WO2012056288A1

WO2012056288A1 - Decoration plate

Info

Publication number: WO2012056288A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/002526
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takahiro Sakaji; Masayuki Mimura; Toru Honda; Kenichi Miyazaki; Hirohisa Okuno
Original assignee: Panasonic Corporation
Priority date: 2010-10-25
Filing date: 2011-10-24
Publication date: 2012-05-03
Also published as: JP2012095383A; JP5877334B2

Abstract

In a decoration plate to be fitted on a mounting frame (1) to which a plurality of wiring accessories (4) is attached side by side, the decoration plate includes a plate body of a rectangular frame shape having an opening window (24) through which functional surfaces of the wiring accessories (4) are exposed to a front side thereof; and a pair of decorative sheets (3) fitted to both longitudinal frame portions (22) of the plate body that are disposed perpendicularly to a direction in which the wiring accessories are arranged. When the decoration plate A is attached to the mounting frame (1) in which the wiring accessories (4) are installed, the decorative sheets (3) are disposed on both sides of the wiring accessories (4), whereby the decoration plate A and the wiring accessories have a good appearance.

Description

DECORATION PLATE

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a decoration plate.

Background of the Invention

Conventionally, there is provided a decoration plate attached on a front side of a wiring accessory embedded in an installation surface (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H03 -245709, page 2, upper right column, line 11 to page 2, lower right column, line 13, and Fig. 1) . The decoration plate includes: a plate body of a rectangular frame shape attached to a mounting frame, to which the wiring accessory is installed, from its front side; a decorative cover of a rectangular frame shape detachably fitted to an opening of the plate body; and a decorative sheet detachably fitted to an opening of the decorative cover. In a center portion of the decorative sheet, an opening is formed to have substantially the same size in dimensions as that of an outer shape of the wiring accessory. When the decoration plate is attached to the mounting frame, a functional surface (a front face) of the wiring accessory is exposed through the opening of the decorative sheet. In the decoration plate disclosed in the above-cited reference, the decorative sheet serves to hide a gap between the decorative cover and the wiring accessories. However, the decoration plate attached to the mounting frame has a poor appearance .

Summary of the Invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a decoration plate having a good appearance.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a decoration plate which is fitted on a front side of a mounting frame to which one or more wiring accessories are attached side by side, the decoration plate including: a plate body with a rectangular frame shape having an opening window through which functional surfaces of the wiring accessories are exposed to its front side; and a pair of decorative sheets fitted to both side frame portions of the plate body that are disposed perpendicularly to a first direction in which the wiring accessories are arranged .

In the decoration plate, the decorative sheet is preferably formed to have substantially the same length as that of an opening window in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Besides, each decorative sheet is preferably attached to the plate body such that, in the first direction, both edges of the decorative sheet coincide with both edges of the opening window.

Further, in the decoration plate, fitting means for fitting the decorative sheet to the plate body are preferably provided in the decorative sheet and the plate body, respectively.

Furthermore, the decoration plate preferably includes a light-transmitting member through which to pass light from a light emitting unit disposed on a rear side of the plate body, wherein one of the decorative sheets and the plate body are respectively provided with apertures for passing the light from the light emitting unit forwardly, at a position corresponding to the light emitting unit; and the light-transmitting member is interposed between the decorative sheet and the plate body such that a portion of the light-transmitting member is exposed forwardly through the aperture of the decorative sheet.

Still further, in the decoration plate, the decorative sheets are preferably attached to the plate body to cover a weld line formed during a molding process of the plate body.

In accordance with the present invention, a decoration plate having a good appearance can be provided. Brief Description of the Drawings

The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wiring device using a decoration plate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the decoration plate;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the decoration plate;

Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of a plate body of the decoration plate;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the decoration plate;

Figs. 6A and 6B are external perspective views showing other examples of the decoration plate;

Figs. 7A to 7C are front views showing modifications of the decoration plate; and

Fig. 8 is a front view of a conventional decoration plate . Detailed Description of the Embodiment

Hereinafter, a decoration plate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings .

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wiring device using a decoration plate A of the present embodiment. The wiring device mainly includes a mounting frame 1, a plurality of wiring accessories 4 (two pieces in Fig. 1) detachably attached to the mounting frame 1, and the decoration plate A. Hereinafter, up-down, left-right and front-rear directions are defined based on the directions shown in Fig. 1. However, the above directions are defined for convenience of explanation, and do not necessarily coincide with the directions in the actual use state of the wiring device.

