for use in forming the box of

Figure 1. The extruded end wall 14 also defines an integral peripheral flange 50, at the top of the end wall and an inwardly directed flange 52 projecting from the opposite side of the wall as the flange 50 which is spaced a distance h below the top of the side wall 14. The distance h is less than the corresponding distance H between the Inwardly directed flange 20 and the peripheral flange 16 of the extrusion shown in Figure 2. The peripheral flange 50 is offset by a distance D (typically about 9mm) from the end wall 14 by a channel 53. This offset makes it easier to remove an assembled floor box (see below) from a floor aperture by providing leeway when the box is raised slightly.

To assemble the floor box shown in Figure 1 , two lengths of side wall extrusion as shown in Figure 2 are cut to a desired (equal) length. Similarly two equal lengths of the extrusion of Figure 3 are cut, which may or may not be equal to the length of the side wall extrusion depending on whether the box is to be square or rectangular. The box is assembled as shown in Figure 1 and as described above by inserting a plate 46 of equal length to the side wall extrusion 12 between the two opposing sections and closing the ends of the box with the end wall extrusions 14. The end walls can either be glued to the ends of the side wall extrusion 12 or joined using screws, pins or the like passing through the end wall into the cylindrical recesses 38 and 42 defined in the side wall elements. As illustrated in Figure 1, it is possible to place a plate 54 (shown in phantom in figure 2) extending behind the end flanges 22 and 32 with one end of the plate located in the cylindrical recess 40 and the other end wedged between the returned portion 34 and an abutment 56 defined on the floor member 30. The plate may define apertures shaped to receive sockets or the like for cables or other connectors. Alternatively in the if the gap between the flanges 24 and 34 is of an appropriate size, it is possible to fit sockets directly between the flanges 24 and 34 without the need for the plate 54.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a lid for the box and Figures 6A, 6B and 6C show the lid in position on the box. The end walls may include a preformed knock out portion to define an aperture 55 (refer to Figure 1 ) for receiving a conduit.

The lid 100 and surround or frame 102 are shown in Figures 4 to 6C and are formed from a unitary moulding incorporating a steel plate 104 with the lid being hinged to the surround by a flexible membrane hinge as Is best shown in Figure 6C. Also illustrated in the Figures, is a cable access hatch 106 which is also integrally moulded with the lid and joined to the same by a flexible membrane hinge. The surround, or frame defines a series of spaced slits 103 which increase the flexibility of the frame.

With reference to Figure 4 it can be seen that the underside of the lid defines ribs 108 which extend along the two edges of the lid which are perpendicular to the hinged edge. In use, those ribs rest on the flange 20 of the floor box which is lower than the flange 44 and transfer load from the lid to the box element. Figure 4 also shows a gap 109 in one of the ribs. The gap is for attachment of one end of a strap for use in those jurisdictions where the lid has to be restrained from opening by more than 90 degrees. Also, clearly visible in Figure 4 are recesses which receive the integral peripheral flange of the floor box as is best seen in Figures 6A to 6C.

In one configuration a rectangular hole the size of the assembled floor

^' box is made in a raised floor and the floor box is connected to services and, dropped into the hole. The lid assembly and surround are then placed over the floor box and peripheral flanges and fixed onto the surrounding deck with adhesive, screws or the like. Alternatively the lid may be pre-attached to the box at the factory in which case the entire assembly is inserted and fastened in the one operation. The floor box and lid assembly are very strong as any load on the reinforced lid is directly transferred to the inwardly directed flanges 20 and 52 and thence to the peripheral flanges 16, 50, where the extrusion is relatively thick and strong. The rest of the floor box does not need to be load bearing.

Instead of the hinged hatch shown in Figures 6A to 6C a flexible flap 120 extending along the end or the entire side of the lid 100 may be provided as shown in Figure 7. As the flap is thinner than the lid and is flexible no hinge as such is required for the flap. A moulded plastic block 122 numbered in Figure 7 located underneath the flap extends along the length of the flange and arm 18 of the side wall 12 and supports the flap. The block is also shown in Figures 8 and 8a and defines a series of spaced vertically extending wall elements 124 defining out turned V-shaped ends 126 which are adapted to receive and grip cables 128 passing between adjacent wall elements. An integrally moulded strip 30 joins the elements of the block together. The end of the block nearest the flange 16 in use is taller than H as it is necessary for the flap to be held partly open to allow cables to pass out from the floor box. The integrally moulded surround 102 is optional. The lid 100 may be hinged to the box itself, without the surround.

Figure 9 shows a variant of the extrusion shown in Figure 2 in which the arm member 18a is not an extension of the inwardly directed flange 20a but projects from lower down the side wall 12 than the flange 20a. In this variant sockets 200 defined in the box are oriented at an angle of about 15 degrees to the horizontal, in use. β

Although forming the floor box from aluminium extrusions has substantial cost advantages particularly in the reduction of labour costs in assembly of the floor box, it will be appreciated that the floor box could be manufactured from folded steel, or the like, or it could be made by other methods such as injection moulding or die casting.

Further, in the version of the box made from the extrusion shown in Figure 2, the end walls, instead of being .made from the extrusion shown in Figure 3 could be injection moulded, in which case hinge points, and knock outs for cables could be formed in the moulding process. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

I . A floor box adapted to support an access lid, the floor box defining an integral peripheral flange adapted to rest on the sides of an aperture in a floor surface, and an inwardly directed flange adapted to support a lid.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1 further including a lid for the floor box the periphery of the lid being supportable on the inwardly directed flange with forces received by the lid being transmitted from the inwardly directed flange to the integral peripheral flange and thence to the floor surface.

3. A floor box as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the floor box is assembled from at least two extruded elements defining side walls of the floor box, the side walls being attached to a base and two end walls to form the floor box.

4, A floor box as claimed in claim 3 wherein the end walls also comprise extruded elements.

5. A floor box as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the extruded elements comprise aluminium.

6. A floor box as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the extruded elements comprise an aluminium alloy.

7. A floor box as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid is integrally hinged to a surround in the form of a frame adapted to overly the peripheral flanges of the floor box with the lid resting on the inwardly directed flange.

8. A floor box as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the lid is attached to the box with integrally moulded hinge pins that engage into slots or holes in the side-walls of the box.

9. A floor box as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the lid includes a central reinforcing plate

10. A floor box as claimed in claim 7 wherein the lid and frame surround are integrally moulded in a plastics material.

II. A floor box as claimed in claim 10 wherein the lid includes a central reinforcing plate which is inserted into the lid after moulding and secured to the lid.

12. A floor box as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 1 wherein a rigid or semi-rigid openable hatch is attached to the lid by a flexible membrane hinge to allow egress of cables and the like from the floor box with the lid in a closed position.

13 A floor box as claimed in claim 12 wherein the hatch defines projecting legs to support the hatch in the open position, the legs being shaped to provide a minimum bend radius for cables

14. A floor box as claimed in claim 13 wherein the legs are shaped and 5 configured to prevent the hatch from rotating when the hatch is in either an open or closed position, when the lid is closed and locked.

15. A floor box as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein the hatch is reinforced with a rigid insert.

16. A floor box as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 11 wherein the lid 10 defines a flexible flap which extends at least part way along one side of the lid.

17 A floor box as claimed in claim 7 or 10 wherein the integral lid and frame surround are moulded from a flexible plastics material in a single cavity mould.

18. A floor box as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flexible plastics material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, PVC and EVA. 15

19. A floor box as claimed in claim 7 or 10 wherein the integral lid and flange are moulded from a relatively rigid flexible plastics material in a single cavity mould the relatively rigid plastics material being selected from the group comprising polypropylene and acetal.

20. A floor box as claimed in claim 7 or 10 or 17 to 19 wherein the frame 20 surround has a ramped cross-section to accommodate an overlying floor finish and an upstand around the inner opening to provide an abutment for the floor finish.

21. A lid assembly for a floor box comprising: a frame surround in the form of a perimeter flange; and 25 a central openable lid, attached to the flange by a flexible membrane hinge; > wherein the lid and flange are a unitary moulding.

22. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 21 wherein the lid includes a central reinforcing plate

30 23. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 21 or 22 wherein the lid and frame surround are integrally moulded in a plastics material.

24. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 21 wherein the lid includes a central reinforcing plate which Is inserted into the lid after moulding and secured to the lid. 35

25. A lid assembly as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 24 wherein a rigid or semi-rigid openable hatch is attached to the lid by a flexible membrane hinge to allow egress of cables and the like from the floor box with the lid in a closed position.

26 A lid assembly as claimed in claim 25 wherein the hatch defines projecting legs to support the hatch in the open position, the legs being shaped to provide a minimum bend radius for cables

27. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 26 wherein the legs are shaped and configured to prevent the hatch from rotating when the hatch is in either an open or closed position, when the lid is closed and locked.

28. A lid assembly as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 27 wherein the hatch is reinforced with a rigid insert,

29. A lid assembly as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 28 wherein the lid defines a flexible flap which extends at least part way along one side of the lid.