The mounting frame 1, as shown in Fig. 1, is formed into a rectangular frame shape whose center portion is opened to provide a rectangular opening 13 elongated in the left-right direction. Bent pieces 12 are protruded backwardly from upper and lower edges of the opening 13, the bent pieces 12 being integrally formed with the mounting frame 1. In each bent piece 12, a plurality of guide holes 12a (Fig. 1 shows only 3 holes of the lower bent piece) is formed side by side. Between the adjacent guide holes 12a and 12a, there is provided a locking edge 12b to which a locking claw 4a of each of the wiring accessories 4, described later, is locked.

Further, on left and right sides of the opening 13, there are provided vertically elongated insertion holes 16 into each of which a fixing screw (not shown) is to be inserted for fixing the mounting frame 1 to an embedded box (not shown) . Furthermore, near each corner of the opening 13, there is provided a mounting hole 11 into which a sleeve 8 is to be inserted. The sleeves 8 are used in attaching a plate body 2 of the decoration plate A, described later, to the mounting frame. Still further, two pair of locking holes 15 are disposed diagonally with respect to the opening 13. A pair of locking claws 61 provided in an LED unit 6, described later, can be fitted to any pair of the locking holes 15. Besides, two apertures 14 are also disposed diagonally with respect to the opening 13. Light from a light emitting part 62 of the LED unit 6 passes through the apertures 14. Since the locking holes 15 and the apertures 14 are disposed diagonally with respect to the opening 13, the LED unit 6 can still remain at the same position even if the mounting frame 1 is turned around by 180 degrees. In other words, there is no need to specify an up and down direction of the mounting frame 1, thereby advantageously making no mistake in mounting direction.

The wiring accessory 4, as shown in Fig. 1, may be a switch 41 for turning on and off power supply to, e.g., an electric appliance (not shown) , a multi-socket 42 including a socket for supplying electric power to the electric appliance, or the like. In the present embodiment, the switch 41 is designed to have a single unit size (referred to as "single module size"), and the multi-socket 42 is designed to have a double unit size (referred to as "double module size") . Here, up to 3 pieces of a wiring accessory having the single unit size can be mounted to the above- described mounting frame 1. The switch 41 and the multi- socket 42 are mounted to the mounting frame 1 side by side. In the present embodiment, the wiring accessories 4 are arranged in the left-right direction in Fig. 1.

Locking claws 4a to be locked to the locking edges 12b of the mounting frame 1 are disposed on both upper and lower side walls of each wiring accessory 4, respectively. In the present embodiment, since the switch 41 has the single module size, one locking claw 4a is provided at substantially a center portion in the left-right direction on each of the upper and lower side walls of the switch 41. Further, since the multi-socket 42 has the double module size, two locking claws 4a are respectively provided at both end portions in the left-right direction on each of the upper and lower side walls of the multi-socket 42. Thus, the number and the positions of the locking claws 4a are determined depending on the size of each wiring accessory 4. Therefore, well-balanced fitting to the locking edge 12b can be achieved.

Besides, on each of the upper and lower side walls of each wiring accessory 4, protrusions 4b, which are guided by the corresponding guide holes 12a of the mounting frame 1, are provided for positioning the wiring accessory 4 in the front-rear and left-right directions relative to the mounting frame 1. In cases where each wiring accessory 4 is attached to the mounting frame 1, the wiring accessory 4 is inserted into the mounting frame 1 from its front side, and the protrusions 4b are fitted into the corresponding guide holes 12a to position the wiring accessory 4 in the front- rear and left-right directions. At this time, the locking claw 4a is locked to the locking edge 12b, and then the wiring accessory 4 is fitted to the mounting frame 1.

An LED unit 6, as shown in Fig. 1, has a unit body 60 formed into substantially a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape. At a central portion of a front surface of the unit body 60, there is provided an emitting part 62 that emits the light from an LED (light emitting diode) accommodated in the LED unit 6. Further, on the front surface of the unit body 60, locking claws 61 and 61 are respectively provided at both upper and lower sides of the emitting part 62. When each locking claw 61 is locked to the corresponding locking hole 15, the LED unit 6 is fitted to the mounting frame 1. At this time, the emitting part 62 is positioned to correspond to the aperture 14 of the mounting frame 1. In the present embodiment, a light- emitting means is configured by the LED unit 6.

Next, a decoration plate A in accordance with the present embodiment will be described. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the decoration plate A includes a plate body 2, and a pair of decorative sheets 3 attached to the plate body 2.

The plate body 2, molded of a synthetic resin, has a rectangular frame shape and includes transverse frame portions 21 and longitudinal frame portions 22. On a rear side of the plate body 2 (facing the mounting frame 1) , there is provided a plurality of locking claws 25 (see Fig. 2) to be engaged with the above-described sleeves 8 so that the plate body 2 is held on the mounting frame 1. The positions and the number of the locking claws 25 are determined depending on the positions and the number of the sleeves 8 attached to the mounting frame 1. In the present embodiment, the locking claws 25 are disposed near the respective corners of an opening window 24 in the plate body 2. Further, each locking claw 25 can be elastically deformed in the up-down direction of the plate body 2. In the present embodiment, the transverse frame portions 21 and the longitudinal frame portions 22 constitute a whole frame of the plate body 2.

At both ends of each longitudinal frame portion 22, there are provided locking holes 23 with which locking claws 31 disposed on the decorative sheet 3, described later, are to be engaged. Note that each locking hole 23, described above, also functions as an aperture that transmits the light from the emitting part 62 of the LED unit 6 forwardly. Herein, between the transverse frame portion 21 and the longitudinal frame portion 22, a step is formed to have a depth substantially the same as the thickness of a main piece of a decorative sheet 3 described later. Accordingly, when the decorative sheet 3 is attached to the longitudinal frame portion 22, a front surface of the main piece of the decorative sheet 3 has substantially the same level as that of a front surface of the transverse frame portion 21.

Each decorative sheet 3, molded of a synthetic resin, has a cross-section formed into substantially an L-shape. Two locking claws 31 to be engaged with the locking holes 23 that are provided in the plate body 2 are provided on each of upper and lower ends of the decorative sheet 3. Meanwhile, in one of the decorative sheets 3 (on the right side in Fig. 1) , the main piece has an aperture 32 at a portion corresponding to the lower locking hole 23, which passes the light from the emitting part 62 of the LED unit 6 disposed on the rear side of the mounting frame 1 therethrough. Accordingly, when the decoration plate A is attached to the mounting frame 1, the aperture 14 of the mounting frame 1, the locking hole 23 of the plate body 2, and the aperture 32 of the decorative sheet 3 are aligned in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, a fitting means is configured by the locking claw 31 provided on the decorative sheet 3 and the locking holes 23 provided in the plate body 2. Since each decorative sheet 3 is fixed to the plate body 2 by the fitting means described above, the fitting is carried out without needing such as thermal bonding, a seal, and an adhesive, thereby making the manufacture of the decoration plate A easier. Note that, in the up-down direction, each decorative sheet 3 has substantially the same length as that of the opening window 24 of the plate body 2.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the conventional decoration plate 7, in which a rectangular frame is configured by transverse frame portions 71 and longitudinal frame portions 72. Unlike the decoration plate A of the present embodiment, a decoration plate 7 is formed in one unit. If a resin is injected from center portions of upper and lower transverse frame portions 71, the resin travels in the left-right direction and then flows in the up-down direction. Finally, the resin flows meet near the middle of each longitudinal frame portion 72, so that a weld line 76 may be formed around the middle of each longitudinal frame portion 72. Consequently, the weld line 76 is formed on a surface of each longitudinal frame portion 72, thereby deteriorating appearance of the decoration plate 7. Note that, arrows shown in Fig. 8 denote the resin flows during the molding process of the decoration plate 7. On the other hand, Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of the plate body 2 of the present embodiment, in which a weld line 26 may be formed on the surface of each longitudinal frame portion 22 by the resin flowed thereinto from its upper and lower sides during the molding process of the plate body 2. Note that, arrows shown in Fig. 4 denote the resin flows during the molding process of the plate body 2. In the present embodiment, however, the decorative sheet 3 is attached on the front surface of each longitudinal frame portion 22 to cover the weld line 26 formed on each longitudinal frame portion 22, as shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, the weld line 26 is not seen from the front side, whereby deterioration in appearance of the plate body 2 can be suppressed.

Next, Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the decoration plate A of the present embodiment. Between the longitudinal frame portion 22 of the plate body 2 and the decorative sheet 3, there is provided a light-transmitting member 5 for transmitting the light from the emitting part 62 of the LED unit 6 attached to the mounting frame 1 forwardly. When being assembled, the light-transmitting member 5 is interposed between an opening edge of the corresponding locking hole 23 provided in the longitudinal frame portion 22 of the plate body 2 and the rear surface of the decorative sheet 3, so that a portion of the light- transmitting member 5 is exposed through the aperture 32 of the decorative sheet 3. In other words, since the light- transmitting member 5 is held by attaching the decorative sheet 3 to the plate body 2, the fitting is carried out without needing such as thermal bonding, a seal, and an adhesive, thereby making the manufacture of the decoration plate A easier.

Fig. 3 shows a state before each decorative sheet 3 is attached to the plate body 2. Two locking claws 31, which are provided on each of the upper and lower ends of each decorative sheet 3, are engaged with the opening edge of the locking hole 23 corresponding thereto, whereby each decorative sheet 3 is attached to the plate body 2. This completes the assembly of the decoration plate A (see Fig. 2) . Further, the assembled decoration plate A is fitted to the mounting frame 1 from its front side, and functional surfaces of the wiring accessories 4 are exposed to the front side through the opening window 24. Thus, installation of the wiring device is completed.

In the present embodiment, each of the decorative sheets 3 is attached to the corresponding longitudinal frame portion 22 of the plate body 2 that is disposed perpendicularly to the direction in which the wiring accessories 4 are arranged (the left-right direction in Fig. 2) . Further, in the state where the decorative sheets 3 are attached to the plate body 2, upper and lower edges of the opening window 24 of the plate body 2 respectively coincide with upper and lower edges of each decorative sheet 3 as shown in Fig. 2. Here, "coincide" means that, in the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction (up-down direction in Fig. 2) , the length between the upper and lower edges of the opening window 24 of the plate body 2 is the same as the length between the upper and lower edges of each decorative sheet 3. In the present embodiment, especially, the upper and lower edges of the opening window 24 of the plate body 2 are respectively aligned with the upper and lower edges of each decorative sheet 3 as shown in Fig. 2. Consequently, according to the decoration plate A of the present embodiment, the decorative sheets 3 are respectively disposed on both sides of the wiring accessories 4 in the left-right direction, and arranged such that the upper and lower edges of the wiring accessories 4 coincide with the upper and lower edges of each decorative sheet 3, respectively. Therefore, the decoration plate A and the wiring accessories 4 can have a good appearance.

Figs . 6A and 6B are external perspective views showing other examples of the present embodiment, in which the decorative sheet 3 may be replaced by a decorative sheet of a different color as shown in Fig. 6A, or a decorative sheet with a different front surface as shown in Fig. 6B. This makes it possible to employ decorative sheets of various designs.

Further, Figs. 7A to 7C are front views showing modifications of the decoration plate A of the present embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, there has been described the decoration plate A having a size to which the wiring accessory 4 with the single module size can be attached up to 3 pieces, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As shown in Fig. 7A, for example, there may be employed a decoration plate A having a size to which the wiring accessory 4 with the single module size can be attached up to 4 pieces. Furthermore, there may be employed a decoration plate A having a size to which the wiring accessory 4 with the single module size can be attached up to 6 pieces as shown in Fig. 7B, or a decoration plate A having a size to which the wiring accessory 4 with the single module size is attached up to 8 pieces as shown in Fig. 7C. Still further, although not illustrated, there may be employed a decoration plate A in which a plurality of the opening windows 24 is formed and arranged in the up-down direction of the plate body 2.

In the above embodiment, as the wiring accessory 4, the switch 41 and the multi-socket 42 are exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a television receptacle 43 as shown in Fig. 7A, and a fan regulator switch 44 as shown in Figs. 7B and 7C may also be employed.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferable embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A decoration plate which is fitted on a front side of a mounting frame to which one or more wiring accessories are attached side by side, the decoration plate comprising:

a plate body with a rectangular frame shape having an opening window through which functional surfaces of the wiring accessories are exposed to a front side thereof; and a pair of decorative sheets fitted to both side frame portions of the plate body that are extended perpendicularly to a first direction in which the wiring accessories are arranged .

2. The decoration plate as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the decorative sheet is formed to have substantially the same length as that of the opening of the plate body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and each of the decorative sheets is attached to the plate body such that, in the second direction, both edges of the decorative sheet coincide with edges of the opening window.

3. The decoration plate as set forth in Claim 1 or 2, wherein fitting means for fitting the decorative sheet to the plate body are provided in the decorative sheet and the plate body, respectively.

4. The decoration plate as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 3 , further comprising:

a light-transmitting member through which to pass light from a light emitting unit disposed on a rear side of the plate body,

wherein one of the decorative sheets and the plate body are respectively provided with apertures for passing the light from the light emitting unit forwardly, at a position corresponding to the light emitting unit; and

the light-transmitting member is interposed between the decorative sheet and the plate body such that a portion of the light-transmitting member is exposed forwardly through the aperture of the decorative sheet.

5. The decoration plate as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 4 , wherein the decorative sheets are attached to the plate body to cover a weld line formed during a molding process of the plate body.